A study by Shaun R. Harper on the status of black male students in higher education was recently published by the Dellums Commission of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute. In it, Harper analyzes the status of black male students at public universities and suggest ways to counteract racial disparities. Data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Education provides evidence of racial disparities in terms of college access, graduation rates, and degree attainments. The author also includes data to illustrate the over-representation of black men among Division I student-athletes.

Harper argues black students have been treated as a monolithic group and further points out that disaggregating the data by gender reveals important trends regarding black men in higher education. He states that across the nation we must “strengthen the social contract between public institutions of higher education and black male citizens.”

Strikingly, black men represented only 4.3 percent of all students enrolled in postsecondary institutions in 2002, the same rate as 1976.

Examining the racial background of student-athletes, this report highlights particularly football and men’s basketball programs—the two largest revenue-generating sports—where black men are more than half of the team members nationwide, but graduate at disproportionately lower rates. Notably, black male student-athletes were most over-represented in states where college-aged black males are least represented among the population. Harper suggests that the NCAA implement policies that require racial representation on any sports team to correspond to the overall percentage of that group in the undergraduate student enrollments at the institution. Further, he recommends institutions that do not meet certain graduation requirements not be permitted to compete in championship tournaments.

Based on the racial disparities evidenced by the data in the report, the author makes the following recommendations for universities

• maintain affirmative action and race-sensitive admission policies
• invest financial resources in college readiness programs at all stages of the postsecondary educational pipeline
• encourage legislators to hold public institutions accountable for closing the gaps between in-state population representation and enrollments among black men
• hire a full-time staff member whose primary responsibility is the recruitment of black male students and the creation of pipeline initiatives in middle and high schools throughout the state

www.jointcenter.org/healthpolicy/Dellums/Harper.php

The Truth about Boys and Girls
By Sara Mead

Based primarily on extensive data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) collected by the U. S. Department of Education, this report argues that the debate about the boys’ crisis is based more on societal fears than evidence. There have been no dramatic changes in the performance of boys in recent years, and no evidence to indicate a boys’ crisis. However, significant educational problems including substantial racial and economic achievement gaps continue to exist. The author argues that the media focus on the “boys’ crisis” distracts administrators and policy makers from the more crucial problems in education.

Mead’s report analyzes data not only by gender and race/ethnicity, but by subject and educational level. While the report finds that “American boys are scoring higher and achieving more than they ever have before,” overall African American, Hispanic, and low-income boys experience problematic retention and success rates.

Boys do face specific educational challenges: they make up 2/3 of students in special education, are more likely to be suspended or expelled from school, and are more likely to drop out of high school. Yet again, the report finds that the biggest crisis is with African American, Hispanic, and low-income boys, indicating that the problem may be about something other than gender.

A troubling finding from this report is that for both boys and girls, older students (17 and above) are showing stagnant or declining achievement. The author suggests that a critical assessment of high school education would benefit all students, regardless of gender.

Nevertheless, the aspirations for a college degree and potential for gainful employment differ by gender. 62 percent of female high school seniors plan to graduate from a 4-year college, compared to only 51 percent of their male counterparts. Women also have a higher margin of completing their bachelor’s degree once enrolled. Yet, men who do not earn a college degree can still make more money than women with completed college degrees, and female college graduates continue to earn less than their male counterparts.

“The Truth about Boys and Girls” ultimately argues that men’s higher-education attainment is increasing--not decreasing--just at a slower rate than women’s. Furthermore, despite the educational gains and success of female students, women are still working to catch up with men economically. The report suggests that a focus on closing racial and economic gaps in education is essential for achieving equity. The author adds that jobs traditionally held by less educated men are disappearing or requiring more education, and that parents and educators need to mentor boys about the importance of education.

www.cpec.ca.gov/CompleteReports/ExternalDocuments/ESO_BoysAndGirls.pdf

AAUP Faculty Gender Equity Indicators 2006
By Martha S. West and John W. Curtis

The American Association of University Professors recently issued a report by Martha S. West and John W. Curtis entitled “AAUP Faculty Gender Equity Indicators 2006.” Using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and AAUP’s annual Faculty Compensation Survey (FCS), the report concludes that despite significant increases in women completing doctoral degrees and new university initiatives to support women faculty, there are considerable barriers for women achieving the highest levels of academic success. Moreover, the authors argue that the lack of gender equity is detrimental to American higher education as a whole.

The report analyzes four categories: employment status, tenure status, full professor rank, and average salary. The authors found that:

• female faculty are less likely to hold full-time positions
• women are underrepresented in tenure-track position
• in all full-time faculty ranks, women earn lower salaries than men of equal rank

Interestingly, the report argues that women face more obstacles in higher education than they do in other fields, such as in corporate America. The authors advocate that universities adopt family-friendly policies and advertise to female graduate students to make it clear that faculty members no longer need to make a choice between raising children and becoming tenure-track professors.

Ultimately, the authors argue that since Congress passed Title IX prohibiting sex discrimination in education thirty-five years ago, women continue to struggle for admittance to the highest levels in universities. This thorough study recommends that universities--particularly research universities--review salary-setting practices and tenure procedures to ensure that female faculty members are offered equal opportunities at all levels.

www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/research/geneq2006.htm