New Evidence of Racial Bias on SAT

A new study may revive arguments that the average test scores of black students trail those of white students not just because of economic disadvantages, but because some parts of the test result in differential scores by race for students of equal academic prowess.

The finding -- already being questioned by the College Board -- could be extremely significant as many colleges that continue to rely on the SAT may be less comfortable doing so amid allegations that it is biased against black test-takers. "The confirmation of unfair test results throws into question the validity of the test and, consequently, all decisions based on its results. All admissions decisions based exclusively or predominantly on SAT performance -- and therefore access to higher education institutions and subsequent job placement and professional success -- appear to be biased against the African American minority group and could be exposed to legal challenge," says the study, which has just appeared in Harvard Educational Review. Read the entire article from inside Higher Education.

Another Upside to the Recession?

From the "Confessions of a Community College Dean" blog in Inside Higher Education

People who study college completion rates and their variants -- course completion rates, failure rates, etc. -- know that certain factors usually correlate with higher drop/fail rates: low income, starting at the developmental level, race/gender (young men of color being the most at-risk group). This Fall we had enormous enrollment growth, with the fastest growth occurring in the highest-risk group: young men of color. Our Financial Aid rate climbed at twice the rate of our overall enrollment. The student body become younger, lower income, more male, and more 'minority.'

All else being equal, we should have expected higher attrition. It didn't happen. If anything, our success rates increased marginally.

That may sound wonky and bureaucratic, but on a human level, it's HUGE. More of the students who need us the most are actually getting what they need. We're making actual -- small and insufficient, but actual -- progress.   Read the entire blog here.

Gender Gap Stops Growing...Except for Latino Males

A report from the American Council on Education says that the gender gap in college enrollments has largely leveled off, with the key exception of Latino enrollments, where men are falling further behind women.

The report, Gender Equity in Higher Education: 2010, comes amid much talk nationally about the significance of trends that have left men making up only about 43 percent of college enrollments and new college graduates. Some colleges have gone so far as to talk about affirmative action for men, which in turn has prompted an investigation by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. And a flurry of articles have suggested problems for the United States economy and society if male educational attainment continues to decline.

The message of the report is largely encouraging, noting that "several indicators suggest that the size of the gender gap in higher education may have stabilized" and that the number of bachelor's degrees being awarded to men is again on the rise. While women's numbers are also increasing, the report says that the male increases are important in showing that "women’s success does not come at the expense of men." The Latino population is the only one where a significant enrollment gender gap appears to be growing, the report says. Read the article from Inside Higher Education discussing the report. Gender Equity in Higher Education: 2010 (Item #312188) is available for purchase as a PDF for $20.00 via the American Council on Education web site at www.acenet.edu/genderequity2010.

"The Unchosen Me":
A Look at College Success for Students of Color

What challenges do students of color face during their years on campus, and how do these challenges affect their college success -- or lack thereof?

Rachelle Winkle-Wagner, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, explores these questions from the students' perspective in her new book, The Unchosen Me: Race, Gender, and Identity Among Black Women in College (Johns Hopkins University Press). During the course of her research, Winkle-Wagner met with 30 African-American women undergraduates and graduate students, who spoke to her about the pressures and conflicts they experienced as women of color at a predominately white midwestern university.

"I know that change takes time," says the author in an interview  in Inside Higher Education, "and I am not so arrogant as to think that my book will single-handedly alter the world. But, perhaps slowly, over time, if people’s stories are told in books like this, it will embolden some people to act and others to listen, and hopefully, things will begin to change." Read the entire interview with the author here.