Low-income students who are high achievers in high school often face demoralizing challenges when it comes to college. During the application process, they confront obstacles such as confusing financial aid forms, high application fees and family obligations, plus the task of choosing the right school. Once enrolled, they run into even more disheartening hurdles. Inadequate mentorship or support, a lack of academic preparation, expensive tuition, doubts about belonging and a belief in fixed intelligence can result in students feeling a sense of helplessness and failure. In worst case scenarios, this can lead them to drop out of college.
Paul Tough writes in The New York Times article “Who Gets to Graduate?”:
“More than 40 percent of American students who start at four-year colleges haven’t earned a degree after six years. If you include community-college students in the tabulation, the dropout rate is more than half, worse than any other country except Hungary.”
Tough emphasizes that whether a college student will graduate is disproportionately dependent on parental income, and much less on ability or scoring on standardized tests. Inequality in higher education correlates more broadly to income inequality in that lack of a college degree inhibits economic mobility and an individual’s chance of escaping poverty. Policymakers, colleges and foundations are increasingly adopting efforts to diminish the graduation gap between low-income students and more affluent, advantaged ones.
NCRP recently examined a foundation whose grantmaking single-mindedly seeks to strengthen equity and attainment in higher education. Lumina Foundation for Education was one of three foundations assessed as part of NCRP’s Philamplify initiative, which encourages anyone interested in the role of philanthropy to give feedback on what foundations do well and what they can improve.
In Victor Kuo’s Philamplify assessment of Lumina Foundation, “Can a Champion for College Attainment Up Its Game?” he explores how the foundation is addressing systematic inequalities in higher education. The stakes are high, as Kuo notes, “postsecondary completion disparities contribute to income inequality and make bitterly real the failure of the nation’s aspirations for equity.” Encouragingly, Lumina’s strategic plan for 2013-2016 “explicitly addresses the need for equity in postsecondary education, especially for first-generation students, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants and adults traditionally underrepresented among college students and graduates.”
Lumina seeks policy change and systems reform to achieve Goal 2025: 60 percent of Americans obtaining a certificate, credential or degree by 2025. The foundation provides grants for community-based, collective approaches such as the Latino Student Success (LSS) initiative. The project fosters collaborative partnerships in key metropolitan areas, such as the Santa Ana Partnership in California, featured in this video:
The work being done by LSS and the Santa Ana Partnership goes beyond advocating an increased responsiveness of a university to the needs of its underserved students. In addition, it brings Latino families and local businesses into the campaign to promote Latino college attainment. This collaborative community model incorporates multiple measures for student success by engaging both students and community members in pursuit of systemic change.
NCRP’s Lumina assessment highlights the importance of adequate resources and capacity on the ground to implement place-based initiatives, such as LSS and Lumina’s recently launched 20-site Metropolitan Partnerships for Attainment.
How can educational institutions and local communities partner to replicate these promising practices? Should public universities be required to pursue such interventions? How can federal and state policy support wide adoption of proven strategies?
To learn more about Lumina Foundation’s ambitious college completion goals, and NCRP’s recommendations for greater impact, visit www.philamplify.org. Add your voice to the conversation on what philanthropy can do to improve higher education, empower students and foster more college graduates in our communities.
Caitlin Duffy is the project assistant for Philamplify at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Follow NCRP on Twitter (@ncrp) and join the #Philamplify conversation.
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