Nearly half of young men of colour age 15 to 24 who graduate from high school will end up unemployed, incarcerated or dead. This jarring statistic is just one of many highlighted in two new reports that were released this week by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center at an event held in collaboration with the Harvard University’s W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The reports, The Educational Experience of Young Men of Colour: A Review of Research, Pathways and Progress and Capturing the Student Voice, are especially relevant given the need for these young men to attain postsecondary degrees if the nation’s economy is to thrive and compete globally.

The reports provide the most comprehensive data, research findings and recommendations to date to improve the educational experiences and pathways of young men of colour. The qualitative research study, conducted in collaboration with the Business Innovation Factory (BIF), provides findings from 92 in-depth personal student interviews that are captured through video storytelling.

The reports seek to give a balanced view of the educational issues that exist for young men of colour across four minority groups — African Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics/Latinos and Native Americans — throughout the K-20 pipeline. According to the findings, just 26 percent of African Americans, 18 percent of Hispanic Americans, and 24 percent of Native Americans and Pacific Islanders have at least an associate degree. The reports also provide an analysis of the postsecondary pathways for young men of colour and identify the barriers and catalysts to college.

“At a time when our nation is committed to reclaiming its place as the world leader in higher education, we can no longer afford to ignore the plight of our young men of colour,” said Gaston Caperton, College Board President.

“As long as educational opportunities are limited for some, we all suffer. We rise as one nation and we fall as one nation. But if we keep working hard — if we keep listening to each other and to our students — we can soften our landings and reach historic new heights.”

“These reports cast into stark view what all Americans, unfortunately, have known for a long time: that access to education in this country is a right that not all of our children enjoy in equal measure,” said Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. “But the devastating numbers and the sobering statistics are a call to action through the recommendations outlined in this innovative report. Only with genuine and profound educational reform can we create equal opportunities for young men of colour and indeed for all Americans.”

Key recommendations outlined in the studies include encouraging policymakers to make improving outcomes for young men of colour a national priority, increasing community, business and school partnerships to provide mentoring and support for these young men, and improving teacher education programmes and providing professional development training that includes cultural and gender-responsive training.

To view the full College Board press release, please click here.

In a press release issued by NACAC, the National Association for College Admission Counselling, some for-profit college recruiters focused on invoking “pain” amongst eager prospective students in order to pressure them into making ill-informed decisions, often leading them to enrol in “high-price, low-return” programmes.

NACAC President Jim Miller stated: “Institutions should be able to enrol students on the basis of the quality of their programmes, not by shaming or misleading them.”

Amongst the research carried out by Harkin was the revelation of a recruitment memo sent internally at one college advising that “the department needs to focus on the selling of the appointment by digging in and getting to the pain of each and every prospective student.”

In August 2010, NACAC testified to the Senate HELP Committee, stating:

• “Because the transition to higher education is an unsystematic, often opaque process that individuals possessing varying levels of ‘college knowledge’ must navigate, the information asymmetry between the employees in charge of recruiting and prospective students is immense. In an unregulated environment, the potential for misrepresentation and outright fraud is a clear and present threat, which can result in harm to students and, in the case of federal aid and loans, to the taxpayer.”
• “Practices (such as those documented by Senator Harkin) seem to be the inevitable result of a compensation structure based on the number of students enrolled. The regulatory struggle to mitigate the negative effects of the ‘commissioned sales’ approach to admission appears to repeat itself, with cycles of abuse—regulation—deregulation—abuse beginning in the 1970s, surfacing again in the 1980s, and re-surfacing after the enactment of regulatory ’safe harbors’ by the Bush Administration in 2002.”
• “Most students trust that colleges will steer them in the right direction. Few seem to be prepared for high pressure sales tactics, and few seem aware that a college can be a for-profit company, or that there may be cause to question what recruiters and advertisements are telling them. Whereas consumers may be prepared for a high-pressure sales pitch at a car dealership, home improvement store, or other commercial setting, few are aware that a college recruiter might employ the same tactics. Taking advantage of this trust enables recruiters to exploit a potential student’s lack of awareness of the terms of the interaction.”

Commenting on Harkin’s statement, NACAC director of public policy and research, David Hawkins, said:

“Senator Harkin’s statement yesterday highlights the fact that further regulations are badly-needed, and that business models must change. Industry lawsuits against the Department of Education and millions of dollars to lobby Congress won’t change the fact that these unethical practices exist, and that they must be stopped if we care about the future of our students and our federal aid programmes.”

NACAC is an Arlington, VA-based education association of more than 11,000 secondary school counselors, independent counselors, college admission and financial aid officers, enrollment managers, and organizations that work with students as they make the transition from high school to postsecondary education. The association, founded in 1937, is committed to maintaining high standards that foster ethical and social responsibility among those involved in the transition process, as outlined in the NACAC Statement of Principles of Good Practice (PDF).

Our sister site, i-studentenquiry.com, is a simple online search service to help students find their ideal institution overseas without the stress.

By completing one simple form, listing their study level, personal details, educational background and study preferences, i-studentenquiry can help match students to a range of institutions, in the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Germany, who exactly match their search criteria.

i-studentenquiry then forward a list of matching institutions onto the student, and also forward the student details onto the institutions, who will then contact each individual student within days of them submitting their form.

Over the past month, i-studentenquiry have upgraded the design and added lots of additional features to the website, including a new links page, a help page and tool tips to help students who may not understand all the educational terms used in the forms.

To visit the i-studentenquiry website, go to: www.i-studentenquiry.com and select undergraduate, postgraduate or English language to begin completing a form.

Or if you have any further questions or queries about the i-studentenquiry search service, please contact one of our representatives on the following e-mail address: info@i-studentenquiry.com

If you are an international student currently going through the application process, then why not let us know how you are getting on in your search.

The Australian Government’s Scholarships for Career Advisers programme provides an opportunity for practitioners to enhance their career advisory skills, and by extension, supports young people making the transition from school to work or further study.

There are two scholarship categories: a Study Scholarship or an Industry Placement.

This year 74 careers advisers were awarded a Study Scholarship, which provides each adviser with $5,000 to assist in postgraduate level studies to upgrade their qualifications.

There were also 18 Industry Placement Scholarships awarded. The recipients will each receive $10,000 to support them in taking up a short-term industry placement, enriching their knowledge of workplaces, occupations and industries.

The recipients of Scholarships for Careers Advisers were selected from metropolitan, regional and remote areas across Australia.

This programme is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to improve quality teaching, and increase support to students as they move from school on to further education or employment.

This important support for the professional development of career practitioners will ensure high quality career education and advice is provided in schools, TAFEs and universities.

To learn more about TAFEs and universities in Australia, read the i-studentadvisor Australia e-guide.