Indicators for Success for African-American Male College Students: Access to Dual Credit Programs

Introduction

According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board – 2018 Higher Education Almanac, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics makes a clear reference that students will not have significant improvements on their economic status unless they complete some level of postsecondary education. The significance of this data greatly impacts career opportunities and financial stability of African-American males as they most often fall in the areas of economically disadvantaged or terms known as ‘at-risk’ (THECB, 2018). African-Americans only represent 11.4% of the overall Texas population, with 12.6% of students enrolled in P-12, and 13.4% of students currently enrolled in institutions of higher education in Texas, the percentage of African-American males that are entering college and persisting through the first year is already overwhelmingly in a category red based on overall numbers (THECB, 2018). In Texas, the overall average SAT score for all students in Reading and Writing is 513, tying Texas with Idaho and Maine while only being higher than Michigan and Delaware amongst all fifty states. The SAT Math score is 507 ranking Texas as the 45^th lowest on the list. Forty-two point six percent of first-time in college students entering higher education are recognized as not being college ready with an overwhelming number of 61% of those students enrolled in community colleges and 17.7% enrolled at universities. Let’s also note that Hispanic students are included in the category of also referred to as academically disadvantaged being that they make up 47% of the Texas population between the ages of 0 – 34 and 52.4% in K-12, which is consistent with the data references (THECB, 2018). However, for the reference of the chapter, African-American males are the lowest academically performing group entering college and persisting through the first year at any post-secondary institution. Co-requisite and non-credit based linked courses have been viable options for student improvement to complete developmental courses as they transition into the college level course. The concern is how colleges can effectively recruit African-American males if the students, which are already low in number as it relates to overall population, are not meeting the minimum institutional admission standards.

Concerns for reading and writing development in elementary schools, testing in middle schools, parental involvement and the school-to-prison pipeline are all factors that have been referenced that contribute to the lack of college preparedness for these students amongst other things (Perry, Steele, & Hilliard III, 2003). There have been many reviews recognizing the challenges that African-American males encounter throughout their P-20 experience, this chapter will examine opportunities to support growth for these students as they transition into college. This chapter will review and compare dual credit enrollment of a few suburban and urban area schools located within the largest county and the nearest northern county in the second largest state in the nation, a student theoretical review in an effort to outline institutional environmental influences, and student success initiatives for collegiate recruitment and a successful first-year transition.