Dive Brief:
- A new report from the Lumina Foundation finds the overall postsecondary attainment rate has risen to 45.3%, but the progress made isn't strong enough to meet the foundation’s 2025 goal that 60% of Americans hold a degree or certificate.
- In announcing "A Stronger Nation," the Lumina Foundation reports 40.4% of Americans ages 25 to 64 had high-quality two- or four-year degrees in 2014, and University of Chicago NORC data shows another 4.9% have high-quality postsecondary certificates.
- Breaking down the numbers by race and ethnicity, the attainment rate for whites is nearly 50% while African-Americans and Latinos lag behind at 34.2% and 26%, respectively, even though people in the latter two groups more often report it is important to increase higher education attainment.
Dive Insight:
Latino students are increasingly important to higher education success in the United States as they comprise a larger percentage of the national student population. While some schools are closing because of shrinking enrollment, more students every year are becoming Minority-Serving Institutions because of their Latino student populations. And the pace of MSI conversions is increasing. Looking ahead, colleges and universities can see that one-quarter of K-12 students today are Latino and they’re the fastest-growing group among children 4 and younger.
A handful of schools, including Georgia State, have figured out how to close achievement gaps across groups and between genders, and it is clear more schools will need to develop programs that work across the board to meet national attainment goals.