Educational Effectiveness of Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Briefing Before the United States Commission on Civil Rights Held in Washington, DC.

摘要

A panel of distinguished experts briefed members of the Commission on the educational effectiveness of these institutions, which have been pivotal in educating students, especially black students, for generations. Among the topics addressed was how adequately these institutions prepared students for the increasing demand for highly skilled workers. Based on that briefing, the Commission developed the findings and recommendations that are included in this report. According to the data presented, the Commission found that students at historically black colleges and universities ('HBCUs') reported higher levels of academic engagement on some survey dimensions than their counterparts at non-HBCUs and that black students at HBCUs were more likely to be involved in faculty research projects than black students at non-HBCUs. HBCUs also produce a disproportionately high share of black students who receive degrees in science, engineering, technology, or mathematics (the 'STEM' fields), the Commission found. The Commission attributed the HBCUs' success in educating and graduating disproportionately large numbers of black students (both generally and with respect to those graduating with STEM degrees) in part to their admission policies, which do not create the situation of academic mismatch (a credentials gap) often found at non-HBCUs. Mismatch occurs frequently in institutions that grant preferential admissions based on race. The Commission credited mismatch, rather than discrimination or black students' alleged lack of interest in science, with HBCUs' comparative success over non-HBCUs in producing a higher proportion of black STEM graduates.