Latinos in Higher Education: Creating Conditions for Student Success

Latinos’ postsecondary educational attainment has not kept pace with their growing representation in the U.S. population. How can Latino educational attainment be advanced?

This monograph presents relevant contemporary research, focusing on the role of institutional contexts. Drawing particularly on research grounded in Latino students’ perspectives, it identifies key challenges Latino students face and discuss various approaches to address these challenges. Because so many Latino students are enrolled in federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), it also specifically explores HSIs’ role in promoting Latinos’ higher education access and equity. As a conclusion, it offers recommendations for institutional, state, and federal policies that can foster supportive contexts.

This is Volume 39 Issue 1 of the Jossey-Bass publication ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph in the series is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

Postsecondary Attainment 3

Economic Implications of Low Educational Attainment 4

Organization of This Monograph 6

Demographic, Social, and Cultural Background 9

A Demographic Dividend? 9

Ethnic Subgroups 12

Cultural and Social Influences 17

Summary 25

Classic and Contemporary Theories of Latino Identity Development 27

Ethnic and Racial Identity Development in College Students 29

Supporting Latino Students in Identity Development 36

Summary 37

Challenges to Latino Student Success 39

Casting Success Within a Broader Societal Context 39

Role of Resources 40

Summary 52

Mainstream Approaches to Latino Student Success 53

Academic Capital 54

Financial Capital 59

Cultural Capital 60

Social Capital 62

Summary 65

Culturally Responsive Approaches to Latino Student Success 67

Family Concerns 68

Assumptions About Latinos’ Background and Potential 71

Campus Racial/Ethnic Climate 73

Conclusion 80

The Role of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Access and Equity 81

Historical Background and Funding of HSIs 83

Students in HSIs 87

Faculty and Administrators at HSIs 88

Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions 90

Challenges for HSIs 91

Summary 92

Conclusion and Implications 93

Role of Demographics and Social and Cultural Factors 93

Developing Culturally Responsive Research, Policy, and Practice 94

Institutionalizing Strategies to Serve Latino Students 95

Teaching and Learning in the Classroom 95

Role of Finances 96

Collaborative Research 96

Role of State Legislators and Policymakers 96

Role of Federal Representatives and Agencies 97

Final Thoughts 98

References 99

Name Index 119

Subject Index 126

About the Authors 131

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