Federal

Achieving the nation's educational attainment goals is impossible without significant improvements in the postsecondary completion rates of Latino students. Taking into account the current population projections, educational attainment levels, and economic reality, this brief aligns a focus on Latino college degree completion with federal policy to address the emerging national agenda to accelerate degree completion.

Three policy areas- academic preparation, institutional capacity, and financial aid-were examined at the federal policy level that can support the achievement of Latino students entering and successfully completing a college degree. Collectively, federal policy in these areas impact higher education for all student, including Latinos; particularly in light of increasing college costs, decreasing financial resources, and articulated national goals of improved degree completion.

In 2009, President Obama set an ambitious goal for the U.S. to become the top ranked country in the world in college degree attainment by 2020.

While all groups will have to increase college degree attainment to meet President Obama's college completion goals, increasing Latino educational attainment is crucial because their educational attainment is lower than other groups (only 19 percent of Latino adults have earned an associate or higher) and the Latino population is rapidly expanding. By 2020, Latinos are projected to represent about 20 percent of the 18-64 year-old U.S. population, compared to 15 percent in 2008; by 2020 Latinos are projected to represent close to 25 percent of the U.S. 18-29 year-old population, up from 18 percent in 2008.

This benchmarking guide provides a clear framework and public baseline for tracking our nation's college degree completion goal disaggregated by race/ethnicity. The framework includes two sets of metrics using existing data: 1) projections of degree completion needs, and 2) analysis of current equity gaps in degree completion. The guide also includes contextual information about Latinos in the educational pipeline and the equity gap between Latinos and whites in achievement by state.

The focus of this brief is to reconcile what we know with what we hear to inform what we can do to address the realities facing Latino students in a manner integrated into the broader policy agenda and discussions in higher education. This brief takes stock of the current higher education environment and integrates the perspectives of elected officials, students, and service providers from interviews and focus groups with data to better understand the role of Latinos in the future access, persistence, and completion of higher education in the United States and puts this information together to articulate what we can do to address critical policy issues affecting Latino students in the current higher education context.

Addressing the educational needs of the fastest growing community in the United States—the Hispanic community—is vital to our national interest. In September 2000, the President’s Advisory Commission and the staff of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans presented a targeted plan of action that addresses early childhood through graduate and professional education. It will take the collective commitment and concentrated action of every sector to raise the educational achievement of all Hispanic students to the same level of excellence as other students in America by 2010.