Intentionally Serving Latino and Other Post-Traditional Students

By Deborah Santiago and Beth Doyle

As leaders in nonprofit organizations focused on “post-traditional students,” specifically Latino and adult students, we saw familiar themes in “Personal Stories From the Pandemic.” While the traditional student profile represents less than 20 percent of students, too often it is the dominant profile when discussing higher education. In comparison, the post-traditional student is the majority and more likely to enroll in a two-year college, delay enrollment, be older, need academic support, work 30 hours or more while enrolled, live off campus, be Latino or another student of color, serve as caretaker for children or other family members, be very worried about debt (that influences college plans) and struggle with having the time and finances to complete a degree.

The health pandemic has revealed more publicly the structural and systemic inequities we knew existed disproportionately for post-traditional students, like those in the stories shared. Excelencia and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning have been working together on a project designed to address some of these inequities as key opportunities for institutional action. Here’s what we know: lower completion rates among Latino students, part-time students and adult students are not caused by a deficit in the students. These lower rates are often due to a lack of intentionality in serving Latino students, especially adult Latino students. A college that knows whom they serve (the strengths and needs of their students) is more likely to adapt its efforts to serve these students well and fulfill the social contract an institution makes when it enrolls a student.

The Latino Adult Student Success (LASS) Academy project provides tools for institutions to examine closely how they are serving their adult Latino students. It also offers support in implementing new policies and practices to improve enrollment, persistence and completion. We have identified four areas in particular that institutions are transforming to more intentionally serve their Latino adult students among the 15 institutions we are working with.

Financial support: In our project, one community college hit hard by the pandemic began doing intentional outreach to their Latino adult students, and upon learning of the financial need, decided to offer microgrants for students to use as emergency funds to cover expenses beyond tuition. They believe this helped retain many more students.

Student coaching: Several institutions in LASS identified the need to provide coaching through the enrollment and advising process and throughout a student’s educational pathway to improve degree completion. They are training enrollment staff and advisers to provide student-centered, adult-friendly, culturally responsive and holistic coaching.

Onboarding events: A community college in LASS decided to build connections based on students’ identified profiles. They staffed their onboarding events with their colleagues from financial aid, counseling, technology support and student associations. This allowed staff members who were welcoming the students to offer them holistic support and provide a warm handoff to the department that could help solve their problem.

Shifting from the traditional focus of the college: One of the greatest challenges of serving post-traditional students is shifting the mind-set of an institution that has always served traditional students. One of the public four-year colleges in LASS is conducting outreach and creating cohorts of adult students who have stopped out and is empowering staff to address barriers with more culturally responsive problem solving to increase success.

When a student enrolls in college, they have established a social contract with the college. Both have a role in helping the student reach their educational goals. Knowing the strengths and needs of the students the college enrolls and providing services to support their educational progression is the “secret sauce” to degree completion.

Deborah Santiago is co-founder and chief executive officer of Excelencia in Education. Beth Doyle is vice president for partner success at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.