States flunk ‘Going to College’

Despite making notable progress over the past decade in preparing students for college, states are falling down on the next steps: getting students through higher education’s doors and out the other side.

According to Measuring Up 2004: The National Report Card on Higher Education, the third biennial report of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, enrollment in and completion of higher education has stalled since 1992. Affordability is dismal, and significant race and income gaps continue to limit large segments of the population.

“We suspect [this report] will come as a shock to many Americans,” says James B. Hunt Jr., former governor of North Carolina and chair of the center’s board. “This is a wake-up call for the nation, the states and for our colleges and universities.”

Measuring Up 2004, released Sept. 15, uses U.S. Census and Department of Education data to rate states on 35 indicators in five categories: preparation, participation, affordability, completion, and the benefits evident from a college education. A sixth area, learning, measured successful learning in five trial states. The study considered separate state data as well as national averages.

The good news in Measuring Up 2004 is something to cheer about. In the first category, states have made significant gains in the number of students taking upper-level math and science as well as Advanced Placement classes in high school. The number of qualified teachers in the classroom also has increased. But the downside is that fewer high school students actually graduate and go on to attend college. In New York, the likelihood of a student enrolling in an institution of higher learning sagged from 45 percent to 34 percent over the last 10 years; in California, from 35 percent to 32 percent, and in Illinois, from 49 percent to 42 percent.

Once on campus, students are still at risk, according to the report: Just 64 percent earn a bachelor’s degree in six years, and 63 percent of those enrolled at community college don’t return after their freshman year. While professional certificates have increased by 50 percent, diplomas for associate’s and bachelor’s degrees have gone up just 10 percent.

For ethnic minorities and low-income families, just getting into college is increasingly unlikely. “Racial gaps remain substantial,” says Mikyung Ryu, senior policy analyst for the National Center. “Many states have gone backward, so the gap has widened.” In New Jersey, participation in higher education rose from 41 percent to 47 percent over the past decade among white, college-age individuals, while among the minority population, participation declined from 28 percent to 21 percent.

The troubling gap is similarly reflected in disparate income levels. Among families who earn within the top 20 percent of income, higher ed enrollment is climbing; among those in the bottom 20 percent, it is declining. In New Jersey, enrollment rose from 48 percent to 53 percent among upper-income families, but dropped from 27 percent to 17 percent among low-income families. In Pennsylvania, high-income enrollment increased from 46 percent to 57 percent; low-income enrollment dipped from 24 percent to 21 percent.

California is a significant exception to the rule. With average tuition for community college priced at $350 a year, far below the national average, low-income families increased their participation, from 26 percent to 37 percent; top earners went from 51 percent to 54 percent participation. But low-income earners still participate at about 60 percent the rate of top earners.

Cost, of course, is a heavy influence. In the report’s most troubling conclusion, 36 of 50 states flunked the higher education affordability test. California was the only one to score as high as a “B,” and even that had dropped from the “A” it earned in 2002. Although financial aid has increased nationwide, it has not kept pace with the rise in tuition. “Every state should reexamine college tuition and financial aid policies,” recommends the report, which also suggests linking future tuition hikes to family income.

“We can no longer attribute all of our college access and quality problems to the failure of public schools,” says Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center. “The fact is, high schools have improved over these last 10 years and we haven’t seen commensurate higher education gains.”

To download the report or view data for each state, go to www.measuringup.highereducation.org.