OHIO — Colleges and universities across the nation have seen a decline in Black student enrollment for years.
What You Need To Know
- About 600,000 Black students have left higher education in the last 20 years
- Experts say the pandemic accelerated the decline
- The decline has contributed to wages lost for many
- Click here to learn more
Dr. Lori Patton-Davis, chair of Education Studies at Ohio State University, believes the decline can be tied to “the historical legacy of exclusion” of Black students along with the struggle to access higher education.
“If we look at our present context, there’s a whole narrative and political push to keep black students out,” Patton-Davis said.
According to research, more than half of a million Black students left higher education.
“If we expanded that timeframe, it would be more,” Patton-Davis said.
Former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings indicated that there’s been a significant impact on wage loss as a result for Black students. For Patton-Davis, she feels there are multiple issues contributing to this. The first begins with student loan debt as oftentimes Black students pursuing higher education leave with large amounts of debt. Plus, having access to high earning majors that can lead to making a high wage.
“So for example, STEM education is a big deal. We know that folks within STEM fields tend to make higher wages. The same is true with medicine and law. But if you look at those fields, and you look at the demographics, black students are only minimally represented,” Patton-Davis said.
To help students now, Patton-Davis said within the field of education, “our goal is to look at students more holistically, right so it’s not just they’re coming to college to get a degree. But we’re thinking about what’s going on at home. Are they caregivers? Do they have access to resources, whether it’s the counseling center or to medical care? So it’s looking at students and the ecosystem that surrounds them to help them be successful,” she said.
For her in particular, it also means helping identify resources to better support the students who are seeking them out.
