DIVIDED WE FAIL:
Improving Completion and Closing Racial Gaps in California’s Community Colleges
Regional Profile—SAN FRANCISCO BAY
Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma
The future of California depends heavily on increasing the number of Californians with certificates, associate
degrees, and bachelor’s degrees. Educational attainment in California has been declining with each younger
generation – a statistic that bodes poorly for the state’s economic competitiveness.
Divided We Fail is a report that tracked more than a quarter of a million students (255,253) who entered a
California Community College in 2003-04 over six years and analyzed their progress and outcomes by major
racial/ethnic population. Analyses were restricted to “degree-seekers” (students believed to be seeking a
certificate, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree), defined as all new students enrolling in more than 6 credits
in the first year.
In California, too many students fail to complete community college:
• Six years after enrolling, 70% of degree-seeking students had not completed a certificate or degree
and had not transferred to a university.
• 75-80% of Latino and black degree-seeking students did not complete.
• Only 23% of degree seekers transferred to a university, 11% earned an associate degree, and only
5% earned a certificate.
Key Findings for San Francisco Bay Region
(51,727 degree-seeking students)
•
The overall completion rate of degree-seeking community college students in the San Francisco Bay
region was 31%.
•
The share of degree-seeking community college students in the San Francisco Bay region transferring
to a university was 23%.
•
9% of San Francisco Bay students earned an associate degree, slightly lower than the figure statewide.
•
The share of students earning a certificate in the San Francisco Bay region, 6%, was slightly higher than
the statewide figure.
•
Black and Latino transfer students in the San Francisco Bay region were more likely to transfer
to the for-profit sector (17% and 11%, respectively) than their white and Asian-Pacific Islander
counterparts (7% each).
Divided We Fail
1
San Francisco Bay Regional Profile
February 2011
Milestone Attainment and Completion within 6 Years
California Community College (CCC) System and San Francisco Bay
100%
90%
CCC
San Francisco Bay
80%
70%
60%
50%
56
40%
61
54
58
40
30%
38
31
20%
15
10%
0%
Retained to
2nd Year
16
12+ College- 30+ College- Completed
Level Credits Level Credits
Transfer
Curriculum
5
6
Completed
Certificate
11
Completion
Milestone Attainment and Completion Within 6 Years
by Race/Ethnicity in the San Francisco Bay
100%
White
Asian-Pacific Islander
Black
Latino
90%
80%
70%
60%
40%
53
62 64
58
30%
46
52
47 48
20%
40
44
28 29
10%
0%
9
31
23
Completed Transferred to
Overall
Associate
University Completion
Degree
Intermediate Milestones
50%
23
15
Retained to
2nd Year
12+ CollegeLevel Credits
30+ CollegeLevel Credits
22
8 11
Completed
Transfer
Curriculum
6 7 4 5
Completed
Certificate
10 11
28 25
7 7
Completed
Associate
Degree
Intermediate Milestones
36 34
24
18 12
Transferred to
University
19
Overall
Completion
Completion
Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Degree-Seekers Compared to “Completers”
in San Francisco Bay Colleges
Other
1%
Other
1%
Black
7%
Black
10%
White
35%
API
29%
Latino
25%
Divided We Fail
White
43%
API
35%
Degree-Seekers
N=51,727
Completers
N=15,842
2
Latino
14%
San Francisco Bay Regional Profile
February 2011
Most Transfer Students in the San Francisco Bay
Have Not Completed Two Years of Credits
100%
90%
Completed Transfer Curriculum
Completed Associate Degree
80%
70%
60%
50%
57
40%
46
30%
39
20%
22
10%
0%
51
22
20
All Transfers
White
34
28
API
21
Black
Latino
Transfer Destination of San Francisco Bay Students Varies by Race/Ethnicity
White Transfer Students
ForOut-of- Profit
State Private 7%
11%
Out-ofState
Public
22%
In-State
Private
12%
API Transfer Students
Out-ofState Private
6%
Out-ofState Public
11%
In-State
Private-10%
CSU
37%
Out-ofState Private
14%
Out-ofState
Public
23%
Divided We Fail
CSU
44%
UC
22%
UC
11%
Black Transfer Students
ForProfit
17%
ForProfit
7%
Latino Transfer Students
Out-ofState Private
5%
CSU
31%
ForProfit
11%
Out-of-State
Public 11%
In-State
Private
12%
UC 6%
In-State
Private
9%
3
CSU
50%
UC
11%
San Francisco Bay Regional Profile
February 2011
Completion Rates Vary Depending on Students’ Enrollment Patterns
Students who followed certain enrollment patterns did much better. Passing college level English and Math
within 2 years and accumulating at least 20 credits in the first year increase student chances of success. As
examples, 54% of students who took and passed college-level English within two years completed a
certificate, degree or transfer within six years compared to only 20% who did not; 56% of students who
passed college level Math within 2 years succeeded (vs. 21% who did not); and 59% of students who
accumulated at least 20 credits in the first year succeeded (vs. 21% who did not). Unfortunately, few San
Francisco Bay students follow these successful patterns (see below).
Too Few San Francisco Bay Community College Students Follow Successful Enrollment Patterns
100%
90%
Passed College-Level English within 2 Years
Passed College-Level Math within 2 Years
Earned 20+ Credits within 1 Year
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
31
10%
0%
28
33
25
Degree-Seekers in
San Francisco Bay
28
35
32
24
33
24
White
API
26
17
15
Black
22
20
Latino
Divided We Fail: Improving Completion and Closing
Racial Gaps in California’s Community Colleges is
a report by the Institute for Higher Education
Leadership & Policy at California State University,
Sacramento and is sponsored by The Campaign for
College Opportunity.
The full report can be accessed at
www.csus.edu/ihelp
www.collegecampaign.org
Divided We Fail
4
San Francisco Bay Regional Profile
February 2011