DIVIDED WE FAIL:
Improving Completion and Closing Racial Gaps in California’s Community Colleges
Regional Profile—NORTH COAST
Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino
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 the North Coast Region
(2,047 degree-seeking students)
•
The overall completion rate of 32% among degree-seeking community college students in the North
Coast region, while still low, was slightly higher than the statewide rate.
•
The share of degree-seeking community college students in the North Coast region transferring to
a university was 21%, somewhat lower than the statewide figure. Only 11% of under-represented
minority students transferred to a university, about half the share among their white peers.
•
13% of North Coast students earned an associate degree, slightly higher than the statewide figure.
•
The share of students earning a certificate in the North Coast region, 6%, was slightly higher than the
share statewide.
•
Nearly half (47%) of transfers from the North Coast region enrolled in a university outside of
California, perhaps due to its geographic location and accounting for the region having the lowest share
of transfer students completing a transfer curriculum (29%), defined as 60+ transferable credits (and
including math and English).
Divided We Fail
1
North Coast Regional Profile
June 2011
Milestone Attainment and Completion within 6 Years
California Community College (CCC) System and North Coast Region
100%
90%
CCC
North Coast
80%
70%
60%
50%
61
56
40%
59
48
40
30%
20%
37
31
15
10%
0%
Retained to
2nd Year
11
12+ College- 30+ College- Completed
Level Credits Level Credits
Transfer
Curriculum
5
6
Completed
Certificate
23
13
11
32
21
Completed Transferred to
Overall
Associate
University Completion
Degree
Intermediate Milestones
Completion
Milestone Attainment and Completion Within 6 Years
by Race/Ethnicity in the North Coast Region
100%
*Figures for Asian-Pacific Islander, black,
and Latino students not shown due to small
numbers in the cohort; under-represented
minority (URM) category includes black,
Latino, and Native American students.
White
URM
90%
80%
70%
60%
60
50%
40%
47
52
48
30%
37
20%
33
11
10%
0%
Retained to
2nd Year
12+ CollegeLevel Credits
30+ CollegeLevel Credits
8
Completed
Transfer
Curriculum
5
7
Completed
Certificate
13
11
Transferred to
University
33
24
Overall
Completion
Completion
Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Degree-Seekers Compared to “Completers”
in North Coast Colleges
Black Other
API
4%
Other
6%
2%
4%
Latino
9%
Latino
12%
White
76%
White
81%
Degree-Seekers
N=2,047
Divided We Fail
23
Completed
Associate
Degree
Intermediate Milestones
Black
API 3%
3%
11
Completers
N=656
2
North Coast Regional Profile
June 2011
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Most Transfer Students in the North Coast
Have Not Completed Two Years of Credits
29
26
Completed
Transfer Curriculum
Completed
Associate Degree
*Figures not shown by race/ethnicity because of the small number
of non-white transfer students.
Transfer Destination of
North Coast Students
ForProfit
Out-of8%
State Private
11%
Out-ofState Public
36%
CSU
38%
UC
4%
In-State
Private 3%
*Figures not shown by race/ethnicity
because of the small number of
non-white transfer students.
Divided We Fail
3
North Coast Regional Profile
June 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, 52% of students who took and passed college-level English within two years completed a
certificate, degree or transfer within six years compared to only 23% who did not; 56% of students who
passed college level Math within 2 years succeeded (vs. 22% who did not); and 62% of students who
accumulated at least 20 credits in the first year succeeded (vs. 22% who did not). Unfortunately, few
North Coast students follow these successful patterns (see below).
Too Few North Coast 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%
33
20%
10%
0%
29
26
32
29
Degree-Seekers in North Coast
White
35
26
25
24
Under-represented Minority
*Figures for Asian-Pacific Islander, black, and Latino students not shown due to small numbers in the cohort; under-represented minority (URM)
category includes black, Latino, and Native American students.
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
North Coast Regional Profile
June 2011