By Drs. Robert T. Palmer, Larry J. Walker, Tryan L. McMickens, Morris Thomas, and Calvin Hadley
There is deep concern about the status of Black men in higher education. A recent report about the enrollment of Black men in postsecondary education indicates that Black men comprise 4.6% or a little over 850,000 of the 18.6 million students enrolled in colleges and universities. Furthermore, the Black men that attend postsecondary institutions, reportedly have the lowest retention rates of all groups. With the demise of affirmative action, threats to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI), and policies in higher education there might not be an immediate increase in the number of Black men seeking to enroll in higher education.
As higher education scholars, we have spent most of our careers writing about Black men in higher education. Collectively, as researchers, we have about 50 or more years of experience conducting empirical studies on Black men attending diverse institutional types, ranging from predominantly White institutions, community colleges, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Aside from writing about the plight of Black men in higher education, in our scholarship, we have employed an anti-deficit approach to highlight critical factors that help to facilitate the access, retention, and persistence of Black men in college. To this end, we have noticed a disconnect between the recommendations researchers have proposed to help increase college access and success among Black men and policy and practical implementations at micro and macro levels.
For example, in the K-12 context, research has shown a dearth of Black male teachers, disparities between how schools located in underserved areas are financed vis-a-vis schools in affluent neighborhoods, and uncertified educators contribute to the learning gap between Black and White students. This stifles Black student success and contributes to low graduation rates from high schools. While researchers have proposed consistent recommendations to help address these challenges, few, if any, of these recommendations have been translated into policy. Take, for instance, the use of culturally relevant pedagogy coined by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings. Ladson-Billings and other scholars have produced quality research that has supported how culturally relevant pedagogy helps to improve academic outcomes for Black students throughout the educational pipeline. However, instead of promoting the success of culturally relevant teaching strategies, according to a report by the National Association of Educators and an Education Week article, states are conflating culturally relevant teaching practices with critical race theory and are therefore adopting laws to ban the use of this pedagogical approach.
Similarly in postsecondary education, research has shown that several critical factors influence the success of Black men. These factors include, but are not limited to Black male initiatives, Black cultural organizations that help to facilitate a sense of belonging, culturally relevant pedagogical strategies, diverse faculty who demonstrate an ethic of care and support, and efforts to create an inclusive campus climate through antiracism. However, while many campuses have implemented Black male initiatives and Black cultural organizations, the same does not hold for culturally relevant teaching strategies, recruiting and retaining racially diverse faculty, and fostering a supportive and inclusive campus community for Black students. We would imagine that the leadership teams on many campuses are comprised of someone aware of the myriad of recommendations that have been proposed about how to increase access and success for college students in general and Black men, specifically. Nonetheless, many colleges and universities do not authentically or intentionally translate these recommendations into meaningful and actionable policies to help facilitate Black male success. Perhaps equally concerning is that policies at the state and potentially the federal level that champion the retention and persistence of Black men in higher education such as DEI are being eliminated. This begs the question, how serious is higher education about increasing college success for Black males?
Indeed, prior research has clearly outlined the gaps and opportunities that exist to address Black male students. We would be remiss to not emphasize that this population of learners - Black males - are underserved, not underqualified, as some narratives might suggest. Moreover, these learners are deserving of supportive experiences and environments despite comprising only 4.6% of students enrolled in colleges and universities. It has been noted that practical changes and innovation are needed, particularly in the areas of teaching and learning as well as the overall campus climate. Innovation at its core simply involves being creative, often by introducing fresh approaches or methods that significantly improve upon and/or disrupt established norms, ultimately addressing unmet needs.
