Stratified Trajectories: Charting Equity Gaps in Program Pathways Through Community Colleges

• In Event: College Transfer Aspirations and Trajectories

Abstract

Our study examines racial stratification among community college students as they enter and progress through programs leading to higher- or lower-opportunity pathways. We develop a discrete-time survival analysis using longitudinal enrollment and transcript data on first-time-in-college, degree-seeking community college students from a state with over 20 community colleges. We track enrollment, completion, and transfer for up to 10 years. Significant gaps in likelihood of transfer and degree completion emerge at distinct time points for different demographic groups suggesting distinct sets of barriers. We also find that while all students benefit from attainment of intermediate educational milestones such as completing gateway math and English courses or completing pre-transfer degrees, doing so disproportionately benefits Black and Hispanic students.

Authors

• Yuxin Lin, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Maggie Plunkett Fay, Teachers College, Columbia University

• John Fink, Community College Research Center