Learning from HBCU’s (and Ed Sector) � The Quick and the Ed

Learning from HBCU’s (and Ed Sector) � The Quick and the Ed

Learning from HBCU’s (and Ed Sector)

by Erin Dillon

We at Education Sector aren’t the only ones who think that there is a lot that the higher education community can learn from HBCU’s about promoting student success. In his speech last Thursday at the HBCU Symposium at North Carolina Central University, Arne Duncan seconded that conclusion: “Yet for all of the longstanding issues that HBCUs face, I am convinced that HBCUs have much to teach other institutions of higher education about access and retention.”
Duncan laid out in his speech how important it is for the broader higher education community to pay attention to what HBCU’s have been doing successfully to help students overcome obstacles to graduation, whether that is poverty, being the first in their family to attend college, or being poorly prepared in high school.
But Duncan also presented a challenge to HBCU’s: to work together to improve graduation rates and to raise expectations for student success. As evidence of the power of collaboration and raised expectations, Duncan cited a recent Education Sector report on a group of Texas HBCU’s that successfully lowered student loan default rates. And he’s right (no bias here) – the report shows that when presented with a high bar for performance and sufficient support, schools can work together to improve outcomes for students and strengthen their institutions.
To hear more on the important role of minority-serving institutions in the future of higher education, I recommend listening to Education Sector’s recent event on the topic, here.

QUICK Hits

by Forrest Hinton

Quick Hits is a short compilation of question-raising news stories, blog posts, and video clips that Education Sector team members are reading and viewing each day.

• Can you “Teach Like a Champion” if you don’t have a schoolwide culture to support you?(ABCDE)
• How have the revenue streams of universities changed over the past 30 years? Here’s one trend. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Many colleges are worried about high Hispanic dropout rates. But is the solution as simple as injecting a little more family? (Yahoo! News)
• As the final stretch of Race to the Top approaches, what are the standings? (Hechinger Report)
• How fast can you multitask? (The New York Times)
• There are many things that we would like to have in our schools, like quality teachers and useful technology. But aren’t there some things (e.g. giant alligators) that should just stay away? (CNN)