Abstract
Research has shown that enrollment in Catholic secondary schools has positive outcomes for minority students, including increased enrollment in higher education institutions and higher academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine if minority enrollment in secondary schools altered over the recession. Results of this study suggests that minority enrollment of Black and Hispanic in secondary schools increased over the recession, as well as Black and Hispanic enrollment in higher education institutions. Data limitations make it impossible to confirm the exact enrollment of minority students in higher education institutions and from the establishment of a direct causal relationship.
Highlights
The relationship between Catholic schools and higher education is rooted in concerns over undergraduate retention and degree completion
The four-year college enrollment percentage variable was selected because data limitations make it impossible to identify the four-year college enrollment rate for the students in the academic years included in the survey; the percentages are associated with the rate of these schools during the academic years included in the survey
To determine if the economic downturn did impact the Catholic schooling of minorities and their eventual college attendance, this study examined responses to the Private School Universe Survey (PSS) from the years before, during, and immediately after the recession
Summary
The relationship between Catholic schools and higher education is rooted in concerns over undergraduate retention and degree completion. After higher education’s “golden age” ended in 1970, college student attrition grew alarmingly and upset the resource allocation of most institutions (Thelin, 2011). Universities traced their expensive problem to secondary schools. Fewer and fewer Black, Hispanic, and low-income students were graduating public schools ready for higher education. This trend was not true of students from Catholic secondary schools, which became known for advancing minority students to college (O’Keefe & Murphy, 2000). Catholic education has shown unexpected success with graduation rates and college readiness throughout its history
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