The shockingly poor performance in public education of minority students1 from Black, Hispanic, and Native American ethnic groups throughout the years has become a given, even a starting point, for almost any discussion on education for these students. While there is no need to establish basic evidence for a phenomenon so well known, we will present some of the data that demonstrate the attrition of these students, beginning from the high school years through graduate and/ or professional schools. Astin (1982) reports that minority students are increasingly underrepresented at each higher level of degree attainment (p. 17). He identifies five points at which minority students drop out of the educational system: completion of high school entry to college, completion of college, entry to graduate or professional school, and completion of graduate or professional school. The loss of minorities at those five transition points, Astin reports, accounts for their substantial underrepresentation in high-level positions (p. 14). The figures clearly show that minority students trail White students significantly at each of the transition points identified above. For example, the rate of minority students (Blacks, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and/ or Native Americans) dropping out of high school is 65 to 165 percent higher than that for White students. Among those going on to college (twoand four-year), 11 to 31 percent fewer minority students complete college than Whites. Finally, minority students drop out of graduate or professional schools at rates 10 to 27 percent higher than Whites (Astin,