Study: Few Pacific Islanders Reach College
Pacific
Islanders have fallen behind and current college admissions patterns will
perpetuate this problem. This was the conclusion of an analysis conducted by
the UCLA Asian
American Studies
Center, the UC Asian American and
Pacific Islander Policy Initiative, and the Asian
Pacific American
Legal Center.
The analysis uses data released November
14, 2006 from the 2005 American Community Survey, and released
recently by the US Census Bureau.
Major
Findings include: 1) Among those 25 years and older, single-race Pacific
Islanders are only about half as likely as non-Hispanic whites to have at least
a bachelor's degree (15% versus 30%). The gap is even wider when compared to
Asians (49% with a bachelor's or more advanced degree).
2) Pacific Islander levels of
educational attainment (15%) are similar to African Americans, in which 17%
have at least a bachelor's or more advanced degree.
3) Pacific Islanders in Hawai'i have lower educational
attainment than those in the other 49 states.
4) Among Pacific Islanders, Samoans,
Tongans, and Fijians have the lowest percentages with a college degree.
5) Prospects for future educational
attainment are bleak. Slightly less than
a third (29%) of Pacific Islanders between the ages of 18 and 24 are enrolled
in a college or university, a rate comparable to African Americans (29%). In
contrast, the college enrollment figures are 39% for non-Hispanic whites and
57% for Asians.
6) Public schools are failing to
prepare Pacific Islander students for high school and college levels. The lack
of culturally-appropriate programs and a hostile educational environment
contribute to social alienation and a high dropout rate among Pacific
Islander youths.
The
full nine-page report, Pacific Islanders Lagging Behind in Higher Educational
Attainment, which includes graphs and tables, is available free for viewing and
downloading on the website of the UCLA
Asian American Studies
Center: http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/
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