Latinos in higher education, bridging the attainment gap

By Susana G. Baumann. Almost nine out of 10 young Latinos agree that higher education is the path to success, yet only one out of five plans to pursue a college degree. These numbers have a strong impact in every aspect of the country’s future, from economic to political outcomes and from the domestic labor market to competing in a global economy.
In 2009, President Obama set a goal for the nation: To be first in the world in terms of college graduates. Currently the United States is the fourth country in percentage of population with tertiary education, as Canada, Israel and Japan are reported to be ahead.
As of 2009, only the District of Columbia was over this goal at 65 percent college graduate rate, and three states were close to it (Massachusetts at 54 percent, Minnesota and New York at 49 percent). But others like Arkansas, New Mexico and Nevada were at the lower end with just 28 percent of achievement rate. Read more...