White and Asian-American students are far more likely to succeed at higher levels of education than their underrepresented minority counterparts, according to a nationwide study released by the College Board last month.
The study, entitled "Reaching the Top," found that although African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans represented about 30 percent of the under-18 population, they accounted for only 13 percent of the total number of bachelor degrees awarded in 1995 in the United States.
Minority students make up only 5 percent of students who scored in the top range of the SATs, have lower rates of graduation within the top 10 percent of high school classes, and lower overall performance rates at college, according to the report.
In addition, only 11 percent of professional degrees and 6 percent of doctoral degrees go to minority students.
Minority students who did well in high school also found difficulty maintaining the same level of achievement in college.
The trends uncovered in the report were consistent over all socioeconomic levels.
The report was mandated to explore why minority students are underrepresented among high-achieving students and to suggest solutions to the problem.
A task force established by the College Board -- consisting of 31 professors of two- and four-year universities and experts from foundations concerned with the issue -- compiled the study.
The group compiled data from sources including the SAT and national tests given in primary and secondary schools.
Dartmouth Professor of Education Andrew Garrod said that the reason many minorities -- even those who were high achievers in high school -- don't succeed in college has to do with social and cultural issues.
For instance, most professors at top colleges are white, which can affect the performance of minority students, Garrod said.
It can be difficult "not finding your culture represented by the teaching faculty," Garrod said.
Minority professors can serve as mentors or role models, which send minorities the message that "members of your own race can achieve at the highest levels," Garrod said.
Minority students often find it difficult to find support networks on college campuses, he said.
Garrod credited the Dartmouth system of affinity housing for helping minority students find a support network.
He also praised the College for "working hard to diversify the student population."
To correct this disparity, the College Board task force recommended a program called "affirmative development." This program involves encouraging more support from parents and communities as well as supporting pre-school and "Head Start" programs.
The task force also encouraged more effort at training teachers to instruct a diversity of students, and supported secondary school academic standards.
"Chronic underachievement among minority students is one of the most critical problems facing our country today," Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, said in the report.
The College Board stressed that this was merely the beginning of a "longer range project," and that the report was merely a survey of existing data.
