California community colleges (CCCs) are the primary gateway to higher education for historically underrepresented students—and for Black and Latino men in particular. Recent reforms in developmental education, mandated by Assembly Bill (AB) 705, have transformed the community college landscape by expanding access to transfer-level math, a key milestone in the transfer pathway to four-year colleges. How have Black and Latino men—whose educational attainment is lower than that of both their female counterparts and other racial/ethnic groups—been faring under AB 705?

Cesar Alesi Perez, coauthor of a new PPIC report that focuses on this question, noted that before AB 705 was implemented in 2019, remedial (or developmental) courses often stood in the way of completing introductory transfer-level math and English. “Transfer rates have historically been low across the board, but lowest among Latino and Black men,” he said.

AB 705 implementation has brought access to introductory transfer-level courses up to 100%; this, in turn, has boosted completion of these courses among all students. Among Black and Latino men, one-term completion rates have tripled. However, Black and Latino men who start in transfer-level math remain less likely than both white and Asian men and their female counterparts to complete these courses.

Perez outlined report findings on factors that might help explain these gender and racial/ethnic gaps. The report also looks at the impact of corequisite courses, which are designed to provide remediation and support to students enrolled in transfer-level courses.

Given the dramatic increases in access to and completion of transfer-level courses, we might expect to see more students transferring to four-year schools and earning bachelor’s degrees. Six in ten young Californians who enroll in community college report that their goal is to transfer to a four-year institution. However, transfer rates remain low, particularly among Latino and Black male students.

Why do so many leave without getting degrees or transferring, and what can be done to boost educational outcomes among Black and Latino men? Perez explored this and other key issues with report coauthor Adrián Trinidad, an independent community college scholar-practitioner. Trinidad noted that experts in the field emphasize the need for high-touch, holistic, student-centered support.

“People tend to be much more creative and engaged when they are in spaces where they can be themselves,” he noted. There are many effective programs offering support to Black and Latino students that could be scaled up. In addition, he said, “the CCC system as a whole needs to do a better job of supporting hiring, retention, and recruiting strategies that would welcome people who have proven track records of supporting students of color.”

More work is needed to understand why many Black and Latino men—including many who do complete introductory transfer-level courses—leave college. For Trinidad, the student experience is key. “We have to do more and think more carefully about what happens in the classroom—beyond the mechanics of access and enrollment.”