California community colleges 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 dramatically 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—fared so far under AB 705?

Increased access has boosted completion of transfer-level math

AB 705 has allowed more Latino and Black men to enroll directly in and successfully complete transfer-level courses. Latino and Black men are enrolling directly in transfer-level math at the same rate as their peers (100%), and the share of male Latino and Black first-time math students completing transfer-level math in one term tripled in the past five years.

AB 705 has led to universal direct enrollment in transfer-level math and boosted completion for all students

SOURCE: Author’s calculations using MIS data.

NOTE: Share of first-time math students in fall of each year.

Despite the improvements brought out by the implementation of AB 705, Black and Latino men who start in transfer-level math remain less likely than white and Asian men (and their female counterparts) to complete these courses. For example, on average, 44% of Latino men successfully completed these courses between fall 2019 and fall 2023, compared to 48% of Latina women, 60% of white men, and 68% of Asian men.

Moreover, while gender gaps across racial and ethnic groups in introductory transfer-level course completion are relatively narrow, they widen along the pathway toward college completion: Black and Latino men continue to have significantly lower rates of transfer and degree attainment.

Persistence may be the biggest challenge

Given the higher shares successfully completing transfer-level math, a growing number of Black and Latino men may become transfer-eligible in the coming years. However, completion of a transfer-level course is only one milestone in a student’s path to transfer.

Lower bachelor’s degree attainment among Latino and Black young adults stems partially from lower high school graduation rates, college prep course completion, and college-going rates compared to their female counterparts and their white and Asian peers. But there are also important gaps even among those who do enroll in a higher education institution.

Latino and Black men are significantly more likely to stop out than their peers

SOURCE: Author’s calculations using MIS data.

NOTES: Outcomes for the fall 2019 cohort of first-time degree-seeking/transfer intending students followed through the spring 2023 term. For more details see notes to Figure 13 in the main report.

In California, 60% of Latino and Black men who enroll in community college report that their goal is transferring to a four-year institution. However, transfer rates remain low across the board, and rates are particularly low among Latino and Black male students. Moreover, we find that 59% of Latino and 66% of Black male students from the fall 2019 entering cohort left the system within three years without earning a degree or transferring.

Strong short-term labor market opportunities for those without a college degree are likely luring many students—especially Latino and Black men, who are less likely to be enrolled full time. This pull toward work is intensified by systemic inequalities these men face in college.

How can community colleges support Black and Latino men?

To further advance student success, colleges need to find ways to address the academic and non-academic needs of Black and Latino men. There seems to be consensus among experts in the field that high-touch, holistic, student-centered supports can boost retention and outcomes.

More work is needed to understand why many students—including many who do complete introductory transfer-level courses—are leaving the system without earning degrees or transferring, and how best to support them through community college.

However, the foundational work of researchers and practitioners should inform next steps. Growth-minded instructors and learning communities have shown promise in supporting Black and Latino students in transfer-level courses. While more research is needed to design new solutions, it is equally important to expand efforts that are working.

Source

About the Authors

Marisol Cuellar Mejia is a research fellow at the PPIC Higher Education Center. Her research focuses on community college students and their path towards a four-year degree. Her recent projects have focused on examining statewide reforms to developmental education, recent trends and barriers to transfer from community colleges to four-year colleges, and the economic returns to a college degree. She is also a member of the PPIC Economic Policy Center, where she studies labor market trends. Her other areas of expertise include housing in California, and demographic trends. Before joining PPIC, she worked at Colombia’s National Association of Financial Institutions as an economic analyst, concentrating on issues related to the manufacturing sector and small business. She has also conducted agricultural and commodity market research for the Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers and the National Federation of Palm Oil Growers of Colombia. She holds a master’s degree in economics from Universidad del Rosario and a master’s degree in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California, Davis.

Cesar Alesi Perez is a research associate at the PPIC Higher Education Center. His work has focused on understanding how educational opportunities and outcomes differ across California, examining the relationship between higher education and economic opportunity, and analyzing the impact of placement and curricular reforms at California community colleges. Before joining PPIC, he was a research assistant at the San Diego Housing Commission, concentrating on evaluating economic security and mobility among rental assistance recipients. He also worked at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and as a hands-on educator at multiple levels of education. He holds an MPP from the School of Global Policy and Strategy at University of California, San Diego and a BA in economics from University of California, Los Angeles.

Adrián Trinidad is a scholar-practitioner who partners with community colleges to build racial equity resources with system leaders, researchers, funders, and advocacy organizations. His research has focused on the sensemaking and implementation of equity reforms and policies, organizational change cultures, and race-conscious leadership. He has published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Educational Policy, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, and Community College Journal of Research and Practice. He has also published in several academic books, reports, and briefs on various racial equity issues in community college. He has led grant-funded initiatives, including a statewide student ideation challenge to center student voices on equity issues and a Racial Equity Commission to propose a new racial equity model for California Community Colleges. Through research, he also collaborates with board members of California Community Colleges Organización de Latinx Empowerment, Guidance, Advocacy for Success (COLEGAS) to evaluate and improve programming. He earned a BA in sociology, an MA in public policy, and a PhD in Urban Education Policy, all from the University of Southern California. He is a proud Beaver, having earned an associate degree from Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.

Mary Severance is a senior editor at the Public Policy Institute of California. She edits and helps develop publications and briefings so that they are accessible to their audiences. She also writes copy for the PPIC website and for institutional publications. Before she joined PPIC in 2008 as the institute’s production editor, she was a senior project editor at University of California Press. She has also worked as a copyeditor and college English instructor. She holds an MA and PhD in English from the State University of New York, Buffalo, and a BA in English from Carleton College.