Minnesota is No. 2 performer, but racial gap is growing

Mary Jane Smetanka, Star Tribune

Published September 15, 2004 in the Star Tribune

Minnesota outperforms every state but one in preparing and getting students into college, keeping college affordable and getting students to graduate, according to a new national report on higher education. But the racial gap in Minnesota is getting worse instead of better, the report says.

The 2004 report card from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, released today, ranks Minnesota second only to Massachusetts when grades in five areas of higher-education performance are combined. Minnesota got an A in participation and in benefits of higher education, a B+ in preparation for and completion of college, and a C- in affordability.
While the affordability grade sounds dismal, only two states did better. Most got an F.

Susan Heegaard, director of the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office, is Gov. Tim Pawlenty's primary adviser on higher-education policy. "Overall, we're pleased. This is very good news," she said Tuesday. "But is it good enough? We're doing really well for many of our students, but not very well for others."

State's improved its grade on high-school prep work

The center began issuing its biennial reports in 2000. The 2004 version is the first to look back in 10 years to measure changes in higher-education performance in the state and nation.

Nationally, high school students are better prepared for college than they used to be and are taking more demanding high school courses, according to the report.

But a lower share of students in the nation and in Minnesota are graduating from high school. While the chance of enrolling in college by age 19 increased 12 percent in Minnesota over the past decade -- one of the biggest increases in the nation -- the gap in college participation between white and minority students widened.

Only 26 of every 100 young Minnesota adults of color are in college now, compared to 37 of every 100 a decade ago.

Institutions from two-year colleges to universities have identified lagging minority participation in higher education as an issue. Minority students in Minnesota high schools are less likely to take college-prep courses and college entrance exams than their white counterparts. Many partnerships to try to change that already exist, but Heegaard said it will take cooperation and hard work between higher education and K-12 schools to improve those numbers.

"Five or ten years ago, people weren't talking about it as much as they are now," she said. "If a chunk of the population is not successful, it affects all of us, whether a person can't get a job, can't provide for their family, is in prison or on welfare or is just underemployed.”

Although tuition and fees at Minnesota colleges and universities have soared in recent years, the report credits the state's generous investment in need-based financial aid for shielding families from some of the impact. Minnesota is a "top performer" in preserving affordability, the report said.

The cost of a community college education, as a proportion of family income, is the same as it was a decade ago. That amount went up for families sending students to public four-year schools. It went down for those sending students to private schools.

Still, Minnesota's grade on affordability has taken a steady tumble since 2000, falling from an A in 2000 to a B in 2002 and finally to this year's C-.

These are some of the report's other findings about changes in Minnesota higher education over the past decade, by category:

Preparation: A large proportion of Minnesota high school students take demanding math courses but only an average number take tough science courses. Too few eighth-graders take algebra, yet Minnesota eighth-graders have the top 'scores in national math assessments. The state's B+ is up from a C+ in the 2000 report.

Participation: Minnesotans are more likely to enroll in college by age 19 than students in any other state. That earned an A in contrast to the C+ in the 2002 report.

Completion: Once Minnesota students enter college, they tend to stay there. Retention is good overall, and 55 percent of first-time, full-time students earn a bachelor's degree in six years. Minnesota's B+ is unchanged

Benefits: A high proportion of residents with bachelor’s degrees and strong voter turnout and charitable giving earned an A, the same as 2000.

Mary Jane Smetanka is at smetan@startribune.com.

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