Based on data from Council’s terrific interactive tables, this post breaks out four trends within that progress:
- The most impressive growth is a one-year 6.9% increase in undergraduate certificates
- Hispanic or Latino students showed especially strong growth
- Black non-Hispanic students had smaller gains and more losses
- Students with low incomes lost ground in most categories
The most impressive growth is a one-year 6.9% increase in undergraduate certificates
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image alignment=”center” image=”7516″ animation=”slideInRight” animation_delay=”0.8″ el_class=”shadowphoto”][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text el_class=”strategy4text2″ animation=”slideInRight”]Bachelor degrees rose 2.1%, while diplomas and associate degrees declining by 5.7% and 2.0% respectively.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column overlap_index=”50″ padding_size=”no-padding” width=”1/2″][vc_column_text el_class=”strategy4text2″ animation=”slideInRight”]In this chart and those below:
- These credentials listed were earned at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Kentucky public universities, and institutional members of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities.
- The four credentials are listed in order of the time they take to complete. Some certificates can be earned in a single semester, while diplomas take less time than two-year associate degrees or four-year bachelor options.
- The color coding reflects the Council’s goal for 2017-18 of a 1.7% growth rate, so growth above 1.7% is shown in green, slower growth is left white, and declines are shown in orange.
Hispanic or Latino students showed especially strong growth
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text el_class=”strategy4text2″ animation=”slideInRight”]While celebrating this progress, do note that Hispanic or Latino students receiving only 3.1% credentials earned in 2017-18. For comparison, Hispanic students were 6.0% of 2017-18 public high school graduates.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column overlap_index=”50″ padding_size=”no-padding” width=”1/2″][vc_single_image alignment=”center” image=”8015″ animation=”slideInRight” animation_delay=”0.8″ el_class=”shadowphoto”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row overlap=”top” overlap_distance=”100px” overlap_index=”50″ equal_height=”true” vertical_align=”middle” padding_size=”m-padding” el_class=”row2″ css=”.vc_custom_1558665176081{margin-top: 25px !important;}”][vc_column overlap=”left” overlap_distance=”200″ overlap_index=”300″ width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image alignment=”center” image=”8017″ animation=”slideInRight” animation_delay=”0.8″ el_class=”shadowphoto”][/vc_column][vc_column overlap_index=”50″ padding_size=”no-padding” width=”1/2″][vc_column_text el_class=”strategy4text2″ animation=”slideInDown” animation_delay=”.5″]Black non-Hispanic students had smaller gains and more losses
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text el_class=”strategy4text2″ animation=”slideInRight”]While Black non-Hispanic students had growth in total credentials, the growth was smaller than for students overall, and it came entirely from certificates, with big losses in diplomas and smaller declines in both associate and bachelor degrees. In addition, Black non-Hispanic students earned only 6.9% of credentials, compared to being 6.3% of 2017-18 public high school graduates.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row overlap=”top” overlap_distance=”100px” overlap_index=”50″ equal_height=”true” vertical_align=”middle” padding_size=”m-padding” css=”.vc_custom_1558666565439{margin-top: 25px !important;}”][vc_column overlap=”left” overlap_distance=”200″ overlap_index=”300″ width=”1/2″][vc_column_text el_class=”strategy4text2″ animation=”slideInDown” animation_delay=”.5″]Students with low incomes lost ground in most categories
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text el_class=”strategy4text2″ animation=”slideInRight”]For this group, even the growth in certificates was below the Council’s 1.7% goal, and diplomas, associate degrees, and bachelor degrees saw declines. Even with the declines, students with low incomes earned a majority of the certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees conferred last year statewide, though they received fewer bachelor degrees than better-off students. (In higher education, low income identification is based on Pell grant eligibility, which is not quite right for direct comparison to K-12 rates of eligibility for free or reduced-price meals.)These most recent trends show Kentucky is moving toward a better-educated adult population, with good reason to expect that to add strength to our economy and richness to all aspects of our civic life. They also show that we need to continue and accelerate our growth in attainment, with particular attention to groups who are not sharing fully in that growth, including Black non-Hispanic students and students with low-incomes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column overlap_index=”50″ padding_size=”no-padding” width=”1/2″][vc_single_image alignment=”center” image=”8019″ animation=”slideInRight” animation_delay=”0.8″ el_class=”shadowphoto”][/vc_column][/vc_row]