Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study

Letter from the
Commissioner of the
National Center for Education Statistics
August 2012
Numerous studies have documented persistent gaps between the educational attainment of White males and
that of Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander males. Further,
there is evidence of growing gender gaps within these racial/ethnic groups, as females participate and persist in
education at higher rates than their male counterparts. In the interest of formulating policies to address these
gaps, Congress has directed the U.S. Department of Education to produce a report documenting the gaps in
access to and completion of higher education by minority males and to outline specific policies that can help
address these gaps (Higher Education Opportunity Act, H.R. 4137, 110th Cong. §1109, 2008). Within the U.S
Department of Education, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) was given the responsibility
for responding to the component of the mandate related to producing a report that documents gaps in access to
and completion of higher education.
The NCES report Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study presents 46 indicators of important
developments and trends in the education of males and females within and across specific racial/ethnic groups.
These indicators focus on student demographics, school characteristics, student behaviors and afterschool
activities, academic preparation and achievement, students’ college knowledge, postsecondary education, and
postsecondary outcomes and employment. In the chapters that follow, we use the most recent data available to
explore the educational achievements and challenges of males and females, noting where the groups are similar
and where they differ.
The primary focus of the Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study is to examine differences
between males and females overall and within racial/ethnic groups. The racial/ethnic groups of interest include
Blacks, Hispanics, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaska Natives. The secondary
focus of the report is to examine overall sex and racial/ethnic differences. In addition to the indicators,
this report also includes descriptive multivariate analyses of variables that may influence male and female
postsecondary attendance and attainment in different ways.
Jack Buckley
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics
Letter from the Commissioner iii