The Color of Success: African-American College Student Outcomes at Predominantly White and Historically Black Public Colleges and Universities

Abstract

Black students' participation in higher education has experienced periods of growth and decline. The recent resurgence and proliferation of racial incidents on college campuses,coupled with a floundering economy, signals a need to place this issue at the forefront of our educational agenda once again. In this article, Walter R. Allen presents the results of a quantitative study on the differences in the college experience between Black undergraduates who attended historically Black colleges and universities and those who attended predominantly White colleges and universities. Building on the results of a number of related studies and analyzing data from the National Study on Black College Students, Allen further examines the effects of key predictors on college outcomes among these two groups of students. He thus sets the stage for some provocative conclusions, with implications that extend beyond the boundaries of academia.