An Introduction Low Graduation Rates

INTRODUCTION

Recommendations to Address the Problem of Low Graduation Rates among Hispanic Minority Students at Glendale Community College

Introduction

Overview

The purpose of this study is to provide recommendations to the problem of low graduation rates among Hispanic students at Glendale Community College California. The problem is that despite the high levels of student satisfaction at Glendale Community College, only 32 percent of students complete their courses on time (Community College Review, 2022). This introduction section is organized into the organizational profile, which describes the project site, and the introduction to the problem, which provides the scope of the problem.

Organizational Profile

The study’s educational site is Glendale Community College (GCC), a public institution offering certificate and associate-level degrees in Los Angeles California (Glendale Community College, GCC, 2022). GCC was established in 1926 to provide vocational and academic instruction to the people of Glendale, La Crescenta, and Tujunga who lacked access to higher education (GCC, “About GCC”, 2022). The overall mission of GCC is to assist students realize their informed educational needs through comprehensive instructional programs and student services (GCC, 2022). GCC offers programs in four areas: basic foundation education in mathematics, writing, reading, and English as a second language to enhance students’ success college-level success; general education to enhance self-development and help students lead meaningful and enriching lives; technical and career education to enhance job advancement or employment opportunities; and post-secondary education to help students transition to four-year courses at a university (GCC, 2022). GCC commits to the values of open communication, equity, inclusion, collaboration, transparency in decision-making, innovation, and democratic governance (GCC, 2022). The institution offers financial and career counseling, as well as distance education programs to help students accomplish learning efficiently (GCC, 2022).

The college is highly diverse. Caucasians make up 52 percent of the student population, followed by Latino Hispanics at 25 percent (GCC, ‘College Profile’, 2022). African-Americans and Asians make up approximately 20 percent of the population (GCC, ‘College Profile’, 2022). Approximately 55 percent of the student body is female and most (38 percent) of the students are working towards obtaining an associate degree and transferring to a four-year institution (GCC, ‘College Profile’, 2022).

The institution has 1,074 employees, including 63 administrators, 204 full-time faculty, 485 adjunct faculty, and 322 classified staff (GCC, ‘College Profile’, 2022). It is headed by a president/superintendent, who is assisted by four vice-presidents and an administrative dean (GCC, ‘Administration’, 2022). The vice presidents (Administrative Services, Instructional Services, Student Services, and Human Resources) are assisted by the Deans, Associate Deans, and Program Managers of the various Sections (GCC, ‘Administration’, 2022). The president, Vice Presidents, Deans, and administrative Dean form part of the administrative cabinet (GCC, ‘Administration’, 2022). Major decisions, however, have to be approved by the six-member board of trustees (GCC, ‘Administration’, 2022).

Introduction to the Problem

The problem at GCC is that on average, only 32 percent of students complete their courses and graduate on time (Community College Review, 2022). According to the 2019 Student Success Score Card produced by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, timely graduation rates are lowest among Hispanic students, who form the focus of this study (California Community Colleges, 2019). Data from 2019 indicates that 60.6 percent of Caucasian students completed their certificate or degree-related outcomes, as compared to only 36.1 percent of Hispanics students (California Community Colleges, 2019). State-wide data indicates a completion rate of 42 percent for Hispanic students, showing that GCC ranks lower than the state average in the completion rates of Hispanic students relative to those from other races (California Community Colleges, 2019b).

To address the problem of low graduation, GCC has, in the past, conducted satisfaction surveys to obtain students’ views on the campus climate and actions that could be taken to enhance student retention. In the 2019 survey, 93.9 percent of students reported that they were satisfied with the campus climate and 96 percent believed the instructional programs offered were of high quality, yet only 68 percent believed they were progressing towards their educational goal as quickly as possible (GCC ‘Student Satisfaction’, 2022). Recently, GCC began to offer distance learning modalities and academic counseling programs to enhance retention and ensure that students complete their courses on time. However, the institution has continued to report low graduation rates among Hispanic students.