Leave no college student behind

Abstract

In this article, the author talks about the disproportionate gap in the graduation rates in colleges and universities, which highlights the need for the higher education community to rethink strategies for improving the retention of students of color. To increase the graduation rates of students of color, the author suggests addressing the issue of the hidden curriculum, the unwritten and unspoken values, dispositions, and social and behavioral expectations that govern the interactions between teachers and students within schools. She challenges higher education administrators, faculty, researchers, and policymakers to develop and implement policies that would provide all students equal access to the academic cultural knowledge of postsecondary institutions. To maintain affirmative action as a cornerstone of recruitment process in higher education, the author stresses the importance of simultaneously developing new approaches for improving the retention of students of color and first-generation college students