Hispanics earning degrees in record numbers
Texas education officials say the increase is not large enough for fast-growing group
— reported by the Houston Chronicle
More Hispanics earned degrees and certificates at Texas colleges and universities last year than ever before, but they are still less likely to graduate than their white classmates.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reported Thursday that the number of Hispanics completing undergraduate degree and certificate programs has grown 47 percent since 2000.
Yet officials and education experts want to see more Hispanics earn bachelor’s degrees because they represent the state’s fastest-growing ethnic group.
[snip]
In part, officials attributed the growing number of degrees — 31,091 in fall 2005 compared with 21,087 in fall 2000 — to more Hispanics at colleges and universities across the state. The majority of those students start their post-secondary education at a community college.
Over the past five years, the percentage of Hispanics receiving associate degrees and certificates awarded by two-year colleges has grown twice as fast as the percentage of those earning bachelor’s degrees at four-year institutions.
[snip]
