The Missing Link: Increasing institutional understanding, retention rates, and academic outcomes of African American male students by enhanced non-cognitive pre-assessing

Harvey S. Firestone

More than two-thirds of African American males who start college do not graduate within six years; theirs is the lowest college completion rate of all racial/ethnic groups by gender. Consistent research is showing that males of color lag behind their peers in college enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. Increasingly institutions are implementing a growing number of initiatives to improve academic outcomes for males of color with few efforts resulting in long term data supported outcomes. This session introduces a non-cognitive assessment tool (the missing link) that significantly enhances the institution’s understanding (potential assets and deficits) of males of color upon enrollment. This newly developed tool places institutions of higher education in a much better position to effectively implement existing or developed strategies to enhance the engagement and academic outcomes of the African American male student population.