Community colleges have long served the interests of a diverse population of learners who differ in distinct ways from students attending four-year universities. Due to their affordability (Ritt, 2008), flexibility of course scheduling and format (Iloh, 2018), and nature of open access (Geller, 2001), public twoyear institutions are inviting to those students considered “nontraditional”; therefore, it is understandable that 41% of those enrolled part-time at community colleges also work full-time (Berker & Horn, 2003). As community college practitioners, we may heed the words of Clark (2012) who reminds us that, “The ‘nontraditional community college student’ is our traditional student” (p. 511). Twenty-seven percent of all undergraduates are aged 24 years or older (Blumenstyk, 2018). Despite their significant presence on college campuses, “adults are often institutionally invisible, marginalized, and taken for granted” (Sissel et al., 2001, p. 18). Although, to avoid a color-evasive “all students matter” narrative, we must consider not only the ways age shapes college-going but also how students’ racialized experiences exacerbate educational inequities at the community college. Adult Educators: Let’s Call a Thing a Thing A growing cadre of scholars within adult education have argued that adult learners’ overlapping social locations (including race, gender, and socio-economic status) influence their academic experiences and, thusly, should inform how we reflect upon our own positionalities as instructors, administrators, and/or researchers (Johnson-Bailey, 2002; Patton et al., 2007). As instructors, considerations of students’ racialized realities should be incorporated within our classroom praxis in ways that create space for the valuation of racially minoritized adult learners’ experiential truths. Johnson-Bailey’s (2002) essay emphasizing the centrality of race in adult educative contexts reveals the lack of racially minoritized adult student voices in the construction of adult education theory and resultant pedagogical practices. The author argues that adult education scholars fail to discuss how race affects students’ lives as well as how race affects teaching and learning, but instead oftentimes take a colorblind perspective, which “views all racial issues as We See You: Supporting Racially Minoritized Adults at the Community College by Jason A. Keist UPDATE - WINTER 2023
inconsequential when not expressed as part of any classroom or curriculum equation” (p. 42). Sidestepping and/or truncating conversations pertaining to racism distances educators from constructing safe, just, and trustworthy classrooms. Adult Black Men at the Community College If we were to narrow our focus to Black men, we see that an overwhelming majority of Black men ages 18 years and older (70.5%) enter higher education through community colleges with the intent to pursue upwards social mobility through the attainment of a credential (NCES, 2015). Obtaining the requisite skills necessary to secure living wage employment is especially important for Black men attending community colleges who, according to Wood et al. (2015), averaged below $30,000/year in adjusted gross income upon entry; therefore, it is imperative that we better understand how to support these learners. Although, community college professionals, scholars, and other key stakeholders remain in the dark regarding the motivations, needs, and strengths of racially minoritized adults. Jain and Crisp (2018) review of scholarly literature confirms the dearth of peer-reviewed works centering racially minoritized adult collegians across institutional types by stating, “Unfortunately, very little is known, even at a descriptive level about racially minoritized adult students” (p. 10). The authors further state, “It is therefore highly problematic that our review identified relatively few studies that considered the role of race in shaping the college decisions and experiences of adult students” (p. 12). In particular, empirical inquiry into the college experiences of Black men ages 25 years and older remains virtually invisible (Baber, 2018; Goings, 2018, 2017; Rosser-Mims et al., 2014; Ross-Gordon 2005; Kasworm, 2002; Ross-Gordon & BrownHaywood, 2000; Spradley, 2001; Cain, 1987). Moreover, in the context of 2-year public colleges, the literature is even less available. Accordingly, we must ask ourselves: since peerreviewed works centering community college-going for adult Black men are absent, how do we know if these institutions are equitably serving them? Unfortunately, aside from practitioner’s anecdotal evidence and nationally aggregated statistical data, we do not know. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (Shapiro et al., 2017), 37.5% of all students in the nation who began their postsecondary education at a 2-year public college in fall 2011 went on to complete a degree at a two- or four-year institution by 2017 (Fig. 8, p. 14). When disaggregated by race and gender, the six-year completion rate for all Black men attending community colleges was 34.9%, while 62.4% of their white and 44.2% of their Hispanic male peers completed a degree by 2017 (Fig 16, p. 18). When we further disaggregate this data by students’ age, gender, and race, we find that 29% of Black men aged 25 years and older earned a degree within six years compared to 39% and 33% of white and Hispanic men respectively (Shapiro et al., 2017, Appendix C, Table 47). The remaining 71% of adult Black men who began at the community college were either not enrolled or still enrolled after six years of beginning their program of study. We are informed by the aforementioned data points that Black men aged 25 years and older who begin at the community college are earning college credentials within six years at lower rates than the national average and are also being surpassed by their younger Black male peers on these benchmarks. While syntheses of scholarship over the last decade focusing on Black men enrolled at community colleges has revealed a surge of scholarly interest resulting in impressive research implications (Wood et al., 2015; Wood, 2010), the majority of extant studies either a) do not include samples of Black men aged over 24 years, or b) do not disaggregate by participants’ age when these older students are accounted for within the study’s sample. Nonetheless, adult Black men are astutely focused on their postsecondary aspirations and deserve intentional scholarly foci and action-oriented goal-setting that centers racial equity at the institutional level. Rosser-Mims et al. (2014) comments on the need for institutions of higher education to respond appropriately to demographic changes The fact that there is an increase in the number of Black males of age 25 and older returning to higher education warrants greater attention by educational institutions. These institutions must find ways to adapt to a changing clientele and then design their programs to address the special needs of this population” (p. 66) College-Level Responsibilities Because the average community college student is 28 years of age (Ma & Baum, 2016), professionals at the community college have an ethical obligation to interrogate marginalizing forces on their campuses that create inequitable outcomes for racially minoritized adult students; especially the omnipresence of race. Campus ethos refers to an institution’s “policies, programs, campus resources, and day-to-day practices that shape the way students experience and succeed in community college” (Harris & Wood, 2016, p. 41). Discourse surrounding student performance speaks largely to where institutions locate the onus of student academic outcomes. In-line with the “bootstrap” mentality which in embedded within EuroAmerican culture, colleges more readily place responsibility for UPDATE - WINTER 2023
student success squarely on the students themselves, which can lead to the disenfranchisement (and further traumatization) of BIPOC students. Instead, colleges must redirect their focus to cultivating a campus ethos that foregrounds an equity-centered approach to student engagement and retention efforts. Addressing institutional inequities cannot involve quick fixes, nor should their original intent (social justice) be watereddown to appease powerful interests. Harris, Barone, and Davis (2015) call our attention to the ways interest convergence works to undercut equity-minded interventions Within the last 45 years, activist-scholars have envisioned radical reform in higher education to meaningfully restructure the antiquated views on curricula, policies and procedures, and pedagogies originally constructed for and by white men. However, these radical calls for new educational efforts often have been co-opted and systematized by institutions and people in power, resulting in limited progressive aims (p. 33) Therefore, institutional stakeholders must first employ level-setting surrounding a) definitions of equity and social justice and b) intended outcomes of planned efforts prior to taking action steps to ameliorate inequitable structures. While we continue to mirror excellence in education for all of our adult students, we must also not lose sight of the growing proportion of racially minoritized adult students who choose to call our institutions home and who entrust in us to properly serve their best interests. The tides are gradually shifting towards attending to the needs of racially minoritized adult community college students, as well as the unique gendered and ethnic characteristics that constitute this category of learners. Although, we remain in the infancy stages of intentionally and courageously constructing college-level supports and processes that unabashedly “call a thing a thing” and dutifully answer this call through concerted efforts to close racial equity gaps for racially minoritized adult collegians. Jason A. Keist can be reached at [email protected]. References Baber, L., Fletcher, R., & Graham, E. (2015). Black men attending community colleges: Examining an institutional approach toward equity. New Directions for Community Colleges, 172, 97-107. Blumenstyk, G. (2018). The Adult Student: The population colleges- and the nation- can’t afford to ignore, The Chronicle of Higher Education. February 5, 2018. Berker, A., Horn, L., & Carroll, C. D. (2003). Work first, study second: Adult undergraduates who combine employment and postsecondary enrollment. Postsecondary Educational Descriptive Analysis Reports. Cain, R.A. (1987). Counseling African-American adult learners. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 35(2), 25–28. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/073 77366.1987.10401102 Clark, L. (2012). When nontraditional is traditional: A faculty dialogue with graduating community college students about persistence. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 36(7), 511-519. Geller (2001). A brief history of community colleges and a personal view of some issues (open admissions, occupational training and leadership). U.S. Department of Education. Goings, R. B. (2017). Traditional and nontraditional highachieving Black males’ strategies for interacting with faculty at a historically Black college and university. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 25(3), 316-335. Goings, R.B. (2018). “Making up for lost time”: The transition experiences of nontraditional Black male undergraduates. Adult Learning, 29(4), 158-169. https://doi. org/10.1177/1045159518783200. Harris, J. C., Barone, R. P., & Davis, L. P. (2015). Who benefits?: A critical race analysis of the (d)evolving language of inclusion in higher education. Thought & Action, 2015, 21-38. Harris, F., & Wood, J. L. (2016). Applying the SocioEcological Outcomes Model to the student experiences of men of color: Applying the SEO Model to the student experiences of men of color. New Directions for Community Colleges, 174, 35-46. UPDATE - WINTER 2023
Iloh, C. (2018). Toward a new model of college “choice” for a twenty-first-century context. Harvard Educational Review, 88(2), 227-244. Jain, D., & Crisp, G. (2018). Creating inclusive and equitable environments for racially minoritized adult learners: Recommendations for research, policy, and practice. ASHENITE Paper Series. Retrieved from https://cece.sitehost. iu.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/CreatingInclusive-and-Equitable-environments-for-raciallyminoritized-adult-learners-FINAL.pdf Johnson-Bailey, J. (2002). Race matters: The unspoken variable in the teaching learning transaction. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 93, 39-50.Ritt, E. (2008). Redefining tradition: Adult learners and higher education. Adult Learning, 19(1-2), 12-16. Kasworm, C. (2002). African American adult undergraduates: Differing cultural realities. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 50(1), 10- 20. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/07377366.2002.10401191. Ma, J. & Baum, S. (2016). Trends in community colleges: Enrollment, prices, student debt, and completion. (2016). Student Debt, 23. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Demographic enrollment characteristics of nontraditional students: 2001-2012. (2015). Retrieved from https://nces. ed.gov/pubs2015/2015025.pdf . Patton, L. D., McEwen, M., Rendón, L., & Howard‐ Hamilton, M. F. (2007). Critical race perspectives on theory in student affairs. New Directions for Student Services, 2007(120), 39-53. Rosser-Mims, D.; Palmer, G. A.; & Harroff, P. (2014). The reentry adult college student: An exploration of the Black male experience. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 144, 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.20114. Ross-Gordon, J.M. (2005). The adult learner of color: An overlooked college student population. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 53(2), 2–11. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/07377366.2005.10400064. Ross-Gordon, J.M., & Brown-Haywood, F. (2000). Keys to college success as seen through the eyes of African American adult students. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 48(3), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/07377366.2000.104 00410. Shapiro, D., Dundar, A., Huie, F., Wakhungu, P. K., Yuan, X., Nathan, A. & Bhimdiwali, A. (2017). Completing college: A national view of student completion rates – Fall 2011 Cohort (Signature Report No. 14). Herndon, VA: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Sissel, P. A., Hansman, C. A., & Kasworm, C. E. (2001). The politics of neglect: Adult learners in higher education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 91, 17- 28. Spradley, P. (2001). Strategies for educating the adult Black male in college. Eric Digest. ED464524, 1-4. The George Washington University. Retrieved from https://www.gpo. gov/fdsys/pkg/ERIC-ED464524/pdf/ERIC-ED464524.pdf. Wood, J. L. (2010). African American males in the community college: Towards a model of academic success. Arizona State University. (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3410569) Wood, J. L., Harris III, F., & White, K. (2015). Teaching men of color in the community college: A guidebook. Montezuma Publishing. UPDATE - WINTER 2023