ABSTRACT
A great deal of the social and economic success of the United States depends on how well it is able to educate its academically underprepared students. Federal policy makers urge higher education to meet the needs of a demanding workforce by providing skilled workers with higher levels of education. The recent U.S. Department of Education’s (2006) “Spellings Report” explains:
In tomorrow’s world a nation’s wealth will derive from its capacity to educate, attract, and retain citizens who are able to work smarter and learn faster-making educational achievement ever more important both for individuals and for society writ large. (p. xiv)
At the same time, state governments are demanding more from their higher education systems by holding them accountable not only for enrollment, but also for degree completion. As the racial and ethnic diversity of the population grows-particularly with potential increases in the number of states having a majority of citizens who are people of color-it is critical for the United States to provide access and success for the students who have traditionally and historically been underrepresented in colleges and universities across the nation.
