On the Superiority of Black Colleges

Gray, William H.

doi:10.2307/2962514

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…The case for an enhanced indirect effect of black enrollment on job attainment, via educational attainment, is marginally stronger. The cognitive preparedness of incoming students at predominantly black colleges has risen in recent years (Gray 1993). This trend is presumably linked to the significant improvement in standardized test performance among African Americans since approximately 1970 (Neisser 1998).…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Color of the Undergraduate Experience and the Occupational Attainment of Blacks and Whites: Evidence from Longitudinal Data

Oates

2004

The Sociological Quarterly

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This study examines the impact of attendance at colleges with higher black enrollment on occupational attainment. The unique multipopulation LISREL models focus on blacks and whites, specify income and occupational self-direction as distinct dimensions of labor market accomplishment, and adjust for the possible confounding influence of college selectivity and precollege self-appraisals. Data from the NLS-72, augmented by selectivity and black enrollment data from other sources, are utilized. Findings largely support the hypothesis of within-race parity in occupational attainment. Black enrollment exerts nonsignificant effects on income among blacks and occupational self-direction in both races and slightly enhances income among whites.To what degree is the occupational attainment of black and white Americans influenced by the racial makeup of tertiary institutions they attend? Although a majority of African American college students now attend predominantly white institutions, a substantial proportion still attend predominantly black colleges. Furthermore, attendance at predominantly black colleges is apparently on the upswing. The implications of college racial composition for labor market accomplishment thus remain a very pertinent issue for African Americans. To be sure, the question is of far less practical consequence to white Americans, as decidedly "white" college experiences remain the norm among whites1 It is nonetheless intriguing to assess the impact of the integration that has occurred in American colleges on white occupational attainment. Observed patterns speak to the concern, still common among whites, that significant costs accompany black-white integration (Hacker 1992;Massey and Denton 1993; Bob0 and Zubrinsky 1996).2 Within the black community there are signs of skepticism regarding the impact of black-college attendance on labor market accomplishment-notwithstanding the upsurge in attendance at such institution^.^ Findings obtained here will obviously speak to that uncertainty as well.The limited amount of research on the impact of college racial composition on job attainment has focused exclusively on blacks. As is typical of "college impact" studies Direct all correspondence to Gary Oates, Notes: SESPARNT = Socioeconomic background; MAN = Gender (male); SOUTH = Southern Origin; HSQlJLITY = High School's College-Placement Record; TESTSCOR = Standardized Test Score; SELFESTM = Self-Esteem; SELFEFFI = Self-Efficacy; EDASPIR = Educational Aspirations: OCCASPIR = Occupational Aspirations; COLSELEC = College Selectivity; BLACKPCT = College's Black Percentage; BLACKCOL = "Black" College (black enrollment 2 40% for blacks, 2 15% for whites); SOCIALDR = Social

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Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3. United Negro College Fund president William Gray addresses this skepticism in an interview with the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (Gray 1993). Gray vigorously contests the notion that black-college attendance depresses labor market achievement.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Color of the Undergraduate Experience and the Occupational Attainment of Blacks and Whites: Evidence from Longitudinal Data

Oates

2004

The Sociological Quarterly

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“…A fair amount of evidence suggests positive frog pond effects of racially consonant college experiences on African-Americans' self-esteem and self-efficacy. This includes the tendency of blacks at colleges with higher black enrollment to fare better academically, to regard faculty members as more attentive to their needs, and to perceive their social environments as more nurturing (see Allen 1987;Bohr et al 1995;Fleming 1984;Gray 1993;Pascarella, Smart et al 1987, Pascarella, Edison, et al 1996. These patterns imply favorable frog pond effects, inasmuch as they portray consonant blacks as, at the very least, less likely than dissonant blacks to feel inferior to college mates on factors that may inform self-appraisals.…”

Section: Possible Effects Of the Racial Consonance Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Color of the Undergraduate Experience and the Black Self-Concept: Evidence From Longitudinal Data

Oates

2004

Soc Psychol Q

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The present study assesses the impact of attending colleges with higher black enrollment on African Americans' self-esteem and self-efficacy. It tests Rosenberg's proposition that racially “consonant” environments enhance self-appraisals. The LISREL models control for various pre-college attributes and for institutional selectivity. Higher black enrollment enhances post-college self-esteem but does not significantly influence self-efficacy. Both dimensions of the self-concept are enhanced substantially by post-college socioeconomic status, an objective indicator of achievement. Longitudinal NLS-72 data are merged with institutional selectivity data and continuous data on black enrollment to facilitate these analyses, a process that previously would not have been possible.

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