Journal of Economic Perspectives
ISSN 0895-3309 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7965 (Online)
What Can Historically Black Colleges and Universities Teach about Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Black Students?
Journal of Economic Perspectives
vol. 37,
no. 3, Summer 2023
(pp. 213–32)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
Historically Black colleges and universities are institutions that were established prior to 1964 with the principal mission of educating Black Americans. In this essay, we focus on two main issues. We start by examining how Black College students perform across HBCUs and non-HBCUs by looking at a relatively broad range of outcomes, including college and graduate school completion, job satisfaction, social mobility, civic engagement, and health. HBCUs punch significantly above their weight, especially considering their significant lack of resources. We then turn to the potential causes of these differences and provide a glimpse into the "secret sauce" of HBCUs. We conclude with potential implications for HBCU and non-HBCU policy.Citation
Price, Gregory N., and Angelino C. G. Viceisza. 2023. "What Can Historically Black Colleges and Universities Teach about Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Black Students?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 37 (3): 213–32. DOI: 10.1257/jep.37.3.213Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I23 Higher Education; Research Institutions
- I26 Returns to Education
- I28 Education: Government Policy
- J15 Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination