ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Students from linguistic minority and ethnic minority backgrounds and low-income families do poorly in school by comparison with their majority and well-to-do contemporaries. They drop out at a higher rate. They score lower on tests. Their grades are lower. Most importantly, for the topic of this paper, they do not attend college as often (Carter & Wilson, 1991; American Council on Education, 1989). African American and Latino students have been enrolling in college increasingly, but not at the same rate as white students. In 1970, 26 percent of African American high school graduates enrolled in four-year colleges. This rate reached a high of 34 percent in 1976, declined to 31 percent in 1989, and rose to 33 percent in 1990. In 1972 (the first year data were available), 26 percent of Latino high school graduates enrolled in college, while only 29 percent enrolled in 1990. Although these college enrollment figures are improving, they are still well below those of white students; 33 percent of white high school graduates enrolled in college in 1970, and 39 percent enrolled in college in 1989 (Carter & Wilson, 1991: 36-37).
