Doubling the Graduation Rate for Black Men: The Fortified Classroom

Abstract

Increasing the collegiate success rates of men of color is an important goal, as it provides for the economic empowerment of this population and supports social justice and equity. While some interventions have been found to be impactful for men of color, the current study was designed to assess the bicultural education model and an innovative program called the fortified classroom. The bicultural education model suggests that students of color simultaneously commit to both Black and mainstream cultures and step in and out of the repertoires of both. The fortified classroom is an immersive first-year experience that includes academic support that is built into the classrooms. Results suggest that supporting students through this program has a significant positive impact on course completion, term-to-term retention, and graduation rates.

Keywords

minority student retention African-American URM intervention classroom

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