Minnesota has work to do if residents are going to have the skills they need for the jobs of the future.
A new report from the state Office of Higher Education found 58 percent of Minnesotans age 25 to 44 have degrees or certificates from colleges and universities. That’s short of the goal set by the Legislature in 2015 of having 70 percent of residents earning postsecondary credentials by 2025.
But a more serious challenge is the state’s disparities in higher education attainment between white residents and people of color. More than 60 percent of whites and Asians have certificates or degrees compared with 35 percent of blacks, 24 percent of Hispanics and 21 percent of Native Americans, the “Educating for the Future” report found.
To meet the 70 percent goal, college graduation rates for Minnesotans of color will have to increase dramatically over the next decade. In 2014, just 23 percent of the credentials awarded by Minnesota colleges and universities went to minorities.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development estimates one-third of new jobs will require training beyond high school.
“These findings underscore the urgent need to make improvements now, so our higher education system works for all Minnesotans,” Lt. Governor Tina Smith said in a statement. “Our challenge is to tear down the barriers that keep students from succeeding. This is important for Minnesota’s talented students, and it’s also important for the future of Minnesota’s economy.”
The state has some of the nation’s worst economic and academic racial disparities. State and federal data show Minnesotans of color routinely underperform their white peers in school and the workforce.
Minority students are less likely to meet state academic benchmarks, graduate from high school on time and enroll in college. Workers of color routinely earn less and more minority families than white families live in poverty.
Larry Pogemiller, state Office of Higher Education commissioner, said improving education attainment for Minnesotans of color can help close these gaps.
“The path to lessening Minnesota’s racial income gaps runs through our educational system, beginning with Pre-K and all the way through postsecondary,” said Pogemiller, a former DFL Senate majority leader. “Our state’s future economic prosperity and the well-being of nearly one-fourth of our population depends on the actions we take over the next few years.”
However, postsecondary credentials are not a cure-all for the state’s racial gaps.
A 2010 study by the Minnesota Private Colleges Research Foundation found people of color who earn postsecondary credentials have dramatically higher incomes than those with a high school diploma or less. But while degrees help close the wage gap, racial income disparities remain, even among the highly educated, the study found.
Minnesota lawmakers say they are committed to addressing the state’s racial gaps but so far have been unable to agree on a plan.
Democrats want to increase state spending by as much as $100 million and focus the new funding on education, workforce and housing programs. Republicans have pushed for policy reforms to address the academic achievement gap such as allowing students in struggling schools to use state funds to attend private schools.