Pipeline

“Leaks” in the Pipeline

It is not always clear how to measure pipeline success, particularly for members of underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, and timely and accurate data collection and analysis can be challenging. Data are usually available on recruitment numbers such as new admissions, graduation or degree completion rates, attrition rates prior to completion, and (eventually) professional positions attained. Studies of pipeline success or failure generally also involve discussions of higher education expectations and/or aspirations on the part of individual students, levels of educational attainment, academic self-concept, and environmental factors that influence them such as family, school, and neighborhood resources. Because these factors are mitigated by class, race, and gender in the United States, the pipeline discussion involves a complex web of issues of interest to sociologists and other social scientists.

Race and ethnicity have been a common focus with regard to both building and reinforcing pipelines and overcoming historical barriers related to discrimination. There is little doubt that individuals most at risk for “leaking” from the pipeline are those from low-income households and racial/ethnic minority groups. Among the issues these students must address are financial constraints and family pressures, discrimination, and social isolation as well as documented gaps in expectations of academic achievement as well as the perceived adequacy of preparation for the next steps in education. Other common barriers to advancement and success for minority students and workers include stereotypes about roles and abilities, the development of talent and experience through formal processes, and a scarcity of mentors and personal networks.

Leakages, or cracks, in the educational and professional pipeline occur at every stage, beginning as early as primary education and continuing through high school, college, graduate school, and the hiring process for jobs. As the level of education goes up, the number of individuals who hold degrees decreases because of the requirements for entry, and the percentage of underrepresented minorities who finish with those degrees also drops.

Challenges to Success

Efforts to address leakages in the pipeline have sometimes been a source of controversy and political debate, particularly those involving affirmative action and other strategies that involve preferences for underrepresented people. Many of the affirmative action programs that addressed diversity in educational and employment opportunities initially took hold during the 1970s on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s and increased public attention to past barriers.

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