Online Education Articles - Adult Continuing Education Online - Adults Returning To School

A study on the value and feasibility of pursuing higher education as an adult.

Degrees of Opportunity: African American women

Compared to the general population of U.S. adults, African American women place more value on education, have a wider range of people influencing their educational decisions, and have more positive feelings about education, their contributions to their family, and their future prospects.

They have a strong belief in the value of more education.
Compared to other adults, they are:

  • More likely to have returned to school after age 25 (59% vs. 47% of all U.S. adults).
  • More likely to be currently considering pursuing more education (74% vs. 56%) and more than twice as to say they probably will pursue additional education (38% vs. 16%).
  • More likely to cite a wide range of benefits from additional education.
  • About equally likely to say their education has made a positive impact on their lives (77% vs. 75%).

They have a wider range of people influencing their educational decisions.
Compared to other adults, they are:

  • More likely to cite extended family members (grandparents, aunts/uncles, siblings) and teachers as influencing their educational decisions.
  • More likely to name their mother as their single greatest influence in childhood (50% vs. 35% of all adults).
  • More likely to say their children currently influence their decision whether to pursue higher education (24% vs. 9%).
  • Just as likely to have been expected and encouraged at home to pursue higher education (68% vs. 67%).
  • More likely to have received “much” encouragement at school to pursue higher education (42% vs. 32%), but also more likely to have been told that they weren’t “college material” (23% vs. 16%).

They have more positive feelings about school, their family contributions, and their future.
Compared to other adults, they are:

  • More likely to have positive feelings about returning to school and overcoming barriers to achieving additional education.
    • Less likely to be concerned about time management issues related to returning to school (55% vs. 73%).
    • Equally likely to be concerned about financial issues (73% vs. 70%), but more confident about their ability to apply for financial aid (51% vs. 41%).
    • More likely to express positive emotions about returning to school, such as hopeful (44% vs. 28%), excited (35% vs. 22%), determined (38% vs. 17%) and confident (35% vs. 21%).
  • More likely to say they are making greater contributions to the well-being of their families than five years ago (74% vs. 64%).
  • More likely to anticipate that in five years, they will be earning more money (72% vs. 59%), finding their work more satisfying (70% vs. 53%), making greater contributions to the well-being of their community (61% vs. 48%), and making greater contributions to the well-being of their family (84% vs. 68%).