Community College in Los Angeles With Huge Number of Black Students Placed on Probation by Accrediting Agency

Los Angeles Southwest College, a two-year public college in Southern California, was recently placed on probation by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. The accrediting agency stated that among other concerns, the college had not addressed low retention and graduation rates and was not doing enough to serve the Latino community.

There are about 7,000 students at the community college. Two thirds of them are black. If the college were to lose its accreditation, students would be ineligible for federal or state financial aid.