By Daniel de Vise

The numbers suggest Hispanics are making astonishing gains in college attainment. From 2001 to 2011, the number of Hispanics with at least a bachelor’s degree nearly doubled from 2.1 million to 3.8 million, and overall attainment rose from 11 percent to 14 percent. A study released last year by the Pew Hispanic Center found enrollment of Hispanic students aged 18 to 24 rose by 24 percent in a single year, a gain of such magnitude that I made some inquiries to double-check the numbers.

Yet, an attainment gap persists. Another recent report from Excelencia in Education found that only 21 percent of Hispanics have an associate degree or higher, compared to 57 percent of Asians, 44 percent of Whites, and 30 percent of Blacks.

The report, Finding Your Workforce, listed dozens of colleges, mostly in Florida, Texas and California, that are generating the largest numbers of Hispanics with degrees.

Here, to explore the findings, is a guest post from Judith Maxwell Greig, president of Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California.

Learn more: washingtonpost.com