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News and Updates

Category: Equity Framework

Preparation to Action, What We Can Do

Following the discussion CCRI’s ongoing commitment to racial equity and anti-racist practices within and beyond institutional frameworks, we want to empower you with actionable information derived from the learnings we’ve shared throughout this month. Below, you’ll find a curated selection of articles and resources designed to enrich your approach to anti-racism efforts.

 

Initiating discussions about race and understanding its historical implications is the foundational step toward constructing an anti-racist framework. The National Museum of African American History and Culture offers invaluable resources for facilitating discussions of race and offer pathways for teaching and learning. Transitioning from words to actions involve incorporating anti-racist principles into daily habits and patterns. To guide you in this transformative journey, we present several key principles to serve as a compass for sustained commitment. And in supporting these actions, the following resource page holds tons of methods of education, materials, and strategies to build your repertoire of antiracist tools. 

 

As we bid farewell to this year’s Black History Month with a sense of celebration, we encourage you to take action in your community. Extend your support to students, friends, family, and all individuals within your sphere, encouraging them to join our collective endeavors to achieve equity and our ultimate goal of racial equality. Your commitment and actions are vital in fostering lasting change, and together, we can build a more inclusive and equitable society.

 

Coaching For Change: Equity Towards Equality

As we come to the end of this Black History Month, we want to express our unwavering dedication to fostering equity and taking proactive measures to uphold the diverse and inclusive standards we set for ourselves, while also encouraging similar commitments from others. In alignment with this mission, we invite you to explore our Coaching for Change strategy designed to cultivate and enhance coaching programs that actively engaged colleges in the implementation of guided pathways. 

 

CCRI’s partnership with Jobs for the Future’s (JFF) Student Success Center Network (SSCN) positioned us as strategic consultants, supporting the development and operationalization of state-specific coaching plans for the widespread implementation of guided pathways and other postsecondary educational reform efforts. These coaching plans created a crucial roadmap to enhance student success through the strategic application of applied research, technical assistance, professional development, and collaborative knowledge-sharing strategies. 

 

As a national partner of JFF for the SSCN, the Coaching for Change project collaborated with Student Success Center (SSC) executive and assistant directors nationwide to advance statewide coaching initiatives. Together, we propelled statewide coaching initiatives, bringing about systemic transformation for student success. We embedded practices in the program that focused on resource and access development, specifically tailored to support students of color and those affected by intersectionality-based oppression throughout their academic and vocational journeys.

 

We extend an open invitation to our readers to reflect on and explore ways in which they too can take meaningful action. We encourage a collective examination of mentorship and pathway implementation within educational spaces, urging a commitment to progressive change. By doing so, we collectively work towards restoring justice within educational realms and actively combating racist and oppressive systems within our communities. 

For a more comprehensive understanding of our Coaching for Change strategies and their transformative impact, we invite you to delve into our briefs, tools and coaching models. Together, let us pave the way for positive change and contribute to a more just and inclusive educational landscape.

Resources for Our Greater UW Community

Building on previous discussions about access to resources, we want to share the educational resources accessed through the Northwest African American Museum, which is focused on racial justice and equity, as well as various centers and organizations dedicated to STEM, the arts, history, and other educational assets. Additionally, we’ve included an extensive list of recommended reading materials, the Anti-Racist Reading List, that encourage readers to explore anti-racist practices and learning methodologies, emphasizing diverse perspectives and approaches to combat oppression through an intersectional lens. While the resources listed below are comprehensive, they are not exhaustive, acknowledging the continuous growth of accessible learning materials within and beyond institutional boundaries. We invite you to engage in ongoing learning and develop strategies alongside us as we strive to promote education access through equitable frameworks and pathways.

 

Examining Gaps in Supporting Underserved Community College Students

Within CCRI’s research, we recognize the unique challenges faced by students from marginalized backgrounds, particularly those belonging to communities of color, who form a significant portion of our community college demographic. Our exploration of data and historical trends reveals that due to a persistent lack of clarity in transfer pathways in STEM majors, these students may not be prepared to apply for their preferred university or major.

 

Given the ever-expanding nature of STEM disciplines and the increasing competitiveness among students, it is imperative that we develop a strategic plan of action. Our focus is on establishing and enhancing partnerships specifically tailored to address the needs of disproportionately marginalized students. Throughout our research, we emphasize resource equity and access to fortify our support framework for these students. As we diversify the conversations of how to approach providing these resources and support systems, we encourage you to read our findings which may be accessed here.

 

National Report on Tracking Transfer

In following the inaugural National Transfer Summit, new reports have described a state-by-state analysis of whether community college students from all varieties of backgrounds transfer to four year institutions and successfully earn their bachelor’s degree. These studies have paved the way for transfer rates and outcome investigations by student demographic subgroup, demonstrating a lack of commitment and dedication to the improving of transfer pathways across higher education institutions. 

 

As Tatiana Velasco, the lead author of these reports and Research Associate of Community College Research Center (CCRC) describes, “Too many students are failed by policies and practices that dictate whether and how effectively students transfer from community colleges to universities, particularly students from historically underserved groups”. The pathways currently presented do not have an effective enough strategy nor are adaptable enough for students to attain bachelors degrees.

 

Despite the progress that has been made in research and transfer efforts, the improvements over the past several years have been modest, with data indicating a slight raise from 14% to 16% in the transfer and graduation rates of community college students to four-year institutions, it is evident that there is room for improvement. Based on these findings and the accompanying analysis, it becomes apparent that significant changes are necessary. CCRI remains steadfast in its commitment to develop and implement these changes through our research initiatives and the formulation of effective policy measures. 

 

Read the full reports, state-by-state data, findings, and recommendations.

 

Read the National Release Report

 

Read the National Release Report Highlights

Prioritizing Racial Equity in Research

CCRI’s work in transfer is guided by our commitment to center racial equity and anti-racist strategies to support and transform policies and systems that historically and presently oppress our student population into ones that equitably enhance their growth and development in our institutions. Our transfer research presents evidence that such problems continue to persist within higher institutions to this day, despite ongoing efforts and progress towards education reform. 

Ongoing studies on transfer students consistently reveal a higher influence of demographic factors impacting their experience compared to other institutional aspects.In our research, we focus on examining the specific challenges faced by students of color, seeking to understand why they disproportionately encounter adversity in their postsecondary journey. Our goal is to develop solutions that extend beyond college, addressing the issue of limited access to higher education. The onus is on institutions to actively dismantle these barriers and delve deeper into understanding the various impacts on students throughout the transfer process. CCRI remains committed to generating actionable research that contributes to leveling the educational playing field for all students of color.

Learn more about our research in this area: 

Read Transfer Data Note 2: Including Racial Equity as an Outcome Measure in Transfer Research

This brief finds that higher-performing transfer partnerships were almost exclusively institutional pairs with high percentages of White students, none of the institutional pairs revealed equitable outcomes for transfer students of color compared to White transfer students.

Read Transfer Data Note 10: Identifying Effective and Equitable Institutions for Transfer Students: Exploring the Contribution of the Pair in Multilevel Models

Using multilevel modeling, in this brief we examine how two- and four-year institutions working in relationship with each other reveal outcomes for African American and Latinx students within the transfer process.

Narrowing the Education Gap with Lia Wetzstein, CCRI

UW Today shares Undergraduate Academic Affairs’ recent interview with CCRI director Lia Wetzstein to discuss critical details of the importance of transfer. Having recently attended the U.S. Department of Education’s first ever National Summit on Transfer, Lia examines the paramount issues surrounding transfer between two- and four- year institutions and their impacts. Lia also details the work CCRI contributes to building the necessary bridges for students across pathways, centering equity and student support within the processes of transfer for continually building student success. 

 

Read more on UAA’s Q&A with Lia Wetzstein on how community college transfer students help narrow the education gap

Photo of attendees of Raise the Bar Summit.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

On 01/15/1929, one of the most prominent philosophers, political leaders, and civil rights activists came into the world, Martin Luther King Junior. And it is on this day that we honor the memory of him and his call to action within his “I Have a Dream” speech. It is through these words that we continue to guide our research and action, towards a more equitable and inclusive world for all people moving through the education system.

 

Whether through our Rural Learner Success research, where we examine the processes of rural learners and how best to support them along their academic journey, or our STEM transfer research, where we continue to support and build connections across universities and community colleges for our future STEM leaders, we continue to move towards the future that King called for. As King describes, “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives”. 

 

With this phrase in mind, we welcome you to join us in our celebration and progress toward the future King describes. As we take time to honor him, we gathered a list of resources for ourselves and want to share them with you.

The Seattle MLK Coalition

Northwest African American Museum

United Way of King County

University of Washington Women’s Center
The women’s center has recently launched a leadership and equity-based program with more updates to come.

UW Health Sciences MLK Tribute
The UW Health Sciences team has created a space for shared stories and connections regarding anti-racism and activism.

In Recognition and Celebration of Native American Heritage

The month of November is recognized as Native American Heritage Month. In 2009, President Barack Obama signed “The Native American Heritage Day Resolution,” designating the Friday after Thanksgiving as “Native American Heritage Day.” After signing H.J. Res 40 into law he stated, “I encourage every American to join me in observing Native American Heritage Day….It is also important for all of us to understand the rich culture, tradition, and history of Native Americans and their status today, and to appreciate the contributions that First Americans have made and will continue to make to our Nation.”

 

Along with us at CCRI, we invite you to celebrate Indigenous Heritage, the cultures, and the many communities in which these people are deeply rooted. It is our responsibility to recognize the mass genocide and atrocities committed by settler colonialism and it is our commitment to ameliorate the residual effects. Honoring the resilience and strength of Native and Indigenous peoples, we continue to build paths of healing and connection with those who came before us in our research and conduct at CCRI. 

 

The following resources and websites provide excellent information and ways to engage and support our indigenous communities: https://www.nativehope.org/ provides information on methods of support and information regarding the history of indigenous peoples, https://native-land.ca/ provides information regarding the peoples whose lands we occupy and the communities affected by one another, and the UW Office of Tribal Relations and UW Native Life provide on-campus sources for support, protection, and embracing of our Indigenous and Native students, staff, and community members at UW.

 

The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations. Whose land are you on?

New Data Dashboard from the Transfer Summit

Last week CCRI Lia Wetzstein, joined fellow delegates selected to represent Washington state at the Raise the Bar Transfer Summit where over 200 higher education professionals are gathered. 

 

This summit brings together state, institution, and other leaders in the field and is part of the Raise the Bar: Attaining College Excellence & Equity series: Tackling Transfer to Increase Access, Improve Completion, and Prepare Today’s Workforce.

 

At the summit, the federal government released new data. Since then, CCRC (Community College Research Center) an East Coast-based research organization, has turned it into a data dashboard and we want to share it with all of you.

 

https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/easyblog/new-federal-transfer-data-which-colleges-are-serving-community-colleges-transfers-best.html