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News and Updates

News and Updates

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

University of Washington Student Resources for Racial Equity

In the realm of institutional processes, ample evidence indicates that students of color often encounter substantial isolation and challenges in adapting, as educational institutions have only recently evolved into more inclusive environments for Black students and other individuals of color. Institutional racism, microaggressive behaviors, and other forms of active oppression continue to take place within these spaces. We support and want to call attention to the efforts being made to establish dedicated spaces for communities of color on the UW campus, offering resources and educational support to counteract the ongoing adversities faced by our students. 

Listed below, the UW has several offices and student facing organizations accessible both on campus and remotely, providing additional support for students of color as they navigate these injustices and challenges within and beyond the institutional framework at UW.

Programs Dedicated to Equity and Justice For All Peoples: https://hr.uw.edu/cfd/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/

Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity:

https://www.washington.edu/omad/

Samuel E. Kelly Cultural Center:

https://depts.washington.edu/ecc/

List of Available Scholarships for Students Each Year:

https://admit.washington.edu/costs/scholarships/

Full List of Accessible Resources Built to Support Students of Diverse and Marginalized Backgrounds:

https://www.washington.edu/diversity/diversity-blueprint/resources/

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.

Celebrating Black History Month

The 2024 theme of Black History Month is “African Americans and the Arts,” which explores the key influence African Americans have had on visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary, and other forms of cultural expression. African American artists have used art to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment. Cultural movements such as the Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism have been led by people of African descent and set the standard for popular trends around the world. We wanted to share a list of events currently happening during this month that display the expansive history of Black culture, stories, communities, and so much more.

 

Black History Month Smithsonian Events

 

Northwest African American Museum Events

 

National Museum of African American History & Culture Events

 

Seattle Black History Month Events

CCRI’s Commitment to Racial Justice and Equity

In honoring this year’s Black history month, the CCRI community would like to reaffirm our commitment to racial justice and equity. It is important to acknowledge the ways in which history has shaped educational and institutional access as a whole. These spaces have been afflicted by racism and significant, intersectional forms of oppression designed to restrict the right to knowledge for students of color. As such, it is our goal to design more equitable, anti-racist paths for students of all demographics and backgrounds.

 

Through our work, we hope to bring education towards a future of diverse inclusivity. Whether by transfer pathways for our community college students heading to 4-year universities, by outreach to our rural learner communities, by building connections across STEM concepts and equitable, justice-based practices, or other constructs we hope to investigate, we will continually work toward that future. And so, we welcome you to join in our discussions this Black History Month as we celebrate each week of February.

 

CCRI is Hiring a New Research Scientist

Apply here!

Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) shapes, advances and stewards a world-class undergraduate academic experience for students at the University of Washington. Staff, faculty and students in UAA deepen and enrich the learning experience for all undergraduates, recognizing and supporting the unique learning path of each individual student and the commitment of each academic program to excellence in learning and teaching.

Within UAA, the Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) is a research group committed to generating actionable, timely research that supports more equitable college access and completion, critically informed student support, and improved educational pathways from access to transfer, graduation, and into the workforce. Our goal is to leverage this research to effect change in postsecondary education at all levels.

CCRI has an outstanding opportunity for a .80 FTE Research Scientist to join our team! The position has the possibility to be up to 100% remote or hybrid.

The Research Scientist will support multiple CCRI projects, including a Rural Mentorship grant which examines mentorship opportunities for low-income students at rural community colleges across the country, STEM Transfer Partnership, multiple evaluation projects, and they will also be pivotal in applying for and leading future research projects.

The Research Scientist will be responsible for collecting, coding, and analyzing qualitative data, developing evaluation tools, managing data, creating surveys, evaluating survey data; draft, develop and assist with writing scientific manuscripts and reports; prepare and present at scientific and stakeholder meetings; prepare and manage Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements; assist in grant application and paperwork process.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • 25% – Co-lead the qualitative data collection, create and analyze surveys, coding and analysis, data management, as well as writing up data summaries on several projects.
  • 25% – Co-author briefs and reports that summarize major findings and author papers and presentations and other dissemination activities.
  • 20% – Assist in grants administration, including annual reports, oversight of project deliverables, Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements, and future grant applications.
  • 15% – Participate in team meetings, strategic planning, equity initiatives, and future grant needs.
  • 15% – Attend conferences and support convenings and team facilitated events.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

  • Master’s degree in education, social sciences, or related field.
  • Minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in education research and experimental design.
  • Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Working knowledge of practices, policies, and issues related to vertical transfer.
  • Experience with grant writing and International Review Board (IRB) applications.
  • Experience creating, collecting, analyzing survey data, and writing up results.
  • Experience in design, implementation, and analysis of evaluation protocols.
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate complex scientific information in clear and concise language appropriate for diverse audiences (e.g., scientists, policy makers, university students).
  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
  • Ability to multi-task and work collaboratively.
  • Excellent written and oral communication and facilitation skills.
  • Experience successfully working as part of a team.
  • Applicants must have a demonstrated record of research productivity in the form of relevant publications, conference presentations and experience with research related grant funding.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • A doctoral degree focused on higher education.
  • Four or more years of relevant work experience in education research and experimental design.
  • Knowledge and experience with community college transfer, transfer partnerships, STEM education, equity and diversity in higher education.
  • Experience with UW grant processing systems and IRB systems.
  • Experience in working with practitioners in co-creating and building evaluation protocols.
  • Strategic and critical thinker.
  • Experience in both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your “My Jobs” page to take when you are access ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

Apply through UW Hires, https://uwhires.admin.washington.edu/eng/candidates/default.cfm?szCategory=jobprofile&szOrderID=230428&szCandidateID=0&szSearchWords=&szReturnToSearch=1 Salary DOE

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.

Bridging the Rural Mentorship Gap: A Data Note on Mentorship Programs in Rural Community Colleges

A recent data note, the first in a series, published by the Community College Research Initiatives and generously funded by the Ascendium Education Group as part of its Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, examines mentorship programs at public 2-year rural-serving institutions (RSIs). Using institutional website data, it explores the prevalence, distribution, and focus of mentorship programs, shedding light on who these programs serve and the variations across states.

The findings highlight an asymmetry in the distribution and location of mentorship programs across 444 public 2-year RSIs. While 301 of the 444 RSIs had at least one mentorship program, the number of programs ranged from one to eight per institution. A large proportion of mentorship programs lacked an explicit focus on underrepresented student groups. Approximately 3 out of 10 programs (29%) explicitly targeted low-income students, and 10 percent of programs targeted specific racial/ethnic student groups in their program descriptions. The analysis also found that many website descriptions did not provide clear information on who was providing the mentoring and how mentorship was defined.

These findings inform our future questions:

  1. Mentorship: How is mentorship defined, and who is providing the mentoring? What structures are embedded within mentorship programs that support the success of rural community college students?
  2. Rural Student Experience: How do mentorship programs impact the academic and career outcomes of rural community college students?
  3. Intersectionality: How do mentorship experiences align with rural students’ evolving needs and intersectional identities, including low-income and racially minoritized students?
  4. Best Practices: What best practices can be identified to inform mentoring models that are adaptable and tailored across institutions to support the success of rural community college students? How can programs better cater to the unique needs of students residing in rural communities? How does rurality play a role in program design and implementation?

In the next phase of this research, CCRI is exploring these questions through in-depth interviews with staff and student support practitioners, focus groups with students, and a national student survey. The “Landscape of Mentorship Programs at Rural Serving Community Colleges” data note serves as a starting point for understanding the availability of mentorship programs across public 2-year RSIs. As this research progresses, the insights this work provides will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of mentorship in rural settings, guide the development of inclusive and effective mentorship programs for rural students, and work towards bridging critical gaps in serving historically underserved students at RSIs.