Higher Education Pipeline and Policy

Higher Education Pipeline and Policy

• Course: EDUC 005: Introduction to Education Studies

• Date: 3/3/2025

Agenda

• Final Paper

• Higher Education Pipeline

  • Selected issues and barriers

  • Education to prison pipeline

Higher Education Pipeline

• Critical Transition Points:

  • K-12 Education

  • Community College

  • Undergraduate Education

  • Graduate Education

Critical Issues in the K-12 Segment

• Key Factors for Success:

  • Safe and adequate school facilities

  • Cultivation of a college-going culture

  • Rigorous academic curriculum

  • Qualified teachers

  • Intensive academic and social support

  • Opportunities for developing a multicultural, college-going identity (e.g., Ethnic studies)

  • Family-neighborhood-school partnerships focused on college readiness

College-Going Culture (McDonough)

• Elements of College-Going Culture:

  • College Talk: Importance of discussing college aspirations

  • Clear Expectations: Defined standards for student performance

  • Information and Resources: Access to essential information about college

  • Counseling Models: Support systems for college readiness

  • Testing: Importance of standardized testing

  • Teacher Roles: Influence of teachers in promoting college culture

  • Family Involvement: The crucial role of family in supporting education

  • Community Partnerships: Engagement with local organizations

• Exclusion Issues:

  • Latinx, Black, and ELL students often excluded from college-going cultures

  • Schools with inadequate resources face tracking issues

School to Prison Pipeline

• Issues:

  • Zero tolerance policies disproportionately target students of color, especially in low-income schools

Criminal Justice Pipeline

• Focus on Criminalization:

  • Education policies and practices leading to the criminalization of students

  • Racialization issues affecting young Black, Latinx, Native, and Southeast Asian American males and females

Developmental Education at Community Colleges

• Transfer Culture:

  • Significant number of Latinx students entering community colleges but facing losses in the education pipeline (Moore and Shulock 2010)

  • Challenges from developmental coursework hindering advancement to transfer-level courses

  • Time and financial burdens associated with developmental education

Typical Course Sequences for Basic Reading and Math

• Reading Levels:

  • Level 1: Reading Comprehension

  • Level 2: English Fundamentals

  • Level 3: Foundations in Reading and Composition

  • Level 4: Intermediate Reading and Composition

  • Level 5: College Reading and Composition

• Math Levels:

  • Level 1: Arithmetic

  • Level 2: Pre-Algebra

  • Level 3: Elementary Algebra

  • Level 4: Intermediate Algebra

  • Level 5: College Math

Campus Racial Climate

• Definition:

  • Institutional context regarding attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors about race, ethnicity, and diversity (Hurtado et al. 2008)

• Impact:

  • Affects transition and success rates for Latino/a students in postsecondary education

Climate for Diversity

• Framework:

  • Government/Policy Context

  • Sociohistorical Context

  • Psychological Climate

  • Organizational/Structural Context

  • Compositional Diversity

  • Behavioral Dimension

Campus Racial Climate Assessment

• Methods for Evaluation:

  • Reporting of climate issues

  • Assessments and surveys

  • Establishing special committees and task forces

  • Holistic approaches involving multiple contexts and actors

Graduate School and the Academic Profession

• Trends:

  • Doctorate attainment increased from 0.4% to 3% from 2000 to 2012

  • Encountered similar experiences among students and professionals

  • Underrepresentation of Latino/a faculty in higher education

• Challenges Faced by Faculty:

  • Isolation and pressure to conform to dominant academic values

  • Unclear tenure review processes disadvantage minorities

  • Invisibility of community service work

Epistemic Exclusion

• Definition:

  • Systems of oppression contributing to stereotypes and the delineation of "knowers" versus "unknowers"

  • Faculty of color often researching dimensions of inequality face barriers

California Master Plan Overview

• Initiatives:

  • Developed in 1960 to guarantee higher education to state residents meeting merit-based standards

  • Primary architect: Clark Kerr, University of California president

Historical Background of Education in California

• Early Issues:

  • Underfunding, growing population, economic challenges, government corruption

• Progressive Era (1900-1920):

  • Shifted higher education from privilege to a right for high school graduates

• Post-WWII Changes:

  • Expansion of education programs and enrollment due to the GI Bill and booming economy

California Master Plan Access Goals

• College Access Levels:

  • Top 12.5% of high school graduates to UC

  • 33.3% of top graduates to CSU

  • Open access to community college for all

Reflections on the Master Plan

• Clark Kerr’s Legacy:

  • Historic commitment to higher education for all qualified residents

Accessibility Problems

• Declines in Accessibility:

  • Completion and transfer rates have decreased

• Affordability Issues:

  • Failure to maintain free tuition due to budget cuts and Proposition 13

• Stratification:

  • Disparity in college enrollment rates among different racial groups

Critical Reflections on the Master Plan

• Understanding Limitations:

  • Not all created by Clark Kerr but a result of negotiated systems; did not enlarge mass higher education access

Multi-Contextual Model for Diverse Learning Environments

• Key Considerations:

  • Involvement of micro-level influences on student experiences

  • Compliance with socio-historical context, policy, and institutional context

Policy Recommendations

• Increase Property Tax Rate:

  • To better support education funding and accessibility

• Adjust Admissions Standards:

  • Allow a broader range of qualified students to access UC and CSU

• Promote Need-Based Aid:

  • Targeted funding for minority-serving institutions

Constraints of Proposed Policies

• Local Board Control:

  • Influence of local elected boards on tax rates impact funding possibilities

• State Funding Priorities:

  • Need to align with state priorities for education funding

Strategies for Increasing Transfers

• Support Initiatives:

  • Free tutoring and smooth transition programs for transfer students

• Community College Innovations:

  • Support some community colleges to evolve into bachelor degree-granting institutions

• Consider Online Learning:

  • Address challenges for nontraditional students

Discussion Prompt

• Engagement Question:

  • How would your educational journey differ without the California Master Plan?

Campus Climate for Diversity

• Positional Dimensions to Explore:

  • Historical

  • Organizational

  • Compositional

  • Psychological

  • Behavioral