VG

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