(2011). Diverse in India. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, v28 n20 p18-19 Nov. When it comes to dealing with his fellow students at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Warner, a 21-year-old aerospace engineering major, says the fact that he comes from a group of farmers known as the Pallar community means nothing. But when it comes to his enrollment status as a student at IIT, it makes all the difference in the world. The Pallars are among the groups recognized as a "scheduled caste" by India's government. For Warner, being able to gain access to the elite IIT Madras is part of fulfilling a childhood dream that began when he took his first plane ride and became enamored with aerodynamics. As he strives to reach new heights, Warner's climb also represents an attempt to break free from the financial constraints of doing the work traditionally done by his forefathers. Warner thought if someone from the community is in a good position, financially and socially, they can help the community…. [Direct]
(2013). Addressing Gender Imbalance in Nigeria's Higher Education through Institutional Framework. African Higher Education Review, v7 n1 p88-98 May. This paper examined the gender imbalance among students in Nigeria's higher education and the possible ways to addressing them. The poor access of female gender to higher education in Nigeria has become a thing of great concern to all stakeholders such as School authorities, Government, International agencies and employers of labor. The paper therefore, looked at the Access, Participation and completion rate of female students in higher education as well as interventions to address the challenges. It is recommended that affirmative and motivating policies be put in place for the female students to be at parity with the male. It concluded by stating that equity interventions have not accompanied policies for expanding access to higher education for this vulnerable gender, thus, critical policies targeting participation of female students should be expanded…. [Direct]
(2011). Guidance on the Voluntary Use of Race to Achieve Diversity in Postsecondary Education. US Department of Justice The United States Department of Education (ED) and the United States Department of Justice issued this guidance to explain how, consistent with existing law, postsecondary institutions can voluntarily consider race to further the compelling interest of achieving diversity. It replaces the August 28, 2008 letter issued by ED's Office for Civil Rights entitled "The Use of Race in Postsecondary Student Admissions." This guidance addresses the degree of flexibility that postsecondary institutions have to take proactive steps, in a manner consistent with principles articulated in Supreme Court opinions, to meet this compelling interest. As the Supreme Court has made clear, such steps can include taking account of the race of individual students in a narrowly tailored manner. In four sections, the guidance: (1) describes the relevant legal framework for considering race to further the compelling interest in achieving diversity in postsecondary institutions; (2) sets forth… [PDF]
(2011). Achieving Equity for Latino Students: Expanding the Pathway to Higher Education through Public Policy. Multicultural Education Series. Teachers College Press Despite their numbers, Latinos continue to lack full and equal participation in all facets of American life, including education. This book provides a critical discussion of the role that select K-12 educational policies have and continue to play in failing Latino students. The author draws upon institutional, national, and statewide data sets, as well as interviews among students, teachers, and college administrators, to explore the role that public policies play in educating Latino students. The book concludes with specific recommendations that aim to raise achievement, college transition rates, and success among Latino students across the preschool through college continuum…. [Direct]
(2011). An Invisible Minority: Mexican English-Language Learners. College and University, v86 n3 p57-62 Win. Ever since the founding of this country, equality, freedom, and justice have been the underlying values of America's political and educational systems. More than 150 years later, higher education policymakers in the United States began to incorporate these values into their admissions decisions by including ethnic and racial diversity as a stated goal, not only for the purpose of redressing past injustices but also to prepare citizens to be successful in an increasingly multicultural society. However, as white students continue to dominate this nation's university campuses, the future appears bleak for minority groups, especially blacks and Latinos. As a group, Hispanics are the least educated minority in the country (Gandara 1995): They have the highest high school dropout rates of all minority groups (Llagas 2003). In response, the government of Mexico has initiated a binational agreement with the United States–and Texas, in particular–to help Mexican-English language learners… [Direct]
(2010). Deja Vu–The Access/Success Pendulum. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, v27 n18 p20-21 Oct. In education, reform tends to follow cycles, often bouncing from one extreme to another without considering the possibility of incorporating multiple perspectives simultaneously. Policies aimed at helping more underrepresented students enter college and complete degrees have bounced from one pole to another, embracing access as the primary goal without giving adequate attention to successful completion, which results in many underrepresented students coming through the campus gate but relatively few leaving with degrees. There has been considerable publicity about the U.S.'s declining rankings in international comparisons of young people with college degrees. Today, America is not among the top 10 developed countries for degree attainment, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Americans are waking up to the fact that something must be done to increase the rate at which their youth gain degrees–especially youth of color–if the U.S. is to remain… [Direct]
(2010). UCT's Admissions Policies: Is the Playing Field Level?. South African Journal of Higher Education, v24 n2 p268-297. The article outlines how UCT's commitment to redress and diversity has officially guided the university's approach to admissions planning. In 2009 the Senate requested the Vice Chancellor to conduct a review of the admissions policy particularly to determine whether race continued to be an adequate proxy for disadvantage. This article analyses data prepared by the Institutional Planning Department of the University to support the review process, reflecting changes in the demographic profiles of all students and first-time entering (FU) intakes between 1994 and 2009. The data provide a more nuanced picture of offers, rejections and enrolments by race and poverty quintile of the 2009 new undergraduate intake. The article then goes on to assess the effects of various policy instruments used to facilitate access to UCT, demonstrating that the Academic Development Programmes have been the most significant instruments of facilitating access. Drawing on the analysis of the data, the article… [Direct]
(2010). Without and within: The Implications of Employment and Ethnocultural Equity Policies for Internationally Educated Teachers. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, n100 Feb. Analyzing school division employment policies from six Winnipeg school divisions and the Manitoba K-12 Action Plan for Ethnocultural Equity (MECY, 2006), we discuss implications for the integration of internationally educated teachers in K-12 schools. Findings suggest that the policies exhibit several major limitations in advancing IET integration: lack of equity and IET-specific content in the case of most divisional policies and lack of stakeholder buy-in and implementation strategies in the case of the ethnocultural equity policy. Subsequent recommendations use the construct of interest convergence from critical race theory to advocate for educational policymaking and implementation that prioritize a more diverse teaching force. (Contains 2 footnotes.)… [PDF]
(2009). Appointing Senior Managers in Education: Homosociability, Local Logics and Authenticity in the Selection Process. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, v37 n3 p329-349. While there is extensive research on educational leadership and management, the selection of leaders has received comparatively little attention. This article examines how educational leadership is constructed through the selection process in the context of a qualitative study of Irish education. It highlights the tensions that can exist for selection board assessors as they try to balance increasing performativity and new managerialist demands with the traditional ethical and moral dimensions of educational leadership. Key concepts of "local logics" and "homosociability" frame the analysis as it is shown how assessors often select "safe" candidates according to familiar qualities. This normalization is problematic when educational leadership is faced with intense organizational and socio-cultural change. It is also problematic in gender terms, especially in higher education, where the prevailing leadership model is a masculine one. Differences between… [Direct]
(2009). University of California Adopts Sweeping Changes in Admissions Policy. Chronicle of Higher Education, v55 n23 pA33 Feb. The University of California has adopted changes to its undergraduate admissions policy that will enlarge its applicant pool and drop the requirement that students take the SAT Subject Tests. The policy is the most significant change in the university's admissions practices in at least a decade. It will increase the number of California high-school graduates who are considered for undergraduate admission by an estimated 40 percent, giving officials at the system's nine undergraduate campuses more flexibility to choose a freshman class. At the same time, the plan will cut the number of students in the state who are guaranteed admission based primarily on grades and test scores. In moving away from that guarantee and toward a more comprehensive review, the university will more closely align its admissions practices with those of other prominent public and private institutions. Supporters of the admissions plan hope it will increase the socioeconomic and racial diversity of the student… [Direct]
(2011). Longitudinal Examination of the Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites across the College Experience. Journal of Counseling Psychology, v58 n4 p508-521 Oct. This longitudinal investigation adds to the growing body of scholarship on the psychosocial costs of racism to Whites, which refer to the consequences of being in the dominant position in an unjust, hierarchical system of societal racism. We examined how White students' affective costs of racism (i.e., White empathy, guilt, and fear) changed across the college experience and how gender, colorblind racial ideology, and diversity experiences were associated with those costs. Findings indicated that White empathy, guilt, and fear each had a distinct trajectory of change across the college experience. Moreover, patterns of change for each cost were moderated by colorblind racial attitude scores at college entrance. We also found that participation in college diversity experiences (e.g., diversity courses) was associated with the costs; moreover, different types of diversity experiences were linked to particular costs. These findings provide insight into the affective experiences of White… [Direct]
(2008). Vision and the End of Racial Preferences. Academic Questions, v21 n3 p319-323 Sep. Are we facing the end of racial preferences in America? Mr. Clegg thinks we probably are, and examines the role demographics, law, attraction, and vision may play in their demise. What makes preferences still attractive to so many people? Do most Americans share a vision that includes the continued use of racial preferences? Mr. Clegg offers a list of \E pluribus unum\ features that \all Americans\ must share to participate fully in the life of our ever-changing multiracial, multiethnic country…. [Direct]
(2011). Pursuing Equity in and through Teacher Education Program Admissions. Education Policy Analysis Archives, v19 n24 Aug. This case study investigated equity in teacher education admissions. Through document analysis and structured interviews with ten past or current members of the admissions committee in a large initial teacher education program in Ontario, we developed an understanding of equity in teacher education admissions as encompassing two foci: equity in admissions–that is, equity of access for applicants to the program–and equity through admissions–that is, equity of educational opportunity and outcomes for the children in the schools where the teachers trained by the programs will eventually teach. Our analysis illustrates the importance of recognizing both foci and the tensions between them…. [PDF]
(2011). Sidestep. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, v28 n8 p15-17 May. It has been almost five years since Michigan voters chose to ban race-conscious programs from state-funded institutions. The impact of the decision was swift and painful for many, particularly in the state's public higher education landscape. Minority enrollment in public colleges–which was already low–plummeted in many categories as state-funded minority scholarships disappeared and a bad economy made alternative funds scarce. Programs and services that were targeted solely toward minorities and women vanished. Today, however, there are some signs of hope for minorities hoping to access higher education in Michigan. Five years after the racially polarizing campaign to pass the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative–widely known as Proposition 2–the state's public colleges and universities are learning how to adapt to a colorblind campus. From the University of Michigan to Grand Valley State University, Michigan schools are reinventing their recruiting programs and creating new… [Direct]
(2008). The New Frontier: Envisioning an America beyond Racial Preferences and Color-Coded Public Policy. Academic Questions, v21 n3 p324-331 Sep. Significant voices have begun challenging the orthodox view of America as a land of limited opportunities for minorities, with the Obama phenomena constituting the most conspicuous case in point. Mr. Hicks explains why racial preferences have failed and discusses the challenges Americans face in transcending divisions caused by identity politics. (Contains 15 footnotes.)… [Direct]