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News and Updates

News and Updates

Transition Coming for CCRI

Welcome Dr. Lia Wetzstein, our new Acting Director of CCRI

We’ve seen tremendous change in education and the economy since Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) opened its doors on May 1, 2016. Since those early days, we at CCRI have used our research skills to study policy and program improvements to transfer and baccalaureate attainment, always seeking to advance equity in community college reform. We’ve accomplished a lot over these last four years and more good things are coming. 

In this August 2020 newsletter, we spotlight our New Directions for Community Colleges on “Transfer Partnerships for Improved Equity and Outcomes” just published by Wiley, thanks to NDCC editor and colleague, Pamela Eddy at William & Mary. I am grateful to my co-editors Theresa Ling Yeh, Lia Wetzstein, and Elizabeth Apple Meza who authored chapters and encouraged authors in Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio and Washington to write about their efforts to ensure more equitable bachelor’s degree completion for community college transfer students. This focus on equity threads through all of our work, undergirding our decisions about what thorny issues to study and problems to help solve.

We are also wrapping up the first phase of our research on community college baccalaureates (CCB) with our partner, the Center on Education and Skills at New America (CESNA), where I am a Fellow for Community College Education. CCRI’s collaboration with Mary Alice McCarthy, CESNA’s director, and her colleagues Iris Palmer and Ivy Love, has created a treasure trove of briefs, blogs and materials on state and institutional adoption of CCB degrees in states across the country. Delving deepest in CCB attainment, employment and wages in Florida and Washington, we are expanding knowledge on the CCB in substantive ways. I am so proud of our work, and I look forward to seeing where our collaboration will take us in the future.

Most importantly, we welcome new leadership for CCRI at UW. At the end of August, I will step back from my director role to pass the baton to Dr. Lia Wetzstein. Dr. Wetzstein has received her UW Service Award for dedicating 20 years of her professional career to the University of Washington. Lia has been a thought leader since joining the team, and she has the vision and energy needed for this important transition. Lia was the first research scientist that I hired for CCRI, and she has been a dedicated collaborator and creative contributor ever since. Many more good things are coming for CCRI as the team’s plans evolve, and I urge you to remain an integral part of the journey.

I am pleased to recognize another transition that is happening at this time. Starting July 1 Elizabeth Apple Meza, Senior Research Scientist, joined Grant Blume, Senior Lecturer, in the Evan’s School for Public Policy and Governance to work on an exciting initiative focusing on data-driven decision-making. Their grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) supports a partnership with Washington community and technical colleges to study and support data use by faculty for program improvement. Their group is actively pursuing partnerships in and beyond Washington to grow this exciting work.

I want to thank colleagues across UW who gave me the opportunity to serve the citizens of our great state. Special thanks to UW President Ana Mari Cauce for seeing the value of my work and to Janice DeCosmo, Ed Taylor, and Christine Muongchanh for creating a home for it to flourish. I am also very grateful to the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) for partnering with CCRI. To Jan Yoshiwara, Kristi Wellington-Baker and countless others, I express pride in our shared accomplishments. I also share my gratitude with CCRI team members during my tenure, Elizabeth Apple Meza, Grant Blume, Tim Harmon, Katie Kovacich, Joe Lott, James Siap, Maria Claudia Soler, Jaylen Willingham, Theresa Ling Yeh, and William Zumeta. Every one of you is an incredible talent and true blessing to UW and Washington state. 

Finally, to colleagues, family and friends back in my home state of Illinois, I’m giving you fair warning that I’m coming back to the place my love for community colleges began and evolved over many years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My passion for Illinois’ deep commitment to addressing systemic inequities to improve all of education couldn’t be stronger, and I very much look forward to working with you again.

Sincerely,

Debra Bragg
Founding Director, CCRI

Twitter chat summary on racial equity & coaching for college reform

So what happened?

On June 10, 2020, we facilitated a Twitter chat on how organizations and coaches of higher education reform are embracing transformative change centered on racial justice and as we continue to engage in this and student success work during these unprecedented times, we invite you to read and utilize our collection of equity-minded coaching briefs and tools in your change efforts using a racial equity lens.

Brief: Coaching for More Equitable Student Outcomes
Brief: Integrating Racial Equity into Guided Pathways
The Equity Tool Guide gives an overview of the six equity-minded coaching tools.

We are excited to provide a short summary of the chat below and appreciate all the participants from around the country who contributed to this conversation. We are especially grateful to the many partners and colleagues who helped lead this chat as well as those who spent their time to prepare. 

Thank you! @johnm2783, @Jazzyjpenn, @Lili_Castille, @kmwb2005, @KandiBauman, @PresidentBaston, @CoxBrand, @EQUITYLEADER, @scholarteaching, @PJHanley20, @real_stallone, @FLCollegeSystem, @MCCACSS.

What did we talk about?

We prepared a number of questions for the chat that prompted great discussions! Here are some of the responses that stood out to us from participants.

Response from @FLcollegesystem

The @FLCollegeSystem understands that transformative change is needed. We are providing our #comm_colleges with important data that they can use to identify access & achievement inequities so that gaps can be identified, and they can begin formulating solutions.

The @FLCollegeSystem #guidedpathways institute will then support our #comm_colleges in identifying concrete steps to creating a solution to the equity barriers within the system, and allow for all students to have equal access to a world-class education.

Response from @mccacss

@MIColleges have decided they can no longer settle for incremental change on issues of equity and social justice and are signing a strongly worded statement that centers these issues with explicit action rather than implicit rhetoric for #mistudentsuccess.

Response from @jfftweets

JFF is starting internally. You can’t help others if your own house isn’t in order. We are redesigning hiring and onboarding, looking at internal staffing structures, and expanding our recruitment networks.

Response from @lili_castille

In the form of 5 year institutional #Equity Plans which will be published next month. The plans detail what the college/uni will do to address longstanding structural issues across the institution from the classroom to financial aid to student supports

Developing/implementing these equity plans requires ongoing, difficult conversations and the ability to evaluate what works and take action. It is many 1% solutions and incremental changes that add up to a more equitable institution for all students.

Response from @VLundyWagner

I work to remind colleagues that there is work to do together and on your own professionally, and work to do privately. Helping staff understand that all POC are not experts on facilitating racial dialogue because they are POC is important for #highered #edequity

Response from @presidentbaston

RCC held two Black Lives Matter panel discussions – one with Black students and another with Black employees. Black voices have been benignly neglected but are being elevated so we can do our work in building an institution that fosters inclusive excellence.

The challenge for many institutions in addressing dialogues on racial justice really centers around where to begin the conversation. These conversations will require courage, consistency, commitment, and most importantly the right start.

Response from @maevekatherine

@CalCommColleges call to action: “Campus leaders must host open dialogue and address campus climate.” Our #regionalcoordinator #coaches are listening deeply and bringing resources forward to nourish critical conversations!

Call to action: “Campuses must audit classroom climate and create an action plan to create inclusive classrooms and anti-racism curriculum.”

CCCCO call to action: “Shorten the time frame for the full implementation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Integration Plan.”

CCCCO call to action: “Join and engage in the Vision Resource Center “Community Colleges for Change.”

Response from @johnm2783

We held an Open Conversation on BLM w students & faculty, Dr. Marilyn Maye, coauthor of Seven Sisters and a Brother: Friendship, Resistance, and Untold Truths Behind Black St. Activism shared thoughts on Black student activism, BLM, and Leadership in a time of change

Institutional coaches can serve in multiple roles in facilitating this work. They serve educators and models, as well as an accountability function that some work is being done.

Response from @wagnerrobertsk

Program by program, President conversations.  This is a new and concerted effort.  Our System President has shared Five Commitments to Progress for us to work under and progress with.

Being an institutional coach is a HUGE job that is really going to require the ability to field extreme feelings and actions from a variety of opinions/sides.  Support and understanding will be needed for all involved.

Response from @jfftweets

We are holding space for conversations, including affinity coaching groups, and looking at all of our programing including our coaching work to ensure we are designing and delivering with an equity lens, and providing our stakeholders space to center equity.

Response from @kmwb2005

We have so much work to do here… we have an amazing colleague, Ha Nguyen, who is facilitating dialogues with college student leaders and we are building a Guided Pathways Student Advisory Council…

Response from @jfftweets

What we hear from leaders in our networks is the need to diversify the leadership pipeline, so that administration mirrors the student body.

Response from @lili_castille

Creating open forums for dialogue and listening. One of our CC’s Black Student Alliance & Student Leadership Council hosted a forum entitled: Not A Moment But A Movement: A Forum on Privilege, America’s Subconscious Reality @CollegeDuPage

Response from @equityleader

We are facilitating wellness calls with our students. Many students have expressed mental health concerns regarding the civil unrest in our nation, COVID-19, and how this impacts their ability to perform academically.

Response from @jazzyjpenn

I am a Black women and higher education professional. My lived experiences have made me keenly aware of systemic racism. I work for an agency that supports leading with racial equity and makes sure that we are advancing educational opportunities for all students.

Response from @jmm_13

Coaches help to support difficult conversations on the #studentsuccess change process & can be very helpful when discussing equity issues & inclusive excellence

Response from @jfftweets

A success is having the data, but the challenge is understanding it enough to facilitate (ex. leading vs. lagging indicators) to facilitate changes in real time. Transformative change takes time and it’s easy to get impatient. Coaches can help maintain the momentum needed to make real changes in policy and practice.

Response from @maevekatherine

Proud of CA’s BIPOC leaders: new #communitycollege presidents & chancellors & at #UC! Worried about inequitable impacts of #COVID & economic depression on our communities, particularly BIPOC students. Sharing of approaches, partners, & curating resources appears 🔑

Response from @equityleader

We have seen success in our on-going efforts to create employee buy-in and a culture of equity-mindedness at our college. We are still challenged with defining equity and how to measure it.

Response from @jazzyjpenn

A success is that we are identifying and calling out inequities in policies and procedures. A challenge is old habits are hard to break, and people sometimes get weary discussing race and racism, so they look for the easy way around the work or avoid it altogether.

Response from @johnm2783…

Increase # of faculty of color!; Increase financial support for students of color (GA’s, TA’s,  scholarships, etc.); Too many leaders don’t believe that systemic injustices exist..Thought Leaders are critical in challenging this mindset that runs counter to all objective evidence that this is a real issue

Response from @jazzyjpenn

Accept that systemic racism is real; work like hell to dismantle it daily. Advocate for students of color by advancing racial equity-focused policies, promote racial equity-focused procedures and practices, fund equity-focused programs/educational opportunities.

Response from @kandibauman

Said best by my CCRI colleagues, there is a difference between being “for” racial equity and “about” racial equity. Addressing the impact of systemic injustice begins with re-centering our mission, resources, and measures of accountability to be about racial equity.

Response from @PJHanley

We have to direct resources to the most vulnerable students (that is what equity is about); not giving everyone the same.  Same goes for faculty and staff (in terms of prof dev, hiring pipelines, mentoring, etc)

Response from @equityleader

We must focus on laying the groundwork for institutions by providing on-going and mandatory professional development for all employees regarding equity and antiracism. We must focus on changing the system vs. changing the student; Moving from a deficit mindset to an equity mindset is imperative. Groundwork is heart work and employees must self-reflect in order to reframe our practices and ways of thinking.

* If you’d like to read more, here is the whole discussion for each question!

Resources Shared

Some participants went the extra mile and shared some resources! Check them out…

  • A FREE VIRTUAL Community College Showcase on July 28th. Tia McNair is one of the keynote presenters. Full program and registration info at https://t.co/LgYi6mCuDj?amp=1
  • @CalCommColleges call to action https://t.co/R6Oaih2vSI
  • Join the Rockland Community College community for a “Black Lives Matter RCC” panel discussion, featuring current students and alumni. RCC’s president https://t.co/M56ZJY0pho?amp=1
  • We are really proud of the diversity of our doctoral students in New Jersey City University’s Ed.D. in Community College Leadership. Check out student bios at njcu.edu/ccldoctorate

What did people think?

We sent a survey after the chat, and ⅔ of respondents said it was their first Twitter chat! If that was you, we appreciate that you tried something new with us in the Twitter-sphere!

We are happy to be able to offer a safe space where 75% of participants felt comfortable sharing their insights, opinions, and/or experiences. We hope to improve on this as we explore new ways to engage with you and other audiences that enjoy similar subjects. You can always email us at ccri@uw.edu with any specific feedback you may have!

100% of respondents found someone new to follow on Twitter, woohoo!

We asked what kind of subjects participants were interested in talking about in future chats and here are some responses…

  • State funding formulas
  • A student led conversation
  • Transfer
  • Leadership development
  • Coaching/mentoring
  • More about Equity!

Stay updated with us on Twitter or subscribe to our newsletter so you can take part in our next chat! @CCRI_UW, #CCRIchat

CCRI racial equity publications

As we continue to engage in racial justice and student success work during these unprecedented times, we invite you to read and utilize our collection of equity-minded coaching briefs and tools in your transformative change efforts using a racial equity lens.

Brief: Coaching for More Equitable Student Outcomes
Brief: Integrating Racial Equity into Guided Pathways
The Equity Tool Guide gives an overview of the six equity-minded coaching tools.

Our partner, Jobs for the Future (JFF) has recently posted CCRI’s briefs, tools and resource recommendations created on their Student Success Center Network Coaching Toolbox along with other useful coaching materials. JFF’s publication of this treasure trove of documents is timely as they emphasize the critical role of racial equity in reforming community college education. These resources are directed at coaches who work with community colleges to engage in transformative change and reduce disparities in student success among racial groups, with valuable insights for any community college reformer.

Given recent unrest due to COVID-19 and police violence, constructive dialogue is more critical than ever to support a race-conscious approach to achieving more equitable outcomes for America’s students of color, and these tools provide guidance to accomplish this critical goal.

Join us! Twitter chat on racial equity in education reform

We’re hosting our next Twitter chat! And we are excited to invite you to join us Friday, July 10, 10 -11 a.m., Pacific Standard Time, with an optional extra 30 minutes for questions. Please follow us on Twitter to see updates and use the hashtag #CCRIchat in your tweets along with A1 (answer 1 for question 1 and so on…) For example, to respond to question 1, tweet: #CCRIchat A1 [your response up to 280 characters].

The focus for our discussion:
We’ll be chatting about how to use a racial equity lens in coaching for college reform along with how to talk about racial equity in coaching colleges.

One of our partners, Jobs for the Future (JFF) has recently posted CCRI’s briefs, tools and resource recommendations created on their Student Success Center Network Coaching Toolbox. JFF’s publication of this treasure trove of materials is timely as they emphasize the critical role of racial equity in reforming community college education. These resources are directed at coaches who work with community colleges to implement guided pathways and reduce disparities in student success among racial groups, but they have valuable insights for any community college reformer.

Given recent unrest due to COVID-19 and police violence, constructive dialogue is more critical than ever to support a race-conscious approach to achieving more equitable outcomes for America’s Black and Brown students, and these tools provide guidance to accomplish this critical goal.

To prepare for the Twitter chat, here are the materials we invite you to read. Our team has published the resources listed below. Closer to the chat, we will also be publishing a blog with Community College Research Center (CCRC) focusing on these two briefs that weave together coaching, guided pathways and equity, and we’ll link to it in our Twitter feed, LinkedIn and website. 

Resources:
CCRI’s equity-minded coaching briefs and tools
Brief: Coaching for More Equitable Student Outcomes
Brief: Integrating Racial Equity into Guided Pathways.

New to Twitter chats? Read this short article about how to participate in one.

Connecting Learning About the Earth to Societal Issues: Downstream Effects on Faculty Teaching

This past Spring we had CCRI’s very own Lia Wetzstein’s work published! Read about the paper below, then download the article directly or access via Wiley Online Library.

About this article

This study provides an empirical look at the impact on instructors interacting with sustainability curriculum in different ways across multiple institutions and disciplines via InTeGrate. While international studies underscore an emergent relationship between sustainability curricula, active learning pedagogies, and student learning outcomes, a gap exists in the literature in understanding benefits perceived by faculty who create such curricula.

Moreover, even less is understood about the downstream influence on the teaching practices of faculty. In this chapter, downstream, is used to describe faculty who did not create sustainability curriculum but adopted the curriculum created by others.

Research Questions

What did instructors find beneficial while creating, modifying, and utilizing InTeGrate sustainability materials and overtime? How did the creation and utilization of the sustainability curriculum influence instructors’ use of active learning techniques? How did structuring the curriculum around guiding principles focused on sustainability education influence instructors’ teaching?

Read & Download  
Access via Wiley

CCRI Statement on Racial Equity and Call to Action

We condemn the racism, discrimination, and fear that permeates communities across our nation. We stand in solidarity with protesters and activists who condemn the racial injustice that pervades America, and we commit ourselves to do our part in seeking immediate change toward racial justice. We understand that the racial inequity documented in decades of educational research has failed to democratize schools and colleges. We must do more.

While Coleman’s (1966) seminal report, “Equality of Educational Opportunity” exposed systematic disparities between white students and students of color over a half-century ago, deep-seated disparities continue to this day. Police violence against people of color must end. Injustices in healthcare, basic living and sustenance, and working conditions spotlighted by COVID-19 are unacceptable and must be addressed. We, therefore, call for educational researchers to join us in using an explicit racial equity lens in studying higher education in the United States, including community colleges and their students.

In his recent statement on police killings of Black people, American Educational Research Association (AERA) President Shaun Harper implored educational researchers to recognize that first and foremost, we are citizen-scholars who are obligated to conduct research that fuels transformative change. Our Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) group at the University of Washington is inspired by Dr. Harper and Dr. Estela Bensimon at the University of Southern California who model how researchers should center equity-mindedness in their work. We embrace using an explicit racial lens to generate actionable knowledge that advances equity in community colleges, and all of education. This commitment reflects our core values and points us toward generating new knowledge necessary to dismantle structural racism and create a new future for education. Our commitment includes generating evidence to reform policy and practice into more socially just higher education in our state and across America.

Please join us in our journey to transform education to achieve racial equity. Policy and practice informed by actionable racial equity-conscious research is pivotal to achieving a more socially just education system.

CCRI Transfer Brief and Twitter Chat!

Join us Friday, May 15, 2020, 10-11:30 am, Pacific time, for a Twitter chat, #CCRIchat, addressing the importance of transfer working for students navigating higher education during COVID 19. Follow us on Twitter to see updates and questions for the chat. 

In advance, we invite you to read our latest transfer brief that synthesizes themes from a larger body of research on transfer partnerships that focus on improving transfer student outcomes that are relevant to students during and in the aftermath of this pandemic.

Looking forward to our TweetChat! Please reach out prior to with questions on how to participate, ccri@uw.edu.

Read Transfer Brief

New America

Hear from our Director about how community colleges can help their communities recover from COVID-19. As well as why the US government should assist them to do so based on lessons learned from the TAACCCT grant!

Read Article

Growth in Enrollment and Completion of STEM Community College Baccalaureate Degrees in Washington State

Washington State is experiencing substantial growth in the number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Community College Baccalaureate (CCB)1 programs. Student enrollments in STEM CCB programs are also growing, providing an opportune time to study these students and their enrollment in and completion of STEM CCB programs. This research on STEM CCB programs shows women complete degrees at nearly the same rate as men but female enrollments lag behind state and national statistics for STEM education. More closely reflecting national trends, the research shows disparities in enrollment by and completion of students of color compared to white and Asian students, though STEM CCB enrollees are more diverse than STEM enrollees in universities. Understanding these student demographics is important to informing state and institutional policy on STEM education where demand for STEM workers continues to grow in the state.

Read Data Note 6

Our Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) group at the University of Washington has partnered with New America’s Center on Education and Skills (CESNA) to refresh and expand understanding of AB and CCB degrees nationally, looking again at state adoption and implementation of these degrees in the two- and four-year institutional contexts. With generous support from the Joyce Foundation and Lumina Foundation, our two-year project documents policies and processes; develops a set of consensus design principles and frameworks featuring evidence-based and equity-focused promising policies and practices on state adoption and institutional implementation; and disseminates lessons from past successes and failures.