Access to higher education remains a challenge for many students who face academic and informatio... more Access to higher education remains a challenge for many students who face academic and informational barriers to college entry. This guide targets high schools and school districts, and focuses on effective practices that prepare students academically for college, assist them in completing the steps to college entry, and improve their likelihood of enrolling in college.
The rapid development and adoption of technology along with open economies has created an integra... more The rapid development and adoption of technology along with open economies has created an integrated global economy. The globalisation process has brought with it significant changes in all areas of life, including tertiary education. This book outlines the features of the new wave of globalisation and draws out specific trends and challenges associated with this new wave for universities and policy makers.
The rapid development and adoption of technology along with open economies has created an integra... more The rapid development and adoption of technology along with open economies has created an integrated global economy. The globalisation process has brought with it significant changes in all areas of life, including tertiary education. This book outlines the features of the new wave of globalisation and draws out specific trends and challenges associated with this new wave for universities and policy makers.
Despite having outlawed the caste system and the concept of untouchability in 1947, caste identit... more Despite having outlawed the caste system and the concept of untouchability in 1947, caste identity remains a cornerstone of social, political and economic life in India. Like other social institutions, educational institutions are the reflection of caste prejudices and discrimination. The recent inclusion of lower castes through the reservation system (affirmative action) has changed the nature of higher education. Based on an ethnographic account of a university campus and students’ perceptions about caste issues, the authors suggest that the structure of higher education in India is designed in a manner that exacerbates, instead of ameliorates, tensions of class and caste. Using Bourdieu’s notion of cultural capital, the paper defines the existing campus culture as a ‘caste culture’. The text concludes that elite institutions do not yet guarantee the capability to overcome existing caste prejudices and stereotypes, regardless of structural attempts at reform.
Increasing postsecondary access depends in large part on enhancing underrepresented students’ wri... more Increasing postsecondary access depends in large part on enhancing underrepresented students’ writing ability, or college writing readiness. However, what exactly constitutes college-level writing is not clear-cut, complicating efforts to improve secondary preparation. This paper examines recent efforts to define postsecondary writing, suggesting that existing definitions and assessments overwhelmingly focus on cognitive skills. Drawing from sociocultural theory, the authors advocate for broadening conceptions of college-level writing to consider the role of social, cultural, and institutional contexts.
Despite having outlawed the caste system and the concept of untouchability in 1947, caste identit... more Despite having outlawed the caste system and the concept of untouchability in 1947, caste identity remains a cornerstone of social, political and economic life in India. Like other social institutions, educational institutions are the reflection of caste prejudices and discrimination. The recent inclusion of lower castes through the reservation system (affirmative action) has changed the nature of higher education. Based on an ethnographic account of a university campus and students' perceptions about caste issues, the authors suggest that the structure of higher education in India is designed in a manner that exacerbates, instead of ameliorates, tensions of class and caste. Using Bourdieu's notion of cultural capital, the paper defines the existing campus culture as a 'caste culture'. The text concludes that elite institutions do not yet guarantee the capability to overcome existing caste prejudices and stereotypes, regardless of structural attempts at reform.
This volume focuses on the importance of state policy for ensuring equity in
postsecondary access... more This volume focuses on the importance of state policy for ensuring equity in postsecondary access, achievement, and attainment. America has a federalist system of education that gives states significant autonomy in their governance of schools, colleges, and universities. This system has created significant variation across states; variation that provides opportunities for state governments to learn from one another. This volume underscores the importance of context and uses differentiation across state lines to highlight the roles internal and external factors play in policy development and issues pertaining to postsecondary access, achievement, and attainment. This collection of papers includes a diverse set of theoretical and methodological approaches to address a range of topics that makes clear the scope and importance of a multitude of state policies. This volume will serve as a source of new information regarding state policies that will be useful for policymakers and researchers alike. It is also suggests important new avenues for research that focus on theoretical and methodological considerations as well as topical areas including funding, accountability, transparency, and policy framing.
This article reports on a study analyzing the digital skills of 91 low-income students enrolled i... more This article reports on a study analyzing the digital skills of 91 low-income students enrolled in writing remediation. Findings suggest that technological demands widen the equity dimensions of the college preparation gap by aggravating the academic challenges remedial writers already face. Suggestions to support the compound literacy needs of 21st century students are made.
Bridging composition studies for a higher education policy audience, this is a critical synthesis... more Bridging composition studies for a higher education policy audience, this is a critical synthesis of prior conceptual and empirical work. We first provide a historical perspective to explicate important disciplinary issues that may be unfamiliar to a policy audience. We then present a critical synthesis of the disciplinary-based literature from two viewpoints. The review demonstrates the seriousness and scope of policy problems perpetuated by two obstacles. The first is a lack of clarity on what constitutes college writing. The second is a dearth of assessment tools with which to measure writing aptitude. The negative implications of the review for college writing preparation are discussed in the context of the K–12 Common Core State Standards. Recommendations are tendered for an interdisciplinary agenda to increase the educational opportunities of under-prepared writers and decrease the social inequities associated with remediation policies and programs.
Education plays a critical role in how adolescents mature into adults. A vulnerable, and often fo... more Education plays a critical role in how adolescents mature into adults. A vulnerable, and often forgotten, sub-population of the poor is homeless youth, for whom lack of a stable or adequate residence creates a unique set of educational barriers. The Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis (CHEPA) spent 18 months documenting the experiences of homeless adolescents in Los Angeles, deriving data from 123 interviews with homeless adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19, and an additional 45 interviews with shelter staff, social workers, parents, teachers, and school district administrators. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 30 of the youth to understand their experiences in greater depth. Over 400 hours were dedicated to observing the daily lives of homeless youth. The project had two primary goals: (1) To give a voice to homeless youth who are frequently powerless and invisible; and (2) To initiate a dialog with policymakers and practitioners concerning the improvement of ...
Academic freedom remains a central tenet of our nation’s colleges and universities. However, rece... more Academic freedom remains a central tenet of our nation’s colleges and universities. However, recent incidents have spawned debates regarding the merits of academic freedom and the mechanism that protects it, tenure. By way of two contrasting examples, the authors consider how two types of higher education institutions—private for-profit universities and nonprofit public institutions—situate themselves in the public dialogue when controversies arise. The authors argue that academic freedom and tenure permit postsecondary institutions to act as vehicles for public engagement, whereas its absence only serves to curtail thoughtful discussions of complex and controversial issues.
This article maintains that Tinto's theory of college student retention misses the mark for minor... more This article maintains that Tinto's theory of college student retention misses the mark for minority students. With its implicit suggestions that such students must assimilate into the cultural mainstream and abandon their ethnic identities to succeed on predominantly White campuses, Tinto's framework is faulted not only for overlooking the history of ethnic oppression and discrimination in the U.S. but also for being theoretically flawed. An alternate model based on cultural integrity and Bourdieu's notions of cultural capital and habitus is delineated. A program that instills these qualities in inner-city Black and Hispanic adolescents as they prepare for college is described.
Postsecondary institutions always have been in a state of change. The author discusses four key a... more Postsecondary institutions always have been in a state of change. The author discusses four key areas of higher education – systems of tertiary education, privatization, academic work, and technology – that demand careful analysis that have always been of concern but now are entering a new phase of change. The author offers an interpretation of the current state of American higher education in general, and in California in particular.
The academy has a reputation of resisting change; the assumption is that the faculty are unwillin... more The academy has a reputation of resisting change; the assumption is that the faculty are unwilling to consider alterations to the tempo, pattern, texture and content of the academy. While many basic structures within the academy remain in place, there are in fact multiple surface-level changes that have impacted academe over the years. This article focuses on what academic life is about and how it is changing in the twenty-first century. The author highlights the changing nature of peer review and how early-career scholars might be best served with a thoughtful and relevant mentoring from senior scholars in order to improve their skills. The author concludes with what he sees as fundamental changes to academic life that will be forthcoming.
Access to higher education remains a challenge for many students who face academic and informatio... more Access to higher education remains a challenge for many students who face academic and informational barriers to college entry. This guide targets high schools and school districts, and focuses on effective practices that prepare students academically for college, assist them in completing the steps to college entry, and improve their likelihood of enrolling in college.
The rapid development and adoption of technology along with open economies has created an integra... more The rapid development and adoption of technology along with open economies has created an integrated global economy. The globalisation process has brought with it significant changes in all areas of life, including tertiary education. This book outlines the features of the new wave of globalisation and draws out specific trends and challenges associated with this new wave for universities and policy makers.
The rapid development and adoption of technology along with open economies has created an integra... more The rapid development and adoption of technology along with open economies has created an integrated global economy. The globalisation process has brought with it significant changes in all areas of life, including tertiary education. This book outlines the features of the new wave of globalisation and draws out specific trends and challenges associated with this new wave for universities and policy makers.
Despite having outlawed the caste system and the concept of untouchability in 1947, caste identit... more Despite having outlawed the caste system and the concept of untouchability in 1947, caste identity remains a cornerstone of social, political and economic life in India. Like other social institutions, educational institutions are the reflection of caste prejudices and discrimination. The recent inclusion of lower castes through the reservation system (affirmative action) has changed the nature of higher education. Based on an ethnographic account of a university campus and students’ perceptions about caste issues, the authors suggest that the structure of higher education in India is designed in a manner that exacerbates, instead of ameliorates, tensions of class and caste. Using Bourdieu’s notion of cultural capital, the paper defines the existing campus culture as a ‘caste culture’. The text concludes that elite institutions do not yet guarantee the capability to overcome existing caste prejudices and stereotypes, regardless of structural attempts at reform.
Increasing postsecondary access depends in large part on enhancing underrepresented students’ wri... more Increasing postsecondary access depends in large part on enhancing underrepresented students’ writing ability, or college writing readiness. However, what exactly constitutes college-level writing is not clear-cut, complicating efforts to improve secondary preparation. This paper examines recent efforts to define postsecondary writing, suggesting that existing definitions and assessments overwhelmingly focus on cognitive skills. Drawing from sociocultural theory, the authors advocate for broadening conceptions of college-level writing to consider the role of social, cultural, and institutional contexts.
Despite having outlawed the caste system and the concept of untouchability in 1947, caste identit... more Despite having outlawed the caste system and the concept of untouchability in 1947, caste identity remains a cornerstone of social, political and economic life in India. Like other social institutions, educational institutions are the reflection of caste prejudices and discrimination. The recent inclusion of lower castes through the reservation system (affirmative action) has changed the nature of higher education. Based on an ethnographic account of a university campus and students' perceptions about caste issues, the authors suggest that the structure of higher education in India is designed in a manner that exacerbates, instead of ameliorates, tensions of class and caste. Using Bourdieu's notion of cultural capital, the paper defines the existing campus culture as a 'caste culture'. The text concludes that elite institutions do not yet guarantee the capability to overcome existing caste prejudices and stereotypes, regardless of structural attempts at reform.
This volume focuses on the importance of state policy for ensuring equity in
postsecondary access... more This volume focuses on the importance of state policy for ensuring equity in postsecondary access, achievement, and attainment. America has a federalist system of education that gives states significant autonomy in their governance of schools, colleges, and universities. This system has created significant variation across states; variation that provides opportunities for state governments to learn from one another. This volume underscores the importance of context and uses differentiation across state lines to highlight the roles internal and external factors play in policy development and issues pertaining to postsecondary access, achievement, and attainment. This collection of papers includes a diverse set of theoretical and methodological approaches to address a range of topics that makes clear the scope and importance of a multitude of state policies. This volume will serve as a source of new information regarding state policies that will be useful for policymakers and researchers alike. It is also suggests important new avenues for research that focus on theoretical and methodological considerations as well as topical areas including funding, accountability, transparency, and policy framing.
This article reports on a study analyzing the digital skills of 91 low-income students enrolled i... more This article reports on a study analyzing the digital skills of 91 low-income students enrolled in writing remediation. Findings suggest that technological demands widen the equity dimensions of the college preparation gap by aggravating the academic challenges remedial writers already face. Suggestions to support the compound literacy needs of 21st century students are made.
Bridging composition studies for a higher education policy audience, this is a critical synthesis... more Bridging composition studies for a higher education policy audience, this is a critical synthesis of prior conceptual and empirical work. We first provide a historical perspective to explicate important disciplinary issues that may be unfamiliar to a policy audience. We then present a critical synthesis of the disciplinary-based literature from two viewpoints. The review demonstrates the seriousness and scope of policy problems perpetuated by two obstacles. The first is a lack of clarity on what constitutes college writing. The second is a dearth of assessment tools with which to measure writing aptitude. The negative implications of the review for college writing preparation are discussed in the context of the K–12 Common Core State Standards. Recommendations are tendered for an interdisciplinary agenda to increase the educational opportunities of under-prepared writers and decrease the social inequities associated with remediation policies and programs.
Education plays a critical role in how adolescents mature into adults. A vulnerable, and often fo... more Education plays a critical role in how adolescents mature into adults. A vulnerable, and often forgotten, sub-population of the poor is homeless youth, for whom lack of a stable or adequate residence creates a unique set of educational barriers. The Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis (CHEPA) spent 18 months documenting the experiences of homeless adolescents in Los Angeles, deriving data from 123 interviews with homeless adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19, and an additional 45 interviews with shelter staff, social workers, parents, teachers, and school district administrators. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 30 of the youth to understand their experiences in greater depth. Over 400 hours were dedicated to observing the daily lives of homeless youth. The project had two primary goals: (1) To give a voice to homeless youth who are frequently powerless and invisible; and (2) To initiate a dialog with policymakers and practitioners concerning the improvement of ...
Academic freedom remains a central tenet of our nation’s colleges and universities. However, rece... more Academic freedom remains a central tenet of our nation’s colleges and universities. However, recent incidents have spawned debates regarding the merits of academic freedom and the mechanism that protects it, tenure. By way of two contrasting examples, the authors consider how two types of higher education institutions—private for-profit universities and nonprofit public institutions—situate themselves in the public dialogue when controversies arise. The authors argue that academic freedom and tenure permit postsecondary institutions to act as vehicles for public engagement, whereas its absence only serves to curtail thoughtful discussions of complex and controversial issues.
This article maintains that Tinto's theory of college student retention misses the mark for minor... more This article maintains that Tinto's theory of college student retention misses the mark for minority students. With its implicit suggestions that such students must assimilate into the cultural mainstream and abandon their ethnic identities to succeed on predominantly White campuses, Tinto's framework is faulted not only for overlooking the history of ethnic oppression and discrimination in the U.S. but also for being theoretically flawed. An alternate model based on cultural integrity and Bourdieu's notions of cultural capital and habitus is delineated. A program that instills these qualities in inner-city Black and Hispanic adolescents as they prepare for college is described.
Postsecondary institutions always have been in a state of change. The author discusses four key a... more Postsecondary institutions always have been in a state of change. The author discusses four key areas of higher education – systems of tertiary education, privatization, academic work, and technology – that demand careful analysis that have always been of concern but now are entering a new phase of change. The author offers an interpretation of the current state of American higher education in general, and in California in particular.
The academy has a reputation of resisting change; the assumption is that the faculty are unwillin... more The academy has a reputation of resisting change; the assumption is that the faculty are unwilling to consider alterations to the tempo, pattern, texture and content of the academy. While many basic structures within the academy remain in place, there are in fact multiple surface-level changes that have impacted academe over the years. This article focuses on what academic life is about and how it is changing in the twenty-first century. The author highlights the changing nature of peer review and how early-career scholars might be best served with a thoughtful and relevant mentoring from senior scholars in order to improve their skills. The author concludes with what he sees as fundamental changes to academic life that will be forthcoming.
In this article, the authors suggest that peers have the potential to create fictive kin networks... more In this article, the authors suggest that peers have the potential to create fictive kin networks, and in this role, peers become a social support that helps enable a culture of success. Discussing peer counselors and their role in helping students understand financial aid, the authors’ purpose is to suggest that peer groups— as social relationships that cut across classroom connections— create a viable solution that helps youth attain access to college. Findings from focus groups, observations, and interviews suggest that students benefit from the socioemotional and informational aspects of participating in peer counseling programs.
This article considers trends in state aid and research suggesting that low-income high school st... more This article considers trends in state aid and research suggesting that low-income high school students do not prepare for college because they believe it is unaffordable. Authors posit a cultural ecological framework for examining how students think about going to and paying for college, asserting that preparation for college and financial aid is multifaceted and longitudinal.
The Education Resources Institute (TERI), Jul 2004
This paper considers research pertaining to financial aid in college preparation programs. The pa... more This paper considers research pertaining to financial aid in college preparation programs. The paper begins by defining college preparation programs and how financial aid has been utilized in these programs. The authors point out that information pertaining to financial aid in college preparation programs has been rarely employed and rarely researched. Using the little research that does exist on college preparation programs and financial aid, the authors then suggest are search agenda that might be undertaken to determine the utility of having a financial aid component in college preparation programs. By considering the current research on college preparation programs, the authors conclude with the following question: If research on college preparation and financial aid were to be conducted what might it look like?
... In an optimistic article based on interviews with high school students, Kristan Venegas sugge... more ... In an optimistic article based on interviews with high school students, Kristan Venegas suggests that low-income students actually have a significant potential to access the Internet in ways that might make information available to them that was previously inaccessible. ...
Increasing postsecondary access depends in large part on enhancing underrepresented students’ wri... more Increasing postsecondary access depends in large part on enhancing underrepresented students’ writing ability, or college writing readiness. However, what exactly constitutes college-level writing is not clear-cut, complicating efforts to improve secondary preparation. This article examines recent efforts to define postsecondary writing, suggesting that existing definitions and assessments overwhelmingly focus on cognitive skills. Drawing from sociocultural theory, the authors advocate for broadening conceptions of college-level writing to consider the role of social, cultural, and institutional contexts.
Remediation is a massive bottleneck in higher education. Half of the students who show up at comm... more Remediation is a massive bottleneck in higher education. Half of the students who show up at community colleges are not college-ready and must complete one or more catch-up courses before they can enter college-level study. Even in the Cal State system, which takes only the top third of California high school students, half of all entering students require remediation.
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postsecondary access, achievement, and attainment. America has a federalist system
of education that gives states significant autonomy in their governance of schools,
colleges, and universities. This system has created significant variation across states;
variation that provides opportunities for state governments to learn from one
another. This volume underscores the importance of context and uses differentiation
across state lines to highlight the roles internal and external factors play in policy
development and issues pertaining to postsecondary access, achievement, and
attainment. This collection of papers includes a diverse set of theoretical and
methodological approaches to address a range of topics that makes clear the scope
and importance of a multitude of state policies. This volume will serve as a source
of new information regarding state policies that will be useful for policymakers and
researchers alike. It is also suggests important new avenues for research that focus
on theoretical and methodological considerations as well as topical areas including
funding, accountability, transparency, and policy framing.
spawned debates regarding the merits of academic freedom and the mechanism that protects it, tenure. By way of two
contrasting examples, the authors consider how two types of higher education institutions—private for-profit universities
and nonprofit public institutions—situate themselves in the public dialogue when controversies arise. The authors argue
that academic freedom and tenure permit postsecondary institutions to act as vehicles for public engagement, whereas its absence only serves to curtail thoughtful discussions of complex and controversial issues.
cultural mainstream and abandon their ethnic identities to succeed on predominantly White campuses, Tinto's framework is faulted not only for overlooking the history of ethnic oppression and discrimination in the U.S. but also for being theoretically flawed. An alternate model based
on cultural integrity and Bourdieu's notions of cultural capital and habitus is delineated. A program that instills these qualities in inner-city Black and Hispanic adolescents as they prepare
for college is described.
scholars in order to improve their skills. The author concludes with what he sees as fundamental changes to academic life that will be forthcoming.
postsecondary access, achievement, and attainment. America has a federalist system
of education that gives states significant autonomy in their governance of schools,
colleges, and universities. This system has created significant variation across states;
variation that provides opportunities for state governments to learn from one
another. This volume underscores the importance of context and uses differentiation
across state lines to highlight the roles internal and external factors play in policy
development and issues pertaining to postsecondary access, achievement, and
attainment. This collection of papers includes a diverse set of theoretical and
methodological approaches to address a range of topics that makes clear the scope
and importance of a multitude of state policies. This volume will serve as a source
of new information regarding state policies that will be useful for policymakers and
researchers alike. It is also suggests important new avenues for research that focus
on theoretical and methodological considerations as well as topical areas including
funding, accountability, transparency, and policy framing.
spawned debates regarding the merits of academic freedom and the mechanism that protects it, tenure. By way of two
contrasting examples, the authors consider how two types of higher education institutions—private for-profit universities
and nonprofit public institutions—situate themselves in the public dialogue when controversies arise. The authors argue
that academic freedom and tenure permit postsecondary institutions to act as vehicles for public engagement, whereas its absence only serves to curtail thoughtful discussions of complex and controversial issues.
cultural mainstream and abandon their ethnic identities to succeed on predominantly White campuses, Tinto's framework is faulted not only for overlooking the history of ethnic oppression and discrimination in the U.S. but also for being theoretically flawed. An alternate model based
on cultural integrity and Bourdieu's notions of cultural capital and habitus is delineated. A program that instills these qualities in inner-city Black and Hispanic adolescents as they prepare
for college is described.
scholars in order to improve their skills. The author concludes with what he sees as fundamental changes to academic life that will be forthcoming.