Persist and Provide: Gentrification and Notions of Opportunity in California's Postsecondary Landscape

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Fragmentation and Disorientation: Navigating Racism in School and Higher Education Space

Abstract

Since the 2008 recession, California residents have experienced growing competition for and declining access to the state’s public four-year colleges. Because those with more postsecondary education are more likely than others to be employed and earn more, four-year institutions’ nonresident admission policies hold implications for resource allocation and social networks that shape locals’ employment and housing opportunities. Through interviews, this paper explores California Community Colleges resident students’ notions of “opportunities”, amid increased costs of living and nonacademic responsibilities. Iloh’s model of college-going decisions and humanizing research methods shed light on how insufficient state funding for public institutions of higher education limits opportunities for upward mobility among students coming from historically underserved communities.

Author

• Anna Marie Ramos, University of California - Davis