The Challenges and Opportunities of Implementing Equity Policies in Higher Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This session explores how colleges and universities enact and respond to equity policies designed to dismantle oppressive systems and support students from minoritized backgrounds. We present cases of higher education policy implementation that range from system wide changes in managerial processes for administrators to faculty-level developmental education reforms to funded internships for students. Across all papers, we center how such policies are designed to improve the experiences and outcomes of minoritized students and bring together scholars, activists, and practitioners to discuss implementation challenges and successes. The objective is to use these exemplar policies as a lens through which to identify what works and for whom and to describe how and why equity policy implementation matters to facilitate long-lasting change.

Sub Unit

• Division L - Educational Policies and Politics / Division L - Section 9: Policy Implementation and Going to Scale

Chair

• Shazia R. Miller, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Papers

• Shared Equity Leadership: Enacting Campus Culture Change - Adrianna Kezar, University of Southern California

• Advancing Racial Equity in Illinois Through Reforms to Developmental Education - Johanna S Quinn, Fordham University; Rachel C. Feldman, NORC at the University of Chicago

• Advancing Institutional Alliances: An Equity-Centered, Dynamic Approach to Higher Education Network Learning Across Policy - Kendrick B. Davis, University of Southern California

• What Everyone Should Know About Designing Equity-Minded Paid Work–Based Learning Opportunities for College Students - Mauriell H. Amechi, New America

• Challenging Status Quo and Moving Toward Culturally Sustaining Postsecondary Pathways - Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, University of Pittsburgh