Michal Kurleander - Chancellor's Leadership Professor, University of California, Davis

• In Event: Division J Vice Presidential Session: Beyond Affirmative Action: Exploring Strategies for Inclusive Higher Education

Abstract

Michal Kurlaender investigates students’ educational pathways, in particular K-12 and postsecondary alignment, and access to and success in higher education. She has expertise on alternative pathways to college and college readiness at both community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. In addition to working with national data, Kurlaender works closely with administrative data from all three of California’s public higher education sectors—the University of California, the California State University and the California Community College systems.

In 2017-18 she was a Visiting Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation and in 2020 Professor Kurlaender was elected into the National Academy of Education.

Kurlaender is a faculty co-director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), the California Education Lab, and lead researcher of Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research. She serves on the executive committee of the Center for Poverty and Inequality at UC Davis, is an affiliated scholar with the Student Experience Research Network (formerly the Mindset Scholars Network), and a Strategic Advisor to The Education Trust-West.

On the panel, Michal Kurlaender will discuss the metrics of representation and diversity at highly selective institutions, with a specific focus on UC Davis. Drawing from her extensive research experience, especially with administrative data from California's public higher education sectors, she will provide valuable insights into understanding the causes and consequences of racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and other inequities in the education system. She will also discuss the impact of racial and ethnic diversity on student outcomes, including mandatory and voluntary K-12 school desegregation efforts, persistent inequities in segregated schools, and diversity in postsecondary settings. Her work on the impact of institutional policies and practices aimed at attenuating educational inequity will shed light on strategies to foster a more diverse and inclusive student body. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of data-driven approaches in achieving equity and diversity goals at selective institutions, enabling them to make informed decisions to promote a more inclusive and equitable educational environment.

Author

• Michal Kurlaender, University of California - Davis