When Neutrality Masks Power: Transfer Rates as Traces of Hegemonic Whiteness in Los Angeles Community Colleges

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Community College Transfer

Abstract

This study interrogates racialized transfer disparities in California community colleges through a QuantCrit lens, centering Mexican and Mexican American students. Drawing on Cabrera’s (2018) theory of hegemonic Whiteness, it reframes transfer rates as structural traces of racial power rather than neutral metrics. Comparing pre- and post- AB 705 periods, ANCOVA findings reveal that while Hispanic participation in transfer-level courses rose sharply, their adjusted probability of transfer relative to White peers remained largely unchanged, leaving equity gaps intact. The results challenge celebratory narratives of AB 705 as an equity reform and highlight how policy designed around “neutral” norms can reproduce hegemonic Whiteness. Ultimately, the study argues that dismantling racial gaps requires confronting Whiteness embedded in both policy design and the metrics defining success.

Author

• German C. Jimenez, University of San Diego