In this Issue:
New Report Released: Reducing Undergraduate Debt to Increase Latina and Latino Participation in STEM
Los Medanos College Awarded for their Equity Scorecard Work
CUE's Equity Scorecard Project in Boston Highlighted at Great Teachers
CUE Speaking Engagements:
3rd International Exhibition and Conference on Higher Ed in Saudi Arabia
Presidential Address at 2012 AERA
Teaching 21st Century Students: Fostering Success for All Learners
National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education Annual Conference
National Latino Education Research, Policy and Practice Initiative Meeting
New CUE Publications:
CUE Speaking Engagements
 3rd International Exhibition and Conference on Higher Ed in Saudi Arabia
Dr. Bensimon was invited by the Minister of Higher Education of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Khalid Al Ankary, to be a speaker at the 3rd International Exhibition and Conference on Higher Education.
The central theme for the conference was "World Class Teaching Universities" and Dr. Bensimon's topic was " Access and Equity: The Role of Teaching Universities." In her address she discussed that the economic and social benefits associated with a highly educated citizenry have made access and equity in higher education a national policy priority throughout the world. Professor Bensimon discussed leadership and policy strategies to increase access and success among students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds."
Other speakers included Nigel Thrift, Vice Chancellor, Warwick University, UK; Shamsh Kassim Lakha, Founding President and Trustee Aga Khan University in Pakistan; and Jozef Ritzen, Former Education Minister, The Netherlands.
Presidential Address at 2012 AERA
On April 14th Dr. Bensimon was part of an AERA Presidential Session titled The Transformation of Academic Work and the Role of AERA in Encouraging Democracy. Panelists addressed issues affecting higher education including: budget cuts, increases class size, decreases in enrollments, growing use of adjunct faculty, the rise of for-profit higher education, tuition hikes, and roadblocks for first-generation students.
The session was moderated by Constance Iloh from the University of Southern California. Other panelists included Dr. Kevin K. Kumashiro from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Gary D. Rhoades, from the University of Arizona, and Dr. William G. Tierney from the University of Southern California, and AERA President.
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Teaching 21st Century Students: Fostering Success for All Learners
On June 8, 2012, Dr. Estela Bensimon was a keynote speaker for the Collaborative Alliance for Postsecondary Success (CAPS) Conference "Teaching 21st Century Students: Fostering Success for All Learners" in Seaside, CA. CAPS is an alliance between CSU Monterey Bay, Hartnell College, and Cabrillo College funded by the Lumina Foundation as part of an MSI (Minority Serving Institutions) Models of Success Grant.
Dr. Bensimon's speech focused on fostering a culture of inquiry and addressed challenges Latina and Latino students face. Dr. Bensimon discussed equity-minded framework and institutional change.
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National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education Annual Conference
On Tuesday, March 13, Dr. Bensimon participated on a panel about "Advancing the Scholarship of Diversity in Higher Education" with Dr. Mitchell J. Chang from the University of California, Los Angeles and Dr. Daryl G. Smith of Claremont Graduate University.
As members of the editorial board for the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, the official journal of NADOHE, Drs. Bensimon, Chang and Smith discussed the publication process and their ideas for future journal article topics. The panel was moderated by Dr. Roger L. Worthington, journal editor and professor of education at the University of Missouri.
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National Latino Education Research, Policy and Practice Initiative Meeting
On June 9-11, 2012, Dr. Estela Bensimon, Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Urban Education and Misty Sawatzky, PhD. Candidate at the Rossier School of Education participated in the National Latino Education Research, Policy and Practice Initiative meeting along with fifty other scholars, policy makers and funding officers.
The meeting, held by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and The University of Texas at San Antonio Center for Research and Policy in Education, took place in San Antonio, Texas.
This intergenerational summit brought together nationally-known scholars to craft an agenda focusing on research, policy and practice in order to address gaps in research about Latinos in higher education. The research agenda was discussed with a group of national funders who are committed to increased college attainment among Latinos.
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| Keeping Equity at the Forefront |
New Report Released: Reducing Undergraduate Debt to Increase Latina and Latino Participation in STEM The Center for Urban Education released a new report that examines the borrowing patterns of undergraduate students and the relation of that debt to enrollment in graduate school in STEM. The United States Congress is currently debating student loan interest rate legislation and this report provides information on the long term consequences of the decision, especially where it connects to workforce goals and innovation economy.  While increased undergraduate debt is a national concern as it can decrease recent graduates' ability to function in society, this report raises the issue that undergraduate debt is not just a quality of life concern for graduates, but may be negatively impacting the nation's workforce by limiting the number of students who go on to graduate school. A prior report in this series noted increasing participation of Latino STEM students at all degree levels is not just a matter of fairness and social equity, but of workforce need. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in STEM occupations will increase by 21.3% from 2008 to 2018 - more than double the growth in other occupations. Latinos are projected to make up 25% of the U.S. population in 2020, but are greatly underrepresented in STEM fields. Click here to download the report. |
| Los Medanos College Awarded for their Equity Scorecard Work
On April 10, 2012 Los Medanos College was honored by The Campaign for College Opportunity for its successful implementation of the Center for Urban Education's Equity Scorecard over the past four years.
The Capitol briefing and recognition ceremony in Sacramento featured six California Community Colleges, including Los Medanos College, that "are innovating and leading the way in improving student completion rates ... delivering high quality programs ... and demonstrating success."
In 2008 Los Medanos College's Equity Scorecard Evidence Team first assembled and examined institutional practices ranging from instruction to student services. By utilizing the action research tools of the Equity Scorecard to examine its practices, Los Medanos initiated changes to bring about more equitable outcomes among racial-ethnic groups of students enrolled at the college.
The long term effects of utilizing The Equity Scorecard look promising for LMC.
"The biggest takeaway so far as a team is that we've become so much more comfortable being researchers - looking at the data - how not to swallow it whole but keep digging into it," Joellen Hilbrand, an Evidence Team member and faculty member, said. "We're more comfortable now with teaching other people how to do it so it will have a wider and more cumulative effect as we go on."
The other five California Community Colleges honored by the state on April 10th included: Chabot College, Chaffey College, City College of San Francisco, Fresno City College and Long Beach City College.
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CUE's Equity Scorecard Project in Boston Highlighted at Great Teachers
 | | Dr. Tia McNair and Tiffany Jones |
CUE's groundbreaking work with three Boston public highschools was highlighted at the 5th annual Great Teachers for Our City Schools conference On April 12, 2012. Tiffany Jones, a Ph.D. student at USC and a research assistant at the Center for Urban Education, presented at a session entitled "Using Data and Inquiry to Help Teachers Build Equity Focused College-Going Cultures" at the 5th annual Great Teachers for Our City Schools National Summit: Building Community Support for Urban Student Success. The Summit took place at the Embassy Suites Denver Downtown Hotel in Denver, Colorado.
Jones was joined by fellow presenters Sara Melnick, the Deputy Director of the National College Access Network, and
Dr. Tia McNair, Senior Director for Student Success at the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
The three presenters focused on the piloting of the Equity Scorecard in 2010-2011 by the National College Access Network (NCAN), in partnership with the Center for Urban Education and Boston Public schools. A team of administrators, teachers, guidance counselors and college access providers worked at two high schools in the area, utilizing various data to aid in the creation of a college-going culture and analyze the effectiveness of current practices. The aim of the session was to provide participants with examples on how teachers can create college-going cultures at their urban high schools.
The overarching goal for the Great Teachers for Our City Schools National Summit is "to build a national network where urban educators can share research findings, instructional practices, program strategies, policy initiatives and other resources aimed at developing and supporting the best and most effective teachers for students in high-need urban schools."
Read more about CUE's work with Boston area High Schools here.
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New Publications
Confronting Equity Issues on Campus: Implementing the Equity Scorecard in Theory and Practice In a new book, "Confronting Equity Issues on Campus: Implementing the Equity Scorecard in Theory and Practice," co-editors Dr. Estela Mara Bensimon and Dr. Lindsey Malcom, assistant professor at George Washington University, discuss the theory behind the Equity Scorecard™, an organizational learning and change model designed to assist colleges in creating equitable outcomes for underserved student populations. The Equity Scorecard process involves the formation of institutional evidence teams that look at disaggregated student performance data, examine classroom and campus practices, and use the results to develop interventions that will improve outcomes for minority students. The book provides examples and models of implementation from a variety of Equity Scorecard campus partners. Read More "Creating a Culture of Inquiry around Equity and Student Success" in Creating Campus Cultures, Fostering Success among Racially Diverse Student Populations
In their chapter "Creating a Culture of Inquiry around Equity and Student Success" co-authors Keith A. Witham and Estela Mara Bensimon argue that creating a culture of inquiry can help public postsecondary institutions better respond to external pressures calling for more accountability, increased productivity and higher graduation rates. Read More
"Accountability for Equity in Postsecondary Education" in Urban Education: A Model for Leadership and Policy USC Rossier School of Education Dean Karen Symms Gallagher co-edited a book entitled Urban Education: A Model for Leadership and Policy, which explores the importance of equity in urban education and provides a three-part conceptual model of urban education that stresses accountability, leadership and learning. Professors Dowd and Bensimon contributed a chapter on accountability in higher education Read More |
Center for Urban Education
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
Waite Phillps Hall, Suite 702
Los Angeles, California 90089
Tel: 213 740-5202 Fax: 213 740-3889 http://cue.usc.edu
  
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