Perspectives on Access and Equity in the Era of (Community) College Completion

Abstract

In an era when college completion dominates the policy agenda, matters of access and equity are critically important. The allure of raising completion rates by reducing access for students thought unprepared for college and incapable of finishing is too attractive to deny. This article discusses the importance of linking access and completion to ensure that equitable outcomes are obtained by community college learners and examines the question of how policy affects access in the context of the nation's college completion agenda. Key national initiatives undertaken to increase completion are examined with an eye toward understanding how the strategies developed by these initiatives affect student access and success.

Sustaining change towards racial equity through cycles of inquiry

“…The action research literature includes numerous examples of individuals who, through involvement in practitioner inquiry, articulated stronger commitments to racial equity and changed their practices accordingly (e.g., Bishop, 2014;Bragg & Durham, 2012;Dowd, Bishop, Bensimon, & Witham, 2012;Dowd, Bishop, & Bensimon, 2015). For example, faculty members in several California community colleges involved in action research studies reviewed by revised their syllabi to use what they viewed as a more welcoming and culturally inclusive tone.…”

Enhancing Students’ Transitions to College and Careers: A Case Study of Distributed Leadership Practice in Supporting a High School Career Academy Model

“…We argue that distributed leadership is especially crucial under conditions that call for coordination across entities, including PK-12 education, postsecondary institutions, and business/industry partners. With respect to the push to improve postsecondary transitions and two-and four-year college completion rates (Bragg & Durham, 2012), for instance, leadership spanning educational institutions and community stakeholders becomes essential. Distributed-leadership theory and perspectives have been applied to understand leadership practice and to emphasize or encourage a particular configuration or set of approaches to leadership.…”

Looking Forward—Strategies for Inclusivity

“…These orientations give preference to corporate values over academic norms and reward economic outcomes over those supporting the public good. As a result, tensions emerge when accountability demands counter the open access mission of community colleges and when decisions are made to increase completion rates at the expense of inclusivity (Bragg & Durham, ). Because community colleges enroll the largest percentage of minority students (Snyder & Dillow, ), a focus on the end goal of completion can threaten these enrollments.…”