An Immigrant’s Educational Journey

One of the most effective ways to look at rights of passage is by tracking a group of people. It’s a familiar model that can lend itself to different kinds of experiences, from war stories to expeditions to immigration to more. Chronology usually drives the narrative, with the beginning introducing us to a disparate group…

Unpacking Elite Institutions and Class Consciousness

An adage, well-known and regularly lived in community colleges, is that access does not equal success. Access is essential, of course, but access alone is no triumph for inclusion. Getting students in the door is very different than having students graduate. The adage can hold true at selective institutions, too, as explained by Anthony Jack,…

Equity’s Bar is High

Like all worthy goals, equity sets a demanding bar. For higher ed, equity poses special challenges. Community colleges shoulder much of the burden of access. Most the millions who study in community college students enroll with needs and demands that extend well beyond the classroom. Two year students are poorer and more likely to have received a…

Access, Affordability, Accountability – Stasis or Progress?

For many years the same key issues – accessibility, accountability, and affordability – have been at the center of American higher education.  A trend or crisis may distract us, and the media may tell us that this technology spells a sea change or paradigm shift.  All true enough. But if you look closely, the driver of…