Racially Disaggregated and Actionable Data Improve Community College Transfer Success
By: Eric R. Felix, PhD
How can institutional planners make a difference for underrepresented minority students? Senior administrators at East Los Angeles College addressed inequities in Latinx student transfer rates with data-backed culturally-relevant strategies.
From Volume 49 Number 2 | January–March 2021
Abstract: California Community Colleges, since 2014, have explicitly targeted retention, transfer, and completion outcomes through a mandated planning process supported by newly-allocated fiscal resources. The policy focuses on equity-driven institutional planning that identifies and addresses disparities for specific groups (e.g., Latinx students, foster youths, veterans). This article shares insight from five years of case study research, exploring how senior administrators address Latinx student transfer inequity through new culturally-relevant strategies. Within California, Latinx students comprise the largest share of transfer-aspirants, but they have significantly lower rates of academic success. Key lessons are shared to leverage planning efforts to improve outcomes for underrepresented minority students.
