Opportunities

1
Opportunities Challenges for Claiming the
Promise of Diversity in CA Community Colleges

• Peralta Community College District Executive
  Retreat
• August 10, 2006
• Ireri Valenzuela-Vergara
• California Tomorrow

2
Founded in 1984, California Tomorrow is a
non-profit research, technical assistance,
training and advocacy organization committed to
supporting individual, institutional and
community change around issues of diversity and
equity.
3

• Our CC Access and Equity Initiative began with
  research (Californias Gold) and now is focused
  on
• Public education and advocacy--to bring
  attention to access and equity issues facing
  community colleges and the state to build
  broader public support for increased finances and
  improved outcomes for most vulnerable students
• A Campus Change Network to support campus
  leaders working to enact access and equity
  reforms on their campuses
• Alliance Building to strengthen partnerships
  between campuses, the system, and community
  equity advocates to further access equity
  reforms at the campus and system level.

4
The Historical Moment

• Unprecedented demographic economic changes
  raise urgency for leadership on diversity,
  inclusion, and equity.
• Transition to being the first state without a
  single ethnic majority
• Non-white groups are becoming the largest or
  majority of the population in most urban areas.
• Immigration from every corner of the earth.
• One-quarter of Californians are foreign-born
• 40 speak a language other than English at home
• Persistent and enduring disparities and
  inequality in education and economic
  opportunities.

5
California is at A Crossroads

• What kind of diverse society will be become?
• Characterized by increased separation and
  inequities? or
• Increased inclusion, inter-dependence equity?
• Strong, effective public education is the key in
  determining which way our state goes
• States Success hinges on collective leadership
  and action to address access and equity.

6
Tomorrows California
State of California, Department of Finance,
Population Projections by Race/Ethnicity, Gender
and Age for California and Its Counties
2000-2050, Sacramento, California, May 2004.
7
Tomorrows California
State of California, Department of Finance,
Population Projections by Race/Ethnicity, Gender
and Age for California and Its Counties
2000-2050, Sacramento, California, May 2004.
8
What are our States Prospects for Success Given

• High School Graduation Rates
• High School Drop Out Rates
• College Going Rates
• College Success Rates

9
High School Graduation Rates
Source Education TrustWest analysis of
California Department of Education data, using
the Manhattan Institute methodology
10
What are the implications for young people across
Californias various ethnic/racial
groups?Oakland Unified
Source Education TrustWest analysis of
California Department of Education data, using
the Manhattan Institute methodology.
11
College Participation Rates
Source US Census 2000, Summary File 4, Table
PCT63 As Cited in Nancy Shulocks Variations on
a Theme Higher Education Performance in
California by Region and Race (June 2005)
12
These shifts make Community Colleges the key to
Californias future

• Broad comprehensive mission
• Open access
• Low cost
• Committed to serving local needs

13
Community colleges serve as a Gateway to higher
education
Historically, community colleges have served as a
central--and often the only--bridge to
opportunity for communities of color, immigrants,
low income students and first generation college
goers who would otherwise not have access to
higher education
14
Community colleges serve as a Gateway to higher
education (continued)

• Almost three quarters of students enrolled in
  public higher education are in community colleges
• More than 2.5 million students served by CA
  Community Colleges
• 55 of community college students are students of
  color
• 27 are immigrants

15
Community colleges serve as a Gateway to higher
education (continued)

• 75 of African Americans, Latinos and Native
  Americans who are first first in their family to
  attend college start in a community college
• Only 1 in 3 are (18 - 24) the traditional age
  for entering higher education
• Community college students are more likely to
  work, have family responsibilities, be low-income
  
• Most community college students attend part-time
  (62)

16
The least well funded system of public education
in California
State-Determined Funding per FTES.
2004-05 K-12 7,023 CCC 4,559 CSU 10,623
UC 19,883
17
What does it mean for community colleges when
funding has not kept pace with increasing
enrollment pressures?

• Enrollments are constrained
• Class sizes have mushroomed
• Fewer classes are offered in areas like basic
  skills, ESL and occupational education
• Waiting lists are routine
• Faculty, administrators and staff are stretched
  to the limit
• Support Services and programs have suffered

18
Students who need the most get the least

• less counseling (11200 - 1900)
• less faculty time
• less information and support to succeed
  academically
• most packed campuses and most difficulty gaining
  access to needed courses

19
As a result we are seeing

• Reduced access
• Lower retention rates
• Lower persistence rates
• Lower degree and certificate attainment rates

20
The numbers are staggering Need for Change is
More Urgent than ever

• The state faces an unprecedented growth in
  college age population. Over the next 5 - 10
  years higher education will need to accommodate
  an additional 700,000 students ¾ projected to
  attend community colleges
• The transition to a majority of color, immigrant
  and low-income student body is permanent -
  increasing diversity
• Lack of under preparedness among students is
  growing

21
Projected increases in high school graduates over
next ten years by County

• Alameda 17.7 increase from 11,457 to 13,489
  more high school graduates 2,032 more students
• Contra Costa 24.9 increase from 9,261 to 11,565
  more high school graduates 2,304 more students
• Santa Clara 6.2 increase from 14,350 to 15,245
  high school graduates 895 more students

Data from Hayward, C. Gerald, and et al. Ensuring
Access with Quality to California Community
Colleges, The National Center for Public Policy
and Higher Education, May 2004.
22
Projected increases in high school graduates
(continued)

• San Mateo 8.4 increase from 4,983 to 4,917 more
  high school graduates 454 more students
• San Francisco 3.6 increase from 3,515 to 3,643
  more high school graduates 128 more students
• San Joaquin 32.1 increase from 5,873 to 7,759
  more high school graduates 1,886 more students

23
18-24 Year Olds Without a Diploma

• Almost 1 million (980,602) in the state
• 30 35,000 in Alameda

24
Enrollment Projections for Community College
Districts 2001-2010

• Peralta 17.3 increase, from 29,382 to 34,470
  5,088 more students.
• Contra Costa 16 increase, from 39,885 to 46,268
  students 6,383 more students
• Chabot-Las Positas 16.5 increase, from 21,600
  students to 25,170 students 3,570 more students
• Foothill-De Anza 17.2 increase, from 44,676 to
  52,368 students 7,692 more students

Data from California Community Colleges,
Chancellors Office, www.cccco.edu
25
Enrollment Projections for Community College
Districts 2001-2010 (continued)

• San Francisco 18.7 increase, from 62,517 to
  74,205 11,688 more students
• West Valley 17.3 increase, from 26,193 to
  30,716 students 4,523 more students
• San Mateo 7.3 increase, from 26,449 to 28,390
  students 1,941 more students
• San Jose-Evergreen 24.6 increase, from 24,296
  to 30,272 students 5,976 more students.

26
In 20 years of diversity and equity related
change work we have found that institutional
leaders are more successful when

• Their diversity and equity work moves from the
  periphery to the center of strategic development
  efforts all levels of their institutions
• They commit to respectful and rigorous inquiry of
  the systemic underpinnings of inequality
• They are willing to experiment and innovate--even
  make mistakes
• They understand that shifting from separation to
  interdependence takes time and commitment to
  account for each others hopes and fears.
• They commit resources to professional and
  organizational development
• Top leaders provide support needed to embed and
  sustain change efforts.

27

• Developing a shared and inclusive understanding
  of diversity is key without this it will be
  difficult to develop coherent goals related to
  meeting identified challenges and gaps

28
Collective inquiry, analysis and reflection is

• A tool for learning and institutional change
• An organizing framework
• A systems approach essential to equity, diversity
  and inclusion efforts

29
Campus Leaders are using these tools to look at

• Leadership and Systemic Change
• Recruitment and Retention (faculty, staff,
  students)
• Instructional Effectiveness
• Campus Climate
• Faculty, Staff and Student Involvement

30
Policy Advocacy Strategy Priorities (Details in
Policy Brief)

• Ensure sufficient funding for system
• Increase access to financial aid
• Expand child care support
• Increase counseling services and direct student
  services
• Maintain and expand categorical funding for
  support programs
• Cultural competency professional development and
  standards

31
Policy Priorities (continued)

• Protect gateway courses (basic skills, ESL)
• Continue efforts to diversify faculty
• Develop outreach
• Greater proportion of full-time faculty
• More support for immigrant students
• Improve data collection and analysis
• Professional development resources to strengthen
  instruction

32
Principles to guide policy

• Commit to open access enrollment
• Preserve the broad mission of CCC
• Do not resolve funding problems on the backs of
  students (no fee increases)
• Dont pit K-12 against CCC

33
This is a time for leadership. for looking ahead
and playing our role in shaping the future.

• Which way, California, towards inclusion or
  increased inequities?
• The future is ours to shape
• Thank you! Leaders from Peralta District
  Community Colleges