education

Race and Income Gaps in Academic Qualifications and SAT/ACT Taking Shape Inequalities in College Enrollment

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This policy brief shows that inequalities in college enrollment start early in the process. Race- and income-based gaps in 10 key steps to enrollment (e.g., academic qualifications and SAT or ACT taking) lead to inequitable outcomes. This work has three key take-aways. First, gaps calculated using the V-statistic method differ from gaps calculated using the traditional binary approach, leading to a more nuanced understanding of the size of gaps. Second, gaps in academic qualifications are large and similar in size to gaps in college application, admission, and enrollment. Finally, gaps in academic qualifications and taking the SAT or ACT are the strongest predictors of gaps in the selectivity of eventual enrollment. Policymakers and practitioners interested in closing college enrollment gaps ought to identify interventions that specifically aim to address gaps early in the process.

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Empowering Students to Build Healthier Campus Sexual Cultures

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Most residential campuses today host hookup cultures that cause harm to student well-being. To enhance the student experience and protect them from harm, colleges and universities need to empower them to build healthier sexual cultures. Campuses can do so by giving students practical and theoretical knowledge, empowering marginalized populations on campus, and funding a large-scale, student-led campaign to shift the campus sexual culture.

Understanding the Role of Provider Racial Bias in Medical Training and Clinical Decision Making

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Medical students are often taught to associate race with disease as a method to diagnose and prescribe appropriate medical treatment. Unfortunately, this often leads to inaccurate and misleading assumptions related to race being used in medical decision-making. The role of provider bias and stereotyping in the clinical decision-making process have been extensively studied and suggested as possible contributors to racial health disparities experienced by Black men. Evidence also suggests that current cultural competency programs in medical school are non-inclusive and ineffective. In this brief, I outline a three-tiered approach to address provider bias and ensure that all students are exposed to racial bias training. Intentional efforts to address bias at the institutional level can influence the culture of medical education. Efforts by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) can serve as the model to better serve all communities.

Educator and School-based Personnel’s Advocacy for Undocumented Youth in K-12 Settings

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Undocumented youth face significant barriers to academic and social mobility along with significant isolation within the school context. Yet, educators are potentially critical advocates for undocumented youth and their families. Drawing on three longitudinal mixed-methods research projects and interviews with over 100 students and educators, the author describes the factors that inhibit school-based personnel’s advocacy for undocumented youth in K-12 settings. This research suggests that state and local policy should be aimed at increasing SBP’s policy knowledge and providing SBPs with the resources and professional discretion needed to effectively advocate for undocumented youth and their families.