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3 Transformation in the U.S. Higher Education System
Pages 15-22

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From page 15...
... Higher Education System: Implications for Racial Equity," which examined key historical moments and provided a framework for using past experiences to structure positive change for the future.1 IMPLICATIONS FOR RACIAL EQUITY Racial inequity is endemic to the U.S. higher education system, which is "not news to anyone who follows STEM education and employment," explained Malcom-Piqueux of Caltech.
From page 16...
... ­Racial discrimination that was codified into law to deny minorities economic and educational opportunities in decades past continues to affect the lives of those in marginalized groups. Although postsecondary enrollment has increased for these groups, highly stratified patterns of attendance are the continuing legacy of past discrimination and segregation.
From page 17...
... Each in its own way, she explained, illustrates the lasting effects that policies, institutional actions, and beliefs about race in the United States have had on racial equity today. The first of the three transformational developments was the passage of the Morrill Land Grant College Acts of 1862 and 1890, which created colleges that were to focus on military science, agriculture, and the mechanical arts (engineering)
From page 18...
... One goal of the NDEA was to foster equal access to high-quality science education, but as with the other two examples, Malcom-Piqueux explained, many people from racially minoritized populations were ultimately excluded from the benefits. The forms of aid available to students, the testing and guidance used to identify promising students for new programs, and continued support for segregated institutions, for example, all played a role in limiting the racial equity of the expanding education and research infrastructure.
From page 19...
... She pointed out that for the historical examples cited, there was generally no explicit discussion at the time of how the changes would impact racial equity. In order to improve equity in the future, though, the higher education community must have these conversations.
From page 20...
... Reconsidering the ways that STEM fields define merit and identify promising students is a key step. Reliance on standardized test scores, for example, has yielded inequitable results, she noted, whereas ­holistic reviews can better identify those with the potential to excel in STEM subjects.
From page 21...
... She called for thinking about racial equity as an imperative rather than merely a nice thing to have and said that "if we do not achieve racial equity, then that means we are not being successful and we need to change our behavior in order to achieve success. Rather than it being an afterthought, have it lead how we think about how we are going to approach undergraduate STEM education in the future." She pointed out that achieving systemic change requires targeting all aspects of under­ graduate education from policy to institutions and schools to educators, as well as the surrounding context in which all of this is taking place, thus ensuring that we are targeting all aspects of the system rather than tinkering around the edges as has often been done up to now.


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