New Report Highlights How California's Community Colleges Are Using Equity Plans to Increase Social Mobility

ONTARIO, CA – Today, the Community College League of California (League), in partnership with the RP Group, released a new report, Elevating Equity for Social Mobility, at Equity 2017, a one-day summit held in Ontario, CA. The report highlights how community colleges are using their Student Equity Plans to leverage community-based resources and partnerships that give needed support to community college students who may otherwise fail or dropout.

During the summit, attendees will engage in valuable discussions around equity at California’s community colleges. With the aim to increase student success and retention among California’s underserved student populations, the summit features presentations that identify state and system-wide issues and initiatives that support social mobility by focusing on equitable outcomes.

Historic inequality along with contracting social mobility in the U.S., have exacerbated the challenges facing students, families, and the community colleges that serve them. And despite some recent progress among students from traditionally underrepresented and underserved populations, an unacceptable achievement gap persists. Research indicates that achievement gaps are strongly correlated with racial gaps in income, poverty rates, unemployment rates, and educational attainment.1

Across the state, college practices have demonstrated that through a focus on equity, our students can improve their economic circumstances. This is a key focus of Elevating Equity for Social Mobility. In a time of rising inequality and declining social mobility, improving educational pathways has the potential to increase equality of opportunity and of educational and social outcomes for all Californians.

To read the full report, go here: https://www.ccleague.org/sites/default/files/elevatingequityforsocialmobility_final.pdf

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The Community College League of California is a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a voluntary membership of the 72 local community college districts in California. The League promotes student access and success by strengthening colleges through leadership development, advocacy, policy development, and district services.

1 *Reardon, S.F. (2011). The widening academic achievement gap between the rich and the poor: New evidence and possible explanations. In R. Murnane & G. Duncan (Eds.), Whither Opportunity? Rising Inequality and the Uncertain Life Chances of Low-Income Children. New York: Russell Sage Foundation Press.