Daily Lumina News 071123

What now? That’s the question confronting university administrators, faculty, applicants, and their families in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the decades-old model of affirmative action in higher education.
In this interview, Anthony Carnevale of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce offers his thoughts on the legal history of racial equity in education and what the future of college admissions may look like moving forward.

For years, California schools have used first-generation college status as a means to boost campus diversity, especially after voters banned affirmative action in 1996.
But there's one key challenge: Many California colleges and universities define “first-generation college student” differently, creating a confusing situation for students to navigate.

The already-small slice of Black teachers has actually shrunk slightly over the past decade from 7 percent in 2011–12 to 6 percent in 2020–21, while Black students make up a much larger 15 percent share of the public school student population.
There are many reasons for the paucity of Black teachers in American classrooms. But a June 2023 analysis of college students in Michigan highlights a particularly leaky part of the teacher pipeline: teacher preparation programs inside colleges and universities.

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has removed racial preference from the college admissions process, many education and policy experts are concerned about the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices on college campuses.
Paulette Granberry Russell, president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, weighs in.

After the U.S. Supreme Court rejected race-based affirmative action in college admissions, state and university leaders are already asking what that means for scholarships and financial aid aimed at students from underrepresented groups—and some scholars are predicting more legal skirmishes over race and higher education.
Meanwhile, several state leaders are moving quickly to make clear that they intend to interpret the ruling broadly.

Nationwide, the vast majority of community college students want to transfer to a four-year university for a bachelor’s degree. But many struggle to understand the process, and when they run into barriers, they’re more likely to waste money on classes they don’t need or drop out.
The Community College of Allegheny County is making strides to improve that trajectory with a revamped transfer process that includes early and continued guidance to students.