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Education Sciences
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Sustainable Higher Education: Centering Equity-Minded Practices
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Sustainable Higher Education: Centering Equity-Minded Practices

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Higher Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 17354

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Doris L. Watson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Educational Psychology, Leadership and Higher Education, University Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-3003, USA
Interests: working with and in diverse organizations; community-based research; issues concerning preparing culturally responsive leaders in higher education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Iesha Jackson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Teaching and Learning, University Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-3003, USA
Interests: student voice; culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies; teacher education; equity-based macro-level education policies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The murder of George Floyd in May of 2020 led to a call for racial reckoning and social justice well beyond US borders, including in Australia, France, Brazil, Germany, Britain and elsewhere. Mr. Floyd’s final words, “I cannot breathe”, became a rallying cry for protests around the world. Amidst the cries for social justice, the world grappled with a global pandemic which illuminated already existing gaps in health care, employment, and educational opportunities, disproportionately impacting communities of color negatively.  As calls for social justice continued to amplify, leaders in Higher Education so too were placed under increased scrutiny to address long standing issues including the lack of diversity in faculty hiring and retention, inequitable support and funding for Black, Indigenous and other ethnic study programs, and campus policing practices, to name just a few. As we begin 2022, Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) are at an inflection point regarding how such issues are addressed and corrected in a manner that is sustainable and will have a longstanding impact. Increased access to higher education has resulted in dramatic increases in the demographic diversity of those who attend and work in IHEs globally, i.e., race, ethnicity, gender, religion, language, sexual orientation, age, and language. However, it has only been recently that IHEs have begun to actively grapple with what it means to actually educate, support and serve diverse campus constituents.

This Special Issue examines how Institutions of Higher Education are beginning to address longstanding concerns of equity and social justice. The manuscripts in this Special Issue will be within the scope of the higher education context globally to consider what Crawley (2017) refers to as otherwise possibilities, a term that underscores alternative strategies or ways of knowing (p. 6-7); it is a word that names plurality as its core, it indicates the ongoingness of possibility, of things existing other than what is given (p. 24). This Special Issue seeks to address what are otherwise possibilities or how we extend equity and centre the margins, i.e., create sustainable change for social justice in higher education.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Culturally relevant pedagogy and curriculum reform and innovations;
  • Culturally relevant educational leadership development;
  • Critical research methodologies and innovation;
  • Education and institutional policy reform;
  • Professional development of the higher education workforce; and
  • University–community partnerships.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Doris L. Watson
Dr. Iesha Jackson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • higher education
  • equity
  • culturally relevant practice
  • educational policy
  • innovations
  • social justice
  • critical research methodology

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 278 KiB  
Article
“Not Every Advisor Is for Me, but Some Are”: Black Men’s Academic Advising Experiences during COVID-19
by Jesse R. Ford, Dawn Y. Matthews, Derrick M. Woodard and Cassandra R. Kepple
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 543; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13060543 - 25 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1401
Abstract
Contemporary research indicates that Black American men encounter multiple obstacles in higher education settings. Understanding the complexities of how Black men perceive and make sense of academic environments requires addressing a number of elements that influence their academic success. The purpose of this [...] Read more.
Contemporary research indicates that Black American men encounter multiple obstacles in higher education settings. Understanding the complexities of how Black men perceive and make sense of academic environments requires addressing a number of elements that influence their academic success. The purpose of this study is to investigate the academic advising challenges faced in virtual environments by Black men during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative case study provides detailed accounts of ten Black men navigating academic advising practices in a virtual setting at large research one historically white institution using focus groups as a method of data collection. Implications and suggestions for future research highlight the significance of supporting Black men in virtual academic advising spaces to create equitable and sustainable practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Higher Education: Centering Equity-Minded Practices)
11 pages, 268 KiB  
Article
Color-Evasive/Conscious? A Content Analysis of How Engineering Faculty Discuss Race and Racism in a U.S.-Based Equity-Focused STEM Professional Development Program
by Kristine Jan Cruz Espinoza and Blanca E. Rincón
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 233; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030233 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2214
Abstract
Against a backdrop of calls for increased access and participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the United States have emerged as critical access points for Latina/o/x and other Students of Color. Federal grants can become important levers for [...] Read more.
Against a backdrop of calls for increased access and participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the United States have emerged as critical access points for Latina/o/x and other Students of Color. Federal grants can become important levers for building institutional capacity for broadening participation in STEM and transforming HSIs toward better serving Students of Color, specifically as it relates to curricula and pedagogy. In this study, we focus on the engineering faculty at an HSI who are participants in a National Science Foundation-funded, equity-focused professional development program. Operationalizing Bonilla-Silva’s color-evasive racial ideology framework, we use content analysis techniques to explore how engineering faculty discuss race and racism as part of the professional development experience. First, we find that engineering faculty largely rely on color-evasive racial frameworks (i.e., abstract liberalism, minimization of racism) when describing their motivations for participating in the program. Moreover, we find that engineering faculty responses depict a range of surprise and familiarity when reflecting on issues of race and racism. Finally, regardless of prior exposure to module concepts, at the end of the program, the majority of action projects reflect a recognition of race and racism as important. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Higher Education: Centering Equity-Minded Practices)
16 pages, 269 KiB  
Article
Supporting Institutional Change through Interracial Dialogue among Leaders
by Stephanie D’Costa, Mridula Mascarenhas and Jennifer Lovell
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12120841 - 22 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1121
Abstract
This paper elucidates how using a dialogic approach to interracial conversations supported two cohorts of campus leaders to engage in organizational change. Dialogue centralizes relationship-building as a key mechanism for addressing organizational problems collaboratively. This paper describes the processes undertaken and lessons learned [...] Read more.
This paper elucidates how using a dialogic approach to interracial conversations supported two cohorts of campus leaders to engage in organizational change. Dialogue centralizes relationship-building as a key mechanism for addressing organizational problems collaboratively. This paper describes the processes undertaken and lessons learned in the interracial dialogue program, which could serve as a guide for institutions of higher education (IHE) interested in anti-racism work. Findings include the ways relationships supported growth in understanding of the racialized experiences of BIPOC participants, differences in emotional taxation for participants given their racial identities, and the importance of acknowledging pain before moving towards change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Higher Education: Centering Equity-Minded Practices)

Review

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13 pages, 297 KiB  
Review
Not in the Greater Good: Academic Capitalism and Faculty Labor in Higher Education
by Mark L. Spinrad, Stefani R. Relles and Doris L. Watson
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12120912 - 13 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2461
Abstract
American public universities have assumed business-minded practices and norms that more closely align with the goals and values of corporations than social institutions charged with creating and disseminating knowledge. One consistent strategy to lower costs involves faculty labor. Institutions have outsourced educational missions [...] Read more.
American public universities have assumed business-minded practices and norms that more closely align with the goals and values of corporations than social institutions charged with creating and disseminating knowledge. One consistent strategy to lower costs involves faculty labor. Institutions have outsourced educational missions to a largely contingent workforce to decrease instructional costs; over the last two decades, the number of adjunct or part-time faculty now comprises 70% of all faculty. As a result, policies have decreased instructional costs and provided administrators with increased flexibility to respond to student demands. However, research indicates compromised student outcomes, less shared governance, and faculty work–life pressures that can undermine commitment, motivation, and professional identity. The following literature review examines the locus of academic capitalism and faculty labor, theorizing how faculty labor policies infer consequences for equity, inclusion, and social justice in higher education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Higher Education: Centering Equity-Minded Practices)

Other

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16 pages, 761 KiB  
Concept Paper
Structural Competency: A Framework for Racial Justice Intervention in Student Affairs Preparation and Practice
by Kenyon Lee Whitman and Uma Mazyck Jayakumar
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010075 - 10 Jan 2023
Viewed by 4015
Abstract
Higher education practices and policies are rooted in racism and imperialism. This causes physical and emotional harm to BIPOC students. Yet, student affairs practitioners and higher education leaders struggle to stay conscious of the relationships between macro structures of oppression and their deleterious [...] Read more.
Higher education practices and policies are rooted in racism and imperialism. This causes physical and emotional harm to BIPOC students. Yet, student affairs practitioners and higher education leaders struggle to stay conscious of the relationships between macro structures of oppression and their deleterious educational, economic, health, and social consequences, when it comes time to assess, understand, and intervene in campus crises and racialized violence. Borrowing from the medical field, this paper offers “structural competency” as a framework for student affairs education and practice toward supporting practitioners prepared to mitigate systemic racism and to identify the social determinants of inequity. Structural competency in student affairs means having the capacity to understand and take actions toward addressing the root causes of BIPOC students’ marginalization in historically white campus contexts. It requires deep attention to how these causes—polices, institutional norms, infrastructures, and the hegemonic beliefs embedded in our economic, social, and political systems—interact with students’ lived experiences on campus. Guided by a Critical Race Theory lens, structural competency moves us toward confronting the downstream consequences of upstream decisions such as admissions standards that disenfranchise BIPOC students, or how the federal financial aid formula fails to account for equity in home ownership which disproportionately harms Black families for the benefit of white ones, because of antiblack U.S. policies such as redlining, making college less accessible for BIPOC students. This paper argues that such a structural competency framework and mindset in policy and practice is crucial for higher education leaders confronting systemic institutional policies that have a cumulative and ongoing oppressive impact on BIPOC students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Higher Education: Centering Equity-Minded Practices)
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27 pages, 525 KiB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Multiple Studies Review of Low-Income, First-Generation, and Underrepresented, STEM-Degree Support Programs: Emerging Evidence-Based Models and Recommendations
by Jill Pearson, Lisa A. Giacumo, Arvin Farid and Mojtaba Sadegh
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12050333 - 09 May 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4933
Abstract
The dramatic lack of diversity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) higher-education graduates is a serious issue facing the future of the STEM workforce. Colleges and universities are attempting to fix this disparity through targeted intervention programs aimed at increasing the persistence [...] Read more.
The dramatic lack of diversity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) higher-education graduates is a serious issue facing the future of the STEM workforce. Colleges and universities are attempting to fix this disparity through targeted intervention programs aimed at increasing the persistence and retention of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented (UR) students in STEM. A comprehensive synthesis of adopted strategies and analysis of their effectiveness is lacking. We conducted a systematic multiple-studies review, considering 31 empirical articles published between 2005 and 2020 that shared the outcomes of intentional intervention programs in place across the United States. We uncovered essential characteristics of successful programs and highlighted the top 10 critical program components to consider. These can be used to guide the development and execution of future programs’ support systems and interventions. This is a relatively new area of research, with most programs just in the earliest stages of implementation. It is essential to continue to follow the data on the outcomes of these programs, particularly their longitudinal impacts on the diversification of the STEM workforce, to be able to implement effective evidence-based practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Higher Education: Centering Equity-Minded Practices)
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