By Rachel Gramer, with Mary P. Sheridan and Sara P. Alvarez
National headlines have recently spotlighted higher education’s need for faculty diversity (Brown), which is not unrelated to a lack of diversity in graduate admissions (see Cassuto’s review and Julie R. Posselt’s new book,Inside Graduate Admissions: Merit, Diversity, and Faculty Gatekeeping). Meanwhile, many states continue to focus on undergraduate degree completion for students from diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds, and Kentucky is no exception. Locally in the news, the University of Louisville has faced issues of racially diverse representation in college governance (Trucios-Haynes, Ross) not unrelated to campus incidents and calls for change (Otts).
One group that has growing but continually needed support in higher education is Kentucky’s Latin@ population: “From 2000 to 2010, the Hispanic/Latino population of central Kentucky has grown 182%, and statewide Latino student enrollment in Kentucky Community and Technical College System institutions has increased 101% from fall 2006 to fall 2011” (“Latino College Completion – Kentucky”). Yet there is still an equity gap in degree completion between Latin@ students and their white counterparts. (Other issues are outside the scope of this report, including vital issues of linguistic diversity and language policy, as well as social and political issues
with undocumented status [see links below].)
One state partnership/organization working to address the need for increased college retention and readiness for Latino@ students is the Kentucky Latino Education Alliance (K’LEA)—a
cross-sector, cross-agency partnership dedicated to supporting Latin@ students
in getting quality postsecondary education. K’LEA allies with leading state
experts in financial aid, policymakers, and professional organizations and
employers dedicated to Latin@ advocacy in Kentucky. K’LEA serves Latin@ students
and their families by developing and sharing resources that educators can also
learn from and share with their students and institutions.
Below are some action steps you can take to support
Latin@ students and to work toward and advocate for educational equity in
Kentucky.
- Contact K’LEA today for more information
- Visit K’LEA’s Web site to find out what individual campus
communities can do as K’LEA partners (or can model after their practices) - Learn more about Latin@ students and higher education support in Kentucky and nationwide (see links below)
Resources
To share with your students
Online nationwide database of resources and programs that work to accelerate Latin@ student success: http://www.edexcelencia.org/growing-what-works
Louisville Latino Educational Outreach Program (LLEO) Latin@ Student Resource Guide / Guía de Recursos para el Estudiante Latin@: http://louisville.edu/culturalcenter/retention/hli/lleo-resource-guide
For you and your students
How Kentucky’s Stronger By Degrees statewide program is strategically planning to address diversity and degree completion in higher education: http://cpe.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/0B87F984-95FC-4EB8-A763-590A0C52D32C/0/PolicyForumDiversity32415.pdf
Financial aid for undocumented students:
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Moral-Absurdity-of-Denying/235365