Solorzano et al Educational Inequities and Latina/o Undergraduate Students in the U.S.: A Critical Race Analysis of Their Educational Progress

Overview Grutter and the myth of race neutrality Article analyzes how race will continue to be an important factor in educational outcomes for students of color Research question: What are the educational conditions and related outcomes that exist as Latinas/os navigate the undergraduate pipeline, and why do these conditions continue to exist? Look at educational pipeline data and analyze via CRT (Critical Race Theory)

Background 13% US Population (2000)/35.3 million people are Latinas/os. Largest underrepresented racial/ethnic group Latina/o population breakdown 64% Chicana/o – largest & fastest growing; urban, poor, and limited educational options 11% Puerto Rican – urban, poor, and limited educational options 5% Cuban – smallest, oldest, and better options for education and occupations.

Critical Race Theory in Higher Education Important tool in the analysis of racialized barriers for people of color Explores how “race neutral” law and institutional structures, practices and policies perpetuate inequality Policy/ies must be viewed within a historical and cultural context in order to understand their racialized content Challenges concepts of color blindness and meritocracy… disadvantage people of color/advantage Whites

Critical Race Theory Defining Elements Centrality of race and racism defining characteristics of US, imbedded in structures, practices, and discourses One’s identity is made up of race and racism along with language, generation status, gender, sexuality and class. Each element can correlate to different types/levels of oppression Challenges Dominant Ideologies I.e., traditional institutional claims of objectivity, meritocracy, color blindness, race neutrality, and equal opportunity These ideologies can obscure prevailing self-interest, power and privilege of dominant groups

Critical Race Theory/continued Commitment to Social Justice Commitment to the elimination of all forms of racial, gender, language, generation status, and class subordination Attempting to link theory with practice, scholarship with teaching, academy with the community Importance of Experiential Knowledge Experiential knowledge is based in storytelling, family history, biographies, cuentos, testimonios, narratives, etc., and is legitimate and critical to understanding racial subordination.

Critical Race Theory/continued Historical Context and Interdisciplinary Perspective Race and racism are analyzed in both a historical and contemporary context using interdisciplinary methods CRT can be applied to “real-life problems in higher education and in broader society.”

U.S. Educational Pipeline Level of Education Latinas/osNative Americans African Americans WhitesAsian Americans Elementary School 100 Graduate High School Graduate College Graduate Grad School Graduate Ph.D

U.S. Latina/o Educational Pipeline Level of Education Chicanas/osPuerto RicanCubanDominicansSalvadoran Elementary School 100 Graduate High School Graduate College Graduate Grad School Graduate Ph.D

Case Study Activity

Bakke v. Regents of the University of California (1978)

Take a Side!!!!!!

Who do you agree with????? University Defend the University’s affirmative action special admissions program Making up for past discrimination against minority groups Program gave new opportunity to members of groups which did not have in the past Bakke Denied admission based solely on his race and violated both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 14 th Amendment Admissions program went too far in offering increased opportunities for unqualified minority individuals

Koyama Approaching and Attending College: Anthropological and Ethnographic Accounts

Overview Study examines the interface of Anthropology and Education Empirical evidence is accepted in respected field Evidence is placed in appropriate theoretical framework Focus on pre-college education Recommends more research at the Higher Education level

Koyama and Freeman Both authors recommend involving the student experience in the research Both authors discuss how students can be marginalized by ideology, segregation and resist agency Both recognize the power of social networks to develop student agency

Koyama and Murphy Authors stress access to learning and learning resources Authors both agree that context is important to inequality - resisting Both stress high performance standards and equality

Koyama and CRT Both recognize the importance of the minority narrative and experience Social networks are valued by both authors Cultural Capital is built by adding resources and networks Recognition of institutionalized ideology that limits student potential

Example of Cultural Capital School Pride Trailer

FERPA FERPA protects the privacy of the individual student. Certain information is restricted without the permission of the student. Parents and community cannot be called upon to directly develop cultural capital and support for the student, which is in direct opposition of what is recommended to address college access at the high school level. Student must reach out and navigate the Higher Educational system on their own before resources can be accessed.

Discussion Question How do we balance cultural capital and FERPA at the Higher Education level? At Community Colleges?