Skip to content
The Civil Rights Project Proyecto Derechos Civiles
Book
College Access
Accountability and Opportunity in Higher Education: The Civil Rights Dimension
Gary Orfield and Nicholas Hillman (Editors)

In Accountability and Opportunity in Higher Education, leading scholars address the unforeseen impact of accountability standards on students of color and the institutions that disproportionately serve them. The book describes how federal policies can worsen existing racial inequalities in higher education and offers alternative solutions aimed to protect and advance civil rights for low-income and minority students and their colleges.

This volume begins with a chapter putting higher education accountability in historical perspective and connecting it to the increasing importance of postsecondary education for upward mobility, coupled with rising barriers to minority student access and success. Based on a series of studies using cutting-edge research methodologies, the contributors suggest new ways to design and evaluate accountability policies that avoid predictable negative consequences.

Written against a backdrop of unequal opportunity and racial inequality in preparation for and access to higher education, Accountability and Opportunity in Higher Education arrives at a pivotal time in American education.

Contributors
Adriana Ruiz Alvarado
Dominique J. Baker
Daniel Corral
Valerie Crespín-Trujillo
Kevin Eagan
Stella M. Flores
Marybeth Gasman
Sara Goldrick-Rab
Jason Houle
Sylvia Hurtado
Willie Kirkland
Thai-Huy Nguyen
Anne-Marie Núñez
Toby J. Park
Awilda Rodríguez
Andrés Castro Samayoa

 

More Publications

Accountability and Opportunity in Higher Education: The Civil Rights Dimension
More about
Are Current Policy Changes Closing the Door to College for Students of Color?
Event
New Federal Policies & Changes Pose Threats to College Access for Students of Color
Research report
Affirmative Action & Alternatives
Asian Americans and Race-Conscious Admissions: Understanding the Conservative Opposition’s Strategy of Misinformation, Intimidation & Racial Division
This report examines the current wave of attacks against race-conscious policies in postsecondary admissions (or affirmative action as the policy is more commonly termed), focuses specifically on the roles that Asian Americans have come to play, both unwillingly and willingly, in opposition efforts, and presents new research on Asian Americans’ support for affirmative action.
Research report
College Access
How accountability can increase racial inequality: The case of federal risk-sharing
This paper finds federal risk-sharing policies based on loan repayment rates — even if well-intended — are likely to reinforce racial and economic inequality.
Research report
College Access
Minority Serving Institutions under Trump’s presidency: Considerations for current policies and future actions
This study focuses on Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), postsecondary institutions that have secured federal aid in a series of laws since the first iteration of the Higher Education Act of 1965. MSIs represent the accumulation of incremental efforts, albeit imperfect, to redress a systemically inequitable postsecondary field.
Research report
College Access
The Impact of the PROSPER Act on Underrepresented Students in For-profit Colleges
The authors focus on for-profit 4-year institutions and summarize an array of scholarly research and evidence about this sector. Research demonstrates for-profit 4-year colleges produce less effective outcomes for America’s students, their families, communities and our higher education system than do nonprofit colleges.
Research report
College Access
In Consideration of Reinstating Pell for Incarcerated Students
The current political climate has seen more attention paid to the issues surrounding mass incarceration, with bipartisan recognition that providing education programs inside correctional facilities is beneficial for the individual and society. To examine and better understand the impact of educational access on post-release outcomes, this paper examines the Second Chance Pell Experiment, which began in Fall 2016 to allow Pell grant access for up to 12,000 persons in carceral custody. The importance of this experiment cannot be overstated.
The Civil Rights Project
Proyecto Derechos Civiles

Our Work

Learn More

Stay Informed

Join our mailing list to receive updates on Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles research, publications, and events.

Join the Mailing List

Get in Touch

UCLA | Civil Rights Project
520 Portola Plaza
8370 Math Sciences, Box 951521
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1521