Harvard Education PR Accountability and Opportunity in Higher Education: The Civil Rights Dimension

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. From the Back Cover <div>In <i>Accountability and Opportunity in Higher Education</i>, 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.<br> &#160;<br> Written against a backdrop of unequal opportunity and racial inequality in preparation for and access to higher education, <i>Accountability and Opportunity in Higher Education </i>arrives at a pivotal time in American education.<br><br> &#8220;To ensure the American Dream is a reality for all, equity should be at the center of public policy decisions. The authors challenge us to honor our commitment to opportunity in higher education, remind us to remain focused on improving the education of those historically underserved, and provide concrete strategies to better measure the institutions educating these students.&#8221;<br><b>&#8212;</b><b>Deborah A. Santiago,</b> cofounder and vice president for policy, Excelencia in Education<br><br> &#8220;Orfield, Hillman, and their brilliant cast of authors make clear that neither opportunity nor civil rights can be advanced without accountability. They offer expert analyses and useful guidance to higher education leaders, faculty, and policy makers. This book is timely and incontestably important.&#8221;<br><b>&#8212;Shaun R. Harper</b>, Clifford and Betty Allen Professor, University of Southern California Rossier School of Education<br><br><b>Gary Orfield</b> is a Distinguished Research Professor of Education, Law, Political Science, and Urban Planning, and cofounder and codirector of the Civil Rights Project, at the University of California, Los Angeles.&#160;<b>Nicholas Hillman</b> is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin&#8211;Madison.<br> &#160;<br><b>Contributors</b><br> Adriana Ruiz Alvarado<br> Dominique J. Baker<br> Daniel Corral<br> Valerie Cresp&#237;n-Trujillo<br> Kevin Eagan<br> Stella M. Flores<br> Marybeth Gasman<br> Sara Goldrick-Rab<br> Jason Houle<br> Sylvia Hurtado<br> Willie Kirkland<br> Thai-Huy Nguyen<br> Anne-Marie N&#250;&#241;ez<br> Toby J. Park<br> Awilda Rodr&#237;guez<br> Andr&#233;s Castro Samayoa</div> About the Author Gary Orfield is a Distinguished Research Professor of Education, Law, Political Science, and Urban Planning, and cofounder and codirector of the Civil Rights Project, at the University of California, Los Angeles.Nicholas Hillman is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.