Though 92% of California's community colleges are federally recognized Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), Hispanic/Latinx students have disproportionately low success rates statewide. HSIs have been slow to center their Latinx students, opting instead for race-neutral policies and practices. Such approaches prevent educators from addressing the…

This hermeneutic phenomenological study examined how Latiné/x classified student services staff experience cultural taxation in a predominantly White work setting within a rural Northern California Community College. There is a lack of research on how Latiné/x classified student services staff experience cultural taxation in a higher education…

The number of students with disabilities attending postsecondary institutions of higher education continues to rise. With it, it is necessary to understand better how they experience their institution beyond curricular spaces. Presently, there exists a gap in the knowledge of how these students experience co-curricular support, including…

This study used archival data from 46 semi-structured interview recordings and notes, collected from Fall 2021 through Spring 2023. The interviews were part of a bigger study of disabled graduate students (DS) at a large university with locations across California. Participating disabled students were mostly female (70%) and White (53%). Purposive…

Guided Pathways is a systemic reform movement focused on increasing community college completion rates and student achievement (Bailey et al., 2015b). Within the California community college (CCC) System, every college is implementing Guided Pathways, and the California Community College Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) continues to use this framework…

Background/Context: Social network analysis has been used to demonstrate an association between individuals' relationships and their engagement in areas such as public health (Perry & Pescosolido, 2015) and teacher professional development (Penuel, 2009). We extend and apply this approach to the higher education context. We operationalize…

This qualitative study explored the pivotal role tutoring center professionals play in supporting historically marginalized students in California public universities. There was a focus on the intersection that social capital and equity have on the experiences of the professionals. This study sought to highlight the perspectives, challenges, and…

California community colleges have a completion crisis problem, with over 70% of students failing to graduate. This study was conducted to identify effective support services in the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) program, which serves marginalized community college students. This EOPS program study surveyed almost 2,000 EOPS…

In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students in CalWORKs, California's cash assistance program for families with children. This brief highlights findings from the research on parenting students' experiences transferring to four-year…

Student support programs and services in the California Community Colleges lack historical context and documentation. This study provides historical context through document analysis as to the socio-cultural, educational, and financial influences that supported the implementation of student support services, EOPS, and Veteran services. Through a…

This report by the Affordable Student Housing Taskforce is presented to the Board of Governors for consideration and approval. The Taskforce was comprised of California Community College four Board of Governors members, stakeholders, and college professionals, including representatives from the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, the…

In the past few decades, the cost of college has risen significantly, while federal, state, and institutional financial aid and family income have remained stagnant or declined (Goldrick-Rab, 2018). As a result, many college students struggle to afford the full cost of college attendance and may experience basic needs insecurity, including the…

Two hundred and four students completed a web-based questionnaire distributed to a stratified sample of California community college students (n = 2,300) enrolled in hospitality management or related programs to assess the influence of community college personnel on students' degree aspirations and upward transfer of community college students to…

California community college data shows that most community college students will never earn a degree (The Community College Research Center, 2018) or take a long time to do so (Horn & Skomsvold, 2002; Jenkins et al., 2017). Low success holds significant impact for students of color since California community colleges serve 72% of all Latine…

This study explores the role of student support services in fostering persistence among Some College, No Credential (SCNC) students re-entering higher education, with a specific focus on community colleges in Southern California. As the number of SCNC students continues to rise, understanding the challenges and support systems available to this…