Center for Urban Education

The Equity Scorecard™

Reducing Equity Gaps

The Equity Scorecard™ provides a framework for higher education institutions to use data in assessing and improving success for male students of color, say CUE researchers in a chapter of a newly released book. Entitled “The Equity Scorecard: A Process for Building Institutional Capacity to Educate Young Men of Color,” it was co-written by CUE co-director Dr. Estela Mara Bensimon, Dr. Frank Harris III, former CUE associate director, and Robin Bishop, CUE research assistant.

Click here to read the chapter in “Changing Places: How Communities Will Improve the Health of Boys of Color.” The volume presents the latest research and potential solutions to issues affecting the well-being of boys and men of color across the nation.
Building an Equity-Minded Policy Network

The ASHE Institutes

Participants of the 2010 Research Methods for Critical Analysis of Qualitative Data Institute.

The ASHE Institutes on Equity and Critical Policy Analysis were established to strengthen the research capacities of scholars and policy analysts to study racial and ethnic equity in higher education. Housed at the Center for Urban Education (CUE), they brought together nearly 100 early career faculty, policy analysts and others to form a community of equity-minded scholars. The Institutes were held during the summer of 2009 and 2010.

Learn more about how this group of scholars is committed to identifying and changing educational policies and practices that result in racial-ethnic inequities in postsecondary outcomes.
The Wisconsin Transfer Equity Study

Creating Systemwide Change

Vicki Washington, Associate Vice President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, University of Wisconsin System

Concerned about low transfer rates for students of color attending the technical colleges, the state systems for the University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Technical Colleges partnered with CUE to find out what could be done. A study was launched to look at transfer policies in other states, the transfer policies, practices and programs in Wisconsin, and transfer practices at selected two-and four-year campuses. These activities uncovered barriers that interfered with student success.

Learn how our findings have led to system level recommendations for changes in transfer policy.
Expanding College Access through Inquiry and Action

Lessons from Boston Public Schools

A recent study of college-bound Boston Public Schools’ graduates from the class of 2000 showed that only 35 percent had earned a college degree seven years later. To address this problem of low college-going and completion, CUE and the National College Access Network (NCAN) partnered to launch a demonstration project to strengthen the college-going cultures at two high schools. Teams of teachers, administrators and counselors learned to use data and school-based action research to find out what was and was not working for students. The results of the year-long pilot project were documented in a report jointly released by CUE and NCAN.

Click here to learn more about the project. Click here to read the report.