Equity has been a focus of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Equity is simply defined as "the state or practice of being just, impartial and fair." Dr. Estela Bensimon, one of the leading scholars on equity in higher education, has published extensive articles and most recently, From Equity Walk to Equity Talk to demonstrate practical ways institutions can examine their equity gaps--looking closely at practices, policies, and cultural expectations within an institution that are inequitable to certain populations. You can read a review here: Authors Discuss 'From Equity Walk to Equity Talk'.
Working towards equity requires what Dr. Bensimon calls, "first generation equity minded practitioners": people who are willing to examine their own practices and institutional practices in order to identify equity gaps and work with others to find solutions.
After a careful review of data, the Department of Higher Education has chosen to focus on racial equity. This means that all 15 community colleges and other public institutions of higher education in Massachusetts will collectively work towards racial equity. They published the statement below:
Racial Equity Principles, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
After completing a four-day Equity Institute, hosted by the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, Department staff developed racial equity principles to guide the advancement of the Equity Agenda. The principles are intended to assist in the cultural transformation of the Department, as well as ground the Equity Agenda in equity-minded policy change.
Racial equity:
- Will be achieved when race no longer determines one’s outcomes in the Massachusetts public higher education system
- Is the top policy and performance priority for the Department of Higher Education
- Must be embedded system-wide and permeate the Department’s structure, culture, and policies
- Requires the use of asset-based language to minimize the threat of harm, deficit, and stereotype reinforcement
“Asset-based language” defines people by their aspirations and contributions, rather than the systemic barriers and challenges they face
- Requires acknowledgement, remedy, and repair of policies and practices which have excluded or created barriers
We must:
- Recognize that clarity in language, goals, and measures is vital to racially equitable practices
- Promote culturally sustainable campus climates in which all students can thrive and are regarded in the totality of their human dignity
“Culturally sustainable” means recognizing, maintaining, and developing cultural identity and diversity, as they are assets, not weaknesses (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Paris 2012)
- Create and cultivate an inclusive environment to encourage the support and participation of relevant stakeholders
- Acknowledge the experience and knowledge of people of color, and seek to engage people of color in the pursuit of racial equity in meaningful ways
- Incentivize the development and support the implementation of equity-minded, evidence-based solutions
--Read more here: Equity Agenda, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
Why racial equity?
Dr. Bensimon writes about the focus on racial equity in this article: Insights on Racial Equity from Dr. Bensimon
Below are links to more resources related broadly to racial equity in higher education.
