Education and Literacy;Race and Ethnicity
Part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Breaking Barriers series, the report shows how states, districts, and schools systematically deny opportunity for black males through policies and practices regarding curriculum offerings, teacher preparation and compensation, discipline, and special education. The report issues a call for action and legal justification for Public Reciprocity in Education for Postsecondary Success (PREPS).
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
Community and Economic Development;Education and Literacy
Institutions of higher education and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) have a long history of partnering with one another to strengthen their local communities. However, until now, there has been little research conducted to understand the breadth and depth of these partnerships. In November 2011, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund ("The Fund") commissioned Opportunity Finance Network ("OFN") to undertake a two-phase research study to explore the relationship between CDFIs and institutions of higher education.
The first phase of the study, a national survey of CDFIs, provided insights into the types and characteristics of partnerships that exist between CDFIs and colleges and universities. Seventy-two (72) organizations from 34 states and Washington, D.C. responded to OFN's survey. From this survey, three key themes emerged:
- Partnerships between institutions of higher education and CDFIs are more common than one might think: Eighty-two percent (82%) of CDFIs report working in partnership with higher education, generally with four-year institutions, and with public institutions more than private ones.
- While there are many types of partnerships, working together on community-focused initiatives is most frequent. The most successful partnerships leverage the financial resources and expertise from both institutions of higher education and CDFIs to co-invest in projects that build the local community. Other types of partnerships include research partnerships (the college or university provides research for the CDFI), and training/education partnerships (the college or university provides technical assistance or education to the borrowers of the CDFI).
- These partnerships are enduring, most frequently lasting five years or more. Factors driving the success of these partnerships include strong relationships between the CDFI and the college's leadership and staff, and the institution's commitment to community development and community relations.
In the second phase of the study, case studies were gathered to highlight examples of successful collaboration between institutions of higher education and CDFIs. These case studies illustrate the diversity of opportunities available to achieve shared or complementary goals through partnership, such as:
- Improving Access to Healthy Food: Food deserts, or minimal community access to healthy foods, are a problem seen across the United States. La Salle University and The Reinvestment Fund (TRF) addressed this problem in northern Philadelphia as part of a larger community revitalization project. Together with other members of the community, TRF and La Salle developed an 80,000 square foot retail center adjacent to La Salle's campus. In addition to providing fresh, healthy food for the underdeveloped neighborhood, the project created 250 jobs and used green building methods to reduce energy consumption.
- Increasing Child Care and Education Options: The University of Chicago and University of Chicago Hospitals System, in partnership with IFF, a CDFI serving Chicago, embarked on an initiative to expand capacity for child care providers in the local economically distressed community. This project created new child care options for 60 additional children, and spawned two additional projects. With assistance from IFF once again, the University of Chicago created its own child care center on campus for employees' children, and subsequently opened its own charter school, which now has four branches serving low-income communities across the city.
- Developing Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Small business has long been acknowledged as a key pathway to economic prosperity, but entrepreneurs need both business skills and access to capital to succeed. The relationship between Hope Enterprise Corporation, a CDFI serving the Gulf Coast, and Delgado Community College is working to train entrepreneurs and provide access to capital in the greater New Orleans area. Under the agreement of the partnership forged through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative, Delgado provides business training to entrepreneurs and Hope provides loan capital to those who complete the training.
- Revitalizing Distressed Neighborhoods: Located just one block north of Duke University's east campus, Walltown had fallen into disrepair in the early 1990s, with high crime rates and dilapidated houses. In 1994, Duke and Self-Help, a national CDFI headquartered in North Carolina, began a decade-long effort to revitalize and stabilize this neighborhood. With financing from both entities for construction and subsidies, they renovated or built 77 properties in the neighborhood and several community facilities, and made it possible for residents to become homeowners. As a result of the project, crime rates dropped by almost 50 percent in Walltown while property values rose in nearly all (99 percent) Walltown properties, including those that were not renovated in the project.
- Measuring Social Impact: CDFIs are always looking for ways to measure their social impact; meanwhile universities are constantly in search of significant research projects for their students and faculty. As a result of these complimentary needs, the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business (Darden) and Latino Community Credit Union (LCCU) teamed up to assess the social impact of opening new branches in "unbanked" Latino communities. Darden found that when LCCU opened a new branch, armed robberies declined by 22.6 percent and properties values rose by 3.8 percent. The groundbreaking report was widely disseminated and referenced in major publications, achieving the goals of university research. The research also helped LCCU communicate the impact of its work to its supporters.
Through this research, it is clear that partnerships between institutions of higher education and CDFIs provide solutions to a wide variety of challenges that face our communities. We hope that leaders of institutions of higher education and CDFIs will understand the great potential for building relationships with each other, and will explore new opportunities for collaboration and investment to benefit their communities.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
American K-12 public education all across the nation is at a difficult and critical crossroads. We are at a time when keen global competition underscores the need for exceptional performance in our primary and secondary schools. Yet, state and federal governments face unprecedented budget deficits and limited resources for the foreseeable future. Additionally, our schools are being called upon to do an even better job of preparing students for the 21st century. There is growing evidence that success in the 21st Century requires more than what has traditionally been the content of schooling. It requires more and different types of knowledge, skills, and learning.
To help students acquire this knowledge base and skills, many educators and leaders are calling for transformative changes in our schools and changes in how we help students learn. This transformative change is called by many names: performance-based learning, standards-based learning, and student-centered learning. The Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) describes this transformation to more student-centered learning as the need for:
... growing a greater variety of higher quality educational opportunities that enable all learners -- especially and essentially underserved learners -- to obtain the skills, knowledge and supports necessary to become civically engaged, economically self-sufficient lifelong learners. (2011)
Can our schools be transformed to meet these challenges? More importantly, can they be high performing, efficient, and student-centered at the same time? To explore these questions, the Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine conducted a study in 2010-2011 of a sample of Maine high schools. Funded in part by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the study examined the degree to which these More Efficient high schools were also student-centered.
In 2010, NMEF identified some of the key principles and attributes of studentcentered learning. The principles are that:
- Student-centered education systems provide all students equal access to the skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness in today's world.
- Student-centered education systems align with current research on the learning process and motivation.
- Student-centered education systems focus on mastery of skills and knowledge.
- Student-centered education systems build student's identities through a positive culture with a foundation of strong relationships and high expectations.
- Student-centered education systems empower and support parents, teachers, administrators, and other community members to encourage and guide learners through their educational journey.
The key attributes are that:
- Curriculum, instruction and assessment embrace the skills and knowledge needed for success.
- Community assets are harnessed to support and deepen learning experiences.
- Time is used flexibly and includes learning opportunities outside the traditional school day and year.
- Mastery-based strategies are employed to allow for pacing based on proficiency in skills and knowledge.
The goal of the study reported here was to determine to what extent these principles and attributes may be found in the high schools. To that end, once a sample of More Efficient high schools was identified, the beliefs, strategies, and practices found in these schools were examined in light of the 2010 NMEF key principles and attributes.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States (Northeastern) / Maine
Education and Literacy;Employment and Labor
In an effort to gain a better understanding of the community college presidency, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has periodically conducted surveys asking CEOs a range of questions about their tenure, demographic characteristics, and compensation and benefits. The results of three prior surveys were published as AACC research briefs (Larson, 2007; Shults, 2001). Results of research specific to the CEO contract were published by Community College Press (Wallin, 2007). Although the 2012 CEO compensation survey explores similar topics and draws on previous research for comparison, its focus is on compensation.
Highlights of the 2012 survey results include:
Community college CEOs typically receive a variety of allowances in addition to cash compensation. Most respondents (70%) indicated such allowances included college-provided housing, a housing allowance or both; 66% received a college-provided car, a car allowance or both; 58% received an allowance for professional club dues.
Retirement plans were also common, with most (73%) receiving a defined contribution plan such as a 403(b) or 401(k).
Women's median base salaries surpassed those of men slightly, although men earned more in total cash compensation. (Women comprise 28% of all community college CEOs.)
Black and Hispanic CEOs earned more on average, than white CEOs. The median total cash compensation was $210,000 for Black CEOs, $207,553 for Hispanic CEOs, and $176,300 for white CEOs. (Study authors say further analysis indicates that Black and Hispanic CEOs were more likely to work at larger institutions and in urban areas, where salaries tend to be higher.)
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
This funder's guide captures themes and lessons from an ongoing body of work that has been supported by a number of funders working to reform developmental education. In June 2011, these funders met with prominent researchers and higher education leaders to examine promising strategies to accelerate student's progress toward earning degrees and credentials by reforming developmental education and by ensuring that more students enter postsecondary institutions prepared to succeed. This brief summarizes key insights from the gathering, from research and from funders' work to identify promising areas for grant makers to support.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America
Education and Literacy;Prison and Judicial Reform
Examines enrollment, instruction, eligibility, and funding for postsecondary correctional education as a way to reduce recidivism. Calls for increasing capacity, aligning programs with state education systems and workforce needs, and expanding access.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
Education and Literacy;Employment and Labor;Women
Examines current policies, programs, and initiatives designed to facilitate degree completion by offering the option through employment and workforce development services. Recommends increased system alignment, funding, student supports, and flexibility.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States (Northeastern) / New Jersey
Education and Literacy;Nonprofits and Philanthropy;Race and Ethnicity
Outlines Lumina's work with minority-serving institutions to boost completion rates, especially among men of color, by building capacity for data collection and analysis, collective advocacy, developmental education policy and practice, and transparency.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
