Capstone Project: Measuring Effectiveness of Diversity and Inclusion Policies on Campus Racial Climate
At the time I had a great interest in education policy, so I began my capstone fellowship with The Education Trust. I chose to do a research project focused on campus racial climate and policy solutions to mitigate negative on-campus circumstances or experiences for students of color. This project sounded interesting to me because it was very similar to my capstone project (linked here) that I did while at the University of Maryland.
My role in this project was to write a literature review, generate the research outline and design, and begin organizing the focus groups. My original intentions when joining this project were to conduct the focus groups and analyze the data, but the timeline was ultimately adjusted and those tasks fell outside of the time parameters for my capstone. Nonetheless, below is my executive summary:
Following federal mandates to desegregate schools in the United States, education systems at all levels began to admit and integrate students of color into Predominantly (and historically) White Institutions (PWIs). Throughout the past few decades, particularly within higher education, there have been attempts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on college and university campuses. However, the lasting effects of this country’s racist history and institutions make it difficult to move forward. Institutions that were designed to benefit white students must be reformed with race-conscious policies and solutions. In a post-Trump, pandemic-stricken, and racially divided America, and dealing with perpetuating generational and historical disparities, students of color have had to disproportionately endure many hardships. Recent research shows that students of color experience harassment at higher levels and report campuses being racist and hostile environments more often than their White counterparts. Findings show that students of color can find solace in communal bonds with students who share similar backgrounds and cultures. There has also been an increase in the amount of student activism around campus climate seen on college campuses, occasionally resulting in positive administrative changes to the schools, such as meeting the demands of student activists and supporting students of color. However, it is important for those students to prioritize their mental and physical wellbeing, as the hardships and weight of being a student leader can become detrimental. The accountability for improving campus racial climate should fall upon school administrations, accreditors, and policymakers. By centering the voices of students of color, schools have the ability to implement campus-wide DEI and cultural events, create cultural spaces for students of color, issue statements of support, mandate diversity-related courses, and provide accessible resources for students of color who may be struggling with fatigue due to racism, activism, financial, and academic barriers to success. Accreditors can require universities to report on the status of their campus racial climate. Local, state, and federal governments should create diversity and race conscious metrics or benchmarks to improve racial climates.