Despite significant efforts to broaden participation in postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, students from historically minoritized populations continue to face systemic barriers related to access, departmental climate, and institutional practices. Previous research suggests that campus-level STEM diversity…

Historically, race and poverty have been contributing factors when considering gaps among students in their academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine how employability and homework scores within traditional points and percentages weighted grading models impact grades from an equity lens. This study analyzed 779 students'…

In order to build an inclusive economy State leaders have recognized the critical importance of postsecondary attainment in meeting economic and equity goals. Nearly every state has, or is considering a postsecondary education attainment goal, which sets a threshold for the number of people within that state who hold some type of postsecondary…

While funding cuts are often necessary during economic downturns, reducing state investments in higher education will hamper recovery. If cuts are inevitable, a one-size-fits-all approach will undermine states' ability to meet future talent needs and ensure equitable opportunity. State leaders should evaluate funding decisions based on their…

School and neighborhood segregation are recognized as pernicious and persistent problems across the United States, originally developed through intentional government policies, and perpetuated today by both public policy and private markets that have adapted to segregated systems of housing, education, and transportation. Housing and school…

Despite the American promise of equal educational opportunity for all students, persistent achievement gaps among more and less advantaged groups of students remain, along with the opportunity gaps that create disparate outcomes. However, the recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) represents an opportunity for the federal…

This report provides educators and policymakers with information they can use to celebrate their successes, understand their unique challenges, and set meaningful goals to increase opportunity for all students. It is important to note that while AP® Exams are valid measures of students' content mastery of college-level studies in specific academic…

There has been a recent upsurge of interest in Iowa in educational equity, particularly for minorities, women, children for whom standard English is a second language, and children with physical and mental disabilities. Political and educational sensitivity has led from a de-emphasis on defects and disadvantage to an emphasis on differences and…

Equal education and open housing have become issues of an increasingly serious concern throughout the Nation. American communities are beset by the complexity of those interrelated problems that inexorably indicate inequality for minority citizens. In response to this, the Iowa State Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held a closed…

This planning guide has been prepared to assist local school districts to achieve the elemination of minority group isolation and the development of quality integrated school programs. The guide explains the conditions set forth in the Guideline for Non-Discrimination in Iowa Schools. The latter embodies a degree of flexibility that will allow…

This report provides data on the academic achievement gap that separates low-income and minority students from other students, examining how well different groups of students perform in Iowa and noting inequities in teacher quality, course offerings, and funding. Included are tables and data that provide: a frontier gap analysis (a comparison of…

This report compares Iowa's reading and mathematics performance on the most recent administrations of the state assessment with performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To indicate how Iowa is doing in narrowing the academic achievement gap between African American, Latino, or low-income students and their white,…