Racial Equity and Campus Climate at America’s Community Colleges

Community colleges serve as vital pathways to educational advancement for historically underserved communities, yet they often grapple with persistent challenges related to racial inequity, exclusion, and climate issues that hinder the success of diverse students and employees. This book brings together evidence-based scholarship to confront these pressing issues, offering critical analyses and actionable solutions. It begins with a comprehensive exploration of racial inequities in America’s community colleges and traces the evolution of racial equity scholarship within the field. Subsequent chapters delve into key topics, including student-faculty interactions at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, the introduction of Racelighting Impact Theory to illuminate the experiences of students and educators, and the dual role of white faculty in disrupting or perpetuating white innocence. Additional contributions include a QuantCrit analysis of academic momentum among Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander students, an examination of institutional barriers faced by women of color faculty, enrollment strategies informed by Black and Latiné student voices, and a rigorous review of three decades of racial climate research that identifies new directions for future studies. Together, these chapters provide a bold, timely, and research-driven roadmap for advancing racial equity across America’s community colleges.This book covers topics such as higher education, sociology, racial equity, institutional leadership, and diversity, making it essential for scholars, educators, policymakers, and administrators in community colleges. It also serves as a valuable resource for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners seeking strategies to address systemic inequities and promote inclusivity in education.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Community College Journal of Research and Practice.