Emphasizing equity amid transformational change at community colleges

Abstract

Increasingly, community colleges recognize the need to center transformational change on equity. This chapter presents findings from a multi‐site qualitative case study on how community college presidents and chancellors can keep equity at the forefront of the transformational change process. The three community college presidents and chancellors participating in this study reflected on how their colleges—all 2019 Aspen Prize finalists or winners—adopted an equity lens to guide their change efforts and guided sensemaking among their campus members to challenge existing institutional logics and develop an equity‐minded culture. This study found that community college leaders should: (a) lead their colleges in equity sensemaking; (b) embed student success and equity within their institutional mission; (c) leverage data and policies to increase equity; and (d) provide professional development for college leaders, faculty, and staff around equity and social justice.