Closing Opportunity Gaps in the Classroom

In the summer of 2020, following George Floyd’s death and the international demand to stop police violence against Black and Brown people, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office released a call to action to all California community colleges to do their part in combating racism. That moment presented an opportunity for college equity leaders across the state to steer financial, political, and institutional support toward college redesign and professional development to close opportunity gaps for Black and Brown students. Several colleges leveraged this moment to pause, dig into their institutional data, and plan trainings, communities of practice, and institutes focused on closing gaps that exist in the classroom. The focus on the classroom allows faculty the opportunity to examine both the personal and social intersections of historical, societal, political, and personal biases and beliefs about race. This reflection provides an entry into understanding how their own teaching practices, policies, and curriculum may work to either perpetuate or close existing gaps in the success of Black and Brown students. Planning a collegewide approach to closing opportunity gaps in the classroom is still evolving, but some key ingredients to a successful implementation are beginning to emerge.