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Articles

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2022): Special Edition on Latina/o/x Postsecondary Education

Implementing AB 705: Implications For Equitable Outcomes Of Latinx Students

  • Audrey Baca Lopez
Submitted
August 19, 2022
Published
2022-08-19

Abstract

This study examined perceived implications for equitable outcomes of students based on organizational changes related to developmental education reform, California Assembly Bill 705. The research site was a Hispanic Serving Community College with a majority Latinx student population. This instrumental case study employed various methods, including semi-structured interviews, document collection and analysis, physical artifact collection, and observations. The inquiry prioritized learning from eleven participants (faculty, staff, and administration) who were charged with implementing AB 705. Findings included three primary themes related to the implications for equitable outcomes for Latinx students, Prioritizing Equity Through Institutional Documents, Removing Institutional Barriers as a Form of Student Empowerment, and Threats to Equitable Outcomes. Results of this study revealed positive implications attributed to prioritizing equity in institutional documents and removing institutional barriers. Conversely, the findings also exposed underlying problems of practice that persist in higher education, such as implicit biases, and race-neutral and color-blind approaches to understanding equity. This research will be of interest to those invested in similar change processes.