Voices and Viewpoints

OCCRL is pleased to announce the release of Volume 12 of its Insights on Equity and Outcomes series. Digging Deeper: Low-Income Students’ Intersecting Identities, funded by the Illinois Community College Board and written by Edmund Graham and Heather McCambly, provides an overview of research into low-income students’ experiences on community college campuses, and a look at the issues faced by low-income students from the perspective of the varied experiences represented within this large population. This brief is designed to help community college educators think about solutions for low-income students from the perspective of policy and practice by providing a general portrait of low-income students, along with examples of their intersecting identities (e.g., race, gender, ability, age) that influence the student experience. The authors suggest that understanding the complexity of intersectionality can help community college educators to better serve students who are low income.

 Heather McCambly, M.A., is the Project Coordinator for the Pathways to Results and Finish Up Illinois initiatives at the Office of Community College Research and Leadership. Her research has centered on the equity implications of performance based budgeting and funding systems, intersectional identity and student success, and equity-centered change on the community college campus.