Daily Lumina News 062123

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule next week on a pair of decisions about affirmative action in higher education. Both were brought by Students for Fair Admissions, a conservative group dedicated to eliminating “race and ethnicity from college admissions.”
Adam Harris, a longtime education writer for The Atlantic, weighs in on how those decisions could profoundly change the makeup of higher education.

Muriel Sarmiento arrived in the United States as a teenager with her immigrant family from Venezuela. She struggled in high school with a new language and culture, remaining quiet out of fear that others would make fun of her heavy accent.
Her school experience changed dramatically when she enrolled in Miami Dade College’s unique dual-language program, where students can take classes in Spanish for everything from biology to philosophy.

If education is key to a better life, that may hold double for those who are incarcerated. People who land in prison tend to have low educational attainment levels, while facing even greater employment challenges when released because of the stigma and barriers their conviction carries.
A new report from the New England Board of Higher Education urges New England states to prioritize higher education programming in prisons, making the case that it’s the one of the best ways to reduce recidivism and improve the safety of communities.

Erick Ramirez Manriquez was just a young child when California banned affirmative action more than 25 years ago. The ramifications of that decision would have a staggering and lasting impact on his educational journey.
In this essay, Ramirez Manriquez describes those experiences—and why he believes the educational aspirations of countless Latino and Black students are at risk if the U.S Supreme Court bans the use of race in college admissions.

Two years ago, the University of Pittsburgh set a goal of enrolling more low-income students on its main campus. But the country’s poorest students still make up a smaller share of Pitt’s student body than they do at many other top public research universities.
Those students are Pell Grant recipients. Most of these students come from families earning less than $40,000 a year. They’re more likely to be Black, Indigenous, or Hispanic. They’re also likely to be first-generation college students or parents.

For the first time in nearly 30 years, the federal Pell Grant will be reinstated for incarcerated students next month. Prison reform advocates and educators are praising the move.
Still, experts say widespread access will remain challenging, as incarcerated students and educators alike navigate the complex set of regulations that programs must follow for students to receive the federal grants.