Our Activities
Equity in Action
Grant Program
Investing Resources Back Into The System
The Network’s Equity in Action Grant Program sought to invest resources back into the system to identify, understand, and disrupt inequities, as well as focusing on opportunities for students to learn, engage, progress, and complete courses on time. The intention of this program was to draw faculty, staff, students, and middle level administrators to support innovative thinking, research, and evidence-based practices that lead to institutional change and specifically address equity-related challenges.
Our target applicants were middle leaders circle-info in the CSU. This program prioritized projects that were characterized by an action-research orientation that focuses on measurable “on the ground” activities already in process or that are ready for action soon after funding. These grants are not designed to support purely research activities.
View Preliminary FindingsThe goals of the Equity in Action Grant Program include:
- Supporting current efforts at CSU campuses to close equity gaps in student outcomes in cases where the funding can expand or improve such efforts
- Launching new efforts at CSU campuses to close equity gaps in student outcomes
- Generating a knowledge base of supported equity actions across the CSU and to allow for determinations as to which of these efforts are most effective or impactful
- Learning about challenges in implementing equity actions across the CSU campuses via progress reports and final reports from funded activities
Grant Recipients
The “Strengthening the Relationship between Writing Assignments and Equity” program at CSU Bakersfield, spearheaded by Kim Flachmann, Ph.D., ran from June 2022 until December 2023. The program aimed to lower DFW rates in specific general education course, particularly among first generation, Latinx and Black students. The program integrated writing tutors in specific courses, resulting in significant improvements in pass rates and course completions compared to control groups. The embedded tutor program helped achieve lower DFW rates and better grades across several courses from different disciplines. Despite challenges in engaging students in online classes, the program demonstrated the effectiveness of targeted writing support in enhancing academic outcomes. CSU Bakersfield plans to continue to expand the embedded tutoring and faculty professional development efforts, anticipating permanent positive changes in its tutoring services.
The “INSPIRE” program at CSU East Bay, led by Danvy Le, Ph.D. and Luz Calvo, Ph.D., was designed to increase student retention and close equity gaps through a cohort-based model, updated curriculum, and an anti-racist pedagogical approach. From June 2022 to December 2023, INSPIRE engaged students by offering training in anti-racist pedagogy and high-impact practices to faculty, advisors, and peer academic coaches, complemented by signature assignments with a social justice focus. While the program initially faced challenges with course integration and scheduling, it shifted to a one-year model, simplifying pathways while maintaining robust support and fostering community engagement. INSPIRE‘s dedication to professional development, along with the addition of a Care Steward, to mentor students, and connect them with campus resources, helped to secure additional funding from the Office of the Provost through the Pioneers Pathways Initiative with additional funding opportunities on the horizon.
The “Equity Fellowship Project”, led by Kevin Kaatz at CSU East Bay, spanned from June 2022 to December 2023. The project aimed to address equity gaps in college education by establishing a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on applying current research to equitable student learning, engagement, and completion. Initially, the FLC started with seven faculty members from the College of Literature, Arts, and Social Science, participating in regular meetings to discuss and implement equitable teaching practices. Despite some fluctuations in faculty participation and the challenges of coordinating teaching schedules, the project led to a range of outcomes including a decrease in DFW rates, although the equity gaps showed varied results across disciplines. The grant also facilitated additional projects like collaborations with the Accommodations Office and Institutional Research, and prompted discussions about student demographics and unauthorized withdrawals. Unanticipated challenges arose, such as lower than expected faculty participation, which suggests that increased funding could boost engagement.
The “Summer Bridge Residential” program at California State University, East Bay, under the guidance of Martin Castillo, aimed to improve retention rates among new students through a two-week residential program by answering the question “How does the EOP Summer Bridge Residential program impact retention and sense of belonging for first time freshmen?” With these goals in mind, the facilitators successfully added a co-curricular support component to the “early start” academic program. This integration strengthened peer connections, with students forming their own supportive network which contributed to higher retention rates compared to non-participants.This led to the development of “Summer Rise,” supported by a CSU Chancellor’s Office grant, aiming to merge curricular and co-curricular onboarding for new students. Because of recruitment challenges, the initial participant group was smaller which allowed for strategic experimentation, and by summer 2023, participation tripled, with further improved retention outcomes.
The “Unlearning Racism in the Geosciences” professional learning community at California State University, Fresno, spearheaded by Mara Brady, aimed to address and reduce systemic racism within the geosciences field. Running from June 2022 to December 2023, the program focused on cultivating an inclusive and informed academic community through structured learning and discussion sessions. The program’s most significant contribution was the development of courses that embodied the principles explored in these sessions, combining actionable strategies to dismantle racial biases and barriers in geosciences education and practice. Through the redesign of multiple courses, including the creation of an internship course (EES199I) as a culminating experience option, the program embedded societally relevant issues, community-based research, and career-focused exploration across the curriculum. Some of these redesigned courses, such as EES102S and EES115S, were also designated as service-learning courses,to enable student engagement within the community.
The “Titan Scholars Grad Prep for Transfer Students” led by Patricia Literte at California State University, Fullerton aimed to offer a transformational experience to community college transfer students from low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented backgrounds, with particular attention paid to student parents or primary caretakers of elderly or disabled loved ones. This initiative implemented a series of targeted interventions designed to support students both academically and emotionally. The program met its intended goals, with over 80% of participants on track to graduate within two years and more than 90% showing improved academic and study skills, professional development, graduate school preparedness, and confidence as students who are also caregivers or parents. In addition, the program developed partnerships with other CSUF programs, gaining resources such as federal work-study employees, an intern to assist with the implementation of the program, meals and refreshments for students, office supplies, materials, copying, computers and support for graduate school visits.
The “Equity in Action” grant program at Cal Poly Humboldt, led by Kimberly N. White, aimed to assess the impact of an interactive general chemistry textbook on student outcomes compared to a traditional textbook. Running from June 2022 to December 2023, the project found that while the interactive textbook did not yield significantly different academic outcomes than the traditional textbook, the provision of free textbooks, whether interactive or not, did seem to reduce equity gaps, particularly among racially minoritized students. The project provided research experience to two graduate students, with outcomes presented at a professional conference and a manuscript submitted to an educational journal. The chemistry department may use the results of this project while making future decisions about textbooks.
The “Establishing a Future Black Educator Network” project led by Rebecca M. Bustamante at CSU, Long Beach, aimed at advancing equitable student learning and engagement. Key outcomes include hiring an Equity Ambassador, establishing Future Black Educator (FBE) clubs at LBUSD schools, and engaging students in culturally relevant activities and career exploration. The project saw significant student participation and engagement, with positive feedback on the club experiences. Additional outcomes highlighted stronger partnerships with LBUSD and further funding support, notably from the Apostle Foundation. Challenges faced included bureaucratic hurdles and resource constraints, but the project adapted effectively, establishing a supportive community of practice for Black educators. The report outlines communication efforts, assessment activities, and recommendations for future grant-supported endeavors, emphasizing the importance of culturally responsive practices and intersegmental pathways to support student success and educator development.
The “Full Circle Peer to Peer Mentorship Program” at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), led by Celia Mejia, operated from June 2022 to December 2023. It aimed to enhance equitable student learning and support for pregnant and parenting students. Key goals included the establishment of a peer mentoring program by the Women’s and Gender Equity Center to increase retention and foster the development of student-parent scholars. Results from four focus groups with student parents confirmed the necessity for such a program. In the course of conducting the focus groups, discussion arose about the reactivation of the university’s Pregnant and Parenting Students Initiative Group, which was disrupted by the COVID pandemic. Lessons learned highlighted the effectiveness of focus groups and the need for more thorough data collection with student parents. Recommendations for the Equity in Action Grant Program suggest more cohort-like interactions among grantees. The CSU Student Success Network is encouraged to continue funding such initiatives to address specific needs and disparities.
The “Peer Mentorship and Educational Support Program” at Cal Poly Pomona, led by PI Christy Orgeta was operational from June 2022 to December 2023. The program successfully achieved its goals: hiring, training, and employing peer mentors to provide success skills and financial literacy workshops, partnering for supplemental instruction in high-failure courses, and fostering academic success through Living Learning Communities. No unanticipated developments occurred, and while long-term outcomes were not discussed, the program’s success is evident through positive impact reporting and favorable student results like higher GPAs and increased course loads. Communication efforts were made via end-of-year reporting and conferences, and the five-phase assessment plan yielded internally held favorable results. The strategies aligned well with strategic goals and campus partnerships, with no unsuccessful activities reported. Recommendations for the Network include providing information decks and customized training sessions to aid in addressing systemic inequities.
The “Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander (SA/PI) College Student Success Consortium” aimed to enhance equitable student learning, engagement, progression, and completion.The accompanying report detailed the SA/PI College Student Success Consortium project, led by Chao Vang from Sacramento State, which ran from June 2022 to December 2023. It successfully established monthly peer convenings, an APIDA leadership summit, and a mentorship model to increase community engagement and build student leadership among Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander students. A significant report titled “Data Download: Advancing Educational Equity through Data Disaggregation Southeast Asian Students at Sacramento State,” was disseminated across campus at Sacramento State, raising awareness of educational inequities faced by SA/PI student groups. Additional support was garnered from the campus community, donors, and alumni. Unexpected wins included broad faculty and staff engagement, contributing to the conversation on data disaggregation for APIDA students. Challenges were faced in initial data gathering, which was more labor-intensive than expected.
The “Equity In Action” grant at Sacramento State, led by Jennie Chalios, who replaced Jasmine Campos, originally aimed to provide an outreach and intervention program to enhance the first-year experience for underrepresented students, led by the First Year Experience (FYE) space.This funding allowed FYE programming to strengthen connections with other campus academic support programs and streamline student referrals. The program secured an additional $320,000 Supportive Pathways grant from the Chancellor’s Office, expanding its impact by funding Academic Coaches in essential courses. The program faces data limitations and is still assessing the full impact of both the Equity in Action and Supportive Pathways grants on student success and faculty collaboration.
The “Embedded Tutoring Pilot” at San Diego State University’s College of Professional Studies & Fine Arts (PSFA), led by Alane S. Lockwood, Ed.D. in collaboration with Rebecca Tedesco, ran from June 2022 to December 2023. The initiative aimed to reduce equity gaps by embedding peer tutors in courses with traditionally high DFW (drop, fail, withdraw) rates, especially for students historically excluded from postsecondary education. Although comprehensive data was limited due to a new student information system implementation, the program showed positive trends. DFW rates improved in three out of four courses, with grade improvements in the same number of courses, and students with embedded tutors outperformed their peers with significantly higher course grade points. The pilot also emphasized metacognitive learning strategies, leading to increased student confidence in learning. Of those students involved in the pilot, juniors, seniors, Latine, Black, international students, and first-generation college students participated in tutoring at a higher rate than their peers, although some gaps remained. Challenges included changes in college leadership and information system transitions
The “Grounding Responsive Action with Community and Empathy” (GRACE) peer mentor program at San Francisco State University, led by Grace Yoo and funded through the Equity in Action Grant, aimed to enhance retention and graduation rates by fostering peer support within the College of Ethnic Studies from June 2022 to June 2024. The program deployed 11 peer mentors across 13 Ethnic Studies classrooms, directly engaging 367 students. These mentors effectively increased student engagement, sense of belonging, and awareness of campus resources through various activities, including community-building exercises and individual support sessions. The program initiated partnerships with campus programs like First Year Experience and REACH, to strengthen training and resource-sharing among peer mentors. Additionally, an unexpected alignment with a Department of Education AANAPISI grant bolstered the program’s long-term sustainability. Feedback from student surveys underscored the positive impact on classroom engagement and community connectivity, suggesting that the Department of Ethnic Studies could serve as the foundational unit for institutionalizing peer mentoring at a broader scale across campus.
The “Mentoring Students First” program at San Francisco State University, led by Daniel Gabriner, aimed to improve retention rates for students with multiple DWFs (Drops, Withdrawals, Failures). While it did not achieve the 80% retention target, the project saw a 66% retention rate for freshmen, slightly higher than the 64% rate outside the program, with improvements for underrepresented minority (URM) students at 52% in comparison to 40% outside. Continuing students had fewer average DWFs (2.93) than those who did not (3.16), and work with 4th-year students (8+ DWFs) showed a 14% attrition rate, outperforming the 20% control. The project also offered training for student leader mentors, who supported the Metro College Success and Peer2Peer programs, leading to strengthened alignment and mentorship growth.
The “Empowering Autistic Scholars (EAS) Mentoring and Research Training Program” at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, led by Luna Nombrano Larsen, was designed to enhance support and academic success for autistic students through specialized mentoring and research opportunities. Since establishing the program, all participating students have either graduated or are continuing their studies in good academic standing, with increased campus belonging and strengthened mentor relationships. The program has strengthened partnerships with the Kennedy Library, where the Foundational Learning Librarian provides personalized support and co-facilitates activities like a virtual book club and zine classes. EAS is also working with Career Services to create more inclusive job fairs and tailored career pathways for Cal Poly SLO’s autistic student demographic. Due to challenges with research timelines, the program has evolved to prioritize college transition and community development in years one and two, with students focusing on professional development and research in years three and four. Students are returning for multiple years, with some transitioning from mentees to mentors, and the program is expanding to support graduate students.
The “Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (NHPI) Equity Project” at CSU San Marcos, led by Theresa Suarez, Ph.D., sought to identify and expand partnerships within the cultural, linguistic, and familial ecosystem of local NHPI communities in the San Marcos region. The project aimed to create support for NHPI students at CSU San Marcos by forming learning communities centered on peer mentoring, academic advising, and career development. Project participants formed “away team” to participate in the Middle Leadership Academy (MLA) in 2022 and 2023, building campus leadership from the NHPI community and strengthening a “home team” of faculty, staff, students, and alumni to expand the project’s goals. This work led to securing a $600,000 “Stop the Hate” grant in July 2023 for the Unifying APIDA Communities Together (U-ACT) initiative, allowing for intervention and prevention partnerships with three community organizations to support K-16 Pacific Islander families. Additionally, the project cultivated partnerships with Samoan churches on the West Coast, leading to CSU San Marcos hosting the “SoCal Pelanga,” a 700-attendee multigenerational conference, with expanded outreach efforts to share campus resources with NHPI and other students.
The “Early Academic Intervention Faculty Fellows” grant project, led by Adam Petersen at CSU San Marcos, aimed to strengthen the Early Academic Intervention (EAI) initiative by implementing a Faculty Fellows program. This initiative sought to enhance faculty feedback, guide and train instructors on student resources, and streamline communication among EAI course instructors. The project recruited seven fellows who provided valuable feedback, leading to two reports on difficulties faced by first-year students. Despite delays in funding and participant recruitment, the project demonstrated the possibility of faculty-led assessments and emphasized the importance of involving faculty in EAI’s development. Though the program faced challenges, such as payment issues for faculty, it has laid the foundation for future EAI assessments, and suggests potential for ongoing interest.
The “Unidos Leadership Program” at California State University San Marcos concluded in June 2024. The program was designed to enhance leadership qualities among Latinx/e students through a culturally relevant curriculum integrating concepts like Familismo, Community Cultural Wealth, and Latinx Critical Race Theory. The program achieved its goal to advance student learning engagement and progression, with students showing multicultural leadership competencies, increasing their sense of belonging and academic confidence, connecting with leaders within and outside the university community, and devising solutions for challenges facing the Latinx community. Despite changes in leadership at the Latinx Center and a smaller cohort size than anticipated, the program forged strong relationships between students and the CSUSM Latinx Center staff, and a collaborative event with the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community was a notable success.
The “Brothers for Success” program, led by Carolina Alfaro at California State University, Stanislaus, successfully implemented a peer mentorship initiative aimed at supporting first-year male identifying students in their transition into university life from June 2022 to December 2023. The initiative employed two peer mentors who facilitated one-on-on and group mentoring sessions focusing on academic, mental, and physical well-being, as well as job searching and life balance. Despite a setback with the departure of the Male Success Initiative Program Coordinator in early 2023, the program maintained group activities such as the Brother to Brother and Circulo de Hombres healing circles, providing community-building spaces for male students of color. These circles fostered vulnerability and open dialogue about the challenges of navigating higher education. Additional outcomes included the strong advocacy from faculty members Paul Wright, Ed.D., and Juvenal Caporale, Ph.D, who played key roles in facilitating and safeguarding these spaces. Plans are underway to relaunch the full program with enhanced mentor training and support structures in fall 2024.