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Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and...
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Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era

A Special Issue of Youth (ISSN 2673-995X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 May 2026) | Viewed by 8843

Editors

Dr. Tonisha B. Lane

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Guest Editor
School of Education, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Interests: equity and inclusion in STEM; Black students in postsecondary education; teaching and learning in higher education contexts; faculty careers
Dr. Ebony Perez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Social Work, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8101, USA
Interests: qualitative research; critical theories; student persistence in higher education; transformative pedagogy; faculty careers
Dr. Shawna Patterson-Stephens

E-Mail
Guest Editor
School of Graduate and Professional Studies, New England College, Henniker, NH, USA
Interests: Black and Latinx issues in higher education; media influences in postsecondary education; critical theory in higher education contexts

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Educational spaces have a long history of being weaponized against women, racially minoritized communities, and people with disabilities (Love, 2019; Martinez-Cola, 2022; Mctaggart & O’Brien, 2020). Landmark cases like Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) of 1975 have increased access for some marginalized groups. Yet, disparities in educational outcomes among ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups persist even with increased access (Shores et al., 2020), demonstrating structural and institutional barriers continue to perpetuate equity gaps (Bowman & Denson, 2021). Additionally, the 2020s experienced a surge in attacks against diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies and practices resulting in several substantial challenges presently facing U.S. higher education (Kim, 2021). For example, race can no longer be considered as a factor in college admissions due to the U.S. Supreme Court decision (Students Fair Adm. v. President Fellows Harvard, 2023); DEIA programs have been significantly reduced if not outright eliminated as a result of a presidential mandate (The White House, 2025); and the future of financial aid is uncertain as efforts are underway to dismantle the Department of Education (Tausche, 2025). Also, while the provision of disability accommodations is required by law, as of September 2024, 17 states had filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government. The lawsuit argues that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which protects people with disabilities from discrimination, is unconstitutional (Taussig, 2025). These threats to education foreground the need to reimagine strategies to facilitate college access for marginalized and disenfranchised students and prepare for both anticipated and unanticipated changes.

Given these challenges, coalition-building and strategic planning are essential to ensure that pre-college and college youth receive the support and services necessary to navigate the demands of accessing and persisting in higher education. The purpose of this Special Issue of Youth is to explore innovative, collaborative efforts aimed at advancing college access and equity for marginalized youth. Contributors will highlight interdisciplinary coalitions and boundary-spanning initiatives that foster stronger, more inclusive educational environments, as well as strategies to address the mental health and wellness challenges exacerbated by anti-DEIA policies and practices. We seek research and scholarly papers that can advance knowledge that is inclusive of, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Mapping and examining the historical trajectory that has led to the emergence of anti-DEIA policies, executive orders, and practices
  • Documenting policies, practices, and programs that have shifted because of anti-DEIA policies and the ways K-12 and higher education institutions are still supporting marginalized students despite these changes
  • Analyzing the social, political, technological, and economic consequences of anti-DEIA legislation on college access
  • Understanding changes to college counseling and outreach programs designed to attract marginalized youth to college and efforts to cooperate with other organizations and stakeholders to maintain channels for information and resource-sharing
  • Investigating potential comprehensive mental health and wellness initiatives that provide faculty, staff, and students with access to counseling, peer support groups, and resilience training

References

Bowman, N. A., & Denson, N. (2021). Institutional racial representation and equity gaps in college graduation. The Journal of Higher Education, 93(3), 399–423. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2021.1971487

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/347us483

Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, Pub. L. No. 94-142, 89 Stat. 773 (1975). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-89/pdf/STATUTE-89-Pg773.pdf

Kim, R. (2021). Under the Law: “Anti-critical race theory” laws and the assault on pedagogy. Phi Delta Kappan, 103(1), 64-65.

Love, B. L. (2019). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the pursuit of educational Freedom. Beacon Press

Martinez-Cola, M. (2022). The bricks before Brown: The Chinese American, Native American, and Mexican Americans’ struggle for educational equality. The University of Georgia Press.

McTaggart, N. and O’Brien, E. (2020). White Privilege: The Persistence of Racial Hierarchy in a Culture of Denial. Cognella

Shores, K., Kim, H. E., & Still, M. (2020). Categorical inequality in Black and White: Linking disproportionality across multiple educational outcomes. American Educational Research Journal, 57(5), 2089-2131. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831219900128

Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 600 U.S. (2023). https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf

Tausche, K. (2025, March 7). Dismantling of Education Department puts future of trillions of dollars in student loans in question. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/07/politics/student-loans-education-trump/index.html

Taussig, R. (2025, February 13). 17 states sue to end protections for students with special needs. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2025/02/13/17-states-sue-to-end-protections-for-students-with-special-needs/

The White House (2025, January 20). Presidential actions: Ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/

Dr. Tonisha B. Lane
Dr. Ebony N. Perez
Dr. Shawna Patterson-Stephens
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Youth is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • college access
  • young adults
  • pre-college youth
  • marginalized youth
  • diversity
  • equity
  • inclusion
  • accessibility
  • coalition-building
  • strategic planning
  • health and wellness

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 732 KB  
Article
Beyond Legality: Reimagining College Access and Equity for Undocumented and International Students in an Anti-DEI/Anti-Immigrant Era
by Louise Michelle Vital
Youth 2026, 6(3), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth6030115 - 11 Aug 2026
Viewed by 354
Abstract
This conceptual paper examines how dominant frameworks of college access and equity in U.S. higher education marginalize undocumented and international students by anchoring inclusion to citizenship, legal eligibility, and institutional risk management. In the context of intensified anti-DEI and anti-immigrant politics, legally precarious [...] Read more.
This conceptual paper examines how dominant frameworks of college access and equity in U.S. higher education marginalize undocumented and international students by anchoring inclusion to citizenship, legal eligibility, and institutional risk management. In the context of intensified anti-DEI and anti-immigrant politics, legally precarious students face overlapping yet distinct legal, financial, emotional, and symbolic forms of exclusion that conventional access and equity models do not fully capture. Institutional retreat, anticipatory obedience, and the re-coding of equity work can further make supports for these students harder to locate, defend, and sustain. Synthesizing scholarship on college access, undocumented and international student experiences, critical citizenship studies, legal status stratification, border theory, anticipatory obedience, and coalitional politics, the paper argues for moving “beyond legality” as the organizing framework of access. It advances a conceptual model of College Access Beyond Legality centered on four interlocking structures: emotional safety and trust, informal resource networks, campus and community organizing, and identity-based and status-conscious advocacy. The model conceptualizes cross-status coalition-building among students, institutional stakeholders, faculty, and community partners as both a survival strategy and a practice of institutional accountability. It also emphasizes that access beyond legality must begin before matriculation and extend through persistence, belonging, and post-graduation transitions. The model aims to reduce harm, strengthen belonging, expand access to material supports, support persistence, and deepen institutional accountability. The paper concludes with implications for institutional policy, equity practice, basic-needs and community-connection infrastructures, and future research aimed at expanding access for marginalized students in legally and politically hostile contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era)
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20 pages, 294 KB  
Article
Architects of Belonging: Black Doctoral Students in a Shifting Political Era
by Jesse R. Ford, Tyler J. Bacote, Imani N. Callan, Lauren M. White, Gabrielle A. Haggins, Tristan T. Reid and Trevis T. Belle
Youth 2026, 6(3), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth6030114 - 11 Aug 2026
Viewed by 481
Abstract
As anti-DEI legislation reshapes belonging in American higher education, today’s Black doctoral students may one day become the educators and administrators who shape the experiences of young adults, which creates an indirect but significant connection between doctoral education and young adults. However, research [...] Read more.
As anti-DEI legislation reshapes belonging in American higher education, today’s Black doctoral students may one day become the educators and administrators who shape the experiences of young adults, which creates an indirect but significant connection between doctoral education and young adults. However, research on belonging in graduate education rarely connects doctoral student experiences to other sectors of education, including K-12 and undergraduate student relationships. Through a single focus group, this qualitative study explores the experiences of five Black higher education doctoral students cultivating and sustaining belonging in the current anti-DEI climate. Grounded in Hurtado and Carter’s framework, findings from the study reveal that Black doctoral students are architects of their own belonging by forming spaces to facilitate belonging through unacknowledged labor in the absence of formal institutional supports. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era)
17 pages, 226 KB  
Article
When Institutions Become a Burden: Embedded Institutional Process Mapping as a Framework for Understanding Student Success
by Jerry Quinton Staples
Youth 2026, 6(3), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth6030110 - 10 Aug 2026
Viewed by 327
Abstract
The transition into higher education is one of the most consequential junctures in a young person’s trajectory. Institutional retention is an institutional responsibility. When students leave before completing their degree, the default response has been to look at the student, their preparation, their [...] Read more.
The transition into higher education is one of the most consequential junctures in a young person’s trajectory. Institutional retention is an institutional responsibility. When students leave before completing their degree, the default response has been to look at the student, their preparation, their motivation, their fit. This paper starts from a different premise: the cracks students fall through are structural. They form where offices operate in isolation, where handoffs go unowned, and where no unit is responsible for the space between them. Those cracks are most costly for students who were never given the social or political capital to navigate institutional complexity on their own: first-generation, Pell-eligible, and racially minoritized students, students with disabilities, LGBTQI-identified students, and others for whom the institution was not designed. This article introduces Embedded Institutional Process Mapping (EIPM), a framework adapted from business process mapping traditions and applied to higher education to help institutions map what their offices do and synchronize those efforts toward a shared institutional purpose. Drawing on loose coupling theory, administrative burden scholarship, and QuantCrit, EIPM surfaces where coordination fails and identifies which students bear the cost of that failure. A proof-of-concept application at a regional open-access institution, where 67% of students are first-generation, 58% are Pell-eligible, and 83% work while enrolled, demonstrates how EIPM makes structural misalignments visible that conventional program assessment routinely overlooks. In its widest application, EIPM operationalizes what equity work requires: disaggregated institutional data examined through a critical lens, to name who is being underserved and trace that outcome back to the institutional processes that produced it. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era)
23 pages, 343 KB  
Article
Social Justice Education at a Latiné High School: Community Coalition and Expectations of College Worthiness
by Daniel D. Liou and Leticia Rojas
Youth 2026, 6(3), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth6030099 - 23 Jul 2026
Viewed by 362
Abstract
Contemporary education policy requires state and local schools to align their curricula and establish school expectations based on college-readiness standards. However, these practices have generated more concerns than solutions. Test scores and grade point averages, which individually measure students’ college readiness, are often [...] Read more.
Contemporary education policy requires state and local schools to align their curricula and establish school expectations based on college-readiness standards. However, these practices have generated more concerns than solutions. Test scores and grade point averages, which individually measure students’ college readiness, are often conflated with educators’ stereotypical beliefs about students’ prospects for postsecondary success. These stratifying dynamics of college readiness are particularly affecting communities that are historically excluded from higher education. To respond to these systems of exclusion, this qualitative study explores a community-based, collaborative model of college worthiness through coalition building in a predominantly working-class Latiné high school. Through a comprehensive analysis of interviews, observations, and artifacts, the study describes school leaders’ strategic utilization of multi-organizational coalitions to prepare students for college. The findings extend the literature by illuminating anti-deficit, communal approaches to advancing the Latiné educational pipeline. These coalitional practices include a focus on students’ wellness, developing trust and caring interpersonal relationships, and enacting positive expectations to foster college-going agency and self-determination. The implications of these findings are significant for school leaders who work to establish college access points as an integral component of social justice education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era)
23 pages, 539 KB  
Article
Proactive Caring: A Model for Supporting Underserved Students in Postsecondary Education
by Tonisha B. Lane, Ebony Nicole Perez and Shawna Patterson-Stephens
Youth 2026, 6(2), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth6020072 - 2 Jun 2026
Viewed by 441
Abstract
This study advances the model of proactive caring to articulate the strategies and practices employed by higher education professionals to support the retention and graduation of underserved students. Employing an explanatory case study design and drawing upon multiple data sources—including semi-structured interviews, focus [...] Read more.
This study advances the model of proactive caring to articulate the strategies and practices employed by higher education professionals to support the retention and graduation of underserved students. Employing an explanatory case study design and drawing upon multiple data sources—including semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observations—collected from students and higher education professionals, we identified six core elements essential to proactive caring: (1) staff accessibility, (2) trust-building, (3) positive motivation, (4) reinforcement, (5) encouragement, and (6) student accountability. Our findings also reveal that higher educational professionals initiate support prior to students’ arrival on campus by assessing institutional environments to identify potential barriers and leveraging data and experiential knowledge to proactively address these challenges. This research contributes to ongoing efforts to promote access and equity in higher education, particularly in the context of increasing anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legislation. While the current study centers on Students of Color in STEM disciplines, the elements underlying the proactive caring model may be broadly applicable, which offers a framework for empathetic practitioners committed to supporting underserved students throughout their collegiate journey. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era)
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16 pages, 240 KB  
Article
Living Below the Policy Line: Black, Rural Students’ Laboring Practices for Accessing College
by Kamia F. Slaughter, Vena N. Reed and Travis C. Smith
Youth 2026, 6(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth6020050 - 16 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1339
Abstract
The college access policy landscape across Alabama, U.S., has gained traction in K-12 schools and higher education institutions over the last few years. In Spring 2021, the Alabama State Board of Education approved a resolution to require all seniors to complete the Free [...] Read more.
The college access policy landscape across Alabama, U.S., has gained traction in K-12 schools and higher education institutions over the last few years. In Spring 2021, the Alabama State Board of Education approved a resolution to require all seniors to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In Fall 2025, the state began implementing its Alabama Direct Admission Initiative, a partnership between dozens of 2-year and 4-year in-state institutions to streamline college application processes for all seniors. Advocates of both anticipate an increase in college enrollment, particularly for students who have previously faced issues with financing postsecondary education. Despite such policies and initiatives, Black, rural students in Alabama still face unique challenges to college access. This paper addresses the following questions: How do Black, rural students access postsecondary education in Alabama? How do Black, rural students perceive and experience college access policies? What role does policy enactment play in Black, rural students’ college access experiences? Using a multi-site case study approach, we present insights gleaned from 16 virtual focus groups with students across five higher education institutions in Alabama. Findings from this study highlight how Black, rural students engage in three types of labor associated with college-going: assessment labor, simulation labor, and capacity-building labor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era)
24 pages, 293 KB  
Article
Stability by Design: How STEM Ecosystems Support Pathways for Underrepresented Youth
by Lezly Taylor, Brenda Brand and Shikhar Kashyap
Youth 2026, 6(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth6020045 - 12 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1176
Abstract
Across the United States, equity-oriented STEM initiatives are frequently launched through short-term grants, yet few persist once external funding ends, particularly in economically marginalized communities where institutional capacity is constrained. This longitudinal qualitative study investigates how an out-of-school-time (OST) robotics initiative developed the [...] Read more.
Across the United States, equity-oriented STEM initiatives are frequently launched through short-term grants, yet few persist once external funding ends, particularly in economically marginalized communities where institutional capacity is constrained. This longitudinal qualitative study investigates how an out-of-school-time (OST) robotics initiative developed the relational and organizational capacity to transition from a time-limited grant project into a functioning STEM ecosystem that has persisted for a decade. Drawing upon eight years of focus groups and field notes analyzed through integrated deductive and inductive approaches, the study traces how STEM ecosystem tenets were enacted, adapted, and reinforced as partners navigated resource constraints. Findings identify four mutually reinforcing mechanisms that stabilized the ecosystem beyond the grant period: relational infrastructure coordinating work across students, educators, families, university partners, and district leaders; community recognition and collective pride conferring legitimacy and mobilizing local support; parental validation and logistical advocacy; and youth identity development and near-peer leadership renewing commitment and circulating expertise. Together, these mechanisms converted initial grant-funded inputs into durable capacity by reducing coordination costs, strengthening shared responsibility, and embedding STEM participation within community meaning-making. The study contributes to STEM ecosystem research by advancing a theory-building, process-oriented explanation of how equity-focused initiatives achieve durability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era)
21 pages, 406 KB  
Article
Unit Power, Student Belonging, and the ROI of Equity: Understanding the Predictive Power of MSPS for Student Retention
by J. Quinton Staples II
Youth 2026, 6(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth6010037 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1466
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between institutional resource allocation to Multicultural Student Programs and Services (MSPS) and the retention rates of students of color at public higher education institutions as operationalized by the Unit Power held by MSPS leaders. Situated in the socio-political [...] Read more.
This study examines the relationship between institutional resource allocation to Multicultural Student Programs and Services (MSPS) and the retention rates of students of color at public higher education institutions as operationalized by the Unit Power held by MSPS leaders. Situated in the socio-political context influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement and rising anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legislation, the research seeks to understand if targeted investments in MSPS meaningfully enhance retention for Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Multiracial students. Using Quantitative Critical Race Theory (QuantCrit), the study employs correlation and multiple regression analyses to assess the effectiveness of MSPS expenditures. Results demonstrate that institutional investment in MSPS is positively associated with higher one-year retention rates for students of color. Additionally, the research highlights the critical role of MSPS administrators’ unit power, characterized by their environmental influence, institutional authority, and negotiation capabilities, in securing necessary funding. These findings contextualize the financial decisions institutions face amidst legislative pressures questioning the validity of diversity initiatives. This study contributes to the existing literature by demonstrating how resource allocation strategies directly impact equity and retention outcomes, advocating for strategic, data-driven investments in MSPS as essential components for institutional effectiveness, credibility, and sustainable diversity practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era)
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12 pages, 236 KB  
Essay
Narrative Breach: Reading Against the Recursive Logics of Anti-DEIA
by Wilson Kwamogi Okello
Youth 2026, 6(2), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth6020070 - 30 May 2026
Viewed by 266
Abstract
In 1926, a group of younger Black artists produced Fire!!, a short-lived but generative publication that sought to interrupt dominant scripts of racial uplift, citizenship, and cultural recognition. Refusing incrementalist visions tethered to Western and U.S. centered norms of belonging, the editors [...] Read more.
In 1926, a group of younger Black artists produced Fire!!, a short-lived but generative publication that sought to interrupt dominant scripts of racial uplift, citizenship, and cultural recognition. Refusing incrementalist visions tethered to Western and U.S. centered norms of belonging, the editors desired an otherwise form of cultural production, one generated outside prevailing regimes of representation. This essay reads Fire!! as a model of breach and mobilizes it to interrogate the contemporary (anti-)diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA) landscape. Drawing on interdisciplinary system literature, I first trace the narrative logics that organize DEIA discourse, attending to how retrenchment operates through recursive patterns that normalize anti-Black constraint across policy and practice. I then theorize “reading against the grain” as a method for apprehending what exceeds these loops. Through a close reading of Fire!!, I argue that Black cultural production formed outside dominant registers functions as a mechanism for interrupting coherence, exposing the epistemic architectures that structure society and the Human while gesturing toward other modes of existence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reimagining College Access and Equity for Marginalized Youth: Coalition-Building and Strategizing in an Anti-DEIA Era)
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