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In congressional testimony, President Cruz Rivera shares critical need for increased access to students from historically underserved communities
In addition to laying out the attainment gaps throughout the U.S.—only 40 out of every 100 white kindergartners are expected to get a bachelor’s degree and that number drops by half for Black children and one-third for Latino and Native American children—Cruz Rivera, himself a product of Hispanic Serving Institutions, offered policy recommendations to increase economic mobility and equitable postsecondary educational value. These include doubling the maximum amount of Pell grants; investing equitably by increasing per-student investments among all Minority Serving Institutions; improving data transparency and investing in P-12 education.
The work of HSIs and other Minority Serving Institutions is effective, Cruz noted; NAU, which recently was designated an HSI, serves as an engine of economic opportunity for students throughout Arizona and the entire region. The challenge now is to increase the investment and support for these institutions. “We can and must do a better job of translating our democratic ideals into policies and practices that sustain opportunity,” Cruz Rivera told the subcommittee.
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