Addressing How Student Parents Are Underserved

Two new reports from The California Alliance for Student Parent Success (The Alliance) detail the challenges that student parents face at California institutions. The reports analyze the available data and call for more research to be gathered so that this population can be served more effectively.

Approximately 300,000 undergraduate student parents are currently enrolled at institutions of higher education in the state of California. While pursuing their education, they grapple with a number of challenges in a higher education system that has historically overlooked their needs and experiences, according to the report. Childcare, housing, balancing school with work and family obligations are key issues.

“Juggling Roles and Achieving Goals: The California Student Parents Almanac” presents existing federal data to show the demographics, academic experiences, financial situations and barriers faced by student parents. Meanwhile, “Making the Invisible Visible: Taking Stock of How the California State University Collects and Uses Data About Parenting Students” details the need for more data to develop more comprehensive and effective means of serving this population. Both reports were administered by California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy and EdTrust-West.

Dr. Su Jin Jez, CEO of California Competes, a policy and research organization focused on identifying solutions to the state’s most critical challenges at the intersection of higher education, equity, and the economy, said more consistent and comprehensive data collection will allow researchers to do complex research that will lead to better solutions.

“The system and individuals unnecessarily make things really tough for them to excel,” said Jez. She noted that student parents have higher GPAs than their non-parenting peers but are less likely to graduate. The California Student Aid Commission, which administers the state’s financial aid program, has found that student parents face housing and food insecurity at a higher rate than non-parenting peers.

“It’s important to note that this is just as much a racial and gender justice issue as it is a socioeconomic one,” said Dr. Christopher J. Nellum, executive director of EdTrust-West, an organization that focuses on racial equity and educational justice. Nellum added that the information in the reports is of national relevance. “It affects women and people of color disproportionately and even more so women of color,” he said.