The State of Pregnant and Parenting Students: How the CSUs are Improving Data Collection

Wednesday, December 13, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST
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In California, 20% of all undergraduates are parents and over 180,000 college students are single mothers. A national survey conducted by Generation Hope found that 40% of parenting students feel isolated on their campus and disconnected from their college community while 20% of parenting students feel unwelcome on their campuses. National data further demonstrates that student-parents are 10 times less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree within five years than nonparents.

Although national surveys are helpful in understanding the general student parent population, more information is needed to improve support for the more than 20% of students in California who are student parents. A good first step is understanding, developing, and making transparent the formal and informal data collections on pregnant and parenting students currently taking place at the California State University (CSU) system. To do so, together with The Education Trust—West, we are pleased to share a preview of the report from the California Student Parent Data Collection Landscape Analysis Project, an effort that aims to inform the field about how data on this student population is collected, where it lives, how it can be improved and how it can inform policy changes in support of pregnant and parenting students.

Join us on December 13th as we highlight key findings from the analysis and identify ways that campuses can go from family friendly to family serving. 

Featuring

Isaac Alferos
Research and Data Analyst, The Education Trust—West
As a Research and Data Analyst, Isaac Alferos (he/they) joins The Education Trust—West team with his experience as an educational researcher, equity advocate, and social justice organizer. Born and raised in Buena Park, California, Alferos’ passion for community development and educational opportunity is a product of his community’s experiences.

Alferos has previously worked as an independent researcher in partnership with multiple higher education organizations and served on the California Student Aid Commission, working to keep higher education affordable for all students, making him one of the youngest queer men of color to be appointed to state office. In previous roles, he expanded public/private partnerships in education and developed fellowship programs to support holistic student development. As an organizer, Alferos has worked with leaders across the state to ensure the creation and development of educational equity initiatives that create community-led educational design. As a strong believer in the power of transformative education, Alferos has been a keynote speaker and guest lecturer at many institutions across California, sharing the application of liberative and abolitionist practices in education. Alferos is a queer Black and Ilocano community worker and a proud descendant of sharecroppers and immigrants. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, concentrating in Finance, from California State University Fullerton.

Denise Luna
Associate Director of Higher Education Policy, The Education Trust—West
Denise Luna (she/her/hers) is the Associate Director of Higher Education Policy at The Education Trust—West. As a daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico and the first in her family to graduate college, Denise is passionate about educational equity and racial justice. Luna brings a decade of experience in higher education policy advocacy, teaching, research, data analysis, and community organizing. Before joining The Education Trust–West, she was the Program Coordinator/Interim Director for Students Making A Change (SMAC). She supervised SMAC’s fellowship program, developed the leadership of students of color, managed policy and advocacy efforts, and monitored campaign goals to institutionalize equity in California Community Colleges. Before that, Luna worked for the University of California, Merced, where she taught undergraduate Sociology courses. She also carried out quantitative research and co-conducted research on racial health disparities, racism, and social movements as a graduate research assistant at the University of California, Merced. From an early age, Luna knew her calling was to mentor youth of color and first-generation college students while working for Mission Graduates and Mission Girls. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Merced.

Christopher J. Nellum
Executive Director, The Education Trust—West
Dr. Christopher J. Nellum is the Executive Director of The Education Trust–West, an evidence-driven advocacy organization committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the California education system. He has led successful advocacy efforts to ensure equity in the K-12 accountability system, create a statewide cradle-to-career data system, address food insecurity for college students, ensure that every high school senior completes a financial aid application before they graduate, and defend fairness in college admissions. Before joining Ed Trust–West, Nellum was at the National Center for Institutional Diversity, Young Invincibles, and the American Council on Education. Nellum serves on several statewide committees, including a recent gubernatorial appointment, the advisory boards of the New Leadership Academy and GENup, and the Board of Directors of the James B. McClatchy Foundation and Swipe Out Hunger. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara; master’s degree at California State University, Long Beach; and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. 

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