wellnessfitpro 
The Trump administration has seriously undermined the U.S. education system — especially, perhaps, higher education. Political attacks have undermined public trust, while economic challenges leave many Americans questioning whether achieving a degree or certificate is worth the cost and effort.
This assault on higher education has had a chilling effect on the full exploration of ideas and freedom of expression so necessary for the advancement of knowledge. Unfortunately, these efforts have also damaged programs designed to further opportunities for students of color from low-income backgrounds.
For example, in September, the Department of Education announced it was ending more than $350 million in Title III grants to minority-serving institutions, including those designated as Hispanic-serving institutions. The cuts will curtail funding to nearly 100 community colleges in California serving tens of thousands of students, including Pasadena City College. At Pasadena, the loss of funding risks programs that support student learning in STEM fields.
Trump’s cuts to Hispanic-Serving Institutions hit community college student programs hard
October 23, 2025
At the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, the termination of federal grants and other funding forced us to lay off treasured program staff, eroding our capacity to prepare and support teachers. The administration’s actions have also limited access to crucial student loan funding for teaching candidates from low-income communities.
The administration intends to divide the educational community and lessen our commitment to increasing opportunities to learn for the diverse students of our state and nation. The actions instead may have sparked a movement that will bring educators together across schools and systems to educate students and forge a stronger future for education.
While federal funding may be in short supply, the ingenuity of educators is not. The expertise embedded in our schools and colleges is one of the nation’s most underrecognized and valuable assets. Educators are coming together to help teachers teach and students learn and support our colleagues in education. Partnerships among K–12 districts, community colleges and universities are demonstrating how, by sharing data and learning together across systems, we can break down the walls that separate institutions, improve outcomes and respond to the changing needs of our students and communities.
Our campuses offer a snapshot of how this can work in practice.
At UCLA’s Department of Education, our K-12 teaching programs at Center X have expanded their mission and are committed to working with institutions in the California Community College system, which enrolls more than 2 million students, many of them first-generation, low-income Black and Hispanic students. UCLA Center X is collaborating with Pasadena City College and other local colleges in research-practice partnerships to address persistent problems of educational practice. Undergraduate and graduate students from UCLA, many of them community college transfer students, work together with students and faculty at community colleges to gather information and insight about classes and climate on their campuses. Student voices now inform and guide change at the colleges.
Another example can be seen in rural schools and districts in California, which invariably struggle to find and keep teachers. Rural teacher residency programs can help by providing financial stipends to candidates rooted in their communities, offering local access to learning, training and collegial support. Working with California’s Statewide Residency Technical Assistance Center, educators and community members in K-12 school districts and local community colleges are coming together with UCLA and others to learn about and support the development of rural teacher residencies. Local and regional educators and communities are forging alliances to address issues such as transportation and access to instructional facilities, while improving access to quality teacher development through partnerships with local community colleges and hybrid, flexible programs with institutions of higher education.
Together, we are learning across systems and applying those lessons to serve students better and strengthen our institutions. These efforts represent systemic change rooted in trust and shared learning that will last far longer than reforms driven by political bias and imposed by decree. In a time defined by divisive politics, financial insecurity and deep uncertainty about the future, hardworking educators will continue to use our expertise, collaboration and dedication to learning to define our colleges and universities.
We are committed to increased collaboration as we work to ensure equitable access to learning and opportunity for the diverse students of our community, state and nation, and the shared belief in the pursuit of learning that can transform lives.
•••
Brock Klein is associate dean of first-year experience at Pasadena City College. Shelagh Rose is a professor of English and language studies at Pasadena City College. Lynn Kim-John is the executive director of UCLA Center X. Christina (Tina) Christie is the Wasserman Dean at the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies.
The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the authors. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.
California Colleges,Commentary,Community Colleges,Unsorted#Researchers #practitioners #learning #transform #education1774896235
