Toward a New Understanding of Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to synthesize the literature around Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), community colleges, and Latina/o/x community college students to propose practices specifically for community colleges that are officially designated HSIs or want to be more Latinx-serving. Argument: Utilizing the conceptual framework for servingness in HSIs by Garcia et al., this essay makes the case for ways that Latinx-serving, research-based practices can be implemented in Hispanic-serving community colleges. Conclusions: As more 2-year colleges reach the threshold for the HSI designation, they may look for ways to implement policies and practices that boost the access and attainment of Latina/o/x students and enhance practices that may benefit students from other minoritized groups as well.