Orfield is a distinguished research professor of education, law, political science and urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he has spent his career studying, documenting and recommending action around inequity. He is the co-founder and co-director of the UCLA Civil Rights Project. Hillman is an associate professor with the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, and is an affiliate of the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education (WISCAPE). Much of Hillman’s research centers on the topic of educational equity and looking at ways to give more people a fair shot at both accessing, and succeeding in, college.

Released in March 2018 and co-edited by Orfield and Hillman, “Accountability and Opportunity in Higher Education: The Civil Rights Dimension,” includes essays from top academics addressing the unforeseen impact of accountability standards on students of color and the institutions that disproportionately serve them.

Hillman also contributed an essay for the book, as did ELPA Ph.D. students Daniel Corral and Valerie Crespin-Trujillo.

In particular, this book describes how federal policies can worsen existing racial inequalities in higher education and offers alternative solutions aimed to protect and advance civil rights for low-income and minority students and their colleges.

The book talk runs from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the Education Building’s Wisconsin Idea room. The event is being sponsored by the Wisconsin Collaborative Education Research Network (the Network), within UW–Madison’s School of Education.