Resource Center

• By Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • November-December 2025 •

Resource from the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), a nonprofit advancing education equity.

Beginning two years ago, Texas students experienced major changes to college diversity policies. Texas Senate Bill 17 and U.S. Supreme Court rulings striking race-conscious admissions practices in college were issued in June 2023. Both changes altered how Texas colleges offer outreach, services and programs to high school students from historically marginalized backgrounds.

Texas colleges have implemented these policy changes across their institutional academic and student programs, at times raising questions about overcompliance and with pushback from students and faculty (Kamola, 2024).

In 2024, with support from Greater Texas Foundation, IDRA initiated a study on how Texas high school students with college aspirations are affected by policy changes.

“I have spent a lot of time in the last year convincing kids that colleges still want them. About 80% of my campus are Black or Brown kids, and a large percentage of them belong to the LGBTQ+ community, and so they feel very concerned about whether their presence is even welcomed at some different universities.”

– High school college counselor interviewed for IDRA’s study

The study focuses on the experiences of students who may be the first in their family to consider college, who are from households earning lower incomes, and students whose racial, ethnic or gender identities would be considered historically marginalized from college access opportunities.

IDRA published a preliminary report, A Community-Based Study on the Impact of Texas’ SB 17 on Marginalized College-Going Students, this spring. It highlights initial findings from 11 roundtable sessions we held in the fall of 2024.

In 2025, IDRA conducted 10 additional focus groups in which participants shared ideas and insights on necessary resources, information and next steps for high school students navigating their journey to college as well as for the parents and educators helping them.

Participants relayed that the policy changes have impacted whether they see colleges as welcoming or supportive places for historically marginalized students.

High school students shared that they need more peer-to-peer information about college applications and transitions, and they want to access more leadership opportunities. Current college students emphasized that they need targeted academic support, career advising and easy access to mental health services.

Parents shared that they are more concerned about their children experiencing bullying or harassment based on their racial identities in college, and that they want more ways to engage in their children’s college process.

Teachers and college advisors who support students throughout their college journeys to graduation reported that many students feel discouraged from pursuing degrees and need support to encourage student leadership, college transitions and life skills.

One high school college counselor we interviewed said: “I have spent a lot of time in the last year convincing kids that colleges still want them. About 80% of my campus are Black or Brown kids, and a large percentage of them belong to the LGBTQ+ community, and so they feel very concerned about whether their presence is even welcomed at some different universities.”

Public school educators voiced the need for stronger connections with each other and colleges to better navigate the new changes to students’ college opportunities.

All of these reflections indicate that the policy changes affect how Texas high school students see college as a place where they belong and can succeed. These changes compound longstanding barriers to historically marginalized students’ access to college. This affects how families and educators advise students and the college choices that students from marginalized backgrounds are making.

The current final phase of IDRA’s study compiles feedback from students, parents, and educators across high school and higher education on community-based resources we designed to support students’ college access. These community-driven resources provide tools for parent support and engagement, student leadership in high school, and tips on developing peer-to-peer support systems as high school students explore and transition to college.

Resources

Kamola, I. (2024). Manufacturing Backlash: Right-Wing Think Tanks and Legislative Attacks on Higher Education, 2021-2023. AAUP.

Latham Sikes, C. (March 2025). A Community-Based Study on the Impact of Texas’ SB 17 on Marginalized College-Going Students: Preliminary Findings – Roundtable Report. IDRA.

Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., is IDRA’s deputy director of policy (chloe.sikes@idra.org).

FAQs 

What college diversity policy changes are affecting Texas students?

Texas Senate Bill 17 and U.S. Supreme Court decisions ending race-conscious admissions have changed how colleges offer outreach, services and student programs.

How are students experiencing these changes?

Students report confusion, reduced access to information and uncertainty about whether colleges are welcoming places for them.

What concerns do parents have?

Parents expressed concern about campus climate, student safety and limited opportunities to engage in their children’s college pathways.

How are educators responding?

Teachers and counselors report spending more time encouraging students to pursue college and helping them navigate new barriers.

What did IDRA’s study include?

IDRA conducted roundtables and focus groups with high school students, college students, parents and educators across Texas.

What is IDRA developing in response?

IDRA is creating community-based resources focused on parent engagement, student leadership and peer-to-peer support during college transitions.

[© 2025, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the November-December edition of the IDRA Newsletter. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]