Reframing At-Risk to High Potential: Supporting the Achievement and Success of Multicultural, First Generation and Underprepared College Students Monterey Peninsula College January 25, 2012 Thomas Brown
[email protected]
A good workshop provides information with which you agree.
A better one offers information you can use.
Knowledge is not power….
Saber Entender Sentir Escoger y Hacer!
ThinkingFeelingDOING!
Fulfilling the Promise of the Community College Co-editors Thomas Brown Margaret C. King Patricia Stanley
Co-sponsored by
4
Today’s session Examine challenges and successes in increasing persistence of multicultural, first generation, and underprepared community college students Discuss barriers to students success Share effective theoretically based practices— individual and institutional Solve the Mideast crisis!
The American formula for success consists of five pillars: The first pillar is providing public education for more Americans. That Used to Be Us Tom Friedman &Michael Mandelbaum, 2011
Community colleges have gone from being the stepchild to being the golden child… Dr. Frank Chong, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges, 2011
The Challenge Community colleges have a more complicated and more difficult retention pathway because they are likely to attract students who are less-college ready than those who attend the four-year sector…. Linda Serra Hagedorn, President Iowa Association for the Study of Higher Education, 2010
Some at-risk groups in education First-generation/Low SES students Adult and re-entry students Student with disabilities Student-Athletes First-year students Undecided students LGBTQ students Students of Color Underprepared students Veterans Transfer students
Multiple issues… First-generation/Low SES AND ALSO… Adult and re-entry students Student with disabilities Student-Athletes First-year students Undecided students LGBTQ students Students of Color Underprepared students Veterans Transfer students
Treating students the same may be equal treatment,
Treating students the same may be equal treatment, but it is not equitable treatment.
Human beings seek to economize on the energy required to make distinctions.
Most houseplants die because we treat them all the same.
Context for this session… Forty percent of new students are the first in their families to attend college. (National Center for Education Statistics, 1996, 1998, 2001)
Often, they are not as academically or socially prepared as others and are prone to drop out. Watson Scott Swail, President Educational Policy Institute Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/19/04
Context for this session…
The majority of community college students are academically underprepared to achieve success. Schuetz & Bailey, 2008
Some Americans Are Much Less Likely to Graduate From College: Bachelor’s degree earned by age 24
Young People From High SES Families
75%
Young People From Low SES Families
9%
SES is a weighted variable developed by NCES, which includes parental education levels and occupations and family income. “High” and “low” refer to the highest and lowest quartiles of SES. Source: “Family Income and Higher Education Opportunity 1970 to 2003,” in Postsecondary Education Opportunity, Number 156, June 2005.
Context for this session… National Graduation Rates Community Colleges 28%
MPC Graduation & Transfer Rates* 50% (2007 Entering cohort) *National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
MPC Graduation & Transfer Rates White Hispanic/Latino Asian/Pacific Islander Black
27% 25 21 11
Source: NCES
Context for this session… MPC Strategic Goals & Objectives, 2010-14 Goal 1: Promote academic excellence and student success Goal 2: Promote diversity throughout the institution
Engagement Matters The more contact students have with their teachers [and peers], the more likely they are to learn effectively and persist toward achievement of their educational goals. Through such interactions, faculty members become role models, mentors, and guides for continuous, lifelong learning. Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)
Engagement Matters… When community college students described occasions when they considered dropping out and didn’t, they typically referred to a strong early connection to someone at the college. Very often, they even offered a person’s name… McClenney, 2011
Colleges are more likely to blame student attrition on students…. What Works in Student Retention, 2004, 2010
We build beautiful campuses, We hire excellent faculty and staff, We develop a challenging curriculum…
then the “wrong” students show up!
What happens to students after they enroll frequently has a more powerful impact on whether they stay and achieve their goals or leave. Leaving College Vincent Tinto 1987, 1993
Community colleges care less about who we enroll and more about what happens to students as a result of their having been with us…. Dr. Patricia Stanley Past Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges January 4, 2010
While students must accept responsibility for their own success or failure, institutional actors, particularly faculty members, also bear individual and collective responsibility for student outcomes. Achieving Equitable Outcome for All Students AAC&U, 2005
Why do students leave college?
Isolation Inability to connect with significant members of the campus community…
Attributes/calidades of an environment that supports students who are at-risk: Intentional Structured Proactive
Increasing engagement and persistence Student success is not an accident – it is the result of intentional activities taken by individuals and institutions.
A Model for Ensuring Student Success
Changing Environment & Changing Students 1st Year
2nd Year
3rd Year and beyond
Need for Information Changing Needs
Creamer, 2000;
Need for Consultation
Changing Environment & Changing Students 1st Year
2nd Year
3rd Year and beyond
Need for Information Changing Needs
Moving In
PRESCRIPTIVE
Need for Consultation Moving Through
Moving On
DEVELOPMENTAL
Lynch, 1989; Brown& Rivas, 1994; Creamer, 2000
Changing Environment & Changing Students 1st Year
2nd Year
3rd Year and beyond
Need for Information Changing Needs
Need for Consultation
Moving In
MPC
Moving Through
MPC/S
MPC/S
Moving On
S/MPC
S
MPC = Faculty, counselors, academic advisors, etc. S = Student
PRESCRIPTIVE
DEVELOPMENTAL
Lynch, 1989; Brown& Rivas, 1994; Creamer, 2000; Brown, 2006
Students usually have a realistic understanding about the demands of academic work and what is required to be successful in their classes. (n = 1587) Strongly agree/agree
13%
Disagree/strongly disagree
69%
Brown Survey of Faculty
Do students understand what is required to be successful in college?
I am rolling on the floor!!! Brown Survey
How much time do community college students spend preparing for class?
21 or more hours per week
12%
10 hours or less
66%
CCSSE, 2007
I have to teach students how to study before I can get to course content… Faculty Member Odessa Community College
Chapter 4: Reframing At-Risk to High Potential: Supporting the Achievement and Success of Underprepared Students
Thomas Brown, Managing Principal Thomas Brown & Associates, LLC Dr. Mario Rivas, Professor of Psychology Merritt College
There are within each of us the seeds of who we might become. Thich Nhat Hanh
The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate "apparently ordinary" people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people. K. Patricia Cross, Professor of Higher Education Emerita University of California, Berkeley
Community colleges are on the frontlines of US higher education, providing opportunities to countless Americans who would otherwise be denied access…. Dr. Mario Rivas & Tom Brown New Directions for Community Colleges, 1993
Community colleges make winners out of ordinary people. Leslie Koltai, 1993
The mission of the community college presupposes that in order for students to succeed, they must be engaged with educators who believe in the capacity of all students to develop and learn! Rivas and Brown, 2011
While faculty and staff may be committed to student success, most institutions have a fragmented approach to responding to student needs. Sperling, 2009 They are more likely to blame student attrition on students!
Professional development is critical to faculty and student success Today’s teachers have more pressure on them than ever before. They need the most comprehensive and relevant training available to enhance their own skills and their students’ abilities Dr. Richard Malena, Director of Education Mesa Community College
From a psychological perspective, under-preparedness may stem from low-self efficacy, or the sense that one has little control over thoughts, feeling, and actions conducive to success. Bandura, 1985
Educators need to create trusting relationships with students. Vasti Torres, et al., 2006
Stereotype Threat Arises when students are in situations where their performance could result in their being reduced to a stereotype, where they could be judged by a stereotype, or where judgments about them could be made based on a stereotype. Professor Claude M. Steele Stanford University, 1995
Stereotype Threat Black students can be reticent in the classroom because if they make a mistake, it can be taken as a stereotype and confirm their being academically inferior. Steele 2010
Example: Lupe’s reason for not speaking up in class even when she feels that she knows answer and wants to speak. “If I answer wrong, they’ll all laugh at me…and think I’m stupid.” “Soy estupida!”
“ I start getting nervous because all the eyes are on me!”
Stereotype threat has also emerged as a possible cause of the inequalities women face upon entering majors and careers dominated by men, such as science, math and engineering Steele, James, & Barnett, 2002
Schools can eliminate some of the stereotype tension by building trust between teachers and students and protecting student identities and confidence in the classroom. see: http://reducingstereotypethreat.org
Many non-traditional students want their doubts [dudas] erased about their being capable of learning…. This is especially true for first generation students, Hispanic and African American students…. Laura Rendon
Transforming Students Through Validation
Success appears to be contingent on whether [faculty and staff] can validate students in an academic or interpersonal way. Laura Rendon, 1994, 2001
Optimism is a better predictor of first-year college grades than SAT scores or high school grades. Martin Seligman University of Pennsylvania
OPTIMISM… Having a strong expectation that things will turn out all right, despite setbacks and frustrations. Optimism can be learned.
I scored 700 on my SATs and I have a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California…. Dr. Robert Urtecho College of the Sequoias (CA)
Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Barriers to Student Success Low ability attributions Ego vs. Task involvement Reluctance to seek assistance
Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Barriers to Student Success Low ability attributions Ego vs. Task involvement Reluctance to seek assistance
Attributions 1.
2.
Explain reasons for successes or failures, Influence expectations, future efforts, persistence on educational tasks, etc.. Brown & Rivas, 1997, 2004, 2011
Attributions are beliefs 1.
2.
Explain reasons for successes or failures, Influence expectations, future efforts, persistence on educational tasks, etc.. Brown & Rivas, 1997, 2004, 2011
Ability Attributions…
By the time students reach high school, they generally believe that ability is a relatively fixed, unchangeable capacity. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 1983
Ability Attributions…
By the time students reach high school, they generally believe ability is a relatively fixed, unchangeable capacity. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 1983
Undermining Attributions
Negative thoughts about ability & task difficulty that can inhibit students’ “direction, strength, and persistence of behavior toward a goal.”
Attribution Theory of Achievement and Emotion Ability
Perception
Feeling
Low Shame & Doubt
Task-Difficulty Goal Expectancy
High Helpless Hopeless
Low Give up (Drop out)
Weiner, 1972 & 1977
“I am not smart and don’t belong in college!” “No soy inteligente.” “Soy bruta!
The Power of Emotions Emotions have a powerful effect on the student achievement behaviors: “ Siempre estoy nervioso/a en clase y no quiero participar!” “ I’m always nervous in class and I don’t want to participate!” Latina community college student
African American men report being stereotyped based on the styles they wear, such as baggy jeans, braided hairstyles, or gold jewelry. Terms of Engagement: Men of Color Discuss Their Experiences in Community College. MDRC, 2010
But they did not allow these negative attitudes and racial stereotypes to hinder their pursuit of higher education and career goals. MDRC, 2010
A critical element in increasing student success:
Help examine and challenge low ability and high task-difficulty attributions (beliefs)—ours and theirs.
“I can’t do Calculus….”
“Those students can’t do Calculus….”
Is there “Math DNA?”
A “Calculus gene?”
What Background is required for success in Calculus Pre-Calculus Algebra/Trig Algebra Basic Math
What Background is required for success in Reading Writing Accounting Biology, Chemistry, etc. Other developmental or
Gateway courses
Shift attributions (beliefs) from ability to background preparedness. Students’ attributions and those of faculty and staff.
It’s not enough to change what we do, we must also change what we believe.
The fixed mindset limits achievement It makes effort disagreeable Leads to inferior learning strategies Makes other people into judges instead of allies. Carol Dweck, 2008
Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Barriers to Student Success Low ability attributions Ego vs. Task involvement Reluctance to seek assistance
Task versus Ego-Involvement
Ego involvement- negative emotions occur and undermine achievement because students are focused on comparing themselves to others rather than task of developing competence.
Compare and despair….
The Challenge SHIFT students from Ego-Involvement to Task-Involvement…
Rivas 0-100% Competence Method 100
Break the Task Into Do-able Components 0
Task versus Ego Involvement 100
100 95 Ideal others
40 Shame, despair, anger frustration, fear, etc.
0
0 Ego Involvement (Focus on Comparison to Others) “Compare and Despair”
Task versus Ego Involvement 100
100 95 Ideal others
80
40 0 Task Involvement (Focus on Task)
Shame, despair, anger 40 frustration, fear, etc.
0 Ego Involvement (Focus on Comparison to Others) “Compare and Despair”
Task versus Ego Involvement 100
100 95 Ideal others
80
40
0
Shame, despair, anger 40 frustration, fear, etc.
0
Task Involvement Ego Involvement Task-involvement creates hope and confidence (belief in self) as progress is made toward competence goal!
Change meaning of “failure” Human Natural A critical part of learning and development A test of resilience Help students see faculty as resources for learning rather than punishing judges. Carol Dweck, 2008
The 0-100% Teaching and Advising Method to support students to share the responsibility for learning and to shift from a focus on grades to a focus on mastery.
0-100% Learning Model 100
Sedulous
0
0-100% Learning Model 100
Sedulous Adjective: Painstakingly persevering
0
0-100% Learning Model 100
Sedulous
Adjective: Painstakingly persevering Maria was sedulous: she never gave up despite the frustration and pain often associated with becoming an 0 effective/successful learner.
Breaking Calculus into Do-Able Components 100 80
0
Identify a level of competence that the student wants to achieve, (e.g. “80”) and then break the task into “ do-able component parts…”
0-100% Learning Model Focus on the Task 100 Competence Goal
85 Calculus 1 45
Current Performance Level
0
0-100% Learning Model Focus on the Task 100 Competence Goal
85 Gap 45
Current Performance Level
0
0-100% Learning Model Focus on the Task 100 Competence Goal
85 Not 0-100 45
Current Performance Level
0
Breaking Basic Writing Into Do-able Components 100 80
40
}
Paragraphs Vocabulary Sentence Structure Grammar Reading prompts Spelling
0 When student sees task in do-able steps which can be mastered with effort, there is increased hope because the goal is do-able and achievable.
Comments?
Questions? Challenges? Successes?
