Connecting DifferencesIncreasing the Preparation, Engagement and Success of Minority Students

Tiffin UniversityFACULTY WORKSHIOPTuesday, August 24, 2010

Native of Mississippi (MLK, Till)

Past, Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs at Morehouse College

Past Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, North Carolina Central University

Past Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services, North Carolina Wesleyan College

Past Vice President for Student Life, University of Toledo

Past, Special Assistant to the President, University of Toledo

Founder-CEO, Student African American Brotherhood National Headquarters

Aspirations to be a College President/Chancellor

Social Innovator◦ Ashoka Fellow (Ashoka.org)

◦ Nominee for the Howard W. McGraw, Jr. Prize

Increase your awareness about “Diversity”

Increase your awareness about the research and myths around “Minority Students” with emphasis on Black males.

Share some pedagogical strategies related to teaching racially diverse classrooms

Do one quick and fun personal assessment exercise

Wrap-up

“A state of new normality…. Accepting the present as the “Norm”

The most successful institutions will not be those that ride out the economic downturn by returning to the status quo given the financial consequences… (Madeleine Ambrosio, VP and Executive Director of the TIAA_CREF Institute).

The summer will be just as important as the rest of the year… the traditional four-year college program may become three years…

Community colleges will play a larger role as it is the fastest growing sector in higher Ed…

Using social media to reach students including Facebook and Twitter is becoming an expectation

Online education will continue to play an indispensable role in increasing access to higher education and introducing efficiencies.◦ Finding the right balance between using the internet to save

money and preserving the personal touch will be the real challenge…

Serving the underserved and creating a “culture of success for students”…especially [minority who are becoming the majority] students in the classroom.

Dr. Tyrone BledsoeJanuary 2006

College of DuPage

Blacks developed their own folk theory that the American system simply worked differently for blacks and whites. For blacks, being educated or "acting white" would still not allow them to advance as far as whites.

Ogbu, J. U. (1994).

Becoming successful for black Americans generally meant becoming "white." Successful blacks were expected to talk and dress in ways that conform to white American norms. In other words, being successful meant discarding distinctive black cultural heritage.

Ogbu, J. U. (1994).

The myth speaks to the notion that minority people don’t like education and that specifically

Black people think being educated is acting white and somewhere deeply inherit in

their culture is a lack of value for education.

More people of color and women will be in the workforce

It was predicted that by 2010 African Americans will accounts for

14% of the total workforce Hispanics/Latinos will account for 12%

of the total workforce Asians will account for 5% of the total

workforce

Age of workers is rising Today, the median age is 40.5 By the year 2019, the 55 and older age group will represent a greater population of the workforce than any other time in the history of the US.

Almost half of the U.S. population will be non-white

By the year 2050, 47% of the total population will be composed of Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans and other non-white groups

In 1992, the annual value of the Gay and Lesbian market was $514 billion

Gay household income is $52,624 (41% above national average)

Lesbian household income is $42,755 (26% above national average)

Women have strong purchasing power (1995)

37% of all U.S. automotive market customers are female

47% of all U.S. automotive market customers under 50 are female. Thus, women’s share of the market will likely increase in the future

Facts about U.S. Working Women 54 million women are working Women are 45% of the labor force 7 of 10 women in the age group 25-54 are in the

labor force 65% of mothers with children under the age of 18

work Most employed women work full time, all year long Women earn 70% of men’s average weekly

earnings Women are concentrated in fewer occupational

groups Women work for economic reasons

If we were a village of 1,000 people 300 would be Christians 175 would be Moslems 128 would be Hindus 55 would be Buddhists 47 would be Animists 4 would be Jews 81 would be other religions 210 would be atheist or have no religion

If we were a village of 1,000 people 592 Asians 138 African Descent 130 Europeans 84 Latin Americans 46 US Americans 5 Canadians 5 Pacific Region

RACE GENDER LANGUAGE STYLE SKILLS TALENTS BACKGROUND

EXPERIENCES MENTAL ABILITIES AGE NATIONALITY CUSTOMS SEXUAL

ORIENTATION FAMILY EDUCATION HEALTH CLASS CULTURE

Often leaves faculty feeling uncertain about how to proceed and how to behave.

Pressures faculty to acknowledge and accept students with perspectives other than their own.

Challenges faculty to diversify their syllabi Challenges faculty to be more aware of

classroom dynamics Challenges faculty to pay more attention to

how students are experiencing the learning process

(Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University)

Plan the course with a diverse classroom in mind.◦ By considering syllabi, course assignments, examples &

stories Find ways to make the actual classroom open and

safe for all students Learn how to intervene tactfully and effectively in

racially charged classroom situations and to manage tense moments or hot topics.

Assess conscious and unconscious biases about people of cultures other than one’s own.◦ How do one’s own experiences, values, beliefs, and

stereotypes influence one’s knowledge and understanding of groups that are racially different from one’s own?

◦ Do I expect students of color to need extra help?

(Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University)

BY DEVELOPING CULTURALLY RELEVANT CURRICULUMS

High School Completion◦ During the past decade the graduation rate for AA males

slipped. African American females graduated 56% from high school compared to 41% AA males.

College Enrollment◦ Twice as many Black women as Black men now attend college

College Degrees◦ AA males degree completion only increased by 3% from 2001-

2004 What’s Happening?

◦ Inappropriate role models◦ Broken Homes◦ Bad school experiences◦ Low economic-related factors

(African American Boys: The Cries of a Crisis by E. Bernard Franklin)

African American boys are falling behind in almost every measure compared to other ethnic groups.

African American and Latino males are more likely to be diagnosed with a learning disability and twice as likely to be place in special education classes.◦ Of AA boys who enter special education, only 10% return

to the mainstream classroom and only 27% graduate (ACE).

The number of African American boys who said they hated school rose 71% between 1980 and 2001.

(African American Boys: The Cries of a Crisis by E. Bernard Franklin)

The data are clear. Reports from the American Council on

Education and the Schott Foundation show that AA boys spend more time in special education, spend less time in advanced placement or college prep courses and receive more disciplinary suspensions and expulsions than any other group in U.S. schools today.

Black boys represent the worst-case scenario for a group coming out of public education.

(African American Boys: The Cries of a Crisis by E. Bernard Franklin)

Dr. Melissa RoderickUniversity of Chicago

Dr. Nell NoddingsStanford University

04/21/23 35

Cedar Valley CollegeCedar Valley College

Promote the value of education and success◦Men of Power, Prominence and Progress

Develop and maintain “Minority Male” leadership, discipline and accountability.

Create strategies and tools for renewal, revival and resurrection for a population often written off as “LOST”.

Graduate our participants Create “Merchants of Hope” Create a “Spirit to Care”

To enhance the experiences of minority males in colleges and

universities around the country---and ensure they GRADUATE along with enhancing the college aspirations of

younger AA males (K-12)

04/21/23 38

Over 60 points:◦ Others see you as someone they should handle with care. You’re

seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be like you, but don’t always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 to 60 points:◦ Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive

personality; a natural leader; who’s quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 to 50 points:◦ Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and

always interesting; someone who’s constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who’ll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 to 40 points:◦ Others see you as sensible, cautious & practical. They see you as clever,

gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who’s extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is ever broken.

21 to 30 points:◦ Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very

cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It’d really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to mine everything carefully from ever angle and then, usually decide against it.

Under 21 points:◦ People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs

looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decision & who doesn’t want to get involved with anyone or anything. They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don’t exist. Some people think you’re boring. Only those who know you well –know that you aren’t…

The greatest handicap------------ Fear The best day-------------------- Today Hardest thing to do---------------To Begin Easiest thing to do----------------Find Fault Most useless asset----------------Pride Most useful asset-----------------Humility The greatest mistake--------------Giving Up The greatest stumbling block-------Egotism The greatest comfort--------------Work Well Done Worst Bankruptcy-----------------Loss Of Enthusiasm Greatest Need------------------- Common Sense Meanest Feeling------------------Regret of Another’s Success Best gift-------------------------Forgiveness Greatest Success------------------Self-fulfillment/Peace of

Mind

Disclaimer:◦ The presentation may be used for Tiffin

University’s "Diversity web site" only. ◦ The presentation cannot be used for presentation

purposes once it has been posted on the site. Dr. T. Bledsoe