supporting the achievement and success of at-risk students csu east bay april 26, 2005...

Supporting the Achievement and Success of At-Risk Students

CSU East BayApril 26, 2005

[email protected]

Increasing numbers of students will arrive at college ill-prepared academically and psychologically for the challenges of college life. If these students are to have a reasonable chance for success they will need a campus environment conducive to meeting their special needs…

…and educators with the sensitivity necessary to support them.

Harold HodgkinsonAll One System: Demographics of Education, Kindergarten to Graduate School. 1985

If we can develop a formula that empowers us to better retain “at risk” students, we will better retain students in general….

Professor Barbara PaigeCSUEB Department of Ethnic StudiesMarch 4, 2004

Treating everyone the same may be equal treatment,

but it may not be equitable treatment.

A Principle:

Human beings seek to economize on the energy required to make distinctions.

Example:

Most houseplants die because we treat them all the same.

The interactions students have in the academic and social domains are critical to their satisfaction, achievement and success.

Professor Vincent Tinto, SyracuseLeaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition

The most consistently structured, regularly scheduled and socially standardized human contact on most campuses is faculty-student interaction, which is the major vehicle by which learning is facilitated.

The more interaction students have with faculty and staff, the more likely they are to learn effectively and persist toward achievement of their educational goals.

Perhaps the greatest inequity on our nation’s campuses is the unequal ability students have to get others interested in them.

Professor Robert Keegan

Harvard University

The Evolving Self, 1983

Institutions are far more likely to attribute attrition to student characteristics than to institutional characteristics.

What Works In Student Retention, 2004

We build beautiful campuses,

We hire distinguished faculty,

We develop a challenging curriculum…

then the “wrong” students show up!Dr. Betty Siegel, President

Kennesaw State University

What happens to students after they enroll frequently has a more powerful impact on whether they stay and achieve their goals or leave.

Tinto 1987, 1993

Feelings of marginality often occur when individuals take on new roles, especially when they are uncertain about what the new role entails.

Marginality is the experience of not fitting in….

Nancy Schlossberg, 1989 Marginality and Mattering: Key Issues in Building Community

Many students who leave college do so as the result of experiences they have during the first six weeks.

Astin, Tinto, Cowart

To achieve success with high-risk students in the 21st century, social support through advising and counseling are a necessary part of the equation.

High Risk Students and Higher Education: Future Trends, ASHE-ERIC Digest

Good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience.

Professor Richard Light, Harvard University, 2001

Making the Most of College

We understand the relationship between good advising and retention….

CSU HaywardPlan for Facilitating Student

Progress to the Baccalaureate DegreeNovember 2003

Teaching and advising need to be part of a seamless process, sharing the same intellectual sphere, informed by a relatively consistent educational philosophy.

Robert M. Berdahl, Historian and President University of Texan at Austin “Teaching Through Academic Advising: A Faculty Perspective,” 1995

Questions to consider during this session…

How can we better identify and support students who may be at-risk?

What existing offices, programs, services, and people need to collaborate in support of specific at-risk groups?

What new strategies, programs or interventions might be needed?

Some at-risk groups in education

Adult and re-entry studentsFirst-generation studentsStudents of colorStudent with disabilitiesStudent AthletesUndecided/non-curricular studentsFirst-year StudentsUnderprepared StudentsTransfer Students

CSUEB Student Age Distribution

24 and younger 62.8%

25 and older 37.1%

Source: CSUH Fact Book, 2004

Adult students often “recycle” through developmental issues faced by younger students.

Chickering and Reisser, 1993

Adult students

1. The Impostor2. The Roadrunner3. Cultural Suicide

Stephen Brookfield

Diverse Populations:Summary of Characteristics and Techniques for Advising.

Susan FrostAcademic Advising for Student Success, 1991

Adult Students

Key characteristics

Most work full or part time

Family responsibilities a priority

Less involvement with campus life

Managing multiple roles

Varied life experiences

Time challenged

Low self concept based on previous academic experiences

Adult Students

Key characteristics

Most work full or part time

Family responsibilities a priority

Less involvement with campus life

Managing multiple roles

Varied life experiences

Time challenged

Low self concept based on previous academic experiences

Advising techniquesUnderstand issues of adult

developmentUnderstand purpose and

goalsAssist in forming campus

connectionsEncourage academic

planningEncourage balance of

academic and personal issues/

Be willing to act as an advocate

What services, programs and interventions are needed by adult students?

What existing campus offices need to collaborate in support of adult students?


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, PresidentEducational Policy InstituteChronicle of Higher Education, 1/19/04

The unfamiliar “world of college” can be a daunting experience for new students, especially first-generation students, who are unable to draw on the experiences of parents or relatives.

US Title V Grant ProgramRationale for Implementation Strategy

First Generation students

Key characteristics

Increasing levels of enrollment

Lack of family “guides”

Issues of “representing”

Conflict between family and academics

Lacking information about career preparation

Often have collaborative vs. individual orientations

Non-academic Challenges for First-Generation StudentsStraddling two cultures: home/family vs. college/universityExperiencing changes in family and personal relationshipsAdapting to a more competitive academic settingFeelings of not belonging or feeling excluded.

Texas Tech PEGASUS Program

Non-academic Challenges for First-Generation Students

Learning how to negotiate a [large] campus systemHaving family and friends who don’t understand the demands of college and/or who may be unsupportive of students’ decisions to attendFeeling overwhelmedLiving on and managing a tight budget

Orientation and transition programs are critical for new students and their families.

This is especially true for first generation students.

Facilitating parent involvement and providing means for keeping parents informed can help to maintain familial ties that are so important to students.

First-Year College Experiences of StudentsFrom Migrant Farmworker Families, Journal of the First Year Experience, 2004

Following identified as critical to student success….Continuous contact throughout the first semester/year.Referrals to sources of assistance and support.Outreach to help students feel comfortable on campus.Opportunities to meet and interact with students with similar academic and social concerns.

Texas Tech PEGASUS Program

First Generation students

Key characteristics

Increasing levels of enrollment

Lack of family “guides”

Issues of “representing”

Conflict between family and academics

Lacking information about career preparation

Often have collaborative vs. individual orientations

Effective strategiesAwareness of issues and

challenges and strengthsTake early initiative to

establish relationshipEncourage full participation

in campus lifeConnect with campus and

community resourcesBe willing to act as an

advocateConnect with role models

and mentorsEncourage maintaining

connections with family, community

How can we better identify and support students who are first generation?

What existing offices, programs, services, and people need to collaborate in support of first generation students?


"Effective participation by members of all racial and ethnic groups in the civic life of our nation is essential if the dream of one nation, indivisible, is to be realized…."

Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorGruter v. BollingerJune 23, 2003

California Population Growth1995-2025

2000 2050(thousands)

Asian Pacific American 3,380 8,564

Black 2,184 2,680

Hispanic/Latino 9,206 21,232

White 16,630 16,626

US Census Bureau, 1996

Students of Color

The number of minority students attending American colleges and universities jumped 48% in the 1990s, with all minorities posting double digit gains.

American Council on Education, 2002

By 2015…

In California, the number of minority students will exceed the numbers of white students….

CSUEB Student Profiles

Fall 2000 Fall 2004

Students of Color* 51.8% 53.0White Students 26.1% 24.8

*Asian Pacific American, Black, Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino

CSUH Fact Book, 2004

CSUEB Student Profiles

Fall 2004

Students of Color 53.0White Students 24.8

Other 16.6


Access to higher education continues to be problematic for American Indian, Black, Latino, and many Asian Pacific American students. Even when they are admitted to college, attrition studies find them withdrawing as higher rates, and they are far less likely to achieve their educational goals than their white peers….

“Academic Advising for Student Success & Retention.”Mario Rivas and Tom Brown, 1997

CSUEB Retention-Graduation Rates

1995 2001

Asian Pacific American 57% 57%White 52 50Hispanic/Latino 43 46Black 31 22

Total 50 47


Although an increasing number of American Indians are enrolling in college, the percentage of those attaining bachelor’s degrees remains relatively low—11%, compared with more than 24% of the general population….

American Indians have the highest dropout rate among minority groups [and] must overcome family pressures, poverty, a weak high school education [and] assimilate to a campus culture much different from their own.

For American Indians, the Keys to CollegeChronicle of Higher Education, 7/23/04

Latino students are more likely to attend schools segregated by race and poverty, and there is strong evidence that Latino students have difficult hurdles to overcome in the quest to achieve quality education.

Latino Education: Status and ProspectsState of Hispanic America, 1998National Council of La Raza

In spite of their high propensity toward college attendance, not all Asian Americans are high achievers in education. The popular stereotype of “model minority” has had an adverse impact on Asian American youth, especially those from poor and non-English speaking backgrounds.

The State of Asian Pacific America, 1993Asian American Public Policy InstituteUCLA Asian American Studies Center

Asians reflect both the highest and lowest

levels of academic achievement….Hmong,

Cambodians, and Pacific Islanders have

some of the lowest academic achievement

and high school graduation rates, while

Chinese and Japanese have some of the

highest.

Higher Education Issues in the Asian American Community

Suzuki, 1994

All ethnic groups in this nation are an aggregate of many distinct subgroups.

Asian Pacific American Groups

Asian Indian Chinese Filipino Guamanian Hawaiian Hmong Japanese KoreanLaotian Pakistani Samoan Thai

Vietnamese

Philippines: 7000 islands 100 languages

Principle: Diversity in Diversity

Diversity in Diversity: Latino/Hispanic

Twenty Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries in the Western Hemisphere.

Often “Latino” is used in contrast to others who are not Spanish speaking.

Often identify based on country of origin (e.g., Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba).

Diversity in Diversity: American Indian

545 Tribal groups recognized by the US government.

250+ languages spoken.

Many identify as members of a specific tribal group and may not consider members of other groups as “Indians.”

Wells, 1989

Diversity in Diversity: Black

Is the “Black” student US born, or from a Haitian, West Indian, or African immigrant family?

As with all groups, it is important to make distinctions based on socio-economic class, gender, and other elements.

Most Black and Hispanic students are enrolled in high schools where they can’t get prepared for college. [Their schools] don’t have the necessary courses at the right level to get students prepared.

Metropolitan Opportunity ProjectUniversity of Chicago, 1988

Quality interaction with faculty seems to be more important that any other single college factor in determining minority student persistence.

Levin and LevinUniversity of Wisconsin1991

African American students are more likely to find faculty members remote, discouraging, and unsympathetic.

“Exploring Distinctions in Types of Faculty Interactions Among Black, Latino/a, and White College Students.”Cole and Anaya, 2001.

Transforming Students Through Validation

Success appears to be contingent on whether [faculty, staff] can validate students in an academic or interpersonal way.

Even the most non-traditional students can be transformed into powerful learners through in- and out-of-class academic or interpersonal validation.

Dr. Laura Rendon, 1994

Hope is a better predictor of first semester college grades than SAT scores.

University of Kansas study

HOPE…

Believing you have the will and the way to accomplish your goals, whatever they may be.

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.

“I looked around this beautiful, lush rich campus and thought, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ It’s only a matter of time before they realize that I am not one of them. I am not rich. I don’t have a loving family to go home to on holidays. I have foster parents who don’t want me, a stepdad in prison, and a dead mother. And, I am not smart. I scored 580 on my SATs….”

Professor Tammy Ramos BA and BS, St. Mary’s College of California JD, Notre Dame Law School

The Pomp of Graduation After Overcoming Difficult Circumstances

New York Times, June 14, 2000

The [students] who make it under a variety of circumstances have key features in common—most notably relationships with confident, competent adults who believe in them.

Ann S. Masten, University of Minnesota

Students of ColorKey characteristicsOften first generationMinority for first timeOften have low self

concept & issues of faculty expectations

Academic integration impacts achievement

Inadequate preparationLack of campus role

models

Students of ColorKey characteristicsOften first generationMinority for first timeOften have low self

concept & issues of faculty expectations

Academic integration impacts achievement

Inadequate preparationLack of campus role

models

Advising techniquesTake initiative to

connect and validateEncourage involvementEncourage use of

campus resourcesAvoid stereotypical

attitudes & behaviorsUnderstand identity

developmentConnect to role models

What services, programs and interventions are needed by students of color?

What existing campus offices need to collaborate in support of students of color?



First-generation studentsAdult and re-entry studentsStudents of colorStudent with disabilitiesStudent AthletesUndecided/non-curricular studentsFirst-year StudentsUnderprepared StudentsTransfer Students

Increasing numbers of students will arrive at college ill prepared academically and psychologically for the challenges of college life. If these students are to have a reasonable chance for success they will need a campus environment conducive to meeting their special needs…

…and educators with the sensitivity necessary to support them.

Harold HodgkinsonAll one system: Demographics of Education, kindergarten to graduate school. 1985

Although 74% of US high school graduates go to college,

only 47% have fully completed a college prep curriculum.

Greater Expectations, AACU, 2002

The California State University system failed to meet its goal of having about three quarters of its entering freshman in 2004 prepared for college work….

The report showed that nearly half of freshmen were not ready for college-level English, and more than one-third were unprepared for college-level math.

Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/16/05

Students’ academic preparedness is down on a variety of measures, but students’ confidence in their abilities is higher than ever.

Hansen, 1998

Do students have a realistic understanding of the demands of courses?

Students are not realistic about the amount of time that is truly required OUTSIDE the classroom in order to be a successful student.

Survey of Faculty, 2001-2004

Do students understand what is required to be successful?

How many hours did you spend studying or doing homework during a typical week in your last year of high school?

7% More than 15 hours66% Five hours or less38% studied less than two hours a

week!!

2003 Freshman Survey

Most students are never taught how to study. We call it the “hidden curriculum.”

Marcy FallonUniversity of Maryland, 2002

Preparing for a “big test”

Say a prayer—that’s what I do.Eat lots of peanut butter or other “brain foods.”Listen to Enya the night before a test.

University of Utah Chronicle of Higher EducationDecember 6, 2002

A Definition of Underpreparedness

A student whose skills, knowledge, and motivation are significantly below those of the “typical” student in the college or program in which s/he is enrolled.

Maxwell, 1997

Students may be underprepared in one or more areas and competent in others.

Finding the match between goals, background, interests is an important part of the work of advisors.

The major inhibitor to possible success for the underprepared student is the psychological distance that most faculty maintain between themselves and their students.

Spann, Spann, and Confer. 1995

Many non-traditional students want their doubts erased about their being capable of learning….

This is especially true for first generation students, Hispanic and African American students….

Laura Rendon, 1994

Dispositional Barriers

Undermining attributionsEgo involvementReluctance to seek assistance

Academic Achievement Attributions

Ability

Time and Effort

Task Difficulty

Luck Bernard Weiner, 1972, 1977

Ability or Effort?

By the time students reach high school, they generally believe that ability is a relatively fixed, unchangeable capacity.

British Journal ofDevelopmental Psychology1983

Power of Attributions

The causes to which students attribute their successes and failures has an important impact on subsequent performance.

Jeff Hooper and Ray Hammond“Rumors of Inferiority”New Republic, 1985

Shift attributions from ability to background.

Students’ attributions and those of faculty and staff.

Much of what can go wrong with achievement—e.g., irrational goal setting, overweening anxiety—is the product of ego involvement brought on by normative comparisons to others.

Nichols, 1978, 1984

EGO INVOLVEMENT

Undermining negative beliefs about lack of ability

(shame/doubt)Interpreting task difficulty as too high/hard

(helpless/hopeless)Comparing self to an idealized reference group

(peers, classmates, siblings)

CHANGE/REFRAME TOTASK INVOLVEMENT

Reframe ability to consider background/level of preparation

Alter explanations for failure from low ability to inadequate effort and/or ineffective strategies

Present strategy as a resource not a capacity

0 – 100% CompetenceAdvising/Teaching Method

Review student’s academic record and learning history, looking for strengths and weaknesses.

Help student to define personal, educational, and career goals and skills needed to achieve these goals.

Assess the student’s skill level in areas identified as essential to achievement.

Mario Rivas, 1988, 1990

0 – 100% CompetenceAdvising/Teaching Method

Establish competency level student will seek to achieve (0-100%).

Identify curricular, co-curricular, experiential, and community learning experiences (strategies) that will enable student to develop skills.

Review and evaluate progress toward goal achievement and skills development.

Mario Rivas,1988, 1990

At-risk students have difficulty:

Recognizing that a problem exists

Asking for help once they realize that they have a problem

Asking for help in time for the assistance to be of benefit

Professors Mary E. Levin and Joel R. Levin University of Wisconsin - Madison

At-risk students must be challenged and supported to develop academic and non-academic skills and competencies associated with success in college.

Intrusive Advising

Intrusive advising means taking a personal interest in students and approaching them with an open caring attitude.

A personal relationship with a concerned member of the campus community can reduce the psychological distance that hinders academic integration.

Intrusive Advising

Intrusive advising does not mean “hand holding” or parenting. Rather, it does mean active concern with the students academic preparation and a willingness to assist them explore programs and service to improve their skills and motivate them to complete their program.

Intrusive Advising

Early outreach is the key to effective support for at-risk students.

Working effectively with at-risk students means that we must insist on regular contact whether students think they need it or not.

Spann and VanDett

It is important to provide at-risk students with early opportunities for success.

Susan Frost

Strategies That Work

Proactive interventionTarget services for specific populationsEncourage formation of support groups (including study groups)Encourage utilization of campus resourcesUse technology to deliver services

Goethe

Knowing is not enough

We must APPLY.

Willing is not enough

We must DO.

Escalante Equation

SUCCESS=

Commitment

+

Determination

+

HARD WORK

Time

Supporting the Achievement and Success of At-Risk Students

CSU East BayApril 26, 2005

[email protected]

supporting the achievement and success of at-risk students csu east bay april 26, 2005...

Documents

cowart slide

interaction students

wrong students

numbers of students

interactions students

building community slide

special needs slide

high risk students