Helping Black Males Succeed as Students

This article was interesting to me being that I have had a previous background working in a program that focuses on helping minority students excel, Upward Bound. Reading this article, I began to draw the comparison to that program and the mission that it has. Whether or not this program through community colleges has been around longer than those apart of the TRIO program, I believe it is still important to highlight the approach of these community colleges.

The community colleges association list about 77 programs targeted toward helping minority males succeed.

Does this program seem different or equally successful as other programs?
Voice your opinion!

http://chronicle.com/article/Helping-Black-Men-Succeed-as/138751/

Teaching to the test

Greetings!

The following article is the piece I was referring to during class today. It mentions how teaching to the test can cause teachers to feel pressured to come up with desired results by any means necessary. It also briefly touches on the politics of the education system in public schools. Let me know what you think and possibly make suggestions to what we can do to fix this issue in our school system.

http://www.dailyillini.com/opinion/columns/article_24551602-a189-11e2-a37e-0019bb30f31a.html

After Boston Bombing, Fears of Backlash Against Muslim Students

After much coverage in the media, this article discusses the feelings and anxiety felt by Muslim students across the country. They fear that this incident will perpetuate stereotypes against them. Many Muslim students and their advocates are anxious that their actions will be labeled as "suspicious" much like after the 9/11 attacks. In this article, some Muslim students voice concerns of having to answer for the actions of the terrorists.

After Boston Bombing, Fears of Backlash Against Muslim Students
This article has me thinking about campus climate for Muslim students. What are your thoughts on how we can support these students and their advocates? How can we make these students feel safer and help to not perpetuate stereotypes?

Diversifying Study Abroad...

The article I read was published in 2008 and talks about data on profiles of study abroad students focusing on racial minority groups from 1993/94 to 2005/06.  In 2005/06, the percentage of Caucasians studying abroad was 83%, Asian-Americans was 6.3%, Hispanic Americans was 5.4%, African-Americans was 3.5%, multiracial was 1.2% and Native American was .6%.  These numbers were only slight increases from 1993/94.  I was just curious about what more recent percentages looked like, so I visited the Open Doors reports online and for 2010/11, the profiles of study abroad students based on racial backgrounds are:
White: 77.8%
Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino(a): 6.9%
Black or African-American: 4.8%
Multiracial: 2.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native: .5%

So, as you can see, the most recent numbers have only slightly increased over a span of 5 years.  This article caused me to reflect on a recent conference I attended on April 1 & 2: the Inaugural Diversity Abroad Conference.  While this article gives some possible reasons why the interest from minority students isn't there, it was clear to me from sessions at the conference that we're (Study Abroad Offices) may not be necessarily doing everything we can to break down barriers/myths for ALL students who might be interested in studying abroad.  One particular session was focused on the ethics of marketing to a diverse audience, and the presenter encouraged more multicultural marketing, or rather, a more differentiated approach.  She said that through this we employ knowledge of and respect for general cultural touch points.  She also asked her audience this question:

Are our own concerns about offending students holding us back? And what can we do about it?

• Acknowledge we all have biases and perceptions of others, but that we should not act on them.
• Ask underrepresented students for their ideas and opinions.
• Tailor marketing to appeal to different groups, but recognize students of similar backgrounds are not necessarily monolithic.
• Become comfortable with your discomforts and act based on what's best for the student.
• Give yourself permission to reach out.

This was just one example of many the presenter gave as somewhere to start that may result in an increase in participation of minority groups in study abroad.  Does anyone else have ideas of other strategies that could diversify study abroad?

Click here for article

"Keeping Quiet in Family"

This article in Inside HigherEd mirrors what we talked about on Monday in regards to women faculty members and the tenure vs. biological clock. Research found women academics hide their pregnancy or nursing status in a job interview. Angela K. Lewis, the person who authored this study, made a good point in that the department climate will greatly affect whether women who want children will be able to have children  without repercussions from the department. Do you think this issue will affect the number of women who pursue doctoral degrees? What do you think society values more...women gaining tenure and thereby contributing to knowledge creation or starting and raising families?

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/09/study-shows-women-political-science-sometimes-play-down-family-while-job-hunting

African American Woman With College Degree Pretends To Be White & Job Offers Skyrocket!

Greetings Colleagues,

Recently, I came across a video that really made me question whether there is really equality in the workplace: Yolanda Spivey is an African American woman who was unemployed for two years. Despite having a decade's worth of experience in the insurance industry and a college degree, she had applied to and was turned down for over 300 jobs. Spivey wrote in a Techyville that as an experiment, she first started "declining to state" her ethnicity on Monster.com's Diversity Questionnaire, but that had no effect. Spivey then created a fake profile, with identical information, except her fictitious job candidate was white, and was aptly named "Bianca White" Suddenly, responses from employers came pouring in. How do you think this connects to higher education? If students realized that their job opportunities in the workplace were limited after attaining a degree, would that affect student enrollment in higher eduction for particular student groups? The link to the video is below. Let me know what you think....

http://youtu.be/9MktF3WLuso

Senator proposes, then withdrawals bill tying welfare benefits to student academic performance

Came across this and found it to be interesting. Senator Stacey Campfield proposed a bill to tie welfare benefits to students academic performance. Although the bill was ultimately withdrawn the implications of such a bill are problematic on many different levels as it specifically targets economically disadvantaged students, further stratifying those who have the means, resources, or capital from those who do not. Thoughts?

"A Low Cost Way to Expand the Horizons of High Achieving, Low Income Students"

Similar to Suzi's post, I found a recent article posted on The Chronicle of Higher Ed. explains research conducted regarding low income students that score in the top 10 percent of their class, yet are in the bottom quarter financially, and their college application/admission process. These students often "undermatch" when applying for schools, because they don't think they can get into, or afford, more selective institutions that match their high academic level.

The two researchers of this study compiled a list of almost 40,000 students and placed them into a control group, and an "intervention" group. Those that received the "intervention' received more than usual college brochures, information and applications to apply than the control group received. The study found that just by sending these students more information they were 19 percent more likely to apply to more selective institutions, tended to apply to schools with an 86 point increase of SAT score requirements, and were 78 percent more likely to actually be admitted to a school that suited their high achieving academic needs.

 While this is all rainbows and butterflies serving as an inexpensive way to encourage low income students to actually apply and be admitted to these selective institutions, my concern is what happens after they get in? How do they afford these highly selective schools? What is being done to ensure once they're admitted, support is given to actually make it feasible for them to enroll?

I find this very interesting because many pieces we've read this semester argue that we need to find better ways to support and offer higher education to low income students and then help them learn and develop throughout college. But what about these low income, yet brilliant and high achieving students who don't need assistance throughout college, just assistance getting in to college (like Cedric) who just can't afford college, yet can academically keep up? This also reminded me of LaTisha (I believe it was her character) who was in the top of her class, like Cedric, but "undermatched" by going to a small no-name school near her home because she couldn't afford a place like Brown.

• What are your thoughts to the questions I posed above?
• What can be done after the students have been encouraged to apply, to encourage them to enroll?
• Does this article/study solve the dilemma of low income, yet high achieving students under matching their applications? 
• Overall thoughts?

California Scorecards. Should they be used for 4-year institutions?

I found this article interesting as it relates to higher education and looking at diversity. California community colleges are using this new system to tracking student's performance. The scorecards are said to be a  "new data tool is user-friendly and often sobering, with graduation, retention and transfer rates for each of the colleges and for the overall system, which enrolls 2.4 millions students."

What do you all think? Will this serve as a statistical data set to revamp the higher education system?

Voice your opinion!

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/10/california-community-colleges-release-completion-scorecards

Low-income, high-achieving students and their college-going rates

We have talked about over and under matching the implications of those phenomena. Low-income, high-achieving students are not even applying to selective institutions. A relatively cheap program was created to educate students on cost, graduation rates, and give application fee waivers. The students in the program ended up applying to more schools and schools at their preparation level and having success at their institutions. I think that this program has value, but I believe Kezar would say that this does not deconstruct and reconstruct programs that help to gain better access for students. 

Thoughts about this program? There is something to be said about attempting to improve to the capital of low-income students and I do think that the program helps with that. 

Interested to see different perspectives about this program. I would like to see these results replicated.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/01/research-suggests-top-colleges-could-attract-many-more-high-achieving-low-income

At Final Four, NCAA Faces Renewed Questions About Its Role

This post is in response to Jasmine and Dr. Baber's piece on sports at the university level. Although multiple institutions have sports sponsored by the NCAA, the NCAA has been facing a few questions recently. Recent problems have stirred debate about the proper role of the NCAA, and ruffled feathers among many athletic directors, who say they have largely been ignored in discussions involving potentially big changes. Let me know what you think!!

Best,

Marques J. Burris










http://chronicle.com/blogs/players/at-final-four-ncaa-faces-renewed-questions-about-its-role/32749

Athletics and Students

Following up on Jasmine's post about student-athletes and education, David Zirin writes about the extension of commericalism in college athletics. He specifically refers to the Ed O'Bannon vs. NCAA case being heard later this year. It offers interesting commentary on equity and sports.

The link:

http://www.edgeofsports.com/2013-04-03-826/index.html

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Unintended Consequences of Fulfilling the Dream

Consistent with the Perez et. al piece from March 25, Diverse Issues in Higher Education takes a look at the challenges that exist with being an undocumented student, working toward a post-secondary degree in America. After the Dream Act failed to pass Congress, President Obama started the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program through Homeland Security. The Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals program provides work permits to students under the ago of 31 that can prove that they have been in the U.S since 16 years of age. Applicants to this program have to either be enrolled in school, have graduated, earned a G.E.D. or have served in the military(Homeland Security).

The article, Many States Fight Immigration Overhaul for Youth sheds light on the states that have made it difficult for young people who through this program, have an opportunity to pursue post-secondary education. Some states welcomed students who have taken advantage of this opportunity, offering in-state tuition. However, other states have made it difficult by enacting policies that disenfranchise immigrant students and make it difficult to reach the necessary milestones and requirements to attain a post-secondary degree.. Here are a few examples of what states such as Florida and Michigan have done to make access to post-secondary education extremely difficult and next to impossible for immigrant students:

1. No financial aid at all, charged full out --of --state tuition even if you live in-state
2. No drivers licence
3. In some states, an immigrant student is considered lawful for community colleges, but not state institutions

Given our conversation about access to higher education for immigrant Latino students in class, how do you believe this new policy though well meaning, places immigrant students in a position that may not be as advantageous as once thought?

Also think about the Anderson piece (Feb 4 class) on the impact of Brown vs. Board as you consider your response.

What is your definition of globalization?

Dear classmates,

In Rizvi and Lingard's piece, The OECD and Global Shifts in Education Policy, they mention that globalization is a subjective phenomena (441). I am wondering what you all think globalization is?

Best,
Amira

This is an interesting article about the lack of diversity among international students. The author discusses SES diversity and diversity in field of study. Thoughts?

http://qz.com/71062/international-students-are-making-us-universities-more-homogenous-not-more-global/?goback=.gde_1314847_member_229717218

Do You Lose the Education of Athletes in the Madness of March?

I am not sure if anyone else is an avid fan of college hoops like me, but in the wake of the NCAA championship game (Go CARDS!) I can't help but wonder about the academic success of students in such high-profile sports. Furthermore, many Division 1 institutions have men's athletic teams that are predominantly comprised of African American students who traditionally have lower grades and graduation rates than their white peers. This article sheds a little bit of light into the challenges that student athletes face. What are the implications for students of color? http://www.higheredjobs.com/higheredcareers/interviews.cfm?ID=421

Jackson State University attempts to reach non-black enrollment goals

I intended to post this article a few months back. It touches on Jackson State's attempt to reach a 10% non black enrollment goal as a result of the Ayers v. Fordice decision in 2002. JSU is opening a satellite campus in a predominantly white town in MS in order to make their school more accessible to other racial groups. What are your thoughts on mandated diversity goals?

http://diverseeducation.com/article/50888/

Undocumented students push for higher education

Saw this article this morning on diverseeducation.com regarding undocumented students and their pursuit of higher education. What are your thoughts on undocumented students and their rights?


http://diverseeducation.com/article/52380/

Imposter Syndrome

Thought this article was interesting. I do not think that I have felt this way but I do appreciate the honest writing that describes the pressures and anxieties that do exist.

http://chronicle.com/article/An-Academic-With-Impostor/138231/

The missing student

In this news article from Inside Higher Ed, a new study is highlighted that talks about inexpensive ways to attract low-income, high achieving students (aka the missing student) to apply to competitive colleges (I think these would equivalent to the SEL I, A's in Bowen's book).  Some of the suggestions were application fee waivers and lots of information/education about the cost of that education.  The study focus mostly on applying to college and not necessarily admission.  In the news article, you will find a link to the PDF for the study, which comes out of Stanford.  Thoughts?

The Missing Student