The road to college is often littered with potholes of selfdoubt, and sometimes those are deep enoug

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The road to college is often littered with
potholes of self-doubt, and sometimes those are
deep enough to discourage even the most ambitious
students. Elizabeth F. Farrell Chronicle of
Higher Education 7/20/07
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Supporting the Achievement and Success of At-Risk
StudentsTom Brown University of Texas San
AntonioSeptember 20, 2007tom_at_tbrownassociates.c
omwww.tbrownassociates.com
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The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate
"apparently ordinary" people to unusual effort.
The tough problem is not in identifying winners
it is in making winners out of ordinary people.
K. Patricia Cross, Professor of
Higher Education Emerita University of
California, Berkeley
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The interactions students have in the academic
and social domains are critical to their
satisfaction, achievement and success. Professor
Vincent Tinto, Syracuse Leaving College
Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student
Attrition
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To achieve success with high-risk students in the
21st century, social support through advising and
counseling is a necessary part of the
equation. High Risk Students and Higher
Education Future Trends, ASHE ERIC Digest, 1990
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Treating everyone the same might be equal
treatment, but it may not be equitable
treatment.
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A Principle Human beings seek to economize on
the energy required to make distinctions.
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Example Most houseplants die because we treat
them all the same.
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Retention practices with greatest impact

• First-year programs
• Advising, including interventions for specific
  student populations
• Learning support
• WWISR 2004

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Questions to consider throughout todays session
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Todays Session.What can the individual
advisor do to 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 programs, services and interventions
  might we need to develop and implement?

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Some at-risk groups in education

• First-generation students
• Adult and re-entry students
• Transfer students
• Students of color Hispanic/Latino/as
• Student with disabilities
• Student Athletes
• Undecided students
• First-year students
• LGBT students
• Underprepared students

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Multiple issues

• First-generation students
• Adult and re-entry students
• Transfer students
• Students of color Hispanic/Latino/as
• Student with disabilities
• Student Athletes
• Undecided students
• First-year students
• LGBT students
• Underprepared students

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Todays session

• First-generation students
• Transfer students
• Hispanic/Latino/a students
• Underprepared students

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Todays session

• First-generation students
• Transfer students
• Hispanic/Latino/a students
• Underprepared students

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Factors that Impact College Enrollment

• Level of parent education
• Family income
• Educational expectations
• Academic preparation
• Parental involvement
• Peer influence
• Others??

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Students whose parents have no education beyond
high school are less likely to go to college or
to graduate than their peers whose parents
graduated from college. First generation
Students in Postsecondary Education A look at
their College Transcripts US Department of
Education, August 2005
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The idea that the offspring of the poor have
chances as good as the offspring of the rich,
well thats not true. It is not respectable in
scholarly circles anymore to make that
argument. Gary Solon, Economist University
of Michigan New York Times, May 15, 2005
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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
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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
Program Rationale for Implementation Strategy
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First generation status appears to be a
disadvantage throughout postsecondary education
that is independent of other background and
enrollment factors. Choy, 2001
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Non-academic Challenges for First-Generation
Students

• Learning to negotiate a campus system
• Adapting to a more competitive academic setting
• Having family and friends who dont understand
  the demands of college and/or who may be
  unsupportive of students decisions to attend
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Texas Tech PEGASUS Program

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Effective interventions

• Intensive orientation program and counseling
  support groups.
• Involve students parents
• First-year experience courses that include
  effective tools for combating the lack of
  academic support for first-generation students.
• First-year interest groups, residence living
  groups, strong tutorial and supplemental
  instruction, integrated study groups, activities
  that bond students, faculty, staff, and the
  institution.
• Hicks, 2002

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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
Students From Migrant Farmworker Families,
Journal of the First Year Experience, 2004
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Encouragement from family can be a powerful force
that can motivate students to stay in school and
focus on academics. Vasti Torres, 2003
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Todays session

• First-generation students
• Transfer students
• Hispanic/Latino/a students
• Underprepared students

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Who are transfer students?

• Institutions must clearly and accurately define
  their transfer populations when attempting to
  develop or modify programs and services for
  transfer students.
• Kerr, King, Grites, 2004

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They are traditional aged and senior citizens.
They are overachievers and underachievers. They
are international students moms with young
children they are students with disabilities
they are displaced homemakers first generation
students and students in recovery needing a
nurturing atmosphere. Bernice Dunn, 2004
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Transfer in US Higher Ed

• 1/3 of all students will transfer at least once.
• 43 of two-year students will transfer at least
  once.
• 20 of students will attend three or more
  institutions.
• Wellman, 2002 Ewell, Schild, Paulson, 2003

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Why do students transfer?

• Poor institutional fit
• New or changed personal, educational, or career
  goals
• Social environment incongruent
• with students expectations, abilities
• comfort level, academic performance or skills
  level.
• Advising Students in Transition
• Peggy King, 2000

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Why do students transfer?

• Swirling
• To take advantage of the diverse educational
  opportunities available in the diverse US higher
  education system.

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Two-year to four-year transfer

• 45 of all US undergraduates are enrolled in
  community colleges.
• 47 of all students of color enter higher
  education through two-year colleges.
• 52 of community college students are first
  generation.
• 57 of community college students are women.

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Why do students transfer?

• Two-year to four-year
• Financial considerations
• Admissions requirements
• Availability of developmental coursework
• Geographic proximity
• King, 2000

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Only 43 of transfers to 4-year institutions are
from 2-year institutions. Wellman, 2002
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Transfer students tend to be one of the best
retention risks in higher education today. These
students have one or two years of college
experience, are more mature, and often have
determined an educational objective. Michael
McCauley, 2000
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Model for transfer students

• Pre-transfer moving in
• Transfer moving through
• Post-transfer moving on
• Gernand, 1992

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Transfer issues

• Ensure that beliefs about transfer are based on
  fact
• Cooperation between institutions is important.
• Managing transfer shock
• Steele McDonald, 2000

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Transfer success solutions1. Acknowledge
differences between institutions.2. Recognize
losses incurred during transfer.3. Understand
new expectations.4. Learning new rules,
policies. Bingham-Newman Hopkins, 2004
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Todays session

• First-generation students
• Transfer students
• Hispanic/Latino/a students
• Underprepared students

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In 2005 Hispanics were 14 of the population but
22 of the workforce.

• At this rate, in 2050 Hispanics will be 32 of
  the population and 55 of the workforce.
• Latino 101, MGH Consulting

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Cultural Competence

• A set of congruent attitudes, behaviors, and
  policies that enable individuals to function
  effectively in cross-cultural situations.
  Isaacs and Benjamin, 1991

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Range of Cultural Awareness
Cultural Proficiency Cultural Competence
Inclusivity Tolerance Stereotyping
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An indispensable resource necessary for all
advisers who work with diverse populations is
multicultural competency as part of their
professional training. Strommer, 2001
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Historically, race relations in the US have been
bi-lateral Black and WhiteToday, these
relationships are multilayered and multilateral.
Henry Der, former Director, Chinese for
Affirmative Action

• Asian and Black White and Latino Latino
  and Black Asian and Latino White and
  Asian Bi-racial and multiracial Brown
  Rivas, 1994

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US population growth1990-2000

• Total 13.2
• White 3.4
• Native American 15.3
• Black/African American 16.2
• Asian Pacific American 52.4
• Hispanic/Latino/a 57.9
• US Census Bureau, 2000

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Texas Population Projection2000 to 2015

• Percentage Change
• White 6.3
• Black 25.1
• Hispanic/Latino 77.8
• Source Texas Higher Education
  Coordinating Board, 2005

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UTSA Enrollments by Ethnicity

• Hispanic/Latino/a 43.9
• White 39.8
• Black/African American 7.2
• Asian Pacific American 5.7
• International 2.8
• UTSA Fact Book, Fall 2006

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Human beings seek to economize
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Understanding terms.

• Spanishrefers to persons originating on the
  Iberian Peninsula
• Hispanicreferring to a language group and/or
  people who speak Spanish
• Latino/areferring to persons originating in
  Latin America
• Mexicano/apeoples inhabiting Mexico
• Chicano Studies Department, UCLA

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Understanding terms.

• Mexican-AmericanUS citizens of, descendants of,
  Mexican origin
• Chicano/aoriginally a term of derision that has
  been appropriated by many Mexican descendants as
  reflective of their unique culture.
• Razaa cultural and political term referring to a
  collective group of the above literally the
  race, referring to a collective group or
  community
• Chicano Studies Department, UCLA

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Diversity in Diversity Hispanic/Latino/as

• 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). Brown Rivas,
  1997

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US Hispanic/Latino/a Population

• Mexican-American origin 58
• Puerto Rican origin 9.6
• Cuban origin 3.5
• US Census Bureau, 2000

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US Hispanic/Latino/a Population

• Under-represented in US Higher Education
• Mexican-American origin 58
• Puerto Rican origin 9.6
• Pew Hispanic Center

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40 of Mexicans in the US are foreign
born. US Census Bureau, 2000
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By the third generation, nearly all Mexican
immigrants speak only English at home. NY
Times Magazine, 8/5/2007
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59 of Spanish speaking students who drop out of
high school do not speak English well.

• Only 16 of students who speak English well drop
  out.
• National Center for Family Literacy
• USA Today August 14, 2007

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Some cultural contrasts

• Euro-American
• Individualist
• Egalitarian
• Value on time/task
• Future orientation
• Informal
• Direct eye contact
• Assertive and direct communication
• Win/lose dynamics

• Hispanic/Latino
• Collectivist
• Hierarchical
• Value relationships
• Present orientation
• Formal
• Indirect eye contact
• Concern for harmony win/win dynamic

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Latino Values

• Familismo
• High priority on family
• Individual needs subsumed to family needs
• Key decisions made by family

• Personalismo
• Courtesy and personal regard for others are key
• Ser buen educado
• Criticism and confrontation avoided

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ChallengeStrong family support can also arise
from deep-rooted commitments toward family,
including financial responsibilities, time
commitments, caring for older or younger family
members. Masterson, 2007
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Advisers play a key role to help students balance
family and school commitments. Since both
commitments are extremely important and extremely
time-consuming, the adviser can play the
essential role of helping the student to manage
the demands of home, school, etc.
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Not everything that is faced can be changed.
But nothing can be changed that is not
faced. James Baldwin, Author
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Although Hispanics represent about 18 percent of
the college-age population, they account for just
9.5 percent of all students at the nation's
higher-education institutions, and just 6.6
percent of enrollments at four-year colleges.
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Hispanic Enrollment Booms in Texas, But Still
Lags Overall

• Hispanic students are attending Texas colleges in
  greater numbers, but, despite, substantial
  enrollment increases, still participate in higher
  education at a lower rate than any other racial
  or ethnic group in the state.
• Chronicle of Higher Education
• July 20, 2007

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We have some work to do Raymund Paredes Texas
Commissioner of Higher Education
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Only 16 of Latino high school graduates earn a
four-year degree by age 29, compared to 37 of
white students. For Hispanics, Barrier
Complicate College Mireya Navarro, New York
Times 2/10/03
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Federal financial aid awards to Latino students
are smaller that those to any other racial
group. National Postsecondary Student Aid
Study August 2005
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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 Prospects State of Hispanic America,
1998 National Council of La Raza
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Latino students were far less likely to attend
schools that offer calculus or trigonometry than
white students. The Toolbox Revisited, USDOE
2/2006
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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
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Their enrollment rate clearly demonstrates the
high value Latinos place on higher education.
Most of the Latino achievement gap is the result
of what happens after they begin postsecondary
studies. Latinos in Higher
Education Many Enroll, Too Few Graduate PEW
Charitable Trust, 2002
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Mexican-American high school students and their
white peers desire equally to go to college, but
the former see more obstacles in their
path. McWhirter, Torres, Salgado,
Valdez Oregon State study, 2007
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Transforming Students Through Validation

• Success appears to be contingent on whether
  faculty and staff can validate students in an
  academic or interpersonal way.
• Dr. Laura Rendon, 1994

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The Pomp of Graduation After Overcoming Difficult
CircumstancesNew York Times, June 14, 2000

• The students who make it under a variety of
  circumstances have key features in commonmost
  notably relationships with confident, competent
  adults who believe in them.
  Ann S. Masten, University of
  Minnesota

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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
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My first day, I looked around this beautiful,
lush, rich campus and thought, What the hell am
I doing here? Its only a matter of time before
they realize that Im not one of them. I am not
rich. I dont have a loving family to go home to
on holidays. Only foster parents who dont want
me, a stepdad in prison, and a dead mother...
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And, I am not smart. I scored 580 on my SATs.

• Professor Tammy Ramos BA and BS, St.
  Marys College of California JD, Notre Dame Law
  School

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• Hope a better predictor of first semester college
  grades than SAT scores.
• CL Snyder
• University of Kansas
• HOPE
• believing you have the will and the way to
  accomplish your goals, whatever they may be.

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• Optimism 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.

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• What is missing in tests of ability is
  motivation. What you need to know about someone
  is whether s/he will keep going when things get
  frustrating.
• Achievement is not just a function of talent, but
  also of the capacity to stand defeat.
• Emotional Intelligence
• Goleman, 1995

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Mexican-American students expect to encounter
more barriers associated with ability,
preparation, support, and separation from
families. McWhirter, Torres, et. al., 2007
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Transforming Students Through Validation

• 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

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The next time you tell Tammys story, tell mine
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The next time you tell Tammys story, tell
mineI scored 700 on my SATs and I have a Ph.D.
in Biology from the University of California,
Davis.

• Dr. Robert Urtecho, Dean
• Reedley Community College (CA)

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Critical Issues for Students of Color

• Difference between college and previous
  educational settings
• Minority for the first time
• Lack of mentors and role models
• Issues of identity development
• Brown and Rivas, 1997

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Identity issuesOne area of identity confusion
can arise when students are required to take ESL
classes after successful high school
experiences.Notification that ESL course work is
a prerequisite to composition may be taken as an
insult and produce anger. Masterson, 2007
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Identity Stereotype Threat.When a persons
social identity is attached to a negative
stereotype, that person will tend to underperform
in a manner consistent with the stereotype. He
attributes the underperformance to a persons
anxiety that he or she will conform to the
negative stereotype. Claude Steele
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ACTING WHITE

• The kids in the cafeteria know how to be
  Black or Latino, but they have absorbed
  stereotypical images of Black and Latino youth
  from popular culture. Beverly Tatum
• Academic achievement is not part of the
  stereotypes or popular images of Black and Latino
  youth.

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The reality of college puts pressure on students
as they learn how to cope with living between two
different worlds and as they reevaluate who
they are in relation to others and form
perceptions of the new world of
college. Torres, 2003
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An important task for academic advisors is
encouraging students to explore courses that can
develop and expand their understanding of their
history, culture, groups contributions, etc.