Innovations 2012 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Innovations 2012Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Launching a college-wide conversation about narrowing the achievement gap Lisa Orta, Staff Development Coordinator Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA

Contra Costa Community College DistrictStrategic Plan 2011-2015 GOAL 1: STUDENT LEARNING AND SUCCESS: Significantly improve the success of our diverse student body in pursuit of their educational and career goals, with special emphasis on closing the student achievement gap. OBJECTIVE: 1.1 Increase the percentage of students who transfer to a variety of four-year institutions while narrowing the transfer gap across subgroups. GOAL 2: COLLEGE AWARENESS AND ACCESS: Increase awareness of and equitable access to the Contra Costa Community College District for a changing and diverse population. OBJECTIVE: 2.2 Improve the participation and success rate gaps of racially and ethnically underrepresented students and of economically disadvantaged students.

Whistling Vivaldi Project

Goals and Objectives of the Project:

Summary of the Project:Phase 12010-2011 ReadWhistling Vivaldi and Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Usin common Video conference with author Dr. Claude Steele Maintained a web page that listed college and community events and resources (used for both instructional and extracurricular purposes) Staged college-wide events (lectures, round tables, films, videos, speakers) Devoted Spring 11 Optional Flex day (non instructional improvement day) to discussions related to narrowing the achievement gap

Rosenberg, Tina. "Beyond SATs, Finding Success in Numbers." New York Times. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. The objects of a stereotype can find their performance greatly affected by simply being reminded that the stereotype exists. Researchers gave a math test to a group of Asian female students. Before the test, the women filled out one of three types of questionnaires. One asked about their gender, one about their ethnicity, and one asked about neither. Those who were reminded they were Asian did the best on the math test. Those reminded they were female did the worst. Another researcher found that when black adults were given tests four times in 2008, on two of those occasions their scores were much higher than the other two. What made the difference? Barack Obama. When the test was given right after his speech accepting the Democratic nomination, or just after his election, the scores of black test-takers were statistically equal to the scores of whites. On the other occasions, the whites scored higher.

Summary of the Project:Phase 22011-2012 Keynote presentation by Dr. Shawn Ginwright, author of Black Youth Rising: Activism & Radical Healing in Urban America Devoted Spring 12 Optional Flex day (non instructional improvement day) to subject matter break-out groups focused on retention intervention strategies Facilitated inquiry groups focused on retention intervention strategies Shared the Project at Innovations 2012 (event for professionals dedicated to improving organizational teaching and learning, and discovering new approaches for enhancing the community college experience) Supported repositioning of mentoring and tutoring efforts

Integration into the college community Integrated the topics of stereotype threat and narrowing the achievement gap into institutional activities (including student life Brown Bags) Provided support for other college initiatives (College Success Inquiry group, Student Equity Committee, Foundations for College Success) Dedicated ½ of professional development conference/travel funding for faculty to activities that directly addressed narrowing the achievement gap Participated in district-wide initiative to address narrowing the achievement gap

Flex Activity (faculty, staff & managers)Brown Bag Lecture (students)Cultural Competency • Cultural competence = an awareness of various ideas of diversity and how they might shape a person’s experience and interactions within a community • Being in the minority creates additional challenges and experiences in comparison to those experienced by the students in the majority

Britt Andreatta, Ph.D.Antioch University, Santa BarbaraUniversity of California, Santa Barbara Navigating the Research University: A Guide for First-Year Students (3rd edition)

Understanding diversity is important to every college student

Definitions Let’s all get on the same page – define these terms in small groups

Diversity = understanding and appreciating the differences among, between and within various groups (e.g. race, class, gender, religion…) • Primary dimensions = the things that we are born with or cannot easily change about our physical being (gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities/qualities) • Secondary dimensions = elements that still significantly shape who we are but that there is some degree of choice or ability to change (geographical location, education, economic status, religious beliefs/spirituality, political ideology, work experience, language/dialect, personality) • All of these factors interact in unique ways to create the identity of any one individual Definitions Let’s all get on the same page – glossary of terms

Dimensions of Identity

Crossing The Line Identify identity contingencies Make obvious the societal issues that bond us and separate us One side of the room will represent groups who are disadvantaged or targeted in society based on that identity. The other side represents the group who has privilege or advantage around that identity.

Crossing the line Exploring identity contingencies

If you identify as a woman move to the target side of the room

If you identify as a man move to the target side of the room

If you grew up in poverty, the lower class, or the working class move to the target side of the room

If you have a physical, emotional, mental, or learning disability move to the target side of the room

If your parents or grandparents are from a country other than the United States (i.e. immigrants) move to the target side of the room

If you identify as a person of color or an ethnic minority move to the target side of the room

If you identify as Hispanic or of Chicano or Latino heritage move to the target side of the room

If you are Asian, Asian American or Pacific Islander, or have Asian or Pacific Islander heritage move to the target side of the room

If you are Black, African American or have African heritage move to the target side of the room

If you are American Indian or Native American, or of American Indian or Native American Heritage move to the target side of the room

What is one word that captures how you are feeling right now?

Debrief • How did it feel when while on the target side of the room the statistics read reflected your personal experience? • How did it feel when while on the target side of the room a statistic was read but it did not reflect your own personal experience? • How can what you experienced here help you be an ally at DVC? Small group discussion

Building Community • Requires people not only embrace that which they do share, but also to become informed about, and sensitive to, those things that are not shared • The primary focus of getting an education is about learning those things that you did not previously know – in other words, becoming open-minded in the fullest sense of the word • Building community is an active process that requires everyone to be open to learning in order to better the experience for all

Innovations 2012 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion