Supporting the Achievement and Success of At-Risk Students

1. Supporting the Achievement and Success of At-Risk StudentsCSU East BayApril 26, 2005tom@tbrownassociates.comwww.tbrownassociates.com 

2. 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�

3. �and educators with the sensitivity necessary to support them. Harold Hodgkinson All One System: Demographics of Education, Kindergarten to Graduate School. 1985

4. If we can develop a formula that empowers us to better retain �at risk� students, we will better retain students in general�. Professor Barbara Paige CSUEB Department of Ethnic Studies March 4, 2004

5. Treating everyone the same may be equal treatment, but it may not be equitable treatment.

6. A Principle: Human beings seek to economize on the energy required to make distinctions.

7. Example: Most houseplants die because we treat them all the same.

8. 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

9. 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. 

10. 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.

11. 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

12. Institutions are far more likely to attribute attrition to student characteristics than to institutional characteristics. What Works In Student Retention, 2004

13. We build beautiful campuses,

14. 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

15. 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

16. Many students who leave college do so as the result of experiences they have during the first six weeks. Astin, Tinto, Cowart

17. 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

18. 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 If advising has the power to make this difference, why then does advising continue to receive so little attention on college campuses?? A 1960s view of advising may bathe reason....If advising has the power to make this difference, why then does advising continue to receive so little attention on college campuses?? A 1960s view of advising may bathe reason....

19. We understand the relationship between good advising and retention�. CSU Hayward Plan for Facilitating Student Progress to the Baccalaureate Degree November 2003

20. 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

21. Questions to consider during this session�

22. 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?

23. Some at-risk groups in education Adult and re-entry students First-generation students Students of color Student with disabilities Student Athletes Undecided/non-curricular students First-year Students Underprepared Students Transfer Students

24. Some at-risk groups in education Adult and re-entry students First-generation students Students of color Student with disabilities Student Athletes Undecided/non-curricular students First-year Students Underprepared Students Transfer Students

25. Some at-risk groups in education Adult and re-entry students First-generation students Students of color Student with disabilities Student Athletes Undecided/non-curricular students First-year Students Underprepared Students Transfer Students

26. CSUEB Student Age Distribution 24 and younger 62.8% 25 and older 37.1% Source: CSUH Fact Book, 2004

27. Adult students often �recycle� through developmental issues faced by younger students. Chickering and Reisser, 1993

28. Adult students1. The Impostor2. The Roadrunner3. Cultural Suicide Stephen Brookfield

29. Diverse Populations:Summary of Characteristics and Techniques for Advising. Susan Frost Academic Advising for Student Success, 1991

30. 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

31. 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 techniques Understand issues of adult development Understand purpose and goals Assist in forming campus connections Encourage academic planning Encourage balance of academic and personal issues/ Be willing to act as an advocate

32. What services, programs and interventions are needed by adult students? What existing campus offices need to collaborate in support of adult students? What new strategies, programs or interventions might be needed?

33. Some at-risk groups in education Adult and re-entry students First-generation students Students of color Student with disabilities Student Athletes Undecided/non-curricular students First-year Students Underprepared Students Transfer Students

34. 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. Non-academic Challenges for First-Generation Students Straddling two cultures: home/family vs. college/university Experiencing changes in family and personal relationships Adapting to a more competitive academic setting Feelings of not belonging or feeling excluded. Texas Tech PEGASUS Program

38. Non-academic Challenges for First-Generation Students Learning how to negotiate a [large] campus system Having family and friends who don�t understand the demands of college and/or who may be unsupportive of students� decisions to attend Feeling overwhelmed Living on and managing a tight budget

39. Orientation and transition programs are critical for new students and their families. This is especially true for first generation students.

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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 strategies Awareness of issues and challenges and strengths Take early initiative to establish relationship Encourage full participation in campus life Connect with campus and community resources Be willing to act as an advocate Connect with role models and mentors Encourage maintaining connections with family, community

43. 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? What new strategies, programs or interventions might be needed?

44. Some at-risk groups in education Adult and re-entry students First-generation students Students of color Student with disabilities Student Athletes Undecided/non-curricular students First-year Students Underprepared Students Transfer Students

45. "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'Connor Gruter v. Bollinger June 23, 2003

46. 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

47. Students of ColorThe 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

48. By 2015�In California, the number of minority students will exceed the numbers of white students�.

49. CSUEB Student Profiles Fall 2000 Fall 2004Students of Color* 51.8% 53.0White Students 26.1% 24.8*Asian Pacific American, Black, Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino  CSUH Fact Book, 2004

50. CSUEB Student Profiles Fall 2004Students of Color 53.0White Students 24.8Other 16.6  CSUH Fact Book, 2004

51. 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

52. CSUEB Retention-Graduation Rates 1995 2001Asian Pacific American 57% 57%White 52 50Hispanic/Latino 43 46Black 31 22Total 50 47 CSUH Fact Book, 2004

53. 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�.

54. 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 College  Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/23/04

55. 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

56. 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, 1993 Asian American Public Policy Institute UCLA Asian American Studies Center

57. 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

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

59. Asian Pacific American Groups Asian Indian Chinese Filipino Guamanian Hawaiian Hmong Japanese Korean Laotian Pakistani Samoan Thai Vietnamese

60. 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).

61. 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

62. 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.

63. 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 Project University of Chicago, 1988

64. Quality interaction with faculty seems to be more important that any other single college factor in determining minority student persistence. Levin and Levin University of Wisconsin 1991

65. 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.

66. 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

67. 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.

68. 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.

69. �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

70. 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 common�most notably relationships with confident, competent adults who believe in them. Ann S. Masten, University of Minnesota

71. Students of Color Key characteristics Often first generation Minority for first time Often have low self concept & issues of faculty expectations Academic integration impacts achievement Inadequate preparation Lack of campus role models

72. Students of Color Key characteristics Often first generation Minority for first time Often have low self concept & issues of faculty expectations Academic integration impacts achievement Inadequate preparation Lack of campus role models Advising techniques Take initiative to connect and validate Encourage involvement Encourage use of campus resources Avoid stereotypical attitudes & behaviors Understand identity development Connect to role models

73. What services, programs and interventions are needed by students of color? What existing campus offices need to collaborate in support of students of color? What new strategies, programs or interventions might be needed?

74. Some at-risk groups in education First-generation students Adult and re-entry students Students of color Student with disabilities Student Athletes Undecided/non-curricular students First-year Students Underprepared Students Transfer Students

75. 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�

76. �and educators with the sensitivity necessary to support them. Harold Hodgkinson All one system: Demographics of Education, kindergarten to graduate school. 1985

77. Although 74% of US high school graduates go to college,only 47% have fully completed a college prep curriculum. Greater Expectations, AACU, 2002

78. 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

79. Students� academic preparedness is down on a variety of measures, but students� confidence in their abilities is higher than ever. Hansen, 1998

80. 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

81. 47% reported A/A- as their average high school grade.95% earned a B average or higher. 64% expect to earn at least a B average in college. 2003 Freshman Survey

82. 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 hours 66% Five hours or less 38% studied less than two hours a week!! 2003 Freshman Survey

83. Most students are never taught how to study. We call it the �hidden curriculum.�  Marcy Fallon University of Maryland, 2002

84. 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 Education December 6, 2002

85. 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

86. 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.

87. 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

88. 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

89. Dispositional Barriers Undermining attributions Ego involvement Reluctance to seek assistance

90. Academic Achievement Attributions Ability Time and Effort Task Difficulty Luck Bernard Weiner, 1972, 1977

91. Ability or Effort? By the time students reach high school, they generally believe that ability is a relatively fixed, unchangeable capacity. British Journal of Developmental Psychology 1983

92. Power of AttributionsThe causes to which students attribute their successes and failures has an important impact on subsequent performance.

93. Shift attributions from ability to background.Students� attributions and those of faculty and staff.

94. Dispositional Barriers Undermining attributions Ego involvement Reluctance to seek assistance

95. 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

96. 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 TO TASK 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

97. 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

98. 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

99. Dispositional Barriers Undermining attributions Ego involvement Reluctance to seek assistance

100. 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

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

102. 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.

103. 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.

104. 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

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

106. Strategies That Work Proactive intervention Target services for specific populations Encourage formation of support groups (including study groups) Encourage utilization of campus resources Use technology to deliver services

107. Goethe Knowing is not enough We must APPLY. Willing is not enough We must DO.

108. Escalante Equation SUCCESS= Commitment + Determination + HARD WORK Time

109. Supporting the Achievement and Success of At-Risk StudentsCSU East BayApril 26, 2005tom@tbrownassociates.comwww.tbrownassociates.com