innovative educators june 23, 2010. jessica dennis, ph.d. california state university, los angeles
TRANSCRIPT
Innovative Educators June 23, 2010
Jessica Dennis, Ph.D.California State University, Los Angeles
OverviewCharacteristics of Latino FGCSObstacles to success and retention for Latino FGCS Challenges faced by faculty and administrators working
with Latino FGCSProviding better services to Latino FGCS at critical junctures:
Pathway to collegeTransition to collegeTransfer from 2-year to 4-year institutionsCompleting college
Summary and future directions
“When referring to Latino culture, there is no such thing as ‘one Latino culture.’ Given the array of countries of origin that Latinos identify with, culture is internalized and expressed differently from person to person, family to family, and community to community.” (Torres, 2004)
Diversity among Latino College Students Latino students are diverse demographically with regard
to country of origin, language fluency, and generation in the United States.60% are female44% are over the age of 2648% are of Mexican heritage86% are U.S. citizensMost are 2nd generation (born in US, parents born in the
country of origin)
Excelencia in Education and Institute for Higher Education Policy (2005). How Latino students pay for college: Patterns of Financial Aid in 2003-04.
How many Latino college students are first generation college students?In 2003-04, 49% of Latino undergraduates
were the first in their family to go to college (compared to 35% of all undergraduates).
Only 29% of Latino undergraduates had a parent who had graduated from college (compared to 41% of all undergraduates).
Excelencia in Education and Institute for Higher Education Policy (2005). How Latino students pay for college: Patterns of Financial Aid in 2003-04.
Achievement Gaps for Latino/Hispanic College StudentsMost reports using large-scale datasets
such as the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) or the Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System (IPEDS) describe statistics for Hispanic Students in general, not just those who are FGCS.
These various sources indicate large gaps in educational achievement for Hispanic youths.
Latino Youth and the Pathway to CollegeSwail et al. (2004) used the NELS dataset which followed students
for 12 years beginning in the 8th grade.Despite the generally high aspirations of Latino youth and their
parents, they face many challenges in making it to college:Low academic preparation- 59% of Latinos were classified as “not
qualified” for college based on an index of GPA, SAT scores, etc. (compared to 44% of the overall cohort).
Less likely to have a high school degree (86% vs. 92% of the overall cohort).
More likely to complete high school with low-level math courses.
Swail, W. S., Cabrera, A. F., & Chul Lee, C. (2004). Latino youth and the pathway to college. Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center.
Latino Youth and the Pathway to College66% of Latinos went onto some form of higher
education (vs. 73% of overall cohort).However:
61% enroll at 2-year institutions (vs. 44% of overall cohort)51% attend on a part-time basis (vs. 39% overall cohort)57% are not continuously enrolled (vs. 37 of overall cohort)23% obtain Bachelor’s degrees 8 years after schedule HS
completion (vs. 43% of overall cohort)
Swail, W. S., Cabrera, A. F., & Chul Lee, C. (2004). Latino youth and the pathway to college. Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center.
Underperformance among High Achieving Latinos Those Latinos who are the most prepared for college are
less likely to attend less selective institutions that have higher rates of retention overall (Fry, 2004).
College graduation rates are consistently between 6-8% lower for Latinos than Whites even at highly selective institutions (Kelly, Schneider, & Carey, 2010).
Gandara (2005) found that these high-achieving Latino students were more likely than White and Asian students to come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“While some Latino students who are consistently high achievers may be ‘on track’ for college, their academic careers can be derailed by the same factors that are often associated with low-achieving students. If they are among the few who are invited into a college access program, it will not likely be designed with high achievers in mind, and the support offered may not be appropriate for their needs.”
Gandara, P. (2005). Fragile futures: Risk and vulnerability among Latino high achievers. Policy Evaluation and Research Center. Educational Testing Center
A Web of ResponsibilitiesGandara (2005) suggest that even high performing Latino students
experience a large number of “wholly unanticipated events” associated with SES disadvantages that may prevent them from following through with commitments:Transportation, childcare, and health care problemsFinding money to pay for expenses and buy booksNecessity of conducting routine business in circuitous ways due to
being undocumented or having family members who areNeeding to be available as a translator or cultural broker for members
of the family Strong responsibility to put the needs of family members ahead of their
own immediate commitments
DiscussionWhat are some examples of responsibilities and
stressors reported by Latino college students you’ve worked with? What were they doing to cope with these
problems?How did these stressors affect their ability to
complete academic tasks?What was some of the advice you gave to these
students?
Three Types of Gaps Experienced by Latino First Generation College StudentsAlthough these stressors may be experienced by any
students, what is unique about the experiences of Latino FGCS?Gaps in achievement between actual performance and
potential for successGaps in knowledge and expectations between the students
and faculty Gaps in cultural expectations between the students and
their parents
Gaps in KnowledgeLatino FGCS enter college students must gain access to
the “culture of college” (Cabrera & Padilla, 2004; Gofen, 2009).Knowledge about resources for managing barriersInformation on managing college life Modeling of literacy, setting high academic standards, help
with schoolworkValues regarding the importance or prioritization of
educationThis knowledge is often taken for granted by those in
middle-class families or by schools that serve middle-class families.
Gaps between Latino College Students and their ParentsThe acculturation gap is the gap between the
cultural values and expectations of less acculturated parents and their more acculturated children (Dennis, Basanez, & Farahmand, 2010).
As Latinos students reduce their gaps in college knowledge, the gaps between themselves and their parents may be increasing.
The Challenge for EducatorsHow can educators give Latino FGCS access to
the culture of college without further separating them from the protective features of their heritage culture?
Critical junctures:Pathway to collegeMaking the transition to collegeMaking the transfer from 2-year to 4-yearCompleting college
Resources Hispanic Serving Institutions Program provides
grants to assist HSIs in expanding the opportunities of Hispanic students:http://www2.ed.gov/programs/idueshsi/index.html
Summaries of interventions:U.S. Department of Education (2000). What works for Latino youth. White
House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. The College Board (2008). Resources for Increasing Latino Participation
and Success in Higher Education.
Pathway to College: Pre-college Outreach ProgramsAdvantages- Increase college readiness and
parent involvementExamples of Programs
High School Puente ProjectAVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Reading
for Undergraduates Program)EAOP (Early Academic Outreach Program)MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science
Achievement)
High School Puente ProjectHigh school teachers provide intensive college prep ‑
English classes on Latino literature in 9th and 10th grades. Bicultural counselors guide students toward college
through high school.Latino community professionals provide mentoring. Families become involved with students' pathways to
college.Peer networks of Puente students support each other's
college goal.
Cooper, C. (2002). Five bridges along students' pathways to college: A Developmental blueprint of families, teachers, counselors, mentors, and peers in the Puente Project. Educational Policy, 17, 607-622.
Pre-college Outreach: Getting StartedIntegrate programs within K-12 schools, making long-
term investments in students (Gullat & Jan, 2003).Suggestions from Clark and Dorris (2006):
Identify and recruit bilingual community members who can serve as cultural home-school liasons.
Leaders must take time to understand their community well and form partnerships with others in order to get families involved.
Effective marketing and delivery is key.
Clark, A. A., & Dorris, A. (2006). Welcoming Latino parents. Principal Leadership, 7, 22-25.
Pre-college: Building Academic Skills and College KnowledgePut students on the college track with a rigorous
curriculum for English, math, and science.Teaching by qualified teachers that engages students in
work of high intellectual quality and opportunities to learn.
Provide intensive academic support with tutoring, SAT preparation, coaching about college admissions, and financial aid.
Teach note-taking, higher-order thinking, time management, and other self-advocacy skills.
Pre-college: Inspiring StudentsLatino FGCS students are bicultural individuals who must
balance multiple worlds.Pre-college programs must help them to develop a
multicultural, college going identity.‑Confidence and skills to negotiate college without sacrificing
their identities and connections with their home communities.
Advisors and interventions should encourage introspection and goal setting so that students clarify and focus their motivations.Ginorio and Huston (2001) discuss helping students to
cultivate and develop “possible selves”.Ceja (2004) discusses how successful Latino students are
inspired by their parents’ struggles to work harder.
“I’ve seen my dad, how he struggles to get ahead. I don’t want to go through that struggle. A big factor for him is that he didn’t have an education. That’s why I want to get higher than high school. I know I want to go to college and get somewhere further than high school.”
Ceja, (2004). Chicana college aspirations and the role of parents: Developing educational resiliency. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 3, 338-362.
Pre-college: Empowering ParentsLatino parents have high aspirations for their
children, but may lack knowledge of many features of the college process.
Barriers to Latino parental involvementFeeling as outsidersLanguage barriersDiscomfort with talking to school personnelBelief that it is best to leave educational
guidance to professionals
Clark and Dorris’ (2006) suggestions include:Help parents build their advocacy skills and give
parents opportunities to use their new skills.Parents should gain information about course
selection, interpretation of test information, college admissions discussions, college visits, and financial aid planning.
Parent-student activities should encourage students to seek parent input and involvement.
Pre-college: Empowering Parents
Missouri State University’s Hispanic Initiative http://education.missouristate.edu/hi/default.htm
Transition to College Programs
Advantages: develop skills, provide early advisement, and increase academic and social integration
Examples of first year experience and bridge programs:Summer Bridge Programs
At CSULA, students participate in a 6-week program. Learning Communities
Courses are linked with common materials and content; students enroll in classes together and share learning and social experiences.
Classroom based learning communities (Tinto, 1997) Living Learning programs (Inklas et al., 2007)
First Year Experience Programs
Transition to College: Getting StartedTarget those at greatest risk and provide remediation
early.Provide incentive for participation such as course
credit or requirement to complete remediation in the 1st year.
Start the advisement process early and intrusively. Teach study skills, organization, and time management
and include personal development.Increase awareness of campus resources and servicesBuild peer support networks.
Transition to College: Providing Validating ExperiencesRendon (1994) suggests that non-traditional students often
enter college expecting to fail, but “suddenly begin to believe in their innate capacity to learn and to become successful college students.”
Experiences and external agents inside and outside the classroom can play a role in “validating” students.
Validating experiences increase students’ intrinsic motivation for learning and their confidence in themselves.
These experiences promote involvement, which is the time, energy, and effort students devote to the learning process (Astin, 1999).
Transition to College: Providing Validating ExperiencesValidating Experiences include the following:
Faculty are partners in learning, allow students to have a voice and share their ideas.
Students bring a rich reservoir of experience and are motivated to believe they are capable of learning.
Active learning techniques with collaborative learning, discussion, field trips, demonstrations, etc.
Revision and mastery are a key part of assignments.Students work together in teams and are encouraged to
share information.Core curriculum is inclusive of minorities and women. Information is provided on strategies, make the implicit
explicit.
Transition to College: Creating New Networks of SupportSaunders and Serna (2004) found that some Latino
FGCS were able to create new networks of support while maintaining old networks.
Peers can help create and affirm their emerging identity as a college student. Provide access to information and resourcesAcademic support and encouragement for studyingRole models of college success
Transfer from 2-year to 4-year Institutions
Perez and Ceja (2010) summarize the following factors that are associated with greater likelihood of transfer for Latino students: Student enrollment directly after high schoolContinuous enrollment without “stopping out”Orientation programs for new studentsDual access programs that allow high school students to
take college coursesTransfer articulation agreements between 2-year and 4-
year institutions
Completing College: Continual Advisement, Counseling, and Support
Advisement and Support ServicesDevelop early warning, tracking, and advising systems to
monitor progress and intervene when necessary, before it is too late.
Be intrusive and provide incentives for participation.Services must be flexible and remove barriers.
What to include?Make performance contractsAdvisement must focus on the “whole student”.Programs and services should “scale down” the college
experience. Dedicated staff should be “first responders” who provide a
“road map” to navigate the college environment (Engle & Tinto, 2009).
Norfolk State University’s Academic Performance Contract
http://www.nsu.edu/access/advisee_hb/performance_contract.html
Future DirectionsMost research focuses on early intervention for
Latino FGCS.Less is known about:
How to sustain the impact of these interventions and continue to motivate students throughout college and beyond.
How to involve families of Latino first generation college students at the post-secondary level.
Rising to the ChallengeSteps for colleges and universities seeking to improve the
outcomes of Latino students at their institution:Develop a strategic plan.Conduct surveys or focus groups with currently enrolled Latino
students to identify what works and what doesn’t.Establish a coordinating team at the institution to guide your
plans and programs. Create an inventory of programs, activities, and resources
currently available.Tap resources, both internal and external, to boost your
efforts.Conduct pilot programs recommended by your team.Evaluate results on an ongoing basis to refine programs.
The College Board (2008). Resources for Increasing Latino Participation and Success in Higher Education.
Online Resources Relating to Latinos in Higher EducationExcelencia in Educationwww.edexcelencia.orgPew Hispanic Centerhttp://pewhispanic.orgNational Hispanic Education Alliancehttp://nhealliance.orgLatino College Dollars- List of Scholarship resources compiled
by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institutehttp://www.latinocollegedollars.org
Online Resources Relating to First Generation College StudentsUniversity Parentwww.universityparent.comFirst in the Familywww.firstinthefamily.orgNational Survey of Student Engagementhttp://nsse.iub.edu/index.cfmNational Academic Advising Association (NACADA): First-
Generation College Student Advising email listhttp://www.nacada.ksu.edu/listserve/C31.htm
Suggested ReadingsClark, A. A., & Dorris, A. (2006). Welcoming Latino parents. Principal Leadership, 7, 22-25.Cooper, C. (2002). Five bridges along students' pathways to college: A Developmental blueprint of
families, teachers, counselors, mentors, and peers in the Puente Project. Educational Policy, 17, 607-622.
Gandara, P. (2005). Fragile futures: Risk and vulnerability among Latino high achievers. Policy Evaluation and Research Center. Educational Testing Center
Fry, R. (2002). Latinos in higher education: Many enroll, too few graduate. Washington, D.C.: Pew Hispanic Center.
Fry, R. (2004). Latinos youth finishing college: The role of selective pathways. Washington, D.C.: Pew Hispanic Center.
Ginorio, A., & Huston, M. (2001). Si, se puede, Yes, we can! Latinas in school. American Association of University Women Educational Foundation.
Kelly, A., Schneider, M., & Carey, K. (2010). Rising to the challenge: Hispanic college graduate rates as a national priority. American Enterprise Institute.
Rendon, L. (1994). Validating culturally diverse students: Toward a new model of learning and student development. Innovative Higher Education, 19, 33-51.
Saunders, M. & Serna, I. (2004)., Making college happen: The college experiences of first-generation Latino students. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 3, 146-163.
The College Board (2008). Resources for Increasing Latino Participation and Success in Higher Education.
Other Works CitedAstin, A. W. (1999). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College
Student Development, 40, 518-529.Cabrera N. L., & Padilla, A. M. (2004). Entering and succeeding in the “culture of college”: The story of two
Mexican heritage students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 26, 152-170.Ceja, (2004). Chicana college aspirations and the role of parents: Developing educational resiliency.
Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 3, 338-362. Dennis, J. M., Basañez, T., & Farahmand, A. (2010). Intergenerational conflicts among Latinos in early adulthood: Separating
values conflicts with parents from acculturation conflicts. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 32, 118-135.Engle, J., & Tinto, V. (2009). Moving beyond access: College success for low-income, first generation college
students. Report for Pell Institute.Excelencia in Education and Institute for Higher Education Policy (2005). How Latino students pay for
college: Patterns of Financial Aid in 2003-04. Gofen, A. (2009). Family capital: How first-generation higher educational students break the
intergenerational cycle. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 58, 104-120.
Gullatt, Y., & Jan, W. (2003). How do pre-collegiate academic outreach programs impact college-going among underrepresented students? Washington, DC: Pathways to College Network Clearinghouse.
Inkelas, K. K., Daver, Z., D., Vogt, K. E., & Leonard, J. B. (2007). Living-learning programs and first generationa college students’ academic and social transition to college, Research in Higher Education, 47, 403-434.
Jehangir, R. R. (2009). Cultivating voice: First generation students seek full academic citizenship in multicultural learning communities. Innovative Higher Education, 34, 33-49.
Perez, P. A., & Ceja, M. (2009). Building a Latina/o transfer culture: Best practices and outcomes in transfer to universities. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 9, 6-21.
Tinto, V. (1997). Classrooms as communities: Exploring the educational character of student persistence. Journal of Higher Education, 68, 599–623.
Jessica DennisDepartment of Psychology
California State University, Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA 90032
