In the News…

Lack of Teacher Diversity Requires Special Strategies

The recent report by the Center for American Progress,, “Teacher Diversity Matters: A State-by-State Analysis of Teachers of Color,” students of color are unlikely to have classroom teachers who look like them or who share their life experiences. More than simply an issue of racial differences between teachers and students, there are a broad range of issues that both teachers, administrators, students, and parents must understand if we are to do a better job preventing more students from falling off of the primary to postsecondary pathway to college.

The introduction to the report notes:

“At some point over the next 10 – 12 years, the nation’s public school student body will have no clear racial or ethnic majority. In other words, students of color—students who are not classified as non-Hispanic whites—will constitute more than half of our primary and secondary students. This demographic trend is already manifest in some of the nation’s most populous states, including California and Texas, where the majority of students are students of color.

But the makeup of the nation’s teacher workforce force has not kept up with these changing demographics. At the national level, students of color make up more than 40 percent of the public school population. In contrast, teachers of color—teachers who are not non-Hispanic white—are only 17 percent of the teaching force.”

As an African-American parent and product of urban schools where nearly all of my teachers were teachers of color, my two sons have had few such teachers. With my older son now in his third year at Amherst College and my younger son in his final year of high school, my wife developed strategies that were largely successful in bridging the socio-cultural gaps between our family and our sons’ teachers and dispelling the many stereotypes that teachers have of children and families who do not look like them and who do not share their set of life experiences.

Some of the important questions to be raised are:

  • How will teachers raised in predominately white suburban communities understand students and families of color, and particularly who are living in poverty?
  • How will such teachers overcome the many stereotypes they were indoctrinated with during their upbringing about “those people?”
  • How will such teachers overcome racial, cultural, gender, generational, and socioeconomic gaps to build relationships with students and families?
  • What must teachers to do overcome the inherent distrust that many students and families have of teachers and schools?

Share the blog entry, “It Happened to Them” with teachers who may need to be reminded of how important it is to overcome the deeply embedded institutional stereotypes regarding children of color and children living in poverty.

While there is much that teachers and schools must do to address these important issues, some of the important things that we had to do that parents and students of color might consider:

  1. At the beginning of each school year, we send in a package of information about our family, our expectations for our children (academic and behavior), the aspirations that our children have for themselves, and our contact information (phone, email, and fax).
  2. We express to teachers that if there are academic honors, e.g., Honor Roll, National Honor Society, etc., that we expect our children to qualify.
  3. We make it a point to express to teachers that we are expecting “A’s” and not just passing grades!
  4. We contact teachers on a regular basis as a means of keeping in touch to ensure that our children are doing well academically and behaving as expected.
  5. We reaffirm our expectations each morning with our children and ask the question each day after school, “Tell me what happened today at school.”
  6. We make it a point to meet with the school’s counselor, principal, safety officer, custodians, cafeteria workers, and anyone at the school who will come into contact with our children.
  7. At the end of the school approaches we attempt to identify the best teachers for our children for the next school year and we send a letter to the principal asking for such teachers as the best match to the needs of our children (easier in elementary school, more difficult in middle school, and nearly impossible in high school)
  8. We express to our sons the importance of sitting in the front of the class, participating in class discussions, and avoiding the stereotypes that are typically directed at boys and particularly boys of color.
  9. Whenever there are teachers of color, or men, on staff we lobby the principal to assign our sons to their classrooms (provided that they are good teachers).
  10. We identify programs run by teachers of color, or men, for our sons to participant in, e.g., athletics, martial arts, music, chorus, JROTC, clubs, etc.

Keep in mind that there are many gaps to overcome, e.g., socioeconomic, cultural, educational, gender, and many stereotypes to be dispelled when teachers are racially and culturally different from the students whom they teacher and families whom they must interact with. My wife and I are well aware at how exhausting it is to cultivate the necessary relationship with our sons’ teachers so that they are vested in our sons’ success. However, we have found that identifying teachers who are vested in student success is not function of race, but one of the heart.

As a result of our proactive approach to building relationships with our sons’ teachers we have, more often than not, been successful in cultivating the necessary relationships to ensure our sons’ social and academic success during their K – 12 schooling.

Read the report…

 

US Forest Service Internship Opportunities

Click here to see the recruitment bulletin and application for our Fiscal Year 2012 Student Career Experience and Student Temporary Experience Internship Opportunities.

The US Forest Service is seeking Women, Minorities, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities who are freshman and sophomores seeking their bachelor degree. Candidates must be willing to go anywhere in the Region’s 20 states and reside in a rural setting.

Individuals selected for the Student Career Experience Program have a great chance of being given permanent status upon successful completion of 640 hours and their academic degree.

The Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) (formerly the Cooperative Education Program) is designed to integrate classroom study with paid work experience to prepare students for responsible placement into the Forest Service’s permanent workforce.

The Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) also offers students work experience in the Forest Service, but does not offer placement into it’s permanent workforce.  Successful STEP students can be placed into the SCEP program at the Forest Services’ discretion.

This bulletin is aimed primarily at freshman and sophomore students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a field which, upon graduation, will provide the academic background, knowledge, and skills required for the target position. Students must complete a minimum of 640 hours of work experience prior to graduation.

For further information contact:

Ms. Montez L. Ashley
Equal Employment Opportunity & Student Employment Specialist
USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region
626 E. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202

414-297-3150
414-944-3938

mashley@fs.fed.us
R9_students@fs.fed.us
R9_ProjectHire@fs.fed.us

U.S. Department of Transportation

2012 Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups (STIPDG)

Internship Period: June 4th – August 10th 2012

The Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups (STIPDG) provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and skills that will compliment your academic pursuits. This hands-on program is designed to mentor and cultivate tomorrow’s leaders, strengthen their understanding of the transportation industry and prepare them for future public service opportunities.

The STIPDG Program is open to all qualified candidates without regard to their race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited by federal law.

The Summer 2012 STIPDG application period is now OPEN.

To apply for this year’s program, apply here, and continue reading for more program details.

Application Deadline: Selections may be made as applications are received, but typically do not occur until the application closes: December 31, 2011.

 

Huge Differences in Graduation Rates

We have long known of the significant differences between the high school graduation and college enrollment rates of students from various racial groups. The NCAA Graduation Rate Data allows parents and students to review the 6-year graduation rates of regular students versus student-athletes, by race and gender, at all NCAA Division I, II, and III schools.

For example, the University of Georgia reports the following 6-year graduation rates:

  • 79 percent for all students
  • 59 percent for student-athletes
  • 57 percent for Black males
  • 39 percent for Black male student-athletes
  • 76 percent for Black females
  • 50 percent for Black female student-athletes

The overall Division I 6-year graduation rates are:

  • 62 percent for all students
  • 64 percent for student-athletes
  • 38 percent for Black male students
  • 49 percent for Black male student-athletes
  • 49 percent for Black female students
  • 63 percent for Black female student-athletes

The report also provides information regarding the number and racial makeup of scholarship recipients by sport. For example, at the University of Georgia, Blacks received 61 of the 86 football scholarships and 10 of the 12 basketball scholarships. Whites received 27 of the 29 Baseball scholarships and 27 of the 40 Track scholarships.

Law Day Video Contest

This annual contest, sponsored by American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about the legal system, get creative, and win an educational trip to Washington, DC. The 2012 theme is “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom.” Visit the website to see the winning video from 2011.

What: 2nd Annual Law Day Video Contest

How: Submit a 3-minute video

Who: All students grades 9 – 12

When: Deadline is February 15, 2012

Visit Facebook Page…

Visit website…

Opportunities for High School Dropouts

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program

The National Guard Youth Foundation (NGYF) supports the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program by providing scholarships, training, and workforce transition assistance to graduates of the ChalleNGe Program.

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program provides opportunities to young people who have dropped out of school or who are at risk of dropping out of school. Founded in 1993, the program gives troubled youth the opportunity to turn their lives around. Sixteen- to18-year-old male and female high school dropouts are eligible to apply for the 17-month program, which includes a five-month residential phase followed by a 12-month mentoring phase.

“On Wednesday, May 18, 2011, one of Charles Wilson’s dreams became a reality.

A former high school dropout, Cadet First Class Wilson walked across the stage at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy last week to receive his diploma and shook hands with the President of the United States.” Read more…

The ChalleNGe Program operates in 27 states and one territory. A few states without programs arrange to send students to bordering state programs. For example, students from DC can attend the Maryland ChalleNGe Program and students from Nevada can attend in Arizona.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • 16 – 18 years of age and enter the program prior to the 19th birthday
  • A high school dropout/expellee
  • A citizen or legal resident of the United States and resident of the state in which the program is conducted
  • Unemployed
  • Not currently on parole or probation for anything other than juvenile status offenses. Not serving time or awaiting sentencing, not under indictment or charged, not convicted of a felony or capital offense.
  • Drug free

See the states offering programs…

The Job Corps

The Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job. For eligible young people at least 16 years of age that qualify as low income, Job Corps provides the all-around skills need to succeed in a career and in life.

Go to the Job Corps website…

Go to the follow website to find a Job Corps center near you…

 

Learning-challenged Students’ College Opportunities

For parents of students currently diagnosed with a learning-disability or who are currently enrolled in elementary, middle, or high school special education classes, please reading the October 18, 2011 USA Today article, “Learning-disabled students get a firmer grip on college” by Mary Beth Marklein. Ms. Marklein highlights some of the challenges confronting students as well as the increased college opportunities available to such students. Nearly nine out of ten of the country’s two-year and four-year colleges enroll students with disabilities. And, while 86 percent of such schools enroll students with learning disabilities, only 26 percent provide sufficient support mechanisms in place. Nearly 11 percent of college students have some sort of disability. Students with attention-deficit or related disorders have increased to 19 percent. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, all colleges are required to provide accommodations to college students. However, unlike elementary, middle, and high schools, which are required by law to identify, evaluate and help students with disabilities, colleges do not have to do anything unless a student asks for help.

Landmark College in Putney, Vermont hosts summer boot camps to assist students in developing strategies to prepare for a successful transition into their first year of college. Students learn how to cope with academics, speak to instructors, and advocate for their rights such as extra time on tests, access to a professor’s notes, or a distraction-free place to study. The program stresses the importance of students learning how to advocate for themselves. Most most students had parents advocating for them throughout their K – 12 schooling and teachers who failed to effectively prepare students for college.

One of the greatest challenges facing such students is the lack of postsecondary preparation that they received in their K – 12 schooling. Many students were not taught note-taking, test preparation, or public speaking skills or how to maximize their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. Few Special Education classes engaged students in the type of critical-thinking discussions they would be expected to engage in at the college level. In essence, the disabilities that they entered school with were oftentimes worsten during their K – 12 schooling. To fully understand what I mean, visit the Special Education classrooms one of your local schools and observe how little expectations teachers have of student performance. Then visit one of the athletic fields or gymnasiums and observe the stark contrast in the expectations that coaches have of their athletes (who also special education students). This is the best example of mainstreaming special education students. If you are truly interested in preparing your children or students for college, adopt a coaches’ mentality–expect more and they will give you more!

What you should do if you have learning challenges and you are planning to attend college:

  • Research scholarships for students with learning challenges
  • Thoroughly research colleges to identify those that offer the best support programs
  • Research colleges that offer special degree programs for students with learning challenges (e.g., Sage and Excelsior colleges in Troy and Albany New York, University of Alabama, University of Arizona)
  • Be honest and upfront, tell colleges what your challenges are and ask how they can support you in being successful

College Research Sheet

It is highly advisable that students research and visit potential colleges. The completed College Research Sheet illustrated here provides a quick glimpse of the differences between Ivy League, HBCU, public, military, and highly-selective liberal arts colleges. There are huge differences in acceptance rates, graduation rates, number of students, costs of attendance, and diversity. Students should identify a group of colleges they are interested in applying to, thoroughly research the schools, schedule an on-campus visit, and carefully discuss their options with parents, counselors, coaches, and students who have attended the college or university.

Download a blank College Research Sheet