Peralta Scholars Program

Peralta Community College District Strategic Student Success Initiative

The Challenge

In addition to overall deficits in completion, Latino and black students are 5-10% less likely to complete than white or Asian...

- Community College League of California Source: http://www.cccvision2020.org/GOALS.aspx

The Initiative

Peralta Scholars Program (PSP) is a comprehensive academic success program targeting African American and Latino students in the Peralta Community College District aiming to positively impact the rates of recruitment, persistence, and completion.

Rationale

The initiative is led at the District level to coordinate the current efforts AND to launch the Peralta Scholars Program. PSP is informed by best practices and subject matter experts in programming for students based on gender and culture.

Subject Matter Experts

• Michael Cuyjet • Pedro Noguera • Shaun Harper • Gilda Ochoa • Luke Woods • Tyrone C. Howard • Schott Foundation

Promising Practices

ASAP Findings

• There are large and significant differences between ASAP and comparison group students in terms of retention rates, movement through developmental course work, credit accumulation, and graduation rates. These differences are seen as early as the first semester and continue to be found at all junctures over three years.

• Students who start ASAP with developmental needs graduate at high rates like students who enter fully skills proficient: After three years, 47% of ASAP students with developmental needs and 56% of fully skills proficient ASAP students have graduated vs. 19% of non ASAP students with developmental needs and 28% of fully skills proficient non-ASAP students.

• Students from underrepresented groups appear to benefit more from ASAP than other students.

• When graduation and transfer are considered together, 63 out of every 100 students who began ASAP three years earlier have either graduated, transferred to a baccalaureate program, or both vs. 44 comparison group students. • Most importantly ASAP students graduate at more than double the rates of non-ASAP students.

Source: http://www.cuny.edu/academics/programs/notable/asap/about/evaluation/ASAPkeyeval032014.pdf

Program Benchmarks

Program Benchmarks

Program Features

• Bridge Program • Program Orientation • Intrusive Counseling • Early Alert • Staff/Student Workshops • Community/Career Mentor • *Mandatory Tutoring * Based on Assessment

Bridge Features

• Math Boot Camp • English Boot Camp • Cultural Workshops • Gender Workshops • Life Skills • Academic Skills • Services/Resources • Team Building

Program Benefits

• PSP Grant • Book Voucher • Fulfillment of SSSP • Eligible for Scholarships • Built-In Peer Network from Bridge Program

Program Eligibility

• California Resident/AB540 • Receive Need Based Financial Aid • Enrolled in at least 12 Units • Enroll in an approved major with the intent to graduate and/or transfer within 3 years

If patterns of inequality are invisible, they will not be discussed, and if institutional participants do not have a reason or opportunity to talk about unequal outcomes, the problem will not be addressed directly.

- Estela Maria Bensimon Director, USC Center for Urban Education Source: http://cue.usc.edu/tools/Bensimon_Closing%20the%20Achievement%20Gap%20in%20Higher%20Education.pdf

District Led Initiative

Key Stakeholders

• District Leadership • Advisory Committee • Peralta Foundation • College Presidents • College VPs • Faculty Leads • Lead Counselor/s • Associated Students • Community Partners

Advisory Committee

Peralta Scholars Program (PSP) Advisory Committee Members provide counsel, advice, and insight to the Chancellor and the PSP leadership team. The primary purpose of the advisory committee is to assess the programs impact on student success and addressing the achievement gap at PCCD. The committee uses their social capital to advocate, fundraise, and promote the PSP on their respective campuses and in the broader communities we serve. PSP Advisory Committee members meet monthly and review progress reports on the program and provide recommendations.

Program Staffing

• 1 FTE District Administrator • 1 FTE Staff Assistant • 1 FTE Program Manager • 4 Student Workers

District Administrator

Reporting to the Vice Chancellor of Education Services, the incumbent organizes, and oversees the implementation of the Peralta Scholars Program (PSP). The incumbent builds, maintains, and streamlines the internal and external partnerships that ensure the success of the program and PCCD students. The incumbent oversees the data collection, trainings, and process of PSP. The District Administor secures the budget, approves all expenditures, and supervises the district PSP staff.

Program Manager

Reporting to the District Administrator, the Program Manger oversees the day to-day operations of the program and is the primary contact for campus teams for the PSP. The Program Manager works with the campus teams to provide strategy, update student files, and collect data. The incumbent ensures the campus teams have the training, information, and resources they need to fully implement the program. The incumbent will coordinate the bridge program and any special events associated with PSP. The program manger supervises the student workers.

Student Workers - District

Reporting directly to the Program Manager, the student workers are assigned a PCCD College to service. Each student worker will responsible to follow up with various requests from the colleges including but not limited to: supporting campus specific events/programs, management of website/social network, processing applications, and serving as peer support for Peralta Scholars.

• • • • •

District Role

Establish Program Train Campus Staff Collect and Report Data Conduct Research Coordinate Travel to National • Conferences • Host Special Programs Publish Newsletter

Program Staffing Campuses

• 1 FTE Faculty Lead • 1 FTE Counselor • 2 Student Workers

Faculty Lead - Campus

The PSP Faculty Lead is the primary person responsible for implementing the PSP program on campus. The faculty lead will be trained by the District ’s PSP leadership on the components of the program, success strategies for the targeted population and submission progress reports. Using the criteria and regulations developed at the district level, the PSP Faculty Lead selects participants for the program and tracks the progress of PSP students. The Faculty Lead also conducts PSP student orientations and workshops related to the program.

Counselor - Campus

The PSP Counselor advises the PSP students towards their academic goals. Each PSP Counselor meets with each PSP student a minimum of three (3) times per semester ensuring that the student is moving systematically toward completion of certificate or degree. The counselor provides academic, career, personal, and if necessary, transfer counseling to the PSP students. The counselor presents student success workshops to the PSP students.

Student Workers - Campus

Reporting directly to the Faculty Lead, the student two (2) student workers at each campus provides support and peer advising to the PSP students. Student workers assist with logistics for campus programs, processing applications, and other clerical responsibilities to support the programs at the campus level.

Program Goals Y1

• 150 Students Per Campus/Per • Semester Impact Total 1200 students • 60% Persistence Rate

Program Goals Y2

• 300 Students Per Campus/Per • Semester Impact total 2400 students • 70% Persistence Rate

Program Goals Y3

• 450 Students Per Campus/Per • Semester Impact total 3,600 students • 80% Persistence Rate • 40% Completion Rate

Benefits of Peralta Scholars

• District-wide Strategic Approach • Based on successful models and promising practices • SSSP components are integrated within the program • Significantly move the needle on the achievement gap • Place Peralta on the leading edge in this work being done across the nation

Challenges of Peralta Scholars

• District-wide Strategic Approach • The program addresses the identity of “student” but is not nuanced regarding culture • The unique challenges faced by males is not addressed in a broad outreach approach • Requires a high level of commitment by all stakeholders

Discussion

Promising Practices

I have over 10 years experience developing student success programs with an emphasis on gender and culture •AAMASU •STARS •LINK •CSRD •Publications

Promising Practices

LINK Findings

• 95% of pilot cohort (N=24) completed the program. 83% of pilot cohort persisted and registered for classes the following semester. The average GPA of the cohort was 2.92 • 97% of full cohort (N=88) completed the program. 90% persisted both fall and spring semesters. The average GPA was 2.75

• The LINK cohort retention rate of 90% exceeded the campus-wide retention rate of 59%.

• LINK students overwhelming “ strongly agree ” that the program was integral to their early college success according to post program survey.

My Background

• • • • • AAMASU LINK Publications Presentations Consultation