Transcript Slide 1

Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Developing a College Going
Culture: What the Research
Says and How to Apply It!
Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University
Ileana Gonzalez, Doctoral Student
University of Maryland
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
What was your educational journey?
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
-Any surprises about your partner’s Ed
Journey?
-What messages do you think your students are
getting?
-Are they similar/different to the messages you
received?
-How many of you have children? -What messages
are you giving your children?
-How is that message similar of different than the
ones we give to our students.
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
What is a College Going
Culture?
The environment, attitudes, and
behaviors in schools and
communities that support and
encourage students and their
families to obtain the information,
tools, and perspective to ensure
access to and success in postsecondary education.
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McDonough’s Conceptualization of a
College-Going Culture
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Clear Expectations
College Partnerships
Family Involvement
Comprehensive Counseling Model
Testing & Curriculum
Faculty Involvement
Information and Resources
Articulation
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Clear Expectations
 Explicit goals of college preparation must
be defined and communicated clearly,
consistently, and in a variety of ways by
families and all school personnel.
 School mission statement
 Four year plans for all students
 Frequent communication with students about
their college options
 Ongoing opportunities to discuss college
preparation, define goals
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College Partnerships
 Have active links between K-12 schools
and local colleges and universities that can
lead to field trips, college fairs, and
academic enrichment programs
 Students at all grade levels have visited local
college campuses
 College dress days, door decoration contests,
guest speakers
 Tutoring programs
 Pen Pal program with college students
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Family Involvement
 Family members must have opportunities
to gain college knowledge and understand
their role.
 College Fairs for students and their families
 Evening/weekend parent workshops to learn
about college preparation, financial planning
 Parents supported in their belief that their
children are “college material.”
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Comprehensive Counseling Model
 All counselors serve as college counselors
and all student interactions with
counselors are college advising
opportunities
 All high school counselors attend state college
conferences
 Counselors at all grade levels have on-going
collaboration
 Counselors distribute college information to all
students, faculty, and staff
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Testing and Curriculum
 Students must be informed about
necessary tests, must be given the
opportunity to prepare for these tests, and
testing fees must be taken into account
 PSAT given on school day to all 10th graders
with fees waived
 Master schedules changed to make more
college prep classes available
 Students learn organizational skills
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Faculty Involvement
 Faculty must be active, informed partners
with counselors, students, and families
and professional development
opportunities must be available.
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Classroom decorations and “college corners”
College Talk in class time
Mathematics teachers work with PSAT-takers
Teachers understand their roles in college prep
Teachers visit counseling office
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Information and Resources
 Students must have access to up-to-date,
comprehensive college information and
schools must build college knowledge
infrastructure.
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College-related periodicals
PSAT/SAT/ACT materials
Financial aid materials
College catalogs
College choice guides
CD ROMS on college planning
Workshops on test prep, financial planning,
and high school coursework planning
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Articulation
 Students should have a seamless experience
from kindergarten through high school
graduation, with ongoing communication among
all schools in a feeder group, and work at one
school site should connect with activities at
other levels.
 Students hear a consistent message at all grade levels
 As early as kindergarten, students are seeing
themselves as college material
 Middle schools connect with students as young as fifth
grade
 High school and middle school counselors are pooling
resources and making connections
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UC Berkeley’s Center for
Educational Partnerships
 A College-Going Culture consists of….
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College Talk
Clear Expectations
Information and Resources
Comprehensive Counseling
Testing and Curriculum
Faculty Involvement
Family Involvement
College Partnerships
Articulation
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UC Accord’s Research on Increasing
College Access
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Leading Indicators of Increasing College
Access:
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Safe and Adequate School Facilities
A College-Going School Culture
Rigorous Academic Curriculum
Qualified Teachers
Intensive Academic and Social Supports
Opportunities to Develop a Multicultural
College Going Identity
7. Family-Neighborhood-School Connections
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1. Safe and Adequate Schools
 Students must attend schools that
are free of overcrowding, violence,
unsafe and unsanitary conditions,
and other features of school
climates that diminish achievement
and access to college.
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
2. A College Going Culture
 Teachers, counselors, administrators,
parents, and students expect students to
have all the experiences they need for
high achievement and college
preparation. Adults encourage students
to exert the necessary effort and
persistence throughout their entire
educational career and adults work
diligently to eliminate school-sanctioned
alternatives to hard work and high
expectations! Students believe college is
for them!
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Rigorous Academic Curriculum
 Students are prepared for and have
access to algebra in middle school
and college preparatory and AP
courses in high school
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Qualified Teachers
 Knowledgeable, experiences, and
fully certified teachers provide
instruction that engages students in
work of high intellectual quality.
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Intensive Academic and Social
Supports
 Teachers and counselors play a pivotal
role in informing and preparing secondary
students for college. Students need
support networks of adults and peers
who help access tutors, material
resources, counseling services, summer
academic programs, SAT prep, coaching
about college admissions and financial
aid, and other timely assistance.
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Opportunities to Develop a
Multicultural College-Going Identity
 Students see college going as integral to
their identities; they have the confidence
and skills to negotiate college without
sacrificing their own identity and
connections with their home
communities. They recognize that
college is a pathway to careers that are
valued in their families, peer groups, and
local communities.
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Connections Among Families,
Neighborhoods, and Schools Around
College-Going
 Connections between families and schools
build on parents’ strengths and consider
them a valuable education resource for
students. Educators and community
groups work together to ensure that all
families have access to essential
knowledge of college preparation,
admission, and financial aid.
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Pathways to College Network
College Focused Schools Do the
Following
 Expect all underserved students are
capable of being prepared to enroll and
succeed in college
 Provide a range of high quality, college
prep tools for students and families
 Embrace social, cultural and varied
learning styles when developing the
environment and activities at the school
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Pathways to College Network:
College Focused Schools Do the
Following
 Involve leaders at all levels in
establishing policies, programs, and
practices
 Maintain sufficient financial and
human resources for this mission
 Assess policy, programs, and practices
regularly to determine their
effectiveness
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Why Strengthen College-Going Culture in
Our Schools and Communities?
College ready rates differ
disproportionately by student/family
income level and racial/ethnic
groups.
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Realizing the College Dream
 Three Premises
 All students should graduate from high
school with a college preparatory
curriculum that enables them to take
advantage of all options in
postsecondary education or in a career
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Realizing the College Dream
 No matter what their futures may bring, as
adults these students will benefit from the
academic rigor found in college preparatory
work.
 In this time of high stakes exams, economic
hardship and changing demographics, it is
important for students to understand how
today’s challenging course work means a
brighter future not only for themselves, but
for their families and communities.
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Common Misperceptions About
Preparing for College
 Meeting my high school graduation
requirements will prepare me for college
 It’s better to take easier classes and get
better grades
 My senior year in high school doesn’t
matter
 I don’t have to worry about my grades, or
the kind of classes I take, until my
sophomore year.
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Barriers to Developing a College
Going Culture
 Counselor-Student Ratio
 Tendency of counselors to do one-on-one
work that doesn’t influence the “culture”
of a school
 Resistance from teachers (feeling like the
have too many “external program” or
some who do not think the college
message is worthwhile.
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Questions to Explore:
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What is our graduation rate?
What is our college application rate?
What is our college acceptance rate?
What are our school counselors’ top three priorities,
and how is their year and days structured?
 What percentage of our students take the SAT? ACT?
PSAT? PLAN?
 How many AP or college level classes does our school
offer?
 What is our faculty’s attitude toward the notion that
every student at our school can succeed in college?
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Questions to Explore:
 How often do our administrators, counselors, and
teachers consult college professors and
administration about curricular decisions
regarding student preparation or ask for data on
the performance of graduates?
 What do we do to promote college information
sessions?
 Do we emphasize college advocacy during our
hiring and evaluation practices?
 Do all of our students have access to all teachers
and classes?
 Is one of our school improvement goals related to
the issue of college?
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
My Educational Journey was…
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Scenic route
Congested
Extended Vacation
Stop & Go
Bumpy Road
Stop Signs
Guided Tour
Smooth Sailing
No Traffic
Uphill
Delayed Flight
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Sinking ship
Hang gliding
Adventure Tour
Foggy
Foggy, but clearing
Detour
Searching
Rolling a Rock Uphill
Stepping Stones
Fly by Night
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Good Luck!