Micromessaging and Nontraditional Student Success

Claudia Morrell © NAPE-EF 2011 1

What are examples of Inequitable Access?

(Check all that apply)

Compared with low-poverty U.S. campuses, high poverty U.S. campuses have:

        More teachers educators in areas outside their certification subjects More serious educator turnover problems More educator vacancies Larger numbers of substitute part-time educators More limited access to computers and the Internet Inadequate facilities (such as science labs) More dirty or inoperative bathrooms Lower teacher salaries

Presentation Goal

To create knowledge among participants of the complexity of issues of equity in our culture and their impact on educators ability to increase the recruitment, academic performance, and program completion of a greater number of students in non-traditional programs.

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Objectives

After completing this presentation, you will be able to demonstrate awareness of: • the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity and its continued focus on equitable access • micromessages, micro-inequities, and micro-affirmations and the promising practices in Texas that led to the program development • apply a simple scientific process to evaluate your own teaching practices and that can be used to apply and assess the impact of increasing micro-affirmations in the classroom 4

National Alliance For Partnerships in Equity 1990

NAPE founded; by 2011 scaled to 40 member states.

2002

NAPE Education Foundation launched.

Mission:

Provide equity and diversity solutions for educators to help every student fulfill his or her potential through access to the entire career spectrum.

2007 -2012

• $2.5 M from NSF for STEM Equity Pipeline Project in 12 states.

– Involved over 1200 organizations – Conducted research-based training with over 2000 educators, and – Trained school-based teams in 300 schools – Impact is powerful yet isolated – sustainability is unclear due to lack of longitudinal investment and silos

NAPE’s Lines of Business Professional Development: STEM Equity Pipeline

Provide tools and curricula for educators through conferences, presentations, webinars, and formal training

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity Research and Evaluation Technical Support

Develop reports.

Identify research based promising practices.

Provide input to others’ research.

Public Policy and Advocacy

Develop tools and resources for education agencies. Provide consulting services.

Offer expertise on issues pertaining to access, equity, and diversity.

Work with federal agencies.

Educate legislators on career equity and diversity issues.

Develop policy briefs.

Alert membership to legislative or policy issues.

Professional Development for Educators: STEM (including CTE) Access, Equity, Diversity Program Improvement Process for Equity in STEM

Institutional program that improves enrollment, retention & completion of girls & under represented populations in STEM courses STEM Equity Pipeline TM

STEM Equity Teacher Training STEM Equity Counselor Training

Training teachers to use pedagogy that improves enrollment, retention & completion of girls & under represented populations in STEM courses Coaching counselors to encourage girls and under represented populations in STEM careers

Tools & Resources

Tools to support teachers’ & counselors’ learning and assist their students, e.g., camps, partner orgs, books

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Percentage of Employed STEM Professionals Who Are Women, Selected Professions

50 40 30 20 10 0 Biological scientists Environmental scientists and geoscientists Computer programmers Chemical engineers Electrical and electronics engineers Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009,

Women in the labor force: A databook

(Report 1018) (Washington, DC), Table 11.

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Women are less likely than men are to declare a STEM major in college.

Intent of First-Year College Students to Major in Science and Engineering Fields, by Gender, 2006

35 30 25

Physical sciences Mathematics/ statistics Engineering Computer sciences Biological/ agricultural sciences

20 15 10 5 0

Female Male Source: Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology. Data derived from Cooperative Institutional Research Program, Higher Education Research Institute, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles,

The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 1990 through Fall 2006

, www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.htm.

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STEM Equity Pipeline Program Improvement Process For Equity TM

Share

Explore Assess Phase One - Orientation Phase Two – Data and Root Cause Analysis Phase Three – Implementation and Evaluation Act Assess Organize Assess Discover Assess Select NAPE EF 2011© NAPE-EF 2011

As we select the strategy (ies) as interventions remember to…

1. Define the problem 2. Identify a process for the validation of your assumptions of the causes. i.e. collect data and ask why?

3. Select a strategy 4. Implement 5. Assess/measure impact 11

We want strategies that:

• Are based on solid data collection and analysis • Lead to an equitable classroom environment • Consider and integrate research-based social and cultural issues • Counteract micro-inequities by building micro-affirmations • Be based on observations, reflection, and data 12

Formation of the Micromessaging Program

High Tech High Heels Program • Dallas-based program founded by the Women of TI (Texas Instruments) through the Women of TI Fund Blueprint • One year project to build the program involving a wide diversity of expertise at multiple levels Micromessaging Program Delivery • NSF-funded in Maryland • Program includes multiple partners 13

High Tech High Heels

Teacher Professional Development

• Since implementation in the first district in 2003, Advanced Placement (AP) Physics test pass rates have improved for both girls and boys: —

4x tests passed by girls

—

4x tests passed by African Americans

—

6x tests passed by Hispanics

• After Equity Training in the second district, the

number of AP tests passed by girls more than doubled

.

70,00% 60,00% 50,00% 40,00% 30,00% Girls Boys 20,00% 10,00% 0,00% 2002-03 2009-10 15

Assumption #1

Every educator is in the classroom because she or he cares for her or his students and wants each and every one to be successful. 16

Assumption #2

When individuals make remarks that offend someone based on their race, gender, class, ethnicity, ability, etc., they do it unintentionally. This is called

innocent ignorance.

Addressing this requires openness, education, and communication, not criticism or judgment.

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Assumption #3

Every student deserves access to an inclusive, equitable educational opportunity, regardless of gender, race, class, religion, (dis)ability, sexual orientation, and so on.

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Unconscious Bias

Culture Behavior Bias Self Efficacy Accumulation of (Dis)Advantage Micromessages

Micro-Messaging

MICRO-MESSAGES Small, subtle, semi-conscious messages we send and receive when we interact with others MICRO-INEQUITIES Negative micro-messages we send other people that cause them to feel devalued, slighted, discouraged or excluded MICRO-AFFIRMATIONS Positive micro-messages that cause people to feel valued, included, or encouraged

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Tech Alert October 27, 2011

Dear Members and Readers, Please accept our sincere apologies for the headline in today's Tech Alert: "With the Arduino, Now Even Your Mom Can Program." The actual title of the article is " The Making of Arduino ." IEEE Spectrum

Why Think About Micro Messaging?

Intent Teacher Micro-messaging

Engagement with students in the STEM classroom

Impact Student Performance

Small and seemingly insignificant behaviors may result in unfavorable learning outcomes

Impact is More Important Than Intent!

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Key Micromessaging Elements

• • • •

Verbal

(What is said)

Para-Verbal Non-Verbal

(How it’s said) (Body Language)

Contextual

(Who or what else is present; culture, artifacts, etc.) • •

Omission

(what is not said or not done)

Praise and Criticism

(feedback messages) 23 E © NAPE-EF 2011

Examining the Small

• •

Consider for a moment a specific incident when you were being… unintentionally discouraged or hurt by something

SMALL

someone said or did. deeply valued by your colleague or family member in a

SMALL

yet powerful way.

-

How did you know? What did that person do to communicate your value?

© NAPE-EF 2011 24

Guess the Cues

Which is an example of a verbal cue? • Chronically mispronouncing select student names.

• Don’t tolerate girls calling out answers but tolerates that behavior from boys • Discipline boys more than girls for similar behavior • Consistent use of generic “he” or “man” to represent both men and women • Avoiding eye contact with female student; only looking at male students • Only use males as examples of scientists

Guess the Cues

Which is an example of an omission cue? • Chronically mispronouncing select student names.

• Don’t tolerate girls calling out answers but tolerates that behavior from boys • Discipline boys more than girls for similar behavior • Consistent use of generic “he” or “man” to represent both men and women • Avoiding eye contact with female student; only looking at male students • Only use males as examples of scientists

Guess the Cues

Which is an example of a nonverbal cue? • Chronically mispronouncing select student names.

• Don’t tolerate girls calling out answers but tolerates that behavior from boys • Discipline boys more than girls for similar behavior • Consistent use of generic “he” or “man” to represent both men and women • Avoiding eye contact with female student; only looking at male students • Only use males as examples of scientists

Negative Bias = Micro-Inequities

• Often Unconscious • Usually Unintentional • Subtle • Pervasive • Powerful © NAPE-EF 2011 28

Positive Bias = Micro-Affirmations

Micro-messages we send that validate and recognize other people in positive and supportive ways.

29 © NAPE-EF 2011

Micro-Affirmations for Learning

Which of the following are examples of sending Micro affirmations that you might use?

• Interrupt micro-inequities you observe • Plant micro-affirmations • Assign females and males to activities by skill not gender • Affirm students for their effort, not by perceived attributes • Allow “wait time” before calling on students • Implement a system for calling on students, such as using shuffled index cards containing students’ names 30

Impact of Micro-Affirmations on Girls in STEM

• Increased their willingness to take risks • Enhanced creativity and innovation • Increased levels of engagement in complex tasks and open-ended thinking • Improved caring about learning • Increased interest in STEM and development of girls’ STEM-identity 31 © NAPE-EF 2011

The Role of Parents in Micromessaging, Equity and Access So, young women might have

equal

access to non-traditional careers, but they certainly do not have

equitable

access.

An

equity

approach takes bigger social and educational conditions into account —such as the influence of parents, media, and culture in general.

Educating parents so that they can encourage students through affirmations to consider non-traditional careers can be an important ally!

The educator as classroom scientist

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Let’s Review:

STEP 1: Define the problem (Set up • • • • • your hypothesis!) Recruitment Retention Pass rate Grade performance Classroom Climate 34

Let’s Review:

STEP 2: Identify a process for the validation of your assumptions of the causes (Collect data and ask why?) 35

Suggested Strategies for Gathering Data

• Peer classroom observation • Gender reverse review of physical space • Observe your students with a checklist for micromessages • Review curriculum and lesson plans for contextual clues • Learn more !

36 © NAPE-EF 2011

Let’s Review:

STEP 3: Select a strategy – (define independent and dependent variables) (See www.napequity.org

for research based root cause document) 37

Let’s Review:

STEP 4: • Implement STEP 5: • Assess/measure impact (Share) Revise STEP 1: • Define the problem (Revise your hypothesis!) 38

Did You Learn About…?

After completing this presentation, do you have more

awareness of

: (Mark

√

for

Yes or X

for

No

) • the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity and its continued focus on equitable access • micromessages, micro-inequities, and micro-affirmations and the promising practices in Texas that led to the program development • applying a simple scientific process to evaluate your own teaching practices • applying this process to assessing the impact of increasing micro-affirmations in the classroom 39

Questions?

• What information, training or resources would you like to more about?

“Diversity Trumps Ability Every Time.” Page (2007). The Difference: How the power of diversity creates better groups, firms, schools, and societies.

For more information

About NAPE and the STEM Equity Pipeline www.napequity.org

www.stemequitypipeline.org

Claudia Morrell [email protected]

For further professional development

Debra Hsu [email protected]

Eva Scates-Winston [email protected]

Al Hauge [email protected]