Minority Students on the College Track Amy Cook, PhD & Arthur McCann, PhD ASCA 2012, Minneapolis

Overview Introduction and Need for Study Methodology Results Findings and Implications

Introduction and Need for Study By the year 2025, projected Hispanic school-aged population (ages 5-19) is estimated to reach over 20.1 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). Projected African American school-aged population by the year 2025 is expected to reach 9.9 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). Barriers to academic achievement: ▫English language difficulties, immigration factors, racism, assimilation issues, and socioeconomic status (Villalba, Akos, Keeter, & Ames, 2007). School counselors’ integral role in closing the achievement gap and facilitating Latino and African American students’ academic achievement (Lee, 2007; Villalba et al., 2007).

Introduction and Need for Study Latino students drop out of school more frequently compared to their white non-Latino counterparts (Stillwell, 2010; U.S. Department of Education, 2009). African American students are reported to have lower graduation rates compared to Caucasian students (U.S. Department of Education, 2008). Approximately 13% of twelfth grade Latino students and 12% of African American students took the SAT in 2008 compared to almost 60% of twelfth grade white students (U.S. Department of Education, 2010).

Introduction and Need for Study Need for Study ▫Growing Latino and African American youth population and burgeoning achievement gap ▫Closing achievement gap requires a unified effort among teachers, support staff, and community members (Holcomb-McCoy, 2007). School counselors can serve through collaboration, advocacy, and leadership (ASCA, 2005). ▫Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Johnson et al., n.d.) sponsored study found high school counselors to have provided insufficient college guidance. We sought to obtain more specifics on the types of college- and academic-related interventions that school counselors engage in with their students, focusing specifically on minority students’ experiences.

Purpose of Study: Research Questions The following four research questions were addressed in this study: (a) What is the frequency with which various types of school counselor college- and academic-related interventions are used? (b) Do school counselor interventions vary based on school characteristics, such as type of school, school setting, school size, and school resources? (c) What barriers to academic achievement do minority students encounter? (d) What school counselor interventions help minority students to achieve college access?

Methodology Participants Undergraduate college students from mid-size college of approximately 10,000 students located in New York (Westchester County) College population includes approximately 30% Caucasian students, 33% African American students, 33% Latino students, and 4% other racial/ethnic groups Students recruited to participate in completing survey at the end of class time 186 students participated in the study; eight students declined to complete the survey, giving a 95.7% response rate

Methodology Instrumentation College Board’s College Counseling Sourcebook (2009) and counselor education literature were reviewed to generate survey items Included 14 Likert-type questions to assess frequency of college preparation and academic interventions using 5-point scale ranging from: Never, Seldom, Sometimes, Often, Always and 13 demographic items and brief-response questions Six school counseling professionals reviewed the survey items for content validity

Likert-type Survey Items a1. Encouraged you to take honors/advanced placement level courses. a2. Provided you the opportunity to participate in SAT preparation programs. a3. Encouraged you to enroll in college experience summer programs. a4. Encouraged you to take a college course while attending high school. a5. Offered you the opportunity to attend financial aid/scholarship workshops. a6. Provided you access to computer applications containing college/career planning.

Likert-type Survey Items a7. Assisted you with the college application process. a8. Highlighted your academic achievements through school- wide newsletters, bulletin boards, announcements, etc… a10. Collaborated with your teachers to teach counseling or guidance lessons for students that focused on academic achievement. a11. Organized workshops for your parents/guardians to discuss future career and educational opportunities for you. a12. Held events in which professionals representative of various professions and cultural backgrounds came to speak to students. a13. Encouraged you to complete career self-assessments. a14. Encouraged your parents/caretakers to participate in your education within school.

Descriptive Stats Results Descriptive Statistics NMinimumMaximumMeanStd. Deviation a a a a4a a a a a a a a a a a StSTotal Valid N (listwise)180 Research question one: Frequency of activities participants reported engaging in with their school counselors ranged from seldom to sometimes.

Findings and Implications The top three most frequently reported activities included: ▫(a) Providing assistance with the college application process ▫(b) Providing the opportunity to participate in SAT preparation program ▫(c) Providing access to computer applications containing college and career planning

Findings and Implications The three least reported activities included: ▫(a) Collaborating with teachers to teach counseling or guidance lessons focusing on academic achievement ▫(b) Organizing workshops for parents or guardians to discuss future career and educational opportunities ▫(c) Encouraging students to enroll in college experience summer programs

Who Provides Support? SCs second most commonly reported individual behind teachers to provide support in overcoming challenges to achieving. TsSCcoachfriendspsych/SW Parent familypara principal /VPnurseNobody Total White Minority

Research Question Two ▫Did school counselor interventions vary based on school characteristics, such as type of school, school setting, school size, and school resources?  Participants who reported having adequate resources to meet academic needs reported greater frequency of school counselor interventions (M = 2.79; SD =.94; n = 121) compared to students reporting insufficient resources (M = 2.00; SD =.86; n = 53) (t(172) = 5.249; p <.001).

Research Question Two ▫Did school counselor interventions vary based on school characteristics, such as type of school, school setting, school size, and school resources?  Participants who attended private high schools (M = 2.47; SD =.95; n = 141) reported greater frequency of school counselor college- and academic-related interventions compared to participants who attended public high schools (M = 2.89; SD = 1.0; n = 35. (t(174) = ; p =.022)  No significant differences for type of school reported based on race/ethnicity, school setting, and school size (p <.05).

Research Question Three Results What barriers to academic achievement do minority students encounter? ▫Inductive qualitative analysis ▫Data coded and analyzed to identify emergent themes (Patton, 2002) ▫Higher order themes  1. Limited resources  2. Insufficient focus on studies  3. Environmental stressors  4. Peer-related issues  5. Insufficient school-related encouragement

Research Question Three Results What barriers to academic achievement do minority students encounter? ▫Higher order themes  6. Non-school related obligations  7. Racial issues  8. Dangerous environment  9. Concerns with physical/emotional well-being  10. Concerns regarding academic requirements.

Research Question Three Results Overall findings: Lack of resources within the school and community contributed to students’ challenges in school success. Among African-American, Latino, or mixed/biracial participants, experienced distractions and lack of focus, coping with bullying and racial discrimination were identified as challenges to succeeding.

Research Question Three Results Limited Resources ▫Lower order themes  1. Limited support: participants struggled to succeed in high school given lack of support from school personnel  “no help”  “confused about what to do after graduation”  “not enough teachers or counselors who cared”  “too many rules prohibiting faculty from going above and beyond”  2. Limited program offerings: no learning center, no academic programs (other than classes), no tutoring, no extracurricular activities, no SAT preparation courses  3. Limited funding: “lack of funding” and “not enough funding”

Research Question Three Results Insufficient Focus on Studies ▫Lower order themes  1. Insufficient focus on studies  Participants (n=13) reported distractions and lack of focus as challenges to succeeding in school (half stated by African American participants, remaining by mixed/biracial, and Latino participants)  Participants reported being “very lazy,” “lack of discipline,” “lack of motivation,” experiencing trouble “focusing in class”  2. Poor grades  Participants (n=3) stated their “poor grades” were significant challenges to overcome

Research Question Three Results Environmental Stressors ▫Lower order themes  Death of family member (n = 4)  Moving: O ne student stated he “attended three different high schools…first one had over 500 kids per grade and last one had about 50 kids total.”  Stress at home: “family issues,” “living alone,” being “under state custody,” and “financial reasons”

Research Question Three Results Peer-related issues ▫Lower order themes  1. Distractions due to romantic/sexual relationships  2. Influence of peer pressure  3. Peer distractions, n=3 participants distracted by romantic or sexual interests as significant barrier to educational success  4. Challenge in balancing school and coping with peer pressure theme among African American and Latino participants, including “bullying” and “fighting” as major challenges to overcome

Research Question Three Results Insufficient school-related encouragement ▫Lower order themes  1. Lack of interest in school  “I was disinterested in school. I found it painfully boring although I got good grades.”  “I became so bored even though I was in the advanced classes.”  2. Lack of motivation in school due to other people

Research Question Three Results Insufficient school-related encouragement ▫Lower order themes  3. Insufficient teachers and counselors (n=20)  Teachers were identified as being “irresponsible,” “more interested in getting students out of class than helping us,” “not helpful,” and “not adequate to teach some lessons and do not have control in their classes.”  With respect to counselors :  “I needed a better counselor who was more informed about college applications and sports in college”  “High school counselor was not involved”. One participant stated “my counselor pushed me to do what she thought was best for me, instead of what I wanted to do.”  4. An inability to understand teachers

Research Question Three Results Non school-related obligations ▫Lower order themes  1. Work obligations (n=5)  E.g., one participant stated “My family forcing me into school at fifteen and going to work” as a challenge while another participant stated it was “difficult to work and attend school at the same time.”  2. Athletic obligations (n=4)

Research Question Three Results Racial Discrimination ▫Lower order themes  Participants mentioned: “racist teachers”  “Racial tension”  “Minority distractions”  “Behind the scenes bullying (related to racism)” as challenges  One participant stated “being one of three Hispanic kids in school” as a difficulty to overcome

Research Question Three Results Dangerous Environment ▫Lower order themes  Two participants identified challenges with there being a “high degree of gangs and violence within the school” and “guns and violence”  A third participant simply stated that the environment was “too dangerous”

Research Question Three Results Concerns with physical/emotional well-being ▫Lower order themes  1. Learning disabilities (n=3)  2. Physical and mental health problems:  Feeling physically sick due to unknown reasons and having low self-esteem  3. Drug issues (n=1)

Research Question Three Results Concerns regarding academic requirements ▫Lower order themes  1. Challenges in meeting school requirements  (n=18) identified rigorous school requirements as challenge, e.g., “the load of coursework,” “tests being difficult,” “excessive attendance policy,” and “excessive busy work”  2. Challenges in specific classes  Challenges in “understanding reading assignments,” understanding the content in their math, English, social studies, and science classes, and “struggling with some subjects.”  3. Challenges in meeting state requirements (n=1) participant indicated it was challenging to meet the state’s required tests for graduation

Research Question Four Results Participants were asked to list assistance/activities in which their school counselors engaged to help students go on to college ▫Higher Order Themes  1. College/career related support  2. Support through invested stakeholders  3. Support through activities  4. Lack of support

Research Question Four Results Overall findings: African American, Latino, and mixed/biracial students identified appreciating financial assistance through help completing the FAFSA and searching for scholarships. African American and Latino participants indicated appreciating encouragement from their school counselor to enroll in honors programs and personal conversations with the counselor about the importance of college, while having access to resource rooms, tutoring, after school classes and programs, and summer school opportunities. Additionally, while the current study focused on types of support teachers and counselors can provide participants, one finding that emerged among the African American and Latino participants was feeling supported through sports (n = 9) and extracurricular activities (n = 4).

Research Question Four Results College/career-related support ▫Lower Order Themes  1. Involvement and outreach from colleges (n=9) identified involvement and outreach from colleges as significant aids in helping to attend college, including college meetings, college fairs, representatives visiting from different colleges, college brochures, and planned visits to colleges 2. Assistance in the college/career planning process (n=27) received help from counselor through assistance in filling out applications, meeting deadlines, helping with college research, sending out transcripts, having discussions with students, and doing SAT preparation work. Financial support appreciated by African American, mixed/biracial and Latino students through assistance with FAFSA and searching for scholarships

Research Question Four Results Support through invested stakeholders ▫Lower Order Themes  1. Individual guidance African American and Latino participants indicated appreciating assistance through encouragement to enroll in honors programs to enhance intelligence and sense of comfort and personal conversations with the counselor about how not having a college degree might make life harder  2. Group interventions and support Participants indicated appreciating assistance through group meetings with “other students that helped to discuss all options,” “study groups,” and “workshops for various activities”

Research Question Four Results Support through invested stakeholders ▫Lower Order Themes  3. Parental involvement Through “meetings with parents that helped to discuss all options” and counselors contacting parents  4. Non-college/career academic support African American and Latino participants received support with non-college/career academic success through “resource rooms,” “tutoring,” “after school classes,” “summer school,” “writing workshops,” and “lots of after school programs.” No Caucasian participants mentioned receiving assistance with non- college/career academic success.

Research Question Four Results Support through activities ▫Lower Order Themes  Only African American and Latino participants identified feeling support through sports (n=9) and extracurricular activities (n=4).  Participation in sport was a source of support while non-athletes identified community service and afterschool activities being a source of support

Research Question Four Results Lack of Support ▫Lower Order Themes  (n=15) identified not having support when asked how their school counselor helped them attend college  One participant stated “my counselor sat in her office and wanted students to come to her,” while another stated that “I did everything on my own.”  Participants identified lack of support by stating their counselors were “lazy,” “racist,” “not helping anybody prepare themselves for college,” “telling me that most of the schools I wanted to go to would not accept me,” “always busy,” and doing “not much other than the initial applications”

Findings and Implications Findings support school counselors collaborating with various stakeholders in advocating for student success. Strong need to advocate on behalf of students and collaborate with teachers to place students in AP courses (Militello et al., 2008). Involving parents in students’ academic planning is integral to minority students’ achievement (Lee & Bowen, 2006; Ramirez, 2003). School counselor interventions involving students’ teachers, parents, peers, and community members, were all identified as important in helping students to access higher education. Engaging in various college-going activities and maintaining data regarding student academic progress are also important school counselor activities (Villalba et al., 2007).

Findings and Implications Students surveyed in the study identified the need for more resources to support their academic pursuits, suggesting that school counselors (and other educators) are limited in the services and educational opportunities they can provide, particularly when working in urban settings. School counselors can be instrumental in identifying community-based resources that students can access if they are not offered within the school.

Findings and Implications Findings underscore the importance of maintaining multicultural competency as emphasized in the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors (ASCA, 2010). Given that a few of the participants experienced racism in their interactions with teachers, staff, and peers, school counselors can support minority student achievement through being culturally sensitive to student needs and being aware of systemic barriers that may preclude parent participation in school activities. Strong multicultural awareness can translate into advocacy to address social inequities that may exist in schools. School counselors can connect students to culturally similar role models through community partnerships and school-based events that bring community members into the classroom.

Findings and Implications Findings suggest there are some particularly beneficial activities in which school counselors can engage with minority students to promote college access. As identified by participants, these activities include: sharing information regarding financial assistance to support higher education goals, including help completing the FAFSA and searching for scholarships; African American and Latino participants indicated appreciating receiving encouragement from their school counselor to enroll in honors programs and reported benefits from having access to resource rooms, tutoring, after school classes and programs, and summer school opportunities. School counselors can work closely with minority students in accessing these resources while promoting involvement in extracurricular activities, including sport and community service.

Limitations The sample obtained for this study represents a limitation in generalizability. Although the scope of this study was to identify ways to promote achievement among minority students, the decision to focus on this population to the exclusion of other cultural variables, such as gender, disability status, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status, limits our ability to generalize findings. Open-ended survey items did not offer participants a chance to elaborate on their qualitative written responses. Interviews or focus groups could have generated more sophisticated responses. Additionally, the prompts were written in English, which may have been a barrier to understanding the prompts for those participants for whom English is not their native language.

Recommendations for Future Research Conduct research with all school and community stakeholders to promote academic achievement Interview Latino and African American school counselors to learn more about ways to best support minority students Implement outcomes-based interventions in schools Examine and integrate equity-focused school counselor interventions across all grade levels