Supporting Low Income Students Felicia Marie Martin Managing Director, Program Strategy – EMERGE Erika Delgado Scott College Transition Facilitator – Spring Branch ISD

Who’s in the room? FELICIA By school grade level By role (teacher, staff, counselor, district, etc.)

Warm Up What challenges have you observed low-income students facing in your school/district? ERIKA Give instructions for warm-up

FELICIA START Personal Intros – Who we are (who we represent) Why we volunteered to address this topic

EXPECTATIONS Dialogue: Examination of our system/organizational practices and guiding beliefs Outcome: Increased awareness, sensitivity, and effective action for designing services for students ERIKA this will not be a checklist, more self awareness and how this plays out in each environment

MISSION EMERGE prepares high-performing students from underserved communities to apply to, attend, and graduate from top-100 colleges and universities that provide highly supportive communities and limited financial burden. FELICIA “We’d like to give a brief overview of our organizations to provide some context for how we interact with and support students/parents from underserved communities”

8% Across the nation, only eight percent of high-achieving low-income students with the academic record and test scores to succeed at the nation's most selective colleges and universities ever submit an application to attend.

2 46 900 332 2016 Districts High Schools High School Fellows 2015-2016 EMERGE HISD expands to all 46 district high schools. 660 HS students are served. EMERGE College Scholar population grows from 75 to 174 EMERGE Expands to a new district, SBISD, 4 high schools, 150 students 900 High School Fellows 332 College Scholars

4.2 97% Average GPA FRL/First-Gen ■ Hispanic/Latino - 60% ■ African American - 23% ■ Asian - 11% ■ White - 4% ■ Other- 2% Our students are high-performing students, from underserved communities The average student has a 4.2 GPA 97% of our students either receive free/reduced lunch or are first generation college students 96% of our student identify as students of color Given our student profile, we worked with Bain to determine what type of institutions would best meet their needs

mission & strategic T-2-4 every child customization

SBISD by the Numbers $-$$$ $$$$ $$-$$$$ $-$$ $ Lowest SES Lowest T-2-4 African American = 4.5% Hispanic = 58.6% White = 28.1% American Indian = 1.0% Asian = 6.2% Pacific Islander = 0.1% Two or More Races = 1.5% Economically Disadvantaged = 57% Limited English Proficient (LEP) = 34.6% $-$$$ $$$$ $$-$$$$ $-$$ SBISD Demographics & overview $ Lowest SES Lowest T-2-4

What challenges have you observed low-income students facing in your school/district? FELICIA Lead opportunity to share out from the group

EMERGE: Challenges We’ve Observed Myths Perpetuated •Low income students can’t afford top tier colleges. •Low income students can’t get accepted into top tier colleges. •Low income students can’t handle the work once they are accepted into a top tier college. Managing Community Climate When the mission of EMERGE and target group served challenges the personal opinions of portions of the larger district community. Challenges we face in serving low-income students/families: Debunking myths Explaining access & affordability Community climate – portions of the larger community having issues with this mission (impact on student aspirations) – Higher income parent example

SBISD: Challenges We’ve Observed Low-Income Students are Disproportionately Underserved & Underprepared Academically for K-12 & post-secondary K-12 & post-secondary opportunities (GT, Pre-AP, AP, Dual Credit, etc.) Decreased Resources & Increased Need Recapture (Robinhood) Payments to State of Texas Layoffs (460-600:1, Student:Counselor) No title funds for high schools Dependence on partnerships to serve target community Organizational Climate Impacts Customization for Students Genuine desire to meet needs of population, lacking effective approaches Representation of teachers and campus/district leadership Individual beliefs interfere with progress Partnerships to serve low-income students Organizational climate – teacher/counselor has issues with mission as well My evaluation of partnerships and the environment those partnerships are entering- are we setting them up to fail if pervasive positions do not support our mission to education and provide opportunities for “every” child

OBSERVATIONS INTERPRETATIONS Examination of phenomenon prior to interpretation. Observing is the act of noticing, with your senses, the details, events, and patterns around you. Explanation of the meaning of observations. Interpreting assigns meaning to acts.

Observation Interpretation Families of low-income students do not attend events at school Interpretation Low income students’ parents don’t care about their education We plan events at times that conflict with family commitments (meals, work, childcare, etc.) Families do not receive communication in their primary language Example Have participants discuss a few observations and interpretations in pairs/small groups.

Testing Interpretations Families of low-income students do not attend events at school Testing Survey parents Offer same event at various times Families do not receive communication in their primary language Example Have participants discuss a few observations and interpretations in pairs/small groups.

Now What? What is one observation/interpretation that you can test between now and the end of the school year? Who must you enlist in order to test? Key: your allies might not always be the people who hold the same interpretations as you. Uncovering what is really happening will require multiple interpretations. Learning is not about who is right or wrong but about how outcomes impact the service and support we provide to students.

Supporting Low-Income Students Each student is his/her own story Cycle of poverty is hard to break Impact of a mentality of poverty vs. lacking resources Systems contribute to student aspirations or lack thereof Our own biases inform the interpretations we hold

felicia@emergefellowship.org erika.scott@springbranchisd.com