Cedar Valley College FIPSE Presentation June 10th, 2008 “The family is one of nature’s masterpieces” -George Santayana

Overview  Grant funded research project to create a Family Involvement Model that engages college students’ families in the instructional process  Measure the effect of the model on access, retention, and persistence  Document the impact of involving students’ families in the learning process  Share the model with other colleges to replicate results

What is the FIM Model?  Refers to the integration of one or more key family members of Latino students into student success initiatives throughout their academic experience

 Involving families works according to an extensive review of successful K-12 and other similar student retention practices  Our approach will use the FIM model for the first time at the college level “A college education is a taste for knowledge, a taste for philosophy, a capacity to explore, question and perceive relationships between fields of knowledge and experience.” -Whitney Griswold Why use FIM Model?

Year 1 Mountain View College and Brookhaven College Planning Year 2 Implementation Richland College Planning Year 3 Implementation Follow-On Colleges Four DCCCD and external colleges will be added Year 1 Mountain View College and Brookhaven College Project Timeline

Family Involvement Model Implementation Academic YearClassFacultyDescription Fall 2006 Spring 2007 Fall 2007 Mountain View College Cultural Studies: Fiesta Oak Cliff Dr.Geoffrey Grimes & Dr. Laura Gonzalez -Family member is involved in 5 of 7 cultural events. -Genealogy Project & Guest Speakers. Fall 2006 Spring 2007 Fall 2007 Spring 2008 Brookhaven College Cultural Studies Mexico: A Cultural Perspective Edleeca Thompson & Dr.Charles McAdams -Students research the history and origins of a dish that is indigenous to Mexico and bring it to class. A family member is invited to join the class for the potluck. -Students involving a key family member in 1 or more of the class activities receive honors credit for CUST 2370 and have 5 points added to their final average. Fall 2007 Richland College Cultural Studies Carlos Rovelo -Students interview family members for a polling project. -Student invite family to class and create an alter for “Dia de los Muertos for deceased relatives. “The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family” ~Lee Lacocca

La Raza: The History and Art of Latino Americans Learning Community Cultural Studies: Fiesta Oak Cliff Mountain View College

Mexico Studies: A Cultural Perspective The Caribbean: A Cultural Perspective Brookhaven College

Richland College Introduction to the field of Mexican-American/Chicano studies

Video

Statistical Treatment

1. Qualitative data in the form of video, opinionaires, and feedback sessions 2. Artifacts 3. Quantitative data from Colleague data base Types of Data

Success – A,B,C Persistence – Staying in the class until the end with a performance grade Retention – Returning in the next full term Definitions

Family Involvement Enrollment Compared to General College Enrollment

The First Cohort Spring 2007 To Fall 2007 Brookhaven College Cultural Studies Mountain View College Cultural Studies Cultural Studies

The Second Cohort Fall 2007 to Spring 2008 Brookhaven College Cultural Studies Mountain View College Cultural Studies Cultural Studies Richland College Humanities Cultural Studies

Spring 2007 Persistence TreatmentControlTotal Did persist in class to performance grade 49 (48.33)35728 ( ) Did not persist in class to performance grade 10 (10.66)7881 ( )7871 Total The null hypothesis is that the two variables are independent - or, in this particular case that the likelihood of success is the same for students receiving treatment as the students not receiving treatment (control). X 2 = 1.749significance <.20 In this case the null hypothesis is accepted. The treatment did not have a statistically significant positive effect on the retention of students. However, there is the possibility of educational significance. This result should be examined further to determine the cause of the magnitude of increase in persistence. Spring 2007 Persistence

TreatmentControlTotal Did persist in class to performance grade 57 (55.65)69885 ( )69924 Did not persist in class to performance grade 11 (12.34)15501 ( )15512 Total Fall 2008 Persistence The null hypothesis is that the two variables are independent - or, in this particular case that the likelihood of success is the same for students receiving treatment as the students not receiving treatment (control). X2 =.24significance <.30 In this case the null hypothesis is accepted. The treatment did not have a statistically significant positive effect on the retention of students. However, there is the possibility of educational significance. This result should be examined further to determine the cause of the magnitude of increase in persistence.

TreatmentControlTotal Returned41 (31.23)9176 ( )9217 Not Returned18 (27.76)8176 ( )8194 Total Spring 2007/Fall 2007 Retention The null hypothesis is that the two variables are independent - or, in this particular case that the likelihood of not returning is the same for students receiving treatment as the students not receiving treatment (control). X2 = 6.49significance.01 In this case the null hypothesis is rejected. The treatment did have a statistically positive effect on the retention of students.

5. What will happen to the classes once the grant’s funding has ended? 1. Do you offer scholarships to students? 2. Is the grant limited in supporting classes pertaining to a specific subject area? 3. What are the benefits for faculty? 4. Are there guidelines for faculty to follow when using the FIM model? FAQ’s

 Models that include the family in the instructional process  Models implemented in courses with addition of minimal funding  All colleges involved in the data collection and evaluation processes Only by seeking challenges can we hope to find the best in ourselves. -Robert Rodriguez Desired Results

The Contents of this presentation were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.

Rene Prupes Jim Corvey