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

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

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

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

5. 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

6. 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”

7. 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.

8. 2 46 900 332 2016 Districts High Schools High School Fellows
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

9. 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

10. mission & strategic T-2-4
every child
customization

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. 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 ( :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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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