1. Ryan P. Barone, PhD Joél Orozco Almeida, MA
The Status Quo is Not Working: Facilitating an Equity-Focused Paradigm Shift Using Growth Mindset and Validation Theory to Predict Community College Student Success
Ryan P. Barone, PhD
Joél Orozco Almeida, MA

2. Introductions Joél Ryan Aims Community College
Program Coordinator for Student Leadership & Development
Ryan
Executive Director for Student Leadership & Development
Joél

3. Outline & Learning Objectives
As a result of this program, participants will be able to describe the key components of Growth Mindset (Dweck).
…participants will be able to describe the key components of Validation Theory (Rendón).
…participants will be able to articulate three specific applications of the proposed framework to help predict equitable educational outcomes on home campus.
Joél

4. Passion Badge
Joél

5. Literature Review Crisis in higher education Student enrollment
Equitable student outcome metrics
Community Colleges are the epicenter of that crisis
Student enrollment
Most students enrolled at 2-Year Colleges
Come from diverse backgrounds
More then half community college students identify as students of color (American Association of Community Colleges, 2016).
Completion metrics
Less than 40% of community college students securing a degree or credential in six years (Shapiro et al., 2015).

6. Literature Review Cont.
Degree completion
Students of color are substantially less likely to secure a degree or credential than white peers.
Trends has not changed over the past 15 years (Sparks, 2016).
Loan default rate
21% of community college students default on student loans within three years of leaving college (The Association of Community College Trustees, 2014).

7. Context External Forces Problems Opportunities Neoliberalism
Technocratism
Decreasing state funding
Problems
Achievement gaps
Deficit orientation
Opportunities
Paradigm shift
Fixed to growth
Invalidation to validation

8. External Forces- Neoliberalism
“New managerialism” (Kezar & Lester, 2011)
Cost-benefit analysis (Apple, 2001, Darder, 2012)

9. External Forces- Technocratism
Numbers over narratives
Performance-based funding
Predictive analytics

10. External Forces- Decreasing State Funding
State Funding: A Race to the Bottom
“We are headed toward zero”
(American Council on Education)
Neoliberal technocraticism is both a cause of and response to decreasing state funding

11. Problems-Achievement Gaps
First-generation college students are not succeeding in college, and money isn’t the problem
Social and cultural factors
(Cardoza, 2016)
Fifteen years of new programs, testing, standards, and accountability have not ended achievement gaps in the United States (Sparks, 2016)

12. Solutions- Paradigm Shift: Growth Mindset
Embrace Challenges
Persist Through Obstacles
Doubt Abilities
Give Up Easily
Dweck, 2006, 2012, 2015

13. Introduction of Growth Mindset(Dweck)

14. Solutions- Paradigm Shift: Validation Theory
Success appears to be contingent on whether faculty and staff can validate students in an academic or interpersonal way (Rendón, 1994, 2002).

15. Introduction of Validation Theory(Rendón)

16. Solutions - Defining Success
Implications for practice paradigm shift to asset/growth
Validation
Individual and institutional
Cultural competency & stereotyping

17. Implications for Practice
Key components of Growth Mindset
Key components of Validation Theory
Thinking about your functional areas:
How could you design (new) or redesign (existing) a program or service using Growth Mindset and/or Validation Theory

18. Large Group Discussion
“Higher education leaders need to pay more attention to the ways in which we are perpetuating or interrupting the status quo that is not functioning effectively. Intention is not enough; higher education leaders need to speak dangerous truths as these discourses have the potential to impact policy, procedures, and—in turn—people’s daily lives” (Pasque, 2010, p. 176).