Education Commons^™

“If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress”: Transformative Youth Resistance And The School Of Ethnic Studies., Nolan L. Cabrera

Nolan L. Cabrera

In the wake of the Tucson Unified School District dismantling its highly successful Mexican American Studies (MAS) program, students staged walkouts across the district to demonstrate their opposition. Student-led walkouts were portrayed as merely ‘‘ditching,’’ and students were described as not really understanding why they were protesting. After these events, a group of student activists called UNIDOS organized and led the School of Ethnic Studies. This was a community school dedicated to teaching the forbidden MAS curriculum. In this article we present counternarratives from organizers, presenters, and participants in the School of Ethnic Studies. These narratives demonstrate the transformative resistance …

Breaking Down The "Walls Of A Facade": The Influence Of Compartmentalization On Gay College Males' Meaning-Making, Daniel Tillapaugh

Daniel Tillapaugh

This study examined how the act of compartmentalization influenced gay male college students’ meaning-making of their multiple identities. This study, involving 17 males attending colleges in Southern California, explored how these students compartmentalized their identities within different cultures, including race, religion, and socioeconomic class, as well as in different student cultures, such as fraternities and student organizations. The findings of this constructivist grounded theory study illuminate how compartmentalization of one’s identity is seen at the individual, group, and systemic levels within society to help and hinder these gay males’ holistic sense of self. Additionally, implications for professional practice and research …

Can A Summer Bridge Program Impact First-Year Persistence And Performance?: A Case Study Of The New Start Summer Program, Nolan L. Cabrera, Danielle D. Miner, Jeffrey F. Milem

Nolan L. Cabrera

This longitudinal study assesses the impact of the University of Arizona’s New Start Summer Program (NSSP) on participants’ first year GPA and retention, controlling for incoming student characteristics. While programmatic participation significantly predicted first-year GPA and retention, this relationship became insignificant when controlling for first-year college experiences and student development. Programmatic efficacy is largely determined not only by how practitioners develop participants’ cognitive abilities, but also how effectively they connect them to social and academic support networks during their first year of college. Within this context, programmatic impact is likely indirect which poses a number of methodological and resource allocation …

Confessions Of A Border-Crossing Brotha-Scholar: Teaching Race With All Of Me, Ty-Ron M. O. Douglas Ph.D.

Ty-Ron M. O. Douglas, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Challenges To Success In Higher Education: An Examination Of Educational Challenges From The Voices Of College-Bound Black Males, Jameel A. Scott, Kenneth J. Taylor, Phd, Robert T. Palmer, Phd

Robert T. Palmer, PhD

In recent years, researchers have devoted much discussion to finding ways to increase the academic success of Black males in K-12 and higher education. Despite this emphasis, Black male enrollment in higher education stands at 4.5%, which is the same as it was in 1976. One factor noted by researchers for the stagnation among Black male college enrollment is their disproportionate departure from high school. Therefore, this qualitative study of college-bound high school seniors discusses four critical factors that contribute to Black males premature departure from high school. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Diverging Interests: Balancing Racial Diversity And Race-Sensitive Policies Across State Higher Education Systems, Robert T. Palmer, Phd, J. Luke Wood, Phd, Dorsey Spencer

Robert T. Palmer, PhD

The United States has sought to racially diversify its public colleges since 1964. Laws have been implemented and court challenges have occurred to facilitate the racial diversification of public universities. Racially diversifying higher education is particularly important for states that have a desegregation agreement with Office of Civil Rights (OCR) for operating policies traceable to de jure segregation. Although many states have used affirmative action to diversify their colleges, as these policies continue to be attacked and prohibited, colleges are abandoning race-sensitive policies to foster diversity. This article explains these diverging issues and offers recommendations for universities that are legally …

The Magnificent “Mile”: Impacting Black Male Retention And Persistence At An Hbcu, Robert T. Palmer, Phd, Dina C. Maramba, Phd, T. Elon Dancy, Phd

Robert T. Palmer, PhD

A strong body of research has documented the supportive environments of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and their impact on facilitating student success. Notwithstanding the consistency of these findings, recent reports and empirical research have highlighted the problems that HBCUs are experiencing with Black male enrollment, campus engagement, retention, success, and graduation. The purpose of this article is to discuss the Male Initiative on Leadership and Excellence (MILE) and to describe its impact on retention and persistence of Black men at an HBCU. Hopefully, the MILE will inspire administrators and student affairs practitioners at HBCUs to adopt a similar …

The Likelihood Of Transfer For Black Males In Community Colleges: Examining The Effects Of Engagement Using Multilevel, Multinomial Modeling, J. Luke Wood, Phd, Robert T. Palmer, Phd

Robert T. Palmer, PhD

Research indicates that Black male collegians tend to disproportionately seek out postsecondary educational opportunities at community colleges; despite this, a paucity of Black men actual transfer to four-year colleges and universities. In order to help facilitate transfer for Black male community college students, this article investigates the effects of student engagement on Black male students’ self-reported likelihood of transfer. The implications of this study provides compelling context for institutional practice and future research to help community colleges be more intentional about improving transfer outcomes for among Black male students.

Understanding The Personal Goals Of Black Male Community College Students: Facilitating Academic And Psychosocial Development, J. Luke Wood, Phd, Robert T. Palmer, Phd

Robert T. Palmer, PhD

Similar to 4-year institutions, community colleges are struggling to find ways to increase the success rates of racial and ethnic minority students in general and Black males specifically. According to data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS), compared to their male counterparts, Black males have the lowest retention and graduation rates among their peers. Given this, using national data from BPS, this article has investigated the personal goals of Black males in community colleges and provided context for how community college officials can use these goals to facilitate Black male academic and psychosocial development. Indeed, this article is …

Spreading The Word: Service Learning In A Media Literacy Course, Carrie Buchanan, Margaret O. Finucane Ph.D.

Carrie Buchanan