Education Commons^™

The First-Generation Student Experience; Why Building Solidarity Is Vital, Amarilys Torres-Nunez

Student Symposium

First-generation college students (i.e students whose parents or guardians do not have a 4-year college degree) face a unique set of challenges. Psychological, academic, financial, and social barriers all pose a threat to a first-gen student's success. Despite this, first-gen students possess unique strengths and resiliency that if recognized, can function as assets. This presentation highlights and addresses these elements while focusing on my experiences as the First-Generation Program Coordinator at OWU. The position creates, promotes, and evaluates first-gen programming. It serves as a student representative on the First-Gen Advisory Board, a group of faculty, staff, and students that strives …

How Have We Improved? Exploring Racial Inequalities In Special Education, Erin Greer

Student Symposium

This Independent Study explored the racial inequalities noted within the field of special education, particularly related to identification for certain disability categories and eligibility for special education services. An example of this would be more African American males being identified as having an Emotional Behavior Disorder, Learning Disability, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. More severe disciplinary practices can also be noted among male, African American students with and without disabilities. Racial inequalities have been well documented in special education, even prior to the first special education law in 1975. Since then, awareness of racial inequalities when identifying students with disabilities …

Educational Inequality - How We Systematically Fail Our Children, Paige Ross

Student Symposium

Poor urban youth of color are left behind every step of the way- beginning with education. We are failing these children by not providing them with the necessary tools to be successful today in America. Our social classes and neighborhoods are racially segregated, causing disparities in school funding, due to government legislature that further advances these forgotten children deeper into disparity.

Whites are 1.8-2.3 times more likely to graduate from college, and this push for higher education begins in pre-K programs unavailable to historically non-White impoverished neighborhoods. The issue of educational inequality always comes back to that of systematically oppressive …