Dr. Erin Vines Assistant Superintendent Vice President, Student Services Antelope Valley College

1. African American Male Success Dr. Erin Vines Assistant Superintendent Vice President, Student Services Antelope Valley College Dr. Keith Curry CEO Compton Community College District Dr. Dyrell Foster Dean Student Affairs Rio Hondo College Fostering change to improve the access, retention and success of African American males in higher education

2. Session Agenda • Setting the Context • Establishing the Need • Our Research • The Challenges • Emergence of A2MEND • A2MEND Programs • Discussion & Questions

3. Setting the Context California Community Colleges: • 1 of every 14 African Americans who are enrolled in higher education in the U.S. attends a California Community College • 1 of every 7 African Americans enrolled in community colleges in the U.S. attends a California Community College • 82% of all African American males enrolled in public, postsecondary institutions in CA, are enrolled in the CCC system (Community College League of California (2004). California Community College Pocket Profile. 4th Edition.)

4. Establishing the Need (Harris & Wood, 2014)

5. Setting the Context • African American men throughout the California Community College system are the lowest performing subgroup when one considers: • percentage of certificates and degrees earned • transfer rates • persistence rates • average cumulative GPA (Allen, Bonous-Hammarth, & Teranishi, 2002; Bush, 2004)

6. Establishing the Need • African American men are less likely than African American females to earn a college degree • African American women also academically outperform their male counterparts • African American women graduate at higher rates than their male counterparts (Allen, Bonous-Hammarth, & Teranishi, 2002; Bush, 2004)

7. Establishing the Need (Harris & Wood, 2014)

8. Establishing the Need Course completion rates for African American men in California Community Colleges: Basic Skills Math 13.7% Basic Skills English 23.8% (Scorecard Metrics, 2013) (Harris & Wood, 2014)

9. Establishing the Need African American men in CCCs, when compared to other subgroups are: • more likely to express boredom in class • were less likely to participate in campus activities • more likely not to participate in the campus orientation process • had not encountered peers in college that could help them adjust to college Bush, 2004

10. Student Engagement • The notion of student engagement has been found to be an important indicator of student success (Kuh et al., 2006) • Student engagement literature suggests that what students do while in college, such as the activities in which they engage and the company they keep, are important factors in their persistence and success • Enhancing student engagement may be an effective strategy for increasing the persistence, retention and academic achievement of African American males

11. Student Engagement • Student engagement has two central features: Student Behaviors and Institutional Conditions • Student behaviors include the time and effort students put towards their studies, interacting with faculty, utilizing campus resources, and quality peer interactions • Institutional conditions include campus environment, resources, and educational polices, programs and practices • Kuh, 2004; Kuh et al., 2006

12. Student Engagement • African American males are most likely to be disengaged from educational activities on college campuses when compared to similar peer groups • These non-engaging student behaviors are found to have a negative impact on student success, achievement, and persistence • African American males have greater amounts of dissatisfaction and are least likely to engage in purposefully educational activities when compared to all other subgroups in California Community Colleges (Bush, 2004)

13. Student Interviews • Investigate the experiences of African American males in engaging in educationally purposeful activities in a community college • Examined the students’ experiences regarding: • use of time on campus outside of class • peer interaction • faculty interaction • utilization of institutional resources

14. Findings • Having a clear educational goal and an identified path in which to achieve it • Academic engagement and social engagement • Notion of independence determines whether or not they take the initiative to seek assistance on campus • Asking for help and are less reliant on themselves or their peers are more engaged academically • Environment that students perceive as being open, welcoming and supportive

15. Findings • Use of time on campus outside of class • Academic engagement • Connections with professors, tutoring and informal study groups had a significant and positive effect on college satisfaction and academic performance • Peer interaction • Students were not able to successfully do both, it was an either, or situation. • More likely to turn to their peers to obtain information or assistance than approach their instructors or utilize student support services. • Academically focused and structured peer groups

16. Findings • Faculty interaction • Importance of initially perceiving their instructors as being open, welcoming, and receptive of their efforts • If this interaction is negative or if it does not occur, students are more likely to feel marginalized  • Perceived as unsupportive and unwilling to assist them, they will not make an effort to ask for assistance. • Not the frequency of interactions that matter, but rather the quality of these interactions that impact student success.

17. Findings • Engaged by faculty who genuinely care, show passion and energy, and utilize various teaching styles enhances academic engagement • Receiving positive reinforcement, encouragement and validation enhances engagement experiences

18. Findings • Utilization of institutional resources • Self-reliance does not always pay off • Some students subscribe to this mentality in college and rely solely on themselves to get by, which seems to conflict directly with the notion of student engagement, almost creating, intentional “dis-engagement” experiences within the college environment • African American males who have someone to keep them on track are more engaged academically • Culture of Success

19. The Challenges • Cost of textbooks • Financial need • Work/family responsibilities • Campus/Classroom climate • High Expectations • Negative stereotypes • Need to prove them wrong • Identity development and self-perception • Coping Strategies & Validation

20. The Emergence of A2MEND (Began in Summer 2006) The Vision To be the nation’s leading organization in fostering African American Male success in community colleges To achieve our vision, we strive to:  • provide expertise to build, support, and sustain institutional capacity that effectively addresses the needs of African American men • hold the community college system accountable for the success of African American men

21. The Organization To achieve our vision, we strive to:  • promote research in the area of African American male academic achievement in the community colleges • serve as a network for African American educators • support African American men in their career development, advancement, and success

22. The Organization • Annual Conferences • Workshops & Speaking Engagements • Mentor Programs • Student Scholarships

23. African American Male Summit A²MEND hosts an annual African American Male Summit Conference each spring to bring together policy makers, trustees, administrators, superintendents, faculty and teachers, staff, and current students in college to identify the barriers that African American men face in community colleges today, discuss best and promising practices, and implementation strategies. The conference is open to anyone interested in the success of African American men.

24. African American Male Summit • Identify solutions to the barriers that African American men face in community colleges today • What should community colleges do to increase the success of African American male students? • Faculty, Administrators, Student Services & Students

25. Faculty Responsibilities • Be mindful of delivery, as well as subject matter • Point out the relevancy of the content; help students to connect subject matter to real life • Connect with your students; get to know them • Use active learning strategies; kinesthetic learning and group work • Show passion and enthusiasm • Make an effort to make a difference; be patient • Show students that your care about their success • Positive feedback, validation and encouragement

26. Institutional/Administrator Responsibilities • Assess the campus climate • Obtain qualitative data from your students (focus groups) • Get the data; disaggregated by both ethnicity and gender • Examine student equity, identify areas of disproportionate impact, develop goals and initiatives to address areas of concern • Address this issue in the program review, institutional effectiveness process, and accreditation; formalize it • Make time for African American male students; serve as a mentor

27. Department/Program Responsibilities • Climate and mission—The events, messaging, websites, and other means by which a program conveys its openness and inclusivity of all students • Human resources—The ability of the program to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, including faculty, staff, tutors, lab techs, etc. • Efforts toward equity—Other initiatives, grants, and programmatic elements that further the goals of equity and diversity within the program and its stated outcomes. • Curricular and co-curricular inclusion—The extent to which principles of multiculturalism are incorporated into the curriculum of a program. (CCC Statewide Academic Senate paper: Student Equity: From Dialog and Access to Action, 2010)

28. Student Recommendations • More role models in the colleges • More mentor programs on campus • Hire more African Americans in the classroom and in leadership positions • More personable & engaging faculty • Hold faculty accountable when they are unprofessional • More programs that interest students; ask us what we want • Provide workshops for success: professional preparation & leadership • Provide recognition for students who do well; motivation

29. Student Mentor Program • Most impactful component of A2MEND • Work with A2MEND members who are committed to their personal development, professional growth and academic success • Have worked with over 90 African American male students within the California community college system and beyond with clarifying their educational and career goals to achieve success

30. Student Mentor Program • Student engagement behaviors • Navigating campus culture; social capital • Focus on the success of African American men; not the failures • High expectations and accountability (with support) • Career and educational goal setting • Positive reinforcement, encouragement and validation • Positive peer groups • Positive role models • Bigger purpose; reaching back and bringing others along

31. Student Mentor Program 2013-2014 * • American River College • California State Polytechnic University, Pomona • California State University, Dominguez Hills • California State University, Los Angeles • Contra Costa College • El Camino College - Compton Center • Los Angeles Southwest College • Long Beach City College • Rio Hondo College • Solano Community College • University of La Verne • University of Southern California • West LA College * 28 student mentees

32. Thank you WWW.A2MEND.ORG Questions, Comments & Discussion