Latino/a Educational Achievement Partnership - 2015 brochure

January, 2015

The César E. Chávez Institute A multi-ethnic research center committed to promoting socially engaged scholarship and community action, with the overall goal of empowering communities of color in their struggles for inclusion and equality.

Our projects promote change in the areas of health, education, and self-determination.

We: • Engage in research that informs policy and practice

Cesar Chavez

•

Examine the impact of structural disadvantage and institutional bias on access and representation

•

Work to enhance capacity and enable voice in our communities

Towards a regional model of institutional transformation and accountability in Latino/a higher education

Recent projects in the area of education and equity include: • Diversifying Latino Representation on California’s School Boards • Preschool Enrollment among Latino Children in California • Boys & Young Men of Color - Review of After-school Programs • Ethnic Studies in Urban Schools

César E. Chávez Institute San Francisco State University • Collge of Ethnic Studies 1600 Holloway Ave EP103 • San Francisco CA 94132 cci@sfsu.edu • cci.sfsu.edu/leap

Latino/a Educational Achievement Partnership a p r oj e ct o f t h e c é s ar e. c h á v e z i n s t i t u t e

The San Francisco Bay Area has recently experienced an exponential growth in the Latino population; Latinos represent half the growth in the region since 2000, and by 2010 one of every four Bay Area residents was Latino. This is reflected in the high numbers of Latino students enrolling in higher education. As the number of Latinos pursuing post-secondary education increases, local colleges and universities will soon qualify to become Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). This federal designation opens up the opportunity for significant federal funding to support Latino students’ needs. However, potential HSIs currently lack a process and a system of accountability to engage Latino students beyond enrollment. Though Latinos are enrolling at increasing rates, they still hold low rates of college completion; in 2009-10, 21% of Latinos had an associate degree or higher, compared to 57% of Asians, 44% of Whites, and 30% of Blacks.

LEAP will assist these institutions to go beyond enrollment and become “equity minded” HSIs helping them to create a comprehensive, university-side approach to engaging Latino students by evaluating the institution’s internal cultural barriers and assessing Latino students’ needs.

The César E. Chávez Institute (CCI), a multi-ethnic research center committed to socially engaged scholarship and community action, has launched the Latino/a Educational Achievement Partnership (LEAP). LEAP aims to involve Bay Area post-secondary institutions in research, dialogue, and practices that yield institutional change that better serves Latino/a students. LEAP strives to understand how institutions of higher learning perpetuate racial inequalities.

We examine social identity, campus culture, student engagement, and micro-aggressions that inhibit students’ academic performance.

Our research examines institutional barriers to student success using both quantitative and qualitative methods. In 2014 we conducted a large-scale survey of undergraduate SF State students, merged to student records, and we are tracking students for two years. This data collection is complemented by a series of focus groups with students, faculty and staff. The uniqueness of our research is the possibility of identifying barriers and challenges common to many undergraduates as well as those unique to specific – perhaps historically underserved – segments of the student population. Our research examines attitudes, use of programs and resources, campus culture, campus engagement, level of mentoring and support, sense of belonging, and overall campus experiences, and their possible impact on outcomes.

In addition to research, we engage the campus and the larger community in dialogue around how to move beyond the current deficiency framework and instead focus on fostering institutional change, building upon Latino/a students’ social and academic capital. Within the campus community, dialogue is being facilitated

through working groups and seminars.

A set of university/community forums is bringing together the surrounding educational community – K-12, Community Colleges, parents and local organizations – to develop an action plan and community strategies.

The next phase of the project is to examine outcomes for Latino/a students at other Bay Area educational institutions, and coalesce at a regional level. This broader approach will yield a comprehensive picture of post-secondary educational opportunities for Latinos throughout the region. Ultimately, we aim to establish a Bay Area Commission for the Advancement of Latinos in Higher Education.

In addition to other nearby institutions, such as Cal State East Bay and San José State, we are now in conversations with national partners such as the InterUniversity Program for Latino Research and the Center for Urban Education to eventually expand the model beyond the Bay Area – creating a blueprint for accountability for both local and national higher educational institutions. institutions.

What are the characteristics, attitudes and experiences of Latino/a students?

How do Latino/a students feel about their campus? Do they feel differently than other students?

Do they have different levels of engagement?

What factors are associated with poor student retention?

Is there a correlation between the student experience on campus and their educational achievement?

What resources and programs are available to serve Latino/a students?

What are best practices at other campuses with similar populations and structures?

cci.sfsu.edu/leap

The San Francisco Bay Area has recently experienced an exponential growth in the Latino population; Latinos represent half the growth in the region since 2000, and by 2010 one of every four Bay Area residents was Latino. This is reflected in the high numbers of Latino students enrolling in higher education. As the number of Latinos pursuing post-secondary education increases, local colleges and universities will soon qualify to become Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). This federal designation opens up the opportunity for significant federal funding to support Latino students’ needs. However, potential HSIs currently lack a process and a system of accountability to engage Latino students beyond enrollment. Though Latinos are enrolling at increasing rates, they still hold low rates of college completion; in 2009-10, 21% of Latinos had an associate degree or higher, compared to 57% of Asians, 44% of Whites, and 30% of Blacks.

LEAP will assist these institutions to go beyond enrollment and become “equity minded” HSIs helping them to create a comprehensive, university-side approach to engaging Latino students by evaluating the institution’s internal cultural barriers and assessing Latino students’ needs.

The César E. Chávez Institute (CCI), a multi-ethnic research center committed to socially engaged scholarship and community action, has launched the Latino/a Educational Achievement Partnership (LEAP). LEAP aims to involve Bay Area post-secondary institutions in research, dialogue, and practices that yield institutional change that better serves Latino/a students. LEAP strives to understand how institutions of higher learning perpetuate racial inequalities.

We examine social identity, campus culture, student engagement, and micro-aggressions that inhibit students’ academic performance.

Our research examines institutional barriers to student success using both quantitative and qualitative methods. In 2014 we conducted a large-scale survey of undergraduate SF State students, merged to student records, and we are tracking students for two years. This data collection is complemented by a series of focus groups with students, faculty and staff. The uniqueness of our research is the possibility of identifying barriers and challenges common to many undergraduates as well as those unique to specific – perhaps historically underserved – segments of the student population. Our research examines attitudes, use of programs and resources, campus culture, campus engagement, level of mentoring and support, sense of belonging, and overall campus experiences, and their possible impact on outcomes.

In addition to research, we engage the campus and the larger community in dialogue around how to move beyond the current deficiency framework and instead focus on fostering institutional change, building upon Latino/a students’ social and academic capital. Within the campus community, dialogue is being facilitated

through working groups and seminars.

A set of university/community forums is bringing together the surrounding educational community – K-12, Community Colleges, parents and local organizations – to develop an action plan and community strategies.

The next phase of the project is to examine outcomes for Latino/a students at other Bay Area educational institutions, and coalesce at a regional level. This broader approach will yield a comprehensive picture of post-secondary educational opportunities for Latinos throughout the region. Ultimately, we aim to establish a Bay Area Commission for the Advancement of Latinos in Higher Education.

In addition to other nearby institutions, such as Cal State East Bay and San José State, we are now in conversations with national partners such as the InterUniversity Program for Latino Research and the Center for Urban Education to eventually expand the model beyond the Bay Area – creating a blueprint for accountability for both local and national higher educational institutions. institutions.

What are the characteristics, attitudes and experiences of Latino/a students?

How do Latino/a students feel about their campus? Do they feel differently than other students?

Do they have different levels of engagement?

What factors are associated with poor student retention?

Is there a correlation between the student experience on campus and their educational achievement?

What resources and programs are available to serve Latino/a students?

What are best practices at other campuses with similar populations and structures?

cci.sfsu.edu/leap

January, 2015

The César E. Chávez Institute A multi-ethnic research center committed to promoting socially engaged scholarship and community action, with the overall goal of empowering communities of color in their struggles for inclusion and equality.

Our projects promote change in the areas of health, education, and self-determination.

We: • Engage in research that informs policy and practice

Cesar Chavez

•

Examine the impact of structural disadvantage and institutional bias on access and representation

•

Work to enhance capacity and enable voice in our communities

Towards a regional model of institutional transformation and accountability in Latino/a higher education

Recent projects in the area of education and equity include: • Diversifying Latino Representation on California’s School Boards • Preschool Enrollment among Latino Children in California • Boys & Young Men of Color - Review of After-school Programs • Ethnic Studies in Urban Schools

César E. Chávez Institute San Francisco State University • Collge of Ethnic Studies 1600 Holloway Ave EP103 • San Francisco CA 94132 cci@sfsu.edu • cci.sfsu.edu/leap

Latino/a Educational Achievement Partnership a p r oj e ct o f t h e c é s ar e. c h á v e z i n s t i t u t e