Evaluate the assertions of Knight and Marciano
IMPROVING ACCESS TO COLLEGE
Rather than continue to position teachers as singularly responsible for enacting curriculum within their classrooms, we argue that teachers are among broader ranks of school personnel who have the opportunity to support students’ engagement in all aspects of applying to college, not just in their academic preparation. Although some teachers may express discomfort with sharing information about college-going processes, opportunities exist for teachers to directly support youth’s access to college. (Knight & Marciano, 2013, p.8)
Evaluate the assertions of Knight and Marciano (2013) in the quotation above. Should teachers be involved in college readiness beyond instruction? Should employers or other organizations be involved in college readiness for entry-level positions?
What can teachers and organizational leaders do to increase college knowledge for first-generation college students, students of color, and low-income students?
What strategies can be implemented to expand student access to college?
Support your statements in 4-5 paragraphs using evidence from the required studies and your research. Cite and reference your sources in APA style.
Click here for information on course rubrics.
References
Knight, M. G., & Marciano, J. E. (2013). College ready: Preparing black and Latina/o youth for higher education. New York, NY: Teacher’s College Press.
This is the additional materials to help you with this weeks assignments.
BARRIERS TO COLLEGE READINESS
Target “Acceptance” (Target, 2014) [Video] [Transcript]
This emotional video affirms that “every kid deserves a moment like those shown here” (Target, 2014). How do you work to ensure that every student has the opportunity to experience the emotions portrayed in this commercial? How do you eliminate the barriers to equity and access that exist for many students, especially students of color and low-income students?
The students in this commercial had access to enough information to be able to complete a college application. They may have had the assistance of a counselor, older sibling, family member, or friend. Although they may face other barriers, some students do not make it to the point of completing an application or achieving the academic requirements for admission (Greene & Forster, 2003; Roderick, Nagaoka, Coca, & Moeller, 2008). Understanding that there are financial barriers, limited access to information, lack of academic preparation, and low expectations, how do educators help students and their families navigate the going-to-college landscape? The process can be difficult for middle-class, college-educated parents, so imagine the difficulty for a family that has never participated in this “excessively complex and idiosyncratic” process (Conley, 2013, p. 89). Students with more resources tend to have access to college information. Families new to this process make choices based on the information (or lack thereof) that they have or they rely on one person for information. In many cases, this person is the school counselor. In today’s schools, however, counselor caseloads include hundreds of students, which means that many students do not receive the advice and support they need to take the necessary coursework and apply to college. For this reason, Patricia McDonough (2006) advocates that all adults in the school building should be college counselors.
Barriers to equity and access extend beyond constructs of race and ethnicity to include other demographic, curricular, and instructional factors that affect both student placement and student performance. According to Knight and Marciano (2013), schools need specific strategies and policies to raise expectations and provide equal opportunity to all students. Common standards are an excellent start, but are not adequate to eliminate the barriers faced by students of color (Knight & Marciano, 2013). An equity and access policy as part of an overall college-readiness program would support the development of a comprehensive strategy that ensures equity and access. Such a policy would eliminate gatekeepers and guide the implementation of strategies that ensure access to rigorous coursework. There must also be access to college knowledge for student families and the use of disaggregated data to develop a comprehensive college-readiness outreach strategy. A comprehensive outreach strategy enables clear communication of a consistent message regarding a school’s or district’s college-readiness initiatives, and enhances its efforts to ensure equity and access for all students.
The voices and experiences of students, families, teachers, and schools dominate the required studies this week. You will review profiles of the schools used to develop the seven principles of college readiness (Conley, 2010). You will hear the voices of students and teachers through the work of Knight and Marciano (2013) regarding a culturally relevant approach to college readiness. You will examine case studies from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research about the barriers that many Chicago students face that also mirror the experiences of students across the United States (Roderick et al., 2008). As you work this week, think about what you can do personally and professionally to eliminate barriers so that more students have an opportunity to experience the jubilation captured in the montage by Target (2014).
References
Target [jeff bossin]. (2014, February 26). Target “acceptance” [Video file]. Retrieved from
HEADS UP
Next week, one of your assignments is to conduct a school culture analysis, which requires a physical walkthrough of the local school you began writing about in Week 4. If you do not work in the school you chose, please make arrangements for a site visit that should last no longer than 30 to 45 minutes.
REQUIRED STUDIES
The following materials are required studies for this week. Complete these studies at the beginning of the week and save these weekly materials for future use.
College and Career Ready (Conley, 2010)
Chapter 4: Key Principles of College and Career Readiness
Chapter 5: Case Studies of Schools That Succeed
College Ready (Knight & Marciano, 2013)
Chapter 2: It’s (Not) Too Early: Negotiating Mixed Messages
Read
Creating College Readiness (Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC), 2009) [Web page]
From High School to the Future (Roderick et al., 2008) [Web page]
Betraying the College Dream (Venezia, Kirst, & Antonio, 2003) [Web page]
6 Ways You Can Help Your Employees Facilitate Their Career Success (Goldberg, 2011) [Web page]
Making Sure Your Employees Succeed (Gallo, 2011) [Web page]
RECOMMENDED STUDIES
These resources are provided to enhance your overall learning experience. For deeper understanding of the weekly concepts, review these optional resources.
Knight, M. G., & Marciano, J. E. (2013). College ready: Preparing black and Latina/o youth for higher education. New York, NY: Teacher’s College Press. (Chapters 4–5)
Answer preview to evaluate the assertions of Knight and Marciano
APA
581 words
