Diversity Student Retention
Demographic information shows that the minority population in the United States is growing at a faster rate than the majority. It is imperative that educational institutions find ways to help improve retention rates for all students but particularly minority students. Retention rates should not differ appreciably among different racial/ethnic groups.
Ray,
Thanks for this post. It is important that we build relationships with our students that establish an environment that they want to be a part of.
You are right, make a point to talk with all of your students it will make them more at ease with class and life.
being young adults and the first time from home students struggle making ends meet and just feeling comfortable....... then adding on top of that being in diversity position
I try and instill a vision that each student, regardless of socio-economic background or other variables all deserve an opportunity for an education. Sometimes there are financial and personal obstacles that are unavoidable. Being caring, compassionate, and thinking outside the box can really help shape and change a person's life.
glen you bring up a great point ,The difference is that the minority group is trying to fit in so you need to not make them feel like outsiders and find out what teaching methods motivate them.its different for them not just on a ecomomic level.
Jeffrey -- Socioeconomic circumstances and the inherent challenges are strong correlations to college success as you pointed out; ethnicity itself is not a determinant of course. Have worked as a high school college advisor, and found working with economic disavantaged students 9th - 12th grade, getting their gpa and class ranking up, could get them a good score on an SAT/ACT to qualify for acceptance to top tier colleges nationwide. The challenge for them was always to have that life stability to be able to focus on education as a priority,and build self-confidence, self-efficacy. Liked your post, it carries a message!
I have observed that retention rates seem to be more divided by socioeconomic levels than by ethnic,religious, or other boundries. I wrote a research paper while in college concerning eduation success levels and found a strong link between crime rates and poverty levels. The less educated people were in an area, the greater the crime rates. I also feel that people from less fortunate backgrounds with little or no family support really need our attention to be successful. We become their family support, just like the kids who end up in gangs. They need a family structure and the gang fills that need. If we give all our students the support necessary and make them aware that someone actualy does care, they will have a higher success rate and we as a institution will be more successful as well.
Glenn, this post is of great interest to me, as I have worked the past ten years as a mentor to southwest Native American college students as a resource, guide and help toward their college completion. Despite most major colleges and universities having advising departments for Native American students, there remains an ongoing challenge with retention, as you noted here. Many times, what deters their academic progress is not a lack of desire or dedication, but travel time and transportation to campuses, family caretaking, and financial obligations that require a break in their college course scheduling. The changes in the last ten years, with online classes and the availability of internet services to many outlying areas here in the Southwest, have greatly increased the opportunities for these students to succeed in completing college. A great post that offers much extended critical thinking!
Glenn,
Thank you for your post. I look forward to interacting with you in the other discussion forums.
Retention of disadvantaged socioeconomic groups has always been a challenge for educators. What are some things that your college does to support students from these groups and put them in a better position to succeed?
