by Kimberly Sawatka | Mar 1, 2014
Elementary pupils outside classroom talking to teacher. Courtesy: nspt4kids.com
Hidden beneath academic benchmarks, league tables, and other measures of success in education, are the relationships and personal traits that fuel positive and negative outcomes for students. Attending the College Access Challenge Grant Georgia Conference earlier this week, I realized this theme as presenters with extremely challenging backgrounds–such as one man who was abandoned at a bus station when he was 5 years old–shared their stories of trial and triumph. Relationships–both the ones we build with others, and the one we nurture with ourselves–are the true challenge of preparing students to be successful in school and in life.
Prefacing the College Access Challenge Grant Georgia Conference, Georgia Center for Opportunity hosted a meeting focused on the non-academic needs of students earlier this week. Presenters Reginald Beaty and Tony Owens, independent consultants and Co-Deans of Students at Paine College in Augusta, Ga, enlightened the College and Career Pathways working group with trend leading research on non-cognitive variables.
If I just lost you, non-cognitive variables, more commonly referred to as “soft-skills,” are the qualities such as self-awareness, resilience, and even time management that bridge testable knowledge with actual successful outcomes. Notable scholars such as Angela Duckworth, and William Sedlacek, Ph.D have led the conversation on how these skills can be fostered within traditional and nontraditional school settings to transform individual students’ mindsets to ensure they are better prepared to overcome adverse learning challenges.
Paring my experience at the conference with the meeting on non-cognitive variables, I gained 2 important take-aways this week:
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Personal experiences with adversity can build “soft-skills” such as self-perception and grit (the ability to preserve past challenges to reach long-term goals) that aid academic success. However, the framing of these vital skills in a negative context can potentially render them useless to students.
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Actively working to connect with students on an individual level, in some cases weeding through the traumas of a student’s life, can change the context through which students utilize these traits to close achievement gaps and reach personal redemption.
Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D notes in her acclaimed book A Framework for Understanding Poverty, that “support systems are simply networks of relationships.” From both meetings, the consensus was that more streamlined support systems are needed to empower students, and there is still much debate around how to deliver a more relationship-focused infrastructure. Seeking a solution for this issue will continue to be at the heart of the College and Career Pathways working group.
by Kimberly Sawatka | Feb 28, 2014
Sharing wisdom between generations. Courtesy: Thegospelcoalition.org
In addition to remembering the legacy and accomplishments of many great men and women, the essence of Black History Month is also about continuing to build a sense of family within communities. Our mothers, fathers, and grandparents are our first teachers in life. It is strong relationships such as these that help shape who we are, and prepare us to be the new writers of history.
In my own life, I am always amazed at the power of the relationships I share with the beautiful women in my family. I am very blessed to have known my maternal great-grandmother, and to still receive endless wisdom from my grandmother and mother. The special interactions between the generations in my family were the ones that taught me about values and morals, hard word, and dedication. My relationships with these women are also the ones that anchored my commitment to my education. They are the type of relationships, much like I discussed last Fellowship Friday, that seem to be foundational to reaching academic and personal success for all students.
Recognizing that all students can benefit from the guidance and mentorship of older generations, the value of close relationships is not a luxury that has to be confined between blood-family members. These important ties can also be duplicated by the teachers, pastors, friends, and other influential people who enter students’ lives. Finding new points of support for students is particularly important for disconnected youth, who continue to be disproportionate across racial and socioeconomic lines.
Just yesterday President Barack Obama announced an initiative many constituents have been awaiting his entire presidency–one that addresses the unique challenges men of color face in reaching academic, economic, and personal success. My Brother’s Keeper, as the initiative is called, extends a plan for new research and programmatic efforts to empower this group of young people.
Locally, Georgia Center for Opportunity is always dedicated to empowering stronger families and communities. As a Breakthrough Fellow it has been incredible–through the Breakthrough Norcross, College and Career Pathways, and the Prisoner-Reentry projects–to see such concerted efforts to link all Georgians irrespective of their background to better outcomes in life. I am continuing to learn what extends the essence of Black History Month past February. Policy efforts that are underlined with an understanding of service and strong relationships between neighbors, friends, and family are an important start.
by Kimberly Sawatka | Jan 27, 2014
Below is a guest blog by Dr. Eric Wearne of Georgia Gwinnett College and formerly with the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. Dr. Wearne currently leads GCO’s College & Career Pathways working group.
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GCO’s college and career readiness working group met at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville last week to continue the “college” aspect of its work. The group specifically focused on high remediation rates, communication between high schools and colleges regarding expectations, and issues often faced by first-generation college students. Here is a closer look at some take-aways from this meeting:
- High remediation rates. University System of Georgia (USG) institutions offer three remedial, or “learning support” courses, in reading, English, and math. Whether needing remediation in one area or more than one, Georgia students have historically enrolled in these courses at what seem like high rate. In Fall 2008 (the most recent data reported by USG), USG institutions enrolled 46,500 first-time freshmen. Of those 46,500, 11,603, or 25 percent, were required to take at least one learning support course based on USG requirements. Perhaps the numbers have improved over the past 5 years, but this surely remains a problem.
- High school – college communication. The USG actually has a set of high school curriculum requirements for entering freshmen. But even a student who earns all of the credits on this list could need learning support in multiple areas, based on placement test scores. At a high level, agencies and institutions have been communicating for years about the transition from high school to college, from USG’s high school credit requirements to the career pathways initiative to Complete College Georgia. More communication at a finer-grain level, such as between college faculty and high school teachers in specific content areas, is an area the group spent significant time discussing, and will continue to refine.
- First-generation college students. Finally, the group also explored issues related to first-generation college students. Skills like learning the diligence to wake up, go to campus, attend class, pay attention, and stay the whole time—without anyone telling the student to do so – are skills that many students are not necessarily forced to practice in high school. Many can even graduate without them. Add to this the lack of a family member with experience in building a college schedule, or navigating financial aid, and it becomes much clearer why many first-generation college students struggle on campus. Georgia Gwinnett College provides significantly more individual mentoring for students, as well as much more “intrusive” advising; the college actually attempts to find students who may be struggling, and reach out to them, rather than passively waiting for students who need help to find a campus advising or tutoring center. These efforts have borne results, as GGC has retention rates much higher than comparable institutions; rates that, in fact, sometimes rival the retention rates at Research I institutions.
These areas are part of the framework of the group’s efforts at finding practical solutions to improve the college readiness of Georgia students. Next month, the group will focus on issues specific to “career” readiness, and will work toward preliminary recommendations, and a report on the first stage of its work.
by Kimberly Sawatka | Dec 2, 2013
Experts in education gathered to discuss the barriers that hinder Georgians from reaching postsecondary success at the first College and Career Pathways Working Group, held November 13. Among those in attendance were leaders from noted college readiness nonprofits, leaders from the private sector, and postsecondary educators.
Beginning this important dialogue included a look at what “college” and “career” readiness signifies for students in Georgia. Sources such as Achieve, Inc. say that:
“…“[C]ollege ready” means being prepared for any postsecondary education or training experience, including study at two- and four-year institutions leading to a postsecondary credential (i.e. a certificate, license, Associate’s, or Bachelor’s degree).”
Georgians must possess the tools to thrive in a two year or four year college setting, as well as have the ability to learn quickly with on-the-job training. Members of the working group aim to outline a vision of “readiness” that channels efforts in schools to not only help students meet educational benchmarks, but also prepare more students for “real world” challenges. Refining these definitions and giving context to the way students in Georgia are prepared for higher education and employment will be a key next step for the working group.
Discussion at the first meeting also focused on improving the quality of teaching in schools across Georgia. Student and parent interaction with teachers can greatly impact the likelihood a child is adequately prepared for postsecondary education. Public Impact, a research and strategy collective focused on quality k-12 learning, finds that one high quality teacher can produce up to a year and a half of learning progress in just one year. Also considered was the need to recruit more high quality educators while raising the accountability of all stakeholders–parents, teachers, and students alike. Exploring ways to link teacher evaluations with student performance will be an equally important next step.
The College and Career Pathways Working Group will continue to review the challenges students face–including identifying common qualities college-ready students share and examining how schools serve at-risk students. Going forward, experts of the group will meet monthly for the next year, continuing on December 18. For more information on The College and Career Pathways Initiative please visit the GCO website here.
by Kimberly Sawatka | Nov 6, 2013
There are many pathways that will lead students to success later in life. We just have to get them started. Courtesy: Experience
The dream of an abounding future for folks in Georgia obliges a closer look at the current pathways for our young ones to reach success as adults. College attendance is shifting from a privilege for a small group, to a growing necessity for the majority of us. Sources such as the Lumina Foundation project that by 2025 60% of all jobs in America will require an Associate’s degree or higher. Currently only 36% of working Georgians have reached this mark.
In addition to preparing more students for traditional college settings, it is imperative that we build new pathways that lead directly to thriving jobs. Technical colleges, apprenticeships, public-private partnerships and other training programs remain underutilized resources that could provide new possibilities for student outcomes. To create a seamless transition from high school to postsecondary education, and on to careers, we must remove barriers to opportunity now.
The Georgia Center for Opportunity is excited to launch its College and Career Pathways Working Group this November. With a mission to discuss the issues that bar students from postsecondary success, GCO has assembled a cohort of experts across the education space to lend their experience and insights to creating sustainable solutions.
Key Focus Areas of College and Career Pathways
- Defining college and career readiness
- Teacher quality in Georgia
- Use of virtual learning for college and career readiness
- Identify important components of the transition to postsecondary education
- Impact of the rising cost of college attendance
At GCO we look forward to creating a new dialogue for college and career readiness in Georgia. Finding solutions for the problems that threaten to keep more Georgians off the path to middle class by middle age will undoubtedly require that we draw support not only from experts, but also schools, communities and at home. What part can each of us take to adequately prepare youngsters to make their dreams a reality? Let’s share the work of making tomorrow a little peachier!
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