Best Practices in College
Transition, Persistence & Success
FRANCES CONTRERAS, PH.D.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
UC SAN DIEGO
WASHINGTON STATE BOARD OF COMMUNITY
& TECHNICAL COLLEGES
OCTOBER 30, 2012
2"
CONTEXT
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Demographic Shifts, Denial or Fear?
90% of Latino Population live in:
Transitioning to College & Beyond
—  Latino and underrepresented students most likely to get college
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information from teachers not school counselors (Contreras, et.
al., 2008; 2011).
Latino and underrepresented students utilize college
intervention programs as a source of college information AND to
acquire additional academic support (Gandara & Bial, 2001;
Gandara & Contreras, 2009; Contreras, 2011).
Latino, low-income students more likely to attend college close to
home
Over half of all underrepresented students start higher education
in a community college (for Latinos over 60%)
Attrition rates high for students of color starting in community
colleges
Attrition rates in four-year institutions highest for Native,
African American and Latino students
A Look at Latino Youth Beating the Odds
—  Latino High Achievers are busy
—  Several activities positively influenced achievement on the
SAT Math and GPA in school:
¡  Honors
program—rigorous curriculum
¡  Playing an Instrument (Band)
¡  Student Government
¡  Ethnic Activity
¡  Church Activity
¡  Work or internship
—  Challenge—to make extracurricular activities curricular
Resilience of High Achievers
Many people have put me down. They think that
because I am not able to speak the language well that
I am ignorant. I have struggled and proved so many
people wrong. So many teachers back in Yakima told
me that you should go to community college because
you do not have the language skills to do well in
college.
--Latino
Student attending a flagship institution
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PERSISTENCE
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Barriers to College Persistence
—  Cost (and Rising Costs)
—  Competing Demands (work, family, etc.)
—  Remediation needs
—  Lack of ongoing academic support
—  Institutional Climate
—  Lack of Faculty Diversity and Mentorship
—  Lack of critical mass
Undocumented Latino Students and the DREAM of
Pursuing College "
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—  Background "
—  DREAM Act—WA passed HB 1079 in 2003"
—  First case study in Washington State to document
the experiences of undocumented Latino students
in higher education across multiple institutional
contexts"
—  Much of the Literature has focused on CA and
urban student sample or legal analysis (Olivas,
2004; Ruge & Iza, 2005; Gonzales, 2008)."
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Research Questions"
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1.  How does HB 1079 Status affect the
experiences of Latino students as they navigate
through higher education institutions?
2.  Do these experiences differ by institutional
type?
Study Design"
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— Qualitative"
¡ Snowball
sample"
¡ Semi-structured interviews with
undocumented students across
various postsecondary institutions in
WA in Winter 2008"
The Sample"
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—  Twenty DREAM Act (1079) students in postsecondary
institutions in WA"
¡
¡
¡
¡
8 Female"
12 Male"
Age range-majority traditional college age 18-24"
7 students started at a community college "
—  SES"
¡  Parent Education Levels-13 respondents had at least one parent
with less than a HS education"
¡  Majority of respondents had incomes < $15,000"
¡  13 students worked 20 hours or more while in college"
Findings: Key Themes"
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—  Living in Fear"
—  Financial Barriers"
—  Campus Experiences ranged from racist to
supportive (staff encounters)"
—  Ganas"
—  Concerns about the Future & Limitations related to
legal status"
The Role of Institutional Climate
—  Alejandro
“I went to see about my employment authorization
card because at first I was given the card which
allowed me to work. So I went to financial aid after it
was denied to ask them. They said it was a mistake.
The person ended up telling me, ‘That was just pure
luck. You are lucky that you have not been deported.’ I
wish I were able to stop this discrimination for
immigrants.”
Ganas
—  Lydia
“The first years in college, I slept four hours every day
for two years. We would work—I had classes from
eight to twelve, then I came back home, took a shower
and I went to work from 2:00 to 11:00 p.m. in the
restaurant. Then I would go with my husband to clean
offices at night until 2:00 in the morning. It was here
in Bellevue; we worked until 2:30 to 3:00 in the
morning, and would do it every day all over again . . .
to save money for school. Four hours for two years.”
Uncertain Futures: Missed Opportunities
—  Patricio
“I am concerned about not being able to get my legal
documents in time, able to use that knowledge I
learned, that I strived for, and not being able to teach
in the U.S. . . . that all of this time is just a waste. I am
hopeful that something is going to happen and that I
will have my legal status so I can become a high school
teacher. I’m a good person, I contribute to this
country, I love this country—why can I not have papers
that will allow me to be a teacher? Washington needs
bilingual teachers. I am the person to do that job, but I
can’t.”
Policy Implications "
18"
—  The need for a national DREAM Act & Immigration
Reform"
—  The need for in-state financial aid (one attempt in
WA so far 1706 in 2009; 2012 session)"
—  Oversight of the actual implementation of 1079—who
chooses to implement"
—  IHEs—Institutional policy & staff professional
development"
—  August 2012—Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Program (Obama) promising but narrow. "
—  Pathway to citizenship clearly specified"
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Best Practices
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Best Practices for Underrepresented Students
—  Posse
—  Act Six in Washington
—  Meyerhoff Program
—  McNair Program
—  Running Start
—  Puente Program (CA, TX)
Best Practices for
Underrepresented
Students:
Rubric
Source: Contreras, 2012.
Models of Latino Success,
Publication for the College
Board.
Common Features of Best/Promising
Practices
—  Validate the culture of the student (and language)
—  Address academic needs
—  Engage parents as partners
—  Provide financial support or incentives (scholarships)
—  Provide access to a mentor (faculty and/or peer)
—  Provide access to peer network and cohort
—  Promote productive study skills and time management
strategies
—  Access to a professional network
—  Access to test-taking workshops (GRE, etc.)
—  Promote Graduate School early in higher ed pipeline