Equity Proposal – Black and Latino English Achievement Gap FIG
Proposal Overview:
Where We’ve Been:
In spring 2014, members of this inquiry group read and discussed a series of cutting edge
research articles related to equity, established a collaborative website through Wikispaces,
analyzed data from the Chabot’s IR office and developed questions for a Focus Group of
students in English 1A. The FIG Leaders, Carmen & Kristin trained 7 student leaders from
Puente, Daraja and CIN to facilitate the focus group sessions in the Chabot TV studio. Two
sessions were taped in May. The videos are posted on the wiki. For access to the site, contact
Kristin Land at kland@chabotcollege.edu.
Fall 2014-Spring 2015 Overview:
Drawing upon the work of the National Equity Project, the Bay Area Writing Project, and the
Teacher Research Collaborative – projects whose vision aligns with Chabot’s Equity Plan – the
English Achievement Gap FIG participants will engage in teacher research protocols to uncover
and remedy underlying assumptions that interfere with learning or success for Black and Latino
students. Facilitators will draw from teacher research methodologies to guide the work such as
student work analysis, courageous conversations, and writing workshop protocols. During the
fall of 2014, FIG leaders will support participants to:
1. develop specific inquiry questions,
2. gather relevant supporting data (student work, instructor’s reflective notes, course
materials, videos, etc.),
3. analyze data and refine inquiry approach, and
4. to draft a rough version of an Equity Vignette.
In spring, writing workshops and data analysis protocols will continue so that each FIG
member is prepared to publish an Equity Vignette by May 2015. Publication may occur in an
array of venues: on our Achievement Gap wiki, during an author’s chair on Flex Day, on a Blog,
in a local paper, or in a professional journal. For the first year of the project, we intend to build
knowledge about teacher research and its connection to improved, equitable outcomes for
Black and Latino students while also laying the foundation for deeper inquiry projects to be
sustained in coming years.
Within Three Years:
This project focused on improving the learning outcomes for Black and Latino students is
designed to further embed a culture of inquiry into the English department, a culture that drives
effective classroom decisions and goes well beyond a superficial list of “best practices.”
According to the National Equity Project, “The most critical practice for raising student
achievement is instructional decision-making – accurately determining the next skill that the
student must master in order to progress and how to teach it in a way that helps the student
learn it. It is this insight that helps create more equitable outcomes for struggling students.”
Thus, enhancing an inquiry stance among full time and part time English faculty is a primary
long term objective of this FIG. As FIG participants become more skilled at identifying ways to
better reach Black and Latino students, they will be ready to share their findings with
colleagues. To ensure the conversations and findings extend beyond the FIG, we would like to
schedule a series of department retreats where insights uncovered through teacher research
can be analyzed with colleagues.
We recognize that “Shifting a teacher’s practice usually won’t happen without
productively challenging their thinking, assumptions, and interpretations of their current
classroom reality” (National Equity Project). Once an assumption has been challenged, FIG
leaders and participants will want to harness that momentum and seek additional professional
resources to support their continued growth. Therefore, it will be important to be able to readily
access professional development opportunities for members of the FIG whether by purchasing
a new research book related to a participant’s inquiry or sending a group of faculty members to
a conference focused on serving Black and Latino youth or Foster youth more comprehensively.
Goal C. STUDENT SUCCESS INDICATOR FOR BASIC SKILLS
COMPLETION
Increase the number of African American and Latino students who pass Basic Skills courses
and enroll in and pass English 1A.
To achieve this success indicator, we will:
• Increase full and part time English faculty members’ awareness of Teacher Research as
a method to detect and investigate inequities that impact the basic skills English
program.
•
Provide a supportive, on-going professional development space for educators to wrestle
with deep equity issues and to challenge their own mental models by learning from
colleagues and current equity research.
•
Develop and conduct teacher research projects in the classrooms of FIG participants.
This includes 8 FIG meetings in an academic year: Two ½ day retreats of 4 hours each;
six 2-hour meetings. FIG participants will also be expected to spend 16-20 hours reading
research, writing about their practice or findings, and gathering data for their teacher
research inquiry project.
•
Write up and share both the qualitative – and when possible – quantitative findings with
a wider audience. The findings may be shared through vignettes that can be published
on a Blog or in other scholarly journals.
•
Plan and conduct a series of retreats for full and part time faculty members to fully
evaluate and discuss future plans based on the research findings.
Data Analysis:
Original FIG Findings: November 2013-March 2014
In January of 2014, the FIG participants worked with the IR office to analyze data about
how African American and Latino students performed in and outside of identify based learning
communities by analyzing longitudinal data. The findings revealed that the persistence rates
from Basic Skills to English 1A for African American and Latino students in identity based
learning communities was stronger than non-learning community students. Thus, persistence
into English 1A is an area of focus for the group.
In Basic skills English courses, African American students have substantially lower success
rates in English 101A and 101B as compared to the college average where as Latino students
tend to fall within the college average. African American students succeed in English 102 at a
slightly lower rate than the college average.
Baseline Data: 2014 English Program Review Dataon Chabot’s Institutional Research Website
•
•
•
•
•
•
African American students succeeded in English 101A at a rate of 44% as compared to
the college average of 58%
African American students succeeded in English 101B at a rate of56% as compared to
the college average of 70%
African American students succeeded in English 102 at a rate of55% as compared to
the college average of 66%
While Latino students succeed in English 101A at a rate of 57% which is near the
college average of 58%, their persistence rate into English 101B is a only 53%.
Latino students succeed in 102 at a rate of 65% and persist into English 1A at rate of
90%.
Puente 102 students complete English 1A at a higher rate than any other group of 102
students. For example, 68% of Puente Latino students who begin in English 102
complete English 1A within two years where as 41% of non-learning community Latino
students who begin in English 102 complete English 1A within 2 years.
Latino Students in learning community English as compared to Latino students in non-learning
community English
• English 102 – Latino Puente students 21 or younger complete the course with a 84%
success rate as compared to a 61% course success rate for non-learning community
Latino students 21 or younger.
• English 102-English 1A – Latino Puente students completed English 1A with an 85%
success rate as compared to a 75% success rate for non-learning community Latino
students. Puente students complete English 1A at the college average.
• English 1A – English 4/7 – Latino Puente students 21 or younger completed English 4/7
with a 94% success rate as compared to an 81% success rate for non-learning
community Latino students 21 or younger.
Foster Youth
• According to IR data for Fall 2013-2014, the persistence rates for Foster Youth were
48% as compared to other students who persisted at a rate of 70%.
Six Year Transfer Rates
• The six year transfer rate for Latino and for African American students receiving financial
aid continues to lag behind that of Asian students receiving financial aid, according to IR
Equity Data presented on Sept. 12, 2014. For the 2007-2008 cohort, transfer directed
Asian students transferred at a rate of 55% as compared to 29% for Latinos and 34% for
African Americans.
Activities Goal C
Activity
Request, analyze and reflect on IR data to
identify gaps
Target Date
to Start
January
2014
Build a collaborative wiki space to house
January
Person Responsible
FIG Coordinators (Carmen Johnston,
Kristin Land) IR Office (Carolyn Arnold),
FIG participants
FIG Coordinators (Carmen Johnston,
Target C
Date
March 2
(complet
Feb. 201
cutting edge research and meeting
materials
Maintain collaborative wiki space for FIG
participants.
2014
Kristin Land)
Fall 2014
Ongoing
2015.
Identify cutting edge research and host
reading discussions
Plan year long calendar for Teacher
Research Inquiry Projects; read books
about how to conduct inquiry projects and
assemble relevant materials/protocols.
Develop materials for FIG meetings and
support participant inquiries. Send out
agenda and keep meeting minutes.
November
2013
June 2014
FIG Coordinators (Carmen Johnston,
Kristin Land) Carmen Johnston & Kristin
Land
FIG Coordinators (Carmen Johnston,
Kristin Land) and FIG participants
FIG Coordinators (Carmen Johnston,
Kristin Land)
September
12, 2014
FIG Coordinators (Carmen Johnston,
Kristin Land)
Ongoing
2015.
September
2014
FIG Coordinators (Carmen Johnston,
Kristin Land)
Ongoing
2015.
March 2015
English Department [Chair] w/ FIG
leaders and Dean Marcia Corcoran.
October
3 fall semester2 hour FIG meetings; 3
spring semester 2 hour FIG meetings; and
2 ½ day (4 hour) retreats
Identify and request professional
development materials: books about
teacher inquiry, conference fees, guest
speakers from National Equity Center, or
other relevant books, films, journals.
Plan English department retreat(s)
Expected Outcomes C
1. Increase African American students’ success in English 101A and 101B by 7% within 3
years.
2. Increase African American students’ English 102 success rates by 7% within 3 years.
3. Increase Latino students’ persistence rate into English 101B by 5% within 3 years.
4. Increase English 102, 1A, and 4/7 success rates for non-learning community Latino
students by 5% within 3 years.
5. Increase the persistence rates for Foster Youth by 10%.
Projected Budget
What
FIG Facilitators (2)
Cost
$3760
FIG Participants
$12,000
Books
$350
Description
Plan and facilitate meetings, support individual
participants, coordinate with Equity Plan. $47/hr x 40
hours x 2 facilitators=$3760
Attend 8 meetings, conduct research project, write up
research findings and publish on wiki/other venues. $47
hr x 20 hours x 12 participants.
$20 per copy X 15 of “The Art of Classroom Inquiry: A
On-going
2015.
Oct. 1, 2
going as
Handout Book for Teacher Researchers” or another
teacher research guide. (excludes tax & shipping)
Materials, snacks
$250
Speaker/Professional $1,500
Development Fees
English Department
Retreat
????
*Bay Area Writing Project donated 10 copies of “Working
Toward Equity” for this project.
Copies, snacks for 8 meetings.
1-3 speakers/trainers from National Equity Council or
organizations that lead equity conversations. (Dr. Pedro
Noguera, Dr. Sonia Nieto, Dr. Kris Gutierrez)
Facilitators need to check with Stephanie Zappa & others
to figure out a budget for this and to confirm department
interest.