Peralta Scholars Program
Peralta Community College District
Strategic Student Success Initiative
The Challenge
In addition to overall
deficits in completion,
Latino and black students
are 5-10% less likely to
complete than white or
Asian...
- Community College
League of California
Source: http://www.cccvision2020.org/GOALS.aspx
The Initiative
Peralta Scholars Program
(PSP) is a comprehensive
academic success
program targeting AfricanAmerican and Latino
students in the Peralta
Community College
District aiming to
positively impact the rates
of recruitment,
persistence, and
completion.
Rationale
The initiative is led at the
District level to coordinate
the current efforts AND to
launch the Peralta
Scholars Program. PSP
is informed by best
practices and subject
matter experts in
programming for students
based on gender and
culture.
Subject Matter
Experts
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Michael Cuyjet
Pedro Noguera
Shaun Harper
Gilda Ochoa
Luke Woods
Tyrone C. Howard
Schott Foundation
Promising Practices
ASAP Findings
• There are large and significant differences between ASAP and comparison group students
in terms of retention rates, movement through developmental course work, credit
accumulation, and graduation rates. These differences are seen as early as the first
semester and continue to be found at all junctures over three years.
• Students who start ASAP with developmental needs graduate at high rates like students
who enter fully skills proficient: After three years, 47% of ASAP students with developmental
needs and 56% of fully skills proficient ASAP students have graduated vs. 19% of nonASAP students with developmental needs and 28% of fully skills proficient non-ASAP
students.
• Students from underrepresented groups appear to benefit more from ASAP than other
students.
• When graduation and transfer are considered together, 63 out of every 100 students who
began ASAP three years earlier have either graduated, transferred to a baccalaureate
program, or both vs. 44 comparison group students.
• Most importantly ASAP students graduate at more than double the rates of non-ASAP
students.
Source: http://www.cuny.edu/academics/programs/notable/asap/about/evaluation/ASAPkeyeval032014.pdf
Program Benchmarks
Program Benchmarks
Program
Features
• Bridge Program
• Program Orientation
• Intrusive Counseling
• Early Alert
• Staff/Student
Workshops
• Community/Career
Mentor
• *Mandatory Tutoring
* Based on Assessment
Bridge Features
• Math Boot Camp
• English Boot Camp
• Cultural Workshops
• Gender Workshops
• Life Skills
• Academic Skills
• Services/Resources
• Team Building
Program
Benefits
• PSP Grant
• Book Voucher
• Fulfillment of SSSP
• Eligible for
Scholarships
• Built-In Peer
Network from
Bridge Program
Program
Eligibility
• California
Resident/AB540
• Receive Need Based
Financial Aid
• Enrolled in at least 12
Units
• Enroll in an approved
major with the intent to
graduate and/or transfer
within 3 years
If patterns of inequality are invisible,
they will not be discussed, and if
institutional participants do not have a
reason or opportunity to talk about
unequal outcomes, the problem will
not be addressed directly.
- Estela Maria Bensimon
Director, USC Center for Urban Education
Source:
http://cue.usc.edu/tools/Bensimon_Closing%20the%20Achievement%20Gap%20in%20Higher%20Education.pdf
District Led Initiative
Key Stakeholders
• District Leadership
• Advisory Committee
• Peralta Foundation
• College Presidents
• College VPs
• Faculty Leads
• Lead Counselor/s
• Associated Students
• Community Partners
Advisory Committee
Peralta Scholars Program (PSP)
Advisory Committee Members provide
counsel, advice, and insight to the
Chancellor and the PSP leadership
team. The primary purpose of the
advisory committee is to assess the
programs impact on student success and
addressing the achievement gap at
PCCD. The committee uses their social
capital to advocate, fundraise, and
promote the PSP on their respective
campuses and in the broader
communities we serve. PSP Advisory
Committee members meet monthly and
review progress reports on the program
and provide recommendations.
Program
Staffing
• 1 FTE District
Administrator
• 1 FTE Staff Assistant
• 1 FTE Program
Manager
• 4 Student Workers
District Administrator
Reporting to the Vice Chancellor of
Education Services, the incumbent
organizes, and oversees the
implementation of the Peralta Scholars
Program (PSP). The incumbent builds,
maintains, and streamlines the internal
and external partnerships that ensure
the success of the program and PCCD
students. The incumbent oversees the
data collection, trainings, and process of
PSP. The District Administor secures
the budget, approves all expenditures,
and supervises the district PSP staff.
Program Manager
Reporting to the District Administrator,
the Program Manger oversees the dayto-day operations of the program and is
the primary contact for campus teams for
the PSP. The Program Manager works
with the campus teams to provide
strategy, update student files, and collect
data. The incumbent ensures the
campus teams have the training,
information, and resources they need to
fully implement the program. The
incumbent will coordinate the bridge
program and any special events
associated with PSP. The program
manger supervises the student workers.
Student Workers - District
Reporting directly to the Program
Manager, the student workers are
assigned a PCCD College to service.
Each student worker will responsible to
follow up with various requests from the
colleges including but not limited to:
supporting campus specific
events/programs, management of
website/social network, processing
applications, and serving as peer support
for Peralta Scholars.
District Role
•
•
Establish Program
Train Campus
Staff
• Collect and Report
Data
• Conduct Research
• Coordinate Travel
to National
Conferences
• Host Special
Programs
Program Staffing Campuses
• 1 FTE Faculty Lead
• 1 FTE Counselor
• 2 Student Workers
Faculty Lead - Campus
The PSP Faculty Lead is the primary
person responsible for implementing the
PSP program on campus. The faculty
lead will be trained by the District’s PSP
leadership on the components of the
program, success strategies for the
targeted population and submission
progress reports. Using the criteria and
regulations developed at the district
level, the PSP Faculty Lead selects
participants for the program and tracks
the progress of PSP students. The
Faculty Lead also conducts PSP student
orientations and workshops related to the
program.
Counselor - Campus
The PSP Counselor advises the PSP
students towards their academic goals.
Each PSP Counselor meets with each
PSP student a minimum of three (3)
times per semester ensuring that the
student is moving systematically toward
completion of certificate or degree. The
counselor provides academic, career,
personal, and if necessary, transfer
counseling to the PSP students. The
counselor presents student success
workshops to the PSP students.
Student Workers - Campus
Reporting directly to the Faculty Lead,
the student two (2) student workers at
each campus provides support and peer
advising to the PSP students. Student
workers assist with logistics for campus
programs, processing applications, and
other clerical responsibilities to support
the programs at the campus level.
Program
Goals Y1
•150 Students Per
Campus/Per
Semester
• Impact Total 1200
students
•60% Persistence
Rate
Program
Goals Y2
•300 Students Per
Campus/Per
Semester
• Impact total 2400
students
•70% Persistence
Rate
Program
Goals Y3
•450 Students Per
Campus/Per
Semester
• Impact total 3,600
students
•80% Persistence
Rate
•40% Completion
Rate
Benefits of Peralta
Scholars
•District-wide Strategic Approach
•Based on successful models and promising
practices
•SSSP components are integrated within the
program
•Significantly move the needle on the
achievement gap
•Place Peralta on the leading edge in this
work being done across the nation
Challenges of Peralta
Scholars
•District-wide Strategic Approach
•The program addresses the identity of “student”
but is not nuanced regarding culture
•The unique challenges faced by males is not
addressed in a broad outreach approach
•Requires a high level of commitment by all
stakeholders
Discussion
Promising Practices
I have over 10 years
experience developing
student success programs
with an emphasis on
gender and culture
•AAMASU
•STARS
•LINK
•CSRD
•Publications
Promising Practices
LINK Findings
•95% of pilot cohort (N=24) completed the program. 83% of
pilot cohort persisted and registered for classes the
following semester. The average GPA of the cohort was
2.92
• 97% of full cohort (N=88) completed the program. 90%
persisted both fall and spring semesters. The average GPA
was 2.75
• The LINK cohort retention rate of 90% exceeded the
campus-wide retention rate of 59%.
•LINK students overwhelming “strongly agree” that the
program was integral to their early college success
according to post program survey.
My
Background
• AAMASU
• LINK
• Publications
• Presentations
• Consultation