Program

In this session, participants will learn about Long Beach Unified School District's Academic and Career Success Initiative, including one effective intervention called Male Academy. Participants will examine the basic components of the Male Academy and data that demonstrate its efficacy; discuss best practices for creating and implementing an effective intervention program; and develop strategies for establishing such programs at their own schools in order to help close the achievement gap for African American students.

By fostering a strong college-going culture, high schools can effectively help students develop the necessary attitudes and behaviors for future postsecondary success, especially for underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. This session will present findings from two University of Southern California pilot studies addressing college-going culture in local high schools. The speakers will provide examples of action research methods that were used by the practitioner teams to examine quantitative and qualitative data on college-going practices and to set equity goals. Session participants will explore the environmental factors, attitudes, and behaviors that are most predictive of college enrollment for African American students. They will also look at case studies, and data to inform their practices for building a stronger college-going culture that may foster higher postsecondary enrollment and success for African American students.

For the United States to regain its position as the number-one producer of degrees, the transfer pathway from a community college to a four-year institution must play a bigger role, especially for students from underserved groups. Participants in this session will examine two initiatives designed to boost transfer in significant ways. Using interactive workshops, peer mentors and university faculty the session will develop strategies for helping students learn the keys to a successful transfer, with a focus on social justice and community service. Panelists will discuss the pivotal roles of two- and four-year colleges in advancing student transfer success, new state and institutional models that hold promise in enhancing transfer effectiveness, and summer residential programs that incorporate cultural competency as a means to achieve academic excellence for transfer students.

Welcome Plenary Session

Affordability is a topic of discussion for parents, students, colleges and universities. One component of the 21st Century Scholarship Covenant Program at Indiana University – Bloomington includes finding a balance to support institutional enrollment goals and families’ concerns about cost. The session will focus on how the Covenant Program supports state initiatives, expands college access, builds on existing financial aid opportunities and supports retention for underserved populations. Participants will develop strategies for creating effective campus partnerships and enhancing existing collaborative relationships to be more efficient in meeting institutional goals. This interactive presentation will solicit participants’ experiences to exchange best practices in enhancing academic programs to support student success.

By examining current trends of young African American males in schools, participants will develop and design specific learning objectives centered on motivating students through their interests. They will invent a tool kit of various anticipatory sets that are aimed at invoking interest and setting the foundation to inspire a dialogue that promotes authentic learning. Contemporary literature by Harry J. Holzer from Georgetown and Ronald B. Mincy from Columbia will be referenced to highlight the alarming and depressing reality for African American males at risk.

Participants will learn how to use noncognitive criteria properly in conjunction with cognitive selection criteria to predict future potential and examine past success. Noncognitive selection can best be defined as those intangible factors, typically of an interpersonal nature, that help predict a person’s future success. During this session we will examine the current admission selection process (cognitive selection criteria) and what we believe is the process of the future (noncognitive selection criteria). Participants will identify and begin to use noncognitive criteria to assess admission selection processes. Additionally, we will discuss barriers to implementation and identify methods for overcoming those impediments.

Research shows that girls’ self-esteem peaks at the age of 9 and then takes a nosedive. Eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression are the most common mental health problems in girls. Statistics bear this out; for example, 59 percent of girls in grades 5 through 12 are dissatisfied with their body shape, and between 20 and 40 percent of girls begin dieting at age 10. By the age of 15, girls are twice as likely as boys to become depressed, according to the New York University Child Study Center. This session will introduce participants to the challenges facing today’s girl, as well as the importance of creating opportunities to build the self-esteem of young women. After hearing from the presenters, participants will learn about and practice techniques for guiding female students to outlets that will boost their self-esteem and guide them to a healthier outlook.

This presentation will examine a data-driven school-transformation process that addresses the issue of enhancing or developing the college- and workforce-readiness pipelines for all students, with specific attention to the challenges facing African American students. Using the lens of student-centered, culturally responsive instruction, participants examine and practice methods that engender proactive teaching and learning behaviors that are responsive to the need to accelerate the achievement of underperforming student groups.

Over the past three years, Johnson C. Smith University has researched the behaviors and attitudes of its students to better intervene with advising when necessary, and to be able to better predict the academic performance of recruited students. This presentation will show a wide range of research and application, including analysis of data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), and noncognitive surveys; course evaluation; standardized faculty feedback; and the usual cognitive predictors, such as grades and standardized test scores. Participants will examine these through the lens of three separate goals: (1) to better advise and support students so that they retain and pass their courses, (2) to better predict the performance of admitted students to improve admission processes, and (3) to change the culture of the institution to emphasize the importance of personal attitudes and behaviors.

In 2011, the College Board’s Advocacy & Policy Center launched the most comprehensive literature and landscape review and qualitative research study designed to improve the educational experiences and pathways of young men of color: The Educational Experience of Young Men of Color: A Review of Research, Pathways and Progress. This study focused on males in four ethnic/racial groups: African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and Latino Americans. The research provided six recommendations and solutions for promoting the importance of college and career readiness among these populations. In response to the recommendations, NOSCA developed a journal series to support K–12 school counselors in promoting the college and career readiness of young men of color. In this session, participants will analyze the research findings of the study and learn about the barriers that prevent young men of color from advancing through the education system. Participants will learn about the guest journal writers’ perspectives and opinions of strategies and interventions that can be used to support young men of color in their college and career aspirations.

In this workshop, school administrators and teachers will explore and share perspectives relevant to the new science of the brain, learning and cognition. The focus of this workshop will be on how classroom instruction can be strategically aligned with the ways in which “iGeneration” students learn. Participants will analyze groundbreaking research that challenges traditional notions of how students spend their (multitasking) time, direct their (creative) attention and become inspired (motivated) to learn. Specific attention will be given to how the staggering global proliferation of cell phones, iPads, digital social networks, e-books, video games, wikis, email, texting, IMing, MP3 players, iPods, and personal computers, etc., are affecting the nature and cognitive process of learning.

This session will introduce participants to project ideas that will empower them to break down the process of writing document-based questions (DBQs), and that will allow students to collaborate and reflect on their writing process. Participants will learn how to use Google Docs to allow students to annotate documents and comment on peers’ essays, as well as how to create a survey that will help students reflect on their experiences in writing the DBQ essay. Participants will also examine approaches for teaching students the elements of a high-quality essay and the differences between a thesis and a well-developed thesis.

The Young Scholars Program in the San Francisco Bay Area has one of the best parent groups west of the Mississippi. This session will share strategies that empower parents to advocate for and support their children on the path to college. A continuum of parent involvement will be presented that begins with passive participation and leads to active involvement in program facilitation and leadership. Participants will learn how, through empowering parents, they can level the playing field, build understanding and increase the likelihood of parents’ becoming partners in the college-preparation process. Participants will learn about and practice techniques they can replicate to engage all parents, especially those from underrepresented and first-generation groups.

This session will examine a three-day summer residential program focused on improving educational access for youth in foster care. Participants will discover creative techniques, effective strategies and new models for improving educational awareness and access to higher education for youth in foster care. The session will explore the effective collaboration between a major university (UCLA), community-based nonprofit organizations (United Friends of the Children and Para Los Niños), and a major social service agency (Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services). Participants will discuss best practices for raising academic expectations, getting caregivers involved and making a budget work. Participants will acquire strategies that allow them to engage, support and foster educational achievement for youth in out-of-home care.

Utilizing music in the English classroom changes the perception and attitudes of reticent and reluctant students. Music is a universal language that makes classical literature meaningful, relevant and accessible. The use of various genres also broadens students’ musical horizons through exposure. This is a working workshop that will give participants an opportunity to practice strategies and tasks in preparation for using them in their own classroom. Participants will be exposed to two strategies for capturing students’ attention and develop plans for further engaging their students in literature.

African American student success is often wrongly chiefly attributed to school-based factors, when in fact it is the students’ exposure to an array of educational and developmental opportunities such as out-of-school time programs, tutoring and internships that results in their achievement. In order to grow into healthy, responsible adults, youth require a range of developmentally appropriate supports, services and opportunities. In this session, participants will learn how the Urban League movement incorporates policy, program and practice in approaching these issues across the full pre-K–16 educational system, and examine how communities and community-based organizations can lead and build innovative frameworks and approaches to accountability, student achievement, educational excellence and equity at scale. This session will provide participants with a took kit to build systemic approaches to improving educational outcomes for African American and underserved youth.

This session will introduce participants to Legacy Roundtable, a cadre of educators, business leaders and community advocates who leverage resources and expertise to partner with institutions of higher education, including the University of California, Irvine, to develop and implement an intensive summer program. The program gives students an opportunity to receive college credit for accelerated summer classes, four months of free tutorial services, college advisement and career information about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors. Participants will learn about the challenges, rewards and promise of this community-based initiative.

This session will introduce participants to the Maricopa Minority Male Initiative, a program designed to improve retention and degree-completion rates. The initiative utilizes a multifaceted approach that encourages academic achievement; promotes personal and professional development; and provides support for minority male students to stay in college, graduate and achieve their goals. Participants will create an action plan for their institutions based on the review the programs’ main goals and best practices for serving minority male students that are utilized on community college campuses.

As a result of persistent disparities in the graduation rates of African American male students compared to those of their peers, a number of institutions across the country have implemented programs to provide culturally relevant support for this population. While some highly publicized initiatives have achieved considerable success, others have failed to produce positive results, and many ideas never gain the traction needed for full implementation. In addition, many programs focus almost exclusively on strategies for helping currently enrolled students, neglecting to fully address the importance of outreach efforts to develop healthy pipelines that better prepare K−12 students for success in higher education. This working session will utilize the case of a current public historically black university seeking to establish a new black male initiative as a vehicle for stimulating collaborative conversations on the philosophy and best practices for this critical endeavor. As a community of practitioners, panelists and participants will carefully consider the rich dynamics facing this university, explore relevant issues and plausible challenges, and identify meaningful approaches for possible inclusion.

So often people wonder why is the SAT important and how is it used? In this session enrollment leaders and College Board staff will examine the SAT and how it is used by enrollment professionals to meet an institution’s strategic enrollment goals. Participants will also explore who
the tests serve, how they are developed, and the SAT's predictive power. Presenters will emphasize the particular opportunities to support underrepresented populations. Participants will leave this session with a deeper understanding of how to better leverage these assessments to support colleges and universities in their enrollment goals and students in their college aspirations.

Historically, due to the rigidity of the honors- and standard-level tracks, enrollment into Calculus Honors by 12th grade has been impossible for students who have excelled at standard-level mathematics. The African American Scholars’ Calculus Project (AASCP) has successfully narrowed the achievement gap by increasing the number of African American students who enroll into honors and advanced-level mathematics courses at Brookline High School in Massachusetts. The curriculum that supports the AASCP is composed of summer enrichment courses in mathematics that run between and parallel to honors- and standard-level courses. Students who struggle in the honors sequence of courses have the option to use the summer enrichment classes to maintain their academic standing. At the same time, students who are successful in standard-level mathematics and are willing to work hard with additional academic support have the opportunity to enroll into Calculus Honors during their senior year. Participants will review the curriculum and assess the impact of preteaching challenging topics in mathematics by reviewing quantitative and qualitative data. Furthermore, participants will learn replicable strategies for narrowing the achievement gap in mathematics by creating summer enrichment courses that focus on preteaching core mathematical concepts. These strategies will aid in providing ongoing academic support during the school year, increasing parental involvement and cultivating a strong academic culture at their own institutions that will promote high academic achievement for African American students.

“We Can’t Read” explores some unspoken culprits of the black achievement gap: the post–elementary school absence of reading instruction for African American students and the lack of professional development in reading instruction for teachers of all subjects. Participants will examine culturally embedded beliefs about reading, consider reading achievement data for African Americans and other non–African American students, discover strategies that underperforming readers use to disguise their true reading ability, and learn ways to embed reading instruction into their educational practices.

African-American women are grossly underrepresented in mainstream film/television, particularly in scripted programming. As a result, increasing numbers of African American content creators are turning to the Web as an outlet to showcase diverse talent and programming specifically catered to diverse audiences. In this session, participants will hear from the creative minds behind the hit web series, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” as they discuss their own educational experiences, the benefits of using the digital space as a platform to launch your own artistic endeavors, producing and marketing a series with little to no funding, strategies for successful fundraising, an examination of the depictions of African-American women in mainstream media, as well a look inside the writers room, including an analysis of the characters and storylines. Panel will also feature clips from actual episodes as well as never-before-seen behind the scenes footage.

From Reconstruction to the 21st century, the number of arrests and incarcerations of African Americans has increased at an alarming rate. History has repeatedly shown that the justice system in the United States has rarely, if ever, been “just” to African American men and women. Moreover, the justice system has historically treated and continues to treat African Americans more harshly than it treats white people and members of other racial groups. During this presentation, participants will examine archival data and recent statistics; more importantly, they will also learn how they can help to destroy the cradle-to-prison and school-to-prison pipelines.

Hanover College's Benjamin Templeton Scholars Program is designed to identify and reward students who make leadership and cultural contributions to their high school communities in hopes that they in turn will make significant contributions at Hanover. Named for Hanover’s first African American student Benjamin F. Templeton (1837) who progressed to lead the free black movement across Pennsylvania, the program’s goal is to create a legacy of social justice, cultural diversity and tolerance based leadership that is worthy of Templeton’s name. Once on campus, Templeton Scholars participate in a rigorous academic success and community involvement program. Participants will examine the program’s creation and all tenants of Hanover’s retention and academic successes initiatives in order to develop similar programs that increase the number of diverse students in their population and move into the realm of spreading cultural awareness throughout their campus communities.

This presentation is designed to explore ways in which strategic multicultural recruitment without multicultural retention goals can damage student achievement and success. Without proper retention strategies that directly assist students of color, recruitment efforts are arguably futile and can eventually support a perpetual cycle of dependency in the higher education attainment process. This presentation will address these issues and bring to fruition Cornel West’s generationally pertinent quote, “You’ve got to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. A thermostat shapes the climate of opinion; a thermometer just reflects.” Presenters will identify proper retention strategies and the relationship between effective recruitment and meeting retention goals. Attendees will learn about and engage in innovative practices that shake the foundation of private liberal arts colleges if students, especially African American students, are to matriculate and succeed.

Research has repeatedly shown that if we are to increase college readiness and success — particularly for students who have been historically underserved — school districts, colleges, community organizations and businesses must work together. Creating such partnerships requires leadership, collaboration, innovation — and funding. After a brief overview of federal grants geared toward college readiness, participants will engage with panelists who have successfully secured competitive grants, and develop strategies for how to build innovative partnerships and position them to secure funding that can expand college readiness and success.

Hinsdale South High School is a racially and socioeconomically diverse high school in Chicago’s western suburbs. In this session, attendees will examine how their approach resulted in increased AP® enrollment,
enhanced community involvement and reduced student conflict using a broad-based approach and creative use of resources. Programs discussed will include summer and in-school support for AP participation; community-based, off-campus academic support; and one-on-one adult mentoring that supports transfer students who are new to the community. Attendees will create a plan to implement best practices for replicating programs at their own institutions.

Within the educational arena, perhaps one of the most intriguing subjects is the existing and future status of African American males. This session will address some of the personal and societal issues that face African American males and the impact of these issues on these young men. Participants will develop a plan to implement a systematic framework to empower the lives of African American males.

Pathways College Preparatory School: A College Board School was established in 2004 to address the needs of an underserved, predominantly African American community in southeastern Queens, N.Y. Through strategic partnerships with organizations such as the College Board, College Summit and Adelphi University, Pathways has gone from being a standard high school to a vibrant early college school. The school’s graduation rates are 20 percent higher than the citywide average, and it has solid college enrollment rates; students, therefore, leave Pathways ready for college and career. Because of the school’s partnerships and the collaborative planning of its staff and administration, Pathways has recently received grant funding totaling more than $600,000. Participants in this session will analyze effective partnerships, and learn about data sharing and innovative instruction have contributed to a sustainable model for increasing college enrollment rates and fostering a college-going culture.

Participants will learn from High School Students, a Principal and District Coordinator about ways to empower students to mentor and counsel their peers to be successful in high school. They will examine the curriculm used in Peer Graduation Counseling and hear from students in the Senior Mentoring Program to identify ways these experiences would work in other schools.

The FAB Network, a professional development company providing career and collaborative opportunities between students and professionals, has identified a disconnect between educational institutions and real-world practices. In response to this, The FAB Network has created the “WOW Factor Effect,” a comprehensive curriculum and approach designed to help students identify their special and unique qualities. The program is also intended to help students understand the ways in which their personal and professional goals are directly related to their academic subjects. In this session, the presenter will highlight the importance of the “WOW Factor Effect,” collaborative learning techniques and practical-application teaching strategies. Participants will dissect the significance of broadening the curriculum to include real-world experiences and develop a personalized strategy for how to foster students’ creativity, independence and desire to design their own path. Attendees will leave with a strategic blueprint focused on a more rigorous learning environment, in which students can harness their “WOW Factor” and positively exploit their intellect and skills in the classroom and as future professionals.

In this session attendees will learn about a university–community collaborative model that supports community- and faith-based organizations in their efforts to develop and empower future African American leaders in the fields of mathematics and science. The cornerstone of this project, the California State University (CSU) Summer Algebra Institute (SAI), seeks to mobilize community partnerships and increase the efficacy of African American students by providing culturally responsive mathematics instruction. The program uses a standards-based, culturally relevant mathematics curriculum compiled to enhance academic performance, nurture college-going aspirations and accelerate mathematics skills acquisition of underserved and vulnerable middle school students. Attendees will gain an understanding of the key components of the model, learn about the cognitive and affective objectives and outcomes of SAI, and create a plan for how to use the applicable strategies with their own students.

In 2010, Cal Poly Pomona was awarded an endowment to increase access to educational opportunities. A group of academic and student affairs personnel has convened to address the critical issues surrounding challenges and opportunies available in the recruitment and persistence of African American and Native American students. Both student groups continue to be underrepresented at universities and perform at rates much lower than peers in the overall student population. Join us to hear about how these groups have approached the challenges given to them, and to receive recommendations for university administrators. Participants will learn strategies on accessing appropriate institutional data, including student demographics, admission data, engagement and academic trends, and performance success statistics currently available for African American and Native American students. Participants will also actively engage in an open discussion of institutional barriers that exist for these two student populations and discuss the committee’s recommendations for campus consideration.

The Physics First Academy, a STEM program in the Westbury Union Free School District in Westbury, N.Y., is focused on uniting local resources to formulate a STEM curriculum and problem-based learning. Participants of this workshop will, among other things, gain insight into the step-by-step procedures for identifying students; learn the processes for coordinating the utilization of agencies, museums, universities and the natural environment; be able to understand informal and formal assessments of student performance; and gain understanding into the variables that affect both summative and formative assessments. The ultimate success of the model will be demonstrated by the shared data on student performance in each of the sciences. Participants will also receive suggested materials and instructional strategies that will assist them in developing their own best practices.

The College Board offers a comprehensive suite of free tools and resources to help students plan and get ready for college, the SAT , and SAT Subject Tests. This interactive session will demonstrate how to connect students and their families to these resources as part of a comprehensive and systematic approach to promoting college and career readiness. Participants will develop strategies for increasing access to these resources at their schools and districts to help ensure that all students receive the information they need to engage in and participate in the college-going process.

In an effort to close the achievement gap for all students — with a particular focus on African American males — Virginia Beach City Public Schools has incorporated an objective into its strategic plan that specifically addresses the achievement gap. With the implementation of this objective, the division has adopted several research-based practices and strategies in relation to the achievement gap and designed its own professional learning resources to support its instructional staff in closing the achievement gap. One such resource is an awareness video that features an unscripted conversation among three African American male students and a district teacher. Through case studies, Virginia Beach City Public Schools revisits the three young men of the unscripted conversation and examines their unique development within the school division since the implementation of the strategic plan. In this session, participants will have an opportunity to examine Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ case study of three African American male students as a means of addressing the complex issue of race and equity in education for this particular population.

In this session participants will examine and learn the 12 MUST DOs for recruiting, retaining and supporting African American males in rigorous courses leading to college readiness and success in a global society. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), currently in the third year of its African American Male Initiative, is working with schools around the nation to specifically address issues of equity in and access to rigorous courses. The goal of this program is to raise the achievement of all students, but it has a specific focus on African American males. The program has experienced great success in closing the opportunity gap and has increased the number of African American males enrolled in AP courses. Participants will also learn how AVID Center is using professional development in culturally relevant teaching as a means to address the beliefs, biases and expectations of educators.

This session will focus on programs that assist African American students to transfer from community colleges to four-year research institutions such as the University of California, Los Angles (UCLA). Participants will learn about the educational pipeline, the challenges in following a transfer path, and strategies to address these challenges, including UCLA’s Summer Transfer Program (STP) and peer mentoring program. Additionally, participants will learn how these programs use critical race theory and the concept of a transfer-receptive culture as frameworks for practices, and discuss and develop a plan for how they can apply these concepts to their own work.

African-American males face a number of obstacles to success in college.  Often characterized as being in need of remediation or special forms of academic support, traditional forms of assistance may actually produce lowered expectations and diminished self efficacy.  The African-American Male Mentorship Program at Texas A&M University-Commerce inverts this model by providing these students the opportunity to interact with high-achieving male role models both on and off campus, reinforced by frequent interaction with assigned mentors who challenge their mentees to perform at the highest level.  Program partners include trained student service professionals, the Office of Greek Life, and members of African-American fraternities on campus.  Participants will review and discuss how to cultivate success and leadership skills by using this program as a model that produces improved retention and graduation rates for a population traditionally characterized as “at-risk.”

This interactive presentation will increase each participant’s awareness of why college readiness matters and how African American students struggle with meeting their college instructors’ expectations, along with specific ways in which teachers can make college graduation a reality for their students. Participants will receive practical, research-based tools that prepare middle and high school students to graduate from college. Participants will also gain insights into the four key elements for college success based on the work of Dr. David T. Conley. This presentation tackles how middle and high school teachers can play a critical role in their students’ confidence level and achievement as these students prepare to attend college. Participants will leave this session with a plan to implement best practices.

Reaffirming and strengthening the United States’ place as an innovator in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is vital, and meeting the needs of the workforce requires advancing STEM education. Research indicates that there is a dearth of African American undergraduates who are entering STEM academic fields and professions. Due to the shifting nature of industry needs, it is important to excite African American students toward STEM studies, and prepare African American students to fill new and growing fields in the 21st century. In this session, representatives from STEM stakeholders convene to discuss the state of STEM education in the U.S. and the importance of educating African American students for STEM careers.

Boston’s Wheelock College is a four-year private institution with a public mission: The institution has recently sought to strategically address issues of college readiness, access and success for males of color. The college implemented a robust continuum of programs and services spanning early awareness and precollegiate programs, admission recruitment strategies, and college student success and retention efforts that resulted in a substantial increase in the number of males ready for, enrolling in, and graduating from the institution. Participants in this session will examine Wheelock’s model and discern ways to adapt or replicate these practices.

This session will introduce participants to PATHS, a parent program at Neuqua Valley High School (Naperville, Ill.) that was started by a diverse group of African American parents. The program’s goals are to foster collaboration with the school and its administration, and to inform African American parents and students on topics related to high school success and college readiness. As the program has evolved, it has taken on the mission of building a neighborhood of parents motivated to address gaps in African American achievement. The group has engaged the community through parent and student workshops on motivation, achievement and resources. The evolution of this group has provoked dialogue about utilizing an Afrocentric approach, turning criticism into action, and developing authentic parent leadership. Participants will discuss and develop strategies for implementing parent programs when they return to their institutions.

This session focuses on exploring practical and effective strategies for helping male African American students understand that it is okay to be gifted, male and black. Participants will have an opportunity to explore and review strategies that strike a balance between nurturing and challenging gifted African American male students. They will also learn specific strategies for creating and maintaining a classroom climate that promotes and supports the formation of peer groups that have high academic achievement as a goal. The session will also examine building a support network of family members and other significant adults, which is critical to working with black male students to help change their attitudes about being strong academic scholars.

This session will provide participants with a uniform and consistent student support and counseling services model to assist students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to become first-generation college students. Activities will allow participants to survey and develop plans that establish partnerships with school counselors, community organizations, students and parents. Information will be reviewed to assist in seeking grant funding and community partnerships in participants’ local communities. The session objectives are derived from the Alamance Burlington Schools’ College Access/What’s After High School? program, a college-access and career-awareness outreach program developed to identify and cultivate interactive, formal and informal networks of people and organizations that can engage students and their families about the preparation and life skills necessary for a successful 21st-century college and/or career path after high school. The program’s objective is to lay a foundation within and between high schools and their respective communities that will connect the middle schools and elementary schools that feed the county’s high schools.

Academic self-concept (ASC), a student’s sense of efficacy related to academic tasks, is related to academic achievement and has been found to affect black and African-descent college students differently. The results of an empirical study will be presented, and the practice implications for recruitment and retention of black and African-descent students will be discussed. Participants will learn strategies for developing ASC among their black and African-descent student body, draft a plan of action appropriate for implementation in their academic setting, and construct a plan of accountability and an outcomes evaluation.

This session will examine the African American female student and her need for social significance in environments where she is continually marginalized and culturally defined by others. Participants will explore how a lack of positive role models and images, the abundance of misogynistic music lyrics in today’s music, and a perpetual absence from positive social constructs affects the ability of the African American female to define herself on her own terms, both socially as well as academically. The session will include an examination of case studies and statistics on graduation rates, teenage pregnancy and participation in honors and AP-level courses. Participants will also be introduced to strategies for academic and social empowerment, and review data from North Dorchester High School’s mentoring and social programs.

Participants will learn the organizational and individual behaviors that support exclusive, passive and inclusive relationships and environments in K–12 schools. Participants will also examine the assumptions, actions, attitudes and achievements that prevail in organizations. The presenters will work with participants to consider how these behaviors may exists in their own institutions and how to foster healthy environments that maximizes equity and access for all students.

Imagine the impact of change for an eighth-grade student of low income who evolves from having an interest in gang activity to becoming an honor student, acting as a school ambassador at local events, being named the 2010 top middle school student by his community’s mayor, networking with top executives, visiting the New York Stock Exchange, and seeing himself on a billboard in Times Square. These achievements and many more were made by one young man who walked away from gang influence and joined the Elite Gentlemen Club at Campbell Middle School in Smyrna, Ga. This session will present the program format, curriculum guide and activities used by the Elite Gentlemen Club to provide realistic life-application experiences for middle and high school males at schools serving low-income families. Participants will develop a strategic plan that can be used to facilitate such changes for other youth and how to garner community and corporate sponsorship to support these efforts.

Research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) shows that many children are not self-identifying with STEM and feel that they don’t belong there. Negative factors in the environment reinforce this. Other studies have found that introducing concepts such as natural selection before kindergarten helps with science learning later. This session will give participants an overview of the findings from current NSF research projects about how to improve STEM learning for African American students. Participants will create a tool kit for implementing some of these strategies for improving STEM learning at their own institutions.

Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation. -- Mark Twain

College Board, an organization with more than 6000 institutional/associational members, is governed by a 31 member Board of Trustees, elected by College Board member delegates. This session will provide participants with the opportunity to hear from current members of the Board of Trustees—and for them to hear from you; to better understand the College Board and its priorities; and to learn about ways to become more involved with the organization.

The California State University (CSU) African American Initiative is a nontraditional partnership with faith-based California churches serving predominantly African American congregations. The goal of the initiative is to increase the college preparation, enrollment and graduation rates of African American students. CSU and churches began to share institutional resources to increase parents’ and students’ awareness about higher education and the steps to get to and graduate from a four-year university. Attendees of this session will learn about prioritizing students with the least opportunity, develop a strategy for creating partnerships with faith-based organizations to close opportunity gaps, and develop a tool kit for increasing the numbers of underserved students who attend and graduate from college.

Acknowledging, recording, retelling and addressing the African American graduate student experience is vitally important to success in higher education. One of the key elements to addressing the graduate student experience is through mentorship. The goal of the African American Mentoring Program (AAMP) is to recruit, retain, and sustain students of African descent in graduate-level programs. AAMP is devoted to ensuring that the educational experiences of students are supported, mentored and fostered. It seeks to enhance students’ professional growth, self-awareness, self-confidence, cultural responsiveness and historical presence. This session will highlight the historical context of AAMP, the purpose and goals of AAMP, and program outcomes. AAMP’s current students, alumni and mentors will share their personal stories of impact and effectiveness, including stories of how the program addressed feelings of isolation, racism and discrimination; encouraged a will to press toward the mark; and inspired travel to South Africa. Session attendees will receive support and feedback in the development of action plans for their own mentoring programs.

Participants will examine the data for and impact on student achievement of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools program. The program provides high-quality summer learning for K–12 students through a research-based, multicultural curriculum that supports children and families around five essential components: high-quality academic enrichment; parent and family involvement; civic engagement and social action; intergenerational leadership development; and nutrition, mental and physical health.

What is cultural competence? What does it look like in our classrooms and administrative offices? Most importantly, why do educators commit to becoming culturally competent and how do they go about it? Participants in this session will listen to, reflect on and engage in short, interactive activities that will bring this topic to life and make it personally meaningful. As a result of attending this workshop, participants will leave with a definition of cultural competence, an understanding of why cultural competence is critical for educators, concrete examples of everyday behaviors that constitute cultural competence and incompetence, and four simple steps for becoming more culturally competent.

Participants will learn about a cross-curricular African American affinity program that celebrates black heritage in a predominantly white school. This affinity program has worked well at Saint Mary’s School, a mostly white, all-girls, faith-based private boarding-and-day school in Raleigh, N.C. Session participants will learn how to raise awareness and give a voice to an often-overlooked group of students through a special chapel service, a month-long lecture series, an African American read-in program and focused, cross-curricular initiatives. This student-centered affinity program is enjoyed by the entire school community and is one of the highlights on the school calendar. The African-American read-in, in particular, draws a wide audience.

This session is designed to aid in the recruitment and retention of a diverse cultural community to and within predominantly Anglo-American institutions that are located in predominantly Anglo-American communities. Multicultural recruitment and retention is a challenge for most higher learning institutions, but for colleges and universities in predominantly white rural or suburban areas, these challenges often appear insurmountable. Fortunately, these seemingly large hurdles can be conquered by identifying barriers between the institution and its target population, building a successful student-of-color recruitment plan, preparing the community for change, and transitioning and supporting the students of color in the community. This session should particularly benefit participants who represent institutions in homogeneous communities and regions, and who are interested in effecting immediate and long-lasting change in their institutions’ multicultural recruitment and retention efforts. Participants will identify the barriers that exist in their institutions and create a plan to address those challenges.

Character Education through Principles, Music and Inspirational Poetry is a literacy-based, culturally relevant, character-education curriculum. This presentation is completely interactive, including lesson activities, state-standardized curriculum, test results and rubrics. Participants will read, write, illustrate, recite and create poetry. This presentation will help educators enrich, enhance and empower the lives of African American students. At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be empowered to build meaningful relationships with their students by connecting with and redirecting students through the use of poetry, music and principles. Participants will also depart with methods and strategies that they can implement into their classrooms immediately.

Be among the first to see a new student-centered online college planning resource, created by the College Board in collaboration with the Education Conservancy. The free site is a comprehensive and innovative online resource that helps ALL students aspire to, find, connect, and enroll in the college that sets them on the path for success in life. Paticipants will learn stragies for using the information on the new site as a resource for their students.

Technology is a tool — a resource. Our students use iPads, iPods, Androids, virtual environments and instant messaging. They text, blog and use wikis, and their use of podcasts and conferencing is second nature to them. Many of our students will travel to countries that we never dreamed of seeing, and they will interact with cultures that we have only read about. In the classroom, these resources are powerful tools for learning. This session will demonstrate and provide access to many tools and resources that can be used in the classroom to generate students’ interest and excitement, as well as yield positive results for the teacher. Attendees will examine digital storytelling, global projects and resources that can be used, at no cost, to facilitate rigor for the student.

Participants in this session will examine the correlation between the prefreshman summer program and academic persistence at Mercer County Community College. Through assessment and examination, the Educational Opportunity Fund staff identified a connection between low test scores on the ACCUPLACER® examination and persistence toward graduation from the college. In response, the summer program was redesigned to address the specific needs of each student by clustering students according to their basic English and mathematics skill level in an effort to prepare them for college-level studies. Additionally, the staff integrated workshops geared toward comprehensive student development and widening the scope of students’ worldview and self-efficacy. Participants will ingage in sharing best practices and developing strategies, and to further assist in the development of this program and others like it. Such programs can serve first-generation, low-income students in an attempt to improve retention and graduation rates on their home campus.

This session will review the innovative partnerships between Hillsborough County Public Schools, the College Board, AVID and local university systems. These partnerships, based on a shared vision of equity and access for all, strategically promote the district’s plan to support students and provide quality professional development for teachers, counselors and administrators. Participants will examine the advantages of such partnerships, learn strategies for creating and effectively utilizing partnerships, and implementing a districtwide Pre-APÒ curriculum to best prepare all students for postsecondary success.

At the conclusion of this session, attendees will have a clear understanding of the power of self-analysis, holding one’s self accountable, and the ways in which understanding one’s past directly affects one’s future. Common phrases used to cover up the failure of African American students in school are often: 1) teachers are not culturally sensitive; 2) teachers do not set high standards for African American students because they expect them to fail; and 3) finally, there is no parent support to help with student accountability. Although these may be legitimate excuses, this session will share how you can increase academic success among African American students. Success does not require any extra effort from teachers or parents; rather, it requires a team of motivated mentors willing to give up their time and energy to instill hope in a group of students who seem to have given up. The process includes a cultural awakening for students and a self-analysis, along with creating the ability for students to see the correlation between education and a successful life.

This workshop is designed to meet two goals. One is to arm students with writing strategies and tools that will provide them with access to core standards, using a culturally relevant and responsive lens. These powerful strategies will begin with students’ real-life experiences and will transition into engaging discussions that facilitate student proficiency and mastery by utilizing enabling text, questioning and critical thought processes that reflect writing standards. Participants will create a took kit of critical skills that can help students effectively write personal statements and college applications that will give them a tremendous advantage in applying, entering, remaining in and successfully completing institutions of higher learning.

By aligning resources and expertise, the Oakland Unified School District; the University of California, Berkeley; and the East Bay College Fund have created replicable conditions in schools and classrooms to support African American boys in their academic and personal development. Through a change in master schedules and use of focused curricula, this trifold collaborative fosters success at the granular level to improve attendance, achievement and graduation rates for thousands of students citywide. This session will highlight the history of the collaboration and participants will review and create best practices for financing, creating buy-in for, and implementing such an initiative to systematically transform how public education serves our African American boys.

The Center of Excellence in Diversity in Medical Education at the Stanford School of Medicine piloted the Leadership Education for Aspiring Physicians (LEAP) seminar series in fall 2011. The series was designed to connect undergraduate students in San Francisco Bay–area community colleges and state universities to the leadership competencies identified for physicians by empowering them to make an impact in the present. Though this program, students also learn strategies to successfully prepare, for apply to and gain admission to medical school. Participants develop the skills for combining the use of advising with student development and industry-defined leadership principles can promote student engagement and contribute to retention.

Gay and lesbian students of color face formidable, complex challenges in navigating their school climate while developing a positive self-image. Participants attending this workshop will explore the intersection of culturally responsive teaching and inclusive curriculum for diverse readers, along with a brief overview of state educational policies and a strong focus on curriculum that can both empower and combat stereotypes that lead to harassment and violence. Attendees will explore positive historical role models and literary characters as an effective tool for educators to prepare all students, especially gay and lesbian students of color, to experience academic success. This workshop will facilitate participant dialogue about common community concerns while developing steps to broaden support for safer school climates and to develop tools for managing classroom conversations on sensitive topics.

Images of little Ruby Bridges 1960 walking past an angry mob of adults on her way to school in pursuit of knowledge remain seared in our minds. Her courage inspired a nation. Her journey created hope in our hearts that education in America would finally be accessible to all of the nation’s youth regardless of color of skin or socio-economic status. In 2012, the image has faded, and the angry mob has been replaced by laws, policies and scarce resources that are just as ominous and just as threatening to the lives and future of our youth. Images of children leaving schools because they no longer have hope are rapidly blotting out our memories of the moment little Ruby Bridges gave us over 40 years ago.

Our children are in search of someplace to be somebody, and it must be our purpose to ensure that school will be that place.