Missing: Talented and Underserved
We are a nation founded on the high ideals of meritocracy. The very
notion of the American dream is predicated on the simple belief that if
you work and study hard enough, you can achieve great things. Indeed,
our public education system aims to provide everyone, no matter their
race, gender, or socioeconomic standing, with the right to learn and
achieve to the best of their ability. Yet, in reality we too often
struggle to put these ideals into practice.
The students most harmed by the gap between the theory and reality of public education are often gifted students of color from underserved communities. Underserved is a wonderful euphemism for the reality of poverty and low expectations. It allows us to anesthetize ourselves to the harsh truth that some of our brightest and most talented students are allowed to wither on the vine of educational inequity.
The most recent scores from the National Assessment of Education Process (NAEP) should give us pause. After years of incremental gains, we have hit a bump, a statistically insignificant one perhaps, but a reason to reflect nonetheless.
For the first time since the ‘nation’s report card’ has been administered, scores dropped. Fourth and eighth graders are not making the gains they should in mathematics and reading. Most startling, however, are the achievement gaps between black, Latino and white students on the advanced side of the results spectrum. These numbers, which have consistently tracked worrisome gaps, should be the reason we sound the alarms: in fourth grade only one percent of black, three percent of Latino and ten percent of white students achieved advanced scores in mathematics. For eighth graders the results track along the same lines, with two percent of black, three percent of Latino and 11 percent of white students achieving advanced mathematics scores.
While it’s important to make sure all students reach minimum levels of proficiency, what about the need to ensure high-achievers grow to their full potential? What about the young girls whose interest in science and math in second grade can spark a lifelong pursuit of learning and innovation and keep them working hard in fourth grade and eighth grade?
Thinking more deeply about specific challenges can help us pinpoint systemic failures that, if addressed, have the potential to change outcomes and transform lives. In particular, when we look at high-achieving students of color we see a disturbing lack of support to ensure their success.
When we bemoan the dearth of women of color in STEM careers, we would do well to consider the roots of the problem. Only 35 states require that high-achieving students be tracked. Even then, there are not enough resources to keep these students, most often students of color from underserved communities, on track.
As anyone engaged in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) outreach can attest, there are myriad anecdotes to share when we engage young students with learning opportunities that spark their interests and capture their imaginations—especially in those formative years between elementary and middle school. Too often, however, when we talk about STEM learning we still think of the same types of students—often white, mostly male and always, seemingly preternaturally inclined toward the subject matter. This kind of thinking leaves out not only half the population, but thousands of talented students who may simply not be connected to opportunities in the ways more affluent and privileged students tend to be.
Economists David Card and Laura Guiliano studied the efforts by one school district in Florida to close achievement gaps by proactively recruiting gifted and talented students of color from underserved communities.
In their findings from the early 2000s, Card and Guiliano discovered that white students in Florida’s Broward County were nearly four times as likely as their black peers to be labeled gifted. Given that Broward was mostly composed of minority students this simply did not make sense.
With 10,000 children considered gifted, over half were white, 5,600; 1,500 were black and 2,000 were Latino. Their findings are startling for the sheer number of children—capable, talented and often exceptional—who were simply being left out of gifted and talented pipelines readily available to them because of holes in the nomination process. In short, the system had failed these kids before they even had a chance to try.
In the STEM space we confront many of the same disconnects. Talented, capable students who don’t look like we might expect; who may not live in the zip code with the awesome robotics club; whose parents may not be aware that a few bus stops away from their front door a world of opportunity awaits. This needs to change.
We have spent enough time appreciating the problem, let’s find workable solutions and provide ALL our talented students with the opportunities they and we deserve to live up to our collective potential.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandy-marshall/missing-talented-and-unde_b_8461838.html
Marshall, Sandy. (2015). Missing: Talented and Underserved. The Huffington Post.
Another article that discusses the difficulties that underserved SES students may face in the classroom, or after they graduate from the public school system. The article explains that often time these underserved students may be the first to go to school in their family, the reasons they are underserved, and the reasons they should not be underserved or underestimated.
National Center to address needs of underserved students
Adams State University witnessed creation of a National Center for Historically Underserved Students in mid-November. Twenty-two participants from across the nation joined Adams State faculty and staff for a think tank to launch the organization. The three-day conference concluded with the signing of a draft Declaration on the Rights of Historically Underserved Students.
“Research consistently shows that students from underserved populations enter and complete college at much lower rates than other groups. In addition to racial and ethnic minorities, this includes students who are socioeconomically challenged, are the first in their families to attend college, or are academically underprepared. The latter category applies to nearly 60 percent of first-year college students,” said Adams State President Beverlee J. McClure.
he added the center will also support and advocate for veterans, adult students, LGBTQ students, women and transgendered students, the disabled, and young men of color. She cited statistics that show 54 percent of students whose parents have only a high school diploma will attend college, compared to 82 percent of students whose parents have a college degree. Worse, only 36 percent of students whose parents did not finish high school will attend college.
“No student should be a statistic. Every student who works hard should become a graduate. Through this national center, we will work to identify and rectify barriers to educational equity and success,” McClure said. Gilmer said the center will provide a platform to discuss practices that improve higher education for historically underserved students. It will also develop an advocacy group to address the issues and challenges in higher education. Primary activities will include convening experts to support the center’s mission, improving public schools, building family literacy and intergenerational learning, improving developmental education, and conducting a research study.
“This is a call to action for America’s historically underserved students and those persons and systems entrusted with their success. We hope to circulate this declaration nationally,” said Dr. Chris Gilmer, vice president for Academic Affairs, who coordinated the think tank. The conference included a well-attended campus forum at which think tank participants discussed their work and responded to audience questions. The conference was sponsored by Adams State’s Title V Office, funded through federal grants for Hispanic Serving Institutions.
https://www.adams.edu/news/nov1624.php
Waechter, Julie. (2016). National center to address needs of underserved students. Adams State University.
The students most harmed by the gap between the theory and reality of public education are often gifted students of color from underserved communities. Underserved is a wonderful euphemism for the reality of poverty and low expectations. It allows us to anesthetize ourselves to the harsh truth that some of our brightest and most talented students are allowed to wither on the vine of educational inequity.
The most recent scores from the National Assessment of Education Process (NAEP) should give us pause. After years of incremental gains, we have hit a bump, a statistically insignificant one perhaps, but a reason to reflect nonetheless.
For the first time since the ‘nation’s report card’ has been administered, scores dropped. Fourth and eighth graders are not making the gains they should in mathematics and reading. Most startling, however, are the achievement gaps between black, Latino and white students on the advanced side of the results spectrum. These numbers, which have consistently tracked worrisome gaps, should be the reason we sound the alarms: in fourth grade only one percent of black, three percent of Latino and ten percent of white students achieved advanced scores in mathematics. For eighth graders the results track along the same lines, with two percent of black, three percent of Latino and 11 percent of white students achieving advanced mathematics scores.
While it’s important to make sure all students reach minimum levels of proficiency, what about the need to ensure high-achievers grow to their full potential? What about the young girls whose interest in science and math in second grade can spark a lifelong pursuit of learning and innovation and keep them working hard in fourth grade and eighth grade?
Thinking more deeply about specific challenges can help us pinpoint systemic failures that, if addressed, have the potential to change outcomes and transform lives. In particular, when we look at high-achieving students of color we see a disturbing lack of support to ensure their success.
When we bemoan the dearth of women of color in STEM careers, we would do well to consider the roots of the problem. Only 35 states require that high-achieving students be tracked. Even then, there are not enough resources to keep these students, most often students of color from underserved communities, on track.
As anyone engaged in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) outreach can attest, there are myriad anecdotes to share when we engage young students with learning opportunities that spark their interests and capture their imaginations—especially in those formative years between elementary and middle school. Too often, however, when we talk about STEM learning we still think of the same types of students—often white, mostly male and always, seemingly preternaturally inclined toward the subject matter. This kind of thinking leaves out not only half the population, but thousands of talented students who may simply not be connected to opportunities in the ways more affluent and privileged students tend to be.
Economists David Card and Laura Guiliano studied the efforts by one school district in Florida to close achievement gaps by proactively recruiting gifted and talented students of color from underserved communities.
In their findings from the early 2000s, Card and Guiliano discovered that white students in Florida’s Broward County were nearly four times as likely as their black peers to be labeled gifted. Given that Broward was mostly composed of minority students this simply did not make sense.
With 10,000 children considered gifted, over half were white, 5,600; 1,500 were black and 2,000 were Latino. Their findings are startling for the sheer number of children—capable, talented and often exceptional—who were simply being left out of gifted and talented pipelines readily available to them because of holes in the nomination process. In short, the system had failed these kids before they even had a chance to try.
In the STEM space we confront many of the same disconnects. Talented, capable students who don’t look like we might expect; who may not live in the zip code with the awesome robotics club; whose parents may not be aware that a few bus stops away from their front door a world of opportunity awaits. This needs to change.
We have spent enough time appreciating the problem, let’s find workable solutions and provide ALL our talented students with the opportunities they and we deserve to live up to our collective potential.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandy-marshall/missing-talented-and-unde_b_8461838.html
Marshall, Sandy. (2015). Missing: Talented and Underserved. The Huffington Post.
Another article that discusses the difficulties that underserved SES students may face in the classroom, or after they graduate from the public school system. The article explains that often time these underserved students may be the first to go to school in their family, the reasons they are underserved, and the reasons they should not be underserved or underestimated.
National Center to address needs of underserved students
Adams State University witnessed creation of a National Center for Historically Underserved Students in mid-November. Twenty-two participants from across the nation joined Adams State faculty and staff for a think tank to launch the organization. The three-day conference concluded with the signing of a draft Declaration on the Rights of Historically Underserved Students.
“Research consistently shows that students from underserved populations enter and complete college at much lower rates than other groups. In addition to racial and ethnic minorities, this includes students who are socioeconomically challenged, are the first in their families to attend college, or are academically underprepared. The latter category applies to nearly 60 percent of first-year college students,” said Adams State President Beverlee J. McClure.
he added the center will also support and advocate for veterans, adult students, LGBTQ students, women and transgendered students, the disabled, and young men of color. She cited statistics that show 54 percent of students whose parents have only a high school diploma will attend college, compared to 82 percent of students whose parents have a college degree. Worse, only 36 percent of students whose parents did not finish high school will attend college.
“No student should be a statistic. Every student who works hard should become a graduate. Through this national center, we will work to identify and rectify barriers to educational equity and success,” McClure said. Gilmer said the center will provide a platform to discuss practices that improve higher education for historically underserved students. It will also develop an advocacy group to address the issues and challenges in higher education. Primary activities will include convening experts to support the center’s mission, improving public schools, building family literacy and intergenerational learning, improving developmental education, and conducting a research study.
“This is a call to action for America’s historically underserved students and those persons and systems entrusted with their success. We hope to circulate this declaration nationally,” said Dr. Chris Gilmer, vice president for Academic Affairs, who coordinated the think tank. The conference included a well-attended campus forum at which think tank participants discussed their work and responded to audience questions. The conference was sponsored by Adams State’s Title V Office, funded through federal grants for Hispanic Serving Institutions.
https://www.adams.edu/news/nov1624.php
Waechter, Julie. (2016). National center to address needs of underserved students. Adams State University.
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