Search

Schools have long existed as a means of maintaining democracy in the United States and, given the centrality of race relations to the success of democracy, this paper suggests that schools can be called upon to address racism as well. As such, this paper looks to our rapidly diversifying nation and asks: “What would it take to move closer to meaningfully addressing the legacy of racism in the United States, and what role might schools play in this process?”

Systemic inequalities in higher education have contributed to lower retention and completion rates among low-income, first generation, and racially/ethnically minoritized students, who we refer to as "at-promise" students. In response, educators have implemented comprehensive college transition programs that offer students holistic support including academic, social, financial, and major and career support. Scholarship exploring the efficacy of comprehensive college transition programs commonly focuses on the role of this support in promoting academic self-efficacy, retention, sense of belonging, and other intermediate outcomes linked to at-promise college student success. One sorely understudied intermediate outcome related to at-promise college students' success is their confidence in a major and career path (i.e., major and career self-efficacy). This article focuses on a large scale, longitudinal (2015-2020) study of a comprehensive college transition program called Thompson Scholars that offers major and career support to promote at-promise college students' major and career self-efficacy. Based on the Thompson Scholars' approach, we identified a new model for developing major and career self-efficacy among at-promise students called the "At-Promise College Student Major and Career-Self Efficacy Ecology Model" that explains how and why Thompson Scholars promotes students' confidence in their major and career path. This new approach illustrates how educators can curate a developmentally appropriate set of major and career experiences across multiple contexts responsive to at-promise students' multiple assets to build their confidence.

This study provides a nuanced look at the experiences of Black graduate students who engage with a Black cultural center (BCC) at a historically White institution in an urban center. Combining the theoretical perspectives of critical race theory and graduate developmental networks, the three main findings unearth how (1) the BCC staff act as developers by diversifying graduate students' networks; (2) the BCC space provides opportunities for community that strengthens network ties; and (3) even though the BCC has taken on additional responsibilities to assist graduate students, a lack of institutional support ultimately burdens the center.

The 2016 U.S. presidential election brought to light longstanding tensions and bigotry across the country that were further exacerbated when Donald Trump won the presidency on November 8th. While college and university leaders have traditionally refrained from commenting on election results, looming concerns of possible campus protests and external pressures sparked institutional responses. This study considers an analysis of these responses including 48 statements from 28 public and private colleges and universities throughout the nation. Using critical discourse analysis, the authors find that despite seemingly inclusive language, most higher education leaders used symbolic discourse that preserved existing power structures rather than employing transformative language that could lead to materialized, actionable support for the students most impacted by divisive campaign rhetoric as well as the laws and policies that have followed. As politically marginalized students are impacted in serious ways by federal and state policies under the current administration, the trend of campus-wide communication from university leaders must refrain from status-quo rhetoric to instead transform institutions of higher education to not only serve, but protect, targeted students.

In this article, the authors describe how college transition programs and campuses can go about creating and curating a major and career ecology to support at-promise students and their major and career success. They review literature about the systemic barriers and lack of institutional support for at-promise students as it relates to their major and career development, describe the college transition and success program they studied, provide evidence about how it helped increase at-promise students' confidence in their major and career path, and then detail the role of offering a major and career ecology in developing at-promise students' confidence in their major and career trajectory. They end by comparing the major and career ecology approach to guided pathways--an intervention mostly implemented in community colleges intended to lay out structured paths toward degree completion--offering the major and career ecology approach identified in their study as a viable alternative for supporting at-promise students' success.

Literature about Black cultural centers (BCCs) detail the histories of these campus spaces and studies have explored BCCs and their contributions to Black students' experiences. Racial identity development is often a lifelong journey, but less is known about the role of BCCs in this process during college. This ethnographic study offers how a BCC at a historically White institution (HWI) functions for Black students as they explore their racial identity as a potential strategy for strengthening campus engagement. Using individual interviews and participant observations, the findings show how the BCC proactively supports students' understandings of: (1) their personal racial identity; (2) the diversity that exists across Blackness; and (3) the common experiences that inform a shared racial identity.

National discourse about STEM careers has dominated conversations about the need to meet the demands of the labor market. The ever increasing population diversity requires the participation of underrepresented groups, including women and individuals from racially minoritized backgrounds. However, for those at the intersections of historical and persistent marginality, such as Black female students, access to STEM majors, programs, and careers are particularly limited. This article uses observations, four student focus groups, document analysis, and survey data from a Black science conference to understand the experiences of Black women student attendees. Through an intersectional lens, we find that professional conferences can better serve Black female student participants by considering their nuanced experiences, barriers, and contributions to the field. We thank the National Science Foundation for supporting the conference and data collection used in this project.

Formerly preferred, but increasingly required, a college degree has become a prerequisite in a competitive job market. For Black undergraduates who continue to face systemic disparities in college completion, gaps in hiring are exacerbated by unequal access to leadership positions and professional training, such as internships, during college. Since informal connections and social networks heavily influence occupational access, this research article presents a relational, ethnographic approach to better understand the opportunities and constraints of networking for Black undergraduates in an urban campus context. This study advances prior social capital research by not only offering where networks exist but also presenting how they form and develop over time and across space. The findings show how Black students attending an urban, selective, and historically White institution (HWI) do not merely discover connections but deliberately construct them, illuminating the process through which social capital is made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic inequalities in higher education have contributed to lower retention and completion rates among low-income, first generation, and racially/ethnically minoritized students, who we refer to as "at-promise" students. In response, educators have implemented comprehensive college transition programs that offer students holistic support including academic, social, financial, and major and career support. Scholarship exploring the efficacy of comprehensive college transition programs commonly focuses on the role of this support in promoting academic self-efficacy, retention, sense of belonging, and other intermediate outcomes linked to at-promise college student success. One sorely understudied intermediate outcome related to atpromise college students' success is their confidence in a major and career path (i.e., major and career selfefficacy). This article focuses on a large scale, longitudinal (2015-2020) study of a comprehensive college transition program called Thompson Scholars that offers major and career support to promote at-promise college students' major and career self-efficacy. Based on the Thompson Scholars' approach, we identified a new model for developing major and career self-efficacy among at-promise students called the At-Promise College Student Major and Career-Self Efficacy Ecology Model that explains how and why Thompson Scholars promotes students' confidence in their major and career path. This new approach illustrates how educators can curate a developmentally appropriate set of major and career experiences across multiple contexts responsive to at-promise students' multiple assets to build their confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For first-year students who carry traditionally marginalized identities, comprehensive college transition programs (CCTPs) can offer key wraparound services to help address some of the major academic, social, and financial barriers they may encounter. This article looks at one such CCTP implemented at three public college campuses serving a range of students, including those from low-income, first-generation, and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. More specifically, this study uses regression analyses to look at two cohorts of first-year students' experiences related to sense of belonging and mattering to their CCTP. The findings suggest that when considering students' experiences in the CCTP, staff care and support and perceptions of grade check meetings were experiences that were significantly related to both sense of belonging and mattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]