Improving School Engagement

for African American Males

By:AnnaPosthumus,KathyMendonca,JordanHopkins,MeganDavis

 Table of Contents

Mission and Vision

Basic Statistics

Beaverton High School

Disparities

School Climate

Mattering

Action Plan

Appendices

- School wide Intervention

- Target/Group

- Staff/Parent/Community Engagement

1
 MissionandVision
AtBeavertonHighSchool,ourmissionistoempowerallofourstudentsintheirdiscoveryand

accomplishmentofbecomingeffectiveandevolvedmembersoftheircommunities.Throughadatadriven

comprehensivecounselingprogram,weencourageandenhancestudentgrowthintheiracademic,careerand

personalandsocialskills.Wearecommittedinthesuccessofallourstudentsandtointervenewhenagroupof

studentsareunderperformingandarenotengaged.

AtBeavertonHighSchool,wecollaboratewithstaff,students,parentsandcommunitymemberstohelp

serveourunderrepresentedpopulations.WerecognizethatAfricanAmericanmalestudentslackengagement

andacademicachievement.Recentstudiesandnationalmediahavehighlightedevidencethatshowsgreat

disparityinschooloutcomesbetweenAfricanAmericanmalesandotherstudentpopulations(Uwah,

McMahon&Furlow2008).Wearededicatedtoanactionplanthatincludesschoolwide,smallgroup,

classroomandindividualinterventionsforourunderrepresentedAfricanAmericanmalestudents.Asenseof

supportfromencouragingadultmentors(teachers,counselors,coaches)intheschoolhasbeenfoundtohave

beneficialbenefitsonschoolattendance,collegeattendanceandeducationalaspirationsofminorityyouth

(Uwahetal.2008).Throughtheseinterventions,wecanhelpaidourunderrepresentedAfricanAmericanmale

studentstofindengagement,involvementandbelongingwithinourschool.

AtBeavertonHighSchool,webelievethatschoolengagementhasfourcommongoalsandthemesfor

ourstudents.Theneedtosucceedisanelementofschoolengagementandwestrivetogiveopportunitiestoour

studentsthatallowthemtoobtainmastery.Oursecondgoalisforstudentsiscuriosity,whichistheneedand

desireforunderstanding.Throughcurriculumanddifferentinterventions,ourclassroomsettingscanofferspace

forthistypeofperformance.Originalityandtheneedforselfexpressionisourthirdthemeofschool

engagement.Finally,theneedforrelationshipsandpositiverelationshipsisourfourthgoalforourstudentsand

theirschoolengagementatBeavertonHighSchool.Asacomprehensiveschoolcounselingprogram,wecan

fosterthesepeerrelationships,whichinpartcankeepourstudentsengagedandcontinuouslylearning.
These

2
goalscanprovidestudentswiththeenergytodealconstructivelywiththecomplexity,confusion,repetition,and

ambiguitiesoflife(Strong,Silver&Robinson,1995).

Beliefs

Webelievethatallstudentsarelifelonglearners

Webelieveinutilizingcommunityresourcestohelpsupportstudentsandfamilies

Webelievethatacomprehensivecounselingprogramispivotalforthesuccessofourstudents.

Webelievethateachstudenthasuniqueabilitiesandwewillassisttheminreachingtheirfullpotential.

Webelieveinfosteringapositiverelationshipbetweenschoolandhomeandhomewithcommunities.

3
 BasicStatistics
Equitystartsevenbeforeschool.
Sinceeducationassessmentonlearningis
heavilyfocusedonwritingandreading,its
clearthatAfricanAmericanstudentsareat
adisadvantagewithinthatsystem.91%of
whitestudentscomparedto78%African
Americanstudentsarereadtobeforethey
enrollinkindergarten(Cook,2015).
Althoughthisisnotadeterminateofhow
successfultheywillbeinschool,itdoes
highlightwhyAfricanAmericanstudents
startatadifferentplacethanWhitestudents
incertainareas.

Accessisjustthebeginning.Itsclear
thatschoolengagementandsupport
systemsforAfricanAmericanstudentsare
notavailabletokeeptheminvolvedin
school.Asshowninthegraph,retention
rateforAfricanAmericanstudentsare
lowerthantheirWhitecounterpart
especiallyinKindergarten,7thand12th
grade.Inhighschool,itisshownthatWhite
studentsretentionrateincreaseseachyear
whiletheoppositehappensforAfrican
Americanstudents.

AfricanAmericanstudentsare
overrepresentedinspecialeducation,
dropoutrates,graduatefromhighschoolat
alowerratethanfellowstudents,andare
underrepresentedingiftedprograms
(Brown,2004).AfricanAmericanmalesin
particularareaffectedbyininequitiesofthe
schoolsystem.

4
 BeavertonHighSchool

BeavertonHighSchoolisnestledintheheartofBeaverton,Oregon.Althoughtheschoolwas
establishedin1902,itbecameahighschoolin1916.BeavertonHighSchooloffersawiderangeofelectives,
APcourses,andextracurricularactivities.BeavertonHighSchoolalsostrivesonbuildingastrong,closeknit
community.TheyarethefirstschoolintheBeavertonSchoolDistricttoopenaschoolbasedhealthcenter,
whichallowsstudentsatBHSandotherschoolswithintheBeavertonSchoolDistricttoaccesshealthservices.
TheCollegeandCareerCenteriseasilyaccessibleforallstudentsandschoolcounselorsworkcloselywith
studentstoensureacademicandcareersuccess,whilestrengtheningpersonal/socialattributes.

:
TheMotto WebelievethatALLstudentswillgraduatefromBHSpreparedfor,

confidentin,andexcitedaboutthefuturetheychoose.

BHSFIGHTSONG
Demographics
:
(20142015)

StudentsEnrolled:1,717
GraduationRate 73.7%
(studentsearningadiplomain4years):
CompletionRate 83.5%
(studentsearningamodified,extended,orGEDwithin5years):
DropoutRate:3.7%
ContinuingEducation 75.2%
(afterhighschool):

AmericanIndian 0.4%
AsianorPacificIslander 6.6%
Black/AfricanAmerican 2.1%
Hispanic 27.8%
White 56.2%
Other 6.8%







ThelocationforthefirstschoolhouseinBeaverton,Oregonwasa
40,000squarefootparcelofland(200x200)purchasedfor$50in
goldcoinsfromJamesandMarySteel.

5
 Disparities

Disparityislabeledasagreatdifference,andintermsofeducationitismoreprevalentinracialand
ethnicgroups.Someethnicandracialgroupshavenotfaredwell,historicallyandpresently,intheU.S.

educationalsystem.ItiswidelydocumentedthatAfricanAmericans,Latinos,NativeAmericans,andseveral
AsianAmericansubgroupsunderperformedrelativetotheirWhiteAmericancounterparts.Theseeducational
disparitiescryoutforimmediate,sustained,andprofoundattention(AmericanPsychologicalAssociation,
2012).AlthoughourBlack/AfricanAmericancommunityatBeavertonHighSchoolisquitesmall,thereare
profounddisparitiesacademicallyandsocially.AccordingtotheOregonDepartmentofEducation,
academicallyBlack/AfricanAmericanstudentsareperformingsignificantlylowerthanotherracial/ethnic
groups.
AcademicDisparities
:
OregonDepartmentofEducation
AssessmentsinReading,Writing,andMathfor11thgrade


Reading






Writing










Math

6
 SocialDisparities
:

AccordingtoAmericanPsychologyAssociation,childrensandadolescentsawarenessof

discriminationandoftheirstigmatizedracialstatusisassociatedwitheducationdisparities(APA,2012).

Studentsatayoungageidentifyandaffiliatethemselveswithotherswholooklikethem.Astrongsenseof

ingroupaffiliationandidentificationwithonesethnicorracialgroupcanbenegativelyorpositivelyassociated

withacademicachievement(APA,2012).Whiletherearedisparitieswithineducation,academicssuccesscan

haveahugeaffectonsocialgroups.AtBeavertonHighSchool,AfricanAmericanmalesfallvictimto

academicandsocialdisparities.Becausetheyareunderperformingacademically,wecanassumetheylackthe

skillstoaskforhelpwhenneeded.Wewillsupportthesestudentsbyimplementinginterventionsthathelpthem

feelempoweredtohaveavoiceandtodevelopmeaningfuladultrelationships.Strongidentificationwith

academicallysuccessfulrolemodelsispositivelyassociatedwithachievement(APA,2012).Byfocusingon

schoolclimateandschoolengagement,wecanmakeadifferenceinstudentsselfesteemandhelpbuild

confidence.Weplantoexecuteourspecificinterventionstohelpreducetheachievementgapandderailthe

effectsofstereotyping.

7
 SchoolClimate

AttheheartofthediscussionofdisparitiesinschoolengagementforAfricanAmericanmalesisthe

issueofschoolclimate.Schoolclimatereferstothequalityandcharacterofschoollife,asreflectedinthe

natureofinteractionsbetweenadultsandstudents.Apositiveschoolclimategeneratesnorms,values,and

expectationsthatmakestudentsfeelsafe,emotionallysecure,andmotivatedtolearn(ShirleyandCornell,

2012). Ahealthyandnurturingschoolclimateisanimportantfactorinthesuccessofallstudents,andis

embeddedwithintheASCAframework(Tucker,Dixon,andGriddine,2010).Inaddition,researchhas

documentedtheimportanceofanurturingschoolclimateasparticularlyimportantformarginalizedgroupssuch

asAfricanAmericanstudents(Tuckeretal,2010).

Animportantelementofanurturingschoolclimateisthecommunicationofhighexpectationsforall

studentsandtheavailabilityofsupportsystemsandsafetynetstohelpallstudentsmeettheseexpectations.

OnestudyfoundthatblackhighschoolstudentsinAPcoursesreceivednoextrasupports,whileblackhigh

schoolstudentsinregularandlowlevelclasseswereofferedtutoringandextrateacherattention(Chapman,

2013).Thesamestudyfoundthatthemajorityofblackstudentsfeltthatbeingblackwouldlimittheirlife

chancesforsuccess,whilewhitestudentsdidnotbelievethatracewasafactorintheirsuccess(Chapman,

2013).Theimpactofanunwelcomingschoolclimatelastswellbeyondhighschool.

Althoughmanyeffortshavebeenmadetocloseachievementgapsandcreatemoreequitableschools,

schoolsarestilllargelydesignedtobenefitthewhitemajority(Chapman,2013).Policiesofcolorblindness,

whichatfacevaluemightseemprogressive,actuallyservetofurthermarginalizestudentsofcolorinpart

becausetheydoawaywithanyspecialservicesthatmightaddressthespecificneedsofstudentsofcolor.For

example,acolorblindpolicymightbetohaveonlyonetutoringsessionforallstudents,whenalarger

percentageofblackstudentsridethebustoschoolandarethereforenotabletoattendduringthattime

(Chapman,2013).Colorblindpoliciesalsoattempttoeraseraceandnegatethelegacyofstrugglethat

studentsofcolormustfaceonadailybasis.Theseinequitablepoliciescontextualizeschoolasanunwelcome

spaceforstudentsofcolor,anddogreatdamagetotheschoolclimate(Chapman,2013). AlthoughAfrican

8
Americanmalesareoftenseenasbeingdisinterestedinordisengagedfromtheeducationalprocess,studies

indicatethatmostAfricanAmericanstudentswanttodowellacademically.AfricanAmericanmalestudents

needmentors,educators,andadministratorswhowillencourageandpromotetheiracademicprogressand

success.Ratherthanfocusingonhowthestudentmustchangetoalignwiththeschoolculture,schoolsshould

evaluatetheireducationalsystemtounderstandhowitcanbetterserveeachstudent(Tuckeretal,2010).

Alargepartofschoolclimateistheschoolsattitudetowarddisciplineforstudentsofcolor.The

overrepresentationofstudentsofcolorastherecipientsofdisciplinereferralsinschoolsisawelldocumented

problem.Onesurveyof400studentsfoundthatcomparedtoCaucasianstudents,AfricanAmericanstudents

arereferredtotheofficefordisciplinethreetimesasoften,andreceivedfivetimesasmanysuspensions

(ShirleyandCornell,2012).Nationwide,therateofsuspensionofAfricanAmericanstudentsisthreetimes

thatofCaucasianstudents(ShirleyandCornell,2012).Ratherthanimprovingstudentbehavior,suspension

policiescanactuallyworsenbehaviorbecausetheycausefrustration,resentment,anddisengagementfrom

school(ShirleyandCornell,2012).Inmanyschools,AfricanAmericanmaleswalkintotheschoolbuilding

onguardandexpectingtobesingledoutandharshlypunished.Theymightviewteachersandstaffasuncaring

andhostile,andtheschoolingeneralasaplacewheretheyarenotwantedorvalued(Tucker,Dixon,and

Griddine,2010).InanationallyrepresentativehighschoolstudentsampleintheUnitedStates,10%of

dropoutsreportedschoolsuspensionasamajorreasonfordroppingout(ShirleyandCornell,2012).Clearly

theoverrepresentationofstudentsofcolorindisciplinereferralsdoesnotcreateasupportive,motivatingschool

climateforthesestudents.

Anotherimportantelementofasupportiveschoolclimateisastudentsbeliefthattheyaresafeat

school.Inordertofeelsafe,astudentneedstobelievethatteachersandstaffaresupportiveandhavethe

studentsbestinterestattheheartofalldecisions.OnestudyfoundthatAfricanAmericanstudentsweremore

likelytoreportthattheirpeerssupportedaggressivebehavior,andlesslikelytoexpresswillingnesstoseekhelp

fromtheirteachersforbullyingandthreatsofviolence(ShirleyandCornell,2012).AfricanAmericanstudents

arealsomorelikelytoreportalackofadultsupportatschool,andarealsomorelikelytohaveexperienced

9
racialorethnicbullyingfromapeerincludingracialslurs.Harassmentfromonespeersbasedonrace

negativelyaffectsoverallsocialadjustmentandpredictsproblembehaviorsthatinterferewithschool

engagement,suchasskippingclasses,cheating,andfighting.Onestudyfoundthatracialbullyingwasless

prevalentinschoolswherestudentsreportedmorehelpandsupportfromteachers(ShirleyandCornell,2012).

SchoolClimateandMattering
Inadditiontotheabovementionedelementsofanurturingschoolclimate,newresearchshowsthat

AfricanAmericanmaleshaveastrongneedtofeelasthoughtheymattertotheschool.Inotherwords,that

theymakeasalientcontributiontotheirschoolcommunities(Tuckeretal,2010).Mattering,orthe

perceptionthatoneisnoticedby,importantto,andcaredforbyothers,isnotonlyafundamentalhumanneed

recentresearchhasfoundthatitislinkedtohigherselfesteem,lowerdepressionandacademicstress,and

greaterwellbeing(Tuckeretal,2010).Studentsperceptionofmatteringtoothersrelatestoakeyaspectof

healthyschoolclimate,mostoftencalledschoolcohesion,whichhasbeenfoundtobestronglycorrelatedwith

increasedacademicachievement(Tuckeretal,2010).

InasurveyofacademicallysuccessfulAfricanAmericanmalehighschoolstudents,thekeyfactorsthat

createdaschoolclimatethatcommunicatedmatteringtothemconsistedof:

Extensivesupportatschool
:consistencyinrelationshipbetweenstudentsandadultsadultsreachoutto

strugglingstudentsratherthanwaitingforthemtoaskforhelpteachers,admin,andcounselorstaketimetoget

toknowstudentsonapersonallevelfriendlycompetitionamongpeerstodowellinclasses.

Clearandhighexpectationsfromkeyadults:
Familieswhopushstudentswiththeirclearexpectationsfor

academicandlifesuccessteachers,principal,andcounselorhavehighexpectationsofacademicsuccessanddo

notletchangesinbehaviororacademicperformancegounnoticed.

Independentmotivation,futureorientation:
Havinghighexpectationsforthemselvesindividual

responsibilityrecognizingtheroleofeducationingettingandstayingoutofpoverty.

Protectionandnurturingatschool:
feelinglistenedto,cancountonadultsatschooltoencourageduringhard

timesbalancebetweenfreedomandresponsibility.

10
 Supportandselfefficacy:
apersonsfutureisintheirownhands,eachpersonisresponsiblefortheirchoices

perseveringandmakingdifficultchoicesiseasierwhensocialsupportisavailablehonoringhardworkand

respectingthepotentialofacademicsuccess.

Beingleadersandrolemodelsforyoungersiblingsandpeers

Pressurenottomakesamemistakesasrelativeswhoareinprisonand/ordroppedoutofschool

Asenseofpurpose.
Onestudentinthesurveynoted,withoutthosepeople(teachers,parents,friends)tohelp

me,IwouldprobablyjustgiveupI'dbeinthe

neighborhoodwithmyfriends,livinginthemomentandnotthinkingaboutthelongrunbecauseIjustwouldnt

.
haveanybodytosupportme (Tuckeretal,2010).

Feelingasiftheymatteredtoothersatschoollikelyhelpedtheseyoungmenbuildastrongfoundationof

selfefficacyandselfconfidencefromwhichtheyhavefoundasenseofpurposeandanenduringsenseof

intrinsicmotivation.Thishasledtoadriveforcontinuedschoolengagementandacademicsuccess.Itappears

thatthesupportofothers,whetherfamilymembersorpeers,inadditiontomatteringtoadultsatschool,helps

themtostayontheacademictracktheywanttofollowandultimatelyaidsthemincontinuingthepursuitof

theiracademicandlifegoals(Tuckeretal,2010).

SchoolCounselorsandSchoolClimate

Achievinganurturingclimateforallstudentsrequirescounselorstoleadtheeffortoftheentirefaculty

towardsathoughtfulanduniversalphilosophyabouthowstudentsandothersaretobetreatedallday,everyday

(Chapman,2013). Byintegratingtheconceptofmatteringintodiscussionsofschoolclimate,school

counselorsmaybegintoseeashiftintheinterpersonalclimateoftheschool(Tuckeretal,2010).Asan

exampleofintegratingmatteringintotheschoolclimate,oneschoolcounselormadeadailypracticeof

speakingtoasmanystudentsaspossible,evenifonlyinpassing.Manystudentsmentionedthattheywereable

totellthattheymatteredtothecounselorbecauseshemadeahabitoffrequentlyandgenuinelyinquiringabout

theirschoolandpersonallives(Tuckeretal,2010).

Somestepsschoolcounselorscantaketoincorporatetheidealsofmatteringare:

11
Partneringwithadministratorstocreateawarenessamongthefacultyandstaffofhavingapositiveemotional

climateintheschool

Beinghighlyvisibletostudents

Showingconcernforstudentsdailyandconnectingwiththemverbally

Modelingpositiveinterpersonalrelationshipswithotheradultsintheschoolandinthecommunity

Inschoolswherethereisresistancebyfacultytomodifyingthemannerinwhichtheyinteractwithstudents,

schoolcounselorscanbeingbyleadingbyexample,and/orbyimplementingchangesinsmallgroupsof

studentsorfacultywhoarewillingtoputtheseprinciplesintopractice.Mostlikely,teachersandotherfaculty

membersalsowanttomattertoothersandfeelappreciatedfortheirworkanddedication,therefore,counselors

canadvocateforcreatingthisatmosphereforfacultyaswellasstudents.

Asoneoftheyoungmeninthestudyonmatteringstated,"ThedifferenceisIhavesomebodytolistento

me."Aschoolcounselorcanbethatsomebodyforstudents,especiallythosewhomightotherwisebecome

disengagedfromschool,feelingthattheydonotmatter.AfricanAmericanmales,whohavelongbeen

disenfranchisedbyschoolsandotherpowersystems,mayneedandwantextraconsiderationfromschool

counselorsinordertoachievetheiracademicpotential.Ifschoolcounselorsshowstudentsthattheyhavehigh

expectationsofthem,andthatthestudentsareimportant,makeadifferenceintheschool,andmatter,the

possibilitiesforacademicsuccessmaybelimitless.Thisislikelytrueforallstudentsinallschools(Tuckeret

al,2010).

NeedsAssessment:StudentSurveys

InordertoassesstheschoolclimateatBeavertonHighSchoolandtobetterunderstandthedaytodayschool

experienceofAfricanAmericanmalesatBHS,wewilladministertwosurveystoallAfricanAmericanmales

intheschool.Thefirstofthesesurveysasksstudentsaseriesofscalingquestionsabouttheirwillingnessto

seekhelpfromadultsintheschool,theirperceptionofthepresenceofaggressiveattitudesintheschool,and

theprevalenceofteasingandbullyingintheschool(ShirleyandCornell,2012).

12
Thesecondsurveyasksstudentstoansweropenendedquestionsabouttheirperceptionoftheirdegreeof

matteringwithintheschool(Tuckeretal,2010).

Bothofthesesurveyswillbeadministeredtwiceduringtheschoolyear,andstudentresponseswillbeshared

withstaffduringstaffdevelopmenttrainings.Whensurveysareadministeredasecondtime,theresultswillbe

comparedtotheearliersurveysinordertoassesstheimpactofotherinterventionssuchasmaleempowerment

group,diversityassemblies,andstaffdevelopment.

13
 Interventions

SchoolWideInterventions:

Intervention ASCA TimeofYear Assessment
InterestInventory A:A1.2 2x/year Changesinclassroom
Surveytoidentify C:A1.3 data,achievement
studentsinterests PS:A1.10 data,teacherreportsof
andstrengths.
changesinstudent
involvement,student
reportsofgreater
engagement.

RaceForward A:A1 BiMonthly Studentinvolvement,

Studentledfocusgroups A:A3 feedbackfromstaffand
wherestudentsandstaff A:C1 students,surveys.
haveopendialogue& PS:A1
communitycircles PS:A2
focusedonissuesofrace,
culture,diversityandlife.

DiversityAssembly A:A3.5 FirstSemester Matteringsurveys,

Schoolwideassembly C:A1.3 schoolclimatesurveys,
invitingstudentstoshare PS:A2.4
abouttheirunique
culture,celebrate
differences,anddiscuss
schoolissuesrelatedto
equity.

14
Targeted/GroupIntervention:

Intervention ASCA TimeofYear Assessment

MaleEmpowerment PS:A1.1 Everyotherday(Beaver PreandPostSurvey
Group C:A2.8 Lodge) Studentselfreport,grade
Worktobuildskillsto C:B2.1 checks,attendance,
supportlearning.Make PS:A1.9 teacherreport,
theactivitiesand PS:A1.10 disciplinaryreports
discussionsrelevantto PS:A2.6 decreased
theirlivesandintroduce
themtonewinformation.
Learnhowtoworkin
groups,communicate
withothersandadvocate
forthemselvesas
students.

GuidanceLesson PS:A2.4 BiMonthly Teacherandstudent

Provideanopendialogue A:A2.2 selfreport,changein
forstudentstotalkabout C:A1.3 schoolclimate
raceandinstitutionalized C:B1.8
racism.Howdowenot
justsurvive,but
selfmotivateourselves
tocombatunfairness?
Connectsubjectsand
skillsprovidedatschool
tosupportstudents.

PACE(Principal A:A1.1 Monthly Studentinvolvement,

AdvisoryCommitteeon PS:A1.7 selfreportof
Equity) PS:A1.4 engagement,disciplinary
Principal,school PS:A2.2 reportsdecrease
counselor,andschool C:C1.4
psychologistmeetwith C:C2.1
studentpanelofdifferent
racial/ethnicbackground
tounderstandwhatwe
candotoimproveschool
engagementandwhatis
effective.
Staffreportsbacktotheir
FocusTeammeeting.

15
Staff/Community/ParentIntervention:

Intervention ASCA TimeofYear Assessment

CommunityMentor A:A1 Monthly Student/mentor
Program A:A2 checkins,student
Studentswillbe A:A3 involvement,grade
partneredwithlocal A:B1 checks,student
communitymembersto A:C1 selfreports
aidinrelationship C:A1
buildingskills, C:A2
communitypartnerships PS:A1
andoutreachandschool PS:A2
engagementactivities. PS:C1
Potentialjob/intern
shadowing.

ParentandFamily A:A1 Monthly Feedbackforms,

Nights A:A2 registrationdata,number
Activitiesandinfo A:A3 ofattendees.
sessionspresentedfrom C:A1
individualsthatrepresent C:A2
multipleraces,cultures C:B1
andethnicities.FAFSA C:C1
andcollegeinformation PS:A1
nights.

StaffDevelopment A:A1 Weekly Groupdiscussions,staff

MonthlyPACE/Equity A:A2 feedback,curriculum
focusteammeetingsthat A:B1 implementation,
offerstafftools, C:A1
resourcesand C:C1
curriculum.Staff PS:A1
developmentand PS:A2
meetingsfocusingon PS:C1
equityandCourageous
Conversations(andthose
similar)

16


Appendices

17
STUDENTINTERESTINVENTORY

Schoolandcareer

Whatisyourfavoriteclassoractivityinschoolandwhy?Whatisyourleastfavoriteclassoractivityinschool
andwhy?

Whichschoolsubjectismostchallengingtoyou?Isthechallengepositiveornegativetoyou?Whatmakesit
challenging?

Inwhichschoolsubjectdoyoufeellikeyoulearnthemost?Whydoyouthinkthisis?Whatcanteachersdoto
captureyourinterest?

Giveanexampleofaclassroomactivitywhereyoufeltyoureallylearnedalot.Whydoyouthinkthatwas?

Doyouprefertoworkalone,insmallgroups,orinlargegroups?Why?Whatdoyouwanttodoafterhigh
school?
Whatcareerscanyoupictureyourselfin?
Extracurricularactivities

Besidessocializingwithfriends,whatdoyouliketodoinyoursparetime?

Howmanyhoursperdaydoyouusetechnologysuchasacomputer,tablet,orsmartphone?Whatdoyou
mainlyuseit/themfor?(forexample,socializing,research,gamesetc.)

Doyoubelongtoanyorganizations,teams,orclubsinandoutofschool?Whichones?

Doyouhaveanyparticularresponsibilitiesoutsideofschool?(forexample,watchingsiblings,choresetc.)

Doyouhaveaparttimejob?Ifso,whatisitandhowmanyhoursdoyouworkperweek?Whatdoyoulike
mostaboutyourjob?

Generalinterest

Describeyourselfusingthreewords

Doyouliketoread?Why/whynot?

Tellmeaboutafavoritebookormovieandwhyyoulikedit.

Ifyoucouldlearnmoreaboutanysubject,whatwoulditbe?Whyareyoucuriousaboutthissubject?

Ifyoucouldinterviewanyone,deadoralive,whowoulditbeandwhy?

Ifyoucouldtravelanywhereintheworld,wherewouldyougoandwhy?

Doyouhaveaspecialtalentoraninterestthatyouknowalotabout?Ifso,whatisit?Tellmeaboutapast
accomplishmentthatmadeyoufeelproudofyourself.

Isthereanythingelseyouwantmetoknowaboutyou?
18

MATTERINGSURVEY

1. Whoarethepeopleyoubelieveyoumattertohereatschool?
2. Whopaysthemostattentiontoyouhereatschool?
3. Whowouldmissyouthemostifyouwerenotamemberofthisschoolanymore?
4. Whodoyoubelieveyoumatterthemosttohereatschool?
5. Whodependsonyouhereatschool?
6. Whoatschoolmattersthemosttoyou?
7. Whodoyoudependonthemostatschool?
8. Whowouldyoumissmostifyouwerenotamemberofthisschoolanymore?
9. Basedonyourpreviousanswers,howinteresteddoyoubelievethosepersonsareinwhatyouhaveto
say?

(Tuckeretal,2010)

19
SCHOOLCLIMATESURVEY
Scalequestion
Willingnesstoseekhelp
1.Studentsheretrytostopbullyingwhentheyseeithappening
2.Teachersheremakeitcleartostudentsthatbullyingisnottolerated
3.IfItellateacherthatsomeoneisbullyingme,theteacherwilldosomethingtohelp
4.Studentstellteacherswhenotherstudentsarebeingbullied
5.Ifanotherstudentwasbullyingme,Iwouldtelloneoftheteachersorstaffatschool
6.Ifanotherstudentbroughtaguntoschool,Iwouldtelloneoftheteachersorstaffatschool
7.Ifanotherstudenttalkedaboutkillingsomeone,Iwouldtelloneoftheteachersorstaffatschool
8.ThereareadultsatthisschoolIcouldturntoifIhadapersonalproblem
9.Theteachersatthisschoolaregenuinelyconcernedaboutme
Aggressiveattitudes
1.ItfeelsgoodwhenIhitsomeone
2.Ifyoufightalot,everyonewilllookuptoyou
3.Sometimesyouonlyhavetwochoicesgetpunchedorpunchtheotherpersonfirst
4.Ifyouareafraidtofight,youwonthavemanyfriends
5.Ifsomeonethreatensyou,itisokaytohitthatperson
6.Studentswhoarebulliedorteasedmostlydeserveit
7.Bullyingissometimesfuntodo
Prevalenceofteasingandbullying
1.Bullyingisaproblematthisschool
2.Studentshereoftengetteasedabouttheirclothingorphysicalappearance
3.Studentshereoftengetputdownbecauseoftheirraceorethnicity
4.Thereisalotofteasingaboutsexualtopicsatthisschool

(ShirleyandCornell,2012)

20
MaleEmpowermentGroup

Objective:ThisgroupisasupportsystemforyoungBlackmalestudentsatBeavertonHighSchooltoimprove
studentretentionandgraduationrates.Toaccomplishthisgoal,studentswillengageinactivitiesand
discussionstoexploretheirroleinthecommunity,thebarrierstheywillconfront,andstrategiestoproblem
solvethroughissues.Itsourresponsibilitytoempowerthemtolearnhowtobecriticalthinkerscommittedto
themselvesandtocommunitychange(Gilgoff,2007).

Schedule

8weekschedule GroupSummary

Week1 Introduction:Goovertheresponsibilitiesandagreementsofstudentsandstaffto
establishasafeenvironment
Outlineofobjectivesforthegroup/surveywhatthestudentswanttocover
Checkin/checkout(rose,thorn)

Week2 MiracleQuestion:Inaperfectworld,whatwouldtheschoolenvironmenthaveto
meetthoseneeds?
Ifyouwerehadyourchoicewhatwouldyoudointhefuture?Howdoyouseethe
schoolsupportingyouwiththat?Makealistof23careersandwhatwouldhelpyou
reachthosegoals.
Checkin/checkout:scaleof110howdoyoufeel?

Week3 Learnaboutthejusticesystem.Ifyouchoosetoshareaboutyourpersonal
experienceorothersyouknowaboutwiththelaw.Wasitpositive?Negative?
Whydoyouthinkitsimportanttolearnaboutyourrights?
Checkin/checkout:roseandthorn/nameonethingyouaregoingtodotoimprove
whatyouknow.

Week4 Askingforhelp:Howdoyoufeelaboutaskingforhelp?Doesthatmakeyoulessof
aperson?Doesitshowyourvulnerabilities?
Nametheprosandconsofaskingateacherforhelp.Whenyouaskteacherinthis
schoolforhelp,isitagoodorbadexperience?
RoleplayIwantyoutosupporteachotheraswefigureoutwaysthatyoufeel
comfortabletoaskforhelp.
Checkin/checkout:Whosyourhero(fictionornot)?/scaleof110how
comfortabledoyoufeeldoit?

Week5 SpeakerofthecommunityPart1:Tellmeaboutyourstory.Gobackintimeto
whenyoulovedschoolortheideaofschool.Whatdiditfeellike?Whataresome
peoplethatmadeyouhopefulforthefuture?
Whatchangedthat?Isthereanyspecificeventthathappenedwhereyoufeltschool
isnottheplaceforyou?Isthereanameforthat?
Checkin/Checkout:onewordtodescriberace/hasyouropinionchanged?

Week6 SpeakerofthecommunityPart2:DavidStovall.Talksaboutcriticalthinkingofthe
educationsystem.Whatistodehumanizepeople?Whatisrace?Whatis
institutionalizedracism?

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 Checkin/check/out:whatdoyoudoforfun?/whatsonethingyouaregoingtodo
todecompress?

Week7 Debriefing:Howdoyoufeelaboutlastweek?Whatdidyouconnectwithandwhat
didyounot?
Facesoffeelings.Takeoutsomecardswithdifferentcolorsandfeelingsofeach.
Askthemtotake710cardsofanyfeelingstheyfeelfortheday.Theycanarrange
themanywaytheywant.Goaroundtheroomandshareandeachstudentsharesas
muchastheyfeelcomfortablewith.(doanexampleofwhattodo)
Checkin/checkout:howwasyourselfcare/110howdoyoufeel?

Week8 LastDay!Whatdoesitmeantobeappreciative?Whataresomeactionsdoyoudo
toshowyouappreciatepeople?Startwithonepersonandsaysomethingthey
appreciateaboutthegroup.
Freetime.
Checkin/checkout:surveyofwhatwentwellandwhattoimprove/roseandthorn

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 FocusTeam(Example)

FocusTeam: Equity

MeetingDate TBD

FocusTeamMembers: MeganDavis,KathyMendonca,AnnePosthumus,
JordanHopkins

Goal(s): Planinterventionstoaddressinequalitywithinour
school(classroom,hallways,schoolevents)

Decisionswevemade: Wanttodevelopasetofstaffagreements
relativetoequitable/respectfultreatmentof
students
Solicitagreementswhichstudentswouldlike
stafftoconsidermaking(PACE)

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 RACEFORWARDCURRICULUMEXAMPLE

Overview
Weallneedtofollowasimilaractivitystructuresothatstudentshaveasharedexperiencenomatterwhatclassroomtheyarein. This
isourfirstofmanyconversationsaboutracewithourstudents.Thefocusofthisactivityisforteacherstofacilitateaconversationwith
students.TheconversationwillberootedintheprotocolsofourfouragreementsandsixconditionsoutlinedinCourageous
Conversations.

Activityobjectives
StudentsandteacherswillparticipateinaconversationaboutraceatBeavertonHighSchoolandinourlargersociety.
Notethatthe
communitycircleshouldbestudentfocusedandyoushouldntbeteachingalessonasweoftendo.Wehopethatstudentsmake
discoveriesoftheirownandgrowfromtheexperience.Wedontwanttolecturethem.

CommunityCircle
Thecommunitycircleissetupsothatstudentsthink/reflect/writeabouteachquestionbeforepairsharing.Yourroleasafacilitatoris
toguidestudentsthroughthediscussion.Thefacilitatorshouldkeepthediscussionfocusedonraceandmaintainthenorms
establishedthroughtheCCProtocol.Studentsshouldntjumpintorespondtoanotherstudent.Theyshouldsharetheirownresponse
tothequestionsandnotaresponsetoeachother.Guidethemtowardadeeperunderstandingoftheroleofraceintheirlives,not
necessarilyyours.Beawareofwhoisthefirstpersontoanswereverytime.Bemindfulofairtime.Studentswillsharewiththewhole
groupanduseIstatementstokeepitpersonalandlocal.Studentscanpass,butthefacilitatorshouldcomebacktothemforan
opportunitytosharebeforemovingtothenextquestion.

Community Showthevideo
Circle Studentshave25minutesto
think/writeonthequestionDoes

racematter?WhyorWhynot?
~75minutes
Pair/share2minutes(1minutefor
eachstudent)
Shareoutinthewholegroup
Inthecircle,spendsometimehaving
studentsshareout.Watchfortalk
timeofindividualstudentsfocuson
whosevoiceisnotbeingheardoris
beingheardtoomuch.
Asdiscussionlulls,youcanposethe
nextquestion,givestudentstimeto
turnandtalk,etc.
NEXTQUESTIONS:
Whenwasthefirsttimeyou
wereawareofrace?
Howdoyouobserveracein
themedia?Ourcommunity?
Howhasraceaffectedyour
livedexperience?

24
 References

AmericanPsychologicalAssociation."EthnicandRacialDisparitiesinEducation:Psychology'sContributionto

UnderstandingandReducingDisparities."Pages711.Web.8Apr.2016.Retrievedfrom

https://www.apa.org/ed/resources/racialdisparities.pdf
.

Brown,W.,Jones,J.(2004)TheSubstanceofThingsHopedFor:AStudyoftheFutureOrientation,Minority

StatusPerceptions,AcademicEngagement,andAcademicPerformanceofBlackHighSchoolStudents.

JournalofBlackPsychology,Vol.30No.2,May2004248273

Chapman,T.K.(2013).Youcan'teraserace!UsingCRTtoexplainthepresenceofraceandracisminmajority

Discourse:StudiesInTheCulturalPoliticsOfEducation
whitesuburbanschools. 34
, (4),611627.

doi:10.1080/01596306.2013.822619

Cook,Lindsey(2015).U.S.Education:StillSeparateandUnequal.U.S.NewsandWorldReport.Retrieved

from:

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/datamine/2015/01/28/useducationstillseparateandunequal

Gilgoff,J.(2007).BoyztoMen:ResponsibleEmpowermentforInnercityAdolescents.Retrievedfrom:

http://www.niost.org/pdf/afterschoolmatters/asm_2007_6_spring/asm_2007_6_spring5.pdf

Shirley,E.M.,&Cornell,D.G.(2012).Thecontributionofstudentperceptionsofschoolclimateto

understandingthedisproportionatepunishmentofAfricanAmericanstudentsinamiddleschool.
School

PsychologyInternational 33
, (2),115134.doi:10.1177/0143034311406815

Strong,R.,Silver,H.,&Robinson,A.(1995).StrengtheningStudentEngagement:WhatdoStudentsWant.

RetrievedApril2,2016.

Tucker,C.,Dixon,A.,&Griddine,K.(2010).AcademicallySuccessfulAfricanAmericanMaleUrbanHigh

ProfessionalSchoolCounseling
SchoolStudents'ExperiencesofMatteringtoOthersatSchool. 14
, (2),

135145.

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Uwah,C,J.,McMahon,H.G.,Furlow,C.F.(2008).Schoolbelonging,educationalaspirations,andacademic

selfefficacyamongAfricanAmericanmalehighschoolstudents:Implicationsforschoolcounselors.

ProfessionalSchoolCounseling,11,296305.

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