Promoting Educational Aspirations by Cultivating Students’ Social-Emotional Development

1. Promoting Educational Aspirations by Cultivating Students’ Social-Emotional Development Nadia L. Ward, Ph.D. Associate Professor Division of Prevention & Community Research Department of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine NY State GEAR UP Saratoga Springs April 18th & 19th 2016

2. Agenda • Present ‘The MAAX Program’, a social development curriculum for college & career planning that increases youths’ awareness of postsecondary education options. • Share findings that examined the impact of the program. • Highlight theoretical underpinnings that provide a framework for the development of the MAAX. • Learn and practice essential skills that will aid in facilitating the MAAX program that maximizes student engagement. • Discuss effective strategies for successful program implementation

3. The Problem • Percentage of students proficient in math by the 12th grade: • 3% of African American • 4% Hispanic • 20% European • 34% Asian American • 93% of middle school students are taught science by teachers with no training in the subject • Each year American students spend 900 hours in the classroom and 1500 hours in front of the television • 66% of college bound high school seniors have no more than 1 hour of homework each night and no homework on the weekend

4. Problem (continued) • 40% of students in the US don’t take science courses beyond General Biology • 55% of students don’t take math courses beyond 2 years of Algebra I & Geometry • 70% of parents in the US believe their child’s is taking the correct number of math and science courses in high school • 50% of students enroll in college immediately after high school

5. The City of Bridgeport • Bridgeport lies within affluent Fairfield County • Per capita income of residents: $18,906 annually • Educational attainment: approximately 13 years • > 65% of households headed by single mothers

6. Bridgeport Public Schools • Mid-sized urban public school district • Serves over 20,000 students PK-12 • Diverse in racial and ethnic composition • Over 59 different languages spoken • 5 comprehensive high schools; 19 K-8 schools

7. Student Performance • 23% of 8th grade students met the state goal on the CT Mastery Test as compared to the State average of 61% • 10% of 10th grade students received certification of mastery on the CT Academic Performance Test as compared to State average of 50% • 25% of 9th & 10th graders successfully complete Algebra I with a Grade of C or better • Almost 50% of Bridgeport’s 9th graders drop out of school by their senior year Office of Data Management, Bridgeport Public Schools (2011)

8. US Department of Education: GEAR UP The primary purpose of GEAR UP is to provide low-income students with the skills, inspiration and preparation needed to pursue and succeed in acquiring postsecondary education. Objectives: 1) to increase students’ academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education; 2) to increase graduation rates and entry into post secondary education; 3) to increase students’ and their families’ knowledge of post- secondary education options, preparation, and financing.

9. Yale-Bridgeport GEAR UP Partnership Project

10. Yale-Bridgeport GEAR UP Project Components PARENTS STUDENTS Enhanced PD COMMUNITY The MAAX Partnerships Principals Workshops Academic Advising Teachers Collaboration Tutoring Counselors Mentoring Saturday Academy Accelerated Summer The primary purpose of GEAR UP is to provide low-income students with the skills, inspiration and preparation needed to pursue and succeed in acquiring postsecondary education.

11. Enhanced Professional Development: Teachers (Mathematics & English/Language Arts) 1) Strengthen teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge 2) Improve the quality of instruction 3) Increase student performance and differentiate instruction 4) Establish collaborative partnerships between BPS and partnering institutions of higher learning to support ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers and coaches

12. Enhanced Professional Development: School Counselors 1) Current theory and applied practice in areas of social, emotional, and academic learning (SEAL) 2) Creating school transition plans and programs that emphasize academic, college-career preparation, and social development 3) Building effective multi-disciplinary teams between teachers counselors, cluster liaisons, and advisors 4) Developing effective youth-driven initiatives that include training of youth leaders

13. Parental Engagement & Involvement • Workshops on college preparation, planning, and financial aid • Seminars on understanding how they can help support their child’s academic development • College tours and career fairs • Networking & parent support groups • Parent leadership development (PLTI)/(PACT)

14. Academic Enrichment & Support Programs • Classroom-based SEL Education (MAAX) • Individual Academic Advising • Small Group Seminars and Workshops • Tutoring Services • Mentoring • After School & Saturday Programs • Accelerated Summer Program • GEAR UP Resource Rooms

15. Community Partnerships The Bridgeport Higher Education Alliance • Serves as the project’s Advisory Board • Serves as liaison between community partners and Bridgeport Public Schools • Ensures that the efforts of the GEAR UP grant are sustained beyond the funding period

17. Maximizing Adolescent Academic Excellence GOALS • Heighten student awareness of college • Support students’ development of social, emotional, academic skills • Encourage engagement in educational process • Facilitate students’ bonding to their school and peers OBJECTIVES • Design an innovative project that engages and motivates students in the learning process in a way that challenges negative misconceptions that youth may hold about who they are and what they can achieve academically • To create opportunities for youth to demonstrate success in designing projects that showcase their special skills, abilities, and talents

18. Theoretical Underpinnings • Ecological influences on achievement outcomes (Bronfenbrenner, 1986; Phinney, 1990; Seidman, 1991; Stevenson, 1994) • Social Development Literature (Greenberg, Weissberg, Zins, Resnik, Elias, 2003) • Ethnic Identity Development (Gary & Berry, 1984; Resnicow et al. 1999; Phinney & Chavira, 1992; Gordon, Iwamoto, Ward, Potts, & Boyd, 2009) • Theory of Mediated Action (Fishbein & Azjen, 1975) • School Transition Literature (Felner, 1998) • Youth Development Framework (Durlak, 1997, SEARCH Institute, 2000)

19. Racial Socialization • Racial Socialization: the tasks Black parents share with all parents in providing for and raising their children which includes the responsibility of raising physically and emotionally healthy children in a society in which being Black has negative connotations (Peters, 1985). • Positive feelings about the self, one's culture, and one's ethnic group promote resiliency and are linked to positive behaviors (e.g., better school performance) and decreases in risky behaviors (Henley, 1993; Scott-Jones et al., 1989; Whaley, 1993). • The messages and practices can act as a buffer for ethnic minority group members from the antagonism of a hostile environment (Stevenson, 1994).

20. Ethnic Identity Development • Ethnic Identity: a sense of group or collective identity based upon one’s own perception that he/she shares a common racial heritage with a particular group (Helms, 1990). • Positive racial/ethnic identity is associated with: • high self-esteem (Gary & Berry, 1984; Resnicow et al. 1999; Phinney & Chavira, 1992); • healthy psychological functioning (Helms, 1993), • higher achievement (Phinney & Chavira, 1992), and • moderates the effects of active and daily stress on educational achievement (Miller & MacIntosh, 1999)

21. Theory of Mediated Action S A(o) A(b) SF I B IP SF SN(o) SN(b) A(b) = Attitude toward behavior A(o) =Attitude toward self/object I = Behavioral Intention IP = Information Processing S= Schema: how one defines self and others SF = Stimulus Field SN(b) = Subjective Norm About Behavior SN(o) = Subjective Norm About Self/Object TB =Target Behavior (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975)

22. School Transition Middle school transitions have been linked to: • Psychological and adaptive difficulties and increased symptomatology, reductions in positive self-esteem and image and increases in anxiety (Basow & Rubin, 1999) • Increased engagement in high risk behaviors such as alcohol use (Burlew, et al., 2000 & Van Kammen, Loeber, and Stouthamer-Loeber, 1991). • Increased behaviors that negatively impact academic adjustment and educational outcomes (Felner, 1991)

23. Positive Youth DevelopmentThe Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets Internal Assets • COMMITMENT TO LEARNING • achievement motivation • school engagement • homework • bonding to school • reading for pleasure • SOCIAL COMPETENCIES • planning & decision-making • cultural competence • peaceful conflict resolution • interpersonal competence • resistance skills • POSITIVE IDENTITY • personal power • self-esteem • sense of purpose • positive view of personal future • POSITIVE VALUES • caring • equality and social justice • integrity • restraint • honesty • responsibility

24. Positive Youth DevelopmentThe Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets External Assets • SUPPORT • family support • positive family communication • other adult relationships • caring neighborhood • caring school climate • parent involvement in schooling • BOUNDARIES & EXPECTATIONS • school boundaries • adult role models • family boundaries • positive peer influence • neighborhood boundaries • high expectations • CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME • creative activities • youth programs • religious community • time at home • EMPOWERMENT • youth as resources • service to others • community values youth • safety

25. Social-Emotional Learning • Builds children’s skills to recognize and manage their emotions, • Appreciate the perspective of others, • Establish positive goals, • Make responsible decisions, • Handle interpersonal situations effectively, and • Fosters students’ connection to school through caring and engaging classroom and school practices Collaborative for Academic, Social & Emotional Learning, 2003

26. Essential Components of SEL Programs • Strong partnerships between parents & teachers • Safe and orderly school and classroom environments • Caring relationships between teachers & students • Engaging teaching approaches • Maintaining high expectations for academic performance Collaborative for Academic, Social & Emotional Learning, 2003

27. Non-Cognitive Skills • Academic Behaviors • Students who attend class, complete homework, and exercise time management • Academic Perseverance • Students who exercise tenacity and self-discipline in completing academic tasks • Academic Mindset • Students who have positive attitude toward learning and believe that mastering academic tasks is a function of effort

28. Non-Cognitive Skills continued • Academic Learning • Habits and behaviors that support academic learning (e.g., goal setting, study skills, note taking etc.) • Social Skills • Strong communication skills, resolves conflict constructively, makes good decisions, acts responsibly, and works collaboratively with peers Farrington et al. (2012) Teaching adolescents to be come learners

29. MAAX Curriculum Content The curriculum consists of 8 core modules and over 45 lessons that highlight college awareness and preparation: 1. Managing the Middle School Transition 2. Keys to Academic Success 3. Exploring College 4. Who Am I? 5. How Values Shape My Life 6. Getting Along with Others 7. Managing the High School Transition

30. Cohort Demographics Students 1469 9th grade adolescents 53% females 47% male Racial and ethnic make up 47% African American 42% Hispanic/Latino 8% White (not Hispanic) 3% Other 43% of students lived in single-parent households 100% of students were eligible for free and reduced lunch

31. Assessment ScoresMeasuring student acquisition of content knowledge Academic Modules • Pretest mean: 39.96 • Posttest mean: 51.21 t(91) = 6.18, p < .001 Social Modules • Pretest mean: 34.95 • Posttest mean: 41.16 t(76) = 3.42, p = .001

32. Assessing Program Impact Is students’ time spent in the program (dosage) associated with core GPA (e.g., English, Math, History, Science and Lang? Dosage was defined as hours spent in four core academic enrichment and support programs: 1) The MAAX program 2) Academic Advising 3) Tutoring 4) College Tours and Educational Trips

33. Results… • Dosage associated with higher 10th grade GPA after controlling for 9th grade GPA (b = .01, p < .01). • For every 1 hour increase in dosage there is an expected .01 increase in GPA. • Since change in a grade level (e.g. from a “B” to a “B+”) represents an increase of .20, this suggests that 20 hours of dosage would be expected to correlate with such an outcome

34. Results… Which of the four core academic enrichment and support programs is the best predictor of GPA? • Regression with MAAX, tutoring, college tours, and educational trips predicting change in grades • MAAX program (13.33 sessions) and college tours (2.7 tours) significantly predicted GPA Ward, Strambler, Linke (2013). Journal of Negro Education

35. Qualitative Findings Focus groups to assess the extent to which the MAAX Program impacted: a) academic skills development b) changes in attitudes and behavior c) future orientation d) learning about college

36. Qualitative Findings (Cont’d) Academic Skills Development • “This program has helped me do better in my classes…I raise my hand more to answer questions...I am not afraid to read out loud in class.” • “[I learned that] if you don’t understand something, don’t be afraid to ask your teacher.” Changes in Attitude & Behavior • “[The MAAX helped me to know what time to get up and how it would affect my work and stuff…and how to stay on track and make a schedule about my [school] work...The ‘Time Snatchers’ [activity] got me to make time for homework.” • “The [MAAX] helps me to communicate. We had a session on body language, and it helps me to show teachers that I’m ready…It helps me communicate better with my teachers.

37. Qualitative Findings (Cont’d) Future Orientation/Learning about College • “We learned how much money you’ll get depending on how many years you go to college.” • “Now I know that just because my parents didn’t go to college, doesn’t mean I can’t.” • “The MAAX has taught me that I don’t have to have to be rich to go to college…” Student Feedback about Facilitators • “They made me feel like I could talk to them about anything.” • “This program kept me from dropping out of school.” • “The facilitators are not like our teachers…they care about what we think.”

38. Thank you!