“…to just reach farther…”

1. “…to just reach farther…” Communication, Collaboration, and Credibility-Empowering Marginalized Youth Through Learning 21st-Century Skills. Dr. Vera Jacobson-Lundeberg

2. Equity Stance • “I have also learned that the inseparable twin of racial injustice was economic injustice.” • Carson/King

3. The Problem Statement • The education system is not meeting the current demands of students and the globalized world • 21st-Century Skills are invaluable for all students to succeed in both College & Career • 21stCentury Skills are undervalued and under-rated in the present educational system

4. Problem Statement II • “…the best measure of opportunity is access to a good job” --President Obama 2014 • “Roughly half of all young Americans arrive in their mid-twenties without skills or labor market credentials essential for success in today's increasingly demanding economy."--Pathways to Prosperity

5. Purpose of Education • “Each child is a unique person, with unique needs, and the purpose of the educational system of this state is to enable each child to develop all of his or her own potential.” • —Ed Code 33080

6. Literature Review Framework

7. Literature Review • Cultural Capital Theory • Bourdieu 1977 • Bourdieu & Passeron 1979 • Anyon & Perez 2009 • Lamont & Lareau 1988 • Moss & Tilly 1995 • Yosso 2005 • Code Switching • O’Neal & Ringler 2010

8. 21st Century Behavioral Competencies (Bancino, Trilling, Overtoom, Moss & Tilly, SCANS)

9. Methodology • Qualitative study— • “the researcher seeks to establish the meaning of a phenomenon from the views of the participants”—Creswell 2009 • Student perceptions of their experiences with 21st-century education—meaning was co-constructed by the researcher and participants • “It is important to communicate because you want to know what is going on.”--April

10. Research Questions • 1. What personal changes have students experienced with 21st-century competencies, namely communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, or courage? • 2. How have these changes influenced the students’ personal, family, school, and/or community life? • 3. How have the students comprehended, used realistically and incorporated these skills?

11. BUILD • BUILD-- BUSINESS UNITED IN INVESTING LENDING, & DEVELOPING. • An entrepreneurial afterschool intervention program that serves marginalized populations. • Hybrid—9th grade in the school system then subsequent grades are off campus as an afterschool program. • Social justice philosophy. • The BUILD mission states, “to use entrepreneurship education to excite and propel disengaged, low income students through high school to college success”.

12. Research Design • Pilot Study • Dissertation Log • Recruitment • Interviews • Informal Observations • Participants’ Data • Participants’ Journals • Focus Groups

13. Participants Speak • “I don’t know, they’re just kind of closed. Because it’s like, my city is low income and a lot of people don’t believe—a lot of people don’t have the motivation to succeed. And like, I don’t know how to say it. They don’t believe in themselves and they’re just like school is whack, I’m just going to go hang with my homies there. There’s a lot of violence. In the past month three people already got killed because of gang violence and not being engaged in something other than violence. It’s just like they’re closed to different opportunities that they actually have.” • --Ronesha

14. Findings One • Communication—a gateway skill • “I have been able to present my ideas in a way to make them easily understood and to get my point across faster.” • --Bobbie

15. FindingsTwo Collaboration-a gateway skill • “Create stronger and better ideas for success to just reach farther”

16. FindingsThree • Credibility • “to make sure they understood what I was saying, and all the answers came out to what I wanted it to be. So a lot of them were understanding my point.” Bobby

17. Findings • These skills are not just employability skills to obtain a job. This type of sophisticated education is about human empowerment leading to dignity; teaching students how to access the power that lies within them to obtain their dignity. • “…just get what you need to do done, no matter what.” Rosa

18. Self-Empowerment Human Dignity

19. Simply said, effective communication leads to self empowerment which creates respectful, dignified human interactions

20. Equity, Policy, Programming A vision of possibilities “They first met up on Facebook or some other Chatting site and then they Can connect in reality.”

21. Where will it lead…?“It is better with a group of minds with different knowledge.--Bobby”

22. Recommendations • Project Based Learning • Longitudinal Studies • Other CTE Studies • Other 21st-century skills • Assessment tools • Teacher Training Programs • “I had to be able to speak loudly and use good hand gestures so they understand what I’m trying to talk about—so that they could understand and comprehend everything that I was trying to get across to them.”--Donny

23. One last voice… • For me it’s necessary to be teaching it in school because where I come from, it’s like, its different because—well, not different—but most people are not exposed to these types of good skills that they should be having. • --Ronesha

24. Thank you! http://csueastbay-dspace.calstate.edu/handle/10211.3/47488 veralee14@yahoo.com