Policy and Practice Implications from the Innovative Counseling Project

Transcription

1 Policy and Practice Implications from the Innovative Counseling Project T.E.A.C.H./WAGE$ National Symposium Sharon Sullivan and Sue Russell April 28, 2015

2 Agenda! Introductions! The Challenges! The Project and Results Phase I! The Project and Early Results Phase II! Policy and Practice Implications! Next Steps

3 The Challenges of College for our Early Childhood Workforce

4 ECE Workforce/Student Profiles ECE Workforce! Women, with own children! Low income! Full-time employees! Racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse! Without 2 or 4 year degrees in ECE! Few workplace benefits! High turnover College Non-Completer! Has dependent children! Needs financial assistance! Works full time! Is first generation college student! Attends part time! Is single parent! Is financially independent from parents

5 Individual Challenges! Economic! Motivational! Familial! Educational! Language/Cultural! Location! Time

6 Challenges within Higher Education System! Limited support for student success! High counseling/student advisement caseloads! Mismatch between faculty & student demographics! Lack of faculty and institutional understanding of needs of working students! Disconnected and unsupported remedial coursework! No or poor articulation for prior learning, coursework and/ or degrees! Inconsistent quality of coursework! Limited access to higher education! Cumbersome admissions/enrollment! High cost of tuition and books! Language, time, place and/or modality barriers

7 Entering Students Experience with Academic Advisement An advisor helped me identify the courses I needed to take during my first semester/ quarter. 71% An advisor helped me to select a course of study, program or major. 60% An advisory helped me to set academic goals and to create a plan for achieving them. 38% A college staff member talked with me about my commitments outside of school (work, children, dependents, etc.) to help me figure out how many courses to take. 26%

8 T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Economic Support! Tuition! Books! Travel! Paid Release Time! Periodic Raises/ Bonuses! Financial Aid mandate Social Support! Scholarship counselor! Engaged employer

9 T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Innovative Counseling Project Phase I Project Description

10 The Research Questions! Can more intensive, supportive interactions with scholarship recipients improve their educational outcomes?! Does a particular strategy in delivering these intensive, supportive interactions work best?

11 Project Design! Competitive grants to 3 T.E.A.C.H. states! Eligibility criteria! Timeline! Funding! Design Elements! Proposed approach! Demographics! Experimental and control groups! Data collection and outcomes assessment

12 Scope of Work! Capacity to improve completion rates! Measures of success! Professional development planning! Implementation and evaluation of strategies! Data tracking

13 Three Models of Counseling, Coaching & Mentoring Support! Iowa AEYC! New Mexico AEYC! South Carolina Center for Child Care Career Development

14 Barriers! Limited support from! college programs! Knowledge about career requirements! English proficiency! Computer literacy! Access to college courses! Access to financial aid advisement! Fear of stepping on college campus! Limited academic advisement! Lack of paperwork follow through

15 Project Approaches! Intensive counseling contacts! Face-to-face contacts! PD planning/goal setting! Barrier identification and interventions! Sharing of materials! Mentors! Onsite at colleges! Intensive academic counseling for bilingual cohort members! One-on-one coaching for improved English skills! Computer skills classes! Professional development planning! Support in accessing financial aid

16 T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Innovative Counseling Project, Phase 1 Results

17 Educational Outcomes Credit Hours Completed in 2 Semesters IOWA NEW MEXICO SOUTH CAROLINA Experimental Group Control Group = Average Credit Hours Experimental 7.9 = Average Credit Hours--Control

18 Indicator #1 Number of Contacts Contacts Made to Each Recipient Experimental Group IOWA NEW MEXICO SOUTH CAROLINA Control Group

19 Indicator #2 Professional Development Planning! Experimental group members surveyed: " 86% reported creating the plan was important " 83% reported they would continue to use their plan " 78% reported they had already referred back to their plan when thinking about their college education

20 Indicator #3 Continuing Education % Continuing Education After a Year of IC IOWA NEW MEXICO SOUTH CAROLINA Experimental Group 85% 80% 94% Control Group 71% 67% 89%

21 Indicator #4 Satisfaction Scores on 5 Point Likert Scale for Satisfaction EXPERI- MENTAL GROUP CONTROL GROUP My counselor understood what I needed My counselor answered all my questions My counselor met all of my needs My center has been supportive My family has been supportive My college has been supportive

22 Indicator #5 Focus on Degree Completion! 46% reported prior to this initiative they were not focused on completing a degree! 90% reported after their contract year in the experimental group that they were now focused on completing a degree

23 T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Innovative Counseling Project, Phase 2 Project Description

24 The Research Questions! Can more intensive, supportive interactions with scholarship recipients improve their educational outcomes?! Using random assignment with a matched sample of recipients, will those who get more intensive, support be significantly more successful than those in the control group getting routine counseling?

25 Innovative Counseling Phase 2-AZ, IN, WI! Early childhood associate degree students! Working in child care settings! Early in college process! Randomly assigned to experimental or control group! Experimental requirements! Individual Professional Development Plans! More counseling-minimum -5 x per semester

26 Innovative Counseling Arizona! One college in project! Online degree program! Additional online mentors! Discussion boards are a partnership between T.E.A.C.H and the college

27 Innovative Counseling Indiana! Statewide community college system! Primarily Indianapolis metropolitan area! Additional mentor component planned

28 Innovative Counseling Wisconsin! Face to face programs! Cohort meetings! Discussion boards! College partnerships! Additional mentor component

29 T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Innovative Counseling Project, Phase 2 Preliminary Results

30 Average Completed Credits 7.0 Average Credits/Recipient WISCONSIN INDIANA ARIZONA

31 Average Number of Contacts Contacts Made to Each Recipient Experimental Group ARIZONA INDIANA WISCONSIN Control Group

32 Percent of Passed Courses Average GPA Over 4 Semesters Experimental Group Control Group ARIZONA INDIANA WISCONSIN 97% 95% 99% 83% 89% 90%

33 What Data is Left to Collect! Final semester courses! Finalized contact numbers! Final grade reports! Ending Professional Development Plan! Participant evaluations

34 Practice Implications

35 Practice Implications The Counselor and Counseling Practices! How do we match counselors best suited to this population?! How do we assure that counselors for this population are committed to this job?! What additional training is needed for counselors to be effective?

36 Practice Implications The Critical Role of the IPDP! What should counselors include in their initial conversations with recipients?! Should we add a timeline with benchmarks?! How can we be sure that IPDP s are updated at least annually to reflect student growth?! How do enrich the content of discussions between counselors and recipients?

37 BEST PRACTICES FOR STUDENT SUCCESS Simple things! Ask participants when they want to be contacted! Ask participants how they want to be contacted (phone, mail, text, , etc)! Send a card, note, recognizing milestones or accomplishments! Call back again and again--persistence

38 What is this recipient's previous education? HS Diploma HS plus some courses AA, BA or Masters Degree This recipient may be anxious about going to school. Reach out to this recipient regularly to ensure they understand everything that is required of them to successfully register and attend classes and meet scholarship requirements. Counselors should seek to understand their educational goals. This recipient may be fairly comfortable with navigating the higher ed system. It is important to maintain good communication with this recipient, especially if they will be taking classes outside of their comfort level (gen ed) and to review scholarship requirements. This recipient is likely quite comfortable with the higher ed system. It is still important to check in with this recipient to ensure they receive the support they need to be successful, assess their educational goals and be sure they understand scholarship requirements.

39 BEST PRACTICES FOR STUDENT SUCCESS Bigger Ideas! Write or rewrite a handbook to define clear and concise roles and responsibilities! Consider how to implement face to face contacts! How to get commitment as well as contracts! Review how college relationships can be improved to support student success

40 Policy Implications

41 POLICY IMPLICATIONS! Should personal contact be required with recipients prior to award of contract?! What does it mean to be on contract?! Are recipients really clear about their responsibilities?! When in the course of a teacher s career should she/he be eligible for T.E.A.C.H.?! How do we assign or create caseloads?

42 NEW POLICIES for SCHOLARSHIP MANAGEMENT! Confirm intent and readiness of recipient prior to award of contract.! Issue and secure a signed Personal Responsibilities Agreement along with or prior to a contract.! Drop contracts at end of first semester IF there is no contact with recipient after 3 attempts.! Do not include Pending in your participation reports! Ensure that the IPDP is completed by end of first semester on contract and renew with each new contract.

43 QUESTIONS??

44 Research and Resources! Center for Community College Student Engagement. (2012). A Matter of Degrees: Promising Practices for Community College Student Success (A First Look). Austin, TX: The University of Texas at Austin, Community College Leadership Program.! Community College Research Center. (2015). What we Know about Guided Pathways. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.! Center for Community College Student Engagement. (2010). The Heart of Student Success: Teaching, Learning, and College Completion (2010 CCCSE Findings). Austin, TX: The University of Texas at Austin, Community College Leadership Program.! Complete College America. (2014). The Game Changers. Retrieved from Complete College America:

45 Research and Resources! Lumina Foundation. (2013). Lumina Strategic Plan Strategy 3:Mobilize Higher Education to Increase Student Success. Retrieved from Center for Community College Student Engagement. (2010). The Heart of Student Success: Teaching, Learning, and College Completion (2010 CCCSE Findings). Austin, TX: The University of Texas at Austin, Community College Leadership Program.! Engle, J. &. (2008). Moving Beyond Access: College success for low-income, first generation students. Retrieved from Pell Institute: http :// Beyond Access 2008.pdf

46 Research and Resources! Miller, A. E. (2011, September). Sealing the Gaps: Supporting low-income, firstgeneration students at four-year institutions in Texas post transfer. Retrieved from Pell Institute: the Gap 2011.pdf! Norma Gonzalez, L. C.-T. (1994, February). Center for Applied Linquistics. Retrieved from CAL.org: Referral, N. A. (2011). Early Childhood Education Professional Development: Training and Technical Assistance Glossary. Washington DC: NAEYC and NACCRRA.! Smith, C. M. (2009). Bridging the Gaps: Promising practices for promoting transfer among low-income and first-generation students. Retrieved from Pell Institute: the gaps 2009.pdf