Enhancing Minority Student Retention and Academic Performance

In this important resource, Dr. Fleming (a noted expert in the field of minority retention) draws on educational evaluations she has developed in the course of her distinguished career. This book analyzes the common factors and the role institutional characteristics play in minority student retention to show what really works in increasing academic performance among minority students and includes models of evaluations that describe successful programs that use statistical methods to verify outcomes.

Autorentext

Jacqueline Fleming is an internationally known psychologist, scholar, and researcher in the area of minority student retention and achievement. She has served in a number of positions at historically black Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, including visiting associate professor of psychology, associate professor of education, learning specialist, retention officer, associate director of Student Success Services, and director of the General University Academic Center. She is the award-winning author of Blacks in College, from Jossey-Bass.

Klappentext

Praise for Enhancing Minority Student Retention and Academic Performance

"Dr. Fleming and her team contribute very honest and timely appraisals of programs aimed to improve underrepresented student academic preparation. Their important case analyses and reviews remind us all about the relevant and tangible contributions we can glean from solid project evaluations and creative but thorough assessments. The results discussed in this book also provide important road maps for fruitful intervention planning and designs for all students, with specific considerations paid to individual agency, learning contexts, and how to narrow gaps between desired and actual program outcomes."Marguerite Bonous-Hammarth, researcher in residence, Center for Educational Partnerships, University of California, Irvine

"The insights and recommendations from this engaging series of studies will help administrators in higher education as well as counselors, student service professionals, deans, and instructors improve the education and development of all their students."Walter R. Allen, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Allan Murray Cartter Professor of Higher Education, University of California, Los Angeles

Praise for Blacks in College: A Comparative Study of Students' Success in Black and in White Institutions also by Jacqueline Fleming

"This book is pragmatic and suitable for educators, counselors, and advisors who work with college and college-bound youth. It is also an interesting compilation of exploratory studies that contribute significantly to the social science research literature."Contemporary Sociology

Inhalt
Preface ix About the Author xiii

1 Overview 1

PART ONE: SETTING THE STAGE: AS THEY ENTER HIGHER EDUCATION 15

2 Success Factors in the Academic Performance of Inner-City Youth: Project Forward Leap 17

3 How Perceptions of Racial Climate Affect Academic Adjustment and Learning 34

PART TWO: PROGRAMS IN MATH, SCIENCE, AND ENGINEERING 49

4 What Successful Students in Science Know About Learning: Gateway to Higher Education 51

5 Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and Academic Performance: Summer Bridge for Entering Minority Engineering Students at California State University at Northridge 62

6 Retaining Students in Engineering at the City College of New York: How a Successful Program Works 74

7 Enhancing Learning in Science Programs at the City College of New York 86

8 Preparing Minority Students to Compete at the Cutting Edge: The CCNY CREST Center 102

9 Who Will Do Math, Science, Engineering, and Technology? Academic Achievement Among Minority Students in Seventeen Institutions 120
With Dawn R. Person

10 Doubling the Number of Minority Students in Science, Engineering, and Math: The Xavier University of Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation 135
With Carole Morning

PART THREE: PROGRAMS AT MINORITY-SERVING UNIVERSITIES 155

11 The 4th Hour Algebra Project: University of Texas, Pan American 157
With J. Rene Torres

12 Why Good Students Drop Out: Retention and Performance of Honors Students at Texas Southern University 170

13 When Underprepared Students Stay in College: The Fast Track Program at Texas Southern University 184

14 Problem-Solving Instruction: How Much Is Enough to Increase Verbal and Analytical Skills in Minority Students? 201

15 Does Multicultural Content Make a Difference in the Reading Comprehension Performance of African American Students? Project GRAD at Texas Southern University 219

16 Multicultural Content and the Mathematics Performance of African American Students at Texas Southern University 233
With Jason Guo

PART FOUR: CONCLUSION 245

17 Enhancing the Performance of Minorities: Lessons from Program Evaluation 247

APPENDICES

2 Project Forward LeapMethodological Details 281

3 The Racial Climate at Eastern UniversityInterview Questions 285

4 Gateway to Higher EducationMethodological Details 287

5 Summer Bridge for Entering Minority Engineering Students at California State University at NorthridgeMethodological Details 292

6 Retaining Students in Engineering at the City College of New YorkMethodological Details 295

7 Science Programs at the City College of New YorkMethodological Details 300

8 The CCNY CREST CenterMethodological Details 305

9 Who Will Do Math, Science, Engineering, and Technology?Methodological Details 307

10 The Xavier University of Louisiana Alliance for Minority ParticipationMethodological Details 311

11 The 4th Hour Algebra ProjectMethodological Details 313

12 Retention and Performance of Honors Students at Texas Southern UniversityMethodological Details 316

13 The Fast Track Program at Texas Southern UniversityMethodological Details 319

14 Problem-Solving InstructionMethodological Details 323

15 Does Multicultural Content Make a Difference in the Reading Comprehension Performance of African American Students?Methodological Details 329

16 Multicultural Content and the Mathematics Performance of African American Students at Texas Southern UniversityMethodological Details 333

References 339

Subject Index 371

Name Index 377