Academic literature on the topic 'School administration|Higher education|African Americans'

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are effective in graduating African American students who are poised to be competitive in the corporate, research, academic, governmental and military arenas. Specifically, over half of all African American professionals are graduates of HBCUs. Nine of the top ten colleges that graduate the most African Americans who go on to earn PhDs are from HBCUs. More than 50% of the nation’s African American public school teachers and 70% of African American dentists earned degrees at HBCUs. Finally, both Spelman and Bennett Colleges produce over half of the nation’s African American female doctorates in all science fields. This article discusses the importance of HBCUs in today’s higher education landscape.

This study examined patterns of school segregation (ethnic/racial, linguistic, and socioeconomic) and other ecological characteristics of the schools that preadolescent children who migrate from Puerto Rico to the United States (New Jersey) attend in this country during the first two years following their arrival (N = 89 schools). The data show that Hispanics/Latinos are the majority of the student body in 43% of the schools; African Americans, in 30% of the schools; and European Americans, in 12% of the schools. Native speakers of Spanish are the majority of the student body in 29% of the schools. Approximately one half of the schools are in economically depressed, highly urbanized areas. Although the schools are on average large, 44% of them enroll above capacity. In most schools the majority of the student body is from economically impoverished families with low levels of parental education. There are, however, wide differences among the schools on each of these variables. Correlations show that the higher a student body's proportion of Hispanics/Latinos or native speakers of Spanish, the higher is the student body's proportion of pupils from economically impoverished households with low levels of parental education, and the higher the school's likelihood of being crowded and of being located in a poor inner-city area. Similarly, the higher a student body's proportion of African Americans, the higher is the student body's proportion of pupils from low-income families, and the higher the school's likelihood of being in a poor inner-city area. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for policy and hypotheses in need of research concerning possible consequences of school segregation for students' academic, linguistic, social, and emotional development. Also presented is a historical overview, to the present, and discussion of U.S. policies and judicial decisions concerning school segregation, with particular reference to segregation of Hispanics/Latinos.

Using data from the University of California and results from previously published research on the returns to higher education, this article presents a preliminary evaluation of the impact of ending affirmative action in admissions at a large, publicly funded university. At the undergraduate level, eliminating race as a factor in the admissions process will redistribute African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans away from the most competitive campuses (UC-Berkeley, UCLA, UC-San Diego) towards the less competitive campuses in the California State University system. This redistribution will lower the returns to schooling for those affected groups and could have a negative impact on the educational environment for all students. Affirmative action will, in the short run, reduce the number of African American, Mexican American, and Native American students admitted and, in the long run, will have an adverse effect on the delivery of legal and health care services to those racial and ethnic groups.

AbstractObjectiveTo explore and describe older African Americans’ patterns and perceptions of managing chronic osteoarthritis pain.MethodsA convergent parallel mixed-methods design incorporating cross-sectional surveys and individual, semistructured interviews.SettingOne hundred ten African Americans (≥50 years of age) with clinical osteoarthritis (OA) or provider-diagnosed OA from communities in northern Louisiana were enrolled.ResultsAlthough frequency varied depending on the severity of pain, older African Americans actively used an average of seven to eight self-management strategies over the course of a month to control pain. The average number of self-management strategies between high and low education and literacy groups was not statistically different, but higher-educated adults used approximately one additional strategy than those with high school or less. To achieve pain relief, African Americans relied on 10 self-management strategies that were inexpensive, easy to use and access, and generally perceived as helpful: over-the-counter (OTC) topicals, thermal modalities, land-based exercise, spiritual activities, OTC and prescribed analgesics, orthotic and assistive devices, joint injections, rest, and massage and vitamins.ConclusionsThis is one of the first studies to quantitatively and qualitatively investigate the self-management of chronic OA pain in an older African American population that happened to be a predominantly higher-educated and health-literate sample. Findings indicate that Southern-dwelling African Americans are highly engaged in a range of different self-management strategies, many of which are self-initiated. Although still an important component of chronic pain self-management, spirituality was used by less than half of African Americans, but use of oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids was relatively high.

e13086 Background: To investigate racial and epidemiological disparities in presentation and prognosis of conjunctival cancer in a retrospective population-based study. Methods: Non-Hispanic white (NHW) and African American patients with squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma of the conjunctiva or cornea with known age, insurance, gender, zip code-level income and education, and tumor size were selected from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Patients were stratified based on race and ethnicity into two mutually exclusive groups, and unadjusted comparisons were made with the Chi-square or Mann-Whitney tests. Survival was examined with the Kaplan-Meier method and a Cox regression model was employed after checking that the proportional hazards assumption was met for all pertinent variables. SAS version 9.4 was used for all analyses and p< 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Of the 2,192 identified patients from 2004 to 2014, 104 were African American. Unadjusted differences were found between groups in regard to age, histology, insurance, income, and education. African American patients in comparison to NHW were younger (median age: 61 years vs. 71 years; p< 0.001), had a higher proportion of Medicaid (10.6% vs. 3.4%) or no insurance (11.5% vs. 2.7%), and resided in areas with lower levels of education (36.5% of African American patients vs. 17.0% of NHW patients were from areas with greater than 21% of the population with no high school degree). It was also found that African Americans had higher proportion of squamous cell carcinoma than NHW (69.9% vs. 81.7%; p= 0.007). In general, risk of death was higher for older African American males with no private insurance, and for those from areas of lowest level of income. Conclusions: Disparities in socioeconomic factors were observed in the African American population. In addition, the overall incidence of conjunctival and corneal cancer occurs at a younger age in African Americans, who also face poorer prognoses. This association between social inequality and poor outcome warrant further investigation.

<p>School discipline disparities in U.S. education is accompanied by a litany of literature that focuses on African Americans in low-performing urban schools (Civil Right Project, 2000; Losen, 2011; Mendez & Knoff, 2003; Skiba, Michael, Nardo & Peterson, 2002; Wilson, 2014). Public K-12 institutions in the U.S. report that African Americans are suspended at three-times the rate of White students (23% for African Americans as compared to 7% for Whites). Furthermore, the most recent Civil Rights Discipline Collection report (Office of Civil Rights, 2014) indicates that students who receive one suspension have a much greater chance of being suspended multiple times, ultimately leading to expulsion and or involvement in the juvenile justice system (Allen & White-Smith, 2014; Gregory, 1995; Office of Civil Rights, 2014; Pane & Rocco, 2014). A significant amount of research focuses on public education institutions’ dismal outcomes in this area (Skiba et al., 2002; Office of Civil Rights, 2014; Wilson, 2014), without examining charter schools to determine if discipline disparities are endemic in them as well. This study examined two urban, high achieving charter schools. Urban Preparatory Academies in Chicago and Harlem Children’s Zone in New York. The school characteristics are assessed through critical race theory to better understand the relationship between teacher quality and student discipline. The findings of the study indicate that while both schools had similar student demographics, lower rates of discipline infractions were reported in the individual campuses that employed a higher number of qualified teachers. These findings have implications for teacher preparation and urban education.</p>

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of how minoritized families and communities contribute to equity-focused school change, not as individual consumers or beneficiaries, but as educational and community leaders working collectively to transform their schools. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative case study examines one poverty-impacted racially diverse high school in the US West and the changes that occurred over a seven-year period. Findings Minoritized families, community leaders and formal leaders leveraged conventional schooling structures – such as turnaround reforms, the International Baccalaureate program and the PTA – to disrupt the default institutional scripts of schools and drive equity-focused change for all students, particularly African-Americans from the neighborhood. Research limitations/implications Though one school, this case contributes insights about how families and communities can collaborate with systems actors to catalyze educational justice in gentrifying communities. Practical implications This study suggests strategies that families and communities used to reclaim school narratives, “infiltrate” conventional structures and reorient them toward equitable collaboration and educational justice. Social implications This study contributes to a body of critical scholarship on “turnaround” reform efforts in urban secondary schools and suggests ways to reshape decision making, leadership, parent engagement and student intervention to build collective agency. Originality/value This research raises provocative questions about the extent to which families and communities can use conventional structures and policies to pursue educational justice in the US public education. Learning from such efforts highlights strategies and practices that might begin to help us construct more decolonizing theories of change.

Racial discrimination in the United States continues to adversely affect health outcomes to the detriment of African Americans. To assess the experiences of residents of a metropolitan community with high rates of racial health disparities in upstate New York, we conducted a survey to measure the primary reasons for discrimination and their experiences with daily and lifetime discrimination, reactions to these experiences, and coping mechanisms. Of the 739 individuals who completed the survey in 2012, 71.5% self-reported as Black or African American. This article focuses on the experiences of Blacks or African Americans, among whom 76.2% reported having experienced racial discrimination at some point in their life. Respondents with higher levels of education and higher income were more likely to report experiencing racial discrimination at work, while for those with a high school education or less it was on the street or public spaces. The burden of these experiences affected individuals by making life more difficult and interfering with a productive life. In light of the known impact of racial discrimination on individual and population health and well-being, it is crucial that efforts to address social and health disparities take into account the high rates of experiences of racism.

This qualitative study examined and analyzed mentoring relationships from the personal perspectives and experiences of nine African American women in higher level educational administration leadership positions that have been mentored during their career and who currently hold or have held higher level educational administration leadership positions. The study shed light and brought forth corroboration of previous studies which highlighted that it is often difficult for African American women to attain and retain higher level educational administration leadership positions and the necessity for support systems, namely mentoring relationships. Respondents provided valuable information, evidence, and insight that may be useful in selecting, supporting, retaining, and promoting other African American women into leadership positions. African American women who seek higher level leadership positions in educational administration often face insurmountable barriers, according to the research respondents. These barriers can be attributed to stereotypes related to race, age, and gender. The responses of study participants are supported by the research literature which describes how women, in general, tend to give up their quest for leadership positions when they feel overwhelmed and unsupported while attempting to navigate through the obvious and hidden barriers (Grove & Montgomery, 2001; Malone, 2001). The data from this study shed light on the fact that African American women interested in higher level educational administration leadership positions need access to support systems that contribute to their job success and satisfaction. The respondents reported that engaging in mentoring relationships helped them bridge the gap between theory and practice. Additionally, they stated that more than one mentor, bringing varied perspectives to the mentee, was needed to help address job-related challenges. The respondents further reported that mentoring relationships are beneficial to both the mentor and mentee and emphasized that the mentoring relationships should be open and both the mentor and mentee should be approachable. In summation, even with its imperfections and inconsistencies, respondents noted that the mentoring process continues to be one of the best ways to provide a lasting influence on the attitudes, knowledge, expertise, and professionalism of African American women who are seeking to attain or retain higher level educational administration leadership positions.

The primary purpose of the study was to examine what institutional factors most influenced the decision of African-American male doctoral scholars to persist unto graduation. The literature review showed mentoring, institutional climate, race relations, and social adjustment as key factors in persistence of minorities in graduate studies. An objective specific to the study was to explore the cumulative outcomes that mentoring, social adjustment, institutional climate, and race relations have upon persistence. The population included scholars at both Predominantly White Colleges (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the United States in Colleges of Education. One hundred sixty-four scholars responded representing a return rate of 96%. The African-American Male Doctoral Scholar Survey was employed to collect data. Analyses of the data included ANOVA, independent sample t-tests, analysis of frequencies, percentages of responses, and Tukey's Post-hoc analysis. Responses to open-ended questions were analyzed and cited from comments written by scholars. There were six major findings. Factors affecting scholars' decision to persist unto graduation at PWIs differed from those who attended HBCUs when considering mentoring, social adjustment, race relations, and institutional climate. No significant differences were discovered between age groups upon the decision of scholars to persist. Employment classification affected persistence of scholars at both types of institutions. Institutional geographical location affected the decision of scholars to persist. Scholars' classification status did not affect persistence at either type of institution. The number of scholars within the department significantly influenced persistence unto graduation. Recommendations were made for replication of the study and refinement of the instrument. A 13-point institutional plan of action was developed toward improving the persistence rate of scholars. A 12-point plan was developed to assist scholars in achieving a successful doctoral experience.

African Americans account for a disproportionate percentage of students who pursue college education in comparison to European Americans. Indeed, a considerable number of African American High School Equivalency (HSE) students are not enrolling in college once they earn their HSE diploma. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine 3 African American HSE students' perceptions about factors that influenced their pursuit of higher education at the selected HSE study site. These 3 students were selected for their inclusion because of their ethnicity, enrollment in the HSE program, academic underpreparedness and lack of pursuit of higher education, and strong feelings to share about the phenomenon under study. The theoretical framework was based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of human learning. The research question focused on assessing African American HSE students' lack of pursuit of higher education. Semistructured focus group interview and individual interview data were thematically analyzed using open-coding. Findings revealed that participants believed the lack of high school credentials, family background, intrinsic motivation and educational values, sociocultural influences, teacher and peer influence, and socioeconomic factors impacted their pursuit of higher education. A professional development project was developed based on study findings to provide HSE educators with training on the HSE exam, Common Core State Standards, and best practices to enrich the academic achievement of African American HSE students at the study site. Results have implications for positive social change among African American HSE students by emphasizing the importance of higher education on educational, sociocultural, professional, and personal advancement.

The purpose of this study was to examine self-disclosure, self-esteem, and solidarity in the mentoring relationship and the subsequent impact on academic achievement regarding African and Hispanic American college students. The Faculty Mentor Program is a component to meeting the challenge of improving retention and graduation rates for African and Hispanic Americans at California State universities. There were 287 subjects of which 83 responded to the survey. The subjects were members of a Faculty Mentor Program at a California State University. The survey consisted of the Wheeless Solidarity Scale, the Wheeless Five-Factor Disclosiveness/Disclosure Scales, and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventories (Adult form). The hypotheses stated that there is a significant positive relationship between the amount of interpersonal contact and the protege's self-disclosure; between self-disclosure and self-esteem; between self-disclosure and solidarity; between protege solidarity and protege self-esteem; among the variables self-disclosure, self-esteem, solidarity, amount of contact, and academic achievement; between the amount of time the protege has been in the Faculty Mentor Program and level of academic achievement. Statistical procedures used for analyzing data were analysis of variance, content analysis, multiple regression, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, summary-comparison analysis, and t-test. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation disclosed a significant positive relationship between self-disclosure and solidarity and no statistical positive relationship for self-disclosure and self-esteem, solidarity, and self-esteem, and grade point average and time with the mentor program. A multiple regression revealed a statistical significance between self-esteem and grade point average. A summary comparison analysis disclosed that the proteges found the mentor relationship helpful and the program to be helpful.

This study investigated the perceptions that fourth grade African American students have of their school experience and explored whether there was a connection between their perceptions of school and academic performance, as measured by the California Standards Test. The students in the study either scored at the proficient or advanced level on the test or scored below proficient. Students who were in Special Education or who had disciplinary problems were excluded from the study. Students were interviewed at their school and asked questions related to school climate, perception of teachers, perception of administrators, and grade to grade perceptions. Results of the study indicated that the students perceived their school as a positive place where they felt valued and respected and came to learn. They perceived the adults as caring and felt positive about their teacher and administrators. In addition, there was no negative shift in grade to grade perception except for second grade. This was true whether students performed at the proficient or non proficient level. It was also true without regards to gender. In spite of the positive perceptions these students have of their school, their academic performance did not improve. Students articulated that they wanted more of a personal connection with their teachers and wanted to see more of their administrators. Based on the findings of the study, suggestions to address issues students expressed in their interviews include building personal relationships between students and teachers, increasing the visibility of administrators on campus, utilizing a variety of instructional strategies to engage students and to connect lessons to real life situations, implementing learning programs beyond the school day, and organizing a mentoring program.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to uncover the reasons why qualified African American administrators in California were not pursuing or ascending to a superintendency. Four questions served as the basis for the research. Using the Superintendent-Level Administrator Review Instrument (SLARI), a three-part questionnaire developed by the researcher, data were gathered from African American superintendent-level administrators in California who held the title of deputy superintendent, associate superintendent, assistant superintendent or executive director. Part I of the questionnaire asked demographic information of each respondent. Part II asked for the respondent's level of interest in the superintendency. Part III asked the respondent to use a Likert scale to indicate how 46 items had impacted his/her decision regarding a superintendency. Qualitative data was also collected by using 17 semistructured interview questions. The SLARI data were analyzed to determine the level of influence of each item. Interview transcripts were analyzed using content analysis and generalized as findings. The findings indicate there are at least 20 variables which have contributed to why more African American superintendent-level administrators are not pursuing or ascending to a superintendency. Some of the variables included lack of mentoring and networking, lack of community support, gender bias towards African American females, racism, lack of bilingual skills, perception of being incompetent, lack of trust, negative media pressure, low salary, headhunters' unfamiliarity with superintendent-level administrators, general lack of experience, negative impact of politics, lack of business skills, poor writing skills, lack of family support, and lack of self-confidence. The findings also indicate that negative actions of boards of education have significantly contributed to the respondents' decision to not pursue a superintendency. Respondents offered several skills, knowledge and strategies they needed to assist them in obtaining a superintendency. The researcher also identified four processes which will help increase the number of African American superintendents including strategic recruitment efforts, ongoing professional development opportunities in school business management and finance, mentoring and networking. Finally, eight recommendations are offered to help increase the number of African American superintendents in California.

This study gathered information on African American male high school students' perceptions of African American male vice principals as positive role models. Respondents were randomly selected African American male students in grades 10, 11, and 12 drawn from comprehensive high schools in the Oakland Unified School District, Oakland, California. To gather and analyze data for the study, two instruments were developed. One instrument was a questionnaire designed for African American male high school students. A second instrument was a questionnaire designed for African American male high school vice principals. In addition to the survey instruments, personal interviews were conducted with a small random sample of African American male students in an effort to gather more in-depth information than could be revealed in the survey instrument. Findings revealed that African American male students generally do not perceive African American male vice principals in their schools as role models. The primary reason given was African American males are most often cast in disciplinary roles and only “do the white man's work.” Despite this finding, African American male students feel a need for, and want, African American males vice principals in their schools. The study further revealed that these students have a strong desire to see African American male vice principals in roles other than disciplinary.

Purpose . The purpose of this descriptive ex post facto study was to identify leadership strategies utilized by elementary principals to increase the academic achievement of African-American students in schools identified as Title I. Procedure . This study utilized qualitative research methods to determine the effectiveness of strategies used in schools to improve the achievement levels of African-American students in Sacramento County. Principal interviews were conducted in schools with free and reduced lunch counts of 70% or higher, enrollment of more than 33% African-Americans, and a principal who was assigned to the site for three or more years. Of the six Sacramento County elementary schools examined, three were high-achieving and three were low-achieving. Initial interviews were followed up with observations, and follow-up interviews. School and district documents were then reviewed to complete the triangulation process. Findings . The outcome of the study listed practices used in high-achieving schools and compared those practices to those used in low-achieving schools. Those commonly mentioned strategies found to be effective, as evidenced by improved test scores in low-achieving schools and implementation in high-achieving schools, were defined. The result was a comparison to determine whether the leadership practices were labeled as effective or ineffective. Evidence used to determine the effectiveness of leadership practices with African-American students included 1999 and 2002 schoolwide Academic Performance Index, 2002 Academic Performance Index scores for the African-American subgroup as compared to those of the Caucasian subgroup, and compared proficiency levels on the California Standards Test. Those practices found to be most effective in schools, whether they were low-achieving or high-achieving, were then categorized and listed. There were several common strategies found in the most effective schools. Schools that were most effective in improving achievement levels for African-American students shared some strategies, which were labeled as high impact strategies. Moderate impact strategies were shared by two of the three most effective schools, and low impact strategies were found in the most effective school solely. Additionally, it was determined that while principals felt that specialized training was necessary to truly serve the needs of the African-American student, none of them have provided such a training at their sites. Principals either felt that poverty was the true issue, or were afraid or hesitant to discuss issues related to race.

AbstractOriginally, the concept of resilience refers to one’s capacity to cope with unexpected shocks and unpredictable situations. Originating from ecological theories, the approach has gained ground in social sciences. In the context of education, the concept has been applied to explain how disadvantaged students can overcome structural constraints and become educationally successful and socially mobile (Werner, E. E., Vulnerable but invincible: a longitudinal study of resilient children and youth. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1982; Masten A. S., American Psychologist 56: 227–238, 2001; Reid, R., Botterrill L. C., Australian Journal of Public Administration 72:31–40, 2013; Máté, D., Erdélyi Társadalom 13:43–55, 2015).This paper is based on the analysis of the Hungarian National Assessment of Basic Competences (NABC) database which has been conducted annually since 2001. We created a typology of school resilience based on the schools’ social and ethnic profile as well as their performance indicators. We defined those schools resilient which over perform others with similar social intake, and we also identified irresilient schools which underperform others with similar social intake. The school types were created by correlating the socio-economic status index (SES) and school performance.Since the NABC database provides us with data on the estimated rate of Roma students in each school, it is possible to take into account the schools’ ethnic intake in the analysis of resilience. We conducted statistical analyses to compare the performance of resilient and irresilient schools in the light of the ratio of Roma students. Finally, we seek answers to the question whether ethnic segregation correlates with school achievement in Hungary. We could identify some crucial institutional factors contributing to resilience (or school success) in the case of schools with relatively high proportion of Roma students.

AbstractIn order to obtain considerable amounts of capitalist profit available in a globalized market, individual countries need to enhance their own international competitiveness – a goal that can be achieved through the channel of schools by cultivating human capital. The linear linkage among globalization, international competitiveness, human capital and higher education has convinced many countries to engage in the expansion of higher education institutes. The notion of international competition further generates the idea of university ranking and, in turn, many countries have viewed the world class university as the top priority on the political agenda. As neo-liberalism has become a prevailing new world value, constructed by America, the private sector that addresses efficiency is defined as the best mode of running the higher education market. Therefore, this mode functions as the gateway of achieving this political mission. However, this approach may jeopardize state sovereignty because if the state is unable to balance the relation between capital accumulation and social justice, it cannot win people’s trust. The interactive principle between social cultures and education policies also rejects the universal practicality of free market logic. In order to overcome these challenges, individual countries may adopt transformative strategies, allowing them to improve the international reputation of their own top universities. This essay sets out to shed some light on this issue through examining the case of the Double-First-Class-Universities initiative in China.

This chapter discusses the social inequalities in school choice and the racial disparities of college access. Utilizing the theories of social capital and social inclusion, the author provides a conceptual framework for developing a college-going school culture in charter schools. Through this lens, the author considers that the level of school support needs to be equitable to the varying stages of self-efficacy, academic behaviors, and post-secondary aspirations that students enter school with. The author suggests the importance of the RECIPE (rigorous curriculum, expectations, collegiality, interconnection, parental engagement, and exposure) to prepare African American students for college.

This chapter explores the educational choices of immigrants and how the issue of legal or immigration status contributes to social inequality in the United States classrooms and institutions of higher learning. Immigrants within U.S. population have increased dramatically, yet their educational attainment remains small in comparison to native-born Americans. Although large numbers of immigrant students graduate from high school, their path to higher education remains difficulty with fewer getting college degrees. Drawing on literature from multiple disciplines, the issue of immigration status in relation to immigrant education is examined. The chapter recommends the adoption of immigration reform legislations that create better pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and progressive educational provisions. This chapter benefits immigrants and educational leaders in institutions of higher learning.

Between 1940 and 1970, Harlan County, Kentucky lost seventy percent of its black population due to industrial decline. Accompanying the estimated five million other African Americans who were migrating out of the Deep South, this generation of coal kids migrated to urban cities in Northern, Midwestern, and Western regions of the U.S. This chapter analyzes the ways in which the adults in Harlan County prepared their youth to adopt to a migratory mindset, one in which children understood leaving home after high school was inevitable. Central to this analysis is their decision-making process that factored in gender, institutions, jobs, war, politics, and higher education when choosing destinations and forming the mechanisms that undergirded this massive out-migration. The chapter also focuses on the forming of the post-migration diaspora, particularly the emergence of this group’s diasporic consciousness. Though they were uprooted from home at a young age, thousands of African Americans still consider these post-industrial Appalachian communities “home.” Using the Eastern Kentucky Social Club reunion and the Memorial Day weekend pilgrimage as examples, this chapter offers an in-depth treatment of black place-making, collective memory, and archive.

This chapter discusses the smoking gap. Fifty years ago, smoking prevalence for all education groups was clustered at the 40%–45% mark. Five decades later, 6.5% of college-educated individuals continue to smoke, while the prevalence is more than triple that among those with a high school education or less (23.1%). These smokers tend to be disadvantaged socially and economically, and bear the majority of morbidity and premature mortality. As such, in the process of lowering smoking overall, people have created a smoking gap between those who are well-educated and those who are less educated, between those with higher and lower incomes. However, the smoking gap is not restricted only to socioeconomic status. Geography is also at play. “Tobacco Nation”—a swath across the American Southeast where 700 million pounds of tobacco are harvested annually, and rates of smoking remain higher than elsewhere—suggests that policy, culture, and the persistent influence of the tobacco industry in this region has shaped who smokes and who does not in the United States. Other studies have documented the high tobacco retailer density in neighborhoods with larger proportions of African Americans, the ethnic group with the highest smoking prevalence. The chapter then details what people can learn from the smoking gap and the best public health approach to reduce the smoking rate.

This chapter discusses the social inequalities in school choice and the racial disparities of college access. Utilizing the theories of social capital and social inclusion, the author provides a conceptual framework for developing a college-going school culture in charter schools. Through this lens, the author considers that the level of school support needs to be equitable to the varying stages of self-efficacy, academic behaviors, and post-secondary aspirations that students enter school with. The author suggests the importance of the RECIPE (rigorous curriculum, expectations, collegiality, interconnection, parental engagement, and exposure) to prepare African American students for college.

Medical communication training is being challenged to meet the demands of a more internationalized world. As a result, interdisciplinary simulation-based education is designed to advance clinical skill development, specifically in doctor-patient interactions. The Standardized Patient Program has been applied in American Medical Schools since the 1960s, implementing patient profiles based on authentic cases. At the University of Pécs, Medical School in Hungary, this model is being adapted to facilitate improving patient-interviewing, problem-solving, and medical reporting skills. The interdisciplinary program operates in Hungarian, German and English languages, utilizing actors to perform as simulated patients under the close observation of medical specialists and linguists. This innovative course is designed to train students to successfully collect patient histories while navigating medical, linguistic, emotional, and socio-cultural complexities of patients. Experts in medicine and language assess student performance, offering feedback and providing individualized training that students might improve their professional and communicative competencies. This paper examines how this interdisciplinary course provides valuable opportunities for more efficient patient-oriented communication practices. Through responding to medical emergencies, miscommunications, and conflicts in a safe environment, medical students prepare to deal with a diverse patient context, that more qualified and empathetic health personnel may be employed throughout clinics worldwide. Keywords: interdisciplinary simulation-based education, doctor-patient interaction, MediSkillsLab, medical history taking, language for specific purposes competencies

Digital, virtual and E-learning elements have increasingly become a part in higher education and, most recently, the high potential of digitalization for processes of strategic internationalization of higher education institutions is coming into focus. The collaborative project of three German universities, XYZ, is working on strategies for the internationalization and virtualization of engineering education. While these topics used to be different key areas of the project, a combination of both distinguished itself as a potential new working field. This paper introduces two pilot concepts that were implemented and evaluated at the universities Y and Z which both aim at the complementation of incoming students’ experiences in Germany by digital means. At Y, a transnational online class explores means of preparing degree-mobile engineering students from all over the world for their master’s studies in Germany. At Z, an online course was designed to accompany a summer school research exchange for US-American engineering students in order to prolong their short-term mobility by digital elements. These pilot projects were well-accepted by students and faculty at both universities and their evaluations between 2014 and 2017 have revealed valuable results for further optimization. This paper presents the results and discusses future potential.

The aim of this paper is to illustrate the benefits and the drawbacks of an experimental process on how to develop and teach an interdisciplinary applied math course. The analysis comes from our experience gained during the development and teaching of a temporary seminar called: Mathematical Modeling for Cancer Risk Assessment, implemented at our University. The need for the initiation of such an interdisciplinary course came from an increasing national effort started by Mathematical Association of America’s “Curriculum Foundations Project: Voices of the Partner Disciplines”. Their study found that research in biology and health-related fields has become more quantitatively oriented than in the past, therefore mathematical curricula should incorporate interdisciplinary modulation. Our seminar instruction included: writing and mathematical software skills, content lecture, project development and presentation. Results showed that students best interact with each other if work is performed during class time; mainly if a large project with possible variations is developed in class, so students or groups of students follow using the same pace. Implementing such interdisciplinary course that provided students with appropriate tools and methodologies, contributed to student retention, and increased students’ enthusiasm towards future research programs, carriers, and graduate schools.

As part of an initiative to promote community based engineering education, Santa Clara University engineering students undertook two ambitious senior design projects during the 2004-2005 school year that have direct impact on communities in El Salvador. The two projects were coordinated through our sister school, Universidad Centro Americana, in San Salvador, and also involved other local and international partners. The first project consisted of the design, purchase, and installation of a 3 kW solar powered water pumping system for Isla Zacatillo off the southwest coast of El Salvador. The new system replaces a standard electrical system that was dependent on an expensive undersea power connection to the mainland. The new system promises higher reliability and independence while also promoting sustainable energy and water solutions. The second project involved the design and construction of a prototype Human Powered Utility Vehicle (HPUV) for use in rural transportation of goods and people. The team faced a number of challenges in order to improve upon existing designs. The primary goals were to create a design that was robust, reliable, highly functional, and inexpensive. The paper will discuss the planning and logistics involved in accomplishing these international senior design projects, the challenging communication issues, the benefits to students and faculty beyond those of a conventional engineering design project, the impacts on the local society, and the final results of the projects.

The desire to increase inclusivity in the field of architecture is concurrent with a perceptible growing trend in the United States in which many institutions of higher education have begun to take a closer look at student enrollment in the realization that various degree programs, including architecture, have historically lacked representation from people of color. Emerging architecture pipeline programs are poised to erode the demographic status quo by creating opportuniti es to engage historically underrepresented students while they are still in high school. Many of the explicit and implicit competencies these programs impart are valuable additions toward increasing the likelihood of more underrepresented students successfully applying to study architecture at the university level. These programs are only a small part of a growing number of efforts intended to address long-standing inequiti es in architecture education. This paper aims to assess such programs in light of Sharon Sutton’s imperative to achieve and sustain educational equity set forth in her recent book, When Ivory Towers Were Black: A Story About Race in America’s Cities and Universities. This paper first briefly identifies numerous diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives currently taking hold in the discipline and profession of architecture. Next, it carefully examines Sutton’s account of the Columbia University School of Architecture’s attempt to transform the demographic status quo. Lastly, it considers the lessons learned from the experiment and applies them to emerging pipeline programs, referred to here as Architecture Development Programs, ultimately seeking to explore successful methods to attract, educate, and support historically under represented young people in the classroom and the profession.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.