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Closing The Gap

The document discusses providing resources to African American students and addressing barriers they face. It reviews literature on lack of resources in schools and communities, as well as racial microaggressions experienced by students. The purpose is to determine what areas lack resources for these students and help them develop advocacy skills. Participants will include students, counselors, teachers, and guardians. Surveys will collect data on access to resources and self-advocacy awareness. Analysis and findings will be shared to create more resources and opportunities for all students. The process highlighted the importance of student and professional advocacy for change.

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131 views

Closing The Gap

The document discusses providing resources to African American students and addressing barriers they face. It reviews literature on lack of resources in schools and communities, as well as racial microaggressions experienced by students. The purpose is to determine what areas lack resources for these students and help them develop advocacy skills. Participants will include students, counselors, teachers, and guardians. Surveys will collect data on access to resources and self-advocacy awareness. Analysis and findings will be shared to create more resources and opportunities for all students. The process highlighted the importance of student and professional advocacy for change.

Uploaded by

api-534372341
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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You are on page 1/ 13

Closing the Gap

African American Students’ Access to Resources

Brianna Ball & Hailey Kreinbrink


Overview of Literature
❏ The African American Library at the Gregory School located in Houston is part of the Houston Public library. “The library
provides many resources including reference books, rare books, archival materials, exhibits, artifacts, oral histories, and
innovative programs.This facility is expected to become a one-of-a-kind research and cultural center, providing valuable
information to the Houston community and the entire world” (294) .
❏ “Understanding the effects of place-making practices in park design is pertinent for facilitating environmental justice and
creating inclusion for low-income minority communities” (Carnahan, et al., 94).
❏ “Cities with appointive systems are fairly large with a sizable black population. Representational equity in these cities has
become institutionalized as mayors appoint blacks to the school board in numbers that reflect the city's racial composition”
(Robinson, England, & Meier, 980). African American students need the school board members to reflect the school community.
These board members need to understand the needs of the school population.
❏ “African American participants indicated frequent occurrences of racial microaggressions and noted how racial tension affected
various points of connection and hampered their development of social networks with peers, staff, and faculty, and, in a few
circumstances, led them to drop out” (254). Without the sense of belonging it is hard for a student of any racial or ethnic identity
to be able to focus on their studies. Many districts do not have any clubs in place to help these students in the school community.
Schools need to think about cultural and ethnic clubs that can be ran at school.
Overview of Literature Continued
❏ “Many high school football recruits are not coming from the neighborhoods sports media often portrays and it appears certain
schools do produce more recruits than others” (210). African American athletes need to be provided with the same resources to
become identified by athletic teams or colleges.
❏ “Addressing the academic achievement gap related to African American students who live and attend schools in isolated and
under-resourced urban communities is a matter of social justice; and that school counselors are central figures within the school
(system) to work with students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the community in addressing it” (Rust, 1170). There are a
number of different interventions and ways in which school counselors can work with students to create a safe environment to
address these issues, but the school counselors needs to be an advocate.
❏ “ The adolescent African American males in this study shared that they felt it was challenging to compete academically against
their White counterparts when there was an uneven playing field and factors such as economics, neighborhoods, schools, and
support also impacted their achievement” (Moon & Singh, 22). Participants discussed the benefit of motivation and having
support in their life and how success may come from those supports.
Overview of Literature Continued
- “Engagement through affirmation, support, and advocacy establishes safe physical and emotional spaces to
encourage student development in a holistic fashion while acknowledging the varied experiences with
structural oppression for students matriculating through college” (Lee, 84). Advocacy for African American
students can lead to a better overall experience as a students, and as a member of the society.
- “Social audits can also be a key tool in addressing colorism at the school site. Much in the way a racial equity
audit would be conducted, a colorism audit is a comprehensive investigation of all units of the school for
inequality by skin tone” (Hunter, 59). Practice strategies were discussed in how school staff can work towards
educating and dismantling colorism.
- “All student participants rated the self-advocacy intervention as effective in helping them use advocacy skills to
request needed accommodations from instructors in their current courses” (Walker & Test, 141). Interventions
were done to help Adfrican American students gain self-advocacy skills, specifically in the means of requesting
access to academic accommodations.
Purpose of the Inquiry
❏ To determine what areas of the school and community lack resources for African American students, as well as help
them to learn and develop self-advocacy.
❏ Specific- African American students Measurable- through surveys and observations Attainable-access to school
rooms and resources for the classroom guidance and groups Relevant- goal aligns with the mission and vision
statement of district for access to supports and resources to all Time- through the fall semester (participation surveys in
beginning of semester, group during the middle of semester, and final surveys at end of semester
❏ What can be done to help provide resources to these students and their communities.
❏ To determine the barriers to succeed in school and the community because of the lack of resources or opportunities.
Purpose of Inquiry Continued
❏ This is an important topic to explore because in our mission and vision statement as a school and in the
school counseling department, we discussed equal education, opportunities, and resources for all. If we do
not explore this topic to see if we are truly standing true to our mission, we are not doing our part as a school
to do what’s best for our students and community.
❏ This specific inquiry for out school because we have a significant amount of African American students, and
we want to ensure that they are receiving access to equal opportunities and resources
❏ ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors
❏ B- SMS 6. Develop ability to overcome barriers in learning
❏ M 3. Sense of belonging in the school environment
❏ B- SS 8. Demonstrate advocacy skills and ability to assert self, when necessary
Participants
❏ African American school students - will be identified by students taking a
self survey on their race and ethnicity, as well as their access to resources
and knowledge on self-advocacy
❏ School counselors
❏ Teachers- who will hand out and collect surveys from students as well as
give school counselors observations they see from participants
❏ Guardian(s) - consent- consent forms will be given to participants for their
guardians to sign.
Methods & Procedures
The type of intervention to be used in this is “groups”

The data will be collected at the beginning to bring in participants. Other surveys in the group will be taken regarding
access to resources they have, and what resources they would like to have access to,, awareness of self-advocacy, etc.
Outcome data will be taken at the end through surveys. These surveys will discuss what the students learned
regarding advocating for themselves, where to find access to additional resources, and how to move forward using
their strengths to overcome barriers in learning and gain their sense of belonging.

These skills and discussions will come from the group that the participants will have. Here, discussions regarding
race, resources, equal access, education, advocacy, strengths, and belonging will be discussed and learned upon.

Outcome data will come from post surveys regarding the participants answers questions on their level of advocacy,
access to resources- or where/how to find them if they don't have access, and their level of belonging.

The tools used to collect data will be survey. This will go out in classrooms with paper in pencil to gain participants,
and given to participants in their last group session.
Data Analysis
The data will be analyzed by the school counselors (2 in our building) shifting through the
surveys for participants answers.

Data will also be analyzed through observations (from school counselors, teachers and school
staff, and parents)

Assistance may be sought through the school building principal. Here, guidance will be
through gaining access to an appropriate place in the school that is free during the time of
day where the school counselors want to conduct the group at. Assistance may also be
sought through community resources. Here, school counselors will work with community
resources to see if there are additional ways for students to gain free access and for
community resources to gain exposure in the school setting.
Data Dissemination
We will use our results to see if there was a gap in the access to resources for students whom are
African American.

We will use the findings to create additional accessible resources and opportunities for all. We will
also use our findings to see if there needs to be additional classroom guidance lessons regarding
advocacy and belonging (this data will come from our surveys)

The school counselors will share the findings with building and district administration. School staff
may also have certain portions of the findings shared with them. The reason for this is once people
are aware of findings, we can collaborate together to create solutions to any resource inadequacies
we may have as a school district.
Reflection of the Process and Content
Learned
- Student advocacy- here we learned that it is a long process not only to see what necessarily
the students need within the school and community, but for students to also understand how
and why they should advocate for themselves and others when necessary.
- Professional advocacy- here we learned that it can be difficult to gain the support or funds
needed for inquiries such as these. During these inquiries, we are challenging the system in
which we work in. People may be “ set in their ways” and feel as though things are good as
they are and will not like the aspect that change may need to be made- in this sense there may
be resistance. It may also be difficult to get some community resources on board regarding
contact and additional free access to resources to students.
- System change-this is difficult. These are not easy overnight fixes, but it order to achieve larger
changes within the system, we need to make steps towards those goals regardless if they
seem small.
References
Carnahan, A. H., Groshong, L., Stanis, S. A. W., Balasubramanyam, V., & Kutty, A. (2020). Place-Making Practices for Park
Improvements to Support Environmental Justice in a Low-Income African American Neighborhood. Journal of Park &
Recreation Administration, 38(3), 93–111. https://doi-org.proxy.library.kent.edu/10.18666/JPRA-2019-9676
Cerezo, A., Lyda, J., Enriquez, A., Beristianos, M., & Connor, M. (2015). African American and Latino Men’s Recommendations for an
Improved Campus Environment. Journal of College Counseling, 18(3), 244–258.
https://doi-org.proxy.library.kent.edu/10.1002/jocc.12018
Hunter, M. (2016). Colorism in the classroom: how skin tone stratifies african american and latina/o students. Theory Into Practice,
55(1), 54-61.
Lee, J. A. (2018). Affirmation, support, and advocacy: critical race theory and academic advising. NACADA Journal, 38(1), 77-87.
Macaulay, C., Cooper, J., & Dougherty, S. (2019). High School Football and the Athletic-Market Economy: Recruiting, Producing, and
Manufacturing Talent. Sociology of Sport Journal, 36(3), 203–212. https://doi-org.proxy.library.kent.edu/10.1123/ssj.2018-0102
Moon, N. S. & Singh, A. A. (2015). In their own voices: african american males’ experiences of the achievement gap. Journal of School
Counseling, 13(6), 1-37.
References Continued
Robinson, T. P., England, R. E., & Meier, K. J. (1985). Black Resources and Black School Board Representation: Does Political
Structure Matter? Social Science Quarterly (University of Texas Press), 66(4), 976–982.
Rust, J. P. (2019). Addressing the sociocultural determinants of african american students’ academic achievement: the four themes of the
american school counselor association national model and the role of school counselors. Urban Education, 54(8), 1149-1175.
Walker, A. R. & Test, D. W. (2011). Using a self-advocacy intervention on african american college students’ ability to request
academic accommodations. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 26(3), 134-144.
The African American Library at the Gregory School in Houston, Texas. (2017). Journal of Pan African Studies, 10(2),
294–297.

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