Thursday, December 9, 2010

Reflections on the Harlem Zone

Over the last few months, we've covered, Paul Tough's book about the Harlem Children's Zone. The reading process has made it possible for us to cover all kinds of issues related to poverty, achievement, education, escape velocity, values, and various other topics.

So after reading Whatever It Takes, what’s something that you think university officials should be thinking about more often in order to ensure that a larger number of of underrepresented students at SIUE succeed?

Or, what's a topic from the book that you think deserves more of our attention? Why?

24 comments:

Douglas Timm said...

I would probly say that the univeristy to have regular advisor meetings with every undergrautde on campus. I believe doing this will reap the most benefit and this would really help out students that may not have a voice on this campus yet. SIUe should really focus on making sure that every student has the equal oppertunity to succedd. I kind of feel that SIUe may pay more attention to those students where learning comes easy to or may not need that much help, but i believe that we should more or less help out the students or struggle or where learning may not comes as easy to them.

Christen Maul said...

I agree with Douglas in that the university should focus on the power of helpful advising. Not only advising on classes, but other opportunities available to the students to help with trouble in class or help us to stand out as candidates in the future.
I'm sure there are so many clubs, organizations, and other various opportunities, but we just don't know about them or don't know how to go about getting involved. Success is not just in the GPA of a student.

Adriana Romo said...

I believe the university officials should try offering more time to those students by just trying to learn about their backgrounds and with doing so, they will understand exactly how they feel and will be able to make programs to help them.
Students in minority groups sometimes need someone to talk to and tell how they feel about school. They need to be heard.....WE want to have a voice.

Wesley Sloan said...

I agree that more regular advisor meetings would be greatly beneficial. Something even more important to undergraduates though, is time and money. Poor students who have to work all the time to pay bills will never be able to fully dedicate themselves to their studies. Therefore they'll always be left behind. The university could offer more scholarships, free housing, or somehow determine less of a workload for those who simply have no time. A large portion of students would then be able to dedicate themselves to school instead of money.

Chris Stewart said...

More personal attention from advisers would be very beneficial to everyone. They could talk with you about your interests and background and help pick out clubs and organizations that may interest you that you may not have even known existed. This would help give everyone a little more confidence and, hopefully, help everyone try their best and succeed.

Ian Caveny said...

An emphasis on learning and thinking would be a great encouragement for success. Something that universities and teachers have to focus on is the importance of developing scholars and thinkers, not just test-takers. (Ironically, this concept actually was contrary to Geoffery Canada's concept in the book)
Students who learn how to learn will succeed no matter the subject, no matter the difficulty, and no matter where they are at.

Clifford Rush III said...

The university officials of SIUE should be more involved in the culture of the campus. The campus is evolving and changing all the time. The needs are also changing. If they were more involved in our lives, they might be able to meet the needs of the underrepresented students. This could possibly relate the field back to the students better.
The officials also would have the opportunity to inform the students better on the subject in ways of studying for them or possibly advising us about the various things on campus that can better assist us in class.

Basically, It would be nice to see the involvement of our officials on campus and their presence around campus to show that we are a diverse community of people that are willing to assist one another.

One word: Family

Jasmine Coleman said...

I think there needs to be more events, activities, and visible celebration of minority scholars. I think minority students need to see more students who look like them achieving in school. There are not many organizations on campus that encourage scholarship. I definitely think its necessary.

Rohan Genge said...

I agree with other comments made about increasing student involvement by encouraging them to participate in the programs and clubs it offers. This can be accomplished by building better relationships between the people who run this school and its students. If they knew our interests,concerns and goals they would be able to direct us onto a path towards success.
University officials should also consider diversity and `how its challenges affect students performance in school. Schools need to make changes to accommodate the financial, cultural, and social differences of its students. These would enhance the quality of education and the community here at SIUE.

Robin Caffey said...

I think university officials should focus more on making SIUE lifestyle an easier transition for students. Including the food! They should also focus on incentives to actual get student participation in whatever programs they decide to have. But honestly its up to the students to work with the school in order to get the best results.

Robyn Rhone said...

I pretty much agree with everyone's comment. I understand that we are considered grown college students, but like my fellow peers have said we might need some help a long the way. Every semester their should be advising meetings just so the student could then discuss if they are heading on the right path, set goals, and discuss if they are needing help with anything. A topic from the book that deserves more attention is the one concerning the smart apples in the bunch and those apples who need a little more attention. I think this is very real in our society today. I work at a after school program in the east st louis area, and I could tell the studenst that pay attention in class, do their work, and makes the most out of school. Then there are the students who are in the same exact class as the " smart apples" who dont understand the material and concepts and really dont have any clue. So thats what makes me question whether or not the teachers are spending time with those students that are falling behind.

Alaina Waters said...

I think that University officals should host campus events and meetings that give the underrepresented students a chance to voice exactly what it is that they need to succeed. If their voice isn't heard directly then they will continue to be underrepresented and there will be no progress made.

Tia Spiller said...

I also agree that regular advising would help alot. It would help students keep up with their grades and focus on the areas they're having problems with. They can get help early on and make a comeback. There's too much focus on students already making such grades. This way those who are struggling can succeed as well.
Also, some students aren't involved in any clubs or activities. An advisor could also help with that by talking with them and seeing what they're interested in. Getting involved in an activity can serve as a motivator to make good grades so they can continue doing it.

Tricia Johnson said...

I think the university should think about having way more counselors available for students. In my years attending this school I'm sorry to say that I've not received the help that I believe I should have from the counselors. They should not only be advising us on classes, but also telling us about the other things on and around campus that would be beneficial to us.

Denita Campbell said...

After reading whatever it takes, I believe SIUE should foucs more on academic success of students who are underrepresented. This can be done by having classes that can focus on subjects that sem to be an issue, promoting the diversity of majors, and having forums or informationalon campus about what underrepresented students should have a care/concern aout and any questions that they maight have during this college transition.Although, I agree ore advisor meetings could be beneficial, it would also be beneficial to have advisors that have a true understanding of what classes they're reccommending to students to take so that they may graduate in the average 4 years.

Daniel Shields said...

Advising students. Many STudents spend more time and money than needed when dealing with what direction to go into as far as majors and courses go.

I also believe that SIUE should have a mandatory graduating class/course for each major to prepare students for what is to come.

Shanna Neeley said...

I think SIUE officials should seek to help underrepresented in academics and social aspect by not only getting them involved in campus activities the more active you are on campus the more connections you make which would help the underrepresented students because they could get help where they needed it. Also I think that they campus should take more time and explain to students where to look for help. Some students come to campus and struggle simply because they don’t know where to look to find help. If the campus made it more well-known where to go for help more students would come.

Tamika Glover said...

I think university officials should be thinking about values more often in order to ensure that a larger number of underrepresented students at SIUE succeed. The only forms of values I can think of that are instilled upon us throughout college are cheating and plagiarism. Which are sufficient for academic success, however do not follow a person outside of the classroom and throughout life.

I believe values are very important for a person to succeed in life. Especially with society these days and the things young people are doing, it would be nice for the university to provide a little guidance. Not necessarily telling every person what they should and shouldn’t believe or value, but simply providing a course that requires students to critically think about the different decisions in life and how those things affect us.

I feel this could be beneficial because it would allow students to seriously evaluate their morals, values, and beliefs. Having good values is an important part of the foundation to leading a successful life in and after college.

Anonymous said...

In order to ensure that underrepresented students at SIUE succeed is to make sure that they are accommodated for in a number of ways. Make sure they are not left behind in the teaching. Not to necessarily hold their hand but to make sure that they are getting the help they need in and after class to understand the material. And most of all help students transition with more ease into the college environment/life.
Nia Williams.

Laura McCulley said...

I feel that Universities and in particular SIUE should pay attention more to students needs. If students request more tutoring then thats what they need to succeed. I feel that administrators should do some sort of class analysis and see where students are struggling and how they should fix it. Having someone to help students stay on track and making sure they are really taking the classes that they need or those that will benefit them will also be a great help. Many advisors seem as if their workload is so high that they really do not have time to spend more time with each student to further assist them. There need to be more classes offered to help students adjust to whats going to happen once they graduate so they can compete with others in the working world

Tia Baptist said...

The university should think about finding ways to appeal to everyone's different learning styles. I feel this will increase success in the underrepresented students. Many forget that not everyone learns the same and so that is how some people fail. Teachers need to find better ways to reach out to these students, instead of dismissing them. The tutoring services are alot of help but i feel the student to student is not as helpful. Usually people teach you the way they understand things and that is their only way. By bringing different learning strategies can help many students. SO we need more professional tutors when it come to learning differently.

Abagail Thompson said...

FOCUS ON THE FRESHMAN!I believe if you catch a student early and really invest a lot of time instilling good worth ethic and emphasizing learning, when they enter into their different programs, they will greatly succeed. More one on one time with advisors, and possibly a strong and thriving mentoring program available all students would allow them to blossom, while staying on track. It's like tending a garden. If you make sure the roots are nourished, then the blossoming bud will be nourished as well. If you provide scrupulous care unto the freshman, then the work they provide will be nothing less than excellent.

Hayoung Yu said...

I feel that SIUE needs a better system of letting students know what exactly is going on at SIUE. There are many many organizations and events here that many people who are not already involved do not hear about. If we figured out a better way to publicize the organizations on campus and in a way that makes students feel wanted by these organizations, I feel many more students would get involved. This would lead to them having more connections, more motivation to manage time and do well in classes and such.

Glennda Lyles said...

In my opinion, university officials should try to offer more classes to ensure that students have a broad variety and are able to take the classes needed. This would help students to keep up with their majors' requirements and it would help students to save time and money by graduating on time. It would also be helpful for university officials to hold more campus events focused on minority students and their success. This would help students to get to know each other and feel more involved with the university overall.