Developing A Student-Centered College-Going Culture
In the fall of 2014, The California Academic Partnership (CAPP) Program entered into a 4-year partnership with 15 schools in the state of California in an attempt to address the underperformance of Black and Latinx students in the state. Specifically, the partnership was focused on creating a strong college-going culture in historically underperforming schools so that more students would be prepared for enrollment in and success at a 4-year post-secondary institution. By developing and sustaining a student-centered college-going culture, College-Going Culture (CGC) grant schools could potentially better prepare all students to enroll and succeed in their postsecondary pursuits.
Building on previous research from this grant project (Cooper et al., 2017, 2016, 2015), this report explores, examines, and unearths the important role that an ethic of care plays in establishing a strong student-centered college-going culture. To highlight this relationship, we focus on the five domains of care that support and sustain a strong healthy student-centered college-going culture: (1) an adult culture of care, (2) positive peer culture, (3) school-wide focus on equity, (4) high expectations, and (5) a strong administrative and leadership presence–all crucial elements towards building and sustaining a successful college-going culture in secondary schools.
This report illuminates how care is traditionally defined in the school setting; and how, through multiple forms of communication, students and teachers interpret, demonstrate, and perceive care. Moreover, the data presented in this report show the ways that language and other forms of communication impact and shape caring relationships in schools. Rather than relying upon teacher discretion or individual interactions, we argue that schools must create schoolwide language and other practices around care to maximize the schools experience, ensuring that each student receives the necessary care. And schools must encourage and empower every student to be prepared for college.
Four ideological questions guide this investigation:
What does care look like in schools? Specifically, how do teachers and administrators communicate care to students in schools?
What is an Institutional Culture of Care?
How might an Institutional Culture of Care support a student-centered college-going culture?
To what degree were CGC schools able to establish/expand a college-going culture?
To Learn More: Developing a Student-Centered College-Going Culture