A Culturally Validated Model of Student Success Services and Academic and Curriculum Enhancements at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Abstract


 
 
 Though college enrollment rates for Mexican-American students have increased over the past years, Mexican-Americans still have one of the lowest rates for degree completion. However, more work is recognizing the strengths of students of Mexican descent, particularly those related to culture such as familism, and calling for asset-based programs that validate the student to increase student retention and persistence. Programs infused with such an approach likely address aspects that improve performance amongst Mexican-American students; however, evidence-based assessment is limited. This paper will detail an asset-based program that uses a culturally validated model of student success services and academic and curriculum enhancements at a Hispanic-Serving Institution to increase overall Latinx student retention and persistence. The program infuses Validation Theory (Rendon, 1994) to address cultural strengths of students and validate their life experiences as first-time freshmen, by creating a culturally relevant curriculum, enhancing culturally relevant student support services, and promoting education equity. Students involved in this program report a high level of belongingness at the university as well as have higher pass rates in their culturally validated courses. Recommendations are discussed for implementation of such a comprehensive program at other institutions as well as implications for higher education.
 
 

Leveraging culture and identity in writing‐intensive initiatives and courses at minority serving institutions

“…Culturally relevant pedagogy and validation of courses in the PASO program reveal increased first‐year writing‐intensive course pass rates. A recent study across three cohorts of Latinx students enrolled in these courses showed significantly higher pass rates than in non‐validated courses (Romero et al., 2020). In the study, students described culturally relevant aspects of the course.…”

“…To better address the needs of this population, the university's faculty, staff, and administrators applied for and received a Title V grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop a program aimed at first‐year Latinx students named Pathways to Academic Success and Opportunities (PASO). Based on a model of Latino student empowerment and on validation theory that infuses culturally relevant pedagogy and curriculum into the experience (Rendón, 1994), PASO aims to increase retention and graduation rates amongst Latinx students by creating a culturally relevant curriculum and enhancing culturally responsive student support services (Romero et al., 2020). With roots in feminist theories, validation theory argues that when staff and faculty actively engage in an “enabling, confirming, and supportive process” (p. 44) in and out of the classroom, they are fostering the academic and interpersonal development of students from first‐generation and low‐income backgrounds (Rendón, 1994).…”

“…In the study, students described culturally relevant aspects of the course. Specifically, students explained how their cultural identity was represented in the course material, connected with issues related to the Latinx community that were discussed in positive ways (e.g., immigration, education, employment, bilingualism), and found their PASO course instructors to be culturally aware, open, and sensitive compared to other classes (Romero et al., 2020).…”

“…This historical perspective is significant for several reasons, but a primary point of significance is that this means institutional leaders at many of these institutions must make meaningful commitments to transform their predominantly white environments and structures to better serve their changing student populations (Garcia et al., 2019). Some institutions in this latter group have leveraged their MSI designations to apply for federal funding to support initiatives and efforts that transform their campus environments to be more relevant and responsive to their target student communities (Mac et al., 2019; Museus et al., 2018; Romero et al., 2020).…”

“…Many of these institutions exemplify teaching innovations, academic and student affairs partnerships, and support structures that foster racially marginalized students’ access, persistence, and graduation through postsecondary education. Some of the most effective federally funded initiatives bridge the academic and student affairs divide to provide students with holistic support and development (Museus et al., 2018; Romero et al., 2020). Therefore, student affairs professionals and leaders must understand how MSIs integrate seamless learning inside and outside the classroom, especially when it comes to the opportunities where students of color can bring their whole selves to learning.…”