the other stakeholders in a college student's experience: building parent involvement and...
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The Other Stakeholders in a College Student's Experience:
Building Parent Involvement and Knowledge Capital Through Meaningful
Partnerships
Daniel EsquivelManaf Mansure
Jennifer Venegas
What comes to mind when talking about
parents in higher education?
Overview
• Theoretical framework• Influencing factors• Parent types• An overview of parent services• Meaningful partnerships• Takeaways
Assumptions
• Research based on nuclear families• Parent as provider• Every student has a relationship with their
parent• Guardian serves as parent• Presenters’ perspective
Tinto’s Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition, 1993.
• Students must transcend through several “rites of passage”
• Separation from their past communities, which often times includes family and friends, ways of knowing, and values.
• Transition into the new system by understanding the values and norms associated with the college environment.
• Incorporation into the college system is achieved once the individual is able to respond accordingly to collegial expectations.
Guiffrida’s Toward a Cultural Advancement of Tinto’s Theory, 2006.
• Tinto’s model of integration does not fully take into consideration students connection to home.
• Collectivism vs. Individualism• Tierney’s Model of Cultural Integrity (1992)• Integration vs. Connection
• Address issues related to home influences on students’ educational experiences and outcomes.
Galinsky’s The Six Stages of Parenthood, 1987.
• “Subtle modalities in the relationship to culture and language” (Bourdieu, 1977)
• Embodied State • Institutional State• Objectified State
• Navigation of higher education system• Parents as protective agents as individuals who can transmit
information about institutional resources. (Ceja, 2006)• Interconnected to other identities and forms of capital• Every parent has a different level of capital
• First-generation students enter college less prepared, get lower grades, and are more likely to drop out– Remedial courses– Major
• Students whose parents have attained some postsecondary education are better equipped to navigate college Data from National Center for Education
Statistics, 2005
• Correlation of living at home with finances• More likely to acquire financial assistance• From under-represented populations• Socioeconomic status • Unique nature of communication between
student and parent
• Acknowledging not all student development theory can fit all cultures
• Relationship between education and strong family ties
• Balance administrator and parent roles to reduce intrusiveness
• Expectation for families to contribute to student’s expenses
• If no funds/not credit-worthy, student cannot afford college
• Families with the largest loans are those with annual incomes between $40,000- $105,000
• 13.4 points of contact per week
• Student initiate nearly as much contact as do parents
• More contact with female than male parent
• No correlations with race, SES, region, distance from home, or high school background
• “Best Friend” Phenomenon• “Just Like Home” Relationship• “Self-Regulating” Student• Keeping Close Tabs with Technology• Biggest Blunder That Parents Make
• Parachute Polly • hover around their children• may offer too much advice or
support• Baby Boomers
• Rolls-Royce Randy• demand the absolute best• high SES • White
• Awkward Andy• operate quietly for the most part• surfaces amidst the process to ask awkward
and peculiar questions• low social and cultural capital
• Reminiscent Rhonda• bring in their own life events and personal
drama• often gets in the way of the student’s
college path• Non-nuclear family structures
• Disapproving Dolly• supportive of college experience• judgmental about costs and quality• partial to a particular student type and
wary of all others
• Friendly Fred• Sees nothing but greatness in the college
experience• Touts their child as the best• Ingratiates students/parents/staff/faculty
• College Clara• College was quite impressionable• Compares and contrasts between their and their child’s
college experience• Creates extreme impressions and situations
• Legacy Larry• Student is attending an alma
mater institution• Wants student to follow
same/similar college path, experiences, and career progression
• Rookie Ramona• extremely low social capital in
navigating college environment• little to no postsecondary education
• Politically-Incorrect Peter• less supportive in approach• not exposed to college environment• leans on initial impressions about social
identities when meeting others and creating assumptions
• Taking generational factors into account• Gen-X, Baby Boomers, Gen-Y• Millennials on the precipice of becoming parents
• The evolution of culture, ethnicity, and SES in the college environment
• Starting Point: admissions, access, and financial aid• Matriculation, persistence, and attrition
• It takes a village to raise a college student!• Different parenting styles and attributes contribute in
different ways» Students» Administrators and Staff
Placement Public Private
Advancement & Alumni Relations 15.4% 50.5%
Student Affairs 73.6% 34.5%
Other 11.0% 15.0%
Data from National Center for Education Statistics, 2005
ClubOpen
Advisory BoardInvited Membership
Facet of Alumni ProgramsDevelopment-Oriented
Hybrid
• Student Send-Offs• Parent Receptions• Grant Programs• Emergency Funds• Parent Mentoring
Initiatives• Parent Newsletters• Parents Councils• Strategic Planning
• Fundraising• Parent Orientation• Board of Directors• Family Weekend• Internal Relations and
Morale Initiatives
• College Checklist for Parents and Students
• Summer Programs Information
• Parent Sites, Blogs, and Testimonials
• Parent Orientation• Student Panel for Parents• Farewell Program and Workshops• Parents/Family Weekend• Parent FYE• Cross-Campus Newsletter
• Scheduled and Planned Correspondence• Having a Dialogue with your Adult Student
about College Expenses• Central site for forms, regulations, dates, and
policy systems available online• College Goal Sunday (www.collegegoalsundayusa.org)
• Move-In Week Programs for Parents
• Important Phone Numbers and Resources
• College Care Package Program
• Reasons for Students to Live on Campus
• Parents Council & Advisory Board• Leadership Programs • Athletics and Commencement• Parents Fundraising Committee• Strategic Management and Branding
• Cleary Crime Statistics Report & FERPA• Outline of Campus Safety Policies & Measures• Protocol to address campus emergencies• Share public links for relevant information• University social networking tools
• FERPA Statement• Outline of Offices and Programs• Resources for Students in Crisis • Collaboration with VPSA’s Office• Anonymous Hotline for Parents
• FERPA Statement• Honor Codes and Academic Policy• Divisions and department parent pages• College Parent Guide• Support Services
• Not every parent is the same• As practitioners, we need to acknowledge the
salient factors that warrant increased attention to parent in higher education
• Departments and offices should invest in creating partnerships to help best serve parents
Concluding Statements
Concluding Statements
• Colleges thrive on good relationships between parents and students
• We can mobilize parents to better support student success
• With a spectrum of parent types, colleges can play a role in increasing parents’ social and cultural capital and further improve the mutual experience
