A Teacher's Manifesto

I work in higher education on a uniquely contemporary challenge that is evident in almost any institution of higher education- how to both add diversity the student experience AND improve the quality graduate it produces. It sounds easy enough of the surface, but for some reason its stumped the best of us.

For a school like Oregon, where our product is measured by the caliber of employable graduates, we are facing a new era of challenge. Our "buyers" are demanding a more diverse applicant pool and it has resulted in unprecedented recruitment of a more diverse student population. And we have never had to solve the unique needs a more diverse student population has- why? Because we have historically been serving white-middle class families that all had the same preparation and training to succeed in the competitive researched based environment.  Even though we are recruiting students that have never had access to Oregon before, the immense amount of opportunity that Oregon represents is being taken by some and is leaving others completely left behind.

It seems that never before have segments of our society been so integrated with each other and yet so segregated in their access to opportunity.

There has always been a distinction between "haves" and the "have nots" in US k-12 educational system. The problem today is that the challenges facing those systems is making the divide even... wider.


Students who typically are the first in their family to go to college or who come from lower income households happen to coincide greatly with minority identities. So the influx of minority recruits to previously white middle class schools has helped the campus community "look" more diverse but in actuality the campus is not prepared to serve these students. Upon arrival on campus, these students need to brought up to speed first with their peers and then can start developing their capacities to succeed.

 

Either way, they are behind the curve for most of their experience. Despite their potential its no wonder they get discouraged.

My work has focused on experiential learning to first teach students how to learn and be the masters of their own discipline because many of their prior educational systems have failed to do so. Next we expose these students to what opportunity looks like since many of them lack the social networks to job shadow or informational interview on their own. Then my classes and events show them how to navigate in a primarily "white" professional manner to ease their transition into the professional setting.

No one has tried to package all of these components before, at least not at Oregon.

At Oregon students needs were addressed in the silos of the student experience- academic development in an academic department, social development in residential life and professional development in student services. The fragmented experience makes it all the more challenging to "pull the pieces together."

What I have designed is a full package that reduces the time and stress of their transition to Oregon and increases their access and exposure to opportunity on campus and ultimately puts Oregon grads ahead of their peers when it comes time to compete on the after-college market. Ultimately reinforcing Oregon's reputation for producing high quality graduates and earning higher recognition amongst its competitor schools.

I have three years of tracking grades to show how our methods have changed student performance. I have student stories- observed, journaled, recorded all that testify to the rapid impact on their experience. I have feedback from professionals and recruiters that verify what we have experimented with works. It all started with someone having to level the playing field, and I decided it might as well start with me.

I am looking for as many ways to share this story and find people who want to work with me to take this to the next level. Please post comments and questions below or follow up with me at tayahbutler@gmail.com