Inspired by former NPEA keynote speaker Anthony A. Jack and his recent book, The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students, Andover’s College Counseling Office and Office of Community and Multicultural Development were motivated to create a student support model that would better serve the needs of the school’s entire population. Using the lens of Dr. Jack’s research, staff looked critically at language and programming for low-income and/or first-generation-to-college students and their families. Working with Dr. Jack, Andover will put his theories and data into practice during the “Family Weekend” program. Joy St. John, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Wellesley College, who originally recruited Dr. Jack to Amherst College as an undergraduate student, will discuss how Wellesley has changed their programming, procedures, and policy to accommodate their intentionally diverse community. This session will focus on how both schools have developed, organized, and implemented programs targeted towards these marginalized groups. The presenters will discuss and share the resources they created and feedback received from their students and families.
Guiding Questions:
1) Are you interested in using the current research in The Privileged Poor as a critical lens to support the educational goals of your students and families?
2) Have you looked closely at your student and family programming to see if it actually accomplishes the goals of equity and inclusion?