At NMH, we knew that supporting high-achieving academic students of color on financial aid through the Advancing Scholars and Leaders (ASL) program required us to address various barriers to success. These obstacles often stemmed from key stakeholders: parents, faculty, peers, and the ASL participants themselves. By implementing proactive strategies, we created a more inclusive and supportive environment, enhancing the school’s curricular and co-curricular programs and leading to exceptional college placements for our students. Let’s dive into the challenges and strategies for managing these four groups.
Parents:
Challenge: Many parents of ASL students may face unfamiliarity with the school’s guidelines and processes, which can hinder their ability to provide effective support. Additionally, some parents may feel privileged to have their child enrolled in the program and may hesitate to ask for additional assistance.
Strategy: Provide comprehensive resources and guidance to parents, ensuring they understand the school’s policies, procedures, and available support. Foster a culture of openness and encourage parents to actively engage with the program by providing opportunities for dialogue, workshops, and personalized support.
Faculty:
Challenge: Despite the faculty’s commitment to supporting students of color, preconceived notions or unintentional micro-aggressions can create barriers to student success.
Strategy: Promote awareness and sensitivity among faculty members through training programs and workshops. Address implicit biases and encourage a supportive and inclusive classroom environment. Foster open communication channels where students can express their concerns, and establish mechanisms for addressing any incidents of bias or micro-aggressions.
Peers:
Challenge: White peers may unknowingly bring their own agendas to the experiences of students of color. Their lack of understanding of cultural differences and potential micro-aggressions can create challenges for the ASL students. Being an inclusive students of color group we also had to pay attention to non-invited students of color.
Strategy: Develop educational initiatives to foster cultural awareness and empathy among all students. Encourage dialogue and open conversations about diversity, inclusion, and equity. For the non-invited students of color participants, we emphasized that there were high expectations in the academics, participating in the most advanced classes and maintaining a grade point average of 3.5. This somewhat dissuaded other students of color from wanting to be in the program. Additionally, the ASL students were expected to engage in the program and didn’t isolate themselves from the other students of color.
ASL Student or your students of color:
Challenge: ASL students, despite their high academic performance, may face lower expectations due to being in the minority at a majority white private school. This can result in students setting low bars for themselves or feeling a lack of belonging.
Strategy: Implement targeted support systems for ASL students, such as individualized mentoring, counseling services, and academic guidance. Emphasize their strengths, achievements, and unique perspectives. Set expectations for them, so they didn’t shoot low. Foster a sense of belonging through inclusive activities, recognition of their accomplishments, and opportunities for leadership roles within the school community.
By actively addressing these challenges, along with the dedicated ASL advisor and supporting administration, you can ensure that students of color feel valued, supported, and empowered within the school community. Through open conversations, awareness-building, and a focus on individual student and parent needs, your program can create an environment where your students of color can thrive and reach their full potential. The weekly meeting and the group meeting allowed for role playing and discussion to ready the ASL students for challenges. These were done proactively and reactively.
