BTS 2.0 and English Language Learners (ELL) Update
Jenny Mills McFerron
Jenny began her involvement in college access
through in graduate school and served as a
member of the Tennessee College Mentor Corps
in its first year, working with low-income young
people in the Nashville area as part of Oasis
College Connection. A native of California, Jenny
graduated from UCLA and worked for a nonprofit
in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to
Tennessee for graduate school. She has a Masters
of Education from Vanderbilt University, where
she studied teaching and learning in informal
educational settings.
NASHVILLE & CHATTANOOGA
MNPS HCSD
# of Students 85,453 44,444
African American or Hispanic 66% 42%
English Learners 19% 6%
Economically Disadvantaged (2014-2015) 75% 61%
# of College Counselors/Advisors
Employed by District (2017-2018)
4 19
Data source: TN Dept. of Education Report Card, TCASN, PEF
NASHVILLE & CHATTANOOGA
• Both serve an urban student population that is high-need.
• Both see wide disparities by high school in college-going, college
persistence, and college completion.
– MNPS completion by high school ranges from 7% at Pearl-Cohn High School to 76% at
Hume Fogg High School.
• Both send similar proportions of college-goers to 2-year colleges.
• Both communities are seeking to raise college completion rates
through a collective action approach.
PROJECTIONS &
FINDINGS
COLLEGE COMPLETION
• Within six years of high school
graduation, only 24% of MNPS
graduates have earned a degree
(Class of 2011).
• Declines in college persistence
indicate completion rates could
drop for more recent classes.
Class of 2016 Projection
NASHVILLE IN A NATIONAL CONTEXT
Cities with higher rates of
college enrollment have
significant differences in:
• Community-wide
coordination
• Investment and
funding
• Policies affecting
undocumented
students
• District prioritization
of college access and
success
Nashville is in the middle of the pack in terms
of college enrollment when compared to other
urban districts.
NASHVILLE IN A NATIONAL CONTEXT
Declines in persistence at
2-year institutions as
more and more MNPS
graduates enroll at 2-year
colleges is driving an
overall decline in student
persistence.
This trend indicates that
six-year college
completion rates for
more recent classes may
be lower than 24%.
BEST PRACTICES
COLLEGE ACCESS & SUCCESS
ECOSYSTEM
Policy context
Community organizations
Business and philanthropy
Higher education
State and local government
K-12 education
POCKETS OF EXCELLENCE
The district has a whole has seen slow but steady growth in college-going over the
last three years, but particular high schools have seen explosive growth.
These pockets of excellence have some things in common:
1. School leaders identify college access and success as a priority and facilitate
access for other ecosystem sectors.
1. Investments from across the college access ecosystem converge on a particular
school.
1. Nationally recognized best practices are implemented across components of
the ecosystem.
CASE STUDY
Stratford STEM Magnet
High School
84% Econ. Disadvantaged
75% African Am. or Hispanic
11% College Completion Rate
College-going rate increased 21
percentage points between
2014 and 2016.
Ecosystem investments from
various sectors total over
$700,000 annually.
• District programs
• Nonprofit partners
• Higher education
RECOMMENDATIONS
NOW
24% COLLEGE COMPLETION
GOAL
40% COMPLETION BY 2025
THANK YOU
615-727-1515
@NashvillePEF
www.nashvillepef.org
jennifer.hill@nashvillepef.org
615-327-4455
@TCASN
www.tncollegeaccess.org
bobrohta@tncollegeaccess.org
jmcferron@tncollegeaccess.org
Marcos Villa
Marcos has 18 years education experience and 12 years in
Higher Education as an undergraduate and graduate
Professor, Researcher and Vice President. He has strong
social justice commitment collaborating/co-founding Civil
Society Organizations in Mexico. Before arriving Memphis, he
worked at the Intercultural Research Center of Mexico
(CEFIMEX). He holds a Masters Degree in Nonprofit
Management from Regis University and a BA in Philosophy
and Social Science from ITESO. He is currently Mosaic
Fellow of the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition, a
graduate student of International Migration at COLEF, and
works at CEFIMEX as the Development and Academic
Director.
Interculturality and Otherness: An
approach to ELL?
Educate - Research - Counsel - Coach
Transform people and institutions to build active,
ethical and intercultural citizenship.
Our
mission
1. What makes you reject someone?
1. How do you define your-self?
1. Define culture
1. Define racism
Building together
@CEFIMEXAC
Structural benefit
How have we benefited
from the system?
● Think about a situation where you found yourself among people
and felt uncomfortable.
○ Who were these people?
● Think about a situation where you found yourself among people
and felt really comfortable.
○ Who were these people?
● Describe the situation and share how did you feel and
why did you feel that way?
Comfortable Uncomfortable
● Family
● Friends
● People I know at least
one time before
● People I have
something in common
● Space/route I’m
familiar with
● People I don’t know
● People that stare me
● People is totally
different than me
● Places I’m not familiar
with
● Unfamiliar situation
Comfortable Uncomfortable
● Family
● Friends
● People I know at least one
time before
● People I have something in
common
● Space/route I’m familiar with
● People I don’t know
● People that stare me
● People is totally different than
me
● Places I’m not familiar with
● Unfamiliar situation
What makes you reject someone?
● The sum of a way of life, including expected
behaviour, beliefs, values, language and living practices
shared by members of a society. It consists of both
explicit and implicit rules through which experience is
interpreted
Herbig, Paul
Culture
● Profession
● Family
● Language
● Hobbies
● Place were born
● Food
● School/university
● Place we live
● Things we’re good at
How do you define your-self?
Culture
Identity
● a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various
human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement,
usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and
has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group
is inferior to the others
● is the belief in the superiority of one race over another, which
often results in discrimination and prejudice towards people based
on their race or ethnicity.
Racism
● Difference challenges us
● Others tend to disrupt/discomfort my-self.
● Conflict comes when differences arise
● Conflict is NOT the same as problem.
● Conflict is pure possibility.
○ How we manage conflict defines how we deal with
differences
Differences/Conflict
● E. Levinas - Ethics is the first philosophy.
● The face of the other remind us we are not the center
of Universe - COMMANDS US DON'T KILL ME!!
● Humans should never be treated as means but ends.
○ “Because the other is like me”
● “Other people” generate discomfort.
● Being with others we invade their space.
● I see/feel myself obg-ligated with respect to the other.
Otherness
● How much is the other like me?
● Samaritan
● Ignore the face of others leads to
abuses and violence.
● Group of selves tend to dominate
the OTHERS.
● Less self centered
● Infinite responsibility
Otherness
What do you feel?
What
do
you
feel?
What
do
you
feel?
● Vulnerability of the other is the
enlightenment radiant essence of
humanity.
Otherness
● “No es lo mismo juntos que revueltos”
● Dialogue
● Mutual understanding
● “Common ground”
○ Parents - Children
Multicultural Vs Intercultural
● IC is the ability to develop targeted knowledge, skills
and attitudes that lead to visible behaviour and
communication that are both effective and appropriate in
intercultural interactions
○ Knowledge
○ Skills
○ Attitudes
Intercultural Competence
Intercultural
competency
Knowledge
○ Cultural self awareness
○ Culture specific knowledge
○ Sociolinguistic awareness
○ Grasp of global issues and trends
Intercultural competence
Skills
■ Listening, observing, evaluating
■ Using patience and perseverance
■ Resilience
■ Viewing the world from others' perspectives
Intercultural competence
● Attitudes
○ Curiosity (viewing difference as a learning
opportunity)
○ Openness (withholding judgement)
○ Respect (valuing other cultures)
○ Discovery (tolerance for ambiguity)
Intercultural competence
● Intercultural competence cannot be acquired in a short
space of time or in one module.
● It is not a naturally occurring phenomenon but a lifelong
process
● Critical reflection becomes a “powerful tool” on the journey
towards achieving it.
● Needs also to be addressed explicitly; learning-teaching
process and staff development.
Intercultural Competence
● Several times what we enjoyed the most is something
familiar.
● Our identity was defined by others
(mother/family/friends/country/food, etc)
● Our life was possible because others made it possible.
● It is difference what help us define ourselves.
● You don’t need to be racist to discriminate or exclude
● We feel comfortable/safer when we are familiar to people,
places, food - Home - Homesick
Racism - Interculturality
● Diversity is opportunity to improve your-self.
● Conflict gives the opportunity to change and/or confirm
yourself/Makes you stronger.
● Dialogue is fundamental.
● Media can reinforce or challenge stereotypes
● We need to educate for conflict.
● We need to keep ourselves exposed to the face of the most
vulnerable of our societies
Racism - Interculturality
● Identity - Cultural self awareness/Know yourself
○ Expand your culture, your-self.
● Educate yourself and others for conflict - Dialogue
● Multicultural is not enough. We need intercultural
● Keep yourselves in relation to a minority group.
4 Recommendations
¡Gracias!
Marcos Villa
​Intercultural Research Center
Development and Academic Director
Cel. 901.671.8358
marcos.villa@cefimex.org @CEFIMEXAC

Interculturality, an approach to English Language Learners (ELL)

  • 1.
    BTS 2.0 andEnglish Language Learners (ELL) Update
  • 2.
    Jenny Mills McFerron Jennybegan her involvement in college access through in graduate school and served as a member of the Tennessee College Mentor Corps in its first year, working with low-income young people in the Nashville area as part of Oasis College Connection. A native of California, Jenny graduated from UCLA and worked for a nonprofit in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Tennessee for graduate school. She has a Masters of Education from Vanderbilt University, where she studied teaching and learning in informal educational settings.
  • 4.
    NASHVILLE & CHATTANOOGA MNPSHCSD # of Students 85,453 44,444 African American or Hispanic 66% 42% English Learners 19% 6% Economically Disadvantaged (2014-2015) 75% 61% # of College Counselors/Advisors Employed by District (2017-2018) 4 19 Data source: TN Dept. of Education Report Card, TCASN, PEF
  • 5.
    NASHVILLE & CHATTANOOGA •Both serve an urban student population that is high-need. • Both see wide disparities by high school in college-going, college persistence, and college completion. – MNPS completion by high school ranges from 7% at Pearl-Cohn High School to 76% at Hume Fogg High School. • Both send similar proportions of college-goers to 2-year colleges. • Both communities are seeking to raise college completion rates through a collective action approach.
  • 6.
  • 7.
    COLLEGE COMPLETION • Withinsix years of high school graduation, only 24% of MNPS graduates have earned a degree (Class of 2011). • Declines in college persistence indicate completion rates could drop for more recent classes. Class of 2016 Projection
  • 8.
    NASHVILLE IN ANATIONAL CONTEXT Cities with higher rates of college enrollment have significant differences in: • Community-wide coordination • Investment and funding • Policies affecting undocumented students • District prioritization of college access and success Nashville is in the middle of the pack in terms of college enrollment when compared to other urban districts.
  • 9.
    NASHVILLE IN ANATIONAL CONTEXT Declines in persistence at 2-year institutions as more and more MNPS graduates enroll at 2-year colleges is driving an overall decline in student persistence. This trend indicates that six-year college completion rates for more recent classes may be lower than 24%.
  • 10.
  • 11.
    COLLEGE ACCESS &SUCCESS ECOSYSTEM Policy context Community organizations Business and philanthropy Higher education State and local government K-12 education
  • 12.
    POCKETS OF EXCELLENCE Thedistrict has a whole has seen slow but steady growth in college-going over the last three years, but particular high schools have seen explosive growth. These pockets of excellence have some things in common: 1. School leaders identify college access and success as a priority and facilitate access for other ecosystem sectors. 1. Investments from across the college access ecosystem converge on a particular school. 1. Nationally recognized best practices are implemented across components of the ecosystem.
  • 13.
    CASE STUDY Stratford STEMMagnet High School 84% Econ. Disadvantaged 75% African Am. or Hispanic 11% College Completion Rate College-going rate increased 21 percentage points between 2014 and 2016. Ecosystem investments from various sectors total over $700,000 annually. • District programs • Nonprofit partners • Higher education
  • 14.
  • 15.
  • 16.
  • 17.
    Marcos Villa Marcos has18 years education experience and 12 years in Higher Education as an undergraduate and graduate Professor, Researcher and Vice President. He has strong social justice commitment collaborating/co-founding Civil Society Organizations in Mexico. Before arriving Memphis, he worked at the Intercultural Research Center of Mexico (CEFIMEX). He holds a Masters Degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University and a BA in Philosophy and Social Science from ITESO. He is currently Mosaic Fellow of the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition, a graduate student of International Migration at COLEF, and works at CEFIMEX as the Development and Academic Director.
  • 18.
  • 19.
    Educate - Research- Counsel - Coach Transform people and institutions to build active, ethical and intercultural citizenship. Our mission
  • 20.
    1. What makesyou reject someone? 1. How do you define your-self? 1. Define culture 1. Define racism Building together
  • 21.
    @CEFIMEXAC Structural benefit How havewe benefited from the system?
  • 22.
    ● Think abouta situation where you found yourself among people and felt uncomfortable. ○ Who were these people? ● Think about a situation where you found yourself among people and felt really comfortable. ○ Who were these people? ● Describe the situation and share how did you feel and why did you feel that way?
  • 23.
    Comfortable Uncomfortable ● Family ●Friends ● People I know at least one time before ● People I have something in common ● Space/route I’m familiar with ● People I don’t know ● People that stare me ● People is totally different than me ● Places I’m not familiar with ● Unfamiliar situation
  • 24.
    Comfortable Uncomfortable ● Family ●Friends ● People I know at least one time before ● People I have something in common ● Space/route I’m familiar with ● People I don’t know ● People that stare me ● People is totally different than me ● Places I’m not familiar with ● Unfamiliar situation What makes you reject someone?
  • 25.
    ● The sumof a way of life, including expected behaviour, beliefs, values, language and living practices shared by members of a society. It consists of both explicit and implicit rules through which experience is interpreted Herbig, Paul Culture
  • 26.
    ● Profession ● Family ●Language ● Hobbies ● Place were born ● Food ● School/university ● Place we live ● Things we’re good at How do you define your-self? Culture Identity
  • 27.
    ● a beliefor doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others ● is the belief in the superiority of one race over another, which often results in discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or ethnicity. Racism
  • 28.
    ● Difference challengesus ● Others tend to disrupt/discomfort my-self. ● Conflict comes when differences arise ● Conflict is NOT the same as problem. ● Conflict is pure possibility. ○ How we manage conflict defines how we deal with differences Differences/Conflict
  • 29.
    ● E. Levinas- Ethics is the first philosophy. ● The face of the other remind us we are not the center of Universe - COMMANDS US DON'T KILL ME!! ● Humans should never be treated as means but ends. ○ “Because the other is like me” ● “Other people” generate discomfort. ● Being with others we invade their space. ● I see/feel myself obg-ligated with respect to the other. Otherness
  • 41.
    ● How muchis the other like me? ● Samaritan ● Ignore the face of others leads to abuses and violence. ● Group of selves tend to dominate the OTHERS. ● Less self centered ● Infinite responsibility Otherness
  • 42.
  • 48.
  • 53.
  • 54.
    ● Vulnerability ofthe other is the enlightenment radiant essence of humanity. Otherness
  • 55.
    ● “No eslo mismo juntos que revueltos” ● Dialogue ● Mutual understanding ● “Common ground” ○ Parents - Children Multicultural Vs Intercultural
  • 56.
    ● IC isthe ability to develop targeted knowledge, skills and attitudes that lead to visible behaviour and communication that are both effective and appropriate in intercultural interactions ○ Knowledge ○ Skills ○ Attitudes Intercultural Competence
  • 57.
  • 58.
    Knowledge ○ Cultural selfawareness ○ Culture specific knowledge ○ Sociolinguistic awareness ○ Grasp of global issues and trends Intercultural competence
  • 59.
    Skills ■ Listening, observing,evaluating ■ Using patience and perseverance ■ Resilience ■ Viewing the world from others' perspectives Intercultural competence
  • 60.
    ● Attitudes ○ Curiosity(viewing difference as a learning opportunity) ○ Openness (withholding judgement) ○ Respect (valuing other cultures) ○ Discovery (tolerance for ambiguity) Intercultural competence
  • 61.
    ● Intercultural competencecannot be acquired in a short space of time or in one module. ● It is not a naturally occurring phenomenon but a lifelong process ● Critical reflection becomes a “powerful tool” on the journey towards achieving it. ● Needs also to be addressed explicitly; learning-teaching process and staff development. Intercultural Competence
  • 62.
    ● Several timeswhat we enjoyed the most is something familiar. ● Our identity was defined by others (mother/family/friends/country/food, etc) ● Our life was possible because others made it possible. ● It is difference what help us define ourselves. ● You don’t need to be racist to discriminate or exclude ● We feel comfortable/safer when we are familiar to people, places, food - Home - Homesick Racism - Interculturality
  • 63.
    ● Diversity isopportunity to improve your-self. ● Conflict gives the opportunity to change and/or confirm yourself/Makes you stronger. ● Dialogue is fundamental. ● Media can reinforce or challenge stereotypes ● We need to educate for conflict. ● We need to keep ourselves exposed to the face of the most vulnerable of our societies Racism - Interculturality
  • 65.
    ● Identity -Cultural self awareness/Know yourself ○ Expand your culture, your-self. ● Educate yourself and others for conflict - Dialogue ● Multicultural is not enough. We need intercultural ● Keep yourselves in relation to a minority group. 4 Recommendations
  • 66.
    ¡Gracias! Marcos Villa ​Intercultural ResearchCenter Development and Academic Director Cel. 901.671.8358 [email protected] @CEFIMEXAC