Creating Accessibility & Belonging for Student-Parents by Jessica Leveto

How Faculty Can Help Student Parents Succeed

jleveto — 2022-09-14 20:15:01 UTC

Larissa M. Mercado-López offers advice for how faculty members can better support student who are parents as well as those who are caregivers in other ways.

"If we truly want to make the claim that we support all our students, we need to think more critically about who our students are. Not only would our efforts directly benefit the student, but they would vastly improve opportunity and outcomes for generations to come. Supporting student parents is one of the best ways that we can help shape more prosperous and liberatory futures."

Study examines how universities can accommodate student parents

jleveto — 2022-09-14 20:17:01 UTC

The Expectation of Student Parents to Self-Advocate: “The Ones Who are Successful are the Ones Who Keep Asking

jleveto — 2022-09-14 20:26:59 UTC

Pedagogy of student parenting: Strategies for teaching busy, working-class students

jleveto — 2022-09-14 20:29:21 UTC

STUDENT VOICE: Higher education can — and should — help nontraditional students like me

jleveto — 2022-09-14 23:48:30 UTC

Generation Hope Model

jleveto — 2022-09-15 00:19:19 UTC

https://www.generationhope.org/our-model

Generation Hope: Mission

To ensure all student parents have the opportunities to succeed and experience economic mobility, Generation Hope engages education and policy partners to drive systemic change and provides direct support to teen parents in college as well as their children through holistic, two-generation programming.

Vision

All teen parents and student parents, and their children, have every opportunity to succeed and are empowered to create a better future for themselves, our community, and our world.

The True Cost Of Inadequate Child Care For Student Parents Pursuing Higher Education

jleveto — 2022-09-15 00:25:31 UTC

Ohio State Office of Diversity and Inclusion: Access Collaborative

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:11:06 UTC

ACCESS Collaborative monthly chats focus on supporting parenting students, national network of higher education professionals (Faculty, Staff, Administrators, Students)

ACCESS Collaborative: OSU

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:11:46 UTC

The ACCESS Collaborative Program is an academic and social support program for parenting students who are pursuing a college education at The Ohio State University. While the program strives to increase the retention rates of parenting students, special attention is given to the unique circumstances of students from diverse social groups. By minimizing the barriers that may prevent their full participation, the ACCESS Collaborative Program works to create a campus climate that is inclusive for all.

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:16:32 UTC

New recommendations to help policymakers and leaders in higher education understand the growing disconnect between current federal policy and the needs of today’s students and how federal policy can offer solutions.

The Family Friendly Campus Toolkit: Using Data to Improve Outcomes

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:21:14 UTC

The Family Friendly Campus Toolkit: Using Data to Improve Outcomes is an award-winning self-assessment system and guide for improving supports and outcomes for students who are raising children. It is intended for those in higher education—staff, faculty, and students—who want to improve outcomes and conditions for student parents and others. The Toolkit offers a flexible process and set of tools designed to be used in any institution.

While the Toolkit elements can be helpful as stand-alone documents, the Toolkit is most often used to guide a self-assessment process leading to recommendations for change. Student parents should be involved in any efforts. Although staff and faculty have more flexibility and ability to make changes, student parents are the true experts on what is needed, and their/your participation is essential.

The Toolkit can be used to:

Raise awareness and increase campus dialogue about student parents
Identify and increase visibility of current campus resources for student parents
Gather data from and about student parents
Learn about recommended practices and improve supports
Advocate for and prepare a student parent success initiative
Locate helpful resources
Provide support for strengthening student parent programs

National Student Parent Support Symposium

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:22:44 UTC

This nationally-acclaimed symposium brings together students, community and higher education professionals to discuss best practices, policies, research, program models, and community collaboration when supporting post-secondary parenting students and their families. The focus is on how to empower this unique college population while assisting them with overcoming barriers that may keep them from graduating.

The National Coalition for Campus Children's Centers (N4C)

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:23:38 UTC

The National Coalition for Campus Children's Centers (N4C) is a nonprofit educational membership organization supporting excellence in programs for young children in communities of higher learning by providing opportunities for leadership, professional development, research, networking, and advocacy.

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:26:14 UTC

The Adult Learner and Students with Children (ALSC) KC increases awareness, disseminates information, identifies resources and tracks academic and demographic trends concerning these typically under-represented but growing, and frequently intersecting, populations of students. All of our efforts are ultimately focused on increasing the recruitment, admission, retention and graduation of this demographic.

Postsecondary Success for Parents Initiative (Aspen)

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:30:05 UTC

Ascend at the Aspen Institute’s Postsecondary Success for Parents (PSP) initiative raises awareness of and shares recommendations to better support the one in five students enrolled in college who are parents. We work with systems, institutions, and students who are parents to ensure families have access to the resources necessary to achieve their educational goals, ultimately advancing their family’s economic mobility and well-being.

National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education Title IX at 50: Pregnant & Parenting Students

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:31:56 UTC

National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education Title IX at 50 https://nwlc.org/resource/ncwge-title-ix-at-50/

In June 1972, Congress passed a federal civil rights law, Title IX, to prohibit sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. In commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of Title IX, NWLC and our partners in the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education present Title IX at 50, a report that celebrates the significant progress made toward ending sex discrimination in schools while recognizing that much work remains to be done.

The Pregnant Scholar

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:33:21 UTC

In early 2015, Professors Mary Ann Mason (University of California, Berkeley) and Joan C. Williams (University of California, Hastings College of the Law), with support from the National Science Foundation, launched this project to boost the support and protections for pregnant and parenting students and postdocs. By providing resources to educate and empower university communities, this project seeks to ensure the effective implementation of Title IX’s protections for pregnant women and parents and help mend the critical leak in the STEM pipeline. In recent years, under the leadership of Williams and Jessica Lee, the Initiative’s Director, the Pregnant Scholar Initiative has grown to support the needs of students across higher education. The Initiative is now housed at the Center for WorkLife Law at the UC Hastings College of the Law, and serves as a hub of legal and technical assistance for all fields and all levels of higher education–from vocational school to graduate school.

The Pregnant Scholar’s team regularly provides technical assistance to college/university administrators, training on Title IX’s pregnancy-related protections, and assistance implementing best practice policies to support pregnant and parenting students. We also operate a student helpline for pregnant and parenting students nationwide who want to learn more about their rights. Most of our services are provided free of charge.

The Pregnant Scholar: Toolkits

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:34:05 UTC

The Pregnant Scholar team is excited to share toolkits for faculty, administrators, and students. Each toolkit contains best practice exemplars and sample language that you can use in your everyday practice and advocacy.

The Pregnant Scholar: Policy Directory

jleveto — 2022-09-23 22:35:02 UTC

The policy directory below includes family-responsive policies at colleges and universities, including parental leave and accommodations.

2023 Regional and National Policy Agenda: Generation Hope

jleveto — 2023-02-28 00:49:41 UTC

Student-Parent Families at the Center (SPARK Collaborative)

jleveto — 2023-02-28 00:51:21 UTC

The Student-Parent Families at the Center Framework intends to provide a comprehensive map of the intersecting systems affecting student-parent families and the programs and issues within each. The details of the Framework and a series of fact sheets annotating these policy areas appear on the Systems, Policies, and Programs page. A detailed diagram is available for download. We have developed the Student-Parent Families at the Center Roadmap for Change to highlight opportunities to ease systems, policies, and practices—with the support of research and investment—so parenting students and their families can meet their educational goals.

Create a Family-Friendly Syllabus

jleveto — 2023-02-28 01:31:02 UTC

CREATE A FAMILY-FRIENDLY SYLLABUS When professors acknowledge parenting responsibilities in their syllabi, it communicates to student parents that they are valued and can share their needs and situations openly with instructors. Our report found that 21% of student parents do not feel comfortable disclosing their parenting status to faculty and staff in part because of past negative experiences and/or fear of how it will be received. During the pandemic, open communication is critical for student success, and a syllabus that embraces parenting responsibilities is key. Here is a sample of syllabus language that communicates that students with children are welcome and that their needs will be considered.

Send a welcome email that embraces parenting

jleveto — 2023-02-28 01:31:53 UTC

SEND A WELCOME EMAIL THAT EMBRACES PARENTING To go one step further in ensuring that student parents feel supported, professors can mention a willingness to work with students who are parenting in their welcome emails at the start of the semester.

SwiftStudent

jleveto — 2023-02-28 01:33:19 UTC

Started in 2020, SwiftStudent is the only free, central repository of financial aid appeals / requests letter templates for students. It is a free, foundation-backed resource designed with college students and financial aid officers.

Beam formerly Edquity

jleveto — 2023-02-28 01:34:38 UTC

Beam's flexible cloud-based platform increases equitable and fast delivery of critical public benefits and safety net programs to our most vulnerable communities.

Resource Guide for Prospective College Students with Kids

jleveto — 2023-02-28 01:40:02 UTC

Find Your Way is a guidebook series created from the findings of the Parenting Students on Campus Research Initiative — the first nationally comprehensive study of U.S. parenting student programs and support services on college and university campuses. Find Your Way is a sister project of the Campus Family Housing Database, a complete national database of colleges and universities that allow students to live with their children in campus housing. Find Your Way expands this database to include campuses that offer other parenting student support services or programs, but do not offer family housing.

Led by Autumn Green, Ph.D., of WCW’s Higher Education Access for Parenting Students Research Initiative, the research team has learned how few institutions of higher education offer these types of programs, despite the fact that one in five U.S. college students is a parent. Their research has also revealed national and regional patterns of systemic exclusion and disadvantage for parenting students seeking to advance their education, credentials, and career prospects through higher education. Importantly, parenting students are disproportionately female, students of color, first-generation, and low-income students — making their inclusion in higher education a matter not only of educational equity based on parenting status, but also of racial and economic justice and gender equity.

Affordable Connectivity Program

jleveto — 2023-02-28 01:41:22 UTC

What is the Affordable Connectivity Program?

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a U.S. government program run by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to help low-income households pay for internet service and connected devices like a laptop or tablet.

You are likely eligible if your household’s income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line, or if you or someone you live with currently receives a government benefit like SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, WIC, Pell Grant, or Free and Reduced-Price Lunc

Family-Centered Coaching Toolkit (August 2017)

jleveto — 2023-02-28 02:09:07 UTC

The Prosperity Agenda offers this learning journey to support staff as they steward their organization through the successful adoption of FCC. Through a comprehensive series of learning experiences, we support you from an initial organizational assessment and all the way through the launch of a continuous improvement process.

Adoption of FCC will look unique in each individual organization. The FCC learning journey, however, consistently offers these outcomes:

Deepens how organizations center on the experience of families/participants
Fosters a shared language that supports collaboration
Builds greater empathy within teams and throughout various levels of the organization
Breaks down organizational silos
Increases the sense of purpose among staff
Honors families as they report that they are making progress on their goals

College Degree Completion Linked to Upward Economic Mobility for Young Parents and Families

jleveto — 2023-02-28 02:21:14 UTC

Report: College Degree Completion Linked to Upward Economic Mobility for Young Parents and Families

The report, “Higher Together: The Impact of a College Degree for Young Parents,” highlights how a degree influences creating better economic outcomes for young families.The report surveyed Generation Hope’s alumni, who were teen parents working toward degrees, for their post-college experiences.

The Pregnant Scholar

jleveto — 2023-02-28 13:08:29 UTC

The Pregnant Scholar Initiative is the nation’s first and only legal resource center for pregnant and parenting students. We aim to create an educational system where no student is asked to choose between their education and their family. The Pregnant Scholar’s team provides technical assistance to college and university administrators, faculty, and students, training on Title IX’s pregnancy-related protections, and assistance implementing best practice policies to support pregnant and parenting students. We share strategies that center student voice, destigmatize pregnancy and parenthood in academia, secure legal rights for students, and integrate family-responsive practices into the campus environment. Our work uses an intersectional framework, and it is guided and reinforced by our commitment to striving for gender, racial, and disability justice.

Higher Learning Advocates

jleveto — 2023-02-28 15:02:43 UTC

Bipartisan Advocates for Today’s Students
https://higherlearningadvocates.org/

Higher Learning Advocates is a bipartisan non-profit organization that advocates for solutions to break down systemic barriers and support the success of today’s students in their pursuit of education and skills development beyond high school. We advance federal policies that create transparent pathways to success, incentivize innovation, protect students and taxpayers, and improve student outcomes.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines

jleveto — 2023-02-28 17:49:43 UTC

The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn

Ascend: Project for Education Research That Scales (PERTS)

jleveto — 2023-02-28 17:51:52 UTC

The Project for Education Research That Scales (PERTS) is a nonprofit research and development institute that translates insights from psychological science into cutting-edge tools, measures, and recommendations that educators anywhere can use to foster healthy and equitable academic engagement and success.

Ascend is a free, data-driven professional learning program that enables college instructors and administrators to learn how their students are experiencing courses and what they can do to make those experiences more equitable, more engaging, and more supportive of student success.

Mindset Kit: Belonging for Educators

jleveto — 2023-02-28 17:58:12 UTC

Mindset Kit: Belonging for Educators 13 Lessons (~45 minutes)

When students feel like they belong in school, they are more motivated, engaged, and ultimately show higher performance. In this course, you will learn about belonging, why it's important, and belonging strategies for your classroom.

Revising Your Syllabi (and Your Courses) with Equity, Belonging and Growth in Mind

jleveto — 2023-02-28 18:12:36 UTC

Provide a plan for learning that empowers students to respond proactively and productively to difficulty.
Create flexible policies that acknowledge, and take into account the diversity and complexity of students’ lived experiences.
Encourage students to connect with you, and your instructional team.

Authors:
Kathryn Boucher, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Applied Behavioral Sciences, University of Indianapolis, and Principal Investigator, College Transition Collaborative

Krysti Ryan, PhD, Director of Research, College Transition Collaborative

Foundational Practices: Syllabus Revision Module

jleveto — 2023-02-28 18:15:25 UTC

This online module consists of a number of recorded videos to demonstrate practical tips for developing syllabi, as well as activities that will help you apply these concepts to your own syllabus. It should take approximately 90 minutes to watch the videos and complete the activities, plus time to revising your syllabus.

Policy Review: Creating Student-Centered Course Policies

jleveto — 2023-02-28 18:18:53 UTC

Developing student-centered course policies is likely to be one of the most effective things that instructors can do to drive more equitable academic outcomes in their courses. Ensuring that course policies and practices acknowledge and accommodate the lived experiences of diverse student populations can help close outcome gaps by helping to ensure that students' engagement and performance is not negatively impacted by lack of access to the resources or supports that will help them succeed, even when life circumstances present obstacles to education. Course policies that acknowledge students’ lived experiences and are written to work for all students also helps to promote student engagement in courses by lowering identity threat, promoting student engagement, and increasing social belonging, particularly among underrepresented or underserved student groups (McNair et al., 2016; Murphy & Destin, 2016; McNair, Bensimon & Malcom-Piqueux, 2020).

Share/Create A Belonging Story

jleveto — 2023-02-28 18:21:57 UTC

A Belonging Story is a short story about a challenge that a person encountered in their academic or professional career and that made them worry about the extent to which they belonged, or fit in, in a particular context, and how they resolved or lessened that concern over time by using agentic strategies, like connecting with resources, to improve their experience.

Structures for Belonging: A Research Synthesis

jleveto — 2023-02-28 23:22:08 UTC

Structures for Belonging: A Research Synthesis

What do we know about creating and sustaining environments that support belonging for each student? To answer this question, Student Experience Research Network developed Structures for Belonging, a research synthesis that illuminates structures – or practices, policies, and norms – related to belonging in four overlapping categories: access to learning environments; relationships with educators, peers, and families; instructional resources and pedagogy; and system-level policies and practices. The synthesis discusses both K-12 and postsecondary educational contexts, and includes research from diverse academic disciplines including social psychology, cultural psychology, sociology, adolescent development, neuroscience, economics, and education.

UDL On Campus: Course Design

jleveto — 2023-02-28 23:31:05 UTC

This section describes how to plan and design for the variability present in today's postsecondary classrooms. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that incorporates flexibility into the curriculum from the outset in order to avoid time-consuming retrofitting after the fact. UDL helps faculty members and instructional designers plan their curriculum in ways that reduce barriers to learning and facilitate meaningful participation by all students.

Social-Belonging for College Students

jleveto — 2023-03-01 00:03:54 UTC

A free, evidence-based program designed to support a sense of belonging on campus for students at four-year colleges and universities.

The Social-Belonging Intervention is available to four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. through our partnership with the Project for Education Research that Scales (PERTS). This online program allows schools to easily deliver a standard version of the Social-Belonging Intervention to incoming first-year students, helping buffer against threats to their sense of belonging in the transition to college.

Social-Belonging for College Students aims to help all students view challenges encountered in the transition to college as normal and improvable so they are more able to remain socially and academically engaged in the face of challenges.

Social-Belonging for College Students is a joint partnership between the College Transition Collaborative (CTC) and PERTS.

Busy with Purpose: Lessons for Education and Policy Leaders from Returning Student Parents

jleveto — 2023-03-01 00:15:58 UTC

Busy with Purpose: Lessons for Education and Policy Leaders from Returning Student Parents

Contreras-Mendez, Susana; Cruse, Lindsey Reichlin

Institute for Women's Policy Research

Postsecondary attainment is widely recognized as key to accessing living-wage careers--in addition to fulfilling workforce demands and elevating the United States' standing on the world stage. While much of the work to increase attainment rates has recognized the role of reengaging adults who have some college credit, but no degree or certificate, less attention has been paid to the salience of parenthood in adults' postsecondary experiences. This report draws from Institute for Women's Policy Research analysis of national postsecondary data describing first-time enrolled students with children who left college before completing a degree or certificate and a series of 11 interviews with student parents who have taken prolonged breaks from postsecondary enrollment. The report describes common challenges to persistence and college reentry faced by adult students with children, factors that allow them to go back to school, and, in student parents' own words, tangible actions that policy and education leaders should take to better support their success.

Time Poverty and Parenthood: Who Has Time for College?

jleveto — 2023-03-01 00:18:39 UTC

Student parents are among the least likely student groups to complete college. Regression models were run using 2003–2019 American Time Use Survey data to explore time poverty among college students. Results indicate that students with children under 13 years had significantly less discretionary time and free time, spent significantly less time on their education, enrolled part-time at significantly higher rates, and spent significantly more time studying while simultaneously caring for children, compared with students without children under 13 years. The strength of these relationships was strongest when children were younger. Parents with children under 6 years, and mothers of children of all age-groups, had significantly higher time poverty than other groups, yet spent significantly more time on education after controlling for discretionary time, at the cost of significantly less free time for themselves. Results suggest that improving college outcomes for student parents may require consideration of time poverty.

Conway, Katherine M., Claire Wladis, and Alyse C. Hachey. "Time Poverty and Parenthood: Who Has Time for College?." AERA Open 7 (2021): 23328584211011608.

Supporting the Academic Excellence of Student Caregivers

jleveto — 2023-03-01 00:40:59 UTC

Student caregivers are some of the most focused and resourceful students on campus, as demonstrated by their ability to balance school, work, and parental responsibilities. Did you know that 26% of all college students nationwide are raising children?

CEW+ has always served as an advocate for student caregivers. Our founder, Jean Campbell, gave life to the Center’s mission to level the playing field for access to education, the pursuit of finding fulfilling employment, and the acknowledgment of our complex lives. Early on the Center began tackling barriers to student parent enrollment and that work actively continues today. The reality is the identity of a student caregiver at U-M has never been simple or easy. Historically the Center has stood the test of time because of our collaborative approach and a willingness to do the heavy lifting of initiating changes that caused ripple effects at U-M and beyond. Today we are focused on building our collaborative work with student parents to create more systems-level change, removing barriers for student parents on their path to graduation.

UM Institutional Ally Space

jleveto — 2023-03-01 00:42:18 UTC

Faculty and Staff Allies drive change by providing guidance to students, faculty & staff in their unit about how to best support student caregivers. Are you seeking guidance on how to support student caregivers or are you a student caregiver in need of support? Find an ally in your unit

The Allies group is comprised of:

Lecturers, Tenure track, Tenured Faculty, Clinical Faculty, Research Faculty, Post-docs
Staff
Members from all units

The goals of the Allies group are to:

Assist student parents as they navigate challenges and provide warm referrals to resources on campus.
Provide support to colleagues who may have questions about how to best support student parents.

MCaSP at the University of Michigan

jleveto — 2023-03-01 00:44:15 UTC

MCaSP at the University of Michigan - Vision

The goal of MCaSP is to build and sustain a thriving community of student-parents and caregivers at the University of Michigan who are bolstered by their knowledge of their educational rights as student-parents and caregivers, socially supported by their cohort, and confident in their ability to utilize their non-traditional identities to succeed.

Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Students: Ideas for Faculty

jleveto — 2023-03-07 22:28:17 UTC

This document contains some ideas of what you can do as a faculty member to support pregnant and parenting students on your campus. Each ‘best practice area’ described herein contains both a quick summary of legal requirements and some best practice examples that you can implement immediately. As always, listening to and utilizing the voices of our pregnant and parenting students shows us how we can do better as we move beyond Title IX compliance to best practice.

Student Parent Podcast: 1 in 5

jleveto — 2023-03-09 12:29:09 UTC

Washington, DC – Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute and its podcast production partner, LWC Studios, released the second season of “1 in 5,” its highly rated podcast that explores the multifaceted lives of the one in five college students raising children. Over the course of 12 episodes, season 2 of “1 in 5” continues to feature student parents sharing their lived expertise, while widening the lens to lift up lessons from leaders working to transform their communities with student parents’ success in mind.

2Gen Approach - Ascend at the Aspen Institute

jleveto — 2023-03-09 12:30:45 UTC

Two-generation (2Gen) approaches build family well-being by intentionally and simultaneously working with children and the adults in their lives together. 2Gen approaches center the whole family to create a legacy of educational success and economic prosperity that passes from one generation to the next.

2gen Toolbox

jleveto — 2023-03-09 12:32:11 UTC

The updated 2Gen Toolbox was produced by a partnership between Ascend at the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group (CSG), and supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The inclusion of more than 300 resources in the toolbox reflects input from key 2Gen leaders and consultants, gathered by Karen Murrell (Higher Heights Consulting), Aspen CSG and Ascend. Ascend is grateful for ongoing insights and materials provided by everyone working to advance the field.

Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Students: Ideas and Obligations

jleveto — 2023-03-09 12:33:04 UTC

The Student-Parent Families at the Center Framework

jleveto — 2023-03-09 12:36:43 UTC

Roadmap for Change to Support Pregnant and Parenting Students

jleveto — 2023-03-09 12:39:19 UTC

https://www.urban.org/research/publication/roadmap-change-support-pregnant-and-parenting-students

More than 5.4 million college students in the United States have children, representing nearly a quarter of undergraduate students and nearly a third of graduate students. For these students, pursuing their education goals often requires interacting with many different policy systems and supports. We have mapped 11 large policy systems that student parents concurrently navigate, including social safety net programs, early childhood education and care, and the public school system. In contrast, students who are not parenting and otherwise fit a “traditional” college profile primarily interact with one policy system, which we have termed “college access and success policies” and includes policies and practices that help students enter and persist in college.

Student Parents are Welcome in the Learning Abroad Center

jleveto — 2023-03-14 03:43:59 UTC

Student Parents are Welcome in the Learning Abroad Center
U of Minnesota

The Learning Abroad Center works in conjunction with the Student Parent Help Center to assist student parents who are considering participating in an experience abroad.

U of Minnesota Student Parent Help Center

jleveto — 2023-03-14 03:46:50 UTC

U of Kansas Global Education

jleveto — 2023-03-14 03:48:22 UTC

For students that are parents, a great concern may be how to care for your child(ren) while abroad. International study is possible with a family and can be just as rewarding, but there are considerations that you should keep in mind. Careful planning can create an experience abroad that will benefit you and your family.

Berkeley Study Abroad

jleveto — 2023-03-14 03:50:45 UTC

Welcome! Berkeley Study Abroad encourages student parents to study abroad. As a student parent, you have likely learned to balance multiple priorities while meeting the needs of you and your family members, and this will serve you well in your study abroad planning. Traveling with your family or independently can be a tough decision, but it is up to you and what you want out of your experience. Below are some resources and considerations to keep in mind while planning to study abroad.

Study Abroad in Australia With Children

jleveto — 2023-03-14 03:57:08 UTC

Studying abroad is challenging for everyone. Living far from home in a totally different and unexplored environment while trying to keep the pace with your studies and personal obligations is difficult. Imagine how hard would be for me that in addition to all that I will have to take care of my child, you might be thinking.

Despite it is difficult, in today’s world, giving up from your dream of studying abroad because you have a child has to be just an excuse. There are plenty of study choices which help you alleviate this kind of barriers and help you achieve your education goals. Australia is surely on that list. In the end, you won’t be the first mom or dad to ever study abroad in Australia while having a little toddler to take care of.

Cash Course

jleveto — 2023-03-17 01:14:20 UTC

Cash Course is a resource for unbiased information about six key areas of personal finance. It provides free online
interactive financial tools such as budget worksheets, financial calculators, videos, and a financial experts chat wall.

Tools for Student Parent Success: Varieties of Campus Child Care

jleveto — 2023-03-17 01:16:16 UTC

This toolkit is the first in a series by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). It introduces the wide variety of child care services that exist at institutions of higher learning. Rather than an exhaustive study of campus child care programs, it is an introduction to possible options. It is for those seeking to provide quality child care at colleges or universities and for those considering how to expand or rethink existing services.

Varieties of Campus Child Care Toolkit

jleveto — 2023-04-04 14:49:31 UTC

ECMC Foundation

jleveto — 2023-04-12 17:06:10 UTC

Grants are made through the Single Mother Student Success Initiative will continue to support equity-centered research, direct service and technical assistance efforts targeting community colleges and organizations supporting community college students. The initiative’s guiding focus is on efforts that increase the share of single mother students who attain an associate degree within six years of enrolling at a community college to 25%. Currently, the initiative sits at the testing and learning phase as the Foundation considers whether to widen and/or expand its focus; an evaluator will support the development of metrics and refinement of the initiative’s point of view in 2023.

Seldin / Haring-Smith Foundation

jleveto — 2023-04-12 17:08:19 UTC

SHSF funds time-sensitive projects to shift the public conversation and drive policy change.

SHSF invests in solutions that expand equitable access to public services and support accountability for abuse of authority.

A university-wide survey of caregiving students in the US: Individual differences and associations with emotional and academic adjustment

jleveto — 2023-04-19 14:10:27 UTC

The United States (US) does not formally count, recognize, or support students in higher education who are caregivers, unlike England and Australia. This mixed-methods study presents results from a new survey of caregiving undergraduate and graduate students at a large university in the US. Students (N = 7592; 62.7% White, 69.9% women) reported their caregiving responsibilities, depression, and anxiety, which were linked to administrative records of financial aid, part-time status, and academic grades (GPA). A small but noteworthy portion of students identified as caregivers (5.6%, N = 427), either for someone who was chronically ill or elderly (3.2%; N = 239) or for a minor under age 18 (2.9%; N = 227). Caregiving students were disproportionately women, graduate students, enrolled part-time, and receiving financial aid. Further, caregivers for the chronically ill or elderly (but not for a minor) faced heightened emotional and academic risk. Specifically, caregiving for 3–5 days per week was associated with lower GPA, and caregiving more hours per day was linked to greater anxiety and depressive symptoms. US universities should identify the needs of caregiving students and design policies to mitigate emotional and academic risk.

5 Million Student Caregivers Need More Resources and Flexibility From SchoolsAARP report finds 7 in 10 say caring for a loved one affects academic performance

jleveto — 2023-04-19 14:11:37 UTC

"Instead, according to the AARP report, many college administrators, college professors and even college students themselves appear to turn their backs on student caregivers. Nearly one-quarter of student caregivers interviewed said they felt “discriminated” against because of their caregiving responsibilities."

Data Lab

jleveto — 2023-05-10 14:40:07 UTC

Use PowerStats to create custom online analyses. Use the Online Codebook to create syntax files and download micro-level public-use datasets. Use the Tables Library to browse through data tables published by NCES.

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

jleveto — 2023-05-10 14:40:35 UTC

Welcome to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the nation's leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation and statistics.

Civil Rights Data Collection

jleveto — 2023-05-10 14:41:15 UTC

Wide-Ranging Education Data Collected

from our Nation's Public Schools

May 2023 Student Parenting Support Symposium (Columbus, OH)

jleveto — 2023-05-11 19:45:16 UTC

It is increasingly essential to equip faculty, staff, and administrators with strategies to create an inclusive and equitable learning environment for parenting and caregiving students. In this workshop, participants will develop skills and be provided tools to create more accessible experiences for parenting and caregiving students at their institutions. Drawing from principles of Universal Design, attendees will explore strategies for inclusion that emphasize flexibility while maintaining academic rigor.

This workshop will explore constructing high-impact practices (i.e., undergraduate research experiences, learning communities, internships, service learning, and study abroad) to be more accessible and inclusive for parenting students. Participants will be introduced to theories and practices that contribute to building a culture of belonging, support, and social connectedness for parenting and caregiving students.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have tools to integrate accessibility into course design and delivery, redesign high-impact practices to be more inclusive for student-parents, and increase social connectedness and a sense of belonging for parenting and caregiving students.

April 2023 Center for Teaching and Learning Kent State University

jleveto — 2023-05-11 19:47:29 UTC

Identify who parenting and caregiving students are; nationally, regionally, and within/around the institution.
Describe the experiences and unique challenges of parenting and caregiving students.
Outline the legal protections, such as Title IX, that protect pregnant and parenting students.
Provide a framework for pedagogical praxis to support parenting/caregiving students.
- Apply Universal Design Principles to build accessibility into the course structure.
- Demonstrate how flexibility can be applied for equity and maintain academic rigor.
- Explore ways to cultivate a culture of support and care.
- Create student-centered approaches that provide opportunities for the application of learning to the lives of parenting and caregiving students.

IAMAS March 2023 Pedagogical Practices for Equity & Access

jleveto — 2023-05-12 01:00:52 UTC

Learning Outcomes

Center voices and experiences of student parents
Build compassion and knowledge of the complexity of parenting student lives.
Identify pedagogical practices to create more accessible courses
Discuss practices to promote equity (i.e., syllabus review, policy review, growth mindset, wise feedback framing, identity safety)
Build a culture of belonging and connections

Equity and Access for Parenting and Caregiving Students: Focus on the Regional System (Kent State Regional Campus Mentoring Retreat) March 2023

jleveto — 2023-05-12 01:03:13 UTC

COVID-19 amplified the hardships faced by parenting and caregiving students and presented an opportunity for higher education institutions to address inequities and accessibility. For years, our understanding of our parenting students was unknown; data were not systematically collected on parenting students until 2020 at Kent State University; today, much remains unclear, but institutional attention is now being allocated to parenting students to ensure we are meeting the needs of this population.

"So, What's Your Complaint" Mothering, Caretaking & Surviving in the Academy: Workshop prepared & delievered for Medical University South Carolina (MUSC) BIPOC Series, Feb. 2023

jleveto — 2023-05-12 01:10:43 UTC

Description: Mothering & caretaking have a position in U.S. society that is wholly informed by the subordinate nature of “women’s work.” However, the outsized role of women in the work of mothering & caretaking is an inherent part of the experiences of women in academia. In this interactive workshop, Dr. Jessica Leveto, founder of Ph.D. Mamas will discuss how mothering/caretaking specifically affects the work of women of color in academe & positive strategies for the care & keeping of self while in academe.

The “Great Resignation” Meets the “Demographic Cliff “Lessons Learned and Lost from COVID-19’s Impact on Parents and Caregivers in Academia (North Central Sociological Association, Grand Rapids, MI) March 2023

jleveto — 2023-05-12 10:04:32 UTC

The "Great Resignation" and the "Demographic Cliff"
The Burden on Caregiving and Parenting Faculty and Students
Policies and Practices for Creating Supportive Spaces
Adaptability & Transformation of Higher Education

EmpowerEd for Parenting and Caregiving Students: Innovating High-Impact Practices for Inclusion, Access and Equity

jleveto — 2023-10-21 13:17:20 UTC

Poster Presented at the 2023 University Teaching Council Meeting, Oct. 2023, Kent State University

United Planet Virtual Alternative Break

jleveto — 2023-12-05 22:29:30 UTC

United Planet Virtual Alternative Break

Your group can engage in a Virtual Alternative break, supporting organizations around the world through meaningful and engaging service work, while enjoying cultural and linguistic activities to immerse in the local culture. Participants will be able to learn about local and global challenges, provide meaningful support to international organizations, and build friendships and connections within your group and across global communities. Participants will also receive United Planet’s Certificate of Global Citizen Leadership!

Virtual Engagement

jleveto — 2023-12-05 22:30:44 UTC

Fee program use for model to what may be possible

Student Advancing Retention College ARC

jleveto — 2023-12-06 00:59:58 UTC

In 2017, Student ARC was launched. Here, administrators and professionals at institutions that provide direct support to students can explore emergency aid strategies, learn about strengthening and sustaining emergency aid efforts, and contribute their own views and resources to the conversation.

Student ARC’s mission is to increase student retention in colleges and universities across the nation by:

Emphasizing the value of emergency resource offerings at higher education institutions.
Providing effective strategies for structuring, promoting, administering, evaluating and sustaining emergency aid efforts.
Assisting institutions in their work to strengthen programs that help students continue their education without the heavy burdens of concern about how to address unforeseen expenses.

Across the higher education community, research, advocacy and donor organizations are contributing to a growing conversation around emergency aid. You will find reports, resources, interviews and blogs from them here among the same types of content from institutions engaged in the work..

Grand Valley State University

jleveto — 2023-12-06 15:22:57 UTC

Students with Children

Interested in studying abroad but have children? It can be difficult but not impossible!

For students that are parents, a great concern may be how to care for your child(ren) while abroad. International study is possible with a family and can be just as rewarding, but as I'm sure you are aware, there are nearly countless considerations that you'll have to keep in mind. But with careful planning you can create an experience abroad that will benefit both you and your family!

Long-Life Learning and the Age-Integration of Higher Education (SSIR)

jleveto — 2024-02-04 21:05:47 UTC

Universities have long histories of age segregation, and while innovative ideas for integration abound, they often topple under the weight of established practice, bureaucracy, and institutional inertia. Change eventually occurs, organizational scholars say, when the costs of doing nothing outweigh the costs of change. As leaders of higher education come to recognize the imperative to address urgent societal challenges—including the shift to a world with more people over age 65 than under age 18—that time is now.

Empowering Parenting Students through Equity-Driven High-Impact Practices (ACCESS Student Parent Support Symposium May 2024)

jleveto — 2024-05-09 00:36:09 UTC

Empowering Parenting Students through Equity-Driven High-Impact Practices (HIPs) seeks to address the lack of accessibility and equity among parenting and caregiving students to high-impact practices in higher education by introducing equitable strategies and models tailored to their needs. It leverages recent research and needs assessment to emphasize the necessity for educational practices that accommodate parenting students. Participants will gain practical tools and strategies for creating transformational learning experiences, fostering a sense of belonging, and enhancing social connectedness among student parents. This workshop aims to cultivate transformative educational experiences for parenting students by integrating evidence-based teaching and learning high-impact practices known for increasing student retention, completion rates, and engagement. The workshop provides a comprehensive framework applicable across diverse educational settings, suggesting scalable strategies for community colleges, large universities, and online programs. It is designed to address the unique challenges and barriers, such as financial constraints, time management, and access to childcare, that parenting students face, promoting inclusivity and reimagining educational possibilities for this demographic.

jleveto — 2024-05-16 19:23:06 UTC

Raising Up: Documentary Series

jleveto — 2025-07-03 16:10:38 UTC

Raising Up is a five-part docuseries investigating the barriers student parents face when pursuing higher education and the innovative leaders creating generational impact.

The series follows four student parents on their post-secondary journey with each film diving more deeply into the issues the student encounter with childcare, affordable housing, mental health, and workforce pathways.

Grounded in hope and real world solutions to systemic educational obstacles, Raising Up is a celebration of the 1 in 5 students parenting on campus and a call to recognize and support this population as they seek to build a better future for themselves and generations to come.