Welcome to Strategic Teaching and Reaching
strategic teaching and reaching
Helping Community College educators teach & reach their most under-served students
Using culturally responsive teaching and restorative practices, I work with community college administrators and educators to facilitate the success of African American, LatinX and lower socio-economic status students.
Certified Professional Coach
Certified Trainer in Restorative Practices
Our Expertise is Your Advantage
Feeling isolated in your mission to reach students? Ever wondered why your success rates don’t quite match the institution’s benchmarks? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. As a seasoned 30-year community college educator, I understand the challenges firsthand. Using data collection, I provide a stable methodology for helping educators assess students’ unique needs, and guide and support faculty in transforming their mindsets and courses to bring about equitable outcomes for ALL students.
The Harsh Reality...
While more students of color are enrolling in community colleges, most are not completing at the same rate as their White and Asian counterparts.
The research is clear that culturally responsive teaching is a best practice.
The data tells us that:
- The six-year completion rate for Asian students is 53%
- for White students, 51%.
- for Native American students, 39%
- for Latinx students, 38%
- for African American students, 31%
This data prompted educators, like myself, to examine the causes behind these disparities and discover what actions institutions with authority and policy-making control could take to address them.
Transforming Lives, One Student at a Time
I was born in a small town of West Point, MS. and raised by my grandfather who had an 11th grade education, a grandmother who had a 5th grade education, and a mother who was chronically ill. While there was much that I couldn’t control, I believed my elders when they told me that if I got my “book-learning” I could go far. Education was my ticket out of poverty.
When I became a community college educator, I too, was ironically out of touch with students who were a lot like me: first-generation students, minority students, working students, under-served students. My own personal bias of being a read-write learner and falling into the “boot-strap” philosophy of learning caused me to miss out on serving the students who needed me the most.
Not feeling very successful, I started to experience burn out as an educator. A sabbatical allowed me the opportunity to reflect on who it is I wanted to be for students and the ways in which I needed to show up for them in the classroom. When I realized I wasn’t teaching grammar or paragraph and essay development, but people, the lights came on for me. This transformation led me to teach the whole student, which is the essence of my culturally responsive teaching and equity work.
keeping connection at the core
Connection is the core of STAR, LLC. Our services are designed to help educators connect with themselves, other constituents, and students, all with the goal of fostering students’ success.
We offer trainings in the following areas
- Culturally responsive teaching
- Conflict prevention and resolution
- Microaggression prevention and response
- Implicit bias prevention and response
- Syllabus and assignment audits
What Our Clients Are Saying...
| SIGN UP FOR MY WEBINAR |
What to Do When Your Students Don’t Look Like You : Teaching With Difference in Mind
Embark on a transformative journey with me in this exclusive 5-day workshop tailored for community college educators like you!
January 8-12, 2024
Let’s decode the secrets to connecting with students, especially those who may not mirror your background. Gain the strategic tools and confidence needed to elevate student retention and success rates.
DAY 1: Who Am I and Why It Matters in the Classroom
This session examines what identity is and the factors that shape it. We will examine the complexities of having multiple identities–both dominant and subordinate–and how they play out in the classroom. Leave with a guide that helps you articulate your identities and understand their impact on students.
DAY 2: How to Learn from and Leverage Students’ Stories to Foster Their Success
This session will examine the stories and experiences minoritized students often bring with them and how they may impact students’ performance. Leave with a clearer understanding of stereotype threat, imposter syndrome, microaggressions and racelighting and their impact on students as well as a clearer understanding of how to prevent and address them when they occur.
DAY 3: Grading that Primes Students for Success: Harnessing Equitable Grading Practices
This high-demand session will examine the psychology and philosophy behind grading and the ways in which they can either motivate or demotivate students. Leave with a clearer understanding of the reasoning behind your grading practices and the students which benefit from them as well as those who may be limited or hindered by them. Take away strategies for grading students more equitably.
DAY 4: Creating Culturally Responsive Assignments and Syllabi
In this session, I’ll be breaking down essential elements of culturally responsive assignments and syllabi. After examining a sample assignment and syllabus, participants will examine their own syllabus and assignments and in small groups begin to identify areas that can be revised to make their courses more equitable.
DAY 5: Syllabus and Assignment Workshop
After revising their syllabi and assignments, participants will return to share their work with peers using a checklist and will receive feedback on their work. Participants will leave with culturally responsive strategies customized for their specific classes and available for immediate use.
But, The journey doesn’t have to end there!
Sign up for all 5 days and receive ongoing support and coaching for the Spring 2024 semester:
- Receive one-on-one feedback from me about your revised assignment and syllabus
- Join a private Facebook community that will support you in equity work
- Receive feedback on assignments and issues occurring in your classes
- Meet bi-weekly (7 times during the Spring semester) for additional training and support from Coach Andi–that’s me:-)
- Grow in confidence in doing equity work
Don’t let the struggle continue – it’s time to thrive together! Click the link below and join me on this empowering educational adventure. #TeachConnectThrive