Webinars

In this insightful webinar, Dr. Felicia Young, a seasoned higher education professional and founder of Higher Minds of Education, will explore how higher education consultants and financial aid professionals can become invaluable partners to schools, enhancing family engagement and supporting student success.

This session will delve into the strategies and best practices that professionals can employ to foster strong collaborations with schools, helping families navigate the complexities of higher education. Dr. Young will discuss how financial aid experts can demystify the financial aid process, empowering families to make informed decisions about college affordability and access.

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of:
-The critical role higher education consultants play in supporting schools and families.
-Practical approaches to building trust and effective communication with families.
-Techniques for simplifying financial aid information and increasing FAFSA completion rates.
-Ways to address common barriers families face in the college preparation and financial aid process.

Join us to learn how you can become a catalyst for positive change in your community by bridging the gap between schools, families, and higher education resources.

Who Should Attend:
-Higher Education Professionals
-Financial Aid Consultants
-School Administrators
-College and Career Counselors
-Community Engagement Specialists

This presentation is centered around providing strategic and various ideas for engaging families from distinct backgrounds. Challenges arise in truly engaging families around the academic environments. With the familial dynamics constantly shifting, practitioners need to be able to adjust how they communicate with families to ensure connection. Through a composition of focus groups, interviews and information sessions, the results on how to effectively communicate and engage families were derived. Differential engagement ensures that we adjust how we communicate with families. Seniors raising children prefer phone calls and mailed items. Working families need information that can be easily navigated. Tech-savvy families appreciate apps, social media, and/or text messages. Truly understanding the make-up of the family resolves the challenge of effectively engaging with families.

Schools underutilize three community entities within the Black American community: the Black Church, salons and barbershops, and Black Greek letter organizations (BGLOs). The Village Model of Community Engagement© uses cultural wealth and multitiered systems of support (MTSS) as frameworks for making these connections to further cultivate Black American student achievement. This presentation will demonstrate how to leverage the Black Church, salons/barbershops, and Black Greek letter organizations as community partners, utilizing cultural wealth and multi-tiered systems of support to enhance connections and cultivate Black American student success through The Village Model of Community Engagement©. Research shows creating partnerships with local Black churches enhances Black student achievement, helps to provide resources (e.g. school supplies, monetary donations, food/clothing drives, etc.) to struggling families and can offer community input for school counseling programs. Hair salons and barbershops have always been invested in its young Black patrons’ education and are willing to partner with schools to ensure their success. Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) provide mentorship, culturally relevant safe spaces and examples of representation in higher education. The Village Model of Community Engagement© uses Cultural Wealth Theory and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) as frameworks for meeting the needs of Black students utilizing these three community entities. Schools must examine the school’s quantitative data (grades, discipline referrals, test scores, etc.) to concretely show what is inherently known: Black American students’ success depends on the involvement of the community in which they are nurtured and loved. Quantitative data will not only show which students need to be placed in Tiers 2 and 3, it will also highlight which interventions may be prioritized. Once community organization involvement is integrated into the school counseling program, both qualitative data (student/teacher interviews, student focus groups, etc.) and quantitative data will demonstrate the effectiveness of the interventions.