The state of Tennessee, along with the nation, has undergone a “demographic evolution” spurred by increases in minority populations. These demographic booms are evident all over the country, primarly in states like California and Texas, and major metropolitan cities like Los Angeles, Houston, and New York. However, these changes are evident in all corners of Tennesse, including the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County. Hamilton County Schools have seen a significant growth in Hispanic and English Learner populations, directly mirroring the growth across the state. As these groups and other under-served groups grow, it is imperative to have community stakeholders advocating on their behalf to ensure that they receive the appropriate support and resources to perform on par with their peers. Chattanooga State Community College has proposed to create an innovative hybrid program for English Language Learners to have increased access to Early post-Secondary Opportunities. As the Bridges to Success 2.0 program evolves, it is necessary to recognize the demographic trends of the country, the city, and the state and what the state of educational attainment is for English learners in Hamilton County to ensure BTS 2.0 provides the most appropriate support.

1. BTS 2.0 and English Language Learners (ELL) Update

2. 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.

4. 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

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. PROJECTIONS &
FINDINGS

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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%.

10. BEST PRACTICES

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
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.

13. 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

14. RECOMMENDATIONS

15. NOW
24% COLLEGE COMPLETION
GOAL
40% COMPLETION BY 2025

16. 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

17. 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.

18. Interculturality and Otherness: An
approach to ELL?

19. Educate - Research - Counsel - Coach
Transform people and institutions to build active,
ethical and intercultural citizenship.
Our
mission

20. 1. What makes you reject someone?
1. How do you define your-self?
1. Define culture
1. Define racism
Building together

21. @CEFIMEXAC
Structural benefit
How have we benefited
from the system?

22. ● 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?

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 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

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 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

28. ● 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

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 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

42. What do you feel?

48. What
do
you
feel?

53. What
do
you
feel?

54. ● Vulnerability of the other is the
enlightenment radiant essence of
humanity.
Otherness

55. ● “No es lo mismo juntos que revueltos”
● Dialogue
● Mutual understanding
● “Common ground”
○ Parents - Children
Multicultural Vs Intercultural

56. ● 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

57. Intercultural
competency

58. Knowledge
○ Cultural self awareness
○ 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 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

62. ● 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

63. ● 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

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 Research Center
Development and Academic Director
Cel. 901.671.8358
marcos.villa@cefimex.org @CEFIMEXAC