Devean R. Owens

SMU '14 '16 | UIUC '20 | DST 🐘❤ | Co-Founder of @DearSistaFriend | "By any means necessary." - Malcolm X ✊🏽 | Philippians 4:13; Jeremiah 29:11 ✝

[Anjalé "AJ" @DrAjWelton]

Please go to https://t.co/K85kI2IPqn for more research on CTE and Equity as well as future briefs on equity, cultural responsiveness, data-driven decision making & CTE. #ctequity

[DocStudent1976 @DocStudent1976]

@DocZo @AjweltonIllini @ItsJustDevean Absolutely. When CC leaders create a culture steeped in equity & culturally responsive pedagogies and practices, it leaves room to have what may be difficult conversations because the goal has been made clear. #CTEquity

[L.Baber @DocZo]

@DocStudent1976 @ItsJustDevean @AjweltonIllini Finally, I will say that CC leaders should emphasize to external audiences that employment stability and financial well-being are among many targeted outcomes for CTE, not the only ones. #CTEquity

[L.Baber @DocZo]

@AjweltonIllini @DocStudent1976 @ItsJustDevean CC leaders need to lead these conversations, not follow. Yes, interest-convergence to some degree but by leading, CC leaders can set the tone and pace for change. Best industry partners will follow because they know that education leads the way...

[DocStudent1976 @DocStudent1976]

FT: Also, industry partners may need the same sorts of professional development and training that community college faculty, staff, and admin require to carry out equity-minded supports and changes. #CTEquity

[Anjalé "AJ" @DrAjWelton]

@DocStudent1976 @ItsJustDevean @DocZo A number of stakeholders involved with CTE programs, like industry partners. Challenging to get all industry stakeholders on board with equity & culturally responsiveness, & understand why these practices in the long run benefit their industry (interest-convergence...ha!)

[Devean R. Owens @ItsJustDevean]

#CTEquity

[Devean R. Owens @ItsJustDevean]

@DocStudent1976 Recruiting and retaining underrepresented students in these programs may be difficult depending on the campus climate, location, transportation, etc. #CTEquity

[L.Baber @DocZo]

@DocStudent1976 @ItsJustDevean @AjweltonIllini "Efficiency" is also used to create a false dichotomy between learning for a career and education that promotes self-discovery and engaged citizenship #CTEquity

[DocStudent1976 @DocStudent1976]

FT: Entrenched community college cultures that are based in deficit thinking about the student body in general and marginalized subsets of students in particular impede equity-focused work. #CTEquity

[L.Baber @DocZo]

@DocStudent1976 @ItsJustDevean @AjweltonIllini Equity work is hard to measure in the short-term. "Efficiency" is a coded word often used to sidestep this work, especially by those who are advantaged by current norms. #CTEquity

[Devean R. Owens @ItsJustDevean]

@DocStudent1976 @DocZo @AjweltonIllini Capacity. Community college faculty/staff are notoriously overworked and may not feel they have the bandwidth to devote to these types of changes. #CTEquity

[DocStudent1976 @DocStudent1976]

FT: Q5: What are some challenges that community college leaders face when they aim to develop more equity-centered & culturally responsive CTE programs? What advice do you have for educational leaders to overcome these challenges?
@ItsJustDevean @DocZo @ajweltonIllini #CTEquity

[L.Baber @DocZo]

@ItsJustDevean @DocStudent1976 @AjweltonIllini Again, I would love to hear specific examples from practitoners out there in the Twitterverse. A general practice I have observered is centering community-based issues to engage students. #CTEquity

[Devean R. Owens @ItsJustDevean]

A few examples of this work include: @DocZo et al., 2015; Ragoonaden & Mueller, 2017; Rendón, 1994, 2002; and Valenzuela et al., 2015 #ctequity

[Devean R. Owens @ItsJustDevean]

There is certainly a dearth in research focused on culturally responsiveness and CTE specifically. However, there has been work done on CRP and community colleges generally. #ctequity

[Devean R. Owens @ItsJustDevean]

Question #4: Give some examples of culturally responsive structures and practices in CTE. @DocStudent1976 @DocZo @AjweltonIllini #CTEquity

[Anjalé "AJ" @DrAjWelton]

@ItsJustDevean Students who are often underrepresented in CTE now in many cases at community colleges (CCs) overall represent the "majority". So there is a disproportionality b/w who is enrolled in CTE programs & the rest of CCs. Make sense?

[L.Baber @DocZo]

@AjweltonIllini @collinruud The best careers are those in which people feel that they can bring their whole being into. They don't have to be a different person at work than they are at home or in their community. Strong CTE programs build towards developing this congruency #CTEquity

[Devean R. Owens @ItsJustDevean]

#CTEquity

[Anjalé "AJ" @DrAjWelton]

@collinruud @DocZo we need more culturally responsive evaluations that are intersectional & more expansive in terms of student populations examined (LGBTQI, groups within racial/ethnic categories. CTE data usually along narrow data points that Perkins requires.