Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Understanding The Dynamics of The 21st Century Minority Student

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

What Does The 21st Century Minority Student Look Like

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, approximately 36.3 percent of the population currently belongs to a racial or ethnic minority group.

African American/Black - a person having origins in any of the black racial groups in Africa;

Hispanic American - a person of Spanish or Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America, or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race;

Asian American - a person with origins in any of the original people of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, and the Pacific Islands (including, among others, Hawaii, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia); or

Native American - a person who is a member of a federally or state recognized Indian tribe, or whose parents or grandparents have such membership, including the native people of Alaska.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

#1 Parental Engagement Understanding the Dynamics of The 21st Century Minority Student

No Parent Left Behind1. 74% of African-American

children are born to unwed mothers.

2. Virginia produce some of the highest teen pregnancy rates in American.

3. “No Parent Left Behind” is designed to cultivate the fundamental core principles and values in preparing 21st Century Parents.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

#2 Social Impact Understanding the Dynamics of The 21st Century Minority Student

1. ‘Saggy’ pants has become a worldwide statement, crossing race, culture, and gender affecting our community and youth nation wide.

2. The book was forged to empower the minds of each reader, especially minority youth to make an intelligent decision when selecting their attire.

3. The power of perception .

4. The books provides a historical glance that for awareness, and exposure.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Understanding the Dynamics of The 21st Century Minority Student

Nothing Substitutes Time 7 minority students face by not having a father in there lives. The book is structured to: 1. Empower young men on how

“not” to become Sperm donors, 2. Recognize the importance of

fathers.A. Spending quality time

with their children. B. Teach fathers the

important role they play in the lives of their children.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

How does this affect the LibrarianChildren are different today than they were

ten,twenty and even thirty years ago.

There is a distinct effect culture has on learning style and as educators and librarians

you can facilitate the learning process by knowing the differences from culture to

culture; thus directly affecting the leaning styles and teaching critical thinking skills.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

In America, there are six living generations, which are six fairly distinct groups of people. As a generalization each generation has different likes, dislikes, and attributes.

1. GI Generation Born 1901-1926.2. Mature/Silents Born 1927- 1945.3. Baby Boomers Born between 1946 and 1964. Two sub-

sets:4. Generation X. Born between 1965 and 19805. Generation Y/Millennium Born between 1981 and 20006. Generation Z/Boomlets Born after 2001

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Understanding the Dynamics of The 21st Century Minority Student

Generation Z/Boomlets Born after 2001

1. In 2006 there were a record number of births in the US and 49% of those born were Hispanic.

2. This will change the American melting pot in terms of behavior and culture.

3. The number of births in 2006 far outnumbered the start of the baby boom generation, and they will easily be a larger generation.

4. Since the early 1700’s the most common last name in the US was ‘Smith’ but not anymore, now it is Rodriguez

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Understanding the Dynamics of The 21st Century Minority Student61 percent of children 8-17 have televisions in their

rooms.35 percent have video games.14 percent have a DVD player.4 million will have their own cell phones. They have

never known a world without computers and cell phones.

Eco-fatigue: tired of hearing about the environment and ways to save it.

KGOY-(kids growing older younger)Because of computers and web based learning, children leave behind toys at younger and younger age.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Once children reach the age of four and five, they begin to play on the computer, become less interested in toys and begin to desire electronics such as cell phones and video games.

They are Savvy consumers and they know what they want and how to get it and they are over saturated with brands

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Goal: Librarians Understanding The Dynamics of The 21st Century Minority StudentTo learn about cultural differences in customs and beliefs to

foster an atmosphere of: 1. Trust

2. Cross-cultural communication/ code switching3. Competence

4. Create insights, not stereotypes5. Encourage cultural competence for all.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Librarians RoleUnderstanding The Dynamics of The 21st Century Minority Student1. To ensure that All students are effective users of ideas

and information.2. To empower students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic

readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.

3. To instill a love of learning in all students and ensure equitable access to information.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Friendly Reminder :1. Now is the time to increase the investments we make in

young people, enhance the content, opportunities and supports we provide, and empower them to make better choices about both their individual future and the future

of our nation.

2. Young people across the country have been let down by the education system and by the

adults responsible for their care and development.

3. Children don’t care how much you know that care about how much you care!

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Understanding The Dynamics of The 21st Century Minority Student

1. Parental and Family Engagement 2. Social and Environmental Challenges3. Building strong Positive relationships

The best library staff make you feel like the library is your space, and

make you feel genuinely part of your community – respected and valued

and maybe even a friend.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

How does this affect the Librarian

No Community Left BehindOne of the problems most people face today is the situation we find our communities facing and that’s the lack of productivity out of our youth

today(No Parent Left Behind).

“So goes the youth so goes the community.

” Communities that don’t stress theimportance of putting resources and finances back into building new schools with updated technologies, highly intelligent qualified and

dedicated leaders in place to move our school divisions our children and community crumble(No Parent Left Behind).

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

How does this affect the LibrarianHave you ever seen a young person who has the potential to be great but lack essential skills? Persons who don’t know

how to respond to adults, to authority figures, or just to people in general. (No Parent Left Behind)

Librarians have to be willing to engage these behaviors and build positive relationships.

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Psychological Health1. Minority children in high-poverty areas are more likely to be exposed to alcohol and tobacco advertisements (Wallace, 1999) and drug distribution (Wallace, 1999); they are also more likely to use drugs and exhibit antisocial behaviors (Dubow, Edwards, & Ippolito, 1997).

2. The odds of being diagnosed with schizophrenia were significantly higher for African Americans than Caucasians in lower poverty areas (Chow et al., 2003).

3. African Americans and Latinos in low-poverty areas were more likely to be referred for commitment by a law enforcement official than any other racial group (Chow et al., 2003).

Dr. Lawrence V. Bolar

Questions and Answers