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Implementing the ACE Model to Reach Every Agricultural Education Student

2008; Agricultural Education Magazine; Volume: 81; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

0732-4677

Chastity Warren English, Antoine J. Alston,

Indigenous and Place-Based Education

Introduction In the movie, Field of Dreams, Shoeless Joe Jackson tells Kevin Costner that you build it, HE will come; but, what does one do if only a portion of the clientele come with the remainder standing on the outside looking in at the show? When one analyzes the overall demographic landscape of the National FFA Convention it does not take long to realize that underrepresented populations are not at the show. According to The Council (2007) the mission of agricultural education is to prepare students for successful careers and a lifetime of informed choices in the global agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resources systems. Furthermore, The National FFA Organization states that its mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. If the aforementioned statements are true then ALL demographic sectors of American society should possess an abundance of informed agriculturally literate leaders infused with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to direct the global agricultural industry. The current FFA membership is 38% female with women holding more than 50% of state leadership positions. Over 77% of the membership is Caucasian; 17% is Hispanic, and four percent is African-American (National FFA Organization, 2007). When using the United States demographic estimates as a comparison, a gap exists with Caucasians accounting for 66.4% of the population, African Americans encompassing 12.8%, individuals of Hispanic or Latino origin comprising 14.8%, and Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islanders collectively making up the remaining six percent of the population (US Census Bureau, 2007). Given the glaring gap that exists with underrepresented populations in relation to their participation in agricultural education programming, and moreover with the increasing emphasis on diversity within today's global society, how does the profession of agricultural education address the need for underrepresented populations to develop their leadership competence through agricultural studies? According to the National Center for Family and Community Connections - Schools Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, no matter a families' culture, race, ethnicity, or income, most have high aspirations and concern for their childrens' success (Boethel et.al., 2003). With this factor in mind, what road map or model can secondary agricultural educators follow in order to assist them in facilitating leadership development for underrepresented populations, given its importance in preparing 21st Century-Ready Learners? The A.C.E. Model (Access, Community, and Engagement) aides in the process. Access Access, in the context of this article, is defined as the existence of an environment that is open to all student clientele regardless of their racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and other personal circumstances. In order to facilitate leadership development for underrepresented populations, agricultural educators must provide access to their total program. The following strategies can be employed: 1. Have underrepresented students sign leadership contracts at the beginning of the academic year, which specifically define agreed upon goals and tasks that students will complete within the context of the agricultural education program. 2. Utilize interviews instead of majority voting for chapter officer selection. By doing so, quality candidates can be identified based upon their potential for effective leadership instead of their popularity. Agriculture teachers should make sure that the selection committee includes a diverse representation of agricultural education stakeholders, which will make certain a wider array of opinions is represented. 3. Have underrepresented students serve as committee and subcommittee chairs. Not all students can be officers, but by empowering them with chair roles, leadership development can be facilitated, which can ultimately improve self-esteem and overall personal development. …