Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
“What’s the catch”: Recruiting Central Appalachian High Schools for University Partnerships
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
How can writing instructors increase the likelihood that Central Appalachian students seek higher education and succeed in that environment? This question sparked Virginia Tech writing instructors Katie Brooks and Dr. Sheila Carter-Tod to create a program that advises high school English teachers on preparing students for college first-year writing programs. Beginning in Fall 2015, Brooks and Carter-Tod invited teachers in the far southwest Virginia counties Wise, Lee, and Smyth, to participate in “Developing a Bridge to Enhance First-Year Student Success Through Writing Instruction Partnerships.” Over half of the prospective participants asked the question, “What’s the catch?” In this paper, Brooks outlines failed versus successful recruitment strategies in the face of teachers’ distrust of the Bridge program (e.g. email versus Facebook and face-to-face contacts). Relying on ethnographic and secondary research, Brooks locates the rhetorical frameworks that undergird the distrust of Wise, Lee, and Smyth County teachers and attempts to identify their historical, cultural, and/or political origins.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Katie Beth Brooks received her MA in English from Virginia Tech. She is currently a first year student in Virginia Tech’s PhD Rhetoric and Writing program. Brooks is currently working as a researcher for a program which bridges the gap between high school teachers situated in Central, Appalachian Virginia and Virginia Tech.
“What’s the catch”: Recruiting Central Appalachian High Schools for University Partnerships
How can writing instructors increase the likelihood that Central Appalachian students seek higher education and succeed in that environment? This question sparked Virginia Tech writing instructors Katie Brooks and Dr. Sheila Carter-Tod to create a program that advises high school English teachers on preparing students for college first-year writing programs. Beginning in Fall 2015, Brooks and Carter-Tod invited teachers in the far southwest Virginia counties Wise, Lee, and Smyth, to participate in “Developing a Bridge to Enhance First-Year Student Success Through Writing Instruction Partnerships.” Over half of the prospective participants asked the question, “What’s the catch?” In this paper, Brooks outlines failed versus successful recruitment strategies in the face of teachers’ distrust of the Bridge program (e.g. email versus Facebook and face-to-face contacts). Relying on ethnographic and secondary research, Brooks locates the rhetorical frameworks that undergird the distrust of Wise, Lee, and Smyth County teachers and attempts to identify their historical, cultural, and/or political origins.
