Published September 13, 2022
CAPTION:Dr. Ivory Toldson will lead a professional development session at ULM’s Bayou Pointe
on Thursday, September 15 at 2:00 p.m.
MONROE, LA – The ULM Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will be hosting a professional
development session with Dr. Ivory Toldson on Thursday, September 15 at 2:00 p.m.
at Bayou Pointe Event Center on the campus of ULM.
Dr. Toldson is the Director of Education Innovation and Research for the NAACP as
well as a Professor of Counseling Psychology at Howard University. His session is
titled “Education in a Changing World: Using Good Data to Find Solutions Rather Than
Sell Problems to Close Achievement Gaps.”
All faculty and staff, as well as local and regional educators and administrators
are invited to attend the free session. Registration is not required, but attendees
are encouraged to pre-register at https://webservices.ulm.edu/webforms/form/professional-development-registration-form
Dr. Pamela Saulsberry, Executive Director of ULM’s Office of DEI says of Toldson,
“In his book, he had great information on expectations of marginalized students, their
parents’ involvement in their education, and what could be done differently to increase
the success rate of these students in elementary and secondary school, and thus college.”
DEI Fellow Dr. Alicia Rollins added, “Dr. Toldson is one of the leading voices on
using data-driven solutions to make progress in the DEI sector. It’s an honor to have
him host a professional development session for our faculty, staff, and local educators.”
Session Description:
In the United States, racial inequities in college preparation, admissions biases,
academic advising inadequacies, and wealth inequality lead to differences in racial
groups’ access to higher education. Overhauling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
efforts across campuses by hiring chief diversity officers to implement data-informed
student success interventions is a common response to addressing racial outcome disparities.
By analyzing survey data from U.S. two-year and four-year colleges and universities,
this professional development session discusses the impact of mindset, practices,
and tools on student outcomes across institutions that have been successful at closing
the racial achievement gap over the last ten years. Administrators at most institutions
reported that they prioritize equity across departments. However, institutions that
have narrowed outcome gaps for racial minority students report specific practices
that go beyond mindset and intent. This presentation has implications for DEI programs
seeking to move beyond mindset and rhetoric, and toward evidence-based practices to
improve student success.
About Dr. Ivory Toldson
Dr. Ivory A. Toldson is the Director of Education Innovation and Research for the
NAACP, a professor of Counseling Psychology at Howard University, the president of
Education for Minorities, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Negro Education, and
executive editor of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Research, published by the
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. Previously, Dr. Toldson served President Barack Obama's administration as the executive
director, for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Dr. Toldson has more than 60 publications, including 4 books, and more than 150 research
presentations in 36 US states, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Scotland, South Africa,
Paris, and Barcelona. He has been featured on MSNBC, C-SPAN2 Books, NPR News, POTUS
on XM Satellite Radio, and numerous local radio stations. His research has been featured
in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Root, The National Journal, Essence
Magazine, and Ebony Magazine.
