This 3-part story was shared on LinkedIn in summer 2025. It captures the student experience when an institution is an Enrollment Model, and it highlights the powerful impact of the learning culture that is possible in a Success Model.
PART 1
Sharing educational wealth: Consider this student story – yesterday was the first day for a 2025 Helix High School, La Mesa CA Latino grad in a 6-week College Algebra summer class at Grossmont College, which meets from 1-3:50 pm from Monday-Thursday. The first quiz is this Friday – and although students can retake quizzes and exams once, this student is in the dark with regards to the learning culture, neither knowing what it means to have a mindset for learning (the most important part!) nor knowing how to effectively approach the learning!
How is this possible? At this very crucial moment when he is beginning his college studies with goals and dreams, he is left to succeed/be traumatized through trial and error in the dark in an accelerated summer class. How effective will the school’s support services be in this case, and truthfully how long will it take for him to fall behind on his way to failing the class? How common is this scenario each term across higher education, especially for first-generation college students? Yet, how would this be different if he had been introduced to the learning culture with a simple “learning culture card” (sample shown below) when he first applied to the college?
But this is the start of yet another learning culture success story because this young scholar, with great potential, is my extended family nephew, and we met at my home after his first class. With a sense of urgency, I directed him to immediately complete the training videos for Parts I-III and begin applying the learning culture in his summer class. I also gave him copies of the learning culture displays to help guide him, and I gifted him a copy of Turning on the Lights for him to use as a detailed reference to complement the training videos. We will also check-in weekly to track his progress and make necessary adjustments. This will be an “on-the-job training” experience for him, but he is on his way to success, and I will provide a complete learning culture “training day” later this summer (after his class ends) for him and other nieces/nephews of mine who will begin their college studies this fall.
Yet this is another reminder that the “system” is failing to make the learning culture explicit for students. “Business as usual” is unacceptable because students are being traumatized in the dark. Higher education leaders must be “student-centered” and have the urgency to turn on the lights to empower students with the learning culture when they begin their college studies. The learning culture revolution has begun at turning-on-the-lights.com. There is no longer a reason for any student to remain in the dark with regards to the culture for learning which exists in every institution of higher education. Thank you for sharing. Revolutionaries are invited to take this revolution wherever it is needed!
PART 2
Sharing educational wealth: An update for the Grossmont College (GC) summer experience!
In my LinkedIn post on June 10th (tinyurl.com/bevk2urw), I shared the “first day” story of the 2025 Helix High School, La Mesa CA Latino grad who is taking a 6-week College Algebra summer class at GC, yet he began in the dark with regards to the learning culture, neither knowing what it means to have a mindset for learning (the most important part!) nor knowing how to effectively approach the learning! Plus, the accelerated summer class has 6 weekly quizzes (which can be taken twice, if needed), 2 tests, and 1 final exam.
Fortunately, because this young scholar, with great potential, is my extended family nephew, we met at my home to “introduce” him to the learning culture after his first class, and we had our second check-in this past Monday. However, his “on-the-job training” experience got off to a rough start with 50% first-quiz scores on both tries, and he lacked the sense of urgency to complete and apply the learning culture training that I prescribed – this won’t happen again, and I walked him through the Bullet Point Reading strategy which must be completed to come to class prepared.
I’m expecting significant progress for our next check-in; however, this is not about GC – how common is this scenario each term across higher education, especially for first-generation college students, with students left to succeed/be traumatized through trial and error in the dark? How does this align with the school’s strategic plan?
I enjoyed an outstanding Research-to-Practice Clinic virtual presentation today, by Elizabeth Meza, Ph.D. of the University of Washington/Community College S-STEM Network and Dean Renuka Prabhakar of Everett Community College, on “creating a sense of belonging for STEM success,” which identified various forms of belonging, including Classroom Centered, Disciplinary, Practical, Transfer-oriented, and Cultural. Yet, what “belonging” is being created in my nephew’s case? None!
His experience continues to serve as a reminder that the “system” is failing to make the learning culture explicit for students. “Business as usual” is unacceptable because students are being traumatized in the dark. Higher education leaders must be “student-centered” and have the urgency to turn on the lights to empower students with the learning culture when they begin their college studies. The learning culture revolution has begun at turning-on-the-lights.com. There is no longer a reason for any student to remain in the dark with regards to the culture for learning which exists in every institution of higher education. Thank you for sharing. Revolutionaries are invited to take this revolution wherever it is needed!
PART 3
Sharing educational wealth: An essential question for higher education leaders – is your institution an Enrollment Model, a.k.a. business as usual, or is it a Success Model, which uses learning culture to increase student success?
Now it’s personal! I’ve chronicled my nephew’s Grossmont College summer experience in a 6-week College Algebra class after graduating from Helix High School, La Mesa CA. He was allowed to enroll and begin in the “dark” with regards to the learning culture, including 1) having a mindset for learning (most important part!), and 2) knowing how to approach the learning, before I directed him to complete the online learning culture training (see Day 1 post tinyurl.com/bevk2urw), then he failed the week 1 quiz with a 50% score because he self-sabotaged and lacked the sense of urgency to complete and apply the learning culture training that I prescribed (see Week 2 post tinyurl.com/mjrsbrd). The class ended last week, but he learned from his Week 1 mistakes. He used the learning culture to take control of his learning and earn a “B” grade with an 84% overall score! I’m very proud of him. Empowered with the learning culture, he is now poised to excel in his fall classes on his way to transferring in engineering, but this would not happen if he was allowed to continue being traumatized in the dark.
The criteria is simple: Are your students in the dark when they begin their college studies? If yes, then (congratulations!) your institution, like Grossmont College, is an Enrollment Model! In your students’ darkest moments in classes, while being traumatized, what is the meaning of recognitions and awards (i.e., The Aspen Institute, Achieving the Dream, Excelencia in Education)? How would my nephew’s Day 1 experience be different at your school?
The learning culture is educational wealth, and it must be the foundation on which student success is built starting from Day 1 when they begin their college studies, yet it is a hidden curriculum – especially for first-generation college students, and it is implied at best, which leaves students to learn it in a piecemeal fashion in the dark through trial and error. In a Success Model, the learning culture must be explicit through matriculation, student services and classes, but higher education leaders must be “student-centered” and have the urgency to turn on the lights to empower students! (If there is still any doubt, then ask my nephew!) The learning culture revolution has begun at turning-on-the-lights.com. There is no longer a reason for any student to remain in the dark with regards to the culture for learning which exists in every institution of higher education. Thank you for sharing. Revolutionaries are invited to take this revolution wherever it is needed!
