Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

School Counselor: Laura Barros and Thien Do

Target Audience: 11th graders
Mindsets & Behaviors: M3: Sense of belonging in the school environment
(limit of three)
B-Ls 7: Identify long- and short-term academic, career, and
social/emotional goals.
Lesson 1 Of 1

Learning Objective(s)/Competency
Students will:
Students will memorize what an HBCU is and some basic facts on HBCUs.
Students will:
Identify where to find information on HBCUs, their applications, and
financial aid opportunities.
Materials:
● Computer
● Presentation
● Student cell phone/laptop/other technology

Evidence Base:
✔ Best Practice
✔ Research-Informed
✔ Evidence-Based
Procedure: Describe how you will:
Introduce: ● We will introduce ourselves and give a brief overview (Ex: “Hello
everyone and welcome to our workshop! We are Ms. Barros and
Mr. Do and we are your school counselors. In this virtual
workshop we will be discussing Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, or HBCUs, as well as providing you with resources on
these schools”)
Communicate ● “Today we will go over what HBCUs are and their history, as well
Lesson Objective: as how to apply to HBCUs and what financial aid opportunities
are available.”

Teach Content:
The following content will be taught by facilitators: (20 minutes)

● What is an HBCU?
○ Tier III of the Higher Education Act of 1965
■ Facilitator will introduce the follow quote from Tier
III of the Higher Education Act of 1965: “…any
historically black college or university that was
established prior to 1964, whose principal mission
was, and is, the education of black Americans, and
that is accredited by a nationally recognized
accrediting agency or association determined by
the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable
authority as to the quality of training offered or is,
according to such an agency or association, making
reasonable progress toward accreditation.”

● History of HBCUs
○ HBCUs were established in the US in the 19th century, to
provide undergraduate and graduate level educational
opportunities to Black students.
○ Black students faced a lack of higher education
opportunities due to the fact that they were unwelcome
at existing public and private institutions of higher
education (IHEs).
○ In 1837 in Pennsylvania, Richard Humphreys established
what is now known as Cheyney University, making it the
oldest HBCU in the United States. Cheyney University’s
mission was to teach free African Americans the skills
necessary for employment, as well as reading, writing,
basic math, religion, and industrial arts.
○ The majority of HBCUs were created in between the years
1865-1900.
■ The most was in 1867, two years after the
Emancipation Proclamation
○ Today, 89% of all existing HBCUs are located in the South.
○ Jim Crow, inadequate funding, deferred maintenance, and
accreditation issues have been challenges faced by HBCUs
over the years.
 ○ Facilitator will show the following video

● About HBCUs
○ There are 101 HBCUs across the nation.
■ 90 of these are four-year public or private colleges,
while 11 are two-year community colleges.
○ 9% of all Black college students attend an HBCU.
○ Enrollment at HBCUs can range from 300 to over 11,000
students.
○ HBCUs play a critical role in the American system of higher
education
■ For most of America’s history, African Americans
seeking a college education could only get it from
an HBCU
○ Student population facts:
■ 52% are first generation students
■ 71% of students are classified as low-income
and/or are awarded Pell Grants
■ 94% of students are awarded some form of
financial aid
○ Reasons Why Students Choose HBCUs:
■ Quality education
● HBCUs are responsible for 22% of current
bachelor’s degrees granted to Black
students. In 2013, HBCUs generated 25
percent of all bachelor’s degrees in STEM
fields earned by African Americans and
awarded 14 percent of all African American
engineering degrees.
■ Provides a supportive environment
● Mirrors reflect your culture and allow you
to build your identity, windows show you a
glimpse into someone else’s perspective.
● Students are surrounded by many people
with similar backgrounds and cultural
experiences. They experience a unique
community of support and understanding
among students and faculty. This doesn’t
mean a restricted cultural experience, as
HBCUs and HSIs (Hispanic-serving
institutions) educate students of all races,
ethnicities and cultures from around the
 world.
■ Affordability
● Scholarships → the UNCF provides
scholarships to 60,000 students.
● About 75% of students at HBCUs rely on
Pell Grants, and about 13% rely on PLUS
loans.
■ Alumni Support and Networking
● HBCUs and HSIs have strong alumni
associations that provide students and
alumni with support and networking
opportunities to help develop your future
career.

● Among African Americans, the following represents HBCU

graduates:
○ 40% Members of Congress
○ 12.5% CEO’s
○ 40% Engineers
○ 50% Professors at Non-HBCUs
○ 50% Lawyers
○ 80% Judges

● HBCU Week
○ The mission of HBCU Week is to encourage high-school
aged youth to enroll into HBCU’s, provide scholarship
dollars for matriculation and sustain a pipeline for
employment from undergraduate school to corporate
America.
○ The most impactful week during HBCU Week is the HBCU
College Fair
○ September 22-26, 2020
○ Facilitator will go over activities in this link

● Resources
○ List of HBCUs By State
 ■ Facilitator will share this link with students and
briefly go over the list.
○ Scholarships Opportunities for HBCU
Students
■ Facilitator will share this link with students, briefly
go over the list of scholarships, and click on one of
the scholarships to provide a demonstration of
how to access the application.
○ HBCU Rankings
■ Facilitator will share this link with students and
briefly go over content.
○ Common Black College Application
■ Facilitator will share this link with students and go
over how to apply to HBCUs using the Common
Black College Application.

Practice Content: Facilitators will give students time to go to the shared links and bookmark
these onto their laptop, tablet, and/or cell phone (2-3 minutes).

Summarize: “Some important points to take away today are:

● HBCUs can vary in type and enrollment numbers
● HBCUs provide students with a supportive environment
● HBCUs are very affordable and there are a variety of financial aid
opportunities available
● HBCUs have alumni networks to support the post-grad job search
● Use the Common Black College Application to apply to HBCUs

Now, let’s do a fun Kahoot!

Link to Kahoot
(3-5 minutes)

Close: “Remember, we are available Monday-Friday from 7:30am to 4:00pm to

assist with any questions or other needs you may have. We hope to see
you again soon!” (1 minute)

Data Collection Plan – For multiple lessons in a unit, this section only need be completed once
Participation Data: 
Anticipated number 500
of students:
Planned length of ~30 minutes
lesson(s):
Mindsets & Behaviors Data:
▪ Pre-test administered before first lesson
▪ Post-test administered after lesson (if standalone) or after last lesson of unit/group session 
▪ Pre-/post-assessment attached:
Link to Pretest
Link to Posttest
Outcome Data: (choose one)
✔Achievement (describe):
● A: % of acceptances to an HBCU

● A: Check-in data from Aeries

● AR: % of African American students that completed college prep requirements

● AR: Attendance rate

Attendance (describe):

Discipline (describe):