Education Update

United Way Education Impact Committee

Notes from 2/25/10.

Attendees: Jim Corrigan, Dr. Richard McDowell, Gary Owen, Heather Palermo, Hugh Smith, Drew Uecker, Becky Fisher Timmons, Lew Card, Char Bunker, Sue Warren, Tina Cubbage, Liz Lee and Ann Janikula.

After introductions, Gary briefly reviewed the committee’s work and previous meetings reviewing United Way Worldwide’s education goals, indicators and initiatives. 

Gary introduced Sue Warren and asked her to give an overview of activities at the GF Early Learning Family Center. 

• Sue explained that the effort had started approximately 5 years ago and was originally focused on mental health issues facing pre school children.
• One goal of the center was to house comprehensive services in one facility to serve families with children ages birth – 6.
• There are currently 2 classrooms with approximately 17 total students, all 4 &5 year olds and mostly from the Whittier and Longfellow areas. 
• Headstart is also present and Early Headstart will begin offering classes in mid-March.
• Quality Life Concepts will be there, along with parenting classes
• The main goals of the effort are to strengthen families, engage the community, provide care during early childhood and education.

 

Gary then gave some background on looking at how to impact the academic achievement of low income and Native American students in our community.  He had distributed materials on “Schools of Hope” an initiative used in Madison, WI to close the racial achievement gap.  He introduced Tina Cubbage, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters, to brief the committee on her organization’s work.

• BBBS has both a community and school-based mentoring program.
• Currently in 7 elementary schools, mostly use high school students to mentor and focus half the time on academics and other half is flexible.
• Currently have more mentors than elementary mentees due to circumstances in school district.
• They also have an OJJDP grant to focus specifically on Native American.

 

Liz Lee, coordinator of the GFPS EXCEL mentoring program, updated the group on her program:

• Program was started in 2^nd semester of the 2005/2006 school year as part of a small-communities learning grant the district was awarded.
• Focuses on matching community volunteers with high school students at high risk of dropping out.
• Mentors spend one hour per week with student.
• Goals are to reduce drop out rate, increase attendance, and increase post-graduation education.
• Has served 140 students since beginning and has 50 matches this year.

 

In further discussion about the “Schools of Hope” initiative, Gary asked about the concerns people had with the concept.  Those mentioned included:

• Quality and training of tutors that could be used.
• How would we scale or manage the scope of the project?
• Possible detrimental effects of an 8-week relationship that was then ended – would high risk students feel abandoned, yet again?
• All academic focused, no balance with social needs of student.

 

Gary will offer these questions to the program leaders in WI for feedback.  An excellent point for discussion was raised regarding our intent in moving an indicator (academic achievement of low income/Native American students) versus helping children.  I really like this question – would we be wrong (or naïve) to simply state our goal is to raise the academic achievement and ignore possible outcomes of self esteem, social skills, etc of our targeted population?

It was also suggested that we should have a representative for elementary education on the committee.

Dr. McDowell also offered to the group that UGF had secured a grant to provide training for early childhood educators.  One challenge they were facing was in finding qualified instructors.

-submitted by Gary Owen

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