Educator Campaign Document

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Latino Youth-Teacher Support

2014

The Educator Campaign

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© Youth Discovery Inc 2014, All Rights Reserved

License given at no charge, upon request, for local implementation

Rights reserved for nationwide fundraising

You might want to take a look at the documents: Educator Campaign Quick Summary, and The Latino Initiative Description.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. i

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1

The Campaigns…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

The Educator Campaign…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3

Next Steps and Implementation………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6

 

Executive Summary 

The Latino Initiative is a comprehensive campaign by Youth Discovery Inc, a Cache Valley non-profit, meant to serve minority and low-income students in the Cache Valley area so they may reach their highest potential.

Our Vision

It is Youth Discovery Inc’s vision to make use of local connections and resources to provide academic, financial, networking, engagement, guidance, and service opportunities to the minority and low-income populations of Cache Valley. Our vision includes engaging not only students, but parents, the community, and educators in a movement that empowers participants to envision and build inter-generational and inter-cultural chains of knowledge and support that will strengthen ties throughout Cache Valley and carry our community into a future where all students are achieving their highest potential. Once we have made the Latino Initiative successful in Cache Valley, we envision propagating the Initiative to all universities in Utah and in the United States.

The Challenge

Utah’s minority and low-income students are under-performing in education and career preparedness:

  • Their test scores are an average of 25 percentage points lower than their peers[1]
  • An average of 35% drop out before high school graduation[2]
  • Of those who do enter post-secondary education, an average of only 10% graduate annually[3]
  • Nationally, only 7% of all graduate degrees are earned by minority or low income students[4]
  • Nationally, of all demographic groups, they are the least likely to obtain managerial or professional employment 4 

The Goals

The primary aim of the Latino Initiative is to increase minority and low-income student post-secondary school graduation rates. To do this we need to:

  • Close the academic achievement gap.
  • Encourage student identity development and motivation.
  • Educate students on the availability of financial aid and motivate them to apply.
  • Provide post-secondary education information and opportunities.
  • Provide life skills guidance.

The Solution

The Latino Initiative is a comprehensive program that will address multiple causes of minority and low-income student under-achievement with a set of four parallel campaigns:

  • The Student Campaign
  • The Parent Campaign
  • The Community Campaign
  • The Educator Campaign

The Strategy

The Latino Initiative is a long-term plan for the personal growth and success of minority and low-income populations within Cache Valley.  The partnering organizations behind the Latino Initiative recognize that not every program and goal listed in this proposal will be immediately realized.  Instead, the partnering organizations plan to begin implementation of the Latino Initiative by selecting a few of the highest-priority programs within each of the four campaigns listed below.  Various schools and departments of the university will be invited to lead out on campaign programs that fall within their interest and expertise. The short-term goal, to be achieved in the next one to three years, will be to create and/or perfect the selected high-priority programs.  Once those successful building blocks are in place, The Latino Initiative will have a foundation that will support its full growth and effectiveness.  Implementation is estimated to be a continuous on-going process, with nearly full implementation completed by 2027. Nevertheless, as soon as the concepts are proven, there will be assignments made to transmit the success of the Initiative to other schools in Utah, starting with the Wasatch Front.

The Campaigns

Youth Discovery Inc has developed four targeted campaigns:  the Student Campaign, the Parent Campaign, the Community Campaign, and the Educator Campaign.  Each campaign’s efforts are aimed at a unique Cache Valley population, and all are intended to run concurrently with one another.

The Educator Campaign

Educators shape the future of humanity, providing students with the academic and social skills that they will need as future citizens and professionals.  The Educator Campaign will help educators to acquire the skills and resources that they need to fulfill this monumental task.

The Challenge

Many schools across Utah are underfunded.  They cannot afford to hire enough teachers to keep student-to-teacher ratios low, they cannot afford to hire certified teachers, they cannot provide teachers with professional development opportunities, and they are unaware of existing programs to help minority and low-income students.  Where they are aware of such programs, they may not have the funding to implement or continue these programs.  Most of these funding-related challenges affect every student in a school.  However, minority and low-income students are more affected by these challenges than other student groups.

The Goals

The Educator Campaign will encourage and/or create cost-free solutions such as volunteer assistant teachers, educator trainings, and fundraising efforts that will improve the education experiences of every student in participating schools.  The specific aims of the Educator Campaign are to:

  • Train educators to close the achievement gap experienced by minority and low-income students;
  • Train educators on how to motivate minority and low-income students;
  • Increase educators’ awareness of resources to help the minority and low-income student population;
  • Increase awareness among educators of volunteer systems that can help in educational tasks;
  • Expand programs in schools that are successfully addressing the needs of students; and
  • Develop additional programs in schools that address any unmet needs of minority and low-income students as such needs are identified.

The Solution

The Latino Initiative partners have identified a list of businesses, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and other organizations that would be able to effectively serve as a resource to the minority and low-income community.  They have further created a framework for new programs that would target the needs of the minority and low-income community described above.

1.  Expansions of Existing Programs

The following organizations will be enlisted to play a role in expanding their current programs to meet the needs of the Educator Campaign:

Cache County School District (You for Youth)

Logan School District

Pasco Hernando Community College Educator Preparation Institute

Utah State Office of Education

Utah State University

  • Maria Spicer-Escalante, Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies
  • Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Resources
  • Sharilee Griffiths, Cooperative Extension, 4-H

2.  Potential New Campaign Programs

(a)  Volunteer Assistant Teacher Recruitment Program

During Parent and Community Campaign events, parents, community members, and college students will be recruited and trained to serve as assistant teachers. Assistant teachers provide positive, educational role models that students can identify with and increase the amount of individual help and mentoring that students receive in a classroom. They also reduce the workload of teachers while providing parents ways to become more involved in students’ education.

(b)  Teacher Training Program

The Latino Initiative partners will encourage the hiring of certified teachers. However, in schools that can only afford uncertified teachers, the Latino Initiative partners will provide teachers with a workshop series to help them be the best that they can be. Workshops will cover:

  1. Classroom Management:  Teachers will be given tips on how to encourage students to behave and avoid bad life choices (gangs, substance abuse, and pregnancy).
  1. Lesson Plan Design: Teachers will be taught how to present information so that different types of students can better understand what is being taught (for example, how to help students learning English to better understand lessons using visuals). They will learn how to plan lessons that set high expectations for students and help close the achievement gap for students that are behind. Finally, they will learn how to plan lessons that encourage students to think critically, investigate ideas independently, work cooperatively, and use technology.

(c)  Educator Workshop Series

The Latino Initiative partners will offer all teachers a series of workshops on:

  1. Engaging and Motivating Diverse Student Populations. Teachers and counselors of all backgrounds will learn about the special challenges that minority and low-income students and families face. They will learn specific techniques for connecting with these students and improving their motivation to study. Finally, they will learn specific techniques for reaching out to their parents to make them feel welcomed and get them more involved in the classroom.
  2. Providing Post-Secondary Education and Financial Aid Guidance. Teachers and counselors will be given tips on how to help these students to see post-secondary education as a goal that they can achieve. They will be trained on how to help students decide on and enter career-paths, majors, and colleges/vocational schools (including how to prepare for the ACT). They will be trained on how to help students look for internships and jobs (including interview and resume writing skills). Finally, they will be trained on how to help students complete the FAFSA, and search for other financial aid opportunities.
  3. Community Resources. Teachers and counselors will learn about the existing resources for minority and low-income students and families in their local area. They will be trained on how to make students and families more aware of these resources and how to encourage them to be participants and volunteers in these programs.
  4. Building Collaborations and Continuing Professional Development. Teachers and counselors will learn tips on how to work with other educators and professionals to find more resources for their classrooms and solutions for school- and district-wide issues. They will also learn about organizations and programs that can help them to continue to learn new and improved ways to teach and mentor students.
  5. Post-Secondary Training.  Faculty and instructors in post-secondary education will be provided the opportunities to obtain additional training and opportunities that will allow them to act as mentors to minority and low-income students.

(d)  Program Sustainability Develop a Program to Assist Schools in Finding, Implementing, and Maintaining

The Latino Initiative partners will:

  1. Identify additional educator professional development programs;
  2. Inform schools of existing programs that can help minority and low-income students;
  3. Provide logistical support (e.g. volunteers, institutional knowledge, etc.) to schools seeking to implement or improve existing programs;
  4. Seek funding for the implementation and maintenance of existing programs in the form of grants, sponsorships, and fundraisers;
  5. Encourage schools to hire the most qualified and passionate professionals;
  6. Establish a long-term support organization that will continue to assist schools with volunteers, training, and programs; and
  7. Facilitate the creation and logistics of a new program where an unmet need has been identified, and a new program would serve that need.

New programs and funding can address any unmet needs, and will help United States education to continue to improve.

Next Steps and Implementation 

Youth Discovery Inc’s Latino Initiative is among the most comprehensive plans in Utah – and possibly the nation – to increase minority, low-income and whole community achievement.  However, planning is only the first phase.  Youth Discovery Inc will begin implementation of the Latino Initiative in June 2014.

With a comprehensive plan in place, Youth Discovery Inc has determined the next steps, which will eventually lead to full implementation of The Latino Initiative.

  1. Present the Latino Initiative Business Plan to the Utah State University Division of Student Services.
    1. It is hoped that USU will formally commit to becoming the Latino Initiative’s first university partner, working to expand, improve, and create post-secondary resources as well as partnering with K-12 resources.
    2. It is hoped that USU will formally commit to aiding the Latino Initiative to gather partners, volunteers, and funding.
    3. USU will be provided with the opportunity to suggest revisions and additions to this document before providing formal commitments.
    4. It is hoped that USU will finalize all formal commitments by August 5, 2014.
    5. It is hoped that upon confirmation of formal commitments, a group of USU staff and/or faculty will formally collaborate with a group of Youth Discovery Inc staff to create a detailed list of actions with specific deadlines necessary to begin implementation of the Latino Initiative in August 2014.  These groups shall hereafter be referred to as The Implementation Committee.
    6. It is hoped that The Implementation Committee will meet and begin to work on implementation of the Latino Initiative by the beginning of August 2014.
    7. It is hoped that one of the specific actions decided upon by The Implementation Committee will be a goal to raise $250,000 or more from local business for the Latino Initiative within six months of implementation.
  2. Identify and approach other potential K-12, non-profit, faith-based, governmental, and for-profit partners.
    1. It is hoped that these entities will formally commit to providing specific resources (e.g. classes, workshops or funding) as outlined in the Latino Initiative Business Plan.
    2. Information on each partner shall be incorporated in a revised version of the Latino Initiative Business Plan and collected in a new resource book that will be distributed throughout Cache Valley (see Section 2(b) of the Community Campaign, supra).
    3. It is hoped that the details and timelines for each of these activities will be decided upon and implemented by The Implementation Committee.
  3. Work with all partners to facilitate the expansion or creation of programs starting in August 2014.
    1. Logistical and fundraising support will be offered to all K-16 educational institutions wishing to expand or begin The Latino Initiative programs.
    2. Workshop and professional development resources will be developed.
    3. Recruitment for The Latino Initiative participants and volunteers will take place.
    4. A system for The Latino Initiative data and analyses will be developed and implemented.  This system will include a community council representative of Cache Valley’s population that will provide guidance on Latino Initiative implementation and continual improvement.
    5. It is hoped that the details and timelines for these activities will be decided upon and implemented by The Implementation Committee
  4. Summary
    1. Utah State University will review, offer suggested revisions for, and formally commit to the Latino Initiative.
    2. The Implementation Committee will be fully operational by the end of August 2014.
    3. The Implementation Committee will develop a list of potential partners and a protocol/schedule for approaching these potential partners.
    4. The Implementation Committee will develop a list of other immediate steps necessary for implementation (for example, fundraising) and a protocol/schedule for successfully completing these steps.
    5. The Implementation Committee will help form a permanent structure to administer the Latino Initiative once it has been established and codified.
    6. The Implementation Committee will help form a community council representative of Cache Valley’s population to provide continual guidance on the Latino Initiative’s implementation and improvement.

Together, we can ensure that Cache Valley remains a great place for all of its residents to live, and serve as an example to the rest of the United States.

Click Here for the complete document: The Latino Initiative

[1] Lambert, J. Utah State Office of Education, (2009).Achievement gap. Retrieved from website: http://www.schools.utah.gov/data/Educational-Data/Assessments-Student-Achievement/ScienceGapData.aspx

[2] Utah State Office of Education, (2011). Cohort graduation and dropout rate by district and school: Class of 2011. Retrieved from website: http://www.schools.utah.gov/data/Educational-Data/Graduation-Dropout-Rates/FinalCohortGrad2011b.aspx

[3] Complete College America. (2011). Utah 2011- complete college America report. Retrieved from http://www.completecollege.org/docs/Utah.pdf

[4] Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). Labor force statistics from the current population survey. Retrieved from website: http://www.bls.gov/cps/demographics.htm