Equity Initiatives: Struggles of the Latino

StudentTeachers Teaching Teachers

January 15, 2010

Questions for Personal Reflection

On your note card, please record answers to this question &

statement:

1. Who or what motivated you to attend this session?

2. Write down 3 words on how your students would describe you.

“They are lazy. It is mostly the students fault because they are not paying attention.”

“They don’t think they can make it. Their family didn’t finish school so they don’t think they will either.”

“People say they don’t know what it is. One girl took her Mexican flag and someone told her they were going to burn it someday.”

What is Equity Initiatives?

A Steering Committee formed in September, 2009, to identify district goals which could be implemented in the classroom; these goals focused on enhancing the present academic and future successes of our Latino population.

HOPES AND DREAMS: CALL TO ACTION

The Steering Committee created a listing of “Hopes and Dreams” that might be implemented one day.

Take a moment to look them over with us on the following slides.

HOPES AND DREAMS OF EI

Have a paid translator for written school documents

Improve graduation rates

Make education a top priority – of students Improve relationships/communication with

parents – Listen to them

Create effective ways to educate bilingual students

HOPES AND DREAMS

Become more culturally responsive

Students feel ownership in school

Students acculturation continues to grow

Encourage community groups/members to get involved as role models (similar to Big Brother and Big Sister)

Access to resources (i.e. make students aware of academic resource centers, opportunities

Have our group be a good liaison to share knowledge w/colleagues

Student led initiatives

We continue to grow in our abilities to effectively identify barriers (i.e. surveys, etc.)

EQUITY= All disenfranchised students; consider other races and learning profiles

We need administrative support

We need to see the data – fail/success

Volunteers from the community for Parent-Teacher conferences

Get parents to attend Parent-Teacher conferences

Parents need to know expectations of classroom performance

Understanding the difference between social and academic language difficulties/challenges

Paid community liaison

Early identification of students’ needs

Reach out to the community culturally to draw families into academic importance

College opportunities for Latinos – communicate!

Systemized way for academically successful students to help less successful students – have a resource room for Latino students

Students who are disenfranchised would see school as a safe haven, a place to excel

Address racial/cultural issues

Staff needs to continue to deepen our understandings of working with the Latino community.

Families need to know that it is okay to interact with the teacher. – We need to increase our “marketing” of this information to the Latino community.\

Need to get information about what is being done out to staff about Conexiones (Latino Parent Open House).

Vital Statistics ( Data per 2009 District Report Card)

Central North

# of Students Enrolled 1266 1442

Percentage Hispanic and multi-racial 15% 20.2%

Graduation Rate of Latino students 97.1% 52.7%

Low Income 9% 11.2%

Mobility Rate 4% 17.5%

Percentage of Overall Student Accomplishments on PSAE

School Reading Math Science

Score Ranges

1 2 3 4 1 2 4 1 2 3 4

GCHS 3 52 42 3 19 55 26 0 10 55 32 0

GNHS 15 56 28 2

17 43 39 2 15 50 33 3.2

Latino Students Junior Scores

PSAE REPORT CARD FINDINGS FOR JUNIOR CLASS ~Economically Disadvantaged (Free Lunch Program)

School Reading Math Science

Score Ranges

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

GCHS 0 44 48 8 4 52 40 4 12 36 40 2

GNHS 22 53 19 5.6 14 61 17 8 14 61 19 6

1. Academic Warning 3. Meets Standard2. Below Standard 4. Exceeds Standards

Latino Juniors Enrollment

Class # Students % Students

Total 52

Prep English 12 23.1%Reg English 29 55.8%Hon English 7 13.5%

ESL 3 5.8%

Vital Statistics

Of the 29 Latino students in Regular English during their junior year, roughly 11 students (38%) did not adequately pass Junior English.

Only 18 students received a C or higher in the class.

Similar trends were seen in the freshmen and sophomore English classes.

Students with D or F in English

Class Percent

Freshmen: 25%Sophomore 29%Juniors 38%Seniors 5%

Equity Initiatives Meet LSU

November 19th, the Equity Initiatives Steering Committee met with the Latinos Stand Up Club to obtain their overall impression of themselves as Latino students within Grayslake North community.

What percentage of your daily life are you personally affected by race?

Modifications or accommodations on assignments and tests

Accommodations to Response• Write answers directly in test booklet• Dictate answers• Respond in home language

Accommodations to Timing/Scheduling• Allow extra assessment time• Provide breaks during testing• Administer in several sessions

Accommodations to Setting• Administer in small groups• Administer individually• Administer in separate room

Accommodation Websites

Some ideas for assisting minority students with essential course content, access these websites:

http://www.pde.state.pa.us/esl/lib/esl/Handout_2.25.2005_ACCOMMODATIONS_FOR_ELLs.doc

http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/resabout/accommodations/intro/index.html#some_typical

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