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CLASE

CLASEfor 2012-2013

Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education

Outlook

Reducing the Achievement Gap for Georgia’s Latino Students

Notes from the Executive Director TheCenterforLatinoAchievementandSuccessinEducation–CLASE–wascreatedin2003throughagenerousgrantfromtheGoizuetaFoundation,tosupporttheeducationalsuccessofthegrowingLatinopopulationinGeorgia.Now,theCenterhasbecomearecognizedResearchandDevelopment(R&D)centerwithmultipleresearch,professionaldevelopmentandoutreachinitiativesservingtheLatinocommunityandP-20educators. HousedwithintheUniversityofGeorgia’sCollegeofEducation(seewww.coe.uga.edu/clase),theCenter’soperationscontributetotheUniversity’scombinedmissionsofteaching,research,andoutreachastheyrelatetotheeducationofthisnewpopulation.CLASEengagesandassistsfirstandsecondgeneration,predominantlyLatino,English-learningchildrenaswellastheirparentsandeducatorsusingamultidimensionalframeworkfocusedonreducingtheacademicachievementgap,whilepromotingstrongbiculturalidentitiesandresilience,asmeanstosupportpositiveintegrationintothemajoritysociety. The“achievementgap”betweentheacademicperformanceofLatinostudentsgroupsandthatofmajoritystudentsiswelldocumented.Englishlanguagelearners(ELLs)andstudentslivinginpovertyareespeciallyvulnerable.Ifnotappropriatelyaddressedbyourschoolsandcommunities,thecontinuedgrowthandrelativelyyoungageoftheLatinopopulationacrossthecountry,coupledwiththisgroup-basedinequalityofeducationalachievementoutcomes,iscreatingconditionsthathavebeencharacterizedas“riskingthenation.”CLASE’smultilayeredresearch,developmentandoutreachinitiativepromotesthelong-termsuccessofthisatriskpopulationthroughcriticalinvestmentsineducationalprogramsandresearchthatimpactpoliciesandpracticesthatmediatethatsuccess. WeinviteyoutojoinCLASEinourongoingeffortstoreducetheachievementgapforLatinoandotherchildrenplacedatriskinGeorgiaandtheSoutheast.

AlltheBest,Dr.PedroPortes

TheGoizuetaFoundationDistinguishedChairofLatinoEducation,andExecutiveDirectorofCLASE

Center for Latino Achievement

and Success in Education

Visit our websitecoe.uga.edu/clase/

Call us(706) 542-3997

Visit usCollege of EducationUniversity of Georgia125 Aderhold HallAthens, GA 30602

Visit us on Facebook

CLASE

CLASEOutlook

for 2012-2013

ProfessionalDevelopment

DirectServicesDissemination

Researchand

Analysis

CLASE‘sinnovativemodel,conductedinclosecollaborationswithschooldistricts,communitystakeholdersandotherinstitutionsofhighereducation,includes:

1)Direct servicestoLatinostudentsintheformofmentoring/tutoringandenrichmentprograms;2)Professional DevelopmentandresourcesforK-20educators;3)Research and Analysisofbestpracticesandprojectoutcomestoreducetheachievementgap;4)Disseminationofresearchfindingsandpolicyrecommendationstolocalandnationalstakeholders.

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MentoringandTutoringbuildsbridgesbetweenUniversitystudentsandthelocalAthenscommunity.

Tutor/mentorsgivetheirtimeandknowledgetoLatinoandEnglishlanguagelearningchildren,andinreturn,theyreceiveapersonalknowledgeandunderstandingabouttheAthensLatinocommunity.Tutor/mentorsalsohelpserveasarolemodelforthechildren,offeringthemawindowintothepossibilitiesengenderedbyeducationandmakingasignificantimpactontheirlives. Generally,tutor/mentorshelpstudentsunderstandandcompletehomework;helpwithreadingskills,especiallyforelementarychildren;andalsohavetheopportunitytodolearninggameswiththestudents.Insomecases,tutorsworkwithstudentsindividually,inothercases,insmallgroups.

Tuto

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ngDeveloping Positive Cultural Identities

“The most eye-opening and rewarding of all my experiences

this semester” —CLASE Mentor

“Being a part of this community, and seeing what

positive things go on has really opened my eyes and taught me

many things” —CLASE MentorProfessional

Development

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Aspartofitsmission,CLASEhasdevelopedseveralinitiativestoprovideEnglishlanguagelearnerswiththetoolsnecessarytoapply

for,enrollin,andfinishcollege.Thisbeginsinhighschool.ThroughSALSA(SummerAcademyforLanguage,ScienceandAspirations),amajorinitiativetoreducetheachievementgapandpromoteapipelinetocollege,CLASEworkswithrising9thand10thgradehighschoolstudentsinafour-weeksummerenrichmentprogram.Thisuniquemodelcoordinatesschooldistrictanduniversitypartnershipsandfocusesonscience,academiclanguageandcollegeawarenessandaspirations.ThisinitiativeispivotalinidentifyingandencouragingfutureLatinocollegestudentsandprovidingfutureleadershipforthecommunity.Likethetutoringprogram,theSALSAprogramprovidesapipelineofsupportwhereLatinocollegestudentsassistyoungerstudentsjustdeterminingwhattheireducationalpathwillbe.TheSALSAprogramshavehadimpressiveresults.Over85%oftheSALSAstudentshavegraduatedfromhighschool(comparedtotheaverageoflessthan55%ofstudentsfromcomparabledemographics).Furthermore,over60%ofthestudentswhograduatedfromthefirstcohortarecurrentlyattendingcollege.

Inanothercollaborationwithteachersatlocalhighschools,CLASErunsanafterschoolscholarship-writingclub,whichculminatesinaweekendwritingretreat.UGAundergraduateandgraduatestudentsparticipateastutorsandmentorsforELLsandotherstudentsdraftingscholarshipandcollegeapplicationessays.CLASEalsocollaboratesinformallyandformallywithindividualLatinoundergraduateandgraduatestudentsandstudentgroupsatUGAtopromotetheirretention,academicsuccessandgraduation.

On the road to College and beyond!B

uild

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the

Pip

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“After I finished the program, I was so motivated,

I didn’t want to keep it to myself, I wanted to share it with my friends” —SALSA Student

ProfessionalDevelopment

Dissemination

Researchand

Analysis

CLASEprovidesLatino-orientedexpertise,shortandlong-termprofessionaldevelopmentandworkshopsregularlyforschools,media,communitygroups,non-profitorganizations,governmentalagencies,courts,andmore.However,akeytoCLASE’smodeltoreducingtheachievementgapistheprofessionaldevelopmentofteachers.Mostoftheeducatorsinthe“newSouth”areill-preparedtodealwiththeparticularneedsofthegrowingnumberofEnglishlanguagelearning(ELL)childrenandotherat-riskstudents,particularlyimmigrantsandchildrenofimmigrants,intheirclassrooms.Overthecourseofthelast9years,CLASEhasdevelopedmanyteacherprofessionaldevelopmentinitiatives,e.g.workshops,schoolpartnerships,andteachersummerinstitutes(includingauniquestudyabroadopportunityforteachersintegratinglanguagegoalsintoscienceinstruction).In2010,CLASEwasawardeda2.9milliondollargrantthroughtheUSDepartmentofEducation’sInstituteofEducationSciences(IES)toimplementandstudytheimpactsoftheInstructionalConversation(IC)pedagogyontheacademicsuccessofEnglishlanguagelearners.

TheICfocusesnotonlyonacademicachievement,butalsosecondlanguageacquisitionbyincreasingtherateandintensityofinteractionswithpeersandexpertteachers.Thelevelofprofessionaldevelopmentandsupportthatisbeingofferedinthisprojectisunprecedented.Afterattendingaone-weeksummerinstitutefocusingonthecognitivetheoriesbehindICandthepracticalissuesinvolvedinimplementingthispedagogyintheclassroom,teachersinthetreatmentgrouparesupportedwithcoachesandtrainersforafullacademicyear.TeachersinGeorgiawhohavebeenintroducedtothispedagogyandexperiencedthissupportreportthattheybelieveithasenabledthemtocovermorematerialinmoredepth.

CLASEhasbeenworkinginclosecollaborationwithseveralschooldistrictsacrossthestatetodevelopthisprojectwhichisinlinewiththecommoncorestandardsandwillbesustainableforsystemsandschoolsevenwhentheprojectiscompletesinceparticipationintheprojectisaninvestmentineachsystem’smostvaluableassettowardreducingtheachievementgap:theirteachers.

Pro

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t Developing the Next Generation of Educators

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ResearchandanalysisofbestpracticesandprojectoutcomesarekeytoCLASE’sinitiative.Inadditiontoconductinglong-termquantitativeandqualitativeanalysesofCLASE’sprofessionaldevelopmentanddirectinterventionstomeasureprogram

impacts,theCenterisresearchinganddisseminatingbest-practicesshowntobeeffectivetoclosetheachievementgapforLatinosandotherstudentsplacedatrisk.

InadditiontotheresearchontheInstructionalConversationpedagogyintheclassroom,CLASEisinvestigatingtheimpactsofitstutoringandSALSAprogramsandisconductingalongitudinalstudyontheculturaladaptationofLatinostudentsP-20.Facultyandgraduatestudentsregularlypresentandpublishonrelatedresearchandpolicyissues.CentraltotheresearchagendaisthemodellaidoutbytheExecutiveDirector,Dr.Portesinhis2005bookDismantling Educational Inequality: A Cultural-Historical Approach to Closing the Achievement Gap.In2011,Dr.PortespublishedaneditedvolumegivingcontemporaryperspectivesonCultural Historical theory entitled: Vygotsky in the 21st Century Society: Advances in Cultural Historical Theory and Practice with Non-dominant Communities.Portes’sinterestscenteronlinkingprimarypreventionpracticestohumandevelopmentwithinacultural-contextperspective,improvingteacherandcounseloreducation,andeducationalpolicy.CLASE’sresearchandpolicyimpactsincludeaconsistentstreamofrequestsforresearch,academicpresentations,andpublicationsthathelpdocumentandextendourwork.

Investigating Best Practices to Close the Gap

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ProfessionalDevelopment

DirectServicesDissemination

“We believe that education is the key to our nation’s success and we are

committed to finding a path that ensures educational equity for all”

—Pedro R. Portes

Policyrecommendationstolocal,regionalandnationalstakeholdersareanaturalfollow-uptothedirectinterventionandresearchcomponentsofthemodelandhelpto“getthewordout”aboutthefindingsofourandothers’work.CLASE

presentsresearchfindingsanddisseminates“what’sworking”atnational,regionalandlocalconferencesandvenues.Additionally,CLASEhascollaboratedandco-sponsoredprogramswithorganizationssuchasNLERAP,MALDEF,theHispanicScholarshipFund,TheWhiteHouseInitiative,theMexicanconsulate,HACU,USGPartners,theSEF,theGeorgiaDepartmentofEducation,areaRESAsandtheLatinAmericanAssociationinforgingapolicyagendaforstudentsplacedatrisk.Forinstance,CLASEhasco-producedaseriesofDVDandonlineresourcesforhealthandriskcommunicatorstoreachimmigrantaudiences.CLASEalsomaintainsawebpageandlist-servesreachingsome500educators,policy-makers,andothers,throughwhichresources,information,andopportunitiesrelatedtoeducationofLatinoandimmigrantstudentsareshared.

InOctober2009,CLASEorganizedandhostedtheFirstTriennialConferenceonLatinoEducationandImmigrantIntegration,bringingtogetherresearchers,practitionersandpolicy-makersfromacrossthecountry.Theconferencefocusedonissuesofpolicyandresearchrelatedtoimmigrationandeducation,andhelpedsetthepolicyandresearchagendarelatedtoimmigrantintegration,anddisseminatetheserecommendations.Oneproductoftheconference,aneditedvolumewithresearchandpolicyrecommendationsregardingLatinoeducation,isscheduledtocomeoutinthespringof2013.

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CLASE’s initiatives have received grants and support from:

• USDepartmentofEducation’sInstituteforEducationSciences(IES)• UGACollegeofEducationandtheUniversitySystemofGeorgia• TheGoizuetaFoundation• CompuCreditFoundation• HomeDepotFoundation,andothers

Become part of the solution by becoming a CLASE sponsor!

CLASEisseekingsupportfortheabovemodelsthroughcorporateandindividualdonations,giftsandsponsorships.WeinviteyoutojoinusinoureffortstoreducetheachievementgapforLatinoandotherstudentsplacedatrisk.ChecksshouldbemadepayabletoUGA FoundationandyoushouldwriteCLASEinthememoportionofyourcheck.UsingtheenvelopeprovidedastheinsertinthispublicationwillassistinmakingsureyourcontributionisdepositedintothecorrectUGA-CLASEaccount.

Annual & Planned Giving SocietiesOngoing and sustained giving ensures that UGA’s needs are addressed by private support. These programs recognize donors who support UGA through annual gifts of $1000 or more

The Presidents Club • $1000+TheUniversityrecognizesmajordonorstotheFoundationwithmembershipinThePresidentsClub. Founders FoundingMembersofThePresidentsClubarealumniandfriendswhojoinedduringthefirst20yearsofitsexistence.FoundingmemberssupportedtheUniversityofGeorgiaFoundationwithagiftofatleast$10,000overa10-yearperiodoracommitmentofatleast$25,000throughaplannedgift.Benefactors Annualgift:$10,000oraboveFellows Annualgift:$5,000-$9,999Partners Annualgift:$2,500orabove

*An enhanced President’s Club level, University Partners are individuals whose annual gifts to UGA total $2,500 or greater and support the President’s Venture Fund in total or in part. **University of Georgia faculty and staff (current and retired) may join the Partners program at a reduced level of $1,500 in annual support with at least $500 designated to the President’s Venture Fund. Associates Annualgift:$1,000-$4,999

CLASE FriendsAnnualgift:$100-$999

Inadditiontolevel-specificbenefits,AllCLASEsponsorswillbeacknowledgedandlistedontheCLASEwebsiteunderthecorrespondingsponsorshiplevel.Youwillbeprovidedwithayear-endreport,recognitioninthecommunityatevents,notificationandinvitationstosponsoredevents,andtheconfidenceofknowingthatyourcontributionwillonlybeusedtofurtherCLASEinitiativestoreducetheachievementgap.

IfyouareinterestedinbecomingaCLASEsponsor,contactPaulaMellomatpjmellom@uga.eduorAldonKnightataknight@uga.edu.

Center for Latino Achievement

and Success in Education

Visit our websitecoe.uga.edu/clase/

Call us(706) 542-3997

Visit usCollege of EducationUniversity of Georgia125 Aderhold HallAthens, GA 30602

Visit us on Facebook

CLASE

CLASEOutlook

for 2012-2013