Developing a College Going Culture with Adult Learners: A Community College & CBO Partnership

Cynthia Castellon (CUNY) John Hunt (CUNY)Julie Quinton (MRNY)

NCTN ConferenceNovember 8, 2012

LaGuardia Community College• One of 7 CUNY community colleges• 17,000 credit students• 40,000 Adult & Continuing Education students

• Pre-College Academic Programs (PCAP) 500+ students per year Contextualized GED I-BEST Basic Skills for Health Careers

• Center for Immigrant Education & Training (CIET) 500+ students per year English and Civics Immigrant ESOL Family Literacy Welcome Back Center (VESOL/ I-BEST)

Make the Road New YorkOrganizational Model direct services community organizing city and state level policy advocacySize and Scope 4 community centers 11,000 dues paying “members”, 675+ adult

students per yearAdult Education Offerings ESOL with integrated civic engagement

content Citizenship preparation Pre-GED and GED in Spanish, Spanish literacy Basic computer literacy

Queens County, NYC Demographics 48% Foreign Born

27% Latino

51% of foreign born speak English “less than very well”

36% below 200% TANF poverty level

52% Latino HS drop out rate

Western Queens, NYCLatino Residents by Neighborhood (Age 25 +)

Long Island City

Jackson Heights

Elmhurst

46% without a HS diploma/GED

47% without a HS diploma/GED

46 % without a HS diploma/GED

Western Queens, NYCLatino Residents by Neighborhood (Age 25 +)

Long Island City22% earned only

a Secondary Credential

Jackson Heights22% earned only a

Secondary Credential

Elmhurst25% earned only

a Secondary Credential

National Center for Family Literacy Community College Partnership Initiative

NCFL Mission Inspire and engage families in the pursuit of

education and learning together Project Goals

Address the challenges facing non-traditional Latino college students and their families

Foster and encourage partnerships between community colleges and literacy programs to improve transitions

Broaden the availability and targeted use of NCFL toolkits

LAGCC & MRNY Project Goals

Strengthen existing post-secondary transitions services and access for students

Expand available resources for faculty and student advisors

Deepen CBO and CUNY connections Improve navigation of CUNY

application process for literacy students and their families

En Camino Modules

Modules

Resources for facilitators

www.famlit.org/free-resources/myfamilygoestocollege

How The Partnership Works

Staff coordination to share college-going and college awareness resources

Develop joint lessons to support the use of En Camino modules in ABE and ESOL classrooms

Strengthen pathways from ABE/ESOL programs to CUNY entry, including navigation of application process

Staff professional development on modules and lessons

Disseminate the use of En Camino modules at all CUNY campuses and in adult lit community

Promote intergeneration use of resources at home

Considerations for Lessons How do current students and their family

members view college? Current awareness of educational and

career pathways? Knowledge of college application process

and timelines? Interactions with community college

system? Access to internet?

Feedback from Students “Now I can help my younger sister obtain a

proper education.” “Now I know about the system of education.

This will be helpful for my family members and my kid.”

“The workshop made me think about my goals more frequently and the pathway to higher education.”

Exploring an En Camino Lesson

1. Who are the target clients, including family members outside the classroom?

2. Which college-going topics is the lesson exploring?

3. Could you implement such a lesson in your organization?

4. How would you tailor it to your populations or with your faculty?

5. What further follow-up activities would you include?

Contact Information

Cynthia Castellon ccastellon@lagcc.cuny.edu Pre-College Academic Programming www.laguardia.edu/pcap

John Hunt jhunt@lagcc.cuny.edu Center for Immigrant Education & Training www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ciet

Julie Quinton julie.quinton@maketheroadny.org Make the Road New York www.maketheroadny.org

QUESTIONS??

Workshop Survey

Please fill out your workshop feedback survey.