Category: Volunteers


April 21-27 is National Volunteer Week, a time to celebrate people doing extraordinary things through service. National Volunteer Week focuses national attention on the impact and power of volunteerism and service to help strengthen communities. Communities In Schools has nearly 70,000 volunteers across the country. Parents, business and civic leaders, mentors, tutors, board members and AmeriCorps members all give their time to support students, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Today’s blog post is by Kelly Lindberg, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer who works with Communities In Schools of Lakewood, Wash. 

I am currently the AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at Pierce College, Lakewood, Wash., where my job duties include promoting service-learning and getting students involved with the community by volunteering. I love it! It has been an amazing opportunity. I look at college students as positive role models to struggling youth, so when I was hired as a VISTA, I came into the job knowing I wanted to get college students involved with the youth in our community.

Through AmeriCorps, I came across an amazing, local organization called Communities In Schools. I met with the executive director of Communities In Schools of Lakewood, and we discussed the potential of having qualified college students, including military veterans, mentoring local youth who may be at risk. This connection had never been made before. After becoming a mentor myself, I decided to start getting the college deans, campus president and faculty involved in creating something for our students to be a part of.

As this school year is coming to an end, we will be starting a collaborative program with Communities In Schools of Lakewood and the Pierce College Fort Steilacoom campus. We will be letting college students make an impact on young student’s lives. It will be an opportunity for both the college students and the youth being mentored to learn from one another.

Our next meeting is with Communities In Schools of Puyallup, where we will hopefully establish a partnership with the Pierce College Puyallup campus. This is something that faculty and students are excited about and they are looking forward to making a difference. It’s a major accomplishment for both the college and the Communities In Schools school sites.

My term as a VISTA volunteer will be up in the fall. Working with Communities in Schools has impacted my own personal life in so many ways. I can see myself working with Communities In Schools while finishing my master’s degree. I want to send a big thank you to Communities In Schools because it truly is affecting students in the most positive way. Communities In Schools is making a change not only in younger students, but now college students as well.

 

 

Investing In What Works

Today’s blog post is by Communities In Schools President Dan Cardinali, who writes regularly for The Huffington Post. In his latest blog post, which originally ran on March 14, he argues that it’s not enough to invest money and volunteer time in school turnaround efforts if they lack evidence of effectiveness. If we truly wish to help educators turn around the lowest performing schools in America and break the cycle of poverty for millions of young people, we must focus on what is proven to work – evidence-based and rigorously evaluated programs. Let us know what you think.

Under-Performing Schools: Stop Experimenting, Start Fixing

Imagine an army of nearly 2,000 volunteers hunkering down for a three-year battle focused on rescuing 60 of America’s worst-performing schools.

That’s the vision behind School Turnaround AmeriCorps, a $15 million effort funded by the Department of Education and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). By matching up the muscle of AmeriCorps with the brains of education reformers, the School Turnaround program has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of countless disadvantaged students.

In announcing the program late last month, Wendy Spencer, the CEO of CNCS, was typically focused on national service as a solution to social problems, rather than an end in itself. “This partnership will expand the role of AmeriCorps members in helping students, teachers, parents and school administrators transform schools into models of achievement,” she said. “We welcome new ideas that will result in the same outcome: schools that are putting children on the pathway to success.”

There’s no doubt that teachers and administrators in failing schools will appreciate the extra backup provided by this new program. Lacking external supports, our poorest children come to school each day in search of food, shelter, counseling, medical care and as well as a host of academic needs. All of those things take time, leaving teachers chronically overworked and under-supported. This is something I hear over and over again in my visits to schools around the country: Every time we provide supports for struggling students, teachers and principals feel supported, too.

But as much as I want to welcome the human capital provided by School Turnaround AmeriCorps, I can’t help worrying about the human cost.

As it now stands, the new program is a grand experiment that inadvertently treats both students and volunteers as guinea pigs. Though the initial press releases tout “proven” techniques and “evidence-based” approaches, it turns out that program funding is not limited to organizations with a successful track record in dropout prevention, improved academic proficiency, school safety, family engagement and so forth. Instead, grant proposals are being solicited from any organization with the “promise of a strong theory” or a “well-specified conceptual framework.”

When you’re investing the time and effort of nearly 2,000 volunteers, I don’t believe that strong theories and conceptual frameworks are sufficient. Many AmeriCorps volunteers will be young people getting a first taste of national service, and their energy and idealism are resources that we can ill afford to squander. Give them an early sense of accomplishment, make them a part of something truly life changing and you cement their commitment to a lifetime of service. But ask them to waste their energies on an ill-conceived experiment with a vague measure of success, and you risk the early onset of soul-crushing cynicism.

As for the students, is it morally acceptable to risk their future on a theoretical framework when we already have effective interventions backed by strong evaluations and years of quality improvements?

To clarify the moral argument, imagine for a moment that your child was seriously ill: No parent with financial means would turn first to a risky medical experiment just because the treatment was free or low-cost. Rather, we’d seek out the most experienced, most successful doctors we could find in order to give our child the very best shot at a full and quick recovery. Why, then, is it acceptable to subject the poorest children in the lowest-performing schools to a $15 million series of educational experiments, when proven “treatments” are readily available?

I understand that innovation doesn’t happen without experimentation, and I’m a firm believer in new approaches for solving intractable problems. But smart experiments are generally small experiments, designed to limit the fallout of a potential failure. When the stakes are higher and the scope is wider, that’s the time to stick with what works.

Organizations like the Minnesota Reading Corps and others have spent years developing evidence based and rigorously evaluated programs that are ready today to use National Service volunteers to extend their impact. Their results are impressive and their data unimpeachable. For the sake of both the volunteers and the children they seek to help, we should demand that programs such as School Turnaround AmeriCorps focus on evidence rather than theories.

The noble purpose of focusing these resources on the worst-performing schools should give policymakers the justification to require that only the most effective interventions are deployed to support students and educators. This strategy will in turn enable educators to turnaround the lowest performing schools in America, thus breaking the cycle of poverty for millions of young people.

Follow Dan Cardinali on Twitter:

@DanCardinali

 

 

 

 

Communities In Schools of Miami Site Coordinator Nadege Delinois-Jean.

For Nadege Delinois-Jean, the journey to becoming a site coordinator at Communities In Schools of Miami started behind the deli counter of a supermarket. While taking orders, the part-timer chatted with a customer about the work he did as the head of a grants program at Delinois-Jean’s alma mater, Florida International University. Delinois-Jean, who has a degree in public administration and who had always wanted to be a teacher, says she followed up the chance meeting with a phone call as soon as she took her next break.

“I called right away, and after I came in to meet with him, I ended up getting a job at the university.” The position was with Robert Vos, who helmed GEAR UP Edison, a program that provided grants to help increase the number of low-income students getting into to college. Delinois-Jean worked with the local chapter of GEAR UP for seven years, and it was what led her to Communities In Schools. After her work at GEAR UP, she spent two years working for Communities In Schools as a data specialist at North Miami Middle School. When a site coordinator position became available in 2010, she got a call to apply.

As a site coordinator at North Miami Middle School, Delinois-Jean works with approximately 100 students to ensure they receive targeted and sustained services. One of the programs she’s most proud of expanding at the school is a mentoring group that serves boys and girls in all grades. She works with the City of North Miami mentoring program to recruit new mentors. Roughly 10 civic employees from the city arrive every Wednesday and along with 23 students, fill the school’s media center from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.

“Kids need mentors. They need people to talk to,” said Delinois-Jean. “The mentors come every week and you can see the kids opening up. The ones that were in trouble are doing great. I’m very happy with the program and the results because I see the progress the kids are making and I see improvements in their grades and conduct.”

And her latest project, a partnership with Sabrena O’Keefe, assistant professor at the Center for Leadership & Service at Florida International University (FIU), is the Academy of Leaders. It includes 12 FIU students working twice a month with North Miami Middle School students to teach them life skills.

“Being a site coordinator gives me a chance to help people,” said Delinois-Jean. “I love to help people, I love to empower people. I think it’s in my blood. My happiness comes from seeing others succeed.”

A Supportive Teacher

Periodically, Beyond the Classroom shares blog posts from affiliates, mentors, partners, and education and nonprofit leaders. Today’s post was originally published on Communities In Schools of North Texas’ blog. Jennifer Hughes, a Communities In Schools program manager at DeLay Middle School, wrote the post to thank a teacher for her endless support.

Communities In Schools site coordinators and program managers collaborate with teachers and other school staff. Many of the students we serve are referred to us by teachers, who are often the first to notice when a young person is struggling. Through our model of integrated student services, we address the nonacademic needs of students so they are prepared to learn. And that frees up teachers to do what they do best: educate students and help them prepare for life as successful adults.

Monique Garza and Communities In Schools of North Texas Program Manager Jennifer Hughes. Photo courtesy Communities In Schools of North Texas.

This month I would like to recognize a teacher, Monique Garza, for her constant support for Communities In Schools of North Texas and the Communities In Schools students at DeLay Middle School.

Ms. Garza has been a teacher at DeLay Middle School in Lewisville ISD for seven years and has supported Communities In Schools from the start. She knows about the resources that we offer our students and families and does not hesitate to bring a student by who needs this help.

She is one of the teachers who always volunteers at my events. In October she came to the DeLay Fall Carnival and took pictures of the event. She helps me with the Communities In Schools Christmas party by helping to translate and sign families in. This year she will help with the party and delivery of presents to students whose parents who are not able to attend. In February, she volunteered her Saturday afternoon and evening for 20 DeLay students and family members to do a walking tour of the University of North Texas followed by a women’s and men’s UNT Mean Green basketball game.

Ms. Garza is the eighth grade lead teacher and is my contact for anything eighth grade related. She helped to encourage students to join the new Igniting Minds program. Ms. Garza assists me with recruiting speakers and organizing the 8th grade Career Day.

At the end of the school year, the 8th grade students will donate their old uniforms to Communities In Schools. She runs this program with her students and allows me to keep the donations in her room through the summer.

Communities In Schools of North Texas at DeLay Middle School would not be as successful as it is without Ms. Garza’s support.

New Beginnings in Scotland County

Periodically, Beyond the Classroom shares blog posts from affiliates, mentors, partners, and education and nonprofit leaders that inform our work and guide our mission to help students succeed. Today’s post was originally published on Communities In Schools of North Carolina’s blog, and provides a glimpse into the relationship between a mentor and a student and how they’re enriching each other’s lives.

Communities In Schools understands how influential a positive role model is in a student’s life. Mentors help guide students towards making healthy, productive choices and offer nonjudgmental encouragement. We are dedicated to providing the young people we serve with the one-on-one relationships they need to succeed.

Jasmine and Mrs. Albright

Jasmine Lane and her mentor, Louann Albright. Photo courtesy Communities In Schools of North Carolina.

Sometimes things come together at the right time, for the right people and the right reason. Communities In Schools of Scotland County has been in two schools for just over a year. Already, there are success stories from the mentoring program that is so essential to Communities In Schools’ success.

Jasmine Lane, an eighth grader at Carver Middle School in Laurel Hill, N.C., believes Communities In Schools is a good program that is helping her in many ways. Since joining Communities In Schools, Jasmine feels better about herself and more assured that people are out there to help. This positive outlook is new for Jasmine. During the sixth grade she was suspended from school frequently, argued with her teachers and got into fights, but these days Jasmine has a much better attitude. She no longer gets suspended from school, is involved in sports, and has become a leader, setting a great example for other Communities In Schools students.

One reason for Jasmine’s success is the time she spends with her mentor, Mrs. Louann Albright, one of her seventh grade teachers, who is now an important friend.  When asked about Mrs. Albright, CTE Computer Skills teacher at Carver, Jasmine replies, “I can tell her stuff. She is like a mother to me, a shoulder that I need. Mrs. Albright sees the best in me when nobody else does.” Jasmine is thankful that Mrs. Albright pushes her but doesn’t judge her.

Mrs. Albright, who has been a teacher for 18 years, describes her year-long mentoring relationship with Jasmine as a positive, eye-opening experience that has given her a different perspective about all of her students. “I see more clearly that everybody doesn’t have the same experience growing up and that we all have different backgrounds. They say it takes a village to raise a child and I think it really does. I believe every adult should add something positive to a child’s life,” said Mrs. Albright.

Mrs. Albright involves Jasmine in activities outside of school and even invites her own daughter along as well. Besides school, Jasmine goes over to Mrs. Albright’s home or they will go out to eat; they have even gotten manicures together. Their next planned adventure includes a movie and ice cream. Mrs. Albright says her eight-year-old daughter loves Jasmine like a big sister, and that Jasmine feels the sister relationship just the same. It is clear both lives have been enriched by the mentoring program.

Another person in Jasmine’s life that makes sure Jasmine is on track is Mr. James McLean, her Communities In Schools Site Coordinator at Carver Middle School. “I am so grateful to Mrs. Albright for being a wonderful mentor to Jasmine,” said Mr. McLean. “I am going to see to it that Jasmine Lane is the first child in her family to graduate from high school and accomplish great things.”

Mr. McLean thinks Mrs. Albright and Jasmine are a great match and is excited about all that Jasmine has already accomplished. He sees a bright future for her, believing that sky’s the limit for this young lady.

Jasmine Lane is happy to have Mr. McLean and Mrs. Albright in her life and is thankful that Communities In Schools of Scotland County is in her school.