Highlights from 2008 Conference
Black excellence as demonstrated through WE WIN Institute’s Rites of Passage model Crossing Borders: Transforming pre-service teachers’ perceptions of low-income minority students In May 2007, the Education Department of Winona State University entered into a professional partnership with the school district of Montgomery, Alabama and Alabama State University, Montgomery (ASU, Montgomery), an historically Black university, to conduct the Alabama Study Travel Program. The Program was designed to strategically involve education majors of Winona State University (WSU) in the cultural schooling and community contexts of Montgomery, Alabama in order to help these future teachers gain a better understanding of the academic “achievement gap” that continues to widen measurably and separate low-income and minority youth from other young Americans. To better understand the dynamics of this social dilemma, this research project matched education majors from ASU, Montgomery and WSU to study and examine the Reciprocal Interaction Model as a teaching strategy for helping mono-cultural teachers understand how their own cultural biases may influence their judgments about student performance and obstruct students’ ability to learn. Presenters: How School-Community Partnerships impact student engagement
Research shows that engaging students in service connects them to their school and to the community. This workshop will propose using School-Community Partnerships as a tool in engaging youth in school. Participants will hear from representatives from local communities about how mobilizing caring adults and incorporating service into the lives of students both in and out of school can be used as a way to improve student achievement and engagement. The impact of American Indian boarding schools on American Indian Families’ view of education The American Indian boarding school experience in the
Increasing Postsecondary Attainment Rates for all of
During this session, an investment plan of action for the state will be presented. This research-based proposal for how to increase postsecondary attainment rates by 50 percent of all of Minnesota’s students offers evidence of effectiveness and evidence of cost-effectiveness using economic analyses and best practices from around the country. REVEAL: Creating a dialogue for REVEAL-ing issues related to race, racism, and education Academic achievement for students of color remains disturbingly low compared to that of their White counterparts. While numerous strategies have been implemented to reduce this gap, little has changed and racism remains a prevalent part of our classrooms and schools just as in any of the nation’s other institutions. Pre-service teachers are often unprepared for the impact that race will have on their future classrooms and are not given the opportunity to learn about racism in traditional postsecondary course work or even talk about race issues in a safe and productive environment. This presentation will showcase Race Education through Values Engagement, Advocacy and Leadership (REVEAL), an innovative and comprehensive process including a series of dialogues, one-on-one coaching, and service learning which is being used at a
Suspension in Hennepin County Public Schools: Data and policy strategies
Suspension is a disciplinary measure enforced in schools as a consequence of problem behavior. Yet, suspension can be detrimental to education success and may produce life-long negative effects on students. Data for this study was obtained as aggregates from the Minnesota Department of Education. This presentation will acquaint the audience with the results of our analysis of suspensions by grade, gender, race/ethnicity, and special education status. The analysis also looks at the type and seriousness of infractions that precipitate suspensions and compares these results with results reported in the research literature on school suspensions. Promising strategies for policy changes for reducing suspensions identified in extensive literature review of articles from peer-reviewed publication that examined various aspects of school suspensions will also be presented. Milica Mitterhauser, Ph.D., M.P.H., principal planning analyst, Hennepin County Research, Planning, and Development Department Afternoon Sessions Access to college success
This presentation will explain the origin, structures design, and outcomes of the Advisory Task Force Report on
This task force was created by Engaging community leaders to improve academic achievement
The Transitions Initiative is a collaborative and community-wide response developed to effectively integrate a broad array of community and district-wide resources and knowledge to develop a comprehensive community action plan to increase student academic achievement. The desired outcomes of the five-year strategic plan include lower rates of absenteeism, increased on-time graduation rates, increased achievement scores on standardized tests, fewer disciplinary incidences, and increased participation in advanced courses and college enrollment. Community outcomes include lower gang activity and violence in Engaging underrepresented youth in STEM learning and action
The Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center (KAYSC) of the Science Museum of Minnesota provides underrepresented youth with engaging, exciting, and encouraging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiences that motivate youth to take action and address community and environmental issues. Through this interactive, youth-directed workshop we will share best practices of engaging underrepresented youth in out-of-school time STEM learning focused on behaviors and characteristics that develop young people into strong leaders. Youth presenters will be from the Park Crew, a team that engages in Earth-systems science learning and creates hands-on activities to share with museum visitors and young people in Jermaine Burts, Joyceann Crump, A.J. Zamora, Making PSEO Accessible: A cohort model for immigrant students Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) offers talented high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to enroll in college courses and earn college credit and valuable higher education experience while still in high school. However, a multilingual student is less likely than their White peers to be steered toward advanced coursework in high school. To address this gap, the
A growing body of research underscores the critical role that principals play in creating great schools and helping all students succeed. The Minnesota Principals’ Academy is an executive development program for school leaders which provides them with strategies and tools to raise the achievement of all students. It combines multidisciplinary content with interactive learning strategies to assure immediate application to schools. The program is supported by legislative funding, in partnership with the University of Minnesota, Minnesota Elementary Schools Principals’ Association, Minnesota Association of Secondary Schools Principals, Minnesota Association of School Administrators, and the Minnesota Department of Education. Universal Instructional Design in multicultural education This session will begin by providing a brief introduction to Universal Instructional Design (UID) within a multicultural education framework. Participants will aid in “unpacking” commonly used words such as diversity and multiculturalism. In sharing and discussing these definitions, the presenters’ aim is to facilitate an ongoing discussion of the ways in which UID can positively impact multicultural education. |
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