Agenda LLUM Vision & Academics Achievement Gap & DC Education

1. Academicsat Little Lights Urban MinistriesBeth DewhurstAcademic/Programs DirectorBeth@littlelights.org

2. Agenda • LLUM Vision & Academics • Achievement Gap & DC Education • 2011 Student Data & LLUM Interventions • Introduction to Behavior Management • Q&A 2

3. Our Vision & Academics – who, what and how? • At LLUM, lives are transformed daily by prayer, compassion, and hope. • LLUM envisions a community of racial and class reconciliation where mutual respect and authentic fellowship provide a place of healing and joy. • LLUM envisions all children and youth performing at their highest educational capacity through individualized academic interventions and arts-based programs. • LLUM envisions youth and adults engaged in gainful employment.

4. Our Vision – who? 54 K-8th grade underserved youth in Potomac Gardens Public Housing

5. Our Vision – what and how? Students’ highest educational capacity through individualized academic interventions and arts-based programs.

6. Agenda • LLUM Vision & Academics • Achievement Gap & DC Education • 2011 Student Data & LLUM Interventions • Introduction to Behavior Management • Q&A 6

7. What’s the achievement gap? Educational inequity and performance along socio-economic and racial lines In Wards 7 and 8 of Washington, DC 33% of students finish high school and 5% earn a postsecondary degree. (Ward info: http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/) 7

9. DCPS(source: DCPS.gov)

10. National On-Time Graduation Rates are Improving: • 72% of public school students from the class of 2008 graduated on time • Rates jumped in 75% of states between 1998 and 2008, and a higher percentage of all racial and ethnic groups are graduating now than a decade ago. • Asian and white students still have the most success in high school—8 in 10 Asians and 78% of white students graduated in 2008. • Black and Hispanic students both have graduation rates of about 57%. • http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2011/06/13/national-high-school-graduation-rates-improve

11. DC Education Stakeholders http://www.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/ABOUT%20DCPS/Human%20Resources/DCPS%20Organizational%20Chart%2004-07-11.pdf http://osse.dc.gov/seo/site/default.asp http://dcps.dc.gov/portal/site/DCPS

12. And the 2011 DC results are…

13. Agenda • LLUM Vision & Academics • Achievement Gap & DC Education • 2011 Student Data & LLUM Interventions • Introduction to Behavior Management • Q&A 13

14. How does LLUM intervene? • We know that the Achievement Gap exists for our students. • At the beginning of each year, we run diagnostic assessments in reading and math to find our students’ skill levels and create individualized learning plans for our students which are mapped to DCPS standards and the DC Assessment. • We measure over the course of the year and at the end to determine growth along the way (and celebrate it) as well as overall growth by May.

15. LLUM 2010-11 Data Elementary ATTENDANCE • 82% Homework Club • 87% Reading and Math Heroes (each) • 50 Tutor Hours Middle School ATTENDANCE • 75% Homework Club; rose to 86% - Scholar Dollars • 87% Reading and Math Heroes (each) • 47 Tutor Hours

16. LLUM 2010 -11 Elementary Student Data Reading Gains • 1.75 levels in accuracy & comprehension • 13 average fluency score! • 3rd grader non-reader now on grade level • 90% of our lowest phonics performers now emergent readers Math Gains • Averaged of 49.5 computational skills mastered • Progress on additional 39 skills

17. LLUM 2010-11 Middle School Student Data Reading Gains • 1.5 levels in accuracy and comprehension • 14 average fluency score! • 5th grader non-reader now reading / beyond IEP Math Gains • 86% targeted computational skills mastered • Notable considering struggle with multiplication tables

18. How does LLUM intervene? RELATIONSHIPS 18

19. Agenda • LLUM Vision & Academics • Achievement Gap & DC Education • 2011 Student Data & LLUM Interventions • Introduction to Behavior Management • Q&A 19

20. Introduction to Behavior Management • Volunteers will develop an understanding of LLUM’s expectations for student behavior • Using a basic knowledge of human development, volunteers will be introduced to LLUM behavior management strategies

21. Picture a student . . . Turn and list 2-3 with a volunteer near you and describe a student…how will s/he respond to you in the first 2 min.? What do you hope your student will be like? What concerns do you have? List 1 idea on each post-it note—these will be collected and read (no names required).

22. What perceptions and beliefs are you bringing to this experience? Turn and list 2-3 with a volunteer near you. • Kids that live in the inner city just have too many problems to behave well. • It’s mean of me to make them behave when they have such tough lives. • There’s no way they’ll respond to me when they see so many negative examples. • It’s not cool to be an authority • The kids won’t like me if I make them follow the rules • I am afraid that the kids won’t follow the rules, and so I won’t even try. 22

23. Guiding Principles • Behavior management is more than just rules and consequences--it’s about the environment that we create for the students. • We believe that adultsset and maintain the tone and expectations for students. • We believe that all children can meet LLUM behavior expectations, and that it is our responsibility to provide an environment in which that is possible.

24. Myth 1: Student’s emotional problems make good behavior impossible Reality: All students can behave, they may just need someone to teach them how. • You may encounter students who have angry outbursts, throw tantrums or start to cry. These students may have stories that are very difficult, but they can still learn to behave if taught in a firm loving manner. From Assertive Discipline, Canter, Lee and Marlene; Classroom, Management and Culture, Teach for America Curriculum

25. From Assertive Discipline, Canter, Lee and Marlene; Classroom, Management and Culture, Teach for America Curriculum Myth 2: Inadequate parenting undermines youth workers ability to maintain a controlled environment Reality: We can create an environment that leaves behind the stresses that exist outside its walls. • Despite challenges in their lives, students can rise to your expectations. They can differentiate between the disparate worlds they navigate, and what behavior is appropriate in each. 25

26. Myth 3: Students who live in a poverty stricken environment are unable to behave appropriately Reality: Students in any environment generally rise to the expectations set for them • It may be tempting to lower expectations for students in poverty, but our students can build their behavioral and academic skills – especially in the context of caring relationships over time. High Expectations Matter! From Assertive Discipline, Canter, Lee and Marlene; Classroom, Management and Culture, Teach for America Curriculum

27. Recognizing Your Authority: • Effective volunteers recognize their authority and assert it evenly, calmly and authoritatively. • Remember: You are in charge – your students need clear instruction and direction, and they need you to be consistent in applying the rules. • When you accept responsibility, the situation immediately becomes one which you can influence and affect. • Effective discipline is notachieved through yelling, intimidation or humiliation, but through consistency, firmness and love.

28. Recognizing Your Students’ Needs Our students need different support according to their development “Elementary Programs: Common Characteristics” (handout) “Characteristics of preadolescents and teens” (handout) LLUM program-specific rules and routines are based on our students’ developmental needs. 28

29. Be an Argument Neutralizer • In other words – de-escalate the situation. • Spend 5 min. or so connecting, but then get to work. • Maintain neutral body/tone • Repeat the rule or expectation • Redirect attention to the activity at hand – “Oh. What’s the next step in our activity.” • Keep your word—if you say you will check on student in 3 min. – be sure to do it. Attention spans matter! • Don’t argue back – give the child a choice “Do you want to do this or that first?” • Think: what does the child REALLY need right now? (see “Mistaken Goal Chart”)

30. Be an Argument Neutralizer Find a partner. Decide who is the adult & who is the child.

31. Discipline – Common Missteps • You offer the rules as a question – be careful that your voice doesn’t rise at the end of your command, or that you don’t say “okay.” • You step out of your “adult self” and lose control. • You don’t intervene early enough – (catch the little things before they become big things)

32. Quick Easy Prevention – Catching the little things • If you see that two students are picking with one another separate them • Employ non-verbal communication –proximity, neutral eye contact (not a glare), a head shake, hand signals • Recognize the signals that your kids are sending you, and help them recognize them (clenched fists and jaw, tensed muscles). Then give them tools to de-escalate (count to ten, come tell me, ask for a cool down pass). • Check your facial tension, body language, and verbal tone.

33. THE BACKUP SYSTEM …“Keep it cheap!” PRAYER SINCERE PRAISE / ENCOURAGEMENT 33

34. Parting Thoughts: Encourage, encourage, encourage – according to The Early Catastrophe, a study about vocabulary development, children in poverty hear 11 prohibitions to 5 encouragements – our kids are used to the prohibitions. Empower our studentsto make good choices.

35. Agenda • LLUM Vision & Academics • Achievement Gap & DC Education • 2011 Student Data & LLUM Interventions • Introduction to Behavior Management • Q&A 35