Family Genetics Education Through School and Community Partnerships Louisa A. Stark, Genetic Science Learning Center University of Utah Rebecca Giles, Chronic Disease Genomics Program Utah Department of Health American Public Health Association November 6, 2007 Session

Project Goal For two communities: Educate students in grades 5 and 10 and their families about genetics and the importance of family health history

Objectives Adapt and/or develop culturally-appropriate curriculum materials for students Develop culturally-appropriate take-home family materials Train teachers in using the materials, leading to classroom adoption Widely disseminate the materials

Utah Communities Student population 13% Hispanic/Latino –Majority of Mexican origin –Some districts up to 45% Some schools over 50%

Needs Assessments Dialogs with Hispanic/Latino community identified needs Teacher requests for 5 th grade genetics materials and Spanish-language materials 43% achievement gaps on state-wide tests

Project Partners University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center Utah Department of Health Chronic Disease Genomics Program Community Advisory Committee Utah State Office of Education Salt Lake City School District Local teachers, students and their families Bach-Harrison, LLC (evaluator)

Community Engagement Teachers –3-day curriculum development workshop –Adaptation by Advisory Committee –Training workshop –Implementation and evaluation

Community Engagement Hispanic/Latino Community Advisory Committee –Small, diverse group –Hands-on learning –Modified materials –Developed family activities

Community Engagement Students –Knowledge test, survey Families –Feedback to teachers –Reports on student surveys

5th Grade Materials 5 classroom activities 3 take-home family activities Teacher guide Meet Utah Science Core Curriculum Standards

5 th Grade Materials Testing 6 teachers 159 students –46-64% Hispanic/Latino Families

5 th Grade Materials Testing Materials were: –Culturally-appropriate –Engaged students –Achieved learning objectives –Significantly increased students’ knowledge –Engaged families

5 th Grade Materials Testing “The home activities were the best part of this unit. My Spanish-speaking parents were able to more fully participate in their students’ education. My students got to have some very good conversations about genetics with their families. Having everything in Spanish really validated my Spanish-speaking students and let them know their native language was valued in our school.” – 5 th grade teacher

High School Materials Focus on family health history –Video and 2 new activities Classroom testing in Fall 2007

Dissemination

Challenges to Material Development Hispanic/Latino –No Hispanic/Latino teachers –Need to educate community members about genetics –Attendance at Committee meetings –Working with a community advisory committee takes longer than working with teachers Native American –Formal process for engaging tribes –Not a priority for tribes –Changing landscape

Unexpected Outcomes Hispanic/Latino Committee –High level of interest, engagement and ownership –Revised each student activity –Creative ideas for family activities

Lessons Learned Hands-on learning was important for Committee Teachers are ultimate gatekeepers for curriculum Changes among potential partners can impact your ability to carry out a project

Acknowledgement This project is supported by grant U33MC00157 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Genetic Services Branch. Partners in the Consumer Genetics Education Network (CGEN) include HRSA, March of Dimes, Dominican Women’s Development Center, Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah, Utah Department of Health, and the National Human Genome Center at Howard University