Professionalization of Outreach: A Continuing Challenge for Title VI Centers Valerie McGinley Marshall, Director of External Affairs Stone Center for Latin American Studies Tulane University

Graduate Assistant/TA – part time Faculty Associate – part time Assistant Director (of Center) – part time Staff Coordinator – part time Shared Staff with other Centers/Programs – part time Shared Outreach coordinator (staff) with other Title VI Centers – full time Outreach Coordinator – full time Other Models of Outreach Staffing:

Sample of Challenges of Conducting Outreach Activities

Does your outreach coordinator know what Title VI is? And what other programs they can take advantage of? Does your outreach coordinator know what NCLB is and it’s impact on curriculum in the schools in your state? Does your outreach coordinator know the school calendars in the immediate area? And especially, when is professional development programmed for districts? Questions to Ask about Outreach Coordinator:

Questions to Ask about Outreach Coordinator: (cont.) Does your outreach coordinator communicate with school district administrators? State-level department of education officials? Can they? Does your outreach coordinator regularly propose sessions at professional organizations such as NCSS, ACTFL, ISSA... ? What is the average tenure of the outreach coordinator at your center? Do they stay long enough to cultivate long-term relationships at the school-level, district- level, state-level, area studies, etc... ?

Why Outreach Staffing is Important A full-time dedicated professional outreach staff member reflects a program’s commitment to providing the necessary human resources to accomplish the goals of the center’s outreach program. University Committment

The full-time professional outreach person ideally is: trained in a field of area studies and education although a postsecondary degree or training in either field is often more than adequate.

Has teaching experience at the K-12 level (highly desirable) –familiar with the realities of being in a classroom to facilitate quality programming –familiar with the administrative structure of a school system and able to identify the key administrators both in a district and school site with whom to work –knowledge of curriculum design and lesson planning. –ability to relate to and communicate with the target audience of K-12 teachers

President Obama’s March 10 th Address to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Pres. Obama proposed five pillars of reform: 1."Investing in early childhood initiatives" like Head Start; 2."Encouraging better standards and assessments" by focusing on testing itineraries that better fit our kids and the world they live in;

3."Recruiting, preparing, and rewarding outstanding teachers" by giving incentives for a new generation of teachers and for new levels of excellence from all of our teachers. 4."Promoting innovation and excellence in America’s schools" by supporting charter schools, reforming the school calendar and the structure of the school day. 5."Providing every American with a quality higher education--whether it's college or technical training.