1. Closing the Achievement Gap New Futuro College Fair October 6, 2012
Deborah – Welcome!

2. Introductions Grace Simmons Deborah Osborne Holly Boerner
Manager, Teacher Leadership Development at Teach For America
Taught at Bonner Elementary for 4 years in HISD
Works with HISD schools
Parent
Deborah Osborne
Specialist, District and School Partnerships at Teach For America
Work with Teacher Certification and partners with HISD, SBISD, KIPP, YES, and other charter schools
Holly Boerner
Manager, Teacher Leadership Development at Teach for America
Taught at a Charter School in Indianapolis for 2 years
Works with many Neighborhood Centers and HISD schools
Deborah intro
Holly intro
Holly - We are an organization that focuses to close the gap that exists between the performance of low-income students and high-income students. As we are about to go into, there is a large achievement gap that exists.

3. 1 2 3 Agenda The Issue: Educational Inequity in America
Our Role in Closing the Achievement Gap 3
Questions
Option 1 – Grace goes over agenda
Option 2 – Deborah 3

4. 1 2 3 Agenda The Issue: Educational Inequity in America
Our Role in Closing the Achievement Gap 3
Questions
 Deborah 4

5. Poverty limits educational opportunity.
Deborah - Let’s talk about why we’re really here. Providing a great education to everyone is the most effective way to ensure children will be successful in the future. However, children living in poverty often do not receive that excellent education. We have found that when children are given the opportunity, they will reach their full potential. Nearly 264,000 children are living in poverty in Harris County. Together families and the education community need to make sure these children are given this opportunity.

6. Statistics provided by Children at Risk
The Facts:
DEBORAH! 61 dark blues, 39 light
Deborah - This unequal footing limits life options, affects families and communities, and has significant social and economic implications for our country.
In today’s job market, there are many job opportunities available in this country that are left unfilled because those seeking jobs do not have the skill sets necessary to fill them.
Let’s look at a couple statistics. (Deborah reads)
Only 61% of students living in poverty graduate from High School in Harris County
Statistics provided by Children at Risk

7. The Facts: Just 8% of these kids will graduate college by age 24…
Deborah – (Deborah Reads). In order to help us understand what these numbers would actually look like in a school, I’m going to ask that everyone stand up. Imagine this is a typical classroom in Harris County. Now, I need this third of the room to sit down (draw a line with your arm). These kids will have not graduated high school. Now I need (small sliver directed by Holly) everyone else except this gourp to sit down. Take a look at how many of your child’s classmates will finish college.
Let’s take a second to turn to your neighbor and talk about what your reaction was. Was this a surprise to you, did you already know this about Harris County? We’ll come back together and share our reactions.
Just 8% of these kids will
graduate college by age 24…

8. 7% of Latino students graduate from college
The Statistics
7% of Latino students graduate from college
11% of African American students graduate from college
66% of students in Houston are Latino and African American.
Deborah – Let’s look at it in another way. Because so many of the students in Houston are Latino and African American, we wanted to share these statistics.

9. The Challenge
Deborah-There are many factors that contribute to the inequity in the educational opportunities provided to high and low income students. (read 3 things that lead to unequal outcomes)

10. “We give the kids with the greatest challenges the crummiest education and then say poverty is unbeatable.”
Deborah - Although 16 million American children face the extra challenges of poverty, an increasing body of evidence shows that they can achieve at the highest academic levels. In other words, this problem doesn’t have to exist. I’ve seen this at the level of the individual student, and the individual classroom, kids can achieve at an absolute level despite the challenges of poverty. In fact, in thousands of classrooms across the nation, kids are defying the odds and achieving multiple years of academic growth in a single year, and this can have a transformational impact on them, lasting throughout their lives.
We’re beginning to see whole schools that are achieving these kinds of results, and evidence that change is starting to happen throughout whole school systems. I know that it’s going to take all of us working together, different education advocacy groups, schools, parents, and the students themselves being leaders in the movement to take on this challenge.
Joel Klein
Chancellor of the New York City
Department of Education

11. 1 2 3 Agenda The Issue: Educational Inequity in America
Our Role in Closing the Achievement Gap 3
Questions
Option 1 – Grace
Option 2 – Holly 11

12. There are many people working to solve this problem
Option 1 – Grace
Option 2 – Holly
We wanted to share a little bit about what our organization is doing.
PLAY VIDEO FROM TFA WBESITE ON BOTTOM LEFT:

13. “We have an obligation to make a simple but powerful commitment to our children: We must promise them that the opportunity to pursue their dreams will be constrained only by the limits of their imagination, and never by their zip code.”

Jason Kamras
Washington, D.C. Corps ’96
2005 National Teacher of the Year
Option 1 – Grace
Option 2 – Holly
SHARE YOUR MTLD EXPERIENCE AND POWERFUL STORY ABOUT STUDENTS OVER COMING THE ODDS TO ACCOMPLISH GOALS AND SUCCESS LONG TERM
In our organization, Teach For America, we place dedicated and passionate leaders in the classroom to help students be able to compete with their more affluent peers. I am fortunate to be able to work with 30 elementary schools in HISD and Neighborhood Centers Head Start Centers and I know the difference an amazing teacher can have in getting a student caught up to grade level. I’ve witnessed whole classes transform from being 2 years behind level to leading their school in achievement. The students leave the class as hard-working, college-driven individuals.

14. Parental Involvement is critical to student success.
Over the years, we have found that one of the most crucial components of student success is parent involvement.
Option 1 – Holly
Option 2 – Deborah 14

15. Parent Involvement
A recent study by the National Education Association found that Students with involved parents are significantly more likely to:
Earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs (such as Advanced Placement)
Pass their classes and earn credits
Have fewer absences
Have fewer discipline issues
Graduate and go to college
Option 1 – Holly
Option 2 – Deborah
Point 1 – it will better prepare them for college

16. How can you get involved?
Holly 16

17. Work with your child to achieve success in school now:
Ways to be Involved
Work with your child to achieve success in school now:
Check in with your child’s teacher regularly to make sure your students are achieving success
Check in with your child to see how they are feeling about their time in school
Check to make sure your students are completing their homework and are studying for tests
Show your students every day that you want them to go to college and this is an option for him or her
Holly
(Read handout) - What all this is saying is that you must know what is happening in your child’s academic life, both from the teacher and your child. Ask questions and when things don’t seem right, question what is happening. Your child is at school with teachers for over half the day. You need to know what is happening and how they are providing the best for your kid. 17

18. Be an advocate for your child and his or her education:
Ways to be Involved
Be an advocate for your child and his or her education:
Speak with your child and his or her teacher about the achievement gap & its effects
Get involved at your child’s school- PTO, volunteer in your child’s classroom, work with other parents
If something doesn’t seem right, don’t be afraid to reach out to others (principals, the district, etc). Remember, this is your child’s life!
Holly
2nd point – build a safety net for your child’s class. Work together with other parents to make sure all the students are getting the best education. Hold each other accountable. 18

19. http://parentrevolution.org/ http://nclr.org www.ed.gov/parents
Resources to Learn More
Parent Revolution is an organzation whose goal is to empower parents to transform under-performing schools through community organizing.
NCLR  National Council of La Raza is the largest national hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.
Ed.gov is the US’ Department of Education’s website for parent resources.
The last website listed is a list of resources about education related issues for parents. 19

20. 1 2 3 Agenda The Issue: Educational Inequity in America
Our Role in Closing the Achievement Gap 3
Questions
Deborah 20

21. Questions We believe that you, as a parent, have the best ideas of how to work together to close the achievement gap. We would love to hear your thoughts as well as questions! 21