June/July 2007

Letter from the Director

Dear Subscribers,

This special June-July edition focuses on the achievement gap which, in this context, refers to both the difference in graduation rates among students from different ethnic-racial and income levels and the difference in scores on standardized tests. I hope the information provided on this vital topic will help inform efforts to increase school engagement. Also in this edition, you will find an extended list of trainings and sources for fund development. Please let me know if you have an upcoming conference or training that you’d like to post in NCSE-News.

Announcements and Updates from NCSE:
- In response to your requests, NCSE will be offering a special training titled Evaluating Your Truancy Reduction Program. Plan to attend this special training to be held in Denver on August 27-28, 2007. Please go to the Hot Topics section for details.

- Thank you to all who entered NCSE’s Contest,
21 Ways to Engage Students in School. We received a good response from around the world. The winners will be contacted by July 31, 2007. The results will be highlighted in the August edition of NCSE-News, just in time for the start of the traditional school year.

- This year Family Day will be celebrated on September 24, 2007. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University created Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children^TM to encourage parents to frequently eat dinner with their kids and be involved in their children’s lives. For more information about Family Day and the research (The Importance of Family Dinners III), please visit www.CASAFamilyDay.org.

May your summer be enjoyable!

Judith Martinez

info@schoolengagement.org

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The Hispanic Family Learning Summit: Building Pathways to Success for Hispanic Families in Schools and Communities

Summary by Judith Martinez, NCSE Director

Earlier this year, I was motivated to attend the Hispanic Family Learning Summit, hosted by the National Center for Family Literacy, to learn about current trends and factors that contribute to a growing achievement gap.*

A key point made at the summit is that the high school dropout rate for Latinos/Hispanics is up to four times higher than that of other groups. Between 1990 and 2000, the total high school dropout population that is Latino increased from 22% to 34%. This alarming rate has significant impacts, especially when you consider changing demographics. Census data for 2006 show that Hispanics represented 14.2 % of the U.S, with estimates for growth to near 20% by the year 2050. The median age of the Hispanic population of the United States is 27 years. The median age of non-Hispanic Whites is 39. For second generation Hispanics (people born in the U.S. of immigrant parents) the median age is 12. Economists and business leaders warn that we cannot afford to have a significant portion of workers entering into the labor force without a high school education. High dropout rates lead to families being trapped in poverty and a workforce that is ill-equipped to compete in a world market.

According to the National Education Association, there are three dominant issues that impact Latino student achievement:

1) Poverty - According to the U.S. Census, 22.6% of Hispanics are living in poverty; nearly double the national poverty rate of 12.6 %. The poverty rate for Hispanic children in 2004 was 28.6%.

2) Immigration Status - 35% of Latino youth are immigrants, compared to less than 5% of non-Latino youth.

3) English Language Proficiency - Approximately 80% of all English Language Learners (ELLs) in the U.S. are Hispanic. The majority of these students were born in the U.S.

Experts explain that the major reason why levels of school readiness and school achievement are lower for Hispanic children than for Whites is that a high percentage of Hispanic children are from low-income families in which parents have little formal education. Also, statistics show that a notable number of low-income Hispanic children are from immigrant families; and many of these children know little English when they start school. This factor emphasizes how the absence of ELL programs and teachers can impact ELL student academic achievement. Nationwide, approximately 2.5 % of teachers who instruct ELL students possess a degree in ESL or bilingual education. In 2000-2001, of the states that tested ELLs in reading comprehension, only 18.7 % of ELLs were assessed as being at or above the norm.

RECOMMENDATIONS

What can be done to address the achievement gap? Approaches that make a difference include early childhood education to increase school readiness among Latino/Hispanic children and family engagement to support parents in helping their children succeed in school. A recent study found that 65% of Hispanic parents, as compared to 47% of black and 33% of white parents, believed a college education is the single most important factor for economic success. There is an awareness of the importance of education and families need support to help build pathways to educational success. Specific examples include:

- Meaningful parental involvement in schools, summer learning programs, and access to social services, including health care (this is especially important to poor Hispanic children)
- Effective counseling on course selection in secondary school, especially for students whose parents may be unfamiliar with the complexities of the U.S. educational system

- More ELL programs and recruitment and training of more ELL teachers

See Research and Resource section for excerpts of studies cited in this article.

* The achievement gap refers to the difference in graduation rates among students from different ethnic-racial and income levels. It also describes the difference in scores on standardized test.

Sources:

League of United Latin American Citizens

Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund - MALDEF

National Center for Family Literacy - Hispanic Family Learning Summit

National Education Association: Minority Community Outreach

National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics

Pew Hispanic Center

U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. Department of Education

Research on Closing the Gap

An excerpt from the policy brief, Understanding and Closing Colorado’s Achievement Gap, by Rich Jones, Director of Policy and Research at The Bell Policy Center

The Bell’s analyses of the achievement gap show the problem is complex. There’s no single explanation of its cause and no single recommendation to close it. Research identifying the causes and potential solutions falls into two broad categories:

- Reform schools and education policy

- Improve economic and social well-being of students

Research shows that quality teachers are the most significant factor in raising student performance. It also suggests that holding all students to high performance standards and assigning them challenging and rigorous coursework increases their performance. In schools that have closed the achievement gap, principals serve as instructional leaders, focus attention on closing the gaps and challenge the status quo to improve student performance. These schools also use frequent and relevant tests to assess student progress and use the results to identify problems and tailor teaching methods to improve student performance. Although the school setting is important, research also shows students' home environments play a substantial role in academic performance.

Researchers at the RAND Corp. found that differences in family characteristics account for 75 percent of the differences in student test scores. Low-income students face a gap when they begin school because housing, health care and nutrition, all of which influence learning, vary based on family income. Low-income families tend to move more frequently and live in substandard housing, lack health coverage, do not always get treated for illnesses that affect learning, and cannot afford adequate nutrition vital to the development of children. This research indicates that a broader approach is needed to close the achievement gap, including improving economic security for families, putting community health clinics in schools, and increasing access to high quality preschool programs and before-school and after-school programs for students from low-income families.

Go to The Bell Policy Center for a complete copy of the article.

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REGISTER TODAY
Special Training Offered by NCSE

Evaluating Your Truancy Reduction Program
August 27-28, 2007
Denver, CO
Register Fee: $199
(Fee includes instruction, materials and lunch on Day 1)

For more details: Email info@schoolengagment.org to request a training outline and registration form

This 1.5 day training was developed in response to national requests for information on evaluating truancy reduction programs. NCSE has designed this interactive training based on practical training experience, lessons learned in truancy reduction and expertise in research and evaluation.
Day 2 of the training is optional, as it is designed for those who intend to use TRAIN, NCSE's online data tracking system. TRAIN was specifically developed to evaluate truancy reduction programs.

Agenda:
Day 1 (full day)
- Overview of Program Evaluation
- Creating a Logic Model for Your Program
- Using Evaluation to Guide and Sustain Your Program
- - Tools for Evaluating Truancy Reduction Programs

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Mark Your Calendar
Second Annual Western Regional Truancy Prevention Conference.
Co-sponsored by CASCWA (CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF SUPERVISORS OF CHILD WELFARE AND ATTENDANCE) & NTPA (National Truancy Prevention Association)
Dates: October 10 - 12, 2007
Location: Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs, CA
This conference will feature breakout sessions highlighting local, state and national presenters that will offer to you “proven methodologies” and “cost free practical ideas to combat truancy” in your community.

Washington Statewide Becca Conference
Dates: October 18 and 19, 2007
Location: Red Lion Hotel at the Quay, Vancouver, WA
Save the date to attend this informative and inspiring conference. Formal registration packets will be sent out in the near future. Special thank you to Clark County Juvenile Court Administrator Ernie Veach-White and Educational Service District 112 Superintendent Dr. Twyla Barnes for hosting this year’s conference.
For more information regarding the conference, please contact: Pat Borner at (360) 397-2201, ext.4357.

International Association for Truancy and Dropout Prevention Conference
October 21-25, 2007
Brooklyn Bridge Marriott
New York, New York

19^th Annual National Dropout Prevention Network Conference
Louisville, Kentucky
October 27 - 31, 2007

4th Annual International Bullying Prevention Conference Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
November 5-8, 2007

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