The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide | MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICE OF EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT AND INNOVATION AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUNG MEN OF PROMISE INITIATIVE PROGRAM GUIDE August 2-3, 2013 | The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide Michigan State Board of Education John C Austin, President Casandra E Ulbrich, Vice President Daniel Varner, Secretary Richard Zeile, Treasurer Michelle Fecteau, NASBE Delegate Lupe Ramos-Montigny Kathleen N Straus Eileen Weiser Ex-Officio Rick Snyder, Governor Michael P Flanagan, State Superintendent ––––––––––––––––– MDE Staff ––––––––––––––––– Venessa A Keesler, Deputy Superintendent Deputy Superintendent, Education Services Linda Forward, Director Office of Education Improvement and Innovation Stephen Best, Assistant Director Office of Education Improvement and Innovation © 2013 Funding for this publication was provided by the Michigan Department of Education, ESEA Title I, and MI Excel The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide | Table of Contents Welcome Introduction Benefits for Initiative Schools The Interventions Described in brief The Interventions 11 Student Voice 51 Community Voice 52 Letter of Commitment for Initiative Schools .53 | The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide Welcome The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide | | The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide | Introduction In 2012 the Michigan State Board of Education decided to make the elimination of the achievement gap between African-American males and the highest performing academic group, a priority In order to facilitate the process required to understand and make decisions about how to address the issue an internal Core Planning Team was created This group held weekly meetings, attended conferences, researched the work of multiple state education agencies, and formed subcommittees to work on this issue Additionally, a Social Justice Framework was developed and used as a guide to identify and select specific strategies designed to increase achievement for underperforming African-American males These efforts led to the implementation of published newsletters on effective strategies, webinars, lunchtime presentations and discussions, a series of conversations with nationally recognized researchers on the topic, the initiation of a review of relevant policies and practices, and a summit with community-based agencies Three major components were identified as a result of this study The first was the development of a "Closer Series" where internal leadership team members were informed about the issues, participated in structured dialogue sessions, facilitated a departmentally focused operational equity analysis, and constructed intervention strategies A second result of this work was a "pre-pilot" program for seven schools interested in implementing ideas that would bring rapid turnaround in the climate and culture of their schools as it related to the participation and engagement of African-American male students The third is the ongoing work of facilitating MDE specific strategies that were identified as critical components of a foundation for increasing the achievement of underperforming students in Michigan It is a departmentally collaborative venture focused on developing and providing technical support to the thirty (30) schools participating in the Initiative As a voluntary program, the African American Young Men of Promise Initiative (AAYMPI) requires the implementation of research-based strategies, data collection structures, professional learning processes, student voice groups, and community voice opportunities by the school MDE will support the schools in their design, implementation, and monitoring of the various structures employed to improve the academic performance and proficiency of African-American males; and thereby, eliminate the achievement gap The Michigan State Board of Education is committed to improving the academic performance and proficiency of all students in Michigan and specifically, African-American males The AAYMPI is designed to facilitate the rapid achievement of this goal For more information about the African-American Young Men of Promise Initiative (AAYMPI) contact: Dr Theresa Saunders, 608 W Allegan Street, Lansing, MI; 517=241=9566 or SaundersT@michigan.gov | The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide Benefits for Initiative Schools Increased results for students: First and foremost, the African American Young Men of Promise Initiative is designed to assist schools with increasing academic engagement and performance for African American males Initiative schools will receive structured guidance for implementing each of the interventions though the materials in the guide Being in a learning community, with value-added quarterly network meetings and monthly webinars: Together with other pilot schools, you will take part in quarterly in-person meetings and monthly webinar sessions, each tailored to specific academic and cultural interventions This will allow you to share strategies and learn best practices from state and national experts in achievement gap issues Your school will become part of a larger network of schools working to close their achievement gap Facilitated student voice focus group: Together with non-profit partners, MDE will facilitate a student voice focus group in your school during the school year Focus groups have been shown to provide students with a voice to speak about their educational experience to the rest of the school community Focused professional learning opportunities: Through EduGuide, an online professional development community for teachers, your school will be able to engage in deep learning by interacting with facilitators and fellow teachers who are engaged in achievement gap work School Improvement Conference participation: Each year, this Initiative will include a School Improvement Conference/ Debrief session, where participating schools can present preliminary evidence and share perceptions from teachers, administrators, and students Help getting positive publicity: MDE’s African American Young Men of Promise Initiative is a highprofile project that has garnered support from state and national legislators, the State Superintendent, and other key stakeholders Participation in this program conveys the message that your school is committed to tackling this enduring issue in a strategic and holistic way Commendation certificate from MDE for each year of participation: Participating schools will be recognized based upon their participation in the Initiative The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide | The Interventions Described in brief Intentional Instructional Practices Best Practice Academic Vocabulary Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Flexible Grouping/ Cooperative Learning Quality Questioning Description Dr Robert Marzano states in his book Building Academic Vocabulary that “Teaching specific terms in a specific way is probably the strongest action a teacher can take to ensure that students have the academic background knowledge they need to understand the content they will encounter in school When all the teachers in a school focus on the same academic vocabulary and teach it in the same way, the school has a powerful comprehensive approach When all the teachers in a district embrace and use the approach, it becomes even more powerful.” (p.1) For those students who not come from academically advantaged backgrounds, systematic instruction in important academic terms is one of the most crucial services a teacher can provide in raising student achievement Good teaching using the DOK levels looks no different than good teaching has looked in classrooms for decades: Instruction based on authentic learning practices designed to take students from the most basic knowledge of a new concept, to understanding, applying, evaluating and connecting to that concept Good teachers design lessons that move students from a basic understanding to more complex thinking where they can connect and extend their knowledge Cooperative learning has been found to be a successful teaching strategy at all levels, from pre-school to post-secondary The developmental characteristics of middle school students make cooperative learning a good fit of teaching strategy for the needs of the students Young adolescents need to socialize, be a part of a group, share feelings, receive emotional support, and learn to see things from other perspectives Cooperative learning groups not separate students on the basis of class, race, or gender and the goals of middle schools are consistent with the goals of cooperative learning theories It is a peer-centered pedagogy that promotes academic achievement and builds positive social relationships (Sapon-Shevin, 1994) Questions promote student learning By formulating questions, learners connect new information to old and thereby experience learning as understanding (Oakes & Lipton, 1999) Cognitive researchers are finding that students who make connections between new content and personal experiences are engaging in productive and long-term learning Additionally, these students develop intrinsic motivation and the skills of lifelong learning (Wells, 2001; Perkins, 1992) Climate and Culture Strategies 10 | The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide Best Practice Description Culturally Relevant Teaching/ Materials Culturally relevant teaching is a term created by Gloria Ladson-Billings (1994) to describe “a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” Participating in culturally relevant teaching essentially means that teachers create a bridge between students’ home and school lives, while still meeting the expectations of the district and state curricular requirements Culturally relevant teaching utilizes the backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences of the students to inform the teacher’s lessons and methodology Empowerment Society Experiential Learning High Expectations/ Purposeful Engagement Positive Phone Calls Home College Ambition Program The Empowerment Society intervention is a practical blueprint for educators to enlist adult African American male role models and mentors to provide needed direction, guidance, and leadership to address the complex, persistent needs of you African-American males Targeted students will participate in relevant sessions related to their growth and development such as goal setting, leadership, relationships, and entrepreneurship that are led by successful adult role models Experiential learning provides a pathway to engage African American males in authentic and relevant learning experiences that connect with their lives and the larger world around them Experiential learning requires students to work with peers and adults to actively and critically examine real-life issues Through these learning experiences, students develop critical thinking and communication skills, and gain motivation for learning by working on realistic and relevant projects (Guilford College, 2012) Schools that establish high expectations for all students and provide the support necessary to achieve these expectations have high rates of academic success (Brook et al., 1989; Edmonds, 1986; Howard, 1990; Levin, 1988; Rutter et al., 1979; Slavin et al., 1989) Providing ALL students with concrete real-life experiences, high expectations, and a purposeful engagement for learning are essential for creating an environment where anything is possible These intentional calls home with positive comments, describing what the student is doing well, when he is trying, and when he is learning can have a profound impact Calling home should also have the added benefit of developing positive parental involvement with the school, which has been associated with increases in academic achievement Calling home should have the added benefit of developing positive parental involvement with the child’s school which research indicates has been associated positively with school achievement with African-American males (Toldson, 2008) The College Ambition Program is a school-wide initiative, which means that we work not only with students, but with teachers, counselors and administrators to make sure that everyone is on the same page The overarching goal of CAP is to promote a school-wide college-going culture where all students are encouraged and expected to see themselves as future college students Equally important, CAP fosters an environment where teachers, counselors, administrators and parents share these expectations 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Voice For all participating schools “student voice” will inform the implementation of both the instructional and climate and culture strategies A student focus group is the tool that will be used to capture “student voice.” Using a multicultural framework that includes an intentional focus on community and cultural context and climate, student demographics and other school data, the consultant, Quincy & Associates, will contact your school to plan, schedule and facilitate the focus group A planning meeting with the principal and school staff will be scheduled as soon as possible to identify potential student participants, to review the process and to plan logistics Schools staffs can expect the consultant to review focus group results with you, as well as, offer some technical support for (1) utilizing the data; and (2) integrating and sustaining “student voice” into your strategy implementation An important part of the process is to validate the focus groups findings with students particularly, in middle and high schools The consultant will also discuss how and when to this with you Part of this discussion will include managing student expectations after the focus group You might also want to discuss disseminating the results to parents and/or community members Each school will receive an individual focus group report The cumulative focus group results from all project schools will be distributed in a final report 52 | The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide Community Voice In order to fully transform and renew education for African American males, the community must be heard WEB DuBois reminds that is it not only what goes on in schools that matters He said, "Education is that whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and develops men." In other words, we all need to work together to close the achievement gap for African American males The first step in this process is to find out what strengths are within communities and surrounding schools that have the power to unlock the barriers an open up the doors to change in the lives of Black males Why is it important to help Black males? To be frank, educating and then employing Black males would produce millions of dollars for the economy For example, in 2010, the Detroit spent $10,600 per student on education and $31,300 per inmate for incarceration That is $20,300 that could be used to stimulate the economy in Detroit from lost revenue just for teaching Black males instead of incarcerating them Helping Black males is just as much about community as it is about money When young Black men graduate from high school, help stabilize and build their communities, become good fathers and become good role models The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative is charting a course to help Black males and we need your help We need the Community’s Voice Our plan is to have conference calls/webinars on topics (listed below) where we have community members from around Michigan and specifically from the communities where our Initiative schools are located to give us feedback and carry on a discussion that will lead to change Community members need to register on our website (URL TBA) to participate in one of these webinars Space is limited so registrar now The registration link is www.tinyurl.com/communityvoice Remember, community involvement means you! “Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest.” WEB DuBois Number Date (last Wednesday of each month) Topics September 25, 3-4pm Understanding the community October 30, 3-4pm Networking with Parents in school and community January 29, 3-4pm Developing Talent in the community February 26, 3-4pm Helping the community March 26, 3-4pm Listening the community May 28, 3-4:30pm Developing Pride in the community The African American Young Men of Promise Initiative – Program Guide | 53 Letter of Commitment for Initiative Schools Michigan Department of Education Office of Education Improvement and Innovation District School Name of Principal/Dean _ Mailing Address _ City/State/Zip _ Phone _ E-mail _ The district and school named above agrees to participate voluntarily in the African American Young Men of Promise Initiative sponsored by the Michigan Department of Education during the 2013-2014 school year The designated school staff agree to participate in the African American Young Men of Promise Initiative through the following: attending a local data/EduGuide workshop, conducting a student voice focus group, attending/viewing relevant webinars, and embedding the selected interventions (see below) in lessons by participating teachers for their targeted students It is understood that the selected interventions are voluntary and that no monetary support will be provided by MDE toward implementation The school agrees to put forth a good faith effort with each intervention The undersigned hereby commits to participate as outlined (see Guide to the Letter of Commitment for more info) Signature of Principal Date Please select (by circling) at least two intervention(s) for implementation (including Intentional Instructional Practice and Climate and Culture Strategy) and/or use one of your own interventions plus one from our selections so that each type (an instructional practice and a targeted strategy) have been represented: Intentional Instructional Practices #1 #2 #3 #4 Academic Vocabulary Depth of Knowledge Flexible Grouping Strategies Quality Questioning Climate and Culture Strategies #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 Culturally Relevant Materials Empowerment Society Experiential Learning High Expectations and Purposeful Engagement Positive Calls Home College Ambition Program Strategy (by invitation; specific schools only) #11 Other: Fax this form to Kristen Neal at (517) 241-0247 or e-mail to nealk1@michigan.gov