African-American Family Network - Leadership Project

Project Description

The African-American Family network was designed to provide comprehensive and authentic support to the African-American families of Cochran Middle School. The program originated from the hypothesis that increased levels of individualized support for African-American students would result in increased levels of student achievement.

The project was conceived as a response to course readings, anecdotal observations and an examination of the school’s data. Prior to the start of PLI, I was operating under the premise that an effective school is effective for all students. Though I had heard grumblings from African-American students about biased treatment, I had never been inclined to investigate. Rather, I perceived of Cochran Middle School as a good and effective school and thus dismissed the voices as the exaggerations of ineffective students.  Over the summer, though, I was challenged by the course materials to re-examine my position and to take a closer look into the operations of the school. I believe this prompting was a result of the accumulation of information presented by Professor Cooper, Rogers, and Franke which overwhelmingly demonstrated the pervasiveness of discrimination against marginalized communities in the educational setting.

Upon examination of Cochran’s data I found that African-American students lagged behind Latino students across most achievement indicators. The students were scoring lower on standardized tests, were underrepresented in advance courses and were virtually absent from the honors program and support services. My reignited social justice framework compelled me to act on these insights.

Project Developments

The initial momentum generated by the readings, discussions and assignments of the PLI summer program gave rise to the Black Family Network (BFN). During the late summer of 2012 I conceived of the BFN as a two-pronged support network serving the needs of students and parents. The original design of the BFN called for a parent support network and a Black Student Union (BSU).

The parent support network would take the form of quarterly networking meetings and a social media site for more continual interactions. The parent support network was influenced by the writings of Lani Guiner and her work The Canary’s Miner. In this piece she spoke about the creation of movements for change through the association of individuals faced with similar realities.

The BSU was thought of as a vehicle for the creation of a “critical third space” for students. The “critical third space” is the concept articulated by Professor Cooper which reasons that success for African-American students depended upon the ability of the students to create a metaphorical space whereby they could perceive of, analyze, deconstruct and navigate an oppressive and marginalizing reality.

My hypothesis argued that the parent network and BSU could act as insulating and activating agents empowering parents and students as they negotiate the educational landscape towards student success.

Under this direction the project began shortly after the start of the school year. In the fall of 2012, the BSU was formed and the Parent Network held two events.

The BSU began with an enthusiastic response from the students. For the first month of the program we were able to attract a consistent attendance rate of approximately 10 – 12 students per meeting. Unfortunately, the early momentum was severely stunted by my assuming additional roles as the year unfolded and by personnel issues. During the year my role on the Leadership Council would change and would result in an elevated work load. Simultaneously, the BSU’s lead teacher would face credentialing issues and be forced to relinquish her position. As a result, the BSU would eventually fade from an active to an inactive status. I do believe, though, that the program demonstrated its utility; as such, the program is slated to be restarted in the fall of 2013.

Meanwhile, the parent network never proved itself able to resonate with the community. The leadership team hosted an informational reception and a community lecture with Professor Tyrone Howard of UCLA. Though both events were thoroughly prepared, well-executed and utilized multiple streams of marketing; they failed to generate much attendance. And the social media site never garnered any significant attention.

Yet, these initial failings served two vital purposes. First, I was in the midst of Professor Gomez’ class on systems observation and analysis which exposed me to the strategy of PDSA cycles. Consequently, I came to understand these early experiences as my first two PDSA cycles and the data for formulating a more grounded hypothesis. The data gathered from these early setbacks would help provide direction for adaptations to the Leadership Project.

In addition, an experience from the lecture with Professor Howard provided me with further insight into the future direction of my leadership project. Of the few people that attended the event I was struck by the attendance of one of the students from the BSU with her mother, one of the few members of the Black Parents Forum. Upon observing them I was immediately struck by the need to interweave the two programs. At that moment, the two programs had been operated as complimentary but separate entities. The moment allowed me to realize that an increased efficacy would result from synergizing the programs.

Hence, the Black Family Network and Black Student Union were re-organized into the African-American Family Network (AFN). The AFN serves as my Leadership Project.

Activities

The AFN engages in activities that identify and support the specific needs of served families. The project began in a pilot state with 20 students. The students were identified by the school’s counselors as to avoid selection bias. The program is operated by a team of teachers that serve as the program’s coordinators. Each coordinator is assigned 6-7 students. The coordinators conduct weekly meetings with students, monthly meetings with families and organize support services for both students and parent/guardians. The activities of the team are derived from collaborative meetings whereby parent, student and coordinator construct the student’s achievement plan and goals.

Of the 20 identified families, all 20 initially agreed to participate. The families were invited to a welcoming dinner. Various means of communication were utilized to notify and remind parents of the event. Nineteen families confirmed their intent to attend the event, yet only 4 families actually attended.

Over the course of the two weeks following the event 8 families would exit the program. One family decided the program was unnecessary for their student. Another parent was unable to find the time to actively engage and thus the parent requested to be removed from the program. The other six families would exit the program due to: student expulsion, student transfer and an inability to establish lines of communication with a parent or the student. Also, the program originally had four coordinators but due to work demands one of the coordinators resigned their position. As such, the reduction in pilot participants created a more manageable situation.

With the remaining 12 students and three coordinators each of the coordinators worked with three-five students. It must be noted, though, that at this time the focus of the program shifted. Initially, the coordinators believed engaging parents should be the focus. Yet, this proved to be very difficult. As was noted, our welcoming dinner was very poorly attended. This event was followed by a community breakfast that featured a discussion forum with Professor Howard. Again, this event was poorly attended. As such, the leadership team decided to shift the focus to developing relationships with the students. In the debriefing meeting following the community breakfast a dissection of the program’s PDSA cycles for communication led the group to hypothesize that parent engagement could derive from the establishment of consistent and authentic relationships between coordinator and student.

Hence, the activities of the program shifted to exclusively supporting the students. To this extent, coordinators met once per week with students. This too, though, was wrought with difficulties as it became increasingly difficult to ensure faithful adherence to the weekly meetings on the part of both students and coordinators. Nevertheless, for at least 80% of the students weekly or bi-monthly meetings were held. The meetings began with an informational meeting whereby a student’s family, personal and educational histories were gathered. Students then identified their achievement goals, while coordinators developed plans for assisting the students in attaining said goals. Coordinators also performed grade checks and interfaced with the student’s teachers to solicit identification of areas in need of support.

The program has also featured lunch pizza parties for the coordinators and students. The students were taken to the Black History Museum during the month of February. Moreover, coordinators have acted as tutors and counselors on several occasions with students.  The program is scheduled to culminate with a trip for the families of the students and coordinators to Jim’s Incredible Pizza in Buena Park.

Data

The AFN began with the long-term goal of an 80% culmination rate for program participants. Culmination rate was chosen as an accurate reflection of the students' overall achievement level, as culmination requires good academic and behavioral standing.

Of the twelve participating students, eight are scheduled to culminate. This reflects a 75% culmination rate.

In analyzing student progress report data from the before the program and after eight weeks of the program one finds little variance. Students that were performing well seemed to maintain, not advance in their performance. While students underperforming, as indicated by more than three Ds or Fs, were still underperforming. As such, it is difficult to draw many conclusions from the grading data.

In regards to attendance, tardies and office referrals one does not observe discernable differences between pre-program levels and post-program levels.

A qualitative analysis of the program finds favorable responses. When surveyed, participating students responded that the program was helpful, primarily the academic support. The students also overwhelmingly affirmed a desire to participate in a like program in the future. Students also noted the relationships established with coordinators as positive and supportive. Lastly, the students consistently noted the utility of the space and support provided to assist them with their academic needs.

The coordinators were also surveyed. Each of the coordinators felt as though the program provided authentic support to the students. They cited the individualized nature of the program as integral to supporting students. Coordinators also recognized a value in the relationships formed with students and believe said relationships could result in improved levels of student success. Coordinators did sight, though, an increased need for meeting time between coordinators. It was noted that increased coordination between coordinators could increase the efficacy of the support provided for all participants.

Conclusion

My Leadership Project has confirmed for me the utility of providing individualized support services to African-American students in demographic settings similar to Cochran MS. Yet, I am persuaded that the AFN requires much augmentation to arrive at its destination.

I believe the program has established a good foundation. The PDSA cycles on communication have confirmed that establishing a relationship with students can be a good mechanism for engaging parents. Though, the turn-out for the family trip will be the ultimate gauge of this hypothesis. Nevertheless, I am persuaded by anecdotal evidence which evidences that parents/guardians more openly respond to entreaties once they recognize the value of the program to their student. Hence, future manifestations will begin with establishing a relationship with students prior to engaging the family.

Moreover, establishing a solid relationship between student and coordinator was noted as a crucial component in surveys of both students and coordinators. I believe the AFN can leverage supportive relationships with students into open lines of communication with parents. In doing so, the AFN can utilize this newfound space of communication with parents to begin to offer support services to parents. While we have been able to establish consistent and working relationships with students, the program has been unsuccessful in replicating this relationship with parents. The original intent of the program was to provide parents with support services in addition to working with students. In reality, the parents have not been offered this opportunity as the focus has been exclusively on supporting students and establishing student-coordinator relationships. For the program to fulfill its original mandate it must develop a mechanism for engaging parents. It is my hypothesis, though, that solid student-coordinator relationship(s) disarm parent/guardians and create the space for the AFN to support families.

The AFN is going to undergo another permutation for the upcoming school year. The program is going to be imbedded within the services of the African American Cultural Center. Currently, the Leadership Team is formulating the plan for the operation of a cultural center dedicated to supporting students and families, as well as, continuing teacher professional development.

The funds distributed through the “Closing the Achievement Gap” grant have been extended for a year.  Hence, the leadership team is planning to utilize the funds to create the African American Cultural Center which will act as a hub for the: Black Student Union, African-American Family Network, teacher professional development(s), parent education and social networking. It is my hope that the cultural center affords the leadership team the opportunity to continue to expand the work started through the Leadership Project.

ARTIFACTS

• Coordinator-Student Meeting Notes
• PDSA cycles summary
• Black Parents Forum Recruitment Flyer
• Black Parents Forum Event Flyer
• Black History Museum Field Trip Roster
• Driver Diagram
• Fishbone Diagram
• Coordinator and Student Exit Surveys

CPSEL

• CPSEL #1 - Through the AFN the leadership team was able to facilitate the coordination of available resources, including funding provided by LAUSD through the Closing the Achievement Gap Grant to create, organize, implement and monitor programs designed to address the school's vision for ameliorating the achievement gap.
• CPSEL #2 - The expressed mission of the AFN was to address issues of equity for African-American students. The program was designed and executed to provide support for African-American students in response to qualitative and quantitative data indicated the presences of structural inequities.
• CPSEL #3 -The AFN is an attempt to imbed mechanisms to support African-American students. The project is founded and operate upon the hypothesis that student learning will increase when structures are in place that the support the needs of the student. In addition, the AFN has provided me with experience in managing a complex system that attempts to influence the learning community.
• CPSEL #4 -The project is predicated upon engaging families to authentically support students. The activities of the project intersect support for students and families such that students are given greater space to succeed. The project has exposed me to the great challenges inherent to creating networks with families.
• CPSEL #5 -The project required sustained commitment to meet the demands of initiating, recalibrating and monitoring of the program. I also felt responsible for being a model of fidelity for the program's coordinators.