tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68381943856526685682024-03-19T14:52:36.142-07:00Sparking Change: Mentorships Prepare Students in the Middle Grades for SuccessSpark inspires 7th, 8th and 9th grade students to succeed in high school and beyond by connecting them with mentors in leading workplaces and supporting their academic journey with skill-building and resources. By engaging working professionals and connecting businesses with local communities, Spark empowers the next generation to perform better in school, graduate on time and lead fulfilling careers and lives.Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-20122824312703015522017-01-17T05:28:00.003-08:002017-01-17T05:33:54.063-08:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">What I learned from mentoring a 13 year-old middle school student and from a toy solar-powered car</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By Oscar E. Padilla</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>Oscar is a mentor in Los Angeles and was paired with Jesus for the fall semester. As Senior Vice President of Marketing, Oscar leads all aspects of sales marketing for PULPO, Entravision’s fast growing digital media business unit. Here, Oscar shares some key learnings from his first youth mentoring experience.</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I first learned about the Spark program in 2015 when I saw my Chief Marketing Officer walking around our offices every Thursday with a middle school kid. I later learned that our company was a corporate partner for this program, which focuses on matching working professionals with 7th and 8th graders in underserved communities, to undertake a mentoring role for 10 weeks.</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">At the core of the </span><a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Spark</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> mentorship program is a unique project or initiative you participate in with your student for the duration of the roughly two-month time period. The initial student/mentor matching process helps narrow down what your project will focus on. It took a little longer for my student and I to narrow down our project. After several brainstorming sessions, we selected a solar energy initiative. Because of this student’s love for cars, we found our “aha” moment in the form of a solar-powered car.</span></span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Getting our car off the ground from “concept” to “production-ready” was a true team effort. This team included my student and my colleague and co-mentor, Jessica Rivera Escobar. Before designing the car, we felt it would be necessary to gain an understanding of solar energy: its benefits, uses, and important facts about this energy source. My student was exposed to some rigorous research efforts, which he did on his own. Then came the blueprint planning stage and the fun in figuring out how we would build it. We did research for every component needed; car body parts, solar panels, electric motor options, and we learned how to put it all together. We also wanted to build a strong brand as part of our project.</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Building the car was pretty straightforward since we had done the needed research and </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbqn-bJ3_1aybmmt5vz9ChvZnDPFk8lzZCckGakWYsveW3RaiimLbD9CE2rF5K13hHSi9adwIY_92jczzPzrhLFZMSIOpefLjNtvbxAfEcmFVOkxAk2lsvQDRkb3ZKY34IGNk34G1GFg/s1600/IMG_1516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbqn-bJ3_1aybmmt5vz9ChvZnDPFk8lzZCckGakWYsveW3RaiimLbD9CE2rF5K13hHSi9adwIY_92jczzPzrhLFZMSIOpefLjNtvbxAfEcmFVOkxAk2lsvQDRkb3ZKY34IGNk34G1GFg/s320/IMG_1516.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">had gathered all the parts and tools required to assemble the car. We encountered some “engineering” challenges (see below), but overall we successfully achieved our goal in building a functional toy car in time for our big presentation.</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The big day was December 8, 2016, and we presented our project at the Bethune Middle School in Los Angeles alongside dozens of other Spark students and mentors. The place was packed with students, teachers, other mentors and parents. My student did exceptionally well. He prepared a poster to explain the benefits of solar energy and how he was inspired to build the car. Although he was a little nervous at the beginning of his presentation, by the sixth presentation he was a total pro—confident, eloquent, and speaking knowledgeably on all aspects of his project. It was an extremely satisfying and proud moment to see how my student made noticeable progress, transforming from a shy and quiet student to a more assertive and self-reliant one in just a few weeks. That is precisely what the Spark program is all about.</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Below are five important lessons I learned from the Spark mentoring program:</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHakmSFOBUvwljXks94f-gvOPapx2oL28Fl3m52h6zJ8_v_ieRII6mIxSHjH5sFqmvqpl-g-E3Cho_a8ZDcJcexVP7AwDl9avAX2rx9nJq1c9jrt3f1pCkHu5O3dke9e2EGcK16cWO6XI/s1600/finalprojectpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHakmSFOBUvwljXks94f-gvOPapx2oL28Fl3m52h6zJ8_v_ieRII6mIxSHjH5sFqmvqpl-g-E3Cho_a8ZDcJcexVP7AwDl9avAX2rx9nJq1c9jrt3f1pCkHu5O3dke9e2EGcK16cWO6XI/s320/finalprojectpic.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Great ideas come organically</b>. We had a number of ideas we contemplated for this project, but the inspiration for the solar car came to our student from a light art piece sitting on my desk. While I was busy researching options and overthinking what we could do, our student was observing the surrounding environment to come up with an idea for a project that was simple to execute but at the same time would stand out as unique and engaging.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Letting go of control goes a long way</b>. While I was trying to follow the program to the letter and comply with a more rigid structure, I quickly learned this was not going to be the best approach. My co-worker, Jessica, took a more conversational and natural tone with our student, and it helped him open up and interact with us in a positive way.<br /><b><br /></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Now matter how well you plan, you’re going to have setbacks</b>. It was fortunate that our car didn’t actually make it into a full market production. Once we had fully assembled the car, we found two significant flaws. First, our car only traveled in reverse! This was easily fixed, but the bigger problem was that our car was too heavy to move due to the low voltage engine and solar power system we assembled. As I explained to our student, we took a proof-of-concept approach in which future iterations would allow for perfection. This rapid development approach provided a solid understanding of the basics of this technology and the value of solar power.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Don’t underestimate what you can learn from a 13 year-old</b>. It became apparent in working with my student that this process was a two-way learning experience. In working together, I felt he was influencing me as much or more as I was influencing him as the weeks went by. He had an innate curiosity that was contagious, and his comments and observations continually helped to further advance our project. At the end of the program, I was truly looking forward to talking more about my experience in working with him and bragging about our project.<br /><b><br /></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Project-based mentoring is extremely powerful</b>. Spark is unique from other mentoring programs in both its approach and in the age group of the students. Spark focuses on working with 7th and 8th graders that are at an exceedingly susceptible age for learning. The program places students in control of projects that they see through to fruition. The project approach exposes students to many different facets of real life experiences such as planning an event, building a model, creating a business plan or creating a new technology. All of these initiatives have one thing in common: the opportunity to learn by doing.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The Spark program is indeed a life-changing program for youth and for the mentors that decide to get involved in their communities and make a difference. I highly recommend this experience for other corporate leaders and professionals that are willing to take the time to change a life or two. It is an amazing experience for everyone involved.</span><br style="color: #222222;" /><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><br style="color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">To read original version of article published in linked, </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-i-learned-from-mentoring-13-year-old-middle-school-padilla?trk=pulse_spock-articles" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">click here</span></a><span style="color: #222222;">.</span></span></i></span>Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-10214132347539039412017-01-08T23:00:00.000-08:002017-01-09T06:53:11.974-08:00Tapping Into the Power of Peers: Supporting Students through School Transitions<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>This month, Spark is proud to partner with <a href="http://www.mentoring.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership</span></a> and many other organizations in celebrating <a href="http://www.mentoring.org/our-work/campaigns/national-mentoring-month/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">National Mentoring Month</span></a>! In honor of all mentoring efforts, we share here a guest blog post from peer organization <a href="http://supportiveschools.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Center for Supportive Schools</span></a>. While Spark pairs students with adult mentors for workplace-based mentoring, Center for Supportive Schools' unique model leverages peer-to-peer mentoring in their school-based program. No matter the format, when <a href="http://www.mentoring.org/program-resources/elements-of-effective-practice-for-mentoring/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">implemented effectively</span></a>, mentoring programs across the country and <a href="http://alicenter.org/calendarevent/international-mentoring-day-muhammad-alis-birthday/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">around the globe</span></a> are working to close the <a href="http://chronicle.umbmentoring.org/the-real-mentoring-gap-what-to-do-about-it/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">mentoring gap</span></a>. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">“I
always looked forward to meeting with my peer group because they were like
family and they led me down the right path.”<br /> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">– 9<sup>th</sup> grade Peer Group Connection
(PGC) participant</span></i></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There exists a profound weakness
in the support provided to students during their transitions into middle and
high school. Across all communities, these transitions can destabilize many
students<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[1]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a> and are
often marked by declines in academic achievement,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[2]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a>
competency beliefs,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[3]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a> motivation,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn4" name="_ednref4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[4]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a> and
self-esteem.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn5" name="_ednref5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[5]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><sup>,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn6" name="_ednref6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[6]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></a></sup> Further,
transitioning students often display increased psychological distress<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn7" name="_ednref7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[7]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a> and
referrals to mental health services;<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn8" name="_ednref8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[8]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a> and the start
of smoking, alcohol, drug, violence, discipline, and attendance problems.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn9" name="_ednref9" style="mso-endnote-id: edn9;" title=""><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[9]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><sup>,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn10" name="_ednref10" style="mso-endnote-id: edn10;" title=""><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup>[10]</sup><!--[endif]--></span></a> </sup>Left
unaddressed, these serious problems can result in devastating long-term
consequences including dropping out of school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">For nearly 40 years, the <a href="http://supportiveschools.org/"><span style="color: orange;">Center
for Supportive Schools (CSS)</span></a> has activated the most underutilized
resource in schools <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">– the students
themselves –</i> as a powerful force for creating caring and vibrant school
communities that support students throughout and beyond these periods of
increased vulnerability.<sup><o:p></o:p></sup></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Why the transition years matter.</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A leading researcher on improving high-poverty secondary schools, Dr. Bob
Balfanz calls the first year of the middle grades (typically 6<sup>th</sup>
grade), “a make-or-break year.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn11" name="_ednref11" style="mso-endnote-id: edn11;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[11]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> In
his landmark 2009 brief,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn12" name="_ednref12" style="mso-endnote-id: edn12;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[12]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Dr.
Balfanz asserts that in high-poverty environments, a student’s middle grades
experience strongly impacts the odds of graduating from high school<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i> Further, in high-poverty environments
it is possible to identify in the middle grades up to half, and sometimes even
more, of eventual dropouts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">By the time they reach high
school, more than half of all students are “chronically disengaged” from
school.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn13" name="_ednref13" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[13]</span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Research
consistently demonstrates that students are most vulnerable for dropping out of
school during and immediately following their first year of high school.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn14" name="_ednref14" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[14]</span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
More students fail 9th grade than any other grade<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn15" name="_ednref15" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[15]</span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
and promotion rates between 9th and 10th grade are much lower than rates
between other grades.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn16" name="_ednref16" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[16]</span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">Power
of peers.</span></b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbXULlnYdOgc-EAVxvE56lJkAF-DWAFvdReNlTltp2zYRR9mv23So81ThoCdlm48Y9SYf0J85QHnMjxUC7Gtl0FIW0eVsnwRwKMvavcAOJLFGjpmTQ3W4zhQqYxrK01rXuA1_V66u9Ak/s1600/PGC_photo_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbXULlnYdOgc-EAVxvE56lJkAF-DWAFvdReNlTltp2zYRR9mv23So81ThoCdlm48Y9SYf0J85QHnMjxUC7Gtl0FIW0eVsnwRwKMvavcAOJLFGjpmTQ3W4zhQqYxrK01rXuA1_V66u9Ak/s320/PGC_photo_3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Peer
group interactions and school culture and climate have consistently been named
among the most influential factors on student learning.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn17" name="_ednref17" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[17]</span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Further,
a mounting body of evidence clearly indicates that, compared to students who do
not participate in such programs, students who receive programming focused on
social and emotional learning (SEL) academically outperform their peers, get
better grades, and graduate at higher rates.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn18" name="_ednref18" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[18]</span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In 1979, CSS introduced </span>a
peer mentoring model known as <a href="http://supportiveschools.org/solutions/peer-group-connection/"><span style="color: orange;">Peer Group Connection (PGC)</span></a> that
combines all of these mechanisms – <i>caring
peer groups, supportive school climates, and SEL skill development</i> – to
improve educational outcomes for youth transitioning into high school. Now
available for high schools and middle schools, PGC is currently implemented in
over 250 schools nationally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">PGC supports incoming middle and
high school students (9th graders or 6th graders) by immersing them in safe,
supportive groups led by older peer mentors. Carefully selected older students
(11<sup>th</sup> and 12<sup>th</sup> graders in high schools; 8<sup>th</sup>
graders in middle schools) are trained as part of their regular school schedule
in a daily, 45-minute leadership development class to become peer mentors and
serve as positive role models and group facilitators for their younger peers.
Peer mentors work in pairs to co-lead groups of 10 to 14 younger students in
regularly scheduled (three to four times per month) sessions in which the
younger students participate in engaging, hands-on activities in supportive
environments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>“I
think that being a [peer mentor] has taught me how to be able to help and
mentor people my age and younger to show them why whatever it is that they’re
doing is important and also lead them on the path of success.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>-PGC Peer Mentor</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rutgers University conducted a
randomized, 4-year longitudinal study of the effect of PGC on 4-year cohort
graduation rates at one high school in an urban community serving an
economically disadvantaged population. Results indicated that PGC improved
graduation rates of participants by 9 percentage points and improved the
graduation rates of male participants by 18 percentage points.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_edn19" name="_ednref19" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[19]</span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Through PGC and other approaches
that harness the power of peers, CSS helps schools leverage the leadership
potential of students to accomplish three important goals:</span></div>
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</div>
<ol>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeBWr_HatT2RvMlZjS9VC9MnxotCwvXl4OZYDT59bGb1GXiotpI4YZbrcjUuqN2bJt7GEydXvaXPrOSt43kY3nnG6Vzce4Wew_PjGyxuoNqdYTsmzAKf23AfqZ-qp8sljyofSPN0bk2Q/s1600/PGC_photo_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeBWr_HatT2RvMlZjS9VC9MnxotCwvXl4OZYDT59bGb1GXiotpI4YZbrcjUuqN2bJt7GEydXvaXPrOSt43kY3nnG6Vzce4Wew_PjGyxuoNqdYTsmzAKf23AfqZ-qp8sljyofSPN0bk2Q/s320/PGC_photo_2.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">students
become more closely connected with school and more deeply engaged in their own
learning, which research makes clear leads to greater academic achievement;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">students
develop leadership, social/emotional, non-cognitive skills that research shows
are critical to college and career success; and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">schools
help solve for their resource constraints by adding many, many more helping
hands.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our goal is that safer and more
supportive, engaging, and inspiring schools are equipped to address the special needs of transitioning
students and enable and inspire their leadership and their success.</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">__________________________________________________________________</span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /><i><b><u>By Dr. Margo Ross, Senior Director of Development</u></b><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Margo Ross, Psy.D., is Senior Director of Development at the Center for Supportive Schools, a nonprofit organization with a 37-year history of partnering with schools to train and mobilize students to be lifelong leaders who make schools better for themselves, their peers, and younger students. Dr. Ross has been a member of the staff at CSS for over 15 years and is a certified school psychologist in New Jersey. She holds both a doctorate and a master's degree in school psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Rutgers University.</span></i></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">About
Center for Supportive Schools<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Center for Supportive Schools (CSS, formerly Princeton Center for
Leadership Training) develops, disseminates, and promotes peer leadership,
advisory, and other evidence-based K-12 solutions that enable and inspire
schools to more fully engage students in learning, better connect students to their
schools, motivate and equip students to make decisions responsibly, and
accelerate academic achievement. Since 1979, CSS has partnered with 350 schools
in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Washington,
D.C., and 8 other states. Our work has touched hundreds of thousands of
students, educators, and families. </i><i><a href="http://www.supportiveschools.org/"><span style="color: orange;">www.supportiveschools.org</span></a></i></span></div>
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Elias, M. J. (2001). Middle School Transition: It's Harder Than You Think:
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[2]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Theriot, M. T. & Dupper, D. (2009). Student Discipline Problems and the
Transition From Elementary to Middle School. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Education and Urban Society 42(2),</i> 205 – 222. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249682231_Student_Discipline_Problems_and_the_Transition_From_Elementary_to_Middle_School">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249682231_Student_Discipline_Problems_and_the_Transition_From_Elementary_to_Middle_School</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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A., & Eccles, J. (1994). Children’s competence beliefs, achievement values,
and general self-esteem: Change across elementary and middle school. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of Early Adolescence, 14(2)</i>,
107-138.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref4" name="_edn4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[4]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Theriot, M. T. & Dupper, D. (2009). Student Discipline Problems and the
Transition From Elementary to Middle School. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Education and Urban Society 42(2),</i> 205 – 222. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249682231_Student_Discipline_Problems_and_the_Transition_From_Elementary_to_Middle_School">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249682231_Student_Discipline_Problems_and_the_Transition_From_Elementary_to_Middle_School</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref5" name="_edn5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[5]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Elias, M. J. (2001). Middle School Transition: It's Harder Than You Think: Making
the Transition to Middle School Successful; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Middle
Matters, Winter 2001</i>, 1-2. Retrieved from <a href="http://www.onteora.k12.ny.us/cms/lib01/NY24000036/Centricity/Domain/14/10-11TaskForceResearch/MSTransitionHarder.pdf">http://www.onteora.k12.ny.us/cms/lib01/NY24000036/Centricity/Domain/14/10-11TaskForceResearch/MSTransitionHarder.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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A., & Eccles, J. (1994). Children’s competence beliefs, achievement values,
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107-138.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref7" name="_edn7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[7]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Theriot, M. T. & Dupper, D. (2009). Student Discipline Problems and the
Transition From Elementary to Middle School. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Education and Urban Society 42(2),</i> 205 – 222. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249682231_Student_Discipline_Problems_and_the_Transition_From_Elementary_to_Middle_School">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249682231_Student_Discipline_Problems_and_the_Transition_From_Elementary_to_Middle_School</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref8" name="_edn8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[8]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Elias, M. J. (2001). Middle School Transition: It's Harder Than You Think:
Making the Transition to Middle School Successful; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Middle Matters, Winter 2001</i>, 1-2. Retrieved from <a href="http://www.onteora.k12.ny.us/cms/lib01/NY24000036/Centricity/Domain/14/10-11TaskForceResearch/MSTransitionHarder.pdf">http://www.onteora.k12.ny.us/cms/lib01/NY24000036/Centricity/Domain/14/10-11TaskForceResearch/MSTransitionHarder.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Elias, M. J. (2001). Middle School Transition: It's Harder Than You Think:
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref13" name="_edn13" style="mso-endnote-id: edn13;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[13]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Blum,
R. (2005). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">School connectedness:
Improving the lives of students</i>. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health. Retrieved from <a href="http://cecp.air.org/download/MCMonographFINAL.pdf">http://cecp.air.org/download/MCMonographFINAL.pdf</a></span></div>
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<div class="References" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref14" name="_edn14" style="mso-endnote-id: edn14;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[14]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span class="apple-style-span">Cohen, J. & Smerdon, B. (2009). Tightening the
dropout tourniquet: Easing the transition from middle to high school.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span"><i>Preventing
School Failure, 53,</i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span">177-183.</span></span></div>
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<div id="edn15" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref15" name="_edn15" style="mso-endnote-id: edn15;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[15]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Kennelly,
L. and Monrad, M. (2007). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Easing the
transition to high school: Research and best practices designed to support high
school learning.</i> Washington DC: American Institutes for Research. Retrieved
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<div class="References" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref16" name="_edn16" style="mso-endnote-id: edn16;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[16]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Wheelock,
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span class="apple-style-span">in a transition
year that demands careful attention and action.</span> <i>The School
Administrator, 62</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">(3),<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">36.</span></span></div>
</div>
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M. C., Haertel, G. D., & Walberg, H. J. (1997). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What do we know: Widely implemented school improvement programs.</i>
Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Center for Research in Human Development
and Education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div id="edn18" style="mso-element: endnote;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ednref18" name="_edn18" style="mso-endnote-id: edn18;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[18]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Collaborative
for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (2007). Background of social and
emotional learning. Retrieved on September 13, 2011 from <a href="http://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/SELCASELbackground.pdf">http://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/SELCASELbackground.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Johnson, V.L., Simon, P., & Mun, E.-Y. (2014). A peer-led high school
transition program increases graduation rates among Latino males. <i>The Journal of Educational Research, 107</i>(3),
186-196.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-13329459973691445512016-09-30T13:31:00.000-07:002016-11-28T13:43:49.485-08:00Spark Expands High School Transition Program<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>This blog typically highlights Spark’s work related to students in the middle grades. With this post, we are excited to expand that scope to include students in 9th grade and introduce our High School Transition (HST) program. Here Cristen Lain, Spark’s Director of Alumni Programming, shares more detail about the program and Spark’s research-based program evolution.</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As a former math teacher and a leader in a Chicago Public Schools (CPS) selective enrollment high school’s Academic Center for 7th and 8th graders, I know the challenges and opportunities surrounding the tricky transition from the middle grades to high school. They’re part of what attracted me to Spark. Spark’s program for middle grade students from underserved communities is uniquely tailored and aligned with cognitive development at this age. After 10 years of successfully engaging students in workplace-based mentorships, it’s clear Spark has a model that works. However, what most interested me was Spark’s expansion -- supplementing the mentorship experience with additional support and resources for students through freshman year. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While working in Chicago’s schools, I saw firsthand the need for students to have a variety of support in the middle grades through the early high school years in order for them to stay on track for success. During that transition, it’s imperative for students to receive assistance with high school exploration, social emotional development, and accessible resources in their critical freshmen year. I can recall so many stories of my own former students who struggled with their first year in a new school simply because they weren’t prepared for the changes experienced in their new environment. Though very capable of attaining academic standards, many didn’t have the opportunity to develop critical skills like time-management, self-awareness or self-advocacy. Many of their difficulties could have been avoided with the right preparation.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of my favorite students, Ray*, recently reached out to me after getting into a little trouble at school. Ray is a well-rounded student who is well liked by friends and teachers. He told me he’d been struggling with his grades for quite a while and rather than seeking help, he had been covering up his problems. He wasn’t able to properly problem solve. He didn’t know how to self-advocate and was embarrassed that he needed help. There are so many students like Ray who would benefit from opportunities to learn and develop these skills so they can better navigate complicated transitions. What if Ray was taught that learning is a process, and it’s okay to make mistakes? What if he knew earlier that it was time to reach out to an adult for help? Students like Ray are part of why I am excited to help Spark build and launch its High School Transition (HST) program. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>In-school opportunities keep students engaged and help them navigate the high school selection process</b></span></h4>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">HST does not replace Spark’s mentorship program for students in the middle grades. Instead, it extends Spark’s programming by providing a guided pathway paved with additional resources, opportunities and tools. Eighth grade is a time for students to get excited about going to high school and to prepare for success during that time. It is also a time for students and families to be educated consumers in making high school choices. Spark’s HST program provides its students with the customized “Select Your High School” Tool. Guided by Spark staff, students use data around academic quality, distance and personal interests to find the best high school for them. Skills workshops help students understand what to expect in high school and how to apply what they have learned to various high school scenarios. Students are also given the chance to participate in peer panels and summer opportunities. Like Ray, so many students would benefit from exposure to additional resources like these to stay on track for success in academics and in life.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyr3jplKLC7MGVLi3G7wlvldg4nIXvRpDZiDXCQNMTnVpSygmtrca3n80Zr4Vl_TGIUxDE7Eq2Cm0tt3NwSdO-_GLVX_K6OVQvDt7oYKQ3j62_BCRXJj2M-ltsgktrgkEG0A5HfH4b0I/s1600/Program+Model_Graphic_8th.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyr3jplKLC7MGVLi3G7wlvldg4nIXvRpDZiDXCQNMTnVpSygmtrca3n80Zr4Vl_TGIUxDE7Eq2Cm0tt3NwSdO-_GLVX_K6OVQvDt7oYKQ3j62_BCRXJj2M-ltsgktrgkEG0A5HfH4b0I/s400/Program+Model_Graphic_8th.png" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br style="color: #222222;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We received great feedback from students and educators during our pilot sessions. One of the counselors who tested the Select Your High School Tool told us, “The database you guys created so the kids can compare their schools side-by-side is absolutely AWESOME!” We are excited to roll out our second version of the Select Your High School Tool with new features and improvements for our students. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In 9th grade, Spark continues to support and encourage students through online character building workshops and by offering an abundance of resources and opportunities via digital communications to keep students on a positive path. This programming is progressive, building upon 7th and 8th grade supports. It also extends the pipeline of support for students through partnerships with peer organizations in the high school <br />space. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b style="color: #222222;">A comprehensive approach to an important academic transition</b></span></span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When combined with Spark’s workplace-based mentorship program, HST adds the right additional support for students and families at the right time. Spark’s initial HST pilot in Chicago demonstrated 98% of our students explored and applied to a school that was not their neighborhood school.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And, this fall Spark will expand its HST services to students and families in Los Angeles, more than quadrupling its reach to serve 730 students in two regions!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br style="color: #222222;" /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Spark’s High School Transition program:</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">✓ Builds on Spark’s mentorship program</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">✓ Helps 8th graders find the right high school for them</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">✓ Engages parents in the high school transition process</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">✓ Prepares students for high school through SEL workshops</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">✓ Provides relevant resources to Alumni students in the 9th grade</span><br />
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<i style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Student name changed to protect privacy</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>By Cristen Lain, Director of Alumni Programming, Spark</b></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br style="color: #222222;" /></b></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Cristen's passion for education and her diverse background led her to Spark. Before joining the organization, she led a Chicago Public High School Academic Center for seventh and eighth grade students accepted into a unique selective enrollment high school program. She previously taught high school math for five years and also worked many years as a consultant. Cristen is excited to use her experiences in developing programs for students in the middle grades and designing curriculum to create a program for Spark's alumni students. Cristen has a M.Ed. in Secondary Education with an endorsement in Middle School Education from DePaul University and a B.S. in Mathematics, with Minors in Statistics in Actuarial Science from Loyola University.</span></span></i><br />
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Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-76348629531764553242016-07-01T15:37:00.004-07:002016-07-05T14:02:49.604-07:00Guest Post: The Challenges of Summer Learning Loss<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>In 2015, Spark partnered with a number of organizations
including the <a href="http://www.summerlearning.org/"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: orange;">National Summer Learning Association</span></span></a>,
for the <a href="http://www.expandedlearningsummit.org/"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: orange;">Expanded
Learning Summit</span></span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gathering
focused on how to make expanded learning the new normal for middle school
students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, Matthew Boulay, the
founder of the National Summer Learning Association, explains “summer learning
loss” and shares a few tips for keeping students engaged during the summer
months. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because Spark’s core mentoring
program only operates during the school year, it’s helpful for mentors,
educators and parents to realize the role they play in keeping students on
track.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>________________</i>_____________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Summer learning loss occurs when students
disengage from academics throughout June, July and August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What might seem like a short academic break
manifests into challenges for students, teachers and even schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /><i><br /></i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Summer Learning Gap in the Classroom</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Teachers play a critical–yet often
unrecognized–role in shaping expectations around summer learning. Some
researchers describe teachers as “information brokers” who help
parents shape their goals for summer learning and also identify resources in
their community that can facilitate summer learning.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While summer learning loss may be new to
many of us, it is not news to teachers who struggle with the effects at the
start of each school year. In a 2013 survey of 500 teachers by the National
Summer Learning Association:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Nearly
66 percent reported needing to devote 3-4 weeks to reviewing or re-teaching the
same material at the beginning of the school year that their students had
learned the previous spring.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Another
24 percent reported spending five weeks or more backtracking before deciding it
was safe to proceed to new terrain.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This means that during a 40-week academic
calendar, teachers have to spend more than 10 percent of it pulling their
students back up to where they had been before summer slide.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The Ripple Effect of Summer Learning Loss </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In most states and districts, schools have
been judged on test scores under the requirements of No Child Left Behind.
Because these tests are administered once a year, school year gains are mixed
in with summer losses. Take the example of a student who gains 100 points
during the school year but then loses 30 points during the summer. If the
accountability system requires the student to gain 80 points but the net result
after summer learning loss is only 70 points, then the student is categorized
as underperforming. If there are too many students in this situation, the
school is put on a watch list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In other words, achievement gains made
during the school year by both students and schools are undercut by losses that
occur during the summer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Helping Students Stay Engaged</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As with many aspects of education and even
childrearing, it takes a village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here
are some tips for mentors, teachers and parents to keep students engaged during
the summer months:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.4pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Explore home and community resources that might
be available during the summer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; line-height: 14.4pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Make sure every child has a library card
and consider transportation options to and from the local public library.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Encourage the school’s library to open during
the summer months. Even if it is just for a few hours a day once a week, this
allows kids to walk to their neighborhood school to get books on a regular
basis.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Many schools subscribe to online learning
programs during the school year. Programs like IXL, First in Math, Bedtime
Math, RAZ Readers, and many more. These subscriptions are often 12 months long
but teachers and parents are frequently unaware that they are available during
the summer. Check to see if online learning programs are available during the
summer and, if so, make sure students know about it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Give reading lists. Some schools have parents
sign “Summer Reading Contracts” to commit to supporting summer reading.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Use data to track summer learning at the school
level or more simply with a reading log from their public library to keep track
of the time spent reading during the summer.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 9.5pt;">Matthew Boulay is
the founder of the National Summer Learning Association and the author of “</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="color: orange;">Summers Matter: Ten Things Every Parent,
Teacher and Principal Needs to Know About June, July, and August</span></span></i></span></span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 9.5pt;">”</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-47105108902447320452016-05-26T09:21:00.000-07:002016-05-27T05:54:21.736-07:00Guest Post: Mentor Scott Blair Shares His Spark Experience<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><i>Scott Blair is Vice
President of Finance and Operations at <a href="https://www.activision.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Activision</span></a>, a leading worldwide
developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure
products. Scott and his colleague*, Dennis Durkin, CFO at the company, mentored
Jesus, an 8<sup>th</sup> grader in <a href="https://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/locations/los_angeles" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Los Angeles</span></a>. Below,
Scott shares his Spark mentoring experience. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">This was my first student
mentoring experience and while it was different from what I expected, it
completely exceeded my expectations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I was expecting all
the students to be super excitable, since Activision is a gaming company and so
many kids love video games, but Jesus, my 14-year-old mentee, was actually
pretty shy. To get him
excited, I needed to take an alternative approach to how I usually mentor a peer
or colleague; I focused on helping, supporting and nurturing him, as opposed to
providing constructive feedback the way I would in the work environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Our biggest
challenge was making sure that Jesus was comfortable. We turned to video games,
a common interest, to help break the ice. Each week we assigned ourselves
homework to play five mobile games and write down what we liked and disliked
about each one of them, how much time we played each game and if we spent any
money (imagine playing games for homework, what a dream come true for a
14-year-old)! This icebreaking exercise eventually led to our project, how to
make a video game, and became one of the projects key deliverables - Market
Research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">You don’t know what
your mentee will take out of the experience, but I just took it one week at a
time, putting all the building blocks in place and planning interactions with
various colleagues he could also learn from – I wanted to make him feel special
every week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Jesus presenting his project with Scott
(foreground) <br />and </span></i><i style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Dennis (background) at Discovery Night</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The project enabled
us to focus on collaboration and although we didn’t know exactly how our
project would end up, we built a solid project plan early in the process so we
knew exactly what to do each week. That was something that I really hoped Jesus
would take away from our conversations; that time management and planning is
such an important skill and helps make everything easier, like making sure you
plan to study for an exam at school, for example. I really wasn’t sure whether
this was something Jesus would take away with him, but I was so pleased to read
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"<i>The
thing I liked about the apprenticeship was working with your company and
experiencing the different things people do over there. I learned that it takes
lots of time to accomplish something... I am thankful that you guys brought in
many programmers to tell me what they do and how both of you care about me. With the things you showed me, in the future
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Night</span></a>, Spark’s culminating project fair -and his presentation of our
project to his teachers, family and friends - was just awesome. I was so proud
- he did such a fantastic job! It was the most rewarding part of this
experience. I did not know how it would go, but seeing him present his project
with ease and seeing that he heard and incorporated all the feedback that we
gave him during rehearsal was so special. There was a moment when we really
connected; while practicing for Discovery Night I mentioned that he should
pretend that he is presenting to the girl that he likes - from this point
forward he took his practicing to the next level!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Scott (left)
and Dennis (middle) with Jesus (right)</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Participating in Spark was an incredibly
rewarding experience.</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> Most
of us want to help others, but we are either too busy or can’t make it work for
a number of other reasons. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The fact that
Spark comes to you, at your office, makes it an ideal solution.</b> Not only is
it very convenient for the mentors, but the students also benefit by getting
exposure to an office environment, which is very impactful and motivating for
them too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked forward to these two
hours every week – two hours of a different challenge; two hours making a
special bond; and two hours that were the most rewarding time in my working
week. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I signed up to mentor because a
colleague pulled me in, and now I am going to be one of the biggest Spark advocates
around the office!</b> Given how convenient and rewarding it is, everyone who
has the opportunity to participate, should get involved. Helping someone who
might not have all the opportunities that others do felt really special. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Spark strives to pair each student in a one-to-one mentoring relationship. Occasionally there's the need for a student to have more than one mentor due to volunteer workloads and/or travel schedules. Thanks to Scott, Dennis and Activision for their support! </span></i> </span></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-72377960998948398672016-04-08T14:09:00.002-07:002016-04-08T14:26:00.909-07:00The Benefits and Evolution of Volunteering<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">40,000. This is the number of hours Spark mentors will volunteer this year to help 1,000 students stay engaged and on track. It’s nearly the equivalent of five years of volunteer time!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s astounding. And there’s no shortage of gratitude here at <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/"><span style="color: orange;">Spark</span></a> for the terrific mentors who bring our program to life.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This month Spark joins <a href="http://www.pointsoflight.org/"><span style="color: orange;">Points of Light</span></a> and others in “celebrating service” during National Volunteer Month. It’s a time to recognize the millions of Americans who give their time and talent to help others. It’s also a time to highlight the meaningful impact giving back has on the volunteers themselves, and the growth in community service nationwide.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Good for Others, Good for You</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We often showcase the benefits Spark’s workplace-based mentoring program brings to students in the middle grades. But, did you know mentors also benefit from volunteering?</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV03nULFeP7P7ycFb5SkHkfqfLajBFum0sz3rpfuQEM13rL2VKEKfX70X-3RGfcAIihD212IHj_It5EGeqAflxx46Oib0XyPD8RFOZ_Jw-yCt-BGWNGWPA-ebDmBgLIoVrhWDg7ozCLA0/s1600/mindsetweb.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV03nULFeP7P7ycFb5SkHkfqfLajBFum0sz3rpfuQEM13rL2VKEKfX70X-3RGfcAIihD212IHj_It5EGeqAflxx46Oib0XyPD8RFOZ_Jw-yCt-BGWNGWPA-ebDmBgLIoVrhWDg7ozCLA0/s200/mindsetweb.jpg" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">73% of Spark mentors have an increased motivation and appreciation for their job</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">74% of Spark mentors believe that participating in the program has challenged them and helped them to develop new skills such as communication, leadership and collaboration</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">82% of Spark mentors feel closer to their community after participating in Spark</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And if these weren't enough, <a href="http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0506_hbr.pdf"><span style="color: orange;">research</span></a> indicates that those who volunteer are healthier and more likely to live longer!</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Next Generation of Volunteers</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">These benefits, when coupled with other initiatives including workplace-based community service, are helping to change the culture of volunteering. This year marks the seventh anniversary of the <a href="http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/legislation/edward-m-kennedy-serve-america-act" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act</span></a>, which expands national service programs and is linked to increased volunteerism in the US.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mr. Kennedy would be proud to know that the nation’s commitment to service appears to continue its upward trajectory as the next generation demonstrates significant enthusiasm for volunteering. Research shows <a href="http://fi.fudwaca.com/mi/files/2016/03/MIR_Update2016-Web.pdf"><span style="color: orange;">Millennials</span></a> are overwhelmingly opting to donate their time and personal skills. This is good news for service and good news for Spark. Only 30% of <a href="http://fi.fudwaca.com/mi/files/2016/03/MIR_Update2016-Web.pdf"><span style="color: orange;">surveyed</span></a> Millennial employees did <i><u>not</u></i> volunteer in 2014. A closer look at Spark mentors reinforces this point of engagement with 67% of our volunteer mentors ranging in age from 25 to 35.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In addition, the advent of more workplace-based community engagement efforts like <a href="http://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/impact-day.html"><span style="color: orange;">Deloitte’s Impact Day</span></a> is successfully increasing the service component of corporate engagement and philanthropy.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Work Goes On</b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>“The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.”</i></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Indeed this famous quote from Edward M. Kennedy still rings true today. This is the time to acknowledge “the work” does not go on without the tremendous volunteers Spark and many other organizations are grateful to engage. When businesses encourage, generations embrace and adults recognize their responsibility for volunteering, many more social challenges become solvable. </span><br />
<br />Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-84938966619937717942016-02-29T15:02:00.002-08:002016-03-01T06:30:31.351-08:00Celebrate Middle Level Education in March<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By Dru Tomlin, <span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #484848; line-height: 22px;">PhD, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #484848; line-height: 22px;">Director of Middle Level Services<br />@DruTomlin_AMLE</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As we prepare to declare the start of spring, March is also
<a href="http://www.amle.org/AboutAMLE/MiddleLevelEducationMonth/tabid/295/Default.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Middle Level Education Month</span></a>. And while every month is critical in the middle
grades, March has been set aside as a time when we celebrate the power and the
potential of the young adolescent and shine a warm light on those who help
improve their educational lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can explore the rich resources online at the Association
for Middle Level Education’s website at <a href="http://www.amle.org/mlem"><span style="color: orange;">www.amle.org/mlem</span></a>, but also consider starting
the celebration by giving thought to an important but sometimes neglected “R”
in education: Remembrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For many of
us, early adolescence was a time mixed with challenge and triumph, friendship
and frustration, humor and hurt, love and loathing—a time when we needed and
craved support and caring to meet our unique (and ever-evolving) needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, remembering what we were like as kids
between the ages of 10 and 15 is one of the most important parts of Middle
Level Education Month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To serve young
adolescents more effectively, take time in March to think back to those
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who helped you grow as a learner
and as a person? And how are we celebrating and supporting students in our
schools, businesses, homes, service agencies, and communities today?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K1yt95mGkLWxRl6_cwrthtkoGue3gg0KuU5fipGVdbwA4KmBiupR-16gj5NNWcUM4ibG3GXQzATAyQYeIr_qn_eHC0UJ-z0vRnpahQmDVABwrLiY8OX97yeC9FwEMa82oQJMcxFX_aA/s1600/AMLE_MLEM_pic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K1yt95mGkLWxRl6_cwrthtkoGue3gg0KuU5fipGVdbwA4KmBiupR-16gj5NNWcUM4ibG3GXQzATAyQYeIr_qn_eHC0UJ-z0vRnpahQmDVABwrLiY8OX97yeC9FwEMa82oQJMcxFX_aA/s320/AMLE_MLEM_pic1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In addition to remembering your own early adolescence,
Middle Level Education Month is a time to recognize people who work with this age
group every day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone who understands
and cares for young adolescents is a middle level educator: teachers, mentors,
school administrators, community and business leaders, college partners, families
and service providers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>March is a time
to shine the spotlight on anyone who improves the educational lives of children
ages 10-15. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of the 16 characteristics in <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.amle.org/twb"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: orange;">This We
Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents</span></i></a> </span>states that an effective
middle grades program is propelled by those who “value young adolescents and
are prepared to teach them” (p. 15).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the case of teachers, for instance, they are not only masters of their
respective content areas (i.e., math, reading, science, music, social studies),
but they are masterfully aware that their students are simultaneously achieving
in multiple areas—physically, cognitively, socially, ethically,
psychologically, morally and more!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And those
who serve through their communities, businesses and service agencies are
committed to not only the wellness of their own organizations, but they are
equally committed to the wellness and development of young adolescents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that awareness and commitment, all
middle level educators live three critical truths every day that need to be
celebrated: </span></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Middle level educators understand that academic gains happen
when we attend to students’ other achievement areas. People who work with young adolescents
support their growth through movement, activity, engagement and group collaboration
because young adolescents have physical and social needs that must be met in
their daily educational lives. No matter
where, when, or from whom young adolescents learn, they need people who
understand the truth that “the most successful learning strategies are ones
that involve each student personally” (</span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This
We Believe</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, p. 16).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Middle level educators also live the daily reality of the
adage, “Students care to learn when they learn that we care.” We need to shine
a light on community service providers and business partners who realize that
the first critical connection with a young adolescent is through the
heart. Similarly, we need to celebrate teachers
and leaders in the middle grades as pedagogical artists who know not only how
to create great lesson plans and clear master schedules, but also know how to sustain
great relationships built on care, trust and compassion. We help students blossom when we illuminate
and practice “qualities of heart and mind” that “make a positive difference in
the life of every young adolescent” (p. 15).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Middle level educators know that young adolescents add
and bring value to the educational conversation. Contrary to the belief of some people, young
adolescents are not aimless, contrary “tweens” who are devoid of
direction. Those who work with these
children every day see them differently.
Through their daily interactions, middle level educators see young
adolescents as blossoming leaders, debaters, policymakers, service providers,
artists, scientists, explorers and so much more. They see in every young adolescent the glimmering
power and vital potential of a life evolving.
And they know that each student deserves learning that nurtures and
grows that potential—throughout March and every month of the year.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqao-VFp4rTlWGST8OuhoPIs5lycGswsOerRzfNb2nzhtACYmwGegPv5zGDt1mvGwsrOaSO6SuC7zrGLbhInwGzOZIHtlEKXwodOFvNpYEL0k3fS_zzCWR_5jxlvZBopmJ8fqtCF6D3kM/s1600/AMLE_MLEM_pic3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqao-VFp4rTlWGST8OuhoPIs5lycGswsOerRzfNb2nzhtACYmwGegPv5zGDt1mvGwsrOaSO6SuC7zrGLbhInwGzOZIHtlEKXwodOFvNpYEL0k3fS_zzCWR_5jxlvZBopmJ8fqtCF6D3kM/s200/AMLE_MLEM_pic3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So as you start to feel the warmth of spring and see the sun
linger longer in the March sky, join AMLE as we take time to acknowledge
everyone who supports and improves the educational lives of children ages 10 to
15 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember your own
adolescence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recognize what makes young
adolescents unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Support and celebrate
our middle grades students!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">
_______________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://twitter.com/DruTomlin_AMLE" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Dru Tomlin</span></a>, Ph.D., is director of middle level services for
the Association for Middle Level Education (<a href="http://www.amle.org/">www.amle.org</a>).
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Reference</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">National
Middle School Association [now AMLE]. (2010). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This we believe: Keys to educating young adolescents. </i>Westerville,
OH: Author. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.amle.org/twb"><span style="line-height: 115%;">www.amle.org/twb</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-5792792838956219402016-02-09T12:50:00.000-08:002016-02-09T13:09:05.952-08:00 The Role of Mentoring in the ‘Middle School to High School Transition’ <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Author: Meha </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">Davé</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, Director of Program
Innovation for Spark</i></span><i><span style="background: white; color: #073763;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Middle school, as
most teachers and parents (and almost anyone!) would agree, can be a difficult
time for most students. The brain is in a constant state of development, which makes
social, personal and academic transitions challenging. Studies show that grappling
with these challenges during this critical time can lead to disengagement and
school drop-out during the transition to high school. Consider these
statistics:</span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Between
60-70% of US students become chronically disengaged from school during 7th </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">or 8th grade<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span></a> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">68% of
students who drop out of school do so in 9</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> grade, or after
repeating 9</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> grade</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="text-indent: -0.25in;" title="">[2]</a></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 115%;"><b>M</b></span></span></span><b style="color: windowtext; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">aybe most importantly, the biggest
predictor of on-time graduation is if a student is on track during his or her
freshman year in high school.</b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">
These findings underscore what we believe at Spark: supporting underserved
students in the middle grades is crucial to bolstering engagement, success and
increasing graduation rates.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I recently had the
chance to explain how Spark’s mentoring model is doing just this at the</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVWzJehe4muNPHLx8mBl-sb4aMZi1_311IIm_TIcUFCVfB80Ds-XfOXai2E_1EhjFSadYOIpdfyqcGQCRBnnK7MG8yJ0bAraqmvip7Ik_mt90-aQKYwdlXjTaohIPHF7Gu7qiiZM7Jmw/s1600/3793.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVWzJehe4muNPHLx8mBl-sb4aMZi1_311IIm_TIcUFCVfB80Ds-XfOXai2E_1EhjFSadYOIpdfyqcGQCRBnnK7MG8yJ0bAraqmvip7Ik_mt90-aQKYwdlXjTaohIPHF7Gu7qiiZM7Jmw/s320/3793.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mentoring.org/our-work/events/national-mentoring-summit/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;"> National Mentoring Summit</span></a>, an incredible opportunity to connect with mentoring
colleagues and share best practices! It was founded and convened by <a href="http://www.mentoring.org/"><span style="color: orange;">MENTOR:
The National Mentoring Partnership</span></a>,
and is the signature event for the mentoring field that brings together
approximately 1,000 top researchers, policy makers, practitioners, the network
of affiliate Mentoring
Partnerships, corporate partners and many other national youth-serving
organizations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Held in Washington,
D.C., the theme of this conference was “Connection, Growth, and Opportunity,” and
I was proud to demonstrate Spark’s commitment to these qualities. Through
one-to-one mentorships, which pair underserved students with industry
professionals, Spark provides a personal <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">connection
</b>with a mentor, a tailor-made space for personal and professional <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">growth</b> for students <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> mentors, and most importantly an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">opportunity</b> for engagement in an area
of personal interest which may have previously seemed out of reach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Take Andrew for
example, a current high school senior, who participated in Spark in </span><br />
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTId5RvLcBu7Kkliv6-Lah9F4yt3YFV6fI21YqEfOqvejK1qFFBkJXBaqJwyi_YooSa2i3ER7s50B_nYQHRXkJPwKvYlTPqVBY3gRIGKmXMIz4Zg_-NbP0Wfar9I5yYoRxkAH3HclU5Y/s1600/13566431973_e665db9c7f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTId5RvLcBu7Kkliv6-Lah9F4yt3YFV6fI21YqEfOqvejK1qFFBkJXBaqJwyi_YooSa2i3ER7s50B_nYQHRXkJPwKvYlTPqVBY3gRIGKmXMIz4Zg_-NbP0Wfar9I5yYoRxkAH3HclU5Y/s200/13566431973_e665db9c7f_o.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">seventh
grade. <a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/07/15/career-prep-moves-into-middle-schools.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Andrew expressed an interest</span></a> in drawing, and was paired with a Spark
mentor at a Los Angeles architectural firm. Andrew honed his professional and
artistic skills in a real-world apprenticeship and felt more prepared for high
school as a result. He was just accepted early admission to Brown University and
hopes to become an architect. Andrew’s 10-week apprenticeship gave him skills
and confidence to better transition from middle school to high school, and his
connection with his mentor endures to this day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Through short and
long-term evaluation of Spark participants, we see that Spark students develop
the academic mindsets, social emotional and academic skills that lead to
improvements in their school performance. We’ve seen that more than 70% of our
students have improved their performance in school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here are some key
factors we attribute to our success, and suggestions for other mentoring
programs serving students in the middle grades:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Listen to the mentee to gain an
understanding of how to tailor their mentorship experience</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Apply mentee areas of interest to
project-based, hands-on learning</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Educate mentors about the “middle school
mind” and successful strategies for working with this age group</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Structure mentor and mentee meetings around skill-building
activities</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Use the present to explore the future,
including youth aspirations around future education and career goals</span> </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Join Spark as we
continue to make progress for middle school students and mentors. To become
involved as a mentor or supporter, apply <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved"><span style="color: orange;">here</span></a>. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6838194385652668568#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<i>Source: Everyone Graduates Center</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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www.sparkprogram.org</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-23242810558389265802016-01-13T06:27:00.004-08:002016-02-09T13:08:50.048-08:00Mentoring ‘In Real Life’<div class="normal">
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Four Ways to Celebrate Mentoring and Make an Impact in 2016</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For many of us,
January symbolizes a fresh start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
about goal setting and looking forward to all of the moments that will make
2016 memorable. Here at Spark, January marks the beginning of the second
program session we kick-off each year, pairing students with mentors for 10
weeks of hands-on learning apprenticeships in exciting workplaces.. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s fitting then,
both personally and professionally, that January is <a href="http://www.nationalmentoringmonth.org/"><span style="color: orange;">National
Mentoring Month</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aev5I01f8BjKb2Sy-Kw3nO4J2wOlXE-V8U93pGZk4wLg_7d3VXoYpRBjh8xjFwWEvpPBjGSlOgMsHenKsBeYlvLhAXmSkA1ESRMlbryJYvG9BeDEzcpWn-KwmbhQHGmNKL_RMpJazq0/s1600/NewsletterHead_V1+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aev5I01f8BjKb2Sy-Kw3nO4J2wOlXE-V8U93pGZk4wLg_7d3VXoYpRBjh8xjFwWEvpPBjGSlOgMsHenKsBeYlvLhAXmSkA1ESRMlbryJYvG9BeDEzcpWn-KwmbhQHGmNKL_RMpJazq0/s320/NewsletterHead_V1+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For Spark <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/about/staff/category/national"><span style="color: orange;">staff</span></a> beginning the second half of our program year, National
Mentoring Month is a reminder that our work is part of a larger educational and
social movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.mentoring.org/new-site/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/The_Mentoring_Effect_Full_Report.pdf"><span style="color: orange;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
Mentoring Effect</span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> report</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> tells us that one in three young people
feel isolated from meaningful connections with adults outside their home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a clear need for mentoring and Spark
is part of the larger network of organizations working to address this national
challenge, helping students build the social capital they need to be successful.
This program year, Spark is partnering with 30 schools and more than 200
companies and organizations across four major metropolitan regions and engaging
more than two thousand volunteer mentors to serve more than 1,000 middle school
students, helping them stay engaged, on track and ready for success in high
school and beyond. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">National Mentoring Month
offers simple ways for all of us to make an individual impact in 2016 through
mentoring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I personally hope you take
advantage of this opportunity in January to <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved/volunteer"><span style="color: orange;">become a volunteer mentor</span></a> with Spark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We need more than 1,000 adults to pair one-to-one with students this
spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But National Mentoring Month is
not just about Spark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">opportunity to celebrate and honor the
importance of quality mentoring and highlight the impact that mentoring
programs like Spark has on adolescents.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In 2015, week-in
and week-out I saw the benefits of mentoring unfolding <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MentorIRL&src=typd"><span style="color: orange;">in real life</span></a>, in offices across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I watched C-level executives block two hours
of time each week to share their professional perspective and guide local
students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"Spark makes it so easy,” said Perry Wallack, CFO
of Cornerstone OnDemand and a Spark mentor. “Twenty hours is a really small amount
of time to play a part in helping a student graduate from high school by
motivating them through exposure to world opportunities. We are giving them an
essential tool to being successful in life."</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I heard from educators who witness positive growth in their students because of Spark mentors. <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"We've seen their grades
improve, we've seen them become more outgoing, but the most important part for
us is that we are providing our students with the opportunity to engage in
learning experiences outside the confines of their own communities,” shared
Sean Holiday, Principal of a Spark partner school. </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxdF_qG0CqClLICOcETOZfvcgKFrLxhdqQAEZqnxY-crXU7jPwJAo6R9y6BTqOdIX10c0f0OdDtS8BoVB9elbnqJOKx_QJpikYIYHzsiI6X_AXmWYDgWAkt1PEWfsyX8FEj7hFRGYNhA/s1600/NMM_profilePic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxdF_qG0CqClLICOcETOZfvcgKFrLxhdqQAEZqnxY-crXU7jPwJAo6R9y6BTqOdIX10c0f0OdDtS8BoVB9elbnqJOKx_QJpikYIYHzsiI6X_AXmWYDgWAkt1PEWfsyX8FEj7hFRGYNhA/s200/NMM_profilePic.png" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I watched mentors at Deloitte
and CEB and Sony PlayStation take time out of their busy workdays to tap into
students’ interests and motivations, engage them in exciting projects with
real-world applications and to teach them success skills. I saw students create
marketing campaigns for their own fashion lines, and detailed plans for new
sporting venues, and concepts for new video games. More than this, I saw
students with their own desires ignited and caring adults who believed in them.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Throughout January,
organizations, policy makers, mentors and mentees will celebrate the powerful
impact of quality mentoring programs across the country. I encourage you to add
your voice to the celebration by supporting the mentoring efforts and the volunteer
mentors in your community.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxdF_qG0CqClLICOcETOZfvcgKFrLxhdqQAEZqnxY-crXU7jPwJAo6R9y6BTqOdIX10c0f0OdDtS8BoVB9elbnqJOKx_QJpikYIYHzsiI6X_AXmWYDgWAkt1PEWfsyX8FEj7hFRGYNhA/s1600/NMM_profilePic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Here are four ways you can
make 2016 better for a young person and for yourself!</span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved/volunteer"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="color: orange;">Volunteer</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> with Spark and dedicate two hours/week
for 10 weeks to a local 7<sup>th</sup> or 8<sup>th</sup> grader</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Share your mentoring story on Facebook or
Twitter with the hashtag #MentorIRL (Mentor In Real Life)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Change your </span><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/home/NationalMentoringMonth2016/FacebookProfilePicsToDownload"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="color: orange;">Facebook</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> or </span><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l68sow0drnoqhme/AABuQp-IDlgfm2EUmhztELqUa?dl=0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="color: orange;">Twitter</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> profile image to reflect your support for Spark and mentoring</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved/donate"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="color: orange;">Invest</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> in mentoring with a donation to Spark</span></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Thank you for bringing
mentoring to life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">PS: Tremendous thanks to
our friends at </span><a href="http://www.mentoring.org/"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="color: orange;">MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of
Public Health for making National Mentoring Month a priority since 2002! </span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-25370391986159101632015-11-02T11:19:00.001-08:002016-02-09T13:09:26.570-08:00Celebrating 10 years of apprenticeships and planning for many more <div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">Throughout my time with </span><a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/"><span style="background: white;">Spark</span></a><span style="background: white;"> - <span style="color: #212121;">first as a supporter and donor, and now as CEO and a
</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BRLUFbOAThQWfBSS7RTzlTbhuVNLzZreVO82Bi3qB6DcDyANt8OmJV1FxvhNNIx8aHuYIO54QFfvbheEbROYzgOxllWAupg4ShbCvTf28L1ZCYd_4xcenF4HM-_BwYkoC9y7ts1z0QA/s1600/Spark_10th+Anniversary_Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BRLUFbOAThQWfBSS7RTzlTbhuVNLzZreVO82Bi3qB6DcDyANt8OmJV1FxvhNNIx8aHuYIO54QFfvbheEbROYzgOxllWAupg4ShbCvTf28L1ZCYd_4xcenF4HM-_BwYkoC9y7ts1z0QA/s200/Spark_10th+Anniversary_Logo.png" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">former <a href="http://sparkprogram.blogspot.com/2014/12/voyage-of-discovery.html"><span style="background: white;">mentor</span></a><span style="background: white;"> - it
has been a truly amazing experience to watch Spark grow. Since its
establishment in 2004 and its first program launch in 2005, Spark has demonstrated
a trend of progress and growth to reach more students, engage more mentors and
partner with more schools and companies nationwide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">We began with a partnership with one school; we paired 11 students with
mentors in Redwood City, CA. Today, we are partnered with nearly 30 schools. <span style="color: #212121;">W</span>e are serving more than 1,000 students this year
– our largest annual student cohort ever – which means we will have reached
more than 4,500 students cumulatively by the end of our tenth year. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This service is only possible with the support of donors and funders who
believe in Spark’s impact and value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
2005, Spark received its first gift of $10,000 from the Peninsula Community
Foundation (now known as the <a href="http://www.siliconvalleycf.org/" target="_blank">Silicon Valley Community Foundation</a>). In 2008, the
<a href="http://www.drkfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation</a> provided us with $300,000 to engage in our early
development phase. And from 2007 to today, the <a href="http://www.peeryfoundation.org/">Peery Foundation</a>, Spark’s largest
historical funder, provided $750,000, which was fundamental to our replicating
across four major metropolitan regions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">To date, Spark has exceeded $3.5 million in funds raised from many great
individual, foundation and corporate supporters. That momentum has lead to Spark
most recently being awarded a slate of new and big funding commitments over the
last 18 months from notable national funders, including $1.2 million from the </span><span style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.msdf.org/" target="_blank">Michael & Susan Dell Foundation</a></span><span style="background: white;"> to
support the development and launch of our alumni programming that supports our
students transition into high school; $650,000 from the <a href="http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/20-1922947/brin-wojcicki-foundation.aspx" target="_blank">Brin-Wojcicki Foundation</a> for capacity-building, strategic planning and local program
implementation; $240,000 from the <a href="http://www.allpointsnorthfoundation.org/">All Points North Foundation</a>
for <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/about/middle-grades-campaign">public
policy work</a> and our Spark Online Institute for teachers; and $100,000 from
the Rockefeller Foundation for general operating support.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">In just 10 years, we have not only grown, we have improved by tailoring
our program to the needs of students and educators in the </span><span style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/07/15/career-prep-moves-into-middle-schools.html" target="_blank">middle grades</a></span><span style="background: white;">, as well as mentors. The institution of “Spark Skills” like teamwork,
time management and goal setting helps students build capacities for
success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The development of </span><a href="http://www.sparkonline.org/"><span style="background: white;">Spark Online</span></a><span style="background: white;">
provides on-demand resources and training to mentors and educators.
Data-sharing partnerships with school districts mean we can accurately measure
our short- and long-term impact. Yet, I believe we have barely scratched the
surface of what Spark can do for the thousands of </span><a href="http://www.mentoring.org/mentoringeffect"><span style="background: white;">students who can benefit from caring mentors</span></a><span style="background: white;">,
workplace apprenticeships and targeted skill-building.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">This is only the beginning. While we expand our reach to record-setting
numbers, this year we are also embarking on our next organizational strategic
plan, mapping growth along with quality and sustainability.</span> We imagine a time when mentoring and
career exposure are part of the middle school experience for all students - so
that young adults like Jonathan continue to feel that they get a, “<span style="background: white;">head start in life.” And working
professionals like Bruce continue to have the opportunity to give back during
the workday and report that mentoring with Spark is, “one of the most enjoyable
projects I've done in recent memory.”</span><span style="color: windowtext;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Though these ideas are
inspiring and motivating, we remember now - after 10 years of pairing students
with mentors in engaging apprenticeships - that the work spearheaded by Spark’s
talented staff everyday is all about helping today’s youth prepare for successful
futures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thank you for your support,
and I’ll be eager for us together to continue this journey with Spark!</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-7643944999154861862015-03-04T09:14:00.001-08:002015-03-04T09:20:11.099-08:00The apprenticeship approach: tailor-made for young adolescents<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">I had the chance to participate in <a href="http://opportunitynation.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Opportunity Nation</span></a>’s <a href="http://opportunitynation.org/the-opportunity-summit/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Opportunity Summit</span></a> in Washington DC. The annual event convenes a great number of organizations, including <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Spark</span></a>, partnering to provide pathways to education, employment and ultimately prosperity for what are called “opportunity youth.” These are young people aged 16-25 who have dropped out of school or have graduated but have not attained post-secondary training or a degree and are therefore unable to obtain meaningful and steady employment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">There are more than six million opportunity youth currently in this country. It is estimated that the macroeconomic costs of all opportunity youth total more than $6 trillion over their collective lifetimes (a million dollars each), as they draw more from society than they are able to contribute to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Spark is engaged in this movement even though our students are younger than those addressed by most others within the Opportunity Nation <a href="http://opportunitynation.org/who-we-are/the-opportunity-coalition/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">coalition</span></a>. Our role, of course, is in identifying young people who are showing early warning signs that they may migrate into this category. Participating in Spark keeps them engaged, on track and ready to graduate high school on time and be successful beyond.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Interestingly, our approach with 13 and 14 year-olds in the middle grades is nicely aligned with many of the strategies employed for older youth. One method that has gained momentum in recent years is the apprenticeship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">There are thousands of registered apprenticeships, cataloged and designated by the Department of Labor. They run the gamut from “traditional” trades like plumbing, utility work and carpentry to new occupations generated by the computer and information age, such as computer technicians and network administrators. Importantly, earning an apprenticeship certificate is portable. They are recognized across states, just as post secondary degrees are. There’s legislative work underway to support these types of apprenticeships. </span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Senator Cory Booker and Senator Tim Scott introduced <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.booker.senate.gov/LEAP/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Leveraging and EnergizingAmerica’s Apprenticeship Programs</span></a> </span>or “LEAP” Act to increase apprenticeships through a new federal tax credit for employers. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Spark calls its project-based learning experiences with engaging mentors in exciting workplaces “apprenticeships.” While these opportunities are not officially registered apprenticeships designed to connect people directly to specific careers, they nevertheless embody the spirit of the apprenticeship approach for younger students. The experience is hands-on, experiential, embedded within the workplace, and guided by an expert mentor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Our belief is that Spark’s apprenticeship approach is uniquely suited for young adolescents. The middle grades are notoriously challenging for youth. This is the period when students begin to really disengage. Gallup conducts an annual <a href="http://www.gallupstudentpoll.com/home.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">poll of students</span></a> – some half a million in the sample each year – that measures, as they categorize it, their hope, wellbeing and engagement. Hope and wellbeing actually remain reasonably steady from fifth grade to twelfth grade. Meanwhile, engagement drops. And two-thirds of that drop occurs in the middle grades – sixth, seventh and eighth. Other studies have shown that by the time students reach high school, as much as 60% are “chronically disengaged.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">My sense is this disengagement is driven by a mismatch between the teaching and learning approach in school in these years – which still remains largely didactic in a majority of schools – and what students need in this developmental period. Young adolescents are in an intensified period of identity formation, yet schools rarely tap into their self-interests. They respond most to relationship-based experiences, but their bonds are limited to their teachers and peers, therefore they lack broader social capital. And, they are beginning to think more about their futures, yet they are not offered enough opportunities to explore their options at this stage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">When the organization Get Schooled <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://ct.global.ssl.fastly.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTQvMDgvMTUvMjE1dnkya3BzOF9GSU5BTENocm9uaWNBYnNlbnRlZWlzbVJlcG9ydF9NYXkxNi5wZGYiXV0/FINALChronicAbsenteeismReport_May16.pdf.pdf?sha=ffcb3d2b" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">surveyed students</span></a> </span>who were chronic absentees, the youth cited their reasons for disengaging: school is “boring” and they didn’t like the subjects. They also indicated what would get them more interested: hands-on activities and a better connection between what there are doing in school and their futures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Apprenticeships address these needs directly. Obviously, middle grades students are not old enough to engage in registered apprenticeships. But, the apprenticeship approach is uniquely suited to tapping into students’ self-interests, offering a broader set of positive relationships, and examining future professional options. Furthermore, apprenticeships do satisfy young people’s craving for hands-on learning experiences and the connection between education with future careers and the paths to get there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">At Spark, we’d like to see a workplace-based, hands-on learning project become a standard educational experience in the middle grades. It’s the type of opportunity that can get youth fired up about learning, keeping them engaged, on track and ready at a critical inflection point. That’s good for education. It’s good for workforce development. It’s good for young people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-19201740265430464812014-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:002014-12-16T08:18:12.239-08:00Voyage of Discovery<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I had mixed emotions going into Discovery Night. These community-based events, which involve Spark students and their families, their mentors, and their school communities, are the culmination of a ten-week long apprenticeship. They have traditionally been held at each partner school, although Spark has been experimenting with larger affairs, joining programs at multiple schools. Most recently, we had students from seven of our partner schools all assemble at <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-beat-middle-school-apprentices-20141213-story.html" target="_blank">Dodger Stadium</a> for the largest Discovery Night we’ve ever produced. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitj4VBYaZL7F_F-QR8HC3tHvmgkAcqWu1D-0izoKyh2KVBiRcnpUfbohyQmYpTokwwKoH_u4uMTXMTSUoImzcZa5-P3BCPBmzFY8SNR6lCP4n1XIhuJPmOCK7Z66WQNbmpSKR3gCmlwYE/s1600/IMG_5384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitj4VBYaZL7F_F-QR8HC3tHvmgkAcqWu1D-0izoKyh2KVBiRcnpUfbohyQmYpTokwwKoH_u4uMTXMTSUoImzcZa5-P3BCPBmzFY8SNR6lCP4n1XIhuJPmOCK7Z66WQNbmpSKR3gCmlwYE/s1600/IMG_5384.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Whatever the scale, the feel is a science fair/career fair mash up of sorts. Students stand astride visual displays of their projects, greeting gatherers and running through a summary of what their projects are and what they accomplished with their mentor. There are also some speakers and some awards handed out. So, the event is part celebration and part “teach back.” It’s an important part of the Spark model to recognize students for their efforts and to give them opportunities to speak publicly.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Isiah missed our apprenticeship session last week, so we didn’t have opportunity to practice at all. I intended to do a few dry runs with him so he was ready to present the project in a polished way. I assured myself that one of his innate talents is for communication, so he would likely do just fine. In the end, we took a few minutes before the event began to have a couple tries.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I was also feeling a bit anxious that this was our last official time together. I wanted to send him off in a proper way, to make sure he knew I would be here for him even after the apprenticeship if he needed. Spark’s volunteer experience is a structured, ten-week commitment, which in many ways makes it more feasible and manageable for someone to make the time to do it. But, I think like a lot of mentors I was feeling I needed to do more for this young man, that our work wasn’t done, somehow. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFS9rCrzds7m1udwVxTU0-x1PFVijKKyjcOUcLc-AFAdbc_PuiFbNs6ZeFjYq-sDGLY5vVTOJExiZPe4Lggv95qvl5yQezi-thRz5PUHE3I7zZ0Uthl9C-eFe7iZQn9sh0CJft3Duypw/s1600/IMG_5374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFS9rCrzds7m1udwVxTU0-x1PFVijKKyjcOUcLc-AFAdbc_PuiFbNs6ZeFjYq-sDGLY5vVTOJExiZPe4Lggv95qvl5yQezi-thRz5PUHE3I7zZ0Uthl9C-eFe7iZQn9sh0CJft3Duypw/s1600/IMG_5374.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">On the flip side, we had a terrific time together and I was excited to experience an afternoon of recognition for him. My wife and two young boys came by to meet Isiah, this young man they had heard and read about so much. I stood by Isiah as he rather adeptly reviewed <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/landing/become-a-spark-student" target="_blank">the project</a> with eager attendees, which included a few of his classroom teachers, whom I was happy to see. He told them the story of his experience at Spark, and with me, how we conceived of the project, put together a project plan (whereby his language arts teacher interjected that it would help if he used the same approach for his term paper), did research, designed the web page, and collaborated with Rachelle to build it out. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I was also feeling gratified that we accomplished what we set out to do. Not just in terms of the project, although that was fun. But, also that we connected in a meaningful way. We both genuinely enjoyed our time together. We got to know each other. We worked on some very tangible success skills. We experienced and learned new things – like Thai food and superhero powers. We had some good chit-chats on the way to and from the train about the weekly goings-on – his school and home life, my work and family. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">There are all kinds of mentoring and volunteer experiences – structured or unstructured, a short time or a long one, in or out of an educational context. Now having gone through it myself, I think Spark has a very solid opportunity for someone to volunteer for a convenient amount of time, with a lot of support, and make a noticeable impact. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpOK_YcXV-tu3IU__ZvQe6qcdoJeu-f8fep5UV8bs8j1EM7K1zyoTmayReIf-VZ9I9iF4g-bQcNDs4lL0nZoKNRKNVSh80jZrW4vwEdYaVUrqCwmjvHV_Jy5KGbYbNPHZsB_9sp8Bo8I/s1600/IMG_5245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpOK_YcXV-tu3IU__ZvQe6qcdoJeu-f8fep5UV8bs8j1EM7K1zyoTmayReIf-VZ9I9iF4g-bQcNDs4lL0nZoKNRKNVSh80jZrW4vwEdYaVUrqCwmjvHV_Jy5KGbYbNPHZsB_9sp8Bo8I/s1600/IMG_5245.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I highly encourage anyone who has followed along with me on this voyage to <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved/volunteer" target="_blank">find out how</a> you can become a mentor through Spark. We’re signing people up now for our Spring session across all four of our regions. Meanwhile, I want to thank my fellow mentors who worked with Isiah’s peers at Gregory Academy. Spark is new to Gregory this year, so it was critical that we got off to a good start. And by all accounts, we did.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I’m also grateful to those of you who made a <a href="https://rally.org/covers/ajJuBi1M5xI" target="_blank">contribution</a> to Spark in support of Isiah and my apprenticeship. It has been a real privilege to raise some resources for our great program team in Chicago who provided terrific training and support throughout this volunteer experience. And it’s not too late to <a href="https://rally.org/covers/ajJuBi1M5xI" target="_blank">support the effort</a> if you haven’t already done so and are looking for some opportunities for year-end giving. All monies go directly to support the learning experience.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Spark is really on to something. The period of young adolescence, of students in the middle grades, has been under-addressed for far too long. Students of any background can easily go off track at this age. Young people in more advantaged communities have an array of supports and opportunities to help them navigate this awkward inflection point. Together, we can close the opportunity gap by making sure all young people at this period of their development have access to real-world, hands-on, project-based learning experiences outside the classroom with engaging adults in exciting workplaces. This approach is tailor made for them. Making it part and parcel of education will go a long way to ensure all students are <i>engaged, on-track, </i>and<i> ready</i> for success in high school and beyond. </span></span>Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-85015666268358552052014-12-03T12:21:00.002-08:002014-12-04T11:10:05.219-08:00Guest Blog Post: Speaking the Same Language<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">By
Rachelle Damminger, Director of Communications for Spark</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFniV6bv0nmc-kURgaedUMAjYhRVPWX9jGKR9gkxuJRHAJa0bqbwoBj9VvjCnPW5KsqWdzcLb3ZlJaVv8K98uTmM7A62U3jaULKGPQT5-4cij0_ivQla87MBvUwLTxMUJ_6jqmdAprnqo/s1600/20131219_164325%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFniV6bv0nmc-kURgaedUMAjYhRVPWX9jGKR9gkxuJRHAJa0bqbwoBj9VvjCnPW5KsqWdzcLb3ZlJaVv8K98uTmM7A62U3jaULKGPQT5-4cij0_ivQla87MBvUwLTxMUJ_6jqmdAprnqo/s1600/20131219_164325%5B1%5D.jpg" height="192" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Last
fall I mentored Shanyyah, a quiet and thoughtful student in the Spark
Philadelphia program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">most challenging aspects of the apprenticeship was figuring out, as an adult, how to connect with a "tween." Everything from the words I used to the activities I suggested seemed to require additional thought, at least in the beginning. This self-inflicted stressor quickly dissipated as both Shanayyah and I relaxed and discovered some shared interests, including blogs, video production and photography. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">A
year later, I was pleased to help Spark CEO Jason Cascarino and his
Chicago-based mentee Isiah create a webpage as part of their Spark project (as
mentioned in a <a href="http://sparkprogram.blogspot.com/2014/11/adolescent-foodie.html"><span style="color: orange;">previous
post</span></a>). In my first Google video conversation with Isiah, the same heightened
awareness around language and connection quickly returned. With each topic we
covered, I tried to carefully select my words and adapt my conversation speed
so as not to breeze over terms like “content management system,” “CMS” and
“thumbnails.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By our second call, Isiah
was in the swing of things with his own login credentials and images to resize
and upload!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogvqMrlCRDw1riJAHhxVDfX22dCrq0IFnfAcQoeEFg6vOuAIxTiJsE76dqyNWPYpTr4oRNXtC2bI3qFfMrA-GGKFlk4Xt2D5ijKBPb2PE9qr9sd93XrvxRddKzMeRqTRNqlVxE4aBzXA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-12-03+at+9.55.57+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogvqMrlCRDw1riJAHhxVDfX22dCrq0IFnfAcQoeEFg6vOuAIxTiJsE76dqyNWPYpTr4oRNXtC2bI3qFfMrA-GGKFlk4Xt2D5ijKBPb2PE9qr9sd93XrvxRddKzMeRqTRNqlVxE4aBzXA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-12-03+at+9.55.57+AM.png" height="222" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Learning
about a website content management system is probably not as exciting as a
soccer game or a fashion show or a music video to a seventh or eighth grader,
but it is a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how something we use daily – websites
- work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, this is part of the
magic of both mentoring and communication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The shared discovery process can instill a growing curiosity that may
extend to mobile apps, video production, web design or the creative process.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">I’ll
never forget my first college advertising course when I learned about everything
that goes into producing a television commercial.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Ever since that time I have been deconstructing
public service announcements, print ads and more; thinking about the origins of
a product’s brand; considering how a campaign concept was conceived; or trying
to figure out which demographic prompted the need for a new app. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">I
may be a little biased due to my profession, but in the end, so much of what we
do and how we do it boils down to communication - including mentoring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">A <a href="http://chronicle.umbmentoring.org/study-identifies-5-ingredients-essential-to-strong-career-mentoring-relationships/"><span style="color: orange;">recent
study</span></a> of mentoring relationships found that poor communication can lead to
a failed mentorship while active listening, mutual respect and shared values are
among the characteristics of successful mentoring relationships. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Luckily
for mentors like me who may over think their initial approach with students,
Spark pairs mentees and mentors based on common interests and preferences to create
a solid foundation for successful mentoring relationships from the beginning.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">This
was evident for me as I worked with Shanyyah a year ago to <a href="http://youtu.be/ndKlnExgaIc?list=UU3NjnfjmtW6OwHlfyuYmtYw" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">create a video</span></a> and blog, and it’s evident now as I work with Jason
and Isiah. I can’t wait to see their
final project and hear how Isiah describes the process of creating a webpage!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-H9_uaaQHYWE%2FVH8lJS0AT7I%2FAAAAAAAABGU%2FbIbeHAj-BhE%2Fs1600%2FScreen%252BShot%252B2014-12-03%252Bat%252B9.55.57%252BAM.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogvqMrlCRDw1riJAHhxVDfX22dCrq0IFnfAcQoeEFg6vOuAIxTiJsE76dqyNWPYpTr4oRNXtC2bI3qFfMrA-GGKFlk4Xt2D5ijKBPb2PE9qr9sd93XrvxRddKzMeRqTRNqlVxE4aBzXA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-12-03+at+9.55.57+AM.png" -->Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-89881120503366951412014-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:002014-11-12T08:44:07.480-08:00Adolescent Foodie<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Isiah is a total foodie. At our first session, while talking
about his family, he mentioned the fact that he cooked breakfast for his
younger siblings – scrambled eggs, pancakes and hotdogs. I don’t know what
impressed me more – that he was responsible enough to be in charge of his
siblings' morning meal or that he knew, at thirteen, how to cook scrambled
eggs, pancakes and hotdogs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The subject came up again when the Thai food was delivered.
As promised, the selections we made last week came, and we emptied the bag to
put out the spread on the table in my office. And it was awesome. First, it was
great fun to introduce Isiah to each dish one by one, talking a little bit
about it and having him take some first tastes. The edamame – “Steamed soy
beans with salt. You pop the beans out and suck on the pod.” The satay –
“Skewered grilled chicken with a peanut-based dipping sauce.” The fried tofu –
“Soybeans again, if you can believe it. Not much taste by itself, but it absorbs
the flavor of whatever dish it’s in or sauce you dip it in.” The spicy noodle
dish – “Wide noodles made from rice flour. Look out for the chiles and jalapeños.”
The duck curry – “The duck breast is roasted with the skin and then tossed in a
coconut curry sauce with some vegetables.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RpOdMy8kCL2O67_1UPqVgeNMIr6jkc0lxcyDvH2WhwsioYbj6__kHZuEVzN0JuwpZBCtKzdKV8yeG3GTFgj3XOR2QKbJpMIK0UJXGoZys9epkMRIpPEbUv3ShdRakPi2odNeDg1SjQY/s1600/IMG_3772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RpOdMy8kCL2O67_1UPqVgeNMIr6jkc0lxcyDvH2WhwsioYbj6__kHZuEVzN0JuwpZBCtKzdKV8yeG3GTFgj3XOR2QKbJpMIK0UJXGoZys9epkMRIpPEbUv3ShdRakPi2odNeDg1SjQY/s320/IMG_3772.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think this was my favorite apprenticeship session with
Isiah for two reasons. First, Isiah was genuinely blown away by the experience
of the Thai food. He must have said “<i>This is so good!</i>” fifty times, practically
after each bite, most of which were completely new foods or flavors to him. Second,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I</i> was genuinely blown away by Isiah’s
articulation of the experience. At one point he lifted a small plastic cup of
dipping sauce for the fried tofu to his nose and gave it a couple sniffs. “This
has got peanuts in it, and some chiles, and something sweet.” As he took in the
duck curry: “The duck is so juicy and mixes well with the sweet pineapple and
spiciness of the sauce.” This went on dish after dish. The kid has a refined
palette. More impressively, he has a knack for talking about what he’s tasting
and experiencing that most food personalities on television would envy. Being
the cook in my family and a lover of lots of different kinds of food, I felt
especially fond of this experience. I told Isiah he should think about doing a
culinary apprenticeship next semester. He has a great affinity, a natural born
talent perhaps, for food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While the Thai dinner became the centerpiece of this
particular session, we did accomplish some real work. We need to move our
project along, after all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Isiah and I actually spent the first part of our session
video chatting with Rachelle Damminger, Spark’s Director of Communications.
Rachelle is based in our <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/locations/philadelphia" target="_blank">Philadelphia office</a> and, among many other
responsibilities, handles all of Spark’s website updates. Since Isiah is
building a special page on the Spark website dedicated to students, and because
he’s big into networking and collaboration, I wanted him to connect with
Rachelle to learn the mechanics behind getting the content he’s developing onto
the actual website.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciX9BPt-d7ELEf5EZ3KLn6jXWIHP8ReDz9-SHQCxUJ0iknIKV0NIw_zy3SiY_gAXAdD-IxFYezLOlhgKuAhNDDVO4yDooQqZSgOprGNvGeyq0Ug_IvdhhYHAn_v74RiLu7mszad1f3ck/s1600/IMG_3771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciX9BPt-d7ELEf5EZ3KLn6jXWIHP8ReDz9-SHQCxUJ0iknIKV0NIw_zy3SiY_gAXAdD-IxFYezLOlhgKuAhNDDVO4yDooQqZSgOprGNvGeyq0Ug_IvdhhYHAn_v74RiLu7mszad1f3ck/s320/IMG_3771.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can always tell when people are really engaged – whether
an adult or a young person. There is that telltale sign of leaning in, eyes
intently focused on the subject. Isiah’s attention was fixed on the screen as
Rachelle gave him first an overview of her job and the important role she plays
at Spark and then a peak at the “back end” of the Spark website. It was the
first time Isiah was exposed to the inner workings of a website, namely the
content management system that makes a site work. Rachelle was able to share
her screen and walk him through an example of an update, which turned out to be
an awkwardly large headshot of me placed smack dab in the middle of a page
about Spark alumni. She promptly took it down, after we had a chuckle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In addition to engaging with Rachelle, which Isiah liked a
lot, and learning about the technology behind website maintenance, he got a
taste for how professionals at an organization like Spark interact. Like many
companies and nonprofits, Spark operates in multiple locations, with teams of
people in each that must interact with one another from a distance virtually.
It can be quite challenging at times. But, it’s an important practice to master
in the professional world. I’m glad Isiah got a little taste of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Later on, Sahrish Saleem from the <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/locations/chicago" target="_blank">Spark Chicago</a> program team
popped in to spend some time with us as we worked on finishing up some of the
content for the web page. Sahrish is new to Spark this year and serves as a
Volunteer Coordinator, responsible for supporting mentors from five of our ten partner
schools in Chicago this year and making sure the students are getting out of
the program what we intend. Sahrish and her peers at Spark across our sites are
in many respects the lifeblood of our program. They are the ones who make the
magic happen among the students, schools, mentors and company partners. And, as
in this instance, they are an important check on program quality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I felt a little bad that Sahrish came in when she did. Not
because she was disruptive in any way, just that she missed the best parts of
the session! Namely the video chat with Rachelle and the Thai food.
Nevertheless, as a mentor, I valued her presence and had a good check-in with
her the next day to get some feedback. I have been reassured by the personal
support I have been getting from our team. As I mentioned earlier, there is a
weight of responsibility working with a young person, wanting to do right by
them and make an impact. The attentive and personalized supports make the whole
experience more manageable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don’t know how we’re going to top this one. But, we’re
past the halfway mark now and zeroing in on our culminating project and
<a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/landing/about-discovery-night" target="_blank">Discovery Night</a>. I wouldn’t be surprised if food sneaks its way into the final
presentation somehow.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-39161521125599195722014-11-04T07:00:00.000-08:002014-12-16T08:23:25.652-08:00Go with the Flow<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rPHPT13ks5XNEK_SsNlTuG62kmCxZLdZNs7YDh8xZp3t4IwYLAWE2fxerGelL9rcSlh-zjYoiXExpbFxE2gSfLHoZFCyb8_CyuubtRFPajoXRYKx2Cl2vJTQN28_3jpNOhWJ6hMuRiY/s1600/photo+1+(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rPHPT13ks5XNEK_SsNlTuG62kmCxZLdZNs7YDh8xZp3t4IwYLAWE2fxerGelL9rcSlh-zjYoiXExpbFxE2gSfLHoZFCyb8_CyuubtRFPajoXRYKx2Cl2vJTQN28_3jpNOhWJ6hMuRiY/s1600/photo+1+(8).jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>As a Spark mentor, you’re never quite sure what state of
mind your student is going to be in when he or she shows up for the
apprenticeship session. </b>Just as we have many distractions as working
professionals, young people have similarly dynamic lives. You might catch them
on a day when their adrenaline is really flowing and they are super focused. Or
you might encounter a student who would really rather be someplace else at the
time, for whatever reason. It’s totally understandable and normal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Isiah has always been pretty focused and eager when he shows
up at Spark. And this week was really no different. We had our normal chitchat
as we walked from the L stop to the office, which in large measure serves as
our “opening ritual.” The practice of an opening ritual is an important one.
Spark mentors are encouraged and trained to make room for this exercise at the
beginning of each apprenticeship session as an aid to the student and the
mentor to settle in and get focused. Isiah and I spend the time talking about
his week, which invariably touches upon tales of him with his friends or siblings.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My contribution to the exchange is to talk about my kids and
what they’re up to. It’s fun when Isiah picks up on the interests and
activities of my boys and articulates how he relates to them. This week I was
explaining how my youngest boy, aged three-and-a-half, was in a superhero phase
– big time. Isiah took that and riffed for the duration of our walk on various
superhero movies and television shows he’s watched and the lesser-known powers
of many of them. Did you know that the Green Latern has more than just one
green ring? Apparently, there are many colored rings with corresponding powers.
I now have a better appreciation for one who often is seen as a bit of a
second-tier crusader. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This week was the start of building out some content for our
web page. We began by sifting through a bunch of pictures in our photo library
of Spark apprenticeships and events. The first section of the webpage is to
showcase what students can explore, so we wanted to find some good shots of
students and mentors working together. We went back and looked at some of the
survey responses to recall what jobs or fields students were interested in and
then tried to find pictures to match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This wound up being a somewhat tedious and slow process. I
could tell Isiah was checking out. We shifted to writing some of the content,
again based on the survey. I said I would take his dictation. We went along in
fits and starts. This too turned out to be a bit laboring. I sensed Isiah was
tired, or just not that into it, or both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Curiously, out of nowhere, he began talking about pilgrims.
He was learning about them in his social studies class earlier that day and
started teaching back some of the history. He recounted much of the story: how
in England at the time you had to subscribe to one (state-sponsored) religion
and that the pilgrims were of a different sect and persecuted and so set sail
for America to seek refuge and a new life to practice their faith freely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">His telling of the tale was engaging.<b> </b>He went on for several
minutes and covered a lot of ground – the trip across the Atlantic, the
encounter with Native Americans, the first Thanksgiving and what food and drink
were on offer at the time. Some of my Spark colleagues were with me in the
office as Isiah carried on and we were all at once entertained and engrossed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was a history major in college, and I confess Isiah was
testing the limits of my knowledge and memory. I did at one point score some
good points. Isiah was talking about the class groupings among the travelers by
sea, whereby the wealthier folk would have posh accommodations above deck and
those less fortunate were quartered below. He was hunting for a word to
describe the poorer lot, and said it started with a “c” but that was all he
could remember. I blurted out: “commoner.” Isiah was taken aback. “Yeah!” he
said with surprise. “How did you know that?” I thought to myself: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dr. Hueston would be proud</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This tangent began about halfway into the day’s session, and
it lasted the duration. Without really acknowledging it, we paused on our
project and just had a nice and very engaging conversation about history. We
segued at one point into travel and again touched upon Isiah’s affinity for
Thailand. Since our first session, Isiah has been talking about Thailand,
wanting to go there and wanting to try the food. I had been meaning to grab
some Thai food from a local place and have it ready for him at the office when
he came by. So, we took the last few minutes of the session to run through a
menu online and pick out some dishes he wanted to try. He was very keen on the
fried tofu, having never had tofu and really wanting to try it. We also picked
out a spicy noodle dish, some satay, and a curry. We’ll have our own little
ethnic Thanksgiving feast next week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It’s hard to pivot like this. In my work I tend to get very
focused on a project or a task and be nose down and bang it out, avoiding
distraction as best I can. So, being adaptive, picking up on Isiah’s cues,
gauging where his head is, and just going with the flow are good lessons when
working with a thirteen-year-old. Indeed, I guess we all could use a breather
from the seeming intensity of our work and deliverables. We could all stand to pause
every now and again to share our favorite studies of history, places we’re most
curious to visit, or food we’ve never tried but want to. <b>It’s times like this
when roles seem reversed. I am the learner and Isiah is the one modeling,
subtly or not, a new or better way to operate.</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-56862727283983902592014-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:002014-10-29T13:07:51.218-07:00Seeing Patterns in Data<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Part of Isiah’s project I was most looking forward to was
examining the results from his survey of his peers. Last week, he worked on
developing the survey and he was able to get ten forms back, which is a
perfectly fine sample to inform the next stage of the project. The idea is to use
the data from the surveys to determine what young people would like to know about
Spark so we could design a page of Spark’s website geared toward students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuImW_p0u8pNaNJtJjns_zN8QTqXwucAjbJAbVO_HcjxnY9HIaj2kPTN2kLIFxEax_4EW_mQZt4aPQA3GbBgukeUUaePqXyqadFVCYQQVK4DsXy1giD8Bdsfz3vRi8ykS4xfaB4qQIUOg/s1600/photo+4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuImW_p0u8pNaNJtJjns_zN8QTqXwucAjbJAbVO_HcjxnY9HIaj2kPTN2kLIFxEax_4EW_mQZt4aPQA3GbBgukeUUaePqXyqadFVCYQQVK4DsXy1giD8Bdsfz3vRi8ykS4xfaB4qQIUOg/s1600/photo+4.PNG" height="200" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was trained in analytics early in my career while working
for the federal government in Washington. I worked in national security at the
time. When I made the jump to education, I worked for a man who was also a
transplant from that world. He had been basically a nuclear war games
strategist, during the Cold War when such experts were needed and gainfully
employed. When the Cold War ended, of course, so did his professional purpose.
He often referred to himself as a “peace dividend,” which was a common refrain
at the time as the defense and national security industry was being downsized
after the fall of the Soviet Union. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over time, my boss became my mentor, which he remains today,
some 16 years later. One of the things I remember him telling me was the idea
of applying skills developed in one industry to another. In both of our cases,
it was using the rigorous analytics of the field in which he and I started in and
applying it to education. It’s something I’ve done throughout my career.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I told Isiah that analysis is basically looking for patterns
in data, figuring out what they mean and, perhaps most importantly, what to do
about them. We spent a bit of time entering the data into a spreadsheet and
then started looking. Interestingly, five of the surveys were
completed by students who are in Spark and five were filled out by
non-participants, which is a good (albeit unintentional) sample! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ANxS41S3U_CC5L6RHQiQDxaXvlSv98a2mCVjQtacx6K5n2Us2EldxUyeoKghgUuaHn89XlTY6BotmbU5-mmDZNTmhIS4rJcHnbGrI-q7SwdQx4tQpkBtTRBNzrTOrHIni4-whY28fHo/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ANxS41S3U_CC5L6RHQiQDxaXvlSv98a2mCVjQtacx6K5n2Us2EldxUyeoKghgUuaHn89XlTY6BotmbU5-mmDZNTmhIS4rJcHnbGrI-q7SwdQx4tQpkBtTRBNzrTOrHIni4-whY28fHo/s1600/photo.JPG" height="265" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We fixated a bit on one question that had students identify
what fields they’d be interested in exploring. I asked Isiah to look at which
fields seemed like the most popular. Turns out computers, the medical
profession, and science registered the most. We talked about what was common
among these fields, and Isiah was familiar with the term <b>STEM</b> – science,
technology, engineering and math. I mentioned that more than a third of Spark
apprenticeships take place in STEM-related companies. So we agreed that since
these opportunities were of such great interest we ought to have a special
section of the web page on STEM.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We went through each of the survey questions and put
a list together of our “findings.” We then grouped them together – I’m kind of
good at “bucketizing” and have always wanted to pass that skill along – and
then created the sections of our web page based on that: “<i>What can students
explore?</i>” “<i>What can students create?</i>” Isiah was insistent on adding a </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“</span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sign up today!</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">” </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">button, </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">which I thought showed good marketing sense.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As we finished up for the session, I felt really good that
we did this part of the project. Using analytics to inform practice is a big
part of what we do at Spark, and a big part of effective education. So, giving
Isiah a flavor for that process offers insight into my work, which is one of
the key features of the apprenticeship experience. It’s also something I just really enjoy doing,
and like any mentor, its fun to teach a young person something you just really
enjoy doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ironically, perhaps the most analysis I’ve been immersed in recently
is about young people just like Isiah. Specifically, I’ve been looking at data
from school districts in which Spark operates, where <b>upwards of 40 percent of
students do not complete high school on time</b>. That number is sobering in and of
itself. What’s more, if you examine the students who do not make it through
high school, two-thirds of them either drop out in ninth grade or they are made
to repeat ninth grade and eventually drop out. The ninth grade is the great choke
point on the path to graduation.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2oXNu6hbOgASSaB1TqUBXlcZc7dk9A5DrOEyW9BOAQQShlbLLaF8o4qzoESQv7-jSUNDgQB5fE5htdjE2J-2KcL9Kp3AhzRToba4mK4D-yt9a4UiVs3EPGLxJCQuh7PYvF1RgjF6BTE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-29+at+11.47.59+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2oXNu6hbOgASSaB1TqUBXlcZc7dk9A5DrOEyW9BOAQQShlbLLaF8o4qzoESQv7-jSUNDgQB5fE5htdjE2J-2KcL9Kp3AhzRToba4mK4D-yt9a4UiVs3EPGLxJCQuh7PYvF1RgjF6BTE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-29+at+11.47.59+AM.png" height="237" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>This is the problem Spark is trying to solve.</b> We’re
partnering with schools to identify young people in seventh and eighth grade
who are showing early warning signs that may lead to eventual drop out. We
enroll them in Spark and make sure they are engaged, on-track and ready for
success in high school and beyond. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The fact is students of all backgrounds tend to slide in the
middle grades. Developmentally, young people start to disengage in school at
this age. <a href="http://www.gallupstudentpoll.com/home.aspx" target="_blank">Gallup</a> conducts a poll of more than 500,000 students each year to measure
their level of hope, wellbeing and engagement. While hope and wellbeing remain
pretty constant from fifth grade to twelfth grade, engagement drops markedly.
Two-thirds of that drop occurs in the middle grades. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This happens to all young people, from every background, in
every community. Students in more advantaged communities have traditionally had
access to resources and opportunities that help them overcome this commonplace disengagement
from school. Other students have less opportunity. Spark is trying to change that equation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have a tough time believing that Isiah fits
the profile of a disconnected youth. There is no one I have met who seems more
connected, more engaged. But, I also know that he’s at an inflection point in
his life. He’s at an age where he is beginning to think about his future in
more specific ways. Visualizing what he could be, and having people around him
– family, peers, teachers, mentors – to encourage and guide, are big parts of
the “spark” that he and all kids need to be <b style="font-style: italic;">engaged, on-track </b>and<i> <b>read</b></i>y.</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuImW_p0u8pNaNJtJjns_zN8QTqXwucAjbJAbVO_HcjxnY9HIaj2kPTN2kLIFxEax_4EW_mQZt4aPQA3GbBgukeUUaePqXyqadFVCYQQVK4DsXy1giD8Bdsfz3vRi8ykS4xfaB4qQIUOg/s1600/photo+4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-9848305938567295172014-10-21T06:00:00.000-07:002014-10-21T06:57:30.950-07:00Tele-mentoring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRmdKWcJyyOXdLSXNkIOO3e5nVWWbugDxXC3yhIuJK2lZlKGDr2UxnOh2UOa40A7AAen1T60gt2UQB0rQP5bZTKLqWY9zohngcxDG4ZBIZV5YBXqIQzkmrD0iXhdbI7kk7hWvKx9ssGg/s1600/Facetime.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRmdKWcJyyOXdLSXNkIOO3e5nVWWbugDxXC3yhIuJK2lZlKGDr2UxnOh2UOa40A7AAen1T60gt2UQB0rQP5bZTKLqWY9zohngcxDG4ZBIZV5YBXqIQzkmrD0iXhdbI7kk7hWvKx9ssGg/s1600/Facetime.PNG" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Like many mentors with Spark, I’m quite busy. I typically
have full slates of meetings, phone calls, or “to-do’s” I need to accomplish
during precious little “desk time.” I also travel a fair bit, visiting the
<a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/locations" target="_blank">regions where we have programming</a> or making fundraising rounds in New York or
Washington or elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, this week, I missed Isiah at the office. And I was really
bummed about it. I was in San Francisco for a set of meetings with stakeholders,
our great annual fundraiser, and a national board meeting. It’s common for
mentors to miss a session or two. The Spark program staff work with mentors to
forecast days missed way ahead of time, which is important so that students
know in advance that they won’t be seeing their mentor that day and therefore
won’t be disappointed – at least not as much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I told Isiah at Match Night that I would be away this week.
Since all mentors have to be cleared by a background check, ordinarily we can’t
just pass the student off to a colleague. We’d have to skip the apprenticeship
session and make it up later (we build in make-up days into the schedule). A
majority of our partner companies are now hosting five or more students, in
which case fellow mentors in the same office can fill in, which makes it
easier. Fortunately for Isiah, he is doing his apprenticeship at Spark, which
means he can still come to the office and work with one of my colleagues,
because we’ve all been cleared to work with young people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Isiah came to the office to work with my colleague Amanda,
who is as terrific with students as she is with me. I’m glad, because it was an
important week. After mapping out our project last session, this week we needed
to accomplish the first task, which is creating the survey for Isiah’s peers to
determine what they’d like to see on a section of the Spark website for
students.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After finishing up a meeting in downtown San Francisco, I
walked down to the Embarcadero and got on FaceTime with Isiah for a little bit.
I was able to show him some of the beautiful landscape of the city and tell him
a bit about why I was there and what I was doing. We were also able to chat a
bit about the survey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He and Amanda had already made good progress on it. They had
outlined some of the questions. We want to gather some basic information, of
course. So, there were questions on who the respondent is, their gender, their
age, what grade they were in, and the like. We then talked about how best to
get at some of their interests. We decided to list out a number of ideas and
ask people to tick the ones they’d like to see. Other questions were more
open-ended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Isiah’s homework is to get his peers to take the survey.
Next week, we’ll work on analyzing the data and using it to start designing the
elements of the web page. I was trained early on in my career as an analyst and
really enjoy working with data, making sense of it and using it to solve
problems. So, I’m especially eager to sit with Isiah next week and go through
that process, hopefully sharing some insights into how to do analysis. I like
that we’re doing the survey in this project, so we can blend some quantitative
work with the more creative aspects of designing the page and promoting it. It
feels like a more well rounded experience that way. We’re doing a little math
as well as English.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCca4g2Oc-tdiCCGwIeQupYDnOQ5WFU-Zp6UyzF1fcPeOqmHvvVWd4y33G8eQxjqnXFK2Cg4PR7AdmQBApUSuzQU7FRL0z3h3-7oVKR3MXPQTnu05NFsUyGDhxK6oujO6pnwIRwzIwI4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-20+at+2.12.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCca4g2Oc-tdiCCGwIeQupYDnOQ5WFU-Zp6UyzF1fcPeOqmHvvVWd4y33G8eQxjqnXFK2Cg4PR7AdmQBApUSuzQU7FRL0z3h3-7oVKR3MXPQTnu05NFsUyGDhxK6oujO6pnwIRwzIwI4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-20+at+2.12.44+PM.png" height="308" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Source: Spark student report cards & <br />Univ. of Chicago Consortium on School Research</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This reminds me how impressed I’ve been by the strides our
students make in their core course grades in school during their Spark
experience. We are not an academic intervention, yet we are seeing some effect
on academic performance. Spark students in Chicago enter our program markedly
below the district average in GPA. When they leave the program, they have made significant
gains. They start approaching the district average in their GPAs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My hunch is that the apprenticeship approach gets students
more interested in learning. Their level of engagement goes up, and therefore
they do better in school. But I also think that many of our mentors do
academic-focused things as part of the apprenticeship. Our students do analysis
and work on spreadsheets. They are writing, doing research, making
presentations. These are all things that students need to do to be successful in
their coursework.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Spark is so much more than helping students do better in
school. But, doing better in school is one big part of our impact. When
students improve their grades, they boost their confidence, and their desire to
learn more. It can be the beginning of a virtuous cycle academically. One that
we hope will persist with our students for a long time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0San Francisco, CA, USA37.7749295 -122.4194155000000137.373502 -123.06486250000002 38.176356999999996 -121.77396850000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-29599130151927541162014-10-14T09:00:00.000-07:002014-10-15T10:30:02.298-07:00Getting from Here to There<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23J0bZdhE3XMP5_mj5RrYpy95LB9YrXYoUxfdlRStUwqNQxPHHMelo6OdsnaNi3vjqHk0bclJdnSk5rmS7eibodWvbc5TE8K2wRN8AXbUVXyxdMs3gZqK-FzZ1z_3fN9dIiBRR9lE-Pc/s1600/photo+2+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23J0bZdhE3XMP5_mj5RrYpy95LB9YrXYoUxfdlRStUwqNQxPHHMelo6OdsnaNi3vjqHk0bclJdnSk5rmS7eibodWvbc5TE8K2wRN8AXbUVXyxdMs3gZqK-FzZ1z_3fN9dIiBRR9lE-Pc/s1600/photo+2+(2).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I was thirteen, I wanted to be an architect. I remember
it quite well. My school offered a drafting class for seventh graders.
It was held in this big open room with high rafters, co-located with what was “shop class” – </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">now we fancily call it “industrial arts”</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> – where you get
to work with sheet metal and shellac pretty much anything you want.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I remember that shop class was taught by this rather tall
and somewhat portly man, with a slick comb-over and big glasses. The drafting
course was taught by a quirky, mustachioed, diminutive man with dark curly hair
and big, puffy eyebrows. They were a curious duo for sure. But, they had the
distinct advantage of teaching classes where students could get dirty and draw,
which made them rather popular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also remember it as a time when my dad became my mentor. The
culminating assignment was to create blueprints for a house of our own design.
I remember getting early feedback from my teacher – <i>the small one</i> – saying my concept
didn’t make the best use of space. When I brought it home and showed it to my
dad, he pointed out the long, twisty-turny hallway I created smack in the
middle of the house. I remember him taking me around our house and showing me
how most of the space was taken up by rooms, and the hallway was short and
tight. We sat together at the dining room table redrawing my design until we
got it right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Needless to say, I never became an architect. In high
school, I wanted to be a writer, a journalist. I edited the school newspaper
and wrote short stories for fun. I carried that quest into college, majoring in
communication. But, as a sophomore I decided that in order to be a good writer,
I needed to have something to write about. So, I switched to something more
content heavy. I loved history and politics, so I changed my major. Over time,
I got a degree in history and another in international relations. I eventually
wanted to be a diplomat. At some point I took a detour into education – sixteen
years long now and counting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was telling this story to Isiah when he joined me for our
second apprenticeship session. Week two is all about goal-setting. One of the
exercises we do as mentors is talk about our own journey to the job we have
now. Isiah was floored when I told him I switched career interests a few times.
He somehow thought you had to decide really early and you could only major in
one thing at college. I told him he shouldn’t put too much pressure on himself
and take his time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_cjArcR8_lAToWVKQPCN8nEW2Pso3TSEJ9_BzAiFEUgBvEGsTMXWEebJHRVcLqdledF3PDiKZxkAKaiCD7wC_5MPWiz33IS-oZn7RZ7hM6krXD8Ta8c956KaHXmL1OtVkxjxsOSknVI/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_cjArcR8_lAToWVKQPCN8nEW2Pso3TSEJ9_BzAiFEUgBvEGsTMXWEebJHRVcLqdledF3PDiKZxkAKaiCD7wC_5MPWiz33IS-oZn7RZ7hM6krXD8Ta8c956KaHXmL1OtVkxjxsOSknVI/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" height="252" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We talked about big-picture goal setting. He knows he wants
to be a leader one day. So, we talked about all the skills and experiences he
would need to become a leader. Being persuasive. Motivating others. Making
decisions. We talked about how it mattered less at this point </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">what</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> he was leading, only that he should
work hard to put himself in the best position to be a leader of whatever the
opportunity may be. We talked about transferable skills, ones you can take with
you from job to job, industry to industry even.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, this was the week we had to map out our
apprenticeship, which dovetails nicely with the theme of goal setting. Isiah
and I talked last week about an idea for creating a new web page on the Spark
website that was geared toward students. It would offer information and
resources that would get young people interested in Spark. We talked about
developing a survey that Isiah could have his peers fill out. We would analyze
the data from the survey to determine what to put on the web page. We would
also develop a poster we could put up at Isiah’s school and a flyer we can pass
out to his schoolmates who aren’t in Spark to get them excited to learn more
about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To map out the project, we huddled in the conference room in
front of the white board. We wrote down all the weeks we had left in the
apprenticeship – seven – noted the date when the project was “due” at Discovery
Night – December 11 – and then listed all the tasks we’d need to do between now
and the end – develop survey questions, build the survey, analyze the results,
design the web page, create the content, publish the web page, design the poster
and flyer, develop the content, create the poster and flyer. Perhaps most
importantly, we have to reserve time to practice the presentation – what Isiah
is going to showcase at Discovery Night for all the attendees, which will
doubtless include his family, his peers, and members of the school community.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNM8uEc3KxGEprXSee00NRdZEMY6CajtFg9vtZhzfXI2z-iWQHVbH9V3pVCduygSHbrUlx5NLiUmb9J6dYg5IrGbIXc7a2Z_vlE-1muc0Mrkvj7BjkQUOomAnKSo9Nn2Ktkv2g1pM8dos/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNM8uEc3KxGEprXSee00NRdZEMY6CajtFg9vtZhzfXI2z-iWQHVbH9V3pVCduygSHbrUlx5NLiUmb9J6dYg5IrGbIXc7a2Z_vlE-1muc0Mrkvj7BjkQUOomAnKSo9Nn2Ktkv2g1pM8dos/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once we had our list of tasks, we began matching them up
with the weeks - next week we'll design and build the survey, the following week we'll analyze the results. And
there you have it! We set a goal, we determined the things that will get us
there, and we made a week-by-week agenda for getting it all done. Isiah
actually got a good kick out of the exercise. He even said he was going to use the
same method for his school science project. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-10361222168038674372014-10-07T15:08:00.000-07:002014-10-15T10:28:56.070-07:00Sparking Interest<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m guessing it was just jitters. I got a call about an hour
before Isiah and my apprenticeship was about to start saying he was not feeling
well and may not come. This is not atypical. Leaving their school and home
communities, often for the first time, can generate some anxiety among
students. Indeed, while Isiah says he has been to downtown Chicago before –
even toured the top of the Sears Tower – we know that many young people from
the south and west sides of Chicago have never been to the Loop. They have
never been in a building with a revolving door or an elevator. They have never
seen Lake Michigan, one of the great natural beauties of the mid-west, not even
a mile away from where many of our students live. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Exposing young people to different people, communities,
indeed “worlds” in the metaphorical sense is a core component of the Spark
model. Our intent is never to make any value judgment on one world over
another, simply that closing the opportunity gap requires exposing young
people, regardless of where they are from, to something different. Minimally,
it broadens their point of view, and optimally it provides greater access to
more options ahead of them in education and life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEH1KI9KSLXjh0S4jt7YQ4h51DA-T454h2bXYW3IEuSg2Z_jMiXsbsUim6EqbtFgwsVplof8DDYQUl_fxs0e4zw5wa423r9JDkZUaL0LJLyj5V191qi_qa6YVa78JKZMBU7ALuUm4UzA/s1600/SparkTravel1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEH1KI9KSLXjh0S4jt7YQ4h51DA-T454h2bXYW3IEuSg2Z_jMiXsbsUim6EqbtFgwsVplof8DDYQUl_fxs0e4zw5wa423r9JDkZUaL0LJLyj5V191qi_qa6YVa78JKZMBU7ALuUm4UzA/s1600/SparkTravel1.JPG" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another practical benefit to venturing beyond their home
communities, students have to navigate public transportation – an important
skill for many working professionals. Spark students travel in multiples – in
the case at Gregory Academy, about thirty all together. They are guided and
chaperoned by our staff and parent or community volunteers. They are checked
and verified at multiple points along the way. The system is quite robust and
reassuring, for mentors, school administrators, parents, and students alike,
for the sake of safety.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Isiah rallied, aided by his mother no doubt, and he arrived
to a warm welcome at the Spark office. The first apprenticeship session centers
on mentors like me getting to know our students more, and also giving them an
idea for the company, the job that we do, and the people we work with. I gave
Isiah a tour of our office – all 2,000 cozy square feet of it – and introduced
him to my colleagues. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIETv35TcdtuQUM3zdASJHqyynP_tQBEPaSNYNZwtCRo0bI8J4kEVB5vpw9EsoByEMQNrqd1-VSDcWIFF1LtA60MndEroGi38NY6EGjwhd3Opq54eFtYQub9tKkrLRrmURhI5EOe3kIBY/s1600/WelcomeIsiah.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIETv35TcdtuQUM3zdASJHqyynP_tQBEPaSNYNZwtCRo0bI8J4kEVB5vpw9EsoByEMQNrqd1-VSDcWIFF1LtA60MndEroGi38NY6EGjwhd3Opq54eFtYQub9tKkrLRrmURhI5EOe3kIBY/s1600/WelcomeIsiah.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As we went along, I found myself still calibrating my words
and descriptions to his level of experience and understanding, not wanting to
dumb down but also not wanting him to feel lost. For example, I introduced
Isiah to Spark’s COO and head of fundraising. To explain what it is that they
do for the organization, I asked him how much he thought it costs to run an
organization like Spark. After a few seconds of contemplation, he speculated:
“A hundred thousand dollars.” On top of my raised eyebrow, I rejoined: “Try
three point six million.” Over the next few silent seconds, the expression on
his face slowly shifted from surprise to curiosity to excitement as he took
this in. We then talked about how we need people who can find that much money
for us, getting people to <a href="https://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved/donate" target="_blank">donate</a>, and we also need people to count the money,
keep it safe, and pay the bills.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Each apprenticeship session includes a “<a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/landing/workforce-skills" target="_blank">skill of the week</a>.”
These are crucial interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies that young
people need to develop in order to be successful in school, in careers, and in
life. Indeed, recent reports from the <a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13398&utm_expid=4418042-5.krRTDpXJQISoXLpdo-1Ynw.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F" target="_blank">National Academy of Sciences</a> and the <a href="https://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/teaching-adolescents-become-learners-role-noncognitive-factors-shaping-school" target="_blank">University of Chicago</a> among many other research reports have increasingly shown
these skills to be as essential as academics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This week, we focused on networking. I can tell Isiah was already rather
adept at networking. And he knew it too. I got him talking about how he meets
new people and develops friendships. It’s pretty clear Isiah is a connector. Infectiously
likeable, genuine and fun, people are drawn to him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEndON0OC6nTed1L398RENZQ3NOb2_1X-S6yXK236MCvNZa4oPdEHQrkzYKIdkgKzFlcg0_YEvUucPxSK2RCkbldWy4Alb2rTe2pmmQ9MfuRJ2xFMz-NF5DMUI7XQv9W4b9jb4eXbAew/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-07+at+4.56.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEndON0OC6nTed1L398RENZQ3NOb2_1X-S6yXK236MCvNZa4oPdEHQrkzYKIdkgKzFlcg0_YEvUucPxSK2RCkbldWy4Alb2rTe2pmmQ9MfuRJ2xFMz-NF5DMUI7XQv9W4b9jb4eXbAew/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-07+at+4.56.50+PM.png" height="320" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our Results: Spark Students Improve Crucial Skills</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I told him that a lot of the networking we do in jobs like
mine is done in restaurants and coffee shops, as well as at events. Clearly, professionals
like to eat and drink. Or rather, we like to get out of the office, if you
really want the truth. So, after seeking permission from his mother, I took
Isiah over to a café in the Sears Tower across the street for our own little
networking meeting, so he could get a taste of the experience, as it were.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I could tell he was enamored with the idea. The tea shop is
in the airy west side atrium of the building, equipped with comfy chairs. Bright
digital displays showcase the drinks on offer, which he selected after some interplay
with the counter clerk. He kept mentioning how cool this all was. He said he
wanted to come downtown more often. He asked if he could do Spark more than
once a week. I confess not knowing if his excitement was driven by the charm of
the place or of our engaging conversation, or possibly the number of packets of
sugar he added to his drink, which I’m pretty sure exceeded five.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The apprenticeship lasts eight full sessions at the
workplace, followed by Discovery Night back at the school. </span><a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/landing/about-discovery-night" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Discovery Night</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> is
when all the students and their mentors display the projects they worked on
over the course of their apprenticeship. I didn’t expect us to decide upon our
project in our first session. But, after talking with Isiah, I got a clear
sense of what he was interested in – something that centered on communication,
engaging with people, collaborating. So, we bandied a few ideas and rested on
one that has some promise. Next week, we’ll map it out. And then the real work
of the apprenticeship will begin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-24683031210114802012014-09-30T08:00:00.000-07:002014-10-08T07:45:41.129-07:00Meeting Isiah<h3>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Scene</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The library at James A. Gregory Academy in Chicago’s North
Lawndale neighborhood was a nicely air-conditioned and colorful open space on
the second floor. I’ve walked into many public schools in my time that were
dark, scuffed, cluttered and claustrophobic. But, everything about Gregory was
light and lively. There was a lot going on this particular day and into the
evening when I arrived – a book fair, some school activities and club meetings,
and the <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/landing/about-match-events">Spark Match Event</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8TMbmYmBgMW2rWEcelNxOrAPU9kF0Xt6VfzSB3EpsrkOz4pK6FZkBu0U6EwrqYc4bqw-R7P9tEt5yOKxSP-wJGpVA4Wf855Qid7XaQVsDiPFCkYO2w0-eWpTMEPP21SXFM47cuvlnhs/s1600/IMG_1128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8TMbmYmBgMW2rWEcelNxOrAPU9kF0Xt6VfzSB3EpsrkOz4pK6FZkBu0U6EwrqYc4bqw-R7P9tEt5yOKxSP-wJGpVA4Wf855Qid7XaQVsDiPFCkYO2w0-eWpTMEPP21SXFM47cuvlnhs/s1600/IMG_1128.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Spark Match Event is the moment when Spark mentors like me meet their
students for the first time. I joined a group of 31 adults in the school library; all had signed up for this same experience and were patiently waiting for instructions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<h3>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Mentors </span></o:p></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was immediately clear that some mentors knew each other.
Spark has a number of companies now that routinely host five or more
students – indeed some take 30, 40, 50 and more. Given that our model is both
staff intensive and highly affected by travel and logistics (students commute
from their school campus to their mentors’ workplaces for each apprenticeship
session), having larger numbers of students going to one place is a more
scalable approach. However, we still have plenty of what I call "onsies" and "twosies," those small businesses and nonprofits that host a student or two.
Spark itself counts in that category thanks to employee mentors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<h3>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Meeting Our Students </span></o:p></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After a good 45-minute refresher training from two of Spark's program staff, it was finally time for us all to venture downstairs to the
auditorium where a group of eager, earnest and excited seventh and eighth
graders awaited us with their families. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We were all given the name of our student on a piece of
paper, along with a word that was described as “one part of a famous pair.”
It’s a cute way to connect the students and mentors and make the "mentoring matches." My slip read “Isiah,” and the term “ham.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As we entered the expansive room, about 10 students were
grouped in front of us. They were each clad with a bright blue polo shirt,
adorned with the Spark logo – a thoughtful gesture entirely conceived and created by
the teachers and administrators at Gregory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeV-6YbXSjzjhPu_tXxsQ7kR_Ll5tdLzMam13wXChP4gPO12FKYlWp5j9V1MMAZ2ix_flcuePNFuQW9AUjjNouxhdOZcAz5j_ubEVGdndAbiBGEYniaH1kD4pY7CnkXQWX_Rg1eVn8ZvE/s1600/IMG_1133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeV-6YbXSjzjhPu_tXxsQ7kR_Ll5tdLzMam13wXChP4gPO12FKYlWp5j9V1MMAZ2ix_flcuePNFuQW9AUjjNouxhdOZcAz5j_ubEVGdndAbiBGEYniaH1kD4pY7CnkXQWX_Rg1eVn8ZvE/s1600/IMG_1133.JPG" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As the particular group of students standing directly in
front of me constituted only one boy and the rest girls, it was pretty obvious
whom I should approach. Sure enough, Isiah had a cut of paper of his own with
the term “green eggs” on it. And so the match was confirmed. He looked straight
at me with a striking wide smile, extended his hand to meet mine, and we
greeted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<h3>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Getting to Know Each Other </span></o:p></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was struck not only by how genuine and poised this young
man was, but also how comfortable and gracious the initial interaction was.
Neither of us felt forced. We were both clearly interested to learn about each
other. I began peppering Isiah with questions: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Where do you live?” – just
down the street.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Who’s your family?” –
mom, stepdad, and two younger sisters.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“What food do you like?” – all kinds, especially french fries and crab
legs. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“What’s your favorite movie?” – favorites in each category, like comedy,
action, sci-fi. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“What sports do you like?” – basketball and football.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He wanted to introduce me to his mom, who was sitting at the
front of the auditorium, so he escorted me down the aisle. When I first saw her,
it became clear where this young man got his energy and engaging affect, as well as his big bright smile. Isiah’s mother was effusive, telling me how thrilled she
was that her son had this amazing opportunity to participate in Spark. She also wished she
had something like Spark when she was growing up. I was really taken by her.
Her overt happiness gave me a lift. The cool, almost-best-friend-like interplay
she and Isiah displayed was infectious. I just wanted to smile the whole time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3iHYI0TlMd27rEWSB2vFxo0-c7yM33tThwX5Cw8Gv7A2yj_UlDkVpND01hSXZudS8FAo343-QYAihDQP4OSGjfdwqBPPrsQbnDbaP4F16jWMDwTUPicCP77OA_2amYNp61SCJb5Vcy4/s1600/IMG_1187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3iHYI0TlMd27rEWSB2vFxo0-c7yM33tThwX5Cw8Gv7A2yj_UlDkVpND01hSXZudS8FAo343-QYAihDQP4OSGjfdwqBPPrsQbnDbaP4F16jWMDwTUPicCP77OA_2amYNp61SCJb5Vcy4/s1600/IMG_1187.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We sorted out all the logistics – him taking the El, me
picking him up at the station, making sure his mom had my number. I showed him
a picture of the Spark office, so he knew where he’d be spending his time. I
confess I felt a bit insecure that he wouldn’t be going to a swanky office on
an upper floor of a big high rise like he would have done with one of our
company partners. But, I know the adventure for him will be much the same
nonetheless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I left that evening thinking a lot about all the mentors
engaged with Spark this session – nearly a thousand, from all stripes, many
different fields and all sorts of companies. I wondered what their Match Event experience was like. Did they experience the same emotions? Did they connect
with their student? Did they feel emboldened as I did? Did they feel ready to
start an amazing experience with a cool kid?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-36036355146898924072014-09-23T16:30:00.000-07:002014-09-30T11:36:13.711-07:00Soothing the Anticipation <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think my team is toying with me. I’ve signed up to <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved/volunteer">mentor</a>
a student this fall and they haven’t yet told me who the young person is.
I don’t have a name. I don’t have a profile. I have no knowledge of interests
or aspirations. Surely this is all meant to heighten my anxiety.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After all, I do feel a bit anxious. Committing to mentor a
young person is a serious matter. I feel a weight of responsibility. I believe
it is on my shoulders to succeed, to give the student an amazing, perhaps
transformative, learning experience. That’s a lot to expect of myself. Am I up
to the task?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The research is increasingly clear on the power of
mentoring. Young people who have a mentor are 50 percent more likely to go on
to college than those who had no mentor, according to a <a href="http://www.mentoring.org/mentoringeffect">survey</a> published
earlier this year by the National Mentoring Partnership. Data like this only
ups the pressure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fortunately for me, as for all the volunteers in <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/">Spark</a>, our
program is a structured mentoring approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Members of Spark's program team – an energetic group of professionals –
know what they’re doing. As a mentor, I participated in training and have
access to a <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved/mentor-resources">suite of resources</a> to guide me
in the experience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a concrete
timeframe – 10 weeks, a couple hours each week. There’s a specific skill to
focus on each week with your student – networking, goal-setting and problem-solving
are the first three. There is a host of example activities and resources we can
use for the project my student and I will work on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And since Spark has run so many of these
apprenticeships, there are hardly any circumstances that haven’t materialized
previously and, therefore, been planned for. It’s as turnkey as you can get.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is soothing to a degree. But, I think I’m not alone
when I say <b>I want my mentoring experience to be extraordinary</b> – certainly for
my student, and hopefully for me also. I want my student to be among the ones
more likely to succeed in school and go on to college. I have high
expectations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You’d think I’d have some pull around here, enough to at
least get the name of the student I will mentor! I’m anxious to learn who it is, to have
our first encounter, to plan our apprenticeship, to have some laughs and some
serious exploration. The anticipation is surely building.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838194385652668568.post-84432940437792367442014-09-16T11:54:00.000-07:002014-09-30T11:39:34.647-07:00We Are All Mentors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIgwSXVeyS_7oKG1jFnSdO6W4fwtNWgJjHLxWG392LWTtVYrLKSqterdo-BRdFljWwyUxyqu0jElvimCExsmiLgzUCaBMWCkmsuHABk2Oo5tMtJj58xQH67GMoBL_WjAd9kEpC_zKCZo/s1600/DSCN2135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aYl6SvvU0_8x8H9Nn7zSgpQe4dq6Hh0CHS2q51O9hiMIB3PSmXvpEeeIMTYOnX1fbdEFnijvUc6Q7kZhGNw7PLHApn9cTerNTOB9wZWZsYiiYyB_UnEHW5zQnTgK4fqkGqbXk7dRAng/s1600/JC-NewHeadshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aYl6SvvU0_8x8H9Nn7zSgpQe4dq6Hh0CHS2q51O9hiMIB3PSmXvpEeeIMTYOnX1fbdEFnijvUc6Q7kZhGNw7PLHApn9cTerNTOB9wZWZsYiiYyB_UnEHW5zQnTgK4fqkGqbXk7dRAng/s1600/JC-NewHeadshot.jpg" height="200" title="" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Jason Cascarino<br />Spark Chief Executive Officer & Mento</i>r</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Having the privilege to run a nonprofit centered on
mentoring, I find myself routinely reflecting on the power of that practice. It’s
been a time-honored – indeed, ancient – method of teaching and learning for
young and old alike.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All of us have been mentored at many stages in life. Some
relatively brief stints and others longer term relationships. The three that
stand out for me run the gamut: a high school coach, a college professor, and
my first boss. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sure, I’ve had terrific teachers in my life, to say nothing of
great family role models who have shaped who I am. But, I admittedly gravitate
more toward that small group of wise counselors who took me under their wing
for a time. Most continue to do so even today. They are the first I call when I
have reason. And when I don’t have one, I make one up, knowing full well I will
invariably find something I need that I wasn’t even looking for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I remember once profusely thanking one of these great
influencers for affecting me so much. He all but looked embarrassed accepting
the compliment, in an “aw, shucks” sort of way. In part, I think, to deflect,<b>
he simply charged me with being a mentor myself</b>. A pay it forward kind of
sentiment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So I’ve taken on mentoring myself – mostly with people who
work for me, although I’d like to think my kids see me as a mentor as well. For many people, the mentor-pupil relationship evolves rather
organically. You may not even realize it until the relationship has shifted.
Your employee leaves, for example, and they tell you how much they’ve learned
from you. There are few comments more satisfying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Now, I’m going to be a mentor for <a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/">Spark</a>.</b> I’m just shy of
nine months into my stint as CEO of Spark, this amazing opportunity to lead an
extraordinary group of folks who have been serving thousands of young people
all across the country. The spirit and energy my colleagues exude have given me
a strong desire to experience this compelling idea first hand and at its core.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Being part of a formal program, the mentoring relationship I’m
about to embark upon is both more intentional and more structured. And in some
ways, the impact can be more dramatic. The young people we work with are seventh and eighth graders who are showing some
signs of disengagement from school. The fact is, most young people at this age
show these signs. Unfortunately, students in some communities lack the
guidance, support and access to opportunities to help them navigate these
challenging years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m delighted to get the chance to mentor in this way, and
to document it in this venue. This fall, I’ll be joining nearly a thousand
professional men and women from large corporations, small companies, public
agencies and nonprofits taking on one-on-one mentoring relationships with young
people across four major metropolitan regions Spark serves – San Francisco Bay
Area, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia. Together, we are shooting for no
less than offering exciting, and possibly in some cases life-altering, learning
experiences that ensure young people at this critical age are engage, on-track
and ready to succeed in high school, college and beyond. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope you’ll join me in this adventure: as <a href="http://sparkprogram.blogspot.com/">a follower</a>, as a
<a href="http://www.sparkprogram.org/index.php/get_involved/volunteer">mentor yourself</a>, as <a href="http://sparkprogram.tfaforms.net/314553">a supporter</a> of Spark and as someone deeply committed to the
power of mentoring.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Sparkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746370562921507702noreply@blogger.com0