The UCLA TIE-INS Permit Program

Transcription

1 The UCLA TIE-INS Program Report Together in Education in Neighborhood Schools October 2012 UCLA TIE-INS Program The UCLA TIE-INS Program is a collaborative partnership between UCLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced by UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block on May 18, In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between UCLA and LAUSD establishing the program, LAUSD provides specialized permits to attend designated LAUSD elementary, middle, and high schools near the UCLA campus to children of UCLA employees who live outside the local schools attendance areas. In exchange, UCLA provides services and resources for the benefit of all students attending the TIE-INS schools, such as professional development, tutoring for students, field trips, parent training, and summer enrichment opportunities at the TIE-INS sites, all of which are coordinated by a full time UCLA coordinator. Any UCLA employee s child selected for enrollment at any TIE-INS school is guaranteed attendance through high school graduation so long as the child meets applicable expectations for academic performance, attendance, and citizenship. Once a child is enrolled at a TIE-INS school, there is no need to reapply each year in order to continue to participate as is required by other programs. Children of all UCLA academic appointees and career (nonprobationary) staff at any classification level are eligible to participate in the program. Currently there are 187 children participating in the TIE-INS program. UCLA TIE-INS Program Goals 1. Provide access for children of interested UCLA employees to designated LAUSD elementary, middle school and high schools in the UCLA neighborhood. 2. Develop K-12 programs that foster a college-bound culture and career awareness for all students. 3. Develop mutually beneficial relationships between UCLA and LAUSD that supports professional learning at TIE-INS schools and provides opportunities for all students attending the TIE-INS schools. 4. Partner TIE-INS schools with UCLA units/departments as locations for pilot programs and inquiry sites for research. Program Highlights for Satisfied parents as expressed on school surveys and through parents active participation at their local TIE-INS schools. Parent data showed that 95% of parents agreed that they were happy with their child s school. Numerous programs, resources, and in-kind contributions from UCLA units and departments including approximately 14,390 hours of service provided by UCLA undergraduate and graduate tutors to strengthen school-based intervention and enrichment programs. Securing of funds from external sources to fund transportation to music and arts events on the UCLA campus and nearby performing arts venues for approximately 1,100 students at TIE-INS schools. Approximately 400 hours of professional development offerings from UCLA Center X and other programs for teachers at TIE-INS schools to support school-wide improvement efforts in core content areas. Establishment of programs at TIE-INS schools with 20 UCLA units/departments resulting in mutually beneficial relationships between UCLA researchers and program staff.

2 Enrollment Summary Table 1: Application & Enrollment Data Submitted On-Line Applications Issued Enrollment Packets Confirmed Enrollment Elementary Middle School High School TOTAL Table 2: Total Enrollment by Academic Year Year 1 ( ) Year 2 ( ) Year 3 ( ) Year 4 ( ) Elementary School Middle School High School TOTAL Table 3a: Reasons Why Children Have Left TIE-INS Schools from to Elementary Middle High TOTAL School School School Matriculated or graduated within TIE-INS school Matriculated to home, magnet, or other school Distance prevented participation No longer employed at UCLA No Response Table 3b: Reasons Why Children Have Left TIE-INS Schools from to : Elementary Middle High TOTAL School School School Matriculated or graduated within TIE-INS school Matriculated to home, magnet, or other school Distance prevented participation No longer employed at UCLA No Response Table 4: Total Enrollment Differentiated by Parent s UCLA Title Year 1 ( ) Year 2 ( ) Year 3 ( ) Year 4 ( ) Academic Staff TOTAL

3 Evaluation of TIE-INS Admissions and LAUSD Permit Processes Outreach & Recruitment communication from the Chancellor s Office was sent to all UCLA academic and staff employees with information about the TIE-INS website and application process in late January Follow-up announcements were made in February and early March as reminders to complete the applications by March 30, Due to the earlier start date of LAUSD schools, a second enrollment window opened from July 1, 2012 and was extended to October 1, 2012 to accommodate families who were not aware of the early start date, as well as significant changes in LAUSD staffing that impacted the time required to process inter-district (transferring from another school district to LAUSD) permits. TIE-INS program brochures were distributed to the UCLA human resource center, academic affairs office, campus family housing centers, early childcare centers, and other UCLA units/departments to publicize information about the TIE-INS program in February Participated with other local public and private school leaders at the annual UCLA Early Care and Education Center Event in May 2012 to share school options with families wanting to attend schools nearby to UCLA. Approximately 50 families with children entering prekindergarten and kindergarten for attended the event. UCLA TIE-INS Admissions & LAUSD Permit Process In an effort to gather data from parents regarding the application process we asked parents a variety of questions related to the admissions process. Data collected from our parent survey showed that 100% of parents felt that the online application and the assistance they received from TIE-INS staff during the admission process made applying to the program easy or not very hard. The data showed that parents had more difficulty applying for the LAUSD inter- or intra-district permit, with only 73% % of parents finding the process easy or not very hard. Based on the data, the TIE-INS program identified lead parents to shepherd new parents through the permit process for the year. TIE-INS staff also maintained communication and provided one-on-one support throughout the process for parents attending TIE-INS schools from outside of LAUSD, with a focus on parents applying from Inglewood, Compton and Montebello Unified Schools Districts. Parent responses are captured in the table below. Table 5: Parent Survey Results Regarding the Enrollment Process Parent Survey Question Responding Easy or Not Very Hard Percent Response (N=75) Completing the UCLA online admissions application 100% Obtaining assistance from TIE-INS staff during the admissions process 100% Enrolling your child at his/her TIE-INS school 95% Applying for LAUSD s inter- or intra-district permit 73%

4 TIE-INS Parent Communication & Participation School Orientation Meetings School orientation meetings for interested parents, traditionally held at UCLA during the months of January and March to support outreach and recruitment efforts for the program, were moved this past year to TIE-INS school sites and coordinated together with the school administration. During the months of January-March 2012, each of the TIE-INS schools sites provided a minimum of two outreach meetings where TIE-INS staff was represented to address questions and concerns. In at least 90% of the meetings, current TIE-INS parents (and children at the secondary levels) were available to serve as additional resources to lead school tours and offer positive family-school experiences with interested families. Parent Engagement at TIE-INS schools As a result of the close proximity of the TIE-INS schools to parents working at UCLA, employees continue to support their schools by donating time in and out of the classroom. Results from the parent survey showed that 96% of parents agreed that the participation in the TIE-INS program allowed them to be more involved in their child s education. A sampling of volunteer activities during the included the following: o Coordination of outreach and recruitment meetings (Emerson MS, Nora Sterry ES, Brockton ES) o Leadership and participation on School Site Councils (University HS, Emerson MS, Nora Sterry ES) o Launch of the Friends of Nora Sterry Elementary School non-profit fundraising group (Nora Sterry ES) o Submission of private and public grants (Nora Sterry ES, Emerson MS) o Coordination and participation in UCLA Volunteer Day projects (All) o Classroom support (enrichment, tutoring, preparation of materials) (All) o School-wide support (e.g. support in the office, school beautification, website management, phone calling for upcoming events, etc.) (All) o Field trip supervision and support (Emerson MS, Nora Sterry ES, Brockton ES) Parent Networking The TIE-INS parent directory has provided opportunities for parents to network with another. Parents have been able to coordinate carpool assignments before and after-school, share information from the participation of on-site school meetings, remind parents of upcoming school events, and organize play dates with other children participating in TIE-INS. Current School Site Council members and TIE-INS parents at Nora Sterry have utilized the parent directory to coordinate monthly on-campus meetings to discuss ways in which parents might support the school in more effective ways. As a result of their planning and collaboration the non-profit Friends of Nora Sterry Elementary School was created during to raise money to address program gaps at the school. At University High School, Emerson Middle School and Nora Sterry Elementary School TIE-INS parents volunteer as parent representatives on the School Site Council and are able to keep other TIE-INS parents informed and engaged through communication.

5 Student Programs The TIE-INS program continues to identify and work together with our TIE-INS schools to provide engaging and supportive student learning opportunities both during the school day and after school. In total, 14,390 hours of direct support to strengthen school-based intervention and enrichment programs have been coordinated with UCLA units and departments. Table 6: Number of Hours Provided by UCLA Students Supporting Intervention and Enrichment Programs by School Site School Site Hours of Support Brockton Elementary School (BES) 4,130 Nora Sterry Elementary School (NSES) 4,400 Emerson Middle School (EMS) 3,320 University High School (UHS) 2,540 TOTAL 14,390 Additionally, the TIE-INS program organized field trips for approximately 1,100 students and coordinated special K-12 program opportunities and events with UCLA staff totaling 464 hours. Table 7: Field Trip Participants (Transportation Provided to Schools) BES NSES EMS UHS UCLA Live UCLA School of Music UCLA Confucius UCLA Fowler Museum Broad Stage TOTAL A complete summary of programs, resources, and in-kind contributions from UCLA units and departments are summarized below Table 8: Participating UCLA Units & Departments BES NSES EMS UHS UCLA Athletics Program UCLA Brain Research Institute UCLA BruinCorps California NanoSystems Institute UCLA Center for Asian Languages UCLA Center for Community Learning UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health & Culture UCLA Center for Society and Genetics UCLA Community-Based Learning Programs UCLA College Division of Life Sciences UCLA College Division of Physical Sciences UCLA Confucius Institute

6 UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering & Applied Sciences UCLA Office of Government and Community Relations UCLA Recreation Center UCLA School of Arts and Architecture UCLA Student & Campus Life UCLA TIE-INS Parents UCLA Volunteer Center We continue to connect and partner with UCLA campus units and departments to secure new programs and service opportunities based on available university resources and funding. Professional Learning Driven by site-based needs, learning opportunities have been coordinated during the academic year that connect UCLA resources and services to support school-based efforts at Nora Sterry Elementary School, Brockton Elementary School, Emerson Middle School, and University High School. In some cases, TIE-INS participants were part of a larger group; in other cases, all participants were from TIE- INS schools. Professional learning opportunities included the following activities: One-Day Events Conferences & Institutes Professional Development Coaching and Consulting Contracted Instructional Support Services with UCLA Center X Table 9: Hours of Professional Development Offered In-Kind In-Kind Professional Learning Opportunities BES SES EMS UHS CA Math Project CA Writing Project CA Science Project CA History Project National History Project National Board Certification Project MESA Program TOTAL HOURS Table 10: Hours of Paid Professional Development Contracted with UCLA Center X Contracted Services Hours for Professional Learning BES SES EMS UHS CA Math Project CA Parent Project UCLA Coaching and Partnerships TOTAL HOURS On request, the two school relations liaisons, themselves both LAUSD former principals and district senior administrators, continue to support TIE-INS principals and local district administrators with advice and mentoring.

7 Major Challenges Maintaining existing programs and developing new programs and services during a time of budget cuts and inadequate funding to meet the educational and developmental needs of students in TIE-INS schools. Adapting to changing leadership at LAUSD and at the local school sites to ensure that all new leaders and staff are informed about TIE-INS and committed to its ongoing work. Eliminating perceptions of some administrators at participating TIE-INS schools that students attending on special permits, including those accepted through the TIE-INS program, are not full participants in the local school community. The declining enrollment at TIE-INS schools has greatly impacted school staffing, class size, enrichment programs, and other resourcing requiring strategic efforts for outreach and marketing from each site to maintain a quality program. Looking Ahead to Goals for the year ahead include the following: Increase the quantity and quality of communications with the various stakeholders of the TIE-INS program. o For parents, establishing meetings throughout the year to support networking, learning opportunities, parental engagement, as well as informal gatherings for UCLA parents to promote community building amongst families participating across all schools. o For administrators, facilitating the coordination of monthly principal meeting to support conversations around common issues occurring across the TIE-INS family of schools. These gatherings will provide a place to learn, problem-solve and gain new perspectives and strategies. o For LAUSD Education Center West superintendent and principals, scheduling quarterly meetings to discuss TIE-INS program progress and opportunities to strengthen the UCLA- LAUSD partnership. This includes communicating and coordinating professional learning opportunities with key. Ensure consistent communication with key administrators and staff regarding the academic progress (e.g. good attendance, positive behavior, and meeting academic goals) of TIE-INS students and serve as an advocate for those identified for possible termination from the TIE-INS program. Maintain existing UCLA-LAUSD partnerships and continue to develop sustainable programs with UCLA departments and units. An emphasis will be placed on increasing the strategic placement of UCLA students to support site-based enrichment and intervention programs.