Washington, DC
Americans All National Office, 5760 Sunnyside Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705, (310) 982-5622, FAX: (301) 982-5628.
This school and community-based national, non-profit education program reinforces and promotes the ideals of diversity and democracy. Seven years of program development, including four years of successful implementation experience, have proven that the Americans All program fills a critical need for historically accurate and inclusive classroom materials in today's education restructuring movements. The program provides teachers, students, parents, and community volunteers with comparative historical immigration/migration information (forced and voluntary) about Native Americans, Africans, Asians, Europeans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans. The program curriculum is interdisciplinary and encompasses history, social studies, geography, civics, reading, and writing. Americans All is designed to help educators increase students' interest in learning; elevate student achievement; combat racial stereotypes; enhance students' self-esteem; develop students' critical and creative thinking skills; and foster students' employability, citizenship, and civic responsibility.
Curriculum materials, developed for grade K through 12 and the college level, include a teacher's manual, grade-specific teacher guides, in-service training video, historical books, personal stories, bibliographies, blackline teaching aids, photographs, slides, posters, drawings, maps, music cassette, and art. Program coordinators sponsor an intensive teacher training and support program where participants gain hands-on practice and immediate peer feedback on innovative methods and resources. There are over 600 sites and pilot sites throughout the nation. A brochure and program evaluation materials are available.
TX, WI, TN, MD, RI, CA
Vinetta Jones, National Director, EQUITY 2000, The College Board, 45 Columbus Avenue, New York, New York 10023-6992, (212) 713-8268, FAX: (212) 713-8293
This district-wide school-reform model represents a commitment to institutionalized change in the nation's schools. The goal of the effort is to close the gap in the college-going and success rates between minority and non-minority, disadvantaged and advantaged students. The model emphasizes academic excellence for all students and strives to provide every student with the opportunity to achieve high standards of academic achievement. The program started in Fort Worth, Texas in the summer of 1990. As of 1995, EQUITY 2000 is being implemented in six sites: Fort Worth, TX; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; Prince George's County, Maryland; Providence, Rhode Island; and San Jose, California. A total of 14 school districts, over 600 schools, more than 3,500 math teachers, 750 guidance counselors, and 850 principals are involved in the program, which will impact over 500,000 students throughout the nation. Vinetta Jones, serves as the national director of the program. A site coordinator is responsible for day-to-day coordination of local activities. A College Board regional executive director oversees implementation of the program goals. A school system superintendent is a primary partner in the organizational structure, coordination, and implementation of the program. In addition, the program receives advice from four advisory committees: The National Mathematics Committee, The National Guidance Counselor Committee, The National Evaluation Committee, and the National Advisory Commission. The goals of the program are to:
In-service training is provided for all eighth-, ninth-, and tenth-grade mathematics teachers; middle and high school guidance counselors; and school principals. The program is arranged into the Academic Module, the Guidance Counseling/Community Module, and the Research/Evaluation Module. The Academic Module includes Mathematics Teacher Training Summer Institutes with follow-up mini-workshops throughout the school year and teacher planning sessions. Students can participate in Saturday Academy Sessions, Summer Scholars Programs, Math/Science Fairs, and Leadership Camps. The Guidance Counseling/Community module includes Training Institutes with follow-up mini-workshops and guidance counselor planning sessions. Resource Centers provide students and parents with materials on college admissions and financial aid and career awareness materials. Both the Academic and Guidance Counseling/Community module cultivate strong parent and community involvement through mentorships, the use of role-model speakers, and field trips. The academic and guidance modules are supported by a national campaign to foster the expansion of EQUITY 2000. In addition, the College Board will, through its consensus building and forum functions, link other organizations and ongoing activities that attempt to overcome obstacles to educational and academic equity. The Research/Evaluation Module identifies and describes aspects of the EQUITY 2000 program that can be replicated at other sites. An evalation study will define and measure success in the following areas: program implementation; student and parental attitudes towards college; student achievement; teachers' skills, attitudes, and expectations; college participation outcomes; indications of systemic change; and evidence of institutionalization of the reform model.
Chicago, IL Brookine, MA Memphis, TN
Barbara Baldini or Marc Skvirsky, 222 N. LaSalle, Suite 1414, Chicago, IL, (312) 726-4500, Facing History & Ourselves National Foundation, Inc., 16 Hurd Road, Brookline, MA 02146-6919, (617) 232-1595, FAX: (617) 232-0281
Since 1976 the Facing History and Ourselves program has reached nearly half a million students a year. The program has reached students from diverse social, economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds in urban, rural, and suburban communities. The program has been used in parochial, independent, and public schools. The Facing History and Ourselves curriculum uses historical events such as the Nazi Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide to raise and explore issues of abuse of power and breakdown of morality. Students become aware of racism, hatred, prejudice and indifference, and can explore the impact of societal events on themselves and others and explore ways that they might structure their behavior for desired social outcomes. Classes are taught using films, readings, class discussions, guest speakers, and student journals. The curricular program can be used separately or can be incorporated into one or more subject areas. The curricular emphasis is on student inquiry, analysis, and interpretation. Facing History provides training for teachers, clergy, and other adult leaders interested in instituting the program in their community. Introductory presentations, multi-day workshops, intensive institutes and accompanying follow-up activities, inservice seminars, adult education courses, and the annual Facing History Human Rights Conference. The program also operates a Resource Center which houses a lending library for the Facing History network nationwide. The Resource Center provides books, periodicals, films, videotapes, and resource speakers to enrich Facing History classes. The Facing History program has produced the following major publications: Holocaust and Human Behavior, Choosing to Participate, Elements of Time, and an Annotated Bibliography. Facing History and Ourselves is a National Diffusion Network program recognized as an exemplary model program by the U.S. Department of Education.
Rabun Gap, GA
Bobby Ann Starnes, President & Executive Director, Foxfire, P.O. Box 541, Mountain City, Georgia 30562, (706) 746-5828
Through this 30 year old program students around the country engage in an educational approach that is student-centered, experiential, and connected to the community outside the classroom. It began in 1966 when north Georgia high school students published the first edition of the quarterly Foxfire magazine. In 1972, Doubleday published an anthology of articles from the magazine. As of 1994, there are a total of 10 volumes of Foxfire and six other published books. Over eight million copies of the books have been sold. The Foxfire approach to teaching is based on principles articulated by John Dewey that emphasize learning by doing and real and meaningful interaction between students and community members. The program is conducted by a full-time staff of ten and sixteen coordinators of the national teacher networks. Foxfire's Board of Directors oversees the project, and a National Board provides advice and assistance. A local Community Board composed of former Foxfire students, parents of current students, and community members provide support and guidance relevant to program implementation in Rabun County. A major grant from the Bingham Trust permitted wider dissemination of the program, which currently has twenty teacher networks and initiatives throughout the nation, as well as in its home, Rabun County. Since the program's inception, over 4000 teachers have taken introductory and advanced Foxfire courses at thirty colleges, universities, and education agencies. Each network also offers graduate level Foxfire courses for practicing teachers, K-12, through local colleges and universities, or professional development programs sponsored by school districts or education agencies. The courses are taught by coordinators and teachers from several networks. Instructors model the Foxfire approach in one-to-two-week courses during the summer, with follow-up during the school year. Foxfire networks provide ongoing support for course graduates. Networks vary, but may provide support in the form of periodic meetings; newsletters; collegial visits; informal gatherings; telephone calls; and professional development opportunities such as seminars, workshops, and publishing. Foxfire also produces an outreach publication entitled Hands On, a journal for teachers that provides support, information, and professional development opportunities. In Hands On, teacher-researchers share their knowledge and experiences with new approaches to teaching. Foxfire also maintains connections with educational groups involved in related work such as the Coalition of Essential Schools, the Institute for Democracy in Education, the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, and the Program for School Improvement. The program is being implemented at the elementary, middle, and high school level. An Urban Foxfire initiative has developed involving teachers in about a dozen urban settings around the country. Pre-service Foxfire teacher training for undergraduates is developing at several universities.
Tucson, AZ
Dr. Luis Moll, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, (602) 621-1311 or (602) 621-1291, FAX: (602) 621-1853
The "Funds of Knowledge" concept holds that students' households are rich in social and intellectual resources. In the Funds of Knowledge Home Visit Program conducted by Luis Moll and Norma Gonzalez from the University of Arizona, teachers spend time observing their students families and develop curriculum based on the skills and competencies that the families can bring to the school-based educational experience. In Tucson, Arizona, Ina A., a sixth grade teacher, uses the concept of "funds of knowledge" to inform her curricular and instructional practices. After soliciting input from her students, Ina A. designed a unit on construction. The teacher invited a construction worker from the community come in and speak with students. Students supplemented the construction worker's visits with library research and writings about their findings. Over the semester 20 people visited Ina A.'s classroom to share their "funds of knowledge." Students, teachers, and community members benefitted from this approach and gained valuable information. They learned about the use of mathematics in everyday life. Students were able to see people within their social circumstances and obtained a greater understanding of the different capacities that people possess. Teachers can use the "funds of knowledge" approach to gain support and vital resources for instruction by perceiving the community as a source of knowledge. In addition, community members may feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence in their ability to act as a resource to teachers and students.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Virginia Mau, The Kamehameha Journal of Education, Special Projects, Early Education Division, Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate, 1887 Makuakane Street, Honolulu, HI 96817-1887, (808) 842-8891, FAX: (808) 842-8420.
The 22 year-old, Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP) was designed to create a successful language arts program for underachieving Native Hawaiian children. Evaluations by outside researchers indicated increases in student achievement, but the program has been discontinued due to loss of funding. KEEP translated anthropological knowledge into effective educational practice. KEEP developers stressed the importance of cultural compatibility in educating students. The program used students' natal culture as a guide to instructional practices. Classroom curriculum and instruction is based on students' culturally and experientially derived orientations relative to: social organization; sociolinguistics, including wait-time, rhythm, and participation structures; cognition, including cognitive ability and cognitive style; and motivation. Language development and contextualized instruction were also important elements of KEEP. Although the program no longer formally exists, the Kamehameha Journal of Education is available. The Journal features information and strategies for implementing education that is culturally compatible. Topics include Whole Language Instruction, Authentic Assessment, Home Culture Meets School Culture, Becoming A Teacher: The Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities Program, and the Stanford Achievement Test Controversy.
American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1333 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 326-6670
Proyecto Futuro is a multi-year project of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs (EHR) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is designed to build local capacity for excellence in K-8 mathematics and science education for Hispanic students by working with teachers, principals, school council members, and parents. Proyecto Futuro was developed and implemented initially in eight Chicago K-8 schools with support from the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Program for Mathematics and Science Education of the U.S. Department of Education. Specific project goals include:
Proyecto Futuro implemented a series of activities in the Chicago area over a two-year period to build local capacity to:
Through these activities and continued technical support, Proyecto Futuro seeks to significantly improve the quantity and quality of K-8 science and mathematics education of Hispanic students in the Chicago area and, through future dissemination, throughout the nation.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Miguel E. Thornton, Huron High School, 2727 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, (313) 994-2061.
Not to be confused with the National S.E.E.D. Project on Inclusive Curriculum: Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity previously listed.
The purpose of this program, designed and facilitated by high school students, is to help six grade students develop a critical consciousness. The goal of SEED is to educate six grade students about prejudice and discrimination so they can be more aware of the world around them. The curriculum for SEED, piloted in 1988 in a 4th grade classroom at Burns Park Elementary School, has been approved by the Ann Arbor School board as a part of the six grade curriculum. The curriculum is based, in part, on the curriculum of SGORR (the Student-Group-on-Race-Relations Program) in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The facilitators manual includes a number of Ice Breaker activities and activities designed to increase students' awareness and discussion of issues related to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. 8-15 districts in Milwaukee are participating in workshops and receiving technical assistance to implement the program. The program is also being replicated in 12 states. Program developers prepare high school students to train practitioners interested in adapting the program for their school or district. Students work with various organizations including departments of social services. SEED holds three national workshops each year.