Madonna College

Educational Access for Hispanic Youth

Purpose of Project:

By preparing college-bound Hispanic students in math, science and English, the program seeks to retain them in high school and, at the same time, improve their college attendance and retention rates. In small, voluntary groups on Saturday mornings, and in six-week summer sessions, students learn what they failed to learn in earlier grades.

Innovative Features:

This project is neither complicated nor innovative; rather, it is a simple, proven idea that is worth replicating. Those students who plan to attend college participate in free tutoring workshops that coincide with the school year. Placement tests sort students into groups of similar ability. Six-week summer courses supplement these workshops and build basic competencies in English, physics. math, and computer science. Madonna faculty crafted the content of these courses and workshops to reinforce the high school curriculum at a language level appropriate for the students.

A somewhat innovative feature is the program's use of parents to recruit students and to gain support from the Hispanic community. Hispanic scientists visit the classrooms to highlight science, engineering, and computer science careers, those in which Hispanics are most underrepresented. And Hispanic professionals from Michigan industry, such as Michigan Bell Telephone, volunteer to serve the students as mentors and tutors.

Evaluations:

An external consultant coordinated program evaluation including pre- and post-tests of student performance in the summer courses, workshop appraisals, faculty profiles of students abilities, and a survey on student performance and program reactions. All evaluation measures yielded positive results on learning improvements and program benefits.

Impact or Changes From Grant Activities:

From 1986 to 1988, the program placed 76 out of 82 seniors in college; another 225 students in grades 9-11 have completed the tutoring program (See Table 2.)

In January 1989 the project director contacted 10 randomly selected students in each past year of the program to determine college retention rates. Seven of the 10 in the program in 1986 were still in college; 8 of the 10 in 1987 were still in college; and 10 of the 10 in 1988 were still in college. The data suggest the program is succeeding in retaining students in high school and college.

In 1988, 47 of 58 enrolled students completed the six-week summer school as well. These numbers far exceed those predicted in the original objectives and what one usually expects from voluntary attendance programs. The project director explains the program's enrollment in several ways. Generally, parents and schools teachers have involved themselves in the program and have strongly encouraged students' participation. More specifically, school officials have even noted students' program attendance and performance on transcripts as special achievements and have awarded students extra credit.

On the attitudinal survey, a majority of students claimed they had improved their reading, math, and science abilities; these perceptions were confirmed by the results of pre- and post-testing. In fact, all students attending the workshops increased their math understanding and skills, and, on average, improved upon their pre-test scores by 20%. Part of these gains may be attributable to regular school studies because students were taught in the regular curriculum concurrently. During the summer school session, however, even greater gains were made in math and physics courses, with some students improving by as much as 25%. These gains are more probably the result of program activities.

Similar gains were made in writing and reading skills. In other words, all program students improved academically, some more than others. The attitudinal survey also showed that all of the students expanded their ideas about learning and careers, and raised their educational aspirations. They all rated their teachers highly and expressed new academic self-confidence. All in all, the survey showed strong support for the program from its faculty, students, parents, and counselors.

What Activities Worked Unexpectedly?

The initial target group of juniors and seniors was expanded tn include sophomore applicants and some seniors who had already graduated but wished to prepare further for college work. Pre-testing, employed initially to place all students that apply in academically appropriate classes, eventually served to screen out less motivated students from the applicant pool. This worked to reduce program participants to manageable numbers and to ensure high program completion rates. Community and campus interest in the program resulted in an Office of Multicultural Affairs to improve student retention, and a new Multicultural Student Association.

What Activities Didn't Work?

During the first year, the evaluator noted that after-school workshops fragmented the curriculum and produced spotty attendance. The program was changed to Saturday mornings with very positive results. More substantive changes were made when faculty and students opted to substitute solid content courses like physics for human relations workshops. Both difficulties, then, resulted in curricular improvements. However, a remaining problem is recruiting and motivating enough students to attend the English workshops on a regular basis.

What Do You Have To Send Others And How Do They Get It?

In addition to the final report submitted to FIPSE, brochures and a paper describing the educational access program and its results are available. Madonna College has been responding to such requests for program information for the last four years. Please write to:
Sister Mary Martinez
Madonna College
36600 Schoolcraft Road
Livonia, MI 48150-1173
313-591-5170

What Has Happened To The Program Since The Grant Ended?

After FIPSE funding ended, a grant from the State of Michigan, Office of Minority Equity, continued the program. In 1989 and under the auspices of a grant from the American Institute of Physics, a program modeled on this project for 9th and 10th grade students highlighted math and physics. Chances are good that these programs that take educationally disenfranchised youth and move them closer to the educational mainstream will become regular pre-college offerings at Madonna.

Now the program has expanded beyond Hispanics to include black and Native American students. By popular demand, a second program site was launched in Pontiac, Michigan, and its success has attracted the attention of other Hispanic communities in the state. Madonna's program has established strong contacts and good working relations with-a variety of Hispanic agencies and with the school districts of Detroit and Pontiac, crucial communities that stand to benefit from widened educational access.

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