::IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Donna ISD LUCHA Graduation Ceremony
UT Austin's LUCHA program helps migrant students graduate from high school
DONNA, Texas -- On May 20, 2008, approximately 50 immigrant high school students from Mexico were honored by the Donna Independent School District. A program developed by the K-16 Education Center, entitled the Language Learners at The University of Texas at Austin Center for Hispanic Achievement (LUCHA), was instrumental in helping these students surmount great social and economic obstacles to earn their high school diplomas.
The LUCHA program is designed to help Spanish-speaking students transition into English-language public schools. These students often face academic difficulty not only because of a language barrier but also because most schools do not have the resources to determine appropriate grade placement, diagnose content-area mastery, or train personnel to recognize and address the challenges faced by immigrant students.
"The dropout rate for this demographic is very high," explains Dr. Felipe Alanis, associate dean of the K-16 Education Center, and keynote speaker of the event. "These kids are very bright but they become discouraged because of the language barrier or when placed in the wrong grade level."
One method used by LUCHA to counter these administrative difficulties is through carefully interpreting transcripts to create a student's Graduation Credit Analysis (GCA). The GCA includes a summary of credits earned in Mexico and their U.S. course equivalencies. The GCA assists administrators in placing these students in English-language public schools.
"This program is a life-line. Finally, these students have been given equity in attaining their education," says Ofelia Gaona, executive director of Bilingual Education for DISD. " I feel really good as a professional and as an educator that these kids are being given a chance and being allowed to matter."
"I would not have been able to graduate without LUCHA services," says Sergio Barrientos, a LUCHA student and speaker at the event. Through LUCHA, Barrientos has earned his U.S. high school diploma. He has gone on to receive a full scholarship from the U.S. Navy based on his academic success.
2008 Migrant Student Recognition Ceremony
Exemplary Migrant Students Recognized
On March 31, 2008, the Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program hosted the 21st annual Migrant Student Recognition Ceremony in the Ballroom of the Texas Union located in the heart of The University of Texas at Austin campus. Migrant students, parents, and educators from high schools throughout the state attended the ceremony where we honored 38 exemplary migrant students who have completed the program's distance learning courses and recognized two Students of the Year. The two Students of the Year and three other exemplary migrant students each received a $2,000 college scholarship from the Exxon Mobil Corporation.
The ceremony theme focused on the César Chávez statue that was unveiled on The University of Texas at Austin campus on October 9, 2007. The statue is an ideal symbol for migrant students since César Chávez devoted his life to improving the living conditions of farm workers. The presence of the statue on The University of Texas at Austin campus conveys the message that migrant students belong on a college campus. In her welcoming remarks for the event, Judy C. Ashcroft, dean of Continuing and Innovative Education, encouraged students to continue their education beyond high school and invited them to attend The University of Texas at Austin. Margarita M. Arellano, senior associate dean of students and project director for the César Chávez statue unveiling, gave the keynote address.
Prior to the ceremony, students participated in a panel discussion to learn about college life from former migrant students who participated in our program and currently attend The University of Texas at Austin.
The event began with a luncheon and entertainment provided by the UT Ballet Folklórico. Dr. Felipe Alanis, associate dean of Continuing Education and K-16 Education, presided at the ceremony. After revealing the names of the Students of the Year, we distributed the 2008 Exemplary Migrant Students publication that profiles the achievements of 38 exemplary students and two Students of the Year and features the César Chávez statue on its cover. The finale of the ceremony was a presentation of college scholarship checks to the two 2008 Students of the Year and three additional exemplary migrant students by Rosendo Cruz, program officer for education and diversity at the Exxon Mobil Corporation.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, students went on a tour of The University of Texas at Austin campus that will began at the site of the César Chávez statue located near the Texas Union.
Guests from The University of Texas at Austin community, the Texas Education Agency, and representatives of the State Legislature also attended this significant event that will be held, most appropriately, on the birthday of César Chávez.
The Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program is sponsored by the Texas Education Agency in its ongoing effort to improve the high school graduation rate of Texas migrant students who miss school when they migrate to follow the harvest. For over 20 years, the program has helped thousands of migrant students graduate by providing them with opportunities to earn credit through distance learning courses that are accessible at any time and any place.
LUCHA Program receives the UCEA Outstanding Program Award
The University of Texas at Austin K-16 Education Center's LUCHA Program received the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) Outstanding Program Award for the southern region. This award honors credit and non-credit continuing education programs at UCEA member institutions for excellence in achieving their educational objectives.
The LUCHA (Language Learners at the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Hispanic Achievement) Program is an innovative K-16 Education Center initiative designed to help Hispanic English Language Learners transition into public schools, thereby helping them to achieve success in school, college, and life. The program offers school districts the following services: obtaining transcripts from Mexico, analyzing transcripts, aligning Mexican curriculum to Texas curriculum, online courses in Spanish, and diagnostic assessments in Spanish. The program has been implemented by school districts throughout Texas.
The LUCHA Program has also been nominated for the UCEA National Award. The winner of this prestigious award will be revealed in March 2008 at the UCEA National Conference in New Orleans.
American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC)
To better understand the impact of LUCHA, the UT K-16 Education Center has contracted with the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) in benchmarking and process measurement. APQC will examine and quantify the processes that districts use to effectively implement ELL programs. Identifying, collecting data, and measuring these processes are the first steps in building a strong framework for understanding the impact of the LUCHA project within districts. APQC is conducting two main phases of analysis.
PHASE I
- With UT, APQC will identify research questioons to be answered in Phase I and Phase II of the study. APQC will organize and work with a national group of professionals and educators to develop a st of processes and measures supporting the identified objectives. This set of measures will be used to develop baseline data for the participating districts.
- With UT, APQC will identify criteria for participating districts for the study. An important component of the analysis is collecting data from districts implementing the LUCHA program and discricts implementing a different ELL program. This will give APQC the ability to compare results of the two groups.
- APQC will create a data collection tool (survey) to gather data from participating districts. The tool will be reviewed by practitioners and ELL experts to ensure appropriateness and to increase face validity. A broad and diverse set of data is critical in providing valid results of the analysis. A minimum of 0 districts will be surveyed.
- After data have been collected and analyzed, the results will be disaggregated, normalized, and validated in order to provide customized, detailed reports for each participating district. The report will show baseline data in terms of the cost, productivity, efficiency, and cycle time related to the processes used in implementing an ELL program, as outlined in the LUCHA proposal.
PHASE II
The second phase of analysis will begin after the LUCHA project has been implemented for one year. Data will be collected again from each district that particpated in Phase I. Data from Phase I and II will be compared to identify areas where changes have occurred. A final report will be written showcasing the key findings.
With a focus on the processes and activities that the LUCHA program seeks to improve, the final Phase II analysis will provide data for other districts to use as they make decisions about implementing the LUCHA program. In addition, the data gathered will provide a foundation for future analysis that could impact ELL services in districts throughout the nation.
Donald Haughey's Painting
Donald Haughey's watercolor painting, "Remembrance -3000+" was featured in the Austin American Statesman with an article on the Dougherty Arts Center exhibit entitled, "War: Artists Respond". Donald's thought behind his painting was to "stop and remember all of those who have died in this war. I wanted people to see it in a quiet way, no matter what their feelings on the war. These three fully developed caskets represent 1000 soldiers each, and the fourth one is developing." Donald Haughey is the UT K16 Education Center's high school Art 1 instructor. Donald also teaches at St. Edward's University.
The June Volume of “The Report” by Robert Leos Interviews Dr. Felipe Alanis
Dr. Robert Leos served as Senior Director, Textbook Administration, for the Texas Education Agency. In this capacity, he was responsible for managing the textbook review, adoption, purchase, and distribution for 1,200 public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. During his tenure as textbook director, Robert served as a resource for numerous legislative hearings and was responsible for developing and managing the state budget for instructional materials. Prior to his tenure as state textbook director, Dr. Leos was a team member in the Division of Program Evaluation, Texas Education Agency, participating in a number of research projects including evaluations of special education, bilingual, and prekindergarten programs.
Robert Leos has a combination of professional experiences in the publishing industry as well as in state government. A goal of his consulting practice is to build long-term partnerships with non-competing clients based on clear, mutually agreed-upon objectives, and collaboration throughout the duration of a project.
One project that caught Dr. Leos attention is our LUCHA Program and Robert Leos talks with Dr. Alanis about LUCHA, the migrant program and Dr. Alanis' career in educational services. To view “The Report” visit http://www.robertleos.com/Alanis.pdf
The 2007-2008 K-16 Education Center Catalog Is Complete
We've completed our new catalog and many of them have been sent out to school districts. If you would like a copy of the catalog email us your name, organization, and address and we'll get one in the mail. If you can't wait for the snail mail, visit our download zone and download a PDF version.
The Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program Grant has been renewed through August 2008 by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
March 1, 2007, will mark the 20th anniversary of the program, which began in 1987. The program serves Texas migrant students who reside in Texas and who migrate to 48 receiving states by providing them with opportunities to earn high school credit through distance education courses. This distance learning course option is a great match for the needs of migrant students who miss school each year when they migrate with their families.
Since its inception in 1987, over 18,000 Texas migrant students have enrolled in the program's distance education courses. Currently over 1,800 migrant students enroll in our courses each year. The current course completion rate is 81 percent.
The Migrant Program provides support and strategies for helping students complete courses, and we work in partnership with local migrant educators to provide tutorial support and enroll students in courses that meet their graduation plans.
In addition to grant funding from TEA, the program receives gifts from corporations and foundations including the Beaumont Foundation of America, the ExxonMobil Foundation, the John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation, and the Microsoft Corporation.
With the support of the K-16 Education Center and funding from the Texas Education Agency and other providers, we are excited about continuing our efforts to meet the needs of migrant students so they can pursue their goals and dreams through higher education.
