Padres Promotores

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GEAR UP Santa Ana
Padres Promotores de la Educación A Model of
Parent Engagement
Rosa Harrizon Lobelia Martinez Padres
Promotores de la Educación Santa Ana Partnership
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The Santa Ana Community

• The City
• Population 337,977
• 80 Hispanic
• 74 of the citys residents speak Spanish
• Median age of residents 26.5 years with 46
  under 19
• 60 of residents age 25 or older do not have a
  high school diploma

• The School District
• 36 Elementary Schools
• 9 Intermediate Schools
• 5 Comprehensive High Schools
• 5th Largest School District in California
• 92.2 Latino Student Population

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Santa Ana Partnership

• The Santa Ana Unified School District
• Santa Ana College
• Cal State Fullerton
• UC Irvine
• Community-based organizations
• businesses

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Partnership Structure
Student Affiliates Students from SAC, CSUF
UCI MEETS MONTHLY AS NEEDED
Intersegmental Evaluation Team Evaluators -
SAC, SAUSD, UCI MEETS QUARTERLY AS NEEDED
Cabinet Administrators from SAC, SAUSD,
UCI MEETS TWICE A MONTH
Achieving College HEC, Partners, SAUSD, SAC,
CSUF, UCI MEETS MONTHLY AS NEEDED
Santa Ana/GEAR UP Partnership Business Partners,
California State University Fullerton (CSUF),
Non-Profit Organizations, Santa Ana College
(SAC), Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD),
and University of California at Irvine (UCI)
School Site Meetings School Site Team GEAR UP
Staff MEETS QUARTERLY AS NEEDED
Padres Promotores Promotores GEAR UP
Staff MEETS MONTHLY AS NEEDED
GEAR UP Staff GEAR UP Staff from UCI
SAC MEETS WEEKLY
Higher Education Centers GEAR UP HEC
Counselors MEETS MONTHLY AS NEEDED
GEAR UP Administrative Team Principals, AP,
Partnership Reps MEETS MONTHLY AS NEEDED

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Padres Promotores de la Educación Program

• Parent volunteers serve as ambassadors of higher
  education
• Educational System Resources
• Community Resources
• Provide parents with information through
  grassroots efforts
• Home Visits
• Pláticas (small group presentations or
  educational dialogues)
• Workshops at Parent Conferences
• Community-based Fairs Events
• Parent Meetings

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Training

• 4-Day Training
• Overview of program and workshop on topics, such
  as what it means to be a Promotor, team
  building, educational issues, and presentation
  skills.
• Sample of Monthly training sessions
• The transitions (elementary to intermediate to
  high school to college)
• Options beyond high school
• A-G Requirements
• Financial Aid (FASFA) Scholarships
• AB 540
• College Admissions Applications

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Program Structure

• Teams of five to seven promotores
• Organized per school groups (intermediate and
  high schools) and neighborhoods served by those
  school clusters
• Coordinated by Promotor
• Leaders 2 líderes per promotor group

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Pláticas/Visitas Domiciliarias

• Peer-to-Peer Parent Engagement
• Link parents to school services
• Provide information about higher education
• Link families to school and community resources

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Information Given to Families

• High school graduation
• requirements
• University/college eligibility
• requirements
• Financial aid scholarships
• Career options (majors) offered
• in higher education
• School transitions (elementary/intermediate/high
• school/college)
• How school districts and schools
• function
• Community resources

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Evaluation of Outcomes

• Padres Promotores training Evaluation of content
  and knowledge gained
• Overall training received a 92.3 approval in
  evaluation
• Ten-question pre/post test administered
• Tracking Tools
• Home Visit Form
• Monthly Report
• Number families reached through home visits
  pláticas
• 1,600 families reached in 2004
• 1,100 in 2005 received 2 visits or more
• Difference due to emphasis on follow-up visits in
  2005
• Exit interviews of participating promotores
• What have you gained from being a Promotor?
• What recommendations do you have for the future
  of the program?

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Current Efforts

• Postcards to evaluate each visit
• Purpose Measure impact
• Process Parent visited can mail remain
  anonymous
• Work by Dr. Castellanos students (UCI)
• Purpose Gauge change in attitudes toward
  education and higher education specifically
• Process Interview 60 past promotores

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Dissemination of Work

• Each promotor introduced to principal, teachers,
  and school staff
• Promotores introduced to partnership
• FACT Sheets
• Articles in Excelsior/Miniondas
• Media coverage of special events and activities

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Expanding the Impact

• Orange County Business Council
• Latino Educational Attainment Task Force
• Developing a Common Message
• Expanding to other communities in Orange County
• Pio Pico, Santa Ana
• Oakview, Huntington Beach
• La Colonia, Anaheim
• La Zanja, San Juan Capistrano

10 Commandments for Parents

• Commit as a family to be involved in school
• Learn how the schools are ordered (Preschool thru
  college)
• Learn what my child needs to graduate
  successfully from high school
• Support the learning of Mathematics, English, and
  Science
• Understand how grades work (A, B, C, D, F)
• Encourage your child to take honors and advanced
  courses
• Help your child prepare for college early
• Realize college is affordable
• Do your part in helping your child study
• Teach your child to hope and visualize their
  future

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Formalized Curriculum

• Padre a Padre Curriculum
• 8 lessons created with the message of higher
  education in mind

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Policy

• Middle College High School
• Higher Education Centers at each high school.
• Issue-specific involvement in local Board of
  Education meetings and school site policy
  meetings
• Advocacy for rigorous academic requirements
• Dissemination of AB540 information to parents and
  community
• Parent Centers at secondary schools
• Camino de Amistad is now fully supported by
  each high school
• Institutionalization Office space at Santa Ana
  College for Padres, permanent funding dedicated
  to program

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Current Program Status

• Strengths
• The network grows 150 parents to date
• The message of higher education is reaching a
  greater number of families, over 3,800 home
  visits have been facilitated since 2002
• 10 Commandments for Parents are spread through
  county-based efforts with the Latino Educational
  Attainment Project through the OC Business
  Council
• Padre a Padre curriculum developed published (8
  lessons)
• Program is seen as a model being replicated in
  other communities
• Walk for Success (Camino de Amistad) reaches high
  school families in the summer

• Challenges
• Large population, increasing demands, and limited
  time
• Limited financial resources to expand
• Full understanding of higher education focus by
  secondary school staff

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Santa Ana Partnership
Padres Promotores de la Educación