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Summer 2016
21
(e.g., swim lessons, Jubilee Lake visit,
ropes course and fishing).
●
●
Participation in Summer of Explora-
tion is limited to 20 students. Addi-
tional funding is required to expand
the program.
Open Doors
Rick Griffin, Director of the Jubilee
Leadership Academy, suggested
that there will always be a popula-
tion unable to engage in traditional
education because of ACES. Students
with ACES may show up at school but
are unable to participate in learning
in the midst of a “hurricane” of stress.
In some cases, it is the educational
setting itself that causes a traumatic
response. The Open Doors program
(enacted through House Bill 1418 and
defined through RCW 28A.175.100
Statewide Dropout Re-Engagement
Program) allows students to access ap-
proved curriculum in a nontraditional
educational setting so that they can
reengage in the learning process. Cur-
rently, the only Open Doors program
in our region is at the Jubilee Academy
near Burbank, which serves students
from around the country. At Jubilee,
students work through curriculum at
their own pace with help from pro-
social adults—caring adults who are
supportive rather than judgmental.
ENHANCING QUALITY
EDUCATION
Administrators at the postsecondary
level reported that students often
come to college academically and so-
cially unprepared. Sometimes students
do not have the knowledge or skills
they need to engage in college-level
work and need remedial education.
Others do not have the soft skills or be-
haviors that support success in college.
In addition, there are disparities in edu-
cational outcomes based on ethnicity
and income withinWWPS. The table on
this page shows rates for WWPS middle
schoolers who met eighth-grade stan-
dards in math and reading in 2013.
Calzaretta said that we also see
differences in achievement at the
high school level based on ethnicity
(e.g., enrollment in AP math is 81 per-
cent for non-Hispanic whites and
only 9 percent for Hispanics) and at
the postsecondary level, where only
12 percent of Hispanic students are
accepted to a four-year college, com-
pared to 37 percent of non-Hispanic
white students.
There are a number of programs
and initiatives designed to enhance
preparedness for everyone by boost-
ing academic outcomes, narrowing
achievement gaps, and develop-
ing soft skills. The Study Committee
learned about a number of those pro-
grams, but recognizes there may be
other efforts it did not hear about. The
discussion below is limited to what
was reported to the Study Committee.
Early childhood education
Early childhood education refers to the
formal and informal teaching of young
children from birth to age 8 and seeks
to promote the cognitive, social, and
emotional development of the child.
Bowen suggested that our community
should consider early education as
part of our economic development
plan because investments in early
learning generate significant cognitive
and economic returns. Recognizing
that the skills and behaviors of young
children vary, early childhood edu-
cation programs can help children
become kindergarten-ready so that
they enter school with appropriate
grade-level skills. Research shows
that children who are behind grade
level when they enter kindergarten
tend to stay behind unless successful
interventions are made. Children who
start kindergarten below grade level
are more likely to drop out of high
school and are less likely to enroll
in a university than their peers who
enter at grade level. According to the
Center on the Developing Child at
Harvard University, early interventions
in learning are important because
cognitive development is most
rapid when children are young. As a
person ages, more effort is required to
change brains and behaviors. Re-
search conducted by James Heckman
shows that the earlier the investment
in the development of human capital,
the greater the economic return.
It is important to engage parents
in early learning, but outreach and
accessibility are challenges. People
hear about early learning programs
primarily through word of mouth, and
trusted messengers are important for
reaching populations whose children
are not already served.
School culture
Several speakers emphasized the
importance of developing strong sys-
tems and cultures within schools to
Low-income
students
All students Hispanic Non-Hispanic
white
Passed middle
school reading test
50%
62%
46%
74%
Passed middle
school math test
37%
50%
33%
64%