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Illinois
College (Jacksonville, IL)
The
Illinois Partnership of Minority Achievement
Summary
The Illinois Partnership of Minority Achievement was formed to develop
communication and partnerships between the Jacksonville business community,
local colleges, and the school district. One component of this partnership,
the Minority Tutoring Project, pairs Illinois College students with minority
students from Turner Junior High School for mutual teaching and learning
opportunities.
Practice
During the summer of 1989, the Associated Colleges of Illinois held meetings
with representatives from member colleges and school districts. These
meetings provided opportunities to discuss potential partnerships involving
the business community, member colleges, and selected school districts
designed to support programs for “at risk” minority students.
Jacksonville representatives and leaders determined that reciprocal partnerships
would be beneficial for minority students who were at risk for not graduating
from high school or attending college in their school district. Illinois
College, seeking new and vital experiences in diversity and service as
illuminated in the College’s mission statement, saw immediate connections
with its Teacher Preparation Program and the need to prepare future teachers
to work effectively with children and colleagues of diverse backgrounds.
To begin addressing these needs and other educational issues, The Illinois
Partnership for Minority Achievement formed as a joint venture between
Illinois College, MacMurray College, Public School District #117, and
local businesses. A prominent Jacksonville City Council member and a graduate
of Illinois College led the effort to recruit local business involvement
and support.
As a community-based advisory structure, the Illinois Partnership for
Minority Achievement developed programs to provide family support for
education, tutoring at the junior high and high school levels, mentoring
opportunities with local businesses, and counseling in career and college
planning. Both colleges sponsor campus visits and speaker programs. The
school district identifies students who have college potential but are
at risk of not succeeding and in need of encouragement with academic success
and college aspirations. These students enter the program in the 7th grade.
Specifically, Illinois College coordinates the tutoring program for the
middle school students since the middle school is geographically located
near campus. The reciprocal educational goals of this tutoring program
include: 1) to provide Illinois College students with teaching experiences
in diverse environments and 2) to increase the likelihood of Jacksonville
minority students attending college by fostering academic skill development,
increasing college aspirations, and providing additional opportunities
to interact with positive role models.
Illinois College and junior high minority students are engaged in both
teaching and learning in a one-to-one setting within an educational environment.
Teacher preparation students become involved in the project through two
courses, Middle School Curriculum and Instructional Procedures (Education
355) and Adolescent Psychology (Psychology 312). In these courses, the
experiences of the tutor are embedded in classroom discussion so that
theories and research can be immediately applied during tutoring sessions.
The middle school students have the opportunity to teach the college students
by participating on panels for the Adolescent Psychology course. Illinois
College students also interview the middle school youth for course assignments.
The college students invite their middle school partners to attend campus
educational events and mealtimes.
Effectiveness
The Illinois Partnership for Minority Achievement meets monthly to oversee
programs and assess progress. Through this group, parents and educators
have an opportunity to evaluate the effects of the partnerships and programs.
The group sponsors annual celebration dinners to recognize students and
their parents. Qualitatively, most leaders of the Illinois Partnership
believe the tutoring programs have been very successful. Fourteen national
corporations and local businesses support this partnership.
Over the past five years, participation among college tutors and middle
school students has grown steadily. Spring 2003, 39 Illinois College students
tutored 35 minority middle school students serving over 500 hours. Faculty
coordinators have weekly contact with the Dean of Students at the junior
high school to ensure effectiveness. Eighty-seven percent of the Adolescent
Psychology students rate the tutoring program positively and 56 percent
of them name the tutoring program as their favorite component of the course.
Resources
For detailed information about the Illinois Partnership for Minority Achievement
or the Illinois College Minority Tutoring Program, please contact Dr.
Jay Fritsche, Chair of the Education Department, at fritsche@ic.edu,
or Elizabeth Rellinger Zettler, associate professor of psychology, at
relling@ic.edu. Materials related
to academic integration of tutoring experience and Adolescent Psychology
are also available from Dr. Rellinger Zettler. Job descriptions and curriculum
vitae of all involved parties may be obtained from Richard Fry, dean of
the College at rfry@ic.edu.
Contact Information
Elizabeth Rellinger Zettler
Associate Professor of Psychology
Illinois College
1101 W. College Ave.
Jacksonville, IL 62650
Phone: (217) 245-3408
Fax: (217) 245-3034
relling@ic.edu
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