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CONTACT:
Sue Wickizer,
South Lane School District Special Education Director
541-942-3381
Kerry
Clawson, Teacher
Lane Workforce Partnership
Cottage Grove High School is giving new confidence – and opportunities – to 31 young women who might otherwise slip through the cracks.
Some of the girls are from poverty backgrounds, others are young mothers or have poor attendance patterns – and some have limited English skills. But all have new confidence and success, thanks to a $50,000 Lane Workforce Partnership grant.
THE PROGRAM
The grant, in its second year, funds services for girls in the school’s Engineering Tech Program. It links them to Career Connections, which pairs them with successful women mentors and paid internships in Lane County businesses.
The program provides a companion class to meet academic needs in reading, writing and math and instructs students in skills needed for getting (and keeping) a good job. The students are taught using state of the art equipment. They learn the ins and outs of robotics, CNC milling, hydraulics, pneumatics, micro-electronics, autoCAD drafting, and more.
WHO'S IN CHARGE?
Kerry Clawson, a special education teacher, and Chris Medina, a professional technical teacher, share the engineering teaching duties. Renee Klein, school-to-work specialist, takes on the challenge of placing the students in internships and pairing the students with female business leaders to act as mentors. Sue Wickizer, South Lane Special Education Director, wrote the grant after researching why girls struggle academically when they hit high school – and how to reach them.
EXPECTATIONS
To be successful in the program, students must take responsibility for their own learning, problem solve, and self-initiate much like they would in a real work setting, rather than wait for the teacher cue about which information is important and why, and what to do next as is often the case in a traditional classroom setting.
SUMMER INTERNSHIPS
Summer internships took place at a number of area businesses where students worked anywhere from 9 -30 hours per week learning basic skills such as work relationships, customer service, and inventory to placements at construction and trucking industries and Hynix Semi-conductors.
THE MENTORS
While the career mentors are asked to make two contacts a month, many have exceeded that commitment; in fact one mentor took her girl to a major engineering convention. Last year’s mentors included an architect, an FBI agent, several women from the local steamfitter’s union, and two engineers, among others.
Mentors served as role models to their Mentees and met regularly with them at school, and off-campus to build relationships, and provide job shadow opportunities at their respective workplaces and other businesses.
Additional activities included attending high school classes together, involvement in career readiness activities such as resume writing and 5 year plans, attending the career fair, or even something more informal such as going to UO women’s basketball games.
WHY IT WORKS
The single gender atmosphere of the class allows girls to ask questions, be leaders and learn at a pace that is right for them, says teacher Kerry Clawson. Girls finish the program with the skills to pursue higher education in engineering technology – or enter the workforce earning a living wage.
RESULTS OF SUCCESS
The results so far have far exceeded expectations, according to teacher Kerry Clawson. “We reach these girls at a rare, pivotal time in their lives,” she said. The girls’ GPAs have increased, absenteeism and “office referrals” have decreased.
“We’re thrilled with their progress, and most students continuing the program for two more years,” said Assist. Supt. Colt Gill. The mentor meetings and internships have introduced the girls to new experiences and proven to them that they can do more with their lives than they had ever dreamed of. Sue Wickizer, special education director, is responsible for the project overall. Sue conceived of the project and wrote the three-year grant.
“There are very few programs that target just girls,” says Board Member and OSBA Past-President Sherry Duerst-Higgins. “This one empowers them – it’s amazing to see the transformation as the students succeed and feel valued.”
Clawson was recently approached by the parent of a new freshman student who was thrilled with her daughter’s response to the program. The parent related that her daughter told her, “Mom, I can’t wait to get up and go to school.”
THE FUTURE
In its second year of the grant ($50,000 per year), the district plans to continue the program. This year promises to be much of the same and more. Eight girls returned as “advanced” students with another 12 “newbies” entering the program for the first time. The caseload of total students is 31, as graduates are not exited until they are in stable positions in college or work, and they will continue to receive services for 18 months post-exit.
“This is a wonderful example of how to keep struggling students in school while training them to have vocational skills,” said Board Member Leslie Rubinstein. “By providing a supportive class environment and encouraging career education for girls in non-traditional fields, this program is a model
that I hope other districts will follow.”
READ SOME OF THEIR
PERSONAL STORIES
All of last year’s students demonstrated improvement and success at some level. Names used are not their real names.
Maria, an ESL (English as a Second Language) student who had previously been on a modified diploma track, worked through the program during her senior year at CGHS. Timid and unsure at first, the soft-spoken Maria told Clawson she did not want to stay in the class, but agreed to “hang in there” for one trimester after persistent encouragement from Medina, Clawson, and Klein. By mid-year, Maria was clearly settled in and working semi-independently with teacher guidance or a peer partner. At that same time, Maria’s mom was invited to tour the lab after parent conferences with her daughter and Clawson. The parent was clearly stunned – both by the level of skill that her daughter demonstrated as she provided a quick explanation of the fluid power stations (pneumatic and hydraulics) but also by the ease and confidence Maria exuded as she moved through the lab. By year’s end Maria was able to work independently on any station and was far less hesitant as a self-directed learner and a confident communicator. Maria graduated in June with her peers, but with a regular – not a
modified – diploma and is currently in her second year at her job placement at the Department of Human Services offices. She is being groomed to be a bi-lingual case manager and is attending LCC half time beginning Sept. 27.
Brittany, a special education student, was also challenged by the program in the beginning. Because of her reading disability in fluency and comprehension, Brittany’s entire school experience was a struggle as she was unable to efficiently access written information. The E-tech program looked like more of the same, only worse. But because the program that CGHS purchased contained an interactive component of the textbook material on the computer, Brittany was able to work through the units with her peers and pass the class, with limited modifications. Brittany completed her summer internship at the Army Corps of Engineers and has enrolled full-time at LCC this fall. After a summer of skill work with Ms. Klein, Brittany did not get placed in any remedial level classes at Lane. She is starting classes at the regular Freshman level.
Candy, Kris and Jenni: Returning for their second year in the program, these girls could be characterized as “reluctant learners” due to their learning disabilities and years of frustration in school. But all elected to return to the program even though in many respects it is more demanding than the traditional classes that round out the rest of their schedules during the school day. The girls also participated in paid summer internships – two girls worked at a feed store while the third was employed by the local fire and paramedic department.
Nancy, another returning student whose “barrier” is credit deficiencies and who lives in a home where the parent is essentially absent (though Nancy does not qualify under the “single person household” rule) has been somewhat of a star in the classroom – particularly in the area of electronics. She is quick to offer help to her peers or even the teachers when stumped, and has already reached the advanced levels on several of the learning stations. Nancy has a great relationship with her mentor and was offered an opportunity to go work with her for her summer Internship, but schedule conflicts prevented that connection. After graduation Nancy plans to attend college and pursue a career in the medical field.
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