Latino Youth Program
Discussions on student achievement at Springman typically reveal many strengths; yet, Psychologist Ilene Holt-Turner and ELL teacher Jennifer Pahati recognized that the Latino students within the school struggled more than others. Test data clearly indicated that a disproportionate number of Latino students were not meeting state academic standards. Believing that existing support services would not fully address the issues, the two educators used a grant from GEF to create the Latino Youth Program. This innovative program reaches well beyond standard academic tools to address specific Latino social and cultural issues that impact the learning environment for these students. It focuses on developing student leaders and increasing parent support and involvement within the community. Ultimately, the Latino Youth Program seeks to improve student academic performance by enhancing the students’ connection to the Springman community. To achieve this goal, the two grant recipients organized an array of in-school discussions, group and communitybased activities, field trips, mentoring opportunities, and bi-lingual communications.

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