Underrepresented Minority Youth in the American Education System
-
STUDENT(S)
Tegan Joseph Mosugu -
CLASS YEAR
2013 -
COMMUNITY PARTNER(S)
-
PROJECT LOCATION(S)
-
REGION(S)
-
PROJECT YEAR(S)
-
PROJECT TYPE
Abstract
Motivating black and Hispanic students is one of the biggest problems high school districts face throughout the country. According to the NAACP, “the rate at which African American males are dropping out and being placed in special education far exceeds the rate at which they are graduating and reaching high levels of academic achievement.” With Hispanic students projected to make up twenty-five percent of children in classrooms by 2050. THINK Together is currently serving more than eighteen thousand students per-year in eighty three schools throughout Los Angeles County. Students in the THINK Together program graduate from high school at higher percentages and go on to pursue higher-education upon graduation.
In order to motivate more high school students in the district, Azusa Unified School District needs to partner up with THINK Together since it works.
Problem Statement
The graduation rate for schools in AZUSD is approximately sixty-two percent. The district faces a major problem with only twenty-five percent of students in high schools attending some type of post-graduate education. Even though the student to teacher ratio is only 20.8, students are still lacking motivation in the classroom. The root cause of the problem is three-fold:
- Schools in the district do not have a peer-peer mentorship program
- The lack of working relationships between teachers and student unmotivates students to achieve their personal best.
- Students who do need extra help or support are unable to get them from qualified/skilled personnel. In order for Azusa Unified School District to best tackle this problem of motivation, it has to collaborate with THINK Together. Teachers and school district alumni have not been incorporated into the THINK Together program. In order for the program to augment motivation in underrepresented minority students, AZUSD needs to ensure that these neglected groups start being incorporated into the program. Last but not the least, AZUSD needs to establish workshops and programs that seek to ameliorate the learning experience.