This is why we do what we do…

There are special moments amidst the operational to-dos that crystallize why we do what we do…  this story comes from Moe, our District Manager on the Big Island.  It’s so touching, especially during this holiday season, that I had to share via the blog.  High school students who graduate from our after-school tutoring program, receive a free laptop.  It’s an incentive for them to complete the program and, more importantly, a tool they can use to produce, collaborate, and connect in the 21^st century.  Here’s the story…

Moe writes, “We delivered our first nine laptops to grad students today and it went terrific.   A dad brought me outside to say that things haven’t been going so well for his family this year and we (IAAK) was able to give his kids a Christmas they really deserved.  It was quite an emotional moment for both of us.  Also, a student at Waiakea High will be getting her laptop tomorrow.  She will be moving back to the Marshall Islands and said she’s bringing the laptop as a present for her whole family.  Her mom and dad called saying how appreciative they were and asked me to come over for tea.  It’s days like these that keep us pushing to help as many families as we can.  Keep doing what you’re doing, great things are happening.”

It’s incredible to hear the impact our work is having on families – not just the kids we serve.   Thanks to the entire IAAK team for the dedication to serve children and their families and communities.  Thank you to Moe for reflecting and sharing this special moment with all of us.  Happy holidays!

U.H. Study on SES in Hawaii

The Social Science Research Institute of U.H. at Manoa conducted a study (funded by the Hawaii State Department of Education) to evaluate SES programs administered during the 2007-2008 school year.  The report was released in September.  Note:  this is the third year the evaluation has been conducted.  The study addressed three primary questions:

1. Has the provider contributed to increasing student achievement?
2. Are parents/guardians, and other stakeholders satisfied with tutoring services?
3. Are SES providers complying with the terms of their contract and with state and federal rules and regulations?

Here are the facts:

• Eighty-six schools and a total of 5,287 students participated (15% of those eligible) in SES in 2007-2008. However, this represents an increase of 2% over the previous year.
• For the student achievement analysis, the evaluation compared students’ Hawaii State Assessment test scores before (2007) and after SES (2008) tutoring. A total of 1,593 students were included in the reading (654) and math (939) datasets.
• To address the other research questions, customer satisfaction measures (via survey and interviews) were obtained from parents, complex area staff members, and school employees, such as teachers, principals and staff members designated to work on SES.

 

Research on the Effectiveness of SES

As students across the country engage in supplemental education services (SES), minimal robust, experimental research exists to determine the effectiveness of such programs to improve student achievement.  A study conducted by Vanderbilt University addresses this knowledge gap by examining the effect of SES on student test score gains and evaluating whether particular subgroups benefit more from SES.  The results validate the significant weight the federal government places on after-school programs to improve academic outcomes. 

Researchers partnered with a large, urban school district, which enrolls over 70,000 students, 72 percent who quality for free and reduced lunch.  The study sample includes information on students enrolled in 3^rd through 8^th grades from 121 elementary and middle schools over a five year period (SY 03-04 to SY 07-08).  Unlike previous research studies, this study accounted for actual attendance, the subject-area of tutoring, and the number of years a student attended SES.