"Our School has been a good educational experience for me and I learned what I wanted to. I learned about outer space, the food web, writing poetry and about our lives."

-Angel Hernandez, age 10,
Our School learner, spring 2002

Critical OUTREACH

• In the 2000 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) scores, the percentage of Latino students in 4th grade that scored below basic was 67% in Math, 70% in Reading and 71% in Science.
• In 2000, only 62% of Latino students graduated from high school, the lowest graduation rate of any group in Rhode Island and the lowest of Latino graduation rates in New England.
• In 2000, Professor Cynthia Garcia Coll of the Education Department at Brown University has found that the process of dropping out starts around the 4th or 5th grade when children are not taught or do not master high-level critical thinking and analysis skills. Students that do not receive adequate instruction and support are likely to drop out as they begin to be impacted by consistent failure in their school experience.

Family CHALLENGES

• Interviews with Latino immigrant parents have shown that parents are often at a loss when helping their children with their homework, due to both language challenges and not having familiarity with the material.
• Children of adults who participate in literacy programs improve their grades and reading skills, and are less likely to drop out.
• In response to the challenges faced by Latino children in the Rhode Island education system, the RI Latino Report has recommended an increase of programming directed at the maintenance of culture among Latino children (music, dance, history) and an increase in after school programs focused on academic support and the development of critical thinking skills.

Holistic SOLUTION

• Our School reaches out to children between the kindergarten and 6th grade, a critical time when children form important study habits and learning skills that will help them graduate from high school and go on to college.
• Our School provides children of adult EFA learners with a holistic and nurturing learning environment.
• Our School youth mentors provide individual support to guide children through educational projects in art, science, poetry, cooking, dance and history.