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Friday, Oct. 03, 2008

Tubman, Macon State team up for Bibb students

An innovative partnership involving the Tubman African American Museum and Macon State College's School of Education has had a big impact on the academic success of more than 30 students at Williams Elementary School.

Thirty-seven academically at-risk third- and fifth-grade Williams students participated in an after-school program at the museum.

The success, school officials said, is evident: 34 of those students scored above the mandatory score of 800 in reading and writing on the state-mandated Criterion Referenced Competency Test, said Sandra McClendon, the counselor at Williams.

"They all showed gains," McClendon said. "They included my special-needs (students). ... They were bubble kids - the ones we knew were having a harder time. They were the ones chosen for this program."

Students take the CRCTs every year in first through eighth grades but must pass the tests in third and fifth grades to advance to the next grade.

McClendon said the students identified for the after-school program worked with teachers and teaching students from Macon State's School of Education to ensure that each Williams student got one-on-one instruction.

Cameron Pennybacker, an instructor at Macon State, said his college students received as much of an education as the elementary school students. And Pennybacker said the program benefitted the programs at the Tubman and Macon State as much as Williams Elementary.

"It's the most equal partnership I've ever worked with," he said. "It was a win-win-win deal for everyone. ... It gives the museum relevance by offering this service. You have future educators learning as much as the elementary students. It's the mutual component that makes it so powerful."

Anita Ponder, director of education for the Tubman, said the program shows that museums can have a far bigger impact on education beyond their traditional role.

"All learning doesn't happen within the classroom," said Ponder, who has already given talks about the Tubman's role in the program at museum conferences in Chicago and Washington, D.C. "This allows us to use the resources of the museum. You are teaching something as simple as math, doing it in a different way but having the same result."

The after-school program was voluntary for the students, who went to the museum on school holidays and teacher in-service days. There, in addition to getting help with their schoolwork, the students would learn elements of African-American history and culture, which was presented in ways to help their math and reading skills.

Shirley Jordan, a fifth-grade teacher at Williams Elementary for 14 years, said she noticed a tangible difference in her students. It wasn't just that their grades improved, but she also noticed how they interacted in class.

"You'd have children who were withdrawn asking questions (in class)," Jordan said. "They'd go (to the tutoring), and the next day they would feel very successful. They felt like they were ahead of everyone else."

There are also tangible program results, McClendon said. The third-graders in the program averaged an 810 in reading and 805 in math, while the fifth-graders scored an 826 average in reading and 810 in math.

The program, which runs from November to May, is already in the planning stages for this year. Sumitre Himangshu, an instructor at Macon State, said the program is being adjusted based on last year's observations.

But word of the program's success already has spread at Williams. McClendon said parents of "130 or 140" students have asked about it. She and other members of the school's staff will select about 40 students for the program.

Ponder said she hopes in time that the program can expand to other schools in Bibb County, and both she and Pennybacker said they can see the program moving beyond state lines.

"One advantage of the second go-round is that the early success brings new resources to the table," Ponder said. "You can partner with those who want to be associated with a successful program."

To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.