document resume ed 042 689 teacher corps- …document resume ed 042 689 sp 004 066 title teacher...

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 042 689 SP 004 066

TITLE Teacher Corps--Urban. Cycle II, Final Program Report.INSTITUTION University of Southern California, Los Angeles.SPONS AGENCY Teachers Corps, BEPD.PUB DATE 69NOTE 46p.

FORS PRICEDESCRIPTOFS

IDENTIFIERS

EDRS Price NSF -$0.25 HC-52.40*Disadvantaged Youth, *Field Experience Programs,*Teacher Education, *Urban Education*Teacher. Corps

ABSTRACTThis document reports the Cycle II Teacher Corps

Urban Program at the University of Southern California, a 2-yeareffort to prepare teachers to work effectively in disadvantagedcommunities of such diverse racial and ethnic groups as Negroes,Mexican Americans, poor whites, Japanese, Koreans, and Samoans. Thereis brief description of the two phases of the program: 1) academiccourse work, community field activities, special workshops,demonstrations, and meetings in t-he preservice phase, and 2) thecombination of gradually increasing responsibilities in the localschools with course work in the inservice phase. Program evaluationand the research projects growing out of the program are brieflydescribed. Innovations introduced into the teaching strategies andcurriculum at USC to facilitate corpsmen training are described:corpsmen treated as an intact group, block scheduling, c;cructure andsequence of courses, and interrelationship of course work. Alsoincluded are lists of institutional changes at USC brought about bythe Teacher Corps program including introduction of courses andcontent new to teacher education. Involvement of corpsmen indevelopmental trends within the seven participating sc!-ool districtsis discussed in outline form with innovative approaches,institutional changes, and community involvement described on adistrict-by-district basis. (JS)

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U.S. DEAR1MENT Of HEALTH. EDUCATIONI WELFARE TEACHER CORPS - URBAN

OFFICE OF EDUCATIONTHIS DOCUMENT HAS IIEEN REPRODUCEDEXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PE AWN ORORGANIZATION ORIGINATING It POINTS OfVIEW OR OPINIONS SIAM DO HOT NEWGAMY REPRESENT Of HCIAL OFFICE Of IOU CYCLE II FINAL REPORTCATION POSITION OR POLICY

August, 1967 - June, 1969

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Director: Dr. Donald E. Wilson

Associate Director: Annette M. Gromfin

PARTICIPATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Compton City School DistrictCompton Union High School DistrictEl Monte School DistrictEnterprise School DistrictGarvey School DistrictJurupa Unified School DistrictWillowbrook School District

Mr. Hugh WalkerMr. Samuel WilliamsMr. William OsterMr. Donald HodesMrs. Georgia DanielDr. Robert SeatonMr. Thurman Johnson

STATISTICAL SUMMARY SHEET - CYCLE II

I. INTERNS

1. How many Interns started program? 1. 442. finished program? 2. 363. resigned? 3. 8

4. terminated? 4. ---7--5. Interns presently teaching or going to teach

in tne school district in which they weretrained? 5. 13

6. Interns going to teach in other schooldistricts? 6. 22

7. to other occupations? 7. --I8. interns transferred? 8. -9. Interns graduated with Master's degree? 9. --Sg--

10. Interns that met State Certification? 10. Tr--11. Total number of male interns? 11. --a--12. female interns? 12. -I'$13. White? 13. --rty--14. Negro? 14. --ru--15. Mexican-American? 15. ---1--16. American-Indian? 16. 716n17. Puerto-Rican? 17. None18. Other Minorities Oriental 18. ---T---1-

II. TEAM LEADERS

1. How many Team Leaders started the program? 1. 122. completed program? 2. --o--3. transferred? 3. -4. terminated? 4. -5. resigned?Jo Team Leaders employed from Local Scnool Agency? 6. -cr--7. Team Leaders employed from Outside Local School

Agency? 7. -

8. Team Leaders presently teaching or going toteach in the school district in which theytrained interns? 8. 9

9. As Supervisors?10. Team Leaders going to teach in other school

districts? 10. -11. Other occupations? 11. --1---12. Male Team Leaders? 12. ---r--13. Female 'Nall Leaders?14. Typical age of Team Leaders? 14. 7-17--

Statistical Summary SheetCycle II

-2-

III. UNIVERSITY

1. How many special courses designed forTeacher Corps? 1. 5

Answer: Teacner Corps Staff constantly attempted to navecoursework adapted to the specific needs of theCorps program. Thus in a sense all cuurseworkwas modified to some extent. Thu Corps also in-corporated several courses which are offered bythe University but not normally offered to stud-ents in Teacher Education. The staff shaped thesecourses to meet specific intern needs: Thus, Eng-lish as a Second Language is offered by the Uni-versity in Education, but not in Teacher Education.Also the special emphasis on ESL and then a com-ponent within the course on English as a Secondoialect was especially helpful to Corpsmen whowork with Negro and Mexican-American youngsters.

2. How many Teacner Corps courses now opened togeneral student body? 2. All

3. how many University faculty participated inTeacner Corps training? 3. 12

Answer: This figure does riot include special people broughtin to assist in the formal instruction, e.g., spec-

4.

ialist consultants, community people, representa-tives from various service agencies, etc. In cas-es where these people taught in the Corps, theywere either in cnargu of special workshops or as-sisted the instructor of record.

Is the University going to suemit a 4tn CycleTeaCnor Corps Proposal? 4. Yes

IV. SCHOOL DISTRICT

1. slumber of scnools surveil by Teacher Corps? 1. 192.

3.Elementary?Secondary?

2.3.

14"."1"----

4. Number of Urban School? 4. -rf---5. Number of Rural School? 5. -6. Qualifying data for all schools percentage

of poverty?

Answer: On next page

Statistical Summary SheetCycle II

3-

6. Answer: Compton City School DistrictCompton Union High School DistrictEl Monte School DistrictEnterprise School DistrictGarvey School DistrictJurupa Unified School DistrictWillowbrook School District

7. Congressional District Number 21st (University)

Compton City School DistrictCompton Union High School DistrictEl Monte School DistrictEnterprise School DistrictGarvey School DistrictJurupa Unified School DistrictWillowbrook School District

26% of Poverty23% of Poverty22% of Poverty28% of Poverty57% of Poverty35% of Poverty32% of Poverty

23rd Congressional District23rd Congressional District25th Congressional District17th Congressional District29th Congressional District38th Congressional District21st Congressional District

CYCLE II REPORT

OVERVIEW OF TAE PROGRAM

The Cycle II Teacher Corps Urban Program at theUniversity of Southern California was a two year effortto prepare teachers to work effectively in disadvan-taged communities. It was a joint effort between theUniversity and seven (7) participating school districtslocated in tne greater Los Angeles area. Each districtis an autonomous unit and with tne exception of the Jur-upa Unified School District, all are adjacent to atten-dance areas of the Los Angeles City School District.Within tnese districts Corpsmen served in 21 scnools dur-ing the two year program.

The target populations which Cycle II served werediverse in racial and ethnic background and includedNegroes, Oexican-Americans, poor whites, Japanese, Kor-eans, and Samoans. Baca of the school districts has"pocket ghettos" which serve minority persons of one ormore of these groups. These pocket ghettos are alsodistinguished by the fact that tney serve as "port-of-entry" for in-migration to tne Los Angeles area fromtne deep South, Central California, Mexico, and Appala-cnia as well as serving residents wno have lived in tneimmediate community for over a generation.

In the two year effort the program sought to trainteachers who were sensitive to the needs of these diversecommunities and who could become effective teachers us-ing the most relevant and meaningful methodology and ma-terials with the educationally disadvantaged child.

The following sections of this report present theobjectives of the Cycle II program and the approachesused to meet these objectives.

WJECTIVES OF TPE PROGRAM

This program sought to:

1. Provido Corpsmen with an in-depth under-standing of poverty with an understanding ofthe significance of social stratification, so-cial mobility, and the dynamics of the disad-vantaged community.

CYCLE II REPORTPage 2

2. Develop in Corpsmen an understanding ofthe relationship of poverty to educationaldisadvantagement;

3. Foster a better understanuing of the na-ture of educational disadvantagement of min-ority and poverty children;

4. Develop in Corpsmen an awareness of theeffects of teacher attitudes and behaviorsupon culturally different and educationallydisadvantaged youth and tneir families;

5. Integrate and employ the most relevanttheories and practices of the behavioral sci-ences and education necessary to educate thedisadvantaged cild;

6. Help interns gain insight into the roleof education as an institution in tne povertycommunity;

7. Enlarge the concept of the school institu-tion in the lives of educators, the disadvan-taged child, and the community-at-large.

8. 1ncourage the University and the scaool dis-tricts to remodel curriculum and administrativepractices in order that the best educationalexperiences for Corpsmen anti public scaool stu-dents might obtain.

These objectives became the linking threads foundin all course content, worksnops, demonstrations, guestlectures and discussion groups throughout true entire pro-gram. They provided both the foundations of the USC ef-fort and the avenues througn wnich this effort wss guided.

PRE-SERVICE PROGRAH

Introductions

The pre-service phase of the Cycle II program con-sisted of a twelve week training effort which literallyimmersed Corpsmen into the reality setting and dynamicsof the poverty communities in which the program functionedas well as the specific communities in which Corpsmen wereto serve.


All activities during the pie-service were predi-cated on tne belief that in order to develop effectiveteachers for disadvantaged areas, there must be a real-istic understanding of the conditions which minorityand poverty people must face as well as an understandingof the forces which perpetuate tne cycle of poverty.

Within tne pre-service pnase tnere were three ma-jor yet highly related and integrated sub-divisions:

1. Academic coursework specifically designedto acquaint Corpsmen with the sociological andpsychological foundations of cultural and edu-cational disadvantagement as well as methodol-ogies suggested by tnese two frameworks for theamelioration of disadvantaged circumstances.

2. Communit -field activities sucn as studenttutorials provided a ' aboratory" for first-hand experiencing as well as a place wnere ac-tual employment of metnods and techniques oc-curred.

3. Workshops, demonstrations, and special meet-ings, were arranged with knowledgable educators,community groups and their leaders, parents,and representatives of Agencies and institutionsserving the community. These activities wereconducted in different community settings aswell as on the University campus.

None of tnese subdivisions were seen as isolates.Eacn was viewed as overlapping and integral with theothers. Tnus, instructors and other program staff par-ticipated in various phases of the pre-service programand attempted to relate each division to the overall ob-jectives set forth for tne Cycle II program.

Academic Coursuwork

Social Stratification and Educational Sociology.Tne courses Social Stratification and Educationar Soci-ology were integrated by mutual cross-planning of cen-tral themes to provide a broader perspective into thedynamics of disadvantaged community life. The focus wason life experiences in the impoverished community andthe impact of tnese experiences on the educational proc-ess. Based on the success of tne Cycle I experience,


Corpsmen developed studies of tne school community ar-eas to whicn they were assigned on a team-by-team basis.The objective of each study was to gain information ina first-hand manner of the economic and social climate,the legal and political institutions and agencies, com-munity views toward education, and the qualities andcharacteristics of youth to be educated in the targetschools. Upon completion, these studies served as abasis for guidelines for many of the activities designedby the Corpsmen, the University and the districts duringthe two year program.

Educational Psychology. Corpsmen were also givena course in Educational Psychology wnich concentratedupon child growth and development with special emphasisgiven to the nature and role of environment in the dis-advantaged community. One unique facet of tnis coursewas a tutorial program for disadvantaged youngsters inwnicn Corpsmen tutored students two or three times perweek. Corpsmen maintainee "logs" of these activitieswhich were discussed in class seminars as well as insmall group sessions with team leaders and the two co-instructors of this course. The course also emphasizedlecture-discussion sessions arranged so as to provideCorpsmen with theoretical constructs which could tnen betested in a reality situation (the tutorials) and evalu-ated for effectiveness.

Field Experiences

The greater Los Angelus area does not fit into aneatly pro-packaged definition of community. It is asprawling complex of many communities served by a con-glomerate of institutions and agencies. Within tnis ur-ban-suburban sprawl exist large pockets of disadvantagedpeople whose only common bond may be ethnic or economic.

It was the intention of the pre- sorvice phase toprovide Corpsmen with insightful field experiences tohelp them understand the reality settings in which theywould be teaching. It was also the intention of the pre-service program to assist Corpsmen in exploring theirfuture roles as individuals anu as team members workingin the eaucational institutions.

The following are examples of the field experiencesin which Cycle XI participated:


1. Comm-lit re resentatives and action rows.Corpsmen met n poverty commun ties with representativesof community action groups and committees concernedwith the hettormmIt of their community. Them: meetingsserved as a means for Corpsmen to learn firsthand thefelt-needs of the communities and their many factionsas well as the communities' specific concerns interce-dent for education. Included in thse meetings wereparents, community professional leadership, agency andinstitutional representatives, and professional educa-tors.

2. Field trips to sites of programs and agencieswhich worfaiwith disadvantaged youth. Fieldwere arranged for interns and team leaders to go to siteswnere programs and agencies working with the disadvan-taged were in operation: The Westminister Center inWatts, experimental pre-school and summer school prog-rams, Juvenile Hall, and Probation Camps. The Westmin-ister Center provided tne Corps witn a forum of speak-ers representing divergent community viewpointn rangingfrom the most accepting to those of militants who be-lieved no white person capable of helping their commun-ity. Westminister also served as a situ for an experi-mental summer educational program teaching youngstersfrom pre-schoo? through high school age. Juvenile Halland tne Probation camps gave Corpsmen an opportunity tosee the facilities and operations of these institutionsas well as an opportunity to speak with the'oonfinedyoungsters. These experiences were especially relevantsince many disadvantaged youngsters spend portions oftheir lives rotating between the public schools and de-tention agencies.

3. Communication worksno s. During the pre-ser-vice, Corpsmen part c paten in several kinds of communi-cation workshops. Some were concerned witn developingsensitivity to the conditions of poverty ana disadvan-tagement, others with the development of interpersonalrelationships necessary to team functioning. The goalof these activities was to help Corpsmen understandemotionally and intellectually the nature of interper-sonal relationships and to approach with a task orien-tation the various processes tnrough wnich meaningfulgroup interaction can be built and maintained.

4. Tutorial projects. All Corpsmen participatedin tutorial projects arranged in non-school settingsin areas comparable to tnose in which they would eVentu-


ally au teaching. Programming of these tutorials wasbased upon the needs and interests of tae children aswell as tne talents of the individual Corpsmen. Thetutorials w::re designed to allow children to functionin an open and unstructured setting as well as to pro-vide interns with an understanding of the learner ina non- school environment.

5. Community studies. Each team was responsiblefor completing a community study which provided a frame-work from wnich Corpsmen could better understand thenature and composition of the disadvantaged communityin which they were to serve. All information came fromfirsthand experiences within the immediate community.This meant meeting and talking with all segments of thecommunity - in the evening, on weekends; it meant becom-ing a part of and working with the community in theirnames, cnurches, businesses, and neighborhood centers.

Team member selection and school choice. Two weeksafter the pre-service program began, the Project Coor-dinator and team leaders from each district presentedan overview of the individual scnools, the district fa-cilities, tae problems, and the projected functions ofCorpsmen. At that time Corpsmen indicated the districtsin order of preference in which they wished to serveand completed a sociomutric questionnaire, reflectiveof their preference in co-workers. This information pro-vided the primary basis for intern placement. An attemptwas made by the committee on team composition to selectteams representing diverse talent, ethnicity, age, andsex. except in a few cases of unusual circumstance, allinterns served on thy. same team throughout the two yearprogram.

School transition. Although the pre-service phasewas primarily a University function and responsibility,district representatives were involved in several as-pects during the pre-service program. To facilitate theactural in-service transition, Corpsmen met with theschool personnel with whom they would be working beforeactual formal entry into the schools in order to betteracquaint themselves with these persons and the schoolproblems.

Team Leaders. This program viewed the team leaderas being in a unique position to provide insights intothe reality of the school setting in which our interns


would be working. As well as participating in all course-work and a specialized seminar of their own, the leaderswere co-instructors in the planning and presenting ofthe pre-service phase of the Cycle II program.

THE IN-SERVICE CYCLE II PROGRAM AT USC

Overview of the in-service program. The frameworkfor the program operation reflected the objectives satforth for tnis program in the proposal submitted toTeacher Corps Washington. In brief, the program soughtto encourage and support interns in seeking and imple-menting strategies which would be most meaningful to thedisadvantaged cnild. The emphasis in course content,the training techniques introduced and encouraged, andthe sequence of events in the Cycle II program are allreflective of the experimental attitude which was fos-tered in the program.

Major thrusts of the training program at USC werethe sensitization of the interns to the personal, edu-cational, cultural, and economic problems of the cultureof poverty and the identification and development oftecnniques and strategies to stimulate educational in-terest and achievement in the disadvantaged learner.

All coursework in the in-service program met theState requirements for teacher certification and theUniversity's requirements for a graduate degree. Ad-ditionally, the curriculum was supplemented and adaptedto meet tne special objectives of this program.

Responsibility at the local school. During thein-service program, Corpsmen activity in the schoolsranged from providing teaching assistance, small grouptutorials, and home visitations to more comprehensiveclassroom and program planning-operation functions.The interns gradually assumed responsibilities reflec-tive of school-student needs and commensurate with theirincreasing abilities as teachers. Thus, the first yearemphasized training Corpsmen by exposing them to themost varied experiences, while the second year was con-centrated on the implementation of the most effectiveapproaches for the learner.

Coursework. All course content material was with-in a framework of practical applicability to the educa-tion of the disadvantaged learner. Courses were designed


to nave relevance and support for the intern-teacher.In addition to customary formats, special subject areaswitn unique applicability to the participating localschools were emphasized. For example, communicationskill problems of bi-cultural or dialect nature existedin all participating schools. Therefore relevant the-ories and practices were emphasized in the instructionof English as a Second Language and English as a SecondDialect.

Sequence of coursework. Coursework was arrangedto support the development of the intern recognizingthe needs of the setting in which he taught. Builtinto all coursework was time for Corpsmen to discuss,analyze, and critique classroom situations with the aidof fellow interns, team leaders, course instructors,and special area consultants.

S ecialized worksno s and demonstrations. Theprogram uti ized special workshops an demonstrationsto address itself to the complex and diverse issuesCorpsmen faced daily. Specialist resource people 'on-ducted sessions to increase Corpsman skill and under-standing in areas including:

group dynamicsinterpersonal communicationutilization of audio-visual mediateam teaching techniquesone-parent family problemscreative art experiencesdramatic expressioncommunity-centered schoolsinquiry training

In addition, Corpsmen worked at the UniversityDemonstration School located adjacent to the USC campuswhere they could observe master teacners and partici-pate with them in working with children. Corpsmen course-work was often conducted in Learning Cen'ers developedby the University both on campus and in regular publicschools. In these Learning Centers Corpsmen were ableto use the most current materials and media in such SW-ject areas as Social Studies, Science and Aatn.

Educational conferences. Special efforts weremade toavcTiVj Corpsmen in educational conferences,workshops and other meetings conducted by various stateand professional agencies and associations. The follow-


ing is a listing of such conferences which Corpsmenattended either as participants and demonstrators, asinvited guests or observers.

X - Invited to participatein the Program

0 - Invited to attend

O California Association for Student Teaching ConferenceUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDecember 7, 1960 Curriculum in your schools

X California Council on EducationYosemite, California

X California Council for the Social Studies ConferenceSan Diego, California

Etnnic Centers-Techniques for Involvementof Parents, Students, and Teachers in Cre-ating Curriculum Aaterlals for MinorityEducation

X Cooperating Teachers ConferenceRodger Young Auditorium

O Crisis in EducationAlain Locke High SchoolLos Angeles, California

O Early Childhood ConferenceMay 9-May 10, 1969University of Southern California Campus

Culture Language and Thought of YoungChildren (Workshops)

X An Educational Happening at CaltechCalifornia Institute of Technology

O Film Conference - Junior Art CenterHollywood Boulevard, Los AngelesAugust 30, September 1, 1968

X Magic Circle - Human Development Training WorkshopsUniversity of Southern California-L.A.March 14,15,16,17, 1969


0 Nuevas Vistas Conference (Intercultural Involvement)Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles

X Project FastenU.S.C. Idyllwild CampusApril 25, 26, 27, 1969

"The Advocacy Role of tne Universityhigher Education as an Agent for SocialChange"

X Social Studies Conference - Fresno, CaliforniaMarch 22-24, 1968

Interns gave a workshop

( South West Regional Teacher Corps ConferenceMarch 2, 3, 4, 1969Malibu, California

0 T.E.P.S. National Conference (Teachers Educationand Professional Standards)June 24-27, 1969Sheraton-Park Hotel, Washington, D.C.

The team leader role. Team leaders participatedin a team leader seminar and a supervision course designedfor team leaders and co-conducted by team leaders, Uni-versity resource people, and program staff. The goalsof the seminar and course were to help these leadersbetter understand the complexity of their new role andto become more effective participants in the developmentof the team concept. Special efforts were made to helpteam leaders determine ways in which they could assistCorpsmen development at the University and school dis-trict levels.

University and School District Relationships. Be-cause of the unusual nature o the Teacher Corps programand the number of districts involved in the USC program,constant dialogue and planning was necessary between theUniversity and the participating schools. Tne programsought to foster a closer working relationship in tnafollowing ways:

1. Monthly project meetings. ontly meetingsof the program coordinators, principals and


University staff were held to plan, develop,and evaluate the Teacher Corps effort.

2. Special Workshops. Special workshopswere held with school curriculum personneland University Curriculum Specialists re-lating to the aims of the Teacher Corps pro-gram and focusing on assisting interns toput tneir ideas into practice.

3. spysiaLkLiutinand(thferences. Spec-ial meetingsWereheldwiththe&ooperatingteacaers on tne nature of the program, therole of teams and individual interns, andthe ways in which these teacnurs could as-sist in reacning program objectives.

4. Cooperating Teacher's Conference. Aspecial two day conference was prepared withthe aid of team leaders and Dr. Eva Schindler-Rainman to help teams and district personnel(coordinators, cooperating teachers, and prin-cipals) meet in task groups to develop goalsand methodology for working together in theirschools.

5. In-Service Workshops. In-service work-shops were conducted by University personnelto expose teachers to the most innovative andpractical strategies for working with disadvan-taged students. For example, workshops offeredassistance in working with New Math, the use ofaudio-visual media, and with multi-ethnic con-cepts as an integral part of the curriculum.

EVALUATION AND RESEARCH

Philosophy of Evaluation. Evaluation in this pro-gram was viewed as a helping tool to determine individ-ual and program accomplishment and needs of the programat different points rather the as a mere judgmentaltool.

Evaluation of Directed Teaching. During the direc-ted teaching sequences interns were evaluated by th-eitteam leaders, cooperating teachers, a University Coor-dinator, and themselves. The evaluation process involvedor included group discussions, rating scales, completion


forms, activity logs, and questionnaires designed spec-ifically for evaluation in this phase. At all times,evaluations were discussed by both the evaluator and thestudent and progress rather than rating was stressed.

Formal Research

The Beigel and Feshbach Stuay. Drs. Beigel andFeshbach conducted a study which was an extension of aprevious work by Feshbach on teacher attitudes. Feshbachpreviously found that student teachers preferred elemen-tary school pupils who are conforming and dependent-passiverather than those who are flexible, nonconforming, andindependently assertive.

Tne USC Teacher Corps program was approached byDrs. Beigel and Feshbach to participate in the currentstudy which is being prepared for publication. In thecurrent study (W-113) there were 67 unselected studentsin Education and Psychology and 46 Corpsmen. Beigel andFeshbach found that Corpsmen viewed less negatively theindependent, assertive, flexible, and non-conformingcnilc. If teacher attitudes and expectations influencetheir interaction with children and children's performance,it would appear that the results observed in the Corpsmensample were positive and would enhance and encourage in-dividual creativity and achievement.

Analysis of Teacher Corps Goals and Objectives. Ananalysis of Teacher Corps goals and objectives was con-ducted by Dr. Paul Cnristianson of the University of -

California, Berkeley. The program approached Dr. Chris-tianson to help determine the level of effect it washaving with those most closely involved in program oper-ation, e.g., administration, Corpsmen, cooperating teach-ers, and parents.

The purpose of this study was to:

1. Help define and communicate Teacher Corpsgoals.

2. Determine the relative extent to whicnthese goals had been met.

Determine how the program could move clos-er to realization of its goals.


4. Establish a framework for future studyof the program.

In order to collect information about Teacher Corpsgoals and objectives, all availalsle local and nationalinformation (guidelines, proposas, bulletins, etc.) werestudied and University administrative staff and ProjectCoordinators were interviewed.

Once the researcher had collected this informationit was distributed to University staff and school dis-trict personnel to rate those items which were most rele-vant to the USC program. The items rated most relevantwere then placed into the following categories:

a. General to the Teacher Corps programb. Programicc. Skill anJ knowledge of Corpsmend. LeadersL4p and team activitye. Attitudes (self and social perceptions)f. Learner outcomes

A final questionnaire was developed consisting ofthe most relevant agreed-upon objectives and given toCorpsmen, cooperating teachers, school district andUniversity administration, and parents who had close con-tact with the program. Respondents were asked to indi-cate the degree to which these objectives had ,peen at-tained on a 0-100 scr.3, the basis upon which this judg-ment was made, and offer suggestion for improvement.

This study is still being analyzed by the researcherbut tne output of the questions has provided informationhelpful to program planning and operation. It is throughresearch of this type tnat the program can gear itselftoward the most valid and valuable objectives as wellas determine the ways in which those objectives can bemet.

Ohio State University Evaluation. The USC programwas one of the Teacher Corps programs approached to par-ticipate in an evaluation designed at the directionof Teacher Corps Washington and under the guidance ofDr. Corwin at Ohio State University. The results of thisevaluation have not been announced at this time.

Jurupa Unified School District. The Corpsmen inJurupa Unified School District worked with two groupsof youngsters. The following are the results of pre


and post-testingfor these two groups.istered in September,

Group I PRE-TEST

(Stanford Achievement ofThese results are1968 and June, 1969.

Stanine Raw Score

Reading Test)from tests admin-

POST-TESTGairRaw Score Grade

PlacementGrade Stanine

Placement

1 2 1.9 1 25 3.5 3 +2

2 3 1.9 1 39 4.6 5 +4

3 2 1.9 1 32 4.1 4 +3

4 7 2.2 1 34 4.2 4 +3

5 1 1.8 1 44 4.9 5 +4

6 5 2.0 1 30 3.9 4 +3

7 8 2.2 1 38 4.5 5 +4

8 6 2.1 1 28 3.8 4 +3

9 5 2.0 1 40 4.7 5 +4

10 7 2.2 1 22 3.3 3 +2

11 7 2.2 1 39 4.6 5 +4

12 6 2.1 1 28 3.7 4 +3

13 9 2.3 1 50 5.4 6 +5

14 9 2.3 1 27 3.8 3 +2

15 2 1.9 1 22 3.3 3 +2

16 2 1.9 1 44 4.9 5 +4

/7 1 1.8 1 5 2.0 1 0

Group II PRE-TEST POST-TEST

Raw Score Grade Raw Score Grade GainPlacement Placement

1 2 2.0 49 4.1 +2.1

2 2 2.0 43 3.8 +1.8


Group II,

Raw

ContinuedPRE-TEST

Raw Score

POST-TEST

GainScore GradePlacement

GradePlacement

3 2 2.0 32 3.3 +1.3

4 1 2.0 42 3.8 +1.8

5 0 .0 47 4.0 +4.0

6 2 2.0 50 4.2 +2.2

7 2 2.0 44 3.9 +1.9

8 5 2.0 45 3.9 +1.9

9 0 .0 46 4.0 +4.0

10 0 .0 48 4.1 +4.1

11 0 .0 43 3.8 +3.8

12 0 .0 21 2.6 +2.6

13 15 2.2 95 6.6 +4.4

The average gain for the thirteen is 3.02 year gain.

Master's Projects by Interns. The Master's Seminarwas designed to encourage interns to work on action-re-search projects based upon the objectives of the programand individual intern goals. Their projects ranged fromdescriptions and analysis of programs which they had setinto motion (Science Laboratory, Multi-Ethnic Center,use of media with children, Palomares Magic Circle), tocurriculum ideas which they had and wished to developfor future use (Contract System, Games approach to teach-ing), to evaluations of work completed during the year.All projects were based on the interns' own interestsand the nature of his involved in the program.

Weithorn Doctorate. Howard B. Weithorn, who servedas Assistant Director of the Teacher Corps Urban programwrote a doctoral disseration entitled "The Functional


Aspects of Adlerian Constructs in Understanding and As-sisting Disadvantaged Children." In this dissertation,Dr. Weithorn demonstrated the relationship of Adlerianconcepts about human personality development and howteachers could use these concepts to better understandand help disadvantaged learners. In one segment of thedissertation he illustrated how the objectives and meth-odology of the Teacher Corps Urban program are exemplifi-cations of Adlerian concepts. This dissertation willsoon be available in Dissertation Abstracts from Ann ArborMichigan and will eventually be published in book form.

Forthcoming Research.

1. Dr. Myron Dembo from the USC Department of Ed.Psych. is currently writing an article on teacher atti-tudes toward education. In this article he will presenta model for training teachers in Ed. Psych which utilizesthe Teacher Corps model.

2. Mr. Donald Hodes, Assistant Superintendent inEnterprise City School District, is in the process ofcompleting his doctorate at USC. His doctoral disserta-tion will be an analysis of the Urban Teacher Corps pro-gram and will include a description of training; curric-ulum, asessment of team leader, administration, intern,and teacher attitudes toward their experiences with theprogram as well as offer suggestions for areas in needof improvement.

INNOVATIOt4S IN TEACHING STRATEGIES AND CURRICULUM AT USC

The following are examples of innovations whichwere introduced in the Teacher Corps program at USC tofacilitate Corpsmen training.

University Training Program

Corpsmen treated as an intact groupBlock scheduling of University programCommunity representatives as co-instructorsStructure and sequence of coursesInterrelationship of coursework

Corpsmen as an in-tact group. Because of the spec-ialized focus of Teacher Corps, all coursework requiredby the program was taught to Corpsmen as an in-tact group.Through this closed group approach, instructors wereable to focus on the common threads with which the pro-


gram was concerned as well as allow Corpsmen to use oneanother as resources for new ideas. Also in situationswhere interns, team leaders and community people hadspecial talents, they became the co-instructors of thecourse.

Block Scheduling. Block scheduling was introducedinto the program to allow greater flexibility in theUniversity and school district programs. By having Corps-men on campus for a full day block, coursework did nothave to be confined to the minimum hours normally sched-uled. 'Seminars could overlap or be conducted by severalinstructors at one time with different members of thegroup; workshops and demonstrations could be conductedat the convenience of the specialist and field visitationsto existent programs could be conducted with minimaltime constrictions. Block scheduling also allowed fieldvisits and course content to be built upon a sequence ofexperiences built upon the needs and goals of the prog-ram.

Structure and Sequence of Courses. Actual course-work was restructured both in terms of sequence and con-tent. Through dialogue with the Project Coordinators,University personnel, and Corpsmen themselves, the pro-gram sought to make content and sequence relevant toschool involvement. Thus for example, since the mostdeficient instructional area with disadvantaged young-sters is that of language skills, the early parts of thein-service program emphasized diagnosis, instruction,and remediation techniques in language skills. Otherareas, although essential, but not as crucial to helpingthe child become a functioning student were delayed inthe content sequence.

Interrelationship of Coursework. All instructorsmet periodically to determine ways in which each couldreinforce the other without duplicating content. Throughconstant dialogue, the program was better able to availitself of instructor skills and knowledge and concentrateon the more pertinent issues. Instructors often co-taughtwith one anotner when they felt that the content lent it-self to interdisciplinary instruction.

Innovations in Coursework

Community focus in courseworkIntroduction of new courses to Teacher EducationMaster's Seminar as a means to program evaluation

U'rCLE II 'ADP=Page 18

Relating theory to practiceAudio - visual media as an instructional toolConsultant assistance in special areas

In terms of University training, Teacner Corps in-troduced seveLal new courses to tne teacher training pro-cess. Hon.: importantly, Teacher Corps attempted to ad-apt existing coursework required by the State Departmentof Education making it more relevant to training teacher-specialists working wita disaavantagud youngsters. Somespecific approaches will serve to illustrate this effort.

Community Focus in all Courses. During the courseof the two year program, tao Teacher Corps staff broughtrelevant community issues into all facets of the program.Corpsmen wore thus helped to realize that education can-not operate in isolation from tue needs, viewpoints, andconcerns of the peoplu'it is to serve.

Corpsmen were encouraged to have as much first-handcontact with community people as possible and local visi-tations were encouraged. Also, community people and in-stitutional and agency representatives were brought intotne program throughout the two years to clarify concerns,problems and needs. Thus, for example, when internswere involved in a workshop in family dynamics, represen-tatives from the community as well as professionallytrained personnel were brought to the group to providethe reality dimensions from their own experiences.

INTRODUCTION OF COURSES AND CONTENT NEW TO TEACHER EDU-CATION.

Community Study and Social Stratification. The pre-viously described course in Social. Stratification fromthe Department of Sociology was brought into educationas an integral part of the Teacher Corps program. Thecommunity studies which were designed and conducted inthis course provided Corpsmen with a first-hand develop-mental unuerstanding of corrimunity issues, the influenceof social status, institutional roles, and areas in whichthey, as educators, could focus with greatest communitysuppott.

ESL - ESD. Due to tau heavy concentration of Mex-ican-Americans in Southern Californiamany newly arrivedfrom Noxico or the insulated "migrant stream"--nee6 forinstruction in Englisa as a Second Language was inncrentin the Teacher Corps program. Also, with the great rum-


bers of Southern Negroes, a special need was evidentfor preparation in the instruction of Englisa as a Sec-ond Dialect. The Teacher Corps program incorporatedinstruction in the methods and techniques of both oftnese approaches for all Corpsmen as a part of theirtraining. Because of the nature of the Los Angeles "poc-ket ghettos" with overlapping populations, all Corpsmenwere required to be familiar witn both aspects of thislanguage skills area. Although English as a Second Lan-guage is taught in tau School of Education, it is notnormally a course for students in preparation for teach-ing. Lnglish as a Secolid Dialect was a totally new ef-fort at USC.

New Focus; Art and Drama. Two new components ofa Curiralum Workshop course were introduced by the Teach-er Corps program. Research has demonstrated that thecreative abilities of the disadvantaged child frequentlygo untapped and that one of tie most potent means ofhelping positive self-concept development is to encouragechildren to experiment with their creative abilities.The instructors in this course sought to immerse Corpsmenin the process themselves so they might better understandthe power of creative expression. As an example, theCorpsmen produced, directed, and staged playlets for thearama phase of this course. Corpsmen were restricted inhow muca expense they could incur in this process andwore encouraged to use materials and props that werereadily available to children. In many cases internsused students from their schools in their final produc-tions--an approach waicn stimulated the students to de-velop further productions waen they returned to theirschool situations.

Instructional Aedia. Instructional media was usedin the Cyc a II program fn several ways. For example,interns were video-taped during their directed teachingsessions and teen had an opportunity to meet with theUniversity coordinator and their team leader to discussthe methods, content, and timing of their approacn.Corpsmen also used media to help tneir own students increative endeavors. One example of the latter is an 8mmfilm which was written, directed, filmed and acted outby elementary children on the life of Harriet Tubman.Other media approaches were utilized where children hadaccess to media for studying their local community, theirschool, their family, and so on. This led to the releaseof vaterial and equipment by the University and districtoffices for use in schools whicn had no equipment.


Master's Seminar. In the piaster's Seminar, internswere encouraged to discuss ana write about projects andprograms which they wanted to develop or were workingwith in the school setting. Also, many Corpsmen usedthis seminar to evaluate and compare the Teacher Corpsprogram with otner methods of teacher preparation.

Theory to Practice. Assignments from courseworkat the University were related to the school assignmentsof the Corpsmen. ilany instructors set their assignmentsup assisted by Corpsmen with a proolem focus for whichtaeir was airect application in the school setting. Be-cause of the snaring nature of the group, many of therewards of these assignm.nts came from the dialoguesamong Corpsmen where interns then adapted and redefinedone anothers' approaches to suit their own specific needs.Also, many of tnese problem-solving assignments were con-ducted as a team effort which in turn compelled Corpsmento utilize one anothers' strengths as well as create anatmospnere of cooperation.

Co-teacainv and Specialist Assistance. Because: oftne prolifieration of specialized curriculum areas andteaching strategies, it is difficult for any one personto be a specialist in conveying content and methodology.Taus, special area consultants were brought in to providethe richest and most compreaunsive experiences possiblefor Corpsmen. Such areas included consultants who assis-ted in teaching group dynamics; reading approaches; so-cial studies content areas, team teaching approaches, andcreativ42 uses of audio-visual media.

Field and Demonstration Components.

Use of Demonstration CentersVisitations to Unusual Educational Programs

A constant thread in the University training approachwas tau seeking of the most relevant and realistic set-tings for demonstrations of teaching strategies. Cycle IIseminars and classes were frequently held in Learning Cen-ters on the USC campus and in public schools as well asat the University Demonstration School located adjacentto the campus and operated in conjunction with the Los-Angeles City Schools. Special value accrued from tnuDemonstration Scnool in that it serves a population muchlike the opulations of our participating school districts.At the Demonstration School, Corpsmen had an opportunityto observe, practice, and discus teaching approaches withteachers wno were most hnowledgable in the teaching ofdisadvantaged children.


Corpsmen also participated in many field trip act-ivities which were designed to expose them to a broadrange of techniques, media, and materials. Taese visi-tations to exemplary programs allowed Corpsmen to devel-op a repertoire of approaches and an opportunity to cnoosethose wnich were most relevant for their students.

Group Dynamics

Understanuing Group DynamicsTeam Development

%litnin the Teacner Corps program two major concernsremained constant. First, that Corpsmen De as sensitiveas possible to the disadvantaged and learn to relate totnem in ways that would encourage interaction and support.The second, taat a true team effort obtain, not only with-in teams, but also within the context of the total pro-gram.

To facil3tate the above, Corpsmen were given hardcore information on the dynamics of interpersonal relat-ing by specialists who nave 4orxed with professional edu-cators anu disadvantaged communities. Corpsmen also par-ticipated in several communication workshops and T-groupsin an effort to develop and solidify tne team approacnand interpersonal communication.

In-Service Worksnops for School District Personnel

Subject Matter, Teacning Strategies and mediaDevelopment of the Learning Center-Laboratory Concept

University staff recognized the importance of par-ticipating with scnool district personnel (administrationand teachers) in soaring tau most up-to-date approachesfor working with disadvantaged youngsters. It was alsorecognized that district personnel who were involved insuch worksnops would be more understanding of Corpsmenexperimentation in tneir schools. Special worksnops in-cluded work in tkm Math, English as a Second Languageand English as a Second Dialect, the use of audio-visualmedia, special tecaniques in tau teacning of reading,the Palomares approach for self-concept development, andteam teaching. The idea of this unique effort of work-snops for teacners was oeVelOped by the University atthe request of tau school districts to meet areas ofneed in tneir scnuols.


University personnel also assisted Corpsmen and thescnool districts in the development of learning centersand laboratories in such areas as Hata, ciulti-Ethnic ap-proaches to Social Studies, Reading, Art and Science.

Team Leader Training

The Uniqueness of the Team Loader RoleW.iw Approaches to SupervisionTeam Development

Because of the unusual role the team leader playsin the Teacher Corps program, a team leader seminar anda special course in team leader supurviaion were estab-lisned to help leaders assume more adequately the multi-ple roles of team leadersnip and supervision. Reivonsi-oility for the development and management of tnis courserested witn the program staff and team leaders themselves.Actual inputs in these sessions came from staff and the1,Jaders as well as other University personnel, outsideconsultants, and specialists in group dynamics and cur-riculum mutnods areas. As in all courses and specialworkshops, a continual emphasis was placed on interdisci-plinary approaches.

INSTITUTIONAL CHANGES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALI-FORNIA

Because of the interrelationship of the broad spec-trum of University Faculty and tne Teacher Corps program,Teacner Corps aas served as a catalyst of ideas and crossfertilization has occurred in instructional and curricularscheduling Ppproacnes.

Tne following is an outline of institutional cnangesorougnt about by the Teacher Corps program:

-Thu interrelationship of Ectuca%ional Sociologyand Educational Psychology and connected foun-dations courses.

- Supervision coursework changed to include moreof a community focus, team relationship betweenteacher and intern, and understanding of groupdynamics.

- Team leaders have and aka assisting in tnu re-direction of Teacher Education coursework toinclude a Tuacaer Corps focus such as the com-munity study.


-Tile University Advisory Council, heretoforecomposed of University staff and scnool dis-trict administrators now invites team leadersand cooperating teachers to its monthly meet-ings.

-The Oath Specialist Program for returningPeace Corps Volunteers has been establishedand utilized many Teacher Corps training ap-proacnes.

-Students at the University are now invitedand attend workshops that were previously foradministrators and regular teacning personnel.

-Tau University is actively developing learn-ing centers in public schools in the innercity. These Centers include such suoject ar-eas as Math, Social Studies, Aulti-Ethnic ap-proacaes, and Science with special emphasison tne needs of disadvantaged learners andmetnods for involving parents in program de-velopment, Worksnops are conducted for teacn-ors and administrators in these centers.

-Community involvement is now being introducedinto regular Teacher Education programs withT::acner Corps pre-service and in-service ex-periences serving as a model.

-Parents and other members of the community arenow invited to participate in Teacher EducationFaculty meetings.

-Some students in Teacher Education are now tak-ing block scneduled classes along the lines oftau Teacher Corps approach.

-More instructors are taking their courseworkto the schools and encouraging the participat-ing of regular classroom teachers.

-Public School Administrators and teacners arebtany used as a part of the University instruc-tional staff.

- Workshops and demonstrations are being conduc-ted by University staff as a free service tomany teaclers and administrators in the greater


Los Angeles area. These included workshopsin audio-visual media, New Material and ESL.

'CHOOL DISTRICT ACTIVITIES BY CYCLE II CORPSMEN

As has already been uetailed, the Cycle II programwas a joint effort between the University and seven par-ticipating school districts. In order to better under-stand Corpsmen involvement, tais section will discussin outline form the innovative approaches, institutionalcnanges, and community involvement of Cycle II teamson a district-by-district basis. We believe that thiswill facilitate the readers' understanding of the inter-:relationships between these areas as well as the develop-mental trends as tney have occurred in each district.

OUTLINE OF TEMHER CORPS CYCLE II ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The following is an outline presentation of theinvolvement of the Cycle II program in its two year ef-fort. Tao outline is presented in categorical form.

I. Introduction of Nod Reading Tecnniques and Programs.

Reading Techniques and Instruction for non-nativespeakers of English.

Vail's Formula Phonics Method of reading instruc-tion. A combination of instruction as well as a train-ing tecanique wherein after 12 hours of instruction com-munity aids can give instruction to non-readers.

Adult Education in the schools, homes, and commun-ity centers with emphasis on reading skill development.

Student tutoring at school and home with parentinvolvement.

Language Arts and Reading Laboratory for instruction.

High interest-low vocabulary reading materials forolder students acnieving low grade reading levels. (Forremediation in upper grades and Continuation School).

English as a Second Language Programs which are oforal and writing- reading type.


II. School District Curriculum and Procedural Cnang8s

Teams take over classrooms for blocks of time allow-ing classroom teacher to have released time to visitexemplary school programs and plan ways to implementnew approaches.

Multi-Ethnic material and learning centers for stu-dents and adults. (Included in these efforts were par-ent participation in the development of curriculum andin teaching assistance.)

Antnropology classes on aexican-American and Afri-can culture.

Special art programs with empnasis on cultural artin which cnildren learned about cultures as well as mak.;ing objects representative of the cultures. Emphasiswas on cultural understanding in as great a variety ofart media as possiale.

Team teaching in Social Studies Science and Lang-uage Arts.

Introduction of Home Economics into elementary grades.

Introduction of Consumer Education into elementaryscnool.

Development of an environmental learning programto help children better understand their immediate com-munity and its relationship to the larger community.

Science laboratories developed for students in grades1-6.

Science laboratory developed for students in grades3-6.

Black history libraries developed for students andparents.

Introduction of Palomares' Magic Circle techniquefor developing positive self-concept and social inter-action.

After Scnool and Community Activities.

Weekend recreational and touring with children anuparents.


Noon nour and after school intramural sports andcalisthenics programs.

Drama programs with productions written, produced,directed, and acted out by "non-participating" students.

Bi-lingual teaching and translation programs forstudents and adults.

Adult Consumer Education program.

Development, organization, and direction of stud-ent government.

Special music programs including dances and concertsgeared to cultures of Uexican- American and Negro youth.

Taa development and operation of an after-scnooland evening library and study hail facility with tutorialprograms built-in for academic assistance.

Scnool open house evening with Spanish languagediscussions for Aexican-American parents.

After scnool aquatics program providing swimminginstruction for students.

Home visitations for parents on a "no-problem" basis.

Parent participation in students' community study.

Corpsmen attendance at community organization andagency meetings.

Corpsmen canvassing of community to locate humanand material resources wnich could be utilized in schoolinstruction.

Plaid trips to areas beyond those normally visitedby students, e.g., San Diego Zoo trip, a joint school,community and University effort, beach and mountain rec-reation places.

IV. Book Programs to stimulate reading.

Checking sources for acquiring new and/or free textmaterial for students, teacners and parents.

Incorporation of the Hooked on Books paperback read-ing program for students.


The development of library programs where none hadpreviously existed.

V. Introduction of audio-visual techniques and mediafor creative instructional use in the schools.

Use of video tape for role-playing and home devel-oped skits and playlets.

Use of tape recorders for speech, reading, social-studies, and language arts.

Production of Eimm films by and for children.

Use of overhead projector for instruction in art,social studies, language skills, and ESL.

Development of in-service workshops for teachersin the use of media for instruction and curriculum de-velopments (VTR, tape recorders, overhead projector,Thermafax, cameras and projectors.)

VI. Counseling programs.

Vocational counseling for Continuation School stu-dents and graduates of local hign schools.

Orientation programs for entry into junior highschool.

In-take orientation and counseling program for Con-tinuation Scnool.

Small group counseling sessions for problem stud-ents.

MAJOR cYcLe II ON-GOING EFFORTS

Multi-Ethnic Center in Compton City Schools

Blacx History Library in Compton City Scnools

Special Intake Process for new students in ComptonContinuation School.

Contract System of Study in Compton ContinuationScnool.

Science Laboratory in Enterprise City School.


Palomares Interaction Approach in El Monte.

School-Community Book Fair in Enterprise City Schools.

Cross-Culture Tutoring in Jurupa Unified School Dis-trict.

English as a Second Language in Jurupa Unified SchoolDistrict.

Science Center Laboratory in Willcwbrook School.

Aquatic Program for elementary students in Willow-brook School.

COMPTON CITY SCHOOLS (Grades K-6)

Innovations and Teaching Strategies Developed byCorpsmen and Resultant Institutional Changes.

Tne Hulti-Ethnic Center. The development of thedulti-Ethnic Center rs an example of mutual cooperationand support by the University, the school district admin-istration, parents in the community and the regular teach-ing staff. The theme of the Center is to understand thecontributions of the many racial and ethnic groups whichemigrated to this country. Parents were informed of theeffort at the onset and were fully involved participantsin the gathering of materials, the preparing of materials,and eventually assisted in tne operation of the Center.Thu school district assisted in the purchase of materialsand actual hardware; the University provided consultantnelp and additional materials. Tne Center became a placewhere students learned about the contributions of Blacks,Mexican- Americans, the Irish, American Indians and theJews, to name but a few of the groups studied. Withinthe Center, learning centers were established so thatchildren could specialize in learning about contributionsin certain areas such as Science or Art, wnile at thesame time learning could occur through lectures, discus-sions, reading, filmstrips, tapes, records, film, studentprepared reports, or any combination of these approaches.

Tau Center is still in operation and it is beingused as a regular part of the curriculum for childrenin grades 4, 5, and 6. The program attracted press cov-erage and a video tape was shown nationally 'ay Metro-Media, Incorporated.


Cross-A9e Teaching. Interns trained upper-gradechildren to nu tutors of younger children who becauseof overcrowded classrooms, poor language skill develop-ment, and inadequate self-concept, were doing poorlyin their school work. Tao program proved to be a two-fold success in tnat it did help the older children toget much needed recognition and become better studentswhile at the same time easing the burden on tne lowergrade teachers and helping these youngsters improve theirlanguage skills.

Interest Centers. Interns systematically set aboutto introduce interest centers in the classrooms in whichthey were working. -zach interest center was designedto allow individual students or a small group to pursuea subject area in ways not normally used in the classroom.For example, in Nath Interest Centers, students were al-lowed to use manipulatory objects to learn math conceptsrather tnan the traditional paper-pencil tasks normallyemployed. Students were also given problems which hada reality context--how one would go about building amodel airplane, hamster cages, etc. By the end of thecycle, interest centers had been established in Math,Science, dusic, Art and Language Arts. The districtplans to continue these interest centers.

Black History Library. Corpsmen at anotner schoolin the district were able to deVelOp a Black HistoryLibrary. With the support of parents, nooks and magazinearticles were gathered and cataloged and placed in a roomtnat servuu as a library for students during the dayand was open to parents and community people after school.Since the conclusion of Cycle II, the library nas beenexpanded to include materials beyond tnose dealing withBlack History and the school district has hired a part-time librarian to operate the facility.

Crafts program. Some of the interns recognizeda need for children to experience art and creative ex-pression through crafts projects. This program was be-gun as an after- school project and extended into thedaily curriculum through the efforts of the Cycle /Iteam.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

The most involved community effort came in attract-ing the support and eventual instructional assistance ofparents WO worked with the Multi-Ethnic Center.


Corpsmen made regular home visitations to the par-ents of the children with whom they worked. In addition,Corpsmen helped arrange neighborhood coffee meetingswith parents who were expedially reticint about visitingthe school. These meetings proved an excellent avenuefor communicating the school program as well as gaininga better understanding of the parents' felt needs aboutschool programs.

CWPTON CO0ITINUATION SCdOOL (Grades 9-12)

Introcuction. The Compton Continuation School,since renamed the harriet Tubman Educational Center,was the only secondary school in the Cycle II program.Thu function o7 the Continuation Scaool is that it allowsyoungsters who need to nold jobs an opportunity to attendschool for a minimum number of hours and work towardcompleting their hign school credits. Tau school alsoserves youngsters wino because of behavioral and/or drugproblems have been suspended from the regular school,although not expelled from the school district. Motiva-tion among these youngsters is low and they tend to seetnemselves as "serving time." They attend school erratic -"ally and unpredictably.

Innovations and Teaching Strategies Developed by Corpsmanand Resultant Institutional Changes.

New Intake Process. A major effort of this teamwas to establish a relationship with the students wherebyeach student could feel completely free to speak withany member of the team witnout being "put-down." Tofacilitate the establishment of a comfortable relation-ship, the team experimented with an in-take process whereall new students would spend their first two or threedays with one or two members of tau team. This timewas used to find out about the students' abilities whileat the same time the student-teacher relationship devel-oped a more inter-personal quality. Also, in unusualcases where a student seemed to work especially wellwith one member of the team, that Corpsman became hismain teacher as well as his counselor.

Rapping Seminars. In an effort to continue and todevelop the student-teacher relationship as well as stim-ulate the student's thinking, the team developed "rappingseminars" where they met with small groups of studentsand talked about basic problems such as the use of drugs,


how to look for a job, location and types of vocationalschools, the necessary education to pursue certain voca-tional endeavors, cars and drag racing, consumer educa-tion, and so on. Because of the small professional staffat this school, it is hoped that the Cycle IV team (theynave no Cycle III) will continue these efforts.

Team Teaching Reality Issues. Corpsmen used theteam approach to capitalize on their own special inter-ests and abilities as well as demonstrate to the studentsthe complimentary interweaving of theory and practice.In addition, students were taught tote: practical applica-tions of skills they were being taught. For example,if one knew now to compute interest rates, then one wouldbe the opportunity to shop around for the bust possiblebuy rather than making just any purchase. Corpsmen alsobrought in information and specialist help in understand-ing drugs, and drug abuse, probation camps, job availabil-ity information, techniques for job applications and inter-views, and information on how to pursue education andtraining after completion of high school.

Consumer Eeucation. Because many of these studentswere in-effect acting as heads -of- households while theirparent(s) were working, the team felt it important togive students experiences to teach them how to gut themost for their money when snopping, about finance buying,how to plan dietically sound meals, and other relevantconsumer information.

Hooked-on-Books. Again, realizing the importanceof stimulating the students' interest, the team adoptedtau "Hooked-on-Books" plan wherein paperbacks relevantto the life situations of these so-called "drop-dead Kids"were the main topics. The team went to the school boardand was allowed to purchase over two hundred titles togenerate this program, and students responded by choosingtheir new paperback selections over titer customary schoolbook offerings.

Black History. The majority of the students inthis school were Black and very much aware of currenturban issues. There was a strong desire to learn aboutBlack History as well as current endeavors to bring aboutcnange. The team used Black History as a central themein Social Studies, English and Language Skills, Reading,Science and even Math.


School Newspaper. The team became aware of thestudents' need for a forum for tneir ideas. The teambelieved this ried could be met by the development ofa school newspaper as a new lino of communication whichalso furnished or offered a chance for the developmentof writing skills. The newspaper was a success on bothcounts.

The Contract System. Because of the great gapsin student interest and ability, the Corpsmen realizedthat only tarough an individualized effort could studentsprogress in their studies. The team developed short-term"packages" or contracts for use in English, Social Studies,Science and Math. The packages proved stimulating andwitn slight modification after a pilot run were institu-ted as a regular part of the curriculum.

In-Service Workshops with Successful Programs.Corpsmen felt that the best way to improve the Continu-ation school program would be to take the full-time pro-fessional staff to visit other more successful continu-ation schools. To cover absense of a regular teacher,the team leader took over tnat class for the day, thusreleasing that teacher from classroom duty. This proveda successful approach since the team and regular staffwere able to observe other programs and speak with theirfaculty. The regular classroom teachers were also moreopen to intern experimentation with differelt approachesafter participation in these visitations.

Vocational Oriented Curriculum. Corpsmen conductedrole playing sessions with students to teach them howto find information about job availability and how anemployment interview was conducted. They were also giveninformation about job requirements.

A New School Site. The existing school site ofthe Continuation School was inadequate...it was too small,it was surrounded by a cyclone fence and gave the impres-sion of a detention center, and since it was lccated ad-jacent to the regular high school, creating an unhealthyrivalry between the two schools. Corpsmen drew up plansfor an appropriate physical plant for the continuationstudent and presented taeir ideas to the Board of Educa-tion. The district plans to move the school to anotherlocation during the current academic year.

Community Activity. Corpsmen visited local businessand industry to get information about job availability,job requirements, and provide links for their students


to meet with employers. They also met with probationofficers to get information on drugs, to find ways tohelp students returning from probation camp in re-enter-ing the school system, and tried to learn ways to keeptheir students out of trouble. Corpsmen also met. withparents and attempted to bring about a closer rr-lation-ship between the parents and the continuation school.

ENMRPRISE CITY SCHOOLS (Grades K-6)

Innovations and Teaching Strategies Developed byCorpsmen and Resultant Institutional Chanu.

Special Language Programs. Because most of thepopulation is Negro, many newly arrived from the South,and the next largest minority Aexican-American, severalinterns instituted special language programs for young-sters using the techniques of ESL and LSD. For many ofthese students, this was the first time they had everreceived such instruction. Based on the instructionalsuccess taey have had, Corpsmen remaining in the schooldistrict nope to continue with these programs.

Science Laboratory With the Cooperation of the ScnoolDistrict and the University. A science workshop-labora-tory was developed.Through a problem-solving approach theCorpsmen were able to stimulate student interest to learnant experiment with science concepts. The Corpsmen alsoconducted several workshops for teachers in the districtillustrating how they could adapt many of his approachesin their own classrooms. The program proved successfulin helping children become interested and learn aboutscience while at the same time many teacners did adoptideas from the workshops. The Science Workshop programwill continue as a regular part of the school curriculum.

Cross-Age Tutoring. Corpsmen selected cnildrenwho were behavior problems in the 6th grade to work withstudents having difficulty in the first and second grade.After careful training and initial supervision, withevaluation of each tutor by his homeroom teacher and the1st or 2nd grade teacher, the program was viewed as asuccess in reducing behavior problems of the older child-ren while at the same time helping the younger childrenprogress in their work.

Individualized Reading. Interns recognized theneed for special individualized reading programs to helpchildren with the greatest learning problems. They in-


stituted a program using high interest and low vocabul-ary paperbacks which stimulated the children's interestas well as served as a basis for instruction in skilldevelopment.

P.E.P. Program. The Personalized Enrichment Prog-ram, or P.E.P., was an outgrowth of the district's in-terest in a team teaching approach for youngsters whowere especially talented. Each intern was "teamed" witha regular classroom teacher and spent 1/2 day - 4 daysper week, working on a team approach in Language skillsand Social Studies. The most difficult initial barrierwas to nave each member of the team view the other as aprofessional with neither of them as "owning" the class.The University assisted the PEP teams by conducting T-groups so as to facilitate a closer and more harmoniousworking relationship. Thu P.E.P. program also servedas a team teaching approach with Cycle I Graduates andCycle II Interns.

Junior Hign School Orientation. Interns noted thatthe sixth grade students in their school were in no wayprepared for moving to Junior high school. With the as-sistance of the junior high school, an orientation pro-gram was developed to help these students make the tran-sition smoother and wita much less anxiety. The twoschool districts are cooperating in developing an orien-tation program for all 6th grade students entering jun-ior high school.

Community Activity. The Corpsmen in this districtwere especially concerned with the development of goodscnool-comunity relations. The following is a briefoutline of their activities:

1. Corpsmen canvassed the community in order toestablish a community resource bank of people who couldserve as specialists in helping teach certain areas ofthe curriculum. Thus, for example, a professional nursewho was a resident of the community was brought in tohelp teach a health unit or explain the training andduties of a professional nurse.

2. A paren:: volunteer aid program was developedby Corpsmen. These parents assisted in making curric-ulum materials as well as provided classroom assistanceduring actual instruction.

3. A Negro History Library was developed with par-ent assistance to serve both the school and adult community.


4. Corpsmen visited homes and offered instructionin personal hygiene and sanitation. They also were ableto conduct a clothing drive to get shoes and clothingto tnese unable to afford them.

5. Spanish-speaking interns visited the homes ofnon-Englisn speakers and assisted them in translatingof letters, notices, contracts, and other vital documents.

6. A trip to the San Diego Zoo was planned by in-terns in Cycles I and II with the assistance and finan-cial support of the University, the scaool district,the local community professionals, parents, and the Santa-Fe Railroad. This trip provided 184 children with theirfirst experiences outside taeir immediate community aswell as led to the development of curriculum materialsfrom tau film and snapshots taken on the trip. Thistrip took several months to develop and was consideredso unusual tnat news media covered the trip in its en-tirety.

7. A Community Book Fair involving Cycle I and IIwas a major event with the sale of 750 donated booksto parents and children. The proceeds from tnis eventwere used to buy shoes for children who had none. TheBook Fair has now become an annual event.

EL MONTE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Grauus X-8)

Innovations and Teaching Strategies Developed byCorpsmen and Resultant Institutional Change.

English as a Second Language. Because El Montehas a good number of Mexican-Americans newly arrivedto the area, the ESL program which Corpsmen began be-came an integral part of the curriculum. The team pro-vided regular ESL instruction to students, tutored stu-dents in homework assignments, and provided translationswhenever necessary. In addition, the team leader andone intern developed an adult ESL class which they taugntin the evenings to members of the community.

i'l exican- American Fiestas. Corpsmen have workedwith students anu parents to create fiestas open to theentire community. Each fiesta centered around some themesuch as "Cinco de Jaya," and was used to communicateMexican-American history, language, dancing, music andart to the entire community.


Palomares' "Ha ic Circle." Dr. Uvaldo Palomares,an ex-migrant child himself has been concerneu aboutthe problems of poor self-concept, social interactionof children...especially disadvantaged children. Ors.Palomares and Bessell nave developed a "sensitivity"ap-proach which facilitates teachers to help children un-derstand themselves in an interaction context. Thisteam worked with Palomares and members of the Human De-velopment Training Institute and developed a specialseries of workshops for all Corpsmen and teachers andadministrators from the participating school districts.Because of tau success of the workshop, all Cycle IVCorpsmen participated in a similar experience at thebeginning of their pre-service program. This experiencehas allowed Corpsmen to enter the schools with a skillwhich could be applied ihuaediately with students.

Subsequently, tnis approach was adopted as a spec-ial program in the primary grades.

Home Economics. One of the interns whose backgroundwas in Home Economics saw the need to develop a morerelevant curriculum for the "an and 8th grade studentsin Home Economics. With the cooperation of the regularteacher, the intem set up a bi-lingual program to workwith students and parents in the development of econom-ical shopping tecnniques, the planning of nutritionallybalanced meals, child care, and so on. The program wasbi-lingual in its approach and incorporated many of theconcepts and techniques in the Home Economics curriculum.Aspects of this program were used in teaching throughoutthe regular non Home Economics curriculum.

Library program. One intern had a background inlibrary science and decided to work on the expansionof tne alr4ady existing but inadequate library facility.The entire team became involved in the collection ofnew materials, especially culturally related materials.They also set aside space in the library where they couldtutor individual students in study skills and their as-signments after school hours. because of the teams ef-forts, the library was open from tne start of school un-til 9 p.m.

Community iMix.411. The Corpsmen spent a good por-tion of their time making coma visitations. They wereespecially concerned with making these visitations pur-posive and frequently used them to gain support for the


development of several of the aforementioned programs.Corpsmen also found that for many of the non-Englishspeaking parents, this was their first real contact withschool personnel. In audition, the i3SL program for ad-ults, provided the adult community with a whole new aven-ue for communication and understanding with the scnoolsand the community-at-large.

JURUPA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (K-12)

Innovations and Teaching Strategies Developed byCorpsmen and Resultant Institutional Change.

Student Community Study. Thu Corpsmen learned fromtaeir community study that the Jurupa School Districtwas composed of sub-communities with Negro, Mexican-Ameri-can, and poor white populations. As tney came to knowthe limited understandings their students had about thelarger community setting, members of the team set intomotion the development of a social studies communitystudy unit. Corpsmen arranged for students to get cop-ies of the local newspapers and local newsheets, tripswere made to local libraries to study the history ofthe area, children and parents made field trips intodifferent ethnic and racial sections of the school dis-trict with continual seminar discussions. In their dis-cussions the students discusseU such topical issues aszoning, prejudice, defacto segregation, the qualitiesof others' cultures, and so on. To involve as many child-ren as possible, interns developed a rotation groupingsystem whereby small groups of children from other class-rooms could participate and develop their own communitystudies.

Cross-Culture Tutoring. In relation to their com-munity studies, Corpsmen established a tutoring programwherein students tutored other students of different ra-cial and ethnic backgrounds. This allowed for greatercontact between groups as well as newfound appreciationof the culture of one's neighbors. This program was sosuccessful that tile district has plans to continue itsfunctionning.

Recreation and Intramural Sports Program. Two Corps-men developed a noon-hour and after-school recreationprogram. Tie emphasis was to interest students in sports,skill development, and calisthenics. This was a totallynew program for the school. One of the interns who ini-


tiated this program has part-time responsibility forcontinuation and further development.

English as a Second Language. Because of the num-ber of Mexican- American families that have recently set-tled in the Jurupa area, the need for an ESL programwas an immediate concern of the Cycle I Interns. Cycle IIhas expanded the efforts of the ESL program with theaid of an ex-intern and introduced additional approaches,such as the use of drama, playlets, and dance for lang-uage instruction. In addition, the Corpsmen found thatby training students to teach one another they couldspread the effect of instruction while at the same timeencourage greater student interaction.

Media Team Teaching. In another school, an internworked with regular classroom teachers in the developmentof a team teaching approach which utilized audio-visualmedia as the main instructional component. For example,the Language Arts program became totally media orientedwith children taking snapshots for use in creative writ-ing, producing, and filming their own plays and taperecording stories, to name but a few examples. The threeteachers who worked with this intern capitalized on hisexpertise with media approaches and the program continuesin operation.

Community Activity. In the previously describedstudent community study, it was explained how the par-ents were initially involved in only helping their child-ren take pictures of tne family, the neighborhood, pets,and other subjects of interest. As tne project progressedparents became more involved in the studies ana manytook on the role of teacher assistant.

Additionally, Corpsmen were active in the communityand made home visits..especially to ilexican-Americanfamilies who had special language difficulties..attend-ing community meetings, and visiting student gatheringplaces in the after-school hours.

WILLOWBROOK SCHOOL DISTRICT (K-6)

Innovations and Teaching Strategies Developed byCorpsmen and Resultant Institutional Changes.

Home Tutorial. Corpsmen, during their communitystudy, discovered that many parents felt helpless in

CYCLE: II REPORTPage 39

assisting their caildren in reading and new math. Withthe cooperation of a 5ta grade teacner, the entire teamdeveloped a name tutorial program for this class. Nearthe end of tau semester other teacners anu students be-came interested in this project, so tnat the team ustab-1isin after-scnool study halls during waica childrenwere tutored in subject matter, taught how to organizetheir work, complete assignments, and allowed to talkwith Corpsmen about tneir personal concerns.

After - school Small Group Activities. The team de-termin existing needs of tne students and concludedthat a meaningful after-scnool program would help theirstudents in several areas. The following are some oftheir activities:

1. Two interns worked with children who had verypronounced dialects to help them understand and appreci-ate their dialect and improve their self-image. Theinterns used tape recorders and video tape to allow thecnildren to analyze dialect as well as view it as a meansto understanding standard Englisa.

2. Interns worked with children to bring out cre-ative expression in ti writing of poems, plays, stories,and new articles. Students felt so successful that theyset up weakly public displays of their work.

3. Interns developed a noon hour and after-schoolart program during which students were given instructionin fingerpainting, clay work, watercoloring and sketcn-ing, and costume-making.

Large Group Activities. Two interns were interes-ted in dance and choral singing. Tney establisned aprogram in modern dance, folk uancing, and choral sing-ing. Originally tnese activities were viewed as a moansto creative expression. Tne activities were successfulin tnat many of them were incorporated into festivaland auditorium presentations, as well as being used inculminating social studies units.

Science Center. Corpsmen were concerned that sci-ence instruction was weak and did not hold students' at-tention. Their efforts and the cooperation of the schooldistrict and the University lead to tae development oftne Science Inquiry Center. This on-going project wasable to:


1. Incorporate the ideas of teachers, parents,children and consultant help in selecting the types ofexperiences to be offered.

2. Enlist the interest and support of children,teacaers, and parents in furnishing silople materialsavailable in the neighborhood for use in tne center.

3. Secure tile support of the University and taedistrict in obtaining the necessary equipment and sup-plies.

4. The teams efforts in developing and inquiryand discovery approach led to their attracting sciencestudents of nearby colleges who observed and assistedin the program.

5. To innerent several tencnurs in working outteam teacning approaches which were used in the centerwnich led to a revitalization of science in tne regularclassroom.

6. To work out a summer program with tau CaliforniaState College at Dominguez, in which science teacaersparticipated during a summer worksaop program at theScience Center.

7. To get parents interested in forming a commit-tee to keep the Center running when school vas closed.The committee was successful in this endeavor.

8. To leave a well equipped Science Center fortne sonool district. USC and tae district nave agreedto continue support of the Center and several teacnerson the regular faculty have committed themselves to helptne Center to continue to operate and grow in scot:..

Ethnic Culture. One of the interns began an EthnicCulture project witn the introduction of Black studiesfor 3rd grade students. Interest grew and ne expandedtne idea to include other ethnic backgroud groups. Ma-terials and books were secured from USC California StateCollege at Dominguez, and by writing for free or inexpen-sive materials. Art objects were furnished by interestedteachers, parents and children. Recordings of African,Mexican, and Indian music were purchased by tne team andleft at the school as a part of their contribution. Eachteacher was given materials on Slack Studies and cailaren


worked in the Learning Center daily. They studied andcompared cultures, learned dances and songs, reproducedart objects representative of various etanic groups,and discussed current etnnic problems.

Aquatic Physical development Program. In coopera-tion with the County ReCreation Department, interns naveinstituted an Aquatics program wnicii emphasizes physicaldevelopment and coordination tnrougn swimming instruction.Over 200 youngsters participated weekly, and parents haveassisted as supervisors with resultant closer contactbetween parents and tnu school. Tnis is now a full blownsummer program as well as a regular on-going activityduring the scnool year.

Community Caroling Program. In a program wnichinvolved local parents and businessmen, Corpsmen wereable to involve the "non-participating" child to makecostumes and rehearse for a caroling program in whichthey toured the community at Christmas time.

Team Teaching. Corpsmen realized that within theteam tnere was diverse talent that could be applied toteam teaching social studies. Tao team used a team teach-ing approach wnich allowed each member to concentrateon nis area of expertise and thus provided more inten-sive experiences for the students.

Community Activity. Corpsmen in Willowbrook weremost cognizant of tne neea for good community relations.They were concerned in establishing a link with tne com-munity based upon involvement in areas where they wereneeded. The following are some examples of Corps involve-ment:

1. By making home visits interns sought not onlyto establish a link between the parents and tnemselves,but also to locate a community resource bank of peoplewho could assist in scnool activities both of an instruc-tional and supervisorial nature.

2. Corpsmen provided transportation to a medicalfacility for students in need of medical aid, but with-out a means of transportation.

3. Corpsmen established an after-school child careprogram so parents seeking employment would be able togo out on employment interviews.

CYCLE; II REPORTPage 42

4. A small group of students and parents were in-volved with interns in a weekend enrichment program dur-ing which tn.: group toured tn.,: community, visited land-marks, attended festivals, and engaged in other learningand recreational activities.

5. One intern visited and worked with the "old -leaders" (e.g., former) of the community giving them asense of pride and usefulness as well as encouragingtnem to become involved in school and community activities.

6. Corpsmen worked with some establisned programssuch as Heaustart. Anotnur program was Operation Main-stream where the Corpsmen became involved and took onthe role of teaching non-reading adults how to read.

GARVEY SCnOOL DISTRICT

Innovations in Teachin Strate les Devolo ed bCorpsmen and RuSU taut Institutiona Changes.

Math In-Service. Special math workshops were ar-ranged by the team with tae Universities cooperation.School administration and teacners took part in tnisworkshop series designed to prepare teachers in tnu met-nods of dew data and the use of non-paper and pencilmethods for teaching math. Several of the teachers wereinvolved in tnis worksnup series.

C(Aimunity Art Center. Tile team developJd a centerconcept for tne instructf6n of Creative Art and workedwith a neignbornood group who subsequently took overoperation of the program and developed it for the useof the entire community.

Multi-Cultural Tutoring. After school program forOriental, Jexican-American - 3/4 different ethnic types.

Development of Jexican-American Jaterials. di-ling-ual interns =aiFUnal workshops Cr O district teachersto develop teacher made instructional materials emphasi-zing Aexican-Amyrican culture.

Aopile look Pro rare. An old bus was fitted outas a roe ng urary to provide library services to alltoe schools in the district.

document resume ed 042 689 teacher corps- …document resume ed 042 689 sp 004 066 title teacher...

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