This fall, U.S. public schools are projected to have more minority students than ever: 25% Hispanic, 15% Black, 5% Asian and Pacific Islanders, and 5.2% other. Of concern with this long-expected demographic shift are the increased levels of poverty disproportionately experienced by minority families. Patricia Gandara, co-Director of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA and a member of the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, has recently emphasized the urgency of meeting the basic needs of these children, things like nutrition, health, and safety as key elements in raising educational achievement.  

This past winter/spring semester, Zone 126 and its Cradle to Career partners served more than 200 children and families and are now gearing to serve more than 800 children and families this fall/winter semester at our partner schools. We are addressing these basic needs, from birth through career, with everything from adult education to healthy food access, to mental health services and after school and summer programs for kids, building community schools that fight the stressors of poverty and raise academic achievement. Read More

School may be out, but our Scholars of the Zone students are hard at work, even during the summer.

Scholars of the Zone, a Zone 126 program led by our Family Engagement Coordinators, facilitates one-on-one sessions with students who are in 9th and 10th grade to ensure that they are on track to graduate high school within four years. This summer, our Scholars attended the NYC College Fair at Columbia University this past July, a first time experience for many of our students. Students were able to learn more about the college application process while visiting over 100 colleges, including CUNY, SUNY, and private colleges and universities.

Their parents definitely see the value of our program too. Scholars of the Zone parent Betty shares, "From the moment we met, Zone 126 has been nothing but awesome, keeping in touch with me and exposing my daughter to new experiences that can help her mature into a young adult and be prepared for college. I have definitely benefited from Scholars of the Zone and want Koskaya to continue participating in this program."

Zone 126 and our Family Engagement Coordinators will resume the Scholars of the Zone program at our two partner high schools, William C. Bryant High School and Long Island City High School in the fall.

On September 17th at the Zone 126 Cradle to Career Convening, we will be releasing our very first Report Card, which will summarize the data collected from programs launched this school year.

Through this year's data collection process, Zone 126 learned many lessons in the field that will be incorporated this fall. First, consent forms and surveys can be very intimidating for parents and their children. Zone 126's Family Engagement Coordinators have been a critical component in the evaluative process. By walking parents and guardians through the process on a step-by-step basis and answering any questions that arise, we were able to bolster our response rates. 

Another lesson learned with the data collection process is that too much paperwork can be burdensome, increasing the odds that parents and children, who are pressed for time as it is, would opt out of the study or leave fields blank. To overcome this obstacle, Zone 126 staff has worked tirelessly to follow up with participants and procure the information needed on a one-on-one basis. For this coming school year, we are excited to report that all forms will be more succinct in both format and content, allowing our participants to share their stories without being overburdened.