The Charboneau Learning Center
A
Program of The Literacy Project
15 Bank
Row, Suite D
Greenfield,
MA 01302
413-774-3935
www.literacyproject.org/charboneau.html
March
2006
Successes/Highlights
College
for a Day at Holyoke Community College
4
Students attended the field trip with Joe and Amber. These students were all very motivated and derived benefit,
enjoyment, and inspiration from the
presentations and explanations of the Community College experience.
Database
Presentation at DOE
Louise
and Joe, assisted by Sharon and Hollyn trekked to Malden to make a presentation
to over 15 DOE officials.
We had been asked to demonstrate and
explain how the database could be used to as a tool for reflective and
intentional teaching.
Later Jane Brown and Sean Kelly
discussed "next steps" with us over lunch. Jane was going to speak with Anne
Sereno, and Sean Kelly was
interested in helping gather some leading tech people in the field to elicit
their
response.
"Can
You Hear me Now?" A Community Meeting on the Issue of Teen Drinking on
GCTV, sponsored by CCT
Three
young men participated in the live TV broadcast. They asked important and well
thought out questions, made
comments and definitely enjoyed the cookies.
Success
Story for Dial Self and Charboneau
Last
year she was sixteen, a resident with Dial Self and in our morning pre-GED
class. Last fall she earned her
GED and participated in the
graduation ceremony. Now, she is back
at home, attending college, volunteering at
hospice and the animal shelter, and
working regularly. (Amber hooked her up
with the Animal Shelter.) This fall
she will do a semester of study
abroad in Italy.
When congratulated she said,
"Yeah, I've turned my life around, and I'm going to keep it turned around
because that
way is a LOT easier."
and . . .
Achievements by
Learners
6 learners Applied for a Job
15 learners Completed Essay/Significant writing project
1 learner Enlisted Supportive/Safety Services
5 learners Got a job
2 learners Improved personal health
3 learners Increased Civic Participation
2 learners Interviewed for job
2 learners Opened a checking/savings account
1 learner Passed GED
1 learner Quit Smoking
2 learners Read a book
2 learners
Reduced drug/alcohol dependence
1 learner
Registered to vote
1 learner Resume Completed
Class
Activities
Turbulence in both attendance and enrollment are a constant reality in
planning class
activities and tracking individual progress. In March turbulence in enrollment reached a peak
we have not seen for some time
while turbulence in attendance also rose due to illness and
life situations. Despite the
fact that many learners have "good excuses" we are dealing with
turbulence in attendance by continuing to tighten up using Warning Letters
and Suspensions.
Our policy is that people who
cannot make at least 75% attendance are really not able to
benefit from our classes while also causing unwarranted difficulties for
the teaching and
learning of others.
Turbulence in enrollment may be partially an effect of this
"tightening up" in that we are
getting more fast track GED students.
We had six people registered to test in March with five
of them actually testing. We are also getting more word of mouth
referrals that are bringing in
more young learners who respond
positively to the higher expectations in terms of academic
work and attendance.
Louise's Morning ABE class finished their unit on the Civil War and
began studying Woman's
Suffrage. They are now working to
select famous women to write brief, structured,
autobiographical sketches as part of a new monthly writing requirement.
This is in conjunction
with a lot of grammar and spelling exercises and review.
Joe's Morning pre-GED class is making a different transition from their
study of the Civil War.
They are in the preliminary stages of a unit on the Industrial
Revolution, a unit expected to last
well into the fall. They have been dealing with writing
expectations and requirements for
several months now, and will be encouraged to choose topics related to
the new classes, ways
of working, mechanical
innovations, and impacts on the earth associated with the Industrial
Revolution.
The Afternoon GED for Success class is a bunch of self directed young
people always hard at
work in their Math books or their Writing Projects. Amber has been working hard to meet with
them during class time at least once a month. She has also been scheduling time with them
outside of class and is keeping in touch with several of them via email.
The Evening GED class has been very focused on GED preparation including
pre-testing.
They are also working on individually tracked math work and Writing
Projects.
Additional
Information:
18
days of classes Class Contact
Hours: 1098.5 61.0 hours per day (about 25 learners
in classes per day)
Inquiries and
Others Served: 31
We are getting more and more inquiries from young teen males. Like more
and more of our new young learners,
many of them are coming with parental support, and many of them are
coming with high degrees of motivation.
Total Enrollment: 49
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ATTENDANCE |
|
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|
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|
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|
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|
|
12+ hours |
|
40 |
82% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2-11 hours |
|
8 |
16% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<2 hours |
|
1 |
2% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
49 |
|
|
|
|
|
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ETHNICITY |
Intakes |
Enrolled |
|
|
|
|
|
REFERRALS |
Intakes |
Enrolled |
|
|
AmerInd/Alaskan |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
Career Center |
0 |
4 |
8% |
|
Asian |
0 |
2 |
4% |
|
|
|
|
Community College |
0 |
5 |
10% |
|
Black |
2 |
4 |
8% |
|
|
|
|
Employer |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
Cape Verdean |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
Flyers/Publicity |
0 |
3 |
6% |
|
Haitian |
0 |
1 |
2% |
|
|
|
|
Library |
0 |
1 |
2% |
|
Hawaiian/PI |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
Court/Probation |
1 |
4 |
8% |
|
Hispanic |
2 |
4 |
8% |
|
|
|
|
Public School |
2 |
4 |
8% |
|
IndianSub |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
Social Agency/Gov't Org |
1 |
11 |
22% |
|
White |
7 |
37 |
76% |
|
|
|
|
Word of Mouth |
6 |
16 |
33% |
|
Other/Not Given |
0 |
1 |
2% |
|
|
|
|
Other |
1 |
1 |
2% |
|
|
11 |
49 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
11 |
49 |
|
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