Website of Rehema Gray, Ph.D.

 E-mail Address: DrRGray@aol.com

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 (AKA Project EXCEL)

Establishing X-cellence in our Community Environment for Learning

 Prepared by

 Rehema Gray, Ph.D.   &   John A. Davis, Ph.D.

In Conjunction With the

 UCLA  Early Academic Outreach Programs

September 12, 2003

AN ORGANIZATIONAL PROSPECTUS FOR THE UCLA COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE

E STABLISHING X-CELLENCE IN OUR C OMMUNITY E NVIRONMENT FOR L EARNING

PROJECT EXCEL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I.          UCLA COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE PROJECT DESIGN

Problem Definition: The UCLA Community Collaborative was founded, in 1999, out of a desire to prepare underserved and underrepresented African-American high school students for competitive college readiness, and it is administered by the UCLA Early Academic Outreach Programs (EAOP).  It was the “brainchild” of the former UCLA Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Winston Doby, who sought to address the entrenched inequities in accessing college preparatory resources—particularly underrepresented populations who did not benefit from the outreach services in the School Based Initiative (SBI). The SBI was successful in increasing the admissions of the total population of students of color, but it failed to increase the enrollment of Black students—who comprised the bulk of underrepresented college entrants.  Therefore, it was decided that community organizations already serving Black students would be the most expedient avenue to reach this underrepresented population.  However, to address increasing college admissions hurdles due to recent policy decisions, the UCLA Community Collaborative will develop a formal organizational structure, and expand our focus to formulate a shared research agenda encapsulating the multiple perspectives of this unique coalition of community organizations partnered with public and private universities. Success in accomplishing our expanded goals calls for all partners to embrace a collective research agenda as the vehicle for preparing underrepresented students for college by developing and documenting this bifurcated service delivery and research model. The  UCLA Community Collaborative comprises these university-community partnerships. 

 Vision of Project EXCEL: The vision of Project EXCEL is to unite community resources in order to motivate and support underrepresented students striving for academic excellence and social responsibility. Through this collective effort, we want to create a social environment that affirms a commitment to productive youth development and community empowerment.  Sustaining our vision is the core belief that academic success requires a connection between, parents, community activists, and educators working together, and advocating on behalf of our youth in the quest for educational achievement. 

Mission Statement:   The mission of the UCLA Community Collaborative is to develop an expansive pool of African American students admissible to the University of California, California State University, local private universities, and other accredited colleges and universities. This mission can best be achieved through the organization and coordination of services provided by these participating community-based organizations and university partnerships. This mission has both academic and social intents in actualizing the vision of Project EXCEL.  The academic intents are to: (1) improve academic functioning; (2) increase college admissions-retention-graduation rates among underserved African-American students; (3) and create a college going environment and successful matriculation through a research agenda.  The social intents are to: (1) enhance self-esteem and life chances; (2) cultivate leadership development through mentoring; (3) and increase cultural awareness and community empowerment.  Using “lessons learned” from the past three years we seek to elevate our partnerships to foster a nurturing environment for maximum youth development. 

Target Population:  The target population comprises a core group of approximately underserved 280 high school students (scholars) with college-going aspirations. A desired residual effect is the opportunity to offer academic and mentoring support to the participating college “fellows. These students reside within the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

UCLA Community Collaborative Goals: The goals of the UCLA Community Collaborative have both academic, social, and research implications in addressing African-American student needs and educational priorities.  

v                                          Academic Goals- (1) Academic Enrichment; (2) College Entrance Exam Preparation; (3) Academic Advising

v                                          Social Goals- (1) African-American Social Development; (2) Access to College Admissions Information

v                                          Research Goals- (1) Identify “best practices;” (2)  Evaluate program effectiveness;  (3) Document strategies for collaboration  

“Leading Edge” Psychoeducational Service Model: The cornerstone of Project EXCEL is to develop a “leading edge” service model to enhance the academic proficiency of promising African-American high school students and orient them towards college admissions and retention.  Students would be immersed in a multi-dimensional program, utilizing the psychoeducational approach. The psychoeducational approach incorporates the affective dimensions of learning and cognitive skills development as the fundamental intervention strategy. Moreover, parents occupy a pivotal role in the psychoeducational approach as co-teachers and nurturers.  Aimed at empowering students and parents with educational achievement competencies and networking skills—we hope to glean effective college preparatory strategies for African-Americans that can be replicated.

     In a bold step forward Project EXCEL will develop “leading edge” psychoeducational services that address the cognitive and affective dimensions of learning.  

“Cognitive” Dimensions of Learning Courses- intended to overcome inequities related to college access.

                                These courses are: (1) Language Arts; (2) and Mathematics.

“Affective” Dimensions of Learning Experiences- designed to infuse cultural relevance and knowledge.

The experiences comprise: (1) Summer Leadership Institute; (2) and Community Service Learning. 

            Future Implications of Model for Knowledge and Action 

While the first years have been spent on framing a “model,” we are at a point, where we can benefit from more disciplined experimentation to identify precisely what practices are effective in early academic outreach that lead to increased access to higher education by African American youth.   Each partner brings a fusion of successful academic experiences  and commitment to community service that provide lessons learned for the future generation of youth leaders. Thus, creating a nurturing environment for African-American underrepresented students, that instills personal/social empowerment, offers college preparatory resources, connects them to a generally unrecognized legacy of educational excellence, prepares our youth for future leadership—and above all provides the vehicle for these overcoming institutional obstacles is the driving force behind the unique partnerships of the UCLA Community Collaborative.   

 UCLA Community Collaborative Partners Websites

Young Black Scholars - www.youngblackscholars.com

Council of African American Parents - www.councilofafricanamericanparents.org

Website of Rehema Gray, Ph.D.

 E-mail Address: DrRGray@aol.com