The College Academy for Parents (CAP) is designed to help K-6 parents formulate a strategy to prepare their children specifically for a university education. Over a 15-week period, university staff and faculty collaborate with school district personnel to facilitate 12 workshops held in the evenings at a local middle school. Provided in English and Spanish, these workshops include the following topics: Benefits of a College Education, Parent Involvement, Academic Expectations and College Admissions, Financial Aid/Scholarships, Academic Goal Setting, Transition to the Next Level in the Educational Pipeline, Core Academic Subject Areas (Math, Science, English, Social Science, Second Language and Fine Arts). In CAP, the K-5 children of participants attend College Camp, a parallel program of age-appropriate educational activities facilitated by current college students. During these activities, students learn about college and develop their character, study skills and interest in the required academic subject areas. At the end of each evening, we encourage families to engage in educational conversations about what each group has learned. Children in grades 7-12 are invited to attend the workshops with their parents, while certified district staff care for 2-4 year old children to facilitate parent attendance.
Institution:
University of Arizona
Academic Level:
Baccalaureate
Issue Area:
College Prep
Year:
2007
Designation:
Examples of Excelencia
Designation:
Honorable Mention
Key Personnel:
McCormick, Rudy
Address:
University of Arizona
Address 2:
University Services Building, Room 501
Address 3:
888 N. Euclid Ave. / PO Box 210158
City:
Tucson
State:
AZ
Zip:
85721-0158 Website:
Goal/Mission:
The CAP curriculum was designed with short term goals of increasing parents’ knowledge about academic requirements for college, improving parents’ understanding of financial aid and scholarship options, increasing parent involvement and parent-school communication at the earliest point in the educational pipeline and increase parents’ aspirations for their children’s education. The long term goal of the project is to increase the number of students from the Sunnyside Unified School District who will graduate from high school prepared to enter a degree program at a four-year college or university.
Outcome:
The CAP program has served 218 families since its inception, including a total of 605 potential college bound students (314 K-5 students who have completed the College Camp component and 291 sibling who are in or will soon be entering the K-12 pipeline). The program is evaluated through pre- and post-program interviews with parents (conducted by the UA Center for the Study of Higher Education); weekly workshop feedback; and a retrospective questionnaire at the end of the program (designed and evaluated by the UA Institute for Children, Youth, and Families. The retrospective questionnaire has found statistically significant increases or improvements for the following nine program objectives: parental knowledge of school system, academic subjects, & college requirements, parents' academic aspirations for their children, parents' positive attitudes toward education and school, parents' perception of self-competence with regard to their children's education, parental role definition, parental role in child's education, parental role with child's school. Also a 2006 Semi-Finalist.
Notes:
General Email: eao@u.arizona.edu
General Phone Number: (520) 626-2300
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