Gibson made the keynote remarks to a group of teachers, principals, academics, and researchers at the Graduate School of Education’s 12th Annual Leadership Conference on Nov. 29.

“But a lot of people don’t know that so many kids from New York City have not been on a college campus. We need to make that a part of their education in grade school,” she said.

In highlighting policies put forth by the de Blasio administration, Gibson spoke in detail of programs that focus on preparing young people for college. She also talked about unofficial practices that help kids stay in college, such as principals and teachers that keep in touch with students after they leave school—whether it’s transitioning from middle school into high school or from high school into college.

She highlighted the Single Shepherd initiative, which pairs every middle- and high-school students in Districts 7 and 23 with a dedicated school counselor or social worker that supports them through graduation and the college enrollment process.

“In college, we need to do a little bit more work with our higher ed partners to make sure we know what to do with our kids when they are struggling in their first year of college,” she said.

Gibson spoke of specific cases of students who made it into college despite growing up in shelters. She said that 50 of those students even got into colleges that were far away from home. Of them, just two dropped out.

“I sent two people to go find these kids and try to get them back into college because they made it with all the obstacles that they had living in shelters,” she said. “It only takes one little thing to slip back.”

She said that going away to college was difficult even in the best of circumstances, but it was more so for at-risk students.

“No matter how much you think you have it together and no matter if you come from a tight-knit family, being in a strange environment with strange people is not easy,” she said. “You miss your bed … you miss your mom’s cooking.”

She said that students coming from at-risk backgrounds often view college as an escape rather than an opportunity to learn, but then find that being different from other students is far more difficult.

“It’s easy to go back to where it’s comfortable—even if it’s a shelter,” she said. “That’s why the mentoring piece is so hard and why we as a school system need to figure out how to bridge that first-year gap. Once they get past the first year, it’s smooth sailing.”

More than 100 high school students and their families gathered at the Fordham Law School on June 20 to mark the end of the inaugural College and Career Readiness Saturday Instructional Program, sponsored by the Department of Education’s Division of English Language Learners and Student Support (DELLSS).

Over the course of 20 consecutive Saturday mornings, the students convened on Fordham’s Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses and other campuses around New York City, to learn about the college admissions process and get a firsthand look at higher education.

“Many of these English language learners have never stepped foot into a university before, so they don’t even have hope for a college education,” said Diane Rodriguez, PhD, associate professor at the Graduate School of Education, who facilitated the collaboration between Fordham and the program. “This program helps them prepare for college and eventually a career.”

The students—most of whom are recent immigrants—worked with counselors to strengthen their academic English, learn about the college application process, receive SAT/ACT/TOEFL test prep, practice college admission interviews, and create a portfolio of their work.

“The program helps us to decide what we’re going to be,” said 15-year-old Gabriella Ortega, a sophomore at Hillcrest High School in Queens. “I’m going to become a lawyer, and I learned through this program that Fordham has a really good law school. So, now if I want to apply to Fordham, I can put on my resumé that I attended this program.”

The program reconvenes in October. Before then, the students will continue their college and career preparation via PreK-12 Plaza, free educational software they received at the June 20 ceremony. The software is offered in 17 languages and provides academic support for students and resources for parents.

One of the greatest benefits of the extra Saturday instruction was the opportunity to practice and improve their English, said Sandra Cardona, 15, a 10th-grader at Pan American International High School. Cardona said that the 20 weeks of engaging with counselors and classmates has helped her to overcome the language barrier she has encountered since moving to New York City from Honduras.

The program also afforded students the opportunity to reflect on their future goals.

“My main reason for going to college is because in Honduras, most students don’t go to college. Many don’t even finish school. They just start working,” Cardona said.

“I want to change that. I want to go to college to become a teacher, then go back to my country and teach students who can’t afford education.”

Fostering a love of both their new culture as well as their home culture was at the core of the program. A key message was that learning English and adapting to the American education system did not mean that there is any shame in being immigrants.

“Since I came to the United States, my experience has been that we have to learn a new language and fit in with this culture, and I thought I had to change my whole entire background,” Ortega said.

“But we [are taught]that our cultures are a good thing in this country. I realized that I should be proud of where I come from, and that as a Latina I can even be proud of my accent.”

The keynote speaker for the event was DELLSS Deputy Chancellor Milady Baez, who shared her own story about emigrating from the Dominican Republic at age 12. When she came, she did not know a word of English. Today she holds a top position in the Department of Education.

“It’s not easy,” she said. “Many times you have to go to the dictionary, or reread a book more than once, because what comes easily for other students might take double the time for those of us who speak English as a second language.

“But I made a commitment to myself to go to college, become a teacher, and become a professional. And I did it.”

Entrepreneurship. These days, it seems everyone – particularly young people – are clamoring for a shot at founding the next great startup, and being their own boss.

But what’s the best way to achieve entrepreneur status?

Recently, an article in the Wall Street Journal touched on the importance of networking and support systems while downplaying the importance of choice of school and grades in college.

This piqued the interest of Christine Janssen, Ph.D., director of the Entrepreneurial Programat the Gabelli School of Business and co-director of both Fordham’s Center for Entrepreneurship and the Fordham Foundry, a small-business incubator in the Bronx launched in 2012 in partnership with New York City government agencies.

So, in a guest OpEd with VC-List, a blog for the venture capital industry, Janssen dishes out her own advice:

“Where you go to school is important. Aspiring entrepreneurs should choose a school that possesses more than a longstanding reputation and brand recognition. What can really differentiate one’s experience and outcome are resources, mentors, and access to non-traditional learning experiences that the school can offer,” Janssen wrote in her piece, “How Should College Play a Role in Educating Future Entrepreneurs?”

Janssen also doled out advice for how best to educate for budding and aspiring entrepreneurs:

• Entrepreneurs evolve from any given major, but I would also propose that students should be able to customize their educational experience. While there are certain subjects that all aspiring entrepreneurs should master (accounting, finance, communications, management and just about anything related to technology), college can no longer be a one-size-fits-all proposition.
• Do not ignore grades. A student’s grades don’t necessarily reflect what they have learned or if what was learned is relevant, but a healthy transcript still is a reflection of a student’s effort and commitment. I would certainly select someone with a 4.0 grade point average over a 2.8 GPA any day to join my startup.
• Network. In every core class in my entrepreneurship program, students are REQUIRED to attend professional networking events – and they may not be university-sponsored events or events on campus. That’s too easy. My job is to expose them to the real world and begin building a toolbox of skills and resources so when they complete my program they will have dozens of relationships (and potential mentors) established to help them build out their careers – whether launching a new venture, working at a startup, or being the innovation catalyst at a larger organization. Pushing students out of their comfort zones is a one small step for students, one giant leap for new business creation.

Read the rest of her piece at VC-List, and watch this video about a couple of young students–two brothers–who created and ran a boot camp for young teen entrepreneurs, with help from the Fordham Foundry.

The office’s modest size and relative calm are deceptive, however. The center actually has nearly 80 employees who provide outreach across New York City—and Batisti is at the helm. In addition to serving as associate dean at the Graduate School of Education (GSE), Batisti is the founding director of the center and CEO of the center’s Partnership Support Organization (PSO). The organization is one of only two housed in a New York City university and it provides technical assistance and support to 35 public schools serving more than 19,000 students.

A veteran educator, Batisti is a former administrator in the city’s public school system and has been an adjunct professor at Fordham for 25 years. She recently turned her sights toward early childhood education, a topic that has drawn national attention in the year since President Obama called for high-quality preschool for every child in America. The need for pre-kindergarten education has been proven, Batisti said; satisfying that need in the form of free, full-day, universal pre-K is another challenge entirely.

Nevertheless, Batisti is optimistic that universal pre-K can become a reality, beginning here in New York. This year, GSE and the Center for Educational Partnerships are spearheading a research-based pilot program focusing on early childhood literacy—an initiative that can help bolster the city’s vigorous efforts to provide pre-K for every 4-year-old in New York City.

Why is pre-K so important for children?

AB: In 2000, the U.S. Department of Education convened a National Reading Panel to evaluate the best ways to teach children to read. One of the recommendations was to give young children greater access to school. This gave way to many pre-K classes and all-day kindergartens. As a result, because children were going to school earlier, people felt their reading needs were being addressed. But then the question is: What are kids getting by going to school at younger ages? It’s easy to provide more access, but the panel’s other recommendations, such as strategies for teaching vocabulary and reading comprehension, were harder to implement.

I’m happy that Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carmen Fariña are focusing on early childhood, especially for students in high-needs situations. Because the problem is that by the time many of these students reach kindergarten, they have an almost 30 million-word gap [compared to their peers]. If this gap isn’t addressed as early as possible, it becomes harder and harder for them to catch up. Coming in to school with a rich vocabulary is very important both for comprehension and for higher-order thinking and questioning.

How is GSE responding to this national need?

AB: In June, the center received a planning grant from the Brooke Astor Foundation to devise early childhood reading strategies. We’ve selected three high-needs elementary schools that our PSO works with—one each in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx—in which we’re going pilot a program designed by GSE faculty members Arlene Moliterno, Lynn Huber, Chun Zhang, and Fran Blumberg. Starting in October, staff developers who are licensed in early childhood literacy will offer 38 days of in-classroom coaching to five teachers at each school. The idea is to provide the teachers with strategies for teaching vocabulary and comprehension, because if the teachers teach better, the students will do better.

What are your expectations for this project?

AB: If this works, we will apply for an implementation grant, which can run for up to three years and allow us to work with many more schools. Right now, we are using this planning grant to fine-tune and pilot the strategies that we’ve developed. If we get this right, I know Fordham will be able to replicate it. The New York City school system is the largest in the nation, with about 1,600 schools and 1.1 million students. So if an initiative like this will work here, it will work anywhere. I think Fordham will be able to come out with a solid model on early childhood vocabulary strategies that any pre-K program will be able to adapt and learn from.

What are GSE and the Center for Educational Partnerships doing to support parochial schools?

AB: The parochial schools in Brooklyn and Queens have large numbers of English-language learners, including newly arrived immigrant students. We recently received a grant from the diocese for a multiethnic teacher leadership program, which will allow a cohort of parochial school teachers to get a master’s in administration at GSE and special training in multi-ethnic and bilingual education. We are beginning an exciting collaboration between the Diocese of Brooklyn and the GSE’s Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith-Based Education.

Awarded on Sept. 29 by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the Department of Education, the funds will allow 40 educators to receive about 70 percent tuition funding at the Graduate School of Education (GSE).

“The grant is a recognition that the special education program at our Graduate School of Education is one of the finest programs in the country,” said James Hennessy, Ph.D., dean of GSE. “The tuition support will help provide 40 superbly prepared teachers to our area’s schools.”

Chun Zhang, Ph.D., professor of education, is the principal on the project, “Preparing Early Childhood Special Educators for Inclusion and Addressing Challenging Behavior: A Training of the Trainers Approach (PECSE),” which will educate two cohorts of 20 students in early childhood special education (birth to grade 2) over the course of four years.

“Professor Zhang is among the most well-regarded people in her field,” Hennessy added.

Zhang received an $800,000 grant four years ago to prepare 40 early education teachers in raising the performance of young learners with special needs. The last cohort of 20 students supported by that grant will graduate this May.

“This is nice to have another project in my area of early special childhood education (ECSE),” Zhang said, “especially since funding is very tight right now. This is wonderful news.”

Because the New York City Department of Education is striving to make most of its schools inclusive for all students, highly qualified teachers in the chronic shortage areas—such as special education—are very much in demand, Zhang said.

The PECSE project will provide pre-service training and summer institutes in addition to the 30 credits leading to ECSE certification. Zhang and her team of field observers will focus on an area in which they found teachers struggling during the last project: dealing with the challenging behaviors of children who lack social skills or have developmental delays.

“The goal is to train teachers using research-based practices so they can help these children develop appropriate social, cognitive and preschool readiness skills, so that by the time they enter kindergarten, they can be in the inclusion program and truly be part of the school curriculum,” Zhang said.

Forty percent of the students involved in this project will come from diverse backgrounds, she added.

“These teachers are ideal to work with children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and their families, especially in the urban areas,” she said.

Similar to the previous project, the PECSE project will involve close supervision and observation.

“These are certified teachers who already have classrooms. We monitor them from the beginning to end by having field specialists work with them closely, observing and mentoring. Also, the teachers will attend two reflective seminars per month to help them grow individually and as a group.

“I want them to become trainers in their own school system so they can share techniques with colleagues who also work with a special education population. I want them to see themselves as leaders,” Zhang added.

“I’m going to pass English 12 – I know it,” Mejia said with a smile and conviction on a recent July afternoon from the Fordham Road-based center, which recently began its third year in operation.

Mejia is one of the nearly 1,000 kids to have worked toward earning high school credits at the RETC 21st Century Community Learning Center (CLC), which offers online classes to help students who are behind in credits catch up in order to graduate. Credits are earned using software from PLATO Learning, an Illinois-based firm that specializes in educational learning products. The software is aligned with New York State Standards and allows students to complete lessons, take tests and then move to the next level at their own pace.

Launched in September 2008 by Fordham’s RETC-Center for Professional Development, CLC operates after school and throughout the summer. During the 2009-2010 school year, 515 high school credits were earned through the 21st Center for Community Learning.

“We’ve had a real significant impact,” said Leah Tillman, Ph.D., director of the CLC. “In June, I attended the graduation for West Bronx Academy for the Future—a very small high school. Out of 41 graduates, 20 were in our program. And out of Jane Addams graduating class of roughly 225 seniors, 20 percent went through our program.”

Students learn about the center through guidance counselors, word of mouth or even Google, Tillman said. “We now have a list of about 35 students who are waiting to get into the program.”

Tillman credits the center’s success to its comprehensive approach: in addition to credit recovery in math, English Language Arts and other subjects, the program includes:

•    mentoring by undergraduate students of Fordham University, who have been screened and trained to work with student participants;
•    participation in University and cultural events on campus; and,
•    technology training for parents. (Parental involvement is required in most cases.)

Ron Jacobson, Ph.D., an associate vice president for academic affairs who works in a supervisory and cooperative role with RETC, said the CLC is actively bettering the lives of members of the Bronx community.

“I am proud Fordham is able to share its expertise to assist by enabling students to catch up and by empowering them to envision future learning opportunities,” he said.

The center was launched in 2008 thanks to a $2.4 million grant awarded to Fordham’s RETC from the New York State Department of Education. The funds allowed for the hiring of licensed New York City teachers who work part-time and serve as a resource for students. Two high school graduates—and CLC alums—were also brought on part-time to assist with clerical duties.

A handful of Fordham undergraduates work as tutors, while others, such as Fordham Football player Thomas Lloyd, serve as volunteer mentors.

“I like giving back to the community. You just feel good when you do it,” said Lloyd, a rising junior in the College of Business Administration. “I can relate to the kids. I grew up in New Orleans, La., but as a minority, we have similar backgrounds, and we talk about family life and everyday things. I try to motivate them and tell them that if they work for it, they can succeed. And I’ve already seen numerous success stories.”

Students regularly visit the Fordham campus with their mentors to eat meals provided by Sodexho in the cafeteria. It’s just another way for students to get more accustomed to the idea of life beyond high school.

Teresa Lupo, a senior professional developer with the RETC, works closely with the teachers and students in the program. This past spring, she developed a college preparatory leadership club for about 12 students in the program who are college bound but unfamiliar with what to expect as a college student.

“Undergraduate students involved with various Fordham clubs introduce these students to various aspects of college life, such as money saving and budgeting tips, dorm life and studying habits,” Lupo said. “It’s especially helpful for our students, one of whom will be stepping off a train and onto a college campus this fall—a campus he hasn’t even visited.”

The RETC’s overarching mission has always been to provide access to technology to historically underserved populations, said Steven D’Agustino, Ph.D. director of the RETC.

“In our first year, it was very transactional, students did the work and got their credits,” he said. “In year two, we realized we needed to look at the social and emotional aspects of the students and we did that with our mentors, our programming, our teachers and more. It’s been a strong part of their success.”

The 21st Century Community Learning Center, which is operated by the RETC—Center for Professional Development, began offering technology classes and more in September.

Established through a $2.4 million grant from the New York State Department of Education, the 21st Century Community Learning Center is allowing middle and high school students to recover school credits while training their parents and other area adults in technology skills needed in the workforce. The grant was written by Steven D’Agustino, Ph.D., director of the RETC and Theresa Lupo, senior professional developer.

The program for students takes place during or after school, three times a week, for nine-week cycles.

“This major multi-year grant, one of the largest the University has received, reaffirms Fordham’s commitment to providing relevant educational services to our neighborhood schools and our city,” said Ron Jacobson, Ph.D., associate vice president of academic affairs.

Jacobson, who works in a supervisory and cooperative role with RETC, believes the residual value of the work under the grant is immeasurable.

“It is more than about students doing the work that will allow them to catch up and graduate on time,” he said. “It is not hyperbole to say that this program is also about a commitment to caring, hope and the future quality of life for the individual participants and the community. I am very proud of the RETC for moving in this important direction.”

The program prepares middle and high school students to retake state-mandated Regents examinations that they previously failed. It also helps them earn credits for failed math, English and social studies courses. Credits are recovered using software from PLATO Learning, an Illinois-based firm that specializes in educational learning products.

The software is aligned with New York State Standards and allows students to complete lessons, take tests and then move to the next level at their own pace.

“It’s novel. It’s different. It’s self-paced. It’s interactive,” said Steven D’Agustino, Ph.D., the director for the East Fordham Road-based RETC. “It’s helping kids that, in some cases, are over-aged and under-credited. If I’m 17 and my classmates are 14, then it’s very difficult for me to come to school and to feel positive about my education. The 21st Community Learning Center gives Bronx middle and high school students the opportunity to recover credits, learn technology and establish relationships with undergraduate mentors. It’s my hope that Fordham University, through this new project, will become recognized as a significant resource for technology access in the Bronx.”

Leah Tillman, Ph.D., the interim project director for the learning center, knows a thing or two about the struggle some students face when trying to recover failed credits the traditional way. Tillman has 30 years of experience as a teacher, assistant principal and principal at Bronx schools.

“If you fail a class, you just get it again in the same way. Some students will not learn that way and may be tempted to drop out of school,” Tillman said. “The schools are hungry to have some kind of success for these youngsters.”

The PLATO software and the 21st Century Learning Center is a new option that provides hope for these students, Tillman said. A pilot program run by the RETC last Marchproved successful.

“It’s a good model,” Tillman said. “It gives them support for when they get discouraged. They’ll not only be recovering credits or preparing for the REGENTS exams, but they’ll be learning skills that can be used in the workforce.”

As to how other community members will be helped, the center offers basic technology courses at no cost for adults.

“We’re giving first preference for the parents of our students, but adults will also be able to participate,” Tillman said. “We already have a bilingual beginner technology class scheduled to begin in October.”

High school students began credit recovery and Regents exam preparation on Sept. 22. They met with teachers from the New York City Department of Education who will serve as part-time teachers at the RETC and Fordham students who will serve as tutors.

Johanna Sanchez, 19, a junior at Fordham’s College of Business Administration (CBA) is a finance and accounting major who wanted to get involved as a volunteer.

“I’m really good at math, so I figured, why not help?” Sanchez said.

Theresa Lupo, professional development specialist at RETC, “CBA has been instrumental in supplying student mentors to provide encouragement and academic support.”

“Twenty student mentors from CBA are currently volunteering in the project,” Lupo said.

Barbara Porco, Ph.D., the academic advisor for Fordham’s Integrated Learning Community and Brian Dunn, the director of Honors Opportunities at CBA, have been working with the RETC to publicize the community service opportunities offered by the new program.

“The response by CBA students has been great,” Porco said. “We’re proud of the large number of students from the Integrated Learning Community who have volunteered to serve in this important project.”

RETC will hold a community conference on Saturday, Oct. 4 that will help to spread the word about the new center. The 2008 Bronx Technology Collaborative Conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The keynote speaker will be New York City Council Member Gale R. Brewer, who serves as the head of the City Council’s technology committee and is an advocate for access to technology in underserved communities.

RETC staff and administration, as well as 20 community organizations and Fordham departments, will offer information about job training programs, technology resources, college programs, computer skills and education programs for adults. For more information, see the RETC website.

Speaking at the Fordham Graduate School of Education’s inaugural Fiscal Accountability Conference on March 12, Klein said that the paradox can be resolved by empowering schools to have greater discretion over budgeting while holding them accountable for improved student learning.

“Dollars will never be limitless,” Klein told the gathering of more than 100 New York City principals. “You have to make tough choices, and the choice I want you to make is to focus on ‘What is the return I’m getting in student performance for the dollars I’m investing?’ And the conceptual question I’d ask you to address is whether it’s more likely that a central bureaucracy will figure out how to make the most prudent investments for your schools or is it more likely that you, working with your teachers, with your parents, with your school community … will figure out the best way to get the returns necessary to improve student performance?”

Klein has implemented a reform initiative known as “Children First,” which includes the Empowerment Schools program, an effort to give hundreds of schools more direct control over hiring, curriculum, budgets and other key functions if they meet certain performance standards. Other speakers at the conference, organized by GSE’s Division of Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy, included New York City Comptroller William Thompson and Deborah Cunningham, Ph.D., coordinator of educational management services at the New York State Department of Education.

“It has been some time since a Fordham graduate has succeeded in being named a Foreign Service Officer,” said Henry Schwalbenberg, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, director of IPED and coordinator of the fellows program. “Hopefully, Ms. Ventling will be the first of many more Fordham/Peace Corps graduates to enter public service with such distinction.”

Foreign service officers help formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States and act as frontline personnel at all embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions around the world. The Peace Corps Fellows/USA Program at Fordham is a graduate fellowship offering assistance to former Peace Corps volunteers who wish to earn a master’s degree in International Political Economy and Development.

The IPED program was founded in 1979 with financial support from the U.S. Department of Education. Schwalbenberg said that the Peace Corps is responsible for 25 percent of all applications for next year’s IPED class. Ventling came to Fordham in 2005 after serving in the Peace Corps for two years. She received a full-tuition scholarship, as well as federal grant money to perform community service. See theInside Fordham article, “Fordham’s Peace Corps Fellows: Making a Difference,” for more on the program and Ventling.

– Janet Sassi

Each Marymount mentor meets with her middle-school students weekly for tutoring and talk. The role-model program seeks to help the daughters of Hispanic immigrants fulfill their academic and social potential while exposing them positively to the College world. Hispanic girls have the highest high-school dropout rate—30 percent don’t receive diplomas—of any racial or ethnic group and are the least likely to earn a college degree. The Club Amigas program hopes to encourage more young Hispanic women to finish high school and consider college.

“It’s all about relationships,” said Ellen Silber, Ph.D., professor of French and director of the Marymount Institute for the Education of Women and Girls, which sponsors the program. Silber explained that getting together to celebrate the season is just another way to foster this important connection.

Founded in 1992, the Marymount Institute for the Education of Women and Girls is a national center whose mission is to create knowledge and awareness of women’s and girls’ experiences in classrooms at all levels. The institute seeks to help teachers and administrators, parents and policy-makers to identify the educational needs of women and girls and translate them into gender-equitable programs for students.