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Virginia State University: Embracing the Richmond Schools
When CFES partners schools with colleges, it's not only the K-12 students who benefit. Just ask Shandra Claiborne, who is the coordinator of program admissions at Virginia State University (VSU) and also serves as the liaison between the University and the six CFES schools in Richmond.
"Working with K-12 students has helped our students apply theory to reality," she says, highlighting the practical experiences, such as mentoring, tutoring, and other direct interactions, that have enhanced classroom learning. "They have learned to problem-solve as they develop programs and activities for the kids they work with in the Richmond school district." One of the requirements for professional education program candidates/pre-candidates is to complete field experiences with K-12 partners.
Yet the CFES-fostered partnership between the Richmond Public Schools and Virginia State, initiated in 2000, is not only providing a vehicle for VSU students, faculty, and staff to interact with and learn from Richmond students, it is also helping underserved K-12 students prepare for and aspire to college while offering a mutually supportive environment in which the schools and the University can collaborate and grow.
Virginia State is a comprehensive land-grant historically black university that offers students the opportunity to obtain an undergraduate and graduate education in a vibrant and supportive university community. Its alumni are leaders in education, business, and public life. In its first-ever ranking of 81 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), U.S. News and World Report named Virginia State University the top public HBCU in the country among masters-level institutions. The campus, with its 5,000 students, sits atop a rolling landscape overlooking the Appomattox River in the Chesterfield County village of Ettrick, Virginia.
The six Richmond schools partnered with Virginia State are Armstrong High School, Franklin Military Academy, Lucille Brown Middle School, Chandler Middle School, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, and Woodville Elementary School.
In one instance, VSU student mentors and CFES Scholars from Armstrong High School teamed up to test their collective know-how in the areas of transportation and problem solving as part of a college science competition. The competition also engaged teams from Old Dominion, Norfolk State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Georgia Tech, among others.
Mentoring initiatives at Woodville Elementary, Lucille Brown Middle, and Chandler Middle schools pair Virginia State education majors with at-risk Scholars. The college students work with these youngsters in math and English to help them achieve state-mandated Standards of Learning benchmarks. In addition, mentors share their "pathway to college" experiences, explaining the steps they took to prepare for college, decide on a career major, and pursue it.
Mentoring sessions sometimes take more of a relaxed "chat and chew' format where, between bites of pizza, Scholars query mentors about campus life and offer glimpses into their own lives.
"Our eighth graders eagerly look forward to the weekly meeting with the Virginia State students," remarks Miyah Jones-Lewis, a teacher at Chandler Middle School. "These conversations have raised our students’ aspirations and demystified college life." What's more, she says, the connection between the CFES Scholars and their mentors "impacts academics and behavior and has increased Scholars' interest in colleges in general, and particularly in Virginia State."
At Lucille Brown Middle School, VSU students and faculty facilitate skill-building workshops, among other activities, to raise educational aspirations and help Scholars develop the habits of college-bound students. Workshop sessions include ice-breakers to build identity, peer bonding exercises and mentoring sessions to teach the middle schoolers how to work with and help others, and college presentations to raise awareness about the power of education – and specifically the value of higher education. The day-long workshops end with goal setting sessions, where Scholars develop targets to improve academic performance and behavior.
Other programs and opportunities sponsored by Virginia State have allowed Richmond K-12 students to experience what it's like to be a college student. Most recently VSU hosted 50 middle and high school CFES Scholars on campus, providing round-trip transportation on the Virginia State Trojan Bus. The Professional Education Programs Unit met with students to enlighten them on the teacher education program at VSU. Over the course of the day, Scholars ate in the cafeteria, attended admissions/financial aid workshops, sat in on classes, toured the athletic facilities, and interacted with current VSU students.
These kinds of intensive, ongoing activities are building a K-16 pipeline for Richmond children and creating enriching learning experiences for the VSU community, according to Posey Young, retired professor at Virginia State and CFES program director for the Richmond cluster. "We will not be surprised if CFES Scholars choose to matriculate to Virginia State, but our message is simple," he says. "Prepare for and matriculate to college."
To learn more about Virginia State University, please visit www.vsu.edu/.
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