Embedded Support in the College Writing Classroom: A Teaching Reflection on Late Pandemic Pedagogy for TRIO Students in an Intensive Transitional Summer Course

In this teaching reflection, the authors discuss their experiences as professor and embedded support for an intensive summer college writing course for incoming undergraduates participating in a TRIO program. The reflection considers the contextual factors making this cohort of students vulnerable, including the relationship between family income level and pandemic-era learning loss. The authors devised a pedagogy to flip the classroom, allowing students to write deeply during long class sessions, and delivered intensive, layered support at the point of writing to accelerate progress through challenges in writing development

Core Knowledge Language Arts: Does it Represent the Lawrence Public Schools Community?

The climate of the 21st-century education system, though ever-changing, calls for students to be taught to specific academic standards while allowing for culturally diverse inclusive learning to take place. The Lawrence Public School System is comprised of over twenty different schools, with 36.6% other Hispanic, 33.1% white Hispanic, 14.1% white nonHispanic, 7.57% two or more ethnicities, and 3.41% black or African American Hispanic with various education and life experiences. The Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum is used for Grades Kindergarten through second grade. This curriculum was created by a white, cisgender male promoting Eurocentric ideologies. Is the Lawrence community fairly represented in this instructional material, particular at the early childhood level when students are finding their academic and social identities? This capstone looks into the creation….curriculum, exploring the representational...and comparing them to the current demographic make-up of the Lawrence Public Schools classroom

Food for Thought: Recommendations to Create a Food Pantry at Merrimack College

The purpose of this project was to explore food insecurity among college students. Research was conducted about the rate of food insecurity among college students and how higher education institutions have addressed the issue. Researchers have found that 33-40% of college students nationwide experience some level of food insecurity, and it disproportionately affects underrepresented populations of college students. With the rising cost of college education, campuses have enacted creative solutions to help improve the effects of food insecurity across this population. Upon analyzing this societal issue locally, a gap in food security resources was identified at Merrimack College. As a result, a proposal was created to advocate for a food pantry on campus. The proposal was presented to a panel of Merrimack College staff and administrators. The group provided constructive feedback in an interview-style discussion. Participants were encouraged to share their perspectives on the importance of food insecurity on campus, identify potential barriers, assess the feasibility of creating a pantry, and provide their insights about strengthening the proposal. Most participants supported the idea of pursuing the initiative and expressed interest in continuing the conversation

Cultivating the Guerrera Spirit: Forming Social Justice Warriors Through Latina Empowerment and Development

The presence of the Latina/x community in the U.S. is loud and powerful. Constituting over 18% of the entire U.S. population and the fast-growing numbers that reflect the changing face of the country calls for an examination of current leadership narratives and demands a commitment to elevate and empower Latina leadership (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). In a society divided by power and discrimination, it is crucial that Latinas and Women of Color (WOC) have access to spaces that cultivate and celebrate their unique gifts and talents which are often overlooked and undervalued. This project gathered WOC from the Chica Project community to explore a new element of Latina leadership, the guerrera spirit, through community, storytelling, art, reflection, and meaningful discussion. Through a combination of data presentation, conversations, and interactive activities, participants engaged in dialogue over what the guerrera spirit looks like in their personal lives, how storytelling and art can be utilized as tools for leadership, and how this can be applied to the further advancement of Latina leadership. This project found that participants connected deeply with the element of guerrera leadership through collective, intimate, and creative lenses and adds to previous literature calling for revolutionary leadership narratives

PASTORAL INSIGHT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OF CHILDREN

There is immense growth during a child’s adolescent years. Children begin to identify likes and dislikes, embrace gifts and talents, and push boundaries to learn more about themselves in the process. The physical, psychological, social and emotional development of children is richly studied and researched. This paper argues that the spiritual side should receive just as much attention. Children have an inherent spirituality which they should be encouraged to engage, deepen, and develop as a natural aspect of their childhood experiences through intentional activities as provided by trusted and caring adults. This paper shares suggestions to support the development of the spiritual life of children through both structured and creative exercises

The Waiting Game in Massachusetts: Are Housing Policies in Massachusetts Doing Enough to Serve the Neediest Households

The cost of housing is a burden for many households across the United States. In Massachusetts, where rents are some of the highest in the country, affordable housing is particularly hard for the neediest households in the state who are already struggling with the cost of living. Due to a shortage of low income housing in Massachusetts, wait times for housing assistance and affordable housing are extremely long which only exacerbates the hardships that households face. The funding, building, and distribution of low income housing is controlled by the housing policies at the federal, state, and local levels. However, these policies are outdated and are no longer working efficiently to ensure there is ample low income housing and that it is distributed equitably throughout neighborhoods and towns

Reawakening the Heart of Civics Education: Activating Critical Civic Empathy and a Sense of Civic Responsibility in Undergraduate Students

We are at a critical juncture in history. Our country is politically divided, and our trust in democratic institutions is wavering. As a result, there is an urgent call on higher education to rededicate themselves to their civic missions and prioritize civic learning and democratic engagement (CLDE) to develop civically minded graduates who are motivated to engage across differences to advance the public good. The Reawakening the Heart of Civics Education curriculum uses CLDE pedagogies and critical civic empathy theory to move students beyond voting and volunteering to full civic participation with an awakened sense of civic responsibility and social empathy. Six thought leaders in higher education, civic engagement, and youth development reviewed this curriculum. All six reviewers rated the curriculum favorably and would recommend this curriculum to their students and colleagues. They stated that this curriculum differentiated from other CLDE curricula due to its nuanced approach of centering students’ voices and experiences throughout the lessons. In addition, they also found the student-led civic project and intergroup dialogue components to be effective teaching strategies. This curriculum puts the heart back into civics education and moves the needle toward meaningful civic participation on college campuses

The National School Lunch Program: Policy Strategies to Address Food Insecurity in School-Aged Children

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is available to American families with lower annual incomes in relation to the poverty level in order to provide nutritional meals for their school-aged children. However, conveying this offered program to American families comes with challenges, such as food insecurity and the lack of resources along with education in relation to overall health and well-being. Follow-up recommendations are included to possibly assist and approve this federally funded progra