Kate Frost August 28, 2013

ESR 505 Kelly Baird

Wondering

Is the increase in reading test scores from 3rd to 6th grade a result of the language
services offered by the school and/or community?

Statement of Purpose

It seems to be that people have worked hard to understand the cause and effect as well
as the benefits and struggles of living and working in an extremely diverse neighborhood. In
looking at Albany Park, the most diverse neighborhood in Chicago, there are myriad resources
to assist the transitional community and afford them the opportunity to support and celebrate
their own culture. We believe there is a strong correlation between Hibbard Elementary
Schools student achievement and the available resources, both at the school and within the
greater community. The Albany Park Community focuses a great deal on English proficiency for
all people through ESL classes, Conversation Clubs, and English to native language translations,
to name a few. Albany Park understands the importance of embracing one's own culture while
also acknowledging that knowing and speaking English is a foundation for success in many parts
of this country.

Annotated Bibliography


Albany Park. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved July 21, 2013, from
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/36.html

In looking at this website, it is clear that the Chicago Historical Society has put in a great
deal of time to lay out the foundation of the Albany Park neighborhood. Albany Park is a very
diverse neighborhood that was once founded like every other every other neighborhood within
Chicago. I believe that it is very important to know where Albany Park began and how that has
influenced the current situation within the neighborhood today. This source gives us a broad
perspective of how Albany Park began and where we should go from here.

Caldern, M., Hertz-Lazarowitz, R., & Slavin, R. (1998). Effects of bilingual cooperative
integrated reading and composition on students making the transition from Spanish to
English reading. The Elementary School Journal, 99(2), 153-165.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1002107

This article discusses the success of a bilingual program in increasing students reading
scores. Because Hibbard Elementary has a bilingual program, and bilingual programs prove to
be more effective than standard ESL services, I imagine that this program may be at least
partially responsible for the increase in test scores being discussed. Through interviews with
staff at the school about their reading curriculum and bilingual program, coupled with research
such as this article, we will be better able to determine if Hibbards bilingual program may be a
reason for the increase in reading test scores. By learning more about Hibbards program and
looking at a program that was effective in raising reading scores, we will be able to extrapolate
about the effect of the program on the students.

Lazarus, J. (2012). Signs of change new directions in theatre education (Rev. and amplified ed.).
Bristol: Intellect.

This book shares thoughts on how theater education can artistically, physically,
mentally, and socially affects the lives of our students and engage students from all different
backgrounds. In Chapter 5: Theatre Education Outside the Box, the author shares about the
Albany Park Theater Project (APTP). APTP is a multiethnic, youth theatre ensemble that inspires
people to envision a more just and beautiful world. With music, dance, and theater, the teens
of APTP share the untold stories of urban youth, immigrants, and working-class Americans, and
humanize issues that impact real people. APTP prepares teens for purposeful lives as
adventurous dreamers and accomplished achievers, and enriches the cultural vitality of
Chicago. This program is one example of a resource that embraces and uses the numerous
cultures by which it is surrounded. This program could be a contributor to the increased
achievement in the students of Hibbard Elementary School, by affecting teens that are
connected with the students at Hibbard. It is also possible that students at Hibbard Elementary
are watching the productions put on by APTP and through this gaining a greater interest in
learning English.

(Martinez, Grace. Personal interview. 18 July 2013.)

When interviewing Grace Martinez, she was full of information. Grace works at North
Park University in the community outreach and campus ministries department. When
questioning her about the connections between Hibbard Elementary and North Park as well as
the student and community relationships, she had a lot to say. Grace came off as a very
passionate person who knew a great deal about her neighborhood. She both provided us with
much relevant information and was also able to connect us with different programs within the
community such as: the Albany Park Community Center, the Albany Park Theater Project, a
Friday night homeless ministry, Community block parties, and more.


Patterson, M. B., & Mellard, D. (2007). Program characteristics that predict improved learner
outcomes. Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal. Retrieved from ERIC database.
(EJ836253)

This article looks at the characteristics of an effective adult education program. By
understanding what makes an adult education program effective, we will be able to better
evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the programs within the community surrounding
Hibbard. Such evaluation will allow us to understand the potential influence of these programs
on students at Hibbard (in a sort of trickledown effect from the adults by whom they are
surrounded). Our theory is that by increasing adults/parents fluency in English, the children in
the communitys English language learning will also benefit.

Potowski, K., & Rothman, J. (2011). Bilingual youth Spanish in English-speaking societies.
Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub. Co.

With Hibbard Elementary Schools demographics being over three quarters Hispanic,
this book would give great insight into to the culture of students who are bilingual at Hibbard.
Hibbard Elementary offers bilingual programs to students of many different languages starting
in Kindergarten to 6th grade. This book goes into a further study of the relationship between
identity and multilingualism, including a look into to Chicago Public Schools specifically. Such a
text would afford us the opportunity to understand students personal growth and identity,
which could in turn affect academic achievement and test scores.

Theodore, N., & Martin, N. (2007). Migrant Civil Society: New voices in the struggle over
community development. Journal of Urban Affairs, 29(3), 269-287. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
9906.2007.00343.x

Port-of-entry immigrant neighborhoods have long been a feature of the American city.
Dense cross-border networks are reshaping port-of-entry immigrant neighborhoods and
creating transnational communities where forces of global economic restructuring and
practices of everyday life combine into a distinctive form of urbanization. Yet immigration has
also created tensions and conflicts. Lack of affordable housing, inadequate access to quality
schools, substandard employment, and unmet basic needs are among the problems facing large
segments of society. This article looks at many different areas around the United States that
house and hold a large immigrant population. It speaks specifically to Albany Park and the
challenges that immigrants face when moving into a neighborhood such as this. The article
presents data analysis as well as the benefits and struggles within these areas.

Visit Albany Park! - Welcome to Chicago's Gateway to the World. (n.d.). Welcome to Chicago's
gateway to the world - Home. Retrieved July 30, 2013, from
http://www.albanyparkchamber.org/visit-albany-park.html

The Visit Albany Park webpage was an exciting source to read through. This website
provides different information on ways to get involved, ways to engage and interact within your
community, and the resources that are available to those within the neighborhood. This
website classified Albany Park as a gateway to the world because this neighborhood is so
diverse. This website brings out the different ethnic groups within the neighborhood and
allows people to be who they are while engaging and learning about other cultures. This
website was valuable in answering our wondering because it shared resources and
opportunities that could help multiracial families succeed within their own neighborhood.


Welcome to Albany Park Community Center. (n.d.). Welcome to Albany Park community center.
Retrieved August 13, 2013, from http://www.apcc-chgo.org/

This source is both an actual place as well as the website above. The Albany Park
Community Center seems to have the highest impact on the community of any resource within
the neighborhood. APCC has four locations- 2 of those four on Kimball, within our mile radius
of Hibbard Elementary School. When stopping in to APCC, we gathered a great deal of
information about how they interact with the community and more specifically with the
students at Hibbard Elementary. The APCC is our best source for determining the answer to
our wondering because they have after-school help, summer programs, GED class, conversation
clubs, community gatherings, and experimental field trips. This organization works hand in
hand with Hibbard Elementary School and the progression and growth of their students.

(Y. Fuentes, personal communication, TBD).

Mrs. Yolanda Fuentes is the bilingual coordinator at Hibbard Elementary. Speaking with
her would allow us to gain a better understanding of Hibbards bilingual program. As
mentioned earlier, we would be able to use this information in conjunction with research done
about various bilingual programs in order to determine if the bilingual program at Hibbard is
effective and thus one of the main factors contributing to the increase in reading scores
between 3rd and 6th grades. Mrs. Fuentes would likely also be able to give us more in depth
information about other programs offered to ELLs at Hibbard, and her insights as to what is
helping these students to make the gains they are making in reading.