MISSION TEAM #28 EDUCATION AND POLICY
2022 - 2023
VOLUME 2
N E X T G E N E R A T I O N S E R V I C E C O R P S
CONT ENTS
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MEET THE TEAM
Meet members of the team and why they wanted to engage more on the topic of education and policy.
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EVENTS AND PROJECTS
See what we have done over the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, and here about our community partner.
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WHAT WE LEARNED
Here is a thing or two of what we learned along the way.
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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
Here is some ideas on how you can engage with the topic of education and policy.
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MOVING FORWARD
Read on some future goals the team has for next year.
MEET THE TEAM
Mission Statement: We strive to propose and enact policy that promotes positive education experiences and success for students, faculty and staff, and surrounding communities.
ALEX KURZ
MISSION TEAM LEAD
Mechanical Engineering, Freshman, Cohort 8
Seeing the gaps in Arizona education systems and a need for leadership within the team drove me to take action.
ABBY RICHMAN
Marketing Major, Freshman, Cohort 8
I joined the education and policy mission team because I am passionate that everyone should have the same equal access to education and opportunity
BAILEY SHAW
Elementary Education, Senior, Cohort 5
I’m passionate about education and teaching children. This mission team allows me to view the education system from a broader, more systemic point of view through policy, which helps me better understand how to enact social change which might better support the success of students.
BRENNA WASSON
Elementary Education, Sophomore, Cohort 7
I joined mission team #28 because, as a future educator, I wanted to be able to create an impact and a difference on the policy side of education
CHRISTINA COLVIN
Cohort T6
HAILEY MCCREA
Applied Mathematics for Life & Social Sciences, Sophomore, Cohort 7
I joined Mission Team #28 as I believe strongly in a child’s right to a quality education; therefore, I hoped being a part of this mission team would allow me to work towards educational improvement and equity
MARIBEL MEJIA-ESPINOZA
Cohort T6
MELINA MORALES
Computer Systems Engineering, Freshman, Cohort 8
I joined mission team #28 because I believe that the education system in Arizona can be improved by taking action from the policy side of it.
EVENTS AND PROJECTS
AN OVERVIEW OF EVENTS AND PROJECTS WE COMPLETED TO ENGAGE FURTHER IN THIS TOPIC.
CONDUCTED RESEARCH
FALL 2022
We researched the Arizona Board of Regents' "Impact Arizona" plan to determine where resources for students and faculty were being unmet. We went to various professors on the ASU Tempe campus and interviewed them to further investigate. We then analyzed our information, to decide which areas to focus on within education and policy for later reference.
PARTNERSHIP WITH MISSION TEAM #9
1/29-PRESENT
Entering into the Spring 2023 semester, Alex Kurz, and Danny Surges, the Team Leader for Mission Team #9 Youth Development, brought together their teams to finish out the year doing work looking into specific of the zero-tolerance policy and disciplinary methods used by school administrations.
GUEST SPEAKER
2/11
As a potential networking opportunity, we featured Danny Surges, an intern for Teach for America to come into our meeting to inform and educate us about what the organization does. Teach for America is "a coalition of equity-oriented leaders working to reimagine and reorder the education system to expand opporunitites for all children."
NGSC HIGH SCHOOL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
3/25 9AM-2PM
The Next Generation Service Corps held a small conference for students and their sponsors who are a part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a youth mentoring organization. As a team we were able to create learning resources for the conference. This broadened our progress towards improving this issue, in which we are able to further the leadership development of youth. We organized and hosted a workshop surrounding professional communication and civil discourse. This was for the betterment of the student's education and learning.
WHAT WE LEARNED
WHAT ISSUES DO WE WANT TO FOCUS ON? NARROWING OUR FOCUS
Our year started by narrowing down which systemic issues we wanted to dive deeper into with regards to education and policy. We brainstormed challenges that our team members felt passionate about and researched organizations and initiatives who are already conducting work in these spaces in Arizona as well as across the country.
HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEMS
RESEARCH AND EMPATHY INTERVIEWS WITH ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS & UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS
We found that many of our members were curious about higher education systems and how professors in public universities interact with one another and their students, find job satisfaction, reflect on their teaching practices, etc. and how this impacts universities and their functions.
Half of our mission team drafted and sent emails to members of the Arizona Board of Regents, the board overseeing all universities in Arizona. We were hoping to conduct empathy interviews with members in order to gain their perspective on the role of professors in the success of higher education, however we were met with no response. We were able, though, to reach out to and interview various university professors at ASU regarding their experiences at our institution and any barriers to success as a professor.
SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE
ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICIES
Our Mission Team also expressed interest in researching the school-to-prison pipeline, a niche topic in the education and policy realm. While we did not have time to dive deep into this topic, our members, in conjunction with Mission Team #9 Youth and Development, did learn about zero-tolerance policies, how those differ depending on the location, socioeconomic status, etc. of the schools, and how that impacts the school-to-prison pipeline. We look forward to continuing this research in the coming semesters.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
HOW YOU CAN CONTINUE YOU THE IMPACT
Investigate issues in the community and identify ones you are passionate about Engage more with educators in the community to understand gaps in educational resources and quality
Collect qualitative and quantitative data on stressors for faculty in ABOR universities and present to ASU officials for policy changes
Engage with established organizations like Teach for America to become educated and get involved in effecting change
Reach out to organizations making an impact and seek opportunities to learn more about the education system in Arizona
MOVING FORWARD
When looking towards next year, we hope to continue to invite ideas from team members and turn their passions into action. Although we intend to continue partnerships with other Mission Team leaders, we want to identify and form a community partner that is outside of the Next Generation Service Corps.
To continue our research and advocacy, we would appreciated attending events such as Arizona Board of Reagents meetings and local school board meeting. We aim to discuss the "Impact Arizona" plan and the politics of the zero-tolerance policies and disciplinary methods.
Additionally, we would appreciate tabling at a Mission Team event where Arizona State University students and faculty can hear about the advocacy work we have been doing. Doing so, we would be making our impact known to surrounding communities and be enabled to vocalize and produce work visible to the public.
Finally, we intend to develop a stronger team culture by hosting more enticing meetings and having a mission statement recognized and understood by all team members.
