Mission Team 28: Education and Policy

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NGSC

EDUCATION& POLICY

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Mission Team

21/22 Next Generation Service Corps

EDUCTION AND POLICY ARRIL 2022

MISSION TEAM 28

CHANGING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATORS AND STUDENT ONE EVENT AT A TIME ONE VOICE AT A TIME

TABLE OF CONTENTS MISSION TEAM BREAKDOWN

MEET THE TEAM

Mission Team Statement

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Mission Team Statement

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Abbie prescott

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Gideon Kariuki

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Vishnu Raghavan

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MISSION TEAM EVENTS

MEET THE TEAM Meet the Team

0405

Mission Team LeaderXochitl Mora Gamez Delaney Tunstall

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Brenna Wasson

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Hailey MccRea

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Bailey Shaw

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Impact

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Ginger Bread Houses and hot coco Valentine Card and Cookies Decorating Anxiety & Stress Workshop

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Vishnu's Internship: Working with the Youth at Juvenile

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Resources and Recommendations Resources and Recommendations Mission Team Q&A

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20 21

Mission Team Statement Our mission as a team is to educate students in our community, in order to enable them to have high levels of academic achievement, It is to enable students to reach and expand their potential, And to prepare them to become productive, responsible, ethical, creative and compassionate members of society.

Meet the Team

Change begins with us as future leaders and educators

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“EVERY CHILD DESERVES A CHAMPION— AN ADULT WHO WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON THEM, WHO UNDERSTANDS THE POWER OF CONNECTION, AND INSISTS THAT THEY BECOME THE BEST THAT THEY CAN POSSIBLY BE.” -Rita Pierson

Xochitl Mora Gamez Mission team Leader Hi my name is Xochitl Mora Gamez I am majoring Elementary Education (Bilingual Education/English as a Second Language) with a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. I am currently working as a Student Success health Ambassador at Arizona State University. I am volunteering in the Crisis Text Line helping texters with crisis receive proper aid in hard moments. I am a first generation student passionate about helping driven students achieve their dreams in getting a higher education. I believe that many aspects of modern day education are leading to less successful students and that changing policies and requirements for teachers can allow more students the tools and the education to pursue passions..

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“I AM NO LONGER ACCEPTING THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE. I AM CHANGING THE THINGS I CANNOT ACCEPT.” -Angela Davis, American political activist & academic

Delaney Tunstall Hello! My name is Delaney Tunstall and I am currently a freshman here at ASU. I am studying for my bachelor's in Political Science with a certificate in Cross-Sector Leadership. My dream career goal would be to become a campaign manager for prominent politicians in order to help our communities progress. On top of NGSC, I am also a member of the Black and African Coalition, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and of course Mission Team 28! My passion is advocating for equitable education throughout Arizona schools! I strive to spread the message that every child deserves an equal chance at success.

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"THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE THAT BELIEVE IN THE BEAUTY OF THEIR DREAMS" -Eleanor Roosevelt

Brenna Wasson Hi! My name is Brenna Wasson. I am in cohort 7 and I am currently a Freshman majoring in Elementary Education. I am planning on minoring in Psychology with the hopes of being a teacher and possibly school psychologist. I am passionate about helping children in need and being a role model in the classroom. Currently, I am a TA in the psychology preschool on campus.

I have loved being in this class and gaining experience on how to best support children's social and emotional development. It has been a great learning opportunity!

I am excited for my future in NGSC and getting to further purse my passion of being in educator in Mission Team 28: Education and Policy.

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"WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS" - Robert Ingersoli

Hailey MccRea Hi! My name is Hailey McCrea! I am in Cohort 7 and am currently a freshman at ASU! I recently changed my major from Political Science to Applied Mathematics for Life and Social Sciences. I am also working towards a Peace Corps Prep Certification as I hope to one day serve in the Peace Corps. After that, I hope to work on youth development in lowincome and/or marginalized communities.I am currently a volunteer at the Arizona Museum of Natural History, where I engage young children in educational enrichment activities. I am passionate about every child receiving a quality education, and am hoping to help fight for education equality while on Mission Team 28!

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"EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON WHICH YOU CAN USE TO CHANGE THE WORLD" -Nelsa Mandela

Bailey Shaw Hi there! My name is Bailey Shaw and I am in my third year here at ASU and I’m a member of Cohort 5 of the NGSC. I am majoring in Elementary Education, so I absolutely love engaging with Mission Team #28 Education and Policy and being able to participate in the education space here in Arizona. I believe that every single child is deserving of a quality education that allows for them to grow into themselves and discover their own passions. I, personally, am passionate about education reform and creating an education system that allows for all students to succeed and develop into competent, lifelong learners and leaders. I currently work in the Office of Applied Innovation at ASU as a Student Innovation Analyst where I do the background research necessary for our university to successfully be socially embedded in our community. In this, I do a lot of work in the education space in the Valley. I am excited to engage these in my career.

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"WHAT MAKES A CHILD GIFTED AND TALENTED MAY NOT ALWAYS BE GOOD GRADES IN SCHOOL, BUT A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD AND LEARNING." - Chuck Grassley

Abbie prescott My name is Abbie and I'm going into my Senior year at ASU as a Technical Communication major. I originally started at ASU as a Secondary Education major because I'm passionate about helping young students achieve their goals and equipping them with the tools they need to become strong adults.

However, I quickly realized that teaching was not the right path for me.

I still hope to make an impact in education by working in educational policy and writing educational standards and legal documents. I feel the current educational policy is too rigid, and focused only on one type of intelligence which presents through good grades and test scores. I believe there are many types of intelligence, and student's education should be developed based on their personal strengths. Additionally, I feel that education should be measured through progress, not perfection.

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"THE FUNCTION OF EDUCATION IS TO TEACH ONE TO THINK INTENSIVELY AND TO THINK CRITICALLY. INTELLIGENCE PLUS CHARACTER - THAT IS THE GOAL OF TRUE EDUCATION." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Gideon Kariuki My name is Gideon and I'm currently a third-year public service and public policy student, and a member of Cohort 5 of the NGSC. I also serve as the Program Director of the only student-run radio station at ASU, Blaze Radio.

I am passionate about education policy because I firsthand have seen the benefits of a good education from my own life and that of my relatives. Also as a public policy major and a member of this mission team, I have further learned how education policy shapes education at all levels.

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"EDUCATION IS NOT THE LEARNING OF FACTS BUT THE TRAINING OF THE MIND TO THINK" -Albert Einstein

Vishnu Raghavan Hello my name is Vishnu Raghavan. I am in Cohort 5 and am a junior. I am studying Political Science Major with a Minor in Spanish. I am passionate about education due to the injustice in the world for students and the lack of justice for educators. I love traveling the world and hiking. I am correctly at a internship helping youth in the Juvenile Probation for Maricopa County. Where I am working to educate and mentor the youth.

Impact “I gave [my students] a saying to say: ‘I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. I’ll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here.’”

-Rita Pierson

Networking

Monday, 29 March 2021 As the Semester ended and students began it was clear to our team that students needed an event where they could interact with others while doing a fun activity. In this event, we decorated gingerbread houses in the spirit of the winter season and offered hot chocolate.

Students were free to use decoration to express themselves and decorate cookies. While interacting with students and networking. Many students were able to meet new friends and engage with other mission teams. This benefits students in understanding networking and doing creative activities with other students.

We wanted to introduce Next Generation Service students to the Zen Den a space where Mission Team planned to have events. I wanted this event to be not just focused on the space and the importance of spaces like this in education but also on the importance of taking time for yourself and doing something that is fun and interacting with other students. In the event, students were able to socialize with education majors and the teacher's college, while also networking with NGSC students and our team.

Servive

Appreciation, It is clear that we at times do not appreciate those around us from teachers to classmates. We wanted this event to focus on appreciating each other and understanding the importance of each other while teaching a fun small way for future teachers to understand how a holiday like Valentine can be used to learn about each other. At the event student decorated cookies and cards that they were gifting to someone that they care for and sharing with each other and those they loved. We helped students understand the appreciation for others and how to appreciate even those we are close to but they need to be appreciated. The event went very well and we had tons of students who came in and excitedly made cards and decorated cookies.

Wednesday, 16 February 2022

Advocacy and Learning

Wednesday, 23March 2022 As we come out of the pandemic we see a spike in students stressors and anxiety due to being in the classroom both current students and future educators struggle to find ways to keep students motivated and reduce stress. We held this event for anyone that wanted to come from ASU students, future students, and individuals working in education to bring awareness to healthy and mindful ways to cope with stress and teach how to reduce anxiety. At this event Mission team 18 and 28 worked together and put together stations full of fun activates that educated about mindfulness and what to do in stressful moment's.

Advocacy and Learning

Vishnu's Internship: Working with the Youth at Juvenile Discussion My internship is with the Maricopa County Department of Juvenile Probation. This full-time internship helped me with education policy since I learnt the issues that many youth have in accessing education. I joined the internship with the intent to understand those individual who most need support and education. I felt that this would help me understand more about education and how policy had impact students. As a team we discussed the different ways teaching does not have to just happen in a traditional classroom but with anyone that wants to learn.

Department of Juvenile Probation for Maricopa County has taught me the value of education, and what can be done to fix education, specifically, the laws regarding children showing up to school.

Previously, I was not aware that, by law, one needed to be over sixteen to drop out of school; i.e., for those under sixteen, schooling was a requirement by the laws of Arizona. I learnt this during my Teen Court assignment for the job, in which I needed to observe proceedings to divert youth from the formal justice system. This internship taught me the penalties that can occur in regard to truancy, and the importance of education.

Resources and Recommendations Walk Out "Walkout" tells the story of the students in Los Angeles high schools in 1968, who stage a boycott of their schools in order to improve the quality of education for Chicanos.

The film was skillfully directed by Edward James Olmos, who presents the story in a simple, direct way. There was an especially frank portrayal of the unacceptable educational standards in the schools attended by the young Chicano students.

Waiting for “Superman” Nothing tugs at the heartstrings quite as hard as watching the hopes and dreams of ten-year-olds crushed right in front of them—but that’s exactly what happens to some of the characters in this unflinching critique of education in America. The film follows five young students from around the country as they and their families try to earn coveted spots at some of the country’s top-ranked charter schools. It all comes down to a lottery: if your name gets called, you’re in. If not, it’s back to the struggling neighborhood public school where, statistically speaking, kids are much less likely to succeed.

Waiting for “Superman” is a sobering—scratch that, maddening— reminder that, even in a country as wealthy as the US, a bad education can set a kid back for life.

Freedom Writers A dedicated teacher (Hilary Swank) in a racially divided Los Angeles school has a class of at-risk teenagers deemed incapable of learning. Instead of giving up, she inspires her students to take an interest in their education and planning their future. She assigns reading material that relates to their lives and encourages them all to keep journals. Showing them the meaning in writing and learning.

Resources and Recommendations Race to Nowhere Featuring the heartbreaking stories of students who have been pushed to the brink by the relentless pressure to achieve, Race to Nowhere points to a silent epidemic in our schools where cheating has become commonplace; students have become disengaged; stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant; and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.

The Knowledge Gap: The hidden cause of America's broken education system--and how to fix it It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware.

As Yet Untold When it comes down to it, do you know the people in your life as well as you think you do? Or are you surprised at how often you learn something new about them? Everyone has a story to tell, a collection of unique experiences, triumphs and struggles, highs and lows. Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, President & CEO of The Hunt Institute, is the host, and will be talking to some of the best known names in politics and education to get to the "real" story..

Mission Team Q&A What partners do you recommend?

We strongly recommend working with the Zen Den at the Mary Lou Fulton teachers college they were great to work with and always supported us in any of our ideas.

What are your future Goals?

Our Future Goal as a team is to increase the amount of events that we are able to do next semester while also increasing the amount of advocacy for education and change for education in our country

What was a highlight as a team?

Working together every time we met and came together to plan events the passion and creative was amazing. After each event were able to sit back and see the amazing things that we were able to do and the people we were able to meet

Thank you to everyone that attend our events and partnered with our team!

Extra Thanks toMission Team 18 The Zen Den Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College