In addition to curriculum development and teacher profes- sional development, the program includes family support, vol- unteer opportunities for engineers, and an ongoing evaluation in order to continue to ensure effectiveness. Each grade level is assigned a distinct focus: Kindergar- teners are Little Civil Engineers. First grade, Little Chemical Engineer; second grade, Little Electrical Engineer and third grade is Little Mechanical Engineer. The summer after third grade, students attend a three-week Summer Math & Science Enrichment Program when funds are available. In 2012, the program extended its reach to include Little Structural Engi- neers in grade four and, in 2014 fifth grade was added. Hill is adamant that you cannot be a successful engineer without a solid math foundation. So, on a cool, windy day in early May, more than 40 fifth grade students and their parents stood waiting in the early morning chill to board the bus to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study math with professors from the university. This was the first of four weeks of math instruction with U of I professors in both Chicago and Urbana-Champaign.
The ChiS&E program operates in seven schools in five low-income communities of color on the South and West sides of Chicago. Students and their parents meet for three hours a week on Saturdays. Initially classes were held at the Museum of Science & Industry and Illinois Institute of Technology. Now classes are held at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In the summer of 2010, the Center for Elementary Math- ematics and Science Education (CEMSE) at the University of Chicago undertook a year-long independent evaluation of ChiS&E to determine how well the program is reaching its goals. It was led by consultants Maurice Samuels, lead evaluator, and David Beer, principal investigator. In the fall of 2011 results of the evaluation were released. The Center found that ChiS&E was successfully “implementing its theory of change,” mentoring teachers, developing Saturday morning sessions for families, and providing parents with training that supports their child’s development, emotionally and mentally.
“The program has provided children and their parents with content and knowledge in engineering areas selected by grade level,” reported Maurice Samuels. The evaluation also found that the program builds parents’ capacity to support their children’s development. “Our program educates parents so that they can be successful partners with teachers in the education of their children,” confirms Hill.
On any given Saturday, you can find children and their parents problem-solving together, heads brushing against one another as they labor over an experiment or other activ- ity. “Parents don’t miss a session,” said Hill. “It’s required by the contract they sign to join the program. It’s also because they love seeing how much fun their children have learning about science.”
Father and daughter work on an experiment together at the Museum of Science & Industry.
“My child loved the magnetism activity,” said one parent who was interviewed as part of the evaluation. "It makes me feel good to see my child so excited about something so educational.” ChiS&E has big plans for future engineers. The program will expand through seventh grade to engage parents and children in algebraic thinking. It has partnered with the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) so that when the students outgrow ChiS&E, NACME will be there to take them the rest of the way. But for now, Kenneth Hill is reminded of his own experience as a young boy growing up in a fam- ily of humble means. He had an erector set that was so big it covered the entire living room of his family’s tiny apartment. Despite the inconvenience it might have caused, his fascination with all those moving parts was not only permitted but encour- aged, planting the seed for his future as a chemical engineer and a drum major for the next generation of engineers. ME
Barbara Kensey is an award-winning public relations consultant, writer, and pioneer in African American tourism as a creator of Chicago’s first comprehensive visitors guide to Black history and culture. She has written for a number of local and national publica- tions, including Essence, Savoy, N’Digo, Pathfinders Travel Magazine, and online for
www.ebonyjet.com.
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