Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Athens Board
8:00 am - 3:00 pm Tech Lab/Office Open
Room
1. Using Culturally and Linguistically Competent Approaches to Collect and Report Race, Paris B
Ethnicity and Language Data
* Session Presented Remotely
Wendy Jones, Director of Children & Youth with Special Health Care Needs Project, National
Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child & Human
Development, Washington, D.C.
More and more family-serving organizations are being asked to collect and report data on
the individuals and families that they serve. This request, often from funders, is required to
ensure that underserved and underrepresented populations are being reached. However,
there is more to collecting such data than meets the eye. Many organizations report that
staff and families are reluctant to ask and share such information, and that when in a bind,
some make assumptions about who is in the room or who’s being served based upon what
they see. In absence of collecting this data, organizations miss critical opportunities to (1)
develop policy, (2) accurately identify populations served as well as those who are not being
reached, and (3) plan for relevant services and supports.
Session Takeaways:
• Collecting data on race, ethnicity and language is easier than it is thought to be.
• Developing an organizational philosophy and script for responding to family’s questions
about the purpose and intended use of such data are critical keys to success.
• There are a number of tools to assist organizations on their journey to culturally and
linguistically competent data collection.
1. Refugee School Impact Grant (RSIG) Program: Support for Parents, Schools, and Youth Paris B
Lisa Bright, Community Education Coordinator, Colorado African Organization, Mirjana Bijelic
Olujic, International Kid Success Coordinator and Vicki Tomlin, Refugee School Impact Grant
Coordinator, Jewish Family Service of Colorado
This session will provide an overview of the Refugee School Impact Grant (RSIG) Program.
Specific program components will be highlighted including: a refugee parent engagement
model which uses “Community Navigators” to strengthen partnerships between schools and
refugee parents (Colorado African Organization), and an overview of the adjustment process
for refugee families and youth, along with key issues and concerns that accompany this
major life transition (International Kid Success, Jewish Family Service). The session will be
interactive with opportunities for questions and discussion. The RSIG Program overview will
provide participants with knowledge about the RSIG program components, implementation
sites, and intended outcomes.
Session Takeaways:
• Description of a model in which community members are empowered to take on leadership
roles and engage fellow community members in promising practices for engaging parents
• Use of the train-the-trainer model for information delivery among isolated communities as
an effective approach to provide needed information for often "hard to reach" communities
• Use of the Community Navigator model as a preventive approach to ensure support for
refugee student success and increased opportunities for integration of refugee children,
parents, and communities
• An overview of the adjustment process for refugee youth and families
• The impact and signs of trauma
• Factors affecting refugee students’ success in school
• Key issues and concerns that accompany this major life transition
Session Takeaways:
• Families can dream the dream of employment for their children with disabilities
• There are ways to inspire, empower and encourage employment options for all students
and adults
3:00 - 4:30 pm 2. Engaging with Families across the Literacy Spectrum: What Family Organizations Paris B
Can Do
* Session Presented Remotely
Wendy Jones, Director of Children & Youth with Special Health Care Needs Project, National
Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child & Human
Development, Washington, D.C.
Current research on literacy in the United States tells us that ninety million Americans or
approximately 45% percent of the adult population have limited functional literacy. This
means that family members and consumers may experience a high degree of difficulty
reading and understanding information, completing forms, navigating systems, accessing
services and supports, and communicating with service providers. Low literacy is a cross-
cutting issue regardless of geographic locale, gender, age, racial and ethnic diversity, and
socio-economic status. For educational, outreach and advocacy organizations there is a
critical need to tailor messages to meet the unique literacy and communication abilities of all
constituencies.
Session Takeaways:
• The importance of considering a range of options for addressing literacy, health literacy
and functional literacy when developing and adapting materials for families
• Culturally and linguistically competent outreach and engagement includes making
information available and accessible to families in a range of formats
• Low literacy can have a great impact on family’s ability to access needed services and
supports
• There are a number of approaches to assist in identifying preferences and needs of
individuals with low or no literacy for receiving information, and
• Tailoring educational messages and communication methods to increase accessibility of
services for families across the literacy spectrum is a necessary task.
4:30 - 5:00 pm Travel to Reception: Only about a 5 minute walk - maps will be available!