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Adopt A School: Providing Opportunities for Underprivileged Students

Liz McNeill, Biochemistry ‘16

Once a month, RWC science students and faculty gather together with the purpose of serving the inner city. The goal of Adopt A School is to foster enthusiasm for science by mentoring fourth grade students through monthly visits to Nathaniel Rochester Community School #3 (NRCS) in the City of Rochester.

Located in the Rochester Central School District, NRCS faces poverty and low student achievement. Rochester, New York is one of the poorest cities in the US, ranking as the fifth poorest principal city and having the highest rate of extreme poverty in the nation. In addition, NRCS has been identified by New York State as a "Priority School" in 2011-12, meaning that student achievement is in the lowest 5% of New York State. In addition, only 4% of students scored proficient on both the NYS English Language Arts assessment and the NYS Math assessment.

The Math and Science Club recognizes these needs, and joins NRCS as they seek to turn their school around. Through hands on learning and increased enthusiasm for science, the students gain knowledge of science concepts and apply them to the NYS science tests. One week each month, three RWC faculty members and 15-20 students visit NRCS with the purpose of teaching science lessons. After the professor shares a short lesson, the class is broken up into groups, and each RWC student continues to teach the lesson to the students through hands-on learning, peer discussion, and completion of worksheets. Each lesson consists of a specific topic that will be covered on the New York State 4^th Grade Science Test. In addition to monthly meetings, NRCS students are provided with the opportunity for a RWC Campus Visit. During the day of the visit, each hour spent on campus covers a different area of interest. In the past, students have participated in chemistry and biology labs, art projects, nursing demonstrations, and P.E. activities, all while touring the campus. The RWC Campus Visit further establishes the bond between students and RWC, increasing enthusiasm for science and higher education.

The Roberts Wesleyan College Adopt A School program hopes to enhance the current 4^th grade curriculum to address academic needs. The current 4^th grade curriculum will be rewritten and expanded to further prepare students for the NYS 4^th Grade Science test, specifically addressing areas in which students performed poorly in previous years. In addition to expanding the current 4^th grade program, Adopt A School has designed program that reaches the 3^rd grade students at NRCS. The involvement with the 3^rd grade program will increase the enthusiasm for science,  and will provide further mentoring relationships while establishing a foundation for the 4^th grade program. In addition, it will further establish the positive effects of the Adopt A School program, as it provides Adopt A School with the ability to work with students over two consecutive years. This further prepares the students for success in the 4^th grade, and for success throughout their school experience.