Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

Direct Connection to Policy Area 2 of The Illinois Commitment
REAL (Rockford Educational Alliance) Experience
Northern Illinois University
What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice?
The primary objective of the REAL (Rockford Educational Alliance) Experience is to enhance P-12 student
achievement and to encourage P-12 students to begin thinking about attending college
(http://www.projectreal.niu.edu/projectreal/default.shtml). To address the goal of improving student performance in
four schools in Rockford, so that 75 percent of the students meet or exceed state standards at the end of five years, the
REAL Experience partners selected the “professional development school” model, which has shown that such efforts
result in higher student achievement. The partners collaborate in six areas: improving teaching, training and
supporting school leaders, providing diverse clinical experiences for pre-service teaching candidates, improving
teacher education programs at NIU and Rock Valley College, recruiting new teachers for the Rockford public
schools, and shared decision-making. Among the initiatives included in the educational alliance is the REAL NIU
Experience, which provides an opportunity for some Rockford public school freshmen and sophomores to learn
outside traditional classrooms, to become excited about learning, and to see what college life is all about. These
students are selected based on their potential for college study.
Description of the effective practice:
The REAL NIU Experience is part of Project REAL, a multi-year TQE grant wherein teachers, pre-service teacher
candidates, and teacher educators work together to improve student achievement. The REAL NIU Experience is a
program offered for one week in the summer on the NIU campus for Jefferson High School students. In summer
2005, 33 Rockford students spent one week participating in mathematics and science activities with faculty from the
Colleges of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Health and Human Sciences, and Liberal Arts and Sciences.
These students built bridges, created animations and computer simulations, painted and created art projects, measured
and analyzed hearing, and participated in a “crime scene investigation.” The freshman who attended in 2005 were so
excited about their experiences that they established the “NIU Club” at Jefferson High School and initiated
fundraising activities so they could return to the NIU campus in summer 2006. The TQE grant only covers the
support of freshman students in the REAL Experience. In the second year, another 30 freshman and the 30
sophomores from 2005 participated in an expanded experience that included faculty from the Colleges of Education,
Engineering and Engineering Technology, Health and Human Science, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Visual and
Performing Arts.
How does this practice achieve sustainability?
The grant funding covers much of the expenses associated with the students’ on-campus experience. Jefferson High
School students who participated in 2005 wished to return for a second summer with an extended experience, and
they conducted a fund-raising campaign throughout the year. While not sufficient to completely cover the expenses
associated with their participation, the funds raised contributed to the overall costs of 30 sophomores on campus for
one week.
In addition to the expenses associated with the students, costs are also associated with faculty time, equipment, and
building use. For the two years of the REAL NIU Experience, NIU’s facilities were used at no additional cost to the
project. In the second year, the facility use expanded to computer labs and an art gallery/museum. Several faculty
volunteered their time to plan and implement the program.
While not participating directly in the summer program, Jefferson High School teachers contributed time and energy
to working with the students who have participated in the program over the past two years. They contributed time to
working with students in selecting those who would participate, helping them to prepare for the week-long
experience, and assisting in follow-up activities during the school year.
Twenty NIU students served as REAL NIU Experience counselors and mentors over the two-year period. Several of
them requested opportunities to complete clinical and student teaching experiences at Jefferson High School. Their
participation in the program introduced them to a group of students who interest them as future educators.
What are the results/measurable outcomes?
Much of the information gathered regarding the program is descriptive and qualitative in nature. There are notable
aspects of the REAL NIU Experience that impacted student performance in school. Those students who participated
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