2020-2021_LU_ExecutiveSummary

The BERC Group EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY 2021
21 st Century Community Learning Center:
Lucille Umbarger Elementary School
YEAR 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
KERI LEVINSON M.ED.
RONAK PATEL, PH.D.
STACY MEHLBERG, PH.D.
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Executive Summary
Lucille Umbarger Elementary School served approximately 576 students in kindergarten
through eighth grades during the 2020-2021 school year. The school is located within the
Burlington-Edison School District in Burlington, Washington. Of the total school
population, over 70% identify as low income, and approximately one quarter of the
students are English Language learners. OSPI Report Card shows that for the 2018-2019
school year 1, 28% of students met ELA grade level standards, and 24% met math Grade
level standards.
The 21st CCLC at LU continued building their program, while also adjusting to the
expectations and challenges created by the COVID pandemic. The program director
shared, “I think this year the kids just really needed to connect with one another. The kids
were fairly individual this year, with school being remote. They have missed out on the
social connections.” In addition to this targeted attention to the social-emotional needs of
students, program staff continued to focus on the grant objectives.
1. Improve student academic achievement via literacy and STEM instruction,
regular homework help and subject-specific tutoring.
2. Increase student interest in school, especially in English, Math, and Science
through project-based learning and relevant service learning
3. Improve student self-efficacy, sense of agency, social-emotional learning and
school engagement
4. Increase sense of self and personal identity through place-based development of
cultural awareness and environmental literacy
5. Increase family literacy, bilingualism, and educational aspirations.
During interviews staff were asked to share their perceptions of student outcomes during
Year 4. The LU 21 st CCLC staff continued to focus on programming aligned with the
values and mission of the B&G Club, while also navigating the limitations placed upon
them as a result of the COVID pandemic. Program staff demonstrated a clear
commitment to serving students by providing high-quality academic and enrichment
opportunities, despite low attendance throughout the year. The program director shared,
“I am really impressed with the quality and structure of the programming. The staff have
it together. [They have a] community wall with the stars, the interactions are really
1 This was the most recent administration of state standardized tests. This information will be updated
when new scores are available.
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The BERC Group EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY 2021
positive, and the staff is working through and resolving issues consistently with kids.
[They] have been really successful with SEL and behavioral interventions.”
Staff members noted that they continued to reach out to teachers for student information
to better address individual needs. One staff member shared, “If a kid is falling behind, a
teacher might come to us and ask us if we can help them. [Our site coordinator] has been
good about talking with the staff, and has talked to the principal and front office. We are
talking about being more intentional, and thinking ahead for next year.”
In addition to academic support, the 21st CCLC staff provided enrichment opportunities
focused on social emotional learning and issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Program leadership and staff shared that most of the challenges during Year 4 were
directly related to the pandemic. COVID scheduling was difficult, as things would open,
then close, making it so the “window of opportunity did not always coincide with the
state and district regulations.”
In addition to Covid and attendance, staffing remained a persistent challenge for LU. The
site coordinator shared, “Here all of our part time staff are school district employees.
There are opportunities for district staff to grow through the school district, so we lose
staff sometimes to other opportunities.”
During interviews staff were asked to share their perceptions of student outcomes during
Year 4. Overall, staff noted that students seemed to benefit most from opportunities to
engage with their peers again after so much time isolated from friends and non-family
adults. Although it was difficult for staff to say with certainty whether students made
educational gains during Year 4, they did feel confident that students had developed more
adaptive social-emotional skills and were more able to build relationships and ask for
what they needed because of the individualized attention and support they received
throughout the year.
To continue to make improvements, we suggest the following recommendations:
• Collect and use data
• Strength community and family partnerships
• Prepare for program growth and think about long term sustainable plans
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• Increase student choice, voice, cooperative learning, and reflection in projects
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The BERC Group EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY 2021
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