Research and Service Go Together for School Leaders and L.A.Community

An early childhood literacy program that April Garcia has established this fall at her Catholic school in inner-city Los Angeles meets a research requirement for her studies in the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program, but it aims to accomplish much more than that.

The program gives toddlers an early exposure to literacy and gives their parents tips on how to nurture reading-related skills. It reflects the kind of "action research" that the Remick Leadership Program emphasizes, April says—a rigorously academic endeavor born out of a school's Catholic identity, aiming to solve problems, potentially providing a model for other schools, and hoping to improve lives in and out of the classroom.

"Everything we do here is for the sake of bettering the community," explains April, who is vice-principal of Mother of Sorrows School, serving a disadvantaged, largely Latino, neighborhood in South Central L.A.

Her aspiration for a career in Catholic school leadership prompted her to enter the Remick Leadership Program, and her recognition of a need led her to propose the toddler-and-parent outreach as action research. "I noticed that a lot of kids who had not gone to preschool really struggled with reading in kindergarten," a pattern which can hinder learning in later grades, April says. Hence, she wanted to explore early gains that might be made among children aged 2 and 3.

"Anything we can do to break the cycle of poverty, we will do," she says, citing the mission of the school, which operates with the support of a foundation tied to the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. That religious order—and the school—embrace the Vincentian charism of service.

So, on top of her duties as vice principal and the academic demands of the Remick Leadership Program's 26-month formation process, April took on hosting weekly one-hour sessions presenting early-literacy skills to about ten toddlers, each accompanied by parents or grandparents. During the sessions, she typically gives instructions in both Spanish and English and reads to the children in English. She's trying to encourage behaviors like recognizing one's name and sensing the meaning of print on paper, developing book-handling skills, and participating in word games; she also wants to empower parents as key participants in their children's growth as readers.

She is gathering data on the toddlers' progress and surveying the parents, preparing to assess the results and make recommendations in an action research report. April hopes the weekly sessions will improve literacy performance in her school's pre-K and kindergarten classes and, more importantly, will support parents as they fulfill their role as the primary educators of their children.

The report must be presented next summer, and shared with other educators, school leaders, and ACE faculty members, before she receives an M.A. in educational administration from the University of Notre Dame.

April knew what she was getting into because she was no stranger to the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE). She previously had begun her teaching career eight years ago through the formation process of the ACE Teaching Fellows initiative, and she developed a passion for literacy education. This ultimately led her to Mother of Sorrows School in 2010 because of an opportunity to assist in a literacy research project of Remick Leadership Program participant Jennifer Beltramo.

She knew that the Remick Program curriculum and professors would nurture her zeal to add to the body of knowledge about early literacy in bilingual settings. "The support is just incredible," says April. She credits valuable research guidance from Dr. Jim Frabutt, a member of the Remick faculty, as well as her classmates. Particular support for her early childhood program, which may continue in some form next semester while she seeks closure on her research, has also come from the Vanir Foundation, an ongoing supporter of Mother of Sorrows.

"That's the reason I'm at Mother of Sorrows—because of action research," she says. "I wanted to do something that could benefit the school and also do something beneficial long-term for the community—and perhaps for schools around us."

Meanwhile, she also realizes that, more than a year into the formation process of the Remick Leadership Program, she has changed as a person. "I've grown so much in my faith," April comments, adding, "If you didn't grow in that way, you could never serve as a leader in a Catholic school." She attributes part of her growth to the spiritual life that thrives among classmates during the summertime coursework at Notre Dame—a common feature of both the Remick Program and ACE Teaching Fellows.

The value placed on community and the shared mission of service to children are hallmarks of the Alliance for Catholic Education—and the same goes for Mother of Sorrows School, April says. "It's such an amazing place." The inner-city conditions and needs can be daunting, but someone's always trying something new to make things better, like the early childhood literacy program. "You watch and see what you're capable of doing."