R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises, Inc.





	Recent Successes ... California GEAR UP Resources & Materials Clearinghouse College Board Teacher Training Workshop California Education Roundtable Professional Development Conference California GEAR UP Family Services Initiative Edendale Middle School After-School Support Services College Board Dream Deferred Conferences Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH) Stanford Medical Youth Science Program California GEAR UP Resources & Materials Clearinghouse The heart of any successful program is the people that it serves. When creating the Resource & Materials Clearinghouse for California GEAR UP, students were at the heart of our planning. R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises first performed a needs assessment conducting extensive research with educators, students, and parents to determine the key resources and materials needed to open opportunities for young students. We then set about organizing and gathering those elements in one place: the Clearinghouse. The program focuses on one goal: fostering a college-going culture among the state's young students and providing them, their teachers, and their parents with the skills and tools they'll need to get there. To accomplish this objective, we had to do so within limitations of a five-year federal grant. Because we made a point to understand the funding requirements of the GEAR UP grant, and because of our extensive network of contacts within the education community, we were able to attract partners to leverage in kind services to serve as match dollars for our client's federal grant. These partnerships and matching funds were critical to creating what is now a model program for GEAR UP programs nationwide. Back to top College Board Teacher Training Workshop The true power of leverage was exemplified when R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises was retained to train the consultant staff of the College Board. The ultimate objective in this endeavor was to help the organization achieve its goal of providing comprehensive training to high school teachers so that they each could be armed with a more concrete understanding of the exam and thereby empowered to efficiently train their students using proven test-taking strategies. Our approach required understanding the learning challenges of the end users (the students), the skills and needs of intermediate client (the teachers), and the abilities and time limitations of our primary client (College Board consultants). R.T. Fisher designed course materials and delivery strategies that provided the tools that the College Board consultants needed to help high school teachers be more effective with their students. Best of all, the high school teachers were given a curriculum that was integrated with the state standards, which included test-taking strategies that could improve student achievement in many testing situations. Back to top California Education Roundtable/Cal-SOAP Professional Development Conference The Intersegmental Coordinating Committee (ICC) of the California Educational Roundtable, along with leadership from the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), recognized that many of California's student outreach programs were challenged in their coordination efforts due to perceived instances of service duplication. The two organizations addressed that challenge by retaining R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises to help develop and produce the Professional Development Conference for Statewide Pre-College Academic Preparation Program Staff. This conference brought together representatives from 18 different outreach programs across California. The conference target audience was surveyed to determine their specific needs and this research provided the basis for all core content development. With direction from a planning committee, R.T. Fisher staff identified content needs, secured conference facilitators and speakers, and on the day prior to the event, provided a train-the-trainer workshop for conference presenters to help polish their presentations and to insure that content and delivery was in line with the goals of the conference. R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises also provided all of the conference logistical support, including contracting the facilities, coordinating conference mailings, managing registration, and creating a final post-conference report for the participants. Back to top California GEAR UP Family Services Initiative Parents and family are integral pieces of the educational success puzzle, but they are often among the hardest people to reach effectively. Breaking through life's distraction to get the attention of these busy parents requires a strong message and one that is delivered effectively and repeatedly. With the goal of dramatically improving participation and outcomes, California GEAR UP retained R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises to develop and implement a family outreach protocol and test it in 10 target middle schools. With the goal of maximizing parent participation at a series of five family workshops over a 10-week period, R.T. Fisher staff developed a multi-pronged campaign of direct contact. Utilizing a contact-intensive program of direct mail, follow-up phone calls, pre-workshop reminder calls, post-workshop evaluation surveys, and personal reinforcement on workshop days, we were able to maintain and build parental commitment to the program. This focused approach paid off as parental participation and session-to-session retention rates far exceeded initial expectations. But in the end, the real winners are the students who gained an informed advocate for their college aspirations. Back to top Edendale Middle School After-School Support Services R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises began providing in-class and after-school academic support services to Edendale Middle School in San Lorenzo, California through a collaborative effort with the Southern Alameda County Regional Educational Alliance (SACREA). As part of this program R.T. Fisher provided an in-class educational specialist to provide intensive intervention support to students struggling in mainstream and specialized math courses. R.T. Fisher also developed After-School Homework Centers for the general sixth through eighth grade school population. Based on the success of these programs the district has since contracted with R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises to develop and implement after-school programs at Edendale for the next five years. In the first year of the contract, R.T. Fisher has enhanced the academic productivity of After-School Program by providing daily homework centers, weekly college workshops for middle school students, hands-on academic and career-oriented courses and recreational programs and events. We will continue to evaluate, fine-tune, and evolve these after school programs to meet the changing needs of our students. Back to top College Board Dream Deferred Conferences Five years ago R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises was contracted by the College Board's Western Regional office to develop and implement a two-day educational conference to bring together educational and community leaders to address the critical issues in the education of African American students. The inaugural Dream Deferred Conference was an unqualified success and participants have returned to four subsequent Dream Deferred Conferences to continue to discuss the issues and explore options to help resolve these critical issues. R.T. Fisher has assisted College Board in the planning, development and implementation of each Dream Deferred conference by providing pre-conference and on-site management services including developing workshop content, securing presenters, developing conference support materials, facilitating pre-conference and conference session, and assisting with on-site registration and conference management. Back to top Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH) Level Playing Field Institute R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises provides program development, train-the-trainer, and standardized test preparation services to the Level Playing Field Institute's Summer Math and Science Honors Academy (SMASH). SMASH provides college preparation and educational support services to high-achieving, low-income students of color from the Bay Area including a five-week residential program where students attend rigorous classes at UC Berkeley. R.T. Fisher staff developed course content and materials, provided teacher training for SMASH teachers, and facilitated Standardized Test Preparation courses for students. The test prep classes familiarized students with the content, structure, timing, and test preparation techniques for the SAT and ACT which resulted in higher test scores for the students taking these college entrance exams. Back to top Stanford Medical Youth Science Program Stanford University R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises provides complete college advisement and test preparation services to The Stanford Medical Youth Science Program, a summer residential learning opportunity for rising 11th and 12th grade students from low-income, underrepresented families who are interested in entering the health professions. Throughout the summer and academic school year, R.T. Fisher lends our expertise by advising the program participants and families through the often-confusing waters of the college admission and financial aid processes. R.T. Fisher staff assists students in researching and selecting colleges that fit their criteria and helps them develop a competitive college portfolio. To help them reach their college goal, R.T. Fisher provides Standardized Test Preparation courses aimed at enhancing success with the SAT and ACT college entrance exams. Because we understand that the choice to attend college is often a family decision, R.T. Fisher also provides parent workshops aimed at increasing parent knowledge of the college admissions and financial aid processes. Back to top