Pr oject Impact f ocuses on incr easing the number of minority male teacher s

Community News

Project Impact is the vision of Chinaka DomNwachukwu, dean of the James R Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education, to locate, recruit, train, mentor and then deploy minority male teachers to classrooms throughout the inland area and the state

The goal of California State University, San Bernardino’s Project Impact, a community outreach initiative of the James R Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education, is direct: Help close the academic achievement gaps in the state’s K-12 schools, which will ultimately pay dividends in the classroom and its students through the recruitment, training and deployment of minority male teachers into California’s classrooms

Project Impact was a vision that Watson College of Education Dean Chinaka DomNwachukwu brought with him when he came to CSUSB It was born out of his own educational journey as a public school teacher in East Los Angeles in the 1990s He knew firsthand how it felt to be the only Black male teacher on campus at the K-12 schools where he worked

“Also knowing how my presence had a positive impact on the young Black men who were my students ” he added

For over two decades in California the academic achievement gap has been talked about DomNwachukwu saw that bringing more men of color into the classroom could have a direct impact on closing that gap by increasing both graduation and college-going rates and decreasing drop-out rates

When he sat down with CSUSB President Tomás D Morales for his interview, DomNwachukwu told Morales, “I would like to design a program that targets African American men in teaching

Morales’ response? “Absolutely ”

And Project Impact was born

Recognizing that the Inland Empire was predominantly a Hispanic community, DomNwachukwu knew he would need to extend his vision beyond the African American population But he also knew that Hispanic students had similar experiences and faced similar issues to the population of students he had initially focused on

Assistant Dean Becky Sumbera was on hand at the outset to help realize the vision She came to DomNwachukwu’s office one day to discuss one of her students with him

This student, a young African American man, was enthusiastic at the start of the semester about training to become an English teacher However, each week she watched him retreat further and further until, one day, he came to her and told her he was considering dropping out

“Nobody gets me,” he said “They are surprised I can write and read I just don’t feel like I belong ” Sumbera immediately stepped in to connect him with an African American male mentor along with other resources that he needed to complete the program This opened her eyes to the reality of the assumptions that people make based on the color of another individual s skin

She has been involved with the program ever since

The program’s dedication and commitment to helping its students succeed can be seen through the work of Gregory Richardson, who serves as Project Impact’s interim director Richardson, who is also the director of the Watson & Associates Literacy Center and a lecturer in the Watson College of Education’s doctoral studies program, “is doing a lot of leg work, connecting with the men, mentoring them, and holding Saturday workshops to enhance their skills and competencies ”

Richardson, who is in his third year at CSUSB, said Project Impact basically locates, recruits, trains and then deploys teacher candidates working with men of color

African American, Asian American, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans

“Our intent is to help them succeed throughout the whole process,” Richardson said

The program helps from the beginning when the students fill out the first application to apply to CSUSB, to helping them make the transition from the undergrad program or the liberal studies program into the credential program, helping them with that application process, Richardson said

And once in the credential program, Project Impact provides tutoring if the students are having difficulty with the academics or curriculum The program also puts the credential students in cohorts ensuring they are working closely with their colleagues, whether they’re taking the same course at the same time, but with the same instructor, with the same semester, or they’ve completed it before, Richardson said

Richardson said he also has monthly meetings with the students

“Our meetings are three hours long,” he said “The first hour, the students basically talk amongst themselves and their cohorts about what’s working, what's not working They talk about the instructors, the course load

“Basically, everything is going on the assignment just so they can succeed,” Richardson said “And then during the second two hours that are left, I either have a guest speaker come in or I will speak myself on different topics that would help them ”

DomNwachukwu said he also knew that making a vision real requires partnerships across the community He began building those partnerships with then-superintendent for Riverside County Schools, Judy White, who is a CSUSB alumna (’79) She now serves as a member of Project Impact’s board

White had observed the achievement gaps for African American students in Riverside County and realized that it was time to listen to these students’ voices A key issue was not having teachers who looked like them or, even more importantly, could not relate to them In fact, the percentage of men of color in the county’s classrooms was not only incredibly low, it did not reflect student demographics

Riverside provided the first Project Impact cohort of 10 in the spring of 2020 Currently, Project Impact is now on its fourth cohort, which began in fall 2022 with 30 men Replicability is key DomNwachukwu wished to create a model that other areas could adopt to grow the number of male teachers of color in their classrooms, too The intent to partner with even more school districts is both for collaboration and for them to “grow their own ”

As the program has continued, a further obstacle in training male teachers of color to become successfully credentialed in California has been identified: rigorous postbaccalaureate state requirements mean teaching applicants cannot hold down another job while they are in their 16-week clinical practice stage Two members of the first cohort, for example, had to drop out because they could not manage their living expenses during the program without paid income

White observed the same thing “It’s not just the cost of tuition It also includes tuition, books and accelerating their opportunity to be hired ”

Therefore, Project Impact is looking into the possibility of evolving into a paid internship Participants would then not have to worry about covering tuition and books as well as their living costs

Sumbera continues to actively follow up with the program’s graduates Current and past cohort members are invited to serve on panels at conferences, allowing participants to share their stories and serve as exemplars for men of color

A recent Project Impact three-person panel was composed of a new cohort member, one in their second semester and a graduate

“You could see the growth in confidence across these three individuals, confidence they had gained in telling their story over the course of their Project Impact training,” Sumbera said “It was an amazing demonstration of the effectiveness of the program ”

White remains fully committed to this initiative “I am so impressed by the caliber and passion of the people we are recruiting,” she said

She said she believes this will change the lives of students, especially those who come from communities where they do not see positive role models of men of color “They will see those models in their classrooms,” White said

By Manny Sandoval

Ronald McDonald HouseInland Empire recently underwent a major renovation, increasing the number of rooms available from 21 to 54

The house now boasts 46,000 square feet of space, making it one of the largest Ronald McDonald Houses in the country

The organization provides a home away from home for families with seriously ill children who are being treated at nearby hospitals

“To stay at the Ronald McDonald House, a doctor must recommend long-term care for a child, and a social worker will then recommend the family for a stay The house is located in close proximity to Loma Linda University Children’s Health, making it a convenient option for families in need,” said Development Director Annette Florez

Currently, the organization is seeking hairdressers to donate their time for haircuts, to give parents and families an opportunity to feel good and look good during a stressful and critical period in their life

“We’re seeking licensed professionals to come twice a month to provide services to families staying at the house Volunteers must be vaccinated and masked while pro- viding services We have a shop in the house and we already have some materials, including shampoo, conditioner, wash stations, and hair dryers available for volunteers to use It’s important to offer this to our families because oftentimes parents tend to forget about themselves during these experiences; and when you look good, you can feel a bit better,” continued Florez

The House also offers an Adopt a Room Program, which costs $5,000 a year for naming rights Out of the 54 rooms available, there are only 11 rooms that still need to be adopted

“The $5,000 goes back into the operation and upkeep of the room, helping to keep the daily fee low at $12 per night for families One of our recent Adopt a Room Donors Nancy Vasquez recruited 10 friends to split the $5,000, and when broken down it only cost each of them $1 40 per day to Adopt a Room and help a family in need,” concluded Florez

It costs the Ronald McDonald House - Inland Empire $2 3 million a year to operate the facility, so donations and volunteers are critical to keeping the house running and serving families in need To learn more about how to get involved or to make a donation, call (909)747-1200 or visit rmhcsc org/inlandempire