September 2010: Special Edition > Data-Driven Superstar at PUC Schools

Background

We have three big goals over here. To make sure that every tutor, mentor and coach we serve is getting the personalized support they need to deliver the best services possible. To make sure that every tutor, mentor and coach we serve is making time for meaningful reflection and planning. To make sure program staff members are getting the information they need for reporting, tracking, grant writing, evaluation, and, most importantly...constant program improvement. Our clients want to use data the way their students and mentees  want them to use it: to constantly make programs even better for students and mentees. The Challenge With smaller budgets, longer hours and more responsibilities, how can we find time to regularly use data to improve our programs, not just before the next program year begins, but throughout the year, for the CURRENT group of individuals being served? Kelly Montes de Oca, this month’s Superstar, at an extended day tutor training earlier this year. Meet Our “Data-Driven Superstar” Kelly Montes de Oca, PUC Schools’ Chief Academic Officer in Los Angeles, knows how to use data to constantly improve the lives of PUC’s students. Check out the PowerPoint deck below to see how Kelly uses information coming in from her tutors’ weekly reflections and reports to structure high impact training and support workshops that are aligned with her tutors and students’ current needs. We hope that Kelly’s work will inspire you think about how your program can use data this school year to constantly improve programming.  Definitely contact us if you’d like a free brainstorming partner in that effort.

Kelly’s PowerPoint Deck

The big deal: Kelly asks her tutors to reflect upon and share their weekly, most pressing goals and challenges.  Rather than solely presenting her tutors with a predetermined training curriculum, she uses the goals and challenges that tutors report to help shape her ongoing support and training workshops throughout the year.  Again, this isn’t a one-time practice.  Nor is it something that’s done before each school year to make things better for “next year’s students.”  It’s a constant practice.

Take Note…

• Notice how Kelly shares her tutors’ aggregated data with them (slides 4 and 5).  If you ask your tutors, mentors or coaches to complete regular reflection & reporting logs, the practice of sharing and discussing their aggregated data is a great way to communicate that their data isn’t going into a black hole.  You’re paying close attention to their experiences and to their goals and challenges.
  
  
• Notice how Kelly details what she’s going to do with the data (slide 6).  Building on the practice discussed above, Kelly not only says, “We hear you.”  She then communicates, “…and we’re here for you.”

Attend a Planning & Action Hour!

We lead free, web-based Planning & Action Hours each month to help youth and adult development and education organizations to take stock of and make concrete plans to strengthen their operations in specific areas. This month’s Planning & Action Hour: Taking Stock of and Strengthening Training, Monitoring, and Support Practices

Special Post: Middle School Girls & Body Image

It’s rare that we post anything on our Network Superstars blog beyond our more formal, monthly celebrations of the amazing volunteers, AmeriCorps members, coaches, and student teachers we serve; but, the following PowerPoint deck just came across our computer screens, and we think it’s worthy of a special mention. 

Recently, Girls For A Change coaches Gloria Downey and Michele Robertson were preparing to work with their eighth grade girls on a project around how the media shapes girls’ ideas of how their bodies should look.  To help get the conversation started, Gloria and Michele created the following PowerPoint presentation.

Here’s what Gloria wrote about the PowerPoint when she shared the strategy on the America Learns Network: “We wanted to show the girls what some celebrities are doing to change how body image is portrayed in the media. We did research and created the attached PowerPoint.”

Check it out.  You may find it to be a terrific resource to launch conversations around this extremely important issue.

Stars We Love, by Girls For A Change

April 2010: Eleanor Rouse – Somatic Strategies Superstar

Background

ELEANOR ROUSE. AWESOME. Eleanor Rouse has almost single handedly built up the somatic (mind, body, and heart) side of the America Learns National Strategy Library. During the 2009-10 school year, this Girls For A Change coach created a number of innovative, effective strategies to help middle school girls focus and center themselves, ultimately leading to greater concentration and teamwork throughout each session. You’ll see one of those strategies below. Like Megan Conners, who we’re also celebrating this month, Eleanor is one of the few individuals we’ve served since 2003 who has shared three or more strategies that were promoted to the America Learns National Strategy Library. MORE ABOUT ELEANOR Eleanor didn’t pull her strategies out of thin air. On top of her work in the nonprofit space (she has managed two arts organizations and raised more than $5 million for a number of organizations, including Girls For A Change), Eleanor coaches and facilitates workshops for clients who are interested in connecting deeply with their authentic selves and their own concept of a Higher Power.  From that place, her clients create greater fulfillment in life, work and relationships.  Learn more about Eleanor’s company. ADVICE FOR USING HER STRATEGIES When we asked Eleanor to share some advice that others can use as they try out her strategies, she noted that, “The girls think I'm crazy when I try somatic coaching practices with them; however, I always notice a difference in their own presence and energy, even if we do it for just a few seconds. Particularly for middle school girls, it helps them become ready to listen to each other and to participate with a bit more concentration during the meeting.”

Not Familiar with Girls For A Change?

If you’re not familiar with the work of Girls For A Change, invest 60 seconds in a video that was recently produced by TNT.  We’re so proud of (and blown away by) the amazing accomplishments and impact that this organization continues to have around the world.

Eleanor’s Strategy

Presence Practice (Centering & Grounding for Girls) Created by: Eleanor Rouse, Girls For A Change (America Learns Network member since July 2008) Topics: Check In/Check Out Activities to Begin Sessions Grade Levels: Sixth - Eighth Arrangements: Small Group; Large Group - - - - - - - - - - - - Situation: Our middle school girls have a lot of physical energy after school, so we wanted to try out a grounding practice to see what the impact would be on their ability to channel their energy and to be present for themselves, for each other, and for the meeting.     Step 1: As an intro to check in, we had them stand in a circle feet hip width distance apart (a good solid stance).  We then asked them to close their eyes.  Girls who are uncomfortable with closing their eyes in the group may stare towards a single spot on the floor.     Step 2: Said to the girls, "Feel tree roots coming out of your feet, grounding you into the floor and the Earth. Raise one of your hands above your head and pull a string as if you were pulling the top of your head to the sky. Feel your length."     Step 3: Then, "Open your arms and hands wide to the side. Breathe into your heart, your belly, your chest. TAKE UP SPACE. Take up your rightful space in this room, on this team. Feel how wide you can be."     Step 4: Next, "Now imagine you have a dragon tail coming off the back of your body 30, 40 feet long. Big fat, heavy, scaly. It can be any color you want it to be -- green and scaly, purple with sparkles etc. Imagine this tail holds everything you've lived in your 11, 12 ,13 years. Now lean back against it. Let it hold you up."     Step 5: Lastly, "Breathe deep into your belly. Let your belly get very big as if you were pregnant. As girls and women we're always told to hold in our bellies, let it out. Breathe low and deep."     Step 6: We debriefed with them about how creating social change (a core focus of the Girls For A Change program) means we have to be very grounded in our own bodies and have the presence of a leader. Then we had them do check in without words -- acting out with their bodies what animal they would be.  It was challenging for some of them to not use words and to not be self conscious but they all did it. The rest of the meeting felt far more calm than usual.  And we pulled "centering and presence" back in later in the meeting when we asked them to visualize their neighborhoods and feel what they want to be different.

Attend a Planning & Action Hour!

Individuals attend these sessions to reflect upon, take stock of, and begin making concrete plans to improve their tutor, mentor, and/or coach training, monitoring, and support practices. The session is ideal for administrators and coordinators of volunteer-, AmeriCorps-, and service learning-driven organizations. >> Learn more & reserve your spot today.

April 2010: Megan Conners – Speed Dating Towards Improved Literacy Skills

Background

WHAT ARE THEY PUTTING IN THEIR WATER? Literacy AmeriCorps Palm Beach County does an absolutely amazing job of recruiting, training and supporting its AmeriCorps members.  If you ever need to find some of the most talented, creative, passionate tutors and staff members serving adult learners, look no further than this program. Case in point: Megan Conners YOU MAY KNOW MEGAN ALREADY. Megan became one of our America Learns Network Superstars last October.  Since that time, she created and shared a number of additional strategies that have not only been included in her organization’s own America Learns Network strategy library, but also in the America Learns National Strategy Library – the most thorough collection of the best youth development, youth education, and adult literacy strategies that were created by tutors, mentors, coaches, and student teachers in the field. SPEED DATING TOWARDS IMPROVED LITERACY SKILLS Check out the strategy below to learn how Megan created a speed dating-based activity to help her adult English language learners become far more comfortable with asking and responding to questions. Be sure to leave a comment for Megan at the bottom of this post to let her know what you think about her strategy!

Megan’s Strategy

Speed Dating (Asking & Responding to Questions) Created by: Megan Conners, Literacy AmeriCorps Palm Beach County, Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County (America Learns Network member since August 2009) Topics: English Language Learners Asking & Responding to Questions Arrangements: Small Group; Large Group Materials: Index cards and tape for name tags Speed dating questionnaire sheets with separate boxes for each student to interview half of the class (regular sheets; present perfect tense sheets) Pencils or pens A long table or desks pushed together - - - - - - - - - - - - Situation: I wanted to give my students a fun and interesting way to practice asking and answering questions in English. The students constantly see questions on the board and in textbooks, but rarely do these modes of learning force the students to pose questions out loud.  In the end, they gain the confidence in answering questions, but not in asking their own. My goal with this "speed dating" activity was to involve everyone in an exciting, interactive speaking and listening activity that would help them to become less fearful of asking questions to others.     Step 1: Give each student an index card with a typical English name on it. Attach tape to the back and have each student wear it as a name tag (they love this!). With only one male in my class, I chose to assign half of the students as boys and half as girls.     Step 2: On a new index card, ask each student answer the speed dating questionnaire questions for their own character.  (If your students need practice with the present perfect tense, consider using these questions instead.) Remind them that as they answer the questions, they are not writing about themselves, but about the fictional person they’re acting as.  Tell them to be creative with their answers because the activity will be more fun that way.  (In our game, the characters with the crazy answers were the ones that proved to be more desirable.) Depending on the level of your students, you might want to give them prompts for the answers, such as "I like to...", to which the student could respond in many normal or more imaginative ways. My students prepared six complete sentence answers, but this number can be adapted depending on the amount of time you wish to spend on this activity. NOTE: You can also consider brainstorming with your students about what questions should appear on the questionnaire.     Step 3: Tell your students that they will all be going speed dating! You may need to explain and/or demonstrate this concept, and then move around the classroom furniture so that the "boys" and "girls" can sit across from each other. Give them the speed dating questionnaire sheets, which should contain all of the written-out questions that they answered on their index cards earlier. Each boy should interview each girl for a set amount of time (we took approximately four minutes), and then the girl will interview the boy for the same amount of time.  If your students are ready for the challenge, encourage them to also ask one or two questions that are not on the sheet. Everyone should write down the responses of the person he or she is interviewing, in complete sentences if time permits.  After each pair of students interview one another, the students on one side of the table will shift down one seat, with the last person moving to the other end of the table.  Eventually, each boy will talk with each girl.     Step 4: Once everyone is finished interviewing, tell the students that they must decide which of the people they interviewed would be the best match for their character. They must then secretly write down the name of the character they chose on the back side of their questionnaire sheet.     Step 5: Now the game show begins! As the teacher, you become the game show host.  Your goal is to make love matches. Call up one student at a time (using his or her character name), and ask who they chose as their match. They must then explain to the class why they chose the person they did, using complete sentence answers. For example, "Brian" might tell you, "I chose Sarah because she likes to go to the beach and she does not like to eat insects." As game show host, you now ask Sarah to stand up and show the back side of her sheet. If it says "Brian," a love match has been made and the class will probably applaud and be very excited. If it does not have Brian's name on it and has for example, "James," written on it, you will ask James to come up to the front and show the audience who he chose. The activity continues in this way until everyone has the chance to stand up and try to make a match with someone else. The important thing is that each time someone tells the audience who he or she chose, they also must explain "why" using complete sentence answers from the responses they received from one another during the interview process. The class will also have a great time pretending to participate in a real game show, and will be proud of themselves for asking questions, interpreting answers, and explaining their reasoning in English!

Attend a Planning & Action Hour!

Individuals attend these sessions to reflect upon, take stock of, and begin making concrete plans to improve their tutor, mentor, and/or coach training, monitoring, and support practices. The session is ideal for administrators and coordinators of volunteer-, AmeriCorps-, and service learning-driven organizations. >> Learn more & reserve your spot today.

February 2010: “I Don’t Like Writing” Has Met its Match: Stephen Merritt

Background

YOU KNOW THE SITUATION.  One of the most common challenges faced by tutors, mentors, and others in the youth development space revolves around engagement.  How do I engage my student in a learning opportunity when it seems like the student doesn’t want to learn? NOW, APPLY THAT ISSUE TO TEACHING WRITING. Let’s assume that you’ve already taken steps to begin building a safe, trusting relationship with your student.  What are some of the things you can you do when it seems like your student doesn’t want to improve his writing skills? (By the way, if you need guidance in building a safe, trusting relationship with your student, click the Getting to Know Your Student/Mentee link on the right side of this page.  If your organization is an America Learns Network member, you can also access a ton of other strategies on the Network.) IF WE WERE FACED WITH THIS CHALLENGE, ONE OF THE PEOPLE WE’D CALL IS STEPHEN MERRITT. Stephen, a City Year Chicago AmeriCorps Member, recently shared a strategy that he created to motivate his second and third graders to practice their writing skills when they didn’t want to write.  The strategy is beautifully simple and can be adapted in a number of ways.  When you read it below, you’ll instantly see how certain students would take to it. MORE ABOUT STEPHEN: Stephen is a Service Leader on the Alter Group Team at Harvard School of Excellence.  He’s also an alum of City Year Detroit, where, he told us, “I discovered that I could work with kids as a career.”  Watch the following YouTube video to listen to Stephen discuss his experiences with City Year and how giving two years to serve has impacted his life.

The Strategy

From Play-Doh to Writing (Easy, Creative Writing Prompt for Students Who Don't Want to Write) Created by: Stephen Merritt, City Year Chicago Service Leader  (City Year Chicago  has been an America Learns Network member since 2005.) Topic: Writing & Revising Text Grade Levels Used With: Second & Third Arrangements: One-on-One; Small Group; Large Group Materials: - 1 can of Play-Doh (See Step 1 below for alternatives) - Paper and pencil for your student - An imagination - - - - - - - - - - - - Situation: Some of my students would struggle in the writing section. They would say they have nothing to write about and nothing interests them. I needed to come up with a strategy to get my students writing about anything.     Step 1: I give the students some Play-Doh and ask them to make anything they want to make in a given amount of time (e.g., five minutes). Can’t get your hands on a can of Play-Doh? Give your students a piece of paper and ask them to turn it into a sculpture of anything.  Or try giving your students a writing utensil and paper, and then ask them to draw anything.     Step 2: After my students finish sculpting their Play-Doh, I ask them to write a story describing their creation. The story can be out anything.  We just want to get the student writing so that he can continue to practice and improve his skills.  Some sample topics are: A story about how the student decided to create that object A piece on what the student thinks about making things of Play-Doh A story about what would happen if one student’s object was hanging out one day and then suddenly ran into a Play-Doh object that another student created. A story about this object being found by people (or other life forms) one million years from now.  Will they know what it is?  What do you think they would do with it? What if your object was placed in a fish tank. What would the fish think? (Note, Play-Doh should not be placed in fish tanks :-). Imagine that this object would be given to somebody as a prize or as an award.  What would the prize or award be for? If any of your students have a tough time coming up with a topic, prompt them with questions such as: What made you want to create that? Does it have a name?  Should it have a name?  How come? If it should have a name (but doesn’t have one yet), what would you name it? Where does it come from? What does it do?  (If the student says that it doesn’t do anything, you can ask questions like, “How come?” or “What can one do with it?”) Use other questions to encourage your students to think deeply about what they are going to write. All of a sudden, you’ll have a piece of writing that you can work with to help your students continue learning about how to improve their writing skills.     Step 3: If your organization uses the America Learns Performance Measurement & Learning Network, the following strategies may help you bring additional value to this activity for your students: What to do When Writing Overwhelms Your Student The Three Most Helpful Prompts While Spelling & Writing Using Descriptive Words to Enhance Writing Story Building with Story Boarding  Giving Feedback on Your Student’s Writing

Give Stephen a Shout Out.

Can you use or adapt Stephen’s strategy for your students?  Has Stephen ignited your own creativity in a way that lead you think of a completely new strategy that will accomplish similar same goals? Please click the “Comments” link below and let Stephen know what you’re thinking!

Technorati Tags: City Year,AmeriCorps,America Learns,America Learns Network,America Learns Network Superstars,Tutoring,Mentoring,Youth Development,National Service

January 2010: Stephanie Avalos, Nicole Eugenio & Letty Cejo Found an Innovative Way to Motivate Students to Behave and Become Engaged in After School Activities

Background

IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO: You’re tutoring a bunch of 6th, 7th and 8th graders afterschool One of the students misbehaves all of the time You and your fellow tutors all have walkie talkies - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - YOUR CHALLENGE Lead the misbehaving student to behave and to become far more engaged in the scheduled after-school activities (academic enrichment, sports, homework help, and more).  Your solution must have short- and long-term impacts on the student’s behavior. MEET OUR SUPERSTARS. As you think of your solution, check out the video and strategy below from three PUC Schools extended day tutors who hurdled the challenge with flying colors.  You’ll learn how Stephanie Avalos, Nicole Eugenio, and Letty Cejo used walkie talkies to motivate one of their students to behave better over the long run while engaging that student deeper in extended day activities.

The Strategy

Walkie Talkie Cooperation Created by: Stephanie Avalos, Nicole Eugenio, Letty Cejo, PUC Schools (America Learns Network member since 2009) Topics: Behavior Engagement & Motivation Grade Levels Used With: Sixth - Eighth Arrangements: Small Group; Large Group Materials: - Walkie talkies for each tutor - Cards or certificates to award students (sample certificate; sample card 1; sample card 2) - - - - - - - - - - - - Situation: One of our students was disruptive and mischievous every single day. Our normal disciplinary actions (e.g., verbal warnings, office referrals, one-on-one intervention) were ineffective.     Step 1: Offering Specific, Positive Feedback Watch for and offer specific praise for any signs of good behavior, and praise your student for that good behavior as soon as you see it happen. Offer specific praise for good behavior, such as "Thanks for sitting quietly!" or “You did a great job of listening to me while I explained the instructions to the game. Your good listening helped everything run really well. Thank you.” It’s so important to be specific so that students really learn the reasons they’re being recognized. By being specific, you’re also letting them know exactly what’s expected of them and exactly how to receive more feel-good praise. They don’t just hear “good job” and then wonder exactly what the good job was for. Use Awards and Certificates For especially great accomplishments, acknowledge the student with “Caught Being Good" or "Great Job!" certificates that recognize their good behavior (again, be specific). Download some sample certificates and cards here (sample certificate; sample card 1;sample card 2). (A note from America Learns on the importance of offering specific, positive feedback: After being consistently reprimanded, some children become increasingly discouraged. They begin to believe that they are the “bad kid” who can’t do anything right. Why try when everything you do seems to be wrong?)     Step 2: Using the Walkie Talkies The steps above weren’t perfectly effective with the student at issue, though they served as an important foundation for the next step: praise over the walkie talkies. If your staff uses walkie talkies, at the end of the day when the student is next to another tutor with a walkie, have another staff member talk about how well that student behaved today (again, use specifics so that the student knows the exact reason he’s being talked about and celebrated). Be sure the student can hear your conversation. Our student became so excited because everybody heard over the walkies how awesome he was. Since we began this practice with the student at issue, his behavior has changed dramatically. He’ll sometimes ask us, “Am I being good today? Are you going to talk about it over the walkie?” He loves seeing the impact that his behavior makes on all of the tutors. This process is all about building the relationship with the student and building his self esteem by allowing him to see you acknowledging his good behavior, and to observe how that good behavior is making an impact on other people around him. The student feels important. He feels affirmed and seen. He learns that his presence makes a difference, and that when he participates and behaves appropriately, his presence is worth talking about.     Step 3: Connecting with Parents If possible, share the student’s good behavior with a parent or guardian while the student is around so that the parent becomes aware of their child’s good behavior and so that the student can again hear how his good behavior made a difference today.     Additional Resources: If you’re an America Learns Network member, here are some additional, relevant strategies for you: Responding to Misbehavior Starts with Setting Clear Expectations Helping Students Set Action Plans for Overcoming Behavioral Challenges Getting Students to Stop Doing Something they Shouldn't be Doing Calming & Focusing Activities Beginning & Ending Each Session on a Positive Note

Where Do These Strategies Come From?

All of the strategies we celebrate here have been contributed by tutors, mentors, coaches or new teachers who are using the America Learns Performance Measurement & Learning Network.   The educators and mentors we serve use the Network to report their progress, reflect on their recent sessions, plan for their upcoming sessions, participate in an incredible learning community of individuals from within their organizations and around the world, and receive weekly, personalized coaching and support to ensure that they are accomplishing their goals and the goals of the students or mentees they’re serving. All of that happens while making sure that supervisors are getting the information they need to support their educators or mentors in the field and to minimize the time spent on tracking, monitoring, reporting and grant writing.

Technorati Tags: PUC Schools,Tutoring,Mentoring,After School,Extended Day,America Learns,America Learns Network Superstars,America Learns Network

December 2009: Annette Hilger, Making Breakfast Cereal a Part of a Healthy Tutoring Session

Background

Breakfast cereal.  It can be a part of a healthy breakfast.  Thanks to Annette Hilger, it can now be a part of a healthy tutoring session. Annette Hilger is a coach with IUPUI’s America Reads*America Counts program (a Federal Work-Study tutoring program for children in grades K-9).  Annette, a freshman Pre-Physical Therapy/Exercise Science student at IUPUI, was recently looking for a better way to engage one of her students in the stories they read together.  She also wanted her student to think more deeply about stories’ events and characters. So, she turned to breakfast cereal.  Seriously.  And what she did is seriously outstanding.  Her supervisor told us that at the end of each tutoring session, Annette’s students give her a huge hug and tell her that they can’t wait until she comes again.  After you read her strategy, you’ll want to give her a hug, too.

The Strategy

Breakfast Cereal, Reading Comprehension Style Created by: Annette Hilger, America Reads*America Counts Programs at IUPUI (America Learns Network Federal Work/Study Member since 2007) Topics: Reading Comprehension Grade Levels: Second – Fifth Adult Intermediate Arrangements: One-on-One; Small Group; Large Group Materials: - Empty cereal box or cracker box - Construction paper OR this cut-out printed on construction paper - Markers, pens and/or pencils - Scissors - Glue or tape - - - - - - - - - - - - Situation: I wanted to create an educational activity that didn’t seem too school-like, but would still engage my tutee in thinking meaningfully about a book he just read (from the story’s events, to its characters and setting).     Step 1: After reading a book together, tell your tutee that rather than simply talking about the book or writing up a report, he’s going to be creating a brand new kind of cereal based on the book he just read.     Step 2: Ask your tutee to think of a name for a new kind of cereal that relates to the book. The cereal can relate to the entire book, or just to a particular character, group of characters, setting, or even to a particular event or to an emotion that your student felt while reading the book. Your creativity and your student's creativity are the limit.     Step 3: Ask your tutee to make a list of "ingredients." Include that list on a side panel, just as a regular box of cereal does. If the cereal is about the entire book, your ingredients will be each character and a short description of each one. If the cereal is about a particular character, your ingredients will be that character's traits (e.g., bravery, cowardice, thoughtfulness). If the cereal is about a particular scene, the ingredients may be particular objects from that scene, as well as adjectives that describe it (e.g., fear, excitement). If your student thinks of actual food-based ingredients that go well with the cereal, definitely include those as well.     Step 4: Ask your tutee to decorate the rest of the box by drawing pictures of specific scenes or descriptions in the book.  The back of the box or the second side panel should also include a summary of the book, scene or characters that the cereal is about.     Keep Going! Extension activities for this project from America Learns: At the beginning of the activity, tell your student that he’ll be marketing his cereal to a specific group of characters in the story.  As he creates his cereal and designs his box, he’ll have to think about what would lead those characters to purchase his cereal. Create a toy (or series of toys) that people who purchase the cereal will find inside. Create multiple back covers with different games and activities related to the story (e.g., mazes, word hunts, riddles, suggestions for outdoor activities based on the story). Take a picture of each side of the box and mail it to the book’s publisher and author, asking for feedback on your tutee’s creation. If your cereal involved real ingredients, create the cereal to see if it “tastes like the story”.  (Before doing this, be sure to talk with a supervisor about any food allergies your student may have, and if you’re allowed to bring food items to your session.)  If the cereal doesn’t taste like the story, how can it be modified?  Does it need an extra dash of bravery?  A huge dose of steadfastness?  Much less sugar? Make a duplicate box and send it to CEOs of various cereal companies.  Your tutee can write a letter asking the CEO to consider adding it to their product line.  You’ll also include a cover letter summarizing the purpose of this project and a request that they review the cereal and send a note back to your tutee on their suggestions.

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Technorati Tags: America Learns,America Reads,America Counts,Annette Hilger,IUPUI,Federal Work/Study,FWS