Planning For Access

Sudeepta Sridhara
Teaching for Transformation I
 Charles Carroll Middle School Overview
Charles Carroll Middle School (CCMS) is located in New Carrollton, MD, and serves
approximately 1300 students from grades 6-8.
CCMS is a part of the Prince Georges County Public School (PGCPS) system. Prince
George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) serves approximately 130,000 students in Prince
George's County, Maryland, which is just outside of D.C.
CCMS is a Title I school, and receives funds to operate as a 1:1 technology site. Thus, all
students and teachers are provided iPads to use in educational settings for the academic year.
Approximately 25% of students have limited English proficiency (LEP) and 91% qualify for
free and reduced meals (FARMS) programs. CCMS participates in a number of programs,
including Title I, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), and PBIS (Positive
Behavior Interventions and Supports) (Maryland State Department of Education, 2014).
 My Students: General Information
Of my 120 students, about half identify as female and half identify as male. All students are between 11 and
13 years of age, and live in New Carrollton, Hyattsville, and Landover, MD.
About 50% of students identify as Hispanic, 40% as African American, 5% as Native American, 2% as
Asian, and 3% as white. 95% of students qualify for the national Free and Reduced Meals Program
(Maryland State Department of Education, 2014).
There are no students with 504 plans or IEPs, and two students qualify for English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) services.
At CCMS, all teachers and students are on "teams" and each team teaches the same students. Teams are
made up of one English teacher, one social studies teacher, one math teacher, and one science teacher.
Students are assigned to one teacher for homeroom, and rotate through these "core" classes with their
homerooms.
Teams meet at least once a week to discuss students performance and procedural expectations.
 Part 1: Initial Exploration
I explored five resources in the greater Washington DC area, with a focus on
Prince Georges County
Each resource aimed to provide students with greater access to opportunities
in their community
Resources were selected for their ability to foster inquisitiveness in students,
as well as to shed a positive light on the community that students are a part
of
 Resource 1: Paul Montiero
https://www.paulforprincegeorges.com/

Paul Montiero is a former White House Public Engagement Advisor under

President Barack Obama, and is currently running for the title of County
Executive in Prince Georges County.
Additionally, he is a graduate of elementary, middle, and high schools in PGCPS
and currently works as an adjunct professor at the Univerity of Maryland in College
Park (UMD) as well as the chief of staff to Howard Universitys president.
Mr. Montiero is an alumnus of both schools; he obtained his bachelors degree at
the University of Maryland his law degree at Howard.
 Resource 1: Paul Montiero
https://www.paulforprincegeorges.com/

Each year in December, CCMS organizes a career fair which all students participate in. Most of the participants in the
career fairs are above fifty years old, which means that they have extensive knowledge to share about their careers, but
unfortunately, students have complained that they find the participants to be unrelatable.
In order for students to understand how the careers represented at the career fair can be attainable to them, they must see
people who have attained success and embody a positive self-image (Jones, 2005, p.150) and reflect values that they are
taught in their homes (NEA, 2012, p.29).
Students must also be exposed to college and career options at a young age, and should be taught in an environment that
encourages them to educate themselves about the options that are available (Conley & McGauhehy, 2012
Mr. Montieros experience with the PGCPS school system, struggle as a first-generation college student, and his time
spent growing up in Hyattsville (Seigel, 2017) are sure to capture students attention. Exposing students to a role model
who comes from the same community as they do will incorporate asset-based teaching, help build a sense of community
in the classroom, and expose students to a larger community outside the classroom (NEA, 2012, p.29; Davis, 2012).
 Resource 2: PGCPS Science Bowl
http://www1.pgcps.org/tv96/index.aspx?id=14016

The Prince Georges County Public Schools (PGCPS) Science Bowl is an

annual competition in which students from across PGCPS represent their
schools by answering science-based questions.
The science bowl requires preparation after school and encourages students
to think scientifically about daily news, break new vocabulary words down
using prefixes and suffixes and work together as a team to reach a common
goal.
 Resource 2: PGCPS Science Bowl
http://www1.pgcps.org/tv96/index.aspx?id=14016

The science bowl is an important opportunity to increase my students access

because it incorporates rigorous thinking, real-world skills and teamwork.
The real-world skills that the science bowl emphasizes are those which are required
to be successful in a career, including communication capabilities; technology
proficiency; problem-solving strategies; and flexibility, initiative, and adaptability
(Conley & McGauhehy, 2012, p.28).
Additionally, in order to engage students in meaningful work, it is important for
them to share and collaborate with each other. By doing this, they develop a positive
sense of self-concept which positively affects their motivation to learn (Jones N.,
2005; Jones L., 2005).
 Resource 3: Bowie Baysox STEM Day
http://www.pgcps.org/science/index.aspx?id=222228

The Bowie Baysox baseball team hosts a STEM day two times a year.
Students who participate are given resources in order to apply knowledge
from classes to real-life situations.
STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) day also promotes
interdisciplinary learning by incorporating science, math, history, English,
technology and engineering into its events.
It is culturally relevant to students, as it focuses on baseball players who
identify as persons of color.
 Resource 3: Bowie Baysox STEM Day
http://www.pgcps.org/science/index.aspx?id=222228

The Bowie Baysox team is a popular local baseball team which most students have
interacted with through family or school events.
Thus, incorporating support of the baseball team in an academically related field trip is sure
to engage students in the real-life implications of STEM subjects. By partnering with this
local institution, students are also exposed to postsecondary opportunities, thus increasing
their college and career readiness, and are able to explore postgraduate options in a hands-
on manner.
This allows teachers an opportunity to get out of the classroom (NEA, 2006, p.30) and
learn more about the teams that students families support as well as to teach them using
what they already know (NEA, 2006, p.30) which includes knowledge about baseball.
Resource 4: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Qrius program
http://qrius.si.edu/teachers/school-programs-at-museum#qschoolprograms

The q?rius program at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History allows

students to engage in hour-long programs designed around scientific
concepts.
Students collaborate to develop solutions to curious problems and evaluate
their peers solutions.
Most of the problems that students evaluate are based on events and
locations in the DC region.
The museum is located in DC, about forty-five minutes away from my
school.
Resource 4: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Qrius program
http://qrius.si.edu/teachers/school-programs-at-museum#qschoolprograms

The q?rius program is designed to be hands-on and interactive, and will provide a new
scientific experience for my students.
The program also teaches students the value of persistence, as the results of the
investigation are only revealed after students invest time and effort. Conley (2012, p. 2)
claims that a lack of proficiency in this skill probably career-oriented students.
The program promotes college and career oriented skills such as the ability to formulate
problems, collect information, interpret and analyze findings, communicate in a variety of
modes, and do all of this with precision and accuracy (Conley, 2012, p. 2) which Adams
(2013, p.8) agrees is central.
This program is designed to get students out of the classroom and into the real world
(Adams, 2013, p.8) and will increase students college and career readiness as well as their
curiosity about the world around them.
Resource 5: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/home/index.html

NASA Goddard is one of twenty official NASA centers in the United States,
and one of only three flight centers.
It is located in Greenbelt, Maryland, which is approximately fifteen minutes
away from the school that I teach at.
NASA has an educator resource center which provides educational activities
for students and teachers who are interested in learning more about space.
Resource 5: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/home/index.html

This center will increase students access by exposing them to scientific opportunities in their
neighborhood. The flight center provides engineering-based projects, real artifacts from space
travel, and the opportunity to interact with NASAs space engineers and astronauts.
At the beginning of the year, many of my students said that they wanted to become astronauts
and engineers when they grew up, but they could not articulate the steps that they would need to
take in order to achieve that goal.
Discussing the steps that engineers took to achieve their goal of working at NASA will increase
students self-esteem and motivation, serve as a job-shadowing experience, and ensure that they
are aware of science-related career opportunities.
Each of these things will ensure that students are prepared for the real world and will have an
impact on students long term goal achievement (Conley, 2012; Adams, 2013; Farr, 2010)
 Resource Selection
The Baysox STEM day is an incredible program that will connect students science knowledge from class to resources in
their community. I was aware that the Baysox also hosted a college and career fair, but did not know that it was open to
middle school students.
After I emailed the Baysox event coordinator, I learned that this year, the STEM day and college and career fair are on the
same date. Both events only take up half a day; together, they form a comprehensive event which will increase my students
college and career readiness. This resource was the most all-inclusive; other resources focused on either STEM or college
and career preparedness, but the Baysox event fully covers both.
The career fair includes internships which are geared towards high school students. These internships allow students to
feel and see the entire work process, confirm, or rule out, a career choice and cope with mistakes when the stakes
aren't so high, as later in life (Adams, 2013, p.8).
Though my students are only in seventh grade, it is important for them to be exposed to career opportunities early on so
that they can set personalized career goals for the future (Farr, 2010; Conley, 2012).
Additionally, many internships provide positive learning environments which can internally confirm students abilities to
accomplish their goals (Farr, 2010; Voices of Youth in Chicago Education, 2011).
 Why Baysox?
I am excited to incorporate more real-world problems and solutions through this resource. I began the year
by asking my students to question everything that they had ever learned, and to think critically about how
they could use classroom information outside of school. During this field trip, I expect to see many students
making connections between class concepts and sports, Maryland, and their future careers.
Additionally, many students have a negative view of the school that they attend and the neighborhood that
they live in. I have heard students say that they are bored and feel unsafe and that they want to leave for
college. It is important that students are exposed to positive communities inside their neighborhoods so that
they can be inspired to work hard and help the parts of their community that they consider to be unsafe.
Lastly, I am excited to see the spark of curiosity appear in my students eyes. While it is important for them
to have consistency and structure in their daily classroom routines, it is also important for them to
productively and freely engage with the world around them. Students enjoy the responsibility of being able
to take charge of their own learning (Conley, 2012; Voices of Youth in Chicago Education, 2011). Through
this program, students will be able to explore answers to questions that they design and discover new careers
that they are passionate about
 Why Baysox? (Cont.)
The Bowie Baysox baseball team hosts a STEM day two times a year. The Baysox baseball
team also hosts a college and career fair each year
These internships allow students to feel and see the entire work process, confirm, or rule
out, a career choice and cope with mistakes when the stakes aren't so high, as later in life
(Adams, 2013, p.8).
Though my students are only in seventh grade, it is important for them to be exposed to
career opportunities early on so that they can set personalized career goals for the future
(Farr, 2010; Conley, 2012).
Additionally, many internships provide positive learning environments which can internally
confirm students abilities to accomplish their goals (Farr, 2010; Voices of Youth in Chicago
Education, 2011).
 Action Plan: Purpose
The purpose of this action plan is to provide students with opportunities to see
themselves reflected in their science curriculum and to expand their curiosity about
the world.
My big goals for students invite them to ask questions about the world around them
and connect learning goals from their classes to their daily lives.
This field trip will serve both those purposes by providing a positive lens through
which students can view their communities and learn about baseball players who
went to the same schools as them and their families.
It will also engage students hands and minds by inviting them to question the world
around them and participate in their communities.
 Action Plan
The first action step that I will take is to learn what my students know about the Bowie
Baysox team. This step will increase students confidence in their academic abilities by
encouraging them to take ownership over their own learning and emphasizing that
knowledge about their communities and pastimes is valued in the classroom (Cooper, 2009;
Educational Alliance, n.d.; Voices of Youth in Chicago Education, 2011).
The first activity that I will implement in the classroom will be used to introduce the habits
of mind to my students. In order to make my students aware of the high expectations that I
have for them, I will let students know that by the end of the field trip, they should improve
by at least one level for at least three habits. Thus, my students will be held to high
expectations, have control over their learning, and become familiar with the language of the
mindsets in a collegial learning environment (Farr, 2010; Cooper, 2009; Education Alliance,
n.d.).
 Action Plan (cont.)
Secondly, I will modify the district curriculum to include information about baseball and other sports. Students will be
asked to analyze the implications of a lack of nutrition on athletes, the discomfort resulting from a lack of oxygen in the
body, and the mindsets that athletes must have in order to succeed. These lessons will prepare students for the athletic
careers that they aspire to by integrating appropriate mindsets through a modified, culturally relevant curriculum (Cooper,
2009; Education Alliance, n.d.; Conley, 2012).
Lastly, after the field trip, I will ask students to design a lab based on a question that they had at the Baysox stadium. This
will help students practice inquisitiveness, which is a classroom goal. Students will be asked to design a lab in groups, which
will push them to think interdependently; the lab should be executable in one class period on the school campus. Once the
lab is designed, students will conduct it during class and complete a lab report, thus incorporating multiple habits of mind,
including thinking and communicating with clarity and precision, gather data through all senses and questioning and
problem posing (Cooper, 2009, p.15).
This activity will build students love of learning by integrating their interests into the curriculum and allowing them to
facilitate their own learning (Education Alliance, n.d; Farr, 2010). This flexible, yet targeted assignment, along with a
positive classroom culture, will increase students college and career readiness (Voices of Youth in Chicago Education,
2011; Conley, 2012).
 Timeline Steps
Meetings must be held with:
The team of teachers participating in the field trip
The principal of the school
Sam Colein, field trip coordinator for the Bowie Baysox (this
can be done virtually)
The bookkeeper of the school
The Title I coordinator of the school
Financial approval must be granted from
The principal of the school
The bookkeeper of the school
The Title I coordinator of the school
Chipotle of New Carrollton, who will be donating 50% of their
profits made on April 1st to our field trip
Paperwork- the following information must be submitted to the
district office and principals office:
A lesson plan for the field trip
The number of students attending
The names of students attending
Student allergies and dietary restrictions
The number of lunches that the cafeteria should make for
students
The date and duration of the trip
Transportation information and confirmation from the bus
company
The approximate cost per student
A reimbursement slip for students who are able to pay for the
field trip
A copy of the parent letter explaining the field trip
Signed permission slips from every parent whose child is going
on the trip
 Calendar
November 5th: email was sent to Sam Colein, field trip coordinator for Bowie Baysox, asking for more information about the field trip
November 10th: email was sent to Sam Colein reserving spots for 100 students to attend the STEM and career day on May 16th
February 15th: Team must approve of field trip date
February 25th: All paperwork must be submitted to principal and districts offices
March 1st: Principal and District Office must approve the field trip
March 16th: Buses must be confirmed by Coach USA
March 20th: Fundraiser is submitted to Chipotle of New Carrollton for approval
April 1st: Chipotle fundraiser
April 7th: Chipotle sends check to Charles Carroll Middle School
April 16th: All student permission slips and field trip money must be submitted to the principals office; all students require reimbursement
skips
April 18th: Title I office is informed of remaining money required to complete field trip; a check must be sent to the district office
April 25th: Cafeteria is informed of all bag lunch requirements and student allergies
April 25th-May 16th: All teachers incorporate college and career readiness and STEM day-related activities into lesson plans
May 16th: Bowie Baysox STEM Day and Career Fair
 Sustainability
After the field trip, students will design an experiment based on a question that they had about the Baysox STEM day. Then, students will
conduct that experiment in class. This experiment will encourage students to use their own voices and build their love of learning
through relevant, asset-based, student-led activities (Farr, 2010; Education Alliance, n.d.).
Students will gain a more positive view of their communities, their schools, and themselves. This development of a positive school
culture will lead to a greater emphasis on learning (Voices of Youth in Chicago Education, 2011, p.30). Additionally, it will help
teachers to target their lessons to specific skills that students need to be college and career ready, and this will inspire high performance
and create lifelong learners (Farr, 2010; Conley, 2012).
Students will continue to incorporate the habits of mind by reflecting on which habits they feel that they used during the field trip, which
ones they feel they have mastery over, and which they feel they still need to improve on. This will further serve to create a culturally
responsive, asset-based classroom and hold students to high academic and behavioral expectations by emphasizing students existing
strengths (Farr, 2010; Education Alliance, n.d.; Habits of Mind Institute, n.d.).
This field trip is scheduled towards the end of the year. Thus, students reflections about their college and career based goals and the
habits of mind should not only invest them in the seventh grade curriculum, but should carry them through the rest of middle and high
school as well. Though their goals could easily and regularly change thereafter (Conley, 2012, p.2), the skills that they develop through
reflection and high-level thinking will guide them on the path to college and career readiness.
 Conclusion
This field trip serves three classroom tenets: curiosity, teamwork, and cultural responsiveness; these help
students with the habits of mind thinking interdependently and remaining open to continuous learning
(Habits of Mind Institute, n.d.)
Students will develop inquisitiveness which will help them cultivate a love of learning and an asset-based
mindset. This will increase students persistence and ownership of learning which are necessary for college
and career readiness. (Educational Alliance, n.d.; Habits of Mind Institute, n.d.; Farr, 2010; Conley, 2012)
When students work together to solve a problem, they will gain a positive mindset about the world around
them, which also cultivates persistence, thinking interdependently, and flexibly. Additionally, students are
more likely to be invested in their education in the long term. (Voices of Youth in Chicago Education, 2011;
Habits of Mind Institute, n.d.; Farr, 2010; Conley, 2012)
Students will carry the skills and concepts that they learned from this field trip through the rest of middle
and high school and thus will be lifelong learners who are prepared for their future college and career
aspirations.
 References
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