In spite of the challenges posed by COVID, our Leading Men Fellows in Milwaukee have thrived, helping their students learn, experiencing their own development, and helping us grow the Fellowship.
Where We’ve Been
For the first time ever, our annual training, the Ascend Institute, was held virtually. Ascend is an opportunity for Fellows from all of our regions to connect for coaching in early literacy interventions and training on what it means to be a Leading Men Fellow. It also offers a crucial opportunity to foster enthusiasm and camaraderie, so we refused to let COVID spoil the experience! Our Milwaukee Fellows, staff, and coaches left the virtual Ascend Institute feeling inspired, excited, and ready to dive into additional weekly training on pedagogy and interventions. Our Fellows remain committed to being the best version of themselves and to providing the most effective support possible for their students.
Student Success Right Now
Because of COVID, our Fellows have faced unique challenges connecting with their students, yet have demonstrated resolve and been successful despite the obstacles. Working with each of our partners, we created individually tailored schedules for every Fellow to maximize their time with students and most effectively integrate them into the classroom. Some Fellows attend virtual classrooms with their students, others virtually join their in person classrooms at scheduled times during the week.. Regardless, all Fellows are sharing recorded interventions for their students and families to watch in class and at home.
Equally important, the release of the e-PELI assessment in the fall means that Fellows are able to accurately assess their students’ academic progress. Working with one of our Senior Fellows, we piloted the e-PELI in November, and since February all Fellows whose classroom setup allows it have been using it to measure student growth and provide more effective interventions and support. We are excited to share student growth metrics later this year once we have finished collecting data.
We look forward to finishing this year strong and to seeing the progress our students show on their end of year assessments!
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Bernard Rahming has been the Program Manager for the Literacy Lab’s Leading Men Fellowship in Milwaukee, WI since 2020.
