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EXEMPLARY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM AWARD
Overview of Award | Eligibility | Submission of Entries | Award Winners
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2001 Award Winner Program Name: New Jersey Foundation Academy for Senior Care Goals The New Jersey Foundation Academy for Senior Care is a partnership between Irvington High School and The Daughters of Israel Geriatric Center in West Orange, New Jersey. The goal of the program is to offer students a range of experiences and career orientations in the health care industry. All of the activities within the three year curriculum are aligned to the Core Curriculum Content Standards to ensure student achievement. A sampling of content standards and related program activity is listed below for academic areas as well as the Cross-Content Workplace Readiness Standards. Cross-Content Workplace Readiness - 1.1 - Via summer employment at The Daughters of Israel Geriatric Center. Comprehensive Health and Physical Education - 2.1.18 - Via mentoring sessions at The Daughters of Israel Geriatric Center. Mathematics - 4.1.17 - Via training journals/computer laboratory at The Daughters of Israel Geriatric Center. Science - 5.3.6 - Via workshop/tour at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Social Studies - 6.4.14 - Via tour of The Holocaust Museum in
Washington D.C. Activities The unique feature of The New Jersey Foundation Academy for Senior Care is the structured three year curriculum complemented by work experience activities and medical training. Students in the Academy receive hands-on experience working with health care professionals in the care of elderly residents. Within the three year program all students are offered opportunities for summer employment, first aid training, CPR Training, and Certified Nurses Aid training. In addition, all students participate in field trips that are cultural as well as scientific in nature. Excursions to the National Institutes of Health and the Walter Reed Medical Center are complemented by cultural trips to The New Jersey Performing Arts Center. College tours to various sites on the eastern seaboard are an integral part of the Academy experience. When not out in the field the students are involved in SAT Preparation classes as well as exposed to guest speakers from the health care profession. These experiences are made possible by the dedication of seventy mentors and volunteers who represent such areas as: Nursing, Physical Therapy, Social Services, Dietary Services, and Recreation. Their efforts total over one thousand two hundred and sixty hours helping the fifty-four students in the program. Beyond the role of the mentors and volunteers a teacher from Irvington High School works with the students three days a week every week school is in session. Our parents participate in the recruitment and orientation process as well as help chaperone field trips. Corporate sponsors play a vital role in the program by making health care venues available for training and orientation sessions. Outside Resources The New Jersey Foundation Academy for Senior Care has received over the years the generous support of corporate America. Funding for the program is received from the following corporations/foundations:
In addition all parties offer guest speakers who volunteer their time
to discuss medical issues and career opportunities with the students. Evaluation The New Jersey Foundation Academy for Senior Care has had a very positive effect on the fifty-four students enrolled in the program All indicators of student achievement clearly show that Academy students perform at a higher level than the general school population. An examination of the grade analysis report for Irvington High School for the second marking cycle indicates that 11.3% of the students earned the distinction of being named to the Honor Roll compared to 21.7% for students enrolled in the Academy. A grade analysis breakdown would further indicate that a grade of "A" was achieved by 17.05% of the general school population as compared to 26.41% for students in the Academy. Grades of "B" were 18.80% for the school and 28.58% for Academy students. On the other end of the grade spectrum the general school population had 15.92% of their grades in the "F" category compared to 6.11% for Academy students. Even school attendance was higher for Academy students at 93.06% as compared to 86.7% for the general population. Furthermore, all students in the Academy are pre and post tested with the results showing that there is a marked increase in cultural understanding and intergenerational skills. In terms of parental involvement, there has been a constancy over the years as it relates to direct involvement in program activities. Current plans to form a parental advisory board should help produce an increase in this area of the program. Stability Since 1993, The New Jersey Foundation Academy for Senior Care has nurtured the professional aspirations of Irvington High School students by providing mentoring and volunteer services in the health care profession. Over the past eight years our sources of funding, which are detailed in section three, have grown to their current level. The program director, Mrs. Thandi James, has been in the position since 1997 and is responsible for such tasks as: recruitment, training, counseling, assessments, funding proposals, and program evaluation. The students for the Academy are recruited in the spring semester of their freshman year at Irvington High School. A parent information night as well as a tour of The Daughters of Israel Geriatric Center is part of the process. Once in the program, students are exposed to a variety of training sessions over the three year duration of the program. Some of the components of the training program include: CPR training, first aid, and a certified nurses aide program which culminates in the students taking the state examination. Endorsements The major stakeholders in this school-community partnership are Irvington High School and The Daughters of Israel Geriatric Center. Listed below are endorsements by three individuals involved in the Academy.
The Health Academy prepares students interested in health related careers. It has prepared me by giving me an insight into what a health profession involves. However, it has given me much more than an insight. It has given me a chance to decide if I should pursue a health career or perhaps go into another field. All in all, it has broadened my way of thinking and expanded my knowledge of health, as well as, the world itself. Debbie S. Balkaran, Academy Student
The Healthcare Academy fulfills a tremendous need in our community by servicing the needs of at risk youth. The program addresses our students' need for mentoring, volunteering, career exploration, as well as offering opportunities for internships and part-time jobs. This year`s theme of holistic health was innovative, giving our kids a chance to explore opportunities in nontraditional careers that are the wave of the future. Patrice Gallway Grant, Art Therapist
The Academy provides our students with exposure to many volunteering, mentoring, academic and cultural activities over a three year period. The Academy offers programs which certify our students in CPR, first aid, and other areas of marketability for employment. Thandi James, Healthcare Academy Director
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