When UI College of Education Assistant Professor Jason Harshman learned that the Iowa City Community School District was rolling out a new program to encourage more children to get a college degree, he was immediately intrigued.

Harshman, a first-generation college graduate, knows how it feels to be the first one in a family to tackle entrance exams, applications, and college loans. His personal experience aside, Harshman wanted to engage College of Education students in a novel classroom experiment, one that would let them discover a new pedagogical approach and also provide support to children in need of advice and mentorship. The Advancement Via Individual Determination program, or AVID, seemed to be the perfect fit.

“Our education students are taking a lot away from this experience,” says Harshman. “Rather than a ‘one and done’ visit with students and teachers, they are meeting with the same students and teachers over the course of the school year. It’s been great in terms of fostering connections and learning about positive classroom relationships.”

UI education students visited Kirkwood Elementary School in Coralville, where 75 percent of students receive free or reduced meals, three times during the spring semester. During the visits, UI students participated in book club-style discussions with groups of fourth-graders that allowed them to monitor reading progress and ensure that the Kirkwood students are learning how to talk about literary themes, character development, and story plot—all AVID requirements. Recently, Kirkwood students visited the UI campus and got a chance to sample university life, including a tour of campus and talks with first-generation students and College of Education professors and graduate students.

“Do you work every day when you go to college?” Kirkwood fourth-grader Veron Tharrington asked UI global health major and first-generation college student Kristina Hernandez, who participated in the AVID program in her hometown of Lake Hills, Illinois. “Do you have to write essays?”

“No, you don’t have to work every day,” Hernandez replied, laughing. “But you do have to make sure you do all of your work. You have to go to class.”

Hernandez, who will graduate in May, says she didn’t think she would go to college until she started the AVID program. She says her mother also received a lot of support through the program by helping her better understand what her daughter was going through once she got to the UI campus.

“The AVID program provided her with a lot of relief that we weren’t the only family going through the process of learning about financial aid and application deadlines,” Hernandez says.

At the heart of the AVID program is a desire to close the opportunity gap between children from homes where the benefits of college education are taken for granted, and children from homes where such benefits remain elusive. At the elementary level, the AVID program teaches children the academic habits they need to be successful in middle school and high school and encourages them to start thinking about what college they would like to attend or career they would like to pursue. Children write letters to college admissions offices and collect swag—posters, stickers, and T-shirts—that they display in the classroom.

Iowa City is the first school district in Iowa to test the AVID program in an elementary classroom. Based on early results from Kirkwood, the district decided to expand the program to a second elementary school and a middle school. Two more elementary schools are expected to be added next year.

Harshman wanted College of Education students—undergraduates as well as graduate students—to see how positive reinforcement and goal-setting can change a child’s view of his or her future. Elementary students’ parents also are involved, and they, too, learn about the benefits of a higher education, including improved job prospects and salary.

“Spending time in the school to work with students on social as well as academic skills and interests gives our students the opportunity to see many sides of what it means to prepare for college,” says Harshman. “It’s a great way for them to begin preparing for the types of discussions they might have with students in their own classrooms.”

For the UI students, the opportunity to learn about a new program during early implementation has been interesting. They enjoyed bonding with kids and working with them to improve their reading skills and help them meet AVID goals, which include developing critical thinking, writing, and discussion skills.

“I decided to participate because I wanted to gain more experience in the school setting and I was also curious to see the AVID program in action and to see what kinds of measures they take at the elementary level to promote college education,” says Emily Wiese, a UI junior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who is studying elementary education.

Wiese and 27 other undergraduate and graduate student volunteers visited Kirkwood three times between February and April. Wiese was assigned to a fourth-grade class taught by Adina Pursley. She and other mentors read a book called Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin. The book tells the story of four children in different parts of the country in the days leading up to and immediately following the events of 9/11. Speaking with fourth-graders about the book and explaining the historical context of the terrorist attacks was challenging, the UI students say, but the observations made by the Kirkwood students were fascinating.

“I was surprised by the level of thought and questions they had about the book and its characters,” says Wiese. “They were immediately making connections to the book without having to be prompted and put themselves in the characters’ shoes. Even students whose first language is not English were actively communicating and engaged.”

For UI student Brianna Hoskins, the collaboration with Kirkwood Elementary allowed her to return to the school where she worked for her practicum, an education course that includes classroom observation. She says she was excited to work with knowledgeable and experienced educators, but also to witness the roll-out of a new pedagogical program and see how it changed and improved classroom dynamics.

“This experience has definitely taught me the importance of small group discussions as a means to foster deeper connections between teachers and students,” says Hoskins, a UI junior from Spring Grove, Illinois, who is studying elementary education. “I’ve also learned to listen carefully to each student’s input and point of view.”

Elizabeth Getachew, a doctoral student in the College of Education who helped initiate the partnership with the local school district, says UI students also learned to anticipate the different needs of children who come from homes where no one has attended college.

“I think they realize that each elementary student is an individual who needs to be recognized and appreciated for their individuality,” Getachew says. “As an advocate for underrepresented students, I think this is an important lesson and one that I hope each UI student will take with them into their own classroom.”