Parallel Session Proceedings »
4.8.8 The Implementation of the Young Scholars Model in a Small, Diverse School District
Fairfax County, Virginia has research showing students who have participated in the Young Scholars Initiative demonstrate success in advanced academics including honors and AP courses. Their model aims to identify traditionally underrepresented populations and nurture them by teaching them critical and creative thinking skills and providing them with enrichment opportunities in order to prepare them for more rigorous coursework in the future. As Fairfax is such a large district with many resources, it can be hard for other districts to find a starting point to implement a successful model like Young Scholars. During this session we will share how the Young Scholars model can be an easy addition to school districts to increase opportunities for often overlooked culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse students.
Participants will learn how primary services are provided through differentiation by the classroom teacher, how the identification process identifies these overlooked students, and about the summer or intersession enrichment program. We will discuss the professional development involved, curriculum used, parent outreach methods, and other ways that we’ve worked to make our implementation successful. In addition to hearing about our success, lessons learned will also be shared as well as data regarding our implementation from our program evaluation done by The College of William and Mary. Through our five-year journey, our target audiences will learn the knowledge needed to advocate for implementation of a model like Young Scholars in their school or district to help seek out and nurture historically underrepresented populations.