TANGELA JOHNSON

Staff Writer

Project ELEVATE is looking to take education in public schools to new heights.

ELEVATE, which is an acronym for Effective Learning Experiences Via Active Teaching Enhancement, is an educational tool which, if implemented, proposes to strengthen skills for all students, including students with disabilities, said Dr. Julie Holmes, on-site supervisor for the effort.

"The project will provide meaningful professional development activities for regular and special education teachers, paraprofessionals, parents and community faith-based groups in Bienville, Lincoln, Webster, and Claiborne parishes," Holmes said.

"ELEVATE will affect Tech by creating partnerships between the university and public schools."

Holmes also said the affect on the students, no matter how well or poorly they are doing in school, will be profound.

"ELEVATE will affect Ruston and the surrounding parishes by providing teachers with research-based teaching strategies to help close the achievement gap between high-performing and low-performing students," Holmes said.

April Davis, a graduate student at Tech, feels the project is long overdue. Davis, who is a blind student, said many programs in public schools and some colleges lack the resources to cater to disabled students.

"I really think [schools] need to have more equipment so students can have access to classroom materials," Davis said.

Davis also said she was a part of many summer programs for blind students.

Lots of the people she met still stay in contact with her for advice or to simply talk.

She feels this sort of networking should happen all year round.

"I think [schools] need outreach for teachers, families and, more directly, students," Davis said. "I feel that [schools] should have college students with positive attitudes about their disabilities to discuss their struggles with younger students, because I didn't have that when I was younger."

Pauline Leonard, a project co-director, said she sees great things for the schools involved. Leonard said her purpose is increasing understanding of different cultures amongst teachers.

"My role is, along with other members of this project, to develop workshops that help teachers work with diverse families," Leonard said.

Leonard said her most recent task has been to create workshops that increase synergies between families of students and teachers.

"Research suggests the teachers that collaborate with the family members of students help parents learn how to help the students [with academics]," Leonard said.

The end result of the workshops is than increased test scores.

Leonard said, "Students will do better in school both in terms of test scores and holistically."