“We take a ‘whole-child’ approach,” said Monica Colbert, Director of Development for Scholars Unlimited. “For 25 years, we have been an academic program to help children achieve grade-level reading proficiency. But we also address emotional issues and build social skills, like conflict resolution, working with peers, coping, and resilience. You can’t drive academics without addressing the underlying issues and providing a foundation of support.”

Scholars Unlimited provides that foundation in several ways. During the summer session, they provide two meals and two snacks a day. “There’s not much learning going in if there’s a summer food shortage at home,” said Colbert.

They have a higher-than-usual adult-to-child ratio in the classroom. Colbert said, “We also try to recruit staff from the community. It makes a difference when building relationships with the kids. They don’t feel like it’s a brand-new adult telling them what to do.”

Perhaps most importantly, they use a multifaceted model of teaching: classroom learning, outdoor enrichment, hands-on activities, and exercises that build social skills. “Kids are people,” said Colbert, “so we address their issues as human issues.” Scholars Unlimited teachers help students identify their feelings, the cause of those feelings, actions they can take to deal with the feelings, and how they want to handle conflict differently in the future.

How do they know they’re getting results? They measure the percentage of kids who read at grade level coming into the program vs. the percentage that reads on grade level when they leave the program. They also use pre- and post-surveys to have students evaluate statements such as, “I feel confident working in a group with my peers.”

Scholars Unlimited started as a summer literacy program for one school and has expanded to year-round services for around 2,000 students per year. They work with community partners, such as the UNC Center for Urban Education, to staff the organization and support children.

Nestor Casares and Estefany Flores, pictured above, are two UNC Center for Urban Education teacher candidates who work at Scholars Unlimited during the summer term. Both Nestor and Estefany are teaching students at Scholars Unlimited Oakland Elementary site. “We are enrolled in UNC’s Children’s Literature course. We take what we learn in class in the afternoons and use it to design lessons and teach students the next morning,” Flores said. “It’s fun!” Casares is glad to be working in the same school as Flores. “We can support each other,” he said.

Like the Center for Urban Education, Scholars Unlimited is interested in building a pipeline of future teachers. “We cover the cost of a three-credit-hour class for staff members who are interested in becoming teachers. We offer the opportunity for staff to become leaders in the field and have become an employer-of-choice for teachers who are on summer break,” Colbert said.

Interested in learning more about Scholars Unlimited? Or want to make a donation to support their ongoing work? Contact Monica Colbert by email.

Want to work for Scholars Unlimited? They're hiring! Contact Jennifer Agnew by email.

Did you miss previous issues of the Chronicle? Visit the Leadership Council page on our website, scroll down, and click on past newsletters.

Rosanne Fulton, PhD
Director, Center for Urban Education
University of Northern Colorado Extended Campus
1059 Alton Way
Denver CO 80230
Office: 303-637-4334
rosanne.fulton@unco.edu
www.unco.edu/UrbanEd