Our Challenge - To explore, develop, and implement solutions and suggestions to make the PAL program more efficient by further developing a system that creates a stronger connection between the mentors/tutors, teachers, school admistrators and students.

Significance of the challenge: providing additional support to students and schools within the San Diego School District that are traditionally under served and under performing. There are some students that do not have equal access to these opportunities and resources to education and a gateway to college (higher education) and higher levels of academic achievement.

To create more opportunities for these underprivileged students through student support in language development, homework support, and social and emotional development through mentorship.

Further research is needed to address these social justice issues within the education system.

Goals

• Primary Goal- to have UCSD students examine the themes that occur throughout education that are discussed in the PAL program (i.e. bilingual education, teaching for social justice, tracking vs. detracking students, measuring academic proficiency, equity in the classroom, addressing the needs of diverse students, etc) through the scope of how tutors/mentors can actively contribute to the improvement of these themes.

Actions

• The PAL program offers UC San Diego students an opportunity to reach out to the next generation of university scholars and lead them toward higher education. The program provides academic opportunities which challenge and support preschool, elementary and secondary students to be successful in school. PAL courses give UCSD students meaningful opportunities to learn about and experience issues of equity and education in San Diego's preK-12 schools. Source: http://eds.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/pal.shtml/#goals

Solutions

No Solutions have been added to this Challenge.

Opportunities

No Opportunities have been added to this Challenge.

A call for research is needed to explore further contributions and improvements relating to improving the relationship between the tutor/mentor, teacher, and students.  For example, developing a collaborative education plan that strategically places tutors based on student need within the PAL partner schools. 

In terms of the San Diego region, exploring the needs of diverse students, specifically ethnic minorities and students coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Providing guidelines or suggestions to create a more systematic plan that incorporates and applies the knowledge that the PAL tutors are learning in correspondance to the lesson plans and agendas of the participating teacher.