Recommendations

Given that ALS students come from different backgrounds and have different needs, we recommend that the students be surveyed throughout the school year and even after the school year has ended. This is so that the staff may have qualitative data as a basis for the kinds of students who succeed in the ALS set-up, as well as those who become inactive and/or withdraw. At the beginning of the school year, or possibly when the student enrolls, an intake interview with the social worker could be conducted to establish a sense of trust and camaraderie with the student. This interview may be used as an avenue to discuss the student’s expectations, reasons for enrolling, interests, fears, as well as any possible obstacles they might face in continuing their education. They may also ask for a close contact of the student’s just in case the student becomes inactive. This intake interview not only gives a chance for the staff to get to know the student from the get-go, it also acts as a positive first impression from the student’s side, as they can see that the staff is interested in who they are as human beings. 

The center may continue this practice of interviewing or surveying the students to gather their input in improving the curriculum, teaching approaches, curricular and extracurricular activities throughout the school year. Gathering information from the students is useful especially when the student becomes inactive. When the staff makes home-visits for the student, they may also ask about the student’s challenges in continuing their education. This outtake interview is focused on understanding what intrinsic and extrinsic factors of the student’s situation has led to their inactivity. If the student lost interest, why? If they do not see the value of education, why? It is important to dive deeper into the answers to these questions as to develop an understanding of the story behind each student who enrolls in the center. In addition, the staff may also ask the student for feedback to improve the center’s services (i.e. What support could the center give to help students face these barriers in continuing their education?). To guarantee that students respond in the outtake interview, this may be included as a clause upon enrollment, wherein they are obligated to participate in an outtake interview if they withdraw. 

During the interviews with the staff, it was mentioned that the success of the center is evaluated mainly based on statistics and quantitative data (e.g. number of withdrawn students). The responses of the students to the interviews and surveys mentioned above could be a useful tool in evaluating the impact of the non-profit organization, as it provides context to the aforementioned quantitative data. This will also allow the staff and administration of the organization to understand the kind of support and resources the center needs in order to cater to the needs of students who have difficulty thriving under ALS. 

For example, if the findings from the surveys and interviews show that financial problems pose a significant challenge for most of the students in focusing on their education, the center could be prompted to look for sponsors.

Lastly, it is recommended that the staff also interview students about the Accreditation & Equivalency exam. The reasons of students who did not take the exam should also be noted. If possible, it is best if previous exam takers could share their experiences to the students themselves. Information about the exam and what helped or hindered students from passing is essential for the center to better be able to prepare future exam takers. 

To conclude, we strongly recommend a focus on data-gathering as a springboard for the center to develop a deeper understanding of the story behind each student, which then leads to improvements in needs assessment, impact evaluation, and the overall management of the organization.

During the interviews, many students mentioned that they would prefer more school days. If implemented, this could possibly accelerate learning as there are more opportunities throughout the school year for students to attend. Additional school days also make room for more formations, extracurricular activities, team-building activities, and student-led activities, which all contribute to the holistic development of the students and the overall sense of community.

The Payatas Center is able to assist with their enrollees' health very well. They are able to check on their students’ physical and emotional disposition via their home visits to some of their students. Additionally, the staff are very amicable to them in order to address their more personal concerns. An interview with a staff member chronicles the process in which Payatas supports students in times of emotional distress. In order to better the workings of Puso-sa-Puso, a more comprehensive guidance program may be introduced to their system.

Interviews with some students of the learning center show a variety of characters within the community that could use some assistance in various ways, and the guidance program is only one of many ways they can be assisted. 

The center is already in contact with a psychologist and a psychiatrist for their students in times of crisis and incredibly serious matters, which is a very integral part of the program. The learning center can refine their program in this aspect by introducing unbiased emotional help in the form of guidance counselors similar to frequent check-ins done by the staff. These counselors should be on site and available during school hours. Topics and concerns of a less serious degree amongst students, teachers, and staff of Payatas would be discussed by these counselors. These sessions should be conducted in a professional manner and in a private setting. Sensitive information provided during a session would be kept between the persons involved. Not limited to interpersonal matters, the guidance counselors may also play a hand in conducting lessons in Payatas, by way of adding or changing topics they feel are more relevant or helpful to the students. They would also be important in the event of a home visit, in the case of absences due to emotional distress. It is also through this program that they can address students’ qualms with the importance of education, foster students’ motivations, and offer personal support. 

This would not only improve the well-being of the students in crisis, but also enrich the interpersonal relationships within the school and community. Observations of the classes and formations in Payatas showed substantial camaraderie within the class, as well as slight tensions with some of the students and staff. Resolutions of conflict such as those observed may be met in a setting with the guidance program. Everyone would reach a more holistic fulfillment and a more proper development when they are in their best health and well-being. 

Formations are meetings unique to the system of Puso-sa-Puso that provide opportunities to teach the students information that exists outside the regular ALS curriculum. While students’ needs and interests are already cultivated through the regular curricula, there exists possible room for improvement in the structure and topics of formations to better facilitate this. Current formation topics tackle information the students need to know (e.g. child protection) considering their relatively vulnerable situations. However, formation topics may be expanded to build an interest in further education beyond ALS, or to inform students as well as how to balance work life with student life.

Many of the interviewed students were considering pursuing further education, particularly tertiary education. Possible formation topics in this regard are the university application process, challenges they may face in tertiary education and how to handle them, and the benefits of obtaining a college degree. Of particular interest is teaching these students the skills required to thrive in a college environment, especially as it was discovered that ALS generally fails to prepare students well enough to handle the pressures of tertiary education. Important skills to learn are proper time management, ability to work with and lead groups of people, fortitude in the face of challenges, and most importantly—the drive to push themselves to succeed. Inviting graduates of Puso-sa-Puso and those sponsored as scholars by the institution as speakers may be helpful to this goal.

Working students in ALS, as well as those that want to pursue a job directly after graduating may find it important to learn tactics in how to balance their work life, education, and personal life. The important thread in all of these topics is to build awareness regarding the challenges the students might face in the future, and more importantly, how to deal with them. The ideal end result is that the students are able to better guide themselves into pursuing their future, or even to encourage students to pursue a better future in the first place.

Furthermore, based on observations from the formation on the rights of the child, the structure of formations may be refined to not seem as intimidating, particularly at the beginning of the formation. As it is important to immediately catch the attention of the audience at the start to ensure that they retain information effectively, it would perhaps be more prudent to lead with the relevance of the formation topic to the students and then segue into a formal introduction, instead of leading with said introduction. However, the actual content of the formations appeared to be enjoyable and effective.

One of the goals of ALS is to sufficiently prepare students to pass the yearly A&E test which is one of the motivating factors for people to enroll into ALS in the first place. This is a challenge considering the lack of communication from the Department of Education on the schedule and coverage of the test, but the institution can still take steps that provide the best chances for its students to pass the test.

While the lenient structure of ALS is a large motivation for attendance on behalf of the students, more stringent reviews are required particularly as the test date nears in order to increase students’ chances of passing. These reviews may be performed in coordination with the staff of independent review centers to assist the students in focusing on the covered topics in the test. These reviews may be held on optional days outside the regular schedule in order to not interrupt students that do not have the time to attend, but still present an opportunity for students that do desire further review days.

Assistant teachers from review centers may be assigned to help cover the lessons with larger groups of students. At the same time, the teaching staff of Puso-sa-Puso may make themselves available for one-on-one or small group consultations. This way, the needs of the whole may be simultaneously and efficiently entertained alongside the needs of individual students.

Some students of Payatas are observed to often lack motivation to go to their classes, despite the lenient nature of the lectures. Some students interviewed also could not attend classes due to strained living situations in terms of financial stability. Currently, there is no incentive to attend Payatas’s classes beyond educational fulfillment. In order to address both of these issues, the system could possibly benefit from a financial incentive for the students.

Financial support could be offered to students who fulfill certain criteria. For example, this can be offered to students who consistently perform well in class. Alternatively, the center may also hand out the money as a means of supporting a student’s family and living conditions. The determination of which students are eligible for financial support may be done by home visit or by annual income. The support is not limited to cash, however. They may also provide support to their students by way of food and water, or other important resources the student could use. How the money is distributed, in what form, and how much of it is given to the students is ultimately up to the center. 

In this way, a proper incentive may be given in order to promote any action in students, be it attendance, participation, or other issues Payatas can address. By providing a monetary incentive, the center could simultaneously support the student and their family. It provides an avenue for students with families in vulnerable situations or in dysfunctional settings to thrive. This could also promote better living conditions and promote the center as well.