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Capstone Challenge:

The Capstone Challenge that I focused on was that district employees did not have an easy way to communicate with Spanish-speaking students and their families in day-to-day conversations. We can access "Talking Points" to communicate messages to parents, but that doesn't help us with face-to-face conversations. Many teachers use Google Translate to converse with their students. However, Google Translate isn't very reliable and many things can get lost in translation. If there was a time-sensitive problem, our Multicultural Ed. Teacher would get pulled from teaching to translate. 

Through many conversations and observations, I saw many frustrations on all sides of communication. 

Stakeholders:

The stakeholders for this project are other district employees, students, families, and community members. I surveyed employees of Hyalite Elementary School about their frustrations. (Empathy interviews cited as Artifacts L.1 and L.2) I observed Spanish-speaking families' frustrations while helping in the office. I met with some community members about their concerns for equal education for all. 

"I want to be able to communicate with students and their parents. This would make them feel more welcome in our community." CM 10/16/23

"I want to be able to connect with all of my students in meaningful ways, this includes conversation." MS 10/23/23

"I am worried that my child will fall through the cracks without teachers who can speak to him in Spanish" PT 11/08/23

"I like when my teachers can talk Spanish to me." EA 12/06/23

Why is this important:

 "A growing literature base indicates that DLL {ELL} students’ exposure to their native language in the classroom provides deeper access to academic content, and can foster development of essential cognitive, social-emotional, and language skills."

Alvarez, C., & Downer, J. (2023). Teachers’ Use of Spanish in the Classroom: Implications for Hispanic Dual Language Learners’ Classroom Engagement. Early Education and Development, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2023.2204293 

Students feel more welcomed and accepted in an environment in which others make an effort to communicate with them. It is the job of the teacher to make sure all students are learning in a safe and welcoming environment. 

How will this promote or support the foundational competencies?

 The lack of communication between district staff and Spanish-speakers is a major inequity. We currently have a white predominate school population. At this point, most teachers are teaching just in English, because they don't know other languages. So it is falling on the student, who is new to the country and may have experienced a large traumatic event coming to the country, to learn a new language and learn new topics in that language. This does not promote diversity, equity, and cultural competence. 

The act of district employees learning Spanish will show Spanish-speaking individuals that they are wanted and welcomed to the district. It will show the students that they are just as important as their white peers. I understand employees may never become fluent enough to teach in Spanish and English, but explaining the main ideas of the lesson would go a long way. It would also help create a socially just learning environment. 

Change or challenge the existing vision, values, or culture? 

It is not my intention to broaden the existing vision, values, and/or culture of the association, just to make it a reality. The current mission statement for Bozeman Public Schools is as follows; “Bozeman Public Schools exists to ensure high level learning for all students.” My capstone project will help strengthen this claim. Right now many of our students are unable to learn at a high level due to the language barrier. If educators were to learn Spanish, they would be able to teach and push students to high level learning in a meaningful way students can understand. 

Why might this work for your capstone problem? 

District employees learning Spanish would quickly help bridge the large communication gap happening in our district. This would help ease frustrations in basic conversations for employees, parents, and students alike. It would also take pressure off of students to learn how to address basic needs with teachers on their first day of school. 

On which two Overarching Competencies will you focus in addressing your Capstone Challenge?  Why are they relevant?  

I will focus on addressing "Continuing Learning and Education" and "Adult Learning." These are relevant because I will be pursuing professional learning opportunities and designing and creating learning opportunities or others aligned with professional learning goals. As I design this class, I will be learning to meet the needs of adult learners to enhance their professional growth, and leading professional learning activities to enhance the practice of others. 

Which Leadership Pathway competency will you focus in your Capstone Challenge?  Why is it relevant?  

The Leadership Pathway Competency I will be focusing on is Community Awareness, Engagement, and Advocacy. It is relevant because bringing awareness to the inequity these students are facing will help remove barriers. I will also be facilitating inner-community work among stakeholders.  I will develop a strategic plan to create interest and connect with schools, families, community partners, and other stakeholders. 

With whom will you work in addressing your Capstone Challenge?  Who else might you recruit beyond your own cultural and/or professional identity group? 

I will be working with our Principal Heather Chvojka because she oversees our PD and pretty much everything that goes on in our school. Ellen Guettler because she is our ELL teacher and may be willing to be the instructor for this class and help express the need for teachers to know Spanish. Paola (a community member) is completing a similar project for grad school at MSU. She knows Spanish professors at MSU and is even a Spanish Instructor herself. I will also be working with staff members who are interested in taking Spanish classes. I will need to work with district employees, such as Deputy Superintendents Marilyn King and Mike VanVuren, as well as their Administrative Assistant Spree Hincks, to ensure a place for the class to meet and I will need their stamp of approval to move forward with providing CEUs for the employees who take the classes. (Power map cited below as Artifact L.3)

Which resources (such as people, money, programs, time and space, etc.) do you have to address in your Capstone Challenge?   What resources will you need?  How will you obtain them?  

1. Instructor: I need to find an instructor to lead the class. I do not know how to teach a Spanish course. I will ask community members if they know anyone who would be interested and knows how to lead the course. Paola and I will then interview the candidates and find the best fit for the course.

2.  Funding: I will need to find funding for this course. We will need money for printing costs, paying the instructor, and paying for the learning space. I will ask students to pay $50 for the course. If we have 30 students, that will give us $1,500 to cover the costs of the course. 

3.  Scope and Sequence: I will need to create a plan of what we will be teaching. I will survey students on what they want and feel they need to learn to be able to successfully start to communicate with their students. I will also do some research to see if there is already a scope and sequence made for educators learning Spanish. 

4.  Location: I will need to find a place to have the class. Right now I am looking at renting my classroom from the district. This will cost about $15 per week, plus insurance for the space. 

5.  Schedule: I will need to create a schedule for the course that is meaningful and makes the most of everyone's time. Currently, I am looking into having a blended model for the class. One hour a week online and one hour a week in person. This would ensure it is not adding too much to the busy educators who are taking the class, nor the instructor. A max of two hours a week will respect the time of everyone involved while making sure, students will learn a good amount of Spanish. 

6. Students: I need to gather about thirty or more students to take this course. This will cover the cost of the materials, classroom, and instructor. I don't think this will be a problem; at Hyalite alone, thirty teachers expressed interest in taking a Spanish class. 

7.  CEUs: I need to work with the Deputy Superintendents and their administrative assistant to provide CEUs for everyone taking the course. This will add incentive for those who are taking the course and show that we value their time and effort.