St. John's News

Project Reconnect—a special program initiated by St. John’s University School of Education Associate Professor Deborah Saldana in conjunction with the Queens South Park District—is achieving success reconnecting high school drop-outs with society. At the completion of one-and a-half years of operation, Project Reconnect, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Investment Act,  is helping disconnected youth get on with their lives, says Professor Saldana. The program is directed by Assistant Professor Jonas Bethea in the School of Education’s Counseling Program.
 
“Unlike many GED [Graduate Equivalency Degree] programs, ours is an academic program,” says Professor Saldana, “that’s been able to get credit for those students who want to return to high school. Project Reconnect has helped 119 students thus far: eight have returned to high school; 28 are currently employed; two are in unpaid internships; 16 have passed all five parts of the GED exam; and four students are enrolled in college or post-secondary-school training programs. More students will take the GED exam this June.”

Funded by Government Grant
Funded in its first year by a $1-million government grant enabling it to accept 100 students, Project Reconnect was cut back to $550,000 in 2005, and could accept only 55 students, Director Saldana explains.

Students in the program are 16- to 18 year-olds who’ve been out of school for more than one year. They receive one year of classes, academic support and counseling, and a second year of follow-up with the staff; key to the program’s success is the staff’s ability to motivate the students and help them choose their future career path.

“We take the students on monthly tours of community and specialty colleges,” explains Professor Saldana. “They’ve visited St. John’s on several occasions, attending basketball games and other events. As they spend more time on campus, they begin to envision themselves as college students. Two of them [subsequently] chose to attend St. John’s.”

“We also hold a Job Fair, which we’ve opened up to local high schools and to the community,” she adds. “Potential employers such as the Fire and Police Departments attend.”

Program Includes Counseling
In addition to an intensive educational program of Math, English, Social Studies, History, Music and Technology, Project Reconnect offers group, individual and family-intervention counseling. Topics covered in the program—housed in the South Queens Park Association building, in Roy Wilkins Park, southeast Jamaica—include the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse; the detriments of smoking and other high-risk behavior; and how to avoid gang activity. Referrals are available to help the students deal with their social-service needs, such as immigration issues, housing, child care and entitlements.

“Research shows that Out-of-School Youth (OSY) don’t have the ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ skills necessary to get their first job,” says Professor Saldana. “We expect the students in the program to identify their career aspirations, and we help them learn the ‘soft’ skills they need to succeed:

• How to present themselves appropriately
• How to fill out a job application
• How to accept criticism without being confrontational
• Job practices etiquette

Lacked High School Guidance
“The students in our program are bright, articulate kids with a lot on the ball, but they weren’t given the opportunity to meet with academic advisors in high school,” speculates Professor Saldana. “Guidance counselors in New York City public schools have large case loads—as many as 400 to 600 students—and they’re required to spend much of their time on paperwork. Rarely did our kids spend adequate time with their guidance counselor; often, they were pushed into whatever class was open that fit into their schedule.”

As a result, Saldana says, a number of students “drop out, are pushed out, or tune out” with disastrous consequences. Many of them have talents, she says, but aren’t employed in the “legitimate workforce.” Project Reconnect runs “entrepreneurial-skills” classes that teach “business literacy” so that students learn about withholding, social security and taxes, as well as resources, such as credit and loans, available to legitimate businesses. “We help students choose meaningful employment rather than rely on cottage industries,” she explains.

First and foremost, the students are encouraged to return to high school. Those who refuse are urged to prepare for the GED exam. They’re also encouraged to pursue post-secondary education such as college or vocational training. Those who get jobs are expected to work a minimum of 20 hours per week. Enlisting in the armed services is also an option the students may explore.

Meaningful Activity Encouraged
“Project Reconnect helps drop-outs to become engaged in meaningful and productive activity,” Professor Saldana reports. Exposure to the arts, theater and cultural events, as well as a class airplane trip to the rural south [Ft. Valley State University in Ft. Valley, GA] as part of an African and World Studies course, have all helped to inspire and motivate the students.

“We went to a farm owned and operated by African-American families, and we also toured an Old Slave Mart that’s now a museum,” she explains.

Although Project Reconnect employs certified teachers, the program also relies on assistance from graduate students who receive “full tuition and a monthly stipend” for participating. Graduate students in Counseling, Education or Criminal Justice may find the experience valuable and pertinent in light of their career goals, Professor Saldana concludes.
 
St. John’s Vice President of Community Relations, Joe Sciame, who sits on the South Queens Park Association Board, was instrumental in obtaining the Association’s support and securing the program’s location. School of Education Dean Jerrold Ross has also been an avid supporter, allocating resources including office space.

Professor Saldana, who has her master’s and doctorate in Education from the University of Houston, has been a professor at St. John’s since 1994. A certified reading teacher, she teaches curriculum and English language-arts methods courses. She also directs Brooklyn Bridge, a non-academic support program for “300 over-age and under-credited youths,” housed at the W.E.B. DuBois High School in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.

Also handling key roles in Project Reconnect are its Dean of Students, Unseld Robinson, a recent School of Education doctoral degree recipient; Academic Director Deirdre Breslin, former School of Education Assistant Professor; and Assistant Director Tesha Johnson, School of Education graduate student.