How we can go from"Good" to "Great"

By Jonathan Daniel Kraut

College of the Canyons is considered by many to be a "good" school. Mr. Kraut believes we can support College of the Canyons in becoming even better.

Here are ten ways in which Mr. Kraut intends to support College of the Canyons in going from "good" to "great."

1. Placing Students First

Recognizing that purpose of every resource, facility, employee, administrator, and educator at College of the Canyons expressly supports student success is a big step towards facilitating Optimal Learning.

2. Recognizing the Importance of Inspired, Qualified, Supported Teachers

Without inspired, knowledgeable teachers, excellent learning can not take place. Creating and sustaining an environment that supports teachers is vital to delivering the very best education available. Teachers especially benefit from a stable environment, administration support, a degree of autonomy regarding curriculum and textbooks, recognition for inspired teaching, and programs helping teachers stay fresh, interested, and topically current.

3. Inclusion and Participation

Allowing participation, observations, and decision-making regarding the quality of instruction, facilities, staff support, etc. Students, parents, families, faculty, administration and staff the community, etc. all have a vested interest in academic success and are enabled by this process to participate in the promotion of academic success and excellent teaching and learning.

4. Legislative Advocacy

Trustees are encouraged to take an active role in proposing new legislation, amending existing laws, and informing college needs to local, state, and federal legislature. Mr. Kraut has legislative experience, participating at all three levels of government regarding educational reform and change. Mr. Kraut intends to prominently represent the interests of College of the Canyons and the neighborhoods of the Santa Clarita Valley.

5. Optimal Teaching

This process, developed by Mr. Kraut, is designed to support inspired teaching and provide for the continued and long-term support of excellent teaching and learning. The premise of Optimal Teaching is that excellent teachers create and support excellent learners. An Optimal Teaching Program is comprised is four primary components:

- 1. Recognizing excellent teachers through student evaluations, student attendance, student rates of course completion, etc.

- 2. Identifying and supporting teachers that can improve through peer support groups, new teaching formats and techniques, and school encouragement.

- 3. Maintaining an environment of inclusion and participation, promoting openness of ideas, mutual support, the freedom to contribute towards better teaching, and allowing teachers and staff to impact the learning environment.

- 4. Maintaining administration support mechanisms that encourage department and school-wide interest in sustaining excellent and inspired teaching to every student by every teacher in every class.

- 5. Carefully evaluating teaching candidates as "guest speakers" several times prior to making the decision to be hired is essential and is a tool infrequently employed by College of the Canyons and takes the guesswork out of knowing how well a teacher communicates and interacts with students.

6. Self-Motivated Learning Systems

- 1. Creating Peer to Peer Support Groups that provide the self- regulated support and information mechanisms needed by students to clearly evaluate, modify habits, and create successful outcomes.

- 2. Self-Guided Planning results from Peer to Peer Support Groups which actively review student Education Plans, Community Contribution Plans, and Life Success Plans.

- 3. Six Traits Assessment is a diagnostic tool developed by Mr. Kraut that allows student to assess and evaluate their own habits and attitudes as well as contribute to impartial assessment of the habits and attitudes of their peers.

7. Supporting the disadvantaged

The Economically Disadvantaged currently are supported by Extended Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS) at College of the Canyons with limited financial support and counseling. Mr. Kraut intends to explore providing additional resources, at no direct cost and through tapping into existing grant programs, to bolster an already valuable program in supporting students, for whom their dream of a college education may not be fulfilled without assistance.

The Socially Disadvantaged represents a new concept which addresses considerations other than income level and economic disadvantages that hinder students from academic success. Some of these factors include culture, family issues, study habits, and peer pressure. Mr. Kraut intends to apply elements of programs he has developed and written for the Socially Disadvantaged, at no direct cost and through tapping into existing grant programs.

8. Early Outreach and Continued Education

Supporting future COC students before High School graduation is called Early Outreach. Very limited Early Outreach is currently available in the Santa Clarita Valley, ignoring the needs of thousands of high school and junior high school students who would benefit from academic development programs and support. Continued education provides the successful academic skills and attitudes enabling students to continue educational development past the community college level. Mr. Kraut hopes to apply his knowledge and experience in these areas, gained through Early Outreach programs at UCLA and through Continued Education efforts at The American Institute, to expand assistance to a much greater Santa Clarita Valley student population. Specifically, incorporating Early Outreach and Continued Education into one dynamic process encourages the following:

- 1. Preparation of Junior and High school students to graduate from High School that otherwise would drop out of High School.

- 2. Promoting continuation of educational development from High School to the College of the Canyons by those who would not otherwise attend COC.

- 3. Supporting successful degreed graduation from College of the Canyons by students who would not otherwise graduate.

- 4. Facilitating COC student transfers to college and university four-year and graduate programs for those who would otherwise not transfer.

- 5. Encouraged interest in by COC students in attaining graduate and advanced degrees.

9. Internship and Externship Programs

As Dean of the Justice Studies Department at the American Institute, Mr. Kraut created a community based support structure whereas employers contributed to curriculum development, management was hired as part-time faculty to help teach students exactly what employers wanted student to know, and future employers lined up to hire interns. Internship programs, comprised of students earning and income and college credit, and Externship programs, with students earning on the job training for credit and experience only, are vital to promoting employment opportunities for both students and employers. Mr. Kraut was so successful in integrating internship and externship partners at the American Institute that 95% of his students were hired prior to earning their degree.

Currently, College of the Canyons boasts of 187 Internship partners for 15,000 students. Mr. Kraut intends to expand employer relationships representing as many as a thousand participating employers instead of a couple hundred.

10. Cultural Diversity

Mr. Kraut supports creating cultural liaisons from within the staff, faculty, and student organizations who are designated to assist students and members of the community who otherwise may be at a cultural disadvantage in communicating with COC personnel. Ideally, a COC liaison share the be from the country of origin as the persons needing information and support. Connecting on a cultural level helps open doors of opportunity and understanding with students and the community.