Anita Williams
Parent Engagement and Expanded Learning Coordinator
Beaumont Unified School District
Anita Williams’ passion for helping others on a personal level began when she was hired to create and facilitate a curriculum to support job seekers in Escondido and Oceanside, California with resume creation, interviewing, time and stress management while also providing an option to have one-on-one video-taping of candidates during mock interviews to provide feedback and boost their confidence as they head out into the job market. From this experience, Anita learned that many skills she thought they should have were not a foundational part of their existence. In her mind, she knew she wanted to make a difference for youth before they got into the workforce. So after three years as a North Inland County Career Advisor, she received a full tuition scholarship to go back to school to earn an MS in Multicultural Education with a Multi-Subject Teaching Credential.
Upon entering the K-8 classrooms, Anita worked with many at-risk youth. Having three school-aged daughters of her own allowed her to see where she could provide support to students in which they actually craved. While much of the support was emotional, she also ensured that academic growth was taking place with each student. She built strong relationships with families whom she guided along the way as it supported students. Anita often opened up her classroom an hour before school, at lunch time, and afterschool to support and learn more about the students in her community. She began creating mini-clubs in elementary which allowed students to have an engaging space for students to come to plan and receive academic support. Through their efforts they began to witness academic and fundraising success from club activities. Students began to see the connection of applying what they were learning, especially the reading and math. While in middle school, Anita also started the first Associated Student Body (ASB) and it also provided students the opportunity to strengthen leadership abilities while fundraising. The opportunities made available for both elementary and middle school students allowed them to take ownership of their learning while exercising their ability to plan and execute field trips which included the San Diego Zoo, Lego Land, Disneyland, Six Flags and nature park visits. These opportunities allowed students to see life beyond their current situation.
After several years, Anita accepted the position of Parent Engagement and Expanded Learning Coordinator in August 2017. When she began working with the After School Safety and Education (ASES) team, Anita recognized that the climate and culture needed support and the students were not engaged. Anita began working with her ASES team by providing “just in time” coaching. She was at the school sites providing one-on-one support for the instructional aides while working directly with the site liaisons. Anita personally began presenting the mandatory parent meetings and explicitly sharing the program guidelines of the support we needed from parents if their child was going to participate in ASES. Agreements were signed and policies were enforced. Due to the consistency and structure that has been set, parent and student concerns have decreased over 95% from what they were, and parent culture and climate surveys are very favorable.
Anita also created, introduced, and implemented an academic enrichment program called “Incredible Minds” to support many of our students who are academically deficient. This program not only supports the ASES students, but students who are academically behind and referred by the partnership of the parent, teacher, and principal. The program is overseen by eighteen instructional aides and powered by two online programs where students are engaged in math and reading at their own level. Both programs have an adaptive intelligence in which each student gets only what they need to feel academic success. The program is in the second year of implementation and the most recent district data reveals much academic growth and due to this growth, the program is scheduled to be written into the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).
The motto that has been created for the expanded learning programs is as follows:
““Eighty-percent heart and twenty-percent academics. If we can capture the kids hearts then we can encourage them to do exceedingly and above the basic expectation.””
The next steps for these expanded learning programs will be to help students realize the creativity and power they have within to persevere to make a difference not only for them, but the greater good while maintaining peace and joy in their own lives.