Successes

Parent Feedback

Ninety-eight percent or more of parents surveyed said that participating in the after-school program increased their child’s interest in science and confidence in his/her academic abilities, taught him/her how to work as part of a team, taught him/her new science concepts, that their child had fun participating in the activities, and that he/she talked about the after-school activities at home.

The following sampling of parents’ comments illustrates the wonderful impact the ISOG program is having on participating students.

“Demontae is very excited about learning new things and meeting new people. He used to be shy but is now more vocal than before.  I hope this program is also available for him next year.” – Pickard Elementary

 “My son was not enthusiastic about science before the program and now he is always excited. His science grade has also improved.” -  South Loop School

“My daughter has become more interested in science because of her participation in the after- school program, and has used it with her class projects.” – Smyth Elementary

“She was a very quiet person, now she is so outgoing about science.” - Cather Elementary

“My daughter has always been interested in school, but now she comes home every Tuesday eager to talk about what she has learned. She sometimes teaches me new things.” – Cather Elementary

“Ronald loves science now. His grades have improved.” – Newberry Elementary

“The exposure to scientific concepts was excellent. They have such a short school day that these concepts are not always taught during the regular school day.” - South Loop School

“My child was getting low grades in science.  Now the grades have improved.” – Whittier Elementary

“Participating in the team environment was very productive in that it helped to further develop his ability to work collectively as opposed to independently.” – South Loop School

“It has been very beneficial and helpful. Noel has learned a great deal with the program. He enjoyed the projects that were done. He was very interested that at points he would use the computer to learn more.” –  Manuel Perez Elementary

“This program offered a very constructive after school program that augmented their education in a fun and engaging way.” - South Loop School

“It helps them to enjoy school and to get to know their teacher and students working together in fun ways in order to learn!” -  Newberry Elementary

[The after-school program] “helped her increase her grades and make new friends. [She] learned how to participate in group activities.” – Cooper Elementary

“My son was very enthusiastic about this program.” – Pickard Elementary

Teacher Feedback

All teachers in the program have reported that it was a very unique after-school experience that was beneficial for their students on multiple levels, as illustrated by the following comments:

“It was important for South Loop to have the ISOG program at our school to give the students in the intermediate grades an opportunity to compete in hands-on science activities while working through the phases of inquiry, something that the rigorous FOSS and SRC curriculum and time constraints rarely allow.

After only one meeting, students have found me at random times throughout the day to tell me how much fun they had and ask what our upcoming activities will include. Not only did they enjoy making/flying the paper airplanes, but I can tell the information about forces we taught them prior to the activity makes more sense to them now because they were able to put them
in motion, literally!  This ensures greater memory retention because these concepts have been put into practice and not just memorized.

This program is unique because it incorporates the idea of friendly competition into hands-on science inquiry.  Most science education in the classroom entails a scripted, teacher-facilitated experiment or activity where results are already known.  In ISOG, students are not given an expected outcome or specific ways to reach an end-product.  Instead, they have to work together using their critical thinking skills to get things done. The aspect of competition motivates this thinking to ensure that kids are doing the best they can.”

Holly Heneghan
Science Coach, South Loop School

“So far this program has been a great addition to our school. Children are engaged during the lessons, but even during the week they ask about the next activities.

I think the 1½ hour sessions are wonderful. Children have enough time to build and improve their creations (paper airplanes and straw towers). Another thing that I really like is to see third grade students working with fifth grade students. Just yesterday, a third grade student was sharing great ideas with her 5th grade partner on how to build a strong tower.  It was amazing to see them working together.”

Maria Castro
Cooper School

“My students were excited to come, and would begin stopping me in the hallway during school
to ask, ‘What’s the next activity going to be?’ So they really looked forward to being here…The students bought into everything we did, and they really enjoyed completing the activities and discovering new knowledge.”

Alexis Gonzalez
Pickard School

“The students are excited about what they have done and go home and tell their parents enthusiastically about their activities.

Art Schmid
Smyth School

“The students were very engaged in all the hands on activities. The activities allowed the students to dive into science without realizing that they were really being exposed to new aspects of science. All of the students showed progress in science, not only in the program, but also in their regular science class.”

Ebony Williams
Cather School

“This program opens up students’ minds to the wonders of science through a series of fun inquiry based learning activities. My students learned important concepts through hands on inquiry. They got to learn by interacting with “real scientists” who also attended CPS which I believe will give them courage and confidence that they too can become scientists. They learned how science needs to be tested and the competition showed how scientists need to be competent and always need to improve their work.”

Regina Garrity
William C. Brown Elementary School

“The science enrichment added to our already strong science curriculum. The students looked forward to each week’s session. I, as well as the students, appreciated the variety of activities that kept the participants engaged.  This was one of the most organized and engaging enrichment programs that I have been a part of. Thank you for the opportunity!”

Jackie Boudreau
Newberry School

“The students really enjoyed it and towards the end they were much more interested in learning more science.”

Margarita Guzman
Perez School

“Our Whittier students enjoyed interacting with the science materials. They found the lessons engaging and stimulating and fun. They had to work with other students cooperatively and that was not always easy but it was a good process for them to go through. The students were all motivated to try in the competition. That was one of the most interesting findings for me. The competition helped change the focus from merely enjoying the experiences to actually working to learn the discipline, so that they would “show well”. All of my students, I think, will readily participate in science club next year if they have the opportunity, and they really talked it up among their peers.  I felt a huge investment from ISOG and much enthusiasm for the highest
possible experience for the kids. I think that is important.  I enjoyed the ISOG experience quite a bit. Thank you.  For our students and for me.”

Norine Gutekanst
Whittier School

“The ISOG program built students’ confidence. Some students were able to improve their overall academic performance as well. Often times students that excel academically have a difficult time socially with their peers. This program after school helped to narrow that gap between students’ academic and social interactions.”

Andre Smith
Dett School

Principal Feedback

School principals have also witnessed the positive impact the program is having on their students and have enthusiastically expressed their desire to continue the program at their school for many years to come:

“To Whom it may Concern;
Some of our third through fifth grade students had the privilege of participating in the In Search of Genius program during the last school year.  It is a wonderful after-school program that provides innovative, hands on science activities for a few days per week.  Loyola University science students served as mentored while providing an exciting curriculum and engaging the students in “just plain fun!”   This year’s 4th grade ISAT scores increased from 48% meeting/exceeding standards to 67%.   The students are already asking if they can be selected for the program again this school year.  There is nothing as rewarding as the “sound of excitement” about learning.  
It is our hope that we will be fortunate enough to participate in the “In Search of Genius” program again this year, because we know that it truly made a positive impact on our students both academically and socially. 
If you should like to hear more, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the above number.

Hattie King
Principal, Willa Cather Elementary

“On behalf of Manuel Perez Jr. Elementary School, I would like to express my strong support for the In Search of Genius [ISOG] after school science program.

Through the ISOG program we were able to provide our third and fourth grade students the opportunity to participate in hands-on, inquiry based science projects in the scientific disciplines of aerodynamics, anatomy and physics. This program opened up the wonderful world of science to our students and allowed for critical extended learning time after the regular school day. The program was taught through a collaboration of school teaching staff and well trained university science students who served the dual purpose of being mentors and role models for our students.
Evaluation we received from parents of the participants were overwhelmingly positive. Parents have commented that they greatly appreciate the level of knowledge and the positive attitude toward science that this program offered their children.

We look forward to continuing our partnership with ISOG for many years to come and strongly support an expansion of this program to other Chicago Public Schools.”

Vicky Kleros
Principal, Manuel Perez Jr. Elementary

“At Pickard, we are looking for the most academically rewarding and enriching programs for this year’s after school activity curriculum. We would like to continue the “In Search of Genius Science Program” at Pickard this year.

Another important part of the program was the “College-Age” students. The students are Science Majors. These college students became mentors and inspirations as role models to our students.

These college mentors interacted with and helped the students in their hands-on activities. Their valuable knowledge enhanced the students’ learning capacity. The mentors had a profound impact on our students. One of the Science Mentors was a female and our female students were amazed that a woman could be interested and working in the science field. The female students felt empowered and motivated by the fun and challenging activities. By the end of the program, the students were excited about their participation in this innovative and progressive type of academic program.”

Rigo Hernandez
Principal, Pickard Elementary School