African American Student Services Dept.
Email Us | 520-225-3640 | 3233 S. Pinal Vista, Rm 207 (at Utterback MS), Tucson, AZ 85713 | Map (google.com)
Shermain Fort,
Interim Director
We are an empowered department, committed to teamwork, student success and building positive community bonds.
We build relationships between students, parents, schools and communities.
We will ensure that African American students receive the highest quality education. The end result will be the permanent closure of the achievement gap.
The African American Student Services Department (AASSD) is committed to equipping Tucson Unified personnel to better meet the needs of all students and empowering parents to continue supporting their child’s academic success.
We are further committed to improving the academic performance of African American students by:
- Supporting the effective implementation of the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
- Providing a variety of academic interventions directly to African American students. Services are provided through:
- Individualized and specialized learning support
- Counseling and guidance
- Program development
- Cultural awareness and sensitivity training
- Community education
- 1:1 and group tutoring & mentoring
- Student advocacy
We work directly with Exceptional Education, schools, and other district departments to meet the needs of students. While the department’s primary focus is African American students, no students are turned away or denied support.
Vision
We will ensure African American students receive a quality education and are prepared to succeed in a global society.Core Values
- Advocacy
- Empowerment
- Integrity
- Teamwork
REGIONAL/SCHOOL TEAMS:
We provide direct and ancillary support based on the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) model. Department staff are divided into regional and school teams to better serve African American students at all sites. Our staff also provide support by connecting families with community and social services resources. Other support may include home visits, individual and small group tutoring, mentoring, field trips and behavior plans.
Parents and students may contact our office at 520-584-7500 to find their assigned staff member.
LITERACY INITIATIVES:
We are committed to student and family literacy. We recognize the importance of providing students with literature that accurately represents and reflects their cultural heritage. Our Response to Intervention Specialists support students through small group literacy interventions at more that 20 schools. We further support literacy (and math) growth through our new Royal Readers Program offered to 500 1st-3rd grade students meeting our criteria.
Royal Readers Program
Royal Readers is home-based intervention program for 1st through 3rd grade students. Based on literacy assessment data, students receive a loaner iPad, headphones, and a hotspot (if needed). Ipads include reading and math intervention programs from My Reading Academy and My Math Academy.
For more information on the Royal Readers Program please email Shermaine Fort.
CULTURALLY RELEVANT ENRICHMENT EXPERIENCES:
To promote cultural appreciation, the we sponsor or partner with community organizations to host a number of experiences including:
- Harambee celebration
- African American Youth Heritage Day
- Black History Month Brain Bowl
- African American Read-In Chain
- Historical Black College and University Expo and Tour
- STEM Club
- University of Arizona Engineering Initiative
- Empowerment workshops
Students and adults from diverse backgrounds participate in all experiences.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS:
We build relationships with community organizations to support academic, cultural, and social experiences for students. The purpose is twofold:
- To serve as a conduit for connecting students, families and schools with community resources
- To increase the number of positive role models students are able to connect with, and to learn about careers, leadership skills, and college prep.
African American Student Services Parent Advisory Council
The purpose of the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is to work together to support the learning and well-being of all African American students in TUSD. Our work will include: implementing plans for involving African American families and communities and creating spaces, programs and activities to improve African American students' success. The PAC is comprised of regional representatives from all 5 regions within TUSD.
African American Student Services Student Advisory Council
The purpose of the Student Advisory Council (SAC) is to develop the leadership and advocacy skills of African American high school students across the district. Students selected for the Advisory Council will organize and participate in service-learning opportunities and work collaboratively with the PAC on culturally relevant activities and programs.
