Campus partners with McLane High School

Faculty members from two Fresno State departments are engaged in an expanding community initiative to improve the health and well-being of a Fresno high school. 

Dr. Wade Gilbert, Department of Kinesiology, and Dr. Virginia Rondero Hernandez, Department of Social Work Education, have joined the leadership of McLane High School and various representatives of local government agencies and non-profit organizations to form the McLane Collaborative. The purpose of the McLane Collaborative is to assist the campus in developing a campus student service center that addresses health, mental health and social service needs that may affect or interfere in student learning and academic performance.

“The McLane Collaborative is a community initiative designed to support a public school in providing services for which there is no district budget,” said Rondero Hernandez. “It’s a win-win situation in that services that might not otherwise be made available to students are placed right there on campus; and it also allows the university to accomplish its mission of civic engagement.”

As a faculty fellow for the Central California Children’s Institute, Gilbert piloted the School-based Healthy Activity and Physical Education (SHAPE) program with McLane Freshman Physical Education Classes in spring 2005.  The SHAPE program is now implemented at McLane as a longitudinal study of the effectiveness of a school-based intervention designed to promote the adoption and maintenance of a physically active lifestyle and reduce adolescent obesity and overweight.

In addition to the implementation of the SHAPE Program, Gilbert also has implemented a school-wide walking campaign with Walk-for-Life, and an afterschool program that features intramural sport and an “excergaming” program featuring the hit arcade game “Dance-Dance Revolution.”

Rondero Hernandez, who in addition to her faculty role is also the associate director of research and evaluation for the Central California Children’s Institute, has been instrumental in the development of the McLane Collaborative. Rondero Hernandez was invited by McLane High School principal, Frank Silvestro and representatives from Fresno County’s departments of Employment and Temporary Assistance, Children and Family Services, and Maternal, Adolescent and Child Health to assist in the development of the Highlander Student Center, a school-based student service center at the McLane campus.

Currently, Rondero Hernandez is conducting a campus needs assessment that will be used to assist McLane in securing funding to support activities of the collaborative.  She is also supervising two master’s social work student interns who are assisting her with collaborative activities.

Situated in the east-central section of Fresno, McLane High School is noted for high percentages of poverty, teen pregnancy, dropout, homelessness, foster care group homes, transience, homelessness and neighborhood crime.  Of the 2,619 students that attended McLane High School in 2003-2004, 78 percent were enrolled in the Free and Reduced Lunch program, an indicator socioeconomic need.

In addition, the campus is culturally and linguistically diverse with high representations of students from the Latino and Hmong cultures.  During the same school year, 43 percent of the students at McLane were identified as English learners and 15 percent as migrant students.  Improving school performance with such a diverse and economically disadvantaged student body has been challenging for the administrators, teachers and staff at McLane High school; but incremental changes are occurring and the academic performance of McLane students is on the rise.

The McLane Collaborative was convened by Principal Frank Silvestro in February 2005 in order to address the outstanding health and social service needs of students which sometimes function as barriers to student learning and academic performance. Since then, the McLane Collaborative has made great strides in organizing and making community services available to students on the McLane campus.

Currently, the Highlander Student Center houses a rotation of “loaned” agency outreach, counseling and case management personnel who identify students eligible for county and community programs and offer regularly-scheduled educational workshops for students and parents on topics related to adolescent health and well-being.

Questions about the McLane Collaborative and how faculty from other disciplines might get involved can be directed to Rondero Hernandez at the Central California Children’s Institute, 228-2161.