Come to a meeting! Every 3rd Saturday of the month
(Alternating between Bolingbrook Fountaindale Library or Bolingbrook High School Library
and Romeoville High School Library)

Learn more about BAAWG, ways to get involved in the community efforts to eliminate the achievement gap, and meet others who care about the same issue.

All are welcome!!

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21st general BAAWG meeting at Romeoville High School HAS BEEN CANCELLED due to snow.
We are sorry for any inconvenience.
Please email any updates or committee reports to april.ballinger@baawg.org to be included in the communications summary email.

Our next meeting is:
Saturday, February, 18th
11:00 am- noon
Bolingbrook Fountaindale Library
Board Room
(300 West Briarcliff, Bolingbrook, IL)


Can't make it to this month's meeting?  Come to our next one!

2011-2012 School Year Meetings:

How Can We Close the Achievement Gap?

On Saturday, April 16th, 2011,  BAAWG hosted a Community Forum on how to close the Achievement Gap in the Valley View School District

During the deliberation, participants weighed in on 3 approaches to tackling the gap in academic achievement:
1. Raising Expectations and Demanding Accountability
2. Closing the Spending Gap
3. Addressing the Root Causes

CLICK HERE to read a summary of results from the BAWWG Community Forum.

Read more about new Superintendent Jim Mitchem's thoughts on the Academic Achievement Gap in VVSD.


Watch a clip and learn more about the Achievement Gap in "No Textbook Answer: Communities Confront the Achievement Gap"  featuring BAAWG and Bolingbrook and Romeoville, IL residents.

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Who We Are (Download BAAWG Brochure Here)

Building Academic Achievement Within this Generation (BAAWG) is a grassroots organization that has assembled to promote and facilitate community involvement centered on issues of academic achievement. Community action teams were launched for the purpose of conducting activities to enrich the education experience for all Bolingbrook and Romeoville, IL students.

 

Research has shown that students are most successful in places where the“community is in the schools” rather than just where the “school is in the community.” This means that citizens willing to become involved can make a significant impact on improving our children’s educational experience.

 

Vision

Community and schools working together to assure an equitable learning experience in a worldclass school for every student in Bolingbrook and Romeoville public schools.

 

 

Mission

The mission of Building Academic Achievement Within this Generation (BAAWG) is to enhance and improve the educational experiences provided to students in Bolingbrook and Romeoville public schools and to eliminate the academic achievement gap.

 

 

We accomplish this mission through

• Community engagement designed to create community ownership of  public education

• Parent/guardian education designed to focus on parental ownership of  children’s educational experience

• Collaboration with the schools and other organizational, business and  individual stakeholders

• Programming for students and families

• Promoting volunteerism, among students and adults,  for educational  purposes 

• Research and the public sharing of research finding regarding the educational environment of our children

• Promoting a public awareness of and involvement in current issues  facing school district policymakers

 

 

We have a commitment to

• Developing a climate where community deliberation on issues of education can flourish 

• Recognizing and promoting students as essential stakeholders in their  own academic success

• Embracing the cultural/ethnic diversity of the Bolingbrook and Romeoville community

 

Board of Directors

Leroy Brown Jr. - Executive Director (leroy.brown@baawg.org)

Chrystal Hansen - Board Chair (chrystal.hansen@baawg.org)

Dorletta Payton - Vice Chair (dorletta.payton@baawg.org)

April Ballinger - Secretary (april.ballinger@baawg.org)

Gwendolyn White - Treasurer (gwendolyn.white@baawg.org)

Patti Chow - Member (patti.chow@baawg.org)

Rick Gougis - Member (rick.gougis@baawg.org)

Sadie Flucas - Life Member (sadie.flucas@baawg.org)

 

Major Partners

College of DuPage
Joliet Junior College
Valley View School District 365U

 

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We Need You

Building Academic Achievement Within this Generation welcomes all Bolingbrook and Romeoville public education stakeholders (individuals, businesses and organizations) who want to participate.

 

We especially want to involve a representative group that closely reflects the economic, ethnic, religious, age and other diversity characteristics of the Bolingbrook and Romeoville community, since it is this diversity that will assure that we address the needs of all our students. 

Whether volunteering, joining an action team, making a donation, or joining our Facebook Group... your support is greatly appreciated.

How You Can Help

Individuals can help by volunteering to:

• Convene or moderate a forum, or serve as a forum note taker or recorder.
• Recruit individuals (youth and adults), businesses or organizations.
• Assist with communications/media support.
• Assist with special events planning.
• Provide administrative support.
• Join our Facebook Group.
• Join a Committee/ Action Team.(Learn more below)

Committees/ Action Teams

Please CLICK HERE to sign up or get more information on joining a team.

1. Community Forums/ Workshops/ Information Sessions
This committee would inform the community about the Academic Achievement Gap in Valley View, the Core Standards, Parent Education, etc. through community presentations.

2. School Board Action Team
These members would attend the board meetings, talk at the board meetings, and/ or report back to BAAWG at our monthly meetings.

3. College Prep Sessions.
This committee would assist in providing College Preparation workshops in the community.

4. 501c3
This committee would work on obtaining the non-profit organization status for BAAWG.

5. Grant Writing
This committee would look into and write possible grants available for the organization and for the community.

6. Publicity
This committee would publicize our efforts in print and on-line.

7. Early Learning Committee
This committee would follow up on a regular basis with the district on the status of the Full Day Kindergarten Initiative.

8. Local Business/ Organizations Collaboration
This committee would reach out to other organizations and be the liaison between BAAWG and these organizations.

9. Volunteering
This committee would recruit and place volunteers in the schools.

10. Research and public sharing of research regarding education
This committee would share research about current trends in education.

11. Membership Recruitment
This committee would attend community events such as back to school registrations or non- profit fairs and sit at a table and talk about and recruit potential BAAWG members for the community.

Business, churches or other organizations can participate by:

• Promoting our work among its membership or clientele.
• Providing space and registration support for working group activities.
• Designing and/or printing material prepared by the working group.
• Providing refreshments for forums or meetings.
• Listing a link to our website on its website.

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Contact Us