Yael Palomero steered his electric go-kart back to the starting point of a circular course at Hanford West High School, bumping into the curb as he came to a stop. With his teammates asking what happened, the embarrassed eighth grader from Jefferson Academy in Hanford said the brakes didn’t feel right. The driver and the car were just fine, but teacher Ricardo Ramos wasn’t taking any chances. “This is a learning opportunity,” Ramos said. “Let’s look at the braking system to see if we have lost fluid.”

The little kart was lifted back on its dolly and pushed back to the workshop for inspection. There, Ramos directed students to disassemble the brake pedal and rods before accessing the brake fluid reservoir to check its level. For Gael Tolano, a second-year kart program participant, the opportunity to work on the kart is fun. “I like working on cars and I want to be a mechanic,” he said.

The go-kart program is one of the Migrant Education Program’s (MEP) newer learning opportunities for migratory students in Tulare and Kings counties. Students learn the parts of the kart and assemble them under the guidance of MEP teachers like Ramos before driving them. In Kings and Tulare counties, six karts are used by MEP programs throughout the school year. The karts are particularly popular during the summer with 10 middle and high school students attending the learning session last Saturday at Hanford West High School. As a reward for their learning, earlier this month, the students were able to race fellow migrant education students at the K1 Speed Center in Clovis, eagerly sharing their finish orders with Ramos. 

In addition to the kart program, MEP offers a variety of summer learning opportunities, including small-group English language arts and math sessions at school sites, homebase instructional support, and online Young Writer’s Virtual Academy in collaboration with United We Lead and the Math Enrichment Virtual Academy.

To finish its summer offerings, MEP will coordinate students to attend residential camps at various universities, including UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, and Fresno State. 

Photos above:

~ (upper photo) Yael Palomero took one of the Migrant Education Program’s electric go-karts out for a spin at Hanford West High School. (center photo) The kart then returned to the workshop to have its brakes checked. (lower photo) Ricardo Ramos looks on as Judith Cruz reassembles the brake peddle linkage once students had determined that the kart had sufficient brake fluid.

For aspiring teachers seeking a credential, New Teacher & Leadership Development (NTLD) is offering information sessions beginning next month. The IMPACT Intern Program and Career Technical Education (CTE) Program collectively support a diverse range of candidates entering the teaching profession, including both academically prepared future educators and industry professionals transitioning into education.

The IMPACT Intern Program is fully approved and accredited by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) and offers a range of credential pathways for future teachers, including single subject, multiple subject, and education specialist credentials. In partnership with local school districts, the program recruits and develops aspiring educators. Districts employ interns as teachers of record while NTLD provides the required teacher preparation coursework. Throughout the two-year program, interns receive ongoing support from program-assigned practicum supervisors and district-based mentors. IMPACT information sessions will be held July 14, August 18, and September 16.

Also CCTC-accredited, the CTE Program offers professionals, who have worked in a variety of industries such as agriculture, construction, healthcare, and law enforcement, the opportunity to earn a teaching credential to prepare students for careers in technical fields. CTE credential program information sessions will be held July 8, August 6, and September 2.

Virtual information sessions are held from 4:30 until 5:30 p.m. Those interested in learning more or registering for an information session are encouraged to visit https://tcoe.org/NTLD/IMPACT or https://tcoe.org/NTLD/CTE or contact Courtney.Kirchman@tcoe.org and Vang.Thao@tcoe.org.

Dr. Joseph E. Holifield is returning to Tulare County in August to lead a two-day school threat assessment training for district and site administrators, psychologists, counselors, and other student support personnel. Hosted by TCOE’s School Safety Program, the training will help attendees learn the warning signs and steps they can take to mitigate potentially dangerous behaviors. The training will include review of 2025 protocols, threat assessments and management principals, tabletop case scenarios, and more.

The Level 1 Threat Assessment training will be held on August 6 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at TCOE’s Doe Avenue Complex. The Level 2 Threat Assessment will follow on August 7. For each training, there is a $25 fee per individual to attend. Registration for Level 1 training is available at https://tulare.k12oms.org/2746-279721. Level 2 registration information is available at https://tulare.k12oms.org/2746-279741. Attendees must complete the Level 1 training in order to attend the Level 2 training.

Holifield is a seasoned, licensed clinical and school psychologist with extensive experience in neuropsychological assessment, school-based interventions, threat assessment, case consultation, and therapeutic interventions. For seven years, he designed, developed, and implemented community behavioral threat assessment grant-funded projects in California.

Holifield has provided presentations on threat assessment both nationally and internationally. Through workshops and organizational consultation, he coaches therapists in mental health agencies and school districts on identifying and responding to behavioral warning signs of targeted violence. His work in this area was recognized by the California Psychological Association in the spring of 2026.

Holifield is a subject matter expert and provides training to school and community threat assessment teams on the SK Cascade Student Preventive Threat Assessment and Management System through Public Consulting Group, Inc. Additionally, he serves as a trainer, consultant, and subject-matter expert for Safer Schools Together, Inc. (SST).

For additional information on the threat assessment trainings, contact Bob Mayo at bob.mayo@tcoe.org.

Editor: Robert Herman, Communications Director
Contributors: Nayirah Dosu, Jennifer Fisher, Jaime Burnitzki, Shantall Porchia, Vang Thao, Briahna Bakke

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