About This Episode

Season 7. Episode 1.

In this episode of Education Insight, we take a closer look at how faith and community-based programs can play a critical role in supporting students who are struggling in school. Host Lacey Kendall is joined by Professor Rafael Cardona, Director of KidReach, for a thoughtful conversation about what happens when schools are supported, not replaced, by community partnerships rooted in care, trust, and consistency.

Professor Cardona shares how programs like KidReach step in to address academic, social, and emotional gaps that schools, despite their best efforts, often don’t have the capacity to fully meet on their own. Through one-on-one tutoring led by college-level educators and graduate students, KidReach provides students with focused attention and encouragement, something that can be transformative for young people who may feel overlooked or disconnected in traditional classroom settings.

The conversation also explores the unique strengths that faith-housed programs can bring to student support, including deep community ties, long-term commitment, and a holistic approach to caring for children and families from diverse backgrounds. Throughout the episode, Lacey and Professor Cardona reflect on what true student success looks like beyond test scores, the impact these programs have on the college students who serve as tutors, and what other communities should consider when building similar models of support.

Ultimately, this episode highlights a powerful message: when students are seen, supported, and believed in—both inside and beyond the classroom—their paths forward can change in meaningful and lasting ways.

Featured Guest

Rafael Cardona, MBA

Director of KidReach

Biography

Professor Cardona is a marketing veteran with 25 years of industry experience. While in practice he worked with fortune one hundred brands across multiple industries using progressive strategies to expand both General and Hispanic US markets. Over the last 15 years Cardona has been teaching business administration courses at two and four-year colleges. He is committed to preparing students to become highly employable graduates in today’s competitive global economy. Examples of his student-centric approach to teaching include collaborations with the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Michelson Foundation, the Center for Intellectual Property Understanding (CIPU), the National Association of Community Colleges in Entrepreneurship (NACCE), and a partnership with MIT’s Lemelson Program. With a focus on student success, Professor Cardona also authored state-approved courses in social media and entrepreneurship that demonstrate robust enrollment and matriculation. Cardona’s academic work has received recognition from the Academy of Marketing Science and has appeared in the US Journal of Cultural Marketing Science. In 2024, he presented his most recent research on student mentorship at the Mentoring Institute, University of New Mexico. And last fall, the Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching published his article, Integrating Near-peer Mentoring into California Community Colleges to Build Social Capital, which detailed his research.

Cardona is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of Business at Glendale Community College in Southern California. The Glendale City Mayor recently recognized his work as Business Club Advisor, and an alumni focus group named him as the professor who had the greatest influence on their lives. Professor Cardona resides in Palm Springs, CA and spends his free time playing tennis, serving on the Board of the Palm Springs Unified School District Foundation, and directing KidREACH – a tutoring program launched by the Presbyterian Church designed to support the academic achievement of K through 12 students in the Coachella Valley. To learn more about the tutoring program please email Professor Cardona at: tutorme@kidreachcv.org