The Community Agenda for America’s Public Schools

The challenges our nation faces in educating all of our young people are alarming.  Yet in seeking solutions we often find ourselves divided.  Public schools are too fundamental to our democratic values to leave isolated from other community institutions.  This does not serve our children well.  We must act collectively.

Schools now enroll the most diverse group of young people in our history; their progress depends on the environment in which they live and learn.  Too many districts are experiencing stagnant high school graduation rates and unacceptably low performance in math and science.  Too many students are disengaged, and too many young people are seen as problems rather than as individuals with assets, hopes and dreams.  As citizens, we are less involved with our schools and in our democracy.  Community issues – poverty, violence, family stability, and substance abuse-- are school issues.

These are realities – not excuses.  Without question our schools need qualified teachers and strong principals, and like all public institutions they must be accountable.  But just as surely we know that our young people and their families need more connections, more support, more opportunities, and more learning time to be successful.  We can and we must do both.  We must create effective schools that have robust relationships with families and other community institutions.

We cannot make this happen without a willingness to work together.  Missing from the education reform and accountability debate, however, is serious dialogue about how to harness the shared capacity of our schools and communities to achieve our common goals.

Therefore, we propose The Community Agenda for America ’s Public Schools. The Community Agenda is built on four core beliefs:

• Communities and schools are fundamentally and positively interconnected.  Engaged communities build strong schools; effective schools are essential to strong communities.

• Schools can make a difference in the lives of all children.  The quality of schools matters.  High academic standards, rigorous curricula, high quality teachers, effective school leadership, aligned tests, accountability, and strong professional development are important factors for student success.

• Children do better when their families do better.  We recognize this inextricable connection and actively support the strengthening and empowering of families.

• The development of the whole child is a critical factor for student success.  Children grow into successful adulthood through high-quality instructional opportunities in school and out of school, by exploring their talents and interests through experiences that stretch their aspirations and by receiving the social, emotional, and physical support they need to succeed.

At the heart of our Community Agenda is a commitment to work together to create strong and purposeful partnerships for change and results.

This idea – fully embraced – would make all Americans responsible and accountable for excellent schools and the positive development of all our young people. Every institution that influences positive outcomes for children and youth must be part of the agenda - schools, families, government, youth development organizations, health, mental health and family support agencies, higher education and faith-based institutions, community organizing and community development groups, unions and business.  Each brings assets and expertise, each must change how it does its work and all must work together to close the opportunity gap.

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Understanding Obama's education vision

From NBC's Chuck Todd

The White House beat is more than just what happens at the Oval Office. We're doing out best to cover every department and every utterance made by members of President Obama's Cabinet. To that end, here are the most intriguing portions of Education Secretary Arne Duncan's interview last night with Charlie Rose.

Duncan gave a vision for public schools that I haven't yet heard the president articulate as clearly as Duncan did on Charlie Rose.

Duncan envisions a public school becoming a community center, meaning that when he advocates the lengthening of the school day, he's not necessarily calling for more public money to be spent on after-school programs. But, literally, using the building as a community center. So private groups, like the Boys and Girls club or the YMCA would hold classes there; maybe private arts foundations would do the same and maybe these private groups would help pay for equipment they would need and the school could get the benefit. This, of course, is done in many communities at many schools on an ad hoc basis, but hasn't been part of a national mandate.

Again, I'm highlighting because this was the light bulb moment for me when I truly understood what the president was attempting to advocate for his education programs.

Here are the direct excerpts.

I'm starting with Duncan being asked to describe the length of an average school day:

DUNCAN: I think our schools should be open 12, 13, 14 hours a day. So it’s not just length --

ROSE: So eight to eight, or something like that?

DUNCAN: Yes, and let me tell you what -- not just lengthening, obviously, the school day, but a wide variety of after school activities: drama, arts, sports, chess, debate, academic enrichment, programs for parents, GED, ESL, family literacy nights, potluck dinners. At home, we attached health-care clinics to about two dozen of our schools.  Where schools truly become the centers of the community, great things happen.  So I think we need the schools open much longer hours, and by the way, we don’t have to do this all ourselves as educators.  You can bring in great nonprofits:  the YMCAs, the Boys and Girls Clubs, mentoring and tutoring groups to co-locate their services and bolster the community from the school.  And every neighborhood in our country, you have schools.  In every school, you have classrooms, you have computer labs, you have libraries, you have gyms, many have pools.  Those buildings don’t belong to you or I.  They don’t belong to the unions.  They belong to the community.  We have these great physical resources, and we even maximize them.

ROSE: Keep them open 12 hours a day, 12 months a year.

DUNCAN: Yes.

ROSE: Twelve hours a day, 12 months a year.

DUNCAN: And I would go to six or seven days a week, not just Monday through Friday.

ROSE: Seven days a week. So the school becomes the center of community life.

DUNCAN: When the school becomes the center of community life, great things are going to happen for those families, and great things are going to happen to those children.

ROSE: Okay. Then tell me why that hasn’t happened before. I mean, who has stood in the way of that happening before? ...

DUNCAN: I don’t think there’s one person that’s stood in --

ROSE:  I don’t mean an individual, but has there been an organization? Has it been an institution? Has it to do with resources? Has it do to with a mindset about education?

DUNCAN: I think it’s the latter. I think it’s the lack of creativity and it’s a lack of understanding what our children need. And this is what I think we’ve just been slow to react. If you go back 30 or 40 years ago, the average child could get out of school at 2:30, mom was at home, child would go home to mom, dad was working, and get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at 2:30. Today, you have more two-parent working families. You have more single moms working two, three jobs. You have unfortunately maybe children going home to no-parent families. So our society has changed. Our schools have not kept pace, and this is a chance to really create what I think the 21st century school needs to look like. This needs to be the norm, not the exception. Time matter tremendously, and all of our families need our stores open longer hours.

ROSE: Is this a big-ticket item in terms of financial resources?

DUNCAN:  Finances is a piece of this, and we, again, have significant financial resources, unprecedented financial resources coming to the table. Let me be clear. This is thinking differently and being creative. What if the school system runs from 9:00 to 3:00, and what if they give the school to a great non-profit partner, the YMCAs, the Boys and Girls Clubs, whatever it might be, to run it from 3:00 to 9:00, not charge them rent, open the buildings and put them -- have all of their resources into better tutoring, better mentoring, and then bringing other non-profits. The money that I spent on this to open our schools long in Chicago was arguably the best money I spent because it was so highly leveraged. And you had all these phenomenal partners coming in, working collectively and collaboratively to one spot, provide this vast array of academic enrichment, social, even medical services to children and their families. So, yes, you need resources to do that, but it’s not just about resources. It’s about thinking differently, partnering, collaborating and understanding what our children need today to be successful.

msnbc.com

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The Community Agenda for America’s Public Schools is an action plan to ensure that all children enter school healthy, ready to learn and succeed. It prepares students to pursue post secondary education and become productive family and community members. The Community Agenda will help struggling youth, families and communities improve their lives by fostering school and community partnerships that support student outcomes. Key national leaders from education, youth development, community engagement, health and social services, and higher education organizations will sign on to a set of strategies and solutions enabling communities to support public education.

Quality education is critical and schools cannot do the job in isolation. For all students to achieve academic success the community must become active partners in addressing the challenges in the lives of youth, their families and neighborhoods, enabling schools to remain focused on their core mission of education.

For further information visit: www.communityschools.org

Contact person: Shital C. Shah, Research Associate, shahs@iel.org

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New Schools Better Neighborhoods Web Site 

California faces the unenviable task of building hundreds of new schools to relieve overcrowded classrooms and serve a growing student population. To accomplish this mission, NSBN promotes the concept of designing smaller school facilities that can build upon and accommodate existing community land and facilities to save on the time, money, land, and other resources used to duplicate functions elsewhere.

City of Berkeley and Berkeley Unified School District Join Forces to Eliminate the Achievement Gap

Berkeley City Council and School Board unanimously agree to make educational success a communitywide priority.

Berkeley, CA – On Tuesday, June 24th, the Berkeley City Council joined Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) and United in Action (a community-based multi-ethnic coalition) in a campaign to combat the achievement gap by unanimously adopting a resolution that establishes the 2020 Vision for Berkeley’s Children and Youth.  By approving the 2020 Vision for Berkeley’s Children and Youth resolution both the City of Berkeley and BUSD commit to working with the community to develop and implement plans and models for internal and cross-jurisdictional collaboration to remove barriers to learning and to promote healthy development for all Berkeley’s children and youth.

This is the first time the City of Berkeley and the BUSD have adopted a joint resolution to work together to make educational success a communitywide priority in Berkeley. United in Action has been a strategic community partner and a driving force in this effort.  Other partners will join this effort when the City and School District set up the All City Equity Task Force (ACET). The ACET will (1) advise the Superintendent, School Board, City Manager, City Council, and community stakeholders on the goals and strategies to achieve the 2020 Vision, and (2) monitor and review the progress of the District, City and community partners in implementing their plans to eliminate barriers to educational equity.

“Success in school is not the sole responsibility of the School District – it is all of our responsibility. Kids are in their homes and the community more hours a day than they are in school”, said Mayor Tom Bates.  “The disparity in educational outcomes between African American and Latino Students and their White and Asian peers cannot be tolerated in our community.  We want all of our youth to graduate high school with a high quality education and clear pathways to college and/or careers.”

The 2020 Vision states that all children regardless of race, ethnicity, and income, who enter Berkeley public schools beginning in 2007 (and remain in the district) will achieve equitable outcomes with no proficiency differences by the time they graduate in June, 2020: and that all children born in Berkeley in 2007 and beyond, receive a healthy start and are equally ready to learn and succeed in Berkeley public schools.

On June 11th the Berkeley School Board unanimously affirmed the 2020 Vision for Berkeley’s Children and Youth.

“To close the achievement gap it takes a whole community working cooperatively together”, said Superintendent Bill Huyett. “The school district is responsible for ensuring equitable opportunity and culturally responsive curriculum and instruction.  City and community support for the whole child is critical to our success.”

The 2020 Vision resolution specifically calls for a comprehensive plan to address educational success for all Berkeley students that articulates specific models, goals and measurable outcomes.  In addition, the resolution identifies strategies that include promoting school readiness; recruiting, training, and retaining a diverse, skilled and culturally competent workforce in both the City and District; increasing parent and community engagement; leveraging public and private funding; and, committing to a shared accountability with specific benchmarks for measuring success with the 2020 Vision.

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Full Service Community Schools Program 

Program Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grants

Program Description

The Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE), which is authorized by Sec. 5411 of ESEA, supports nationally significant programs to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education at the state and local levels and help all children meet challenging academic content and achievement standards. The Full-Service Community Schools program, which is being carried out under FIE, encourages coordination of education, developmental, family, health, and other services through partnerships between: (1) public elementary and secondary schools and (2) CBOs and public-private ventures. Such collaboration will provide comprehensive education, social, and health services for students, families, and communities.

Types of Projects

Full-service community schools provide comprehensive academic, social, mental, physical, and vocational programs and services to meet individual, family, and community needs. For the FY 2008 competition, these services may include: early childhood education; remedial education and academic enrichment activities; programs that promote parental involvement and family literacy; mentoring and other youth development programs; parent leadership and parenting education activities; community service and service-learning opportunities; programs that provide assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled; job training and career counseling services; nutrition services; primary health and dental care; mental health counseling services; and adult education, including instruction of adults in English as a second language.

California

Grantee Name: Fresno Unified School District (FUSD)

Project Title: Full Service Community Schools

Project Contact: Linda Furnas, Grants Coordinator

(559) 457-3186

Mailing Address: 1833 E. Street

Fresno, CA 93706

Partner Entities: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Valley, Center for Multicultural Cooperation, Comprehensive Youth Services, Cornerstone Foundation of Fresno, Educational Resource Consultants, Fresno County Office of Education, Fresno Police Activities League, Fresno Police Department, and Fresno Unified School District

Qualified Services: Early Childhood Education; Remedial Education & Academic Enrichment; Mental Health Counseling; Parenting Skills Training; Parental Involvement; Mentoring and Youth Development; Community Service/Service Learning; and Medical and Dental Services

FUSD has extensive experience working with community based organizations and public agencies to provide coordinated services to students and families. All partners have experience working together to provide services to at-risk children and communities. The initiative will serve four schools (Carver Academy, grades 5-8; King Elementary, grades K-4; Kirk Elementary, grades K-6; and Lincoln Elementary, grades K-6). The program will build upon the foundation in place at each school, with the existing Carver/King Neighborhood Resource Center at the core of the program. This will be a targeted geographic approach serving four schools in close proximity of each other within a high poverty/high crime community. A minimum of 2,000 children (newborn to 8th grade) and 1,000 family members will be served annually. This represents an unduplicated count; many individuals will receive services from more than one program component throughout the year. Services will be provided on a daily basis.

 Grantee Name: Urban Education Partnership

Project Title: Pacoima Neighborhood Partnership (PNP)

Project Contact: Ellen Pais (213) 622-5237 x266

Mailing Address: 315 W. Ninth Street

#1110

Los Angeles, CA 90015

Partner Entities: LAUSD Local District 2, San Fernando High School, Arleta High School, Sylmar High School, Project GRAD LA, Youth Speak Collective, Pacoima Beautiful, Kennedy-San Fernando Community Adult School

Qualified Services: a) Remedial education and academic enrichment activities; b) Mentoring and other youth development programs; c) Parenting education and parent leadership. The qualified services are already in place, and our ambitious FSCS organizing project will begin at one high school and roll out to the other two in years 2 and 3

The lead agency has a 20-year history in the area, solid relationships with the target schools and nonprofits, a long record of parent engagement, and has been the lead agency or on the steering committee of many community-school collaboratives, including six at present. The partners have long provided the qualified services in the area, have strong relationships with the target schools, and a commitment to collaboration. PNP began forming in 2005 at the request of the community and schools, conducted an 18-month needs assessment, and identified the barriers to service and needs of the community. Thus, PNP has community buy-in and support. The PNP members have the capacity to deliver the services and develop a coordinated system.

The northeast San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles is a low-income, minority, working-class area that lacks a college-going culture. The community identified high dropout rates and low graduation rates at the target high schools (enrollment 8,300) as their primary concern, and four key needs to be addressed: a coordinating body to organize services; more parent involvement in children's education; increased participation in underutilized services at the schools; more academic enrichment and student support. The project goal is to increase the number of students who stay in school, graduate and are prepared for postsecondary education. PNP partners have secured non-FSCS funds to provide the qualified services, as well as the cooperation of an additional 26 nonprofit and government agencies in the area. PNP seeks FSCS funds to develop a coordinated system of service delivery that connects students and parents to services that meet their needs, to establish centralized evaluation and communication, to further develop school-nonprofit-community relationships and processes, and to align services between the high schools and feeder middle schools. The PNP collaborative will offer vision, planning and oversight for the delivery of services in three areas: evaluation, communication and resource development. Each school will have a coordinator (paid by grant funds), an advisory council and a resource coordinating council to map resources, organize services, ensure students and parents who need assistance are referred to appropriate services, and to respond to emerging needs. In year 1, PNP will help feeder middle schools align their services with the high schools. The number of unduplicated individuals to be served per year is 5,600. The frequency varies by service: Tutoring: M-Th and summers. Academic enrichment: 2 days/week for 35 wks, two 6-day SAT prep classes, one-month summer institutes. Youth development: 3 times/week, weekly, quarterly and seasonal college access workshops. Parent leadership: monthly trainings, weekly meetings, ongoing outreach, seasonal workshops on college access.

 Grantee Name: The Youth Policy Institute (YPI)

Project Title: Belmont Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) program

Project Contact: Dixon Slingerland, Executive Director (213) 688-2802

Mailing Address: 634 South Spring Street

Suite 818

Los Angeles, CA 90014

Partner Entities: LAUSD Local District 4; Belmont High School; the Alliance for a Better Community (ABC); the SalvadoranAmerican Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF); Families In Schools (FIS); Central American Resource Center (CARECEN); Central City Neighborhood Partner (CCNP); Centro Latino; Inner-City Arts; Music Center; Homies Unidos, and Clinica Oscar Romero

Qualified Services: Services provided or coordinated in the Belmont FSCS program include all 12 program areas. Based on needs assessments completed at each target school, the program will particularly target mentoring and youth development services, remedial education and academic enrichment services, parenting education and leadership services, and assistance for students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled through partnerships with the Belmont Education Collaborative. The program will also provide professional development for teachers and staff at target schools in integrating community school resources

A community-based organization, is partnering with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and other partners in the Belmont Education Collaborative to offer the Belmont Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) program at four schools in the Pico Union/Westlake community of Los Angeles: (1) Gratts Elementary School; (2) Esperanza Elementary School; (3) John Liechty Middle School; and (4) Monsenor Oscar Romero Charter Middle School.

The Youth Policy Institute is the applicant agency, and a member of the Belmont Education Collaborative. BEC is a coalition of community-based organizations, civic offices and schools established in 2005 to ensure that schools in Pico Union/Westlake graduate all students. YPI is a community-based organization that has considerable experience providing youth and adult services, case management, employment training, and referrals for families in a school setting typical of the proposed full-service community schools model. YPI has a $13 million annual budget and 600 staff, and operates programs at 51 sites in Los Angeles that serve 14,000 youth and adults each year. The organization has been awarded U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's Excellence in Education Award for educational technology. In the last year, YPI has raised over $17 million to support this approach which is well-suited to the goals of the FSCS program.

The Belmont FSCS program will conduct an initial Planning Period for the first six months of Year 1 that will include a comprehensive needs assessment building on the work already completed. The program will then operate the final six months of Year 1 through the end of Year 5. It is expected that the Belmont FSCS program will serve 1,283 students and family members in Year 1 (the six month period after Planning), 3,032 students and family members in Year 2, 3,272 students and family members in Year 3, 3,641 students and family members in Year 4, and 4,008 students and family members in Year 5.

Full Service Community Schools Program ED.gov

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