Developing Community Resources to Address Disproportionality

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Developing Community Resources to Address
Disproportionality

• Fond du Lac School District
• John von Tish, Director of Pupil Services
• Stan Kocos, CPO Fond du Lac Boys Girls Club
• Laurice Freeman, Supervisor of Community
  Education Services

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Fond du Lac Demographics

• 7545 students K-12
• 26 Native American
• 263 Asian/Pacific Islander
• 262 African American
• 593 Hispanic
• 6401 White
• 1118 students with disabilities
• 1 High School grades 9-12
• 3 Middle Schools grades 6-8
• 9 Elementary Schools grades 4K-5

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FdL SCHOOL DISTRICT Relationships,
Student Achievement, Structures

• Establish a forum to plan and explore a shared
  vision of leadership
• Seek community partners who can assist in
  enhancement of student learning
• Establish a community education service model for
  adults and children

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SOCIAL CAPITAL

• Embedded resources in social networks that
  enhance the outcomes of actions

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SOCIAL CAPITAL

• .is derived from the benefits of social
  relationships

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SOCIAL CAPITAL

• Interpersonal trust
• Information shared by neighbors
• Putting in a good word for someone
• Parental advice
• Teacher expectations
• Community norms and rules of conduct

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ELO Extended Learning Opportunities

• Out of School Time
• Summer School
• Targeted Programming

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ELO Educational Outcomes

• Increase achievement in math, reading and other
  subject areas
• Help children develop greater confidence in their
  academic abilities
• Increase school attendance rates
• Improve the quantity quality of completed
  homework
• Improve rates of high school graduation, and
• Improve student behavior

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Afterschool Programs as an Oasis of Hope for
Black Parents in Four Cities(Black Alliance for
Educational Options, October 2007)

• Commitment to Learning
• Constructive Use of Time
• Support
• Social Competence
• Boundaries Expectations
• Positive Identity

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Family Support Services

• Early childhood education
• Remedial education and academic enrichment
  activities
• Programs that promote parental involvement and
  family literacy activities
• Mentoring and other youth development programs,
  parenting education and parent leadership,
  community service and service learning
  opportunities
• Parenting education and parent leadership
• Community service and service learning
  opportunities

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Family Support Services

• Programs that provide assistance to African
  American students who have been truant,
  suspended, or expelled
• Job training and career counseling services
• Nutrition services
• Primary health and dental care and
• Adult Education, including literacy instruction.

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Lesson Learned

• It is important to note that though cultural
  competency is critical to the provision of
  effective programming, a primary issue remains
  not one of race but of economic disadvantage.

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Resources

•  
• Truth in Labeling Disproportionality in Special
  Education
• http//www.nea.org/specialed/disproportionality.ht
  ml
•  
• An Essential Dimension of Effective Education
• http//www.maec.org/cross/index.htmlreturn
•  
• Classroom to Community and Back
• http//www.nwrel.org/partnerships/c2cb/c2c.pdf
•  
• State Profile of Efforts to Create Culturally
  Responsive Educational Systems
• http//www.nccrest.org/Profiles/WisconsinProfile.p
  df

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School to Community Partnerships Program
Highlights

• Laurice Freeman
• Supervisor of Community Education Services
• Fond du Lac School District

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Bus Pass Program

• Purpose To provide students who are in need of
  transportation, due to financial constraints,
  with a bus pass each month
• Partnership with Fond du Lac Area Transit
• Funding provided by Fond du Lac Area Foundation
  grant money and school fundraisers
• Students and parents both have a small financial
  responsibility which is based on income
• Serves nearly 50 students (95 students of color)
  each month

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Bus Pass Program (contd)

• Parent involvement through contract and
  bi-monthly phone calls by Transition Coordinator
• Participants required to attend Tutoring Lab 8
  hours a month if not receiving a C average or
  better
• Participants are required to meet with Transition
  Coordinator each month to discuss academics,
  tutoring hours and social/emotional issues, if
  necessary

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After-School Tutoring Lab

• Purpose To provide extra academic assistance to
  all students at Fond du Lac High School
• Partnership with UW-Oshkosh Center for Community
  Partnerships to provide college students of color
  as tutors and mentors
• Lab available three times a week from
  315pm-500pm
• FHS teachers supervised students each night
• FHS National Honor Society members provided peer
  tutoring
• Accommodations could be made to provide tutoring
  during study hall periods, if necessary

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Soul Food Dinner

• Purpose To invite African American parents and
  families into the high school as well as to
  educate the school community about African
  American culture
• Partnership with Aramark Food Service Staff
• Student involvement from start to finish
• An African American community group involved with
  food preparation
• Approximately 100 attendees from FHS and
  community, including area business leaders
• Approximately 20 parents and/or family members
  volunteered to help prepare food the day of the
  event

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MPTC Diversity Preview Day

• Purpose To provide students of color with an
  opportunity to learn about post-secondary
  education without the threat they feel from their
  white classmates
• Partnership with Diversity Relations Office at
  Moraine Park Technical College
• Approximately 50 Participants
• Students were able to connect with college
  students of color with similar economic
  disadvantages, family structure and cultural
  barriers
• Follow-up program in Fall 2008

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Outcomes

• Increase in daily attendance
• Increase in academic scores
• Students are more engaged in school
• Parents are more engaged with school
  administration
• Decrease in the number of suspensions
• More opportunities to discuss cultural
  connections between students and staff

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Questions?