Cities and Towns: Engaging Our Schools Todays Challenges ,Tomorrows Opportunities League of Arizona

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Cities and Towns Engaging Our SchoolsTodays
Challenges ,Tomorrows OpportunitiesLeague of
Arizona Cities and Towns 2008 Annual Conference

• August 21, 2008
• Andrew O. Moore, Senior Fellow
• moore_at_nlc.org 215.848.6910

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Todays workshop

• NLC and children, youth, and family issues
• Municipal leadership in education and city-school
  partnerships
• Action planning / brainstorming time for you
• Questions, answers, discussion

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NLC Institute for Youth, Education, and Families

• Helps municipal leaders take action on behalf of
  children, youth, and families in cities towns
• Provides tools, publications, technical
  assistance, and hosts peer learning networks
• www.nlc.org/iyef

• Core Program Areas
• Education Afterschool
• Family Economic Success
• Early Childhood Success
• Youth Development
• Child Youth Safety

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Action Kits for (busy) municipal leaders and
their staff

• Reengaging Disconnected Youth
• Improving Public Schools 
• Expanding Afterschool Opportunities
• Promoting Youth Participation
• Helping Working Families
• Protecting Children and Youth
• Supporting Early Childhood Success
• Reengaging Disconnected Youth
• And more!

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Professional development and learning networks
for you!

• Recent IYEF Activities
• National City Afterschool Summit, Washington DC
  5/08
• City Leaders Engaged in Afterschool Reform
  (CLEAR) project
• Site visits strategies to reengage disconnected
  youth

• Peer Networks
• Afterschool Policy Advisors Network
• Municipal Network on Disconnected Youth
• Early Care Education City Network
• Small Cities Education Network

National League of Cities Institute for Youth,
Education, and Families
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A City Platform For Strengthening Families and
Improving Outcomes for Children Youth

• Developed by YEF Council Published December
  2005
• Assessment tool, framework, catalyst for new
  coalitions initiatives
• Adopted by 94 cities in 34 states,
• www.nlc.org/iyef/a_city_platform

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City Platform Section 1 Infrastructure for
Sustained Progress

• Identify needs, opportunities, and priorities for
  future action through an inclusive task force or
  similar body.
• 2) Promote effective city-school collaboration
  through regular leadership meetings that focus on
  shared priorities and the development of joint
  plans of action.

• 3) Encourage and support youth voice, engagement,
  and leadership!
• 4) Measure progress over time through the use of
  a community scorecard or set of benchmarks that
  tracks key outcomes and places them within a
  broader context.

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City Platform Section 2 Action Steps, Ideas for
Getting Started

• Examples Promoting City-
• School Collaboration
• St. Paul, Minnesota Convening education and
  community partners to discuss children, youth,
  and families plan
• Las Vegas, Nevada Batteries Included Initiative
  -- education, afterschool programs

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City Platform next steps and concrete suggestions

• Consider adopting!
• Four Arizona cities have adopted the City
  Platform to date
• Avondale
• Chandler
• Scottsdale
• Tucson

• Consider adapting!
• More examples
• Encourage family involvement in schools by
  sponsoring First Day celebrations
• Develop a blueprint for how the city, schools,
  business leaders, community groups, and parents
  will work together
• Establish a local afterschool coalition or task
  force

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SoWhy should city leaders get involved with
education?

• Many shared interests

• Addressing some issues requires collaboration

• Community health, well-being, quality of life
• Public safety and crime reduction
• Economic development
• Strong and engaged citizenry
• Living within budgets

• High dropout, truancy rates
• Workforce development
• Recruit/retain teachers
• Safety in, near schools
• School readiness
• Support services
• Public engagement

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How do cities benefit from working with schools?

• Provide vulnerable students and families with
  wraparound services
• Remove obstacles to achievement through teacher
  recruitment support, school readiness improvement

• Achieve savings through joint-use agreements,
  shared maintenance, etc.
• Develop a shared understanding of problems, a
  common agenda and accountability

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Confirmation of municipal leaders interest in
education

• 93 of city officials say that the quality of
  education is very important to the well-being of
  their cities
• 95 of city officials say that they are very
  concerned or somewhat concerned about the quality
  of education in their communities
• City officials cite that the most persuasive
  reasons for improving the quality of education in
  their communities are
• Improve community life and cohesion
• Foster economic growth
• Develop a skilled workforce
• Attract and retain families and residents

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And interest in afterschool

• Every year since 1995, 21 of municipal leaders
  consider afterschool programs as one of their
  citys top three most pressing needs
• 65 of respondents in large cities said their
  municipalities provide direct afterschool
  services
• 35 of elected officials said their cities
  offerings of afterschool programs are less than
  adequate for children and families.
• 78 of city officials believe afterschool
  programs enhance their effort to curb juvenile
  crime or violence during daytime hours.

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City education partnership areas

• Sample Areas
• Business partnerships
• Career-technical education
• School readiness
• Community schools and joint use
• And more!

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City education partnership examples 1

• Business Partnerships
• Dublin, Ohio Dublink broadband connections for
  researchers, doctors, and schoolchildren
• Hermiston, Oregon City, schools, and Chamber of
  Commerce recognize top students at Breakfast of
  Champions
• Spartanburg, South Carolina Top CEO recruits
  other business leaders to adopt a school at
  suggestion of Mayor and United Way president

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City education partnership examples 2

• Career/Tech Education
• Oskaloosa, Iowa Construction trades training
  with local Housing Trust Fund
• Portland, Conn. Town-Tech students digitize
  maps, build web site

• School Readiness
• Enfield, Conn.
• Key Initiatives to Early Education (KITE)
  promotes early childhood education parent
  resource center

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City education partnership examples 3

• Community Schools and Joint Use
• Duarte, California 25-year agreement in which
  city maintains school grounds in exchange for
  full use for recreation after hours joint 44
  million bond issue for school improvement
• Medina, Ohio Community Recreation Center on high
  school campus share operating costs
• Tualatin, Oregon City bond issue included
  support for high school artificial turf field

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City education partnership examples 4

• More examples available on YEF website re
• Afterschool programming / integrating education
  and afterschool
• Safety and youth violence
• Financial support through bonds, special tax
  levies
• Teacher and principal incentives housing, etc.
• Public engagement / improving public schools
• www.nlc.org/iyef/education/K-12_school/examples.as
  px

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Meanwhilein larger mid-sized cities

• Key Topics/Issues
• High school dropouts, achievement gap
• College access
• Health social services access
• Truancy
• Multiple districts

• City Responses
• Use bully pulpit to set sights on ? goals
• Convene local leaders
• Identify, offer facilities
• Promote portfolio of options
• Financial incentives

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Additional YEF Resources

• Stronger Schools, Stronger Cities
• Setting the Stage for New High Schools
• Engaging Cities
• Visit http//www.nlc.org/IYEF/education/K-12_scho
  ol/resources.aspxpublication
• Upon Request
• Leadership Keys for Mayors Other Municipal
  Leaders Expanding Alternatives for High School
• State Policy Examples-Alternative High Schools

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Questions to consider, discuss

• What would it take to launch regular meetings of
  city school leaders to share priorities and
  plan joint actions?
• Whats a good topic for initial discussion with
  schools business links, joint use,
  career-technical education, school readiness,
  afterschool, dropouts, other?
• What more do you want/need to know about current
  school and afterschool initiatives in your
  community?
• What are steps that you will take in the next 3-6
  months?