Building Stronger SchoolCommunity Relationships

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Building Stronger School/Community Relationships
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Goals for today

• Explore changes in and challenges of public
  school systems and learn a bit about NCLB
  requirements
• Think about ways that PROSPER efforts intersect
  with these requirements and support learning
• Outline mutually beneficial goals for our
  individual and unique school partnerships
• RESULT Each team will leave today with an
  elevator speech

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Educational Challenges

• For those who have been in or worked in a school
  for the past several years, what do you see as
  some of the most radical changes over time?

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Range of Learners
Success in School
Barriers to Learning
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Todays Educational Challenges
Child Youth Safety
Mentoring
Mental Health Services
?
Excellent Instruction
Volunteer Programs
English Language Learners
Substance Abuse Prevention
Counseling
Special Services
Breakfast Lunch Programs
Parent Programs
Community Outreach
Extra-Curricular Activities
After School Programs
Violence Prevention
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What do you know about No Child Left Behind?
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So think about the predicament of the schools..

• Now think about approaching a school to ask
  them to do X

• If they arent accountable for results, they
  loose money
• If they dont make AYP, they get sanctioned
• They must report progress (or lack of it)
  publically
• If they dont make progress, parents can send
  students to other schools and the failing
  school must pay
• If schools dont have highly qualified teachers
  for all subjects, they are no longer accredited

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PROSPER teams must send a message that explains
how their efforts contribute to the schools
efforts to meet NCLB requirements.
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School Improvement 101

• NCLB Basics
• Must address student achievement in reading,
  math, and science
• Must outline steps to improve achievement
• Requires progress measures to be reported to the
  state annually
• Requires an annual report to the patrons of the
  district

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School Improvement 101

• These basics (and most other federal and state
  code requirements) must be included in a
  Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP)
• Each district must develop and annually revisit a
  five year CSIP
• Each CSIP must be approved and verified by the
  IDE

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School Improvement 101

• Each CSIP (in Iowa) must
• answer these questions
• What do the data tell us about student needs?
• What will we do to meet these needs?
• How will we determine a change?
• How will we evaluate our programs and services?

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I. What do data tell us about student
needs? The CSIP must contain

• SDF 1 assess data on violent behavior and use of
  illegal substances
• SDF 2 objectively analyze the data 
• SDF3 determine that violence and illegal drug
  use is ongoing  
• SDF4 analyze research-based risk factors and
  protective factors/buffers/assets
• The PROSPER annual district report is a data
  source containing such information.

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II. What will we do to meet student needs?

• SDF 9 must have evidence that the program or
  activities are based on scientifically based
  research.
• School-based programs and Strengthening Families
  are universal, evidence-based programs.

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III. What will we determine a change?

• SDF5 must have performance measures for drug and
  violence prevention programs
• SDF6 performance measures must show reduced
  student violence or drug use
• SDF7 performance measures must be quantitative
  and/or contain levels of performance
• PROSPER staff measure quality of implementation
  (performance) and numbers of participants
  (quantitative).

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IV. How will we evaluate our programs and
services?

• SDF10 must evaluate the district's SDFSC program
  periodically
• PROSPER teams could provide the district with
  information and expertise on high quality
  prevention programming and assistance with
  reporting that information to the public.

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Look at your districts profile and identify the
intersections of your schools CSIP goals and
PROSPER goals.
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Communication!

• Question 1

• Questions 2 3

• How do your teams efforts support educational
  efforts of the school (CSIP)?

• What do the data tell you about youth and
  learning?

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PROSPER supports success in school by

• Supporting learning and by helping schools meet
  their achievement goals

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Range of Learners
Success in School
Barriers to Learning
Learning Supports
1. Classroom focused supplements to
instruction 2. Safe, healthy, and caring
learning environments 3. Support for
transitions 4. Family support and involvement 5.
Child/Youth engagement 6. Community partnerships
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Learning Supports

• Activities, programs, and services (beyond core
  classroom instruction) that are intended to
  facilitate the learning and development to ensure
  student success in school and in life.

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An Educational System
Agencies (Human Services, Health, etc.)
Faith-Based Groups
Organizations (YMCA, Scouts, 4-H, Parks Rec.)
Learning
Youth as Partners
Families
Business
Learning Supports
PROSPER
Leadership
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PROSPER supports success in school by

• Supporting learning and by helping schools meet
  their achievement goals
• Support youth development goals (research data)

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Program Findings

• Long-term reductions in substance use
• Long-term positive effects on school engagement
  and academic success
• Long-term conduct/behavior problem reduction
• Positive youth protective factor and
  skills-building outcomes are sustained over time
• At-Risk youth benefit 1.5 to 2 times more than
  non at-risk youth
• Skills learned and strong parent-child
  relationships continue to have greater and
  greater influence over time
• Economic benefits (e.g., 9.60 return on every
  dollar invested)

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PROSPER supports success in school by

• Supporting learning and by helping schools meet
  their achievement goals
• Support youth development goals (research data)
• Helping the school meet requirements for the CSIP
  by participating on their SIAC and, in doing so,
  influence a future focus on prevention

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What weve accomplished.

• Learned about NCLB and CSIPs
• Found connections between these and PROSPER
  efforts
• Started an elevator speech

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The Vision
For every student in every school and community
in Iowa to achieve at high levels requires that
schools and school districts, in collaboration
with their community partners, develop a
comprehensive, cohesive approach to delivery of
learning supports that is an integral part of
their school improvement efforts.
-- Judy Jeffrey, 2004