Impact: Volume 4

8/4/2019 Impact: Volume 4

1/12

impa

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VOL. 4THE IMPACTOF THECOMMUNITY IN

TRANSFORMINGEDUCATION

76% of Americans think parents are themost important factor in determiningwhether students learn in school.

Reading for spiritual reflection

Most people are familiar with thestory of Cain and Abel. Cain, the

older son of Adam and Eve, isovercome with jealousy for hisyounger brother Abel, who seemsto do everything right in the sight ofGod. To deal with this problem,Cain resorts to violence and kills hisbrother, thinking that now God willbe pleased with the work he isdoing since there is no brother tobe compared to.

Whenever we see a problem, thereis always more than one possiblesolution. Cain saw a problem in hisbrother Abel, and chose the easierway out for himself. However, Cain

failed to consider the long-termeffects for himself. God knew whathad happened, and Godconfronted Cain about it. God saidto Cain, Where is your brother?Cain clearly did not want to havethis conversation and said, Am Imy brothers keeper? In otherwords, his brother was not hisresponsibility. Cain did not feel itwas up to him to ensure that hisbrother was safe and well. But God

had a very different opinion. Cainwas severely punished for his lackof concern and for taking anotherslife.It would be wrong to draw acomparison between Cain andAbel and the way we viewproblems in the educational systemWe would not resort to the violencethat occurred in the Cain and Abelstory. But there is a noteworthytheme in Cains story that runsthrough our consciousness everyday: Am I my brothers keeper?

continued.


2/12

questionsfor discussion.

Use the space below eachuestion to record our

what impact can a

community have in

improving student

achievement?

what is a communityschool, and whatare its benefits?

what resources doesa low-performingschool have in its

community?

thoughts and the thoughts ofothers in your Action Group.

Post responses on yourAction Groups page atDallasFACET.org.

It is difficult, often impossible,to raise healthy children in adisintegrated community.Without local institutions thatdraw families and youngpeople together aroundcommon interests andactivities even the most

heroic child-rearing is likely tofail. Conversely, by gatheringand organizing members ofthe community aroundactivities of common interest particularly the healthydevelopment of children even the most devastatingconditions can be reversed.

The Harlem Childrens ZoneBusiness Plan 2001-2009

If your child happens to go to anexcellent school with excellentteachers and is thriving, what aboutthe children who are not sofortunate? If your child is blessed witha gift for academics, and is doing justfine even in a below-average school,does that mean its okay for the rest

of the schools children to bedisadvantaged? If you know of aschool in your neighborhood or yourcity that does not have the resourcesto educate its children, but you donot have children of your own, doesthat mean its not your responsibility?

We are all neighbors and we are allbrothers and sisters when it comes totaking responsibility for making sureour children are given what they

deserve. The common phrase Ittakes a village to raise a child iscertainly true.

If a child gets a below-averageeducation, the long-term effects ofthat reach not just to the child but tothe entire community and city wherethe child resides. It is a missedopportunity. If that child were givenan excellent education, he or shemight have gone to college and then

on to medical school and then on tofind the cure for cancer. Thepossibilities are endless--but only IF heor she got a quality educationstarting in kindergarten.

This is not just up to parents andteachers and principles. It is up to allof us. It is time for us to stop thinkingthat its someone elses responsibilityto take action for education, and startdoing it ourselves.

by Cameron Mason Vickrey
http://www.dallasfacet.org/http://www.dallasfacet.org/http://www.dallasfacet.org/http://www.dallasfacet.org/


3/12

ume FOUR

The Impact

of theCommunity inTransforming

EducationPart 1: Community Schools

At its inception, the NCLB Act

envisioned a world in which all

studentsblack, brown and white

would have access to high quality

education. Fast-forward 11 years

and states are continuing to

struggle with ineffective and costly

school reforms. So, what does the

end result look like? How do we

transform an ambitious piece of

legislation into a catalyst for

community action and parentalempowerment? A growing number

of education reformers believe

Community Schools are that

bridge.

Problem:

There is a tendency for education

reformists to disregard the role of

family and community. Externalinfluences that equally, if not

substantially, affect student

achievement like poverty, health,

and cultural differences often take

a back seat to internal factors such

as testing, standards, and teacher

quality.

Community Schools

A community school is both a

place and a series of partnersbetween a school and its

community. Its focus is on

academics, youth developmen

family support, health and soc

services, and community

development, which will ultima

lead to improved student lear

stronger families, and healthie

communities.

Its curriculum consists of real-w

learning through community

problem solving and service.

school day and week is exten

so that it can accommodate

families and community reside

(A community school is open

students, families, and the

community before, during, an

after school, seven days a we

all year long.)

A community school operates

public school building to bring

together a variety of partners

can offer a range of services

opportunities to students, fam

and communities.


4/12

outh, families, and community

esidents work as equal partners

with schools and other community

nstitutions to develop programs and

ervices in five areas:

Quality and Education - A

rigorous curriculum to empower

students to meet and surpass

challenging academic standards.

Use community assets as

resources for learning.

Youth Development- Fostering

healthy and fruitful relationships

with peers and adults.

Family Support - Enhancing family

life through family resource

centers, early childhood

development programs, and

health and social services.

Family and Community

Engagement - Active community

participation in designing,supporting, monitoring, and

advocating quality activities within

the school and community.

Community Development -

Strengthening social networks,

economic development and

physical infrastructure of the

surrounding community.

Charter Schools

Charter schools are public schools.

Though they are not bound by

district regulations that apply to

traditional public schools, they areheld to higher curriculum and

student success standards. They are

not affiliated with any religious

denomination.

The "charter" establishing each

school is a performance contract

describing the school's mission,

program, goals, students served,

methods of assessment, and ways tomeasure success.

Charters are typically granted for

3-5 years, at which point the entity

(in Texas, this entity is the State

Board of Education) that granted

the charter may elect to renew the

schools contract.

Charter schools provide higheracademic standards and a focused

educational vision for a targeted

group of students. Smaller class

sizes give teachers greater freedom

to develop innovative and

challenging curriculum.

Charter schools are accountable to

their sponsoring entityusually a

state or local school boardto

produce positive academic resul

and adhere to the charter contra

They are also accountable to the

foundersparents and education

minded organizations.

Part 2: Community

Participation and OutsideResources

Partnership is one of the most

important principles of effective

community schools. No single

entity can create all of these

conditions, so community school

build partnerships between scho

and other organizations and

institutions, both public and priv

Backbone Organization

Like most grassroots initiatives,

community schools rely on a

primary source of funding to sup

a significant portion of their

operating costs and ensure some

degree of stability to their sites.

Because there is no single core

funding stream for community

schools, community school

advocates seek out funding from

various sources, including:


5/12

Conditions for

Learning

Results Indicators

Early childhood development is fosteredthrough high-quality, comprehensiveprograms that nurture learning anddevelopment.

Children are Ready to Enter School Immunization rates, blood lead levels,parents read to children, children attendearly childhood programs, receptivevocabulary level, families connected tosupport networks/services

The school has a core instructionalprogram with qualified teachers, achallenging curriculum, and high standardsand expectations for students.

Students Succeed Academically Standardized test scores, studentsdemonstrate competencies via multiplemodes, graduation rates, dropout rates,teachers attendance rates

Students are motivated and engaged inlearning--both in school and in communitysettings, during and after school.

Students are Actively Involved in Learningand in the Community

Attendance rates, suspension rates, truancyrates, students reporting feeling connectedto the school, percent of students engagedin and contributing to the community,homework completion rates

The basic physical, social, emotional andeconomic needs of young people and theirfamilies are met.

Students are Healthy Physically, Socially,and Emotionally

Percent of students demonstrating socialand personal competencies, percent ofstudents demonstrating well-being on arange of health indices (e.g.,immunizations, obesity, vision, hearing,

asthma, STDs, pregnancy, substanceabuse), students have access to goodnutrition

The basic physical, social, emotional andeconomic needs of young people and theirfamilies are met.

Students Live and Learn in Stable andSupportive Environments

Percent of families whose basic needs aremet, student mobility rates, percent ofstudents reporting relationship with caringadults, incidence of bullying, incidence ofschool vandalism

There is mutual respect and effectivecollaboration among parents, families, and

school staff.

Families are Actively Involved in ChildrensEducation

Percent of families who report involvementwith childrens education, percent of

families who participate in parent teacherconferences, percent of families who reportpositive interactions with school, percent of

teachers who report positive interactionwith families

The community is engaged in the schooland promotes a school climate that is safe,

supportive, and respectful and thatconnects students to a broader learningcommunity.

Communities are Desirable Places to Live Employment/employability rates, rate ofparticipation in adult education programs,

rate of participation at school events,percent of residents with health insurance,neighborhood crime rates

Community Schools


6/12

Local United Ways, community

foundations, national

philanthropies, and corporate

sponsors,

Federal government initiatives(e.g. programs with a particular

emphasis on school and

community relationships) such as

21st Century Community Learning

Centers, Safe Schools/Healthy

Students and Corporation for

National Service, or through

federal-state programs, like

Medicaid or TemporaryAssistance to Needy Families,

State governments (via state-level

initiatives like Missouris Caring

Communities, Californias

Healthy Start, Washingtons

Readiness to Learn and New

Yorks Advantage Schools),

Local appropriations or

community development block

grants, or

Local school system (specifically

through locally appropriated

funds like Title I or the Safe and

Drug Free School Program).

Social Sector

A successful community school

relies on sustainable partnerships

with active members across the

public sector, for example,businesses, law enforcement,

government, public health, social

services, and media.

Community Based Organizations

(CBOs)

CBOs are everywhere. They could

be working in the areas ofhealthand human services, arts andcultural institutions, libraries, youth

development groups, community

development agencies, faith-based

groups and more.There are many types of services

they can provide to students,

families, and community. Among

them are adult education; student

enrichment and acceleratedlearning; exposure to visual and

performing arts, field trips,

character education, critical

thinking skills, foreign languages,

and technology; supervised

recreation; organized sports and

sports education; after-school

programs; academic assistance

(homework, tutoring, more time

on task); community-focused

learning; health services; early

childhood services; and family

support.

CBOs can share their resourcesand specialized expertise with t

school. They can also serve oncommunity school planning team

As a result of their involvement,

school, students, families, and

surrounding community reap ma

benefits. CBOs can helpstrengthen families, increase the

use of school facilities, helpcommunity members gain acces

their programs, help nurture

healthier students, better

attendance, and safer communit

Faith Community

For the past 50 years an

organization called the Search

Institute has studied the impact o

the faith community on the

development/reinforcement of

positive personal attributes.

They found that faith communitie

have tremendous potential to bu

community assets and nurture th

healthy development of young

people.

aith communities have tremendous potential to

build community assets and nurture the healthy

development of young people.


7/12

Faith congregations can offer

children and youth the care and

guidance of an intergenerational

community, positive relationships

with peers, support and education

for parents and opportunities to

serve their community and others

as an extension of their faith and

humanity.

Site Based Decision Making

(SBDM)

Each school district shall maintain

current policies and procedures to

ensure that effective planning andsite-based decision-making occur at

each campus to direct and support

the improvement of student

performance for all students. Each

districts policy and procedures

shall establish campus-level

planning and decision-making

committees (from the Texas

Education Code).

SBDM is the idea that school

campuses must maintain the current

rules and policies of the district

while also planning specific

initiatives for the campuses to

improve student performance.

Committees are comprised of

professional staffs of a particular

district, parents, and community

members who meet to review and

establish the districts and

campuses educational plans,

goals, performance objectives, and

major classroom instructional

programs.

An SBDM is a decentralized

management model that gives

teachers and administrators the

freedom to propose and enact the

best suited school policies for their

district in exchange for greater

accountability.

Its intended goals are:

Higher student performance

More efficient use of resources

Increased skills and satisfaction in

school administrators and

teachers

Greater community and business

involvement in and support forschools.

Part 3: Creating a SchoolZone to SupportTransformation

Many low-income and working-

class communities have relentlessly

tried to make dramatic and

sustainable improvements to the

struggling neighborhoods and

schools. Unfortunately, due to a

lack of resources and political

clout, these efforts often fall sho

of one end goal: improving low-

performing schools.

Dramatic intervention is necessa

to permanently turnaround low-

achieving schools. And it can be

done without the collateral

damage inflicted by school

closings.Proven models that have produc

steady and significant gains in

student achievement in severely

struggling schools have

incorporated a combination of t

following elements:

More time for learning

expanded learning time and

flexible scheduling; work-base

learning and enrichment activ

and extensive time for

collaboration and planning fo

teachers.

High expectations for all

students college-preparatory

curriculum for all students,

regardless of background and

achievement.

www.hcz.org


8/12

Strong professional development

for leaders and teachers

embedded, relevant professional

development for school leaders

and teachers and networking

across schools for peer learning.

Comprehensive, coordinated

student supports accelerated

learning strategies for struggling

students in college-prep classes;

intensive social and emotional

support for students who fall off

track.

Parent and Community

Engagement

A School Transformation Zone is a

collaborative concept where

administrators, parents, teachers,

and community partners come

together to encourage a

meaningful and ongoingpartnership for the ultimate benefit

and educational success of

students. A Zones three guiding

principles are:

A collaborative approach that

fosters local ownership and

accountability- parents, students,

teachers and communities play a

meaningful role in designing and

implementing reform in Zone

schools. Where there is great

human investment, people are

likely to hold others accountable.

A focus on instructional change,capacity building and school

culture focus must be on

comprehensive and research-

based instructional change where

students are equipped with a

well-rounded educational

experience.

Recognition and coordination of

supports for the whole student--

students cannot learn when they

are hungry, exhausted or sick,

when parents cannot support

them at home, or when they feel

disrespected at school. A

comprehensive zone plan must

assess and address student and

family needs.

Two examples of a school

transformation zone are the

Harlem Childrens Zone and The

School Zone - West Dallas.

Harlem Childrens Zone

The philosophy of the Harlem

Childrens Zone, or HCZ, is

grounded on the notion that for

children to do well, their familie

have to do well. And for familie

do well, their community must do

well.

The HCZ Project began as a one

block pilot in the 1990s, then

following a 10-year business pla

it expanded to 24 blocks, then 6

blocks, nearly reaching 100

blocks.

The HCZ pipeline begins with T

Baby Collegea series of

workshops for parents of childre0-3. The pipeline goes on to

include best-practice programs f

children of every age through

college. The network includes in

school, after-school, social-servic

health and community-building

programs.

The pipeline has two pathways:

one track, the children go throu

Promise Academy Charter

Schools, while on the other tra

HCZ works to support the public

schools in the Zone, both during

the school day with in-class

assistants and with after-school

programs.

For children to do well, their families have to do

well. And for families to do well, their

community must do well.


9/12

The two fundamental principles of

HCZ are to help kids in a sustained

waystarting as early in their lives

as possible, and to create a critical

mass of adults around them who

understand what it takes to help

children succeed.The School Zone - West Dallas

The School Zone - West Dallas

(TSZ) is a partnership between the

13 West Dallas Schools, including

10 DISD schools, two private

schools, one charter school and 20

non-for-profit organizations,coordinated by the Dallas Faith

Communities Coalition (DFCC),

with the goal of ensuring that all

West Dallas children receive the

cradle to career resources they

need to graduate from high school

ready for college.

Their primary focus is on

elementary school children andtheir families. The anticipated result

is improved academic performance

as students and educators are able

to focus on learning rather than the

students social service needs.

Part 4: It Takes a Village

The saying it takes a village to

raise a child applies well to ourdiscussion of school zones for

transformation. The saying is said

to originate in Africa where a

similar saying is a child belongs

not to one parent or home. In

other words, upbringing is the

shared responsibility of the

community. All aspects of the

community need to be workingtogether to support the

educational, emotional, and

personal development of our

children.

The recent Phi Delta Kappan Poll

about public attitudes toward

education shows that 70% of

Americans blame societal factors

for challenges such as theachievement gap and dropouts

that are plaguing schools.

Community schools and zone

organizations respond to these

societal factors, family

circumstances, poverty and health

problems.

Some people think that schools are

the only organized associations

that have direct influence on our

children. But this thinking is not

quite right because schools are

situated in a community with ma

organized groups that affect ou

children. Families, communities,

peer groups, culture, economic

markets and schools are all

educational institutions. Change

any of these can affect student

performance.

Yes, teachers and schools play a

critical role in educating children

but they cannot be expected toshoulder the burden on their ow

By using the collective power of

parents, youth, residents, and

institutions, community

organizations can change

longstanding power imbalances

and social inequalities that resul

failing schools.

Across the nation, the communit

organizing approach to school

reform has led to successes such

increases in education funding,

more equitable distribution of

education resources, increased

access to college prep curriculum

and more effective teacher

recruitment and retention in hard

to-staff schools.


10/12

notes


11/12


12/12

Make a list of three children

you know in your faith

community:

1.

2.

3.

Think of three ways you can

encourage them and their

parents this month:

1.

2.

3.

post your good ideas on

DallasFACET.org

FURTHER INFORMATION

For additional information on Community Schools, please refer to:

www.communityschools.org

Examples of Community Schools - http://www.communityschools.org/

assets/1/AssetManager/Community%20School%20Models2009.pdf

Alliance for Education Justice - http://

www.allianceforeducationaljustice.org/

Site Based Decision Making for Parents in DISD: http://www.dallasisd.org/

inside_disd/depts/pssc/sbdm.htm

Harlem Childrens Zone: www.hcz.org

1. Go to www.DallasFACET.org & create a New Account2. Take action on current Action Alerts3. Join an Action Group & take part in the online conversation on your groups blog4. Invite friends to join.

Ste s to Take ActionOur lives begin to end

the day we become silentabout things that matter.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr

SPECIAL THANKS for the research and development of materials toAnn Drumm, Melva Franklin, Maria Rojas Fernandez, Leslie Johnson,

Shree Moffett, and Cameron Vickrey.

Work product of Dallas Faith Communities Coalition. Permission required for reproduction.

DFCC2011
http://www.dallasfacet.org/http://www.dallasfacet.org/http://www.dallasfacet.org/http://www.hcz.org/http://www.hcz.org/http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/pssc/sbdm.htmhttp://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/pssc/sbdm.htmhttp://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/pssc/sbdm.htmhttp://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/pssc/sbdm.htmhttp://www.allianceforeducationaljustice.org/http://www.allianceforeducationaljustice.org/http://www.allianceforeducationaljustice.org/http://www.allianceforeducationaljustice.org/https://webmail.smu.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=f0fc473983864a8f80cf8b65971e9d00&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.communityschools.org%2fassets%2f1%2fAssetManager%2fCommunity%2520School%2520Models2009.pdfhttps://webmail.smu.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=f0fc473983864a8f80cf8b65971e9d00&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.communityschools.org%2fassets%2f1%2fAssetManager%2fCommunity%2520School%2520Models2009.pdfhttps://webmail.smu.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=f0fc473983864a8f80cf8b65971e9d00&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.communityschools.org%2fassets%2f1%2fAssetManager%2fCommunity%2520School%2520Models2009.pdfhttps://webmail.smu.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=f0fc473983864a8f80cf8b65971e9d00&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.communityschools.org%2fassets%2f1%2fAssetManager%2fCommunity%2520School%2520Models2009.pdfhttp://www.communityschools.org/http://www.communityschools.org/

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