Breaking Into Public Schools: School Leader Insights on How to Develop Productive Partnerships Dr. Sean Bulson, Superintendent, Wilson County Schools, NC Eric Davis, Chief Operations Officer, Wilson County Schools, NC March 30, 2016

Tweet your comments and questions As We Go… Tweet your comments and questions #EngageChat (and #rb21) ERIC Twitter Chat Questions: Send a link to the slide deck to Twitter followers in advance of the session, so they can see the flow. Intro: Introduce yourself to the group and describe your role in working with or in schools (It’s not personal) What barriers make it difficult for school personnel to accept help from outside? (Relationships Reign) How can outside service providers connect with a school to develop a relationship on the school’s terms? (Find the Right Ally) Who in your school serves as a liaison for student service providers from your community? (Understand the Needs) How can an outside service provider learn about the unique needs of your school? (Align Your Mission) What parts of your schools school improvement plan or your district’s strategic plan overlap with the work of other agencies?

Activator: That’s Me (part 1) I am passionate about youth issues I have children in school I have a pet This is my first time in Baltimore This is my first RB21 National Meeting I intend to vote in the primary and general election ERIC We like to add a little exercise into our presentations. If the question we ask represents you, please stand up.

Activator: That’s Me (part 2) I work in municipal government I work in state or federal government I work for a non-profit I am a student I work in public education I work for a foundation SEAN We like to add a little exercise into our presentations. If the question we ask represents you, please stand up.

About Us: Sean Bulson Superintendent, Wilson County Schools Co-Author of Wilson County’s Youth Master Plan Former High School Principal Former ESOL Teacher SEAN

About Us: Eric Davis Chief Operations Officer, Wilson County Schools Former Director, Office of Family and Community Partnerships Former Middle School Principal Former Elementary School Principal ERIC

Rule 1: It’s Not Personal… …It’s the workload Principals are key Accepting help is hard Instructional Time Reigns Curriculum is political (…and offers are abundant!) SEAN

WCS Example: Community Liaisons CIS Intervention Specialists Partnership Managers seek and engage with community partners in all schools SEAN

WCS Example: Parent’s Day Organized with CIS Parents learn about community supports at their children’s school SEAN

Rule 2: Relationships Reign Show up at schools on their terms PTO/PTA meetings Parent/community information nights Do they ask for help? Tutors? Mentors? Volunteers? Follow social media ERIC Get involved in schools when they open the doors for other reasons. When you show up on their terms, you begin to develop a reputation as a partner rather than a salesperson.

WCS Example: Customer Service Taskforce Business leaders share best practices and strategies for enhancing the school district’s internal and external customer service efforts Grati-tours - Travel from school to school just to say, “Thank you!” ERIC Add link to video to highlight number of views – we start with relationships by focusing on customer service Link to Customer service website so people can access all clips

WCS Example: Gentlemen’s Agreement Working to re- engage at-risk youth Many cultural and educational experiences Mentoring opportunities ERIC Programs like this one that exist primarily outside the curriculum are a little easier to engage with. In our program, we seek opportunities to deliver educational programs to students on a variety of topics from a variety of local partners

Rule 3: Find the Right Ally Principals are key, but not always the starting point Teachers make great advocates Many teachers serve as club sponsors Parents make great advocates – PTA/PTO The best solutions start closest to the students SEAN Focus on clubs here – school websites list clubs and the sponsors may be easy to engage

School System Chain of Command Teacher Counselor Assistant Principal Principal Assistant Superintendent Superintendent SEAN Coaches and club sponsors also

WCS Example: Navigating the System Covering the basics about the school system for those who are not already immersed SEAN Look for the calls to volunteer…start the relationship

WCS Example: Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Open call for volunteers to read to our students SEAN Look for the calls to volunteer…start the relationship

Rule 4: Understand the Needs What keeps the school leaders up at night? How do they measure themselves? What would help teachers do their jobs better? What are the constraints on their calendars, and where are the windows of opportunity? SEAN Posted announcements and newsletters tell you a great deal about what school leaders value. Timing is everything in schools…but hard to predict the openings.

District Strategic Plan State Board of Education Strategic Plan What Guides Their Work? Youth Master Plan District Strategic Plan State Board of Education Strategic Plan SEAN

WCS Example: Job Shadowing Job shadowing day with Wilson Education Partnership One morning with students from a variety of worksites SEAN

WCS Example: Parent Academy Parent Academy partners Federal programs designed to empower parents…outside experts help with presentations SEAN

Rule 5: Align Your Mission What part of your work overlaps with the stated goals of the school or district? ERIC

WCS Example: Active Assailant Video ERIC Highlight the number of partners…I like to count the uniforms, but they are also listed at the end. YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=609h_gbgCKs&sns=em

More About Wilson County Schools www.wilsonschoolsnc.net www.wilson2020vision.org sean.bulson@wilsonschoolsnc.net @SeanBulson eric.davis@wilsonschoolsnc.net @DavisWelcome #EngageChat ERIC

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