Partnership Alignment, Collaboration and Continuous Improvement Monique R. Fletcher, Project Director

Session Objectives Understand how a range of partnerships in the community school can promote high performance and alignment in school community partnerships Identify strategies and tools for facilitating inclusive partnerships that lead to decisions and actions Identify opportunities to enhance and develop partnerships that promote continuous improvement while strategically influencing partnerships with growth opportunities

Community Agreements Everyone is invited to participate Step up/Step back One Mic Pay attention to impact Support Risk Takers Confidentiality Use “I” statements Be fully present Have FUN!!!

Community of Minds

Benefits of Effective Partnerships When schools/ organizations make effective use of partnerships, new opportunities are created. Some of these benefits are as follows: Promote equity and inclusion Excellent strategy for serving more young people Maximizing community resources around student success Promote young people’s cognitive development as part of youth development Increase coherence of young people’s experience Help young people stay connected with school and understand relevance of academics Help schools understand the realities of their students’ lives Increase positive visibility of organization in community Continuum of possibilities from light touch (Volunteering w/kids at the school) to intensive and long-term (community school partnerships) Moving from co-location to integration Moving from after-school to in-school

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS GUIDING PRINCIPLES Principles (7) guide the community schools approach to school transformation, and provide a framework that undergirds each of the community school implementation standards. 1. PURSUE EQUITY—Educational excellence and equity are inseparable. Community schools work actively to identify and confront policies, practices and cultures that that keep students of different backgrounds and races from achieving equitable outcomes. Community schools proactively and intentionally empower those typically disempowered by barriers to participation

Equality vs Equity

Set Ground Rules Prepare Teams to Work Together Anti-Oppressive Facilitation for Democratic Process Modeling Partner Meeting Agenda Template Clarify Roles and Responsibilities MOU District policy on partnership Cascading Goals/Priorities Regular meetings with Principal leadership Regular provider meetings Priorities are promoted Planning and professional development time

Time to Get to Know One Another Tending to the relationship “A student must learn to understand the motives of human beings-their illusions and their sufferings-to acquire a proper relationship to others and to the community.” Albert Einstein, The New York Times (1952) School assessment Scavenger Hunt Interview partners Understand the strengths and needs of the community Full picture from various perspectives Begin the relationship building process Inclusion

Snap Shot of Assessment What database(s) does the school utilize? Describe each system System cable of sharing info electronically? What info is inputted? Who is responsible for inputting? Who has access to what info? How are reports generated? What reports are generated? How is the data used? How is the data shared? What info would staff like to know? Mental Health Provided? Internal/External program? Agency name? Program Description Capacity Outcomes Activities How many students participate? What is the need (#/%) How is need identified and/or assessed? Eligibility requirements Where do staff refer (external) Barriers to students accessing

Get to Know… Stress Management Find 2-3 members of the community and answer the following questions What is your name? Where are you from? What do you like to do to relax? What is one thing you do, that’s healthy, when you are about to lose your cool?

Plan Together Shared Decision making Diverse Stakeholders What’s the problem/issue we need to address? Oh! This is the problem/issue How can we best address this problem/issue? Narrow it down Decide Implement Diverse Stakeholders Who is present? Who is not present? Who is present and not speaking? Who is present and won’t stop speaking? Who does not feel invited? Plan, Do, Study Act (PDSA) Start small and build gradually Be strategic

PDSA Cycles Plan Do Study Act Cycles of learningPlan, Do, Study and Act (PDSA) phases. Plan Identify a challenge and set a goal Design a change and how to measure success Do Conduct the change Collect data Study Analyze the data Document what you learned Act Decide to scale, abandon or adapt the change Share your learnings!

Learning using data the entire way PDSA Cycles Scale change to broader group Study Do Plan Act Test the change with a larger cohort Develop a change and test with a small group Learning using data the entire way Adapted from “Learning to Improve”

Effective Partnership Principles Plan together from the start Clarify the vision Take time to get to know one another Set ground rules Start small and build gradually Involve parents as partners Clarify roles and responsibilities Share decision-making Prepare team members to work together Stay flexible Keep tending to the relationships Be strategic

Partnership Assessment Individual Assessment Complete the Partnership Assessment Tool Identify two partnerships you are interested in influencing Assessment Priorities Which partners are prioritized? Opportunities to share strategy Debrief Any trends? Share some strategy that works What is something a partner at your table said that other people should hear? How can this be used back home?

Health Insurance Project Case Study

Questions/Discussion Themes Emerged Aha Moment? Goals for next steps What will you do back home to influence partnerships? E-mail Me!! Monique R. Fletcher Children’s Aid mfletcher@childrensaidnyc.org