RESEARCH REPORT

Northern California Charter Schools Best Practices Best Practices  Parent-Teacher-Home Visitations  High Expectations Classroom Environments—College Prep/Attainment Mindset Recommendations Recommendations  Develop and implement new, innovated parent engagement opportunities  Increase parent involvement by mainstreaming them in system educational strategies  Generate college-readiness classroom cultures by integrating college planning in instructional patterns  Create a culture of academic success

Harlem Children’s Zone Best Practices  Peacemaker  Pipeline Approach  Parent and Community Involvement  Accountability of Administration and Board Recommendations  Individualized learning plans for all students  Home and social circumstances are considered  Data-driven educational philosophies  Educators held accountable for the performance of each student  The greater community participation and support

Norfolk Public Schools District Best Practices  Data-Driven Systems  Professional Development  Administration Accountability  Educational Environment Recommendations  System-wide in-service mechanisms for educators  Exploration of student-driven academic practices by educators  Rigorous test taking strategies  Performance-driven accountability for classroom instruction

SITE Visits: Questions to Consider  How do we review, compare, and analyze site findings with current FCS practices/procedures?  How do we determine what other evidence based stories we might also want to examine?  What is the mechanism, structure, or process for making such decisions?  Who should be included in the decision making strategy to ensure successful engagement of community voices?

MEAP Metrics

MEAP Results: Beginning Questions  Though progress is always good news, are we closing the gaps fast enough?  How do we accelerate closure of the gap to become at least competitive on local and state levels?  What is the downstream impact on the FCS graduation rates?  More importantly, how will dreams of higher learning selection and placement be affected?

CREATING A WORLD CLASS EDUCATIONAL CULTURAL IN FLINT Proposal to the Community

Educational Beliefs of Residents  The importance of all students having the best opportunity possible to excel.  A system committed to quality instruction, student safety, parent involvement and after school support.  Flint students have as much aptitude for success as others.  Teachers, educators, parents, students and other citizens together can create a context to maximize student potential.

Challenges  Facing the reality that much more work is needed to improve performance  Avoiding the tendency of engaging in the blame game  Gaining the individual commitment

FACT’s Proposal  The FCS in partnership with the community to implement a district-wide process improvement strategy.  Three initial process teams:  Academic performance (such as enhanced teacher effectiveness and parent engagement)  School safety  Resource support  Team membership comprised of a cross section of the community.

Process Improvement Initiative  What is Process Improvement?  Focuses on processes and systems instead of people.  Research shows:  85 to 95% of organizational challenges/failures are related to process/system issues.  5 to 15% of those challenges are related to people or personnel issues.  Process examination provides the greatest opportunity for organizational improvement.  Process improvement occurs via teams.

Process Improvement Initiative  What is a process or system?  Set of steps or procedures that result in an outcome(s).  For example: the steps a teacher takes in developing a lesson plan would be a process.  For example: the processes to develop a curriculum for high school graduates would be a system.

Process Improvement Initiative  How will team members be selected?  Commit for at least one year  Meeting schedule flexibility  Concerned about our youth  Available for best practice site-visits  Capacity to work with others with different views and opinions

Process Improvement Initiative  How will students, parents, teachers, administrators and the community benefit?  Identify process and system gaps  Move more toward benchmarked, evidence based solutions  Engage the collective genius of the community  Restore the Flint story of educational excellence

Process Improvement Initiative  Implementation Strategy  Team selection within the next thirty (30) days  Team orientation and appointment in September 2011  Team startup October 2011  Midterm report November 2011  Team progress report due March 2012

Process Improvement Initiative  Concept Support:  FCS Superintendent Linda Thompson  FCS Board President Harold Woodson  City of Flint Mayor Dayne Walling

Process Improvement Initiative  Community Commitment:  Will you support this improvement initiative to examine processes and systems related to: Academic performance School safety Resource support  Will you agree to be part of this process improvement effort?  If your answer is yes, please stand and remain standing.