Innovation and Policy: Making Legislation Work for Your Organization 2011 FACE Symposium John Bailey DutkoGrayling

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Travel time to major cities (in hours and days) and shipping lane density 4

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Something there is that does not like a wall, that wants it down… 8

Family and Community Engagement  “Before I built a wall I'd ask to know What I was walling in or walling out…”  Breaking down the walls between schools, home, and community.  Difficult to find a more essential element of school reform that it more important, yet more neglected, than strengthening the involvement of families and communities in school. 9

Evolution of Federal Policy  Version 1.0 Educate America: Title I requires parent involvement and consultation.  Version 2.0 NCLB: Tutoring options for students. New attention given to community and faith-based organizations.  Version 3.0 Stimulus: Integration of community and family engagement in multiple programs: Promise Neighborhoods, Race to the Top, School Improvement Grants, ESEA reauthorization. 10

"Reforming our schools to deliver a world-class education is a shared responsibility–the task cannot be shouldered by our nation's teachers and principals alone... We must recognize the importance of communities and families in supporting their children's education, because a parent is a child's first teacher. We must support families, communities, and schools working in partnership to deliver services and supports that address the full range of student needs.” President Barack Obama, A Blueprint for Reform 11

Striving Readers  Grants to improve middle and high school literacy – Georgia$25 million – Louisiana$28 million – Montana$7 million – Nevada$14 million – Pennsylvania$38 million – Texas$66 million  State plans include parent and family engagement elements. 12

Race to the Top: Early Learning Challenge  35 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico are competing for $500 million in competitive grants designed to improve early learning, particularly literacy. Awards expected in December.  State plans must include: – Strategies are successfully used to engage families in supporting their children’s development and learning; – Promoting health and family engagement; – Promoting family support and engagement statewide, including by leveraging other existing resources such as through home visiting programs, other family-serving agencies, and through outreach to family, friend, and neighbor caregivers. 13

School Improvement Grants  Formula grants to States to assist lowest 5% performing schools in each state.  More than $530 million this year.  Schools choose from several “turnaround models” but all require family and community engagement. 14

Title I  Formula Grant Program that provides districts with extra resources to help improve instruction in high poverty schools to provide an equal opportunity to achieve.  Nationally, funding for Title I, Part A for the coming school year ( ) is $14.4 billion. 15

Promise Neighborhoods  The vision is to provide assistance to communities to ensure children have access to great schools and strong systems of family and community support. 16 Identifying and increasing the capacity of community organizations; Building a complete continuum of cradle- to-career solutions of both educational programs and family and community supports, with great schools at the center; Integrating programs and breaking down agency “silos” so that solutions are implemented effectively and efficiently across agencies; Sustaining and scaling successful initiatives.

Child Care Development Fund  $5 billion to serve families through a single, integrated child care subsidy programs.  States coordinate CCDF with Head Start, pre-k, and other early childhood programs.  Includes community engagement and afterschool programming. 17

AmeriCorps/AmeriCorps VISTA  Volunteers commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, and strengthen their community.  Engages nearly 75,000 volunteers each year, but more than 1 million community volunteers. 18

ESEA  Senate ESEA Bill requires a family engagement plan that: – increases student academic achievement and college and career readiness; – provide parents and family members with the skills and opportunities necessary to become full partners in their child’s education; – improve child development; – strengthen relationships and partnerships among school personnel (including edu 19

Every Program is An Opportunity…  Family and community engagement is a means to an end.  When seen in that way, every program becomes an opportunity for family and community engagement to: – Improve student achievement – Turn around schools – Strengthen PreK-8 reading programs  Begins with a belief that student success in the classroom is set against the backdrop of a child’s home and community.  A school will not achieve equity and excellence for all of the students if it does not acknowledge and include the families and community members of its students. 20

Where to Find Additional Information  Federal Budget Allocations By State:  Race to the Top Plans, Guidance, Budgets:  Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge:  Striving Readers  Promise Neighborhoods  Scholastic Funding Alignments  Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs)