Community Building for Better Educational Outcomes – Tampa and Jacksonville Maggie Gunther Osborn Conn Memorial Foundation Pam Paul Jacksonville Public Education Fund

 The great aim of education is not knowledge but action Herbert Spencer

AGENDA  Overview of Tampa and Jacksonville Projects3:45 – 4:30 Lessons Learned Sustainability & Replication  Table Discussions 4:30 – 5:15 Key Questions for Community Building in Your Communities Interest in On-Going Learning Agenda

You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful. Madame Marie Curie

The Conn Foundation  Where were we funding historically?  What was our goal?  We invest in people and leadership as well as our target population  Opportunity to focus and go deep while acting as a catalyst

New way of looking at social change  Sulphur Springs Community Initiative  Existing Assets  Indigenous Leadership & Ideas  Anchor or Central Point

Sulphur Springs Community Initiative  Community Building

It Takes All Pieces Residents & Families Churches Cooperatives, Clubs & Organizations Government Philanthropy Systems- Education/Public Services Business

Elements of Community Building  TRUST  Presence and investment  POWER differential - empowerment  Shuttle Diplomacy  Comprehensive change  Genuine collaboration  GRASS ROOTS – Indigenous Leadership  TIME

Honest Broker and Respectful Partner “I cannot walk in your shoes but I must make an effort to stand beside you and see what you see and listen to what you hear in order to walk with you.”

Jacksonville Philanthropy’s Education Reform Work  The Community Foundation in Jacksonville as catalyst for reform  Quality Education for ALL Ten Year Investment ($2,000,000) Three-Pronged Strategy  Learning  Direct Investment  Building Public Will

Quality Education for ALL Impact After 4 Years  Created Jacksonville Public Education Fund to provide infrastructure and capacity to drive reform  Created Learning to Finish collaborative to focus on dropout crisis  Key player in bringing Teach for America, KIPP and Gates/CLIP to Jacksonville

Learning to Finish  Unprecedented partnership Duval County Public Schools United Way Jacksonville Children’s Commission The Community Foundation Jacksonville Public Education Fund  Focus on data and candid assessment of the problem  Co-creating new strategies Early Warning System and Strategic Interventions Back on Track Options

Jacksonville’s Insights On Collaboration:  Neutral and transparent convenor  Shared leadership = sharing the work  Honest about partner needs and try to meet them  Hold accountable for shared goals  Trust-building is an on-going process

Jacksonville’s Insights On Systems Change:  Start with data  Create a strong Theory of Action  Work at multiple levels (school and district)  Leverage and align existing resources  Use foundation resources as a lever  Articulate clear goals and measure progress  Start small, show success, take to scale  Use data and student stories to tell the story  Make long-term commitment

Discussion

Table Discussion Guidelines  Each table discusses one question (on the tent card)  Choose a facilitator and a recorder  Use the flip chart to capture key discussion points  Briefly report out to the full group

Roundtable Questions  What role(s) do you or can you play based on the environment and your resources to impact educational outcomes in your community?  What barriers to and opportunities for system change exist? How do you as a funder deal with them?  What effect do stimulus dollars, major initiatives, and federal programs have now and in the future? How should philanthropy respond to these current trends?  What are the challenges of developing, replicating and sustaining best practices for improving educational outcomes?

He who endeavors to serve, to benefit, and improve the world, is like a swimmer, who struggles against a rapid current, in a river lashed into angry waves by the wind. Often they roar over his head, often they beat him back and baffle him. Most men yield to the stress of the current. Only here and there the stout, strong heart and vigorous arms struggle on towards ultimate success. Albert Pike

Thank you Maggie Gunther Osborn Conn Memorial Foundation Pam Paul Jacksonville Public Education Fund