September 11, 2008

 Review of process to date  Understand core elements of SIG/Beacon Proposal  Engage in open dialogue  Test support for proposal going forward toward October 1

 Listen to understand, not to reload  Share air time  Encourage and respect diverse perspectives  Be crew, not passengers

 Early Mobilization ( )  Defining Vision and Values (2006 – Feb. 2008)  Configuration Brainstorming and Selection (February – June 2008)  June - Today: Refining Vision, Expanding Network, Clarifying Proposal

Background and Context: Building Blocks of Excellence

1. What will really be different as a result of this grant? 2. What is the Public Education & Business Coalition, and how will they help improve student achievement? 3. What would the partnership with DU really look like? 4. What will ensure that we truly have a culture of excellence in our schools as a result of all this work? 5. What is this ECE or ECE-K Early Learning Center proposal, and how would it work? 6. How can parents be involved in this process?

 Higher student achievement and stronger culture  Addresses the enrollment challenges throughout the feeder pattern ◦ Merrill’s total enrollment ◦ ECE demand at all schools ◦ Grade level groupings at Cory  Rebuilds sense of community cohesion across entire feeder pattern

 25 years old, based in Denver, known across the country  Professional Development Based on improving teacher and principal practice by: ◦ Build a clear and shared vision of effective instruction ◦ Create systems to support teacher and student learning ◦ Literacy best practices to support content understanding ◦ Curriculum  Instruction  Assessment  Achievement ◦ Build instructional leadership capacity to ensure learning

Why do Community Engagement? Why does DU engage with DPS? We believe in creating citizens in Denver’s Schools Service-Learning teaches students real skills to make a difference in their own community that they don’t learn in regular school College coaches gives students a perspective of the reality of post- secondary education Successes Of Public Achievement Participants: 66% felt more connected to their community, and 82% desired to get involved in order to improve their community. 57% of the students involved in PA reported liking school more because of Public Achievement.

Community Engagement: University of Denver in DPS Bruce Randolph School Current Public Achievement partnership (2007-present) – In : 100 sixth, eighth and tenth grade students involved – : 130 ninth grade students participating through required Speech and Debate course Bryant Webster Public Achievement Partnership – Students addressed issues ranging from their school playground to gangs and domestic violence. – Program was part of a leadership initiative in BW’s school reform plan

Elementary Partnerships Ellis Elementary – Partnership with Earth Force – Ongoing training and support for service-learning initiatives University Park Elementary – Partnership initiated and led by students Cory Elementary – Looking to pilot Tutoring program this Fall – Working to have a team of DU Students adopt Cory

Public Achievement at Merrill Middle School Close collaboration with Principal Stacy Miller and teachers Katy Larson and Laura Breetz Integration of Public Achievement into 6 th grade Service-Learning elective Students will begin with expanding the school recycling program while learning about local and global environmental issues Currently running pilot; potential for expansion could include school- wide service-learning components

“There is substantial evidence that results are virtually inevitable when teachers, working in teams: Focus substantially--though not exclusively--on assessed standards. Review simple, readily available achievement data to set a limited number of measurable achievement goals in the lowest-scoring subjects or courses and target specific standards where achievement is low within that course or subject area. Work regularly and collectively to design, adapt, and assess instructional strategies targeted directly at specific standards of low student performance revealed by the assessment data (e.g. "measurement" in math; "voice" in writing; "sight reading" in music).” --Mike Schmoker, “Up and Away.”

Improvement In Average Organization Scores from February-April

Summary Points Teachers used a common task and a common assessment to calibrate expectations and gather data Teachers focused on a single, clear goal Teachers worked collaboratively to decide on the best methods to improve learning Teachers re-assessed for progress and modified instruction based on results

“I have recently written of the marked success of five whole school districts and a number of individual schools, most of them facing formidable socioeconomic challenges (Schmoker, 2001). The most arresting reason for their exceptional improvement is the simplicity of their efforts--all built around the same themes: setting goals (few in number); using data to identify areas of lowest performance; and then finding, creating, and continuously refining better ways to teach to those skills using a baseline and measuring the number of students who actually learn the specific targeted skills. (Schmoker, “Up and Away”)

 Basic idea: use garden level at Merrill to create a self-contained early learning center for the feeder pattern (and beyond)  8 classrooms, ECE or ECE-K  Feeder pattern elementary schools could use them as affiliate ECE rooms to help meet demand  Benefits include ◦ professional development for teachers ◦ self contained environment for children ◦ reduction of enrollment pressure for middle school ◦ feeder pattern connection

 Review of process to date  Understand core elements of SIG/Beacon Proposal  Engage in open dialogue  Test support for proposal going forward toward October 1

 School improvement driven by professional development focused on results, community engagement,  ECE or ECE-K Early Learning Center driven by both philosophical and practical concerns  Important to maintain connection among all participants to move this forward  Important to build on what is already working