1. 1 Welcome to the Journey Ready Schools Symposium Battle Creek, Michigan August 25, 2010

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3. 3 Goals for Today’s Session: 1.Share the Ready Schools journey from a state, county, and district perspective 2.Share our findings on the impact of Ready Schools 3.Share our “lessons learned” regarding Ready Schools implementation 4.Challenge and inspire you to take the next step in your Ready Schools journey

4. 4 What is a Ready School? School readiness is not what children need to know or be able to do when they get to school, but rather what schools actively do to meet the educational and social needs of all children who walk through their doors. Children enter school with a diversity of strengths and backgrounds. The Ready School responds to this diversity and provides each child with the instruction and supports that he or she needs to learn effectively and to attain proficiency across all areas of the curriculum: academic, social-emotional, and physical learning and development. Ready Schools help children succeed through collaborative efforts that reach beyond the school walls.

5. 5 What comes to mind when you first hear the term, “Ready School”? (n = 485)

6. 6 Ready Schools Across Ohio Governors’ “Linking Ready Kids to Ready Schools” Forum in September 2008 Partnership with SPARK Ohio, ODE, & OAESA Ohio Ready School Manual 30-40 schools given funding to pilot use of manual Professional Development throughout state Ohio House Bill I ODE/OAESA Ready Schools Statewide Survey Pending state education budget includes proposal to provide matching funds to 25-30 schools for Ready Schools work in FY11-12

7. 7 Ready Schools in Stark County The Beginning………. A team of educators and preschool workers collaborated on Stark County Educational Service Center’s transitions committee A “Common Transition Form” was developed to be completed by a child’s preschool teacher or caregiver prior to Kindergarten Entry (implemented in Fall 2005) Transition committees formed to bring community, pre-K teachers and administrators, kindergarten teachers, elementary administrators, and parents together to work toward continuity of education Sisters of Charity Foundation launched Quality Child Care Initiative Sisters of Charity Foundation began developing the SPARK Project (2001) SPARK Ohio Project launched in Minerva and Canton (2004) The Beginning………. A team of educators and preschool workers collaborated on Stark County Educational Service Center’s transitions committee A “Common Transition Form” was developed to be completed by a child’s preschool teacher or caregiver prior to Kindergarten Entry (implemented in Fall 2005) Transition committees formed to bring community, pre-K teachers and administrators, kindergarten teachers, elementary administrators, and parents together to work toward continuity of education Sisters of Charity Foundation launched Quality Child Care Initiative Sisters of Charity Foundation began developing the SPARK Project (2001) SPARK Ohio Project launched in Minerva and Canton (2004)

8. 8 Ready Schools in Stark County Youtz School lauded as a participant in the state pilot and has significantly contributed to the “lessons learned” archives McGregor School, a SPARK site, has implemented several Ready Schools activities and has earned National Recognition from the Fordham Institute for their successes “ Getting parents involved means getting the kids ahead,” said Vic Johnson, McGregor’s longtime principal. “The whole thing about our school is not only the relationship between our staff, but with the students and the parents, too. They take an ownership in the education of their children.” Sisters of Charity Foundation is supporting a local cohort of eight schools to develop and implement Ready Schools plans SCESC is leading the effort to disseminate the ODE Ready Schools Manual to all Stark County Elementary Principals and align training and philosophy with other mandated state initiatives Moving toward educational continuity – pre-K through school age

9. 9 Barrier 1 - Getting staff to understand SPARK & Ready Schools Principals Meeting with agenda and timelines Challenge trying to conceptualize SPARK and Ready Schools with all their “pieces and parts” Utilized a graphic to help principals visualize and understand the programs Ready Schools - One District’s Approach

10. 10 Barrier 2 - Getting staff to value SPARK & Ready Schools Used Ready Schools and Transition research from websites as background resources Benefit to children Moral responsibility Build bridges with parents and families Emphasized the concept of Ready Schools as a mechanism to address non-academic barriers to learning Test score impact Ready Schools - One District’s Approach

11. 11 Barrier 3 - Getting “buy in”, focus, and ownership Provided professional development and networking opportunities for principals Emphasized linkage with district CCIP and OIP – not more but rather just a different way of looking at things; demonstrated alignment with other state and local projects including school climate, family engagement, response to intervention, Title I, etc. Provided incentives for completing Ready Schools Assessment and creating building level Ready Schools action plans Initially all plans began with a transition focus and one additional goal area as determined by the building Starting in 2009, buildings are now contributing 10% matching funds from their principal’s funds for implementation of their Ready Schools action plans Ready Schools - One District’s Approach

12. 12 Schools began by completing a self-assessment with multiple stakeholders…staff, parents, and community members Ready Schools Planning - One District’s Approach

13. 13 Ready Schools Planning - One District’s Approach

14. 14 Then each school created & implemented their plan Ready Schools Planning - One District’s Approach

15. 15 Each school evaluates and refines their plan on an annual basis Analyzed the preschool to kindergarten survey data (parents, preschool directors, teachers, and principals) Also developed a survey for Grade 1 Transition activities Analyzed the Ready Schools action plan data Analyzed district CCIP and OIP data Included both quantitative and qualitative information Important to allow schools to grow in their implementation of Ready Schools. Expect refinement and improvement each year. Ready Schools Planning - One District’s Approach

16. 16 Ready Schools A Ready School requires an active, sustained commitment to providing appropriate instructional supports and learning environments for all students. Although participating pilot schools follow a consistent process to develop and implement their plans, much variation is evident as every plan is tailored to each building’s specific needs.

17. 17 Ready Schools

18. 18 Ready Schools

19. 19 Ready Schools

20. 20 Ready Schools

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22. 22 Ready Schools - Sample Activities Transition The school is connected to early care and education. Calendar of year long activities Preschool visitations and teacher exchange Collaborative training on academic content standards, child abuse & neglect reporting, communicable disease, trauma,etc. Shared access to “production lab” for preschool and homecare providers Transition is a process not an event that happens to a child.

23. 23 Ready Schools - Sample Activities Supportive Environments The school environment encourages a welcoming atmosphere. Professional Learning Community - Book Study “Beyond the Bake Sale” Parent surveys about welcoming attributes Neighborhood canvassing Home Visits for all kindergarten children Summer mailings

24. 24 Ready Schools - Sample Activities Diversity TANF Town Simulation World Passport Family Night “Learning at Lunch” - Ruby Payne Book Study Group

25. 25 Ready Schools - Sample Activities The school forms partnerships with the community. Contracts with community based mental health agencies to provide school-based services Partnership with social service agency to provide Family Involvement Coordinators Partnership with local churches to provide weekend food packages for families Collaborated with local libraries to launch “Backpack Learning” resource kits for families Home-School-Community Connections

26. 26 Ready Schools

27. 27 Ready Schools Lessons Learned

28. 28 Ready Schools - Lessons Learned Lesson # 1 - Perceptions & Attitudes Matter  Perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders play a significant role in creating a cultural shift to make school more ready to receive all children and to truly become a Ready School.

29. 29 Ready Schools - Lessons Learned Lesson # 2 - Team Composition Matters  The viewpoints of all stakeholders need to be heard and integrated into each school’s action plan.  When one ready-school team arranged for parents to complete the ready- school assessments, the responses differed greatly from that of school staff. As a result, parents and community members were added to the team.  What parents and community members perceive as needed for a smooth transition is often different from what teachers and principals think should be done.  The differences in perceptions and diverse viewpoints need to be identified and addressed. The ready school assessment is a starting point for building an action plan with shared understandings of the needs of each participant in the transition process.

30. 30 Ready Schools - Lessons Learned Lesson # 3 - Development of a Shared Vision Matters  Development of a shared vision emerged as a requirement for achieving selected goals, sustaining the program, and continuing productive relationships with stakeholder groups.  Sufficient time needs to be devoted to collaborative discussion and planning in order to develop a shared vision of the outcome.  Some schools are holding day-long, off-site planning sessions with community and parent representatives, in order to develop common visions. These sessions allow for collaboration and deeper discussion.

31. 31 Ready Schools - Lessons Learned Lesson # 4 - District Support & Communication Matter  Systemic district support is needed at all levels to ensure the ongoing success and sustainability of the Ready Schools program. Key district staff need to be strategically involved in planning, implementation, and development from the outset of the program.  All district structures, including the superintendent, board of education, curriculum director, special education administrator, early childhood personnel, and staff need to be kept informed throughout the program.  Promising strategies for gaining and sustaining district support include: Providing ongoing updates on the program’s progress to the key personnel Placing strategic district personnel on each school’s Ready Schools team Presenting the program and perhaps the action plan at a board meeting Inviting board members to Ready Schools events Making visible links to district initiatives and existing programs

32. 32 Ready Schools - Lessons Learned Lesson # 5 - Creating Feasible Action Plans Matters  Creating feasible Action Plans was cited as a lesson learned by more than half of the participating pilot sites.  The sites learned to: align their goals and indicators with the results of the self-assessment data clearly design their goals, indicators, and activities to enable progress monitoring narrow their selection of goals and indicators tweak proven past activities to address Ready Schools indicators be efficient with their time in planning, implementing, and evaluating activities combine activities to make one “power” activity to address several goal/indicator areas plan all facets of activities in detail as much as possible - communications, agendas, responsibilities, and evaluation

33. 33 Ready Schools - Lessons Learned Lesson # 6 - Shared Leadership Matters  Teacher leadership was necessary to accomplish the Ready Schools goals. The principal cannot coordinate and support the project alone.  A Ready Schools Coordinator who monitors planning and implementation has been identified at several sites.  In addition to the coordinator’s role, some sites have created teacher-chaired committees around each of their identified activities. The teacher chairpersons were also responsible for recruiting appropriate stakeholder groups as needed to implement a successful activity.

34. 34 Ready Schools - Lessons Learned Lesson # 7 - Resources Matter  In addition to the resource guide, there is a need to develop structured guidance documents, tools, and samples as a framework for new sites beginning the planning and development process.  Such guidance documents should provide discussion starters for Ready Schools teams, foster the development of a common language within and across sites, provide guidance in alignment of the action plan, and offer examples of activities that address specific needs, goals, and indicators.

35. 35 Ready Schools - Lessons Learned Lesson # 8 - Data Matters  Collecting and analyzing data throughout the project is critical to program refinement and success.  The use of surveys provided worthwhile information for planning and making decisions.  Teams are making efforts to understand what is not working and seeking input for program improvements.

36. 36 Ready Schools Results

37. 37 Educational Professional Transition Surveys – 2009 Principal Responses Canton – Non-SPARK School (n =5) Canton - SPARK School (n =3) Alliance (n =1) Akron (n = 4) Warren (n = 2) Does your school have a written kindergarten transition plan in place? 60.0%66.7%100.0% - Is there someone in your building specifically assigned to kindergarten transition? 40.0%66.7%100.0% 50.0% School/community demographic data has been gathered and analyzed by your school?80.0%100.0% Are you familiar with Ready School concept?60.0%100.0% Has a Ready School Action Plan been created for your school? 20.0%33.0%100.0% 66.7%50.0% Progress toward Ready School Action Plan goals is monitored and refined as needed? 20.0%66.7%100.0% 33.3%100.0% Does your school have a family resource center? 40.0%50.0%100.0% 25.0%50.0% Ready Schools Results

38. 38 Transition Surveys (All Sites) – 2009 Kindergarten Teacher Responses Transition Activity SPARK Schools Percentage reporting “Yes” (n =3 1) Non-SPARK Schools Percentage reporting “Yes” (n =1 5) My children visited my kindergarten classroom before the school year started*83.9%64.3% I have visited a preschool program*86.2%*26.7% A preschool teacher visited my kindergarten classroom73.3%66.7% I met with the families of these children before the school year started80.6%78.6% I received written records of these children’s preschool experience and status*77.4%*42.9% I sent home materials for the children to use over the summer before kindergarten*69.0%*13.3% My school offers a summer program for these children prior to kindergarten*80.6%*0.0% *Significant at p<=.05 Ready Schools Results

39. 39 Transition Activity SPARK Parent (n = 212) Non-SPARK Parent (n = 500) Did your child visit his/her kindergarten classroom?*89.6%*66.8% Did you visit the kindergarten classroom?*88.1%*79.2% Did you meet your child’s kindergarten teacher?*87.7%*82.1% Did you meet your child’s building principal?59.2%52.2% Did you talk to your child’s kindergarten teacher about your child?* 78.5%*66.5% Did you tour the school building?*67.8%*51.4% Did you attend kindergarten registration?*88.2%*63.1% Did you attend a kindergarten orientation?*78.7%*63.2% Did your child participate in a screening program? *86.0%*55.5% Did you receive a letter or written information from the school? * 86.7%*70.4% Did you receive a call, letter, or note from your child’s kindergarten teacher?* 75.8%*56.6% All Sites - SPARK Parent/Non-SPARK Parent – 2009 Parent Responses *Significant at p<=.05 Ready Schools Results

40. 40 Ready Schools Results What We Know…. Effective in raising children’s kindergarten preparation Effective in improving parents’ ability to educate and support their children Effective in increasing the quality of child care programming in Stark County at center and family child care level Effective in raising the level of professionalism among child care workers and teachers Effective in improving Ready Schools transition practices in schools Effective in promoting welcoming school environments for children and families SPARK and READY SCHOOLS are…….

41. 41 Ready Schools K. Cotton & K. R. Wikelund, Parent Involvement in Education, School Improvement Research Series, Close-Up No. 6, North West Regional Educational Laboratory. The research is consistent, positive, and convincing……families have a major influence on their children’s achievement. When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more. Parental involvement early in the educational process results in more powerful and sustaining effects. Benefits are not confined to the elementary years; there are significant gains at all ages and grade levels.

42. 42 Do I really need all this? Take the quiz. What kind of school are you? Take the quiz. What kind of school are you?

43. 43 “Fortress School” Not Proficient - Unaccredited “Parents don’t care about their children’s education, and they are the main reason the kid’s are failing” “Parents don’t come to conferences, no matter what we do” Principal picks a small group of “cooperative parents” to help out “We’re teachers, not social workers” “Curriculum and standards are too advanced for these parents” “Parents don’t come to conferences, no matter what we do” Principal picks a small group of “cooperative parents” to help out “We’re teachers, not social workers” “Curriculum and standards are too advanced for these parents”

44. 44 “Come-if-we-call School” Partially Proficient Parents are told what students will be learning at the fall open house meeting Workshops are planned by staff Families can visit school on report card pickup day or fundraiser day Parents call the office to get teacher-recorded messages about field trips and homework Workshops are planned by staff Families can visit school on report card pickup day or fundraiser day Parents call the office to get teacher-recorded messages about field trips and homework

45. 45 “Open-Door School” Proficient Formal parent-teacher conferences are held twice a year with informal meeting opportunities throughout the school year There is an “Action Team” for transition and family engagement School holds curriculum nights 3 to 4 times a year Parents raise issues at PTA meetings or see the principal Multicultural celebrations, reflecting family demographics, are held at least once a year There is an “Action Team” for transition and family engagement School holds curriculum nights 3 to 4 times a year Parents raise issues at PTA meetings or see the principal Multicultural celebrations, reflecting family demographics, are held at least once a year

46. 46 “Ready School” Advanced - Fully Accredited Home visits or personal contacts are made to every new family All family activities connect to what students are learning There is a clear and open process for resolving problems Parents and teachers research issues together and are actively involved in decision-making There are true connections with early education providers and community agencies All family activities connect to what students are learning There is a clear and open process for resolving problems Parents and teachers research issues together and are actively involved in decision-making There are true connections with early education providers and community agencies

47. 47. “We can not become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” Max DePree

48. 48 Take the next step in your Ready Schools journey… Where are you? Where do you want to go? How are you going to get there?

49. 49 Jan Webler - Project Leader Stark County Ready Schools weblerja@gmail.com