Federal Grant Full Service Community Schools Thursday June

Federal Grant: Full Service Community Schools Thursday June 24, 2010 www. communityschools. org www. iel. org Presenters: Martin J. Blank, President, Institute for Educational Leadership; Director, Coalition for Community Schools Carolyn Kramer, Seattle Public Schools, FSCS Grantee

Webinar Instructions If you cannot hear the presenter try increasing your computer speaker volume. You can type questions into “chat box” during the presentation. Presenters will address questions throughout the webinar. www. communityschools. org www. iel. org 2

Note: Comments and opinions expressed during the webinar are those of the Coalition’s and DO NOT represent official positions of the U. S. Department of Education. All questions concerning the guidelines should be directed to: FSCS@ed. gov. www. communityschools. org 3

Full Service Community Schools Guidance Definition Public elementary or secondary school that works with its LEA and community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and other public or private entities to provide a coordinated and integrated set of comprehensive academic, social, and health services that respond to the needs of its students, students’ family members, and community members. www. communityschools. org 4

What is a Community School? A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. It provides academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement, and brings together many partners to offer a range of support and opportunities for children, youth, families, and communities. The school is generally open for extended hours for everyone in the community. Community schools may operate in all or a subset of schools in an LEA. (Source: Title I Guidelines, U. S. Department of Education, Sept. 2, 2009) www. communityschools. org 5

Poll Question 1. Do you currently work with community schools? ◦ Please select “yes” or “no” in the dialogue box that appears on your screen! www. communityschools. org 6

Community School Results www. communityschools. org 7

Community Schools: Short Term Results & Indicators www. communityschools. org 8

Community Schools: Long Term Results & Indicators www. communityschools. org 9

CS Operating Framework Functions: • Results Framework • Financing • Resource Development • Oversight/Evaluation • Communication • TA & Professional COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP Development Strategy • Policy Functions: • Convene Partners • Facilitate Change • Provide Leadership, Staff INTERMEDIARY & Political & Other Connections • Measure Results Intermediaries: • School District • LEA • United Way • Local Gov’t • Local Ed. Fund SITE LEVEL LEADERSHIP Functions: • Results focused • Community Mobilization • Program Alignment & Integration • Partnership Development Stakeholders: • School • Local Gov’t • Civic Orgs. • Corporation • Community Agency • Neighborhood • Families • Youth • Lead Agency • Site Team • Community School Coordinator Stakeholders: • Principals • Community School • Coordinator • Families • Teachers • Citizens • Community Partners • Youth www. communityschools. org 10

FSCS Awards information Estimated available funds: $5, 000 Estimated award range: $275, 000 - $500, 000 per year Estimated number of awards: 8 -12 Project period: up to 5 years Maximum award: $500, 000 per year www. communityschools. org 11

Key Themes: FSCS Grant Guidelines Results-focused partnerships can transform the capacity of both the school and its partners to better serve students’ and families’ diverse needs and improve their outcomes. A full-service community school coordinator is central to the effective facilitation of partnerships. Entities will partner with applicant to coordinate existing services or to provide additional services. Memorandum of Understanding between applicant and partners. Alignment of goals, services, activities, objectives, performance measures Integration of new and existing programs with the school’s (schools’) core instructional program. Data-driven decision making www. communityschools. org 12

FSCS Grant: Are You Eligible? Applicant must be part of a consortium that consists of a local educational agency and one or more community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, or other public or private entities. www. communityschools. org www. iel. org 13

Group Applicants Eligible parties may apply as a group ◦ The term used to refer to the group may vary ◦ Commonly used terms include (but are not limited to): Consortium Joint Application Cooperative Arrangement Who acts as the Applicant? The group agreement. ◦ Members must designate one member of the group to apply for the grant or establish a separate, eligible legal entity to apply. ◦ The members of the group must enter into an agreement detailing the activities that each member of the group plans to perform and binds each member of the group to every statement and assurance made in the application. ◦ The agreement must be included in the application. www. communityschools. org www. iel. org 14

Absolute Priorities Establish or expand one or more elementary or secondary full-service community schools. Scientifically-based research: Proposed project based on scientifically-based research. Services: Each grant applicant must propose to provide at least three of the eligible services at each participating elementary or secondary school www. communityschools. org www. iel. org 15

Competitive Preference Priority Strategies that Support Turning Around Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools (Up to 2 points) Competitive preference will be given to applications that propose to serve persistently lowest-achieving schools and are currently implementing or plan to implement one of three school intervention models to enable these schools to become full-service community schools. www. communityschools. org www. iel. org 16

Competitive Preference Priority Applicants seeking to receive this priority must describe: ◦ the school intervention model that would be or is being implemented to improve academic outcomes for students; ◦ the academic, social, and/or health services that would be provided and why; and ◦ how the academic, social and/or health services provided would align with and support the school intervention model implemented. www. communityschools. org 17

Lowest-achieving schools as defined in the School Improvement Grant “Persistently lowest-achieving schools means, as determined by the State-(a) Any Title I school in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring that — Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring or the lowestachieving five Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring in the State, whichever number of schools is greater; or Is a high school that has had a graduation rate as defined in 34 C. F. R. § 200. 19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number of years; and www. communityschools. org www. iel. org 18

Lowest-achieving schools cont’d (b) Any secondary school that is eligible for, but does not receive, Title I funds that — Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of secondary schools or the lowest-achieving five secondary schools in the State that are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds, whichever number of schools is greater; or Is a high school that has had a graduation rate as defined in 34 C. F. R. § 200. 19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number of years. ” (source: School Improvement Guidance, January 2010) www. communityschools. org www. iel. org 19

Lessons Learned from FSCS Grantees What is working: Having a Community Advisory Board – engagement of stakeholders has been critical to success of project Creating buy in at the school level- critical to start early and maintain often Quality of services provided has been quite good- the extra attention that we can provide service providers is really paying off We have created a infrastructure to guide partnerships. Memorandum’s of Understanding/Agreement, clear expectations around roles of schools and community organizations, manuals, single point of contact in schools, systems to support collaboration of partners Collaborative and distributive leadership www. communityschools. org 20

Lessons Learned from FSCS Grantees Challenges: Gaining buy in at the school level Getting community partners to collaborate and not compete Creating a system of collaboration to guide community partners Sustainability Not prepared to offer childcare for parents (so that they can participate) Family engagement www. communityschools. org 21

Dates to Remember! Intent to Apply: June 23, 2010 Applications Due: July 23, 2010 Applications Reviewed: Summer 2010 All Grant Awards Announced: September 2010 www. communityschools. org 22

Questions from the field What are the key factors for consideration when building a strong full service community school? What are the top three challenges to starting the process and building a full service community school? It appears past grantees were all urban – can proposals from rural schools be competitive? It appears this program is less about health care services and more about a transformative process of which health care may be a component – can a Community Health Center effectively serve as the lead applicant? www. communityschools. org 23

Q&A Please type your questions into the chat box on the right hand side of your computer screen. www. communityschools. org 24

Poll Questions 1. 2. Do you have a better understanding about Full Service Community Schools grant? Will you be applying for the grant? Please select “yes” or “no” in the dialogue box that appears on your screen! www. communityschools. org 25

Resources Coalition for Community Schools: www. communityschools. org ◦ Planning tools: http: //www. communityschools. org/full_service_co mmunity_school_grant. aspx U. S. Department of Education: http: //www 2. ed. gov/programs/communitysc hools/applicant. html ◦ Telephone: (202) 401 - 2091 ◦ Email: fscs@ed. gov www. communityschools. org 26

Contact Info Marty Blank, Director, Coalition for Community Schools, President, Institute for Educational Leadership, blankm@iel. org Shital C. Shah, shahs@iel. org www. communityschools. org www. iel. org 27