I wanted to personally thank everyone for their efforts toward the successful grant award from the RI Foundation. As a result of the grant award, we are able to commence planning for our World Cafe in which we will invite community partners to a dialogue about the Townwide Learning Community.
As part of that venture, we will have the pleasure of working with Carol Bissanti, an experienced Rhode Island educator and World Cafe facilitator. Carol joined us at our meeting last night and guided us through an initial conversation about the World Cafe.
I am happy to welcome Carol to our work and to our blog.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Parent University
Happy September, Everyone!
At one of our summer meetings, Rosemary mentioned the concept of a 'Parent University'. This year the Boston Public Schools will be launching a 'Parent University' in an effort to increase parent engagement. I thought you might be interested... Enjoy!
At one of our summer meetings, Rosemary mentioned the concept of a 'Parent University'. This year the Boston Public Schools will be launching a 'Parent University' in an effort to increase parent engagement. I thought you might be interested... Enjoy!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Search Institute Training of Trainers
Hello Everyone,
I found this training opportunity on the Search Institute website. It is taking place in Massachusetts.
http://www.search-institute.org/open-enrollments
Search Institute Essentials Of Asset Building, Training of Trainers.
Check it out!
Rosemary
I found this training opportunity on the Search Institute website. It is taking place in Massachusetts.
http://www.search-institute.org/open-enrollments
Search Institute Essentials Of Asset Building, Training of Trainers.
Check it out!
Rosemary
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Community Organizing
First, I really have to thank Rosemary, Tom and Lisa for keeping up the posts on the blog. Even though I haven't been posting, I have been reading your posts and doing a lot of reflecting offline.
I hope I can add to the discussion today with feedback about a research publication I found on the Harvard Family Research Project web site. The research discusses lessons learned from community organizing -- and two concepts in particular resonated with me. One, I think the differences between 'parent involvement' and 'community organizing' are relevant to our work. Second, I believe there is application to our work on the Town Learning Community in the quote below.
Specifically, the quote theorizes that an obstacle to systemic improvement of student achievement is the act of "individualizing" issues. By developing relationships and connecting people, schools provide opportunities to identify systems issues that are not the result of an individual, but rather problems that are the responsibility of the organization to develop solutions for.
"Education organizing invests in building relationships among parents as the foundation of action. It focuses on “relational power,” which is the power to act collectively in order to make system change (Cortés, 1993). All too often schools individualize systemic problems (C. Brown, personal communication, October 3, 2003). For example, a student might be faulted for poor performance when in reality the problem also lies in a lack of qualified teachers and instructional materials. Organizing counters this individualizing trend by bringing people into relationships with one another so that they can identify and act on school issues. Through one-on-one conversations, group dialogue, and reflection, parents and other residents develop a strong sense of community, and learn how to use their collective power to advocate for school change. In contrast, parent involvement approaches that focus on individual skill building rarely provide opportunities for dialogue about common problems. The absence of these opportunities often precludes parents’ working together for school improvement."(Giles, 1998)
I hope I can add to the discussion today with feedback about a research publication I found on the Harvard Family Research Project web site. The research discusses lessons learned from community organizing -- and two concepts in particular resonated with me. One, I think the differences between 'parent involvement' and 'community organizing' are relevant to our work. Second, I believe there is application to our work on the Town Learning Community in the quote below.
Specifically, the quote theorizes that an obstacle to systemic improvement of student achievement is the act of "individualizing" issues. By developing relationships and connecting people, schools provide opportunities to identify systems issues that are not the result of an individual, but rather problems that are the responsibility of the organization to develop solutions for.
"Education organizing invests in building relationships among parents as the foundation of action. It focuses on “relational power,” which is the power to act collectively in order to make system change (Cortés, 1993). All too often schools individualize systemic problems (C. Brown, personal communication, October 3, 2003). For example, a student might be faulted for poor performance when in reality the problem also lies in a lack of qualified teachers and instructional materials. Organizing counters this individualizing trend by bringing people into relationships with one another so that they can identify and act on school issues. Through one-on-one conversations, group dialogue, and reflection, parents and other residents develop a strong sense of community, and learn how to use their collective power to advocate for school change. In contrast, parent involvement approaches that focus on individual skill building rarely provide opportunities for dialogue about common problems. The absence of these opportunities often precludes parents’ working together for school improvement."(Giles, 1998)
If you think this applies to our work moving forward, a theory of action about the Town Learning Community might be:
"If we provide opportunities for people to develop relationships with one another so that they can identify and act on school issues, they will develop a strong sense of community and learn how to use their collective power to advocate for school change, resulting in more students achieving the district's standards."
I've provided the link to research on the Harvard web site on the Message Board. I'd also like to suggest that we all read the research since it's rather brief and use it for a text-based discussion at one of our meetings. Through such a discussion, we might talk about the research, this proposed theory of action, and how to test its application to our work. We might also discuss whether this could help to form the basis for a focus question in our World Cafe forum.Wednesday, June 24, 2009
World Cafe
I found a website that talks about the World Cafe for those interested in learning more about it.
When there are things that 'I know I don't know' (like what a World Cafe was prior to this Spring) I love having some reading material to help me frame the subject, or as I've been known to say : 'Find a bucket to sort it into.'
See you tonight!
When there are things that 'I know I don't know' (like what a World Cafe was prior to this Spring) I love having some reading material to help me frame the subject, or as I've been known to say : 'Find a bucket to sort it into.'
See you tonight!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Town Wide Learning Community Meeting Summary
Hi Everyone, Here is the meeting summary. Let me know if I missed something. I will bring hard copies to our next meeting. I don't know if I am missing the obvious, but I can't seem to figure out how to attach a word document. See you soon, Rosemary
Town Wide Learning Community Meeting Summary
Lisa Beaulieu, Tom Kenworthy, Karen Freedman, Ryan Pearson, Donna Morelle, Dee Gould and Rosemary Reilly-Chammat
The group met on June 2, 2009 at 7:15
Discussion: The steering committee discussed a time period to convene the larger group in the town wide learning community effort. Choosing a target time will enable the committee to plan for timely implementation.
Action: A target time was set, in late September, for the first convening of the larger group to discuss the Town Wide Learning Community.
Discussion: The application to the RI Foundation for organizational development was discussed in detail. An essential question concerning what the steering committee should know and be able to do before we convene the group, was discussed. We discussed how the application will help us to prepare for the work ahead. The organizational development grant could be used to help the steering committee educate ourselves. There is a wealth of information on community involvement. Building a common language and understanding among the steering committee members is important. Hiring a facilitator could help to organize the steering committee. Donna, Lisa and Tom attended a professional development experience for school leaders called World Café. This model could be used to engage the larger group in the town wide learning community discussion. During the May meeting the team discussed possible process questions to consider including:
What do children need?
What can we do?
Where do we need help?
Donna offered the school improvement fund to seed some efforts related to town wide learning . These school department funds will be a good match to include in the grant application and demonstrate local support and commitment to this idea.
The professional development grant still needs to be discussed.
Action: Lisa agreed to draft the application to the RI Foundation. All other steering committee members will review and provide feedback. The grant will be submitted to the RI Foundation by June 30, 2009.
Discussion: The group continued to discuss what building a town wide learning community would mean. The town wide learning community would create a culture of learning in Cumberland. The model would recognize that learning just doesn’t happen in school. The process could start with current community relationships within Cumberland Public Schools. There could some type of celebration of learning as a kickoff event. Dee shared examples from Chicago and Boston. The anniversary of the high school is coming up and this event could be tied to that celebration
The Complementary Learning report from Harvard was discussed. The report contained many excellent examples to help inform our efforts in terms of leadership, leveraging resources, and building partnerships. The 20-60-20 rule was of interest. This rule advised that in terms of change, 20% of stakeholders will be on board right away, 60% can be brought along and 20% may never buy in. We need to start with the first 20%. Interestingly, this report also differentiated between family engagement and community involvement. The report held a very traditional approach to family involvement which included support for the school and homework help. Community involvement meant meeting the needs of youth beyond what the school can do. This definition of community involvement was also shared by Jude Pelchat from the Annenberg Institute at an earlier meeting with the steering committee.
The group looked at “the list” to determine next steps. We discussed a sorting activity with the list to include active partnerships, geography, power and influence. Several other names and groups were added to the list including: Youth sports and booster clubs, town stakeholders, faith community, Craig Bloomer of the Boys and Girls Club, Mike Crawley, Darlene Wood, Neal Anderson, Cumberland Youth Commissioners, Dan Yorke, Ralph Jasparro and Clifton Boyle.
The Cumberland Local Education Fund was also discussed. The town wide learning community can provide opportunities to establish and or strengthen bonds with local groups such as the fund and the Office for Children Youth and Learning.
Action: There is still a wealth of information to review and incorporate in our work. It was agreed that we would meet regularly to achieve the fall meeting goal that was established at the beginning of the meeting. Donna, Tom and Rosemary will meet to review and analyze SALT data as it relates to town wide learning.
The next meeting of the group will be June 24, 2009 from 6:30-8:00 in the Superintendent’s conference room.
Town Wide Learning Community Meeting Summary
Lisa Beaulieu, Tom Kenworthy, Karen Freedman, Ryan Pearson, Donna Morelle, Dee Gould and Rosemary Reilly-Chammat
The group met on June 2, 2009 at 7:15
Discussion: The steering committee discussed a time period to convene the larger group in the town wide learning community effort. Choosing a target time will enable the committee to plan for timely implementation.
Action: A target time was set, in late September, for the first convening of the larger group to discuss the Town Wide Learning Community.
Discussion: The application to the RI Foundation for organizational development was discussed in detail. An essential question concerning what the steering committee should know and be able to do before we convene the group, was discussed. We discussed how the application will help us to prepare for the work ahead. The organizational development grant could be used to help the steering committee educate ourselves. There is a wealth of information on community involvement. Building a common language and understanding among the steering committee members is important. Hiring a facilitator could help to organize the steering committee. Donna, Lisa and Tom attended a professional development experience for school leaders called World Café. This model could be used to engage the larger group in the town wide learning community discussion. During the May meeting the team discussed possible process questions to consider including:
What do children need?
What can we do?
Where do we need help?
Donna offered the school improvement fund to seed some efforts related to town wide learning . These school department funds will be a good match to include in the grant application and demonstrate local support and commitment to this idea.
The professional development grant still needs to be discussed.
Action: Lisa agreed to draft the application to the RI Foundation. All other steering committee members will review and provide feedback. The grant will be submitted to the RI Foundation by June 30, 2009.
Discussion: The group continued to discuss what building a town wide learning community would mean. The town wide learning community would create a culture of learning in Cumberland. The model would recognize that learning just doesn’t happen in school. The process could start with current community relationships within Cumberland Public Schools. There could some type of celebration of learning as a kickoff event. Dee shared examples from Chicago and Boston. The anniversary of the high school is coming up and this event could be tied to that celebration
The Complementary Learning report from Harvard was discussed. The report contained many excellent examples to help inform our efforts in terms of leadership, leveraging resources, and building partnerships. The 20-60-20 rule was of interest. This rule advised that in terms of change, 20% of stakeholders will be on board right away, 60% can be brought along and 20% may never buy in. We need to start with the first 20%. Interestingly, this report also differentiated between family engagement and community involvement. The report held a very traditional approach to family involvement which included support for the school and homework help. Community involvement meant meeting the needs of youth beyond what the school can do. This definition of community involvement was also shared by Jude Pelchat from the Annenberg Institute at an earlier meeting with the steering committee.
The group looked at “the list” to determine next steps. We discussed a sorting activity with the list to include active partnerships, geography, power and influence. Several other names and groups were added to the list including: Youth sports and booster clubs, town stakeholders, faith community, Craig Bloomer of the Boys and Girls Club, Mike Crawley, Darlene Wood, Neal Anderson, Cumberland Youth Commissioners, Dan Yorke, Ralph Jasparro and Clifton Boyle.
The Cumberland Local Education Fund was also discussed. The town wide learning community can provide opportunities to establish and or strengthen bonds with local groups such as the fund and the Office for Children Youth and Learning.
Action: There is still a wealth of information to review and incorporate in our work. It was agreed that we would meet regularly to achieve the fall meeting goal that was established at the beginning of the meeting. Donna, Tom and Rosemary will meet to review and analyze SALT data as it relates to town wide learning.
The next meeting of the group will be June 24, 2009 from 6:30-8:00 in the Superintendent’s conference room.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Building the townwide learning community
http://www.valleybreeze.com/Free/BIZ-boyle-retires-w-Hed-shot-C-W-and-OBS
Good Morning:
As we consider leadership strategies for building the town wide learning community, I would ask us to consider approaching Clifton Boyle. He is a Cumberland resident, former Cumberland industrial arts teacher, first principal of Woonsocket Career and Tech School, and a Superintendent. He rose through the ranks at JWU and was founder of the doctoral program in education leadership. Tom and I (and now Rich D.) are all recent graduates. The article from the Breeze is linked above.
Ralph Jasparro is a Cumberland resident, JWU professor, former Superintendent and overall a very accomplished educational leader. I spoke with him about this effort to gauge his interest in participation. He was interested but I believe it was after I submitted names to the list.
A shared leadership model, that we've discussed, with education leaders, business/community leaders and parent leaders could lend itself to the so-called "big boy/girl" approach.
I know we have a full agenda for next time yet it would be helpful to define the role of the steering committee in terms of leadership, guidance and support for the group. I think it will help us to get to "yes" with the people we ultimately decide to ask to step forward.
Rosemary
Good Morning:
As we consider leadership strategies for building the town wide learning community, I would ask us to consider approaching Clifton Boyle. He is a Cumberland resident, former Cumberland industrial arts teacher, first principal of Woonsocket Career and Tech School, and a Superintendent. He rose through the ranks at JWU and was founder of the doctoral program in education leadership. Tom and I (and now Rich D.) are all recent graduates. The article from the Breeze is linked above.
Ralph Jasparro is a Cumberland resident, JWU professor, former Superintendent and overall a very accomplished educational leader. I spoke with him about this effort to gauge his interest in participation. He was interested but I believe it was after I submitted names to the list.
A shared leadership model, that we've discussed, with education leaders, business/community leaders and parent leaders could lend itself to the so-called "big boy/girl" approach.
I know we have a full agenda for next time yet it would be helpful to define the role of the steering committee in terms of leadership, guidance and support for the group. I think it will help us to get to "yes" with the people we ultimately decide to ask to step forward.
Rosemary
Monday, May 25, 2009
National Partnership requirements
Hello Everyone,
The link for district requirements in the National Partnership is below. The annual fee is $300, however it is waived if the districts completes a survey. There are staffing and other budgetary requirements as well.
http://www.csos.jhu.edu/P2000/distreq.htm
Rosemary
The link for district requirements in the National Partnership is below. The annual fee is $300, however it is waived if the districts completes a survey. There are staffing and other budgetary requirements as well.
http://www.csos.jhu.edu/P2000/distreq.htm
Rosemary
Great read...really got me thinking!
I just finished reading a great paper that summarizes lessons learned at a 2007 professional development institute sponsored by the Harvard Family Research Project; "Closing the Achievement Gap: Linking Families and Communities Through Complementary Learning."
"Complementary learning" is explained like this...
Educators, policymakers, and families increasingly agree: schools cannot do it alone. Children need multiple opportunities to learn and grow—at home, in school, and in the community. Complementary learning is a comprehensive strategy for addressing all of these needs and ensuring success for all children and youth. Complementary learning is the idea that a systemic approach—which intentionally integrates both school and nonschool supports—can better ensure that all children have the skills they need to succeed
Sounds familiar, doesn't it!
Well, I was also struck by the conclusion of the paper...
Regardless of terminology, the institute presenters and participants tackling these challenges are part of a growing national momentum for educating children in a more connected, comprehensive, and equitable way. As we all continue to innovate and build knowledge, we look forward to learning from them, sharing their knowledge, and helping to facilitate the national dialogue about educating children from a holistic, whole-community perspective.
The entire paper can be found at the following link. I would welcome your thoughts.
http://www.hfrp.org/complementary-learning/publications-resources/complementary-learning-emerging-strategies-evolving-ideas
"Complementary learning" is explained like this...
Educators, policymakers, and families increasingly agree: schools cannot do it alone. Children need multiple opportunities to learn and grow—at home, in school, and in the community. Complementary learning is a comprehensive strategy for addressing all of these needs and ensuring success for all children and youth. Complementary learning is the idea that a systemic approach—which intentionally integrates both school and nonschool supports—can better ensure that all children have the skills they need to succeed
Sounds familiar, doesn't it!
Well, I was also struck by the conclusion of the paper...
Regardless of terminology, the institute presenters and participants tackling these challenges are part of a growing national momentum for educating children in a more connected, comprehensive, and equitable way. As we all continue to innovate and build knowledge, we look forward to learning from them, sharing their knowledge, and helping to facilitate the national dialogue about educating children from a holistic, whole-community perspective.
The entire paper can be found at the following link. I would welcome your thoughts.
http://www.hfrp.org/complementary-learning/publications-resources/complementary-learning-emerging-strategies-evolving-ideas
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Professional Development Grants
Here's link the professional development grant from the RI Foundation as discussed this evening.
Nice meeting tonight. I can't wait for more!
Organizational Development Grant Link
Here's the first grant link which focuses on support for strategic planning, board development, feasibility & marketing, etc. Details are found below:
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University
Hello Everyone:
Earlier this week I attended a conference and met Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships. The url is http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/center.htm. She authored the six levels of family and community involvement that we've used in our work. The Center has a National Network of Partnership Schools Program where local schools, districts, organizations and state departments can join and get support for family and community involvement. There is a fee and other administrative requirements. It's not clear to me how joining this network would help move us along at this point. However, I told her a bit about the work we were embarking on and she suggested an upcoming conference in October 27-28 in Baltimore Maryland. Click http://www.csos.jhu.edu/P2000/pdf/fall-2009_ldc-brochure_final-web.pdf for the brochure. What do you think?
Rosemary
Earlier this week I attended a conference and met Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships. The url is http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/center.htm. She authored the six levels of family and community involvement that we've used in our work. The Center has a National Network of Partnership Schools Program where local schools, districts, organizations and state departments can join and get support for family and community involvement. There is a fee and other administrative requirements. It's not clear to me how joining this network would help move us along at this point. However, I told her a bit about the work we were embarking on and she suggested an upcoming conference in October 27-28 in Baltimore Maryland. Click http://www.csos.jhu.edu/P2000/pdf/fall-2009_ldc-brochure_final-web.pdf for the brochure. What do you think?
Rosemary
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Communication and engagement
Hello
I found this list describing differences between communication and engagement in a book by Kathy Gardner Chadwick entitled Improving Schools Through Community Engagement. It is simple yet relevant to our work.
Sorry, I couldn't get the columns to line up on the blog.
Communication
Communicate to
Public hearing
Talk to, tell
Information out
Seeking to establish/protect turf
Authority
Influencing the like minded
Top down
Establishing a hierarchy for decision making
Goals/ Strategic plan
Products
Public relations
Engagement
Deliberate with
Community conversation
Talk with, share
Information around
Seeking and finding common ground
Responsibility
Understanding those not like minded
Bottom up
Building a network of decision making stakeholders
Values/vision
Process
Public engagement
Rosemary
I found this list describing differences between communication and engagement in a book by Kathy Gardner Chadwick entitled Improving Schools Through Community Engagement. It is simple yet relevant to our work.
Sorry, I couldn't get the columns to line up on the blog.
Communication
Communicate to
Public hearing
Talk to, tell
Information out
Seeking to establish/protect turf
Authority
Influencing the like minded
Top down
Establishing a hierarchy for decision making
Goals/ Strategic plan
Products
Public relations
Engagement
Deliberate with
Community conversation
Talk with, share
Information around
Seeking and finding common ground
Responsibility
Understanding those not like minded
Bottom up
Building a network of decision making stakeholders
Values/vision
Process
Public engagement
Rosemary
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Save the date for a meeting on March 30th...
Tom Kenworthy has arranged for Jude Pelchat from Annenberg to meet with the Community Involvement Steering Committee on March 30th at 6:00 pm. Cindy Chabot will be contacting each of the members of the Steering Committee early in the week to set up the meeting time.
Thanks, Tom!
Tom Kenworthy has arranged for Jude Pelchat from Annenberg to meet with the Community Involvement Steering Committee on March 30th at 6:00 pm. Cindy Chabot will be contacting each of the members of the Steering Committee early in the week to set up the meeting time.
Thanks, Tom!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Steering committee charts course for community involvement committee
Thanks for a great start last night to an important initiative in our Strategic Plan. I am looking forward to our follow-up discussions, as well as feedback from each of you after we all have a chance to complete our readings.
As promised, here is the link to the Annenberg research study on Community Involvement. I've included the full report as well as the Executive Summary.
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/pdf/OrganizedCommunities.pdf (Full Report)
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/pdf/Organized%20CommunitiesSummary.pdf (Summary)
As promised, here is the link to the Annenberg research study on Community Involvement. I've included the full report as well as the Executive Summary.
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/pdf/OrganizedCommunities.pdf (Full Report)
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/pdf/Organized%20CommunitiesSummary.pdf (Summary)
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