ERIE COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS

1. ERIE COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS Project on Regional Collaboration and Shared Services School of Industrial and Labor Relations

2. Collaboration/regionalism • Collaboration is NOT Consolidation • Collaboration is NOT new • Collaboration is CREATIVE and CHALLENGING • Erie County is a region already School of Industrial and Labor Relations

3. Why Bother? • Respond to changing demographics and economic challenges • Improve educational opportunities for all students in the region • Good schools build strong communities, build the tax base, provide a strong workforce School of Industrial and Labor Relations

4. Collaboration Exists, Piecemeal What is needed to bring it together? Information: knowledge about what exists Leadership: willingness to experiment, to push thinking beyond district borders Dialogue: Boards, sup’ts, teachers… Existing institutions can take leadership, but how? School of Industrial and Labor Relations

5. The Research Process Multiple sources of data Qualitative: ECASB forums Surveys Interviews Focus interviews Stakeholder meetings School of Industrial and Labor Relations

6. The Research Process Multiple sources of Data: Quantitative BEDS School Report Card Census Local district data (data audit) School of Industrial and Labor Relations

7. The Research Process Best Practices For example, Annenberg Challenge For example, Coalition of Essential Schools School of Industrial and Labor Relations

8. The Hourglass School of Industrial and Labor Relations

9. Opportunities for Collaboration Shared access to AP courses Research: students perform to rigorous expectations Shared expertise across districts for particular specialties eg. Academic Intervention, Languages, the Arts School of Industrial and Labor Relations

10. Opportunities for Collaboration Leadership development • Both Annenberg and Coalition for Essential Schools: leadership is key • Collaborate to partner with higher education to support leader development School of Industrial and Labor Relations

11. Opportunities for Collaboration Be proactive for productive union-management relationships -start where there is the most promise, for example in joint lobbying Partner with schools not in your district -make learning across districts explicit and deliberate School of Industrial and Labor Relations

12. Opportunities for Collaboration Engage social service and voluntary sector agencies to improve “assets” for students -Grade point averages are higher for students with greater support both in family and school,…irregardless of socio-economic status. -Correlates of Effective Schools—Safe school environment; parental support School of Industrial and Labor Relations

13. Opportunities for Collaboration Transportation -Agree on schedules across districts and with private schools…. -Savings if buses drove when public school is open 26.00/hr for driver wage and benefits $15.00/hr for attendant wage and benefits $1.25 per mile School of Industrial and Labor Relations

14. Opportunities for Collaboration Invest jointly ($ and/or human resources) in a common infrastructure to, for example: -pursue grants -enlist business engagement with schools -get the message out -bring parents into the schools School of Industrial and Labor Relations

15. The Annenberg Challenge findings “Local context and design are crucial to a reform effort’s success.” “To improve, schools need an ‘intermediary’ that offers vision, focus, support, and pressure in equal amounts. School of Industrial and Labor Relations

16. Your Assignment In small groups, choose ONE opportunity Questions: What would you have to do to make this happen? What could you do to support your administration in pursuing this opportunity? and How can we create and sustain the will to accomplish this? School of Industrial and Labor Relations

17. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Complete the website survey Attend public dialogues Update the collaborations list Support your district personnel in responding to the data audit School of Industrial and Labor Relations