Communications: A New “Habit of Mind” for WW Early Colleges

1. Communications:A New “Habit of Mind” for WW Early Colleges Spring 2008 Convening Woodrow Wilson Early College High Schools

2. A Watershed Moment A New Habit of Mind A Fundamental Question Framing Some Answers Telling Our Stories to Each Other Telling the World

3. First graduating classes,test scores, transitions, etc. A shift in WW approach A new comms strategy at theBill & Melinda Gates Foundation A Watershed Moment

4. Data/analysis Case studies Vignettes Voices Photos/video/audio More Emphasis on Communications funder reports, practice briefs,policy pieces, press pitches, op-eds A new habit of mind

5. An integral part of everyone’s work Teachers Principals Faculty A way of looking at all that we do Data work Teaching Counseling An initial step An ongoing effort Why a “Habit of Mind”? • Researchers • Administrators • Deans • Curriculum planning • Budgeting • Grantwriting

6. A Fundamental Question The B WORD… BRANDING

8. JFF core principles Framing Some Answers

9. JFF core principles WW ECHS common design principles the centrality of a college-going culture teaching and learning governance Framing Some Answers

10. JFF core principles WW ECHS common design principles Woodrow Wilson mission Central admin& leadership: President Operations Communications etc. Fellowships: The Woodrow WilsonTeaching Fellowshipet al. Policy: Advocacy/support Program-shaping researchetc. Practice: The Woodrow WilsonEarly College High Schools et al. Framing Some Answers

11. Central admin& leadership: President Operations Communications etc. Fellowships: The Woodrow WilsonTeaching Fellowshipet al. Policy: Advocacy/support Program-shaping researchetc. Practice: The Woodrow WilsonEarly College High Schools et al. “…identifying and developing the best mindsfor the nation’s most important challenges”

12. “…identifying and developing the best mindsfor the nation’s most important challenges” • Overall WW Messaging • Excellence (best minds) • Intellectual capital (identifying: fellowships) • Organizational capacity (developing: schools & univs) • Need (nation’s challenges) • Urgency (most important) • WW ECHS Messaging • Excellence: student achievement • Intellectual capital: faculty/teachers + WW • Organizational capacity: best practices • Need: college readiness • Urgency: achievement gap

13. “…identifying and developing the best mindsfor the nation’s most important challenges” • Specific WW ECHS Message Points • Excellence: student achievement • student outcomes—98% grad rates, placements at top colleges, scholarships • Intellectual capital: faculty/teachers + WW • deep daily university/college engagement in schools • school feedback to university/college • pipeline to university/college • partners as “Fellows” • Organizational capacity: best practices • models applicable and adaptable to any IHE and governance structure • new curricular approaches • networking among/beyond partner universities and schools • spotlight on successes of high-need schools • innovation/dissemination • Need: college readiness • college-going culture—“making college real” (rigor, support, practical help) • Urgency: achievement gap • comparative district grad rates, individual stories

14. But how to talk about it? But how to talk about it? How do we tell our story? How do we tell our story? Lots to talk about…

15. DefiningA simple statement (never assume!) DescribingSalient features, data, context Demonstrating“Here’s how our school does this…” DisplayingExamples and evidence:vignettes, interviews, excerpts, photos The Four D’s Generated through self-reflection,data, and dialogue

16. Telling Each OtherOur Stories • Goal: creating a WW Early College Network that is meaningful to its members • A meaningful network is one in which: • WW supports Early College partnerships in their work • Sites connect to share and learn from one another • Common principles and ways of doing early college define what it means to be a WW Early College

17. The Woodrow Wilson Foundation offers: WW Early College Network Convenings Data & Dialogue e-newsletterhttp://www.woodrow.org/earlycollege/newsletter.php Online bulletin boards for cross-site groups http://www.woodrow.org/forums Promising Practices briefs Sites in the WW Early College Network offer: Send information about events, awards, news, publications, highlights to Kristen Vogt vogt@woodrow.org, 609.452.7007 x115 Share ideas for documenting what is happening in your partnership Make recommendations of issues that need to be addressed as a Network Internal Communications

18. Brief discussion of ning.com—potential networking tool for ECHS

20. Telling the World Proposed convening outcome: “Identify ways to capture vignettes ofteaching and learningin a Woodrow Wilson Early Collegeand create story-friendly classrooms”

21. Capturing Vignettes • Reflect & note • Read what’s there • Data & Dialogue • JFF (www.earlycolleges.org/publications.html) • Ed Week, Teacher (blogs), etc. • Ning? • Email WW or a local contact • Camera, camera, camera • Student photographers • University photographers • Video?

22. Story-Friendly Schools • Waivers/releases on file • Photo bank • Samples of student work(e.g., journals) • Interviews • Classroom visits (preparation, comfort level)

23. Nationally: Carpe diem—back to that “watershed moment”—BMGF now looking for stories from WW; work with us Work with WW & JFF Listservs Event announcements Photo sharing(e.g., Bill Gates Sr.—photos in recentWW newsletter froma FriendshipCollegiate Academystudent) Getting Their Attention

24. Nationally: Carpe diem Work with WW & JFF Locally: Work with university news bureau Invite local leaders, media Distribute brief school profiles Write op-eds Use event announcements/listservs Think about photo ops Getting Their Attention And again… branding:Keep WW ECHS in the foregroundin announcements, etc.

25. And Once You’veGot Their Attention… When a reporter calls-- • Be prompt: deadlines • Be ready: story-friendliness • Be brief: convenience • Be sincere: confident • Be accurate: straightforward • Be thoughtful: training? • Be seated! don’t pester

26. Now…you tell us