National Center for Learning and Citizenship

1. National Center for Learning and Citizenship District Leaders Network

2. Your Untapped Resource: How School Boards Can Support Service-Learning District Leaders Network National Center for Learning and Citizenship JOANN Henderson, NCLC Rich Parker, DLN - South Whidbey School District Jim Williams, DLN - West Valley School District

3. Agenda Welcome and Introductions • The Role of the School Board • Civic Mission of Schools • 21st Century Learning Opportunity

4. Overview Goals and Objectives: • To emphasize the crucial role school board members play in the development and implementation of effective, innovative and sustainable service-learning programs • To provide recommendations on how to partner with board members and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships that support service-learning initiatives • To generate ideas for building a solid district-wide foundation upon which service-learning can grow and thrive

5. Overview Participants will: • Get a close-up look at service-learning advocacy from the perspective of school boards • Explore innovative ways to involve and partner with board members to promote service-learning initiatives • Examine effective strategies for embedding service-learning into curriculum, and for navigating potential challenges of district-level implementation

6. Role of the School Board

7. Role of the School Board School boards provide leadership focused on promoting student achievement through planning, policy setting, advocacy and accountability.

8. Role of the School Board 4 Key Roles Vision Structure Accountability Advocacy

9. Role of the School Board • Vision: Planning and Goals The Board, with participation by the community, envisions the education future, articulates core values, formulates goals, defines outcomes and sets strategic direction.

10. Role of the School Board • Structure: Policies and Operation To achieve the collective vision, the Board creates an organizational framework which enables strategic planning, policy development, budget approval, and setting high instructional standards.

11. Role of the School Board • Accountability: Continuous Improvement There is a systematic approach to ongoing assessment of all the organizational components affecting student achievement.

12. Role of the School Board • Advocacy: Communication The Board facilitates advancing the community’s interests in education on behalf of all stakeholders. It encourages community engagement and collaboration by providing venues for diverse opinions to be shared and considered.

13. Role of the School Board The School Board • Decides What and Determines Why • Request Information • Creates Policy • Approves Plans • Adopts Budget • Governs and Guides The Superintendent • Decides How and Determines When • Provides Information • Institutes Policy • Implements Plans • Develops Budget • Administers and Manages

14. Role of the School Board School Board Actions: • Include Civic Engagement into your Mission Statement (Vision) • Integrate Service-Learning Programs into your Strategic Plan (Structure) • Allocate Resources (Structure) • Provide Professional Development (Structure) • Set Policy and Adopt Standards (Accountability) • Education Forums and Workshops (Advocacy)

15. Role of the School Board School Board Interaction Activity: • 1. Do you know your School Board members? • 2. How would you approach them to discuss this? • 3. How can you work with your supervisor to partner in this effort?

16. The Civic Mission of Schools

17. The Civic Mission of Schools For more than 250 years, Americans have shared a vision of a democracy in which all citizens understand, appreciate and engage actively in civic and political life.

18. The Civic Mission of Schools In the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Congress included this clause: “ Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”

19. The Civic Mission of Schools Purpose of Public Education Citizenship Preserve participative democracy Knowledge    Maximize human potential SkillsEconomic prosperity “Civic education should help young people acquire and learn to use the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will prepare them to be competent and responsible citizens throughout their lives.”

20. The Civic Mission of Schools Competent and responsible citizens: # 1: Are informed and thoughtful # 2: Participate in their communities # 3: Act politically # 4: Have moral and civic virtues.

21. The Civic Mission of Schools Strands of Civic Competency: Civic-related knowledge Cognitive and participative skills Core Civic Dispositions

22. The Civic Mission of Schools “Goal Displacement” When performance is evaluated in terms of numerical outputs, there is an incentive to maximize outputs, regardless of whether this is a preferred strategy for achieving desired goals. “As civic learning has been pushed aside, society has neglected a fundamental purpose of American education, putting the health of our democracy at risk” ~ Sandra Day O’Connor, Retired Supreme Court Justice

23. The Civic Mission of Schools School District Vision and Mission Statements: Every student is a successful independent learner, empowered for life in the global society of the 21st century. In partnership with our community, we are deeply committed to provide our students with the best educational experience, preparing them to become capable, creative, caring, and responsible citizens. School Board Policies: • Canby School District, Canby, Oregon • Greendale School District, Greendale, Wisconsin

24. The Civic Mission of Schools Create a Mission Statement: What are some of the important elements that would support service-learning? School Board Policy: Write a general service-learning policy for your district.

25. 21st Century Global Citizens

26. 21st Century Learning Opportunity A Global Society – Our World is Rapidly Changing • Digital Generation • The Flow and Access of Information • Communication and Social Networks • Collaboration and Cross-Cultural Relationships • Economic Global Landscape

27. 21st Century Learning Opportunity The 5 C’s – Skills in a New Context • Critical Thinking • Communication • Creativity and Problem Solving • Cross-Cultural Relationship Building • Collaboration

28. 21st Century Learning Opportunity The Seven Survival Skills for Global Achievement • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving • Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence • Agility and Adaptability • Initiative and Entrepreneurialism • Effective Oral and Written Communication • Accessing and Analyzing Information • Curiosity and Imagination The Global Achievement Gap; Tony Wagner

29. Conclusion

30. Conclusion Driving Forces: • Reauthorization of ESEA • Renewed Public Agenda for Service • Evidenced-based Best Practices and Standards for Service-Learning

31. Conclusion Benefits of Service-Learning that will grab the attention of School Boards: • Improved Student Engagement in School and Learning • Enhanced Civic Responsibility and Citizenship • Strengthened Personal and Social Skills

32. Questions?

33. JoAnn Henderson: jhenderson@ecs.orgRich Parker: rparker@sw.wednet.eduJim Williams: jim.williams@wvsd.comEducation Commission of the States: www.ecs.orgNational Center for Learning and Citizenship: http://ecs.org/nclcNational School Board Association: www.nsba.org Contact Information

34. The Civic Mission of Schools Schools Boards are… “ that Dark Island of American governance, the institution that everyone knows of but few understand.” Neal Peirce, SchoolBoards: Strengthening Grassroots Leadership, 1986