Partnership Alignment, Collaboration and Continuous Improvement

1. Partnership Alignment, Collaboration and Continuous Improvement Monique R. Fletcher, Project Director

2. Session Objectives • Understand how a range of partnerships in the community school can promote high performance and alignment in school community partnerships • Identify strategies and tools for facilitating inclusive partnerships that lead to decisions and actions • Identify opportunities to enhance and develop partnerships that promote continuous improvement while strategically influencing partnerships with growth opportunities

3. Community Agreements • Everyone is invited to participate • Step up/Step back • One Mic • Pay attention to impact • Support Risk Takers • Confidentiality • Use “I” statements • Be fully present • Have FUN!!!

4. Community of Minds

5. Benefits of Effective Partnerships When schools/ organizations make effective use of partnerships, new opportunities are created. Some of these benefits are as follows: • Promote equity and inclusion • Excellent strategy for serving more young people • Maximizing community resources around student success • Promote young people’s cognitive development as part of youth development • Increase coherence of young people’s experience • Help young people stay connected with school and understand relevance of academics • Help schools understand the realities of their students’ lives • Increase positive visibility of organization in community • Continuum of possibilities from light touch (Volunteering w/kids at the school) to intensive and long-term (community school partnerships) • Moving from co-location to integration • Moving from after-school to in-school

6. COMMUNITY SCHOOLS GUIDING PRINCIPLES • Principles (7) guide the community schools approach to school transformation, and provide a framework that undergirds each of the community school implementation standards. • 1. PURSUE EQUITY—Educational excellence and equity are inseparable. Community schools work actively to identify and confront policies, practices and cultures that that keep students of different backgrounds and races from achieving equitable outcomes. Community schools proactively and intentionally empower those typically disempowered by barriers to participation

7. Equality vs Equity

8. Set Ground Rules • Prepare Teams to Work Together • Anti-Oppressive Facilitation for Democratic Process • Modeling • Partner Meeting Agenda Template • Clarify Roles and Responsibilities • MOU • District policy on partnership • Cascading Goals/Priorities • Regular meetings with Principal leadership • Regular provider meetings • Priorities are promoted • Planning and professional development time

9. Time to Get to Know One Another • Tending to the relationship • “A student must learn to understand the motives of human beings-their illusions and their sufferings-to acquire a proper relationship to others and to the community.” • Albert Einstein, The New York Times (1952) • School assessment • Scavenger Hunt • Interview partners • Understand the strengths and needs of the community • Full picture from various perspectives • Begin the relationship building process • Inclusion

10. Snap Shot of Assessment • What database(s) does the school utilize? • Describe each system • System cable of sharing info electronically? • What info is inputted? • Who is responsible for inputting? • Who has access to what info? • How are reports generated? • What reports are generated? • How is the data used? • How is the data shared? • What info would staff like to know? • Mental Health Provided? • Internal/External program? • Agency name? • Program Description • Capacity • Outcomes • Activities • How many students participate? • What is the need (#/%) • How is need identified and/or assessed? • Eligibility requirements • Where do staff refer (external) • Barriers to students accessing

11. Get to Know…Stress Management • Find 2-3 members of the community and answer the following questions • What is your name? • Where are you from? • What do you like to do to relax? • What is one thing you do, that’s healthy, when you are about to lose your cool?

12. Plan Together • Shared Decision making • What’s the problem/issue we need to address? • Oh! This is the problem/issue • How can we best address this problem/issue? • Narrow it down • Decide • Implement • Diverse Stakeholders • Who is present? • Who is not present? • Who is present and not speaking? • Who is present and won’t stop speaking? • Who does not feel invited? • Plan, Do, Study Act (PDSA) • Start small and build gradually • Be strategic

13. PDSA Cycles Cycles of learningPlan, Do, Study and Act (PDSA) phases.

14. PDSA Cycles Scale change to broader group Test the change with a larger cohort Develop a change and test with a small group Learning using data the entire way Act Plan Adapted from “Learning to Improve” Study Do

15. Effective Partnership Principles • Plan together from the start • Clarify the vision • Take time to get to know one another • Set ground rules • Start small and build gradually • Involve parents as partners • Clarify roles and responsibilities • Share decision-making • Prepare team members to work together • Stay flexible • Keep tending to the relationships • Be strategic

16. Partnership Assessment • Individual Assessment • Complete the Partnership Assessment Tool • Identify two partnerships you are interested in influencing • Assessment Priorities • Which partners are prioritized? • Opportunities to share strategy • Debrief • Any trends? • Share some strategy that works • What is something a partner at your table said that other people should hear? • How can this be used back home?

17. Health Insurance ProjectCase Study

18. Questions/Discussion • Themes Emerged • Aha Moment? • Goals for next steps • What will you do back home to influence partnerships? • E-mail Me!! Monique R. Fletcher Children’s Aid mfletcher@childrensaidnyc.org