Progressions Project Blueprint

Contact: Harley Christensen 408 288-7557 ext 2334 408 761-3588 - mobile [email protected]

PROGRESSIONS PROJECT

promoting positive youth development through music

Progressions Project is a program of San Jose Jazz

and is based on a national, award winning model

December 1, 2009

a program of San Jose Jazz 2

The ultimate challenge for American education is to place all

children on pathways toward success in school and in life.

Through engagement with the arts, young people can better begin

lifelong journeys of developing their capabilities and contributing

to the world around them. The arts teach young people how to

learn by giving them the first step: the desire to learn.

Richard Riley Secretary, U.S. Department of Education


Progressions

A succession of tones or chords

The act of moving from one thing in a sequence to the next

Progress: a movement forward


TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................. 6

PROJECT OVERVIEW..................................................................................................... 9

RESEARCH-BASED ...................................................................................................... 12

A YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM........................................................................ 15

KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD GRADE.............................................................. 16

GRADES FOUR THROUGH TWELVE .......................................................................... 19

SATURDAYS – GRADES FOUR THROUGH TWELVE................................................ 22

ATTRITION & BOOT CAMP .......................................................................................... 23

PROJECT EVALUATION............................................................................................... 24

DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS ........................................................................................ 30

FUNDING........................................................................................................................31

CORE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES ........................................................................................ 32

ABOUT SAN JOSE JAZZ .............................................................................................. 36

ABOUT HARMONY PROJECT...................................................................................... 39

ABOUT SAN JOSE ........................................................................................................ 43

ABOUT FRANKLIN-MCKINLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT .................................................. 44

ABOUT CORAL AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM CCSCC...... Error! Bookmark not defined.

ABOUT ROCKETSHIP EDUCATION CHARTER SCHOOLS....................................... 46


INTRODUCTION

For over twenty years, San Jose Jazz has been serving San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley through its education and performance programs. At its last retreat, the organization’s Board of Directors established education as its top priority. With our nationally recognized jazz festival drawing in excess of 100,000 attendees, our in-school music appreciation program reaching over 5,700 students annually, our Summer Jazz Camp and two advanced youth jazz bands excelling, San Jose Jazz made a commitment to build a bridge to a segment of our community that is consistently under-served and whose youth are at-risk of engaging in anti-social behavior and not completing high school. According to a major RAND Corporation study and other significant research, young people – particularly those who are from low-income families and at-risk of engaging in anti-social behavior and dropping out of school – benefit from rigorous, high quality arts programs that require a great deal of time-in program, emphasizes positive risk-taking through performances, uses mentors extensively, has ties with other community-based organizations, and has complimentary program components. Progressions has engineered each of those five factors into the program. Progressions’ mission is to promote the healthy growth and development of children through the study, practice, and performance of music; to build healthier communities by investing in the positive development of children through music; and to develop children as musical ambassadors of peace, hope and understanding amongst people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and beliefs. Progressions Project is based on:

Harmony Project, an innovative, nationally recognized, Los Angeles-based, youth development program that provides low-income students with musical instruments and year-round tuition-free music lessons after school hours and on Saturdays. For its innovative work and promising results, Harmony Project has been named one of the nation’s best art-based nonprofits by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in both 2008 and 2009. While Harmony’s program exists in pockets of Los Angeles where the school drop-out rate can be as high as 50%, 100% of Harmony Project students are in school and the vast majority of them are graduating on time.

El Sistema, a Venezuelan program that has proven effective in promoting the healthy development of children who live in poverty. It has also produced some of the world’s top musicians, including Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s young new conductor who recently conducted a Harmony Project orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl.

As a society, it’s our responsibility to ensure that every child, regardless of socio-economic status, has opportunities to learn, to develop, and to excel as students and as budding productive citizens. San Jose Jazz is committed to utilizing its relationships with professional musicians and educators, government officials, foundations, civic organizations, and others to build a successful youth development program through a rigorous instrumental training, classroom music, and choral program that rivals any arts program in the nation. In doing so, Progressions will serve communities and families that are eager and prepared to respond. Dr. Geoff Roach Harley Christensen Executive Director Director San Jose Jazz Progressions Project


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Progressions Project is a new, high caliber, tuition-free youth development program designed exclusively for children of low-income families. The program’s mission is to promote the healthy growth and development of children through the study, practice, and performance of music; to build healthier communities by investing in the positive development of children through music; and to develop children as musical ambassadors of peace, hope and understanding amongst people of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs.

San Jose Jazz will accomplish this by: bringing high quality, rigorous music education and jazz instruction to children who otherwise would not have access to it; complementing the music program with supporting resources and opportunities; and, fostering a community of families that actively support their children's growth and development.

According to RAND Corporation’s ‘Arts & Prosocial Impact’ studies, Shirley Brice Heath’s ‘Imaginative Actuality’ study, and the President’s Committee on the Arts’ ‘Champions of Change’ report, the study and practice of music can provide a wide range of cognitive and developmental benefits (e.g., improved academic performance, self-esteem, pro-social behavior, and more), but not all music programs deliver these benefits. Progressions Project, like Harmony Project, is based on characteristics that researchers have identified to be of greatest value in fostering pro-social development in at-risk youth, including consistent year-round instruction, an emphasis on performance, mentoring opportunities, and a range of complementary program components. San Jose Jazz is partnered with Harmony Project, a national award-winning, research- and outcomes-based program that is focused on developing children and supporting their families through the study of music.

Progressions Project transcends grade levels and schools. Children are provided instruments and instruction, and move into private lessons when/if their development requires it. Students need not exhibit talent to remain in the program, just commitment. By setting high standards for program participation and offering an intensive year-round curriculum, based on best practices, Progressions Project will help students and families thrive.

In evaluation surveys conducted by Harmony Project staff, students’ parents reported remarkably high improvements in their child’s grades, behavior, mood, and health after joining the program. San Jose Jazz is delighted to bring this program to San Jose and the Bay Area and is committed to the values and structure of a program that has a history of excelling as a music education program, an asset to students and parents, and an asset to the communities in which our children prosper.

About The Program Progressions Project's tuition-free music education program will be offered exclusively to students of low-income families. Instruction, as well as the use of musical instruments, will be provided to each child at no cost as long as their family’s income falls below a predetermined threshold (currently 185% of the federal poverty level which is $39,220 for a family of four).

Instrumental and vocal instruction will be offered after-school on weekdays and on Saturdays. Students are expected to participate in either instrumental or vocal instruction, or both, throughout the school year. San Jose Jazz will encourage all instrumental students to also enroll in vocal classes, as a valuable supplement to ear training and other basic musical skills.


As a program of San Jose Jazz, Progressions Project will feature the study of jazz, including its history and context as a uniquely American art form. Students will learn to read music, master their instruments, and perform together in various jazz ensembles, bands, and choirs. As they progress, they will be encouraged to audition for San Jose Jazz’s advanced bands where, if chosen, they will join other committed students who are among the most talented young jazz musicians in the Bay Area.

The three-hour Saturday component is vitally important to all Progressions Project students. On Saturdays, students will focus on developing ensemble skills in addition to learning how to work with a conductor.

Instruction will be offered in keyboard, clarinet, flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, bass, percussion, and more (TBD). Each child who enters the program is entitled to:

An Instrument. As long as students remain in the program, they will have an instrument to take home and use as their own.

Instrumental Music Lessons. Students will be enrolled in twice-weekly, after-school small group classes. Students will continue in classes appropriate to their progress, varying in length, frequency, and size.

Private Music Lessons. Students demonstrating superior progress – or requiring special attention – will be offered private lessons.

Performance Opportunities. Recitals will be held three times each year, at the end of each semester and at the end of summer session as well as at San Jose Jazz events such as the AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival. Additional performances will be held at functions at civic and community functions.

Choir. Choirs will be available to instrumental students as well as those who are solely interested in focusing on vocal training and choir.

Juries. Students will perform for a panel of teachers each semester. The panel will evaluate the student’s progress and make recommendations for future studies.

Outings. Progressions Project will organize excursions to live musical events, art exhibits, and other arts and educational activities determined to be of benefit to students.

Summer Camp. Progressions Project's summer programming will include special enrichment experiences such as teacher recitals, guest presenters, field trips, and summer bands, orchestras, and ensembles, with a full concert at the end of the summer session.

San Jose Jazz Youth Orchestra and San Jose Jazz Youth Latin Ensemble. These high caliber audition bands are comprised of some of the best young musicians in the region. Advanced Progressions Project Students will be encouraged to audition and participate.

Referrals. Students will be referred to other community-based organizations when their needs align with programs offered by those organizations. These may include academic support, drug counseling, health issues, and more.


Progressions Project is an outcomes-based program. All classes will be taught by qualified teachers/musicians/mentors that have been selected for their musical knowledge and inspirational qualities and, subsequently, trained to bring out the best in students. The program structure will include the collection and analysis of data on a longitudinal basis to ensure positive movement toward program outcomes and success.

The program will operate on a 35-week calendar: Fall Session: 16 weeks (September to December)

Spring Session: 16 weeks (Mid-January to May)

Summer Camp: 3 weeks (culminating at the AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival)

The Fall and Spring sessions correspond roughly with fall and spring school semesters. Activities during these periods will be demanding – group lessons, private lessons, orchestra, and choir.

Harmony Project, founded in 2001, is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works to improve the lives of low income, at-risk children through music. In 2008 and 2009, the organization was named one of the fifty best youth arts nonprofits in the nation by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. San Jose Jazz is a twenty-three year old public benefit corporation dedicated to enriching lives through performance and education. San Jose Jazz produces the AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival, the Winter Sunday Series, and the Summer Jazz Series. San Jose Jazz also produces a variety of educational programs that reach thousands of youth annually. San Jose Jazz is located in the third largest city in CA, the tenth largest city in the U.S., and one of the most richly diverse and rapidly growing regions in the country.

Contact Harley Christensen San Jose Jazz 408 288-7557 ext 2334 408 761-3588 – mobile [email protected]


PROJECT OVERVIEW

San Jose Jazz, founded in 1986, is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to promoting jazz through performance and education. San Jose Jazz is a community leader that works to bring people together through music and to make Santa Clara Valley a more vibrant place to live, work, and raise a family. San Jose Jazz’s educational programs reach thousands of young people each year. The organization produces a Summer Jazz Camp (10 years), a youth jazz festival (14 years), an in-school jazz music appreciation program (10 years), and two advanced jazz bands comprised of some of the most talented high school jazz musicians in the Bay Area – the Youth Orchestra (9 years) and the Youth Latin Ensemble (2 years). In addition, San Jose Jazz produces a world class jazz festival that attracts over 100,000 people annually (20 years), a winter jazz series that is underwritten by the City of San Jose (21 years), a summer jazz series held at the busiest mixed-use shopping center in San Jose (4 years); and a year-round jazz showcase produced in partnership with a local theater company (2 years).

Progressions Project is a new program for San Jose Jazz and a commitment to the community. Progressions Project is a high caliber, tuition-free music education program designed for children of low-income families. The musical focus of the program is music literacy and performance excellence.

Progressions Project is an education- and performance-based program designed to promote positive youth development, to teach students to be musically literate, and to teach jazz. The program will serve students for their entire childhood from kindergarten through grade 12.

The program’s mission is to promote the healthy growth and development of children through the study, practice and performance of music; to build healthier communities by investing in the positive development of children through music; and to develop children as musical ambassadors of peace, hope and understanding amongst people of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs.

Scope Progressions Project is a program of San Jose Jazz.

Progressions Project is based on Harmony Project, a national award-winning program.

Progressions Project is a K-12, year-round, outcomes-based, youth development after-school and weekend program.

Progressions Project is a high caliber, music (instrument and vocal) education program.

Progressions Project is committed to serving students through their entire childhood from kindergarten through grade 12.

Progressions Project is committed to helping students develop into contributing members of society.

Implementation Progressions Project is committed to implementing its program in the Franklin-McKinley

School District (grades K-8) and in the Rocketship Education Charter Schools (grades K-5).


The plan is to begin with three schools and to add three schools each year.

Progressions Project will introduce its program to a new school by working with four grades, K-3. The following year, grade 4 will be added and so on until the program has a K-12 structure.

As a program of San Jose Jazz, students will attend, and in some cases, perform at the AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival and other San Jose Jazz events and activities.

Time-in-Program 1: Kindergarteners will meet for 30 minutes four times a week. 1st & 2nd graders will meet for 40 minutes four times a week. 3rd graders will meet 60 minutes four times per week. 4-12 will meet for 60 minutes twice a week and 3 hours on Saturdays.

Time-in-Program 2: Fall Session: 16 weeks (September to December), Spring Session: 16 weeks (Mid-January to May), Summer Session (grades 4-12): 3 weeks (June and July).

Administration There will be a full-time program manager for every 3 schools. Examples of their duties

include: coordinating all tasks and activities relating to teacher schedules, snacks, student transportation, communicating with parents, data gathering/analysis, and facility coordination.

Teachers Qualified teachers will be selected to teach based on their musical knowledge, experience,

capacity to teach music and demonstrated ability to inspire and lead young people. Teachers working with students in grade 4 and beyond will also have a strong music and jazz background.

Students Instrumental and vocal instruction will be offered after-school on weekdays and on

Saturdays. Students are expected to participate in either instrumental or vocal instruction, or both, throughout the school year.

As long as students remain in the program, they will have an instrument to take home and use as their own. Instruments will be returned when students leave the program.

Students need not exhibit talent to remain in the program, just commitment.

Students will perform for a panel of teachers each semester. The panel will evaluate the student’s progress and make recommendations for future studies.

Students demonstrating superior progress – or requiring special attention – will be offered private lessons. Students receiving private lessons will be required to give back as a mentor or teaching assistant.

Mentoring and teaching assistant opportunities will be available for selected advanced students.

Performances will be delivered by students at the end of each semester, at the conclusion of the summer session, at the AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival, and at other San Jose Jazz events. Additional performance opportunities will be developed.


Consistent unexcused tardiness, absenteeism, and little or no practice are grounds for dismissal from the program. Family circumstances will be taken into account.

Parents Parents will be given a Parent Handbook that outlines ways and techniques that they can

use to support their child as well as other responsibilities and expectations.

Progressions Project will offer special programming for parents (translators will be available during the meetings):

▪ A social worker will convene monthly parenting groups that will provide parents with a sounding board about parenting issues and provide additional information on parenting.

▪ Each site program manager will convene a Progressions Project parent group quarterly to provide parents with a way to meet each other, to provide parents with information relating to the value of the program to their child, and to provide parents with ways to support their young musician.

Evaluation Progressions Project will be evaluated annually.

Independent academic researchers may be asked to evaluate and/or engage in independent research that addresses the benefits and limitations these types of youth development and arts programs provide.


RESEARCH-BASED Tiny kids want to learn everything and they want to learn it now! A robust body of research documents that the academic intrinsic motivation of very young students is extremely high. However, the same body of research shows that students’ intrinsic motivation plummets for every year they remain in school. The exception? Kids who are deeply-engaged in arts programs. Arts-engaged students tend to remain highly focused and deeply-engaged. They express greater hope and possibility in their use of language – and in their own futures. They see themselves as capable of and responsible for creating positive effects in their own communities. They are more collegial and get along better with others. They exhibit more pro-social behavior, higher affect (mood), greater school retention, and better academic performance – particularly amongst kids from low-income families. However, RAND Corporation’s ‘Arts & Prosocial Impact’ Studies found that while quality arts instruction is necessary it is insufficient to produce a powerful and enduring prosocial impact. RAND researchers identified a handful of additional factors common to arts programs that produce a powerful and enduring impact on students – particularly those from low-income families.

Extended Time-In-Program

Emphasis on Performance and Presentation

Liberal Use of Mentors

Ties with other Community-Based Organizations

Complementary Program Components These factors are engineered into Progressions Project and Harmony Project. It’s among the factors that differentiate Progressions Project and Harmony Project from other programs that are solely designed as quality arts programs. Progressions and Harmony use research to inform the design of their youth development programs. 1. Shirley Brice Heath’s 10-year longitudinal study.

Kids were studied in after-school programs over 10 years. Their conversations were transcribed and 2 million words were recorded. Sports programs, community-service programs such as scouting, religious groups, environmental clubs, etc., and arts-based programs were all found to be beneficial to participants. However, sports programs and community service programs didn’t come close to demonstrating the benefits of arts programs. Arts-based programs, hands-down, produced the most powerful and enduring prosocial impact – particularly amongst disadvantaged kids. The Report: Imaginative Actuality: Learning in the Arts during the Nonschool Hours, Shirley Brice Heath with Adelma Roach. The report was developed at Stanford University and funded by The Spencer Foundation, The GE Fund, and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.


2. The RAND Corporation’s ‘Arts & Prosocial Impact’ Studies RAND followed up on Heath’s work. Their ‘Arts & Prosocial Impact’ Studies asked: Do all arts-based programs produce powerful and enduring prosocial benefits? Or, are there specific factors amongst arts-based programs that account for the prosocial benefits observed? RAND’s researchers offered several reasons why the arts-based programs were more effective than the other programs they investigated. Viewed broadly, these reasons center around the idea that arts programs create environments that “put the young on the edge” – situations that combine heightened risk, through socially visible performances and peer critiques, with dynamic rules that structure participants’ behavior and encourage personal accountability. Many of the study’s results are consistent with such a perspective, which stresses the cognitive and motivational contexts created by effective arts interventions. For example, the emphasis on presentations can be viewed as a way in which the arts interventions push participants towards “high stakes” behavior subjected to communal examination; intensive and lengthy participation opportunities can reward and shape persistent and dedicated behavior; and finally, the importance of mentoring appears consistent with the idea of constructive critiques. The Report: The Arts and Prosocial Impact: Program Characteristics and Prosocial Effects, Ann Stone, Tora Bikson, Joy Moini, and David McArthur. The report was developed by the RAND Corporation and funded by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.

3. The Champions of Change report was developed for the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Champions of Change researchers found that learners can attain higher levels of achievement through their engagement with the arts. Moreover, one of the critical research findings is that the learning in and through the arts can help “level the playing field” for youngsters from disadvantaged circumstances. Researchers also found clear evidence that sustained involvement in particular art forms – music and theater – are highly correlated with success in mathematics and reading. The Report: Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning. The report was edited by Edward B. Fiske and developed and funded by The GE Fund and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for the Arts Education Partnership and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

4. Ryan and Deci’s ‘Self Determination Theory’: Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness How arts education translates into improvements in student motivation, behavior, mood, school retention and academic performance: In describing ‘Self Determination Theory’, psychologists Ryan and Deci describe three essential psychological needs: individuals’ need for autonomy, for competence, and for relatedness. When those three needs are met, individuals experience high levels of personal resilience, mental


health, and well-being. When those three needs are thwarted, mental health and well-being decline dramatically. Utilizing an experimental design, Ryan and Deci demonstrated that you can increase students’ academic motivation by supporting students’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Successful youth arts programs support students’ competence and autonomy in the exercise of their art, and support students’ relatedness in the performance and presentation of their art to family and peers – and to the larger community. Arts programs represent an effective means of social inclusion. The Report: Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being was written by Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci. The article was developed at the University of Rochester, published in American Psychologist, and funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.


A YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Progressions Project’s mission is to promote the healthy growth and development of children through the study, practice and performance of music; to build healthier communities by investing in the positive development of children through music; and to develop children as musical ambassadors of peace, hope and understanding amongst people of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. Progressions Project is committed to serving each student through their entire childhood from kindergarten through grade 12. Anticipated Social Outcomes:

Education

▪ Improved school attendance and reduced drop-out rate

▪ Improved academic performance

▪ Improved student behavior

▪ Increased participation in higher education

Public Health & Justice

▪ Prevention of juvenile crime / gang participation

▪ Prevention of child and adolescent substance use

▪ Prevention of child and adolescent depression and suicide

▪ Prevention of teen pregnancy

Commerce & Labor

▪ Community-building

▪ Safer neighborhoods

▪ Improved property values

▪ 21st Century Workforce Skills Development

21st Century Workforce Skills: 81% of American corporate leaders recently surveyed by a coalition of organizations reported that “creativity is an essential skill for the 21st Century workforce” – but is the skill most lacking in recent college graduates. Arts programs develop 21st Century Workforce Skills:

Oral Communication

Critical Thinking

Creativity / Innovation

Cultural Competence

Problem-Solving

Teamwork / Collaboration

Self-Directed Learning / Leadership


KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD GRADE Introduction Progressions Project will utilize the Kodály (kō-dī) Method of music instruction for children in grades K-3. In addition, the program will use Kodály in its Boot Camps with students who have an opportunity to join the program due to attrition. The Kodály philosophy of music education, inspired by Hungarian composer and educator Zoltan Kodály (1882-1967), is based on a vision of the place of music in the intellectual, emotional, physical, and social development of every child. Incorporating ideas from many different cultures, it places singing at the foundation of musical development. Authentic folk songs and masterpieces of classical music form the basis of the curriculum, in accordance with Kodály’s belief that, for a child’s education, “only the best is good enough.” Kodály music education is known for its sequential development of skills, emphasis on music literacy, and strong young choral programs. Implementation K-3rd grade students will participate in after-school classes as follows:

Kindergarteners will attend 30 minute after-school classes four times per week (M-Th).

1st & 2nd graders will attend 40 minute after-school classes four times per week (M-Th).

3rd graders will attend 60 minute after-school classes four times per week (M-Th) – forty minutes of Kodály and twenty minutes of keyboard and recorder.

4th graders and beyond will attend 60 minute after-school classes two times per week – instrument instruction and three hours on Saturdays – at a central location. 3rd graders (and beyond) will have an opportunity to learn to play a keyboard.

Beginning in 4th grade, students will have the option to continue Kodály vocal and choir training, to learn to play an instrument, or both.

For the child’s benefit, the child’s class and work load will be closely monitored by Progressions Project staff and the child’s family.

4th and 5th graders who choose to learn an instrument will continue receiving Kodály music training for an hour each Saturday while receiving instrumental instruction twice a week after school and two hours on Saturday.

Beginning in 4th grade, students will spend five hours per week in music training. That is the equivalent of adding an entire school day. Kindergarteners will spend two hours per week in program. 1st and 2nd graders will spend two hours and forty minutes per week in program. And 3rd graders will spend four hours per week in program.

Progressions will include choirs as well as bands. Development of the Complete Musician Kodály training is a complete and comprehensive approach to music education which

meets the National Standards for Arts Education as published by MENC: The National Association for Music Educators.


In addition to music reading and writing, which are begun at an early stage, the following are developed: part-singing, part-hearing, improvisation, intonation, listening, memory, phrasing, and understanding form.

An awareness and knowledge of musical styles develops as skills become more proficient. Basic Philosophy All people capable of lingual literacy are capable of musical literacy.

Only music of the highest artistic value will be used in teaching.

Objectives Sing, play instruments and dance, from memory, a large number of traditional singing

games, chants, and folk songs. These will be drawn first from the child’s own heritage of folk song material and later expanded to include music of other cultures and countries.

Perform, listen to, and analyze jazz and other great art music of the world.

Achieve mastery of musical skills, such as musical reading and writing, singing and part-singing.

Improvise and compose, using their known musical vocabulary at each developmental level.

Sequential Approach (child-developmental base) The Kodály method is highly structured and sequenced, with well-defined skill and concept hierarchies in every element of music. These sequences are closely related to child development—the way in which young children progress naturally in music. The major body of teaching material must lie within children’s capabilities. However, at all times some musical materials must be included that are designed to expand those capabilities. As the child develops physically, socially, emotionally, aesthetically, and intellectually, they are led to develop musically in the acquisition of increasingly complex skills and more involved concepts.

Melody – 3-note songs and chants (la-so-mi), tetra-tonic (so- mi-re-do), and pentatonic (la-so-mi-re-do) songs comprise most of the earliest melodic teaching materials. As voices mature and musical abilities increase, musical materials are extended to include more songs in diatonic major and minor keys, modes, and altered scales.

Rhythm – the meter of young children’s movements (walking, running, skipping, swaying, bouncing) is duple, either simple or compound.

Form, harmony, tempo, and dynamics are also sequenced into hierarchies so that the young children may experience all aspects of music at their own level.

Aural learning precedes naming of elements and concepts.

Spiral learning involves each level building upon previous learning. Mastery is important before moving on to the next level.


Outcomes By the time students enter middle school in a Kodály program they are able to:

Sight-read with ease.

Sing fluently in movable-do solfa and in letter names.

Movable-Do Do is the first scale degree in solmisation (do, re, mi). A movable-do means the pitch is always the same as the first scale degree of the tonal center of the composition. This is in contrast to a fixed do, meaning do always represents the pitch “C.”

Switch from solfa to letter names at a given signal.

Solfa or Solfège In music, solfège (pronounced /ˈsoʊlfɛʒ/, also called solfeggio, sol-fa, or solfa) is a pedagogical solmization technique for the teaching of sight-singing in which each note of the score is sung to a special syllable, called a solfège syllable (or "sol-fa syllable"). The seven syllables commonly used for this practice in English-speaking countries are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti. The remaining five notes of the chromatic scale are represented by di, ri, fi, si, li for the sharps, and te, le, se, me, ra for the flats. Solfège is taught at many conservatories of music.

Sing in two and three parts from score.

Identify binary and ternary forms, both in songs and in larger works.

Take melodic and rhythmic dictation from voice or piano.

Perform two or three musical ideas simultaneously; singing a melody, tapping an ostinato, stepping the beat.

Identify some art music by style and period.

Improvise within known scales, meters, and rhythms.

Compose in small forms within known musical vocabulary.

Identify and sing intervals.


GRADES FOUR THROUGH TWELVE Introduction As a program of San Jose Jazz, Progressions Project will focus students on traditional jazz ensembles, concert bands, and choirs. The music education program is structured and sequenced, and has well-defined skill and concept hierarchies. Learning to play an instrument and sing are the primary focuses of the music education program. Only music of the highest artistic value will be taught. To support and maintain Progressions Project’s classification as a social program, it is empowering its students to “graduate,” from one level to the next at their own pace. Rather than structure the program in a way that expects all students to attain a certain level of success by a predetermined timeline (example: master all major scales by the end of year one), students will be given the opportunity to “graduate” from one level to the next at their own pace. Those students who benefit from staying at a level longer will be allowed to do so until they master the requirements to move to the next level. Those students who benefit from moving more quickly will be allowed to that. A standardized curriculum will be used for students at each level. Students will always know what they need to know/master to move to the next level. Progressions Project: Progressions Project is a music education program and will only teach music of the

highest artistic value.

Progressions Project is a jazz education program that will produce jazz musicians and jazz ensembles of the highest quality.

Teaching materials at the younger age groups will be standardized to ensure quality and continuity.

Classes will be structured by levels as follows: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

Students will have the opportunity to move to the next level when they meet the “graduating requirements” set for their present level regardless of their age or grade.

Students will have the opportunity to graduate from one level to the next either at the conclusion of the fall or spring semesters. This will allow for students who need to repeat the course to only repeat approximately 3 months’ worth of material rather than a full year.

Students who are unable to graduate to the next level will be required to repeat that level.

Students scoring barely below the graduation requirement could receive short-term tutoring and attempt the exam once again to avoid repeating the entire course.

New students with previous experience/instruction on their instrument wishing to enroll in Progressions Project will be required to undergo Kodály training and a pass a Placement Exam based on their “theoretical” level and musicianship before being placed in an appropriate level class.


Graduation Exams will focus on: Terms, Theory & Aural Concepts, Application of Concepts Through Playing, Physical Techniques, Etiquette, and Instrument Care.

First Year Instrumental Students In order to master each concept, students are expected to be able to define, draw (when relevant), and identify (either aurally, visually or both when applicable) all of the following: Names and parts of the instrument

Staff

Treble clef, bass clef, C clef

Names of the lines and spaces (treble bass/clef)

Ledger lines

Sharp, flats, accidentals

Key signature

Notes and rests: Whole, half, quarter, dotted half, eighths, dotted quarter-eighth, triplet

Multiple-measure rest

Time signature(s): 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, ¢

Pick-up note

Measure

Bar line

Double bar

Repeat(s), first and second endings

D.C. al Fine, D.S. al Fine, D.S. al Coda

Dynamics: forte, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, pianissimo, fortissimo, crescendo, decrescendo, forte piano, sforzando

Tempo: Allegro, Moderato, Andante

Ritard, allargando, ritardando, rallentando

Articulation: tonguing, slurring, accent, staccato, legato, double-tonguing

Whole/half steps

Wind family (and their location within a band/orchestra)

Brass family (and their location within a band/orchestra)


String family (and their location within a band/orchestra)

Percussion family (and their location within a band/orchestra)

Intonation

Dictation: rhythmic and melodic

Tie

Fermata

Duet and trio

Some trills

Phrase (a/b)

Intervals: Octave


SATURDAYS – GRADES FOUR THROUGH TWELVE Introduction During the week, students will learn how to play their instruments, how to read music, how to sing, proper breathing techniques, and more. On Saturdays, students from three schools will gather at a central location to learn to play in conducted ensembles. Each Saturday site will be administered by a Program Manager who will be responsible for working with students, parents, instructors, conductors, site personnel, and administrating the program. Each band will have a conductor and an assistant conductor. The job of the conductor will be to teach, mentor, inspire, and expand each student’s capacity and love of music and a love of jazz. Conductors will be selected based on their musical knowledge, background, commitment to the program, and capacity to lead and inspire. Saturdays will include: Band and ensemble practices, sectionals, private lessons, choirs, Kodály instruction, and

Boot Camp.

Boot Camp Boot Camp is an action-oriented educational introduction to Progressions Project where new students are introduced to the program and brought to an appropriate musical level enabling them to join their peers in instrumental, ensemble, and choral instruction.

Saturday sessions will be three hours in duration.

Students will listen to and study jazz, including it history.

Professional musicians will attend Saturday sessions to provide information, mentoring, and to demonstrate how it’s done.

Band practice will be led by a conductor (mentor) and an assistant conductor (mentor).

Each band will have its own individual conductor.

Saturday sessions may include additional paid instructors, volunteer mentor/teachers, and advanced students (mentors).

There will be three periods (over the course of the day); each period will be three hours in length.

Bands, orchestras, and ensembles will vary in size.

Saturdays will include one-hour of Kodály instruction for 4th through 8th graders.

Saturdays will include choirs.

Saturdays may include private lessons for advanced students.

Saturdays will include Boot Camp for students who have recently joined the program.

Students will get a snack and a 20 minute supervised break.


ATTRITION & BOOT CAMP While Progressions Project is designed to educate, inspire, and transform, there will always be attrition. Students will leave the program for a number of reasons, including moving, lack of participation, other activities, grades, and family issues. Because Progressions Project is a rigorous and sequential program, a system has been devised to bring students up-to-speed with their peers when they enter the program due to attrition. The program is called Boot Camp. This program will feature small group training during the week and on Saturdays. Students will spend at least a semester in Kodály instruction where they will learn the fundamentals of music from sight reading music to tone to taking melodic and rhythmic dictation from voice or piano, more. Boot Camp students will also begin learning how to play an instrument. As soon as a student reaches a level of proficiency where they can keep up with long-time students, they will be transferred to an appropriate-level band. During Boot Camp, students will be evaluated on a regular basis and will progress based on their capacity to pass established proficiency exams.


PROJECT EVALUATION

Evaluation is a valuable tool that Progressions Project will utilize on an ongoing basis to make informed decisions. Evaluation will drive program improvements, it will help identify needed enhancements, and it will help program managers by providing them with real-time, decision-making data. We are committed to using evaluation and data as a critical tool in a process of continual self-examination and improvement. Evaluation is an ally that will help us to build intellectual capital and to continually refine and upgrade our project.

This section was developed and written by Progressions Project’s Co-Directors of Evaluation, Dr. Rex Green and Dr. Peter Ellis. The Progressions Project Evaluation Design The Progressions Project evaluation design is a fusion of the Results and Performance Accountability evaluation approach (Friedman, 2007) and the Theory of Change/Logic Model (Connell, Kubisch, Schorr, & Weiss, 1995; Julian, Jones & Deyo, 1995). These complementary approaches to program evaluation yield information which allows policy makers, funders, community leaders, and service providers to make informed decisions about service delivery, budget allocation, and continuous improvement in a timely manner. Process evaluation will be conducted by a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) team with the timing of each component of the evaluation determined by the team’s need for information. The team may employ focus groups, interviews with community stakeholders, and surveys to obtain the information needed about funding requirements, work processes, service quality, interagency coordination, and overall performance. Results and Performance Accountability Mark Friedman has developed training materials for service agency staff members that guide them in identifying the results services should produce and the indicators to track that will reveal what is being accomplished. Through this approach service agencies can learn how to change service delivery in ways that will turn the curve on the results graph in the desired direction. Training in how to collect appropriate data is also included. Theory of Change Logic Models The “Theory of Change Logic Model” approach to evaluation is recommended by leading evaluators for programs serving communities in an ongoing manner (Connell, Kubisch, Schorr, & Weiss, 1995). All the Progressions Project service providers have incorporated the United Way of America’s recommended logic model system of evaluation into their evaluations. Lisbeth Schorr’s Theory of Change A thorough description of the “Theory of Change Logic Model” research is contained in Lisbeth Schorr’s book entitled Common Purpose--Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America (Schorr, 1997). Schorr explains the difficulties involved in applying experimental research designs to complex, multiple outcome, and community-based projects. Schorr points out that because experimental designs can only study variables that are easily quantifiable, complex community-based interventions tend to be less frequently studied.


Schorr calls for theory-based, logic model outcome evaluations. They offer an alternative approach to evaluating programs that do not require random assignment to different groups (Julian et al., 1995). “By combining outcome measures with an understanding of the process that produced the outcome,” states Schorr, “theory-based evaluations can shed light on both the extent of impact and how the change occurred.” Schorr documents numerous examples of research and evaluation studies using new evaluation methods that allow social scientists to observe more complex and promising programs. Schorr challenges evaluators to put less emphasis on elegant and precise statistical manipulation and more emphasis on usable knowledge. This usable knowledge will serve as critical information for the Progressions Project to render thoughtful budget and policy direction, as well as continuous service improvement strategies. Performance Logic Models Performance Logic Models (PLM) indicate why certain service activities ought to change the behaviors of those receiving services. In that respect, PLMs resemble path diagrams connecting causal variables to effects variables. Performance accountability is divided into three areas: effort, effect, and results. The underlying logic of the PLM is that more effort on the part of staff and customers produces more outputs. More outputs guided by effective strategies produce more change in behaviors and greater satisfaction with services. As more Progressions Project customers are served more effectively, a ripple effect on the larger community will occur, causing long-term population outcomes to increase for youth living in the same community. Progressions Project Performance Logic Model Graphic 1 shows how the Progressions Project Performance Logic Model is organized. The left-hand column shows the Theory of Change/Logic Model term. The next column indicates what must be measured under each of the three areas (effort, effect, results). The Progressions Project evaluation questions further define what data are needed in column 3, followed by the data sources. A specific performance goal for the Progressions Project is noted in column five. The last column links each type of data collected to the underlying theories of changing behavior through service delivery.


Graphic 1


Emphasizing Continuous Quality Improvement The values and concepts described below are embedded beliefs and behaviors found in high-performing organizations. They are the foundation for integrating key performance and operational requirements within a results-oriented framework that creates a basis for action and feedback. The Progressions Project Performance Logic Model Evaluation System is based on the principles and practices of Continuous Quality Improvement. CQI is practiced by many public and private organizations to measure and improve their products and services to their customers. CQI defines quality as meeting or exceeding the needs and expectations of the customer. The Progressions Project considers the child and their parents as their primary customers whose feedback is important to the continuous improvement of services. CQI was recommended for behavioral health care evaluations by Green and Newman (1999) over traditional program evaluation approaches. The chief distinctions between CQI and experimental program evaluation methods are: (1) experimental methods are post-hoc and one-shot; (2) standard evaluation reports often address what happened too late to impact decisions about service delivery; (3) a different evaluation study must be designed to address specific research questions, often stated as a hypothesis; and (4) CQI is an ongoing activity conducted by program staff members to produce timely feedback, sometimes through distinct studies that may lack experimental rigor but provide rapid turnaround of the information. Quality improvement will be a regular part of each day’s work within every Progressions Project site. The methods employed will be accessible to program staff, thus requiring a minimum of training in their application. The Evaluator sees its role as an evaluation company performing program evaluations in the context of Progressions Project site staff utilizing our reports to improve their services. The Evaluator also will provide technical support to agency staff to assist them in improving the quality of the services. A CQI team will be formed for the Progressions Project to oversee the collection and analysis of the data, as well as provide reports and other forms of feedback to managers and service delivery staff. The statistical analysis of Progressions Project data will extract larger meaning from data, mostly collected in an ongoing manner, and support decision-making and service improvement. The analyses will report trends, projections, and possible cause and effect relationships that would go unnoticed when data are not properly and frequently analyzed. Decision-makers will utilize these reports for a variety of purposes, such as planning and improving service delivery, reviewing overall performance, improving operations, accomplishing change management, and comparing performance across sites with similar organizations, or with “best practices” benchmarks. Indicators must be selected that best represent the factors that lead to improved customer outcomes and improved operational and financial performance. Through the data collection, tracking, and analysis of Progressions Project data, the measures or indicators themselves may be evaluated and changed to better support Progressions Project goals. Data Collection CQI requires an ongoing supply of information about staff, customers, effects of services, satisfaction with services and work setting, outcomes, funding, costs, and quality of services. Data must be segmented by, for example, types of service, customer ages, and strategic priorities to facilitate interpretation of the results. Data collection will occur via an Internet website operated by the Evaluator and accessed by authorized persons only. Excel spreadsheets with macros will be


employed to record routine updates to selected databases and questionnaire data collected at appropriate times during the year. The design of the spreadsheets has been largely determined by the Evaluator through extensive experience with the recording of data in a timely and accurate manner. Adjustments to the spreadsheets will be made in accordance with the specific needs of the Progressions Project on an as needed basis. The databases will include: a) customer master list, b) staff listing, c) class schedules or attendance sheets, d) employee timesheets, and e) questionnaire records. Specific data items will be added or deleted according to the needs of the Progressions Project. Examples of data items for each database are: date of birth, gender, and ethnicity for clients and staff members; date and time spent for each service; date, location, and time spent by each staff member providing services; and questions from the evaluator’s previously employed surveys, including copyrighted questions that reveal how productive services are. Behavioral Performance Measures and Service Productivity The evaluation design requires the collection of service productivity data to determine whether participants are better off as a result of having participated in the Progressions Project. Measurement of service productivity is based on the definition of services as “transformations of people or objects through a service.” An explanation of service productivity was provided by Green (2003). The system used by the Evaluator to obtain and analyze service productivity data is explained in a subsequent article by Green, Ellis, and Lee (2005). Service productivity data differ from before-after evaluation data in the following ways. The respondent to the questionnaire is prompted to consider only the changes they experienced as a result of participating in the service activities. The respondent indicates whether because of the services they are now better, worse, unchanged, or unsure about what happened. The score is calculated by subtracting the “worse” responses from the “better” responses and dividing by the number of all responses minus the “not sure” responses. The score is converted to a percentage score ranging from –100% (all worse) to +100% (all better). Deliverables The Evaluator will provide on the Internet website the interface linking the Progressions Project staff members to Excel spreadsheets for recording the necessary data, from employee information to survey responses of parents. The surveys will be designed similarly to those already copyrighted by the Evaluator, but tailored to the client outcome goals of the Progressions Project. The Evaluator will conduct a training workshop to introduce the evaluation design, data collection plan, and overall expectations. Reports summarizing the application of the analytical models will be generated on the website at the discretion of the program staff. Query capabilities will enable program staff to also ask simple questions of the data, such as “How many customers are being served at site P? The Evaluator will assist program staff in preparing reports to stakeholders and lead the CQI team until a staff member is ready to serve as the lead. The surveys utilized by the Evaluator have been copyrighted for two different age groups, 5-9 and 10-25. The Evaluator has been employing these surveys to collect consistently reliable and valid data in a timely manner for over 9 years. Just last year surveys were collected by over 256 community-based organizations, 286 schools, and 25 governmental agencies providing $52 million of funded child and youth development


services. The surveys are continually tested for reliability and validity and have proven reliable and valid in over 400,000 survey reports for the past nine years. References Connell, J.P., Kubisch, A.C., Schorr, L.B., & Weiss, C.H. (1995). New approaches to evaluating community initiatives: Concepts, methods, and contexts. Washington DC: The Aspen Institute. Friedman, M. (2007). Trying hard is not good enough. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing. Green, R. S., & Newman, F. L. (1999). Total quality management principles promote increased utilization of client outcome data in behavioral health care. Evaluation and Program Planning, 22, 179-182. Green, R. S. (2003). Assessing the productivity of human service programs. Evaluation and Program Planning, 26, 21-27. Green, R. S., Ellis, P. T., & Lee, S. S. (2005). A city initiative to improve the quality of life for urban youth: How evaluation contributed to effective social programming. Evaluation and Program Planning, 28, 83-94. Julian, D. A., Jones, A., & Deyo, D. (1995). Open systems evaluation and the logic model: Program planning and evaluation tools. Evaluation and Program Planning, 18, 333-342. Schorr, L. B. (1997). Common purpose, strengthening families and neighborhoods to rebuild America. New York: Random House, Anchor Books.


DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS

San Jose Jazz and the Progressions Project are committed to helping young people develop into healthy, caring, and responsible people. Towards that end, Progressions Project is partnering with Project Cornerstone to provide consultation and training to all of Progressions Project staff on an annual basis. About Project Cornerstone Working with the community, Project Cornerstone builds support around young people in an effort to help them develop and reach their potential and to become contributing members of society. This support system includes families, schools, community centers, faith communities, and local businesses. Project Cornerstone: Promotes a research-based approach that enables the community to work together

toward a common goal of supporting the healthy development of children and youth.

Leverages partnerships to influence public policy, programs, and personal behavior.

Provides training and consultation and shares resources and best practice models to build the capacity of children’s and youth program providers, schools, governments, foundations, businesses, faith communities, and other community groups to support young people and strengthen our community.

Project Cornerstone was founded by the Youth Alliance, a collaborative that includes: YMCA of Silicon Valley, YWCA of Silicon Valley, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, and Estrella Family Services. The YMCA of Silicon Valley is Project Cornerstone’s parent organization. Most people think of assets in terms of property or financial resources. Developmental assets are the positive relationships, opportunities, values, and skills that young people need to grow up caring and responsible. The Search Institute, a fifty year old independent research institute dedicated to providing leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities, identified forty developmental assets as the essential building blocks of healthy children and youth development. These assets include: adult role models, positive peer influence, caring school climates, and a sense that the community values youth. With input from diverse community members, Project Cornerstone has added a forty-first asset, “positive cultural identity,” to the framework. Search Institute’s research shows that youth need thirty-one or more of the forty-one assets to thrive. Project Cornerstone’s 2004-05 Survey Data showed Santa Clara County youth have an average of 18.8 assets.


FUNDING Funding for Progressions Project will be sought from individuals, civic organizations, foundations, corporations, and government agencies that support youth programs, public health & justice, education, and the arts. The goal is long-term, sustainable funding. Schools/School Districts Participating schools/school districts will account for roughly one-third of annual funding

(direct and in-kind contributions included). Most of it will be in-kind by providing meeting/practice/storage facilities, purchasing or providing instruments, instrument repair, work books, and transportation for Saturdays and for field trips.

San Jose Jazz San Jose Jazz will be responsible for roughly two-thirds of the funding.

Funding Opportunities Working with our local partners, Franklin-McKinley School District, Catholic Charities of

Santa Clara County, and Rocketship Education Charter Schools, we will pursue local, regional, and national funds from individuals, civic organizations, foundations, corporations, and government agencies.

Local/regional individuals, civic organizations, foundations, and corporations will be given opportunities to provide funding (e.g., sponsor an individual, a grade, or a school, annually).

San Jose Jazz is partnered with Harmony Project (Los Angeles, CA) and Boston Arts Academy (Boston, CA). We are pursuing national funds from foundations and government agencies.

Fundraising events will supplement all other avenues of financial support.


CORE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

Project Director: Harley Christensen Music Education Director: William J. Nicolosi

Kodály Music Education Director: Anne Laskey Evaluation & Research: Peter T. Ellis, PhD Evaluation & Research: Rex S. Green, PhD Education Consultant: Robert L. Griffin, EdD

Project Manager: Ray Hill

Harley Christensen, Project Director Mr. Christensen joined San Jose Jazz in June, 2008. Upon arriving, in addition to assuming his duties as Director of Development, he produced and directed a short film about San Jose Jazz’s Summer Jazz Camp and began developing new ways to talk about the organization and its programs. In addition, he identified an opportunity, consistent with the Board’s mandate to increase the organization’s emphasis on education. Working closely with Dr. Geoff Roach, the organization’s CEO, Christensen developed an educational program designed to serve low-income, at-risk youth. Christensen established a relationship with Harmony Project, developed the blueprint, recruited the team, and developed budget and growth projections for Progressions Project. Prior to joining San Jose Jazz, Christensen was the National Marketing & Development Director at the Independent Adoption Center (IAC), a licensed, nonprofit open adoption agency and a national leader in the open adoption movement. Before IAC, Christensen had been the Associate Executive Director and Director of Communications & Development at the Institute of Computer Technology (ICT), an independent school district in the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Prior to that, Christensen spent eight years as Executive Director of Seniors Media Lab (SML), a mission driven nonprofit corporation focused on developing media to advance the health and well-being of adults in mid life and beyond. In that capacity, Christensen developed the blueprint, recruited the team, and developed the budget for a national, daily, public television series. In the late 1990’s, Christensen served as a consultant to PBS in Alexandria, VA, where he worked closely with senior management in the development of PBS SilverPrime, an original PBS initiative designed to serve the information and education needs of a rapidly aging society. Prior to those engagements, he worked with MCA Television group, a division of MCA Universal in Studio City, CA, served as a congressional campaign manager in San Diego, CA, and was the founding publisher/editor of River Courant, a bi-monthly community newspaper distributed in northern Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley. Christensen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh and a Master of Fine Arts degree from UCLA. William J. Nicolosi, Music Education Director Mr. Nicolosi is Progressions Project Music Education Director. He is the Founding Director of the Alum Rock Elementary School District Jazz Program, a position he has held since 1973. The Alum Rock Jazz Program counts in its alumni performers and teachers that have risen to the top of the music business. Nicolosi has been teaching music in East San Jose schools since 1970, where his programs and students have consistently excelled. With Progressions Project, Nicolosi is responsible for shaping and implementing the music program and the music program’s curriculum.


In addition to shepherding and mentoring his students, Nicolosi has mentored new teachers, been the District’s Music and Fine Arts Coordinator and Classroom and Choral Music Instructor. He was Director of the Marching Band at San José State University and a founding member and later assistant to the director of the national champion Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps. He has designed and implemented new music curriculum for grades 4 through graduate school; co-authored student “Rhythm” and “Melody” workbooks; taught and administered programs in both self-contained and team-teaching programs; and lead and participated in the textbook selection processes. He is active as an adjudicator and honor band conductor. Nicolosi has been teaching at some level of music education both public and private since 1964. Mr. Nicolosi is a member of the American Federation of Musicians, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, Association of California School Administrators, California Teachers Association-Alum Rock Educators Association (AREA). In his 25 years service on the AREA bargaining team, Nicolosi was chiefly responsible for crafting language and seeing that music positions were included in the contract, thus insuring instrumental music would be offered to students. The Alum Rock School District may be one of the only districts in the State of California to contain such language in its teacher contract. Nicolosi earned his Master of Arts in Education-Music and his Bachelor of Arts in Music from San José State University. Anne Laskey, Kodály Music Education Director Professor Laskey is Progressions Project Kodály Music Education Director. She is the director of the Kodály Center for Music Education at Holy Names University in Oakland, CA. With more than twenty-five years of experience in Kodály education nationally and internationally, Professor Laskey is responsible for shaping Progressions’ Kodály music education program. Under Professor Laskey’s leadership, Holy Names University Kodály Center has recruited and retained Hungarian master teachers to teach year-round at the University’s Kodály programs to provide the highest level of training to Holy Names University students. Professor Laskey is a member of the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) and was elected to its Board of Directors from 1994-96 and again from 2001-03. She has chaired OAKE’s Teacher Education Committee and served as national program chair for the 2004 OAKE National Conference. Recognized as a national leader, Professor Laskey received OAKE’s Outstanding Educator Award in 2008. Professor Laskey’s background includes twelve years as Music Specialist at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco and five years as Assistant Conductor of the San Francisco Boys Chorus. She holds a Master of Arts degree in music from Claremont Graduate University. Rex S. Green, PhD, Co-Director Evaluation & Research Dr. Green is Principal Advisor of GreenScene Results Group, a consulting firm devoted to assisting health and human service organizations improve the effectiveness of their services. He provides quantitative support to promote the timely evaluation of client outcomes in applied settings. Utilizing his expertise as a Certified Quality Engineer and Registered Health Information Technician, he advises agency managers on integrating client outcome results into ongoing programs of quality improvement. He also learned how to evaluate organizational quality while serving as a Baldrige-trained examiner for


the California Council for Excellence for five years and as senior examiner leading three teams that reviewed quality award applications from healthcare organizations. Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology from the University of Southern California. Peter T. Ellis, PhD, Co-Director Evaluation & Research Dr. Ellis is the Founding Partner of Community Crime Prevention Associates, a consulting group dedicated to assisting communities build their capacity to work with troubled youth. He has served as the principal researcher and provided technical assistance to the City of San Jose’s Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force – assisting providers to apply current research on healthy and resilient youth and families. He has also served as the lead evaluator for the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth, a multi-million dollar funding source for public and private agencies seeking to improve the health and well-being of Oakland’s children and families. Dr. Ellis continues to build on his 40 years of experience by applying and researching resiliency variables as they relate to the development of pro-social youth development. Dr. Ellis is a past member of the Golden Feather Union School Board and past president of the Butte County School Board Association, as well as a co-founder of the University of Phoenix. Dr. Ellis earned his Ph.D. in Community Education and Administration from the University of Michigan. Robert E. Griffin, EdD, Educational Consultant Dr. Griffin is Progressions Project Educational Consultant. His efforts are focused on education and evaluation issues, including overseeing longitudinal research and specialized studies that may be conducted. Dr. Griffin has 38 years of experience in higher education and began his career as the Director of the Office of Programs and Services at San Jose State University. In 1976 Dr. Griffin was hired as the Associate Dean of Student Services at Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, CA and in 1986 was promoted to Dean of Student Services. In 1994 Dr. Griffin was hired as Vice President of Educational Programs and Services at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA, where he retired in 2009. Dr. Griffin has served on numerous statewide community college boards and commissions including serving as past President of the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA). His professional experience includes presentations at a number of conferences on the regional, state, and national level. In addition, he has served on the executive committee of the Commission on Athletics (COA) where he chaired the sub committee responsible for rewriting California's Athletic Eligibility Code, in order to address the academic course taking patterns of African American and Hispanic athletes. Additionally, Dr. Griffin has served as a member of the Fremont Union High School District Community Advisory Board, the Cupertino Community Services Board and the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Representative to the League for Innovation. Dr. Griffin also teaches graduate courses at Santa Clara University in the School of Education. Currently, Dr. Griffin is an Organizational Consultant, focusing on leadership development and organizational change. Ray Hill, Project Manager Mr. Hill is Progressions Project Project Manager. He created the project’s internal growth and cost projections document, has been integral in the planning process, and continues in the budget development and implementation process. Hill, who is a professional project manager with over 25 years of experience, has played trumpet since 4th grade and plays


semi-professionally in several regional jazz and swing bands. Hill started his professional career at Intel in the late 1970s in process equipment development where he put his mechanical engineering degree to work by standardizing two types of lithography equipment across all of Intel’s chip factories. Later he became the lithography pilot line manager in Intel’s Santa Clara development factory when Statistical Process Control and Change Management processes successfully competed with the Japanese chip-makers. During that period Hill integrated Engineering and Operations. In 1996 he was recruited into Information Technology (IT), where he instituted IT process discipline into the construction and fit-up of new Intel buildings and datacenters. Since new projects were secret, often allowing only a day or two preparation before funding requests, Hill proposed and was appointed to a new position of ‘IT Construction Standards Manager’ where he modeled the newly evolving IT equipment standards to each type of building Intel built. In partnership with Intel’s cabling expert, they created an Excel budget spreadsheet that, by entering a few parameters describing the type and size of the building, automatically created a budget estimate and Bill of Materials down to the last server, network switch, port, cable and connector, including labor. This gave IT a standardized infrastructure with lower support costs and budget credibility with executive staff including CEO Craig Barrett, who signed off on each one. It also provided a benchmark against which cost reduction proposals could be assessed based on total cost of ownership. Hill estimated IT budgets for an average of 50 construction projects per year over 5 years of Intel’s fastest global growth, totaling over $100M per year in IT spending, while continuously updating the budget model with new equipment standards and reducing costs. After the dot-com crash halted Intel’s expansion, Hill held two jobs, one managing Santa Clara IT Operations and one managing the global Audio-Visual & Teleconferencing equipment fit-up and support. ITs participation in the disciplined construction project management process was then extended to IT’s software implementation projects. Hill represented IT Global Operations on the IT Project Management (PM) process committee which trained all IT PM employees. He managed several software projects before retiring in November 2007. Mr. Hill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from San Jose State University.


ABOUT SAN JOSE JAZZ San Jose Jazz is a 22 year old, mission-driven, 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting jazz through performance and education and building a stronger, more vibrant community. The organization’s purpose is to provide arts-based education and performance programs, to enhance the recognized value of arts to the individual and society, to promote healthy individuals and healthy communities, and to use music and events to bring people together.

San Jose Jazz was founded in 1986 to enrich the lives of Silicon Valley residents through performance and education. In 1989, the organization produced its first jazz festival. Today, San Jose Jazz is a year-round organization that produces the following programs:

San Jose Jazz Festival – Over the course of three days each August, San Jose Jazz produces its signature event, the AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival. The San Jose Mercury News calls it, “One of the top jazz festivals in the nation.” The Oakland Tribune calls it a “World class-event.” The people of the region voted it “Best Festival of Silicon Valley” three out of the last four years. After 20 years, the festival has become the largest, most endearing summer cultural event in Silicon Valley. The festival includes over 100 concerts on 10 stages and explores and celebrates the musical and cultural heartbeat of San Jose's richly diverse community. The festival regularly features local youth, and local, regional, national, and international jazz musicians (Jazz, Salsa, Blues, R&B, Latin, Hip Hop, Big Band, Smooth, and more) as well as legendary jazz artists such as Zakir Hussain, Les McCann, David Sanborn, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and more. In addition to serving in excess of 100,000 people each year, the festival has a positive and measurable financial impact on the community. 2009 was the festival’s 20th anniversary.

Fete de la Musique – This new mini festival (four stages, eight hours) that celebrated a festival begun in France to celebrate music drew over 25,000 people to San Jose’s Santana Row in its inaugural year. This free festival celebrates all music.

San Jose Jazz Winter Series – The Winter Jazz Series is San Jose Jazz’s oldest annual series, dating back twenty years. The Winter Jazz Series features world-class jazz musicians in the intimate setting of San Jose’s historic Improv Theater.

San Jose Jazz Summer Series – San Jose Jazz’s Summer Series features the finest local professional jazz musicians and is located in San Jose’s Santana Row every Tuesday evening from June through August.

San Jose Jazz Showcase – This recently created, year-round concert opportunity provides local and regional jazz artists with an opportunity to perform in an intimate concert venue. The Showcase is produced in partnership with City Lights Theater.

Get Jazzed! – This innovative music appreciation/healthy lifestyle program has served over 50,000 students, grades 3-12, in predominantly economically disadvantaged areas of San Jose. The program was created in partnership with the City of San Jose and its Healthy Neighborhood Venture Fund. It annually reaches nearly 6,000 San Jose public school children.

Summer Jazz Camp – A two-week learning lab attended by talented middle and high school students who are seeking a substantial learning experience. The camp


provides students with advanced opportunities to immerse themselves in performance and the study of jazz, including improvisation. In 2008, over 40% of the camp’s participants are low-income students attending on a full or partial scholarship. The camp is run by professional musician/educators and is one the least expensive, highest quality jazz camps in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Smith Dobson Youth Festival – A two-day, Northern California jazz education event and competition that nurtures and challenges middle, high and college students. The festival enables students to meet and play with other talented students while competing and receiving instruction from leading jazz educators.

Youth Orchestra – An elite youth jazz orchestra comprised of some of the most talented high school jazz musicians in the region. Students benefit from professional guidance and weekly rehearsals over a school year with leading jazz educators, playing with other committed and talented young musicians, and participating in a variety of performances, including the San Jose Jazz Festival. Students earn college credit for their participation.

Youth Latin Ensemble – An elite Latin jazz ensemble, new to San Jose Jazz, comprised of some of the most talented high school jazz musicians in the region. These young musicians benefit from professional guidance and weekly rehearsals with leading Latin jazz educators, playing with other talented young musicians, and participating in a variety of performances, including the San Jose Jazz Festival.

JazzAdemics – An after school program (preparing to pilot) designed to improve the academic success, graduation and college going rate of under-prepared/economically disadvantaged high school students. Students are taught jazz appreciation from a cultural, social, and economic perspective, in an effort to make jazz more meaningful and culturally relevant. Students then focus on an academic enrichment program designed to assist them in succeeding in the classroom. In discussion with two high schools.

Biographies of Key San Jose Jazz Personnel Geoff Roach, DBA, Executive and Artistic Director: Dr. Roach oversees all of San Jose Jazz’s artistic and educational programming. His professional background includes 30 years in marketing, sales, and management in the high tech industry. In addition, he is an accomplished jazz musician/band leader/arranger/producer with multiple CDs in release, one of which rose to number 4 nationally in 2007. Dr. Roach holds Doctorate of Business Administration, Master of Science, and Master of Business Administration Degrees as well as being a graduate of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Executive Program. Robert Griffin, EdD, Board Member and Chairman of San Jose Jazz’s Education Committee: Dr. Griffin has been active with San Jose Jazz since 2006 and advises staff on education issues. Dr. Griffin recently retired as Vice President, Student Services and Institutional Research at DeAnza College where he had been employed since 1994. Dr. Griffin has been providing leadership in community-based activities since 1974.

Harley Christensen, Development Director: Harley directs fund development, develops education programs, and develops and implements media for San Jose Jazz. Harley came to San Jose Jazz with over fifteen years of senior executive experience in the nonprofit


sector. He has worked in education, media, open adoption, and healthy aging. Harley holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Motion Picture & Television Producing from UCLA. Lucie Paye, Marketing Director: Lucie directs all communications and marketing activities. Prior to joining the Jazz, she was Director of the International Festival of Gardens in France – the #1 garden design competition in the world. Lucie holds a Master of Arts History Degree from La Sorbonne (Paris-France) and a Master of History of Landscape and Garden Design Degree from Versailles University of Architecture. Sheri Macdonald, Business Development Director: Sheri directs all business sponsorship activities for the organization. Prior to joining San Jose Jazz, Sheri worked as a Marketing/Income Development Strategist with the American Cancer Society. Sheri holds a BS from Santa Clara University. Barbara Christmann, Get Jazzed! Program Manager: Barbara oversees, plans, and implements all Get Jazzed! programming. Barbara is a composer and a conductor with an M.A. in Music Composition from San Jose State University and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC-Berkeley. Barbara has also served as a faculty member at the School of Music and Dance at San Jose State University. Madelyn Crawford, Membership Manager: Madelyn directs all member-related activities. She has worked as an arts advocate and activist in Silicon Valley for over twenty years with San Jose Jazz, Abhinaya Dance Company, San Jose Museum of Art, and the Los Altos History Museum. Madelyn holds a Master of Arts Degree from San Jose State University. Dave Gregoric, Director: San Jose Jazz Youth Latin Ensemble, Co-Director San Jose Jazz Summer Jazz Camp: Dave is also Director of Jazz at Valley Christian Schools. In addition, he has recorded with Pete Escovedo, Cab Calloway, and Della Reese and has performed with The Temptations, The Drifters, and Little Anthony. Dave studied at Cal State Long Beach, the L.A. Jazz Workshop, and graduated from William Jessup University with a Bachelor of Science in Theology. He holds another B.A. in Christian Leadership with a minor in Jazz Performance. Kristen Strom, Co-Director: San Jose Jazz Summer Jazz Camp: Kristen is a professional jazz saxophonist and educator who has performed with Manhattan Transfer, Natalie Cole, and The Four Tops. In addition to her solo album, "Intention", she has recorded more than 25 CDs with various jazz and pop artists. Kristen has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from San Jose State University, as well as graduate studies in music education. She has studied saxophone and woodwinds with Joe Henderson, Mel Martin and Victor Morosco. Naoki Taniguchi, Director: San Jose Jazz Youth Orchestra: Naoki is a professional jazz musician, composer, and music educator with Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Theory and Composition, and Saxophone Performance. He has toured extensively and performed with David Berger of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Jerome Richardson, and Pete Christlieb, and collaborated with musicians from Green Day, Jane’s Addiction, and Garbage. Naoki holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Saxophone Performance from UCLA. Bruce Labadie, Festival Director: Bruce co-founded the San Jose Jazz Festival in 1989. His love of the arts, meticulous attention to detail, and admiration for the audiences he serves makes Bruce one of the best music event producers in the business. Bruce holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Santa Clara University and is a member of several nonprofit boards.


ABOUT HARMONY PROJECT Progressions Project is replicating Harmony Project’s youth development model. Harmony Project is an innovative, nationally recognized, Los Angeles-based, youth development program that provides low-income students with musical instruments and year-round tuition-free music lessons after-school and on Saturdays. For its innovative work and promising results, Harmony Project has been named one of the nation’s best art-based nonprofits by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in both 2008 and 2009. Harmony Project started with 36 students in 2001 and are now serving over 750. Harmony Project offers tuition-free music education to families and schools based upon family income. The program requires that students remain enrolled in school.

Currently, Harmony Project has three community sites:

Hollywood (in partnership with Los Angeles City College)

Expo Center - South Los Angeles (in partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Expo Center) and Yoshiva of Los Angeles (YOLA)

Beyond the Bell Program (based in Koreatown) in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

Harmony Project operates on a semester system, with 16-week sessions in the Fall and Spring. The summer consists of an 8-week session that includes the Summer Music Festival. Students receive a minimum of 40 hours and up to 200 hours or more of supervised activity each year. This reflects instructional time equivalent to one additional school day per week.

Harmony Project’s Expo Center Youth Orchestra recently performed “Ode to Joy” with Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s new conductor who is a product of El Sistema, for the Bienvenido Gustavo! concert. Harmony Project helped welcome Dudamel to Los Angeles before 18,000 eager audience members, as well as thousands more by webcast. The Expo Center program is a partnership with the LA Phil and the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department. After only two years, this three-way partnership has grown into the first Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA). The City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development recently adopted Harmony Project as part of its strategy to prevent and reduce youth gang involvement in Los Angeles. Harmony Project is working with the Mayor's Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) Office to replicate its Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) after-school partnership in clusters of elementary schools – and the middle school into which they feed – in two selected Gang Reduction Zones (so designated for their high crime rates). Harmony Project is developing a proposal, with the Mayor's GRYD Office, for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to help fund this initiative. LAUSD has committed significant funding to support this project, but additional funding will be required to supplement funds being sought from the DOJ. In addition to the other components, Harmony Project employs a skilled Parent Programs Coordinator who provides orientation and ongoing educational programs for


parents at monthly “potluck dinners”, to help parents learn how to better support their kids’ progress, and to improve fundamental family dynamics. Harmony’s Community Partners include: Los Angeles Philharmonic - Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA), LA Unified School District - Beyond the Bell Branch, LA City College, City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department - Expo Center, LA's BEST, Education Through Music – LA, Verdugo Young Musicians Association, Hollywood Rotary Club, Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church, Los Angeles City Elementary School Music Association, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, Wilshire Rotary Club, Yucca Park Community Center. El Sistema is a Venezuelan youth development program that has proven effective at promoting the healthy development of children who live in poverty. It has also produced some of the world’s top musicians, including Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s young new conductor. El Sistema was originally called Social Action for Music. Its official name is Fundación del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, (Fesnojiv). Fesnojiv (which Venezuelans refer to as La Orquesta or El Sistema) has 30 symphony orchestras. But its greatest achievement is the 250,000 children who attend its music schools around the country, 90 percent of them from poor socio-economic backgrounds.


Michelle Obama gives Harmony Project a round of applause November 4, 2009 | 6:46 pm

At a ceremony hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama, a Los Angeles music program for at-risk youth received the nation’s highest honor for humanities programs.

Together with 18 other projects from around the world, Harmony Project was awarded the Coming Up Taller Award, which recognizes programs that target children who traditionally lack access to arts and humanities resources.

“These young people don't just become accomplished singers and painters and authors,” Obama said at the ceremony. “They also become better students, they become better leaders and they become better citizens, enriching not just themselves but their communities.”

Harmony Project provides musical instruments and free music lessons to children from impoverished families. The program aims to enroll students as early as first grade and see them through to high school graduation.

“I’m over the moon,” said founder Margaret Martin as she celebrated with 11 students at the Daily Grill restaurant in Washington.

Of the more than 400 U.S. groups that were nominated, only 15 were finalists. Harmony Project shared the honor with such groups as the Shakespeare Remix Program of New York City, which helps underserved youth reinterpret and perform the Bard’s works, and


Keshet Dance Company of New Mexico, whose outreach program uses dance to teach literacy and math to incarcerated youth.

Martin founded the program in 2001 after she said she had a surreal experience at the Hollywood Farmers Market. She watched, astonished, as what she described as a crew of tattooed gangsters approached her 5-year-old son, who was playing Brahms on a tiny violin, and gently placed money in his case. “That was my ‘Aha’ moment,” Martin said.

Since then, the program has grown from 36 students (funded by a $9,000 check from the Rotary Club of Hollywood) to a 750-student organization with a 300-deep waiting list and a $1.2-million cash budget.

Seventh-grader Kiana Coronado-Ziadie attended the White House ceremony to accept the award on Harmony Project’s behalf. Five years ago, she, her mother and her sister were living on the streets. She said that she was diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder and that she was forced to repeat a grade. “It was a huge mistake – they had me on meds. I was all drugged up.… I thought I was the stupidest person in the world,” she said.

Then her mother found out about Harmony Project and enrolled her. Kiana took to the violin. “I learned about beats and sight-reading.… It helped me a lot in math and school work,” she said.

Now a student at Millikan Middle School's performing arts magnet in Sherman Oaks, she takes honors classes this year.

“I’m so thankful Harmony Project got my confidence back. I have no limits now,” Kiana said.

– Amina Khan

Photo: Harmony Projects founder Margaret Martin and seventh-grader Kiana Coronado-Ziadie receive an award from First Lady Michelle Obama. Credit: White House


ABOUT SAN JOSE Founded on November 29, 1777, as Pueblo de San Jose, San José was California's first

civilian settlement.

San José is known as the Capital of Silicon Valley.

San José has grown rapidly from just over 200,000 residents in 1970 to over a million today.

San José is

the largest city in Northern California,

the third-largest city in California (Los Angeles & San Diego), and

the tenth-largest city in the U.S.

The San José metropolitan area contains nearly 2 million residents.

San José is one of the most diverse and rapidly growing regions in the country.

Self Identified Race/Ethnicity Hispanic 33% White 31% Asian 30% African American 3% Other 3% Language Spoken at Home English 44% Spanish 25% Asian/Pacific Islander 24% Other 7% Income Distribution (Households) $35,000 or less 28% $35k - $50k 9% $50k - $75k 17% $75k - $100k 13% $100k - $150k 18% $150k - $200k 10% $200k or more 9% Educational Attainment Less than High School Diploma 19% High School Diploma or Equivalent 21% Some College, No Degree 17% Associate Degree 8% Bachelor's Degree 22% Graduate or Professional Degree 13% Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey; 2007


ABOUT FRANKLIN-MCKINLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT Franklin-McKinley School District is located in east San Jose. The inner city district is comprised of twelve elementary schools, two K-8 schools and two junior high schools. The district is in Year 3 of Program Improvement and is 12th on the 2008 State list. Six of the schools are designated as Program Improvement (PI) schools. Sylvandale Middle School and McKinley Elementary are in Year 5 of PI. Santee Elementary is in year 3 of PI. Los Arboles Elementary School is in Year 2 of PI. Kennedy Elementary is in Year 1 of PI.

District enrollment totals 9,957 students with the following ethnic groups: 61% Hispanic, 28% Asian, 4% Filipino, 3% White and 2% African American. Of the total enrollment, 60% or 6,008 students are English learners. Of the English learners, 70% speak Spanish and 24% speak Vietnamese. Out of the total enrollment, 1,044 or 9% of the students are placed in Special Education programs. The district employs 472 teachers and 99.2% are fully credentialed. Teachers have been in the district for an average of 10 years. The district provides support to 70 first year and 26 second year teachers. This is the third year with the current superintendent. Adequate Yearly Progress criteria in the area of English Language Arts was not met in 2007 and 2008. In the area of Mathematics, criteria were met in 2007, but not in 2008. The subgroups not meeting the percent proficient in the areas of ELA and Math for the Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) are: African American, Hispanic, and Students with Disabilities. Two subgroups did meet the Mathematics targets, but not the ELA targets: Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and the English Learners. Participation rates in the area of English Language Arts and Mathematics for all subgroups were met for 2008. The Academic Performance Index was met in 2007 and 2008 with 711 in 2007 and 718 in 2008.

FMSD uses grade span rank ordering for poverty criteria: Grades K-6 and Grades 7-8. The poverty rate for K-6 is 73.4%. The poverty rate for 7-8 is 73.4%.

The Migrant Education Program provides supplementary services for migratory children, who change schools throughout the year as their families follow work in agriculture, nurseries, fishing, dairies or the food packing industry. The Migrant program serves 468 students with 59 Preschool, and 409 Kindergarten through 8th grade students. The program provides comprehensive educational programs to address disruptions in the schooling and other problems that result from repeated moves. The Franklin-McKinley School District provides services at McKinley and Seven Trees Schools, as these are the sites with the largest migrant populations. However, all migrant students in the district are personally invited to attend the services provided by the Migrant Education Program held at these sites. These services include the Migrant Education Even Start (MEES) program for ages 3-5, math for grades PK-8, health screenings for vision and dental. In addition, sites host intercessions during winter and spring breaks with an enrichment focus in art, science, technology and health.

Source: http://www.fmsd.k12.ca.us/, 2009 LEA Plan


ABOUT CORAL AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM & CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

CORAL Afterschool Program Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County (CCSCC) directs the CORAL afterschool program (Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning) throughout the Franklin-McKinley School District. Focusing on improving student academic achievement, CORAL provides literacy instruction combined with enrichment activities for over 2,000 afterschool students every afternoon from the conclusion of classes until 6pm at all school sites. The majority of CORAL afterschool students are second language learners at the basic/far-below basic level in the areas of reading and writing. These students benefit from an instructional approach that is designed to develop their basic literacy skills. On average, CORAL afterschool students demonstrate 1.2 years of academic growth in their reading and writing skills after 6 months in the program. Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County (CCSCC) For over 55 years, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County has changed lives for good by helping strengthen families and building economic self-sufficiency. The agency serves and advocates for individuals and families in need, especially those living in poverty. Rooted in gospel values, Catholic Charities works to create a more just and compassionate community in which people of all cultures and beliefs can participate. Each year, a staff of over 400 people, supported by hundreds of volunteers, serve 37,000 Santa Clara County residents through a broad base of programs including housing services, job skills training and placement, older adult services, mental health and substance abuse counseling, caregiver services, financial education, immigration, refugee resettlement, children and youth services, and education. Catholic Charities is a nonprofit, nondiscriminatory service organization and employer that is affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of San Jose. CCSCC is separately incorporated, is self-funded, and operates as an independent nonprofit organization with a CEO, Board of Directors, and separate financial structure. The agency has an annual operating budget in excess of $23 million, and is supported by federal, state and local government, foundations, community groups, and individual donors. The agency is a member of Catholic Charities USA, the nation’s largest social services network, which serves over 7 million people each year.


ABOUT ROCKETSHIP EDUCATION CHARTER SCHOOLS Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary School:

97% Latino

2% Asian

1% Caucasian/African American

87% qualify for free/reduced lunch (FRL)

82% qualify as English Language Learners (ELL)

Rocketship Sí Se Puede Academy:

98% Latino

1% Asian

1% Caucasian/African American

84% qualify for free/reduced lunch (FRL)

84% qualify as English Language Learners (ELL)

Rocketship Education is a non-profit corporation founded in 2006 to create a national network of outstanding inner-city college preparatory elementary charter schools. Each Rocketship school has a clear and simple goal: that its students achieve grade-level proficiency by the time they graduate from elementary school. While many charter school networks focus on college preparation for middle and high school students, we believe that the path toward college must begin much earlier. Research has shown that a child’s academic achievement in third grade is highly correlated with college attendance and graduation (Snow et al., 1998). Rocketship’s first school, Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary School (“RMS”), opened in August 2007 in downtown San Jose and serves a 73% English Language Learner (“ELL”), 87% Free and Reduced Meals (“FRM”) population of students. In its first year of operation, RMS received an 891 API, making it:

95% proficient in Math; 54% proficient in ELA

the #1 ranked elementary school in San Jose and Santa Clara County for low-income students

the #7 ranked elementary school in the state for low-income students, better than 99% of schools.

In the second year of operation, RMS received a 926 API, making it:

90% proficient in Math; 80% proficient in ELA

the #1 ranked elementary school in San Jose and Santa Clara County for low-income students

the #3 ranked elementary school in the state for low-income students, better than 99% of schools.


Rocketship has an audacious goal of serving 1 million students across the country by the year 2040. We believe that through the creation of thousands of college preparatory elementary schools, Rocketship can help reverse the cycle of poverty which has blocked millions of people from realizing the American dream. Rocketship’s vision of a national network of inner-city college preparatory elementary schools rises out of a crisis in the U.S. education system. Today, only 25% of Americans graduate from a four-year college. The problem is much worse in low-income areas, with 1-2% college graduation rates. Why do we call these figures a crisis? The global trend to offshore all but the knowledge-intensive jobs mean that a college degree is necessary for Americans to achieve middle class status and a stable job. In addition, the United States has seen a large increase in immigration. These newest immigrants face daunting challenges to realizing the American dream of working hard and creating a better life. Since the earliest period of this country, the American dream has relied on a free, high-quality public education. Today, however, most of the graduates of our public schools do not graduate from college. Now that college graduation is a critical prerequisite to economic advancement, the 1-2% college graduation rate for high-poverty children is a failure of the American dream on a massive scale. Rocketship was founded to right this wrong. Rocketship operates a “hybrid” school model, including an extended school day with as many classroom instructional minutes as district schools and an additional two hour practice period each day called Learning Lab, in which students work on computer curriculum, read books independently, and participate in enrichment activities. In addition to the academic benefits of additional practice time for students, Learning Lab allows Rocketship to hire one fewer teacher per grade level than a typical elementary school (because students in Learning Lab are supervised by non-certificated staff). This savings amounts to $500,000 per year for a school at full size. Rocketship reinvests these savings into building better schools. We make five main investments:

Principal Training – each new principal receives a full year of training before opening their school.

Response to Intervention (RTI) – students below grade level get an extra hour of tutoring daily.

Academic Deans – each school has a fulltime Academic Dean to mentor teachers and run RTI.

Teacher Salaries – Rocketship pays between 20 percent higher salaries based on student gains.

Facilities – Rocketship constructs a new building for each new school. In addition to these focused approaches to improve learning, Rocketship believes that parents are critical participants in the academic success of their student. Classroom teachers conduct at least one home visit in the first semester, two parent conferences, and make formal contacts with each Rocketeer parent twice per month. Additionally, Rocketship conducts monthly Community Meetings which have over 70 percent parent attendance, and conducts multiple family activities throughout the year. Through this significant outreach and community building, Rocketship not only provides an individualized classroom experience for students, but also creates a community that encourages and focuses on parent participation and empowerment as a critical element of a Rocketeer’s success. Rocketship has pegged a 30% annual growth rate in schools, which means that within a few years, we can serve every high-need elementary student in the cities we locate. Rocketship intends to prove that whole-city education reform is possible. The city of San Jose serves 120,000 students in grades K-12 of which 60,000 are below grade level. Approximately 30,000 of these students are in grades K-5, and half of those students are clustered in


neighborhoods which are conducive to a charter school serving the population. By the year 2020, Rocketship intends to open approximately 30 schools in San Jose, serving 15,000 students, proving that the highest poverty students in the city can reach grade level, and supplying an enormous influx of middle school students capable of achieving at high levels in city middle and high schools. Beyond San Jose, Rocketship intends to start clusters of schools in other high-need cities in the Bay Area including San Francisco, Oakland, East Palo Alto, and Richmond. There are approximately 80,000 high-poverty students in grades 2-5 in the Bay Area, of which 26,000 (33%) are proficient or advanced in English Language Arts and 36,000 (47%) are proficient or advanced in Math. By 2025, Rocketship intends to open 100 schools in the Bay Area serving 50,000 total students and 20,000 high-poverty students in grades 2-5 who were not previously achieving at grade-level (See Appendix). We project that we will raise the overall total of students who are middle-school ready (proficient or advanced) across the entire Bay Area to 39,000 (50%) in ELA and 50,000 (65%) in Math, increases of 17% and 18% respectively. After proving ourselves in San Jose and other Bay Area cities, we plan to expand nationally, with the ultimate goal of locating in the 50 largest cities in the country and serving 1 million students in 2500 schools. Rocketship Education’s team has a combination of business and educational backgrounds that will allow them to meet their ambitious goals. The Co-Founders of Rocketship Education are John Danner and Preston Smith. John Danner, Rocketship’s CEO, was previously Founder and CEO of NetGravity, a publicly traded software company. Since selling NetGravity in 1999, John has been deeply involved in K-12 education, including co-founding Sacred Heart Nativity School, a middle school in San Jose, and KIPP Academy Nashville, a charter middle school. John was previously the Chairman of the Tennessee Charter School Association where he worked to pass Tennessee’s first charter law and supported the founding of the first twelve charter schools in Tennessee. John also served as a public school teacher in Nashville, the last two years as an elementary school teacher with a 100% English Language Learner classroom. Preston Smith, who serves as Principal of Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary School, was previously the founding Principal of LUCHA Elementary. In 2006, after three years of operation, L.U.C.H.A. received an API score of 881 and was the fourth ranked high-poverty (70% free and reduced meals) elementary school in California. Before founding LUCHA, Preston was a Teach For America (TFA) Sue Lehmann Award finalist, a national competition for TFA teachers with the strongest academic results.

Documents

Progressions Project Blueprint