Supporting Urban School Success Through Community Engagement

Cleveland Metropolitan School DistrictCleveland, Ohio

Dr. Eugene T. W. Sanders, CEO

Council of the Great City Schools54th Annual Fall Conference

“Education That Shines”Tampa, FL

October 22, 2010

• Sharon McDonald, Ed.S., Office of Humanware

• Eugene T. W. Sanders, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer

• Eric Gordon, Chief Academic Officer • David Osher, Ph.D., Consultant and Vice President,

American Institutes for Research

Introductions

• CMSD’s “Humanware” approach to enhance conditions for learning and its Transformation Plan

• Conditions for learning and AIR’s independent audit of conditions for learning in CMSD schools

• Humanware Executive Committee• Planning centers• Student Support Teams• Social-emotional development interventions• Quality standards• Lessons Learned – Outcomes – Moving Forward• Discussion

Session Overview

• After the Success Tech incident in 2007, CEO Dr. Sanders wanted to address school climate challenges and coined the term “Humanware”

• American Institutes for Research (AIR) conducted an independent needs analysis (i.e., audit)

• AIR recommended strategies to improve the conditions for learning in Cleveland's schools; CMSD also asked AIR to identify what could be done in the community to improve connections with students

• The Cleveland Foundation and The George Gund Foundation funded the audit

Background

• Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CSMD) uses the term “Humanware” to identify strategies that will support its efforts to become a premier school district.

• Humanware addresses the conditions for learning, so that every student is academically, behaviorally and socially equipped to succeed.

• Humanware uses evidence-based and best practices to ensure that all human resources in a child’s school, family and community function together so that students are learning in safe, supportive and successful schools.

• Safe, supportive learning environments have their foundation in the conditions for learning for all students.

About “Humanware”

• #1: Eight factors place children and schools at risk for poor school outcomes, emotional and behavioral problems and disorders, violence and an absence of effective interventions to address these risk factors. They include:– Chronic poverty – Lead poisoning and exposure– Harsh and inconsistent approaches to discipline– Reactive and punitive approaches to discipline– Unclear and inconsistent disciplinary codes– Poor supervision and role modeling in schools– Limited family-school connection – Inadequate resources to address the mental health needs of students

Audit Key Findings

• #2: Poor or weak conditions for learning exist in many Cleveland schools, along with an absence of effective approaches to improve these conditions

• #3: Inadequate capacity to address: – The factors that place children and schools at risk of poor

outcomes

– Improved conditions for learning, teaching, and social development

AIR’s audit report is available online at: http://www.air.org/files/AIR_Cleveland_8-20-0821.pdf

Audit Key Findings

• CMSD students in grades 5 to 12 are surveyed annually (since 2008) about the extent to which they feel emotionally and physically safe, supported, connected, and challenged — and in an environment where their peers are socially responsible

• The answers students provide influence CMSD’s approach to the services and programs that it offers

• Central office and school leadership regularly utilize data to monitor conditions for learning in schools and inform building-level academic achievement planning

Note: the survey was extended to grades 2 to 4 in 2010

Monitoring and Enhancement of Conditions for Learning

1. Improve capacity to assess, plan, deploy, and monitorHumanware

2. Improve school procedures, protocols, policies, and practices

3. Improve school climate

4. Provide positive behavioral supports and social-emotional learning

5. Develop early warning and supportive response systems

Humanware Strategies to Address Key Findings

6. Enhance school-agency collaboration

7. Enhance family-school partnership

8. Provide focused professional development and support

9. Focus funding agency resources

10. Develop and implement quality standards

Humanware Strategies (continued)

• The Humanware Executive Committee meets regularly

and fosters a positive culture to:– Build on Humanware strengths – Engage in authentic peer dialogue– Brainstorm to address challenges and complex issues– Support adherence to program fidelity– Monitor Humanware implementation progress and

outcomes and modify our approach as needed

Humanware Executive Committee

• The committee was expanded to include

representatives from the Cleveland Teachers Union and various other CMSD staff stakeholders to improve coordination of Humanware activities

• Throughout the year, the committee increasingly supported the development, review, and implementation of coordinated and integrated efforts across Humanware strategies

Humanware Executive Committee (continued)

• Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS) to provide social-emotional instructional curriculum for grades Pre-K to 5 to support students’ social-emotional learning and improve their behavior

• Student Support Teams (SST) to help struggling students

• Planning Centers to replace in-school suspension with a positive environment for students to de-escalate

• Crisis Prevention and Response to make schools safer

Humanware Interventions and Activities

• Attendance Initiatives (e.g., Target 11) to help parents understand importance of school.

• Family Engagement to connect with families

• Community Partnerships to help students and families connect with resources

• Eight Quality Standards, with related criteria, that CMSD and community organizations are expected to meet when providing supports to students

Humanware Interventions and Activities (continued)

• Replace in-school suspension

• Provide a safe place for students to de-escalate and cool down

• Improve and promote quality psychosocial, emotional interventions that support school climate change and student academic success

• Are referral based (i.e., from principals, teachers, parents or students themselves)

Planning Centers

door

Area with desks and computers

Quiet area for de-escalation (rug, bean bags or cushions, headphones, etc

Staff desk and chair, shelves, computer, phone

Group instruction or support

PLANNING CENTER SAMPLE FLOOR PLAN

• Problem-solving group of school staff in each building that addresses any problems that a student may have — academic, emotional, behavioral, etc.

• SST Core Team is made up of a school administrator, teacher, and an assigned support staff member (e.g., school nurse, counselor, social worker or school psychologist)

• Meets weekly to discuss the issues and problems (e.g., poor attendance, excessive tardiness, failing grades) of students referred to the SST

• Goal of the team is to identify good interventions (i.e., strategies) that will produce positive results for student

Student Support Teams

• Referrals can be made by anyone concerned about a student, including parents and caregivers

• Possible reasons for referral:– Excessive student absences or instances tardy– Student is known to have problems outside of school or

classroom (e.g., in the family)– Student has ongoing academic problems

• If a child is having issues at school, we strongly encourage parents and caregivers to seek help from their school’s SST by contacting the teacher or principal

Important Student Support Team Facts

• Implemented beginning in the 2009–10 school year in grades Pre-K to 2

• Implemented beginning this school year in grades 3 to 5• The goals of PATHS are for children to:

– Increase ability to think and solve problems– Increase ability to use their thinking skills to act responsibly

and maturely– Improve understanding of self and others– Improve feelings about themselves (i.e., self-esteem)– Increase ability to learn more effectively in the classroom

environment

Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS)

• CMSD is collaborating with its county Addiction, Drug, and Mental Health Board since 1996, when it signed the first memorandum of agreement with the county and city officials.

• Supports and funds 7 county mental health agencies

• 110 schools have an assigned mental health agency

• CMSD has engaged in a range of recent efforts to enhance school-family-community collaboration

School-Family-Community Collaboration and Partnership

• Standard I: Philosophy and Structure • Standard II: Education, Certification and Licensure• Standard III: Evidence-Based Practice/Best Practice • Standard IV: Continuous Quality Improvement • Standard V: Fiscal Resource Management • Standard VI: Collaboration • Standard VII: Legal Compliance • Standard VIII: Ethics

Quality Standards

• Development of a multidisciplinary executive team consisting of both internal and external stakeholders facilitated collaboration

• Collaboration with teachers union had major impact on implementation of activities

• Shared activities with community to select PATHS and a quarterly “community symposium” enhanced partnership

Lessons Learned

• Decreased referrals to special education

• Improved attendance

• Decreased out of school suspensions

• Decreased expulsions

• Improved safety for students

Early Outcomes

Continue:Collaborating with the unions and their representatives, who

have been key partners in Humanware planning and implementation

Fostering a positive Humanware culture and facilitating Humanware implementation through the Executive Committee

Integrating data- and community-driven preventive health and mental health topics throughout the county and district

Being a champion for best health practices

Engaging parents and families

Collaborating with mental, public health, and other agencies for best student outcomes

Moving Forward

Questions and answers.

Thanks for coming!

For more information, please contact: Sharon McDonald, Ed.S.

Office of Humanware 1380 E. Sixth Street

Cleveland, OH 44114(216) 858-1244 Office

Sharon.mcdonald@cmsdnet.net

Discussion