Although the public engagement - Annenberg Institute

challenges and opportunities 47

Challenges and Opportunities

Chapter 3

A lthough the public engagementefforts studied in this inquiry varywidely in their implementation and

scope, they face a number of common chal-lenges and opportunities. This research sug-gests a number of lessons that can influencethe effectiveness and potential of publicengagement and that will require a concertedresponse if the work of schools and commu-nities is to mature into a long-term strategyfor school improvement.

1. Most engagement efforts work in isolation.While a handful of regional and national networks of engagement efforts exist, mostpeople working in engagement know littleabout their counterparts, whether across thecountry or across town. Some national net-works, such as the Public Education Network,do serve to connect individual local efforts,and some individual statewide efforts areconnected and support one another throughorganizations such as the National BusinessRoundtable or the Columbia Group.

Yet, the majority of engagement effortsinvolve people who are working locally tobuild connections between their individualschools and communities. They do not thinkof themselves as part of any national effort,and very often do not know of similar efforts

in their own communities. In addition, theyare blazing their own trails and creating theirown knowledge. Very few materials, resources,successful strategies, or listing of models areavailable to support them; and what is availableis often not known to them.

2. Few engagement efforts have gone to “scale,” as traditionally defined. Many wonder how public engagement canexpand or “go to scale.” Taking initiatives toscale usually requires one of two approaches– the replication of a particular model in avariety of places, or the vast expansion ofefforts within one jurisdiction. Because thenature of engagement is uniquely local, itdoes not fit neatly into these traditional defi-nitions of scale. Engagement efforts aredifficult to expand to ever-larger geographicregions, just as they are difficult to disseminatefrom the top down or to replicate by fiat.

Given the great diversity in people and circumstances, leadership, school quality,and issues within a community or district, itis unlikely that all schools, parents, and thepublic would be engaged at the same time atthe same levels. “Going to scale” in publicengagement might, instead, be viewed as theincreasing prevalence of locally groundedsupport for schools and school change, each

effort acting in its own way. Support for scalemay not be locally available but rather comefrom national or regional networks or infor-mation resources accessed by local initiatives,which use information and models tostrengthen their own work.

3. “Process” outcomes are powerful but hard to measure.Public engagement may seek very specificends such as the adoption of a set of standardsor the passage of a bond issue – but much ofthe benefit of engagement lies in how thoseends are achieved. The process of bringingpeople together, talking, listening, developinga shared vision, and creating a plan of actionhas value in and of itself. It brings new peopleinto conversation and decision makingaround schools. It builds trust and goodwill.It expands the capacity of the community toundertake effective problem solving and tobring additional resources to bear.

The increased social capital or civiccapacity that results is often difficult to mea-sure – which can lead at times to difficulties in

attracting either media coverage or sustainedfunding to engagement initiatives – but issurely one of engagement’s most importantoutcomes.

4. Community-driven efforts are more readilyapparent, but education leaders are driving somesignificant efforts. More than two-thirds of the projects identi-fied in this project were started either by parents or community members who feltimpelled to “do something” to help theirschools. The other one-third of the initiativeshad their impetus inside the schools. At thisearly stage in mapping public engagement, itis difficult to determine the specific percent-age of efforts nationwide that actually derivetheir energy from “outside” or “inside.”

School-driven efforts are often motivatedand enlightened by a visionary leader whosees the broader engagement of parents andthe community as a means to sustain reformefforts that have impacted school personnel.Efforts driven by educational leaders havebrought about substantial achievements –

technologyThe number of computers in school has grown

The ratio of students percomputer has improved

Students per computer

More Internet access and connections would make it a betterteaching and learningtool, according to over 40% of K–6teachers.

Teachers who use the Internet with students

Number of computers in millions

Source: USA Today, December 17, 1997 Source: USA Today, January 20, 1998Source: USA Today, December 17, 1997

from building community trust and involve-ment to increasing the ability to implementnew standards or other practices. Theseachievements provide reason to believe thatincreasing the desire and capacity of schools to engage communities may be one of themost promising strategies for long-lastingreform.

5. Teachers are not yet a significant force in publicengagement.While school and district administrators areinitiating and supporting engagement initia-tives, few efforts are driven by or involveteachers or their local unions – and for legiti-mate reasons. Public or community relationshas often been seen as the purview of admin-istration. Direct teacher contact with parentsand/or the community has largely been con-fined to parent-teacher conferences or majorpublic events. Involving, engaging, and lis-tening reflectively to parents and communitymembers is rarely part of the job descriptionfor teachers, who are often consumed withthe day-to-day challenges of teaching. It is a

rare principal or superintendent who knowshow to encourage or model these behaviorsor how to find the time in the school day for teachers to participate in the community.New mandates, methodologies, strategies,and tests require even greater teacher atten-tion toward classroom performance and student achievement.

Yet the lack of teacher involvement inthe majority of efforts studied is cause forconcern. Educators must play as vital a roleas parents in bringing school and communitytogether to improve student achievement andmust be an integral part of any engagementeffort. Teachers are also a critical conduit ofinformation about schools to parents and thebroader community. Polls indicate that par-ents and the public believe teachers have a central role to play in both school reformand community revitalization.

6. The potential of students is largely untapped.This research uncovered few efforts thatinvolve or create leadership roles for studentsin public engagement. Those few that do –including a statewide program in Maine;Plainfield and Paterson, New Jersey; Howardand Pollock, South Dakota; and Pattonville,Missouri – have unleashed significant energyfor change, encouraged young people toremain citizens of their home communitiesand states, and increased young people’sinterest and understanding of the connectionbetween school and community.

In addition, service and service-learningprojects have demonstrated that linking students to work in the community can bothaddress local needs and bolster students’learning. Finding mechanisms through which students can focus this kind of service onimproving their own schools will certainlydeepen public engagement efforts in thefuture.

7. The use of technology to support engagement isgrowing but is not yet widespread. While the use of Internet and other commu-nications technologies to build action net-works and support community problem solving is more and more common, relativelylittle emphasis on technology was found in


USA Today, October 7, 1997Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Centerfor Education Statistics

Growth in Internet connections in public schools

the education projects reviewed for thisstudy. Since a growing number of schoolsand school systems are now connected to theInternet, and more and more communitieshave local-access networks (many with public-access features), there is considerable room

in the future to usethe World Wide Weband other new mediato support school-community connec-tions. Some nationalactors with interestsin both education andtechnology – such asthe George LucasEducational Founda-tion, the BentonFoundation, theAnnenberg/cpb pro-

ject, and the ibm Foundation through its“Wired for Learning” initiative – are playinga strong role in advancing knowledge andinterest here.

8. The work of engagement is difficult to do and to sustain. Reaching, involving, and continuallyresponding to diverse constituencies is hardwork. Establishing those connections will taketime and commitment, difficult commoditiesin a society where the pace of change hasincreased the expectation that complex prob-lems can be solved quickly. This work canalso be intimidating, especially for those whohave not felt welcome in schools or do nothave a background of action in citizen causes.There is no roadmap of clear and predictabletasks. And for many people, it is either “vol-unteer” work or a responsibility that comeson top of the heavy burdens of full-time jobsand family commitments.

9. Engagement challenges the traditional notion of power. A deeply challenging issue for those seekingto support engagement strategies centers on power. Engagement, at its core, is a radi-cal concept, involving a profound shift in the locus of responsibility for schools and

schooling. The public, which had largely del-egated control of education to school profes-sionals, is now seeking to share some of thatresponsibility and power. Since the issues of responsibility, power, and control in publiceducation move rapidly into issues of race,class, culture, identity, and the welfare of ourchildren, the challenge to engagementbecomes even bigger and more complex.

Sharing control over schools involvesnot just listening to diverse needs but demon-strating that they were heard. To involve parents and citizens in the work of schools isto make them partners in decision making.To truly listen to students is to be influencedby what they say and take steps to ensure thatthey see the relevance of reform efforts. Tomake diverse constituencies partners in schoolimprovement is to say that the outcome ofthat process will be something that the part-ners can support and agree on. This may be a very different outcome from “what the pro-fessional educators want.”

10. Engagement is often born from crisis.Engagement has often been seen as a strategyof last resort, a response to a crisis situation.Usually it is the kind of crisis – the failure ofa bond issue, a contentious school boardelection, low achievement scores published inthe newspaper, a sudden exodus to privateschools, the rejection of a reform initiative –in which the alternative to engagement iseven more threatening than the engagementitself. Occasionally, the vision of a singleleader in a position of authority – a superin-tendent, a community leader, a respectedparent – who sees both the problems of theschools and the possibilities of inclusion andshared responsibility rescues a school or dis-trict from crisis.

But, where schools and communitiesfail to confront such crises together, there isthe danger that public education can be seri-ously undermined. Where that is the case,more of the following can be expected:

• lack of public support for bond issues andschool budget increases;

50 reasons for hope, voices for change

Public engagement is…the recognition that education is a commu-nitywide effort. You just can’t turn to the schools and say,“You take care of it.”

DON VANMETER

Ohio’s BEST

• increasing controversy over school boardelections, superintendent searches, andreform efforts;

• increasing flight from traditional publicschools, or increasing government man-dates to restructure them;

• more divisiveness and confrontation aroundissues of race, class, culture and equity.

The findings from this inquiry indicatethat it is possible to build a constituency forcollaborative change and improvement inschools, both inside schools and in the out-side community, that can tackle the processof change together. It is not easy work, byany means; but the study suggests that educa-tors and community leaders alike could useengagement as an effective front-end strategy,employed from a position of strength, notfrom weakness or crisis. If, indeed, engage-ment is to be treated as a serious strategy to push school reform, there are some supportneeds and opportunities for leadership thatwill be essential for success. These areexplored in the next chapter.


O ver the eighteen monthsof this study, the research team iden-tified four “beacons” that signal the

existence of a fully engaged community.

• The expectation between school and com-munity of mutual accountability for schoolperformance and for the education of allchildren.

• The readily perceived existence of a cultureof trust, inclusiveness, and collaborativeproblem solving in education and schooling.

• A continuously expanding capacity forimprovement of teaching and learning.

• The perception of public schools as“democracy at work.”

Taken together, these constitute a very tall order for most schools and commu-nities. Few initiatives or communities in thenation have succeeded in fully engaging oneanother. But those practicing engagementspeak with passion about reaching that pointwhere, in fact, a culture of engagement hasbeen created that is sustainable over time.

For many of these initiatives, time iswhat it will take for the processes of engage-ment to create the culture they seek. This isnot work that can happen overnight. Themajority of the public engagement initiatives

identified in this report are no more than two years old. Several are between two andfive years old, and only a few are matureefforts with more than five years of experienceat their work. An analysis of these manyefforts would indicate that there is, in fact, a discernible, three-stage developmentalprocess for public engagement initiatives,through which most engagement efforts pass(see “The Cycle of Public Engagement,”pages 54–55).

Whatever stage these particular initia-tives are in, what would have to happen if thecountry were, indeed, to treat engagement asa serious strategy for school reform? Basedon the findings from chapter 3, there are fivecommon support needs and resources to bedeveloped for the future of this work.

1. Breaking New Ground in Leadership andLeadership Development Those doing the work of engagement are vir-tually unanimous in this conclusion: Engage-ment initiatives, whether they are initiated inthe school or the community, require a newbreed of leader and a new kind of leadership.Many leaders spoke of their work in publicengagement as demanding new levels of skillin listening, coaching, mentoring, encourag-ing, and supporting inclusion; forging con-

leveraging the power of engagement 53

Leveraging the Power of Engagement

Chapter 4


31

The Cycle of Engagement

There are three recognizable phases in the “life cycle” of engagementactivities. Each cycle presents specificchallenges – in leadership, inclusion,infrastructure, resources and evalua-tion. A continuing “circle of renewal”leads from conversation to action andevaluation. Many of the efforts studiedwent through these phases repeatedly,but rarely in a predictable or linearmodel. A deliberate “coming together”around issues critical to public educa-tion is the only way in which schoolsand communities can plan and act forpositive education change.

Informal, often like-mindedgroups establish the needfor some kind of changearound children and schools,as well as a commitment to work with others to effectthat change. Conversationand dialogue are critical tobuild trust and develop a“common ground” wherepeople can meet, talk, lis-ten, discuss, and develop acommon understanding ofkey issues. If trust doesn’texist in this phase, it maybe difficult – if not impossi-ble – to build later on.

Challenges

Leadership: Often diffuseand highly participatory;important in order to buildthe trust necessary foraction. Group supportimportant for those “lead-ers” willing to step for-ward as spokespersons.

Information: Initial enthu-siasm for change oftenhampered by access toaccurate information.Good information is key to assessing the reality of the problem, and thepotential for action.

Media: Coverage requirescareful management.“Coming together” may be controversial, and the media may miss the reasons for concern.Coverage could widen the circle of participationand awareness.

Rush to action: Movingtoo quickly to actionbefore common groundhas been built can derailefforts. Commitment andinformation are essentialfor action.

Coming Together

3


2Engagement efforts moveinto action as consensus-driven strategic plans aredeveloped, and new rela-tionships are built withother groups and people.This phase requires moreresources – human andfinancial – and new skills,knowledge and capacityon the part of leaders andparticipants (i.e. publicspeaking skills, school orgovernmental policies,data analysis). The abilityto act is strengthened bycontinuing conversationsthat are complementedand validated by initialactions. As efforts becomemore intentional, somegroups grapple with for-malizing organizationalstructure.

To ensure that engagementinitiatives can be sustainedover time, groups tend toinstitutionalize or formalizetheir work. They move frominformal, “under-the-radar”networks to “on the screen"community/educationchange efforts. Initiativesthat are outside-in (fromparents and community toschools) are often broughtinside schools; those thathave started inside schoolsmay now move out into thecommunity. Many become501c3 or 4 organizations.There is a significantincrease in complexity andin multi-group collaborationand partnerships.

Challenges

Media: Increasing mediaattention requires a focusedplan of action. Communi-cating effectively with themedia will build long termrelationships.

Information: Increasingflow of information betweenschools and stakeholders.Value of informed publicrecognized by schools andcitizens.

Unpredictability: Changingconditions and issues canimpact the base of support;good balance betweendeliberation and actionneeded. Managing ambi-guity requires patience,resourcefulness, greaterlevels of understanding.

Challenges

Culture of engagement:Capacity developed overtime used to address rangeof issues and problems on a regular basis. Inaddressing new challenges,mature groups demon-strate a predictable, renew-able pattern of talk, plan,act that becomes a culture.Achievement and failurestrengthen that culture.

Media: Collaboration withmedia and strong commu-nication patterns advancepositions, increase com-munity awareness. Mediamay seek out organizationfor news or to verify accu-racy of information, whichconfirms ongoing work.

Moving Forward

Sustaining the Momentum

Identifying new leaders:“Leadership” can oftenshift among several people;strong need for integra-tors, facilitators, active listeners, articulate spokes-people who can communi-cate the organization'smessage.

Building greater inclusiveness: Moving for-ward means recognizing/including new stakehold-ers, bridging complex ideological, group, class,race, and ethnic lines, diffusing proprietary atti-tudes among “original”members. Greater inclu-siveness ultimately leadsto greater long-termstrength.

Mature leadership:Leaders become mentors,administrators, imple-menters, strategic planners,developers; experiencebuilds keen political senses.Frequent interactions withschool, civic, electedofficials; visible presencein the media. Confidentleadership nurtures newvolunteers.

Stability: Growing too bigtoo soon may “dull” thefocus of work, stretch theresources of the organiza-tion. Planning/selectingtargets provides maximumimpact and sustainability.If the work of the groupbecomes part of the statusquo, then it is questionablehow long it can survive.

sensus; and surfacing possibilities for action.Most suggested that while these new “civicleadership” skills were needed across theboard, the needs were particularly acute onthe school side, where there is little practicalor effective training or preparation for prin-cipals, teachers, or superintendents that pre-pares them to do this work.

2. Providing Support for Resource DevelopmentFinancial resources, while important, maynot represent the most critical resource need.Those doing the work of engagement – passionate, committed, and driven toward avision of expanded participation and change –are by and large creating their own knowledge.

They are eager to share and learn from col-leagues but often do not know where to findthose colleagues. While there are exceptionsamong the very well known (most typicallystatewide) engagement initiatives, from onecommunity to another – and sometimeswithin a single community – people who aredoing similar work are not aware of eachother. Within the context of education change,there is no book or curriculum on engage-ment. There are few conferences; there is noweb site for on-line resources. Materials doexist more broadly for community revitaliza-tion and civic engagement, but many of themare not considered applicable to those work-ing in education.


The Intersections for Engagement

Schools• parent involvement

• media management

• volunteer recruitment

• support for innovation

• community resource use

• school to work

• bonding/funding

• school improvement strategies

• standards design and implementation

Communities• community

revitalization

• state/local policy

• parent organizing

• public dialogue

• community visioning

• business partnerships

• special-interest needs

• litigation and rights

• equity and funding

School and Community• decision making

• accountability

• governance

• improvements in teaching/learning

3. Supporting Infrastructure DevelopmentEngagement’s practitioners face real challengesof institutionalizing their efforts. Some ofthese initiatives are self-standing organiza-tions or projects. More often they representthe mindset of someone who has another job– a principal trying to change the conversa-tion about school in the neighborhood, aparent-organization leader who wants tomake a difference for children, a civic leaderasked to chair or convene a conversationabout schools and schooling, a superintendentlooking for support for a bond referendum ora standards initiative, a director of policy orlegislation who can’t see how to build neededsupport without a different approach to con-stituency. There are few directors of engage-ment on organization charts, few strategicplans to achieve engagement objectives, fewmultiyear budgets for engagement initiatives.Thus, engagement efforts can be transitory,organizationally transparent, vulnerable toinsufficient funding, or funded by informalreallocations of dollars. Many practitionerswould say that lack of formality is what givesinitiatives their energy, flexibility, and impact– but at the same time concede the need toprovide for long-term sustainability.

4. Increasing Visibility and CredibilityEngagement to support school change hascaptured the attention of a large number ofpeople and projects across the country in thepast few years. But it remains an approachthat means many things to many people. Andmost of its initiatives are too new to haveachieved long-term results – including risingtest scores. Initiated by parents, communitygroups, collaborative superintendents, orvisionary school boards, engagement has comeupon the country from outside the main-stream of foundation- and tax-supportedschool change initiatives, and from outsidethe purview of most of the professionalexperts who have both guided and focusedattention on school reform. Like some of theother process-oriented strategies for changeto which it is related – community visioning,collaborative problem solving, network

building, community mediation – its earlyoutcomes are “soft” (like “trust”) and thuseasier to feel as a participant than to describeand document to outsiders.

5. Developing Measures and Documenting Demonstrable OutcomesUltimately, the work of engagement is aimedat improving teaching and learning. Butthose outcomes are not often achieved quickly,and certainly they are not the first indicatorsof success in engagement work. Conversationswith those most involved in engagementwork at the community level suggest that the more likely measures of early success arethings like increased attendance at parentmeetings, greater parent volunteerism inschools, stronger parent support for teacherin-service days, higher levels of energyamong a school district’s administrative team,and more positive conversation about educa-tion at Rotary Club meetings. More generally,these higher perceived levels of trust, hope,and interest may lead to greater success indeveloping and sustaining plans for reform orpassing a bond issue.

To date, very little work has been doneto validate such measures or link them tosubsequent outcomes in student achievement.Measures of the outcomes of engagement areneeded. Such measures will help individualinitiatives evaluate and credential themselvesso that they can more effectively build arecord of success and accomplishment.

It is essential to meet these commonresource and support needs if, in fact, thebeacons that signal the existence of a fullyengaged community are to be seen withgreater frequency. For this to happen, manymore Americans will have to step forwardand answer the call to action.


T en years ago , the notion of public engagement as a response tothe problems of public schools was

not on the map. But as this report shows, in a growing number of communities, parentsand the public have moved into partnershipswith educators where all are serious playersin the improvement of schools. For them,public engagement has already become animportant new approach to school reform.For others, this approach offers new hope formaking a difference in school performanceand student achievement.

Clearly, there is new and compellingwork for everyone – individuals and organi-zations, local and national. There is a greaterneed for more educators, parents, and citi-zens to get involved, more opportunities andinitiatives where schools and communitiescan work together. If the isolated work inlocal communities that exists today is goingto accelerate into a nationwide movement,thousands of organizations and millions ofindividuals will have to act, in many, manydifferent local efforts to forge strong bondsbetween schools and communities.

Individuals – teachers, parents, grand-parents, neighbors, small business owners,and many, many others – will have to assume

a responsibility for what is happening in their schools and for what is happening withchildren in their communities. Institutionstoo – local government, small businesses, andcivic organizations – have a responsibility toparticipate in building the strong schools thatare the foundation of a healthy community.There’s a role to play for everyone.

Public engagement must grow; thefuture viability of public schools in many com-munities hangs in the balance. No one shouldassume that this process is the silver bulletthat will automatically make better schools;but it is doubtful that a strong public educa-tion system can be maintained without it.

Increasing the incidence of publicengagement efforts will require bold newleadership and action by everyone. Eventhough this work at its roots is very muchabout local connections, national organizationsmust also play a leadership role. They mustunderstand what the process brings to publiceducation and make this movement of para-mount importance to their constituents.

Leaders at all levels will need to stepforward to support public engagement.

Parents have a critical and central role to playin the future of public engagement. They arethe members of the broader public with the

a role for every american 59

A Role for Every American

Chapter 5

most immediate stake in public schools. Inaddition to paying closer attention to theirown child’s experience in school, parents canthink and act in ways that benefit all chil-dren. Importantly, they should be willing tostep up and speak out when invited by schoolofficials to participate in planning or decision

making. In placeswhere they are notinvited, parents cansummon the courageto advocate for whatthey believe to beright, stay with theirconcerns until theyare acted on, and par-ticipate, where possi-ble, in implementingsolutions.

National foundationscan play a key role inusing their resourcesto help build partner-ships between schoolsand community thatlead to both schoolimprovement andstronger communities.Foundations can alsofind ways to support

leadership-development training or programs,print and electronic resources that mightguide new and experienced practitioners, andconferences and other meetings that allowthe people involved with this work to learnfrom one another. They might also providefunds to evaluate the work of engagementmore closely and enable the field to developindicators that all initiatives might use togauge their success.

The media can be conscientious about its rolein facilitating a broad public conversationabout education and education change. It canplay a pivotal role. In places where “publicjournalism” has taken hold, the media isalready using its power and reach to renewthe conversation about education change.The media should continue to report the

challenges facing schools but might also findways in which its coverage can be a catalystin building the school and community part-nerships necessary to meet those challenges.

For example, the media can cover themeetings and conversations that are centralto any public engagement effort not simplyas a clash of competing ideas, but as a part ofan ongoing public discussion. For many inthe media, heated conflict is the crux of acompelling story. As any public engagementpractitioner knows, some level of conflict isendemic to this work, but the real story ofpublic engagement – and the story the mediamust strive to cover – is how conflict isresolved in a civil and productive way.

Schools of education can help both future andcareer teachers and administrators under-stand the vital role of parents and the publicin their schools. These schools can be instru-mental in developing courses for educatorsthat build their leadership skills and helpthem work more comfortably with parents andthe broader public. By studying the processof engagement, a new generation of educa-tion professionals may tap a reservoir of richhuman resources overlooked by their col-leagues in the past. Researchers in theseschools can also play critical roles in evaluatingthe impact of public engagement and devel-oping methodologies to describe individualinitiatives’ successes.

The national education establishment – organizations that serve those who work in andaround schools – can galvanize their con-stituents to engage each other while reachingoutward to parents and the public. Someimportant first steps have been taken withthe creation of the Learning First Alliance,thirteen national education associations whohave formed a partnership to advance thecause of public education.

It will be essential for educators to befully engaged, with each other and with par-ents and the community, in working forimproved teaching and learning. To reachthat goal, teachers and the unions that repre-sent them must make the communication


Public engagement is…broad-based, inclusive,informed, parentalinvolvement in the central decision-makinglife of the school at the school level, where the parents are organized to create an environment ofaccountability in shapingthe vision and missionof the school.

GARY RODWELL

Alliance Organizing Project Philadelphia, PA

between teachers, parents, and the public apriority on their agenda for the future. It willbe difficult to bring improvements to bear on teaching and learning if those who workwith students are not part of the engagementprocess.

Business and civic organizations are dependenton citizens and consumers – both present andfuture. These entities can encourage theirmembers and employees to become activelyinvolved with their local schools. This meanstaking an interest in the academic achieve-ment of all children and of their employees’children. It means being willing to serve oncommittees, helping implement new programs,and, perhaps even more, allowing employeestime off to work on behalf of their schoolsand their own children.

Local school districts and schools have a tremen-dous opportunity to provide institutionalsupport for public engagement. They cancreate staff positions and budget line itemsthat ensure that engagement activities are bothcoordinated and sustained from year to year.Just as importantly, they can involve parentsand community members on decision-making,advisory, and strategic planning bodies. They can honestly examine how parent- orcommunity-friendly their school buildingsare. They can provide accurate and timelyinformation – both good news and bad – aboutstudent and staff achievement. They canencourage and reward teachers for buildingbetter communication with parents. All ofthese activities – as well as many othersdescribed in this report – can enable districtsand schools to enter into real partnerships withparents and community members. All of thiswork can reinforce a crucial message: thatpublic schools, indeed, belong to the public.

Toward a culture for public engagement and public education

Through this study, as both advocate andcritical friend, the Annenberg Institute hasbegun to accumulate information that will helpothers develop local expertise and, at thesame time, is seeking to shape a national

understanding of engagement. There is moreto learn about this strategy for advancingschool reform, to be sure – more research andcase studies; a larger national conversationabout the roles of parents, educators, and thepublic; networks of sites that can teach othersabout leadership, sustainability, and evalua-tion; and opportunities for everyone to developthe capacity for engagement.

Those who shared their stories with the Institute expressed a keen interest inlearning further about engagement. Theirneeds – even more, their desires – are verymuch about a reinvestment in our publicschools. This movement called public engage-ment represents a crucial turning point forpublic education. The many isolated venturesfound across the landscape of America areimportant mile markers that indicate a mobi-lization of civic action for public education.

The work for the past eighteen months has led to the conclusion that there is a defining moment at hand, a rising oppor-tunity to rebuild the partnership betweenschools, parents, and citizens that can renewa civic responsibility for public education,which is the cornerstone of a vital and sus-tained American democracy.

a role for every american 61


Acknowledgments

W e are deeply grateful to the hundreds of people – parents,teachers, principals, community

and civic leaders, business executives and smallbusiness owners, and concerned citizens –who gave us their time, their stories, and theirexperiences over the past year. The visionthey hold for their communities and theirschools was shared with a passion that wasenergizing. Without them, this report wouldnot be possible.

The insight and analysis of our research colleagues – David A. Smith, AnsleyT. Erickson, Daniel Seltz, and Jonathan W.Considine at the Annenberg Institute; andKristin Kurtenbach, John Beilenson, andJohann Neem at Millennium CommunicationsGroup – provided the unique perspectives of this report. The work was challenging,exciting, tiring, and rewarding – we laughedand learned with equal zeal. Special thanks toSusan Fisher, publications manager at theInstitute and our editor, for providing clarityand keen understanding to a complex collab-orative work.

Vartan Gregorian, former president ofBrown University and acting director of theInstitute, and John Bryan Starr, its managingdirector, have been unfailing in their commit-ment to this project. New to the Universityand the Institute, but adding their interest,advice, and support when it was needed, havebeen E. Gordon Gee, president of BrownUniversity, and Ramón Cortines, interimdirector of the Institute.

An advisory panel and steering commit-tee provided direction and insights about ourwork along the way. We thank Robert Blum

(Northwest Regional Lab), Jack Jennings(Center on Education Policy), Larry Kirkman(Benton Foundation), Wendy Puriefoy(Public Education Network), Donna Rhodes(Ann Arbor, Michigan), Scott Roberts(Annenberg/cpb), Dan Rothstein and LuzSantana (Right Question Project), RobertSexton (Prichard Committee), Will Friedmanand Deborah Wadsworth (Public Agenda),and Ronald Wolk (Education Week) for theirwilling assistance whenever called upon.

Staff at the Institute and Millennium –Ann Beaudry, Barbara Cervone, Paula Evans,and Peggy MacMullen – provided thoughtfulreview and comments of our various drafts.Patricia Strickland, Julie Fain, Matt Ross,and Diallo Brooks skillfully managed thedetails, documents, travel, and logistics fordozens of site visits and meetings.

This report represents a sacrifice forfamily, friends, and colleagues. To Julie,Meghan, Adam, Larry, David, Andrew, Anne,Ramona, Noelle, Caroline, Charlie, Wanda,Carlie, and Jacob, we are thankful for yourunderstanding of the passion we havebrought to this work.

Finally, we are grateful for the vision andgenerosity of Ambassador Walter Annenberg.His enduring faith in public education inAmerica is the foundation on which the Insti-tute rests and has provided strong spiritualsupport for our work.

how this inquiry was conducted 63

Throughout this work, the Institute hasattempted to employ an engagement processin its own efforts to learn from the peopleand programs that were studied. Researchersmet with and listened to many individuals inorder to gain new perspectives and to learnfrom them as they talked among each other.Information, preliminary findings, and con-clusions were deliberately shared with others,from whom researchers encouraged an hon-est evaluation. Finally, we were very eagerthat those studied from across the countryhave a chance to engage each other in a waythat allowed them to define the summativejudgments that have led to the conclusions ofthis report.

The Institute’s work in public engage-ment began with a series of conversationsthroughout the spring of 1996 to help shapean understanding of what public engagementmeant across the country. These initial meet-ings culminated in a meeting in Washington,DC in June 1996, at which fifty leaders rep-resenting education, business, foundations,communications, the media, and parents metto discuss public engagement, and reviewpotential directions for the Institute.

Beginning in the fall of 1996, Institute staff began traveling across thecountry, meeting with administrators, teach-ers, parents, citizens, researchers, reformersand reform organizations, state legislators,departments of education, foundation officers,and local citizens. The agenda of questionsprovided an early glimpse into the issues thatform the heart of this report. A conceptpaper prepared from these sessions formedthe basis of discussions at the Institute for thedirection of this work.

The Institute then compiled a listingof public engagement sites from readings,travels, and recommendations from manypeople and advisors, including a list devel-oped by Norman Fruchter of New YorkUniversity for the Prichard Committee forExcellence in Education in Kentucky. Nearly400 site recommendations were eventuallygathered; each was sent a letter describingour efforts and requesting additional infor-mation. Using a protocol to screen the infor-mation submitted, Institute staff conductedinterview surveys by phone with programdirectors or stakeholders in each site.Ultimately, 174 different school and commu-nity efforts were studied.

The interview reports were sharedwith all project staff, who exchanged reactionsweekly about each site and the accumulating

knowledge. After two months of interviews,researchers began meeting monthly to reviewa developing list of critical questions andfindings that became the basis for much ofthe analysis. The research team’s work wasstrengthened by both the steering committeeand an advisory panel of practitioners.

Because the work we studied was localand came from rich, local contexts, researchersdecided to visit sites that represented bestexperiences. Site visits began in May 1997and consisted of one-to-three-day meetingswith a variety of community stakeholders andgroups. Researchers attended town meetings,public conversation events, board meetings,house meetings of parent groups and citizens,which were held in schools, homes, localbusinesses, corporate boardrooms, restau-rants, corner diners, and libraries.

Site reports became an important partof the monthly cumulative review process. As themes and hypotheses were shaped andargued, the Institute tested these assumptionswith various groups, including Institute col-leagues, foundation officers, technical assis-tance providers, and consultants. Most impor-tantly, we shared our findings with those who provided them. In November 1997 inProvidence, Rhode Island, teams of stake-holders from twenty-six initiatives gatheredto discuss their work with each other.Questions and themes shaped over the pastyear framed the discussion in sessions withvarious groupings of initiatives and stake-holders. As organizations learned from andchallenged each other, the Institute was ableto validate much of its cumulative researchthrough very revealing lenses.

The following appendices list thoseindividuals, schools, and organizations thathave contributed to our understanding ofengagement, to whom we are deeply indebted.

The Inquiry Sites

Identified 400

Studied 174

Visited 50

For descriptions of the sites studied, see Appendix B, pages 64–83.

Breakdown of Sites Studied

School-driven 34.5%

Community-driven 65.5%

Urban 60.3%

Suburban or small/medium town 21.3%

Rural 14.4%

32 initiatives do local worknationwide

2 initiatives work regionallysupporting local work in multiple states

34 initiatives work statewide or do local work on a statewide basis

appendix ahow this inquiry was conducted


Arizona

Educational and Community Change ProjectPaul Heckman, Associate Professor and

Principal InvestigatorUniversity of Arizona College of Education Annex1415 North FremontTuscon, AZ 85721520 622-5719

The Educational and Community ChangeProject works inside low-income schools inSouth Tuscon and Tuscon to help teacherstake advantage of what parents know and cancontribute to the classroom. The Project alsoworks in communities to organize parentsand community members to become involvedin their schools.

Arkansas

Arkansas Advocates for Children and FamiliesAmy Rossi931 Donaghey BuildingLittle Rock, AR 72201501 371-9678

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Familiesis a policy-oriented think tank that aims toget more parents involved in schools. Theyhired a coordinator and use ideas and materi-als from the National Coalition of Advocatesfor Students to engage parents. “SuperSaturday” meetings have been developed toconvene parents and administrators to talkabout issues facing the schools for Title Iparents.

Arkansas Friends for Better SchoolsJudy Wilmouth White, Coordinator1111 West Capitol, Suite 1096Little Rock, AR 72201501 [email protected]

Arkansas Friends for Better Schools is analliance of fourteen statewide organizationsthat support public schools. Three years ago,Arkansas Friends helped to develop “ArkansasPublic Schools Week” to encourage schoolsto welcome members of the community tovisit schools and to take part in school activi-ties. Arkansas Friends also collaborated withthe Arkansas Times to initiate “ArkansasPublic School Heroes,” an annual cover fea-ture that profiles administrators, principals,teachers, parents, community members, andvolunteers who are making a difference in thelives of school children.

The 174 schools, districts, and organizationslisted below are representative of the initia-tives that were identified as part of theInstitute’s inquiry into the practice of publicengagement in America. This is not a com-prehensive or exhaustive listing of schools orcommunities doing this work; such a listingwould be impossible to compile. However, itrepresents a valuable cross-section of thekinds of initiatives that educators, parents,and citizens are using on behalf of publiceducation.

The sites listed here form the beginningof a clearinghouse of public engagementsites. As additional sites are studied as part ofits ongoing research in public engagement,the Institute will add to this listing. Theclearinghouse will be available in print uponrequest or it may be accessed on the Institute’sweb site (www.aisr.brown.edu).

Alabama

A+ Research FoundationWilliam E. Smith, Jr., ChairmanCathy Gassenheimer, Managing DirectorP.O. Box 4433Montgomery, AL 36103334 [email protected]://www.aplusala.org

A+ organized town meetings that enabledover 23,000 people to have a voice in schoolimprovement and developed a blueprint forschool reform, which eventually was draftedinto a legislative plan, the Alabama FirstPlan. A+ also provides support to state poli-cymakers and leadership training for schoolprincipals and superintendents.

Butler County School BoardJudy Manning215 Simpson StreetGreenville, AL 36037334 382-2665

A major districtwide goal is to increaseparental involvement through a variety ofactivities and services. Spend a Day with YourChild invites parents to meet with teachersand administrators and then to shadow theirchild during classes. The Parent Universityallows parents to meet with teachers and hearabout goals and priorities over the upcomingweeks. The district also offers parent educa-tion classes that help parents to be better parents.

Program for Academic and CulturalEnhancement of Rural Schools (PACERS)Dr. Jack SheltonUniversity of AlabamaBox 870372Tuscaloosa, AL 35487205 348-6432http://www.pacers.org/pacerspg.htm

pacers is an association of twenty-nine smallpublic schools in rural communities through-out Alabama. pacers schools seek to improveand change the nature of learning throughthe active participation of the community.Projects include hands-on, interdisciplinaryexercises that build on indigenous skills andresources. Each pacers school has a newslet-ter that demonstrates student work and pub-licizes and reports on community activities.Twenty of these papers now have a readershipof over 125,000 people.

Alaska

Chugach School DistrictRoger Sampson, Superintendent165 East 56th Avenue, Suite DAnchorage, AK 99518907 522-7400

The Chugach School District, which is 50percent Caucasian and 50 percent Alaskannative, comprises five communities covering22,000 square miles on Prince WilliamSound. Frustrated by student performance,the district turned to the Northwest RegionalEducational Laboratory for assistance indetermining what the values and beliefs ofthe community were as part of a planningprocess. By gathering parents and communitymembers together, consensus was achievedaround the common top priority of providingchildren with the academic and social skills tosucceed in rural Alaska and beyond.

appendix bpublic engagement inquiry sites

public engagement inquiry sites 65

California

Accelerated Schools ProjectHank Levin, DirectorNational Center for the Accelerated

Schools ProjectStanford Universityceras 109Stanford, CA 94305-3084415 [email protected]://www-leland.stanford.edu/group/asp

Formed in 1986, the Accelerated SchoolsProject is a school reform network thatincludes nearly 1,000 elementary and middleschools in 40 states. The goal of the project is to help at-risk students to reach their opti-mal performance. After members of the com-munity devise a “living vision” of what theywould see as their perfect school, schoolofficials identify key areas to work in as partof a comprehensive school-change process.The three core principles of an AcceleratedSchool are a unity of purpose, empowermentcoupled with responsibility as part of a shareddecision-making process, and building on thestrengths of the entire community. Acceler-ated Schools treat all children as gifted andbuild on their strengths through enrichmentstrategies, independent research, problemsolving, science, writing, music, and art.

The Achievement CouncilJoyce Germaine Watts, Associate Director3460 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 420Los Angeles, CA 90010213 487-3194

The Achievement Council is a nonprofit,public-interest organization whose mission is to examine and address the systemic chal-lenges that have led to low academic out-comes for urban and low-income students. Italso helps build capacity of districts and schoolsto ensure that all students are academicallyprepared to succeed at the highest levels,including graduation from a four-year collegeor university.

Bay Area School Reform CollaborativeMerrill Vargoc/o WestEd730 Harrison StreetSan Francisco, CA 94107-1242415 241-2740http://www.wested.org/basrc

In 1995, the Bay Area School ReformCollaborative (basrc), formed the previousyear by a group of foundation, education,business, and community leaders, receivedgrants of $25 million each from the AnnenbergFoundation and William R. Hewlett. basrc’smission is to firmly establish the Bay Area as a vital, innovative, and effective place tolearn and to teach. For its seventy-two Lead-ership Schools (members of the Collaborativethat received funding in the fall of 1997),basrc developed Accountability Frameworksto enable parents, teachers, the schools them-selves, and their districts to measure theirown progress toward reform. An integral partof this plan is an annual Accountability Eventthat each school holds to engage parents in adiscussion on the school’s progress, studentachievement, and the role of the communityin reform.

California Child Care Resource and Referral NetworkPatty Siegel111 New Montgomery Street, 7th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94105415 882-0234

The California Child Care Resource andReferral Network works with sixty agenciesacross the state to help all families in Californiahave access to safe, affordable, quality childcare. The Network creates user-friendly andattractive materials and guides to enable theirmember agencies to engage parents in theirsearch for quality child care. An initiativecalled Parent Voices seeks to organize andtrain parents to speak out on their own aboutchild-care issues.

Conejo Valley Unified School DistrictScience and Technology Achievement

for Students (stars)Dr. Sheila R. Carlson916 Chalet CircleThousand Oaks, CA 91362-2408805 498-3608http://www.vcss.k12.ca.us/conejo/mainpage.htm

stars Teacher Enhancement Programexpands the reform of science-education deliv-ery throughout all K–6 classrooms in theschool district through the diffusion of anexemplary, inquiry-oriented, process-approachscience program. stars enhances students’scientific knowledge, thinking, and problem-solving skills and encourages students to pur-sue careers in science and technology. Amongthe supporters and contributors to stars isAmgen, a leading biotechnology company.

Consensus Organizing InstituteDavid Hoffman, Program Manager1732 Grenada AvenueSan Diego, CA 92102619 234-1268

Formed in 1994, the Consensus OrganizingInstitute (coi) is a national nonprofit organi-zation that draws upon people’s creativity and initiative to fashion innovative solutionsto community problems. coi develops andimplements comprehensive strategies forbringing people together and provides themwith the tools necessary to achieve tangiblereforms.

Crystal Stairs Alice Walker Duff5105 West Goldleaf CircleLos Angeles, CA 90056-1272213 299-8998

Crystal Stairs, whose name comes fromLangston Hughes’s poem “Mother to Son,” is a seventeen-year-old organization that doesresearch, service, and advocacy around childcare and development. Parent Voices is acommunity organizing project that organizesparents and community members aroundissues of child care and education.

Education Summit Phyllis HarrisPasadena Unified School District351 South Hudson AvenuePasadena, CA 91109818 [email protected]://www.pasadena.k12.ca.us

The Education Summit was a multiyear pub-lic engagement process driven by communityand business leaders. More than 2,000 peopleat eleven sites watched an interview with the head of the Chamber of Commerce, thesuperintendent of schools, and several othereducators about the state of the Pasadenaschools. Participants at the sites then weredivided into groups of eight to ten people todiscuss and devise seven areas of concern.Safety and communications were the top twoconcerns. Year-long citizen groups wereorganized around each of the Summit’s sevenareas, which have been an important basis for the district’s strategic plans.


Hawthorne Year-Round SchoolBecki Cohn-Vargas, PrincipalJen Corn, Reform Coordinator1700 28th AvenueOakland, CA 94601510 [email protected]@aol.com

The Hawthorne School, one of the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative’s LearningSchools, held an Accountability Event inNovember 1997 that attracted nearly 250parents to discuss student achievement dataaround literacy. Teachers facilitated discussionson the data in parents’ native languages ofSpanish, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Cantonese,Serbo-Croatian, and English. The school alsoproduced a video, in English and in Spanish,showing children reading at grade level tohelp parents understand what that looks like.

Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network’s 21st-Century Education InitiativeTim Cuneo99 Almaden Boulevard, Suite 620San Jose, CA 95113408 [email protected]://www.jointventure.org

The Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Networkincludes people in business, government,education, and the community who havejoined together to act on regional issuesaffecting economic vitality and quality of life.In 1995, the Network agreed to raise morethan $20 million and launch the 21st-CenturyEducation Initiative to spark a renaissance inpublic education in Silicon Valley. The Initia-tive’s Challenge 2000 program, using a venture-capital model, works with “Renaissanceteams” of educators, business people, andcommunity members to implement systemicimprovement programs focused on studentperformance and involving continuous evalu-ation. The Initiative made commitments ofover $1 million over three years to Renaissanceteams in the form of financial, human, andtechnological resources. Continued support isdependent upon the achievement of measur-able results toward world-class standards.

James A. Foshay Learning CenterHoward Lappin, Principal3751 South Harvard BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90018213 735-0241

The Foshay Learning Center, located inSouth Central Los Angeles, was at risk of statetake-over of its Title I funds in 1989 whenHoward Lappin became principal. Lappinreached out to parents, community members,and businesses to marshal as many resourcesas possible for the school. Foshay joined the Los Angeles Educational Alliance forRestructuring Now, academic standards weredeveloped in line with district standards, andstudents were held accountable for theirlearning. Average daily attendance has risen,and recently, sixty-six of Foshay’s sixty-sevenseniors applied to colleges, and thirty out ofthirty-one passed the first Advanced Place-ment Tests. Foshay is also a member of theLos Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project.Lappin was honored as a 1997 MetLife/National Association of Secondary SchoolPrincipals “Principal of the Year.”

The George Lucas Educational FoundationMark Sargent, Communications DirectorP.O. Box 3494San Rafael, CA 94912415 [email protected]://glef.org/welcome.html

The George Lucas Educational Foundation,located in Nicasio, California, was establishedas a tax-exempt charitable organization in1991 based on the filmmaker’s belief that edu-cation is the most important investment wecan make to secure the future of our democ-racy. To help the public revitalize the nation’sschools, the Foundation gathers, synthesizes,and disseminates information and otherresources through various media to promoteand share the latest strategies to change theK–12 educational system, especially thosethat integrate technology with teaching andlearning. In 1997, the Foundation completedLearn & Live, a documentary film (hosted byRobin Williams) with a companion resourcebook, to illustrate ways that innovative schoolsand communities are using technology toenhance teaching and learning.

Los Angeles Educational Alliance forRestructuring Now (LEARN)Michael Roos, President and ceo300 South Grand Avenue, Suite 1160Los Angeles, CA 90071213 [email protected]://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/offices/learn

/learn.html

A working group of thirteen communityleaders formed learn in 1991. More than600 civic, education, and business leaders helplearn to build supportive, student-focusedlearning communities with the autonomy to define and realize their student achievementoutcomes in new and imaginative ways bestsuited to their unique needs. The principaland one teacher from each learn schooltake part in an eighteen-month applied man-agement training course with ucla’s Gradu-ates Schools of Management and Education.Additionally, partnerships are formed withschool communities and educational organi-zations. To date, 297 schools, or 45 percent,in the Los Angeles Unified School Districtare participating in learn.

Long Beach Unified School DistrictCarl Cohen, SuperintendentKristi Kahl1515 Hughes WayLong Beach, CA 90810310 997-8000http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us

The Long Beach Unified School Districtengaged over 300 people from the communityin a series of education roundtables on stan-dards-based reform in middle schools. Thesediscussions were followed by leadershipdevelopment training with twenty-two mid-dle school principals to help them bettercommunicate with and involve parents andcommunity members around standards-basedreform. The district has recently developedan all-day Saturday Parent Conference, withthe support of the local union, to engage par-ents and teachers.

Mar Vista Family CenterLucia Diaz, Executive Director5070 South Slauson AvenueCulver City, CA 90230310 [email protected]

Founded in 1977, the Mar Vista FamilyCenter is a parent-participation preschooladjacent to the Mar Vista Gardens FederalHousing Project in West Los Angeles, serv-ing an at-risk community of primarily low-income Latino and African American families.Parents learn the importance of their role intheir children’s educational success throughmandatory participation in the preschoolprogram. Over 2,000 families have taken partin the Center’s programs based on the MarVista Model of Shared Responsibility.

Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)Antonia Hernandez634 Spring StreetLos Angeles, CA 90014213 [email protected]

Founded in 1968, the Mexican AmericanLegal Defense and Educational Fund is apublic-interest law firm that seeks to improvethe status of Mexican Americans through litigation and advocacy, community educa-tion, and leadership development.

Parent Alliance for School Standards (San Diego)Ellen JaffaSocial Advocates for Youth3615 Kearny Villa Road, Suite 101San Diego, CA 92123619 565-4148

The Alliance works with parents to educatethem about student standards. During 1998,the Alliance intends to train 250 parents,including 15 site leaders. A parental networkwill be established to train parents and to helpthem access the schools and obtain informationon what the standards are and how they work.

Parent Community Services, Los Angeles Unified School DistrictShawnna Tallant534 Cesar E. Chavez AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90012213 [email protected]://lausd.k12.ca.us/~pcs

A telephone hotline was created and is staffed by parents in the Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District. The goal of the hotline isparent empowerment and increased collabo-ration between parents and district personnel.Parents who call the hotline can express theirconcerns, receive assistance with school- and district-related information, and obtainreferrals to a wide variety of services. Thereare currently three full-time operators who can take calls in four languages (English,Spanish, Armenian, and Korean).

San Francisco School VolunteersSandra Treacy, Executive Director65 Battery Street, 3rd FloorSan Francisco, CA 94111415 [email protected]://www.maximov.com/sfsv

Founded in 1963, San Francisco SchoolVolunteers (sfsv) is a nonprofit organizationwhose mission is to improve the quality ofeducation through informed communityinvolvement in their public schools. In thecity’s middle schools, sfsv has helped to orga-nize breakfast exchanges that bring togetherteachers and parents. During the 1997–98school year, sfsv has enlisted the support of more than 2,500 volunteers who typicallyspend two to three hours per week in aschool.

San Mateo–Foster City School DistrictAudrey Poppers, Assistant Superintendent

for Educational Services51 West 41st AvenueSan Mateo, CA 94403650 312-7777, ext. [email protected]://www.smfc.k12.ca.us

In June 1997, the San Mateo–Foster CitySchool District, a member of the Bay AreaSchool Reform Collaborative, convened par-ents, teachers, and the principal from ParksideElementary School for seven hours in thefirst in a series of four dialogues on account-ability. This working group, along with central office staff and a few principals fromother schools, has discussed the various typesof assessment data, how to read and under-stand the data, and what acceptable studentprogress looks like. This process at Parksidewill lead to dialogues at other schools in the district, and work has already begun onthinking about and planning for a districtwideaccountability event.

Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School DistrictPeggy Harris1651 16th StreetSanta Monica, CA 90405310 450-8338http://www.smmusd.org

The Santa Monica–Malibu Unified SchoolDistrict has a new teacher-training program inpartnership with ucla. Text-based seminarsare used to engage the community and toallow student teachers to hear voices fromthe community. The district has created par-ent advisory groups that help the schoolsconnect to various ethnic and minority con-stituencies. The district has a strong relation-ship with city government, which provides $2 million a year in direct support to com-munity outreach programs.

Urban Strategies CouncilMartine Makower, Associate672 13th Street, Suite 200Thornton HouseOakland, CA 94612510 [email protected]

The Urban Strategies Council seeks toinform and inspire change focused on reduc-ing the risk of persistent poverty in Oakland.In 1989, the Council helped to launch theCommission for Positive Change in PublicSchools, which lasted for six years, to engagethe public to restore its confidence in thepublic schools. Public meetings were held togauge the community’s concerns and todetermine what they expected of the schools.The Commission also looked for the condi-tions, instruction, and structure of theschools. Once the Commission released itsreport, it then re-engaged the community toexamine those findings.

Colorado

Aurora Public SchoolsJoan Ott, Director of Instructional Services15751 East First AvenueAurora, CO 80011303 340-0861http://www.aps.k12.co.us

In 1988, the Aurora Public Schools first usedan engagement process to initiate a commu-nitywide strategic planning process. Duringthe past decade, this process has led to severalpolicy changes that involve key stakeholdersin a more meaningful way. A LeadershipCouncil of community representatives pro-vides support and direction for the Board ofEducation, and each school building now hasa shared-decision-making team. Additionally,a fifty-person school and community taskforce contributed to the district’s process ofrewriting graduation standards by studyingthe issue, holding communitywide meetings,and presenting recommendations to the board.

Colorado Children’s CampaignBarbara O’Brien225 East 16th AvenueSuite B-300Denver, CO 80203-1607303 [email protected]://www.kidscampaigns.org/cac/sites/

ccc.html

Founded in 1985, the Colorado Children’sCampaign mobilizes individuals and organi-zations to think and act on behalf of childrenwith particular attention to the health, educa-tion, and safety of children most at risk. The Children’s Campaign publishes annuallyKids Count in Colorado! which looks at health,education, and safety issues confronting chil-dren and their families. In recent years, vol-unteers have made more than 20,000 dollsand placed them around the state as part ofan annual Children’s Summit and DollProject, a public awareness campaign wherevolunteers make cardboard dolls that depictthe life of a child in Colorado.

Community/Adult Education, Volunteer ServicesBarbara Hook, DirectorWest Center for Intergenerational LearningColorado Springs School District #111115 N. El Paso StreetColorado Springs, CO 80903719 520-2162

The community education program, nearlytwenty-five years old, provides support fromthe community to students and, in turn, offersservices to the community. In 1996, morethan 6,000 community volunteers participatedin the program and helped teachers in theclassroom. This new relationship with thecommunity also led to the passage of the firstbond measure in more than twenty-four years.


Connecticut

Study Circles Resource CenterMartha McCoy, Executive DirectorSally Campbell, Deputy DirectorMatt Leighninger, Program DirectorP.O. Box 203Pomfret, CT 06258860 [email protected]

The Study Circles Resource Center (scrc) is a project of the Topsfield Foundation, Inc.,a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation dedicatedto advancing deliberative democracy andimproving the quality of public life in theUnited States. scrc carries out this missionby helping communities to organize studycircles – small-group, democratic, highly par-ticipatory discussions. scrc has been a pio-neer in facilitating communitywide conversa-tions around the issues of race, diversity, education, and criminal justice.

Windham Public SchoolsPat Procter, Superintendent322 Prospect StreetWillimantic, CT 06226860 465-2310

After a team of administrators attended theHarvard Institute for School Improvement in1996, the district determined that it was timeto engage the community. The first year ofthe process is to set goals and expectations forstudents; year two undertakes an assessment;and year three entails putting together a plan to close the gaps. During 1996 and 1997,through focus groups with children, seniorcitizens, business leaders, and parents, thedistrict collected data on the community’sexpectations and satisfaction with the schoolsand has moved on to a process of setting goals.

District of Columbia

The Benton FoundationLarry Kirkman1634 “Eye” Street, NW12th FloorWashington, D.C. 20006202 [email protected]://www.benton.org

The Benton Foundation works to realize thesocial benefits made possible by the public-interest use of communications. Bridging theworlds of philanthropy, public policy, andcommunity action, Benton seeks to shape theemerging communications environment andto demonstrate the value of communicationsfor solving social problems. Through demon-stration projects, media production and pub-lishing, research, conferences, and grant mak-ing, Benton probes the relationships betweenthe public, corporate, and nonprofit sectorsto address the critical questions for democracyin the information age.

Center for Law and EducationPaul Weckstein, Co-DirectorKathleen Boundy, Co-DirectorAnne T. Henderson, Consultant1875 Connecticut Ave., N.W.Suite 510Washington, D.C. 20009202 [email protected]

The Center for Law and Education (cle) is a national, nonprofit organization that seeksto advance the rights of all students, especiallylow-income students and their families. clehelps community and school-based initiativesto increase parent and student involvement ineducation. cle also conducts and publishesresearch on parent involvement, including its1997 report, Urgent Message: Families Crucialto School Reform.

Institute for Educational Leadership, Inc.Mike Usdan, PresidentJacqueline Danberger, Director,

Governance Programs1001 Connecticut Avenue, NWSuite 310Washington, D.C. 20036202 [email protected]://www.iel.org

The Institute for Educational Leadership’s(iel) mission is to improve individual livesand society by strengthening educationalopportunities for children and youth. ielaccomplishes its mission by connecting lead-ers from every sector of our increasingly multiethnic and multiracial society and byreconnecting the public with our educationalinstitutions. iel collaborates with PublicAgenda on “Engaging Americans in EducationReform,” to involve Americans at the grass-roots level in civic dialogue among them-selves and with educators.

National Council of La RazaMaria Fisher, Education Policy AnalystArianna Quiñones, Education Specialist11 19th Street, NWSuite 1000Washington, D.C. 20036202 [email protected], [email protected]

The National Council of La Raza (nclr) is aprivate, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organizationestablished in 1968 to reduce poverty anddiscrimination and improve life opportunitiesfor Hispanic Americans. Nationally, nclrlobbies federal lawmakers, while locallybuilding grassroots community involvementfor education reform.

Public Education NetworkWendy Puriefoy, President601 Thirteenth Street, NWSuite 900 NorthWashington, D.C. 20001202 628-7460http://www.publiceducation.org

The Public Education Network is a nationalassociation of local education funds commit-ted to achieving high-quality public educa-tion for all American children, especially thedisadvantaged. Its mission is to link and unitethese funds and mobilize the energy andresources of their communities to build effec-tive and successful public schools. The Net-work is currently working in twenty-eightstates and the District of Columbia.

Florida

Adult Education Center, Flagler County SchoolsStephen EdwardsFlagler County Schools200 Lehigh RoadFlagler Beach, FL 32136904 517-2040

The Adult Education Center offers 500classes per semester for six semesters a year.The Center runs a fully operational child-care center and an adult activity center forpersons with dementia or Alzheimer’s. A fullrange of community education classes isoffered, along with drop-out retrieval andvocational education programs.

Communities in Schools of JacksonvilleStephen Zaricki, Executive Director301 West Bay Street, Suite 2360Box 23, Southern Bell TowerJacksonville, FL 32202904 354-5918

Communities in Schools (cis), part of anational program, is an in-school model thatworks with at-risk students in Jacksonville to keep them in school, raise their level ofachievement, and prepare them for theirfuture. cis mobilizes community resources,including funding, mentoring, and social ser-vices from businesses, agencies, and nonprofitorganizations, around these students. Casemanagers help to identify the problems that afamily might have and connect them to theappropriate services.


Indiana

Buddy System ProjectAlan T. Hill, President17 West Market Street, Suite 960Indianapolis, IN 46204317 [email protected]://www.vonnegut.buddy.k12.in.us

Launched in 1988, the Buddy System Projectuses technology to extend learning beyondthe classroom walls and into homes through-out Indiana. Fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-gradersand their families from more than sixtyschool districts take part in the program.Families receive computers at home to encour-age students to spend more time learning athome and to help parents interact with teach-ers and the school district.

Phi Delta Kappa InternationalDr. Ron Joekel, Executive DirectorP.O. Box 789Bloomington, IN 47402812 339-1156http://www.pdkintl.org

Phi Delta Kappa (pdk), in collaboration withthe National Parent Teacher Association, hassponsored discussions across the country aspart of the Civic Forum on the Future ofPublic Schools. These forums focus on threequestions: What is the purpose of publicschools? How effective are our public schools?and What changes must be made to attainthese purposes? pdk has announced plans toconduct fifty forums in 1998.

Kansas

Salina Public SchoolsGary Norris, SuperintendentP.O. Box 797Salina, KS 67402913 826-4727

Following the defeat of two local tax initiativesthree years ago, the Chamber of Commercedirected the board of education to embarkupon a strategic-planning process. Roughlyfifty school officials and community membersserved on leadership and research teams.After conducting polls and focus groups, theteams came up with specific recommenda-tions for the community centered around theirtop three issues of family, communications,and resources for student achievement.

Illinois

Cross City Campaign for Urban School ReformAnne Hallett407 South Dearborn Street, Suite 1725Chicago, IL 60605312 [email protected]

The Cross City Campaign is an active strategic, national network supporting urbanschool reform leaders, both inside and out-side of school districts, through information,shared strategies, joint work, and support oflocal reform agendas.

Designs for ChangeDonald Moore6 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1600Chicago, IL 60602312 857-9292

Designs for Change, part of the AnnenbergChicago Challenge, was instrumental in the passage of the city’s school reform law in1988. Designs for Change subsequentlyworked with the Cross City Campaign forUrban School Reform from November 1994through July 1995 on the Public InformationProject. The Project led or supported fifteensignificant initiatives to disseminate good,accurate information on Chicago schoolreform to the media and to key opinion lead-ers and decision makers.

Partners for Success ProgramCarole ParkinsRegional Office of EducationDuPage County421 N. County Farm RoadWheaton, IL 60187630 [email protected]://www.dupage.k12.il.us

Partners for Success provides multiple learn-ing environments that utilize a variety ofstrategies. Their curriculum includes partner-ships with families, home schools, social service agencies, educational communities,businesses, and mentors.


Georgia

Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures AuthorityDr. Otis S. Johnson, Executive Director316 East Bay StreetSavannah, GA 31401912 651-6810

The Chatham-Savannah Youth FuturesAuthority was created by state legislation in1988. Comprising representatives from schools,city and county government, the community,and business, the Authority’s mission is tocreate a community collaborative to affect thechange needed to enable the youth of thecommunity to become productive, economi-cally self-sustaining adults. The Authorityprovides after-school programs, drug-useprevention efforts, health and social services,and job training for young adults.

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in EducationTom Upchurch, President233 Peachtree Street, Suite 200Atlanta, GA 30303404 223-2280http://www.gpee.org

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education was founded in 1990 with themission to be Georgia’s foremost changeagent and a significant leader in the journeyto higher standards and increasing academicachievement for all students. Since 1993,Georgia’s education, business, and govern-ment leaders have traveled by bus to variouscommunities throughout the state on five-daytours of schools to highlight innovative edu-cation approaches. The Georgia Partnershipalso works with communities across the state,through the Ambassadors for Education program, to build awareness about educationissues.

Southern Regional Council Marcia Klenbort, Director of

Education Programs133 Carnegie Way, NWSuite 900Atlanta, GA 30303-1024404 [email protected]://www.src.w1.com

Founded in 1919, the Southern RegionalCouncil (src) is a nonpartisan, nonprofitorganization that works to achieve racialequality and economic and social justice inthe Southern United States through researchand action that engages and transforms indi-viduals, communities, and institutions. In1994, src developed “Building a Culture forMiddle School Achievement,” a program toincrease student achievement in middleschools in Atlanta. Parents, teachers, admin-istrators, and community members cametogether as part of an advisory committee toserve as a locus for discussion on issues suchas systemwide objectives.

Kentucky

Citizens’ Advisory Committee, Scott County Public SchoolsDr. Dallas Blankenship, SuperintendentScott County Public Schools2618 Frankfort PikeP.O. Box 561Georgetown, KY 40324502 [email protected]://www.scott.k12.ky.us

In 1993, the superintendent created aCitizens’ Advisory Committee (cac) to createcommunity awareness and to generate grass-roots support for a pending bond issue tobuild a new high school. While that bondissue failed, cac was successful in gatheringpublic input and sustaining an awareness forthe need to build a new facility. Throughstate legislation, regular growth and levies,and the support of a local Toyota plant, thedistrict was able to construct a $24-million,state-of-the-art high school that opened inthe fall of 1996. cac has continued to shareinformation with and gather input from thepublic, and over 80 percent of its recommen-dations have been acted on by the district.

Hopkinsville-Christian CountyTom BellP.O. Box 23Hopkinsville, KY502 886-2984, ext. 9117

The town was selected as a site for anInstitute for Educational Leadership/PublicAgenda–sponsored town meeting. The infor-mation that was compiled from the townmeeting was subsequently used in the dis-trict’s improvement plan. Since this initialconversation, the Board of Education hasfunded two more town meetings. The townhas also tried to develop a mechanism to usethis framework to address other issues.

The Middle School Coalition, Jefferson County Public SchoolsSusan Shortt, Middle School Coalition

CoordinatorP.O. Box 34020Louisville, KY 40232-4020502 485-3011

The Middle School Coalition is a group ofcivic, business, health, and social serviceorganizations, educators, and parents/care-givers that works to remove barriers and tocreate opportunities to support the academicachievement of middle school students.

Prichard Committee for Academic ExcellenceRobert F. Sexton, Executive DirectorBev Raimondo, Director of

Community SupportP.O. Box 1658Lexington, KY 40592603 233-9849

The Prichard Committee for AcademicExcellence provides a public voice advocatingfor improved education for all Kentuckians.Through town forums, Prichard brought20,000 people together in 1984 to talk aboutpublic schools and their problems. Prichardwas instrumental in the passage of the 1990Kentucky Education Reform Act. It contin-ues to support the implementation of thereform act in individual communities throughparent and community education and aware-ness programs like Community Committeesfor Education and Parents and TeachersTalking Together. Prichard recently launchedthe Commonwealth Institute for ParentLeadership to help engage more parents inschools and school reform.

Louisiana

Agenda for ChildrenJenny EvansP.O. Box 51837New Orleans, LA 70151504 586-8509

Agenda for Children is an advocacy organiza-tion that focuses on child-abuse preventionand child health and resources for youngchildren up to eight years old. They work withlocal schools to increase awareness aboutquality child care, coordinate workshops onhow children learn, and hold seminars onparent care.

Center for Development and LearningAlice Thomas, Founder and

Executive Director208 South Tyler Street, Suite ACovington, LA 70433504 [email protected]

Founded in 1992, the Center for Develop-ment and Learning (cdl) is a nonprofit orga-nization whose mission is to help childrenbreak the cycle of failure to facilitate schooland lifetime success. cdl trains teachers, parents, and students in techniques that can beused to address students’ variations in learn-ing. cdl helps individual students to identifytheir unique learning profile and providesfamilies with training, consulting, and referralservices that enable parents to understandtheir children’s specific educational needs.

Council for A Better LouisianaHarold Suire, Chairman and ceoP.O. Box 4308Baton Rouge, LA 70821504 344-2250

Founded in 1962, the Council for A BetterLouisiana (cabl) is a statewide citizens-advocacy organization. cabl engages votersto help them become informed and makebetter decisions. Its People’s Agenda projectutilizes scientific research, surveys, and focusgroups to better understand the concerns ofvoters. cabl ’s work in education has centeredon the development, since 1990, of nine per-manently endowed local education fundsacross the state. cabl has received a grantfrom the BellSouth Foundation to initiateschool-board leadership training programsacross the state. cabl also serves as a resourceto the state department of education in help-ing them communicate with citizens.

Louisiana Alliance for Education ReformRuth G. Hinson, DirectorTulane University6901 Willow StreetNew Orleans, LA 70118504 865-5584800 [email protected]://www.tulane.edu/~laer/index

Formed in 1992 with the collaborative effortsof the Shell Oil Company Foundation andTulane University, the Louisiana Alliance forEducation Reform is a nonprofit corporationwhose purpose is to develop the ability oflocal citizens (educators and noneducatorstogether) to lead the complex process of edu-cation reform in their own communities. The Alliance provides leadership training,resources, and coaching in schools and in thecommunity. Teachers, a central part of theschool leadership team, are trained to facili-tate workshops with parents and communitymembers around their collective vision fortheir school.

Maine

Maine Center for Educational ServicesJenifer VanDeusenP.O. Box 620Auburn, ME 04212207 [email protected]

The Center’s focus is on bringing togetherschools, families, community members, andstudents themselves to collaborate on helpingchildren to develop intellectually, physically,and emotionally. Three years ago, with the assistance of the Charles Stewart MottFoundation, the Center chose four sites toaddress the issue of how to increase parentalinvolvement. Currently, all site teams arefocusing their work on the development ofchildren’s life skills.


Citizens Planning and Housing AssociationLaura Weeldreyer218 West Saratoga StreetBaltimore, MD 21201410 539-1369

The Citizens Planning and HousingAssociation (cpha), founded in 1941, is acommunity-based organization that uses citi-zen action to achieve the best possible qualityof life for all residents of Baltimore. cphahas partnered with parent/community groupsand the public school system to enable theformation of city-based charter schools. cphais also working with three schools in SoutheastBaltimore to increase parental involvement in school life and governance. cpha’s thirdarea of engagement is its role as convener ofthe Baltimore Education Policy Network, agroup of education leaders inside and outsideof the schools that has worked to settle threepending lawsuits and ensure public input inthe reform process.

Maryland Business Roundtable for EducationJune Streckfus, Executive Director111 South Calvert Street, Suite 2250Baltimore, MD 21202410 727-0448

The Maryland Business Roundtable forEducation (mbrt) is a coalition of eightycompanies that have made a ten-year com-mitment to support education reform andimprove student achievement in Maryland.mbrt used a 1993 gap analysis that identifiednine components missing in Maryland’sschool reform effort as the framework for anEducation Summit in January 1996 with 250of the state’s key education stakeholders.That conversation sparked local conversa-tions in communities across the state. Inaddition, mbrt’s Speaker’s Bureau identifiesand trains well-known people, chiefly busi-ness leaders, to make presentations on educa-tion reform throughout the state.

National Network of Partnership-2000 SchoolsCenter on School, Family, and

Community PartnershipsDr. Joyce L. Epstein, DirectorJohns Hopkins University3003 North Charles Street, Suite 200Baltimore, MD 21218410 [email protected]://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000

The network guides school, district, and stateleaders and teams of educators, parents, andothers to improve school, family, and com-munity partnerships.

Massachusetts

The Algebra Project, Inc.Robert Moses, Founder and PresidentBethany Allen99 Bishop Allen DriveCambridge, MA 02139617 491-0200

The Algebra Project is a nationwide networkof projects designed to equip students with a new mathematics literacy required for fullparticipation in a changing technologicalsociety. There are currently eighteen projectsin twelve states.

Artists for HumanitySusan Rodgerson, Founder288-300 A StreetSouth Boston, MA 02210617 737-2455

Artists for Humanity was founded eight yearsago as an after-school program in Boston.Students participate in an apprenticeship pro-gram where they are paid to create artworkthat is then marketed to the business commu-nity. There are forty students on the staff,and the sale of the students’ art generates$100,000 in revenue each year. Students mustmaintain a 2.5 grade-point average to stay inthe program. Ninety-eight percent of the students in the program go on to college.

Cape Cod Education Center, Inc.Sally Grimes64 Olde Homestead DriveMarstons Mills, MA 02648508 [email protected]

The Center works with school districts tohelp teachers address reading and socialproblems, such as dyslexia and attention deficitdisorder, problems that are not addressed in many teacher preparation programs. Thegoal of the Center is to develop a majorresource center where parents and adminis-trators can access information and researchand where parents and teachers can receivetraining.

Community Training and Assistance Center Bill Slotnick, President30 Winter StreetBoston, MA 02138617 423-1444

The Community Training and AssistanceCenter (ctac) is a seventeen-year-old non-profit organization that provides technicalassistance to more than ninety community-based organizations and public institutionsthat work in education, health, housing,neighborhood revitalization, and other issues.ctac helps schools complete a site assess-ment, gather a diverse group of stakeholdersto envision what an ideal school would looklike, and ultimately put an actual reform plantogether.


Maine Coalition for Excellence in EducationDenison Gallaudet, Chairman45 Memorial CircleAugusta, ME 04330207 [email protected]

Founded in 1990, the Maine Coalition forExcellence in Education gathered togethereducators, community members, and businesspeople to develop a statewide plan for broadeducation standards for students. The Coali-tion held hearings, conducted surveys, anddeveloped a collaborative to create a stan-dards plan called Learning Results. All told,the Coalition’s engagement process involvedalmost 10,000 people and led to the passageof the plan’s content standards during the1997 Maine legislative session.

Pathway PartnersGary Perlson, Career CoordinatorMt. Abram High SchoolR.R. 1 Box 760Salem, ME 04983207 [email protected]

The mission of Pathway Partners is to focusthe resources of their partners in education,government, business, and the community toprovide a seamless transition from school to asuccessful Career/Life Pathway for every stu-dent in the district.

Maryland

Baltimoreans United in LeadershipDevelopment (BUILD)Leslie McMillan2521 North Charles StreetBaltimore, MD 21218410 467-9770

build, twenty years old and the largestmainly African American community organi-zation in the country, mobilizes communitymembers to ensure a quality education for allchildren. build helped found the Child FirstAuthority, a public authority with the abilityto issue bonds and raise capital. With supportfrom the mayor, ten after-school programswere created in Baltimore schools on a pilotbasis. The after-school programs are partner-ships between schools and build. Parentsserve as volunteer staff at these programs.

Institute for Responsive EducationTony Wagner, PresidentNortheastern University50 Nightingale HallBoston, MA 02115617 [email protected]://www.dac.neu.edu/ire

Founded in 1973, the Institute for ResponsiveEducation (ire) promotes family and com-munity involvement in schools and newapproaches to elementary and secondary edu-cation that are responsive to the changingneeds of students, families, communities, andthe larger society. ire’s Responsive SchoolsProject was launched in 1994 and nowinvolves clusters of K–12 schools in eightschool districts across the country. ResponsiveSchools seek to develop and demonstrate newstrategies for creating locally based, “bottomup” systemic changes in schools serving eco-nomically disadvantaged families. ire pro-vides site grants, part-time facilitators, andtraining and resources on gathering data onthe community’s needs and concerns.

Samuel W. Mason Elementary SchoolMary L. Russo, Principal150 Norfolk AvenueRoxbury, MA 02119617 [email protected]

The Mason School serves 273 students frompre-school through grade 5. In 1991, Masonwas the least-chosen elementary school inBoston and destined to close. Under a newprincipal, teachers and the community ralliedto save the school, initially by focusing onfilling the school, then on rebuilding disci-pline and starting an after-school program.The school has since actively involved parentsand key business partners, including JohnHancock Financial Services, in the classroomand on management teams.

Massachusetts Business Alliance for EducationS. Paul Reville, Executive DirectorHarvard Graduate School of Education451 Gutman LibraryAppian WayCambridge, MA 02138617 496-4823

Formed in 1988, the Massachusetts BusinessAlliance for Education (mbae) did extensiveoutreach to many groups – including businessorganizations, community groups, unions,superintendents, and school committees – todevelop an education reform proposal enti-tled “Every Child a Winner.” By continuingthis commitment to engagement once reformlegislation was drafted, mbae not onlyensured the passage of the Education ReformAct of 1993 but has subsequently promoteddialogue around the implementation of thelaw and its progress.

Massachusetts Department of EducationAlan Safran350 Main StreetMalden, MA 02148-5023781 [email protected]://www.doe.mass.edu

The Massachusetts Department of Educationwas mandated to develop statewide standardsthrough a widely representative commission.The commission traveled the state to gatherfeedback about what parents, communitymembers, educators, and others thought chil-dren ought to learn. In all, 50,000 peoplewere involved through open houses and forumsheld by local school councils. Since the publi-cation of those standards, the “CommonCore of Learning,” the department has workedto explain them to the public.

Mobilization for EquityFran Smith, CoordinatorMassachusetts Advocacy Center100 Boylston Street, Room 200Boston, MA 02116617 357-8431

Mobilization for Equity is a national projectwith the mission of promoting equal access tohigh-quality education for all children wholive in the United States. The Boston projectprovides parents with information on the newstudent standards, trains parents to becomebetter advocates for their children’s achieve-ment, and works with the entire communityto build an equity agenda.

Multi-cultural Education, Training and Advocacy (META)Roger Rice204a Elm Street, Suite 22Somerville, MA 02144617 628-2226

meta is a public-interest law firm that spe-cializes in litigation addressing equity issuesfor immigrant and minority children. meta ’sparents’ training focuses on how schoolswork, what the power structures in schoolsare, and how parents can become involved.

Newburyport Education Business Coalition Dr. Paul Dulac, SuperintendentNewburyport High SchoolP.O. Box 853Newburyport, MA 01950978 465-4440

Founded in 1990, the Newburyport EducationBusiness Coalition began as a joint venturebetween the local Industry Group and theNewburyport Public Schools to strengthenthe community’s total educational process.The Coalition supports innovative projectsthat demonstrate collaboration between class-rooms and business partners through annualPartnership Grants. Another growing pro-gram, called Port Day, introduces elementaryschool students to different occupations inlocal businesses.

Patrick O’Hearn Elementary School William Henderson, Principal1669 Dorchester AvenueBoston, Massachusetts617 635-8725

The O’Hearn School, part of the Institute forResponsive Education’s Responsive SchoolsProject, is a K–5 full inclusion-school. Sevenyears ago, O’Hearn determined that familyinvolvement was its top priority and identifiedpotential parent leaders. To ensure a morefamily-friendly school, a number of projectswere implemented: a family center during theschool day, parent participation on school-based management teams, workshops forfamily members during and after school, afamily newsletter, and a home reading pro-gram. Today, 98 percent of parents meet withteachers to examine students’ progress onportfolios, and the same percentage of fami-lies takes part in the home reading program.

The Right Question Project, Inc.Dan Rothstein, DirectorLuz Santana218 Holland StreetSomerville, MA 02144617 628-4070

The Right Question Project (rqp) worksnationally to promote the belief that all par-ents are capable of thinking and acting ontheir own behalf. rqp assists parents in devel-oping the skills to interact with their chil-dren’s teachers. Parents who have completedthe rqp training interact more regularly withtheir children and with teachers and princi-pals and develop an understanding of theimportance of asking questions and thepower of working together. Many sites acrossthe country are using the rqp model.

Springfield Learning Community CollaborativeJo-Anne Wilson Keenan, DirectorFrank H. Freedman School90 Cherokee DriveSpringfield, MA 01109413 [email protected]

In 1994, the Springfield Learning CommunityCollaborative (slcc) was developed to includestudents’ families in the classroom environ-ment, to strengthen children’s academic learn-ing and to foster school/home collaboration.Twenty Springfield elementary school teach-ers participated in an off-campus degree pro-gram focused on fostering family participa-tion and learning new approaches to teachinglanguage arts. slcc has enhanced the school/home collaboration through family visits tothe classroom, family field trips, and summerworkshops for teachers, parents, and children.


Michigan

The Center for Civil Leadership at the Institute for Education ReformMike Kiefer, Director2000 Huron River Drive, Suite 102Ypsilanti, MI 48197313 484-3232

The Center for Civil Leadership, created in1997, uses community dialogue as a lever foreffective change within schools. The Centerhas developed a diagnostic tool to benchmarkthe behavior of school governance teams andto identify training needs. This tool will beused on an on-going basis to monitor thechange in behavior of governance teams andthe degree to which collaboration betweenschool and community has increased.

Grand Rapids Public Education FundElizabeth Dilley, President111 Pearl StreetGrand Rapids, MI [email protected]://www.grpef.org

The Grand Rapids Public Education Fund(pef) is an independent, nonprofit organiza-tion that promotes high achievement for allstudents through community partnershipswith public schools. pef works to ensure that,through its partnership programs, communitymembers participate in strategic planning,policy discussions, and legislative issues,thereby providing strong leadership for sys-temic school reform. pef’s community-assetmapping initiative engages community mem-bers to help identify strengths and weaknessesin their neighborhoods and collaborate oncommunity improvement.

Middle Start InitiativeLeah Meyer Austin, Program DirectorW. K. Kellogg FoundationOne Michigan Avenue EastBattle Creek, MI 49017-4058616 [email protected]

Begun in 1994 as a project of the KelloggFoundation, the Middle Start Initiative beganwith a confidential self-study by 224 schools,the data from which provided the basis for apublic engagement strategy. Grants are madeto individual schools throughout Michigan tosupport planning, comprehensive schoolimprovement in curriculum instruction, ruralschool improvement, networking, professionaldevelopment, technical assistance, communi-cations, and policy support for the initiative.In collaboration with the Michigan League of Human Services, a booklet and companionvideo, “Starting in the Middle,” was producedas a guide for teacher professional develop-ment and community discussions.

Minnesota

Child Care AwareDenise Fogerty, Program Director2116 Campus Drive, SERochester, MN 55904507 [email protected]

Child Care Aware was founded in 1988 toimprove child care in America. They provideconsumer education on how to choose goodcare and have established a national 800number for parents to find out about localresources. For family child-care providersthey provide training and networking oppor-tunities.

Independent School District 197, West St. PaulRobert Monson, Superintendent1897 Delaware AvenueMendota Heights, MN 55118612 [email protected]

The school district initiated a strategic planning process by creating a thirty-two-member board and convening two town hallmeetings with help from Public Agenda andthe Institute for Educational Leadership.These conversations helped to renew com-munity interest in the public schools. Taskforces developed after these conversations are building partnerships with local churches,community organizations, and electedofficials.

League of Women Voters of MinneapolisRosemarie Kelly, Executive DirectorYoung Quindland Building81 South 9th Street, Suite 335Minneapolis, MN 55402612 [email protected]

Founded in 1920, the League of WomenVoters of Minneapolis is a civic educationorganization that encourages citizens to playan informed and active role in government.During the 1997–98 school year, the Leaguedesigned a “shadow” study, funded through agrant from the Edna McConnell ClarkFoundation, for all twenty-two middle-levelschools in Minneapolis: community volun-teers will shadow a student, a teacher, and aprincipal in each school; the League will thenconvene stakeholders in the community todisseminate the results of the study.

Middle School ConnectionBev PrawalskyLinda Jury1922 Garfield Street, NEMinneapolis, MN 55418612 789-3819612 [email protected]

The Middle School Connection is a two-year-old, middle-school newsletter created by twomothers to inform and empower parents.Funded this year with a grant from the EdnaMcConnell Clark Foundation, the newsletteris mailed to each of the roughly 12,000 fami-lies in Minneapolis with children in grades 5through 8. A hotline for parents to call andcomment on the newsletter has been estab-lished. During the 1997–98 school year, thetwo founders are collaborating with theLeague of Women Voters of Minneapolis totry to get a parent liaison in every middleschool.

Mississippi

Parents for Public Schools Kelly Butler, Executive DirectorAnn Duffy, Parent Connections

Project DirectorP.O. Box 12807Jackson, MS 39236-2807800 880-1222601 [email protected]://www.pps.net

Parents for Public Schools (pps) is a nationalorganization of grassroots chapters dedicatedto recruiting students, involving parents, andimproving public schools. pps chapters arecommunity-based, not school-based, and theywork with superintendents, school boards,and civic leaders to “build excellent publicschools and better communities.” There arepresently fifty-six chapters in twenty-five states.

Public Education Forum of MississippiDr. Donald Cotten, Executive Director120 North Congress Street, Suite 800Jackson, MS 32901601 353-5488

The Public Education Forum of Mississippiwas begun in 1989 by a group of businessleaders to enhance the quality of life in thestate through the improvement of public edu-cation. The Forum’s work focuses on issuesof infrastructure, including the educatorpipeline, human resources, attracting the bestand brightest into the profession, technology,professional development, and work-forcepreparation.


Missouri

Pattonville Community SchoolsMickey SchoonoverPattonville Learning Center11097 St. Charles Rock RoadSt. Ann, MO 63074314 213-8025

During the mid 1980s, the community’s abilityto support the school district was threatenedby the growing number of residents withoutschool-age children, including a large numberof senior citizens. School administratorsworked diligently to include all communitymembers, particularly senior citizens, in theplanning and operation of the public schools.Today the district enjoys broad communitysupport, intergenerational service work, andactive participation by the community inschool issues.

Nebraska

Florence Elementary SchoolJanet Pinaire, Principal7902 N 36 StreetOmaha, NE 68112402 [email protected]://www.FlorenceSchool.ops.org

Florence Elementary School, located in thenortheast section of Omaha, strives toenhance the learning of children by tappinginto a wide variety of business and communityresources. Florence believes that when stu-dents and members of the community setgoals, work on projects, and celebrate theiraccomplishments together, students achieveat higher levels and a stronger sense of com-munity is evident. Students also helped todesign a mural that was painted on the side ofa local building representing Florence’s history.The school has recently initiated a local dia-logue on civility between school, religious,and community leaders.

The School at the Center ProjectJerry Hoffman, Coordinator118 Henzlik – unlP.O. Box 880355Lincoln, NE 68588402 [email protected]

The School at the Center Project developedin response to the farm crisis in Nebraska inthe 1980s, seeking to renew the connectionbetween schools and the community. Com-munities are seen as learning laboratories.Many schools have focused on technology,heritage, and community development. Theprogram believes that students need responsi-bility, an identity, and purpose. Communityand students work together to decide whatthey want to promote about the community.

Wakefield Community SchoolJeanne Surface, 7–12 PrincipalP.O. Box 330Wakefield, NE 68784402 [email protected]

Wakefield Community School, a rural schooldistrict of 460 students, is part of the NebraskaSchool at the Center Project and the Annen-berg Rural Challenge. Wakefield has imple-mented community-based education focusedon science, entrepreneurship, housing, tech-nology, humanities, and journalism. Thecommunity-based education, with the fulland active participation of teachers, aims tohelp students understand their place in thecommunity and their role in its revitalization.

New Hampshire

Mount Washington Valley EducationRoundtablesGail MarroneP.O. Box 444Tamworth, NH 03886603 323-8841

During the fall of 1997, ninety-six peoplefrom Mount Washington Valley participatedin seven education roundtables sponsored bythe Public Conversations Project, to addressthe question, “Is our current educational sys-tem working or not working for all membersof the Mt. Washington Valley community?”Low morale and the concern of members ofthe nine towns that send students to KennettHigh School in Conway about their voice intheir children’s education provided the impe-tus for these roundtables. After the sevenroundtables had met four times each, the par-ticipants assembled together at a communityforum to summarize their discussions and tooffer recommendations.

Orford Education RoundtablesDouglas TifftRR #1, Box 151Orford, NH 03777603 643-7100, ext. [email protected]

Civic leaders in Orford initiated educationroundtables, with the assistance of the PublicConversations Project, to discuss how toimprove the fiscal viability of the town’s highschool, which could no longer be supportedby the town’s tax base. From these discus-sions emerged a commitment on the part ofthe community to enter into a partnership withnearby Fairlee, Vermont, to share resourcesand offer both communities’ students bettereducational opportunities.

Public Conversations ProjectBruce Mallory, Dean of the Graduate SchoolUniversity of New HampshireThompson HallDurham, NH 03824603 [email protected]

The Public Conversations Project coordi-nates local study circles or education round-tables on educational issues throughout NewHampshire. Groups of people from through-out the community typically meet for twohours once a week for four successive weeks.

New Jersey

Education Law CenterSteve Block155 Washington Street, Room 209Newark, NJ 07102-3106201 624-1815, ext. 18

Formed twenty-three years ago, the EducationLaw Center is a school-finance reform groupthat focuses on litigation. The Center’s ParentRepresentation Project takes calls from par-ents, identifies their problems in schools, andworks to improve those areas of concern.

Hackensack CaresRachele AckermanHackensack Public Schools355 State StreetHackensack, NJ 07601201 648-7821

Hackensack Cares works to meet the needsof the mostly Latino population that it serves.Staff and volunteers work with families dur-ing home visits to help build relationships.Their work centers on bilingual educationand helping parents to become more involvedin their children’s education.

Paterson Education FundIrene Sterling22 Mill Street, 3rd FloorPaterson, NJ 07501973 [email protected]

Paterson was the site of the second statetakeover of a school district in the country.This takeover served as the impetus for muchof the Paterson Education Fund’s (pef) andthe district’s engagement work, as the com-munity came to be seen as a vital contributorto school improvement. One of the most visible parent and community involvementprojects is a collaboration with the RightQuestion Project in which parents learn howto monitor, support, and advocate for betterschools. The pef’s Family Friendly ComputerProgram last year loaned 900 computers topublic school families. The Kids Voting –New Jersey project enabled 23,000 Patersonstudents last year to cast their votes on thesame issues that adults did.


Plainfield Public SchoolsLarry Leverett, Superintendent504 Madison AvenuePlainfield, NJ 07060908 [email protected]

As part of a strategic planning process, morethan 200 people participated in the produc-tion of the “Community Planning Task ForceReport” in 1996. The school district subse-quently incorporated many of the community’ssuggestions into its plan. Leadership, Innova-tion, and Change Councils were created ateach school as a site-based management teamthat includes parents and community members.

Randall Carter Elementary School (Wayne Township Public Schools)Linda Dubsky, Former Principal15 South Baynard LaneMahwah, NJ 07430201 [email protected]

When a new principal arrived at RandallCarter Elementary School in 1991, she imme-diately began work to develop school/businesspartnerships under a directive from the dis-trict. Working with students, teachers, parents,and community members, the school initiateda school-beautification project that plantedtrees and shrubbery, developed a mile and ahalf nature trail, and constructed a naturestudy center. While located at Randall Carter,the nature trail and center are used not onlyby each of the district’s schools but also bythe community. Parents, educators, and com-munity members, including one of the school’sbusiness partners, have also been activelyinvolved on site-based planning committees.

Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School DistrictDr. Claude W. McAllister, Superintendent135 East AvenueWoodstown, NJ 08908609 [email protected]

In March 1997, a group of ten school boardmembers, parents, and administrators attendeda Parents as Partners workshop sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association.Soon after, an engagement process waslaunched with educators, parents, and com-munity members with the intent of increasingstudent achievement. More than one hundredcommunity members began work on fivecommittees to address issues such as parentresources, communications, and school cli-mate. Two policies – on parent participationand volunteers – that emerged from thesecommittees were subsequently approved bythe school board and will be implementedbeginning in January 1998.

The Writers’ Room (Montclair)Sheila Crowell, Founder and DirectorEllen Kolba, Founder and DirectorThe Writing Centers of Montclair

Public Schools346 Park StreetMontclair, NJ 07043-2234973 746-7328

The Writers’ Room program has trainednearly a hundred volunteers from the com-munity and from Montclair State Universityto work with students in the classroom tohelp them improve their writing skills.

New York

Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc.Michael Rebell, Executive Director

and Counsel6 East 43rd StreetNew York, NY 10017212 867-8455

Founded in 1993 as a coalition of major educational and parent advocate groups,community school boards, and citizens, theCampaign for Fiscal Equity filed a lawsuit onschool funding that was brought before thestate. That lawsuit seeks to ensure that allstudents in New York have access to a “sound,basic education.” cfe has committed itself tobuilding broad public support – through amultiyear series of statewide regional forumsand events in New York City – for a remedythat can be presented to the legislature if thestate Court of Appeals rules in favor of thelawsuit.

Highbridge Community Life CenterBrother Edward Phelan, Executive Director979 Ogden AvenueBronx, NY 10452718 681-2222

The Highbridge Community Life Centeropened in 1979 in response to the mass exo-dus of families from the community. A hand-ful of women began to canvas the neighbor-hood, asking residents how they could help,which led to a small referral service. Sincethen, the Center has offered adult educationclasses and after-school programs for chil-dren, including mentoring. After a strategicplanning process in 1990, the Center decidedto sponsor a vista program, and currentlythere are twenty-four vista and Americorpvolunteers on the staff. The Center’s FuturesWorkshops bring families on a day-longretreat to talk about their vision of theHighbridge community.

Industrial Areas Foundation/Metro New York CityJim DrakeWestsiders Together165 West 65th StreetNew York, NY 10024212 875-9345

The Industrial Areas Foundation (iaf) hasbeen deeply involved in the development ofthe South Bronx over the past twelve years.Parents and community members helped todesign and create a new school called theBronx Leadership Academy. iaf helped toorganize several thousand people to confrontthe school board to ensure the approval ofthis new school. The Academy, thanks to itssmall size and acceptance of shared gover-nance with parents, has seen graduation ratesrise and more and more graduates going onto college.

Mothers On the Move (MOM)Lucretia Jones, Chairperson,

Board of Directors928 Intervale AvenueBronx, NY 10459718 [email protected]

mom began in 1992 as the Parent Organizingand Education Project of the Bronx EducationServices (bes). A group of mothers looked upthe reading scores at their children’s schoolsand were shocked at the low achievement lev-els. They started to organize, meet, and talkwith other parents. Incorporated in 1994,mom organizes parents to fight for their chil-dren, for greater funding and resource equity,and for improved student achievement.Membership now includes over 700 moms(and some dads).

Multicultural Music Group, Inc. Luis Mojica, Executive Director114 Briggs AvenueYonkers, NY 10701914 375-4096

The Multicultural Music Group, Inc. (mmg),is a nonprofit organization created to pro-mote multicultural music instruction as a toolto achieve global understanding, culturalawareness, and academic improvement. Parentsand community members share experiencesrelated to their cultural heritage to enhancelessons. mmg’s teacher-training program provides professional development in multi-cultural music education. Artists of differentcultures in residence work with educators in school districts to enhance their musicprograms.


Public AgendaDeborah Wadsworth, Executive DirectorWill Friedman, Director of Public

Engagement6 East 39th StreetNew York, NY 10016212 [email protected]://www.publicagenda.org/index.html

Founded in 1975 by social scientist and authorDaniel Yankelovich and former Secretary ofState Cyrus Vance, Public Agenda works tohelp average citizens better understand criti-cal policy issues and to help the nation’s lead-ers better understand the public’s point ofview. Public Agenda’s in-depth research onhow citizens think about policy forms thebasis for extensive citizen education work.

The Selborne ProjectMark Baldwin, Project CoordinatorRoger Tory Peterson Institute311 Curtis StreetJamestown, NY 14701716 [email protected]://www.rtpi.org/selborne.html

The Selborne Project is a curricular projectof the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, anational, nonprofit organization. The SelborneProject’s goal is to instill the love of natureand the revitalization of communities througha curriculum that allows children to learnabout the natural and human ecology of thearea around the school. Teachers receive in-service preparation, and parents and com-munity members welcome students to theirworkplaces and in turn accompany them toclasses during their learning.

North Carolina

Center for Creative LeadershipKathleen M. Holmes-Ponder, Director,

Learning Systems ApplicationsOne Leadership PlacePost Office Box 26300Greensboro, NC 27436-6300910 [email protected]://www.ccl.org

The Center for Creative Leadership (ccl) isan international, nonprofit educational insti-tution founded in 1970. ccl focuses onexpanding the interpersonal skill sets of edu-cational leaders through a process of personalassessment, feedback, and coaching.

Latin American Resource Center (LARC)Aura Camacho Maas, Founder and

Executive DirectorP.O. Box 31871Raleigh, NC 27622-1871919 [email protected]

The Latin American Resource Center (larc)works with local schools, their students, andcommunity members to impact history andother curricula and increase students’ under-standing of Latin American cultures. larc ’sDialogo program provides teacher training,piloted workshops, lesson plans and materials,and a traveling art exhibit to help educatorsinfuse their classrooms with new knowledgeabout Latin American countries and people.

North Carolina Center for Creative RetirementCarolyn Williams, School Volunteer

Program DirectorUniversity of North Carolina at AshevilleOne University HeightsAsheville, NC 28804704 251-6140

The North Carolina Center for CreativeRetirement, an institute of the University ofNorth Carolina at Asheville, provides pro-grams in community leadership, volun-teerism, peer learning and teaching, healthpromotion, intergenerational education, andretirement planning. In November 1996, theCenter facilitated a pilot study-circles pro-gram at Asheville Middle School. Those studycircles, which included thirty-one communitymembers, aimed to improve communicationin the schools and to clarify the points wherepeople wanted to take action.

North Carolina Education and Law ProjectGreg MalhoitP.O. Box 27343Raleigh, NC 27610919 856-2150

The North Carolina Education and LawProject emerged from meetings in 1991between a group of forty leaders who cametogether to examine the need for a legaladvocacy project. The Project provides par-ents with forty hours of instruction as part of a parent-empowerment training programthat focuses on educational policy and leader-ship development. The Project also doesresearch and publishes reports and studies.

Public School Forum of North CarolinaJohn Dornan, President, Executive Director3739 National Drive, Suite 210Raleigh, NC 27612919 781-6833http://www.ncforum.org

The Public School Forum was founded in1985 in direct response to A Nation at Risk.The Forum’s sixty-person board is evenlydivided among business leaders, electedofficials, and educators. Its mission is to con-tribute to creating a school system in NorthCarolina that is second to none. The Forumseeks to build consensus around the goals ofschool improvement and an accompanyingcommon vision that extends from the com-munity level to the public policy arena of thestate. The Forum is also launching theInstitute for Educational Policymakers tobuild the capacity and vision of educationalpolicymakers and the reporters and writerswho cover them.

Transylvania Dispute Settlement CenterJohn A. FennerP.O. Box 1205500 North Broad StreetBrevard, NC 28712704 877-3815

During the fall of 1996, the TransylvaniaDispute Settlement Center initiated a com-munitywide discussion, using the study-circlesmodel, on a variety of educational issues. Thegoal was to provide a vision of excellence inpublic education. The Center trained facilita-tion and discussion leaders. Discussions beganon a pilot basis with three groups of fifteenpeople and then expanded to communitywidegroups with nearly one hundred people ineight groups.

Ohio

Cincinnati Public SchoolsMonica Solomon, Communications DirectorP.O. Box 5381Cincinnati, OH 45201-5381513 475-7023

Following a series of failed levies in 1990, theCincinnati Public Schools adopted a commu-nications strategy to build support for theschools among key community stakeholders.The district worked with Public Agenda andat the same time began a partnership with theNew American Schools and the EducationCommission of the States to build a strategiccommunications plan. A key component wasbuilding capacity at the local school level.The district has also worked to provide clearer,more easily understood information on stan-dards and assessments to the community.


Citizen’s League of Lorain CountyLisa Stofan, Executive DirectorP.O. Box 2431875 North Ridge Road East, Suite BLorain, OH 44055216 240-1980

The Citizen’s League publishes voter guidesand hosts forums to help citizens betterunderstand local candidates. The work of theCitizen’s League in education this year hasfocused on leading a series of study circlesaround a range of educational issues, followinga successful study-circles program on race.

Defiance City Schools/Defiance 2000Ian MacGregor, Assistant Superintendent629 Arabella StreetDefiance, OH 43512419 782-0070

Defiance 2000 was a collaboration betweenthe Defiance and Ayersville schools to estab-lish and work toward a set of goals based onthe national Goals 2000 plan. The Defiance2000 Committee comprised local education,civic, and business leaders. Six goals wereoriginally chosen; a seventh – to increase par-ent involvement in schools – was added later.Programs that have grown out of this workinclude three neighborhood learning centers,a social group that organizes family activitiesat the middle school level, and a growingmentoring program.

Harmony Empowerment CenterDavid Nordyke1730 Section RoadP.O. Box 37763Cincinnati, OH 45222513 761-9700

The Harmony Empowerment Center is aconsumer-oriented education group that pro-vides information and helps parents to getwhat is best for their children. The Centerhelps parents and citizens access information,formulate questions, and take action for theirchildren.

The Kettering FoundationDavid Mathews, President200 Commons Road Dayton, OH 45459-2799513 434-7300800 221-3657http://www.kettering.org

The Kettering Foundation is a nonprofitresearch institution, dedicated to improvingthe practice of democratic politics. It worksin the U.S. and in emerging democraciesthroughout the world for the development ofhealthy civil societies, communities able tomanage their own public business effectively,and a public voice that clearly expresses thepolitical will of the people. It also conductsresearch, which is used to craft “tools,” studyguides, community workbooks, and otherexercises that help a public act effectively andresponsively on its problems.

Medina Public SchoolsCharles Irish, Superintendent120 West WashingtonMedina, OH 44256330 725-9201

When a conflict arose in Medina over a picture of Jesus displayed in an elementaryschool, school district officials used theopportunity to engage a broad range of schooland community participants in a series ofcommunity forums. The school district hascontinued to use engagement strategies todevelop a strategic plan and to decide whetherto build a new high school.

The Mohican InstituteWilliam G. O’Callaghan, Jr.William G. O’Callaghan Associates1201 Virginia AvenueLakewood, OH 444107216 [email protected]

The Mohican Institute began as a group ofthirty Ohio superintendents who met to dis-cuss ways in which schools and communitiescould work differently in the future. TheInstitute was eventually incorporated in orderto help other school districts in Ohio workwith their publics.

Ohio’s BEST – Building Excellent Schools forToday and the 21st CenturyDonald S. Van MeterJack Johnson68 North High Street, 4th FloorColumbus, OH 43215614 469-1200

Ohio’s best is a public education and awareness campaign of the Ohio EducationImprovement Consortium, Inc., a statewidealliance committed to improving educationalopportunities and results for all Ohio school children. One program, Ohio’s bestPractices, identifies and showcases exemplarypractices across the state.

Olivehill Accelerated SchoolRoger Evans, Principal1250 Olive RoadDayton, OH 45426513 854-0761

During meetings in church basements threeyears ago, the Olivehill Accelerated Schoollaunched its school reform efforts by devel-oping a vision for its dream school. Now inthe third year of the process, a team of teach-ers, the principal, two parents, and two stu-dents meet every other week. That teamreviews reports from four operational-changegroups, made up of people from within theschool, that look at curriculum and instruc-tion, parent and community involvement,physical plan and school safety, and schooldiscipline and climate.


Olmstead Falls School DistrictRobert Kreiner, SuperintendentP.O. Box 38010Olmstead Falls, OH 44138216 235-7979

School districts in Ohio are continuallyrequired to go back to their constituents toask for levy approval to finance schoolimprovement projects. Olmstead Falls engagedcitizens as part of a process to garner supportfor a levy to build classrooms and increasethe operating budget. The district has con-tinued to work with a core group of thirty-to-forty community members.

Reaching HeightsSusie Kaeser3130 Mayfield Road, Suite E-239Cleveland Heights, OH 44118216 932-5110

Reaching Heights is a small, community-based organization founded in 1989. A dia-logue, “Public Schools for the 21st Century,”based on the study-circles model, convenedcommunity members around increasing com-munity involvement and collaboration witheducators and redesigning schools.

SchoolMatchJeffrey Glaze, Manager for

Consulting ServicesBlendonview Office Park5027 Pine Creek DriveWesterville, OH 43081-4849614 [email protected]://schoolmatch.com

SchoolMatch started in 1986 to help providerelocating families with information onschools. They maintain a national database of information on every public school andeach accredited private school in the country.SchoolMatch has also completed over 650audits of school systems to date.

Wauseon Exempted Village SchoolsNeil Weber, Superintendent120 East Chestnut StreetWauseon, OH 43567419 335-6616

A boom in the projected growth of the stu-dent population prompted district officials toconvene an engagement process to build support for a $7.2-million bond issue to con-struct a new school. Administrators beganmeeting in 1995 to discuss their options toaccommodate the growth. Meetings with par-ents were scheduled, and a committee perusedvoting lists to find potential supporters. Acommunitywide “state of the schools” meet-ing drew more than 550 people. The bondissue was subsequently passed with 63 per-cent of the vote.

West Holmes Consolidated SchoolsDean Wurtzler, Former SuperintendentP.O. Box 897Kilbuck, OH 44637330 722-4513

Faced with serious overcrowding in theirschools, administrators and principals went to teachers and parents to discuss the problemand to begin to build support for a majorbond issue. A committee of school and com-munity members formed to devise alternateplans to build a new high school and elevennew classrooms at the elementary level or tocommit to a year-round scheduling plan withsplit-sessions. These plans were presented to 300 community members at a “state of theschools” meeting, and the Board decided toplace a $16.8-million bond issue on the bal-lot. That bond issue eventually passed with58 percent of the vote.

Oregon

Northwest Regional Educational LaboratoryRobert E. Blum101 S.W. Main, Suite 500Portland, OR [email protected]://www.nwrel.org

The mission of the Northwest RegionalEducational Laboratory (nwrel) is toimprove educational results for children,youth, and adults by providing research anddevelopment assistance in delivering equi-table, high-quality educational programs.nwrel provides research and developmentassistance to education, government, commu-nity agencies, business, and labor. nwrel ’sprimary service area is the Northwest statesof Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, andWashington.

Pennsylvania

Alliance Organizing Project Gary Rodwell152 West Lehigh AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19133215 739-5702

Founded in 1995, the Alliance OrganizingProject (aop) educates and funds professionalcommunity organizers to train parents to be able to hold all parts of the communityaccountable for maintaining and improving aquality public education system. aop believesthat parent and community organizing is thekey component to creating and sustainingdeep parental involvement in schools.

Asian Americans UnitedEllen Somekawa, Executive Director801 Arch StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107215 925-1538

Asian Americans United (aau) formed in1985 when small groups of like-minded indi-viduals came together to build a broad baseto support Asian American communities inPhiladelphia. In 1986, aau began a pilotsummer program to provide an alternate edu-cation to Southeast Asian children in WestPhiladelphia and to train youth and organizeparents. aau’s goal is to get more parentsinvolved in the education of their children byproviding them with information and orga-nizing them around issues such as the creationof English as a Second Language programsand ensuring bilingual staff in schools.

Central Elementary SchoolChristopher Yeager, Principal829 Turner StreetAllentown, PA 18102610 820-2123

To solve an overcrowding problem, the dis-trict in March 1996 selected Central Elemen-tary School to pilot year-round schooling. As part of a three-year study and planningprocess, the district reached out to communitymembers, businesses, and day-care providers.The school also contacted parents throughinvitations, phone calls, and surveys to informthem about the new program. Early indica-tors of success are a higher daily attendancelevel, a focus on positive discipline, and astronger relationship with the community.

Children Achieving ChallengeVicki Phillips, Executive Director1818 Market Street, Suite 3510Philadelphia, PA 19103215 575-2200http://www.philsch.k12.pa.us

The Children Achieving Challenge is a public-private partnership, created with a$50-million grant from the Annenberg Foun-dation, to support Philadelphia’s schoolimprovement plan. Public engagement is onecomponent of the Philadelphia PublicSchools’ ten-part Children Achieving plan.The Challenge has promoted the develop-ment of school councils to enable parents totake part in site-based management. Recently,parents, teachers, and community membersparticipated in a process to craft districtwidecontent standards.

Communities in SchoolsMartin Nock, Executive Directorjfk Center, Room 450734 Schuylkill AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19146215 875-3171

Ten years old and chartered by the Philadelphiaschool district, Communities in Schools (cis)is a stay-in-school, drop-out prevention pro-gram aimed at at-risk youth. cis , which ishoused in seventeen high schools, includingnine Small Learning Communities, works tohelp at-risk youth graduate and find employ-ment. cis develops curricula, such as healthmanagement, that are career-skills oriented.

Eastside AllianceJennifer O’Donnell, Project CoordinatorRD 44808 Liberty AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15224412 621-0644

Eastside Alliance is a parent-advocacy initia-tive based on the Alliance Organizing Projectin Philadelphia. The goal of Eastside Allianceis to assemble an organized group of parentswho are focused on student achievement.

Mon Valley Education ConsortiumLinda Croushore, Co-Executive DirectorCarmen Sarnicola, Co-Executive Director336 Shaw AvenueMcKeesport, PA 15132-2917412 [email protected]://www.mvec.org

Founded in 1987, the Mon Valley EducationConsortium (mvec) is a member of thePublic Education Network and is dedicatedto achieving high-quality public education forevery child. mvec works in twenty-fiveschool districts and their constituent commu-nities in southwestern Pennsylvania to restoreand build public confidence in the schoolsand to create strong linkages between thecommunity and the schools. During the1995–96 school year, mvec brought togethereducators and the public in those communi-ties where the Consortium works in aCommunity Summit to address concerns intheir schools and communities.


Parents Union for Public SchoolsSarah Gilliam311 S. Juniper Street, Suite 602Philadelphia, PA 19107215 [email protected]

Parents Union for Public Schools (pups) is a citywide, multiracial parents’ group formedin 1972 to serve as an informational resourcefor parents. They maintain a comprehensivelibrary of fiscal and organizational informa-tion, such as test scores and attendance rates,on each of the 257 schools in the Philadelphiapublic school system. pups’ goal is to provideparents with meaningful and adequate infor-mation to be able to have direct conversa-tions with school officials.

Pennsylvania School Reform NetworkTimothy Potts, Director317 North Front StreetHarrisburg, PA 17101717 [email protected]

The Pennsylvania School Reform Network(psrn) is an independent, nonpartisan orga-nization that works to build public engage-ment in school reform in Pennsylvania. psrnworks to inform and engage Network mem-bers with respect to legislative, regulatory,and other initiatives at the state level thathave an impact on students’ rights and thequality of education they receive.

Rhode Island

Providence Blueprint for Education (PROBE)Edward D. Eddy, ChairDaniel D. Challener, Director15 Westminster Street, Suite 824Providence, RI 02903401 [email protected]@aol.com

The Providence Blueprint for Education(probe) began in the early 1990s with a two-year study of the Providence public schools.Thirty-nine recommendations emerged from the report. probe is an independentcommunity-advocacy group whose mission isto try to get those recommendations adopted,including changes in the teachers’ contractand establishment of parent centers in schools.probe is developing a public accountabilityproject to allow six schools initially (on a vol-untary basis) to prepare school report cardsthat contain qualitative and quantitativeinformation; the program is to expand in1998 to twelve schools.

Tiogue Elementary SchoolBarbara Werchadlo, Principal170 Shore DriveCoventry, RI 02816401 822-9460

After members of the steering committeeattended an informational meeting with theFoundation for Excellent Schools, the TiogueElementary School formed a core team of theprincipal, three teachers, and two parents tobegin a goal-setting process. The three goalsthat the team established were to achieve 100percent family involvement, to initiate a townbeautification project, and to have each gradelevel take on a service-learning project.

South Carolina

Charleston County School DistrictMeg Howle75 Calhoun Street Charleston, SC 29401803 937-6302

With a task force of community representa-tives, Charleston created elected, widely rep-resentative school governance councils forevery school, which are in charge of staff andprincipal selection and budget and curricu-lum decisions. The district also is reachingout more to the local business community,African American civic and church leaders,and parents.

South Dakota

Belle Fourche School DistrictJohn Swanson1113 National StreetBelle Fourche, SD 57717-1900605 [email protected]

The roughly 1,450 students in the BelleFourche School District, which is part of theAnnenberg Rural Challenge, use the commu-nity as a focus of study. At each grade level,students research and write on the culturaland historical components of the community.High school students who take a popular his-toriography course research and interviewlocal elderly citizens and write stories ontheir lives and experiences. The final docu-ments prepared by students are archived andmade available for use by other students,members of the community, and local histori-ans. Sixth-graders study the local govern-ment, infrastructure, and economy to createmock towns. These projects are assessed, notby teachers, but by parents, civic, and busi-ness leaders, and community members.

Elm Valley School DistrictCindy RallP.O. Box 6Barnard, SD 57426-0006605 [email protected]

Educators in the Elm Valley School District,which is part of the Annenberg RuralChallenge, are developing a community-visioning process to engage communitymembers around the strengths and weaknessesof their schools. A variety of ideas, includingthe renovation of classrooms and addressinghousing and elderly needs, emerged fromconversations to improve the schools and thetowns in the district. Students have beenactive participants in looking at changes toparts of the curriculum.

Howard School DistrictJim Lentz, PrincipalHoward High SchoolP.O. Box EHoward, SD 57349-0210605 [email protected]

The Howard, South Dakota, district, whichis part of the Annenberg Rural Challenge,has focused on four ideas: place, demograph-ics, sustainability, and social justice. Studentsat Howard High School developed a cash-flow project that, after examining how muchrevenues would increase if residents spentmore money in their county, led to a 27 per-cent increase in revenues the following year.Howard High School has also opened a RuralResource Center that serves as a hub forcommunity activities and interaction. Directedreadings by students, parents, and communitymembers have also sparked conversations onthe future needs of the area.

Pollock School DistrictJohn LaFaveP.O. Box 207Pollock, SD 57648-0207605 [email protected]

Students in Pollock, a small town of 400people and part of the Annenberg RuralChallenge, have spearheaded an effort toaddress a shortage of housing and a disconnectwith senior citizens. After the school devel-oped a Life Skills curriculum, studentsworked to refurbish a mobile home as assistedhousing for elderly residents. The creation ofa community center adjacent to the schoolwill also enable school and community members to access a variety of resources andprograms.


Program for Rural School and Community RenewalMike Johnson, DirectorBox 507, Wenona Hall 219South Dakota State UniversityBrookings, SD 57005-0095605 [email protected]

The Program for Rural School andCommunity Renewal was started at SouthDakota State University. It is part of theAnnenberg Rural Challenge and works witheighteen communities. Schools use the com-munity as a focus of study. Educators, stu-dents, parents, and community members, aspart of a six-to-ten-person core team, askthemselves questions such as “Why are theschools there?” and “What should kidsknow?” Students are involved in decisionmaking.

Shannon County School DistrictTerry AlbersP.O. Box 109Batesland, SD 57716-0109605 288-1921

The past two U.S. census reports have iden-tified Shannon County, home to the PineRidge Indian Reservation and the small com-munity of Batesland, as the poorest county inthe country. With funding from the NationalAcademy of Sciences and the AnnenbergRural Challenge, the district has providedcomputers and training throughout theschool. The school, managed by a leadershipteam, has opened up by implementingschool-based management and making thecommunity an integral part of its activities.

Tennessee

Betty Phillips Center for Parenthood EducationJerold P. Bauch, DirectorBox 81Peabody College of Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN 37203615 [email protected]

The Betty Phillips Center for ParenthoodEducation is a research, development, andtraining center of Peabody College atVanderbilt University. The Bridge Project,developed in 1994, is a national effort withthe American Business Collaboration forQuality Dependent Care to improve andexpand involvement in the schools. Familiesreceive vital information, through voice-messaging technology, from school each dayso they can provide a supportive environmentfor their children. During the 1995–96school year, more than a hundred schools ineleven school districts qualified as the firstBridge Project schools.

Partners for Academic Excellence, Inc. (PACE)Anne Hall, Executive DirectorP.O. Box 4212Chattanooga, TN 37405423 [email protected]

Founded in 1986, pace is a nonprofit organi-zation whose mission is to generate and facilitate parental and community involvementin the public schools of Chattanooga andHamilton counties.

Public Education FundSteve Prighozy, Executive Director100 East 10th Street, Suite 500Chattanooga, TN 37402423 265-9403

The Public Education Fund (pef) helped the Chattanooga Public Schools gather sup-port for a referendum to merge the cityschools with the surrounding HamiltonCounty school system. The pef undertook aget-out-the-vote campaign, emphasizing theneed for high standards for students. Aftercity voters overwhelmingly voted to merge,the pef helped to craft a new plan for themerged district. Through community hear-ings, surveys, 120 town meetings, and amedia campaign, 35,000 people wereinvolved in the process.

Texas

Hispanic Education CommitteeSister Bernadine Reyes216 W. Highland BoulevardBoerne, TX 78006830 816-8470

A group of parents in Boerne formed theHispanic Education Committee to addressthe plight of Hispanic students. In 1992, forinstance, while 73 percent of white studentsin the tenth grade took and passed all threeof the state’s exit exams, only 22 percent ofHispanic students did. Listening to theCommittee’s concerns, the School Board sub-sequently incorporated a goal in its 1994 and1995 annual plans to work with parents andcommunity members to narrow this achieve-ment gap. Since then, the gap has beenreduced, and both groups are performing athigher levels. In 1997, 55 percent of Hispanicstudents and 87 percent of white students inthe tenth grade took and passed the exams.

Industrial Areas FoundationCarrie LoughlinTexas Interfaith Education Fund1106 Clayton Lane, Suite 120WAustin, TX 78723512 459-6551

Founded in the 1940s, the Industrial AreasFoundation (iaf) is a national network ofmore than forty umbrella groups of organiza-tions that work to improve the quality of lifein disadvantaged communities. The AllianceSchools Project, established in 1992 as anoutgrowth of iaf ’s work, aims to increaseparent and community involvement in schools.Alliance Schools focus on fostering andbuilding parental leadership, making studentachievement the top goal of school restruc-turing, and building community relationshipsaround education reform.

Intercultural Development Research AssociationAurelio Montemayor5835 Callaghan Road, Suite 350San Antonio, TX 78228-1190210 [email protected]://www.idra.org

Founded in 1973, the Intercultural Develop-ment and Research Association (idra) is anindependent, nonprofit advocacy organiza-tion dedicated to improving educationalopportunity. idra conducts research anddevelopment activities; creates, implements,and administers innovative education pro-grams; and provides teacher, administrator,and parent training and technical assistance.

Just for the Kids Brad Duggan, Executive Director301 Congress Avenue, Suite 375Austin, TX 78701800 762-4645512 [email protected]://www.just4kids.org

Founded in 1995, Just for the Kids (jftk) is anonprofit, nonpartisan organization that edu-cates, engages, and energizes individuals inevery community in Texas to provide theopportunity for all children to maximize theirpotential in the public school system. jftk’sCommunity Engagement Chapters bringstogether parents, educators, and business andcommunity leaders to set clear and measur-able goals, to use student achievement data toevaluate where a community stands relativeto the goals, and to form partnerships to holdall stakeholders accountable for their roles toreach these goals and to sustain improve-ments over time.


Sam Houston Elementary School (Lower Rio Grande Valley)Connie Maheshwari, Principal2000 North 23rdMcAllen, TX 78501210 971-4484

Shortly after becoming a member of theIndustrial Areas Foundation’s Alliance SchoolProject about three years ago, teachers andstaff from Sam Houston Elementary Schoolbegan to visit parents’ homes. They soonlearned that safety was a major concern, alongwith a desire to see cleaner alleys around theschool building. The school worked with thelocal police to assign two more police officersto the area outside of the school, and withparents who now have cleaned up and moni-tor the school’s alleys. These new relation-ships with parents have led to the develop-ment of a contract of expectations signed byteachers, parents, and students and to thecreation of report-card nights where parentsvisit the school every six weeks.

Zavala Elementary SchoolLoretta Caro, Principal310 Robert Martinez Jr. StreetAustin, TX 78702-4536512 414-2318http://www.austin.isd.tenet.edu/schools/elem/

zavala.html

In 1990, Zavala initiated a partnership withthe Industrial Areas Foundation (iaf) to build and strengthen relationships with thecommunity. The school began to restructureitself by organizing teachers to begin avisioning process, mainstreaming all students,and introducing a gifted reading program.Zavala’s focus has always been to improvestudent achievement which, along withincreased student attendance, has soared towhere 93 percent of fourth-graders now passthe state’s writing-proficiency test.

Vermont

First Day FoundationTerry ElrichP.O. Box 10Bennington, VT 05201802 447-9625http://www.firstday.org

Nearly 1,200 parents and “parent equiva-lents” in five Vermont towns kicked off the1997–98 school year by visiting elevenschools. Participating schools have the flexi-bility to design their own programs to wel-come parents, discuss the upcoming schoolyear, and to help parents understand the inte-gral role they can play in their children’s aca-demic success. One hundred twenty-four areabusinesses signed onto this partnership bypledging to give their employees time off tovisit their children’s schools.

Foundation for Excellent Schools Rick Dalton, PresidentRD 4, Box 480Middlebury, VT 05753802 [email protected]://www.fesnet.org

Founded in 1991, the Foundation forExcellent Schools (fes) is a nonprofit organi-zation dedicated to improving the quality ofAmerican public education (K–12). fessponsors programs designed to increase theopportunities and improve the academic per-formance of all students by bringing togethereducators, students, parents, and the localbusiness community.

Virginia

Gloucester Department of Community EducationChristi Lewis, Director of

Community EducationGloucester County GovernmentP.O. Box 1306Gloucester, VA 23601804 693-5730

The Department of Community Education,founded in 1976, coordinates school pro-grams that are geared toward involving thecommunity in schools. The Departmentcoordinates volunteer activities and partner-ships for civic associations, individuals, andbusinesses. In addition, the Departmentdirects after-school enrichment programs andpublishes newsletters for all of the schools.

Knowledge Network Dr. Kent Lloyd, Chairman and PresidentDr. Diane Ramsey, Vice President1511 Lincoln Way, Suite 304McLean, VA 22102703 356-5009

In the spring of 1997, the Knowledge Networkpublished a resource book, Reclaiming OurNation At Risk: Lessons Learned for ReformingOur Elementary Schools, to kick off a nationwidepublic engagement campaign. The informa-tion, strategies and models of successfulreform contained in the book were drawnfrom interviews with forty-four nationallyrecognized school reformers and educationalleaders. The idea for this guide came from anApril 1995 summit, sponsored by the Network,with 150 educational, political, business, parent, and community leaders.

National Association of Partners in Education,Inc. (NAPE)Sara Melnick, Director of Development901 N. Pitt Street, Suite 320Alexandria, VA 22314703 [email protected]://www.napehq.org

Formed in 1988, nape provides leadership in the growth and formation of educationalpartnerships between businesses, schools, andthe community to ensure success for all stu-dents. nape ’s Ambassadors for Educationprogram aims to raise the level of awarenessaround education. nape trains people at thenational level who, in turn, train “ambassadors”in their state and locality to get involved withschools and the issues facing them.

Washington

Alliance for EducationJoel Groen500 Union Street, Suite 320Seattle, WA 98101-2332206 [email protected]://www.alliance4ed.org

Formed in 1995, the Alliance for Educationworks in partnership with the Seattle PublicSchools to ensure that the district has theessential resources and leadership to prepareSeattle students for success in postsecondaryeducation and the world of work.

Cascade ConsortiumTom Reese, SuperintendentLake Chelan School District #129P.O. Box 369Chelan, WA 98816509 [email protected]

The Cascade Consortium is a partnershipbetween five Washington rural school districts.Its goal is to examine ways that the districtscan work together, expand collaborativeopportunities, and share resources.

Methow Valley School DistrictSuellen White, SuperintendentBox 126Twisp, WA 98856509 996-9205

Methow Valley School District, with 800 stu-dents, strives to engage the public by increas-ing student involvement in the community,providing adult role models and mentors,strengthening the relationship between theschools and the community, and emphasizingthat students can build a successful life andcareer by staying locally upon graduation.The district’s Methow Valley As a Classroomprogram enables every high school student totake part in an apprenticeship program half aweek for each of fifteen weeks.


Parent Organizing Project Joe Chrastil, Lead OrganizerJoe Gaffney-Brown, School Community

Organizer1526 E. 11th AvenueSpokane, WA 99202509 [email protected]

The Parent Organizing Project (pop) hashelped to create and sustain site councils inseventeen schools in eastern Washington.pop works to engage parents in conversationsabout public education. Parent organizingwithin each school is initiated by a team ofthe principal, three-to-four teachers, and six-to-ten parents. pop provides training tomembers of site councils and to members of the school’s organizing team.

Partnership for Learning William Porter, Executive DirectorWashington Mutual Bank1201 3rd Avenue, 12th FloorSeattle, WA 98161-1007206 [email protected]

After the Washington school improvementact passed in 1993, the Washington BusinessRoundtable helped to form the Partnershipfor Learning (pfl). pfl’s main goal is to pro-mote public awareness about the state’sefforts to raise student standards and enhancestudent achievement. pfl works primarilywith opinion leaders and policymakers anddevelops print materials for a database of20,000-to-25,000 people.

Powerful SchoolsGreg Tuke, Executive Director3301 South HortonSeattle, WA 98144206 [email protected]://www.seattleantioch.edu/students/jdob

meier.p

Begun in 1989, Powerful Schools is a coali-tion of elementary schools in Seattle that ispartnered with two community organizations.Its mission is to improve student performancefor all children, strengthen the community byestablishing schools that serve as communityhubs, and create an effective and cost-efficientmodel for school-reform that is replicatedelsewhere. A parent-incentive program hashired twenty-five to thirty low-income par-ents to work in schools and classrooms astutors and aides or in other positions.

Seattle Young People’s ProjectLaura Timme1265 South Main Street, #310Seattle, WA 98144206 860-9606

Seattle Young People’s Project is a youth-empowerment organization made up of 620members, all under nineteen-years-old. Itsmission is to provide youth with a chance tospeak out on issues that affect them and towork toward positive social change in theirschools and communities.

Wenatchee School District #246John W. Gordon, Superintendent235 Sunset AvenueP.O. Box 1767Wenatchee, WA 98807-1767509 [email protected]

Following the buy-out of the former superin-tendent’s contract and a failed bond levy dur-ing the 1995–96 school year, the new super-intendent initiated community forums to dia-logue about the school district. Three hun-dred twenty people took part in five publicforums. This outreach to the community ledto the passage of a major bond levy in March1997. The district has continued to engagethe public through a strategic planningprocess with community members, the initia-tion of a “ceo dialogue,” and the creation ofparent advisory committees.

West Virginia

Atenville Elementary SchoolDarlene DaltonAtenville, WV304 855-3173

About six years ago, Atenville, one of thecommunities involved in the ResponsiveSchools Project, began working to increasefamily involvement in the schools. AtenvilleElementary School hired a parent coordina-tor, opened a family center, coordinatedhome visits, and established tutoring centersin local churches. Parents were given moredecision-making authority through servingon school committees that set short-term andyear-long goals. Both students and familiesnow develop portfolios to track their progress.


West Virginia Local Education FundEmily Papadopoulos, DirectorP.O. Box 3071Charleston, WV 25331-3071304 342-7850

Started in 1983 by state business, civic, andeducational leaders, the West Virginia LocalEducation Fund is a catalyst for business and community involvement, leading toenhanced educational opportunities and stu-dent achievement. The Education Fund hasthree primary goals: to provide grants andawards to schools for innovation and recogni-tion of achievement; to foster community and business involvement in schools; and toprovide research for policy makers.

Wisconsin

Arts in Community EducationMary Wayne Fritzsche,

Director of Education and OutreachMilwaukee Symphony Orchestra330 East Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 900Milwaukee, WI 53202414 291-6010, ext. 265http://www.milwaukeesymphony.org

Arts in Community Education (ace), a pro-gram of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra,is an education partnership that seeks toadvance a child’s overall learning and devel-opment by integrating music and arts intothe daily school curriculum. ace begins inkindergarten and is designed to follow chil-dren sequentially through each grade level.An ensemble presentation at the end of eachyear brings children and their familiestogether at school, and an ace newsletterkeeps parents informed about activities andideas for involvement at school and at home.

New Paradigm PartnersChuck Ericksen, CoordinatorP.O. Box 86Tony, WI 54563715 [email protected]

New Paradigm Partners is a consortium ofsix rural school districts. Their goal is to buildsocial capital and to make students moreenterprising and entrepreneurial. They coor-dinate apprenticeships, tutoring, and servicelearning for students.

Parent ProjectJim VopatEnglish DepartmentCarroll College100 N. East AvenueWaukesha, WI 53186414 347-0368

The Parent Project began in the late 1980s as an outgrowth of an initiative between theMilwaukee Writing Project and the JoyceFoundation. Parents meet two hours eachweek for six weeks to build agendas aroundtheir own concerns and, after interviewingthem, the interests of their children. Parentsdiscuss the literacy work that their childrenare focusing on during the day and thendevelop an application to work with theirchildren at home.

Wausau School DistrictMary Ellen Marnholtz415 Seymour StreetP.O. Box 359Wausau, WI 54402-0359715 [email protected]://wausau.k12.wi.us

The school board has embarked on a long-term strategic planning process that willdevelop community understanding and capitalize on public input. A CommunityResource Committee, comprising twenty-nineindividuals from the community, synthesizedinformation gathered from a community survey and two public forums. The Commit-tee chose six strategic directions for theschool board to consider as it begins its plan-ning process.


appendix c types of public engagement activitiesTypes

Motivations

Actors/Drivers

Strategies

Achievements

Challenges

Parent Participation

• strengthen parents’ability to serve as critical partner in student success

• enable parents toserve as importantlink to community

• parents• community agencies• administrators• teachers

• training/workshops• access to information• inclusion on school

management teams• access to information

and tools/know-howto interpret and use it

• improved student performance, behavior,attendance

• improved self-esteemof parents

• improved communi-cation between parents and schools

• developing resourcesfor ongoing support

• overcoming perception of school authorities

• balancing insider/outsider roles

• reaching diverse audiences

• building trust

Community/Parent Organizing

• foster improvements inschools

• create parent and communityconstituencies for schools

• develop community capacityto identify concerns, demandchange

• develop stronger sense ofcommunity while improvingschools

• community organizers• churches• parents• social service and

community organizations

• grassroots organizing• use of data to identify needs• face-to-face meetings• door-to-door canvassing• public, house, church meetings• develop parents’ leadership

skills

• better communications• collaboration between parents

and schools• improved services for

parents/families• additional resources for

schools, communities• improved student achievement• regular sharing of school

and student achievementinformation

• limiting perceptions of confrontation

• creating collaboration amongonce-divided groups

• building capacity of disenfran-chised groups to participatepowerfully

• gaining access to information

Strategic Planning/Community Visioning

• create a community-supported plan for the future ofschools, districts orcommunities

• examine role ofschools in achievingpreferred communityfuture

• community residents• community-based

organizations• school administrators,

teachers• students

• open, deliberativeforums, supported by smaller meetingsaround particularissues

• creation of strategicplans

• citizen task forces

• improved services for residents

• collaborative decisions• process that enables

new communityalliances and civiccapacity (a “place”where other decisionscan be made)

• moving from plan-ning to action

• including all stake-holders in the process

• mediating competingand deeply held beliefs and vision forschool

• integrating plans intodistrict/schools’ work

Standards Development/Implementation

• reach common agreement on what all students shouldknow and be able to do

• increase expectations for student performance

• create more highly skilledworkforce

• forge stronger relationshipsamong schools, families and communities

• policymakers• administrators, teachers• business people• community members• parents• coalitions of these groups• students

• public opinion research (surveys, focus groups)

• public hearings, deliberation• inclusive process that

enables people to weigh in on contents of standards

• media, public information• materials that explain complex

concepts in simple terms

• dialogue has taken place onwhat students should know

• improved understanding and support of commonexpectations for student,school performance

• political consensus for student, school performance

• benchmarks for progresstoward them

• describing standards in meaningful language

• sustaining support over time• overcoming fears/concerns

about “gatekeeper” tests• generate subsequent

support for professional development or reconsti-tution required when schoolsfail to meet standards

• dealing with public anger when standards aren’t met


Governance/ Shared-Decision-Making

• enable parents and communitymembers to have a voice in education decisions, such as hiring, budgeting and curriculum

• devolve responsibility from central bureaucracies to schoolsand communities

• respond to mandates from stateor local policy

• parents• teachers• administrators• community members• students

• creation and development ofcollaborative school site councils

• training• collaborative decisions

concerning staff and principalselection, budgeting and curriculum

• increased representation of parents and other communitymembers

• leadership development • improved relationships

between schools and their communities

• ensuring truly representativeparticipation on site-based andother councils

• securing representation of traditionally disenfranchisedgroups

• building capacity of participants(parents, teachers, others) tocreate level playing field

Types

Motivations

Actors/Drivers

Strategies

Achievements

Challenges

Public Conversation and Deliberation

• connect citizens to eachother

• bring members of the community together to talkabout tough issues

• build effective partnershipsamong churches, non-profitagencies, elected officials, citizens

• community, school district leaders

• trained facilitators• community residents• students

• strategic planning process• town meetings• education roundtables

• community consensus on the purposes of public education

• respond to new educationpolicies

• resolution of specific com-munity problems or concerns

• renewed commitment to partnerships within communities

• broad inclusion

• moving from talk to action• connecting to actual work

of the district• including all stakeholders• mediating divisive

beliefs/issues

Legislation and Policy Development

• develop and pass new legislation to improve education practices,resources, and environments

• increase awareness and understandingof public policy affecting schools

• resolve desegregation and equity lawsuits

• education leaders• community-based organizations• business leaders• parents• policymakers• legislators• elected and appointed officials• state education department

• advocacy for legislation• training• parent training institutes• local meetings and forums• drafting legislation

• increased support for reform legislation in some states

• improved climate for reform • resolution of equity and desegregation

lawsuits

• ensuring ongoing citizen comment/input after policy/legislation is passed

• evaluating results over time• sustaining support for legislation/

policy as administrations change• maintaining support through policy

implementation• role of state education department in

implementation and monitoring• Responsiveness of legislative/

policy leaders to equity issues

engagement types 85


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Board of Overseers

honorary chairmanLeonore AnnenbergPhilanthropist and Vice President of the Annenberg Foundation Board of Directors

chairmanE. Gordon GeePresidentBrown University

vice chairmanSheila E. BlumsteinActing ProvostBrown University

J. Carter BrownDirector EmeritusNational Gallery of Art

Barbara L. ChaseHead of SchoolPhillips Academy (Andover)

Rebecca CrownTeacherBaker Demonstration SchoolEvanston, Illinois

George M. C. FisherChairman, President & ceoEastman Kodak Company

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.Chairman & ceoibm

Patricia A. GrahamPresidentSpencer Foundation

Thomas H. KeanPresidentDrew University

David T. KearnsChairmanNew American Schools

Frederick LippittChairmanRI Board of Regents for Elementaryand Secondary Education

Walter E. MasseyPresidentMorehouse College

interim directorRamón Cortines

managing directorJohn Bryan Starr

editorSusan C. Fisher

designGilbert Design Associates, Inc.Providence, RI

photographyJohn Forasté/Brown UniversityDavid O’ConnorShane Photography

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