Improving Education Together

8/3/2019 Improving Education Together

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IMPROVING EDUCATION

TOGETHER

Focusing Education Reform in Hawaii on Relational

Approaches to Community and Family Engagement

A Report Completed By:

Clifton S. Tanabe, Ph.D., J.D.

Scott Nishimoto

Hawaii Educational Policy Center

FACE Hawaii

Oahu Office

1352 Liliha Street

Honolulu, HI 96817

Maui Office

25 West Lipoa Street,

Kihei Maui, HI 96753


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Foreword

This short report provides a practical approach to improving education forHawaii. "Improving Education Together" is similar to Better Together,written by nationally acclaimed, Robert D. Putman (also the author ofBowling Alone

) and Lewis M. Feldstein. While Putnam and Feldstein'seffort is for "Restoring the American Community," Tanabe and Nishimoto'seffort is to build a supportive community to restore our community here inHawaii.

This is well worth your time to read, ponder and perhaps advocate for. Doschools need more community and family support? Will students emergewith an improved education? A practical proposal for today.

Norman Sakamoto

Former State Senator Representing the 15th District

and

Former Senate Education Committee Chair


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Introduction

In the last three decades, spending on our nations schools has more than doubled.However, the U.S. currently ranks 21st, 23rd, and 25th among developed nations inscience, reading, and math, respectively.

i

Todays children will be the first generation of

Americans to be less educated than the previous generation. While education reform isclearly a necessity, the manner in which it is implemented is a topic of fierce debate.

The Obama Administrations emphasis on education reform, teamed with the popularity

of documentaries such as, Waiting for Superman, have inspired a national conversation

on education reform. And, almost everyone engaged in the debate agrees that thereis no one-size fits all solution to improving public education in America. AsMelody Barnes, the director ofPresident Obamas White House Domestic Policy

Council, put it, we cannotwait for Superman We cannot look for a single silver

bullet or a single problem . ii

This paper began as an effort to survey key education reform initiatives - whetherled by community groups, educators, union leaders, or state administrations - that

are gaining traction nationally. And early in our investigation, we began to narrowour scope to the kinds of initiatives that make sense in Hawaii.

Through this process a couple of things became

clear. For one thing, the reform efforts that show

the most promise are focused on specific needs.

Based on these needs, successful efforts begin toinvest in relevant programs that build on the

strengths, commitments and values of local

schools and communities. The Harlem Childrens ZoneProject, which works to empower families in ways that allow them to positively

impact their childrens development, is just one well-publicized example amongmany.

Another thing that we realized is that there are a number of exciting education

reform initiatives happening in Hawaii right now that are focused on everythingfrom increasing the number of National Board Certified Teachers in Hawaiis

schools, to implementing innovative school leadership assessment and development

strategies, to emerging efforts to replicate a Hawaii-based version of the HarlemChildrens Zone Project. But, one kind of effort stands out above the rest:

Community and Family Engagement in Education. Across the state, there is aunique momentum developing around the idea that innovative community and

family engagement strategies may be the linchpin to effective public educationreform in Hawaii. This momentum provides a rare opportunity for change.

This paper focuses on Community and Family Engagement in Education. It offers a

summary of our investigation and recommendations for moving forward. This is

not a formal study, but rather an applied inquiry designed to provoke discussion

We know what needs to be

done, no one is willing to do

it.

-Adrien Fenty


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among community organizations and educational leadership to discover new ways

to maximize the potential of family and community engagement as an effectivestrategy for systemic education reform. And, this paper is rooted in the research

backed idea that creative and meaningful partnerships between public schools andthe families and community members that surround them are one ofthe most

effective ways to improve confidence and trust in public education,iii

as well asoverall student achievement.iv

Discussion on Key Findings

1. Why Focus on Community and Family Engagement in Education?

It Works

The efficacy of community and family engagement in education is supported

by study after study showing the positive impact that a variety of initiativeshave had both on an overall sense of trust and confidence in publiceducation, and on improving student achievement at all ages. While this

evidence has been available for some time, new research is beginning to

show that certain forms of community and family engagement, those that

build relational trust, can serve as part of a fundamental strategy in systemiceducation reform.v

It Is Time

Our survey of education reform began as an effort to identify a handful of key

programs that might work in Hawaii. However, during our investigation itsoon became clear that we had it backwards. We began to understand thateducation reform is alive and well in Hawaii, thus our task turned into alistening project. What we learned was that among the variety of different

reform efforts emerging across the state, a key collection of locally based

community groups and other organizations have developed a strong interest

in community and family engagement and are motivated to do somethingabout it.

However, it is important not to overstate the level of public interest regarding

this issue. At this point, it is rather clear that a majority of the general public

in Hawaii is not insisting on a greater role in the public education decision-making process, as evidenced by things like the difficulty many schools are

having in finding folks to serve on School Community Councils.

Nonetheless, a renewed interest in engagement is undeniable. Some of thisinterest was no doubt generated by a reaction to Furlough Fridays, where

groups such as Save our Schools and Hawaii Education Matters formed to

pull parents and community members together to focus on public education.


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However, in addition to this, community and family engagement in education

has been a recent focus of established community-based organizations suchas Faith Action for Community Equity, and local foundations such as the

Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and The Learning Coalition, as well asuniversity-based organizations such as The Leaders for the Next Generation.

While this growing interest in community and family engagement is not yet a

fire, it is much more than a spark. It is real momentum that with attention

and investment (both in energy and resources) can serve as the foundationfor lasting educational change.

It Is Sustainable

Below, we identify two different forms of community and family engagement

in education. One form is centered on parent involvement projects that are

activity-based and school-driven, while the other form is centered on parent

leadership development and is co-driven by families, community members,and schools. While the first form tends to start with an activity such asgetting parents to attend a student science show, the second form starts with

an effort to foster meaningful conversations where parents are free to

express their own concerns, and where opportunities for mutual learning

and shared responsibility are created.

The second kind of community and family engagement takes a relational

approach. Among the strengths of the relational approach to community andfamily engagement in education is that it adds to the sustainability of school

reform. Recent studies note that school and family partnerships created

through this approach help to sustain the vision and momentum foreducation reform efforts through an enhanced sense of co-responsibility andco-leadership. Put differently, the unique outcome of the relational approachis that it builds communitycapacity, and ties this capacity directly to

educational improvement.vi

This is a form of public accountability that, in

turn, generates greater sustainability in education reform; sustainability that

can be handed down to each new generation of parents, whereas othertypes of parent involvement end when the students leave the school.

2. How Do We Implement Community and Family Engagement in Education?

Almost everyone we spoke with about education reform commented on theproblem of implementation. Clearly, while raising public awareness about

the importance of community and family engagement in education is

fundamentally important, this alone is not enough. We need to identify and

follow through on realistic ways to implement new initiatives.

The question is not whether we should pursue better community and family

engagement in education, but how do we do it effectively. Researchers and


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practitioners have begun to show that at bottom, effective community and

family engagement in education starts by fostering a process for authenticconversation between educators and community and family members. It is

about building collaborative relationships that stand the test of time. It isabout creating an atmosphere of shared leadership and shared responsibility

between schools and families.

And, as a result, answering the question of how do we implement this

requires us to do more than talk about what a specific program will look likeor who will pay for it. Through this investigation, it became clear that

effective community and family engagement requires more than merely

identifying a model program to borrow and to scale up here in Hawaii.

It requires us to first talk seriously about what it will take to get families and

community members to the decision-making table. What will it take to get

families and community members across the state energized to push for and

insist on partnering with schools? How do we get community and familymembers to demand co-responsibility for the future of public education inHawaii?

We read a recent report that suggested that the public is insisting on a

greater role in public education decision-making in Hawaii. We think thatsan overstatement. Perhaps a small minority of the public is insisting on arole. Many more of us dont even see that as our role.

We must take this problem seriously. We cannot expect policy and programs

focused on community and family

engagement to succeed if community andfamily members are not supporting theseefforts. Some call this a capacity problemor a problem of publicity. The research

indicates that it is more accurately

portrayed as a trust and power problem, or

put differently, as a relationship problem.Hawaiis community members and families

are unlikely to engage with public education in any significant manner if they

do not believe that they are going to be respected and listened to.

From this perspective, communication is key. But it must be a two-way formof communication based on mutual respect. It must be aimed at forming

authentic partnerships between schools and families. This is not publicity,

but honest and meaningful conversation. It is not top-down, school-driven

agenda promotion, but mutual learning and joint collaboration amongfamilies, community members and educators.

Finally, effective implementation of community and family engagement in

Relationships matter to

participation.

-Mark Warren,

Harvard Graduate

School of Education


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education takes seriously the idea that parents and community members

bring concerns and aspirations regarding the educational lives of theirchildren that are differentfrom those brought by educators and school

officials. And, it takes seriously the emerging evidence that model educationreform programs that are borrowed and imposed on schools and families

show disappointing results, when compared with programs that are rootedand grown from context-driven collaborative engagement.vii

Recommendations

1. Focus on Relational Models of Community and Family Engagement

Traditional versus Relational

Successful initiatives come in a variety of different forms. Many are based on

innovative tutoring initiatives, or on home enrichment support programs, oron classroom volunteering strategies, or even on improving the basicacademic skills of parents so that they can help their children with

homework. These efforts are important and for the purposes of this paper

we will call them traditional in nature.

Other community and family engagement initiatives focus less on theindividual and more on an effort to form meaningful joint partnerships and

to share accountability with parents and community members to addresseducational needs and concerns. We will call these relational in nature.

Table 1. A comparison of traditional and relational modelsviiiTraditional School Driven Model

Activity based Relationship based

Relational Joint Accountability Model

Parents as individuals Parents as members of a community

Parents follow school agenda Parents as leaders and collaboratorsWorkshops that provide information Training for leadership and growth

School to parent communication Mutual exchange of relational power

We noted earlier that recent research has begun to show thatrelational

models of community and family engagement in education that promotecommunity capacity and public accountability have the potential effect of

generating sustainability for specific education reform initiatives. Moreover,

we also noted that research has shown thatrelationalmodels of communityand family engagement that build relational trust are a critical aspect ofsuccessful strategies for systemic education reform.

Model Initiatives

We highlight seven relational models of community and family engagementin this paper. Detailed program descriptions and contact information for


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each of these initiatives can be found at the end of this document (see Model

Program Descriptions).

The first initiative is the Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON). BPONorganizes and supports parents and families whose children are in the

Boston Public School system. They focus on developing parent leadershipand partnerships with other organizations. In 2008, BPON helped the school

district create a new position called the Assistant Superintendent for Family

and Student Engagement and BPONs first director was appointed to it.

The second is Parent Revolution which is an initiative based in Los Angeles.

Its mission is to transform public education by focusing solely on what is

good for kids. The initiative empowers parents to push for policy changethrough community organizing. Its four core elements are on: 1) shared

accountability for education, 2) more money in the classroom, 3) more

education choices for families, and 4) collaborating with unions and teachers

on public education reform. Since 2009, Parent Revolution has led two largegrassroots campaigns that have led to two new education laws.

Yet another model is San Franciscos Kindergarten to College Program (K2C).

K2C was launched late last year and is the countrys first universal childrenscollege savings account program. The city of San Francisco provides every

entering kindergartener with a college savings account. Community-based

foundations then match subsequent contributions from the students family.This program is a unique partnership between families, community

organizations and government to find new ways to overcome the economic

barrier to college education.

The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL) has been

highlighted by others in the field. Located in Kentucky, it offers a variety of

programs designed to bring parents, teachers, community members, andschool administrators together for training that helps them to effectively

collaborate to raise student achievement. It was recently reported that theCIPL has trained over 1500 parents on how to partner with educators and

community members to improve student learning.

The next model is the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA)located in Chicago. LSNA has been studied by a number of researchers

interested in community and family engagement in education, because it hasmanaged to create a model parent mentor program designed to developparent leadership both in neighborhood schools and in the community. This

has led to a series of new programs and clearly documented improvement instudent achievement.

The Camino Nuevo Charter Academy (CNCA) was started in August 2000 by a

nonprofit community development corporation located in Los Angeles


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MacArthur Park neighborhood. Since its inception CNCA has embraced

Latino parents who previously felt ignored and alienated by schoolpersonnel. CNCA has organized itself

around the culture of the surroundingcommunity and has designed the school

and its programs to go beyond thetraditional boundaries of the school

grounds and to directly foster

neighborhood development.

The last model we highlight is the

Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project

(PTHVP) which is located inSacramento. PTHVP is a partnership

between faith-based community

organizations, a teachers union and a

school district. It brings educators andfamilies together as equal partners tobuild trusting relationships where

meaningful open communication about

aspirations, experiences and strategies to improve student learning is

fostered. PTHVPs home visits are not drop-ins or home environmentassessments, but rather appointments set between partners in educationwho are equally respected for their knowledge of the student and their

expertise regarding his/her education.

2. Collaborate with Community-Based Organizations

There is some evidence that schools and school districts may not be able toinitiate highly successful and sustainable relational community and familyengagement work by themselves.ix

Thus, educators should explore and

exploit opportunities to collaborate with community-based organizations

that have already successfully engaged with families and have developed

trusting relationships with parents whose children are being served bypublic schools. Through such efforts, schools and school districts may also

benefit from the social capital expertise of community-based organizations,

which comes from years of grassroots organizing, collaborating and

partnering with families and community members.

In addition, there is growing evidence that well-established community-

based organizations can serve as effective relational connectors between

schoolsand families, and thus may operate as a catalyst for education

reform.x Organizations that are authentically rooted in community life bringa knowledge and appreciation of the culture and assets of community and

family members. And, they may be able to more easily indentify where needs

are not being met. Here, community-based organizations that have

Rather than blaming eachother, teachers and families

come togetheras equalpartners, to build trust and

form a relationshipOnce arelationship is formed, the

partners are empowered,finding accountability with

each other to make the

necessary changes to insurethat students experience

academic and social success.

-The Parent /TeacherHome Visit Project


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consistently worked to build power for their community members offer the

unique capacity of bridging the gap in culture and power between parentsand educators.xi

Finally, collaborating with strong community-based organizations will help

school and family partnerships to corral the political capital needed tomotivate officials to adopt new programs and policy recommendations.

3. Establish a Community and Family Engagement Intermediaryxii

While relational community and family engagement in education is often

characterized as a ground up or grassroots initiative, state advocacy and

support can be extremely important in the success of such efforts.

When fixing stagnant public sectors that have not evolved with changing

circumstances, many cities and states are now developing intermediaries to

fill leadership and advocacy roles. While Hawaii is unlikely to be able toafford multiple community and family engagement offices, it makes sense toestablish a statewide community and family engagement intermediary.

Such an intermediary could play a role in strengthening four channels for

sharing and collaborating on community and family engagement ineducation: 1) the intermediary could work to link community organizationswith schools, 2) link researchers and teacher educators with

school/community/family partnerships, 3) link national and localfoundations with school/community/family partnerships, and 4) link policy

makers with school/community/family partnerships.

In addition to a growing interest in community and family engagementexpressed by key community-based organizations in Hawaii, the HawaiiDepartment of Education houses a Family Support Section and has a team of

Parent Community Networking Centers. The Board of Education established

a Department of Education Parent/Involvement Policy in 2001 and revised it

in 2003. And, a variety of other organizations spread throughout the statesuch as Parents and Children Together, the Hawaii Parent Information and

Resource Center, the Hawaii State PTSA, and many others are dedicated to

the idea of enhancing the relationship between families and communities

and the schools that serve their children. In addition, School Community

Councils (and emerging Complex Community Councils) are working toprovide parents and others an avenue for input into school level decision-

making.

What is missing is a statewide community and family engagementintermediary that could effectively work with these different organizations

to foster, strengthen and maintain channels of information sharing and

resource collaboration.


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Finally, we recommend that the Office of the Governor directly oversee theintermediary. The intermediary must work to gain the trust of both

educators and family/community members. This would potentially be mademore difficult if the intermediary were placed under the Office of the

Superintendent of the Department of Education, for example, where theimpression would be that the intermediary answers to the DOE. Moreover,

with the recent approval of the Hawaii Board of Education Amendment, the

Office of the Governor is set to take a more hands on approach to publiceducation in Hawaii and it can use its bully pulpit to raise awareness and

interest in the issue of community and family engagement in education.

4. Develop Relevant Standards and Document Success

A recent report by the U.S. Department of Educations Institute of Education

Sciences looked at the evaluation practices of parent involvement programs.

It found that the vast majority of these evaluation efforts were limited andpoorly designed. And, it highlighted the need for fully articulated programsthat can be rigorously evaluated to determine what works.xiii

Clearly, investment in evaluation must be a priority if we are to determine

what works. And, evaluation processes for community and familyengagement must be able to accurately assess the added value of partnershipefforts for student academic performance. In doing so, more traditional

categories such as student test score data, school climate, and level of parentparticipation should be examined. But, evaluation on engagement cant stop

there; it needs to go beyond the traditional categories. Research indicates

that any measures used to evaluate success in relational community andfamily engagement need to take into account other factors such as thecomplexity of the change process, the context in which change occurs, thelength of the time frame of change, and the importance of changes in

community capacity.xivConcluding Remarks

Of course community and family engagement is not the only kind of education

reform strategy that Hawaii will need to pursue in order to stimulate lasting,

widespread education reform (we have included a short overview of othereducation reform strategies and related model programs in the Appendix of this

document). Nor, is community and family engagement a short-term, quick fix

approach to improving the image of public education in Hawaii. Rather, it is a long-term investment in a foundation for sustainable change in education. We urgeeducators, policy makers and community leaders who want to broaden and deepen

family participation in schools to resist the temptation to charge forward with

parent and teacher training sessions on family involvement, that very few people


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attend. Seek out, instead, a process for honest and open conversation. Be patient

and co-design for success from the very beginning.

This investigation has led us to believe that a focus on relational community andfamily engagement in education is right for Hawaii at this point in time. Research

indicates that relational community and family engagement works to improve trustand confidence in public education and it works to raise student achievement.

Through a process of collaborating with community-based organizations, promoting

mutual trust, and fostering community capacity and public accountability, relationalapproaches have the potential to generate sustainable education reform in Hawaii.


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MODEL PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON)xv

Overview: BPONs mission is to organize, develop, and support parents and familieswho are marginalized by class, race, language, disability, and immigration status to work

with and hold accountable the Boston Public Schools to provide an excellent educationfor all students. BPON is governed by a parent-led board of directors. BPON engages inlocal and city-wide campaigns and oversees the Boston Public School systemsstewardship of resources, assuring accountability, stability, sustainability, and growth.BPON also trains parents to be better leaders and organizers.

Effectiveness: Through partnerships with other community organizations, BPON hasaccomplished a number of achievements, including, but not limited to:

Mobilization of families for budget hearings and consultations with BostonMayor and Superintendent regarding the Boston Public School budgetprocess.

Appointment of Michele Brooks, the first Director of BPON, as the BostonPublic Schools Assistant Superintendent for Family and Student Engagement. Reactivation of the Boston Special Needs Parents Advisory Council. Launch of a campaign to accelerate Boston Public School reforms that

improve outcomes for English language learners.

Expanding quality education as the determining factor in schoolreprogramming.

Parent Revolutionxvi

Overview: Parent Revolutions mission is to transform public education rooted in whatsgood for kids not grown-ups by empowering parents to transform their own childrens

low-performing schools through community organizing. Parent Revolution believes thatwhen it comes to education, each and every decision must be made as if it would literallyaffect someones own child. Parent Revolutions core elements are as follows:

Accountability: All adults must be held accountable for student performance.The best teachers and principals must be recognized, those with room to improvemust be targeted with professional development, and those who cannot improvemust be removed.

More money in the classroom: Education must be fully funded, although districtsmust prove to taxpayers and voters that additional funding will be put to good use.

More parent choice: Parents should have more options and more access to high-quality education options whether they be outside of ones district or a high-

quality charter school. Pro-union, kids-first reform: Parent Revolution believes that parents and teachers

can march together on reforming public education, reasoning that you cannot havea great school without great teachers.

Effectiveness: Parent Revolution recognizes that public education in LosAngeles has failed. In Los Angeles Unified, the nations second largest schooldistrict, 50% of students do not graduate from high school, and 90% do not make


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it to college. Parent Revolution has been successful in organizing two massive,successful grassroots campaigns. One of the campaigns was led to pass theLAUSC Public School Choice Resolution, which forces the district to actuallycompete against charter operators, groups of teachers, and other non-profits to runtheir own schools. The second campaign was organized to pass the Parent

Trigger law, empowering parents at any failing school in California to transformtheir school simply through community organizing. Now, if 51% of the parents ata school sign a petition demanding change, the school district is required totransform the school using the school turnaround strategy (4 strategies arespecified by the Obama Administration) selected by the parents.

San Franciscos Kindergarten to College Program (K2C)xvii

Overview: Mayor Gavin Newsoms Kindergarten to College program in San Franciscois the first of its kind in the U.S., and similar programs are expected to follow its lead.This program will provide every entering Kindergartener with a college savings accountof $50-$100. Subsequent contributions from the students family will be matched by

local non-profit organizations. This San Francisco program will begin gradually,beginning this past fall with 1,250 children (25% of incoming kindergartners). Fullcoverage is expected by the third year. The program will cost less than $200,000 in itsfirst year. Despite the Citys $483 million budget deficit for the 2010-11 fiscal year, SanFrancisco has made this commitment toward education. It really is about buildingaspirations in the hearts and minds of every child who enters the San Francisco publicschool system, said Jose Cisneros, City Treasurer. A chance to let every child knowthey have the opportunity and the equal opportunity to be successful like everybody elsein our city.

Effectiveness: This reform effort is too new to measure its effectiveness.However, research performed by the Washington University in St. Louis Centerfor Social Development indicates that the mere presence of a savings account in achilds name can overcome the financial barrier to college.

xviii Also, evident by

the results of Kenyas Tap and Reposition Youth project, low-income youthdoubled their savings after being given a formal account in their name. Reformefforts such as the Kindergarten to College program are necessary to compensatefor the fact that our nation is on track to fall short of the demand for workersequipped with post-secondary education by 300,000 every year between 2008 and2018. This program will also level the playing field by assisting youth whoordinarily would not be able to afford college to at least think of college as arealistic possibility.

The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL)xix

Overview: The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership offers a variety ofprograms aimed at bringing together parents, teachers, community members, and schooladministrators for training, information, and experiences that help them work as partnersto raise student achievement. Parents in the program participate in three two-day sessionsof substantive training in improving student achievement and parent leadership. Thepurpose of CIPL is to: educate parents about how to assess the progress of their


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childrens schools; inform parents on how to become involved as partners in improvingthese schools; motivate parents to help other parents become involved; and supportparents after they become involved. Since its inception 13 years ago, CIPL has trained anarmy of more than 1,500 Kentucky parents on how to effectively advocate for high-quality schools.

Effectiveness: CIPL has been so successful that seven other states andWashington, D.C. have adopted it to help improve their schools. Parents whohave participated in the program have gone on to engage themselves in schoolcouncils, local school boards, statewide parent advisory councils, and state boardsof education.

Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA)xx

Overview: The Logan Square Neighborhood Associations mission is to convene anetwork of neighbors, schools, businesses, social service agencies, faith communities,and other organizations to collaborate for thriving communities in Logan Square,

Avondale, and Lathrop Homes. Forty-five community institutions including schools,churches, block clubs, and agencies are members of LSNA, engaging more than 2,000people in organizing and supporting programs. LSNAs efforts include: lowering highschool drop-out rates and increasing youth leadership; fostering parent engagement inneighborhood schools and creating community school partnerships; lowering homeforeclosures and increasing access to affordable housing; helping children and familiesgain access to affordable health services; developing initiatives to make Logan Square asafer place to live while reaching out to families to prevent drug and alcohol abuse; andoffering immigrants the tools to advance economically and become citizens.

Effectiveness: LSNA directly serves over 7,000 adults and children. In the early1990s, LSNA led a campaign against overcrowding in Logan Square Schools. Asa result of this campaign, five new annexes and two new middle schools werebuilt. LSNAs Parent Mentor Program has been a success, assisting 900 parentsin attaining their G.E.D.s, seeking employment, and becoming active in theschools and the community. Since 1996, all LSNA elementary schools haveexperienced significant increases in student achievement, even while thedemographics remained constant. Neighborhoods across the nation use LSNA asa replicable model for community leadership and development.

Camino Nueva Charter Academy (CNCA)xxi

Overview: Camino Nuevo Charter Academy was founded in August 2000 by PuebloNuevo Development, a nonprofit community development corporation in the MacArthurPark neighborhood west of downtown Los Angeles, one of the poorest and most denselypopulated neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Over the past 10 years, several organizationsand businesses have created a thrift store, a worker-owned janitorial company, a non-profit community development corporation, a charter school, free clinic and a pre-school.Together, these organizations are providing children with outstanding and enrichededucational opportunities as well as revitalizing the urban neighborhood and making it asafe and healthy place to live. Camino Nuevo is built upon the pillars of social justice


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and parent involvement. Each school forms a Site-Based Council, comprised of parents,teachers, and school staff who meet regularly to discuss school issues and providesuggestions to the school principal. Each campus also has a parent coordinator to keepother parents informed and engaged. In partnership with community groups, CaminoNuevo encourages parents to get involved through: workshops and seminars on literacy,

math, college preparation, and nutrition; the Latino Family Literacy Project; andcommunity events including Family Math Night and Books and Pajamas Night. CaminoNuevo also invites parent involvement by hiring bilingual staff and embracing the Latinoculture so that parents feel more welcome to become active members of the school.Parents are required to sign a contract to volunteer 15 hours to the school over the courseof the year. Parent involvement is supervised by a full-time parent engagementcoordinator.

Effectiveness: Serving 2,000 students, Camino Nuevo High School ranks in thetop 10 of Los Angeles Unified School District high schools. The K-8 charter hasincreased its API score for eight consecutive years. For the class of 2010, 96% of

the graduating seniors met or exceeded the University of California A-Grequirements. Camino Nuevo schools also received a Bronze Award from U.S.News Top High Schools.

The Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project (PTHVP)xxii

Overview: PTHVP is a partnership between Sacramento Area Congregations Together,Sacramento City Teachers Association, and Sacramento City Unified School District. Itwas created to address the cycle of blame that existed between parents and schoolpersonnel at several Sacramento schools where there was a history of low studentachievement, high levels of poverty, and where high percentages of children enteredschool as English learners. Under PTHVP, teachers and families come together as equalpartners to build trust and form a relationship where they can take the time to sharedreams, expectations, experiences, and tools regarding the childs academic success. Thehome visits are not merely drop-ins, but rather an appointment set between two willingcolleagues in a setting where teachers do not have the institutional advantage. PTHVPstaff members train teachers and parents and are available for consultation.

Effectiveness: PTHVP has been invited to provide trainings and launch projectsin 15 states to date, indicating that it has been growing in popularity. In itsJanuary 2009 article titled, Research Spotlight on Home Visits: NEA Reviewsof the Research on Best Practices in Education, the National EducationAssociation recognized PTHVP as an inexpensive and easily replicated model ofparent engagement that has been proven to end the cycle of blame betweenparents and school staff.


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Appendix: Other Themes and Profiles

Two unique education reform efforts need to be mentioned: 1) U.S. Department ofEducation Initiatives and 2) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Education Strategy.

The influence of each of these powerful education reform engines has spread across

much of what is highlighted, below.

Federal Department of Education Priorities

College and Career Ready StudentsGreat Teachers and Leaders in Every School

Equity and Opportunity for all Students

Incentivizing ExcellenceInnovation and Continuous Improvement

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Priorities

Teacher Effectiveness

Standards, Curriculum, and AssessmentsInnovation and Networks

Better Data

Other Family Engagement-Based Reform Initiatives

The Baby College: (http://www.hcz.org/programs/early-childhood) Quitman Street Community School:

(http://www.old.nps.k12.nj.us/quitman_st/index.htm)

Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition Improving PublicEducation Campaign: (http://www.northwestbronx.org/improveedu.html)

Policy-Based Reform

Bellwether Education Partners: (http://bellwethereducation.org/) The Century Foundation: (http://tcf.org/education)

Professional Development-Based Reform

The Broad Superintendents Academy: (http://broadacademy.org/) Teach Plus: (http://teachplus.org/)

Public-Private Partnership-Based Reform

Partnership for Education in Newark: (http://penewark.org) Thrive by Five Washington: (http://thrivebyfivewa.org/) Show Me Campaign: (http://showmecampaign.org/)

School-Based/Pedagogy-Based/Curriculum-Based Reform

Brockton High School Literacy Initiative:(http://www.brocktonpublicschools.com/page.cfm?p=84)
http://www.hcz.org/programs/early-childhoodhttp://www.old.nps.k12.nj.us/quitman_st/index.htmhttp://www.northwestbronx.org/improveedu.htmlhttp://bellwethereducation.org/http://tcf.org/educationhttp://broadacademy.org/http://teachplus.org/http://penewark.org/http://thrivebyfivewa.org/http://showmecampaign.org/http://www.brocktonpublicschools.com/page.cfm?p=84http://www.brocktonpublicschools.com/page.cfm?p=84http://showmecampaign.org/http://thrivebyfivewa.org/http://penewark.org/http://teachplus.org/http://broadacademy.org/http://tcf.org/educationhttp://bellwethereducation.org/http://www.northwestbronx.org/improveedu.htmlhttp://www.old.nps.k12.nj.us/quitman_st/index.htmhttp://www.hcz.org/programs/early-childhood


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The Leadership Institute:(http://www.northwestbronx.org/leadershipinst.html)

Promise Academy Charter Schools:(http://www.hcz.org/programs/promise-academy-charter-schools)

Blue Engine: (http://www.blueengine.org/)Technology-Based Reform

Rocketship Education: (http://rsed.org/innovate/) Khan Academy: (http://www.khanacademy.org/) Open Learning Initiative (OLI):

(http://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/initiative)

Next Generation Learning Challenges: (http://www.nextgenlearning.com) School of One:

(http://schools.nyc.gov/community/innovation/SchoolofOne/default.htm)

Educause: (http://www.educause.edu/)

iSee Newsweek.com, Why Michelle Rhee Isnt Done with School Reform(http://www.newsweek.com/2010/12/06/why-michelle-rhee-isn-t-done-with-school-reform.html).ii See The Atlantic.com, Obama Advisor: We Cant Wait for Superman To Save Education

(http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/09/obama-adviser-we-cannot-wait-for-superman-to-save-education/63860/).iii See Annenberg Institute for School Reform, Organized Communities, Stronger Schools: A Preview

of Research Findings (http://www.annenberginstitute.org/pdf/OrganizedCommunities.pdf).

iv See Henderson and Mapp, A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School,Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement.v See Bryk, et. al., Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago.vi See Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform, Strong Neighborhoods Strong Schools:

Successful Community Organizing for School Reform.vii See Designs for Change, The Big Picture: School-Initiated Reforms, Centrally Initiated Reforms,

and Elementary School Achievement in Chicago and Coburn, Rethinking Scale: Moving Beyond

Numbers to Deep and Lasting Change.viii This table is based on one Mark Warren and his co-authors created in a recent article titled,

Beyond the Bake Sale: A Community-Based Relational Approach to Parent Engagement in Schools.ix See Schutz, Home is a Prison in the Global City: The Tragic Failure of School-based Community

Engagement Strategies.

x See Warren, Communities and Schools a New View of Urban Education Reform.xi See Warren, et. al., Beyond the Bake Sale: A Community-Based Relational Approach to Parent

Engagement in Schools.xii Special thanks to Chris Sturgis of MetisNet for sharing with me a draft of her soon to be released

paper titled, Positioning for the Possible: Investing in Education Reform in New Mexico from whichI borrowed the idea of an intermediary.xiii See Institute of Education Sciences, Parent Involvement strategies in Urban Middle and High

Schools in the Northeast and Islands Region(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_2009069.pdf).
http://www.hcz.org/programs/promise-academy-charter-schoolshttp://www.blueengine.org/http://rsed.org/innovate/http://www.khanacademy.org/http://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/initiativehttp://www.nextgenlearning.com/http://schools.nyc.gov/community/innovation/SchoolofOne/default.htmhttp://www.educause.edu/http://www.newsweek.com/2010/12/06/why-michelle-rhee-isn-t-done-with-school-reform.htmlhttp://www.newsweek.com/2010/12/06/why-michelle-rhee-isn-t-done-with-school-reform.htmlhttp://www.educause.edu/http://schools.nyc.gov/community/innovation/SchoolofOne/default.htmhttp://www.nextgenlearning.com/http://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/initiativehttp://www.khanacademy.org/http://rsed.org/innovate/http://www.blueengine.org/http://www.hcz.org/programs/promise-academy-charter-schools


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xiv See Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform, Strong Neighborhoods Strong Schools:

Successful Community Organizing for School Reform.xv (http://www.bpon.org/about-us/about-bpon).xvi (http://parentrevolution.org/?page_id=4).xvii

(http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-05-28/news/21647911_1_college-savings-reduced-price-lunch-program-fiscal-year).xviii See Center for Social Development, The Role of Savings and Wealth in Reducing Wilt between

Expectations and College Attendance.xix (http://www.prichardcommittee.org/CIPL/tabid/31491/Default.aspx)xx (http://www.lsna.net/index.html).xxi (http://caminonuevo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=83)xxii(http://www.pthvp.org/history.html).

Acknowledgements

The Authors want to thank the following people for their assistance in the

preparation of this report: Chris Sturgis, Jun Yang, Karen Ginoza, Drew Astolfi, MaryWeir, Lois Yamauchi, Matthew Lorin, Siera and Michelle Tanabe, Christine and Fiona

Donnelly, Kaitlyn and Linda Ingram, Madisyn and Megan Young. Special thanks goesto Mildred Tanabe.
http://www.pthvp.org/history.htmlhttp://www.pthvp.org/history.html

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