Superintendent Dr. Reginald Mayo Co-Sponsors: Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo and Patricia Avallone Vision: The NHPS Community Engagement Team is committed to ensuring a robust, district-wide constituency engagement and communications system that actively supports and promotes student learning and achievement. Purpose Statement: To work collaboratively with NHPS employees, students, parents and other dedicated community stakeholders to promote: an increased sense of accountability and commitment toward stronger relationships through two-way engagement strategies, strengthened infrastructure and diverse communications channels to support the work of our schools and students. NHPS Community Engagement Team Members (25) Richard Abbatiello (BOE) Patricia Avallone (Pr) Emily Barton (C) Dr. Abie Benitez (Pr) Josiah Brown (C) Lou Campbell (Pr) Imma Canelli (Pr) David Cicarella (U) Patricia DeMaio (C) Shirley Ellis West (C) Jene Flores (P) Deborah Frankel (T) Liz Gambardella (C) Kathy Gardner (P) Monica Haynes (P) Dominique Jefferson (S) Dominick Maldonado (C) Claudia Merson (C) Maria Noad (P) Julia Ojeda (C) Terrence Patterson (P) William Rosado (C) Dawn Roy (P) Dee Speese-Linehan (Pr) Patti Scussel (C) Dietria Wells (Pr) C Community | Pr District Principal | U Teachers Union | S Student | P Parent Community Engagement Team Membership Guidelines: Must have the time to commit A belief in change and district reform Must be nominated by a team member Expertise in a relevant area Ability to influence stakeholders and be an NHPS ambassador Participate in team elections Attendance required as agreed upon by team members Ensure that constituency and/or group/agency is represented Community Engagement Team Decision Making Process Values: Always do what is in the best interest of NHPS students and families Stakeholders most impacted by decisions are to make the decisions Make decisions by consensus and if cannot be reached defer to fallback decision of 2/3 majority and/or to the Co-Sponsors Communicate Fallback Decision made and why Provide feedback to non-attendees on decision made in meetings they missed Community Engagement Team Goals: The NHPS Community Engagement Team will enhance all stakeholders and commitment to the NHPS Vision, Mission, Bold Goals and Strategic Plan by improving and expanding communication and engagement. To do this we will: create, support and advocate for positive interactions and partnerships between schools, neighborhoods and community. communicate to parents and the entire community that they are really welcomed and valued in our schools. ensure that all communications are culturally and linguistically sensitive and appropriate to NHPS stakeholders and as a team we will: act as advisor and support to the NHPS district's Communications Department use quality data to make decisions about district and community communication and engagement Do you have a comment or question about how to get involved in New Haven Public Schools? Click Here! ABOUT THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM: The New Haven Public Schools' Community Engagement Team, facilitated by Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo and Patricia Avallone, is comprised of students, parents, educators, higher education, business, youth agencies and community members. The team's goals are to work collaboratively with NHPS employees, students, parents and other dedicated community stakeholders to: Promote increased accountability and commitment Build stronger relationships through effective two way engagement Strengthen infrastructure and diverse communication channels to support the work of our schools and its students. Members: Richard Abbatiello; Patricia Avallone; Dr. Abie Benitez; Josiah Brown; David Cicarella; Patricia DeMaio; Mary Lou DiPaolo; Deborah Frankel; Shirley Ellis West; Jene Flores; Liz Gambardella; Kathy Gardner; Monica Haynes; Dominique Jefferson; Lou Campbell; Dominick Maldonado; Claudia Merson; Peggy Moore; Maria Noad; Julia Ojeda; Terrence Patterson; Dawn Roy; Patti Scussel; Dee Speese-Linehan; and Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo MEASURING UP: The team has been a key part of two recent organizational assessments of New Haven Public Schools. The first was conducted by the Stupski Foundation as part of a multi-year partnership with New Haven. The area of stakeholder engagement and communications improved to the second highest level (sustained, effective) on the Stupski organizational assessment, a tribute to the work of the team in deepening engagement and communications activity for the schools. More recently, Cambridge International, evaluators sent to New Haven by the State Department of Education to study the district and its schools, found the work of the team to exceed minimum goals for stakeholder engagement. Cambridge evaluators found: A proactive effort to reach out to parents and the community and a focus on ensuring that schools are welcoming and inclusive. The evaluators praised the district's detailed communications and engagement strategy and strong anecdotal evidence to show that these strategies are impacting positively on parents and students' attitudes toward school. The engagement strategy represents "a real commitment to reaching out to the wider community in a spirit of genuine partnership." The ability through the communications plan and the Community Engagement Team to receive feedback from parents and to directly link to community groups and seek their views Regular outreach to media (print and TV) to keep constituents informed A phone link system that communicates directly to students and parents and has been extremely well received A large number of community volunteers involved in supporting schools be has issued its "quality review" report and has found much to applaud about New Haven's public schools, along with specific strategies for improvement. RECOGNITION: Four parents who have been instrumental members of the team received state recognition at the 8th Annual Elementary Parent Volunteer Recognition Banquet sponsored by Connecticut Association of Schools in March. They are Dominick Maldonado of Columbus Family Academy; Maria Noad of Vincent Mauro; Dawn Roy of Sheridan; and Kathy Gardner of Celentano School. The team is grateful to all of its parents and stakeholders for their ongoing commitment and dedication to this work. SURVEYS The Community Engagement Team has conducted two surveys to date. The first was an internal employee satisfaction that measured how we communicate and engage internally. A total of 1,231 employees, or 48%, took the survey online, with responses as follows: 829 from teachers 201 from support staff 113 from "other" (paraprofessionals,custodians) 72 from administrators 21 from central office administrators Key findings from the district's own internal survey show: 84% are very familiar/familiar with and support "Good to Great" and the "Five Bold Goals" The district does a good job of keeping employees informed, with 63% agreeing, and 16% strongly agreeing. Most effective ways to get info: 72%, colleagues and other employees; 65% from supervisor Almost 30% do not agree, strongly disagree, or are not sure that every child has a equal chance to succeed in the district, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or family income. Areas of most concern listed by respondents: 196 instructional strategies & curriculum (22%) 147 resource allocation (17%) 135 human capital (15%) 130 standards & expectations (15%) 117 parental engagement (13%) 112 smaller class size (13%) 28 discipline (3%) 12 communication (1%) A second, external survey was developed by the team with help from CE Team, Office of Communications, Title 1 Office and Yale's Roosevelt Institution. Approximately 800 parents have taken the survey to date. Key findings thus far: NHPS is communicating! 85% receive information often and continuously from the schools 15% get their information from indirect sources such as neighbors, friends or the media 86% agree/strongly agree that their child's school is welcoming, treats them with respect 96% agree/strongly agree that they feel welcome to visit their child's school 89% agree/strongly agree that NHPS collaborates with the community Best Known Programs: Healthy Kids First (59%) No Child Left Behind (53%) Magnet Schools (64%) Least Known Programs: How tax dollars are used in schools Ð 15% Drop out and truancy, 18% Youth at Work Program Ð 19% The parent survey indicates opportunities for greater awareness as follows: Improve awareness of Advanced Placement, truancy and drop out prevention, jobs for teens and Board of Education policies/procedures/meetings Greater accountability/transparency The district can do more to communicate policy decisions to stakeholders NATIONAL FINALIST, CASE FOUNDATION GRANT The team also has successfully applied for national funding. The Case Foundation has selected My School is Your School, developed by the Community Engagement Team of the New Haven Public Schools, as a top 20 finalist for the Make It Your Own Awardsª. Make It Your Own is an innovative grants program that forgoes the traditional grant application model to embrace a more grassroots, "citizen-centered" approach to seeking funding. After selecting the top 20 ideas from an initial 100 announced this past October, the Case Foundation invited America to get online and vote for the Final Four, each of whom will be awarded an additional $25,000 in grant dollars to help realize their dreams. The deadline is April 22, 2008. Members of the Community Engagement Team urge supporters to get online and vote for My School is Your School. Voting is happening online at casefoundation.org/myvote My School is Your School is a project developed by the NHPS Community Engagement Team to help residents, parents, grandparents, community organizations and businesses feel welcome in all schools. The team is committed to working collaboratively with parents, students, community members, teachers and principals to create a welcoming atmosphere in every school and to promote two-way engagement. Dominick Maldonado, a grandparent and the PTO president at Columbus Family Academy, said the grant "will support the constituency engagement team in following through with our mission of ensuring a robust district-wide constituency engagement and community system that will actively support student learning and achievement. We are dedicated to promoting a warm/caring atmosphere, two-way engagement, stronger relationships and ownership that will enhance all students' academic success." The Case Foundation selected My School is Your School from a nationwide pool of nearly 5,000 applications evaluated not only on subject matter, but on their strength as examples of "citizen-centered" change. All top 20 finalists have already received $10,100 and one year's worth of counsel from a Case Foundation Social Investment Manager. Josiah Brown, Associate Director of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute and a member of the team, said, "As a New Haven resident, a parent and a community partner of the New Haven Public Schools, I've seen the district's engagement team emerge as a forum for gauging concerns and communicating information with the ultimate goal of enhancing student learning. The district recognizes the importance of further involving families and others in schools." Shirley Ellis-West, senior case manager of the New Haven Family Alliance, said the grant funds represent "a wonderful opportunity for us to not only work with parents, teachers and students, but with the community. It's an opportunity to really showcase our schools as the true community resources they are and to strengthen how we share information." To vote for My School is Your School as one of the Make It Your Own Awards Final Four, individuals can log onto www.miyo.casefoundation.org/vote, where they will be asked to select four choices from the 20 finalists. The Case Foundation is also giving $2,500 to the charities selected by the first 10 people to vote for the four projects that become the Make It Your Own Awards Final Four. The Case Foundation will announce the final grantees in May 2008. The Make It Your Own AwardsTM is an online grants program from the Case Foundation that challenges people from all walks of life to choose what matters most to them, decide what kind of community they want, and take action together. For additional information about the Make It Your Own Awards, visit http://miyo.casefoundation.org/.