Coalition for Community Schools
April, 2010

• A two-generation strategy focused on academic success
• All services based in schools
• Implemented in 3 elementary schools, 3 more are online in September
• Core Components:
– Family Literacy classes
– Wraparound Case Management
– Before and After-school programs and summer
– Family Engagement Initiatives
– Health and Wellness services
– Early childhood programming

• Parental involvement impacts academic achievement
• Literacy level of mom is an indicator of academic success of child
• Stability in home, reduced mobility a factor in school success
• Early local results indicate family engagement an indicator of low absenteeism

• Higher levels of sustained participation by families in school and out
• Family literacy will increase
• Parent’s skills in communication; interaction with child’s school will improve
• Absenteeism will decrease
• Improved health and well-being
• School climate will improve

• Participation
– Outcomes for individual students
• Engagement
– Outcomes for school
• Advocacy
– Outcomes for all students, extending to community

• Based on Project Objectives and 3 areas of competency, each school must formulate a Family Engagement
Plan (see attached).

FULL SERVICE COMMUNITY SCHOOL INTEGRATION GRID
Child Education Theme: _Print Concepts
_(identified by 1 st grade teachers)
Month of: _January________School: _Robert Bailey_____
Family Education Theme: _Reading Routines__________________________
Child
Education
Print Concepts
Connection between letters on a page and sounds.
Connections between pictures/illustration s with development of story
Understanding mechanics of a book for example; how to turn pages, what is the cover, how to hold a book.
Using fingers or other markers to guide reading or listening.
Understanding what a title, author and conclusion to a story are.
Connecting story to real life experiences
Academic
Enrichment
Using KidsLit curriculum, after school counselors use center based instruction to observe reading habits of children and guide them to use strategies for connecting to print.
Public Library staff conduct surveys of reading routines in enrichment class.
Create incentive program for establishing a reading routine and create visuals of their perfect reading routine.
Family
Literacy
Parent Time –
1/15 “Introducing
Print Concepts”,
F.L. Instructor helps parents understand explicit instruction for young children in how to create connections between physical aspects of printed word and development of comprehension
Parent Time –
1/22 “Establishing a Reading
Routine”, 1 st grade teacher conducts a lesson in how to establish an engaging reading routine with multiple suggestions for times, materials and strategies.
Parents generate a plan for establishing a routine.
Behavioral
Supports
At Family Success
Team meetings, parents will be asked whether they have a regular reading routine in the home and whether they would like support during Case
Management to establish one.
Literacy coach will be available to consult during a home visit on the issue.
As part of the initial azssessment for new Case
Management referrals, reading routine questions will be asked along with the
NCFAS to determine family well being scores.
Health and
Wellness
During Parent
Times, Family
Engagement
Event, KidsLit
Centers, Library
Enrichment and
First Grade reading circles books on
Nutrition and
Wellness will be featured as part of the lessons on
Print Concepts and
Reading Routines.
A Reading List will be available for parents in their
Parent Newsletter with grade-level books with
Nutrition and
Wellness themes.
Family
Engagement
Literacy Night –
2/14, Mother
Goose Storyteller will use Big Books to model effective strategies for Print awareness. Parents will be introduced to incentive program by Public
Library Staff and encouraged to help their children create their perfect reading routine.

• Family Engagement Teams
• Family Engagement Specialists
• Working with District Parent
Engagement Office
• POP Plan
• Hiring parents as staff
• Family Literacy as a strategy not just a program

• Participation (monthly)
– Farmer’s markets
– Academic events
– Health fairs
– Family programs (Play and Learn, Fam Lit, Case
Management, etc.)
• Engagement
– PTO academies
– Volunteering in classrooms
– University leadership classes for parents at school
• Advocacy
– Family Friendly Walk-through
– SIT involvement, drafting of school plans
– Providence Educational Excellence Coalition

• Home visits
– Parents as Teachers
– Community Health Workers
– Family Service Care Coordination
– Even Start visits
• Interactive Literacy activities
– Literacy bags
– Reading routines
– Family assignments

• In a school of 350 students, 353 adult family members have attended family engagement events
• 707 adult family members have attended schoolbased Family Engagement Events
• 89% of parents who participate in our parenting education classes significantly improve in their capacity to support their child’s academic performance as measured by the Parenting Education Profile
Adult family member participation in school-based events, 2009-10
87
77
131
412
One school-based event
Two events
Three events
Four+ events

• Children whose parents participated in
Family Literacy classes had a 96% attendance rate. Their chronic absenteeism rate was less than 2% (school average
16%).
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
16%
7%
2%
General school population n=350
Children in all FSCS programs n=170
Children in Family
Literacy programs n=56
Percent of children missing
18 days or more of school in 2008-
09 school yr

• 69% of students in wraparound service coordination saw a significant increase in their scores on the North Carolina Family Assets
Survey (NCFAS). The chart below depicts the growth of families from areas of deficit to areas of strength.
Family Assessment Scale
2
1
0
-1
-2
-1.2
0.9
Baseline score, average Score after 3 months of service, average

• What went right in Year One
– Effective recruitment and support of parent participation
– High levels of satisfaction and interest in programs
• What needs to change
– Parents not fully aware of programs and resources
– Name and mission of initiative not well known
– Communication needs to take multiple forms and lots of reinforcement