3. Why New Directions are Imperative There is a particular urgency arising from demands made by the No Child Left Behind Act Many Schools are being designated as low performing Increasing accountability demands require demonstrating progress for students who are “economically disadvantaged, from racial and ethnic minority groups, have disabilities, or have limited English proficiency.” All schools will be evaluated on criteria designed to identify sites that are “persistently dangerous.” With increasing accountability for student outcomes and dwindling budgets, it has become absolutely essential to rethink use of existing learning supports.

4. What’s Involved in Meeting the Challenges of Rethinking Support Programs, Resources, and Personnel It involves much more than coordinating services. And it is not about developing Full Service Schools

5. Rather, It involves: more effective deployment of existing resources (by minimizing fragmentation, counterproductive competition, and marginalization of student supports) reframing student supports as learning supports that address barriers to student learning and realigning support staff roles and functions to develop comprehensive, multifaceted, and cohesive approaches

6. It also involves fully integrating learning support programs and staff into the school improvement agenda at every school revamping infrastructures to weave resources together and provide mechanisms for enhancing and evolving how schools address barriers to student learning — and some other matters we will explore.

8. Barriers to Learning and Development Examples of barriers:* External Internal >inadequate enrichment/recreational opportunities >deficiencies in necessary prerequisite skills >school and community deficiencies >negative attitudes toward schooling >frequent transitions and mobility >disabilities and other vulnerabilities >lack of home involvement/family problems >lack of positive peer support >inadequate school support programs and community social/health services *Although a few youngster start out with internal problems and many others internalize negative experiences, there can be little doubt that external factors are primarily responsible for the majority of learning, behavior, and emotional problems encountered in schools. Addressing barriers both minimizes factors interfering with healthy development and learning and enables others to promote healthy development and learning. Promoting healthy development is an end in itself and also plays a major role in prevention. Adapted from: H.S. Adelman & L. Taylor (1994). On understanding intervention in psychology and education. Westport, CT: Prager. Barriers to Learning

9. Test score averages tend to plateau after a few years in schools with large numbers of students who are bumping into barriers to learning in ways that interfere with their motivation and ability to engage effectively in what the teacher has planned for the day.

10. Some people hear the phrase “addressing barriers to learning” and think it is about student deficits. It’s much more about environmental deficit conditions. And, it is always concerned about >strengths and protective buffers (e.g., assets, resiliency) >promoting healthy development

11. Addressing Barriers to Student Learning What’s the Current State of Affairs?

12. Pupil Services Special Education Physical Education After-School Programs Psychological Testing Health Education HIV/Aids Prevention Health Services Clinic Nutrition Education School Lunch Program Drug Prevention Drug Services Counseling Smoking Cessation For Staff Codes of Discipline Pregnancy Prevention Social Services Child Protective Services HIV/AIDS Services Community- Based Organizations Mental Health Services Juvenile Court Services Violence & Crime Prevention School Which of these addresses barriers to student learning? Adapted from: Health is Academic: A guide to Coordinated School Health Programs (1998). Edited by E. Marx & S.F. Wooley with D. Northrop. New York: Teachers College Press. Talk about fragmented!!!

13. Clearly, current interventions are not being conceptualized within comprehensive and cohesive policy and intervention frameworks

14. What’s Getting in the Way? 1. List five “barriers” that you find regularly get in the way of students benefiting from the various instructional improvements being made in your schools. 2. What strategies have you found helpful in addressing these barriers to student learning? 3. What more do you think needs to be done in the classroom and school-wide to address these barriers effectively?

15. II. Needed: A Policy Shift C Two Major and Separate Reform Movements C What’s Missing? C Marginalization C Moving to a Three Component Model C Policy into Daily Practice

16. When policy focuses on schools and communities working together, it is important to recognize that we are talking about two major and separate reform movements. >School Improvement >Agency Reform And, it is especially important to understand the implications of this!

17. Instructional Component (to directly facilitate learning) What’s Missing? Management Component (for governance and resource management) Looking first at the Movement for School Improvement: What’s Missing? What’s missing becomes evident when we ask: How does school improvement planning address barriers to learning?

18. It’s not really missing -- it’s just marginalized This is because current school improvement policy essentially is based on a two component model for describing the key functions schools must pursue each day.

20. Restructuring and Reforming Community Health and Human Services The intent of current agency reform policy -- >end fragmentation >enhance access to clientele The focus -- >interagency collaboration. >school-linked services (if school-based, approach is collocation) Problems -- >doesn’t integrate with a school’s efforts to address barriers to learning >limits the focus to current agency services As a result, current agency policy produces -- >an additional form of fragmentation >counterproductive competition >greater marginalization

21. It is important to remember that Community Agency Reform is not the same as Strengthening Communities Because the focus is on services, little attention is paid to >integrating community resources with existing school programs and services designed to address barriers to learning; >strengthening families and neighborhoods by improving economic status and enhancing other fundamental supports.

23. Adapted from: J. Kretzmann & J. McKnight (1993). Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Findings and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets. Chicago: ACTA Publications

25. School systems are not responsible for meeting every need of their students. But... when the need directly affects learning, the school must meet the challenge. Carnegie Task Force on Education

26. Moving to a Three Component Model Expanding the Focus for School Improvement and Restructuring: Establishes a component for addressing barriers to development and learning which is treated as primary and essential and which weaves together school and community resources to develop comprehensive approaches Direct Facilitation of Development & Learning (Developmental Component) Addressing Barriers to Development & Learning (Enabling Component) Governance and Resource Management (Management Component)

29. Policy Into Daily Practice: Moving beyond piecemeal and fragmented activity (A few major implications for what schools, districts, communities, states, and the federal government need to do) Ensure a full continuum of school-community interventions (programs/services) Help develop schools as key environments in their community Operationalize the continuum into a comprehensive, multifaceted, and cohesive approach that addresses the problems experienced at every school Enable the braiding of funds from  general funds  compensatory education  safe and drug free schools initiatives  special education  community resources (e.g., agencies, grants, gifts, volunteers, human & social capital)

30. III. Comprehensive Intervention Framework C Addressing Barriers to Learning for All Students: An Umbrella Concept for a Comprehensive Approach C What a Comprehensive Framework Would Include C Two Interacting Frameworks for Schools and for School-Community Collaboration >Essential Continuum of Interconnected Systems >An Enabling or Learning Support Component C Integrating the Two Frameworks C Toward a Comprehensive, Multifaceted, & Integrated Approach

31. Addressing Barriers to Learning for All Students An Umbrella Concept for a Comprehensive, Multifaceted, and Cohesive Agenda

32. A Comprehensive Framework Would Include

33. Two Interacting Frameworks for Schools and for School-Community Collaboration >An essential Continuum of Interconnected Systems >An Enabling or Learning Support Component that defines the fundamental programs and services every school needs to address barriers to learning

35. An Enabling or Learning Support Component Defining Major Arenas Every School Needs to Operationalize in Order to Address Barriers to Student Learning Every Day

37. 1. See the surveys covering the six areas and discussion of the necessary infrastructure in various documents available from the Center. The surveys can be used as part of a school’s self-study or quality review processes to map what a school has and what it needs to address barriers to learning in a multifaceted and comprehensive manner

38. Barriers to Learning

39. Classroom-Focused Enabling & Re-engaging Students in Classroom Learning *Classroom based efforts to enable learning >>Prevent problems; intervene as soon as problems are noted >>Enhance intrinsic motivation for learning >>Re-engage students who have become disengaged from classroom learning Opening the classroom door to bring available supports in Peer tutors, volunteers, aids (trained to work with students-in-need) Resource teachers and student support staff Redesigning classroom approaches to enhance teacher capability to prevent and handle problems and reduce need for out of class referrals Personalized instruction; special assistance as necessary Developing small group and independent learning options Reducing negative interactions and over-reliance on social control Expanding the range of curricular and instructional options and choices Systemic use prereferral interventions Enhancing and personalizing professional development Creating a Learning Community for teachers Ensuring opportunities to learn through co-teaching, team teaching, mentoring Teaching intrinsic motivation concepts and their application to schooling Curricular enrichment and adjunct programs Varied enrichment activities that are not tied to reinforcement schedules Visiting scholars from the community Classroom and school-wide approaches used to create and maintain a caring and supportive climate Emphasis is on enhancing feeling of competence, self-determination, and relatedness to others at school and reducing threats to such feelings

40. Crisis Assistance and Prevention *School-wide and classroom-based efforts for >>responding to crisis >>minimizing the impact of crisis >>preventing crisis Ensuring immediate assistance in emergencies so students can resume learning Providing Follow up care as necessary Brief and longer-term monitoring Forming a school-focused Crisis Team to formulate a response plan and take leadership for developing preventive programs Mobilizing staff, students, and families to anticipate response plans and recovery efforts Creating a caring and safe learning environment Developing systems to promote healthy development and prevent problems Bullying and harassment abatement programs Working with neighborhood schools and community to integrate planning for response and prevention Staff/stakeholder development focusing on the role and responsibility of all in promoting a caring and safe environment

41. Support for Transitions *School-wide and classroom-based efforts to >>enhance acceptance and successful transitions >>prevent transitions problems >>use transition periods to reduce alienation >>use transition periods to increase positive attitudes/motivation toward school and learning Welcoming & social support programs for newcomers Welcoming signs, materials, and initial receptions Peer buddy programs for students, families, staff, volunteers Daily transition programs for Before school, breaks, lunch, afterschool Articulation programs Grade to grade (new classrooms, new teachers) Elementary to Middle School; Middle to High School In and out of special education programs Summer or intersession programs Catch-up, recreation, and enrichment programs School-to-career/higher education Counseling, pathway, and mentor programs Broad involvement of stakeholders in planning for transitions Students, staff, home, police, faith groups, recreation, business, higher educ. Staff/stakeholder development for planning transition programs/activities

42. Home Involvement in Schooling *School-wide & classroom-based efforts to engage the home in >>strengthening the home situation >>enhancing problem solving capabilities >>supporting student development and learning >>strengthening school and community Addressing specific support and learning needs of family Support services for those in the home to assist in addressing basic survival needs and obligations to the children Adult education classes to enhance literacy, job skills, English-as-a-second language, citizenship preparation Improving mechanisms for communication and connecting school and home Opportunities at school for family networking and mutual support, learning, recreation, enrichment, and for family members to receive special assistance and to volunteer to help Phone calls from teacher and other staff with good news Frequent and balanced conferences (student-led when feasible) Outreach to attract hard-to-reach families (including student dropouts) Involving homes in student decision making Families prepared for involvement in program planning and problem-solving Enhancing home support for learning and development Family Literacy, Family Homework Projects, Family Field Trips Recruiting families to strengthen school and community Volunteers to welcome and support new families and help in various capacities Families prepared for involvement in school governance Staff/stakeholder development to broaden awareness of and plan programs to enhance opportunities for home involvement

43. Community Outreach for Involvement and Support (including Volunteers) *Building linkages and collaborations to strengthen students, schools, families, and neighborhoods Work group for planning and implementing outreach to involve Community resources such as public and private agencies; colleges and universities; local residents; artists and cultural institutions, businesses and professional organizations; service, volunteer, and faith-based organizations Community policy and decision makers Staff/stakeholder development on the value of community involvement and opening the school to expanded forms of community activities and programs Mechanisms to recruit, screen, and prepare community participants Orienting and welcoming programs for community participants Programs to enhance a sense of community Policies and mechanisms to enhance and sustain school -community involvement Support for maintenance Celebration of shared successes “Social marketing” of mutual accomplishments

44. Student and Family Assistance *Specialized assistance provided through personalized health and social service programs Providing support as soon as a need is recognized and doing so in the least disruptive ways Prereferral interventions in classrooms Problem solving conferences with parents Open access to school, district, and community support programs  Referral interventions for students & families with problems Screening, referrals, and follow-up - school-based, school linked  Enhancing access to direct interventions for health, mental health, and economic assistance School-based, school-linked, and community-based programs  Follow-up assessment to check whether referrals and services are adequate and effective  Mechanisms for resource coordination to avoid duplication of and fill gaps in services and enhance effectiveness School-based and linked, feeder family of schools, community-based programs  Enhancing stakeholder awareness of programs and services  Involving community providers to fill gaps and augment school resources  Staff/stakeholder development to enhance effectiveness of student and family assistance systems, programs, and services

45. Integrating the Two Frameworks In framing intervention for learning supports, researchers have: (1) clarified the continuum of interventions by delineating a hierarchical set of systems (2) organized the content/activity of learning support activity for schools into a coherent & cohesive component consisting of 6 arenas for intervention a key arena of the component involves building the capacity of classrooms to enhance instructional effectiveness. Note: Such “classroom-focused enabling” involves personalized instruction that accounts for motivational and developmental differences and special assistance in the classroom as needed. beyond the classroom, five other arenas are delineated. These clarify domains in which schools also must develop programs and services that enable teaching and learning. By defining the content in terms of six arenas, a broad unifying framework is created around which learning support programs can be restructured.

46. >>As a cohesive whole, the 6 arenas constitute the “curriculum” of a learning supports component. >>The combination of the continuum of systems and the 6 arenas provide a framework for developing a comprehensive, multifaceted, and cohesive component.

48. Toward a Comprehensive, Multifaceted, & Integrated Approach for Addressing Barriers to Learning It requires working to restructure, transform, enhance, and connect school-owned programs and services and community resources In doing so, the emphasis needs to be on: all relevant school resources (e.g., compensatory education, special education, general funds, community resources) all relevant community resources (e.g., public and private agencies, families, businesses; services, programs, facilities; volunteers, professionals-in-training) weaving resources together in ways that evolve a comprehensive, integrated approach that can enhance effectiveness in addressing barriers to learning at a school enhancing the role schools play in strengthening neighborhoods and communities The intended end products are cohesive and potent school- community partnerships that create caring and supportive environments that maximize learning and well-being.

49. IV. Rethinking Infrastructure Overview Matrix School Level Mechanisms Connecting a “Family” of Schools Developing an Effective School-Community Collaborative

50. We begin with a matrix that provides an overview of infrastructure considerations. Then, we explore some specific infrastructure needs related to establishing a component to address barriers to learning. Infrastructure mechanisms are needed >at a school >to connect a “family” of schools >to develop an effective school-community collaborative

53. Who’s at a School? Often, schools have not generated a “map” of the staff who are trying to address barriers to student learning. (1) Adapt the following form to fit a specific school and then fill it out. (2) Share the final version with teachers, parents, and other concerned stakeholders. The staff listed all are potentially invaluable members of a school’s Learning Support Resource Team

55. School Mechanisms for a Component to Enable Learning by Addressing Barriers Administrative Leader (e.g., 50% FTE devoted to component) Staff Lead for Component Staff Workgroups A key infrastructure mechanism for ensuring continuous analysis, planning, development, evaluation, and advocacy is a Learning Support Resource Team

59. Connecting a “Family” of Schools Developing and connecting key resource-oriented mechanisms at school sites, among families of schools, and district and community wide High Schools Middle Schools Elementary Schools

61. At the Complex Level (family of schools) 1-2 representatives from each School-Based Resource Team Facilitator for Complex Resource Council At the District Level 1-2 representatives from each Complex Resource Council High Level District Administrator School Board Subcommittee Chair (Comparable leadership at county, state, and federal levels) Leadership Beyond the School for a Component to Enable Learning by Addressing Barriers

62. About Collaborative Infrastructure C Too often, what is described as a collaborative amounts to little more than a monthly or quarterly meeting of a small and not very empowered group of stakeholders. C The meeting involves sharing, discussion of ideas, and expression of frustrations. Then, everyone leaves and little is done between meetings. C Collaboration is not about meeting. It is about pursuing specific functions and accomplishing essential tasks. C To be meaningful, a school-community collaborative must organize an effective infrastructure. In doing so, it must remember the basic organizational principle:

63. Structure Follows Function!

64. Examples of Task Functions >aggregating data from schools and neighborhood to analyze system needs >mapping resources (not just services) >analyzing resources >program & system planning/development -- including emphasis on setting priorities for establishing a comprehensive, multifaceted, and cohesive set of interventions to meet needs of school and community >redeploying resources >enhancing resource use and seeking additional resources >coordinating-integrating resources >social “marketing”

65. About Collaborative Infrastucture Basic Collaborative Infrastructure Who should be at the table? >families >schools >communities Collab. body steering group ad hoc work groups Connecting Collaboratives at All Levels* Local collab. multi- locality collab. city-wide & school district collab. collab. of county-wide & all school districts in county

67. Keep in mind: C Collaborations can be organized by any group of stakeholders. C Connecting the resources of families and the community through collaboration with schools is essential for developing comprehensive, multifaceted programs and services. C At the multi-locality level, efficiencies and economies of scale are achieved by connecting a complex (or “family”) of schools (e.g., a high school and its feeder schools). C In a small community, such a complex often is the school district. C Conceptually, it is best to think in terms of building from the local outward, but in practice, the process of establishing the initial collaboration may begin at any level.

68. V. Getting from Here to There: Systemic Change Four Major Phases of System Change Some Key Elements in Making System Changes Considerations Related to New Initiatives A Logic Model Understanding Barriers to Change Steps in Establishing a Learning Support Component First Steps for a School-Community Collaboration About Change Agents Social Marketing, Data, and Systemic Change Standards and Accountability

70. Four Major Phases of System Change L Creating Readiness L Initial Implementation (start-up & phase-in) L Institutionalization (maintenance, sustainability) L Ongoing Evolution & Creative Renewal

71. Some Key Elements in Making System Changes (1) SOCIAL MARKETING 101 (Simple messages - the rhetoric of the new - necessary, but insufficient) (2) VISION & COMMITMENT A Comprehensive, Multifaceted, and Integrated Approach to Address Barriers to Student Learning & Promoting Healthy Development (3) LEADERSHIP & INFRASTRUCTURE Administrative leads >district (e.g., assistant superintendent) >school site administrative lead (principal, AP) Board of Education (e.g., subcommittee) Resource Teams/Councils (school, cluster/complex, district) Organization Facilitators/Change Agents (4) RESOURCES redeployment of current expenditures >Title XI of ESEA (5% of ESEA dollars for coordinated services) >IDEA (1% of special education dollars for coordinated services) >other “compensatory” education dollars >safe and drug free school dollars >general funds for student support services better integration of >community resources (including post secondary institutions) >grants (5) CAPACITY BUILDING (esp. time, space, inservice education) including state holders intensive efforts during first phases of change require extra support and use of temporary mechanisms to facilitate changes need to address the problem of turnover and newcomers Major system change is not easy, but the alternative is promoting a very unsatisfactory status quo.

74. Needed: A Change Agent Someone needs to be designated specifically to facilitate the process of systemic change related to establishing a learning support or enabling component at a school and for a family of schools. Because the process involves significant organizational change, the individual chosen has to have the full administrative support and the skills of a change agent. We designate this essential change agent as An Organization Facilitator

75. Organization Facilitator A Temporary Change Agent Mechanism At the School Level facilitates establishment of resource-oriented mechanism (e.g., School-Based Resource Team) facilitates initial capacity building (especially leadership training) provides support in implementing initial tasks (e.g., mapping and analyzing resources) At the Complex Level facilitates establishment of resource-oriented mechanism (e.g., Complex Resource Council) facilitates initial capacity building provides support in implementing initial tasks >mapping >analyses >interface with neighborhood resources Sequence focus first on establishing school infrastructure, then complex infrastructure focus first on complex, then each school focus simultaneously on establishing infrastructure at schools and complex

76. For schools, any systemic changes to enhance learning supports must develop >>a standards-base >>an accountability framework

77. Expanding the Framework for School Accountability High Standards for Academics* (measures of cognitive achievements, e.g., standardized tests of achievement, portfolio and other forms of authentic assessment) High Standards for Learning/ Development Related to Social & Personal Functioning* (measures of social learning and behavior, character/ values, civility, healthy and safe behavior) Indicators of positive Learning and Development Benchmark Indicators of Progress for “Getting from Here to There” High Standards for Enabling Learning and Development by Addressing Barriers** (measures of effectiveness in addressing barriers, e.g., increased attendance, reduced tardies, reduced misbehavior, less bullying and sexual harassment, increased family involvement with child and schooling, fewer referrals for specialized assistance, fewer referrals for special education, fewer pregnancies, fewer suspensions and dropouts) “Community Report Cards” increases in positive indicators decreases in negative indicators *Results of interventions for directly facilitating development and learning. **Results of interventions for addressing barriers to learning and development.

78. What the best and wisest parents want for their own children, that must the community want for all its children. Any other idea... Is narrow and unlovely. John Dewey (updated)

79. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead