Improving the Odds for Success at School Stacey D. Stewart U.S. President United Way Worldwide

Education in the United States Context: All citizens entitled to a free, public education High school graduation rates showing improvement Post secondary percentage gains Student achievement below average Gaps based on race and income remain Making progress, but more to do 2

Recent Policy Wins – ESSA December 2015 – Congress passed and the President signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) o Promise Neighborhood Program o 21 st Century Community Learning Centers Program o Community Schools Program 3

4 United Way Impact Model Youth Opportunity Youth gain the knowledge, skills and credentials for employment/careers Access to Health Individuals/families have access to healthcare & improve their health Economic Mobility Individuals/families achieve financial stability and improve their socioeconomic status Early Childhood Children enter school prepared, and are successful in the early primary grades We create better opportunities for all people by helping to build stronger communities We do this by bringing people together around a shared agenda and working on solutions to problems that no one organization can solve alone Define Community Impact Agenda

Our Education Strategies Connecting parents with information to support their child’s success in school Connecting parents with other parents who can serve as resources Engaging parents directly to understand barriers to student success Engage and empower parents Focusing on low-performing school feeder patterns Developing and using early warning and response systems to provide student supports Focusing on student transitions (grade & school level) Leveraging volunteers as a second-shift of adults Brokering relationships between, schools. businesses, and CBOs Provide wrap-around supports for children and youth Focusing efforts on low-performing schools Identifying school needs and gaps in in supports through assessments Supporting /informing key reforms/policies (e.g. Common Core) Strengthen schools and communities

United Way Efforts – Implementing these strategies from cradle-to-career

United Way Examples

The Achievers for Life Initiative United Way of Northeastern Florida Goal – Provide supports for rising middle-schoolers at-risk of high school dropout, 2,860 students since 2007 Key Components of the Initiative Early warning indicators Family Support Achievement Advocates Parent engagement Measures of Success Improved GPAs, 7 th grade promotion rates, decrease in absenteeism, increases in parent engagement

Go Centers United Way of Tarrant County Goals – Improve high school graduation rates by providing interventions and supports to underserved, low-income youth and help support and promote college and career readiness Key Components of the Initiative GO Centers – resource centers on campus that provide student access to: college applications/research, scholarships, financial Aid/ FAFSA, career exploration, SAT/ACT support, etc. College and Career Coaches Parent Engagement Measures of Success Increased school engagement, promotion and graduation rates; decreased absenteeism, course failures, discipline referrals, dropouts 9

Strengthening Youth Success, from Cradle-to-Career Spokane County United Way Goal - Improve high school graduation rates by supporting student transitions in the middle grades; engage a broader set of multi-sector stakeholders to create a community-wide system to improve youth success from cradle-to-career. Key Components of the Initiative District-wide early warning system and wrap-around supports Changing school policies and practices Improving school environments Leadership and policy development Measures of Success Implementation of an early warning and response system in the largest school district Declines in the number of students identified at-risk of dropout

Working as a Network Early Grade Reading Challenge Community Schools Affinity Group Early Warning and Response Systems Compact 11

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