News
from the Hill: Arne
Duncan, Chief Executive Officer of the
Chicago Public Schools, speaks about Community Schools on Capitol Hill
Watch
the video:
New Publication!America's Children in Brief: Key National
Indicators of
Well-Being, 2008
The
2008 edition of "America's Children: Key National Indicators of
Well-Being," compiled by the 22-member Federal Interagency Forum on
Child
and Family Statistics, presents indicators in seven sections: family
and social
environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment
and
safety, behavior, education, and health. This range of
indicators, stresses
the importance of partnerships that schools must establish across these
sectors,
in order to improve all of these student outcomes. Click here for
more details.
Tool!Public Education Network Launches "Civic Index for
Quality Public
Education"�
The Coalition's partner,
PEN, released a national poll and a groundbreaking "Civic
Index for Quality Public Education" which has shed new light
on the public's views on school progress, politicians' commitment to
education, and the strength of community commitment to helping improve
education.
NewYMCA
National Magazine Highlights Community Schools
Local YMCAs are organizing
community schools around the country using the assets of entire
communities to better prepare their children and families for success.
“Beyond the Basics” highlights community schools, showing the positive
results that such an approach produces. The first YMCA community
school, Stevenson YMCA in Long Beach, was created 10 years ago. Read
more about Stevenson and other YMCA community schools here.
Event
Announcement
Join Youth Service America and its partners in accepting the National
Learn & Serve Challenge, October 6-12, 2008!
Through service-learning,
young people can "BE A SOLUTION"� to real world challenges that face
our community, nation, and the world. Join your peers from
around the country for a concentrated week of special events and
community outreach activities designed to raise awareness and build
support for service-learning. October 6-12 marks the kickoff
week to raise awareness about service-learning successes across the
country with the spirit of continuing the effort throughout the year.
Organized by the National Service-Learning Partnership, visit
the program's newly revamped official website for the National Learn
& Serve Challenge at http://www.learnandservechallenge.org
for more information, Challenge Gear, activity ideas, and cool tools
you can use.
Join National Community
Education Association for their 43rd Annual NCEA Conference and
connect with Community Education colleagues and resources from around
the
country. It will be held in Dallas, TX . Click
here for registration information.
What is the Best Reform in
Education?
In the Sunday Opinion section of The Des Moines Register
(Des Moines, IA) the author, Richard Doak, answers that ending poverty
is
the best reform. He asks how can we expect our children to
learn if they are in pain? Doak states that the student acheivement gap
is never going to close, unless we as a Nation address the root causes
of this gap -- poverty. Click
here to read the entire article. As a Coalition we propose to
address these root issues by offering students' support through
school-community partnerships and parent engagement.
CommunitySchools in the Education Reform Debate
Randi
Weingarten’s
public support for Community Schools has created a buzz across all
sectors, in news articles and the blogosphere. Click
here to read her
speech .
Take Action!
Participate in the Education Reform debate by sending letters to your
local newspapers, news stations, radio stations, and post on blogs.
To help get you started, here are a few templates that you
can use:
Leading Change: Resources for Principal Preparation and
Professional Development.
The Coalition for Community
Schools, with support from the MetLife Foundation, has created a
one-stop-shop for principal preparation and professional development
programs and practicing principals. On this website, you will find the
best research and tools on nine essential topics that will help
principals effectively engage communities and families. Please
visit the website.
Community
and Family Engagement: Principals Share What Works.
Informed by the work of principals, this paper finds six keys
to community engagement that help school leaders engage families,
staff, partners and the larger community in the life of the
school. To read the paper, click
here.
.