Binghamton City School District Binghamton University Citizen Action – Alliance for Quality Education

1. “The Power of the School – Community –
University Partnership”
Binghamton City School District
Binghamton University
Citizen Action – Alliance for Quality Education
Dr. Marion H. Martinez
March 2015
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2. Hit the ground “learning” not “running”
Begin developing relationships by making
connections/relating
Data Collection
Systematic Inquiry
“Golden Hour” for taking action
Avoid the “jump reflex”…
Precludes personal and organizational learning
which are the prerequisites of successful
performance improvement
Entry Plan – How to Begin a Leadership
Position Successfully Dr. Barry Jentz
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3.  Step 1 : Design Entry Plan
 Step 2 : Generate Data Systematically
 Step 3 : Make Sense of the Data
 Step 4 : Form an Action Plan
An Entry Plan Approach
“…a systematic, strategic method for beginning a leadership
position in a way that positions new leaders to improve their own
performance and the performance of their new organizations
Dr. Barry Jentz, The Entry Plan Approach, 2008
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4. Step 1 - Design Entry Plan
 Discuss
 Draft
 Test
 Revise
 Publish
 Confirm
Dr. Barry Jentz, the Entry Plan Approach, 2008
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5.  Develop interview questions
 Create a list of interviewees and questions
 Share questions
 Conduct interviews on-site, if possible
Dr. Barry Jentz, the Entry Plan Approach, 2008
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Step 2 - Generate Data Systematically

6.  Analyze data, examine for patterns
 Look for beliefs, assumptions, values embedded in the
culture
 Examine information that could be used to improve the
system
Dr. Barry Jentz, the Entry Plan Approach, 2008
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Step 3 - Make Sense of the Data

7.  Test perceptions/assumptions with a group
 Revise action plan, as necessary
 Share plan with constituents and public, at large
 Implement action plan, revise accordingly
Dr. Barry Jentz, the Entry Plan Approach, 2008
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Step 4 - Form an Action Plan

8.  January to June 2013
 100+ Community members interviewed
 Volunteers to support the work
 Creation of the “Community Partners”
 Ongoing communication via “Parent Coffee
Hours”
 Building a foundation of support
Unanticipated Outcome - Coalition of Support
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9. Binghamton University’s Center for Family,
School, and Community Partnerships
 We’re all educators, and each group benefits when we
work together
 Adds capacity for schools through university student,
faculty, and staff contributions
 University students can participate in internships and
service learning projects
 Faculty can ground research in real-world contexts, and
bring innovations in thinking and new testable
interventions to schools
 Community members create necessary bridges for
optimal communication and diverse representation9

10. Identified Common Concerns
Mental Health as a Public Health Responsibility
 In our community, over 40% of children live in poverty
 More than 75% are eligible for free / reduced lunch
 20.5% of children from poverty and near poverty have
behavioral or emotional problems, compared to 6.4%
of children who are not poor (Howell, 2004)
 75 – 80% of children and youth in need of mental
health services do not receive them (Kataoka, Zhang, Wells,
2002)
 Untreated mental health concerns inhibit brain
development, learning, and social-emotional skills
(Shonkoff, 2012)
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11.  We understand that many of the children in our
schools and communities are impacted by –
• Specific traumatic events
• Ongoing toxic stress
• Intergenerational trauma
• Repeated daily injuries / microaggressions
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Culturally Responsive Trauma-informed
Approaches for Schools

12.  When a person’s behavior is disruptive,
or they seem to not care,
or they behave in a way that is not safe
 Wonder: “What has happened to them?”
 Instead of judging: “What’s wrong with them?”
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Understanding stress
informs our assumptions

13.  Multiple research projects that are grounded in
service to the schools
 Faculty collaborate on related projects
 Work closely with community partners and
school personnel
 Seek solutions for local school concerns, and
generate innovation that can inform other
schools nationally 13
Participatory Research for Change

14.  Social Work, Education, and School Counseling:
Culturally responsive and trauma informed
strategies for classroom management,
pedagogy, and school climate
 Social Work, Education, and Nursing: Needs and
strengths of custodial grandparents
 Human Development and Social Work: Parent
leadership training to bring parents into
classrooms as volunteers14
Interdisciplinary Faculty Projects

15. Collaborators vs. Partners
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16. From Permission to Partnership
 Strong relationships and high levels of trust among
all parties – these are personal, not institutional
 Agreement on common goal: Student Achievement
 Research embedded in service; schools must benefit
directly
 School/district personnel are essential contributors
and collaborators, not subjects of research
 Research builds upon existing school culture and
norms, even if the goal is change16

17. 17
Board of Education Goals
 Focus 1: Teaching and Learning – To ensure all students have equal access to rigorous,
high quality curriculum that is aligned to the Common Core Standards and delivered
through challenging instruction.
 Focus 2 : Alternative Education Programs -To ensure students placed in alternative
programs make adequate yearly progress (Including BOCES programs, Twilight
program, etc.)
 Focus 3: Highly Effective Teachers and Leaders – To ensure continuous improvement
of administrators and teachers through performance evaluation.
 Focus 4: Parent/Community Engagement & Ownership - To create and implement
communication methods that ensure families and the community are genuine
partners.
 Focus 5: School Climate and Safety – To ensure all students experience a safe and
positive school climate that welcomes and actively engages all families.
 Focus 6: Facility Maintenance - To upgrade and maintain attractive, safe and accessible
facilities that promote sustainability.
 Focus 7: Fiscal – To align district resources in the attainment of high levels of student
achievement and instructional excellence.

18.  Transparency and over-communication
 Non-negotiables (Goals and Strategies)
 Stakeholder involvement and ownership
 Balance district-wide initiatives with autonomy
 Monitoring - Use of Data to Identify Success
 What, who, when and how
 Parent involvement/engagement does not need to be
an event
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Process and Assumptions

19. Improvement
in Student
Outcomes
Leadership
Focused &
Coordinated
Instruction
Faculty’s
Professional
Capabilities
Close
relationships
with parents
and
community
Student-
centered
Learning
Climate
Source: Bryk, Sebring, Allensroth, Luppescu & Easton (2010 )
Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons From Chicago
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20. AQE/CANY Southern Tier
Mission
 Our local mission was to develop AQE/CANY Parent
Education Committees, which will develop and
empower parents and community leaders from
Economically Disadvantaged neighborhoods and
Communities of Color. Through leadership, personal
and professional development grow legislative
champions, who will work to create local community
based partnership; working and advocating for the
increase of parental participation and involvement in
all aspects of local public education.
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21. Education Committee Make-up
 Everyone who wants to be involved must be
given a role. Parents hold primary committee
roles i.e. Chair, Secretary, etc…
 Community partners, teachers and advocates are
committee supporters and liaisons who offer
professional and personal growth, support and/or
assistance to Education Committee Members.
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22. Creating a Committee Using the
Community Partner Network
 AQE/CANY established a partnership with
Binghamton University through shared
objectives of community empowerment.
 Utilizing the “parent cafe” model, BU and
AQE worked together to identify parents
interested in getting involved with
educational issues.
 AQE Parent Education Committee strategized
opportunities for outreach.22

23. Now The Work Begins!!!!
A. (1st Test) Education Rallies and Legislative Visits:
Worked with Superintendent and BOE to ensure
students are given opportunities to engage and
lobby legislators in Albany
Developed a system of out-reach that ensures our
target communities are aware of educational field
trips, events and programs.
B. Creating a partnership with BCSD:
Developed rapport and working relationship with
Superintendent based on honesty, trust, shared
goals and objectives.
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24. The Work!
C. Becoming a Functional Committee and Producing Results:
 With the assistance of BU and cooperation of BCSD and the BOE, we
planned purposeful field trips. Parent activists and students made
legislative visits, pressuring the governor and advocating for an increase
in funding for rural and small city schools.
 Parents and students are learning self-advocacy and how to speak to
decision-makers in a deliberate and unified way.
1. Our Education Committee Chair, spoke to Gov. Cuomo’s staff and Budget
Dir. on the effects state cuts in education funding has had on school
libraries; leading to a decrease in size of book selection and services.
Results: A significant number of books permanently loaned to an
elementary school, increasing the size of its library and giving their
students the opportunity to start their own personal libraries at home.
2. Launched letters to the newspaper editor and legislative writing
campaigns during budget season
3. Teach-ins, AQE/CANY Workshops on NYS budget process
4. Supported 2 candidates for local school board - 1 Victory
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25. The Work
Making the Partnership Real
 The Binghamton School District
 Met with community members to establish community advisory
teams, i.e. Community Partners meetings, Community Advisors on
trainings/workshops
 Validation of community partners advice and consultation
 Our recommendation for becoming a Culturally Responsive, Trauma
Sensitive, Restorative Practicing school district was given serious
consideration and all are either being implemented or evaluated for
use
 Invited to be a member of BCSD’s District Equity Task Force on
Disproportionality
 Superintendent’s direct out-reach to disenfranchised communities
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26. The Work
Making the Partnership Work
 Binghamton University
 Has a community initiative and mission
 The Parent Cafés –created excellent opportunities for
parental engagement and gave us the opportunity to
hear from the voiceless
 Foresight to pursue community schools funding and
create the Broome County Promise Zone
 Partnering with the Broome County Promise Zone,
BCSD, and AQE/CANY-Parent Mentoring Program
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27.  Introduced the Restorative Justice Model as an
alternative current disciplinary system
 Superintendent formed an exploratory team of
community members, teachers and administrators to
research
 Superintendent approved initial expense for training
 Team attends conferences RTI/IIPR, visits RP sites,
talks to staff and students
 Team made recommendations to Superintendent for
implementation of formal and informal RP techniques
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The Work
The Restorative Justice/Practice Model

28. The BCSD Parent Mentoring Program
The Collaboration-Binghamton University Prof. Denise Yull, Binghamton City School
District Promise Zone Carla Murray MSW, Citizen Action/Alliance for Quality Education
 Single parents with children in the school district on some
form of public assistance
 Teachers volunteered to have parents in classroom
 Interviewed, vetted and selected preferred candidates
 20 Hours of pre-classroom training/professional development
 2 classes back to back a week for 14 weeks, 2 hrs. processing
each
 Direct classroom work, processing and conversations with
teacher/program coordinator are ongoing
 Team and community building with the other parent mentors
is encouraged throughout the program
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29. The Result
 Collaboration that leads to partnership works!
 Parent empowerment and mobilization works!
 Parents are natural allies to schools and they should be
validated
 Low income parents love their children just like higher income
parents
 When made to feel wanted and needed, low-income
parents will become involved in school activities
 Every child deserves a “sound basic education” regardless..
The Power of the School – Community – University Partnership
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30.  School District – Community – University
Partnerships:
• Provide a framework for a cohesive plan for
teaching, scholarship and service (Anderson-Butcher,
Lawson, Iachini, Bean, Flaspohler & Zullig, 2010)
• Benefits all factions of the larger community
• Community members create necessary bridges for
optimal communication and diverse representation
• Superintendent’s Entry Plan sparked the
collaboration, but the community created the
genuine partnership
Conclusions
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31.  Binghamton City Schools
Dr. Marion H. Martinez Dr. Tonia Thompson
Binghamton University
Dr. Lisa Blitz
Citizen Action – Alliance for Quality Education
Mr. Larry Parham
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Contacts