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2012 All America City Award_3rd Grade Level Reading PresentationPage 1 of 4 Juanita Hilkin -2012 AII- America Cities Award From Juanita Hilkin To Hilkin, Juanita Date 7/3/2012 8 48 AM Subject 2012 All- America Cities Award Share This LJ NATIONAL �d (JVIC illAmericaC LEAGUE II For Immediate Release July 2,2012 Contact Mike McGrath 303 571 4343 mikemOncl orq National Civic League announces 2012 AII - America Cities Denver, Colorado -The National Civic League named 14 communities All- America Cities today The cities, counties and regions were recognized for their ambitious plans to ensure that more children are proficient readers by the end of third grade The 2012 AII - America Cities are Baltimore, Maryland Dubuque, lowa Providence, Rhode Island Louisville, Kentucky Marshalltown, Iowa Pittsfield, Massachusetts Quad Cities, Iowa and Illinois Roanoke, Virginia San Antonio, Texas San Francisco, California Seattle and the South King County Cities, Washington Southern Pines, North Carolina Spnngfield, Massachusetts Tahoe /Truckee, California file //C \Documents and Settingsllhillnn\Local Settings \TemplXPgrpwise14FF2B1DEDBQ_ 7/3/2012 Page 2 of 4 The award is given to each year to recognize outstanding examples of community problem solving, civic engagement and collaboration between the public, profit and nonprofit sectors. This year the award had a special focus: applicants were asked to develop comprehensive plans to bridge the reading gap between at -risk students and other learners. The awardees named today were among 124 communities that met in Denver this weekend to launch a network dedicated to improving early literacy and bridging the performance gap among young readers nationwide. The conference /awards celebration emerged from a partnership between the Campaign for Grade -Level Reading, the National Civic League, the National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors and United Way Worldwide. "This partnership has been an amazing experience for our All- America City Awards," said Gloria Rubio - Cortes, president of the National Civic League. "We were overwhelmed by the quality, passion and thoughtfulness of all the action plans submitted by over one hundred cities, towns and regions. There is a real and deep commitment to ensuring that our children are prepared to succeed." The 124 communities who are already part of the campaign are adopting a collective impact strategy, engaging their full community around the goal of supporting low- income children from birth through third grade. Their plans involve schools but acknowledge that they alone cannot address the myriad problems that keep children from learning to read. The strategies include ensuring that children arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed, attend school regularly and keep learning through the summer months. "We are leaving the Mile -High City on a high of our own, inspired by the people who are moving mountains in their communities to serve children," said Ralph Smith, the managing director of the Campaign and a senior vice president at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. "We look forward to working with all of the communities in the Network as well as more across the country to move the needle on grade -level reading." "It's been a wonderful opportunity to work with the other partners to really make a difference," said Stacey Stewart, Executive Vice President of United Way Worldwide. "Our greatest asset is the ability to mobilize both individuals and institutions around an issue that communities think are important . This efforto to get more kids reading at grade level by the end of third grade has emerged as a critical priority in many communities." "The National League of Cities congratulates the winners of the 2012 All- America City Awards for their outstanding community plans," said Donald J. Borut, NLC's executive director. "These communities will be among the leaders as Americans from all walks of life rally around the goal of ensuring that every child reads proficiently by the end of third grade." Each of the recognized communities submitted a "Community Solutions Action Plan" that included a broad cross - section of local partners, including schools, file: / /C: \Documents and Settings \jhilkin \Local Settings \ Temp \XPgrpwise \4FF2B1DEDBQ_... 7/3/2012 Page 3 of 4 foundations, community service organizations, businesses and faith groups detailing how they would address school readiness, attendance and summer learning. More than 30 finalist communities were selected through a peer review process from a field of more than 100 entries from across the country. At the award celebration Monday afternoon, NCL President Gloria Rubio - Cortes announced that next year's AII- America City Award will include a focus on how communities are mobilizing to address the needs of returning veterans and military families. Friday marked the launch of the Campaign for Grade -Level Reading Communities Network, a national movement of local leaders, nonprofits and foundations putting a stake in the ground on third -grade reading. That milestone marks the point when children shift from learning to read and begin reading to learn. Students who haven't mastered reading by then are more likely to get stuck in a cycle of academic failure, drop out of school, and struggle throughout their lives. All- America City Award sponsors include: The Piton Foundation; Southwest Airlines - Official Airline of the All- America City Awards; Scholastic; PCL Construction; Mile High United Way; Greenberg Traurig ; US Bank; El Pomar Foundation; JP Morgan Chase; City of Lakewood; City of Aurora; Comcast; FirstBank; Rose Community Foundation; Western Union; and Denver Health. NCL is a 117 - year -old nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that strengthens democracy by increasing the capacity of groups and individuals to participate in and build healthy and prosperous communities. NCL publishes the Model City Charter and the National Civic Review, and conducts programs, research and technical assistance on topics like fiscal sustainability, transportation- oriented development, environmental stewardship, racial equity and immigrant integration. www.ncl.orq www.allamericacityaward.com The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. United Way Worldwide is a worldwide network in 40 countries and territories, including more than 1,200 local organizations in the U.S. It advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, income and health. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. LIVE UNITED® is a call to action for everyone to become a part of the change. For more information about United Way, please visit: LIVEUNITED.orq. The Campaign for Grade -Level Reading is a collaborative effort by foundations, nonprofit partners, states and communities to ensure that low- income children succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career and active citizenship. The Campaign focuses on the most important predictor of school file: / /C:\Documents and Settings\jhilkin \Local Settings\ Temp \XPgipwwise14FF2B1DEDBQ_... 7/3/2012 Page 4 of 4 success and high school graduation - grade -level reading by the end of third grade. For more information contact Mike McGrath at 303 571 4343. Mikem @ncl.org. # ## 1889 York Street 1 Denver, CO 80206 US file: / /C: \Documents and Settings\jhilkin \Local Settings\ Temp \XPgipwwise14FF2B1DEDBQ_... 7/3/2012 3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary DUBUQUE, IOWA Community Overview Dubuque, Iowa takes great pride in our quality educational system. Public and private preschools, and programs like Head Start and Parents as Teachers, provide options for educating our young people. Two K -12 school systems — Dubuque Community School District (DCSD) and Holy Family Catholic Schools (HFCS) —serve the majority of the community's 12,337 students. In addition to high schools, middle schools and elementary schools, DCSD offers an alternative program that provides multiple pathways to graduation and HFCS offers five preschools and a Spanish Immersion School. DCSD and HFCS have the same calendar and collaboratively share staff, instructional materials, transportation, communication, and other support services. Dubuque is also home to numerous post - secondary institutions offering liberal arts degrees, professional programs, graduate degrees, associate degrees, and certification and diploma programs, making it a truly education - infused environment. Like many Midwestern cities, Dubuque has experienced a demographic shift and schools in particular are becoming more diverse. While the number of young people age nine and under represents just 12% of the population, this age group has greater diversity than the rest of the community: 82% white, 8% black, 5% Hispanic /Latino, and 2.6% other. Dubuque's poverty rate has increased, including child poverty. Dubuque's child poverty rate is 13% (vs. 15.6% statewide and 21.6% nationally); for young people under 5 it is 20.6% (vs. 19.6% statewide and 23.0% nationally). The effects of childhood poverty on learning and reading achievement are well documented. To help address these challenges, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque (CFGD) established Every Child /Every Promise (ECEP) in 2006 to engage the community in delivering the Five Promises: Safe Places, Caring Adults, Healthy Start, Effective Education and Opportunities to Serve Others. Today, ECEP facilitates the 3rd Grade Reading Coalition, which is already comprised of 17 agencies, with many more community members as advisors and participants. Over 100 people also participated in a workshop to help shape the Community Solutions Action Plan (CSAP), a strategy to achieve collective impact in three areas: community, families, and policy. Based on our track record of successfully reimagining our city through community partnerships, we are confident we can find solutions that move 3rd Grade Reading Achievement from good to great in our community and become a model for other communities. The 3rd Grade Reading Coalition members: Alliant Energy Carnegie Stout Public Library Clarke University Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Crescent Community Health Center Dubuque Racing Association Mystique Casino Diamond Jo Casino Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce Dubuque Community School District Dubuque Community School District Foundation Dubuque County Early Childhood Every Child 1 Every Promise Four Oaks: Parents as Teachers Greater Dubuque Development Corporation Holy Family Schools Iowa State University Extension & Outreach Leisure Services Loras College Multicultural Family Center Northeast Iowa Community College Operation New View: Head Start University of Dubuque St Mark's Community Center 3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary 1 Dubuque, Iowa 1 Page 1 The Problem The biggest challenge facing our community is disproportionate achievement rates of minority students and students in poverty. While overall our students are achieving at a high level, a disproportionate rate of minority students are entitled to Special Education services: 11.45% black, 2.37% Hispanic, and 2.72% multi - racial in 2011 -12. Whether we look at reading achievement, school attendance, or school readiness, the story is the same. In addition, while many Dubuque students demonstrate success in 3rd Grade Reading Achievement based on the Basic Reading Inventory, of the 14% of students not meeting 3rd grade reading targets, half (7 %) are entitled. The remaining 3rd grade students are overwhelmingly black, male and receive free and reduced lunch services. Dubuque students arrive at kindergarten ready to learn and data shows our four -year old preschool is a major factor in driving these school readiness rates. However, the program is at risk due to state funding challenges and a disproportionate number of students from at -risk populations are still not school -ready by age 5. Similarly, while the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) rate in our schools is 95 %, the opportunity remains to reach the most at -risk students who are not attending at rates that promote achievement. We need to improve our attendance data. Improving summer learning opportunities may be our community's most significant opportunity. While we have an abundance of summer activities for our young people, there is little coordination among these activities and a significant need to incorporate learning opportunities into these programs to support the school curriculum. We can also impact each of these challenges with broader strategies including improved coordination of efforts and resources, and aligning provided and proposed services with a Collective Impact model. Finally, we must consider how our policies can better ensure: • More proportionate density of poverty and minorities within schools • Improved access to summer learning opportunities for all young people • An engaged health community that provides lead- testing and wellness care • High attendance standards for kindergarten and four - year -old preschool • Employer awareness of how policies affect parents' abilities to support children • Issues like attendance are addressed in community -based organization programming • School attendance policies are fair and consistently enforced district -wide. Our goal is to find models to help impact the most vulnerable students while building on current success. We will build on our strong history of partnerships, collaboration, and innovation to move our 3rd Grade Reading Achievement from good to great. 3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary 1 Dubuque, Iowa 1 Page 2 Desired Outcomes and Impact Dubuque's Vision: At least 90% of our students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will be proficient on the reading comprehension portion of the Iowa Testing Program (ITP) We will focus on the remaining 14% of our young people who do not read at grade level by striving for impact in the way we collaborate, share resources, and engage the community. This will require multiple agencies to work together and initiatives that will serve to bridge race, class and socio - economic distinctions. By building an organizational structure that facilitates setting a shared agenda, developing common assessments and identifying mutually reinforcing activities, we will be able to pursue annual goals for school readiness, school attendance and reduced summer learning loss that will engage the community, families, and policy makers at the local and state levels. When we succeed in reaching these goals, our community will: • Witness a radical change in our community, families and policies • Achieve new levels of collaboration that focus efforts on student learning • Benefit from partnership between parents and the Dubuque educational community in providing learning opportunities • Lead the region in creating sustainable and integrated policies, best practices, and resource allocation that incorporates evidence -based strategies to best serve children To get started, we have established annual goals for the community, families, and policy makers in the three core challenge areas: school readiness, school attendance and summer learning. 3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary 1 Dubuque, Iowa 1 Page 3 School Attendance Dubuque's Vision Because attendance is a community priority for parents, students, nonprofits, business partners and schools, no students miss more than 10% of school each year ** indicates how we will measure our progress — specific goals /measures will be developed by the Collaborative in Year 1 Years Community Families j Po1ic Year 1: • Inform /engage community • Organize for success • Develop a shared vision • Identify numerical targets for ** Engaged community each of the objectives members • Develop a common vision with the community around school attendance ** Vision document Year 2: • Building capacity /resources • Early implementation of pilot • Mutually reinforcing activities • Business and nonprofit partners work with schools to increase school attendance ** List of businesses/ nonprofits ** New strategies being implemented Year 3: • Implement with fidelity • Data gathering with common assessments • Partnerships with schools, business and nonprofits are fully implemented ** Students engaged in these strategies with improved attendance Long-term: • Continuous improvement - Collect and maintain data - Analyze data, monitor progress and modify plans • Convene community members in a workshop to share data, evaluate progress and gather input * *Attendance, feedback and new ideas • Engage parents to increase understanding of the connection between attendance and reading achievement ** Parents engaged and students with improved attendance • Schools will convene community and review attendance policies ** Improved policy opportunities identified ** ** • Barriers to student attendance identified, pilot supports to families implemented Students and families engaged in supports Improved student attendance • School attendance policy improvements recommended to school policymakers ** Improved attendance policies implemented by schools • Evaluate successes and fully implement supports to families ** Students and families engaged in supports ** Improved student attendance • Revised attendance policies fully Implemented by schools ** Attendance data reflects new policy • Engage parents in evaluation and feedback process ** Attendance, feedback and new ideas • Verify effectiveness of attendance policy changes and share outcomes with local, state policymakers ** Outcomes and feedback from policymakers 3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary 1 Dubuque, Iowa 1 Page 4 Summer Learning Dubuque's Vision Change summertime focus from "keeping kids busy" to purposeful activities that foster skills, including reading, math, and science growth, and instill a love for life -long learning, healthy living, and connection to school ** indicates how we will measure our progress— specific goals /measures will be developed by the Collaborative in Year 1 Years Community Families Policy Year 1: • Inform /engage community • Organize for success • Develop a shared vision • Identify numerical targets for each of the objectives Year 2: • Building capacity /resources • Early implementation of pilot • Mutually reinforcing activities Year 3: • Implement with fidelity • Data gathering with common assessments Long-term: C; ous improvement I and maintain data - Analyze data, monitor progress and modify plans • Convene community members and partners to develop summer learning programs for all students, encourage participation by a diverse population ** Common agenda adopted by many community partners • Build partnership support and funding streams among existing organizations to Implement coordinated summer programming ** Increased participation among organizations ** Increased funding • Scale up training for providers of summer programming and expand programs ** More trainings offered • Summer program directors and staff are trained to support summer learning objectives ** Trained directors /staff is the expectation • Community -wide Involvement in offering year -round learning opportunities that ensure access and equity for all students ** Widespread participate r from providers ** Participation by all SES • Engage parents to identify desired summer learning opportunities and educate parents about existing summer programming ** Parent participation • Develop coordinated supports for families that provides access for children to participate in summer learning opportunities ** Increased supports implemented ** Increased participation in summer programming • Families are accessing year -round learning opportunities that serve diverse groups of students ** Participation rates ** Demographics of participants • Families plan for participation in year -round learning opportunities and advocate for additional opportunities ** Increased participation rates ** Increased requests for programming • Engage local policy, school, business and nonprofit decision makers in planning summer programs as a comprehensive way to approach year -round learning ** Year -round sfrategies identified • Use common assessments to measure the impact of coordinated programming and Integrated learning for targeted students ** Common assessments identified and data is gathered, analyzed and shared • Policies that support the sustainability of year -round learning and explore a calendar shift to year -round schooling ** Policies identified and shared for review • Establish a data - driven system that supports the Integration of school and summer outcomes ** Data connects summer and school year outcomes • Policies implemented that support year -round learning and a strategy to pilot a year -round school calendar ** Planning is done from a year -round perspective ** Pilot for 45/15 calendar identified 3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary 1 Dubuque, Iowa 1 Page 5 School Readiness Dubuque's Vision All young people in Dubuque are school ready through high quality early education in combination with additional supports to compensate for and overcome early disadvantages for higher achievement levels ** indicates how we will measure our progress — specific goals/measures will be developed by the Collaborative in Year 1 Years Community Families Policy Year 1: • Inform /engage community • Organize for success • Develop a shared vision • Identify numerical targets for each of the objectives Year 2: • Building capacity /resources • Early implementation of pilot • Mutually reinforcing activities Year 3: • Implement with fidelity • Data gathering with common assessments Long-term: • Continuous improvement - Collect and maintain data - Analyze data, monitor progress and modify plans • Inform, recruit and enroll childcare and preschool providers for the Quality Rating System (QRS) to ensure quality ** Providers participating in trainings • Build a sustainable childcare and preschool workforce through partnerships between schools and higher ed • Childcare and preschool centers commit and begin implementing the QRS ** Number of centers enrolled in the QRS • Schools and higher ed build strategies to improve childcare and preschool workforce • Childcare and preschool centers will complete the QRS ** Number of centers with a rating of 3 or higher • Schools /higher ed fully partnering to increase quality childcare /preschool workforce • Provider community fully embraces QRS ** Data reflects 90% of providers enrolled in QRS ** Annual increase of QRS scores of 3 or higher • Engage and inform community -based organizations around the issue of evidence -based parent education, child development and family support ** Selection of a program and implementation of a written plan • Create the financial supports to increase the capacity of the partnering agencies to do parent education and home visitations ** Improved funding streams • Initiate professional development to increase capacity ** Professional development in place • Strategies are put in place to identify at -risk families early -on, even at birth • Every family in the community is offered parent education programming, including home visitations ** Enrollment increase • Parents, schools and providers partnering to engage at -risk families in parent education programming ** Annual enrollment increase • Coalition will work with Dubuque County Early Childhood and ECEP to engage legislators in issues around quality childcare and preschool centers • Advocacy efforts will seek policy support of strategies that increase dual - generation outcomes ** Monitor legislative contacts • Work with ECEP to inform and encourage the workplace to review policies and employee benefits regarding quality childcare and preschool ** Convening meetings and number of businesses engaged • Business and legislators support quality care policies for childcare and preschool ** Increase of policy and funding support • Sustainable policies for 4 -year preschool are in place, ensuring long -term support ** Long -term commitment to 4 -year preschool 3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary 1 Dubuque, Iowa 1 Page 6 The CSAP Development Process Building on a Foundation Our community was fortunate to have a foundation of strong partnerships between public and private schools, city government, philanthropy and community -based organizations. This is evidenced by our community's Youth Master Plan and Youth Indicators Report. Assembling a Team The 3rd Grade Reading Coalition began meeting in October of 2011. The coalition is comprised of leaders from schools (public and private), local colleges and universities, early childhood organizations, city government, philanthropy, and parent organizations. Early meetings focused on understanding the opportunities in our community through needs assessment and evaluation of 3rd grade reading achievement, summer learning loss, school readiness, and school attendance. A Strong Model for Collaboration The Coalition adopted a research -based collective impact model that identifies five conditions for collective impact: • Common Agenda - shared vision, common understanding of the problem, joint approach with agreed upon actions • Shared Measurement - consistent data measurement to align efforts and hold partners accountable • Mutually Reinforcing Activities - partners activities are differentiated yet coordinated to a common plan • Continuous Communication - consistent open communication to ensure mutual trust, objectives and motivation • Backbone Support - separate organization, staffed with skills to coordinate partners ECEP agreed to facilitate the process and work of the Coalition. Gathering Community Input The Coaltion held a workshop on February 10, 2012, which was attended by over 100 people, including parents, teachers, school administrators, mayor and City Council members, police officers and firefighters, former students, university and college leaders, professors and students, and leaders from business, nonprofit, philanthropy and faith organizations among others. Working the Plan The 3rd Grade Reading Coalition is beginning the implementation process of the CSAP. We will continue to organize around the three core challenges while developing and implementing the strategies we have identified. We also expect to add partners to our coalition and are organizing to share the action plan and engage the entire community. Together we are enthusiastic and confident that we can build a culture that supports 3rd grade reading achievement for each and every student. 3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary 1 Dubuque, Iowa 1 Page 7 Dubuque, Iowa 2012 3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan DUBUQUE, IOWA There Are Several Types of Problems Baking a Cake Complicated Sending a Rocket to the Moon Complex Educating youth Social sector treats problems as simple of complicated Collective Impact, John Kania, FSG Social Impact Consultants, July 2012 Traditional Approaches Are Not Solving Our Toughest — often Complex — Challenges • Funders select individual grantees • Organizations work separately and compete • Evaluation attempts to isolate a particular organization's impact • Large scale change is assumed to depend on scaling organizations • Corporate and government sectors are often disconnected from foundations and nonprofits Collective Impact, John Kania, FSG Social Impact Consultants, July 2012 Isolated Impact Imagine a Different Approach - Multiple Players Working Together to Solve Complex Issues • All working toward the same goal and measuring the same things • Cross - sector alignment with government, nonprofits, philanthropic and corporate sectors as partners • Organizations actively coordinating their action and sharing lessons learned Isolated Impact Collective Impact, John Kania, FSG Social Impact Consultants, July 2012 Collective Impact FSG.ORG Working in Collective Impact Requires a Mindset Shift Adaptive vs. Technical Problem Solving No Silver Bullets.... But we do have Silver Buckshot Credibility vs. Credit • Allowing answers to come from within • Supporting common agenda building. information sharing and coordination/ alignment • Many small changes implemented in alignment can add up to large scale progress • Creating new incentives to work collaboratively vs. competitively Achieving Large -Scale Change through Collective Impact Involves Five Key Elements Common Agenda Shared Measurement • Common understanding of the problem • Shared vision for change • Collecting data and measuring results • Focus on performance management • Shared accountability Mutually Reinforcing Activities • Differentiated approaches • Willingness to adapt individual activities • Coordination through joint plan of action Continuous Communication Backbone Support • Consistent and open communication • Focus on building trust • Separate organization(s) with staff • Resources and skills to convene and coordinate participating organizations RP -yors pas- -solution on br f °ng ,bronic ah The U.S. Conference of Mayors has unanimously adopted a resolution urging mayors to raise awareness of the negative effects of chronic absenteeism. Dubuque, Iowa 2012