National Center for Learning and Citizenship District Leaders Network.

National Center for National Center for Learning and Learning and CitizenshipCitizenship

District Leaders District Leaders NetworkNetwork

DISTRICT LEADERS NETWORK

NATIONAL CENTER FOR LEARNING AND CITIZENSHIP

JOANN HENDERSON, NCLCRICH PARKER, DLN - SOUTH WHIDBEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

JIM WILLIAMS, DLN - WEST VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Your Untapped Resource: Your Untapped Resource: How School Boards Can How School Boards Can

Support Service-LearningSupport Service-Learning

AgendaAgenda

Welcome and Introductions

• The Role of the School Board

• Civic Mission of Schools • 21st Century Learning

Opportunity 

OverviewOverview

Goals and Objectives: To emphasize the crucial role school board

members play in the development and implementation of effective, innovative and sustainable service-learning programs

To provide recommendations on how to partner with board members and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships that support service-learning initiatives

To generate ideas for building a solid district-wide foundation upon which service-learning can grow and thrive

OverviewOverview

Participants will:Get a close-up look at service-learning

advocacy from the perspective of school boardsExplore innovative ways to involve and partner

with board members to promote service-learning initiatives

Examine effective strategies for embedding service-learning into curriculum, and for navigating potential challenges of district-level implementation

Role of the Role of the School BoardSchool Board

Role of the School BoardRole of the School Board

School boards provide leadership focused onpromoting student achievement throughplanning, policy setting, advocacy and

accountability.

Role of the School BoardRole of the School Board

4 Key Roles4 Key Roles

VisionStructure

AccountabilityAdvocacy

Role of the School BoardRole of the School Board

Vision: Vision: Planning and Goals

The Board, with participation by the community, envisions the education future, articulates core values, formulates goals, defines outcomes and sets strategic direction.

Role of the School BoardRole of the School Board

Structure: Structure: Policies and OperationTo achieve the collective vision, the Board creates an organizational framework which enables strategic planning, policy development, budget approval, and setting high instructional standards.

Role of the School BoardRole of the School Board

Accountability: Accountability: Continuous Improvement

There is a systematic approach to ongoing assessment of all the organizational components affecting student achievement.

Role of the School BoardRole of the School Board

Advocacy: Advocacy: Communication

The Board facilitates advancing the community’s interests in education on behalf of all stakeholders. It encourages community engagement and collaboration by providing venues for diverse opinions to be shared and considered.

Role of the School BoardRole of the School Board

Role of the School BoardRole of the School Board

School Board Actions:• Include Civic Engagement into your Mission

Statement (Vision)• Integrate Service-Learning Programs into

your Strategic Plan (Structure)• Allocate Resources (Structure)• Provide Professional Development (Structure)• Set Policy and Adopt Standards

(Accountability)• Education Forums and Workshops (Advocacy)

Role of the School BoardRole of the School Board

School Board Interaction Activity:1. Do you know your School Board members? 2. How would you approach them to discuss

this? 3. How can you work with your supervisor to

partner in this effort?

The Civic The Civic Mission of Mission of

SchoolsSchools

The Civic Mission of SchoolsThe Civic Mission of Schools

For more than 250 years, Americans haveshared a vision of a democracy in which all citizens understand, appreciate and

engageactively in civic and political life.

The Civic Mission of SchoolsThe Civic Mission of Schools

In the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Congress included this clause:

“ Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”

The Civic Mission of SchoolsThe Civic Mission of Schools

Purpose of Public EducationPurpose of Public Education

Citizenship    Preserve participative democracy 

Knowledge     Maximize human potential 

Skills             Economic prosperity

“Civic education should help young people acquire and learn to use the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will prepare themto be competent and responsible citizens throughout their lives.”

The Civic Mission of SchoolsThe Civic Mission of Schools

Competent and responsible citizens:

# 1: Are informed and thoughtful# 2: Participate in their communities# 3: Act politically# 4: Have moral and civic virtues.

The Civic Mission of SchoolsThe Civic Mission of Schools

Strands of Civic Competency:

Civic-related knowledge

Cognitive and participative skills

Core Civic Dispositions

The Civic Mission of SchoolsThe Civic Mission of Schools

“Goal Displacement”

When performance is evaluated in terms of numerical

outputs, there is an incentive to maximize outputs,regardless of whether this is a preferred strategy forachieving desired goals.

“As civic learning has been pushed aside, society has neglected a fundamental purpose of American education, putting the health of our democracy at risk”

~ Sandra Day O’Connor, Retired Supreme Court Justice

The Civic Mission of SchoolsThe Civic Mission of Schools

School District Vision and Mission Statements:

Every student is a successful independent learner, empowered for life in the global society of the 21st century.

In partnership with our community, we are deeply committed to provide our students with the best educational experience, preparing them to become capable, creative, caring, and responsible citizens.

School Board Policies:o Canby School District, Canby, Oregono Greendale School District, Greendale, Wisconsin

The Civic Mission of SchoolsThe Civic Mission of Schools

Create a Mission Statement:

What are some of the important elements that would support service-learning?

School Board Policy: Write a general service-learning policy for

your district.

2121stst Century Century Global Global

CitizensCitizens

2121stst Century Learning Opportunity Century Learning Opportunity

A Global Society A Global Society – Our World is Rapidly Changing

Digital Generation

The Flow and Access of Information

Communication and Social Networks

Collaboration and Cross-Cultural Relationships

Economic Global Landscape

2121stst Century Learning Opportunity Century Learning Opportunity

The 5 C’s The 5 C’s – Skills in a New Context

• Critical Thinking• Communication• Creativity and Problem Solving• Cross-Cultural Relationship

Building• Collaboration

2121stst Century Learning Opportunity Century Learning Opportunity

The Seven Survival Skills for Global Achievement

1) Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

2) Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence

3) Agility and Adaptability

4) Initiative and Entrepreneurialism

5) Effective Oral and Written Communication

6) Accessing and Analyzing Information

7) Curiosity and Imagination

The Global Achievement Gap; Tony Wagner

ConclusionConclusion

ConclusionConclusion

Driving Forces:

Reauthorization of ESEARenewed Public Agenda for

ServiceEvidenced-based Best Practices

and Standards for Service-Learning

ConclusionConclusion

Benefits of Service-Learning that will grab the attention of School Boards:

Improved Student Engagement in School and Learning

Enhanced Civic Responsibility and Citizenship

Strengthened Personal and Social Skills

Questions?Questions?

JoAnn Henderson: [email protected] Parker: [email protected] Williams: [email protected]

Education Commission of the States: www.ecs.org

National Center for Learning and Citizenship: http://ecs.org/nclc

National School Board Association: www.nsba.org

Contact InformationContact Information

The Civic Mission of SchoolsThe Civic Mission of Schools

Schools Boards are… “ that Dark Island of American governance, the institution that everyone knows of but few understand.”

Neal Peirce, SchoolBoards: Strengthening Grassroots Leadership, 1986