In the spring and summer of 2014, Hayward Unified School District’s (HUSD) Student and Family Services (SFS) partnered with the Center for Healthy Schools and Communities (CHSC) to design and conduct a retreat series on community schools. The retreat series focused on deepening the SFS team’s understanding of community schools as a strategy for achieving equity and promoting student success and wellness. It engaged the team in developing an emerging vision for Hayward as a community school district, and an initial engagement strategy and toolkit for 2013-14. It also created a forum to explore issues of equity and bias, and how they connect to a community school approach.
The community school work in Hayward builds on decades of partnership between the school district, city, county, and community to improve health and education outcomes. Most recently a number of significant events highlighted the need for an articulated community school plan for Hayward. In April 2011, San Francisco Foundation awarded HUSD a grant to support planning and policy to develop Community Schools across the district. The continuation of this grant helped fund the retreat series. Soon after, HUSD was part of a collaborative awarded the Hayward Promise Neighborhood grant, amounting to $25 million over five years. This supports the development of a “cradle-to-college-to-career” pipeline that envisions community schools as crucial hubs of support in the Jackson Triangle. Finally, in March 2013, the HUSD Board resolved to create a policy that supports collaboration with county, city, community- and faith-based organizations, and effective implementation of the Full Service Community School approach in the District.
Therefore, the CHSC and SFS department designed a three-part retreat series with the following overall outcomes:
· Build and articulate a shared understanding of our community school approach, and how to use the community school lens to deepen our integration.
· Develop an emerging vision for Hayward as a community school district.
· Develop a plan for engaging district and community partners in implementing a community school approach
· Create the content for legacy documents that can be used to both communicate and engage stakeholders in the community school effort.
Participants in the retreat series included:
· Chien Wu-Fernandez, Assistant Superintendent, Student and Family Services
· Christy Gerren, Director Student and Parent Support Programs
· Kate Graves, Community Schools Coordinator, Center for Healthy Schools and Communities, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency (embedded in HUSD)
· Kat Hannah, Administrator of Student Placement
· Andrew Kevy, Director,Child Welfare and Attendance
· Randy Nakamura, Coordinator of Prevention and Intervention Programs
· Gonzalo Nuñez, Coordinator of Before and Afterschool Programs
· Michelle Perez, Coordinator of Prevention and Intervention Programs
· Stephen Redmond, former Director, Hayward Promise Neighborhood Programs
· Hector Garcia (Retreat #3 only), incoming Director, Hayward Promise Neighborhood Programs
The retreats were facilitated by:
· Jamie Harris, Center for Healthy Schools and Communities, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency
· Kate Graves, Community Schools Coordinator, Center for Healthy Schools and Communities, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency
· Juanita Brown, Facilitator and Strategist
· Kayla Kirsch, Graphic Facilitator, Leapfrog Consulting
The retreats were held on:
· May 16, 2014
· June 27, 2014
· July 31, 2014 and August 1, 2014
Planning Retreat #1
Friday, May 16, 2014 8:30am–5:00pm
Outcomes
· Inform the goals and outcomes of the three-part planning process.
· Define our community school approach, including vision, core elements, shifts in practice and structure, and big outcomes.
· Explore our team strengths and areas for growth using a community school lens.
· Begin to identify barriers and opportunities for moving the community school work forward.
Agenda
1. Welcome and Opening Activity
Think about your education as a child. Based on what you know about full-service community schools, what is one element of a community school that was present in your own schooling?
2. Framing for Today and Future Sessions
- Purpose and outcomes of the planning process:
• Build and articulate a shared understanding of OUR community school approach, and how to use the community school lens to deepen our integration.
• Develop an emerging vision for Hayward as a community school district.
• Develop a plan for engaging district and community partners in implementing a community school approach.
• Create the content for legacy documents that can be used to both communicate and engage stakeholders in the community school effort.
- What do we hope to get out of our planning time together?
• Where do you feel there is need for clarity/deeper integration among the team?
• What type of communication needs do you have externally?
• What needs to happen to make you feel like this was a good use of your time?
- Review today’s agenda and meeting outcomes
3. Designed Team Alliance (DTA)
The environment we want to create and the agreements we put in place to achieve it
4. Speed Visioning
Imagine that the community school district approach has taken root across HUSD and in the community. What would success look like? Who is that first graduating class – skills, abilities, dreams, plans?
5. Define the Hayward Community School Approach, Part 1: Programs and Services
Break (10:45–11:00)
6. Define the Hayward Community School Approach, Part 2: Foundational Elements
7. Cross-Walk with LCAP Outcomes
- What other major outcomes is this team working towards?
- Will the community school approach we have defined get us to the outcomes listed?
Lunch (12:00–1:00)
8. Video: Tulsa Area Community Schools Initiative
- What is core to their community school approach?
- What looks or feels different about the Tulsa schools/district than “traditional” schools/school districts?
- Is there anything we want to add/revise about our approach?
9. Foundational Elements: Successes and Opportunities for Growth for SFS Team
- Where are we strong as a team?
- Where are opportunities for growth or improvement?
10. What is Different in a Successful Community School District?
- Reflection Activity
- Prompts for Pairs – try to pull themes from all three of the perspectives
• What felt different in the successful community school picture?
• How did people’s behavior or practice change?
• What structures made that possible?
• What specifically did you change in the ideal scenario? How hard or easy would it be to make those changes? Where would you start?
Break (2:45–3:00)
11. Exploring Barriers and Opportunities
- Triads
- Group Debrief
• What is helpful to share with the whole group regarding barriers or team needs?
• Where do you see opportunities internally or externally to move the work forward, e.g., for deeper integration among the team and/or engagement of others?
12. Constellation Activity
13. Wrap Up
- Recap
- Assessment of the Day
- Additional input into future meetings – outcomes, topics, activities, etc.
- Closing Activity
Planning Retreat #2
Friday, June 27, 2014 8:30am–5:00pm
Outcomes for Today
· Continue to define our community school approach, specifically how it differs from traditional schools and school districts.
· Begin to develop an emerging vision for Hayward as a community school district.
· Identify barriers and opportunities for moving the community school work forward.
· Explore our team strengths and areas for growth using a community school lens.
Agenda
1. Welcome and Framing for Today and Future Sessions
- Recap purpose and outcomes of the planning process
• Build and articulate a shared understanding of our community school approach, and how to use the community school lens to deepen our integration
• Develop an emerging vision for Hayward as a community school district
• Develop a plan for engaging district and community partners in implementing a community school approach
• Create the content for legacy documents that can be used to both communicate and engage stakeholders in the community school effort
- Review today’s agenda and meeting outcomes.
- Revisit group agreements and DTA with facilitator.
2. Opening Activity: Relationship Myth
3. Deepening Our Roots: What is Different? Gallery Walk
- What stands out that is different and exciting from where we are now?
- What is familiar that we have in place and can build from?
• Collaborative leadership
• Integrated partnerships
• Shared vision
Break (10:45–11:00)
4. Exploring Barriers and Opportunities
- Triads
- Group debrief
• Any “a-ha”s around shifts in activities?
• What is helpful to share with the whole group regarding barriers or team needs?
• Where do you see opportunities internally or externally to move the work forward, e.g., for deeper integration among the team and/or engagement of others?
Lunch (12:00–12:45)
5. Leadership Activity
- Choose a quote that resonates with you and stand under it.
• What personal connections do you make to this quote?
• In what ways do you embody the ideas in this quote in your work and leadership for equity through community schools?
Graphic Facilitation!
6. Who Are the Hayward Community School Stakeholders?
7. Prioritizing Within the Overarching Goal: All students graduate, with choices
Break (2:30–2:45)
8. Community School Pictionary: Programmatic Elements
- Classroom Teaching and Learning
- Expanded Learning
- Health and Wellness
- Family Partnership
- School Climate
- Youth Leadership
- Community Collaboration
9. Successes and Opportunities for Growth Across the Foundational Elements
- World Café with three rounds:
• Team successes and strengths
• Opportunities for growth and integration within the team
• Opportunities for growth and integration with stakeholders
10. Wrap Up
- Recap
- Assessment of the day
- Closing
Planning Retreat #3
Thursday, July 31–Friday, August 1, 2014 8:30am–4:00pm
Outcomes for Day One – Thursday, July 31
· Articulate a working definition of equity and the role it plays in achieving an effective community school approach.
· Identify the structural and implicit barriers to and promoters of equity in our efforts.
· Identify and practice the tools, concepts, and approaches to equity that will enhance our community school effort.
Agenda
- Welcome and Framing for Today
- Introductions and recap the planning process
- Review today’s agenda and meeting outcomes
- Opening Activity
- Pair Share: What’s in your heart and on your mind that you bring with you this morning?
- Quad Share: What ideas and images have you brought into today from last time?
- Equity – Building a Shared Understanding
- Constructivist Listening (tool)
- Human Timeline Activity
Break (10:40–10:50)
- Implicit Bias, Belongingness, Equity Traps, and Implications for Equity
Lunch on-site at Creekside Bistro (12:30–1:30)
- Temperature Check + Additional Reflection on the Implicit Bias Session
- Structures Matter: Structural Racialization, Seven-Circle Model, and Targeted Universalism
Break (3:00–3:10)
- Review of Tools for Deepening the Feel of Village in Our Community School Effort
- Closing Moves
- Reflections from the day
- Preview of day two
- Closing
Outcomes for Day Two – Friday, August 1, 2014
· Create an Engagement Plan for district and community partners.
· Continue to deepen our understanding of the community school approach, and comfort and confidence with leading the community school effort, using the tools we’ve been developing.
· Develop a team action plan for fall: How will we/do we need to work differently to achieve the goals we have for students? And how will we know we’re successful in making those changes?
Agenda
1. Welcome Back and Framing for Today
- Review today’s agenda and meeting outcomes
2. Opening Activity
3. Engagement Planning: Build Awareness, Ownership, and Participation of Each Stakeholder Group in the Community School Initiative
- Individual work – identify and prioritize your stakeholders and desired outcomes
- Whole team – prioritize for today’s planning
- Create engagement plan for 4-6 stakeholder
Break (10:45–11:00)
4. Time to Practice! Using Our New Tools to Engage and Lead the Community School Work
- Speed visioning
- Stakeholder brainstorm
- Programs and services mapping
- Successes and opportunities in foundation elements
Lunch Off-Site (1:00–2:15)
5. Team Action Plan for Fall – Strengthening Our Foundation
- How will we work differently to achieve the goals we have for students?
- How will we know we are successful in making those changes?
6. Closing Moves
- Activity
- Recap/assessment
- Next steps
Produced by The Center of Healthy Schools and Communities | School Health Works 5