B.E.S.T. Academy and CSKYWLA
Community-wide Planning Session
Stakeholder Conversations
Welcome and Introductions
• Angela Smith, Facilitator
• Sid Baker, Associate Superintendent
• Dr. Timothy Jones, Mr. Hajj Womack, Dr. Shaundra Fears, and Dr. Dione Simon, Principal Facilitators
• Cluster Planning Team
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Who is on your Cluster Planning Team?
Principals
• Mr. Hajj Womack, BEST MS • Dr. Timothy Jones, BEST HS• Dr. Dione Simon, CSKYWLA MS• Dr. Shaundra Fears, CSKYWLA HS
Community Representatives
• Mr. Bernard Porche – B.E.S.T. Academy LSC member
• Ms. Stephanie Bailey – CSKYWLA PTSA member
• Ms. Carla Christian – B.E.S.T. Academy PTSA member
• Dr. Robert Nerem (or designee from GA TECH) – CSKYWLA Partner
• Ms. Zola Shannon Mullen – CSKYWLA LSC member
• Dr. Folami Prescott-Adams, Metro Atlanta KIPP
• Ms. Gymiah Whitaker • Dr. Howard Grant
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Why are we here today?
• Present an overview of Cluster Planning and the Charter System Application processes
• Receive feedback, to include:
• the strengths and challenges of your cluster as they relate to your cluster’s mission, vision and priorities
• the options for the Charter System local school governance teams
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Agenda
• Cluster Planning Overview
• Cluster Data, Strengths, and Concerns
• Draft Mission, Vision, and Priorities
• Charter System Overview
• Local School Governance Team Overview
• Activities throughout the evening to encourage engagement
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Let’s Agree To
• Assume good intentions
• Listen actively
• Share the air
• Avoid jargon and acronyms
• Respect our time together and each other
• Silence cell phones
6
Converging to Develop a Charter System
Strategic Plan 2015-2020
Cluster Planning
Charter System
Application
(Operating Model)
Atlanta Public Schools Planning Work Streams
7
AdvisoryCommittees
Employee Feedback
StudentFeedback
Cluster Planning
Teams
Formal APSCommunity
Meetings
Charter System Advisory
Committee
Community Participation in the Charter System Application Development
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Cluster Planning Overview
Sid Baker
Associate Superintendent
What is Cluster Planning?
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Purpose
• To build stronger schools and clusters to ensure consistent high quality academics and focused programming exists across the district
Context
• The goals of Cluster Planning are to enhance the alignment of schools within a cluster and increase the levels of flexibility and autonomy from the district-level to the cluster and school levels.
• Each cluster has a Cluster Planning Team made up of principals and community representatives.
• The cluster plan will guide the academic direction for students within each cluster.
• The cluster plans will inform the FY16 and FY17 Budget and the Charter System Application.
A website will publish minutes, dates, locations, and other information about the meetings
DocumentedCluster Planning Team Meetings will be open to the public for observation
Open
Meetings will be respectful, collaborative, constructive and positive
Collaborative
Cluster Planning Team Meetings
Cluster Planning Teams are made up of the principals from the cluster and community representatives.
Meeting Norms
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Angela Smith
The World Cafe´
The World Cafe´
• Generate input, share knowledge, stimulate innovative thinking, explore action possibilities
• Create a dense web of connections in a short period of time as threads of conversation reveal new patterns
Purpose of the World Café
The World Cafe´
• Focus on what matters• Contribute your thinking• Speak your mind and heart• Listen to understand• Link and connect ideas• Listen together for insights and deeper
questions• Play, doodle, draw (note: each table has a piece of chart
paper and markers for participants to respond to each question)
Café Etiquette
The World Cafe´
Instructions
Round 1 & 2 (15 minutes)
• Sit at a table with 5-6 other people you don’t know• Respond to Questions 1 & 2 by discussing with your
group and writing, doodling, or drawing your thoughts, ideas, and questions on the tablecloths.
Round 3 (15 minutes)• Respond to Question 3 by discussing with your
group and writing, doodling, or drawing your thoughts, ideas, and questions on the tablecloths.
Round 4 (5 minutes)• Complete survey.
The World Cafe´
Question 1
What makes BEST Academy and CSKYWLA strong?
B.E.S.T. Academy and CSKYWLA
Strengths Concerns
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• Leaders who are committed to single
gender education
• Rooted in the current geographic
community
• Family-like environment
• Robust partnerships
• Collaborative leadership team across
the four schools
• Resourceful team & partners
• Supportive and knowledgeable about
the students and their families
• Program offerings - students actively
take advantage of the offerings
• Students coming to 6th grade reading many
grades below grade level
• Parents need skills and strategies to support
their child(ren)
• Disproportionality in many areas, intensifies
certain issues (Special Education needs, Math,
Science, Reading, wrap-around services,
social/emotional needs, literacy)
• Seen as “taking” students from the traditional
middle and high schools in the zone
• Lack of resources in the community (nutritional
food, professionals such as doctors and
dentists)
• Low participation in parent conferences, special
events, PTSA, local school council, etc.
• Social and emotional well-being of our children
– a threat to our enrollment and staffing
(impacts achievement, attendance, discipline
and perception)
• Unique professional development needs.
Cluster Data
Shaundra Fears, Ed.D. and Dione Simon, Ed.D.
Attendance and Discipline Data
English Language Arts and Reading Achievement (CRCT)
BEST Middle CSKYWLA Middle
Math and Science Achievement (CRCT)
BEST Middle CSKYWLA Middle
English Language Arts Achievement (EOCT)
BEST High CSKYWLA High
Science and Math Achievement (EOCT)
BEST High CSKYWLA High
Draft Mission, Vision, and Priorities
Mr. Hajj Womack and Dr. Timothy Jones
Our vision is to create a high-performing single gender exemplar that produces transformational
leaders who contribute to the community.
Our Draft Vision
Our mission is to provide a caring, collaborative and rigorous single gender environment where the
community of learners empowers scholars to be college and career ready.
Our Draft Mission
What does the community survey data say about Signature Cluster Vision 1st Choice?
Other Responses
2% International studies and languages with an emphasis on business and commerce to include the study of languages such as Spanish, French and Chinese
2% Dual immersion bilingual education in which students are taught literacy and content in two languages
N=49
Participants:80% Teacher/Staff Member14% Parent or Guardian2% LSC Member2% Community Partner2% Non-profit Partner
What does the community survey data say about High School Career 1st Choice?
Other Responses3% Human Services3% Energy3% Government & Public
Administration3% Hospitality & Tourism3% Finance
N=49
Our Draft Priorities
Draft Priority Potential Strategies
Focus on the whole child
Implement the Seven Habits framework (The Leader in Me) to build skills needed to
succeed in life (eg. leadership development)
Implement social and emotional learning opportunities and strategies
Implement STEM
Improve math, reading and science performance
Target disproportionality
Certify teachers to meet STEM school requirements
Ensure facilities meet STEM requirements
Increase Student Enrollment
Develop and implement a communications plan
Build a BEST/CSKYWLA Brand
Leverage district support
Remove barriers (eg. general transfer process)
Increase Parent and Community
Engagement and Partnership
Build advocacy across the community
Develop and implement a communications plan
Engage and enhance the PTSA/LSC
Build partnerships (eg. Engineering associations, higher education institutions, non-
profit organizations)
Strengthen the Single-gender
Learning Environment
Improve facilities to enhance single-gender learning (eg. space planning, room design)
Develop a schedule aligned to single-gender best practices
Institute rites of passage
Determine policies and procedures needed to succeed in a single-gender learning
environment
Develop and Implement a
Transportation Strategy
Develop and Implement a Transportation Strategy
Improve Talent Acquisition and
Development
Develop and implement a recruiting strategy for teachers, specific to single-gender
learning environments
Provide and obtain ongoing professional development related to single-gender best
practices for all staff
The World Cafe´
Question 2
Are there any additional priorities that should be considered to fully
address the BEST/CSKYWLA challenges?
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Douglass and BEST/CSKYWLA Data (Census)
Family Configurations
77% of children are being raised in single parent
households, compared to 47% across the district
… of single parent households earn below the poverty level
Income
20%
28%
22%19%
16%14%
18%22% 23% 23%
0%
10%
20%
30%
<$10K $10k to$25k
$25k to$50k
$50k to$100k
Over$100k
Douglass Cluster: Household Income Ranges
Douglass APS
EducationDouglass
Cluster AreaAtlanta Area
… of the adults over the age of 25 attained the education level of
graduate degree or more
… of the adults over the age of 25 attained the education level of high
school or less
86% 85%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
B.E.S.T. Academy CSKYWLA
Percent Economic Disadvantage
… of the housing in this cluster is vacant
Housing
Why Single-Gender Education?
• Enhances student success when teachers use techniques and instructional strategies geared to the gender of their students
• Girls and boys attending single gender schools are significantly more likely to attend a 4-year college compared with scholars attending coed schools
• Single Gender schools provide structures that are beneficial to the mental, physical, and emotional development of adolescents.
What is STEM?
• STEM driven clusters will support the Pipeline by increasing STEM activities such as:
• Partnerships with collegiate to help facilitate more rigorous STEM based lessons.
• Partnerships with SECME, CEISMIC, and others for increased engineering challenge opportunities.
• Students enter the STEM pipeline at high school graduation and exit the pipeline as STEM professionals
• Participation in activities such as:– Discovery Education STEM
Camp opportunities for 9th
grade students (summer break-annually).
The goals of the STEM cluster concept are as follows: • Integrate learning targets across multiple disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math)• Foster critical thinking skills, communication, collaboration, creativity, inquiry, real-world connections, and
increased student engagement • Provide project-based learning, problem-based learning, and inquiry-based learning for students • Enable students to develop innovative and independent research projects
• Trans-disciplinary integration occurs throughout core content by utilizing STEM lessons to increase student learning and engagement
• Partnership with STEM Connect/STEM formation for after school and summer enrichment programs in the area of STEM
• Partnerships with local corporations (Coca Cola, Home Depot, & Georgia Power) and colleges (Georgia Tech & SCAD learning opportunities)
• Participation in activities such as:– School-based robotics teams/clubs– Discovery Education STEM Camp
opportunities for 5th grade students (summer break- annually)
– Discovery 3M Young Scientist Challenge (December – annually)
• Discovery Education STEM Camp opportunities for 6th – 8th grade students (summer break- annually).
• Increased teacher professional development on STEM related instructional methodologies
• Create partnerships with area collegiate schools such as Georgia Tech, Georgia State University.
• Participation in activities such as:– STEM career day– Ten80 Race Car challenge– Increased STEM Challenge
Activities
Elementary School Middle School High School
Next Steps
• Cluster Planning Teams will use the feedback from today to update the mission, vision and priorities for the cluster
• Cluster Planning Teams will start developing plans for 2015-2016
• Hard copy and online surveys are available for additional feedback
• We will meet again next week for further conversation (Thursday, May 7th @ Harper Archer)
Charter System Application
Angela Smith
APS Charter System Application Timeline and Activities
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Date Activity
November 2014 • Board Vote on Submitting Letter of Intent (LOI) for Charter System
December 2014 • Submit LOI to Georgia Department of Education with request for FY16 waivers needed for operation
January 2015 – May 2015 • Application Development
January 2015 – June 2015 • Stakeholder Engagement
February 2015 – April 2015 • Community Meetings
January 2015 – June 2015 • Charter System Advisory Committee Monthly Meetings
May 2015 • Conduct Public Hearings
June 2015 • Board Approval of Charter System Petition
June 2015 • Submit Charter System Petition to Georgia Department of Education
After Submittal • Georgia Department of Education makes approval/denial to State Board of Education
If Approved • Execution of Contract between the district and State Board of Education
Charter System VideoLieutenant Governor Casey Cagle
Charter System — Basic Components
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CharterSystem
Commitment to Innovation and
Changing District Culture
To innovate, District Requires Flexibility
from State Law, Policy and District
Policy
Freedom and Flexibility in Exchange for
Increased Accountability
Goals
Required Distribution of
Substantial Autonomy to School
(LSGT)
The Charter System Philosophy: A district must want to truly change how it does business and believe that, in order to increase student achievement, schools must be operated in a different way, with greater parent and
community buy-in at every single school. Schools are empowered to develop solutions free from the established educational bureaucracy of legislature-driven education mandates, State Board rules, and even the district’s own policies and practices. With this freedom from the law, the district and its schools in turn agree to
be held accountable for significant increases in student achievement.
Charter School
• Governed by non-profit board of directors
• Contract is between school, school district and state
• The Governing board can contract with an independent operator to manage and run the school
• Schools are independent and have flexibility from state and district policies
Charter System
• Governed by Board of Education
• Contract is between system and SBOE
• Local School Governance Team has decision-making authority in certain areas
• Schools are not independently responsible for all goals stated in charter contract
• Not privatization
Commonalities
• Public
• Operate under a charter contract
• Receive flexibility from certain state laws
• Subject to GA statewide accountability assessments
Charter System vs. Charter School
Charter System Model Discussion
• Today’s focus: Local School Governance Teams (LSGTs)
• Understanding LSGTs and their roles in a Charter System
• Examples of LSGT Authority
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Local School Governance Teams
Angela Smith
What exactly is an LSGT?
• An LSGT is a school-level body that has delegated power from the Superintendent in:
• Personnel Decisions, including recommending the principal or school leader for selection by the local board of education;
• Financial Decisions and Resource Allocations, school budget and the number and type of personnel, curriculum costs, supply costs, equipment costs and maintenance and operations costs;
• Curriculum and accompanying instructional materials;
• Establishment/monitoring of School Improvement Goals, including approval of the school improvement plan and oversight of its implementation; and
• Any School Operations that are consistent with school improvement goals. 41
What Makes a High Quality LSGT?
The GADOE defines these as the building blocks of High Quality Charter System School Governance as:
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LSGT composition reflects the diversity of
the community
Meets regularly and complies with Open Records and Open
Meetings Laws
LSGT focuses on governance and stays out of management
Substantial autonomy from local district in
designated areas
Receives regular updates on academic
operational, and financial progress of
the school
Participates in regular governing council training each year
How do LSGTs Compareto Other School Organizations?
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Characteristics LSGT LSC PTA/PTO
Structure Voting Body: LSGTs have defined input and autonomy in certain areas whereas LSCs could only advise.
Advisory Body Supporting Body
Primary Purpose Set strategic direction and empower decision making at school level
Advise and make recommendations to school leadership
Support the School
Required? Mandatory for charter systems
Mandatory for traditional systems (replaced by LSGT in charter system)
Optional
Legal Status Legally a part of the district
Legally a part of the district
Legally distinct from district
Membership Must have parents & community in majority
Minimumrequirements
Requirements established by individual bodies
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Fulton
• 10 members ES & MS
• 12 members HS
• Principal
• 3 elected parents
• 2 elected teachers
• 2 nominated community members
• 2 students (HS only)
Floyd
• 7 members
• Principal
• 2 elected parents
• 2 appointed community members
• 2 elected staff
Marietta
• 7-11 members
• Principal
• 2 elected parents
• 2 core subject teachers
• 1 nominated school staff
• 1 nominated community member
• Students to committees ad hoc
LSGT Member Composition Examples
Considerations for LSGT Size
Benefits:More ideas, distribution of workload, more diversity of voices, more community buy-in and representation
Cons: Rallying interest, too many cooks, can lengthen meetings
Benefits: Cohesion may be easier to achieve, management of schedules, rallying interest
Cons: Less knowledge when board turns over, less capacity for projects and committees, less representation
Larg
er L
SGT
Smaller LSG
T
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Autonomy to LSGT
Consider Delegation of Authority
A charter system must
• maximize school level governance and the involvement of parents, teachers, and community members in such governance
• grant decision-making authority in personnel decisions, financial decisions, curriculum and instruction, resource allocation, establishing and monitoring the achievement of school improvement goals, and school operations
per O.C.G.A. 20-2-2062 and 20-2-2063
LSGT A Shift in Authority
Role of Governance at the Local School Level
• To govern means to represent the public trust by ensuring that an organization carries out the purposes for which it was established and as expressed in its mission statement.
• Governance teams should direct the school towards achieving their mission and makes sure the school’s efforts and resources are properly focused towards that goal.
Proposed LSGT Member StructureLSGT Structure
9 voting members* (size may vary to 7 or 11)
Principal is a nonvoting member
4 Parents elected by parents
3 Teachers elected by staff
2 Community members nominated by the principal
1 HS/MS student is a nonvoting member
Principal and LSGT Chair collaborate on agenda setting
2 year terms with a maximum of 2 terms(following initial staggered terms of 1 and 2 yrs.)
Stakeholder Input on LSGT Member StructureLSGT Composition
9 voting members* can be increased through SBS process
Principal is a nonvoting member
3 Parents elected by parents
3 Teachers elected by staff
2 Community members nominated by the principal
1 HS/MS student is a nonvoting member* can be amended to vote through SBS process
1 "Swing Seat" to be filled by Parent/Community Member depending on skills needed
Principal and LSGT Chair collaborate on agenda setting
2 year terms with a maximum of 2 terms(following initial staggered terms of 1 and 2 yrs.)
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Clusters in the
APS Charter System Model
DISTRIBUTE
APS must distribute meaningful
autonomy and decision-making power to local
school governance teams (LSGTs).
BALANCE
APS must consider the role,
responsibilities, and grant authority to
LSGTs within its new cluster planning
framework.
MAINTAIN
APS must maintain its ability to
effectively manage and oversee the
work of its schools and clusters.
Maintaining an emphasis on cluster organization while distributing autonomy to the school level
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Clusters in the APS Charter System Model
Each Cluster will have a
Cluster Advisory Team
Membership
Principal + LSGT Rep from each School within
Cluster
May add community member seats, with a
cap.
Duties to LSGT
Advisory Team reviews and recommends LSGT school-based solutions that implicate cluster
plan as part of district-vetting process.
Provides support to LSGTs on membership,
solutions, issues.
Duties to District
Advisory Team reviews district-wide initiatives and provides input to
district.
Is the keeper of the cluster strategic plan and will periodically update
it.
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The World Cafe´
Question 3
How will the proposed governance structure impact decision making at your school and
as a cluster?
Community-wide Public Hearings and Cluster Break-outs
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Tuesday, May 5, 2015North Atlanta ClusterSutton Middle School
Wednesday, May 6, 2015Mays Cluster, Therrell ClusterBenjamin E. Mays High School
Thursday, May 7, 2015Douglass Cluster, Washington Cluster, B.E.S.T. / Coretta Scott King Y.W.L.A.Harper-Archer Middle School
All meetings are held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015Grady Cluster, Jackson ClusterMaynard H. Jackson High School
Thursday, May 14, 2015Carver Cluster, South Atlanta ClusterSouth Atlanta High School
Join us to provide feedback on the Charter System application and hear what the clusters are planning for 2015-2016.
www.atlantapublicschools.us/strongschools
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