It Takes a Unified, Fully Engaged Community
In 2004, FUSD was a fortress battered by folks from the outside and operating in chaos on the inside. Efforts to work with Fresno Unified were stymied for a host of reasons. The challenges were so overwhelming that denial, defensiveness and blame dominated the interactions between the community, parents and employees of the district. A troop of concerned citizens came together to produce the Choosing Our Future. The report was more than a turn-around plan for the district, it was a statement that the future of FUSD depended on engagement of the community, and it offered specific paths for citizens to step up and become apart of the solution. Many of the recommendations have already been implemented. The most complex recommendations of the plan involve the engagement of outsiders. The plan’s recommendations included:
· Develop a plan for increased parental engagement
· Develop Stakeholder partnerships
· Develop K-16 partnerships
Develop a Plan for Increased Parental Engagement
Early on the notion of parent engagement was changed to community and family engagement. Many children do not have parents. A family member, foster care, or others attempt to fill this role. Fresno Unified developed the Community and Family Engagement Network (CFEN) to execute the ideas in the report and build on the many collaborative relationships already in place. In 2004, many school sites were not welcoming to outsiders and partnerships with businesses and the involvement of volunteers and nonprofits were random, at best. CFEN continues to evolve and expand and is now nested in the communications arm in order to strengthen outreach and information sharing. There is a strong commitment to continue to build relationships between the schools, families, neighborhoods and other stakeholders.
Develop Stakeholder Partnerships
The District is teaming up with The Human Investment Initiative (HII), a plan to help develop human capital at the neighborhood level. Many neighborhoods in the District lack basic assets and access to resources needed for economic, community and human development. The schools are an important partner in neighborhood development, but it is not their responsibility. The City, County, private sector, nonprofits and residents all have vital roles to play in insuring that neighborhoods are safe, healthy and rich with the amenities children and families need to thrive.
The HII plan is a 5-year initiative intended to link, align and leverage the systems that address human development (education, justice, health, social services) to improve service at the neighborhood level in order to increase the effectiveness of prevention and early intervention efforts. The full plan is available online at www.fresnobc.org. Work is currently underway to build the apparatus -- an at-will collaborative -- needed to drive to the desired outcomes. Already moving forward are the following projects:
· A workshop to inspire individuals across the community to embrace psychological development, one of the pathways identified by Dr. James Comer, Chair of the Child Development Institute at Yale University. The author of The Power of TED: The Empowerment Dynamic, will be in Fresno in September to conduct a workshop at Fresno Pacific University.
· Project Succeed is an effort at Edison High School to create a technology umbrella over the high school to align course work, certificates and job connections within the broad spectrum of quality employment.
· Also in the works are a multi-layered GIS effort to better understand neighborhoods; a collaboration to build capacity to recruit and strategically deploy volunteers; and social and civic entrepreneurship training.
Develop K-16 Partnerships
As part of the Regional Jobs Initiative (RJI), job trainers and higher education partners have aligned strategies and curriculum to insure that students and participants are preparing for existing jobs and jobs of the future. The Center for Advanced Research and Development (CART) and Duncan Polytechnic are the strongest examples of current high school level execution of this kind of thinking. The Workforce Investment Board is bringing its services to the high schools, starting with four and planning to expand to all.
One of the task forces of the RJI, Job Readiness and Workforce Development has laid out a set of initiatives to build a community-wide network and customized strategies for individuals to insure that all residents have access to tools to become employable and to jobs with a future. Connecting the RJI to the HII in the neighborhoods is a current priority for both efforts.
What You Can Do
As citizens, we all have a responsibility to our community that includes action. There are myriad ways to support FUSD whether you are a parent, student, volunteer, or business. Some specific examples include:
· Contact the Volunteer Center—www.vcfresno.org. There are many opportunities to support the work of the nonprofit organizations that serve children, ranging from board service to reading to children. Mentoring—an adult who believes—is the most important ingredient to a child’s success.
· Volunteer in classrooms; join the PTA or other service organizations that support schools.
· Form a business-school partnership, similar to Partnerships that have been sponsored for years by McCormick Barstow and the Fresno Bee. Provide discounts to teachers and other staff of the District.
· Invest in the Fresno Unified Foundation, earmarking your contributions to services that support children.