NIFL Community Literacy Summit 2007 Experiences from the

NIFL Community Literacy Summit 2007 “Experiences from the Field” Helene H. Kramer Good Schools for All / Buffalo Reads 1

Good Schools for All • Program of Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo • Role – independent, neutral convener • Mission – improve student achievement • Focus area - literacy 2

Why literacy? Why “community” literacy? • #1 priority – 3 Superintendents • Statistics: BPS students – 62% of 4 th graders not proficient – 79% of 8 th graders not proficient – 38% don’t graduate from high school • Statistics: Preschool children / Adults – 50% children entering pre-K “not ready” – 30% of adults at literacy level 1 (65, 000) – 30% of adults at literacy level 2 (65, 000) • Cycle of intergenerational illiteracy 3

Literacy Levels and Annual Earnings Mean Annual Earnings of the Employed by Literacy Level (in 2004$) 60, 000 50, 000 Mean Annual Earnings Prose Document Quantitative 2004 Poverty Guideline, Family of 3 40, 000 30, 000 20, 000 10, 000 0 1 2 3 Literacy Level 4 5 4

Getting Started • Convened local literacy providers – Branded “Buffalo Reads” – Developed collaborative model • Conducted feasibility study – Interviewed stakeholders – Searched web for resources / best practices – Held Literacy Summit – Visited Cleveland 5

Findings – Feasibility Study Current System: • Fragmented • Agency-centered • Spotty quality standards • Spotty training for staff, volunteers • Different outcomes measures • Small % of all learners served • Gaps in services / capacity issues • Competing for sparser dollars • Lack of data • Outcomes not changing significantly 6

What We Set Out To Do • Set goal of 100% literacy • Transform the system – learner-centered, learner-driven – comprehensive, coordinated, collaborative and integrated – framework for quality 7

What We Set Out To Do • Recruit and retain learners • Broaden the scope and range of literacy • Create a strategic plan for literacy developed by the community 8

Good Schools for All and the Buffalo Reads Literacy Collaborative Citywide Literacy Campaign – Planning Framework (1) Campaign Champions Group (3) Planning Task Forces (2) Horizontal / Across Ages - Workplace Lit. Quality Stds, - Financial Lit. Data System - Health Lit. - Development - Computer Lit. - Marketing/PR/Adv - Training & TA -Info & Referral (hotline/web site) (7) Citywide Literacy Launch Plan -Tracking, Eval. , Focus Groups Input 1 Input 3 Input 2 (4) Community Literacy Forum (community stakeholders) (5) Steering Group 9 Yearly Report to Public Inventory of Programs & Services Members drawn from Steering Group, Forum volunteers and specialists (6) Outcomes Funding Analysis (8) Implementation Outsourced under guidance of Steering Group Needs Assessment Vertical / Age - Birth – School Age - Pre-K to grade 4 - Grades 5 – 8 - Grades 9 – 12 - College/Univ. students - Parents/Families -Adults -Out of School Youth

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THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR LITERACY 14

Goals Age Appropriate Literacy • Every child is fully prepared for success when starting school (pre-school) • Each child is fully prepared to achieve grade-level literacy standards (pre. K-12) • Parents and families have information and skills they need to help their children succeed • Graduating high school students are fully prepared for college-level work 15

Goals Age Appropriate Literacy • College students will graduate and be prepared for graduate school or a job • Out-of-school youth will engage in learning programs leading to further education and employment 16

Goals Adult Literacy • Improve literacy for job seekers and incumbent workers (workplace literacy) • Improve patients’ ability to read, understand act on health care info (health literacy) • Help low and moderate income people become less dependent on government subsidies & more financially self-sufficient (financial literacy) • Ensure every person has access to and is trained to use a computer (computer literacy) 17

Goals Providers • Implement framework for quality – Quality standards – Common assessment & outcomes measures – Logic model – Central data system • Ensure each provider has well-qualified and well-trained staff and volunteers 18

Overall goal is 100% literacy for every child and adult Good Schools for All and Buffalo Reads “Read to Succeed” Citywide Literacy Campaign – Planning and Goals September 20, 2006 Goals Community-Wide Planning Process 1. Every child is fully prepared for success when starting school 17 Task Forces By Population ØBirth – School Age ØPre. K – Grade 4 ØGrades 5 – 8 (Middle Grades) ØGrades 9 – 12 (High School) ØOut-of-School Youth ØCollege/University Students ØParents and Families ØAdults By Functional Area ØComputer Literacy ØFinancial Literacy ØHealth Literacy ØWorkplace Literacy By Support Process (pre-school). 2. Every child is fully prepared to achieve grade-level literacy standards (pre. K-12). 3. Parents and families have the information and skills they need to help their children succeed in school. 4. Graduating high-school students have the literacy skills they need for college-level work. 5. Graduating college students will have the literacy skills required for graduate school or employment 6. Out-of-school youth engage in learning programs leading to further education and employment. 7. Job seekers and incumbent workers improve their literacy skills (workforce literacy). 8. Patients can read, understand act on health care information (health literacy). 9. Low and moderate-income people become less dependent on government subsidies and more financially self-sufficient (financial literacy). 10. Every person has access to and is trained to use a computer (computer literacy). 11. Each literacy provider has well-qualified and well-trained staff ØData System, Evaluation, Tracking, Quality Standards ØDevelopment ØInformation and Referral ØMarketing (including PR , Advertising) ØTraining and Technical Assistance Implementation Strategies (first three years) – see over and volunteers. 12. Literacy providers implement a framework for quality by: - implementing quality standards based on best practice; - using common assessment and outcome measures across program types; Note: The implementation strategies will be kept ‘live’ and subject to continuous improvement in the light of “action learning” and changing circumstances. The overall goal of 100% literacy, however, is a permanent ‘beacon’ that guides the campaign. - adhering to a logic model to guide operations and grant applications; - entering learner data into a central data system. 13. Funding, both existing and from new sources, is aligned with the strategic plan. 19

Good Schools for All and Buffalo Reads “Read to Succeed” Citywide Literacy Campaign – Implementation Strategies Year 1 (2007) 1. Build the infrastructure: 1. 1 Secure funding for, and recruit Implementation Team; 1. 2 Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing plan; 1. 3 Acquire “learner tracking system” and pilot with 10 agencies; 1. 4 Implement a call center (211) for learners and volunteers; 1. 5 Design and launch a website for learners, volunteers and agencies; 1. 6 Begin use of the logic model for all grant proposals. 2. Begin program implementation (within the framework for quality): 2. 1 BPS & Buffalo Reads will work in a “literacy zone” to a. Develop and align curriculum for childcare centers in the literacy zone and track student progress through 3 rd grade; b. Help parents of pre-school children support their children’s learning; c. Create “safety net” by engaging healthcare providers to identify children’s learning barriers & recommend appropriate interventions. 2. 2 Help each Middle Grade and High School child achieve grade level standards in literacy by: a. Aligning after-school, out-of school, arts, cultural and other community-based programs with NYS Learning Standards; b. Providing structured career development support; c. Making reading fun and relevant / creating a book-rich environment. 2. 3 Ensure adults have the literacy skills to function in all areas of life by: a. Convening all adult literacy providers to help implement the strategies in the citywide literacy plan; b. Increasing services in high-risk neighborhoods in convenient locations and with varied modes of instruction; c Holding a one-day summit to develop retention strategies; d. Raising funds to increase the capacity of all adult providers. 2. 4 Expand capacity to provide workplace literacy by increasing number of agencies working in this area collaboratively. Focus areas include: a. Incumbent workers in entry-level jobs at major health facilities; b. Immigrants and refugees to improve English-language skills & job opportunities; c. Out-of-school youth for learning programs leading to further education and employment. 2. 5 Develop framework to implement health care strategies for providers and patients: a. Secure funding to develop framework and implement programs; b. Hold “small summit” for senior decision makers in healthcare organizations to raise awareness and secure commitment; c. Hold “larger summit” for healthcare professionals to create awareness and provide intervention strategies. 2. 6 Increase financial self-sufficiency & reduce dependence on government subsidies by: a. Identifying financial literacy programs and standards in use; b. Selecting standards for financial literacy & identifying target populations. 2. 7 Design and implement a summer literacy program for children to help them retain skills. Year 3 (2009) 1. Increase engagement of colleges and universities. 1. 1 Establish a research center that identifies quality standards and best practices. 1. 2 Create developmental template for middle and high school students so they understand requirements for collegelevel work. 1. 3 Create career development centers in every school. 1. 4 Create service-learning opportunities for all college students to serve as literacy volunteers. 1. 5 Help improve relationships in the classroom between students, teachers and parents, focusing on cultural diversity and parent involvement. Year 2 (2008) 1. Increase parent involvement. 1. 1 Develop and implement a parent education campaign (building on Year 1 2. 1 b), utilizing community gateways. 1. 2 Develop and implement a parent mentoring program. 1. 3 Improve communications between schools and parents. Respective needs to be identified via a survey. 1. 4 Support schools in becoming welcoming places. Launch a pilot based on best practices. 2. Strengthen community support for schools and education. 2. 1 Create an exemplary spirit of community support and ownership for schools. 2. 2 Establish education as a community value, supported by all. 2. 3 Partner every school with a community, business, civic or faith organization. 2. 4 Equip parents to create a home where education is valued. 3. Improve computer literacy. 3. 1 In conjunction with the Superintendent, pilot wireless access on the roofs of the five focus schools (see Year 1 2. 1) to provide internet access to the schools and the surrounding neighborhoods. 3. 2 Establish computer labs in the communities around the schools and provide training. 3. 3 Ensure every household in the five school area can obtain a computer at low or no cost on the condition that training is undertaken. Outcomes C/f Central Data System leading to…. Improved Literacy c/f Strategy implementation and outcomes carry forward to subsequent years 20

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Initial Implementation Steps (started Jan 2007) • • Building implementation infrastructure Developing marketing communications plan Identified a “literacy zone” Tackling “school readiness” – Head Start programs – Home-based child care sites • Writing grants for central data system “accountability system” and central hotline • Planning formal launch in Sept 2007 – Workplace Literacy & Economic Dev Summit 22

Rules of Engagement for Agencies • Buffalo Reads member • Include implementation component in agency’s strategic plan • Adopt quality standards • Design learner-centered, learner-driven services • Assess learner uniformly across program type • Measure outcomes uniformly across program type • Use logic model • Input data into central data system 23

Measuring Effectiveness • Central data system (“accountability system”) – Learner tracking – longitudinal history – Business intelligence – ROI for learners, funders, community – Drive program quality • Coalition – program evaluation • Long-term impact evaluation 24

Successes to Date • 40 agencies working together to support plan’s goals • Developed strong relationships with Superintendent, Mayor & other community leaders • Local foundations funded planning phase and implementation start-up (believers) • Organized health literacy collaborative • Financial literacy task force ready to pilot • Working with NYS Chancellor on unified Buffalo strategy for early childhood support 25

Success Factors • • Active support from community leaders Funders align grantmaking with plan Literacy infused everywhere Maintain high levels of communication and collaboration • Ubiquitous marketing and outreach – general and targeted messaging 26

Benefits to Agencies • Hot-line (2 -1 -1) for learners & volunteers • Robust “Buffalo Reads” web site • Expansive marketing-public relations campaign • Training / technical assistance center • Access to more federal, national, state $$$ with leverage from local funders • Access to data 27

Benefits to Buffalo • • • Improved student achievement Increased graduation rates Students ready for college-level work Improved job readiness & skilled work force Increased $$ from federal and national sources Reduced dependence on public, tax-supported programs (welfare, remediation, unemployment) 28