Navigating CPS
- 2. CIS of Chicago Site Coordinators Who serves as a direct contact when communicating and scheduling services with schools? Navigating the nation’s third-largest school system can be a challenge for even the most sophisticated and well-intentioned service providers. Fortunately, CIS of Chicao is expert at forging productive working relationships between schools and community partners. At each of our 125 school partners, there is at least one designated Site Coordinator. This full-time school faculty member is responsible for accessing and coordinating needed programs, evaluating the effectiveness of programs, and reporting back to CIS of Chicao on school needs and partnership connections. Site Coordinators are typically social workers, guidance counselors, assistant principals, and lead literacy teachers. Communication with Site Coordinators and other necessary school personnel are critical to effectively coordinating school-based programming and will help you build long-term relationships with a range of external partners. Some important things to discuss with Site Coordinators: ● Program referral details ● School interests ● Program and plan logistics ● Opportunities to meet school staff members and introduce your organization ● Appropriate consent forms needed, when necessary ● Assessment and follow up plans *
- 3. Best Practices for School-Based Delivery • CIS of Chicago has more than twenty five years of experience helping schools and community organizations develop dynamic partnerships. During this time we have learned many important lessons about how agencies can increase the impact of their work with students, parents and teachers. It is our pleasure to share many of these insights with you. • Of course, your organization may already engage in many of the best practices discussed in this document. Our goal, therefore, is to recognize the efficacy of practices you already implement, as well as introduce new ideas that will further enhance the strength of your work in schools across Chicago. *
- 4. Building Relationships Strong relationships with school personnel (including the principal, assistant principal, site coordinator, social worker, teachers and office staff) are important and often critical to the success of school and community partnerships. School faculty can provide valuable perspective regarding school priorities, challenges and strengths. ● Become familiar with school community by meeting with administrators and staff. Request a recent school newsletter or other school publications. ● Utilize time spent in the main office to observe interactions between administrators, staff, students and parents, and to engage office staff in conversation. ● Clearly communicate the goals of your program to relevant school staff. ● Broaden interactions with faculty to better understand school needs and priorities. Offer to attend a faculty meeting to introduce yourself, the agency and the program. ● Explore ways of making meaningful connections between the goals of your program and the goals of the school(s) you serve. *
- 5. Professionalism Children are impressionable so it is important to project a professional image when working with them. A high level of professionalism can assist the relationship-building process. Key ingredients of professionalism, such as follow-up and follow-through, are crucial to creating trust with a school. ● Confirm the presentation one to two days prior. ● Arrive at least ten minutes prior to a scheduled presentation time. ● Maintain consistent communication with school staff. ● Project a professional image with business casual attire and appropriate language during a presentation. ● Be prepared to share program and topic area information with the school community. ● Be prepared to share organizational information if asked (e.g., newsletters, annual reports, brochures, business cards). ● Wear agency name badge and, if possible, agency attire to identify yourself with the agency. *
- 6. Curriculum Design and Delivery The design and delivery of school-based educational programs can have an impact on their effectiveness. Students will benefit more from programs if certain considerations are taken into account. ● Communicate goals and expectations to students at the beginning of a presentation, clearly stating learning objectives. ● Customize instruction to different learning styles and abilities through differentiated instruction (e.g., the inclusion of audio-visual aids, group discussion formats or learning manipulatives). ● Assess student learning throughout the presentation, restating key concepts and reframing ideas. ● Integrate participatory learning opportunities in the session to help students more deeply understand new concepts and relate them to their lives. ● Conclude by revisiting the objectives to informally gauge comprehension. *
- 7. Common Core Learning Standards The new Common Core State Standards establish clear expectations for what students should learn in English language arts and mathematics at each grade level. The standards are high, clear, and uniform to ensure that students are prepared for success in college and the workforce. By emphasizing depth over breadth, the Common Core ensures that students have comprehensive understanding of key concepts. Illinois adopted the Common Core in 2010 and teachers and administrators across the state are fully implementing the new standards during the 2013-14 school year. ● Develop programs in consideration of Common Core learning standards and communicate the programs’ relationship to those standards. ● Look to the CCLS for guidance on curriculum content in order to make the program appropriate for different age groups. ● In preparation for school-based outreach programs, communicate with the relevant classroom teacher to determine ways to tie the presentation to what the students are currently learning. ● Create opportunities for teachers to integrate your program or service into their own curriculum (e.g., worksheets to extend student learning after a program has ended). *
- 8. Cultural Relevance Cultural relevance is a key aspect in ensuring a program is a good match for the school. Programs should be respectful of cultural diversity and a school’s demographic background in order to be effective. ● In preparation for a program, discuss the various cultures present in a school with school personnel in order to make any necessary programmatic modifications. ● When appropriate, acknowledge the diverse make-up of a student audience, referencing factors such as race, economics, gender, immigration status, sexual orientation or disability status. ● Provide relevant examples of culturally diverse individuals. ● Modify material and/or presentation, when possible, with regard to the demographics of your audience. ● Accommodate English language learners by including an interpreter, providing visual aids and allowing extra time for discussion. *
- 9. Assessment Assessment helps to identify the impact of a program or service. Effective assessment tools and methods help agencies and schools to determine what aspects of a program worked well and which should be targeted for improvement. ● Develop assessments that provide easy-to-understand quantitative and qualitative feedback. Incorporate surveys, observations and anecdotes. ● Share assessment results with the school administration, classroom teacher and CCIS. Request time to review the results with school personnel (e.g., principal, teachers, Local School Council). ● Discuss successes and challenges from both the school and agency perspectives. ● Utilize assessment data from schools to customize programming and improve future service delivery at the school. *
- 10. Who’s Who In the Schools Before presenting your program, it’s a good idea to know the lay of the land at your typical Chicago public school. Who are the key decision makers that will help your program be successful? With whom should you consider touching base to get a better understanding of the students, parents and teachers you’ll be serving? Use this Who’s Who guide as a starting point for learning more about some of the important people who make every Chicago public school function each day. *
- 11. School Administration Principal: Principals are schools’ key decision makers. Most Chicago public schools elect their principals via a local school council (see LSC, below). Principals are typically the instructional leaders at their school, making key decisions about things like curriculum, lesson plans, and school scheduling. They are also responsible for hiring teachers, overseeing the school budget and making other key decisions that impact the overall academic program of the school. Assistant Principal: Most elementary schools have one assistant principal. High Schools can have as many as three. Assistant principals handle a range of responsibilities. They are often a school’s primary disciplinarian. They may also evaluate teacher performance, distribute text books, and oversee much of the daily functioning of a school, particularly when the principal is out of the building. School Secretary/Clerk : Most schools have a number of people who work in the office; however, there is usually one lead secretary who acts as the gate keeper to the principal. Make a good impression on this key office staff member, and you may find that your phone messages are promptly returned and that your requests for setting up a meeting with the principal are fulfilled. *
- 12. Support Staff Case Manager (CM): Case managers’ main responsibility is to coordinate a range of services for special education students. In particular, case managers must assemble a team of support staff members (e.g., social workers, nurses, psychologists) to evaluate students for initial placement in special education. With the help of the full support team, case managers also conduct annual re- evaluations of students already receiving special education services. Some schools have one staff member who works exclusively as case manager; other schools combine the CM role with other designated school positions, such as guidance counselor or social worker. School Counselor: Most schools have at least one counselor; large high schools may have multiple counselors to work with students in different grade levels. Elementary school counselors perform a wide range of tasks. They may create a school’s master course schedule and plan and implement school-wide standardized testing schedules. They also may handle the enrollment or transfer of students, update student records, and in some cases, serve as the school’s case manager. Providing actual counseling services to students may or may not be a significant part of their job. High school counselors share many of the job responsibilities of their elementary school counterparts. However, they also tend to provide more one-on-one counseling for students, as well as advise them about college and career opportunities. *
- 13. Support Staff Nurse: The majority of nurses in CPS work at two or three different schools throughout the year; a small number are assigned to work every day at one school. Whether part-time or full-time staff members, school nurses’ primary responsibility is to ensure that all students have updated physical examinations, dental check-ups and immunizations. Nurses also help evaluate students for participation in special education programs, as well as administer basic first-aid to sick/injured children during the course of the school day. Social Worker: Like nurses, social workers often serve two or three schools. A few are assigned to work at one school. Regardless, social workers are responsible for supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of students and their families. Social workers may work individually with students, conduct support groups with multiple children, or provide counseling for entire families. When necessary, social workers also provide crisis intervention for students, families and teachers. As part of the school support team, social workers often are included in the special education evaluation process. School Psychologist: School psychologists play a major role in the special education evaluation process. For each new student recommended for admittance to special education, psychologists administer a series of cognitive and behavioral tests. The results of these tests, combined with input from other support staff members, determine whether students qualify for special education services. Most school psychologists, particularly at the elementary school level, serve a number of schools in a particular area of the city. *
- 14. Academic Leaders Department Chairperson (DC): As the name suggests, a department chair leads a team of school staff members who work in a particular academic, counseling or vocational discipline. For example, a high school might have one English teacher serve as DC for a 15-teacher English department. Duties performed by this chairperson might include reviewing teachers’ lesson plans, mentoring new teachers, coordinating curriculum and learning objectives across grade levels, and developing interdisciplinary learning units. Many high schools are organized by departments and as such have multiple DCs. The same is true for some large elementary schools. Lead Teachers (LT): Lead teachers are similar to department chairpersons in that they plan curriculum and support teachers on a grade level-wide or even school-wide scope. However, unlike department chairs, who usually lead a particular academic or vocational subject area, lead teachers, do not necessarily have a particular curricular focus. A veteran sixth grade teacher, for instance, might be the LT for a group of fellow sixth grade teachers. On the other hand, some high schools designate lead teachers to direct an entire small school within the larger building. Lead teachers are found in both high school and elementary school settings. *
- 15. Other Key Staff Physical Education/Health Teacher: Students at many Chicago public schools have physical education (PE) once a week. It is not unusual for PE teachers to instruct all of a school’s students during the course of a school year. At some schools, students engage in physical activity and learn about various health topics during PE class. As part of the health curriculum at some schools, PE teachers also teach students about a range of safety and prevention education topics, such as violence prevention, substance abuse awareness and understanding eating disorders. School Community Representative (SCR): The SCR is usually a resident of the local school community – a parent or grand parent of a current student, a neighborhood activist, alum of the school – who serves as a liaison between the school staff and the surrounding neighborhood. School/Community Reps often focus on helping schools increase parent involvement. They may lead monthly parent meetings, contact parents to obtain consent forms for students to participate in upcoming field trips or medical services, serve as point persons for sharing information about local resources, and represent the views of parents in formal school planning processes. *
- 16. Special Teams Local School Council (LSC): Local School Councils function as the site-based management team for most CPS schools. Their primary responsibility is to select the school’s principal, renew the principal’s contract, approve the School Improvement Plan for Advancing Academic Achievement and approving the school’s budget for the school year. Elementary school LSCs are comprised of the principal, along with representatives for parents, students and community members. High schools add an additional student representative. School-based Problem Solving Team (SPST): Each school has a SPST. The role of the team, which is usually comprised of school administrators, social workers, teachers and other members of the support staff (see above), is to design and implement innovative interventions for academically struggling students. The interventions and strategies designed by the team are meant as an alternative measure to initiating the special education referral process. The SPST’s focus on developing creative, flexible plans for promoting student achievement make it a potential venue for agencies to target their student support services. *
Editor's Notes
- #2: Who is in the room? Site Coordinators, Program Managers, Supervisors, Development Why are we here? How many of you bring partners into schools or work with community partners in some way? How many of you have ever had a concern or incident regarding the quality of a partner’s program? How many of you have found it challenging to engage in a conversation or process that would address that quality concern? That is why we are here today. We are a connector. All affiliates work differently, but we all have community partners in common. When we connect programs or services to our students, it becomes incumbent upon us to have a stake in the quality of that program or service.