A Planning Grant Sponsored

by the Kellogg Foundation

Working with Schools, Families and Communities

Catalyzing School Improvement in Michigan

What are the Main Objectives of the Planning Grant?What is the Catalyzing School Improvement in Michigan Project?This innovative demonstration project aims to improve the educational outcomes of vulnerable children in Michigan by working in cooperative partnership with communities and leveraging the many resources available at the University of Michigan.

The Education Leadership Center (ELC) at the University’s School of Education will develop this initiative by bringing together select academic and research units within the University including the School of Social Work, Institute of Social Research, the Ross School of Business, the School of Public Health, the School of Engineering, which span the wide array of disciplines relevant to a child’s academic, emotional and physical readiness to learn. The ELC will then join those resources with key policy actors in the state, leaders from selected Michigan school districts, and the grass-roots and community organizations in these districts.

Our work will be guided by the belief that children’s academic success results from the positive actions of many different groups and agencies within a community - not only schools, but also parents, before- and after-school providers, physical and mental health and social service providers, and many other community-based child and youth organizations.

Why Should We Participate?

Choose partners (University and •community) that have both the interest and capacity to succeed in the work.

Select evidence-based initiatives •which help improve student achievement in schools; combine them with family and community initiatives which help send children to school ready to learn – in so doing, seek a multiplicative impact on student achievement.

This is a unique opportunity to work with key community stakeholders and leading experts in many fields, united by a common goal of addressing the many unmet needs of vulnerable school children. Michigan’s economic challenges are forcing many local communities to seek innovative strategies for addressing the needs of vulnerable children. At the same time, the University of Michigan has a deep commitment to securing a diverse student body, and already has in place more than 130 outreach programs to local schools and school systems. This initiative is needed in Michigan and has a strong chance of meeting with success.

Develop a strategy for •community-based educational improvement that is both general enough to be enacted in multiple community settings, yet specific enough to address the unique needs and capacities of diverse communities.

Develop management •structures that assure successful completion of planned activities in a short time frame.

Ground our work in the •best research and practical knowledge about how to improve the educational outcomes of vulnerable children.

Supporting Pathways to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) is a program developed by the Kellogg Foundation, the sponsor of this planning grant, to foster ready schools. The action plans created under this planning grant will be grounded in these nine characteristics of a ready school:

Children’s success in school1.

Welcoming atmosphere2.

Strong leadership3.

Connection to early care4.

Cultural and linguistic connectedness5.

Parental involvement6.

Community partnerships7.

Usable assessment results8.

Constant improvement9.

What are the SPARK Initiative’s Nine Pathways to Ready Schools?

What is the Long-term Goal of the Project?

Ultimately, our goal is to improve the educational outcomes of vulnerable children by transforming both formal and informal social structures in Michigan communities and statewide.

Principal InvestigatorsKenneth Burnley, PhD • kburnley@umich.edu

Brian Rowan, PhD • browan@umich.edu

A Program in the Education Leadership Center, U-M School of Education www.soe.umich.edu/educationleadership

Regents of the University Julia Donovan Darlow, Ann Arbor; Laurence B. Deitch, Bingham Farms; Olivia P. Maynard, Goodrich; Rebecca McGowan, Ann Arbor; Andrea Fischer Newman, Ann Arbor; Andrew C. Richner, Grosse Pointe Park; S. Martin Taylor, Grosse Pointe Farms; Katherine E. White, Ann Arbor; Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio

The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or Vietnam-era veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity and Title IX/Section 504 Coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, 734-763-0235, TTY 734-647-1388. For other University of Michigan information call 734-764-1817.

How Will the Planning Grant Work Be Conducted?The Kellogg Foundation has awarded the ELC with a planning grant to tie together evidence-based programs that work in schools, families and communities to enhance student achievement. We will work at the ground level with local school districts and their community partners in at least three demonstration sites to create a concrete action plan of activities, including timelines and benchmarks to progress.

The planning grant has three phases:

Phase 1. Provide districts with information and requirements regarding the program, then recruit and select three demonstration sites. Within the University, meet with various schools, colleges and academic departments to explore involvement in the program, and then formalize partner relationships and responsibilities with deans of participating schools and colleges.

Phase 2. Develop an action plan with core partners for community-based school improvement which is grounded in the nine pathways to ready schools outlined in the SPARK initiative. Establish timelines and benchmarks of success for the initiative.

Phase 3. Write a grant application for the initial phase of demonstration work, providing opportunity for input from the team as a whole. Propose a scope of work that can be implemented in three-year funding cycles, renewable only if established and measurable benchmarks of progress have been achieved to the Foundation’s satisfaction.