winter 2010 / Volume 15. Number 2

education

Northwest magazine

A School for the 

Whole Community

Addressing social-emotional needs 8 | Community partnerships 14 | Combining instruction and social services 24
2	 educationnorthwest.org

On the cover

A kindergarten student enjoys a treat at an open house

held by Russian Jack Elementary School in Anchorage. The

Title I school goes the extra mile to make new and current

students and their families feel welcome, and focuses on

social-emotional learning as well as core academics.

Photo by Lisa Wardle
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 1

8

20

30

features

	 6 Full-Service Community Schools: An Overview

Providing both high-quality education and social services in a single, schoolbased location is an old idea that has found new currency under the Obama

administration.

	 8	 Helping Hands, Kind Hearts

A Title I elementary school in Anchorage adds “respect” to the three R’s,

concentrating on social-emotional learning along with academics.

14	 Creating a Safety Net

An affluent Idaho resort community steps up to help homeless students and

their families.

20	 Here Comes the SUN

A full-service community school in Portland, Oregon, sees reading and math

scores improve, along with student behavior.

24 Reaching Out

As part of a statewide initiative, an Oregon middle school combines highquality instruction with comprehensive social services and adult education.

28 Building Partnerships

The director of the Washington, D.C.-based Coalition for Community Schools

finds encouragement in President Obama’s budget priorities.

30 Hearts and Minds

A Tacoma, Washington, elementary school transforms its school climate with

compassion, behavior management, and family support services.

education 

Northwest magazine

	contents / winter 2010 a school for the whole community Vol. 15 / No. 2

Web exclusives at educationnorthwest.org

14
2	 educationnorthwest.org

departments

	 3 ceo ’s Message

	 4	 Editor’s Note

	35	 Voices

The Root of the Problem: A Conversation With

Richard Rothstein

	37	 Research Brief

Building a Research Base

	39	 End Note

	40	 Education Northwest News

Oregon Zeroes in on Culturally Competent

Instructional Leadership	

New REL Reports Connect Research to Practice	

SLC Work Continues	

Conference Call	

Education Northwest Products and Services

What the Research Says (or Doesn’t Say) 

School Counselors

On the Web

Education Northwest Magazine is available online at

educationnorthwest.org. Look for Web exclusives,

marked with .

Education Northwest Magazine is published three times a year by

Education Northwest. Past and current issues of the magazine are

available at educationnorthwest.org.

ISSN 1546-5020

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Carol F. Thomas

Deputy Executive Officer

Steve Fleischman

Administrative Director, Planning and Outreach

Dr. Steve Nelson

Managing Editor

Rhonda Barton

Issue Editor

Bracken Reed

Education Northwest News Writer

Kate Fitzgibbon

Staff Photographers

Michael Heavener, Sarah Giffrow

Design

Denise Crabtree

Data Analyst

Richard Greenough

Library Support

Linda Fitch

Webmaster

Jeff Jones

Circulation

Jean DeYoung

Statement of Purpose

Education Northwest Magazine aims to promote a regional dialogue

and to elevate teaching and learning by giving readers the best information, ideas, and personal stories from practitioners, researchers,

and other experts.

Copyright © 2010, Education Northwest

Articles and information in this publication may be reproduced

and distributed without permission for nonprofit educational and

professional development purposes. Please acknowledge Education

Northwest as the source.

education 

Northwest magazine
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 3

education northwest 

Board of Directors

Jerry Colonna (Chair)

Superintendent, Beaverton School District (OR)

Dr. Joanne Erickson (Secretary-Treasurer)

Associate Professor, Montana State University

Dr. Barbara L. Adams

Researcher, Alaska Statewide Mentor Project 

Steve Bradshaw

Superintendent, Sitka School District (AK) 

Doreen Brown (Regional Parent Representative)

Supervisor, Indian Education, Anchorage School District 

(AK)

Susan Castillo

Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction

Karanja Crews

Teacher, Portland Public Schools (OR)

Juan Carlos Cuadros	

Elementary Assistant Principal, Springfield Public 

Schools (OR)

Randy Dorn

Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction

Dr. Patrick Haggarty (Private School Representative)

Superintendent, Chief Diocesan Administrator 

Diocese of Helena, Missoula (MT)

Jeri Harris

Teacher, Seattle School District (WA)

Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel

Superintendent, Renton School District (WA)

Dr. Jannette R. Hill

Chair, Division of Education 

Lewis-Clark State College (ID)

Wendy Horman

School Board Member, Bonneville Joint School District 

(ID)

Denise Juneau

Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction 

Jerry Keane

Superintendent, Post Falls School District (ID)

Larry LeDoux

Alaska Commissioner of Education

Tom Luna

Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction

Dr. Bruce Messinger

Superintendent, Helena Public Schools (MT)

Dr. Geoffrey Mills

Dean, Southern Oregon University 

Sean Murray (Regional Business Representative)

President, RealTime Performance (WA)

Dr. Perla Rodriguez (Regional Parent Representative)

Elementary Principal, Forest Grove School District (OR)

Mo Sanders

Principal, Soldotna Montessori Charter School (AK)

Corri Smith

Teacher, Great Falls School District (MT)

Frederick H. Striker

School Board Member, Battle Ground (WA)

Dr. Tom Stritikus

Associate Dean, College of Education 

University of Washington

Colleen Thompson

Teacher, Riverside Elementary School (ID)

Carol VanDerWege

Teacher, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (AK)

Jeff Weldon (Regional Business Representative)

Attorney, Felt, Martin, Frazier & Weldon PC (MT)

ceo’s message

Dear Reader,

As this issue of Education Northwest 

Magazine goes to press, the nation is

marking the first anniversary of the

American Recovery and Reinvestment

Act (ARRA). The Recovery Act’s more

than $100 billion in education funding

is entering its second and final phase,

supporting major initiatives such as the

Race to the Top (RttT), Investment in

Innovation (i3), and School Improvement Grants (SIG). As Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has noted, the size

of the stimulus bill provides an unprecedented chance to put lasting education

reforms in place, positioning the federal

government to “move from being about

compliance with bureaucracy to really

[being] the engine of innovation and

change.”

Our focus on full-service schools is

timely because ARRA offers opportunities to invest in a holistic approach

to education that encompasses socialemotional learning, extended-learning

time, and meaningful family and community engagement. Education Northwest has long partnered with schools

and districts in the region to promote

these outcomes. As the Oregon Parental

Information & Resource Center we provide resources, information, and training to educators and family members

to create school-family partnerships for

youth success, especially for Hispanic

and low-income families. We are also

one of the nation’s premier training and

technical assistance providers for youth

mentoring programs and initiatives.

Our Volunteer Leadership Center

trains thousands of national service volunteers each year, preparing young and

old volunteers to meet the needs of their

communities. Many of those volunteers

serve in schools in economically distressed neighborhoods. And, we’ve been

active in helping schools implement

(and evaluate) academic out-of-school

time programs that provide students

with the extra help they need to attain

grade-level proficiency in core subjects

such as reading and math.

As you consider taking advantage of

the many opportunities that ARRA

presents, we hope you’ll remember that

Education Northwest stands ready to

partner with you—whether it’s helping

to build staff capacity for school turnaround, creating rigorous and relevant

secondary schools, or using data to differentiate instruction. Or, if you just need

some general advice on navigating the

complexities of the Recovery Act, we’re

here to help with that, too. Check out

our NW Education Recovery Clearinghouse (educationnorthwest.org/nwarra/)

for more information.

Wishing you future success,

Carol Thomas

Chief Executive Officer
4	 educationnorthwest.org

editor‘s note

Tamela McBride, a family support worker for 

Tacoma Public Schools in Washington, is out 

in the community, in the schools, and in

people’s homes nearly every work day. Her

job, by nature, puts her in direct contact

with the most high-poverty, at-risk students and families. “A lot of what I’m seeing is families that

are overwhelmed,” says McBride.“They’re dealing with depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, poverty, impending

homelessness—they’re just overwhelmed.”

Even if relatively few of us are faced with such dire circumstances, we can nevertheless relate to a general anxiety—a disquieting sense that all is not right with the world and that it’s

not such a long drop, after all, from relative comfort to abject

poverty. With health-care costs skyrocketing, unemployment

rates lingering in the double digits, millions of homeowners

upside down or in default on their mortgages, and a war escalating in Afghanistan, a sense of being overwhelmed may just

be the defining mood of the historical moment.

Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in America’s

most underserved public schools. As Richard Rothstein, the

former national education columnist for The New York Times,

points out in these pages (see Voices, page 35), the achievement

gap in public education is “all about socioeconomic class,” and

schools that serve the lower end of the socioeconomic scale

continue to struggle.

After nearly a decade of trying to comply with the No Child

Left Behind Act, many educators continue to feel that the call

for greater accountability did not come with an equivalent

investment of federal and state dollars. But that, of course, is

changing. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has

poured millions of dollars into public education, and its third

wave, the Race to the Top competitive grant program, has yet

to wash over the public school landscape.

It’s no secret that the Obama administration and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are using those dollars to push

their most important education priorities. And among those

priorities is the concept of full-service community schools—

making public schools the center of a network of social supports. As Marty Blank, director of the national Coalition for

Community Schools notes here (see Q&A, page 28), “What

seems clear is that the Obama administration is trying to break

down the false dichotomy between standards, testing, and

teacher quality and the other array of supports and opportunities that young people need.”

While England has scaled up community schools—known

there as “extended” schools—here the idea has languished in

the shadows for decades. Compelling evidence of greater efficiency, cost savings, accessibility, and effectiveness has, until

now, somehow failed to put community schools in the education reform limelight. Despite the fact that one recent study

estimates there are currently between 3,000 and 5,000 such

schools in the United States, their implementation from state

to state and even within a district is inconsistent.

That this is true became apparent as we put together this

issue of Education Northwest Magazine. Our search for established (and hopefully, effective) full-service community school

programs in the Northwest region did not turn up a lot of candidates, especially outside the region’s two largest urban communities, Seattle and Portland.

This does not mean, however, that the kinds of programs and

services typically included in a community school are not being implemented in schools throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Ron Hertel, director of the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Readiness to Learn program is not

alone when he says, “I see the full-service community school

idea on a continuum. I don’t know if there’s a point where you

say, ‘OK, as of today, because you’ve done these things, you are

now a full-service school.’”

What we offer in this issue is a sampling of schools and district from across our region that are moving along that continuum. The Multnomah County, Oregon, Schools Uniting

Neighborhoods program (see page 20) is one of the most wellestablished community school programs in the country. Other

stories here represent a districtwide effort to coordinate homeless services in Idaho; a high-poverty Tacoma, Washington,

elementary school that has used multiple resources to address

students’readinessto learn; an Alaska Title I elementary school

that has created a schoolwide climate of respect by focusing on

students’ social-emotional needs; and a rural Oregon middle

school that is in the early stages of implementing a full-scale

community school program.

All of these stories profile schools and districts that could

have collapsed under the weight of the many social problems

that surround them every day, but didn’t. Instead, they have

pulled together, formed partnerships, and are doing everything

they can to provide the best combination of academics and social services to the most at-risk children and families. That’s

what full-service community schools are all about. And that’s

why they may become the defining education reform of a decade that hasjust begun, but already feels a little overwhelming.

—Bracken Reed, Bracken.Reed@educationnorthwest.org

Sarah Giffrow
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010

5

5

education Northwest magazine Features

winter 2010 / Vol. 15. No. 2

Full-service community schools are finally moving into the mainstream	 6

Focusing on kindness and respect improves the learning climate 8

A resort city and its schools join forces to help the homeless	 14

SUN schools shine in providing access to social services	 20

An extended day helps one middle school connect kids to adults	 24

A national community school advocate points out successful models	 28

Compassion and social support help kids get ready to learn	 30

A School for the Whole Community
6	 educationnorthwest.org

“A community school is a public school that combines

the best educational practices with a wide range of inhouse health and social services to ensure that children

are physically, emotionally, and socially prepared to learn,” as

defined by the Children’s Aid Society in New York City.

The community school concept in America goes back at

least 100 years, to the pioneering work of John Dewey and Jane

Addams, who believed that schools should serve as the center

for a comprehensive network of social services, in addition to

providing academics. The idea has developed over time, and

most proponents now consider a true community school one

in which a school’s hours of operation are stretched to include

before-school, after-school, weekend, and summer activities

and services for both children and parents.

This leaves a lot of room for flexibility, and in practice few

community schools look exactly alike. For example, some include on-site dental and/or health clinics, but many do not.

Some have after-school programs, others do not. It is possible

that with greater federal support many community schools

would begin to look more similar, but flexibility and responsiveness to local needs are hallmarks of this approach.

Although full-service community schools have been around

for several decades, the concept is gaining new currency under

the Obama administration’s watch. For example, the responsibilities and requirements spelled out in the U.S. Department

of Education’s recent four School Improvement Grant school

intervention models include two of the features of full-service

schools: increased learning time and social-emotional and

community-oriented services and supports.  As Secretary of

Education Arne Duncan has said, “If we are to put an end to

stubborn cycles of poverty and social failure, and put our country on track for long-term economic prosperity, we must address the needs of children who have long been ignored and

marginalized in chronically low-achieving schools.” Tending to

the whole child is clearly part of that mission.

Another sign of growing support is the developing research

base for community schools both in the U.S. and in England,

where all 23,000 public schoolswill become community schools

by the end of 2010.

“The empirical evidence we have says extended schools—

community schools—work,” former British Prime Minister

Tony Blair said last November at a conference in Washington,

D.C., organized by the Center for American Progress. “What

matters to those children is not simply what happens from nine

o’clock in the morning until three in the afternoon. That is absolutely clear. In other words the school should become ... a

center for the support and nurture of the future generation, not

simply for education in the narrow sense, and a hub for the

whole of the community.”

Last fall, the Centerfor American Progress published a study

by researcher Saba Bireda that reviewed the national research

and compared community schools in St. Paul, Minnesota, New

York, Chicago, and England.

“The available research ... does show that sites across the

Full-Service Community Schools

An Overview
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 7

country are successful at overcoming poverty-related challenges to learning,” wrote Bireda. “For example, the COMPASS

program at Central Elementary School in the Lehigh Valley of

Pennsylvania saw an increase in the number of third-grade students scoring ‘proficient’ and above on state assessments from

26–54 percent in reading and from 40–66 percent in math

between 2006 and 2008. Numerous examples like this can be

found across the country.”

Much of the current federal support for community schools

can be attributed to Secretary Duncan. During his tenure as

superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools, Duncan pushed

for all 613 schoolsin the district to adopt the community school

model. Now Duncan is poised to take that philosophy national.

“We have a lot of hope with Secretary Duncan leading education that there will be more recognition that schools can be a

place where children and families can access an array of services,” says Peggy Samolinski, director of the SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods) community school program in Portland,

Oregon. “That is a beacon of hope for the future.”

Some federal funding is already in place, and more is on

its way. President Obama included $10 million in competitive

grants for community schools in his 2010 budget. The February

8, 2010, Federal Register includes a notice of proposed priorities

and requirements for these grants, and cites a strong preference

for programs using “strategies that support turning around

[the] persistently lowest-achieving schools.”

In Congress, meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Nebraska Democratic Senator Ben Nelson have joined

forces to propose a five-year $200 million community schools

program. And more immediately, states have included community schools—as Oregon has done—in applications to the

federal Race to the Top program. President Obama hasrequested continued funding in 2011 for that program, to the tune of

$1.35 billion.

With a growing research base, the support of the federal

government, and major media attention for community school

programs such as Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone,

this may be the best opportunity yet for the community schools

movement to catch on. In the Pacific Northwest, as elsewhere,

there is no denying the need. The growing number of high poverty schools in the region—as measured by Title I qualification

(see graphs)—cuts across both urban and rural areas and presents a major challenge for all Northwest region states.

As author and independent researcher Joy Dryfoos—perhaps the most avid supporter of full-service schools during the

past two decades—wrote in 2008, “Those concerned with the

improvement of education outcomes and the reduction of poverty would do well to take an interest in community schools.”

This may be the year that the century-old idea finally hits the

mainstream. n

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

71%

Alaska

72%

Idaho

80%

Montana

45%

Oregon

55%

Washington

Title I schools as a percentage of all public schools, by state: 2008−2009

Total number of Title I schools:

Alaska, 358

Idaho, 508

Montana, 662

Oregon, 579

Washington, 1,249

0%

500

1,000

1,500

Alaska Idaho Montana Oregon Washington

Title I schools, by state and locale: 2008−2009

Rural

Small town

Suburb

City
8	 educationnorthwest.org

Kind Hearts

Helping Hands,

8	 educationnorthwest.org
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010

9

Respect joins reading,

writing, and arithmetic

as a priority subject at a

Title I school in Alaska.

Story by Rhonda Barton

Photos by Lisa Wardle

Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 9
10	 educationnorthwest.org

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—On a chilly October

morning the sun has yet to rise, but already the cafeteria at Russian Jack Elementary is buzzing with activity. The

long tables are filled with youngsters

gobbling up waffle sticks, Cheerios, muffins, and milk. Physical education teacher Scott Armstrong runs interference.

His workday started even earlier than

breakfast duty: Today he showed up at

the school bus stop to accompany students on their ride in from two neighborhood trailer courts.

That isn’t part of his job description, but it hints at what makes Russian

Jack an exceptional school. “The whole

idea is to let kids know we’re watching

them and we do care,” says the youthful Armstrong. “If they can have a good

bus ride from home to school it’s a great

start to the day. Here at school they can

get breakfast and then go right into

learning.”

The Title I East Anchorage school

serves more than 400 children, from

pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. Some

are recent arrivals from Native villages

or from distant countries. Others are

rooted in the community but struggle

with generational poverty. All are treated with an extra dose of kindness and

respect by a staff that values social-emotional learning as much as academics.

Keeping that balance is a challenge,

admits Principal Sharon Story, who describes her job as putting “people first,

paper second.” The school failed to make

adequate yearly progress (AYP) for the

past two years and is now in Level 2 improvement status. Story points out that

that’s not as discouraging asitsounds. Of

the 23 Title I elementary schools in the

Anchorage School District, Russian Jack

is the only one that has to make AYP in

all 31 categories for all subgroups of students. Despite that challenge, “students

with disabilities” is the only subgroup

for which the school didn’t meet AYP.

Because of the school’s commitment

to social-emotional development, Story

has chosen to invest Title I funds in a

social skills tutor and a family/school

coordinator, as well as literacy and math

specialists. “We take care of our children

because they are part of the Russian Jack

family,” says Story. ”Working together

with parents, many of whom struggle

to survive from day to day, we make it

a priority to give each child a safe and

caring learning environment.” From the

8:30 a.m. breakfast until after-school activities wrap up at 5:30 p.m., students are

cloaked in that care.

After the Morning Bell 

A typical day at Russian Jack begins with

morning announcements on the closedcircuit television system. Six secondgraders arrange themselves in front of

the camera. “Wipe your noses and get

your wiggles out,” advises Sara Cross,

their teacher. After leading the Pledge of

Allegiance, the mini-broadcasters show

off the reflective stripes that all students

will get to put on their backpack straps,

and then they share reminders about

upcoming activities. The brief program

ends with an enthusiastic group recitation of the school’s motto: “Let’s all remember to be respectful, responsible,

safe, and kind!”

The announcements segue into morning circle, a ritual throughout the school’s

three wings. In Judi Westfall’s first-grade

classroom about 20 students settle on

the carpet and tell a variation on knockknock jokes. Everyone in turn answers

the question, “Who’s there?” with their

first and last names, accompanied by a

sturdy handshake and a smile for their

neighbor. Saying their names out loud

helps students feel acknowledged and

affirmed.

The morning circle is part of the

“Connected and Respected” curriculum

that all Russian Jack teachers are trained

in, though each puts an individual stamp

on the practice. Teachers in upperlevel grades often tie the activity into a

content-area lesson. For example, fifthgraders studying natural disasters might

take turns commenting on which type

of event interests them the most. Social

Skills Tutor Susan Conlin introduced

the circles as one tool to integrate socialemotional learning into the school day.

“All of us might arrive at school with

different agendas,” she remarks. “Some

Manners Café is a daily ritual where kids practice polite conversation.
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 11

of us might have had a rough morning

and be jangled, excitable. This is a way

to center people and acknowledge and

build community, which flows into the

learning really gently.” Conlin pauses. “A

lot of what we do is about gentleness ...

the world is not an easy place.”

Dining at the Manners Café

Perhaps Conlin’s most unusual way to

encourage civility among students is the

Manners Café, a five-year tradition at

Russian Jack. A round table with a cheerful tablecloth, brightly colored napkins,

and a floral centerpiece is positioned just

outside the cafeteria. Each day five or six

students are chosen to carry their trays

out to the cozy spot and join Conlin for

a sociable lunch. If a student is new to

the school, he or she will be invited right

away—just one way the school welcomes

a highly transient population. By the time

the school year ends, every childwill have

enjoyed at least one visit to the café.

As Conlin passes out the napkins—

reminding her six-year-old lunch companions they can tuck them into their

shirts or on lay them on their laps—she

asks, “Can I have some manners words

here?” Alexia pipes up with “thank you.”

Jarel says the folded napkin reminds him

of a boat, which prompts Conlin to ask

if anyone at the table has been in a boat.

Jarel recounts a boat ride in his native

country of Laos, while Alexia offers that

she’s ridden in an airplane.

As the guests dig into chicken nuggets and rice, Conlin poses an intriguing question:“If you could catch a falling

star, what would you do with it?” Xavier

replies that he’d “stick it on the wall,”

while the others say they’d place it on

top of the television, in a star collection,

or in a case “where it wouldn’t get damaged.” That leads Conlin to ask, “If the

star were an award, what would you get

it for?” Each child considers his or her

noteworthy characteristics. For Justice,

it would be “for working my best.” Jarel

thinks he might deserve a starfor playing

nicely in the park, and Alexia proudly

states that she “runs fast.” When Xavier

has trouble coming up with something

that’s star-worthy, the others point out

that he’s good at helping his friends. He

smiles in agreement.

Conlin explains that the point of

Manners Café is to provide students

with an opportunity to play with the natural give-and-take of conversation without having to raise their hand. Also, it’s

a time when children can stretch their

imaginations and have their opinions

valued. “It’s lovely to hear what they’re

thinking and how they’re feeling,” says

Conlin. “Sometimes if two kids are in

conflict I’ll invite them to Manners Café

because when you break bread with

someone it’s somehow easier to solve a

problem. Or, if a child is crying after recess or seems sad, I can use it as a teachable moment. It surprises me that in

the scope of a day that’s so packed with

mandatory things, the humanity of this

experience is so pure and spontaneous—

and that gives me a lot of hope.”

Reaching Out to Parents

Ministering to the practical needs of

students and their families is the job of

Family Resource Coordinator Marti

Guzman. She shows off the emergency

pantry stocked with cans of beef stew

and other staples, partly purchased with

the profits from a snack bar in the faculty lounge. Stacked nearby are new packages of donated underwear and bins of

hand-me-down jackets, snow pants, and

sweatshirts. A shower and a washerdryer also share the space, available if a

child lacks access to those amenities outside of school.

Guzman spends the bulk of her time

“getting to know everybody and letting

them know I’m available.” That might

translate into showing a family the location of the closest food bank, letting

parents use her office computer to search

for work, doing a “drive-by” to check

that things are in order at home, helping

a homeless mother apply for Section 8

housing, or making sure that newarrivals

to Russian Jack settle in comfortably and

have all the necessary school supplies.

For families in crisis, Guzman stands

ready “to help them pick up the pieces.”

The wife of a career military man,

Guzman knows what it’s like to move

around a lot. “I always remembered my

kids’ schools where somebody looked

me in the eye and smiled and said, ‘Hi,

you’re new. What can I do for you?’ I

felt welcome.” In a school with a greater

than 28 percent mobility rate, extending

a welcome—and checking in with every

new student on his or her first day—can

go a long way.

Together with other staff members

Guzman works to educate parents about

their partnership roles in helping children thrive.“A lot of families believe that

helping hands, kind hearts

Parents and siblings flock to Family Nights throughout the year, held to encourage adults to 

support their children’s learning at home.
12	 educationnorthwest.org

I send them to school and [the school]

will take care of everything. We say,

‘nope—you’re part of it,’” says Guzman.

“Every time we meet with parents they

learn a little more about how their actions impact their child’s education just

as much as ours do, whether it’s putting

them to bed at 9 instead of 10, or reading

them a book instead of letting them play

video games.”

Parent education is also a focus for

Title I Specialists Shannon Donley and

Terry Loper. The pair organized a recent

family math night, which attracted more

than 300 people. Guzman provided dinner, while Donley and Loper orchestrated games and activities to build on

the school’s Everyday Math curriculum.

The stations were run by teaching staff,

who stayed late to help. Parents were

sent away with all the manipulatives and

directions needed to continue the learning at home. A similar event aimed at

literacy will be held in the spring. In between, parents are invited to small workshops that show them what to expect

when homework comes home and how

to help their children. Toward the end of

the year, the emphasis switches to strategies to help children during the summer.

“We provide breakfast at the workshops

to encourage parents to come,” says

Donley, “and give them information on

public libraries and other activities to

take advantage of when school is out.”

While their main job is to serve as a

resource in the content areas of math

and reading, the Title I specialists also

have a strong connection to the school’s

mission of nurturing social-emotional

skills. “It’s a huge piece for us,” says Donley. “If you don’t have social-emotional

learning in place or respect for each

other, you can’t get any teaching done.”

Loper adds, “I think we’re all on the

same page. So, any student going into

any classroom will hear the exact same

language. You can stop any child in the

hallway and ask her what our motto is

here at Russian Jack and she’ll tell you

‘our school is respectful, responsible,

safe, and kind.’”

Daily Kindness

That kindness plays out in a number

of ways, big and small. Stroll down the

entry corridor and you’ll come across

a colorful display of “Kids’ Choice”

awards dangling from clothespins. Each

week, students nominate both their

peers and staff members for recognition. A typical plaudit is from Berta to

Marie: “She makes me feel happy when

I feel sad.” Down the hall, Sara Cross’s

second-graders are practicing making

compliments—about members of the

class or their families—in a free association exercise. Meanwhile, in the full-day

kindergarten, Monica Plantikow Dudley

keeps a red bucket handy. “If a student

sees someone doing an act of kindness,

they take a glass heart from this pile and

put it in the bucket. When the bucket is

full, we take them all out and have a celebration,” she explains. The idea comes

from Carol McCloud’s book Have You 

Filled a Bucket Today?, which serves as

“a guide to daily happiness for kids.”

“Kind” is also an adjective the adults

here use in describing each other.“That’s

why we’re at this school and why we stay

here,” says Guzman. “If I have a problem, I know there’s at least a dozen staff

members I could go to—not just one

or two people—who would understand

me. Everybody at this school would have

my back and help me if I were having a

tough time.”

Principal Story says that a caring

culture is part of what attracted her to

the school as a principal intern almost

a decade ago. Now in her sixth year at

the helm, she observes that kids believe

what they see. “When a school clearly

teaches by example that self-control,

self-reliance, and self-esteem anchored

in achievement are the means to success, then the school’s own success inspires discipline, order, and confidence

in its students,” she says. Story admits it’s

hard work sustaining that vision: “We

have a truly amazing staff that knows its

work is about transforming children’s

lives every day. And I support them in

whatever way they choose, as long as it

improves children’s academic and social

achievement.”

A Refuge Into the Night

For more than a quarter of Russian Jack

students, school doesn’t end when the

afternoon bell rings at 3:30 p.m. The

school offers a multitude of after-school

programs such as math tutoring and geography and book clubs. The On Target

Program, an extension of the Southcentral Counseling Foundation,supports activities for a group of high-risk students,

Principal Sharon Story plays Mrs. Claus, 

handing out gifts to all students. The 

holiday treats and prizes at Family Nights 

are donated by community partners such 

as Alyeska Pipeline.
while Campfire cares for another group.

A 21st Century Community Learning Center, funded by state and federal

grants, welcomes almost 100 students

who need a little extra attention to attain

grade-level competency. A teen aide and

nine teachers—primarily drawn from

the staff roster—provide homework help

and build on academic interventions

that students receive during the normal

school day, such as the Lexia reading

support computer program. There’s also

time to expose kids to new experiences,

such as Nordic skiing, scouting, and

Junior Achievement.

Five times a year Center Director

Linda Wetherby and the school’s Title I

staff invite the families of students to

participate in special evening programs.

While the focus is often academic,

tonight it’s a glimpse into Irish culture.

Students who hail from all corners of the

globe have been practicing Irish step

dances, and their families will also have

the chance to attempt a traditional céilí

or two and to sample special foods such

as shepherd’s pie from Wetherby’s own

kitchen. It may seem strange to introduce the traditions of the Emerald Isle to

an audience ranging from Filipinos to

Samoans, Laotians, Kenyans, Hmong,

Koreans, Vietnamese, and Alaska Natives. However, it makes perfect sense

when seen as part of Russian Jack’s

emphasis on honoring others.

All of the after-school programs are

seen as an extension of the school day,

where everyone follows the same expectations about respect, responsibility,

safety, and kindness. Wetherby speaks

for the whole staff when she talks about

the desire to help children embrace all

the possibilities the world holds. “We

have the opportunity to work with kids

in a way that values what they have, but

helps them realize there are other things

out there they can take advantage of,”

she says.

As the night grows darker Russian

Jack still hums with activity. Eventually

Wetherby and other staff members will

bid students and their parents and siblings goodbye. Principal Story will close

her office door and head toward home.

The school will finally grow silent, but

it will still remain a beacon of light to a

community that sometimes struggles to

find its way. n

helping hands, kind hearts

Thanks to the Rotary Club, each student went home with a gift at winter break.

13
14	 educationnorthwest.org

Creating a Safety Net

Doing the Hard Work To End Homelessness

Students fill the hall at Borah Elementary School, a 

Coeur d’Alene elementary school with many high-needs 

students—and many programs and resources to help.
COUER d’ALENE, Idaho—Renee and

John (not their real names) may

look and act like ordinary high

school freshmen, but their path to

Coeur d’Alene School District, in

scenic Northern Idaho, has been

anything but typical. At 17 and

18, respectively, they are the oldeststudentsin their classes, which

doesn’t earn them any bragging

rights with their peers. One has

spent time in a psychiatric ward,

the other in juvenile detention,

and neither has attended school

much in the past three years.

They’ve slept under bridges, on

patches of grass, and over a hospital air vent to keep warm in

the winter. Just getting to Coeur

d’Alene from Spokane was a challenge: The trip took them more

than 15 hours. A car ride would

have taken just 40 minutes.

Story by Jacqueline Raphael

Photos by Shawn Gusto

A Northern Idaho resort 

community comes together 

to fight homelessness.
Shelly Blank has been teaching in Coeur d’Alene for nine years.

Renee lives by the motto, “Everyone is fighting some kind

of battle.” She struggles with anxiety attacks and says it’s sad,

but she can hardly remember her sister’s name. With short

vermillion-dyed hair, delicate features, and a stainless steel

ball chain choker holding a pendant against her neck, Renee

looks casually rebellious. “I’ve always kind of gotten through

my problems on my own,” she says. That includes fending off

harassment from other students. When a classmate “sets off a

trigger, something that would make me easily upset or bring up

flashbacks, I generally try and let that person know,” she says.“I

feel it’s better for people to know certain things about the situation I’ve been through so that they don’t upset me.”

John, who is originally from Texas, has had his own problems with other students, but he stands up for Renee as he

would for a younger sister. Sporting a scruffy red goatee and a

single gold earring, he looks more kind than tough. He keeps to

himself a lot and says he gets “angsty” wondering what people

think of him. “Are they my friend or my enemy?” he asks.

Renee and John have each met their share of enemies in

their short lives. When they first met on the streets in Spokane,

they were wary, but eventually they gravitated toward each other. When they both decided to head for Coeur d’Alene three

months ago, an “unbreakable bond” was forged.

They came to Coeur d’Alene for a fresh start, but they faced

numerous challenges to becoming high school students. Medical benefits and special education services, for example, were

only available with parental permission, and Idaho law requires

six months’ residency before waivers and flexibility are available—too much time to wait. Additionally, homeless teenagers

are often difficult to place in housing. Luckily, Renee and John

had landed in the right place at the right time.

Facing Hard Times

Renee and John are two relatively young members of the homeless population found in Coeur d’Alene. To meet the needs of

school-age children and their families, the city and the school

district have developed creative ways to work together.

As early as 1991, a state-commissioned study warned that

Idaho needed more supports for affordable housing and home

ownership, especially in tourist communities such as Coeur

d’Alene, known for its year-round recreation and world-class

resorts. Housing assistance would help keep pace with expected

economic growth and counter the wealthy out-of-state buyers

driving up property values. Otherwise, “slums and pockets

of homelessness” would result, according to The Spokesman 

Review.

Indeed, particularly at the height of the economic boom,

real estate prices skyrocketed in Coeur d’Alene, as did rents.

The average rent for a single-bedroom apartment rose above

$700 a month, far more than many service industry workers

and their families could afford. At that time, the main challenge

was the lack of affordable housing. But soon after, with the onset of the recession, low-income earnersfaced myriad problems

all at once. A larger cross-section of individuals and their families—and more of them—were unable to afford housing. Many

slept in campgrounds in the vast surrounding forests, or tucked

away in city corners, hidden from view.

Though cold, Coeur d’Alene is “no mecca for the homeless,”

says City Councilor Mike Kennedy, the upward trend continues, with a nearly 30 percent increase in homelessness across

Northern Idaho between 2008 and 2009. Kootenai County, of

which Coeur d’Alene is the county seat, carries the second-	

largest homeless population in the state.

“The bulk of the homeless we’re dealing with now have jobs,”

says North Idaho St. Vincent de Paul Executive Director Jeff

Conroy. “They’re working at fast food chains and small retail

shops.”

And 237 of their children are enrolled in the Coeur d’Alene

school system. In presentations throughout the city, Kennedy says, this was the detail that caused his audiences to gasp.

“‘You’re kidding me,’ people would say. ‘We have 237 homeless

kids here, in Coeur d’Alene?’”

16	 educationnorthwest.org
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 17

Building a Safety Net

The concept of full-service community schools has taken hold

more fully in urban areas, particularly on the East Coast, where

school districts may find it easier to partner with existing

community-based networks. Small, rural communities, on the

other hand, don’t usually provide the same level of coordinated

service.

But Coeur d’Alene has mobilized to meet its challenge. In

2008, the city brought community leaders together to create

and carry out a 10-year plan to end homelessness. The previous

year, Kennedy and others had met with Philip Mangano, former executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and others involved in efforts across the

nation to end homelessness.

To address the cross-cutting nature of homelessness, the

Coeur d’Alene effort involves multiple systems, including transportation, housing, employment, medicine, law enforcement,

and schools.

“Once we put our weight behind the effort and said we have

the political will to address this issue, lots of people showed

up to respond to the call to action,” says Kennedy. Volunteers

came from nonprofits, community agencies, industries (including many from real estate agencies), and religious leaders. The

resulting plan encompasses Coeur d’Alene and the cities of Post

Falls and Hayden, the second- and third-largest cities in Kootenai County, as well as their school districts.

James Curb, the district’s homeless liaison and extended-day

program coordinator, is at the center of this activity, working

closely with community outreach service providers and donors to provide a safety net for students and their families. A

counselor by training, Curb spends only part of his work week

in district office buildings; much of the time, he is traveling

to homeless shelters, court rooms, and community agencies,

especially the new H.E.L.P. (Helping Empower Local People)

Center, the state’s first one-stop service agency for the homeless,

which opened last July. Curb and others meet individually with

every homeless or precariously housed family with school-age

children and refer them to a wide variety of services available in

the region, including medical and mental health services, child

care, employment services and support, and free legal consultations and information. Churches, along with shelters, provide

temporary housing or the funds to rent. There is even transportation assistance so that family members can get to the various

resources. Jill Hill, the district’s transportation director, ensures

that homeless students maintain attendance at their school of

origin—even when they’ve moved to a neighboring city.

Once a family or individual is referred for services, various

district and school staff check progress regularly. “It’s decentralized,” explains Curb. “No one person is responsible. There’s

always someone who makes it work. It might be a counselor,

a nurse, a teacher, or a secretary who serves as an advocate

for that family. Whoever has that relationship becomes the

eyes on that family, to make sure they don’t slip through the

cracks.” Individuals in this web of watchful caregivers distributed throughout the district “step up to the plate” to make sure

struggling students and families receive the help they need.

Curb’s work for the district includes both formal and informal facets. Many of his duties relate to specific federal grants

and programs, most especially the after-school and homeless

education programs. However, Curb’s many other self-assigned

tasks find him developing the network of individuals and programs throughout the community who find ways to help those

in need. Some of Curb’s contacts are well known, such as those

affiliated with the Salvation Army and its 123,000 square-foot

Kroc Community Center in Coeur d’Alene, or the Dirne Health

Centers. But most often Curb makes other, more informal connections, such as when he learns of a teacher and service club

that want to start a shoe drive, which sparked a citywide “Save

Our Soles” campaign, collecting more than 700 pairs of shoes

to be redistributed to homeless youth and underprivileged

families. By personally connecting individuals, programs, and

resources, Curb helps fill in gaps and strengthen the safety net.

Although he’s shy about taking credit, Curb’s awareness of every “go-to” person in town who can lend a hand, and every farflung potential resource, ensures that the district accomplishes

much more for homeless or near-homeless youth and children

than what is required by federal law—essentially, the same free

and appropriate public education provided to other students.

The district’s formal programs, including the CDA4Kids

extended-day program for underprivileged youth, started out

small several years ago, serving two schools through a federal

21st Century Community Learning Center Program. But the

programs were strategically placed, according to Frances Huffman, the district’s Director of Special Services, to meet the specific needs of thatschool neighborhood and to become self-sustaining once the federal funds run out. Over the course of the

grant, the number of participating schools currently offering

creating a safety net

Borah Elementary School Principal Bob Shamberg discusses the 

commitment of his staff to helping children in any way possible.
extended-day programs to the district’s lowest socioeconomic

schools has grown from two to six.

Nowhere is the grassroots growth of programs more evident

than at Borah Elementary School, where Curb started out as

a counselor seven years ago. At one of the city’s most needy

neighborhood schools, the district’s approach has helped put

families back on their feet.

Staying Committed for the Long Term

At the end of 2004, Nancy Keillor and her sons were living at a

women’s shelter in Coeur d’Alene. “I’d lost my job and my car,”

she says, “but I was working at staying sober.” She started participating in St. Vincent de Paul’s transitional housing program,

which required that she hold a job and pay a percentage of her

own rent. Parenting classes were required, and she had to abide

by a curfew. “The program was amazing,” she recalls. “No matter what you needed, they found a way to help. If you’d been

through the court systems and had lost your driver’s license,

they helped you get work and then pay forthe license overtime.

They helped stop the cycle of poverty that keeps people stuck

and outside the system.”

In May 2009 Keillor graduated from North Idaho College

and started working at a family practice as a medical records

technician. In November of that same year she married a man

she met at St. Vincent’s who had faced down a drug addiction

that had landed him in prison. The couple recently finished a

three-year program with Habitat for Humanity, earning a twobedroom home of their own in Post Falls, Idaho, where Keillor’s

boys are doing well in school.

Keillor remembers that everything started to improve for

her family when she met with Borah Elementary School Principal Bob Shamberg in 2004. She

told him that her 25-year alcohol problem meant she hadn’t

enforced good study habits with

her boys, and that they were well

behind academically. The family

was still living in a homeless shelter. Keillor said she wanted help

for her sons. Shamberg told her

unequivocally that he would arrange to have the school bus stop

near the shelter and bring her

sons to school. At Borah, teachers took a special interest in her

boys. “They saw I was trying to

turn my life around,” says Keillor.

“They gave the boys extra help

and anything else they needed,

including school supplies, winter

boots, even haircuts.” Her eldest

boy caught up so quickly in reading that he was placed in an ongrade level class, and her younger

son overcame his math difficulties. It was a point of considerable

pride for Keillor when that same son, along with seven other

students, won a mountain bike, donated by a community business, for his perfect attendance in the fifth grade. But it also

showed her what Coeur d’Alene is all about: “For the community to come together to donate these rewards says it all.”

Although no one school in Coeur d’Alene meets the technical definition of a full-service community school, Borah, with

over 70 percent of its students eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch, probably comes the closest. For many of its students, Borah is a “home away from home.” Indeed, for many the school

day is long, starting with early morning reading programs

and ending at five in the after-school math and homework

programs. Students receive breakfast, lunch, and after-school

snacks. For these students, Borah may be the most stable force

in their lives. The entire building feels safe and homey, full of

adults who wave and greet the children in the halls.

“Remember kindness,” says second-grade teacher Dianne

Pratt to a boy who nearly topples a female student while running down the hall. “Kindness” is this month’s character trait,

to be studied and practiced in every classroom at the school.

In a first-grade classroom, behind the teacher’s desk, is a hot

oil fryer carefully supervised by a Hispanic parent volunteer.

The smells of fried dough are intoxicating, but the students

keep working busily under the guidance of several paraprofessionals as the teacher provides one-on-one attention to a young

boy at his desk.

Teachers need to have a heart for this kind of work to teach

at schools such as Borah, according to Pratt.“There’s no preparing for this. Some of these students have watched their fathers

get arrested. For some of them, Christmas and other holidays

18	 educationnorthwest.org

Homeless Liaison and Extended-Day Program Coordinator James Curb listens to City Council 

Member Mike Kennedy discuss Coeur d’Alene’s 10-year plan to end homelessness.
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 19

creating a safety net

are not times of relaxation and joy.

“We’re a bunch of problem solvers,” Pratt continues. “We fill

in gaps. In reading, for example, our students might have the

ability but lack the background knowledge and vocabulary that

would have been developed at home in different kinds of families.” Indeed, Shamberg, who was at Borah for 7 years and has

been in the district for 17, remembers being surprised several

years ago to learn that most of the students had never been to

the city park down by the lake, about a mile and a half from the

school.

Borah’s special programs for disadvantaged youth were

started more than 10 years ago by teachers who wanted to do

more for their neediest students. At first the teachers conducted the programs on a volunteer basis. Eventually, the Wake Up

and Read, Homework House, and Math Motivator programs

were supported through the district’s 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, awarded in 2005. In these programs, teachers and paraprofessionals combine academics with

students’ personal needs, however small. Staff members might

help a student brush or braid her hair. They might do laundry

or schedule an appointment with a school nurse or a counselor.

“Even beyond the many programs we have now, I’m always

surprised at who steps up if, say, a parent needs gas money, a

job, a coat, or Christmas assistance,” says Shamberg. “There’s a

network out there, so 9 times out of 10, the need is filled.” As

evidence of their extraordinary commitment, Shamberg cites

the fact that staff chose to give up some of their prep time to

start the school day 15 minutes early. With the help of Curb

and others at the district level, a seamless web of coordinated

services ensures that needy students and their families are put

in touch with community agencies ready to help.

Despite the challenges facing its students, Borah regularly

scores as well or better than other elementary schools in Coeur

d’Alene. Disciplinary problems are minimal, and students

across the building use a common language to deal with difficult feelings and interpersonal conflicts.

The Hard Work Continues

Coeur d’Alene didn’t set out to be a leader in providing wraparound services to homeless and other disadvantaged students

and families. Indeed, the hard work has just begun. Many of

the programs currently in place have not been formally institutionalized across the district. However, the community’s 10-

year plan to end homelessness has unified efforts throughout

the county. “Instead of having a bunch of outreach programs

for the needy, we now have a comprehensive network of service

providers working to identify and address needs and ultimately

end homelessness,” says Curb. Through grassroots volunteerism and a willingness to stay connected, the loosely knit safety

net has slowly tightened, getting stronger and more seamless.

That coordination ofservicesrecently helped the North Idaho

St. Vincent de Paul, in Coeur d’Alene, receive the largest chunk

of stimulus money in the state under the federal Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing program. The organization was

awarded $854,354 to address homelessness in the five counties

of Northern Idaho.

“And we’re just getting

started,” says Curb, who

is putting the finishing

touches on an application

for a second 21st Century

Community Learning

Center grant to provide

more extended-day programming throughout the

district.

The hard work also isn’t

finished for Renee and

John, students who could

easily have fallen through

the cracks long ago. John

continues to struggle: He

was recently suspended

from school for fighting,

and the district is working

to address his problems

and get him back on track. Meanwhile, Renee—with a scholarship to music school waiting for her after she graduates—was

getting A’s and B’s in her classes untilrecently, when she became

homeless again.

“We’re making sure she gets her medical benefits in Washington state, where she’s eligible,” says Curb. “Then we’re going

to try to find her a home and make sure she stays enrolled in

high school so she gets those credits and moves forward toward

her diploma.”

While other districts might have written these two troubled

students off as a lost cause, Coeur d’Alene continues to do everything it can for them. That commitment is a hallmark of the

district, and continues to give hope and a second chance to students and families who might otherwise be left out in the cold. n

Dianne Pratt, a second-grade 

teacher, says staff at Borah 

recognized they needed to do 

more for their students.
20	 educationnorthwest.org

Here Comes the

Lightening the Load for Poor 

SUN

Students and Families 

Portland, Oregon—In a brightly lit classroom, at 5 p.m. on a chilly January afternoon, an excited band of fifth- and

sixth-graders are learning how to operate a video camera. Just across the hall

in the gym, volunteer dads are teaching

two teams of aspiring basketball players

how to dribble, pass, and shoot. Peek

through another classroom window and

you see a ballet class—10 small bodies

standing tall with heads held high.

Welcome to Humboldt School, the

latest addition to Multnomah County’s

innovative SUN community school

initiative. Short for Schools Uniting

Neighborhoods, SUN schools are fullservice community schools, which offer an extended school day and access

to social services via neighborhood

schools. In 2009, the SUN school program served 14,773 K–12 students in 53

schools—most of them in high-poverty

neighborhoods.

Humboldt’s after-school array includes free classes in everything from

art, music, and dance to sports, science,

and computing. Class teachers are paid

to hold tutoring and homework clubs.

This winter term, 175 members of the

school’s 275-strong student body have

enrolled in the after-school program.

“It’s something I truly believe in,” says

Willie Poinsette, the school principal. “It

helps us level the playing field. Our kids

may come from homes where they can’t

afford to take classes in piano, art, hiphop, chess—the list goes on,” says Poinsette. “Being able to offer this program

gives them access to the arts that they

wouldn’t ordinarily have. And on the academic side, they have tutoring and help

with their homework. It all helps keep

them hooked into school.”

Part of a nationwide community

schools movement that places schools

at the center of the social services safety

net, SUN aims to help low-income students succeed in school and life, and

their parents to become self-sufficient.

Healthy breakfasts, substantial suppers,

and social services run alongside rigorous academic programs.

“Kids come to school with a lot of

baggage,” says Peggy Samolinski, who

administers the program for Multnomah County. “If they are hungry they

don’t learn well. If they haven’t slept

well they can’t pay attention. If there is

domestic violence in the home, they’re

disturbed by that. If they are worried

about their mother, if they are sleeping

in their car, if someone is abusing drugs

or alcohol—all those things are the baggage that kids bring to school. SUN tries

to be the hub for those kids, either delivering or brokering services to meet these

many needs.”

Partnerships Are Essential 

Multnomah County’s $4 million SUN

school program is just one of seven programs in the $27.2 million SUN Service

System that serves children and families

across the county. The county pays the

lion’s share of the funding, supplemented by significant contributions from the

City of Portland, six school districts,

dozens of nonprofits and businesses,

and a federal 21st Century Community

Learning Center grant.

“The SUN program is ourlargest antipoverty initiative,” explains Multnomah

County Chair Ted Wheeler. “People ask

me ‘Why is the county involved with education? That’s a state responsibility.’ My

answer is: ‘No, it is all of our responsibility. As an antipoverty agency we have a

vested interest in keeping kids in school.

Story by Helen Silvis

Photos by Sarah Giffrow
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 21

SUN after school sports 

teams and arts programs 

capture children’s enthusiasm 

and hook them into school, 

says Humboldt School’s 

principal Willie Poinsette. 

“It allows us to develop the 

whole child,” she says.
22	 educationnorthwest.org

We want families to be success-generating units, and this is the most cost-effective way to do that.’”

Every SUN school is different, forming its activities in response to the specific needs of its student body, but all

have a full-time paid site coordinator

and a common core of services: breakfast and supper, an extended school day,

summer programming, fun after-school

activities, homework support, tutoring,

and health services. The SUN site coordinator works closely with the school

principal and other school personnel to

create programming for that school.

SUN schools also run classes for parents—citizenship or adult English as a

Second Language classes, for example.

Many also act as community centers

holding craft nights, weatherization

workshops, and more.

SUN’s goals are ambitious: to provide

health and social services to disadvantaged children, to increase educational

achievement, to strengthen links between families and schools, to promote

a wide range of school-community partnerships, and to eliminate the achievement gap that mires poor and minority

children in poverty.

Partnerships with outside agencies

help SUN schools meet those goals. SUN

schools refer families to health providers

and for food stamps. They refer at-risk

teens and homelessfamiliesto case management programs. They broker help

with energy and rent assistance, mental

health services, and drug and alcohol

treatment. One SUN program supports

gay, lesbian, and transgendered teens.

More than 350 nonprofit and business

partners and 2,100 volunteers help make

SUN successful.

“The model in Multnomah County is

very strong,” says Shital Shah, a research

associate with the Coalition for Community Schools at the nonprofit Institute of Educational Leadership. “It’s very

much a partnership-driven strategy and

has a big family and community engagement component, which I think is very

important.”

Each SUN school is managed by one

of 10 nonprofit human services contractors. They include IRCO, an immigrant and refugee support agency and

El Programo Hispano, which works

with Latino families. Self Enhancement

Inc. (SEI), an education nonprofit with

a strong track record and roots in Portland’s African American community,

manages six K–12 SUN schools, including Humboldt.

Site Coordinator Is Crucial

Natalie Christiansen works from 10

a.m. to 6:30 p.m., four days a week as

Humboldt School’s SUN site coordinator. A Multnomah University graduate, Christiansen hoped to land a job in

public relations. But, while working with

children at an after-school club she discovered her passion. Four schools later,

Christiansen is a seasoned after-school

program manager.

“I love it,” she says, “You have a role

somewhere in between a mentor and a

teacher, so you get to do a bit of both. It’s

fun, and the parents really appreciate it.”

Ably supported by Stephanie Harvey, a part-time program assistant with

family connections to the school, Christiansen organizes and schedules classes

and tutoring, builds relationships with

Research Earns SUN Political Support

In 2004, some Multnomah County commissioners, facing tough fiscal decisions, questioned 

the value of the SUN Service System. “They wanted to know, was it something with real 

relevance or was it just fluff?” says Peggy Samolinski, who coordinates the $27 million program. “They looked at what we were doing and said: ‘It’s a sewing club. What can that possibly have to do with anything, and how can we be funding that, when we have so many 

other problems in our community?’”

Program administrators pointed to a 2003 Annie E. Casey Foundation report that praised 

SUN schools’ “impact, influence, and leverage.” The foundation had helped seed the SUN

program with $575,000 over five years. Casey program researchers understood how deprivation hurts children physically, emotionally, and academically. SUN schools seemed to offer a practical solution. Still missing, however, was hard educational data. 

To provide that data, administrators commissioned Education Northwest (formerly the 

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory), to independently evaluate the SUN program. 

The report, published in January 2006, described a program exceeding its goals in service 

delivery, and successfully targeting academic enrichment and social services to the county’s most disadvantaged students. Calling the results “promising,” the report found that 80 

percent of SUN -involved students had improved their test scores in reading. In math, 75 

percent had improved. More than 90 percent of the families receiving case-management 

services reported their problems were being addressed, with 70 percent meeting almost all 

their case goals. 

Samolinski says the report consolidated community support for the initiative. “It gave us 

the credibility we needed to build the foundation and the ongoing support with our local 

politicians,” she says. 

The nonprofit Chess For Success runs chess clubs in 87 schools around greater Portland and 

in Southwest Washington. Students can compete in regional and state tournaments.
parents and volunteers, exchanges information with teachers, and keeps records.

And it is Christiansen who nurtures the

school’s relationships with the dozen

nonprofits that offer enrichment classes

in culture, sports, and the arts.

“It takes a highly organized person

like Natalie,” notes Cherie Davis, SUN

manager for SEI. “Somebody with a creative vision and somebody who can connect with the community regardless of

income level or color.”

Working closely with the principal,

teachers, and school student support

team, Christiansen helps identify children and families who need help from

other agencies. She’s the go-to person for equipment, problem solving,

and help with after-school classroom

management.

“Most after-school programs are crucial because parents are working until

5 or 5:30,” says Davis. “It would not be

good to have kids hanging out with nowhere to go. You want the students to be

safe and to have opportunities.”

The role of site coordinator is central to SUN. It’s also one of its strongest

features, says Shah. “The key, I think, is

that relationship between the principal

and the community schools coordinator. That person is almost a community

organizer who works to lower the barriers that our kids face.

“It’s a strategy, and we see sustained

stakeholder buy-in where there is that

person who works alongside the community. They are the glue. They are the

bridge. This allows the principal to focus on academics and on the faculty.

All schools across the country have programs, but what they lack is this coordination driven by results.”

Tough Times Demand Strong 

Measures

Humboldt School’s students are among

the least privileged in the county, with

the entire student body eligible for free

or reduced-price school meals. The

county average is 71 percent. About 60

percent of the student body is African

American, and about 24 percent Latino.

Historically, test scores have been below

the state and district average. Without

intervention, research suggests these

students could be destined for the bottom end of the achievement gap.

Raising achievement takes time, but

research suggests the approach does

work. Currently, SUN students’ school

attendance rate is 93 percent. Teachers

report 75 percent of SUN school students show improved behavior, while

75 percent demonstrate gains in reading

and 77 percent made gains in math. Of

students who attended at least 30 days of

SUN programming, 80 percent met or

exceeded state benchmarks.

But, these figures are only part of the

picture. The program also delivers impressive results in keeping students in

school, helping families stay housed, and

linking them to health, income support,

and other social services. More than 90

percent of SUN students say they like

coming to school, feel safe after school,

and feel successful at SUN.

The need is not in doubt.According to

figures from the U.S. Census’s American

Community Survey, about 17.5 percent

of the state’s children—or 148,000 children—live below the official 2009 poverty line of $22,050 a year for a family

of four. However, families earning up to

twice the official poverty rate also struggle to meet their basic needs for housing, health care, and food. The National

Center for Child Poverty estimates 40

percent of Oregon children live in lowincome families. That’s also the national

average. With the SUN program, at least

some of these children and families in

the state’s most populous county can feel

a ray of hope. n

here comes the sun

The SUN Service System by the Numbers

 FY2010 Funding

Case management for at-risk youth 6–17 years 2,641,191

Extended school day activities and services 4,082,401

Early childhood playgroups and parent education 1,473,829 

Emergency assistance for heating and energy 13,623,355 

Rent assistance and transitional housing 4,563,517

Alcohol, tobacco, and drug assessment and treatment for teens 240,845

Support for sexual minority youth 126,670

Case management and support for Latino families 480,385

Total cost of SUN services $27,232,193

SUN site coordinator Natalie Christiansen 

(left) and her assistant Stephanie Harvey 

(right) manage everything from student 

discipline to scheduling after-school classes.
24	 educationnorthwest.org

On the first day of chess 

club, students practiced 

moving their pawns.
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 25

Reaching Out

The collective effort of teachers, parents, and community members 

ensure that an Oregon middle school is a place where each student is known. 

Story by Jennifer Stepanek

Photos by Sarah Giffrow

ST. HELENS, Oregon—School is out at St. Helens Middle School

and the hallway traffic rises and then falls as students make

their way to buses and waiting parents. There are a few hubs of

activity: teachers tidying their classrooms, the basketball team

warming up in the gym. But the real action is in the cafeteria,

where about 200 students are gathered to share an afternoon

snack. The sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders are participating in the supervised, extended-day activities offered by the St.

Helens Community School.

Monday through Thursday, the community school offers

18 classes and clubs for students after school. Last year, the

school had an average of 227 students participating in the

club activities. In the first week of the 2010 program, St. Helens was seeing similar numbers.

Diane Kandolph-Ray is the community school coordinator, and she deftly guides the students through cleaning up

snacks and putting tables away before organizing them into

groups and sending them off to their clubs. The groups scatter to the available spaces—the chess club uses the lab tables

in a science classroom for their game boards and the dance

club meets in an alcove above the gym.

Creating a Statewide Network

St. Helens is a small town on the Columbia River in Northwest

Oregon. The town once served as the primary port in Oregon,

but was eventually replaced by Portland after the docks burned

down twice. St. Helens later thrived as a mill town, but since the

sharp decline in timber jobs more than half of the population

now commutes to Portland and surrounding areas. The town

is one of five start-up sites awarded grants through the Oregon

Community School Initiative and St. Helens Middle School is

in its second year of implementing a full-service community

school. In 2007 the state legislature allocated funds to support

the demonstration sites. The Oregon Commission on Children

and Families oversees the state’s initiative, supporting the demonstration sites and providing training and technical assistance

to create a statewide network of community schools.

The state initiative has identified a number of service

components for full-service community schools, including high-quality instruction, support from caring adults,

extended-day activities, health and social services, servicelearning, and adult education. Marilyn Miller serves as the

regional coordinator and lead staff for community schools

at the commission. Community schools are not just another

program, but a vehicle for delivering a comprehensive set

of school-based services and activities, says Miller. “What

those services are and how they are delivered is based on

local needs and the priorities of the community.”

Miller was serving as the director of Portland Impact—a

nonprofit that provides a range of services to help people living in poverty—when the Schools Uniting Neighborhoods

(SUN) program began in Portland in 1999 (See article, p.

6). “At the time, poverty intensified and began to more severely impact the working class and we were seeing that in
26	 educationnorthwest.org

the schools,” she says. “The community school model there

was especially effective at reaching people who had not used

the poverty system and were very reluctant to access the services that were available to help them. That on the ground

experience—seeing how it works, how it can have an impact

on students and the whole community in an nonstigmatizing way—is what really sold me on the community schools

approach.”

The extended-day activities for students are the primary

focus of the St. Helens Community School. Some of the activities target academics. Students can sign up to use school

computers, receive extra help with math or reading, or complete school assignments. Homework Club is available every

day and gives students a chance to get help from a teacher or

to work with a tutor. There is also a math club for students

who are just under the performance target on the Oregon

Assessment of Knowledge and Skill (OAKS) and a science

club specifically for English language learners.

Most of the clubs focus on informal activities and hobbies. This year, one of the most popular activities is cooking

club—almost half of the student body wanted to join. The

school had added a second club meeting and was considering offering a third. All four days have opportunities for

physical activity, including dance, jump rope, running, and

tae kwon do.

Connecting Adults and Kids in New Ways

On a Thursday afternoon in February, a parent volunteer leads

a creative writing group. A table in the classroom is covered

with photos, and the students each select one picture that interests them. After providing them some time to study the photos, the club leader asks the students to write and share a few

sentences about their photos. They can give the person a name,

describe what they are doing or feeling, and explain why they

appear in the photo. “I named him George because he reminds

me of my uncle,” says one student. “He is there because there is

a parade going on. He is dancing.”

Many of the activities are led by teachers.“What has been really successful for us has been the willingness of our staff members to share their skills and knowledge beyond their typical

content areas,” says Principal Joanna Tobin, who is an enthusiastic advocate of the community school. “So, for example, our

counselor does a knitting club, and while the kids are learning

to knit, they also have a place where they can talk and build

those social relationships—boys and girls, all grade levels. Our

ELL and reading teacher is teaching sign language, and another

language arts teacher led a touch-rugby club last year. Students

see teachers coming alive in this different way.”

The community school does not currently provide access to

health services. However, the St. Helens School District houses

the Sacagawea Health Center in nearby Lewis and Clark Elementary School. St. Helens School District Nurse Robin Loper founded the center in 2000 with the backing of Northwest

Health Foundation, Legacy Health Systems, and the district.

The center provides students with both medical and mental

health services.

The community school offerings also include activities for

parents and other community members. Last yearthe school offered a computer class and a financial planning class. This winter adults will be able to take fitness classes with yoga, Pilates,

and movement. These offerings were designed to spark people’s

interest, a strategy that has paid off. More than 20 people signed

up for the first session. In addition, the community school will

hold a health exhibit in March with information about nutrition, physical activity, and disease prevention. Participants will

also have an opportunity to get assessments of their diet, body

composition, and other health indicators.

“I believe that community schools are becoming even more

important in Oregon because of the shifts in our population,”

says Miller. “We have an aging population and a growing number of people who have moved here who have no connection

to the schools. So it’s more and more important for schools to

reach out to the community. We want broad and diverse involvement so everyone can have the opportunity to learn, give,

and be contributing community members within and outside

One of Diane Kandolph-Ray’s responsibilities as community school 

coordinator is ushering students to their clubs.

Joanna Tobin, principal of St. Helens Middle School, drops in on the 

homework club.
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 27

of schools. We need all partners.”

“The goal of a thriving community school is to be sustainable, so we really need that volunteer base to come forward,”

says Tobin. “We also need to bring in parents and bring in the

community, and let them know that the school is open to them.”

Personal Relationships Are Key

Getting the word out to the community is one of the coordinator’s roles. In St. Helens, personal connections are just as

important as press releases and Web site announcements. “It’s

really been the coordinator’s role to be very visible, to go to

local meetings and make sure people know about the community school activities,” Tobin explains.“One of the reasons we’ve

been able to get things up and running so quickly is Diane Kandolph-Ray. She’s lived in the community for many years and

has a lot of connections. She’s been able to tap into her own

network in many ways.”

Another of Kandolph-Ray’s strategies is to ask the current

club leaders to invite one other adult to volunteer and help with

the activities. This approach gives new volunteers a chance to

build their comfort level with leading kids, while enhancing

community support and expanding the extended-day offerings.

Community support is crucial, in part because the community school at St. Helens is dealing with significant budget cuts.

In the first year of the program, the state provided more than

$70,000 for St. Helens. This year, Oregon provided only $15,000

and the school obtained matching funds to raise the total to

$30,000. As a result, the school was not able to offer any activities during the fall. “We are dealing with a significant cut this

year, but we feel very fortunate to have any dollar amount coming to us for the community school,” says Tobin. “We are in the

brainstorming stages of figuring out how to make this program

sustainable. Our superintendent, Patricia Adams, is very supportive and she recognizes the importance of the community

school for adolescents.”

On a more positive note, last year the St. Helens Middle

School and the Columbia County Commission on Children

and Families were able to bring in approximately $140,000 in

leveraged resources. According to the state commission, the

five demonstration sites were all successful at leveraging the

state’s investment, raising more than $1.1 million from local

partners. The community school partners in St. Helens include

Columbia County Community Partnerships, Oregon State

University Extension, and Columbia County Health and Community Action Team.

“It’s the energy and enthusiasm of the people involved that

have kept the program going in spite of the funding cut,” says

Marilyn Miller.“Joanna and Diane at the school and Jan Kenna,

the director of the Columbia County Commission on Children

See reaching , page 34

Ed Rose, a volunteer from the community, leads the tae kwan do club twice every week.

reaching out
28	 educationnorthwest.org

Marty Blank is the president of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) in Washington, D.C. In that role, Blank also serves as the 

director of the Coalition for Community Schools, which is staffed 

by IEL. The coalition is an alliance that brings together leaders and 

organizations in education, family support, youth development, 

early childhood, community development, government, and philanthropy. Partners advocate for schools as centers of their communities where school and community resources are organized to 

support student success, strengthen families, and build healthier 

communities. 

Blank is the coauthor of Making the Difference: Research and 

Practice in Community Schools; Together We Can: A Guide for Crafting a Pro-family System of Education and Human Services; and What 

It Takes: Structuring Interagency Partnerships for Comprehensive Services. He has been a leading spokesperson for school, family, and 

community partnerships and for the full-service community school 

movement for nearly two decades. He spoke with Education Northwest from his office in Washington, D.C. 

Q:In March 2001 the American Youth Policy Forum released a report titled Is the Concept of Full-Service

Community Schools Ready for Federal Support?

That support never materialized in the No Child Left Behind era. 

Nine years later, is it finally the case? 

It certainly is the case, and in fact there is already a $10 million federal appropriation for full-service community schools.

Five million has already been awarded in a first round of competitive grants and there will be a second round of grants coming up this spring for another $5 million. This is a special appropriation. There is no underlying legislative authority for it

at this time, but we are optimistic that full-service community

schools will be included in a reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This initial appropriation was designed

to help move the community school idea forward into the

federal policy landscape.

What other signs are there of growing federal support? 

President Obama’s recent budget outlines the development

of a new framework for supporting student success, and within that framework the department’s fact sheet talks about the

development of full-service community schools. In addition,

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is a strong supporter of

community schools. He created 150 community schools in

Chicago and has been working hard to embed this approach

into federal policy. What seems clear is that the Obama administration is trying to break down the false dichotomy between

standards, testing, and teacher quality and the other array of

supports and opportunities that young people need. From my

perspective, and based on research from the Educational Testing Service, both approaches are necessary, and community

schools do both. Secretary Duncan has said pretty much the

same thing.

There are many ways to envision and design a full-service community school. Are there basic principles that the Coalition for 

Community Schools promotes? 

Atthe coalitionwe talk aboutfull-service community schools

as being built on four cornerstones: comprehensive services for

students and their families; after-school and extended-learning

opportunities; deep parent and community engagement; and

an engaged, world-focused curriculum. We see a community

school not solely in terms of the additional supports it provides,

but also in terms of the importance of engaging young people in their own learning by focusing on real-world issues and

community problems. A key to making the community school

work is a full-time coordinator who can connect the work of

the school and its community partners in a really intentional

way. Community leadership from people across the boundaries

of education, government, higher education, and the nonprofit

and community sectors is absolutely vital to getting community

schools going and keeping them going.

How does the delivery of social services mesh with core academics?

We need all of this to work together. More well-off students

typically have enriched learning opportunities after school.

They are lucky to have, in most instances, a supportive family.

They often have a curriculum that is challenging and engaging. And they tend to have the social services they need. Fullservice community schools are dedicated to making sure that

every child in this country has that kind of support. A strong

core curriculum is absolutely a key element of what we’re trying

Building Partner ships

A Conversation With Marty Blank 
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 29

to put in place, but that core curriculum also has to be exciting

and engaging. At a time when young people have so many other ways of connecting with the world, school has to work even

harder to make that connection. Otherwise learning seems to

be far less relevant than it should. After-school and extendedlearning opportunities should have similar qualities and be

closely linked to the school curriculum.

Why has building a research base for community schools been so 

challenging? 

What community schools are trying to do is create all the

conditions that are necessary for young people to learn. That’s

reflected in the four cornerstones that I mentioned. What we

do know is that quality after-school programs improve academic success. Deep parent engagement improves student

success. Young people who are involved in civic education and

service-learning typically do better. In addition, research has

clearly established the importance of quality early childhood

intervention and has also made it clear that sustained intensive

support for our most vulnerable children, throughout K–12, is

what’s needed for their success. We’re trying to promote all of

those things. Certainly that is a complex challenge for evaluators. I should also note that since there is no “community

school program” at the federal level, dollars for evaluation are

hard to come by.

So the existing research is primarily available for the related areas 

rather than for specific full-service community school efforts?

That has been the case in the past, but new research is also

beginning to come from community schools themselves, which

are performing at high levels. We issued a recent report on our

Web site [www.communityschools.org] about high school

community schools. In those case studies graduation rates improved, student attendance improved, student academic success improved, and as a result an array of partnerships developed that are consistent with trying to meet the many needs

that students have. Our data are beginning to show improved

academic achievement for specific community schools as well

as improved parent engagement, increased attendance, and

otherindicatorsthat connect directly to academic achievement.

Are there specific models that are beginning to emerge as the most 

effective? Or perhaps, if not full models, best practices? 

We can point to several successful models, but that is not the

main focus of the coalition. What we have found is that there

are a few major principles that are essential to making community schools work. Number one is partnership. The assets and

resources necessary to educate all of our children aren’t located

solely within our public schools. They’re also in our communities: community-based organizations; public health and human

services and family services agencies; institutions of higher education; faith-based institutions; and neighborhood and community groups. Community schools try to bring all of these stakeholders together in an intentional, focused way to help improve

student success. A second major area is accountability. Results

have to drive everything we do. This is not a feel-good operation. People are doing this because they know that attendance

matters, engagement matters, parent involvement matters. And

so they want to focus on the results that are most crucial for

their own communities, and on results that have been proven

to be important to student academic success. Third is site coordination. Successful community schools have someone at the

school on a full-time basis coordinating the work of schools and

community partners. These are critical factors.

How does accountability look when there are potentially so many 

different organizations or groups of people involved?

The requirement for accountability drives the work at each

level. If one submits a proposal to the federal government to

organize full-service community schools, what we advocate is

that the community identifies the key results that it wants to

achieve and the measures it’s going to use to determine whether

it’s making progress toward those results. The name for this approach is results-based planning and accountability. As long as

everyone at the community level and at the school site agrees

on those results and indicators then it’s perfectly reasonable for

people to be evaluated against the outcomes they have identified. But we need to make sure that there is some flexibility

at the local level and that the results are not driven solely by

the federal or state government. Our communities must have

greater ownership of their schools if we’re going to educate all

children effectively. That means we need flexibility at the federal level, and in response we need greater accountability at the

school and the community level. That is the framework that the

Department of Education has outlined, and we are supportive

of that. We want federal money to be used as incentives for the

kind of partnerships that community schools represent.

Do you think there is the potential, in the United States, for the 

kind of national scaling up of full-service schools that is happening in Great Britain? Are we moving in that direction? 

I think we are beginning to move in that direction. As I indicated earlier, the president’s new budget proposal helps move us

in that direction. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will be coming to speak at our upcoming community schools national forum, underscoring the importance of the

link between the Department of Education and the Department

of Health and Human Services.Thisis going to require additional investments, some of which President Obama has proposed.

It requires a policy that enables local people to link together the

programs and services that are already out there. We have too

many silos of disconnected activity. We think the leadership

that Secretary Duncan is showing and that Secretary Sebelius is

showing will help us begin to break down those silos. n

Join the Coalition for Community Schools for their 2010 National Forum, Building Innovative Partnerships for Student Success: 

The Key to America’s Future, April 7–9, 2010, Philadelphia, PA.
30	 educationnorthwest.org
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 31

TACOMA, Washington—A principal’s job is hard enough without

worrying about getting hit in the head. That was not an unlikely

scenario when Mary Wilson took over as principal at Manitou

Park Elementary in fall 2006.

“My first year here it was a very violent place,” says Wilson.“I

had gangs out on the playground after hours. Police here all the

time. And the fights between our own students were not just

pushing and punching—they were full-on assaults. I’ve been

hit over the head myself, quite a few times, by a little person.”

It’s the “little person” part of that statement that can make

you want to laugh—until it breaks your heart. We’re not talking about high school or even middle school students here.

We’re talking about a climate of hostility and violence in a K–5

elementary school.

This is the south side of Tacoma: one of the rougher neighborhoods in a city that has the highest crime rate in the Pacific

Northwest. It’s a tough place to grow up and a challenging place

to teach.

All of which makes Manitou Park exactly the kind of highpoverty, high-minority, at-risk school that the standards and accountability movement and the No Child Left Behind Act were

designed to improve. In that regard, the terrible condition of the

school climate when Wilson arrived is potentially instructive.

Many critics have argued that the standards and accountability movement has sometimes downplayed the impact of social

class and social conditions on students’ ability to learn.The effect,

those critics argue, is a kind of fantasy world in which academics

are presumably unaffected by external factors: As if everything

going on outside the school—in the home, the neighborhood,

the community, the “real world”—did not come spilling off the

school bus and through the front doors every morning.

That illusion becomes impossible to sustain when you show

up to work and find a dead body on the playground—as happened during Wilson’s first year here—or when someone leaves

a death threat on your voicemail because you have had the

audacity to call the police to break up a gang-related fight.

In fact, when Wilson arrived at Manitou Park the social

problems endemic to the south Tacoma neighborhood were

completely overwhelming the school. Many of its 600 students

were not ready to learn when they showed up at school in the

morning, whether due to physical factors such as hunger, inadequate clothing, or lack of health care, or to mental and emotional traumas more difficult to detect. Many of the youngest

students lacked basic social skills or any sense of self-regulation. Teachers often spent more time trying to manage their

classrooms than they did teaching lessons. And Wilson and her

assistant principal felt inundated with disciplinary issues and

hostile parent interactions.

By the end of her second year, Wilson knew that along with

its commitment to improving student achievement, the school

would have to address the wide range of student needs that

went beyond academics. The first step, it turned out, would be

to look deeper inside students’ hearts.
32	 educationnorthwest.org

A Glimmer of Hope

In summer 2008, Wilson got a call from Sharon Stauffer, the former coordinator of the School, Family, and Community Partnerships program for Tacoma Public Schools. It would prove to be

a turning point. Stauffer was part of a small, informal group of

Washington educators,social workers, and mental health professionals who called themselvesthe Hope Initiative.The group had

formed the previous summer after participating in a roundtable

at a two-day From Hurt to Hope conference in Tacoma.

For many of the conference’s 250 attendees it was their first

introduction to an influential 1998 research study on adverse

childhood experiences, a term used by researchers to describe

a range of potentially damaging childhood experiences—or

traumas—and the long-term connection between those experiences and adult medical issues ranging from obesity to drug

addiction to depression and suicide.

The conference also featured the work of Massachusetts Advocates for Children, whose book Helping Traumatized Children Learn: Supportive School Environments for Children Traumatized by Family Violence explored the effects of traumatic

childhood experiences on students’ ability to learn. The 2005

book included a framework and an action plan for providing

support in a public school setting. Members of what would become the Hope Initiative saw the great potential for adapting

this work to meet the social-emotional needs of Washington’s

most at-risk students. 

In spring 2008, Ron Hertel, the director of the Washington

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s (OSPI) Readiness to Learn program and a member of the Hope Initiative

group, helped make that potential a reality. Hertel offered to use

the remaining funds from a federal school mental health grant

to support a small pilot project. The extremely limited funding

meant the project would last only 10 months, from March to

December 2008, and include two counties, Pierce (which encompasses Tacoma) and Spokane. Between the two counties

there would be three school districts and a total of 11 schools

involved. They called the project the Compassionate Schools

initiative, and one of the first schools invited to participate was

Manitou Park Elementary.

A New Way of Understanding 

As OSPI’s Hertel describes it, Compassionate Schools is not so

much a formal program or a rigid framework as it is “a process, an attitude change—a new way of looking at and thinking

about students.”

Participation in the pilot project gave Manitou Park staff

members access to professional development and a chance to

explore the adverse childhood experiences research and the

work of the Massachusetts Advocates for Children. The impact

of that professional development was transformative.

“IfI could showyou a picture of the people at those first training sessions,” says Wilson, “you could see it on their faces: ‘Now

I understand!’ Over and over again I had people saying things

like that. ‘Now I understand why he acts that way. Now I know.’”

Whatever the name—adverse childhood experiences, helping

traumatized children learn, or Compassionate Schools—the

heart of this approach is a profoundly human act: making a

genuine effort to understand the day-to-day realities and inner

emotional lives of children and adults whose life circumstances

may be much different than your own.

As in many at-risk schools across the country, there is a significant cultural gap at Manitou Park between a majority of the

school staff and the student and community population. Before

the Compassionate Schools training, teachers were no less caring, they simply did not have the understanding to help them

cross that cultural divide.

“In many cases, these kids are dealing with things that were

not how I, or most of my staff, grew up,” Wilson admits.“Unless

you’ve lived it, you can’t use your own experience as a model

for how to deal with, interact with, or understand a child that’s

been abused oris living in deep poverty or has dealt with a truly

traumatic experience. But you can get training and learn how to

be aware of and attentive to that child’s needs.”

Calming the Storm

Of course, empathy alone is not enough. Liz Frausto, director of

the School, Family, Community Partnerships program for the

Puget Sound Education Service District (ESD),saysthat in order

for Manitou Park to improve academically it first had to address

school and classroom management issues as well as a variety of

social-emotional, physical health, and family-related issues.

“What they’ve done here is to say ‘OK, we understand that

we have a lot of kids who are dealing with various traumas in

this school,’” says Frausto. “They recognized the need to develop classroom strategies and schoolwide efforts to address the

lack of social skills and self-regulation, as well as the other barriers to learning these kids were facing. That was the work that

needed to be done, had to be done, in order for kids to be able

to sit down and focus and get on with the work of learning.”

Manitou Park accomplished thisin three mainways: training

Although the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction does not currently fund a Compassionate Schools initiative, it has shown its support in many ways. Most important is the 

recent publication of The Heart of Learning and Teaching: Compassion, Resiliency, and Academic Success. The book explores the implications of research on adverse childhood experiences and its application to school settings. It includes a framework for constructing 

a “compassionate curriculum” and a chapter on the role that schoolfamily-community partnerships can play. There are also case studies, vignettes from educators, and three heart-wrenching student 

essays about traumatic experiences. OS PI’s Ron Hertel, a coauthor 

of the book, says it is already finding its way into teacher preparation programs in two Washington state universities. “In general, future teachers have not learned enough about the psychology of 

students,” says Hertel. “This book can help educators understand 

that if students have traumas in their lives, then it’s going to affect 

learning, and that there are some pathways to addressing that.”

The book is free and is available online at www.k12.wa.us/ 

CompassionateSchools/.
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 33

in a behavior modification strategy called Calming Curriculum; a schoolwide adoption of a building and classroom management model called CHAMPS; and continued participation

in the state-supported Readiness to Learn program.

The impact of the Calming Curriculum is most striking in

School Counselor Linda Johnson’s yoga sessions. Johnson, who

had no previous experience with yoga, came out of the Calming Curriculum training a firm believer in its ability to improve

student behavior and even student learning. She began implementing yoga and other calming strategies with kindergartners, but it quickly became a part of the school culture.

Visit a first-grade classroom, for example, and you may see

students sitting in a semicircle in front of Johnson, their eyes

closed, concentrating intently on their breathing, and following her instructions as she leads them through a listening exercise designed to help them stay focused. Or walk past a line of

kindergartners waiting for a bus at the end of the day and you

might catch them practicing yoga poses.

Wilson jokes about herinitial wariness that parents would see

yoga and other aspects of the Calming Curriculum as “something flakey—like we were burning incense in the classroom.”

Instead,students, parents, and teachers embraced it immediately.

“It’s definitely become a part of our culture,” says Wilson,

“and it’s even gone beyond the school. We’ve had parents tell

us that their kids are using these strategies to calm themselves

down at home.”

In Wilson’s view, Compassionate Schools and the Calming Curriculum are about “how we treat each other,” while the

CHAMPS program (Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement,

and Participation) is about providing structure—a day-to-day,

nuts-and-bolts framework for putting those values and principles into action.

Created by Dr. Randy Sprick, the founder of Safe & Civil

Schools, CHAMPS is similar to other positive behavior support

strategies, but it puts even greater emphasis on active student involvement. In CHAMPS, adults and students work together to

define how behavior should look throughout the school—in the

hallways and cafeteria, on the playground, and during assemblies.

Meanwhile, each teacher has the flexibility to work with

students to define how CHAMPS is used in their classroom.

Teachers might ask their students: “What will it look like when

I’m instructing? What will our conversations be like? What will

it look like when we’re taking a test? What will it look like when

we’re participating in an activity?”

Because students help develop the answers to these questions, they are very clear about the resulting school and classroom guidelines. For example, as Wilson is walking down the

hallway on a Friday afternoon, she sees two third-grade boys

break out of a line that is heading from a classroom to the library. They lag behind and then weave between the iron bars of

a handrail, laughing and pushing each other. Wilson calls out

to them, pulls them aside, and asks: “How do we walk in the

hallway?” The boys both give polite and clear answers and are

soon on their way.

Removing the Barriers to Learning 

OSPI’s Hertel sees Compassionate Schools as a perfect fit with

the Readiness to Learn (RTL) project that he directs. “Compassionate Schools helps move teachers from an ‘I want to discipline this kid and get them out of my class’ mentality to more

of an ‘I understand where you’re coming from and I can help

connect you to the resources and supports you need’ way of

thinking. And connecting to those resources is exactly where

Readiness to Learn comes in.”

Originally funded by the Washington state Legislature in

1993 as part of a major push for education reform, RTL was

intended to be a pilot project that would spread statewide, encouraging all public schools to create the kind of community

partnerships and network of services that are characteristic of

full-service community schools. Budget deficits waylaid those

plans almost immediately, however, and the program has been

level funded since its inception.

And yet, RTL has thrived. The program currently serves 28

district consortia across the state and approximately 500 individual schools within them. On average, each consortium has

managed to leverage $250 for every $100 of funding it getsfrom

the state, due to strong community partnerships.

The Pierce County consortium serves a total of 7 districts

and 60 schools, with only 12 full-time family support workers and 4 family resource centers. As required of all consortia, Pierce County contracts with a local agency—in this case a

mental health agency—to hire the family support workers and

other staff at the resource centers.

Kelli Hoekstra, the coordinator of the School, Family, and

Community Partnerships program for Tacoma Public Schools,

who works closely with the four family support workers who

serve the Tacoma School District’s 37 elementary schools, says

they are indispensable partly because they are the district’s

only home visiting program. “As a rule, school counselors do

not do home visits,” she says. “The family support workers are

really the best way we have of getting beyond the school and

into the home, so we can get families the support they need,

hearts and minds

Building and classroom management strategies, as well as a focus 

on compassion, have helped Principal Mary Wilson and her staff 

change the school culture.
34	 educationnorthwest.org

and Families, and the many volunteers and partners are the

reason that the community school is continuing this year. The

results we are seeing at the state show us that their efforts are

making a difference in kids’ lives, including academic results.”

Focusing on Results

One of the payoffs for St. Helens has been positive outcomes in

student behavior. “If we just look at typical adolescent data, we

know that many at-risk behaviors are taking place from three

to five p.m.,” says Tobin. “And it makes sense because those are

typically the most unsupervised hours for youth. If we look at

that data, we know we are impacting those hours with positive

activities.” Tobin reports that Stan Mendenhall, director of the

Juvenile Department for Columbia County, has seen positive

results for student behavior as a result of the community school

activities, including a drop in court referrals.

St. Helens students have also seen academic growth since

the community school began. “For our math club last year we

targeted students who were in a specific range of meeting their

OAKS test,” says Tobin.“Two of our math teachers, Kelly Mickelson and Daniel Bailey, looked atstrand data and identified the

areas that students really needed to improve in. And we saw the

students make tremendous gains—as large as 13 points. That is

not typical of a gain from one test session to another.”

Tobin makes it clear that the results she sees are not exclusively the result of the community school activities: “It’s hard

to separate out what exactly has been the kernel of success. We

know that much of that is the result of intentional intervention and matching instruction to meet students’ specific needs.

We do see connections to test scores, but more importantly

the community school program has helped our students build

learning confidence.”

The connection between learning outcomes and the community school activities extends beyond the specifically

academic clubs. Like many middle schools, St. Helens is organized into smaller groups called teams that are taught by

interdisciplinary teams of teachers. Tobin explains that the

community school enhances this approach. “With our team

system, students are known during the day,” she says. “The

community school really builds on that. They have a place

to be after school, that gives them an interest and somewhat

of an identity. We have students who didn’t have that connection before, and they had many behavior referrals and

attendance problems. It’s powerful to hear them talk about

it—they’re so excited to have a place beyond the school day

to belong. Once they got connected you could just see their

engagement in school progress.” n

whether that’s housing, food, medical services, counseling,

mental health services, or whatever.”

Although those supports are nonacademic, there is a direct

connection to student achievement. “The goal of RTL is to reduce the barriers that might hinder a child’s success in school,”

says Tamela McBride, a family support worker who serves

Manitou Park and other Tacoma-area schools. “We’re always

asking: ‘What can we do to make sure this child is attending

school every single day and coming to school clean and clothed

appropriately and well fed and ready to learn?’”

The family supportworkers are available to any school in their

assigned area, but also have high-needs “focus” schools they

work with more frequently. McBride took on Manitou Park as a

focus school toward the end of last year and has been impressed.

“All of my interactions with them have been very positive,”

she says. I think they really understand how to use RTL as a link

between the school, the family, and the resources that are there

for the family.”

A Whole New Culture

Walking the hallways and visiting the classrooms at Manitou

Park now, you would hardly recognize the chaotic and frequently hostile place it was just a few years ago. Some of the

changes are easy to measure, such as drastically reduced suspensions and disciplinary actions, while others are more subtle.

“The biggest change—and it’s more anecdotal than data

based—is how the staff speaks to children now,” says Wilson. “I

have a terrific staff.They have always cared deeply forthese kids,

but you can see a difference in the way they interact with them

now. They’re less reactive, more proactive and preventative.”

That deeper understanding of students has also had an outcome that Wilson did not foresee: For the past two years fewer

students have been referred to special education. “Again, it’s

difficult to prove a correlation,” says Wilson, “but the numbers

have definitely gone down. In my mind there’s no question that

they’re connected.”

Although the Compassionate Schools pilot project is over,

Manitou Park continues to support related professional development projects using Title I funds. Lastspring they received training in “compassion fatigue,” which has encouraged staff members to consider their own physical and mental health needs.

And, this year the entire staff is participating in a book study using OSPI’s new publication The Heart of Learning and Teaching: 

Compassion, Resiliency, and Academic Success (see sidebar).

With all of these pieces in place the school is now able to

focus more effectively on academics. “We feel like we’ve got

the social-emotional part under control,” says Wilson, “so now

we’re really looking at cognitive things and identifying the best

academic strategies to use.”

It just goes to show: Sometimes you’ve got to look inside a

child’s heart before you can expand his mind. n

Reaching

Continued from page 27
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 35

The Root of the Problem: A Conversation With Richard Rothstein By Anne Turnbaugh Lockwood

Voices

Richard Rothstein is cochair of the national advisory council of the 

Bolder Broader Approach to Education campaign (www.boldapproach.org) and a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in Washington, D.C. From 1999 to 2002 he was the national education columnist of The New York Times. A frequent speaker 

and panelist, Rothstein is known for his often provocative views on 

the No Child Left Behind Act and the achievement gap. He is the 

author of Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right and Class 

and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Educational Reform to Close 

the Black-White Achievement Gap. Other books include The Way 

We Were? Myths and Realities of America’s Student Achievement, The 

Charter School Dust-Up: Examining the Evidence on Enrollment and 

Achievement; and All Else Equal: Are Public and Private Schools Different? A full listing of his articles and books on 

education policy can be found at www.epi.

org/pages/economist/#rothstein/.

Anne Turnbaugh Lockwood is a senior advisor at Education 

Northwest where she is a policy researcher and analyst working 

on a variety of educational issues. For nearly a decade she has researched, analyzed, and evaluated the 21st Century Community 

Learning Centers program. She is the author of seven books and 

numerous articles. Lockwood’s most recent book is The Principal’s 

Guide to Effective Afterschool Programs: Extending Student Learning 

Opportunities. Prior to coming to Education Northwest she was issues analysis director for the American Association of School Administrators and an associate researcher for the Wisconsin Center 

for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 

The American Educational Research Association presented her 

with their prestigious Interpretative Scholarship Award, given for 

writing that connects research to practice. 

She was appointed an Honorary Fellow in 

both the Department of Curriculum and 

Instruction and the Wisconsin Center for 

Education Research at the University of 

Wisconsin–Madison. She holds a Ph.D. in 

Educational Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

It’s all about socioeconomic class. That’s the “most important

issue,” Rothstein tells me, and the foundation for our discussion

of full-service programs and community schools.

Enlarging his point, Rothstein tells me: “The most important issue for educators isn’t implementation of programs. It’s

whether children come to school ready to learn.”

But this “ready-to-learn” message has sometimes been

misinterpreted as an effort to provide an “excuse” for educators who feel helpless against the harsh effects of poverty. And

sometimes it’s been misinterpreted as an indictment of highpoverty parents. Rothstein rejects each of these inferences.

Instead, he indictsthe social policiesthat have stranded highpoverty, mostly minority students without the multiple supports

they need to enter school and succeed. Their middle-class peers,

however, come to school prepared by regular visits to the pediatrician, adequate nutrition, and the cognitive enrichment that

comes both from more literate home environments and highquality preschool experiences. And it is only a matter of course

that their mothers received solid prenatal care.

“Preschool is too late,” Rothstein says bluntly. “The cognitive gap between middle-class and disadvantaged children

is well established by age three. Children need these services

from birth. They need to be exposed to a rich intellectual environment. They need to participate in the activities provided in

high-quality early childhood programs.”

“Children need routine and preventive health-care services

that middle-class children typically have. And that’s not a matter of simply providing insurance. Low-income children have

some health insurance, both through Medicaid and the S-CHIP

program, but they still lack the health care they need.”

Access to physicians in low-income neighborhoods is another complication. “There are relatively few primary care

physicians in the neighborhoods in which these children live.

The ratio of population to primary care physicians is extraordinarily high in these neighborhoods compared to middle-class

neighborhoods.

“Secondly,” he continues, “parents work the kinds of jobs—if

they have jobs—that don’t permit them time off to take their

children to doctors for routine, preventive care—dental, pediatric, and optometric. Of course, if the children are sick, the

parentswill take off from work even if they’ll be fired as a result.”

The consequences of poor health care start early. “One consequence,” Rothstein adds, “is that some low-income children

can’t read simply because they can’t see well—they need corrective lenses that middle-class children would receive as a matter

of course.
36	 educationnorthwest.org

“Another consequence is that low-income children are absent from school about 30 percent more than middle-class children for reasons of illness.”

While educators do need to improve instruction and curriculum, it is more difficult for a child to benefit from these

improvements if he or she has a toothache or views words on a

page as a blur.

This is where full-service schools have the most potential

to close the achievement gap, Rothstein argues. Whether the

services are provided by schools or another provider in the

community, educators do have a responsibility to influence the

provision of these services.

To ensure that all children are indeed ready to learn, Rothstein believes that schools should be the site for full-service

pediatric, dental, and optometric clinics. These clinics would

provide necessary services for children—even prenatal care for

prospective mothers.

Supplementary, after-school, and summer programs also

play a role in supporting what schools can offer high-needs students during the regular school day. With a mix of academics

and enrichment activities (including cultural, civic, organizational, and athletic opportunities), such programs also ensure

that students are safe, off the streets, and supervised.

“If children don’t have these experiences, a school needs to

do whatever it can to ensure that these services are provided,

whether by the school or by other providers in the community.

But one way or another, these services must be provided so that

children come to school ready to learn.

“In this country, we have developed a myth that if only

school instruction were improved, there would be no difference in the achievement levels of students from different social

classes—the only things that matter are the quality of teachers,

principals, and instruction.

“Once that myth is in place, any discussion of other services sounds like an excuse for not improving high-quality

instruction. People have been intimidated from talking about

the conditions in which children come to school, because they

have been accused of simply making excuses for their own

inadequacies.”

While Rothstein does not argue against the need for improved instruction, he is adamant that a focus on academic instruction alone paralyzes policies that would help to close the

achievement gap.

The current economic struggles of the middle class are well

documented. Foreclosures abound. “For sale” signs bristle in

previously stable neighborhoods. Unemployment continues to

soar. The middle class now experiences the pinch of economic

insecurity and its effects. What effects, I asked Rothstein, could

this economic collapse have on the achievement gap?

He answers with a prediction—and it is not comforting. “I

predict that the achievement gap is going to widen substantially

in the coming years, no matter how we improve schools and

instruction.

“That’s because, although the overall unemployment rate is

now close to 10 percent, the unemployment rate for parents in

minority and low-income communities is several times higher

than that. When a child’s parents suffer unemployment, that

child’s achievement is likely to suffer. It suffers because the family has more stress at home, because the family is more likely to

move from its housing, because children are less likely to get

medical care and adequate nutrition. When children experience

this kind of suffering, their achievement is more likely to fall.”

There is pending legislation that he supports. “We need

health-care reform,” he says. “The Obama administration’s proposed Promise Neighborhoods grants will provide for schools

that coordinate after-school, early childhood, health, parental

support, and summer programs. We need funding for highquality preschool programs to replace the now-commonplace

day-care settings where children are parked in front of TV sets.”

The national dialogue about full-service, integrated programs

is one that has continued for decades, Rothstein says—a source

of considerable discouragement. Yet with the funding that has

been proposed, and programsin some cities already in existence

with very little federal funding, full-service community schools

may become more available to children who need them.

But Rothstein believes in realism. The time it will take for

a program to see results is lengthy. “Ultimately, disadvantaged

children need added services beginning in utero,” he says, “and

continuing for the next 18 years until high school graduation.

“But,” he concludes,“we might as well get started. It will take

a long time but 19 years is better than having the same conversation 19 years from now.” n

For additional information about the coalition of educators, 

health care, and social policymakers who advocate full-service, 

integrated programs, visit www.boldapproach.org. For a fuller 

explanation of the social and economic causes of the achievement gap, see Rothstein’s book, Class and Schools (www.epi.org/

publications/entry/books_class_and_schools/).

voices
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 37

Building a Research Base By Jennifer Stepanek

Research Brief

The impact of poverty on academic outcomes begins in the earliest years of schooling and continues into high school and beyond. 

Findings from a U.S. Department of Education early childhood

longitudinal study showed that pre-kindergarten children in

the highest socioeconomic group had average scores that were

60 percent above children in the lowest socioeconomic group

on cognitive measures (Lee & Burkham, 2002). Students from

low-income families have also been shown to have a dropout

rate that is four times that of students from higher income

backgrounds (Snyder, Dillow, & Hoffman, 2008).

In the United States, the idea that schools can and should

make up for the impact of poverty has existed for more than

a century. It is a belief that is fundamental to the current Elementary and Secondary Education

Act, established in 2001 as the “No

Child Left Behind Act”—namely,

that schools are accountable for

eliminating any achievement gaps

based on race, gender, or socioeconomic status. In practice, this

leaves teachers and schoolsresponsible for addressing the myriad issues that can hinder children’s ability to learn; issues that are inherent

in a system that leaves large groups

of people without adequate food,

shelter, or health care (Berliner,

2006).

Supporters of full-service community schools believe thatwe cannot expect schools to address these

daunting social problems alone. Instead, people from across

the community should work together to develop local solutions

to the problems they face. The community schools model went

in and out of favor during the 20th century (Dryfoos, 1994).

Today, community schools are experiencing another wave of

interest, with programs such as the Harlem Children’s Zone

making national news and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne

Duncan championing the cause.

Because full-service community schools have such a long

history, some may find the lack of a well-established research

base surprising. However, to date there has not been a wellfunded research agenda to investigate community school models. Individual programs have collected data and monitored

outcomes, and some organizations have attempted to aggregate

those findings, but there has not been a large-scale effort to

measure their effectiveness.

Nevertheless, evidence is accumulating that community

schools are associated with at least modest improvements in

student outcomes. For example, the Coalition for Community

Schools compiled evaluation resultsfrom 20 community school

initiatives. This synthesis revealed that 15 programs reported

improved grades or test scores and 8 reported improved attendance (Blank, Melaville, & Shah, 2003). The evaluations varied

in the extent to which they measured outcomes for families and

for the community, but 11 studies found a positive impact on

a range of indicators, including improved stability for families,

improved communication with teachers, improved knowledge

and perception ofschools, and increased use ofschool facilities.

An example of the results from a single program comes

from the Community Schools Initiative, launched by Chicago Public Schools during Arne Duncan’s

tenure as CEO. The program started with 20 schools in 2001 and

now includes more than 150 community schools. The results of a

three-year evaluation published in

2007 reported on numerous student outcomes, including student

participation in out-of-school

time activities, improved grades

and standardized test scores, and

decreased disciplinary incidents

(Whalen, 2007). According to the

teachers surveyed, students improved their completion of homework, classroom behavior, and

overall academic performance. (For an example of a program

evaluation in our region, see the sidebar on page 22.)

For evidence from a large-scale implementation of full-service community schools, one must look to England. In 2004,

Parliament passed national legislation known as “Every Child

Matters” to reform children’s services, including public education. One aspect of this initiative was the gradual conversion

of all public schools to “extended schools” that are open to the

community, provide child care and support for parents, help

refer children to special services, and offer a wide variety of

nonacademic activities. In the first year of the program, the initial cohort of extended schools improved student achievement

at twice the national average rate (Department for Children,

Schools and Families, 2007).

“For nearly half a century, the association 

of social and economic disadvantage with 

a student achievement gap has been well 

known to economists, sociologists and 

educators. Most, however, have avoided 

the obvious implication of this understanding—raising the achievement of 

lower-class children requires the amelioration of the social and economic conditions 

of their lives, not just school reform.”

 (Rothstein, 2004, p. 11)
38	 educationnorthwest.org

In a three-year evaluation of extended schools, which included case studies of 17 projects, the researchers found that

the full-service approach had a positive impact on student

achievement—as well as student engagement with learning and

family stability—and produced positive outcomes for families

and community members (Cummings et al., 2007). The evaluation included a cost-benefit analysis which determined that

the costs of the extended schools approach were high, but that

the benefits balanced or outweighed these costs. The evaluators

reported that the initiative represented a good investment, particularly because of the benefits they produced for children and

families facing the greatest difficulties. All 23,000-plus public

schools in England are slated to become extended schools by

the end of this year.

One thing that may hinder efforts to establish a research

base is the complexity of full-service community schools as a

model. As the snapshots above show, community schools attempt to produce positive outcomes for students in many areas,

not only academic achievement. The integration of services is

intended to improve outcomes in health, attitudes, behavior,

engagement, attendance, and safety, among other areas. Moreover, students are not the only targets—community schools

serve all members of the community. Trying to track positive

outcomes for participants who are outside of the school system

can be especially challenging.

These challenges do not mean that large-scale studies of

community schools should not be attempted. There is much to

be learned about the impact that integrated programs and services have on children and communities, as well as how the different models work. But at the same time, it is important to remember that community schools develop different approaches

based on the unique needs of the population they serve and

are primarily accountable to those local stakeholders. Building

evaluation capacity at the local level is essential in order to ensure that community schools succeed in improving the lives of

children, families, and communities. n

References

Berliner, D.C. (2006). Our impoverished view of educational

reform. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 949–995.

Blank, M.J., Melaville, A., & Shah, B.P. (2003). Making the difference: Research and practice in community schools. Washington, DC: Coalition for Community Schools.

Cummings, C., Dyson, A., Muijs, D., Papps, I., Pearson, D.,

Raffo, C., ... Todd, L. (2007). Evaluation of the full service extended schools initiative: Final report. Manchester, England:

University of Manchester, School of Education, Education in

Urban Contexts Group.

Department for Children, Schools and Families (2007).

Extended schools: Building on experience. Nottingham,

England: Author.

Dryfoos, J.G. (1994). Full-service schools: A revolution in health 

and social services for children, youth, and families. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lee, V.E., & Burkham, D.T. (2002). Inequality at the starting 

gate: Social background differences in achievement as children 

begin school. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.

Rothstein, R. (2004). Class and schools: Using social, economic, 

and educational reform to close the black-white achievement 

gap. New York, NY: Columbia University, Teachers College,

& Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.

Snyder, T.D., Dillow, S.A., & Hoffman, C.M. (2008). Digest of 

education statistics: 2007. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National

Center for Education Statistics.

Whalen, S.P. (2007). Three years into Chicago’s Community 

Schools Initiative (CSI): Progress, challenges, and lessons 

learned. Chicago, IL: University of Illinois at Chicago,

College of Education.

research brief
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 39

End note

“Tattle to Obama” lets kindergartners at Russian Jack Elementary

take their complaints and frustrations to the top. Teacher Monica

Plantokow Dudley reports she sometimes has a line of students

waiting to “share” their problems with the White House. Even though

it’s a one-sided conversation, she says talking out their problems on the

phone seems to help the students. Photo by Lisa Wardle
40	 educationnorthwest.org

Oregon Zeroes in on Culturally Competent Instructional Leadership

For the past decade, the Oregon Leadership Network (OLN) has been dedicated to 

improving learning and outcomes—particularly for low-income and minority

students—through leadership development. Since that time the OLN, part

of the national Education Leadership

Action Network and primarily funded

by the Wallace Foundation, has grown

to represent 28 school districts, which

serve 52 percent of Oregon’s students.

The aim of OLN is to work toward

closing the achievement gap by modeling culturally responsive leadership

that drives high-quality teaching and

learning. To this end, the network disseminates lessons learned and best practices across its member districts to other

high-need districts across the state.

What sets Oregon apart from other

states’ leadership networks? First, it is

the only statewide leadership initiative

that focuses on equity as a primary lever of reform. Second, according to

Education Northwest’s Nanci Schneider

who serves as the OLN partnership liaison, “OLN has built a broad alliance

that extends beyond state agencies and

school districts to include professional

associations, such as the Oregon Council of Professors of Education Administration, and research firms like Education Northwest.” This collaboration

among key stakeholders has resulted in

improvements such as Oregon’s adoption of administrator license standards,

which give unique attention to cultural

competence.

One avenue for disseminating information about what districts have tried

and what the research supports are

the biannual leadership institutes that

Schneider helps coordinate. The latest—held in December and cosponsored

by the Hillsboro School District—drew

about 300 education leaders from across

the state. “These professional development events are about problem solving, not proselytizing,” states Schneider.

“Presenting administrators are very candid, saying ‘We tried this approach and

it bombed, and this is how we handled

it.’ Teams of administrators take home

valuable lessons learned from practitioners in the field.”

The OLN has also influenced policy

and practice in leadership development

through recruitment and preservice

preparation, induction, and mentoring,

as well as publications used by administrators throughout Oregon. OLN’s

work group on assessing leadership performance recently published two years’

worth of findings on effective leadership

assessment systems.

Education Northwest has been in

partnership with the OLN since its beginning. OLN’s director, Rob Larson,

now directs Education Northwest’s Center for Classroom Teaching and Learning, where he continues to promote the

link between learning and achievement

for all students and strong leadership.

Education Northwest is currently working with the network on finding other

sources of funding when the decade of

support by the Wallace Foundation ends

in September. “The partnerships that

have developed and the improvements

to school and district leadership that the

network has brought to the state are just

too important not to sustain this work,”

says Schneider.

For more information about the OLN

or how Education Northwest can help

other states establish strong systems of

leadership, contact Nanci.Schneider@

educationnorthwest.org, 503.275.9557. n

education northw est news

The aim of OLN is to work 

toward closing the achievement gap by modeling culturally responsive leadership that 

drives high-quality teaching 

and learning. 
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 41

Two New REL Northwest Reports Connect Research to Practice

REL Northwest, the regional educational 

laboratory arm of Education Northwest, 

has produced two new reports as part of

the Institute of Education Sciences’ Issues & Answers series. The series is designed to connect scientifically based

research to practice on topics of regional

concern. The reports, and others in the

series, can be found at educationnorthwest.org.

Indian Education Policies in five

Northwestern region states

Researchers at Education Northwest

recently conducted the most comprehensive examination to date of policies governing the education of Native

American students in the five Northwest

region states. The resulting report, published in October 2009, provides policymakers and organizations representing

American Indians and Alaska Natives in

the region with an analysis of state-level

policy initiatives and the legal methods

used to adopt them.

Based on 13 key policies identified

in the literature, Education Northwest’s

Richard Smiley and Susan Sather categorized the Native American education

policies of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. They found that

six of the key policies had been adopted

by all five states:

1.	 Adopting academic standards to

teach students about the history

and culture of America’s indigenous

peoples

2.	 Including Native American culture

and history as part of the academic

curriculum

3.	 Involving Native Americans on advisory boards

4.	 Promoting Native American languages through the certification of

teachers who speak Native American

languages

5.	 Allowing students to learn their

native language as part of their

education program

6.	 Providing scholarships or tuition assistance for college-bound Native

American students

Smiley and Sather also examined how

Northwest states approach adopting Indian education policies through mechanisms such as statutes, regulations, and

executive orders. “What surprised us

was the wide range of mechanisms states

use to adopt Indian education policies,”

Smiley states. “We anticipated statutes,

regulations, and state plans, but were

surprised that in some cases policies

were formulated by executive orders and

proclamations.

In one case, a

policy was adopted through a

simple administrative action by

a state official.”

New and Experienced Teachers in 

a School Reform Initiative: The 

Example of Reading First 

This report, published in November

2009, compares the experiences and perceptions of new teachers with those of

their more experienced peers in schools

that have implemented the federally

funded reform initiative Reading First.

The REL Northwest study reports that

little attention has been given to new

teachers’ experience with reform; even

though schools adopting reform models, such as Reading First, tend to have a

high proportion of new teachers.

Reading First, the largest federal

reading initiative in history, has been

implemented in more than 5,880 highpoverty, low-performing schools across

the country. The initiative, which is no

longer being funded by the federal government, was intended to help all students read at grade level by the end of

third grade. Data for the study were collected from evaluations of 235 schools

that adopted Reading First in six western states. Education Northwest served

as the independent external evaluator of

Reading First programs for Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming,

and jointly for Arizona.

The report compares new and veteran

teachers’ experiences or perceptions in

four areas of Reading First: instructional

coaches, teacher collaboration, teacher

use of assessment data, and support for

reform. Differences in new teachers’ experiences with their reading coaches, as

well as their confidence level in using

data to guide instruction, are revealed

in the study. Perceptions about other

elements of the federal program, such

as the value of collaborative grade-level

meetings,were the same for both groups.

“We believe the study’s results have

implications not only for educators implementing reform models, but also for

anyone involved in initiatives to support

and retain new teachers,” says the study’s

principal investigator, Kari Nelsestuen

of Education Northwest. “Hopefully the

findings will serve schools using instructional coaches

by helping them

think more deliberately about

how coaches are,

or could be, part

of a support system for new

teachers.” n
42	 educationnorthwest.org

SLCWork Continues: National Institute and On-site Trainings Provide Practical Wisdom on High School Redesign

The small learning community (SLC) movement of the last decade 

has been pivotal in creating more rigorous, relevant, and coherent middle and high schools programs. But some key funders of

this reform initiative have begun to redirect their attention and

resources to new priorities, leaving schools and districts that

chose to restructure wondering what their next steps should be.

Diana Oxley, director of Education Northwest’s Recreating

Secondary Schools (RSS) Program and author of From High 

School to Learning Communities: Five Domains of Best Practice 

has seen the effects of school leaders’ dropping one initiative in

pursuit of another that brings new funding. She explains that

“following the money” leads to a loss of resources, momentum,

and credibility with staff members who got on board with the

previous reform. “With any large reform movement, it’s critical

to synthesize old with new ideas in order to build on our successes and remedy our failures,” says Oxley. “That’s what learning and improvement are all about.”

The RSS Program continues to support schools and districts

nationwide that are restructuring into SLCs, small schools, and

career academies. Its portfolio during the past eight years includes serving as the technical assistance provider to more than

1,200 federal Smaller Learning Community Program grantees;

documenting and evaluating SLCs and small schools; and carrying out site visits, design studios, and district dialogues. The

program staff ’s main avenues for disseminating its expertise

are through a national annual institute and on-site training and

coaching services.

National Institute

The third annual institute, From Structure to Instruction: Sharing Best Practices and Lessons Learned From High School

Redesign, will take place on the campus of the University of

Nevada—Las Vegas, June 28–30, 2010. Building on the success

of the 2008 and 2009 conferences, the planners (who include

a national advisory group of practitioners) are developing this

year’s institute to feature:

•	 Sessions by practitioners with “in the trenches” experience

in transforming high schools

•	 Personalized coaching sessions that give teams and individuals access to expertise as they tackle the intensive work of

instructional improvement and structural change

•	 Preinstitute workshops (June 27) on Aligning Instruction

With Essential Knowledge and Skills; Refining and Sustaining SLCs; How Interdisciplinary Teams Personalize Instruction; and Shifting Resources To Close the Achievement Gap

•	 Motivational keynote sessions (including one by the 2009

National Superintendent of the Year Dr. Beverly Hall of

Atlanta Public Schools) and opportunities to network with

practitioners from across the country

This year’s presentations target six topics that will help

participants move their schools from structure to instruction:

1.	 Accelerated Learning in English and Mathematics

2.	 Continuous Program Improvement

3.	 Career Academies and Career/Technical Education

4.	 Postsecondary Readiness

5.	 Detracking Issues and Practices

6.	 Planning and Supporting High School Transformation

Persons who register by March 31 and/or as a team of three

or more qualify for discounts. Registration is now open, and

early registration is advised (space is limited to 550 participants

and the previous two years’ institutes sold out). Visit educationnorthwest.org regularly for up-to-date information.

On-site Training and Coaching Services

The only compelling rationale for school redesign is instructional improvement. To accomplish instruction-focused redesign, a school staff has to mobilize people, resources, and structures. RSS services help you address each of these challenges:

Rigorous and Coherent Instructional Programs 

Would you like to see more interdisciplinary collaboration, but

schedules, groupings, and standards seem to limit you? In this

training, your leadership team collaboratively defines a standards-based program that can overcome obstacles to interdisciplinary teaching and learning.

Best Practices for Small Learning Communities

Successful small learning communities, career academies, and

education northwest news
Education Northwest magazine / WINTER 2010 43

small schools share a common set of practices. This training

helps district and school leadership teamsredesign high schools

so that all parts of the system—structures, curriculum, instruction, assessments, professional development—are aligned with

preparing students for postsecondary success.

Interdisciplinary Units and Projects

Interdisciplinary teaching and learning teams are the basic

building blocks of effective learning communities. This training positions interdisciplinary teams of teachers to provide

continuity of instruction across grade levels and classrooms for

increased student achievement.

Resource Allocation To Close the Achievement Gap

Typical patterns of resource use are often inconsistent with

schools’ improvement priorities, especially closing the achievement gap. In this training, school leadership teams examine

the resource allocation strategies of schools that created rigorous instructional programs with improved outcomes for all

students.

School Improvement Proposal Development 

Our experienced team helps schools and districts craft a winning strategy for school improvement. We can help you assess

high-need areas to target, identify research-based strategies to

address them, integrate individual programs into a systemic

strategy for improvement, and plan for sustainability.

Secondary School Improvement Coaching 

We work with your school and district leadership team to help

you meet the evolving challenges of systemic change.

RSS coaches and trainers are experts in customizing each

service to meet a school or district’s unique needs. Their focus on sustainable organizational improvement means that by

training school leadership teams to lead this work themselves,

teams can strengthen the skills of the entire staff. For more

information on RSS services, contact Katie.Luers@educationnorthwest.org, 503.275.0689 or visit educationnorthwest.org. n

Photos by Sara Sellards
44	 educationnorthwest.org

education northwest news

Conference Call

Visit Education Northwest’s online calendar of events at educationnorthwest.org to 

register and learn more about these upcoming workshops and conferences.

6+1 Trait® Writing Across Content 

Areas Institute

March 11–12, 2010

Portland, Oregon

This new institute—created specifically

for middle and high school teams—explores how to use the 6+1 Trait® Writing Model of Instruction & Assessment

to incorporate writing-to-learn activities across the content areas, including

subjects such as math, science, and social studies. Facilitated by former Texas

Teacher of the Year Roberta Young,

teams will practice using the traits to

create a common language and to set

clear goals for writing. Additionally,

teams will learn to use the traits to improve and assess longer, more formal

writing assignments. For questions contact Mark Workman, Mark.Workman@

educationnorthwest.org, 800.547.6339,

ext. 572.

Turning Around Low-Performing 

Schools: A Research Forum for 

Montana Leaders

March 24, 2010

Helena, Montana

This free event, which follows the annual

MASS Spring Conference, is designed

for leaders of elementary and secondary

schools facing corrective action or restructuring in Montana. Leading the forum is Dr. Sam Redding, coauthor of the

Institute of Education Sciences’ practice

guide Turning Around Chronically LowPerforming Schools. A panel of Montana

principals who have led successful improvement efforts at their schools will

discuss the successes and challenges

they faced. For questions contact Meg

Waters, Meg.Waters@educationnorthwest.org, 800.547.6339, ext. 635.

6+1 Trait® Writing Institute for 

Presenters

June 15–17, 2010

Cannon Beach, Oregon

This advanced institute will train literacy

coaches, teacher leaders, administrators,

and curriculum coordinators to conduct

their own in-district, trait-based workshops. Participation in an introductory

trait institute and classroom experience

teaching the traits are prerequisites. The

institute includes examination of the research supporting the 6+1 Trait® Writing Model of Instruction & Assessment,

lesson design and curriculum mapping,

and how to incorporate adult learning

strategies into professional development

workshops. For questions contact Mark

Workman, Mark.Workman@educationnorthwest.org, 800.547.6339, ext. 572.

6+1 TRAIT ® WRITING INTRODUCTORY

INSTITUTE

June 22–24, 2010

Portland, Oregon

This introduction to Education Northwest’s 6+1 Trait® Writing Model of

Instruction & Assessment addresses

grades 3–12 in one session, and grades

PK–2 in another. Participants will learn

to formatively evaluate student writing across seven dimensions of performance: ideas, organization, voice, word

choice, sentence fluency, conventions,

plus presentation; discover how to build

a learning community thatshares a common vocabulary and vision of quality

writing performance; and much more.

For questions contact Mark Workman,

Mark.Workman@educationnorthwest.

org, 800.547.6339, ext. 572.

From Structure to Instruction: 

Sharing Best Practices and Lessons 

Learned From High School Redesign

June 28–30, 2010

Las Vegas, Nevada

Attend this third annual institute with

your school or district team to learn

valuable tools and strategies on improving high schools, as taught by experts

and practitioners. Work with your team

and an experienced coach to develop

plans for your high school’s redesign.

Register by March 31 and/or as a team

and save. For more information about

this institute see page 42. For questions,

contact Suzanne Hay, Suzanne.Hay@

educationnorthwest.org, 800.547.6339,

ext. 634.

6+ 1 Trait® Writing and Mathematics 

Institutes

July 13–16, 2010

Portland, Oregon

For the first time, two of Education

Northwest’s best known professional development institutes—6+1 Trait® Writing Across Content Areas and Fostering

Number Sense and Algebraic Reasoning—will be offered together!  This exciting four-day learning opportunity

for K–2 and 3–5 teachers is designed to

increase capacity in both math and writing instruction. Participants will engage

in meaningful, hands-on activities that

can be used immediately in the classroom. Mark your calendar and watch

our Web site for registration information. For questions contact Jan Littlebear,

Jan.Littlebear@educationnorthwest.org,

800.547.6339, ext. 581, about the writing

portion, or Linda Griffin, Linda.Griffin@

educationnorthwest.org; 800.547.6339,

ext. 169, about the math portion. n
View Education Northwest’s complete listing of products and services at educationnorthwest.org.

education northwest  products and services

Leading Professional Learning Teams: 

A Start-Up Guide for Improving 

Instruction

Strengthen teacher expertise and expand 

instructional leadership through focused 

professional learning teams!

Although a generous amount of research

describes professional learning teams

(PLTs) as a positive structure for developing a vision of school change through

informed, data-based decision making,

little guidance exists for schools wanting

to create and sustain this type of team

initiative.

Leading Professional Learning Teams 

provides a field-tested model for implementing PLTs that strengthens teacher

collaboration in professional learning

communities, improves instruction, and

increases student achievement. Four

chapters highlight important elements

to ensure alignment with objectives:

•	 Action: Steps for starting a PLT

•	 Voices From the Field: School leaders

offer insights from actual PLTs

•	 Tools: Resources with information

about PLTs, plus at-a-glance road

maps for each step of the implementation process

•	 Leadership Team Discussion: Discussion suggestions for implementation

leaders

(2009; 170 pp.)

Item #S004

$27.95

External Evaluation Services

Your Local Experts in Evaluating Federal 

and State Grants and Contracts

Education Northwest’s portfolio of evaluation services is backed by 40 years of

meeting the rigorous requirements of

evaluating federal,state, and local grants,

contracts, and programs. Our evaluators provide an experienced, fresh, and

independent perspective to help clients

build successful programs. The strongest evaluations start as the initiative is

being planned and last the duration of

the project, but we can also join ongoing

projects and assist with data collection

and/or analyses.

Education Northwest’s portfolio of

recent work includes:

•	 Evaluation design, implementation,

and reporting of data for local, state,

and federal reading initiatives, including Reading First, Early Reading

First, Reading Tutoring, and Striving

Readers

•	 Assessing program and curriculum

effectiveness for achieving adequate

yearly progress

•	 Evaluation design, implementation,

and reporting of data for local, state,

and federal initiatives including charter schools, English language learner

programs, small learning communities, and safe and drug-free school

programs

•	 Language and literacy research and

development, including effective

American Indian and Alaska Native

educational practices

•	 Research and evaluation in the areas of history, math, science, and

technology

For more information about how

Education Northwest can help with your

evaluation needs, contact Bob Rayborn,

Bob.Rayborn@educationnorthwest.org,

800.547.6339, ext. 587.

ARRA and i3 Grant Application 

Assistance

Improving Student Achievement With 

Education Northwest

Education Northwest can help your

school or district apply for i3 funds

that are now being offered as part of the

American Recovery and Reinvestment

Act (ARRA). The grants are designed to

support local efforts to start or expand

research-based innovative programs

that help close the achievement gap and

improve outcomes for students. Funding includes scale-up grants for programs and practices with the potential to

reach thousands of students; validation 

grants to improve the evidence base of

promising programs; and development 

grants to further study new high-potential practices.

If you’re considering applying for one

of these grants, we can provide:

•	 Advice on identifying effective practices to include in your proposal

•	 External evaluation services

•	 Analysis of current research

•	 Coordination of networks of schools

and districts collaborating on grant

proposals

•	 Help in documenting evidence

about your promising practices and

programs

•	 Grant-writing support

•	 Assistance in implementing reforms

For more information, contact

Steve Fleischman, Steve.Fleischman@

educationnorthwest.org, 800.547.6339,

ext. 507.

To order: educationnorthwest.org or call 800.547.6339, ext. 519 45
educationnorthwest.org

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Up next in the spring/summer issue:

Highly Effective Teaching 

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