What forms do comprehensive school-linked strategies take?
What are key considerations in moving toward action?
How do partnerships organize for successful action?
What are key factors for effective staffing?
After your partnership has laid a foundation for comprehensive school-linked strategies by conducting a community assessment, defining a shared vision, and gathering partners, you are ready to bring the effort to life. In taking action, effective comprehensive strategies follow a set of guidelines that by now should look very familiar. Comprehensive strategies simultaneously bring multiple stakeholders together; include all of the community's groups in implementation; and provide a mix of programs, services, supports, and opportunities that reflect a broad, holistic response to local conditions. This chapter explores the forms that comprehensive strategies can take; key considerations in moving strategies from vision toward action; ways that programs organize for successful action; and ideas for effective staffing.
Comprehensive strategies can--and should--take a variety of forms, depending on the unique circumstances of a community. Some typical models are family resource centers, community school programs, information and referral systems, and comprehensive school-linked health programs.
Family resource centers are often located in schools, community centers, or public housing developments. Their approach is to strengthen families by enhancing parenting skills, preventing crises, and connecting families to an array of existing resources. Many of these programs are operated by families for families in the community (Family Resource Coalition Report, 1993). For example, the Fort Pierce (Florida) Family Service Center, located on an elementary school campus, offers health and mental health care, parent education, family literacy, child care, and human services.
Community school programs envision schools as the hubs of a community. In contrast to family resource centers, they provide services to all members of a community, not just children and their families (Minzey & LeTarte, 1994). Community school strategies typically include adult education and skill development; youth-focused activities, such as Scouts of America or Boys and Girls clubs; athletic programs; tutoring and mentoring; and other programs that help students build academic and social skills. Community school programs also emphasize informal community opportunities and links with community agencies.
For example, I.S. 218 in Washington Heights, New York, is a partnership between the school system and the nonprofit Children's Aid Society. The school incorporates a community medical and dental clinic; before- and after-school programs; and a resource center that links the community with employment, housing, public assistance, adult education, drug prevention, and help with immigration issues.
Information and referral programs are designed to increase families' access to resources by improving communication among agencies and by reducing transportation and eligibility barriers. Although they usually do not provide direct services, these programs may utilize a case management approach, in which a single worker acts as a broker or connector for families. For example, a school district in Minnesota uses family advocates to link families to appropriate resources. The program targets students in kindergarten through eighth grade and their families, emphasizing collaboration among parents, teachers, and service providers. Family advocates meet with families in the families' homes, in the evening or on weekends to learn about their economic and cultural issues, health and legal concerns, and mental health and educational needs. The family advocates also talk with teachers about family dynamics that may affect student learning.
School-based and school-linked comprehensive health programs primarily serve children, although some are open to entire families and communities. Through its connection with schools, this model enables health and mental health-care providers to reach children who might otherwise have no access to health care or preventive health services.
This model focuses primarily on a broad range of health services. For example, health clinics based at high schools in Multnomah County (Oregon) offer routine and sports-related physical exams; diagnosis and treatment of minor illness or injury; general infection checks; routine testing for students who have a family history of diabetes or anemia; vision, dental, and blood pressure screening; immunizations; HIV/AIDS prevention counseling and testing; nutrition education and weight management; mental health counseling; counseling on smoking cessation, peer trust, and other issues prevalent among adolescents; substance abuse support services; and referrals to other health and human service providers.
Comprehensive Health Programs Combine a Range of Services
As your partnership chooses a model or develops a new one, partners should consider two key points: (1) the model should be appropriate to the developmental levels of children, including those with disabilities; and (2) the model should reflect the cultural and linguistic preferences of the community.
Responding to the Developmental Levels of Children
Effective strategies accommodate children of different ages and levels
of learning. For example:
Remember, a truly comprehensive partnership doesn't simply provide these services--it links, aligns, coordinates, and collaborates with people, programs, opportunities, and assets to strengthen children, families, and the community.
Responsiveness to cultural and
linguistic preferences extends far
beyond printing materials in multiple
languages or celebrating holidays of
diverse cultures.
Reflecting Cultural and Language Preferences
Children, families, and community members may not participate in
comprehensive strategies unless the services and approach reflect the
community's cultural diversity and an understanding of how cultural differences
affect families' attitudes.
The following approaches can help your comprehensive strategies be more responsive:
Know how people become informed. Do families read local newspapers and newsletters? Do they receive the majority of their information through radio and television? If so, from which stations? Do most families have telephones? Is there an effective "phone tree" in the school community? Or do community members tend to gather in a park, at school, or at a corner grocery store to discuss issues? Are there religious leaders and elders who coordinate communication within the community?
Hire staff who reflect the community. When families walk in the door of a program and find employees and volunteers who reflect the diversity of the community, they are more apt to feel at home. Staff who can speak families' home languages help make community members feel comfortable and increase their participation in the partnership.
Know how people perceive schools and other institutions. In many communities, families trust schools and see them as helpful institutions. In others, families may respect schools and academic achievement but feel uncomfortable sharing family issues or revealing needs to school staff. Families with little formal education or history of school success may avoid interactions with schools altogether. At a school-linked program in Southern California, members of one cultural group were reluctant to visit the program counselor even though he was from the same culture. However, parents frequently called the counselor in the evening or visited him at home--saying they didn't want to bother him at his job. Program planners eventually changed the counselor's hours and office location so he could work in the community in the evening, where people were more comfortable meeting with him.
Previous chapters have explored many of the principles that guide successful comprehensive strategies. Eight of these principles, adapted from Schorr (1994), raise particularly important issues for partnerships moving toward action:
Effective Strategies are Comprehensive and Responsive
Do your partnership's comprehensive strategies combine a range of services and opportunities to meet the needs identified by families? Are these elements combined into a system, rather than being a collection of unconnected services and programs?
Above all, children and families
should consistently hear, "Let's see
what we can do about that," or
"How can we work with you on
that issue?"
Effective Strategies Focus on Children and Families
Does your school-linked comprehensive program focus on making families feel welcome at all times? Are families treated with respect and made to feel important? Do program staff know families' views on the issues that affect them and work with families to help them achieve their goals?
Effective Strategies Reduce Barriers to
Participation
Do you have systems to simplify eligibility requirements and procedures for a range of programs and to reduce paperwork so families fill out as few forms as possible? Can community agencies develop a single point of entry to services so a family only needs to share detailed and confidential information once? (For example, one school district near Chicago created a comprehensive school registration form and process that also collects Head Start eligibility data and links families with family advocates.) Do your strategies also reduce barriers by producing documents and correspondence in all languages spoken in the community and by providing interpreters at meetings and work sessions? Do front-line staff work to communicate in language that is clear and easily understood? Are program staff proactive in ensuring that students and families actually receive the services or take advantage of the opportunities to which they are referred?
Parents deepen their involvement
in comprehensive strategies
through volunteering their time or
donating resources.
Effective Strategies Build Partnerships Between Parents
and Professionals
Are parents involved with professionals in moving the strategies toward action? Are parents and community residents employed in programs that form your comprehensive strategies and provided with opportunities for professional development?
Effective Strategies Are Geographically and
Psychologically Accessible
In choosing a site or sites for elements of its comprehensive strategies, has the partnership looked for the best locations to reach children and families? Has your group considered the school itself, separate buildings on school grounds, or sharing a Head Start office? Is there a community or cultural center where families and children are most comfortable? Could an unused school building be turned into a center where many agencies work together under one roof? Are parents interested in developing and running family resource centers?
Effective Strategies Are Flexible and Resourceful
Are program staff able to meet at times that are convenient for children and families? Where can families comfortably meet with staff: in schools, homes, public housing developments, or community centers?
Tips for Taking Action: Issues to Consider in Selecting Sites
Effective Strategies Focus on Prevention without
Neglecting Families' Immediate Concerns
Program staff should be able to
respond to emergency situations
without bureaucratic constraints. For
example, if staff have access to small
amounts of cash, they can quickly
help a family buy a new pair of shoes
for a child, pay taxi fare, or pay the
deposit on gas and electric services.
Can families and children receive help before a crisis occurs? Does your program provide for: prenatal care for women in the first trimester of pregnancy? home visits to strengthen parenting skills? immunizations and physical exams for children at a school or other community site? and counseling and drop-in services for families under stress?
Can you help families find ways to get out of crises so that they can benefit from preventive activities? Can your comprehensive strategies respond to the needs of families who may be in a constant state of crisis, such as those who are homeless?
Effective Strategies Possess Relentless Problem-Solving
Capacity
Are the individuals involved in school-linked strategies energetic and relentless in their efforts to effect positive change? Can they approach new challenges creatively and work as a team to develop solutions?
Parents as Problem Solvers
A group of parents at a school in Miami who were concerned about an epidemic of head lice realized that some families could not afford medicated shampoos and could not take time off from work to address the problem. The parent group formed a special team of "Lice Busters," equipped with shampoo and a vacuum cleaner, and visited families' homes to eradicate the lice.
A comprehensive partnership's success depends on sound organization as well as sound design. The governance structures and guidelines for partner relationships discussed in Chapter 1 are part of a strong organization. As your partnership moves toward action, you will also need to develop (1) an infrastructure for program operations; (2) systems to organize information and communication; (3) a process for determining eligibility for programs; and (4) confidentiality protocols for sharing information.
Developing Infrastructure
Infrastructure refers to the internal support systems and procedures
that keep things running smoothly. Each comprehensive partnership must develop
systems that can effectively handle the daily flow of information and work
among partners and within programs. These systems should also respond to
problems that may arise. An effective infrastructure must include, for example:
A sound infrastructure helps comprehensive strategies run smoothly and uniformly and builds solid programs that achieve their goals. For example, you may want to formalize the commitments you obtained from your collaborative partners (see Chapter 2) by developing interagency agreements spelling out details of shared responsibility, resources, and authority. An agreement may cover the use of buildings, playgrounds and vehicles; payment for utilities and custodial services; staff time for direct services, planning, management, and publicity; funds and personnel to provide staff development; and allocation of in-kind agency supports such as printing and mailing.
Establishing Communication, Information, and Publicity Systems
These systems help collaborative partners communicate with each other
efficiently, manage information within and across individual programs, and
share information with community members who are not part of the partnership. A
well-planned information system that helps a partnership collect, analyze, and
distribute information can improve the coordination of services and relieve the
record-keeping burden on staff.
Many computer software programs are available to simplify record keeping, allow communication across agency lines, and connect to the information systems of major agencies. Before investing in a new system, however, find out which systems your partners already use, and build systems to communicate with them. State education agencies often know which information systems have been used successfully by other comprehensive partnerships.
A system for publicizing information about comprehensive strategies is also important. Good publicity broadens support for programs and informs other communities of the potential of school-linked strategies. A publicity system shares information with:
Determining Eligibility
Comprehensive strategies should be available to all families and all
family members so that no family feels left out or stigmatized. If your
strategies cannot connect all families with all programs, try to develop an
initial screening process to help families identify and gain access to programs
from which they may benefit. Avoid asking families to travel from one agency to
another looking for help.
Eligibility should not be linked to a family's ability to pay a fee. Although many comprehensive programs provide a variety of services without charge, it is also appropriate at times to ask parents to pay a nominal fee for programs such as child care. But it is never acceptable to charge a fee if it prevents a family from gaining access to services, opportunities, or resources.
Protecting Confidentiality
Collaborative partners need to be able to share information about
families' assets and conditions in order to coordinate a comprehensive,
holistic response. But families may worry about the confidentiality of private
information. This concern can prevent some families from participating in
comprehensive strategies altogether. School and agency staff may also be
concerned about sharing private information across agency lines. They may have
different notions about how confidentiality should be handled, based on their
professional experience and protocols.
School and agency personnel may
have different notions about how
confidentiality should be handled,
based on their professional training
and organizational culture.
To resolve confidentiality issues, encourage families, schools, and agency partners to learn about each other's concerns and legal constraints, and create a set of guidelines that are acceptable to all groups. It's important to build consensus on this issue; clearly stated guidelines that are understood and used by all front-line staff foster trust among partners. To reassure families, explain that no information is shared with agencies unless parents have seen it first and are willing to share it. Families often will let agencies share information in order to develop a comprehensive plan for services and supports. Legal staff from school districts and other partner agencies can help develop agreements or consent forms between families and agencies to allow for information sharing.
For example, a program in Pennsylvania that works with migrant families developed a uniform release form that allows information sharing across agency boundaries to help staff combine and coordinate programs for individual families. You may also want to provide a family bill of rights or written policy about confidentiality that parents can easily understand.
Tips for Taking Action: Respect Families' Confidentiality
Front-line staff should understand state and local regulations regarding information sharing and confidentiality. Regulations vary from state to state and within local jurisdictions, and can be obtained from each government agency. In addition, the Federal Education Rights of Privacy Act (FERPA) sets guidelines for what types of information schools can release, and to whom.
As your partnership moves from vision to action--with real staff people in real communities beginning to interact with real children and families--you will face some very practical staffing issues. For example, a staff may be composed of individuals from several different partner agencies who do not necessarily share the same practices, protocols, or expectations. Partner agencies may also experience staff turnover.
Successful comprehensive partnerships have used the following approaches to address such staffing challenges:
Create a New Organizational Culture
Frequently, school-linked comprehensive strategies are staffed with
employees from existing agencies who are "repositioned" or moved from a
position within a single agency to an interagency position. Don't underestimate
the changes this requires of staff, even those who volunteer to make the
change. Invest some time and effort in building a new organizational culture,
new norms of communication, new relationships with families and communities,
and a system of supervision and accountability that works for staff from all
partner agencies.
Build a Cohesive Staff
Comprehensive strategies often attract staff from agencies outside the
partnership. Outside staff can bring additional knowledge of the community,
experiences in diverse cultures, and fresh perspectives of community members
and nonprofit organizations. But in order to build a cohesive staff from
diverse organizations and backgrounds, you must select staff carefully and
foster a team spirit.
Try to involve staff who come to the comprehensive program voluntarily, rather than being assigned by their agencies. Advertise job openings within agencies, and invite key stakeholders to participate in interviewing and hiring. Look for staff who have knowledge of the neighborhood and community, commitment to the vision and philosophy of the program, an ability to adapt to change, and a sense of accountability for work performance.
Tips for Taking Action: Developing Communication Among Staff
Ease Staff Transitions
Turnover among agency staff can create havoc for students and families;
loss of key staff can be especially disruptive. To minimize the negative
effects of staff changes and to provide smooth transitions:
As partners move to put a vision into action, they often seek information about similar programs. Your partnership may want to:
Moving from vision to action isn't always easy. Sometimes groups have different opinions about which approach will yield the best results. To avoid creating winners and losers within your group, consider taking a "study group" approach. In a study group, partners form a small subcommittee that meets regularly over a period of time to gain new knowledge about an issue and develop an informed consensus. Some group members may choose to read a book (and find ways to describe the content to members who learn better in other ways) or bring in guest speakers who are informed about the topic. The study group approach requires a commitment of time and thoughtful inquiry, but it deepens partners' involvement and develops shared commitment to solutions.
Teachers and Parents Learn Together to Resolve Issues
Teachers at an elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona realized that the large number of students entering first grade from non-English-speaking homes was limiting the teachers' ability to keep classroom instruction on pace. The teachers knew they needed a strategy for helping children make the transition to the primary grades, but they weren't sure what to do. So, the teachers developed a series of seminars where they could study the issue; each teacher led the group in a different topic. Next, the teachers held workshops for parents to share what they had learned and solicit feedback. At the end of the second year of study, the teachers and 300 parent partners asked the school board for a waiver allowing them to dramatically restructure classrooms. The waiver they received enabled parents and teachers to create more personalized, multi-age classrooms in which every entering group of nine students has the same teacher through first, second, and third grade. The school also developed teams of health and mental health providers to offer additional support.
Comprehensive strategies are implemented in several ways--most often through family resource centers, community school programs, information and referral programs, or school-based or school-linked comprehensive health programs. The model your partnership chooses should be appropriate to the developmental levels of children and should reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the community.
Several principles of effective comprehensive strategies raise issues for partnerships as they move from planning toward action. These include:
Partnerships organize for successful action by developing (1) an infrastructure for program operations, (2) systems to organize information and communication, (3) a process for determining program eligibility, and (4) confidentiality protocols for sharing information.
Successful partnerships address staffing challenges by creating an organizational culture that defines new relationships, eases staff transitions, and works to build a cohesive staff.
