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August 2007 Dear Readers, I hope you enjoyed your summer. This back-to-school edition is very special to me for several reasons. It features the results of the school engagement contest titled”21 Ways to Engage Students in School” and announces the 13 teams that will participate this year in Web-Based Professional Development to study the effects of homelessness and high mobility in schools (Hot Topic). It is also very special because it is my last e-newsletter as NCSE Director. I have taken a position with the Colorado Department of Education/ Prevention Initiatives. At the state level, I will continue to support the work of promoting school success of students at high-risk of dropping out of school. It has been a great experience to work with NCSE and I plan to use all its great resources in my new position. One of my first tasks on the new job will be to sign up for NCSE-News!
It has been a privilege to work with NCSE and all its stakeholders in school engagement. I wish you all the best, Judith Martinez
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21 Ways to Engage Students in School: Results of the By Judith Martinez, NCSE
NCSE is commited to pursuing and learning what schools and communities are doing to promote school engagement. In April 2007, NCSE hosted a contest, called “21 Ways to Engage Students in School” to create a list of successful and practical strategies that lead to school engagement. The overarching goal was to create a greater awareness of strategies that are asset-based. Schools, community-based groups, and public agencies were encouraged to submit their own successful strategies that foster school engagement. The response to the contest was positive and NCSE received entries for over 50 different strategies for school engagement. To select the top strategies, the contest was judged by 20 school and community leaders and included school personnel, a student intern, NCSE Advisory Board Members and staff, plus Board members and staff of the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children (NCSE’s parent organization.) Judges used the NCSE Framework for School Success to rate how well each strategy addressed those objectives. The NCSE Framework for School Success is based on school engagement that integrates three necessary elements, known as the 3 As – attendance, attachment and achievement. The following list is an excerpt of the strategies grouped by topic and activity. Highlighted are 8 of the 21 strategies. Click here for a full copy of the publication, which includes a section on best practices in applying and implementing strategies are provided at the end of this publication. · Family and Community Involvement In addition to attending the standard “parent night," parents/students are required to complete hours toward building community partnerships (i.e., volunteering at the local museum, city clean-up day, etc.) · After-School Programs After-school program designed using many aspects of instructional best practices: establishing guiding questions, webbing with students, etc. Learning experiences are created with intentional learning in mind. Source: Englewood Schools, Englewood, CO · Interest Clubs Interest clubs were developed to provide all students an opportunity to participate in an activity of their choice. The clubs are run by teachers and staff every Friday during the school day for 45 minutes. Each student gets to join 3 clubs during the school year. Source: · Fun with Math A school in Source: Students created a list of classroom rules to be followed. Each student signs off on the rules and is held accountable by fellow students. In addition, they developed their own “honor roll," in which students are recognized for doing their best, following directions, and not talking out more than 3 times a day. Source: Linn Benton · College Collaboration A local college delivers 3.5 hours of continuing education courses (“Educational Opportunities”) to truant students and their families. The curriculum includes the negative consequences associated with poor school attendance and the positive consequences associated with scholastic achievement. Discussion of transition from high school to college is discussed and a tour of the college is provided. Source: · Coordinate Bullying Prevention Activities Bullying prevention efforts seem to work best if they are coordinated by a representative group from the school. A student advisory group also can be formed to focus on bullying prevention and provide valuable suggestions and feedback to adults. For more information visit: www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov. Source: Thanks to all who participated in the contest and congratulations to the following groups who also submitted entries that were selected for inclusion in the publication, “21 Ways to Engage Students in School":
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NCSE to Begin Next Cohort of Web-Based Professional Development (WBPD) Web-Based Professional Development (WBPD) focuses on improving educational outcomes for students experiencing homelessness and high mobility. Since 2003, WBPD has involved over 120 participants, and 42 community teams from eight states (
NCSE is excited to announce that 13 national teams from § Center for Schools and Communities in § Colorado Department of Education/ Title I, Title X, Special Education, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers § § North Carolina Department of Public Instruction/Homeless Education & Rural Education Achievement Program § § Minnesota Department of Education § Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in the State of Washington
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RGK Foundation Find and apply online for competitive grant opportunities from Return to the Index of this Issue
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Family Day — A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™ is a national movement to remind parents that what their kids really want at the dinner table is THEM! Family Day encourages parents to frequently eat dinner with their kids and be involved in their children’s lives. The conversations that go hand-in-hand with dinner help parents learn more about their kids’ lives and help them to better understand the challenges their kids face. Family day is celebrated on the fourth Monday in September. This year Family Day will be celebrated on Compulsory School Attendance Laws by State - For a list of the most current information on compulsory attendance laws, visit the Education Commission of the States website. 2007 Kids Count Data Book: State Profiles of Child Well-being, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. NCSE Publications and Presentations are available online. The following articles may be of special interest:
How to Evaluate Your Truancy Reduction Program A how-to guide that summarizes key components of evaluating your program.
Engaging Families in Bullying Prevention Efforts - Recent presentation made at The Colorado Trust's Bullying Prevention Initiative Conference. Includes: framework for family engagement, types and models, and examples.
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Mark Your Calendar International Association for Truancy and Dropout Prevention Conference 4th Annual International Bullying Prevention Conference Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Healthy Communities – Healthy Youth Conference
NAEHCY 19th Annual Conference
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