How the Children's Aid Society helps New York schools raise attainment in areas of extreme deprivation

1. International PLC: A case study.
New York
Focus: tackling disadvantage…

2. There is nothing more unequal
than the equal treatment of
unequal people…Jefferson.

3. Criteria for judging the
effectiveness of an IPLC
Impact on pupil learning
Impact on staff morale
and practice, with potential
for developing leadership
capacity
Impact on culture ‘the way we do
things around here’…this was my
initial focus for the trip…

4. Children’s Aid Society
National Centre for Community
Schools
The focus for this organisation as a charity is to organise the resources of the
community around student success…they define community schools as having:
o Extended services.
o Extended hours.
o Extended relationships.

5. Solid Research Base…things they know after 20
years of doing…this is what they advocate.
• Importance of ongoing support and opportunities to
children’s development
• Importance of parental involvement to children’s
school success
• Importance of non-school hours to children’s
learning and development
• Importance of consistent adult guidance
• Importance of consistent messages from
developmental influences
• Service fragmentation hinders effectiveness
Children's Aid Society

6. This is at the core of their work in
schools…DevelopmentalTriangle
removing barriers to learning & development
• health •mental health
• dental • social services
Children's Aid Society

7. Dimensions that we are developing…critical organisational
capacities to develop in Maes Y Morfa…4 key elements to
consider…when planning for our school.
• Comprehensiveness…service and opportunity respond to
identified needs…FLS
• Coherence…service integration…all are involved in meaningful
permanent roles…teachers, parents, community, policy
makers, funding streams.
• Coherence…coordinated and accountable activities that
support the development of the child.( on going)
• Commitment…sustainable…shared vision building community
will and capacity…strategic financing.
Children's Aid Society

8. Maes Y Morfa serves the 10th most
deprived ward in Wales.
• Facts: Communities first area and the ward is ranked
10th in the all-Wales Index of Deprivation. Currently 50
+% of our pupils are eligible for free school meals. (LEA
17% and Wales 18.8% January 2009) The pupils on
entry to school are well below expected norms in
speech and language, literacy and numerical skills. A
significant percentage of our pupils have emotional
literacy deficits. In January 2011, 65.3 % of our children
had ALN needs.
• We have all the difficulties you would associate with a
community that is disadvantaged…

9. IPLC…what could it do for us in Llanelli
?
• Maes Y Morfa Primary School…brand
new…opened last year. The rainbow was
free…

10. PS 5…what lies within?

12. On the door…in the lobby

13. Restorative Justice…

14. IPLC…New York…Enquiry driven…what could I
use or develop in collaboration?
• Data informs the PLC…Family Learning
Signature…community engagement…share
• Distributed Leadership…Community Directors
that’s new…I want one of those…develop…already
in progress.
• Focused on Learner Needs…same issues as us
poor literacy/numeracy scores…tight measures of
pupils performance…share through INCERTS
• Attention to pedagogy…what's new? share
• Enquiry driven- outcomes lead to change in
practice…is what I am doing practical? collaborate

15. INCERTS…other metrics…
spreadsheet…
The use of key contextual information
as exemplified here will be adopted by
our partner school…

16. Family Learning Signature…used in
Maes Y Morfa…next step the Bronx?

17. Community Director…in place by March
2012…in Morfa…got the job spec ready to go…

18. The parent scorecard will be in place January 2012
Active Participation
Parent is consistently available to volunteer, attend workshops, check and sign homework, pick up student on time,
logs on to parent ARIS/ Acuity/ IXL, sends supplies to the classroom, supports student’s personal/social growth etc.
Parent is usually available to volunteer, attend workshops, check and sign homework, pick up student on time, logs on
to parent ARIS/ Acuity/ IXL, send supplies to the classroom, supports student’s personal/social growth etc.
Parent is sometimes available to volunteer, attend workshops, check and sign homework, pick up student on time, logs
on to parent ARIS/ Acuity/ IXL, send supplies to the classroom, supports student’s personal/social growth etc.
Parent is rarely/ never available to volunteer, attend workshops, check and sign homework, pick up student on time,
logs on to parent ARIS/ Acuity/ IXL, send supplies to the classroom, supports student’s personal/social growth etc.
Uniforms
Student always wears his or her uniform
Student usually wears his or her uniform
Student rarely wears his or her uniform
Student never wears his or her uniform
Attendance and Punctuality
Student has no absences and/or lateness
Student has no more than 1 absence and/or lateness
Student has no more than 2 absences or lateness
Student has more than 3 absences and/or lateness without documentation
Communication
Parent consistently responds to communications from the teacher and follows up on behavior/ academic concerns.
Emergency numbers are up to date.
Parent usually responds to communications from the teacher and follows up on behavior/ academic concerns.
Emergency numbers are up to date.
Parent sometimes responds to communications from the teacher and follows up on behavior/ academic concerns.
Emergency numbers are up to date.
Parent rarely/never responds to communications from the teacher and follows up on behavior/ academic concerns.
Emergency numbers do not work.

19. Teenage teachers…for literacy and
numeracy…

20. A brilliant idea…

21. The next enquiry led research focus for Maes Y Morfa
and P5 in Washington Heights…IPLC phase 2
The community schools Theory of Change
model illustrates this complexity by identifying
its various components, their relationships,
and dynamic process, resulting in real change.
It’s a pathway of change diagram:
o your impact because of your
work=outcomes.
o Pre conditions needed for change.
o Measures of success= Results.
My new IPLC partners, CAS and P5 will
develop work on applying this model, adapting
it and evaluating its success through…

22. This is our logo…the children like rainbows…so do children in the
Bronx…a pupil PLC…sharing and collaborating…success for each
student in each setting…New York so good they named it twice.