Effective Practices In Educational Advocacy: Navigating the School Culture

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Effective Practices In Educational Advocacy
Navigating the School Culture

• Jill Patnode, Director
• Puget Sound Educational Service District

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• One-fifth of all 16-24 year-olds in south King
  County
• are disconnected from school and work
• 20,000 Opportunity Youth

The majority are poor youth of color. There
are many sub-groups, with varying assets needs

Court-Involved
Homeless
Undocu-mented
English Language Learners
Teen Parents
Foster Youth
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• a partner of the King County System Integration
  Initiative

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The PathNet Initiative
WHAT The PathNet Initiative is a regional and
state model of service delivery that reengages
juvenile justice involved out-of-school youth
through best practices in systems integration and
interagency collaboration.

• HOW
• Access and connection to a seamless network of
  services that support and advance education and
  employment goals.

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King County Systems Integration Initiative
(KC-SII) Uniting for Youth

• Group of state and local youth-serving agencies
• Improve the coordination and integration of
  services for youth involved in multiple systems

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Uniting for Youth Partners

• Juvenile Court (King County Superior Court)
• Childrens Administration, Region 4, DCFS
• King County Department of Community Human
  Services (Mental Health, Chemical Dependency,
  Public Defense)
• Puget Sound Educational Service District
• Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention
• Casey Family Programs (Seattle Field Office)
• Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, Region 4
• Attorney Generals Office, Seattle Social and
  Health Services Division
• King County Office of Management and Budget

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Opportunity Youth Action Plan

• The focus is building a robust, coordinated,
  diverse system of re-engagement pathways designed
  to help youth and young adults reconnect to
  education and progress towards a college or
  career credential and living-wage work.

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Cornerstones of PathNet

• A current strength-based assessment
• A student-driven plan
• Connectivity to the right educational/vocational
  program for that student
• Care Manager

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Uniting for Youth Purpose and Goals

• Improve outcomes for children, youth and families
  by
• Promoting increased cooperation and coordination
  among staff from different systems
• Achieving and institutionalizing greater
  multi-system coordination and integration at the
  policy level

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Networking question 1
Care Manager -Why do you care about this
population? -What are the characteristics of an
effective care manager that is able to provide
individualized supports to opportunity youth?
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Networking question 2
Strength based assessments Describe how you
flip deficit assessments into a strength-based
approach and/or share any strength based
assessments you use.
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Networking question 3
Student Driven Plan -Describe the
plan/assessment your agency uses? -Is it formal
or informal? -What are the plan components?
-Process for monitoring and evaluation of plan?
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Education
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
(OSPI) Olympia, Washington
ESD 101 Spokane
ESD 105 Yakima
ESD 112 Vancouver
ESD 113 Olympia
Olympic ESD 114, Bremerton
ESD 123 Pasco
North Central ESD 171, Wenatchee
Northwest ESD 189, Anacortes
Puget Sound ESD 121, Renton
59 Districts
23 Districts
25 Districts
29 Districts
30 Districts
35 Districts
45 Districts
35 Districts
15 Districts
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Right to a Free and Public Education

• All students have this right
• Birth Certificate and Immunization
• Proof of Citizenship or Immigration Status NOT
  needed

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Ready to Learn

• Schools invest a great deal of time and money in
• Curricula delivery
• Staff development
• Policies and procedures
• Testing
• Special Education
• Tiered interventions
• Everything they do is designed to support a 100
  graduation rate. They are limited by time and
  resources.

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Graduation Requirements

• 20-24 Credits District Specific until 2016
• High School and Beyond Plan
• Culminating Project
• State Exams
• Reading and Writing High School Proficiency (MSPE
  HSPE)
• Math EOC (End of Course)

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Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
Suicide Trauma at School Substance Abuse
Drop Out Failing Academic Expectations
Highest Risk Students
Fighting Threats Anti-Social Behavior Experiment
ing with Alcohol/ Drugs Depression Isolation
Absenteeism Minimal Interest in School Homework
not completed Falling Behind on Benchmarks
Some Students At-Risk
Respect for Self Respect For Others Respect for
Property Engaged in School
In School Reading Engaged in Learning Consistent
Academic Progress
High Expectations All Students
Learning Support Academic
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School Based Intervention Resources

• Title IX McKinney Vento
• Becca Truancy Court
• School Counselors ASCA Model
• Disaster Preparedness/Emergency Response Planning
• School Nurse/Health Services
• Substance Abuse/Mental Health
• Health Curricula
• Family and Community Engagement
• Before/after school Programs
• Social Workers, Family Liaisons
• Parent Engagement
• Extra Curricular Scheduled Play!
• Community Resources

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Coordinating Student Assistance Working Together
to Help Students Learn
School Policy
Integration with other school based programs
Staff Development
Family/Community Collaboration
Program Awareness
Internal Referral Process
Program Evaluation
Student Assistance Team
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Learning their language

• Educational Behaviors
• attendance/truancy
• unsafe behavior
• behavioral problems
• disciplinary action
• Suspensions/expulsions
• parental involvement
• "lost days of learning"
• seat time
• Disengaged students
• Tiered intervention

• Educational Outcomes
• grades
• standardized tests
• skill development
• grade promotion/retention
• graduation rates
• higher education
• Adequate yearly progress
• Higher order thinking

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How Do I Advocate For My Client?(inside the
school district)
Professional closest to the student (teacher,
therapist, etc.)
Principal (CEO of the school house)
Special Education Coordinator or Director
Executive Director or Assistant Superintendent
Superintendent
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How do I advocate for my client?(outside the
school district)
Puget Sound Educational Service District
Parent Support Groups Office of the Education
Ombuds
Advocacy Groups (ex. League of Education
Voters) Legal Services (ex. Team Child Colombia
Legal Services)
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Points of Access
Discipline
Academics
Behavioral


Counselors Specialists
Vice Principal School Security
Principal
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King County Resource Guide

• Information Sharing

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Information Sharing

• FERPA
• Education Records
• Directory Information
• Personal Observations

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Rhythms of a School YearUCLA Mental Health in
Schoolshttp//smhp.psych.ucla.edu/

• August Prevent burnout by planning ahead
• September Getting a good start (transitions
  welcomes open houses)
• October Enabling School Adjustment (early
  identification classroom strategies)
• November Responding to referrals (interventions
  end of quarter conferences)

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• December Re-engaging students (burn-out
  opportunities for improvement anticipation)
• January A time for renewal and new starts (end
  of semester report cards interventions self
  efficacy )
• February Mid-point
• March Reducing stress and burnout (compassion
  fatigue budgets planning for next school year
  professional development end of quarter next
  year registration)

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• April Spring is a high risk time (proms spring
  fever spring break prevention activities
  conferences release of Healthy Youth Survey)
• May Planning for new transitions (statewide
  testing)
• June Summer and the living aint easy
• July Reports and Planning (principals and admin
  are in schools finalizing details of upcoming
  school year

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Resources

• Student Assistance Prevention Intervention Manual
• Educational Advocate Program Manual (PSESD Team
  Child)
• Educating Youth in Adult Jails
• FACEBOOK Educational Advocate Program

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• Eligibility
• Less than 21 but at least 16 by September 1
• Have NOT graduated from HS AND
• Be significantly behind in credits OR
• Be recommended for enrollment by professionals
  from DSHS, JJ, District approved personnel or
  staff from agencies who provide educational
  advocacy services.

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The 4th Cornerstone

• Connectivity to the right educational /vocational
  program
• In 2 minutes or less share about your agency
  (consider sharing target audience, location,
  mission, resources, how to refer, orientation
  dates)