Learning Community 2.23.05

Montebello

9:30 am – 3 pm

 

Sara Tessmer

Bob Owen

Janet Brown

Holle Smith

Bev Peters

Jeff Macomber

Nancy Schmidt

Jennifer Hoy

Janet Smith

Paulelda Gilbert

Jim Meek

Don Broshar

Eugenia Hanlon

Marilyn Bode

Dick Spoth

Cathy Lillehoj

 

Dick Spoth Introduction to 2/23/05 Learning Community

Flip Chart Notes

 

  1. Early in the PROSPER Sustainability Phase

SO…

  1. What are we sustaining?
  2. Sustainability

Opportunities!

  1. Opportunities for “The Team”
  2. Opportunities for “The Programs”
  3. Fun Supplements/fund-raising

Relevant to School-Family Programs/Objectives

Realistic for team

Evidence-based, for

Everyone

 

How to convey what is happening; accomplishments. Getting programs that work to folks that need them; how that warrants recognition/reward. New ways to do that. Also engaging others in the community.

How our outcomes compare with others over time? 1 study (not exact comparison) had recruitment rate of 5.9%. Most studies don’t reach rates in our PROSPER communities.

Ways program implemented: % adherence to program. Adherence is high in PROSPER.

 

Paulelda Gilbert: Question; current rate of participation. Response: depends on % asking about and which cohort. Approaching 20% on average.

We are thinking about how to convey that information.

 

What are the opportunities with the programs: all kinds of them.

e.g., PROSPER praise notes. Notes from teachers to families/youth.

e.g., before and after sessions.

 

Don Broshar presentation

How does new phase impact local team?

Functions/roles of teams, team members

Role of school leader

Remember lst PROSPER meeting and started putting together team. First state meeting with team members.

Now into 3-4 year of the project.

Reminder of PROSPER project goals: to assess the development,  effectiveness, and sustainability of local teams charged with choosing and managing the implementation of scientifically tested program for delivery in school and to families of middle school youth. Designed to demonstrate the ability of ISU/PSU Extension staff to work collaboratively with school personnel plays a key role as agents of community change.

 

As teams got busy and interacting with locals, might begin to wonder where we are headed. What are we doing? Listing of different functions community teams performing. Function: why does this team exist?

Turn to partner: share list with partner and make combined list. Rank order functions. Divide into 2 groups and share combined list. Make combined list of functions and put on newsprint. Distinguish task and function. Function: why does this group exist? Why do we need a team/function to accomplish goal.

 

Bev Peters

1. Build community awareness and support for youth and family EBI

2. Continual assessment of comm. needs and programs

3. Identify and secure resources for sustainability

 

Bob Owen

1. Community support and awareness

2. Provide parent and youth program

3. Collaborate to build relationships and identify resources

 

Don: How are lists similar/differ?

Community needs assessment although that is important part

Use of “collaboration”

If combine 2 lists: can you live with these functions for your team? Are we “preaching to the choir”? If take activity back to team what might be different things they would identify?

 

Are these functions similar/differ than when lst started project?

Resources they could bring to team to get job done

Relationship part-6th grade teacher know families trying to recruit. Makeup to team important to getting project up and running.

Terms of office. Not doing tasks now…what doing now? Team members may be thinking about roles and if they are needed anymore.

Community needs assessment:

 

Initial project goal: to sustain programs on menu. How can we keep going in community?

Yr 4: planning to sustain teams and those EBIs. Also some latitude.

How many thinking about other programs: Janet S: another program for At-risk youth. Other EBIs: All Stars after school program.

Compliment what already doing. Enhance what trying to do. What original design was. Community based groups doing EBIs

Fighting back: RWJ. Groups try to do too much and programs that were not effective.

Ways that do respond to community needs.

Do programs stop because there is no money. What drives a program? When does a community decide there is something better to drive the programming?

Helping community have the info they need to change.

 

Do functions outlined today fulfill the project goal?

 

How do we operationalize the functions to make sure they are fulfilled?

Identify roles team members need to perform to fulfill those functions.

Roles: taking responsibility for something and make it happen.

Separate out school co-leader role.

 

Reporting back/roles

Group 1

1.Community spokesman

Taking to community

Serve as listener

 

2. Facilitate the team

Keep all pulled together

 

3. School liaison

 

4. Problem solver

 

Group 2

Advocate/healthy youth & families

Networking

Active participation

Marketing agent

Secure funds and resources

Data reporter; interpretation.

Good listener

Youth perspective

See “big picture”/long term goals

 

The process may make us rethink who on team and if they are doing those functions

Team may not realize those roles are important. How can team members fulfill those roles?

The exercise would be important for the Statewide meeting. Split-up by different part of team they represent and have them go through same exercise. How different/similar would their (team members) perspective be?

Advisory function: a lot of community groups tend to be advisory and staff or organization responsible to carry out functions.

Performance review and impact on team leaders. No acknowledgement. Is this a missing component?

Who on team is going to perform that role?

Don’s example of Communities of Promise (functions as columns and roles as rows)

Do we have the right folks on the team? Functions may have changed. Do folks phase off the team? Yes.

Team Leader as catalyst/facilitators.

 

Team Leader: Role to recognize team members and what they have done. Recognition happening in their worksite and with their supervisor.

Difficulty in recruiting from business community. Difficulty in seeing their role in PROSPER endeavors. What are the ties we need to make with business community?

 

Co-leader/school liaison function

Role that needs to be addressed. Important role in design of team and delivery of program.

School co-leader role

Better integrate school co-leader role: how can we do that?

 

General observation of that role:

Paulelda Gilbert: anything that needs to be community-lined to school done by Marcy (school co-leader). Knows folks well. Director of student services. In administrative offices. Not in classroom. Involved in other community coalitions. Key person in substance abuse arena in community. Her role on PROSPER team as part of her job function.

Bob Owen: same with Mary W. Special project coordinator. Might be typical of large communities.

Janet Smith: school co-leader role is an add on. Amy is guidance counselor.

Roger (Ottumwa) is a guidance counselor. The school co-leader role is an add on role. He has been active in making school component happen.

Hampton: the school co-leader is a classroom teacher. She was delegated the job. School goes along with project activities. Add on to her job.

Estherville: the school co-leader is a guidance counselor. When she moved another person on team volunteered for school co-leader role. She had buy in to SFP. Other school staff coming to team meetings: how does that affect how team runs?

3 middle school buildings: different entities represent youth (e.g., juvenile court liaison).

FT D: school accrd: SFP and LST something doing now and fits with accred evaluation. Really are seeing as something in school system as positive.

Buy in: peer recognition.

Winterset: school coleader non-existent. His sense of being involved. State of flux with TL retiring. Dynamic co-leader role. School person designated formally. School principal gives answer. School counselor doing LST program. School co-leader role meeting change. Accountability perspective. Role assigned. Middle school principal very supportive. Also wants to know why having meetings? Who is responsible and what is their purpose?

Having a co leader (TL) also splits up the role.

 

Important that school co leader see PROSPER as “their project”

 

Dick Spoth: state level effort: Dept of Education effort: learning supports initiative. IA Promise initiative. Working on action plan. Create distinct role for PROSPER activities.

 

Cleve’s powerpoint presentation

 

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED POWERPOINT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SLIDES.

 

Dick Spoth: If this came up in your community: we are not doing so well….PROSPER isn’t working. What do you say to that person?

Communities are not comparable.

Team members want to see results

Enough community variability that reports differ

 

Marilyn Bode: if bad report, consider not sharing with team?

Discussion points about reports we can provide

What from us would help you address these issues?

PC present at team meeting.

 

We can not know if program is working in an individual community.

But can know what is uniquely happening in your community.

 

Cleve:Substance use rates going up over time.

 

Comparison with IA youth survey. Some of questions similar

Comparison lines all 14 communities.

 

Dick Spoth: caution state level date: “devil in detail”. Can not compare items across unless item is worded exactly same

 

School size range: 100-450 students

 

Holle: listing of best friends: peer influences. How are they grouped according to who they hang out with?

In home visits: cohort 2 school surveys. Same schedule,

5 waves from cohort 1

4 waves cohort 2

 

Can not separate out effect of SFP program on results. If combine IA and PA might be able to detect differences.

Holle: At end of study unveil results? Collecting data up until end and analyzing data. Long and challenging task.

 

Dick Spotj: recruitment for family program and implementation quality writing up results.

 

How going to use info?

Subjective interpretation: positive and negative info in all reports.

Even if looks good, substance use may be on rise.

Consider reports to be sensitive info.

 

When given to superintendent, who interprets to superintendent? PC delivers

Superintendents have varying levels of interest.

Reason use 14 communities combined for reports..is very easy to misinterpret reports.

 

Dick Spoth:We want more pros than cons. Being proactive. Working with superintendent.

 

Marilyn Bode: local newspaper articles..discourage this info in newspaper articles.

 

Jim Meek:info without framing can lead to misunderstanding.

 

Is superintendent able to disperse? Their decision.

 

Marketing person to statewide meeting

Different approaches. Not Extension person. Business person. Something unique to say.

Social marketing. Transfer from business to Extension perspective.

Articles to access and localize:

Radio pieces. 30 seconds

Separate pieces.

School newsletter.

 

Dick Spoth: marketing approach. High profile event with local celebrity

IACE council members. Spring meeting.

All communities have presented to local Extension advisory council.

Thank you coffee for funders (Winterset): time again to reconsider funding. Video should be done by that time.

 

Jim: scholarship issue

What constitutes scholarship?

More than writing refereed articles; also includes presentations, advanced degree work. Activities to build image for community.

Conference presentation.

 

Sustainability reporting. Wait until PC comes to meeting in your community.

 

Ideas for presentations what should happen at statewide meeting. 5/12-5/13.

1 day conf.

Framing agenda:

Marketing

Team functions

Build synergy among groups.

Marketing meeting to team members:

Youth perspective.

Award ceremony:

Teams report to group:

 

Next meeting date: after statewide meeting

 

Videotaping: location..in 1 location.family interviewed together or separate. John developing script. Show case team efforts. Who to interview: diversity in community; excitement about PROSPER. Co-leader excited.

 

Dick Spoth: Sustainability points: recruitment rates and implementation quality.

Early sustainability phase. Nothing comes close to local teams at this stage in project that generated this much for local funding. We appreciate that.

 

Team expenses. Cathy W passed out. All expenditures last grant year. What budgeted to date. Balance.

What you have to spend. Rollover to next year.