3. Sustaining Change Through Business and Civic Leadership:

Engaging employers, educators, and community leaders to collaborate in building and sustaining educational programs that promote community growth and prosperity by preparing students for future work and citizenship

Business, civic, and education leaders create a master plan for sustainable workforce competitiveness and community prosperity built upon education transformation

Description:
A senior-level business/civic/education partnership (the “Master Plan Partnership”) creates a master plan for promoting sustainable workforce competitiveness and community prosperity through Transforming Teaching and Learning, Redesigning High Schools, and Sustaining Change Through Business and Civic Leadership.

Features:

Shared vision for next-generation learners:
The Master Plan Partnership helps to create a vision for sustainable workforce competitiveness and community prosperity that relies upon developing high school-age youth who possess the essential knowledge and skills identified in the Learning Pillars.

Cross-sector collaboration:
Educators from the secondary and postsecondary levels, business, and civic leaders within the community cooperate in the planning process with support from their respective boards.

Students and parents explicitly engaged:
The Master Plan Partnership seeks out regular, meaningful opportunities for students and parents to express their perspectives and be directly involved in decision-making.

Inclusive development process:
The master plan is developed by the Master Plan Partnership and shared widely throughout the community.

Measurable goals and phase-in period:
A clear five-year goal is established for the percentage of the student population to be served by career academies and similar career- and interest-themed programs.

Educational and community outcomes:
The five-year plan forecasts improved educational outcomes and positive community cash-flow projections (such as increased state funding for students) resulting from these outcomes.

Protection and oversight of the plan:
After the initial development phase is completed, oversight and accountability for the master plan are handed off to a Business/Civic Advisory Board (described in attribute 3.2) to monitor progress and update the plan on a regular basis.

Annual updating process:
The Master Plan Partnership reconvenes annually to assess progress and make new projections based on input from Career Sector Advisory Teams (described in attribute 3.3).

Business and civic leaders support and sustain the master plan

Description:
Once the master plan is in place, business and civic leaders representing each prioritized career sector constitute an ongoing Business/Civic Advisory Board to align business support for redesigned high schools.

Features:

Community buy-in and protection:
A Business/Civic Advisory Board, composed of prominent civic leaders and senior business executives representing each prioritized career sector, meets regularly with educational leaders to review progress and demonstrate the community’s ongoing commitment to the plan.

Active senior-level participation:
Rather than delegate responsibility to lower-level staff members, senior executives of prominent businesses and civic organizations actively participate in and encourage recognition of career academies in their respective sectors.

Local advocacy:
Leaders from businesses and civic organizations are sought out, informed, and engaged in the broad conversation about the community’s future, and begin to actively advocate for career academies as relevant strategies to improve student success and develop human capital.

State and national networking:
The Business/Civic Advisory Board identifies and collaborates with a growing list of state and national supporters for career academies and similar career- and interest-themed high school redesigns.

Career academies address skilled workforce priorities

Description:
The Master Plan Partnership and Business/Civic Advisory Board use regional economic and workforce projections to prioritize career academies that lead to skilled employment and postsecondary education.

Features:

Master plan priorities:
The master plan reflects clear priorities for career academies, using economic and workforce development projections for skilled employment and the state’s organizational framework for career sector programs.

Career Sector Advisory Teams:
Employers and educators within each prioritized career sector form ongoing Career Sector Advisory Teams to assess projected “pipeline” issues.

Program and curriculum review:
Employers and educators regularly review and approve career academies that lead to skilled employment in all the identified career sectors.

Industry standards and postsecondary opportunities:
All career academies and similar career- and interest-themed programs use appropriate industry-based standards and are linked to opportunities for postsecondary education and training.

Employers are actively engaged in guiding and supporting career academies and similar career- and interest-themed programs

Description:
As career academies grow, designated staff (“Career Sector Entrepreneurs”) are hired and deployed to maintain and expand employer engagement, support the region’s career academies, suggest updates to the master plan, and help convene Career Sector Advisory Teams.

Features:

Appropriate staff budgeting:
Career Sector Entrepreneurs are employed by either the school district or a community-based organization; the budget supports one entrepreneur for every two or three prioritized career sectors.

Guidance and support for career academies:
Career Sector Entrepreneurs help guide career academy activities, such as curriculum selection, development, and adaptation; technology support; guest speakers; field trips; job-shadowing and mentoring opportunities; student internships and teacher externships; community service opportunities; and scholarships.

Mobilizing career sector contacts:
Career Sector Entrepreneurs mobilize financial and volunteer support and obtain needed equipment from businesses within their designated career sectors.

Mobilizing Career Sector Advisory Teams:
Career Sector Entrepreneurs take responsibility for regularly convening the Career Sector Advisory Teams, and ensuring that meetings are conducted in a way that focuses on the strategic purpose of the team and respects the time of individual participants.

Entrepreneur selection criteria:
Career Sector Entrepreneurs are selected based on relevant business experience and a self-starting attitude, and are typically former businesspeople.

Parents, guardians, and key family members are actively engaged on behalf of student success

Description:
Parents, guardians, and other key family members (e.g., adult siblings, aunts and uncles, grandparents) play an important role in supporting students' educational achievement and postsecondary participation. In light of this reality, the education, business, and civic partners work together to develop and implement outreach strategies that specifically aim to build on inherent family strengths and enhance the capacity of families to support and improve students’ educational achievement.

Features:

Accessible, community-based outreach:
Especially for families that have not previously experienced positive school-home interactions, or for whom high school completion and college participation are new experiences, whenever possible outreach activities take place in community-based settings, such as community-centers, libraries, churches, and, where appropriate, homes of respected and trusted community members.

Academic support activities:
Parents, guardians, and other key family members are invited to participate in a structured and sustained engagement process that helps them understand the importance of higher education and college readiness, such as enrolling their children in rigorous academic and CTE courses in order to be well prepared for college courses. These engagement efforts build parents' understanding of academic course requirements, help parents take advantage of academic supports for students, and empower parents to interact effectively with teachers and school administrators.

Tutoring and career awareness activities:
Parents, guardians, and other key family members are invited to meetings that introduce career opportunities and explain how to use career planning tools (both print and online).

College planning, application, and financing:
Parents, guardians, and other key family members are involved in a process designed to build their understanding of the college search and college application process, including the transition from community colleges to four-year colleges and universities. Activities also help parents and students understand the variety of financial aid options available for students (particularly those students from low- or moderate-income families and first-generation college attendees). Parents and students receive assistance in filling out college application and financial aid forms.

The broader community is aware and actively engaged

Description:
The Master Plan Partnership and the Business-Civic Advisory Board make it an ongoing priority to raise awareness and engage students, parents, employers, postsecondary educators, and political leaders in active support for the district's high school redesign. These community leaders also actively participate to strengthen the management and leadership skills of education leaders, enrich the professional growth of teachers, and deepen the learning experience for students.

Features:

Local marketing plan:
The Business-Civic Advisory Board develops a marketing plan to build awareness, support, and active participation among parents, students, and the business and education communities.

External funding:
The Business-Civic Advisory Board identifies existing funding; seeks new funding from government, foundations, and private sources; and aligns those resources to the master plan.

Teacher externships:
Through coordination provided by Career Sector Entrepreneurs and Career Sector Advisory Teams, employers provide opportunities for teachers and school leaders to visit local employers, experience workplace expectations, and learn about key economic sectors.

Real-world learning opportunities:
Through the Business-Civic Advisory Board, community partners are called on to support a variety of real-world learning experiences for students, particularly for experiences that allow students to exercise leadership, apply their knowledge and skills in community- and employer-based settings, and demonstrate civic engagement.

Sharing management and organizational development professional experiences:
Business and civic organizations with management and organizational development expertise invite teachers and principals to participate in relevant professional learning experiences.

Stakeholders are mutually accountable for implementation of the master plan

Description:
The master plan is one of mutual accountability, in which everyone—students, teachers, administrators, families, and business and community partners—participates in collecting and reviewing data in order to measure progress, works collaboratively to build a climate of trust that welcomes the perspectives of all stakeholders, and maintains a commitment to continual learning and improvement.

Features:

Business members on evaluation teams:
Evaluation teams that review career- and interest-themed programs include business representatives.

Continual improvement:
Evaluations focus on regular, ongoing improvement of teaching and learning and of the high school redesign efforts.

Clear expectations:
The evaluation tool serves as an implied "contract" between the career academy leader, the school's administration, and the business community.

Success celebrated:
The community celebrates the successes of career- and interest-themed programs and shares evaluation results with stakeholders.

Review of business and civic leadership effectiveness:
Evaluation tools are developed to gauge the effectiveness of community and business support and engagement, including honest feedback from teachers and school leaders.