CLEVELAND TRANSFORMATION ALLIANCE AND CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

INFORMED SCHOOL CHOICE AND UNIVERSAL ENROLLMENT SYSTEM LAURA AND JOHN ARNOLD FOUNDATION GRANT PROPOSAL

FEBRUARY 2014

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CLEVELAND REQUEST FOR SUPPORT FROM THE LAURA AND JOHN ARNOLD FOUNDATION

SECTION I: NARRATIVE

Organization Background In late 2011, Frank G. Jackson, Mayor of the City of Cleveland, charged a small coalition of stakeholders including the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), the charter sector (Breakthrough Charter Schools), the business community (Greater Cleveland Partnership) and the philanthropic sector (The Cleveland Foundation and The George Gund Foundation) to develop a plan to fundamentally reinvent public education in Cleveland. The Mayor recognized two equally compelling dynamics. On the one hand, the school district and the charter sector had expanded the number of high-quality school options in Cleveland and were collaborating in unprecedented ways. More and more students were finding their way to new and innovative schools, most of which were achieving noteworthy results. On the other hand, the pace of change was not fast enough, nor deep enough to overcome the challenges facing the district: financial insolvency, outmoded and cumbersome work and employment rules, stagnant academic progress, declining enrollment, inadequate state oversight of charter school quality and insufficient incentives for high-quality charter schools to partner with the district. Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools was presented to Ohio’s governor and legislative leadership in February 2012. The plan is based on an emerging national model—the portfolio strategy—that is showing promising results in other cities across the country. Key characteristics of this approach include: citywide choices and options for all families, school autonomy, pupil-based funding, diverse support providers, talent-seeking strategy, extensive public engagement, and performance-based accountability for all schools. The plan details Cleveland’s proposed transition from a traditional, single-source school district to a new performance-based system of district and charter schools that work in partnership to create dramatic student achievement gains for every child. It is built upon growing the number of excellent schools in Cleveland, regardless of provider, and giving these schools autonomy over people, time and money in exchange for high accountability for performance. The goal of the Cleveland Plan is to ensure every child in Cleveland attends a high-quality school and every neighborhood has a multitude of great schools from which families can choose. Specifically, the plan calls for tripling the number of Cleveland students enrolled in high-performing schools (from the current 11,400 to 38,000) and eliminate failing schools by 2018. The Cleveland Plan has four interwoven strategies:

Grow the number of high-performing district and charter schools in Cleveland

and close and replace failing schools.

Focus district's central office on key support and governance roles and transfer authority

and resources to schools.

Create the Cleveland Transformation Alliance to ensure accountability for all

public schools in the city.

Invest and phase in high-leverage system reforms across all schools from preschool

to college and career.

Cleveland's Portfolio Schools Strategy

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Once the Cleveland Plan was introduced, Mayor Jackson, CMSD CEO Eric Gordon and an expanded coalition which included legislative leaders and the Cleveland Teachers Union, focused on putting in place the policy, financial and contractual conditions required to fully and authentically implement the Cleveland Plan. These efforts resulted in the following:

Groundbreaking Changes in State Policy: House Bill 525, signed into law in July 2012, provides the district with vastly increased flexibility and autonomy, particularly related to low-performing schools; modernizes employment practices (e.g. eliminates seniority as the sole factor in employment decisions, streamlines the dismissal process, phases out tenure, and provides for a performance-based evaluation and compensation system); promotes charter quality and collaboration (e.g. allows the CMSD to share local tax dollars with charter school partners); and establishes the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, a public-private partnership dedicated to growing a portfolio of high-performing district and charter schools.

Financial Stability: In November 2012, the voters of Cleveland convincingly passed Issue 107, the first successful levy in 16 years and the largest in the city’s history. The levy, which annually raises between $64–$70 million, is dedicated to implementing the Cleveland Plan with fidelity and enhancing partnerships with high-performing charter schools.

Contract Flexibility: In May 2013, more than 70 percent of teachers voted for a new three-year contract that both memorializes changes in state law and provides for enormous flexibility at the school level in support of the portfolio strategy. This includes 40 minutes more in the school day, increased instructional time, school specific class and calendar scheduling, flexibility in teacher scheduling, flexibility in class size, a new comprehensive principal and teacher evaluation system, and new teacher compensation structure.

These combined reforms are the most far-reaching reforms in the country. No other city has been able to achieve what Cleveland has achieved in so short a time, with full support of democrats, republicans, union, management, educators, philanthropy, business, community and parents. As a result, implementation of the Cleveland Plan is well underway. Key accomplishments to date include:

The redesign of CMSD’s central office is complete and reorganization is in progress, an effort supported by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and several other entities;

Key senior level positions have been filled, including the chief talent officer and chief portfolio officer, new positions created in the redesign effort;

The CMSD Portfolio Planning, Growth & Management office is established and first round of staffing (including a school choice and enrollment director) is almost complete;

Up to 12 new district and charter schools are slated to open in 2014 and 2015, over half of which are high schools;

Breakthrough Charter Schools and the CMSD are exploring a school turnaround relationship for elementary schools;

CMSD and Education Resource Strategies (ERS) have developed a school-based budgeting system that was piloted last year and is being fully implemented this year, along with clearly defined school autonomies;

IFF has completed a place-based analysis of school performance in Cleveland to inform district and charter facilities decisions across the city;

A Cleveland preschool coalition is finalizing plans to roll out universal high-quality preschool for all four-year-olds in the city;

New principals and teachers have been recruited under new work rules; Several national funders have committed to support to various aspects of the Cleveland Plan (i.e.

Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, the Jacobs Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation); Levy dollars have been distributed to 13 partnering charter schools; and The Transformation Alliance has been established, with the board appointed, executive director hired,

all legislative deadlines met, a pilot Right School Right Now choice campaign completed for 2013-14, and website and program development underway.

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Statement of Problem While much has been accomplished since the introduction of the Cleveland Plan, there are several critical areas that need immediate and deep attention. The most important of these is to transform Cleveland into a community of active and informed community school choosers and to design and phase in a robust common enrollment system. These two elements, coupled with growing the supply of high-quality schools are at the heart of realizing one of the major tenets of a portfolio system: providing citywide choices and options for all families. Currently, Cleveland parents do not have access to information they need to make active school choices based on quality and what schools offer for their children. There is no single source of information. Based on a recent survey we conducted in Cleveland, 80 percent of parents whose children attend low-performing district or charter schools do not know the rating of their schools. However, 77 percent of those interviewed indicated they would be “very likely” to move their student to a better school if they knew their child was attending a district or charter school rated a “D” or “F” by the state. In addition, enrollment processes across district and charter schools are disorganized, confusing and burdensome. Prior to the Cleveland Plan, the district did make some effort to alert families to citywide specialty and innovative schools through high school fairs, flyers, open enrollment notifications, etc. However, the majority of students are still assigned to schools in their neighborhoods because they don’t indicate a different choice. In terms of charter schools, each school is on its own to recruit and enroll students: for the consumer it is a confusing and hard to navigate labyrinth. Despite active recruitment efforts, there are many high-performing district and charter schools that are not fully enrolled. As we promote, expand and grow the number of excellent district and charter schools across the city, two essential bodies of work are needed. The first is to create an active and informed community of choosers, and the second is to develop a common enrollment system. With stabilizing enrollment in the district—a first in decades and primarily due to the increasing supply of high-quality schools—it becomes all the more important to have these systems in place. Project Description Creating a Community of Active and Informed School Choosers. Grant funds to the Cleveland Transformation Alliance will be used to reach families with school-aged children to dramatically affect and change school choice behavior. Specifically this grant will support the Alliance’s work to:

Develop, for the first-time, accessible, comprehensive, independent and user-friendly information on every public school choice in Cleveland;

Disseminate school choice information through a variety of vehicles and mediums including an interactive and mobile-optimized website, printed pieces and grassroots organizing;

Design a multi-faceted outreach campaign each year to change behavior and encourage families to become active and informed school choosers; and

Directly engage families, educators and the community in the work of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance through their participation in events, dialogues, and an ongoing campaign to actively “rate” their school via www.clevelandta.org.

Developing a Universal Enrollment System. Grant funds to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District will be used to develop a common enrollment and choice system for all public school children in the city as well as a CMSD specific performance framework to provide accurate information to parents about its schools. Specifically this grant will support the CMSD’s work to:

Assess the current system of enrollment and choice to ascertain how it is that students and their families access the various public schools in Cleveland;

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Design, implement, test and revise a new system that can accommodate district and charter school needs;

Engage charter partners to participate in the enrollment system; Develop CMSD performance scorecards that parents can use; Communicate and encourage families to use the new system; and Document and disseminate Cleveland’s shift towards a universal enrollment system.

Success Measures Creating a Community of Active and Informed School Choosers. The Cleveland Transformation Alliance will know its work is successful when:

CTA is the “go to” resource for school quality and choice information in Cleveland, demonstrated by 25,000 individual annual visitors to www.clevelandta.org by March 2016, rising 5% each year through 2020.

More parents/caregivers know the state’s rating for their child’s school. By 2016 CTA will increase this from currently only 20% to 40%, reaching 60% by 2020, measured by an annual phone survey.

Demand has risen for high-performing district and charter schools in Cleveland, demonstrated by first-time enrollment waiting lists at these schools.

CTA has sparked a movement of community engagement, demonstrated by robust “community ratings” populated by stakeholder participation on www.clevelandta.org, and measured by 75% of schools achieving a “community rating” by March 2016 and 100% by 2020 and beyond.

Developing a Universal Enrollment System. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District will know its work is successful when:

A universal enrollment system is in place which produces top tier choices for 95% of students and families;

Parents and students fully understand and are accessing and engaging effectively in the process for high-quality choice options;

CMSD charter schools are participating in the universal enrollment system; All high-performing district and charter schools are fully enrolled; and A report documenting the development of Cleveland’s universal enrollment system is nationally

disseminated and presented at The Council of the Great City Schools. Collaboration and Collective Impact. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District and the Cleveland Transformation Alliance will join forces to maximize the impact of their efforts. Key areas of collaboration will include the following:

Interconnected Websites: Cleveland parents visiting the Transformation Alliance website will be able to access not only school choice information, but also be able to interface with the universal enrollment system through dynamic linking between the two sites. A parent can learn the information from the TA, but with one click of a button, will be able to seamlessly and immediately enter the District’s enrollment process. Conversely, a parent on the District’s universal enrollment system will be seamlessly led to the TA website to cross-reference school performance data.

Analyze Impact: CMSD and the TA will work with a local consultant to design a process for measuring whether active users of TA and CMSD school information websites are choosing higher quality schools. The first analysis will be done in November 2015 and conducted annually for the next three years.

Comparable Organizations There is no comparable organization in Cleveland or even Ohio doing this work. However, we are well informed by efforts in Denver, New Orleans, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Newark and New York City, primarily through our relationship with the Institute for Innovation in Public School Choice. Its mission is to support school systems and their partner organizations in developing and maintaining transparent, equitable,

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and efficient enrollment systems and to continually improve the design of systems of choice through rigorous research. In addition, we have the full support of the Ohio Department of Education, the National and Ohio Association of Charter School Authorizers, and high-performing, local charter school operators, including Breakthrough Charter Schools. Geographic Area Cleveland, Ohio Amount Requested A two-year grant of $2.875 million is requested from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation: $1.375 million to the Cleveland Transformation Alliance and $1.5 million to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. A year-by-year breakdown for each request is outlined in the budgets. Timeline April 1, 2014 – March 31, 2016 Funding and Matching Amounts There are significant local and national funders investing in various elements of the Cleveland Plan as well as the work leading up to it. These include:

The Cleveland Foundation: $21.6 million (from 2007-2013) for new school development and support, district/charter capacity building, planning, talent development, state and local policy, and the Cleveland Transformation Alliance;

The George Gund Foundation: $17.3 million (from 2007-2013) for new school development and support, district/charter capacity building, planning, talent development, state and local policy, and the Cleveland Transformation Alliance;

Greater Cleveland Partnership: $4.5 million for the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, the November 2012 levy campaign and new schools start up

The Carnegie Corporation: $3.0 million (2013) to start-up two new high schools; and The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation: $1.3 million (2013) for school-based budgeting and school

turnaround efforts. Management/Key People Megan O’Bryan, executive director of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance will oversee Creating a Community of Active and Informed School Choosers. She is supported by a highly engaged board of directors chaired by the mayor and a staff that will include a director of school quality, director of policy and communications, and a school choice advocate. Eric Gordon, chief executive officer and Christine Fowler-Mack, chief portfolio officer of the CMSD, will lead Developing a Common Enrollment System. They are supported by a new school choice and enrollment director as well as additional district staff. Risks We have full confidence in these efforts, though two risks demand attention. First is the question of whether the supply of excellent schools can keep up with the demand we are seeking to create. We are working with IFF, a nonprofit lender and real estate consultant to capture the enrollment opportunities and capacity of high-performing seats across the city. We are also aggressively opening new schools across the city and expanding high-performing schools wherever possible. Second is the challenge of getting all charter schools on board. Ohio has very lax oversight of charter schools and up until the creation of the Cleveland Plan and the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, charters do not really see themselves as part of a citywide system. The Alliance and CMSD is making great strides in changing these perceptions.

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Alignment with LJAF Goals This work is Scalable on a nationwide level, as Cleveland is a city that can demonstrate how to put into place the fundamental conditions necessary to carry out and sustain the transformation of our schools: state and local political support, strong district leadership, stable funding, widespread community buy-in and, most critically, human capital reform through hard-fought changes in state law and local collective bargaining agreements. All of these efforts and accomplishments place Cleveland at the forefront of education reform. This work is Sustainable given the extraordinary commitment of Cleveland voters and the schools’ philanthropic and business partners; the leadership of our mayor and the school leaders; and the supportive policy, political and community environment we put into place through state legislation and local collective bargaining agreements. The work is Transformative in that Cleveland is committed to producing, attracting and retaining talent and, ultimately, remaining a city that thrives in a robust global economy. We are creating schools that prepare our young people to be successful and competitive in a radically changing world, and graduate students who are thinking about how to create jobs in the 21st century rather than simply thinking about how to find them. The Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools is our community’s commitment to that vision.

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SECTION II-A: SUMMARY

Organization Cleveland Transformation Alliance Amount Requested $1.375 million What: Description of Organization and Project The Cleveland Transformation Alliance’s mission is to ensure every child in the city attends an excellent school, and every neighborhood has a multitude of great schools from which families can choose. The Alliance is critical to ensuring the success of the Cleveland Plan, and serves as the newly created advocacy and accountability voice for school reform in our city. Created in 2012, the Alliance is chaired by Mayor Frank Jackson and governed by a 31-member board representing district, charter, city, foundation, union, and business leaders as well as parents and educators. The Alliance hired an executive director in July 2013, has met its legislative mandates outlined in HB 525, and is building its capacity to promote quality schools regardless of operator. The Alliance has four roles: 1) assess the quality of every district and charter school in Cleveland; 2) communicate to families about quality school choices; 3) ensure fidelity to the Cleveland Plan; and 4) monitor charter sector quality and growth. As outlined in the narrative, an investment from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation will be used by the Alliance to support a culture-transforming project: “Creating a Community of Active and Informed School Choosers.” Grant funds will be used to reach families with school-aged children at scale to dramatically affect and change school choice behavior. Specifically this grant will support the Alliance’s work to:

Develop, for the first-time, accessible, comprehensive, independent and user-friendly information on every public school choice in Cleveland;

Disseminate school choice information through a variety of vehicles and mediums including an interactive and mobile-optimized website, printed pieces and grassroots organizing;

Design a multi-faceted outreach campaign each year to change behavior and encourage families to become active and informed school choosers; and

Directly engage families, educators and the community in the work of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance through their participation in events, dialogues, and an ongoing campaign to actively “rate” their school via www.clevelandta.org.

A complementary grant to support Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s citywide enrollment effort is also needed to ensure that when families become active and engaged choosers, they can easily enroll in their school of choice, removing a current barrier that exists for families. Budget and Timeline

2013 2014 2015 2016 Current FY Operating Budget $353,710 $575,000 $612,200 $712,500

Project/New Initiatives Budget $781,834 $799,470 $196,501 (Jan-Mar)

Amount Repurposed from Existing Organization Funds $121,334 $161,970 $49,001

Amount Requested from Other Funders (Operating & Project) $610,500 $624,700 $735,000

Amount Requested from LJAF $625,000 $625,000 $125,000

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Who: Key Individuals Megan O’Bryan, executive director of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance will oversee Creating a Community of Active and Informed School Choosers. She is supported by a highly engaged board of directors chaired by the mayor and a staff that includes a director of school quality, director of policy and communications, and a school choice advocate. If this project is funded, a project manager will be supported by local foundations. Rationale The Cleveland Transformation Alliance is uniquely positioned to create a dramatic culture shift and create a transformational impact on the education landscape in our city (and beyond). The Alliance fills a critical void that has existed for decades in Cleveland, as there has been no third party organization advocating for accountability or creating demand for quality public schools. The Alliance offers a unique and promising strategy to create a “culture of school choice” in Cleveland, which currently does not exist. This creates a huge opportunity to move from apathy and disengagement to an active and informed constituency. The Cleveland Transformation Alliance has national implications and replication opportunities for reform-seeking communities across the country faced with similar and urgent challenges. As the Alliance implements its objectives to assess, communicate, ensure and monitor, it is building upon the current climate for change and growing capacity to become the bold advocacy voice envisioned by the Cleveland Plan. Funding for the Alliance supports the Arnold Foundation’s three “levers for reform” (more high quality schools and educators; active public engagement; creating an environment of innovation) and will usher in sweeping change to help ensure every child in Cleveland attends an excellent school. Outcomes

CTA is the “go to” resource for school quality and choice information in Cleveland, demonstrated by 25,000 individual annual visitors to www.clevelandta.org by March 2016, rising 5% each year through 2020.

More parents/caregivers know the state’s rating for their child’s school. By 2016 CTA will increase this from currently only 20% to 40%, reaching 60% by 2020, measured by an annual phone survey.

Demand has risen for high-performing district and charter schools in Cleveland, demonstrated by first-time enrollment waiting lists at these schools.

CTA has sparked a movement of community engagement, demonstrated by robust “community ratings” populated by stakeholder participation on www.clevelandta.org, and measured by 75% of schools achieving a “community rating” by March 2016 and 100% by 2020 and beyond.

Tax-exempt Status The Transformation Alliance is a 501(c)(3) public charity status (application pending and documentation attached).

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SECTION III-A: MILESTONES

Goals & Subcomponent Actions for Cleveland Transformation Alliance

April-Oct

2014

Oct-April 2015

April-Oct

2015

Oct-April 2016

Goal #1: Develop and disseminate accessible, comprehensive, independent and user-friendly information on every public school choice. Create 1st annual comprehensive city-wide school quality report card on all district and charter schools (revise/update annually). X X X

Create new website www.clevelandta.org, the vehicle for all school choice information and Alliance reports/communications. X

Publish 40,000 city-wide “Choose Your School” books and distribute to families throughout Cleveland (4/14, 1/15, 1/16). X X X

Recruit and train 30 Neighborhood Leadership Institute “School Choice Ambassadors” (grassroots organizers). (35 in 2nd year) X X

Goal #2: Design a multi-faceted, multi-media, nine-month outreach campaign each year to change behavior and encourage families to become active and informed “school choosers.” Launch final version of www.clevelandta.org and first citywide “report card” (2nd report issued 1/15; 3rd report issued 1/16). X X X

Reach out to media, including editorial boards, to secure earned media coverage. X X X X

Start “Choose Your School” multi-media choice campaign (4/14, 1/15, 1/16). X X X

Design, secure and run multi-media campaign ads. X X X X Build and formally engage 50+ community outreach partners at the city, ward and block levels. X X X

Hold “Unified for Quality Schools” board training needed to create/commit to shared vision/values for school choice work. X X X

Kick-off “School Choice Ambassadors” community organizing work (continues thru grant period) to educate families on how to navigate school choices.

X X X X

Host “Choose Your School” community partner event (4/14, 1/15, 1/16). X X X

“Choose Your School” direct mailers to 40,000 families with school-aged children in Cleveland (two mailings). X X X

Analyze campaign effectiveness and refine as needed. X X Goal #3: Involve families, educators and the community directly in the work of the Transformation Alliance. This includes broad participation in an ongoing campaign driving stakeholders to actively “rate” their school and other community engagement activities. Open “community rating” forum and encourage families and educators to log-on to www.clevelandta.org and “rate” their school. (Open 5/14 and continue throughout the grant.)

X X X

Hold focus groups throughout Cleveland to learn about school choice needs and issues from families, students, educators for market and program research.

X X X X

Reach 15,000/25,000 visitors to www.clevelandta.org X X

Achieve 1,000+ /2,000+ followers on Facebook X X Hold Alliance stakeholder/community meetings including “meet and greets” and “Alliance road shows” X X X X

Increase public attendance/participation at Alliance board meetings by 100% X

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SECTION IV-A: FINANCIALS

Transformation Alliance Operating Revenues FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 Contributions $353,710 $575,000 $612,000 $712,500 Earned revenue/program service fees $0 $0 $0 $0

Total Operating Revenue $353,710 $575,000 $612,000 $712,500 Transformation Alliance Operating Expenses

Salaries & Related Expenses $134,063 $286,500 $362,000 $425,000 Professional Services $176,900 $223,000 $150,000 $175,000 Meetings, Travel & Development Expenses $14,798 $12,800 $25,000 $27,000 Equipment and Office Expenses $13,000 $14,250 $21,500 $23,500 Rent and Related Expenses $6,250 $12,850 $18,700 $23,500 Administrative and Other Expenses $8,700 $25,600 $35,000 $38,500

Total Operating Expenses $353,711 $575,000 $612,200 $712,500 LJAF Funds Requested for Operating Support $0 $0 $0 $0

Transformation Alliance Project Expenses FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 Organization Capacity Building

Board development $10,000 $5,000 $2,500 Staff Professional Development $15,000 $15,000 $0 Stipend for Graduate Assistant/Intern $18,000 $25,000 $5,000

Marketing Interactive and creative firm(s): website, maintenance, updates $150,000 $75,000 $25,000 Multimedia buys (radio, TV, web, transit ads, billboards, kiosks) $150,000 $150,000 $25,000 "Choose Your School" Books (40,000+) design and printing $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 Printing, other school choice pieces $10,000 $18,000 $2,500 Direct mail costs $25,000 $30,000 $0

Outreach and Engagement Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (outreach implementation) $35,000 $35,000 $0 Community Forums and Meetings $7,500 $10,000 $2,500 Choose Your School Kick Off and Events $10,000 $15,000 $15,000 Neighborhood Leadership ("Ambassadors" training, coordination) $60,000 $60,000 $0 Stipends for School Choice Ambassadors $60,000 $70,000 $0

Research and Data Analysis Civic Commons Community Feedback $0 $14,500 $0 Focus Groups $15,000 $15,000 $5,000 Triad Research (family/stakeholder surveys, research, evaluation) $45,000 $50,000 $15,000

Staff Expenses (Other Funders) Executive Director @ 20% $18,750 $25,000 $6,250 Director of School Quality, Policy & Communications @ 20% $12,750 $17,000 $4,250 School Choice Advocate @ 100% $31,500 $42,000 $10,500 School Choice Project Manager @ 100% $49,750 $65,000 $16,250 Program Assistant @ 20% $5,700 $7,600 $1,900 Rent and related @ 10% $964 $1,870 $588 Office and Admin @ 10% $1,920 $3,500 $9263

Total Project Expenses $781,834 $799,470 $196,501 LJAF Funds Requested for Project Expenses $625,000 $625,000 $125,000 Staff/Admin Expenses (Other Funders) $121,334 $161,970 $49,001 Other funds for Project TBA $35,500 $12,500 $22,500 Total Project Expenses: $1,777,805 Total Request from LJAF: $1,375,000

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Budget Narrative Board development: Board facilitation process to strengthen collaboration among Alliance board

members to create full buy-in for school choice work and successfully stand “Unified for Quality Schools.”

Staff professional development: Related conferences and travel to other communities with organizations doing similar/model work.

Graduate assistant/intern: Partnership with a local university to employ an intern who will document the strategies and work plans of this project for replication.

Interactive/creative firm: Build-out, maintenance and revision of www.clevelandta.org, the website portal for “Choose Your School,” the “Community Rating” component and all Alliance communications. The site will be highly sophisticated, interactive, and mobile-optimized for many search and comparing functions.

Multimedia buys: Represents a budget to truly infuse Cleveland families with the “Choose Your School” message. Will include transit ads, kiosks, billboard, radio, television and web.

“Choose Your School Books:” Just under half of Cleveland families surveyed said they would use the web for school choice information; to reach other families, 40,000 citywide school choice books will be printed and distributed via libraries, schools and recreation centers.

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress: The Alliance will contract with this organization that represents a network of community development corporations to create and conduct neighborhood-based marketing, outreach and mobilization.

Community Forums: The Alliance will conduct a variety of community meetings to engage with different stakeholders.

Campaign Kick-off and other Events: Costs related to kick-off activities including press conferences, school leader receptions and community-based events.

Neighborhood Leadership Institute: The Alliance will contract with this organization that trains community organizers and develops grassroots leaders to recruit and train “School Choice Ambassadors,” who will connect one-on-one with families and organizations to help them navigate complex school issues and decisions.

Stipends for “School Choice Ambassadors:” Community organizers will be paid a stipend of $2,000 each and will commit to a determined number of meetings and contacts. (Seek to have 30 organizer first year and 35 the second year.)

Civic Commons: The Alliance will contract with this organization that uses social media and social networking to engage and empower citizens to help create a dialogue that can be used to measure and enhance the school choice work of the Alliance.

Focus groups: Utilized throughout the project specifically for market research. The Alliance will include student voices in its focus groups.

Triad Research Group: This group conducted a phone survey of 900 CMSD families for the Alliance in June 2013 used to inform messaging and as baseline data. Triad will help evaluate this project and will customize their research to meet any needs and interests of the Alliance.

Staff Expenses: Directly related to the project’s success, but are being contributed by other funders to the Transformation Alliance including the Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation and the Kent Smith Foundation. Rent, office and administration expenses, as well as executive director and program assistant time for this project will be funded from the Alliance’s operating budget. Three new positions will be added to the Alliance in April of 2014: director of school quality, policy and communications; school choice advocate (part-time); and school choice project manager.

Audit: The Cleveland Transformation Alliance is pursuing its first audit for FY 2013. The 501(c)(3) is pending, thus please find attached the 2012 audit of our fiscal agent, Cleveland Development Foundation, a subsidiary of Greater Cleveland Partnership. Fiscal Year for Cleveland Transformation Alliance in January through December and proposed project year/term is April 2014 through March 2016.

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SECTION II-B: SUMMARY

Organization Cleveland Metropolitan School District Amount Requested $1.5 million What: Description of Organization and Project The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) is Ohio’s second largest urban district, with a population of approximately 40,000 students. The CMSD has a diverse student population, comprised of 68 percent African-American, 14 percent Latino and 15 percent white. Almost 24 percent of students receive special education services, 6 percent receive multilingual services, 100 percent receive free/reduced lunch, and nearly 3,000 students are homeless. The district operates 69 elementary schools and 26 high schools. Since 2006, the district and local foundations have worked to create a portfolio of excellent schools in Cleveland, autonomous in their operations and accountable for student success. This strategic initiative resulted in the creation of 14 new, semi-autonomous district “innovative schools” and 13 high-performing charter schools working in partnership with the district. These schools, as a cohort, are outperforming traditional district schools. Among the district offerings are five single sex schools, the only STEM school in the nation located on a Fortune 500 Campus, Ohio’s first New Tech high schools, an Early College High School with the highest student performance index in the state, the first K-12 International Bachelorette School located on the campus of Cleveland State University, and the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, which has had, since its first graduating class, a 100 percent graduation and college acceptance rate. This upcoming year will bring the first Bard High School Early College in the state, a new Digital Arts high school, and two new schools to replace a failing comprehensive high school. The CMSD is the only district in the state that has a robust partnership with high-performing charter schools based upon the rigorous National Association of Charter School Authorizers’ standards. Thirteen charter schools are sponsored by or partnered with the CMSD, several of which are in buildings either leased or purchased from the district. With the passage of the recent school levy, CMSD began sharing local levy proceeds with its partnering high-performing charter schools: a first in the country. As outlined in the narrative, an investment from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation will be used to develop a common enrollment and choice system for all public school children in the city as well as a CMSD specific performance framework to provide accurate information to parents about its schools. Specifically this grant will support CMSD’s work to:

Assess the current system of enrollment and choice to ascertain how it is that students and their families access the various public schools in Cleveland;

Design, implement, test and revise a new system that can accommodate district and charter school needs;

Engage charter partners to participate in the enrollment system; Develop CMSD performance scorecards that parents can use; Communicate and encourage families to use the new system; and Document and disseminate Cleveland’s shift towards a universal enrollment system.

Further, CMSD is willing to make publicly available any/all infrastructure and design elements of the public-facing part of this UE system, except for the algorithm/proprietary components, so that other schools can access and leverage this work to develop their own systems.

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Budget and Timeline 2013 2014 2015 2016 Current FY Operating Budget $605 million $693 million $706 million $715.2 million

Project/New Initiatives Budget $2,272,490 $2,419,490

Amount Repurposed from Existing Organization Funds $474,490 $474,490

Amount Requested from Other Funders (Operating & Project) $TBD $TBD

Amount Requested from LJAF $655,000 $845,000 $0 Who: Key Individuals Eric Gordon, chief executive officer and Christine Fowler-Mack, chief portfolio officer of the CMSD, will lead Developing a Common Enrollment System. They are supported by Morgan Hall, Executive Director of School Performance and Kevin Alin, new school choice and enrollment director, and additional district staff. Rationale The Cleveland Metropolitan School District, as a result of the Cleveland Plan, is embracing the portfolio strategy. This requires the District to move towards a common enrollment system and insure families have accurate information about our schools. The CMSD’s current enrollment system is not organized to provide parents or students with the mechanism to make informed enrollment decisions, nor does it include any Charter schools. Many high-performing schools (district and charter) are not fully enrolled, and many have the physical space to expand. Outcomes

A universal enrollment system is in place which produces top tier choices for 95 % of students and families;

Parents and students fully understand and are accessing and engaging effectively in the process for high-quality choice options;

CMSD charter schools are participating in the universal enrollment system; All high-performing district and charter schools are fully enrolled; and A report documenting the development of Cleveland’s universal enrollment system is nationally

disseminated and presented at The Council of the Great City Schools. Tax-exempt Status The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is a Local Education Agency (documentation attached).

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SECTION III-B: MILESTONES

Goals & Subcomponent Actions April - Sept 2014

Oct - March 2015

April -Sept 2015

Oct - March 2016

…

Goal #1: CMSD will complete a comprehensive assessment of current enrollment processes and produce a report that describes the current state of enrollment and choice in Cleveland’s public schools.

• By April 2014, hire consultant to guide comprehensive assessment

X

• By June 2014, CMSD will identify policy issues that must be addressed and operational problems within the current system, and offer options and recommendations regarding each

X

• By July 2014, CMSD will identify options and offer recommendations to CMSD Senior Leadership and Board for moving successfully to an efficient, equitable, and transparent enrollment system

X

Goal #2: CMSD will build a citywide Universal Enrollment System (UE), utilizing market design principles to create the appropriate algorithm with corresponding data system alignment and integration.

Develop Market Design • By May 2014, CMSD will hire consultant to provide

technical assistance in developing UE system X

• By June 2014, establish and convene a broad-based Working Group comprised of school leaders and stakeholders to review, refine, and support School Choice in Cleveland

X

• By July 2014, CMSD will identify best practices from other systems that can be incorporated into Cleveland

X

• By December 2014, CMSD will engage all school operators to determine how to meet individual school needs

X

• By December 2014, synthesize findings and propose draft set of market design policies

X

• By January 2015, align internal CMSD policies with new UE system

X

• By January 2015, finalize market design policies X • By March 2015, conduct a soft launch of new UE system

with a targeted constituency X

Create Technological Infrastructure • By July 2014, identify firm to build UE Technology X • By October 2014, Working Group approves of user

interface X

• By December 2014, UE underlying technology development

X

• By February 2015, linking of user interface to underlying SIS systems and algorithm

X

• By March 2015, pilot the new UE system for families entering Kindergarten and ninth grade

X

• By November 2015, review effectiveness and efficiency of UE system pilot and begin refinement

X

Build Organizational Capacity • By April 2014, research UE office organizational structure

in other cities X

• By August 2014, draft UE office proposal and solicit X

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stakeholder feedback • By January 2015, create UE office X • By January 2016, finalize UE office structure X • By March 2016, implement comprehensive enrollment

system for all choosers

X

• By November 2014, draft and review marketing strategy and refine through focus group feedback

X

• By January 2015, launch UE marketing campaign X Goal #3: Gain 50% of Charter participation in UE System by 2016

• By June 2014, CMSD leaders, Charter partners, and community stakeholders convene to explore and identify the conditions for charter participation in UE

X

• By February 2015, CMSD and Charter partners conduct site visit to other cities to review UE system

X

• By March 2015, secure commitment from CMSD charter partners to participate in UE system.

X

• By September 2015, expand the number of charter partners using UE system

X

Goal #4: Develop scorecards and website on how CMSD schools are performing • By January 2015, hire consultant to develop CMSD

scorecards X

• By February 2015, scorecards designed X • By May 2015, train community/parents to understand

scorecards in making school choice decisions X

• By September 2015, drive families to the enrollment system by including information at all CMSD Family and Community events and neighborhood festivals.

X X

• By November 2015, review, analyze, and report on how TA and CMSD interoperable websites are driving demand for quality school choice.

X

Goal #5: CMSD will document entire Cleveland UE project and disseminate publication, highlighting challenges and best practices of this project.

• By October 2014, hire consultant to document the process and outcomes of this UE project

X X

• By March 2016, publish and publicly disseminate report/White Paper on Cleveland UE project.

X

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SECTION IV-B: FINANCIALS

CMSD Project Expenses FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 Professional Fees

Feasibility Study by Institute for Innovation in Public School Choice (IIPSC) (Cleveland Foundation) $43,000

Urban Policy Development $105,000 $105,000 KSA Plus $130,000 Web-based user interface $225,000 $225,000 Institute for Innovation in Public School Choice (IIPSC) $150,000 $150,000 Marketing/communications $125,000 $125,000 Documentation $25,000 $25,000 CMSD/Charter UE Facilitation $25,000 $25,000 Strategic Community Engagement $100,000 $75,000 School Choice Analysis (Other Funders) $25,000 Evaluation $50,000

Hardware/Software (Other Funders) Family Enrollment Stations/Access Points $450,000 $500,000 Additional Hardware/Software $550,000 $500,000

Travel Staff Travel $10,000

Staff Expenses (Other Funders) Chief Portfolio Officer @ 30% $91,540 $91,540 Executive Director of School Performance @ 50% $72,450 $72,450 School Choice And Enrollment Director @ 100% $117,300 $117,300 Enrollment Specialist 2@100% $193,200 $193,200

Total Project Expenses $2,272,490 $2,419,490 $0 LJAF Funds Requested for Project Expenses $655,000 $845,000 $0 Staff Expenses (Other Funders) $474,490$ $474,490 $ Total Project Expenses: $4,691,980 Total Request from LJAF: $1,500,000

Budget Narrative for LJAF Request: Year 1

Urban Policy Development for project management technical assistance around data system alignment and integration. Funds will also be used to support training for parents, students, and stakeholders. Cost: $105,000.

Technical expertise from a firm to be determined to develop web-based user interface (for inputting, managing, and exporting data –a website where people can browse schools, enter choices, create demand reports, etc.). Cost: $225,000.

Institute for Innovation in Public School Choice for market design & technology. Cost: $150,000. Marketing/communications firm to be determined, to reach largest audience and broadcast new common

enrollment system. Cost: $125,000. Documentarian, capturing all aspects of this project, with intent to publish process and disseminate to

larger public audience. Cost: $25,000. Consultant to facilitate conversations between CMSD and Charter schools around UE System. Cost:

$25,000. At 69 CMSD K-8 Schools, CMSD will develop Family Enrollment Stations/Access Points to help

incoming high school students navigate the new universal enrollment system. Each school will have an average of 3 computers. This will cover associated connectivity cost (high speed broadband), Hardware wireless access points, computer kiosks, central server, copy machine, security infrastructure,

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proprietary software/licenses, new media applications and software development at an average cost of $6,500/site. Cost: $450,000, to be covered by other funding sources.

Additional hardware/software supporting the underlying UE system and its integration with existing data sets and other systems. Includes firewall infrastructure, data redundancy systems, authentication and security processes, server/architecture modernization and other upgrades. Cost: $550,000, to be covered by other funding sources.

Budget Narrative for LJAF Request: Year 2

Urban Policy Development for project management technical assistance around data system alignment and integration. Funds will also be used to support training for parents, students, and stakeholders. Cost: $105,000.

KSA Plus to develop CMSD specific school scorecards, website for scorecards, focus group testing and translations of scorecards. Cost: $130,000.

Technical expertise from a firm to be determined to develop web-based user interface (for inputting, managing, and exporting data –a website where people can browse schools, enter choices, create demand reports, etc.). Cost: $225,000.

Institute for Innovation in Public School Choice for market design & technology. Cost: $150,000. Marketing/communications firm to be determined, to reach largest audience and broadcast new common

enrollment system. Cost: $125,000. Documentarian, capturing all aspects of this project, with intent to publish process and disseminate to

larger public audience. Cost: $25,000. Consultants will be hired to conduct strategic UE soft launches in targeted communities to identify

needed improvements to user experience through a market research approach that results in customization to UE programming and user-interface. Cost: $25,000.

Consultant will be hired to design a process for measuring whether active users of TA and CMSD school information websites are choosing higher quality schools. Cost: $25,000, to be covered by other funding source.

Local researchers to evaluate process after Year 1. Cost: $50,000. Site Visits to see comparable UE Systems. Cost: $10,000 At 30 Cleveland neighborhood community sites, such as Cleveland Public Libraries and Cleveland

Recreation Centers, CMSD will develop Family Enrollment Stations/Access Points in the community to help all choosers navigate the new universal enrollment system. Each site will have an average of 4 computers. This will cover associated connectivity cost (high speed broadband), Hardware wireless access points, computer kiosks, central server, copy machine, security infrastructure, proprietary software/licenses, new media applications, software development and rent at an average cost of $10,000/site. Additional reinvestment and expansion at school sites. $200,000. Cost: $500,000, to be covered by other funding sources.

Additional hardware/software supporting the underlying UE system and its integration with existing data sets and other systems. Includes firewall infrastructure, data redundancy systems, authentication and security processes, server/architecture modernization and other upgrades. Cost: $500,000, to be covered by other funding sources.