THE PROMISE CHURCH INITIATIVE

MOBILIZING THE VILLAGE TO SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS

CHAMPAIGN UNIT 4 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING2-12-2017

BY KAREN CRAWFORD SIMMS

THE PROMISE ZONE - PROMISE

Imagine a community where every student feels supported by a village,

comprised of their schools, congregations, communities, and families.

Imagine every student having a vision of success that helps them

achieve their highest academic, interpersonal, and vocational goals.

Imagine an entire community working together to ensure that every

student and family in their community is personally, emotionally,

spiritually, vocationally and academically successful!

This is the vision of the Promise Church Initiative!

THE PROMISE ZONE

A set of objectives that are evidence based

and based on best practices that is data-

driven & outcome based.

Builds on Consent Decree – Great

Campus Scoping Study

“Full Service School Model”

Reflective of the District/District

Priorities

Community Schools

Student Success

“Community Success”

MISSION OF THE DISTRICT

“Champaign Unit #4 School District, in partnership with

the community, is to guide all students in gaining

knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to direct

their lives, improve a diverse society, and excel in a

changing world by providing dynamic, resource-rich

learning environments & experiences in which people

and life learning are valued.”

BEST PRACTICES

Community Schools Initiative

Cradle to Career Readiness

Developmental Assets/ Risk & Protective Factors-

Resiliency Building

Compassionate Schools

Scholar Identity – Gilman Whiting & Donna Ford

'Community building must become the heart of any school improvement effort.

Thomas Sergiovanni

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS THE HEART OF THE MODEL

Students are healthy - physically,

socially, and emotionally

Students live and learn in a safe,

supportive, and stable

environment

Schools are engaged with

families and communities

The communities are desirable

places to live

Children are ready to enter

school and attend school

consistently

Students are actively involved in

learning and their community

Families are involved with their

children's education

Students succeed academically

Community Schools are Smart Schools

Most people think of schools today as serving a single purpose: a

binary, analog-system of delivery - teachers teach and students learn.

Community schools are more akin to smart phones. Schools and

communities connect, collaborate, and create. Children and families

have an array of supports from community partners right at their school.

Communities and schools leverage their shared physical and human

assets to help kids succeed.

Community schools contain a host of built-in opportunities and

supports that give students and parents all the tools they need to learn

and grow.

THE WHOLE CHILD APPROACH

Each child, in each school, in each of our

communities deserves to be healthy, safe,

engaged, supported, and challenged. That's

what a whole child approach to learning,

teaching, and community engagement

really is.

RESILIENCY BUILDING: STRENGTHENING HEARTS AND MINDS

1. Builds and strengthens their networks of

supports – caring adults

2. Strong and invested relationships

3. Encourages goal orientation with

scaffolded supports

4. Let's them know it's okay to ask for help

5. Builds executive functioning

6. Encourages mindful practices

7. Values youth/student voice – let’s them talk

8. Encourages creativity and play

9. Builds feelings of competence

10. Nurtures optimism

11. Teaches them to face fear - but with support

12. Teaches them how to re frame

13. Models resiliency

14. Builds trust in others /and themselves

15. Meets them where they are

16. Teaches problem solving

AFRICAN AMERICAN SCHOLAR IDENTITY MODEL

GILMAN WHITING – MALE DONNA FORD - FEMALE

CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE & SUSTAINABLE

Internal

Love of Learning

Strong Cultural Identity

Comfort in “One’s Own Skin”

Delayed Gratification – A Willingness to Make Sacrifices

Internal Locus of Control

Self-Awareness

Affect Regulation

A Desire for Success

External

Strong Family

A Supportive Community

Mentors

A Supportive and Nurturing School

Resources

THE PROMISE CHURCH EFFORT

The Promise Church Initiative is designed to help individuals, families, schools, and

other groups develop a shared vision of achievement and success for students and their

families. This shared vision ‘housed’ in a plan that is designed to look at a student’s

needs from a “whole child” approach. The goal of the effort is to keep African

American youth and other marginalized children safe, healthy, engaged, and thriving at

home, at school, in neighborhoods and communities, and in the larger society. The effort

is designed to ensure that each student in a targeted area is surrounded by a village of

support that can help guide, motivate celebrate, and support their successes. It is also

hoped that the effort will connect success-oriented young people with each other,

supporting and nurturing an African American scholarly community.

WHO’S IN THE PROMISE ZONE

A Promise Community – in a “Promise Zone”

composed of:

Promise Church(es)/Congregations

Promise Schools

Promise Mentors

Promise Families

Promise Scholars

Organized to Help A Student and their Family achieve health, resilency,

success, and wellness!

PROMISE CHURCH’S TARGET POPULATION

African American students and their families (especially

those who are underrepresented in gifted & talented and AP

and honors programming.

Ideally bounded by geography and community

connectedness

The faith community & congregations located in those

traditionally under resourced communities

The communities and neighborhoods where these students

and families traditionally reside

CORE ELEMENTS OF THE PROMISE CHURCH PROCESS

Meetings

Trainings

Leadership Development

Resources & Information

Evaluation and Assessment – a vigorous

CQI process

Community Events and Community

Education

Ongoing School & Community

Collaborations

Engaged congregations: identifying supports

and resources for families, scholars &

mentors

Family Driven Holistic Promise Plans & Goals

Strong School and Family Connectedness –

Collaboration and Coordination

Strong Community Development and

Engagement focused on supporting the

success of all students.

Leadership Engagement and Development

THE PROMISE PLAN

Based on the Individual Success Plan or Success Plan Model

Slowly becoming the ‘ Gold Standard” “

A key challenge facing educators within this new agenda is implementing supports and

activities that ensure all students graduate with the skills and knowledge needed to

enter the workforce or complete a postsecondary training certificate or degree.

Emerging research has led stakeholders from various perspectives to argue that

engaging in the development of learning plans may improve outcomes for students

transitioning from high school to college and careers." Massachusetts Rennie Center

Brief: https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/cte/pdf/studentlearningplans.pdf for

Students 6-12 Grade

For More Information: http://www.renniecenter.org/sites/default/files/2017-01/ILPs.pdf

A PROMISE PLAN

A PROMISE

A PLAN

• a method for achieving an end

• an often customary method of doing

something

• a detailed formulation of a program of

action

• an orderly arrangement of parts of an

overall design or objective

• a detailed program

Miriam Webster Online Dictionary

9

•

a declaration that one will do or

refrain from doing something

specified

a legally binding declaration that

gives the person to whom it is made a

right to expect or to claim the

performance or forbearance of a

specified act

a reason to expect something;

especially : ground for expectation of

success, improvement, or excellence

Something that is promised

USES S.M.A.R.T. GOALS

What Are Smart Goals?:

Specific – think of only one thing/goal you want to accomplish?

Measurable – how will you measure if you reach your goal?

Achievable – can you reach that goal within your time period. (Stretching is good)

Relevant – is this important to you now and why is it important?

Time-bound – when will your goal be achieved?

All About Me:GoalsDreams

StrengthsFamily

My Social and Emotional Goal

My Spiritual Goal

My Cultural Goal

My Recreational Goal

My Health and Wellness Goal

My Educational Goal

OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE INITIATIVE

Congregation based “mobile” promise libraries & resource centers

Arts, culture, media, and technology efforts

Leadership and small business development activities in the ‘zone’

Training opportunities to for educational advocacy and civic

engagement

Pre-natal and early childhood efforts

Special events

Health and wellness programming

And more.

PARTNERS

Champaign Unit 4 Schools

ROOT CAUSES

The Pastor’s Council

Meridian K Consulting & Counseling Services

The University of Illinois – Psychological Services Center

United Foundation for Arts and Technology

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