CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

Octooor 7, 2013

From

Multiple Study

Agencies of the

to a Multi-Agency Kennedy C1uster

Team'

A Case

Project

yO"

.i;GOMERY

COUNTY, MAFIY

toe

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KENNEDY CLUSTER
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\1t1nigi1m1..:ry Cilmty Lxccouvcs t lllicc

MontgmTlt..'T) County

Department

Working Together to Close the Achievement Gap

Prepared

by C1ere Keller

September

2013

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

Executive

Summary

The racial/ethnlc root

gap in academic achievement is a long-standing concern gap are better

and

in education.

Some that

of the

causes of the American

vv l-r er-e

understood
students

by examining tow-income

the

issues and challenges many

to Of

confront
live

African

Hispanic

from

r a rn tu ea,

vvno rn
the

also

in

households

English is a second

language.

In these
with

situations,

solutions

closing

achievement

gap must include access to a broader range

or

services than are available through local agencies to overcome

a school system.

As

result, school systems increaslngfy are partnering achievement Montgomery Project. for disadvantaged County Public students.
This

barriers to academic

case study describes the results of a per-t ner shl o between and Montgomery County agencies-the Kennedy C1uster

Schools

(MCPS)

MCPS

initiated

the

Kennedy

C1uster Project

in

2007

to

identify

and address the

root. causes of the

achievement the focus

gap in

MCPS.

Schoots In the Kennedy High School t'eec er area (cluster} were selected as Kennedy cluster were schools enrolled large percentages of Arrican

of' the

project

because the

Amef"ican and Hispanic students, primary language, or both. families

many of' whom

poor or lived in homes where Spanish was the multi.. agency team representatives provided to

The Kennedy C1uster Project educational

st:.udents and their

resources tn and out of' school as well as access to health care, programs1 and many other social services.

housing, financial assistance, legal aid,

recreational

Although

the achievement

gap has not closed for Kennedy cluster students, to positive academic outcomes

there

is

evidence that the at-risk students

Kennedy C1uster Project

has contributed

for individual

and for the Kennedy cluster schools overall.

Some encouraging

academic 'findings are:

Graduation Kennedy

rates

among

African

American

and

Hispanic

students

at

High School increased

over the past three years.

rate narrovved over rates of African and Asian

The racial/ethnic the past three American students. and

gap in the high school graduation

years as improvements Hispanic students

in the graduation those

outpaced

of White

Anecdotal contributed

evidence

suggested that

Kennedy

Ciuster

Project

activities

to the high school past two

graduatlon dropout than

of' some ee-r-tssc students, rate the of Hispanic students high at

Over

the

years, the

Kennedy dropout

High School VV'aS lower rate 'for Hispanic students. evidence

overall

MCPS

school

Anecdotal

suggested that

Kennedy

C1uster Project dropping out.

.activities

helped to prevent some at-risk students from Over the past two

y ears, the

mobility

rates

of' Arrican

Amerlcan

and

Hispanic students

who attended

Kennedy High Schoof were lower than and Hispanic students, C1uster Project and activities school

the overall rates for Anecdotal reduced students evidence residential

MCPS

African American

suggested that mobility

Kennedy

among

elementary

middle

by making it easier For low-income neighborhoods.

end homeless f'amilies to

stay in their

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

School counselors reported

that the Kennedy

C1uster Project activities

improved
marks.

students'

attendance.

classroom

performance,

and course

In addition team

to

'fostering root

achievement of the

among

African gap

American

and

Hispanic access to

students, services

the that

multi-agency foster at-risk

addressed

causes

achievement

by Facilitating

students'

likelihood of success despite the odds. So me exam pies of the multi-agency contributions
Montgomery
l rr attendance

are:

County
of

Department
cluster

of Recreation
students at

staff

reported

increases
and extra-

Kennedy

recreational

curricular programs. Many

scope students of vvhat received was eve mental at the health school

services
level.

that

were

beyond

the

n ee t e

Kennedy Custer Project interventions

feelings
factors

increased
academic

students'
three
performance.

and families

of

hope, wellbeing,
are highly correlated

and engagement,
vvlth

socio.... emotional

that

An unintended
the partners high

positive consequence of the

at no additional cost to

Kennedy

Ctuster Project was

agencies.

professional

development team

for

MCPS

or the

county

The

multi-agency

has a shared

vision,

levels

of

trust

and

interdependence

among

members,

and

creative

problem-solving

approaches to service delivery.

and community-based day. resources

Better
and

com municatlon resulted in more ef"ftcient

services to students and their families

delivery of educational
during and beyond the

school

Some

examples

are'.
C1uster Project
barriers multi-agency and team collaboration the school reduced system and

The Kennedy
communicatlon county

between agencies,

among

e pe r-c

rne nr s

and

The other

team to

members help resolve

have

built

a professional
and problems

network for

and

call

on

each

questions

students

and families,

School agency

counselors services

increased

their

awareness

of

how

to

access

local

directly.

Counselors many agency

are

better and

able

to can

link

families

to

specific the

services need f'or

so that

students meeting.

families

be served

without

mutti-

fn

Montgomery

County,

the

achievement past f'ive

gap years,

is the

no

longer

merely C1uster

an

educational

problem. to

It

is

community

problem.

Over

the

Kennedy

Project

has contributed

success

for individual
done to close

students, their
the the achievement gap

families;
gap.

and their But results

community,
of the case

one case at a time.

study provide strong

More

work

needs to be
that progress

evidence

in narrowing

Is possible

through

multi-agency

collaboration.

CONFIDENTIAL WORf\ING DRAFT

Background

On

average,

Arrican
than

American
white

and and

Hispanic Asian

students

pe r-f'car- rn

lower

on

measures
Or"

or

academic

achievement

do their

counterparts.

The

performance

differences,

achievement

gaps, are evident

gaps have had

as ear-l y as Grade
success.

and persist through

to the root

Grade

12.

School-based

efforts

to close the
a broader

some

But

solutions

causes

of the

achievement

gaps

require

range of ser-v tc es than those delivered during the school day.

Research

shows that

students benefit when their

student academic

schools, fa m ttt ee, and communities

work 'together.
relationships

One reason f'or this and

r-e

is that

success is inf'tuenced simultaneously

by the

so u r-c es available

through

their

homes, schools, and community Montgomery County

environments

(Bryan,

2QQ5;

Coleman, Jerry

1987;

Epstein,

1995). In 2007,

Public Schools {MCPS) Superintendent County government to propose

D.

Weast

met vvlth stakeholders

from

MCPS

and Montgomery

formation

of a collaborative

partnership-the

Kennedy C1usterProject-to

ee c ress j o t nury root causes of

racial/ethnic

diff'er"'ences in academic achievement.

Kennedy Cluster Schools

The Kennedy cluster of approximately

4,900
"through

students

Includes

Kennedy

High School

as well
to

as two Bel Pre

middfe schools and four elementary schools in the Kennedy High School service area (cluster). Eiementary School serves students Grade

2,

after

which

they

articulate

St:rathmore

Elementary School for Grades and Strathmore Grade

3 to 5.

The majority of Grade

5 students

at Georgian Forest, G1enallent Schools, In turn, a rnajortuy of

E~ementary Schools articulate to Argyle and Lee Middle

8 students

at Argyle and Lee Middle Schools al""t.iculate to Kennedy High Schoof.

At

the time the

project

began in

2007,

the Kennedy cluster

enrolled

the largest percentage The enrollment

of African
pattern has

Amer"'icanstudents in MCPS and a growing population continued thl"'ough

e r Hispanic students.

2013.

Compared with

MCPS
OT"'

students overall, Kennedy ci ust.er school enrollees ere Hispanic (Table

significantly more likely to be African American

l}.

Table

1
by Race/Ethn;c;ty

MCPS2013 Omc;a1

Enrollment

%Afr;can Am.
School

% Hispanic
School

vs.
Level Etem e rrce r-y School School

MCPS Be1 P,.,

Georgian Gtenellen
Streit.h

For-e s e

more

2013 20.1 44.7 29.3 36.5 44.7 21.6 37.7 32.6 22.3 37.8

MCPS
+24.6 +9.2 +16.4 +24.6 +16.1 +11.0
+ 15.5 (MSDE).

2013 27 .2 38.5 48.5 44.9 37.6 24.8 39.4 51.7 24.4 45.4

MCPS
+11.4 +21.3 +17.8 + 10.4 +14.6 +26.9 +21.0

M;ddte School

MCPS
Argyle

Lee

MCPS
Kennedy

Source;

Maryland St.ato

Oepartmn't

of' Education

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

In

2013r

the percentages tvvice the

and

of Kennedy
high

High School
averages

enrollees who vver e African American

of

or Hispanic vvere vvere similar

more than in

more

than

MCSP

school

elementary

middle

schools.

At Lee Middle

21.6 and 24.8 percent. School, Hispanic enrollment

At Bel Pre and Strathmore

The patterns in 2013 vvas

cvvtce

the MCPS middle school average American

anrollment

of' 24.8 percent.

E1ementary Schools, African

vvas more than tvvice the MCPS erementary

school aver.age of 20.1 percent.

The Kennedy cluster

is heavily

impacted

by poverty.

Kennedy cluster

enrollees

are significantly

more

likely to qualif'y for Free and Reduced-price

{Table than

Meals System (FARMS) services than

evident services

MCPS students

overall
more

2). The lmpact of poverty is particularly 60 percent of students received FARMS

pe r-ctc! pation ts typically

in elementary
in

and

middle schools where

high

2013.

Even at the percent

school

level,

where

FARMS

t cvver-than 'for other

levels,

54.4

of

the students

received

FARMS

services in 2013, a rate nearly twice the MCPS high school average ot"28.2 percent.

Percentage
Level

of'Student

Table 2 Receiving FARMS and LEPServices, 2013 FARMS" LEP"

School School

School MCPS Bel P,e

G1enallen

vs.

Eiementary Schoo!

Georgian Strat.hmore

Forest

2013 39.2 67.0 76.9 69.0 62.7 32.6 60.8 66.3 28.2 54.5

MCPS
+27.8 +37.7 +29.8 +23.5 +28.2 +33.7 +26.3

2013 25.3 45.6 34.4 38.9 25.5 8.7 14.5 22.3 5.9 9.1

MCPS
+20.3 + 9.1 +13.6 +0.2 +5.8 +13.6 +3.2

M1dd1e
School

MCPS
A,gye Lee

MCPS
Kennedy
Frae and Reduce-d-pric:<e Limited Eng!l,;h

Mee.is System (FARMS) services. Source; MSDE Prt'iciency (LEP) s e r vtc es , Source: MSDE.

Kennedy cluster

school

enrollees

vver e

signi'ficantly

more likely than

MCPS

students

overall

ec receive

Limited English Proficiency

(LEP}services

(Table
ln

(9.1 25.3

percent)

qualified

for LEP services

2). 2013, a

Ne,.rly one in ten students rate that vvas nearly

at Kennedy High school MCPS high school school average

However,
percent

tvvice the

average

of' 5.9 percent.

In

2013, LEP participation

E1ementary School,

was close to the MCPS elementary

which

of'
f'or

percent

at Strat:hmore
at Bel

serves students

in Grades rate

3 to 5.
of'

younger almost

students

Pre Erementary

School, the

2013 LEP
of

participation

45.6

was

twice

as high as the

MCPS

e le rnentary

sc no o t average

25.3

percent.

Purpose of Case Study

This case study examines
p er-e ner sh t

how Kennedy

C1uster Project multi-agency team to overcome

members developed to academic

stronger

ps vvith Families and the Kennedy community

barriers

success for

African American and Hispanic students,

ef"f"orts to r epucat

e the

project

in other

Documentation MCPS high school

of the project processes and results will inform clusters and In schools outside

MCPS.

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

Methodology

The Multi-Agency Team

The Kennedy
together learning. for

C1uster Project
purpose to

mufti-agency
to break

team
down

is a network
inst:ltution,ai out

of

agency

representatives
that

who

work

the

of helping educational

and social

barriers

disaffect provide

student access

In addition
The

resources

in and

of school,

participating

agencies

to

health care, housing, financial assistance, legal aid, recreationaJ programs, and many other social

services. Department Services,

MCPS the Montgomery County of Health and Human Services,the State's Attorney's Office, the Department of Juvenile
mufti-agency team
includes

representatives

from

the

Montgomery

County

Police

Department,

the

Montgomery

County

Department

of

Recreation, the Collaboration Council, community-based

organizations, and other public a9encies. The

team meets twice per month to review casesth at are referred by Kennedy cluster schools,

Data Collection
Data for this study were collected collection during a 12-month period from June 2012 to June 2013. unstructured The data multi-

methods included revie\N of historical documents, meetings; semi-structured interviews with

observations of the

agency team

key informants;

and aggregated achievement

and survey data.

Unstructured observation data were collected at and June

13

multi-agency meetings held between October

2012

2013.

The observation data included transcriptions

of the conversations t:hat occurred between

members of the team and the families. italics in the report.

Excerpts of the conversations from those meetings are shown in

No child or family is jdent.ified in the report.

Se mt-wt.r uct.ur ec

interviews

were conducted

with

20 Key Informants

from

February 2013 to April 2013.

Key informants responded to slx open-ended questions about their background; the impact of the multiagency team for increasing their e w er eness of root causes of the achievement gap; their awareness of services that are available for students and their families to address the r oot; causes; and their successes and challenges at closing the achievement gap discussed the agency team.
Id entifl ed in

for individual students. In addition, the key informants participation on the multiis

professional relationships they had bullt as a result of their

Quotations from the interviewees are shown in italics l rt the report.

No key informant

the re port.

Student outcome mobility

data was collected in June obtained from the

2013.

Aggregated school-level graduation, State Department of' Education

dropout,

and

data were

Maryland

(MSDE)

vvebsrt e,

www.mdreportcard.org. not available from

Disaggregated student e nr-c umenc. demographic, and achievement data were Results of the

MCPS.

2012

Gallup student survey measuring hope, engagement, and W\Nw,montgomeryschoolsmd.org.

wellbeing were obtained from the

MCPS

website,

Data analysts

com bin ed results from

s llterature

review with

the quantitative achievement

and qualitative outcomes.

results

obtained in this study to multiple

describe program impact outcomes

on student

In addition, and

measures of sccte t-e rnoer c net

oescr l ee how greater

access to

social capital

services can support: academic resilience among at-risk students.

Analysis of the interview data with key

informants describes how participation on the multi-agency team enhanced their professional exper-t.la e, capacity and effectiveness, Inferences based on the findings should take into account that the Kennedy

Ciuster Project is one of many programs used by schools to improve student performance {Appendix

A}.
3

CONF DENTIAL WORl\ING DRAFT

Results

The cases addressed in the

children and families in the

2012-2013
were

school year provided

schools.

insights about the

cases, academic

challenges
such

f'aced by
as poor

Kennedy cluster rooted

In

many

concerns

attendance dynamics.

or course failure

In emotional

distress related

to

housing lssues or family

For
A

example:

third

grader's attention-seeking
drawing with marker in the

behavior had become more extreme.

school bathroom. tried not to pay

He 1ied
in class,

about then

He

soiled

his pants

kicked vvere

hs clothing separated

under and

a desk father

and did

blame child

other support.

students.

His

parents

his

His

mother

was struggling to pay the rent,

An

eighth

grader for

with

spotty

attendance months

and

incomplete father had

assignments
been

was

suspended

thef't,

few

earlier,

his

deported.

Recend~
unexplained

the

young

man

had been

admitted

to

Children's

Hospital

for

an

head

injury.

high

school She

student had

wanted

t:o go to college

but

vvas skipping home.

school Her

wlth

her had child

friends. obtained support.

a history
order

Of domestic against her her

vro re nc e in her
father but

mother paying of' the

a restraining
She

he had stopped
in one

vv es

living

with

mother

and

brother

three

bedrooms of an apartment

they shared with two other families.

Not

al!

of

the

cases Nearly

came

to

the

attention

of had that

the

multi-agency

team

because performance of school.

of

problems

with

achievement. because of

half the
issues

t t m e , students
or family crises

satisfactory were

academic the

but vve r e at risk

mentai

health

beyond

control

For
to his

ex.-eimp1e:

third

grader and

was

doing students.

well

academically drew pictures

but

vv as

verbally

abusive things

teacher

other

of guns and said

to his

teacher like
her son

"I

wished you died."

he wants another

Through tears, his mother told the team that

mother and t:hat he doesn

said t:hat

't; love

her.

An

Ethiopian
school

sixth

grader
and

was a "good
clothing. Her

S1:udent who
mother had

worked
for

hard11 but
asylum

she

needed

supplies

applied

status

for herself eligible

house.

and her

three

children, but The family

until that of four

was approved

they were

not

for social services.

11vedin one room at a cousin's

school

senior

was

a quiet,

,good

student

who

wanted

to

be

the

third

in

his

family
year, senior

to graduate
an injury year,

from

Kennedy High School.

bus left were his mother homeless.

But in the spring of his junior

unable to work. By the fall of his

on a Ride-On his

he and

mother

Every case was

needs. When

different. students or

But the process

families needed

of helping families was c o n s isr e rrt

a single service or referra;,

across of

a wide

range

of case

many

the

school

counselors

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

used resources
r e re r r e t e vvlthout

available to them
the need for

through

the

Kennedy
meetlng.

Ciuster Project to answer questions

When
fam!ly needs vvere more co

and

make

a multi-agency

rnp r e x, the client-

multi-agency centered

team was able to evaluate the referral support.

and assign county

representatives

to provide

customer

Academic

Indicators

The primary
toward number reviews outcomes this of find

goal goal cases that

o'f the
has

Kennedy C1uster Project

complicated, each of in part

is to close
because a the

the

achievement

gap.

Measuring

progress
small

been

multi-agency

team

hears of

a relatively

each some

year,

which provide case as for

requires

different

combination benefits, suggests from

interventions, others

Case

interventions Data from the for

immediate and

short-t:.erm key informants data intensive \Nith

while that

influence has

years

later.

hearings

t:.he program

e rr'e ccs at the

this multiplier schools

school effect have

rev e t , as well
occurs more

individuals,

Interview receives

school

counselors the

suggests

because when
available to

one student
deal vvith

support

from

mvlti-agency

team,

time

other

students

less pressing

needs.

Graduation Rate
A
high schooi diploma the annual

is a first
income out

step of did

to

financial

security

and e better
is more

overall than High

quality percent

of

life

in adulthood. than for an in

On

average,

a high
not

school

graduate

45

higher

individual

who

dropped

and

earn

a diploma

{Figure

1).

school

graduates

vvho enroll

some college,

even without attainment of a bachelor's degree,

have annual incomes that are

higher without than the income diploma.

73
of

percent
those

a high school

benefits

Of in turn

greater

financial

stabillty
social

are

associated with
reliance on social active of

benefits

of less

ae r vi ce s, better"
community

health, and more

engagement. who graduated more likely

children from to

26,776
18,432

31,906

parents school

high

are

graduate

themselves,

The

MCPS
the

overall

graduatton in the

rate

is

Figure

i.

f.sti-rna;~~

of

e ve req e annual

arnlng:s

by

revet

of

e o uc.ettc rtet

among

highest

nation

attainment.

Source: U.S. Census

Buraeu1

2012.

(Education
encouraging differences

Week, is
in

2013).
that
racial/ graduation

More
ethnic rates

MCPS
over

have ye a rs .

narrowed

the

past

three

1 The graduation already rates of African American, than Hispanic, for t:.heir and public White school students

1n

MCPS

and

at

Kennedy

High

School1

significantly

higher

counterparts

nationwide

(Stillwell

&

MSDE

cerc cte ces the tour-yeer

cohort

gredu.eitfon rete by dividing

th

total

number

of' d!plomas

eer-o e e divided by tne (n/r)

net number

o'f studenr.s.

wl"lo enrolled graduation

in the greduet.ion class over tl'ie 'four year period, o'f mc r-ethen

Detailed

results are not reported

r or groi...1ps witl'i tour* year cohort

rts

95 percent.

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

Sable,

2013),

have

shovvn most

further to

signs in

of

progress

since

2010.
rates

First, African
over the

American
years

and

students

contributed

increases

MCPS

graduation

past three

Hispanic {Table 3). At:.

for Arrican

Kennedy

Hjgh School, the

graduation

rates

imp roved

more than

four

percentage

points

American and Hispanic students, the

and

increases more than tvvice those rates of the relatively

of Asian and White more diS$dv,eiintaged

students.

Second,

diff"erences in the annual graduation Hispanic students

at

African American
of

Kennedy High Schoot were students

and

not statistically

significant:.!y d1ff'erent than those

Af'riean
evidence and

American
of" a trend

and Hispanic
toward

in all MCPS
more equitable,

high schools.
high school

The

pattern

of results provides
rates in

higher,

graduation

MCPS

overall,

at Kennedy

High School

in particular,

Table 4-Year Cohort Graduation

3 2010
'c o

Rates of Hrgh School Students,

2012
Rate
School

4-Year Cohort Graduation

School School

3-Yeu
African American Nat:ion

2010 66.1 78.1 77.4 71.4 74.2

MCPS

2011 81.3

MCPS

2012 82.3

MCPS

Trend

MCPS
Kennedy Na-.::ion

+4.2 -.7 +4.2 +2.4

-.7

83.9 75.3

2.6

81.5 76.7

MCPS
Kennedy

Asian

Nei:tion

71.9 93.5 94.7 91.1 83.0 93.7 >95%

of

-2.4

74.7 94.3

-.7

76.2 >95%

-.5

+4.3

MCPS
Kennedy Nat:.ion

-3.7

90.3 93.9 93.3

-4.0

93.2 94.0

+2.1 +0.3 -4.8

2011
end

MCPS
Kenndy

-.5

89.3

Netlonal graduation rates r'orfour~year cohort

2010.

Results were not.reported rcr the c:l&ss&s of

2012.

Note.

None of the s.-;hool to

MCPS

com pe rte e es was stetistical!y significant.

Although

the Kennedy C1uster Project has not closed has vvo r k e o one student

the

gap in graduation
attain high

status for all students,

se n o o r diplomas.

the

collaboration

at. a ti me to help students

One teenage
needed complete assistance. that she all owed graduated,

mother care,

vve s about housing,

to

drop out of' Kennedy High School because

care.The multt-agency team helped

she her

medical

and child

her graduation She graduated

her to she attend wrote

requirements
with

and get access to

and went and

medical

and

rt rr e n cse t
grant Arter

her class

on to receive
study

$6,000

Montgomery a thank you

College
t e.cte r to

cri rn i nal justice.

the

team,

"/wouldn't be where I am now if the project would not have helped me." "I want to thank...[people] who never gave up on me and told me that I was capable of doing many things if I just put effort into it....[school staff] who made sure I had my work donefor all my classes ...helped me
6

CONFIDENTIAL WORf<ING DRAFT

get four bridge projects done in five days...and paid for my cap and gown in order for me to walk across the stage at DAR Constitution Hall....[members of the multi-agency team] who helped me with getting my medical insurance ...so I was able to have a gallbladder surgery...and helped with getting my medications, housing, child care, food referrals, and gift cards....n "The KennedyProject isjust amazing.It changespeoples' lives." Dropout Rate
Dropping out of school sets in motion a series of' negative social consequences for dropouts and f'or the

commun!ties St:udents
are

in which

they

live (Fall

&

Roberts,
have rely on

2012;

0ynarski, for

G1eason1 Rangarajan,
and

&

Wood,

1998).
they

without

a high They are

behavior

school more and

diploma likely to

greater
public are

risks

unemployment and have

earn

less

vvhen

employed, of' criminal a high that

assistance among

less access to than out students they

heaft,h who

care.The
obtain at on

rates least a path

incarceration students

higher

dropouts families

school

diploma.

When
a cycle

from

low-income

drop

putthemse1ves

vvll l perpetuate

o'f o o v e r ey

Annual

Taole 4 Dropout Rates of MCPS High School Studenu, 2011to2012 Annual Dropout Rate

African Am e r rc e rt

Nation

2011 5.5 <3.0 <3.0 5.0 4.1 3.9 1.9 < 3.0 <3.0
2.3

2012

.r:
<3.0 3.9
nf
e

MCPS
Kennedy
Hispanic

Nation

MCPS
Kennedy Asian

4.4

4.2

Nation..,

-i:
<3.0 <3.0 n/., <3.0 <3.0
In Gr-ad.es n et; avellabfu

MCPS
Kennedy

Wnite

Nation

MCPS
Kennady
Nntron&I dropout; co res1,,1lt;S r reported 1"or public high

<3.0 < 3.0

school and students nr

12

d1,1rlng the

2010

eeec e

mte y ee e, Resutt.s t'or 2011

2012

(n/a),

Nationally, to

about out

five

percent year,

of

Hispanic more rates2 than in

and

African American

publlc and

high White

school

students

in Grades

12 2013).

drop

each

rates

tvv1ce those

or

Asian

students are lovver

(Sti11we11 than the

&

Sable,

While the

annual

dropout

MCPS

and

at Kennedy

High School

national

MSDE~alc~!te'I

th

.,,.,nval 'drcpovt.

r:t.9

by dividin!iil 'the tote!

n.umber

01" dropouts

by nn e

co-cet

enrollment

In Gr6des

9 to 12.

Detll.Jied results

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

averages,

the

racial/ethnic at 9reater rates

dropout

pattern

is e r rn uer-, vvith African and White

American 4).

and

Hispanic

students

dr o p p t nq out

than those of' Asian

students {Table

One noteworthy
High School that

trend

over the
vvith the

past tvvo years

is the lower dropout

not statistically to~

rate

of Hispanic students
the

at Kennedy
suggest dropout

compared

MCPS

rate.

A1though

si9nif'icant1 of the

differences

Kennedy C1uster Project

interventions

may contribute

narrowing

gap in

Hrspanic

rates.
One of the
multi-agency

team

members

p r ovt

c ecr an example for

of n c vv support African

f'rom the Kennedy American

Ciuster

Project

contributed

to

a long-term

positive

outcome

a 15 .... year

male who was on

the verge of dropping out in

2010.

"Ifirst learned of the case at the Kennedy ClusterProjectwhen hisfather came seeking help in May 2010. Thefather wasfrom Maliin West Africa. He came to the meeting by himself. At that time the father was worried about child's altercationsat school, anger issues, and lack of academicprogress. There was a juvenile case pendingfor the young man, which went to court several times." "In February2013, the young man returned to juvenile court and reported that he had earned a high school diploma, is enrolledat Montgomery College,and is lookingfor a job. The court was so impressed with him, I've never heard of this, the judge came off the bench, closed the case out, and shook his hand.
11

"I was surprised by what happened in court but it is a testament to what can happen. There is the possibilityof success in everyone's life no matter how the situation may look at any one time. If the right resources and support and encouragement get into the young person's life.and he is willingto accept what folks are trying to help him with, he can be successful. I think the help and the support the Kennedy Cluster Project provided was one of the reasons for his success." Mobility
Overall, the research and with theoretical and literature school rootcee.e s that completion, residential mobility urban has detrimental

associations Shinn, a result

achievement

high

especially

among

youth

(Voight1

&

Nation,

2012),

Student mobility occurs when students change schools d~ring the school year as rnove, the change In neighborhoods may disconnect them to academic achievement (Leventhal

of change in residence, When families

'from eoctet services and resources that contribute

&

Brooks-Gunn,

2QQQ).

The Kennedy C1usterProject provides Fam I ties with accessto services that make it easier r'o r- th em

to stay in their homes.

in 2011

and

2012,

the mobillty3 rates of Hispanic students vvho attended Kennedy High School vvere

statistically sfgni'ficant!y lower than their

MCPS 2012.

counterparts

(Table

5). The

mobility rates of' Kennedy

African American students were lower than the results vvere not statistically significant in

MCPS

rates 'for the past two year as vv eu , although the

MSOE

caiC:ulate<s the

mobility

rate

by dividing (n/r)

the sum of' e rrt.rerrcs and withdraw

els for the school year by the everege deHy enrollment, Results are not eve ueo+e prior to

Detailed

resulta are no-creported

for gr<:.> up~ wlth

re ss then

five

percent

mobility.

2011.
8

CONFIDENTl.L'\L WORKING DRAFT

Lack

of" documentation
School

may

contribute
and other

to

higher mobility rates

of the

among

Hispanic families in the Kennedy

team talked about the limitations

cfuster.

counselors

members

multi~agency

that may prevent families from accessing support services for issues related to eviction, utility payments,
and other housing crises.

"A lot of my students are not documented so some services are not accessible."

'We work with undocumented community members but we are limited by state andfederal guidelines."

Mobility Rates

of'

Table 5 MCPS High School Students, 2011 to 2012

Mo bllity Rate
Schoo! vs. School vs.

Atricen American Hispanic

MCPS
Kennedy

2011 19.4 12.8 16.7 13.9 5.5 7.0 60 14.1

MCPS
-6.6* -2.8* 1 .5 8.1

2012 19.6 17.2 16.7 12.7

< 5.0 < 5.0

MCPS
-2.4 -4.0*

MCPS
Kennedy

Asian

MCPS
Kennedy

.r:
8.9

White

MCPS
Kenne-dy
is -statistically slgnif'icent.

6.1 15.0

"" D1ffernce

Addressing mobility prior to high school is essential to stave off long-term school change. Mobility contribute

negatlve consequences of

among elementary students has been linked to learning disadvantages that in the short term and to lower mathematics and reading achievement on

to grade retention

the long-term trajectory Obradovic, Cutuli, Chan,

from elementary to high school (Fovvler... Finn1

2001;

Mehana

& Reynolds, 2004;

Hinz, Heistad,
t rt mobility

& Masten,

2009).
and elementary schoo1 students in the Kennedy

Wh11ethe

overa11

trends

arnon9 middle

cluster have not changed significantly in the past two years, the case r-e cor ds provide anecdotal evidence that Kennedy C1usterProject activities reduce residential homefess f'amifies to stay in their neighborhoods. mobility and make it easier for low income and

"TheKennedyClusterProjectstarted to wrapservices to keep a family stable and at one middle school. It helped them academically to connect to school. The male student is on the basketball team. Hisgrades have come up, and he was recommended for higherlevelcourses. Hissister has started to achieveas well."
Loss o'f community result in eviction resources is a particular hardship for parents vvho move due to 'financial issues that or homelessness (Kingstey, Smith,

&

Price,

2009;

Voight, Shinn, Nation,

2012).

The

Kennedy C1usterProject has provided support to reduce mobility among homeless sern utes,

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

"We had one case of a child who was homeless and was going after school to the Wheaton Libraryto study because that was the only place the family had to go. Theystudied, ate, washed up there, then when the libraryclosed the mother took them to a shelter. The team brought a Jot of support to the family to help with housing,past bills, utilitybills,housing security, and giving the childa home to go to. The child didn't have a home to go to to study. When we provide help with so many of these issues we provide a foundation on which child can build academicsuccess.
11

ClassroomPerformance
Students
other

at risk of' academic

condltions that

'failure make

often

face

a complexity
to

of problems

caused

by poverty, Kennedy

n e e rrh , and Project

social

it dif'f'icu!t

'for them

succeed

in school.

The

C1uster

addresses the complement

problems

that

are the

root

causes of the

academic

achievement

gap

in ways that

the o rr-ece academic support

provided by the school.

Interviews

with

multi ... agency

team

members

provided

information

about

the

ways

the

Kennedy C1uster

Project

helps students get on a path to academic success.

"Certainneeds have to be met before they can focus on academic needs. If they are not eating in the home, their mind is not on school work or homework. Their mind is thinkingabout that they are hungry.
11

"If students' home Jivesare unstable it affects their ability to concentrate. We can bring people together and get families access to things they need and resolvefamily issues.
11

"Often times there are outside factors that impact students' success in school...and [the team can] help to reduce barriersthat interfere with ability to concentrate, attendance, be on time, be motivated to come to school....
11

"When we provide the family with some level of stability with regard to food, living, housing...it allows the child to have a base to begin to focus on their school." "We addressfamily issues that may hinderstudents from being able to focus on school [such as the] chaos of not knowing where your next meal is comingfrom or where you willlive. [Ourhelp]takes pressure and anxiety off the kid and leads to better achievement in school.
11

. [helpingfamilies] has trickleddown to academicsuccess. It is tough to know if it has an immediate academic effect. It has an effect socio-emotionally. Who knows what would have happened if we had not done something. It could be worse."

Counselors
attendance.

provided and

anecdotal

evidence

of the

impact

of the

Kennedy C1uster Project

on students'

academic

perf'ormance,

,ACa he Stu

~'Y of

t:r.e Kenn

>!dy

Cr us r or- P r eje e-r

10

CONF DENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

"I've seen kids coming to school that were staying home before." 'The involvement has helped students' situations, grades, coming to school." "There is one family in particular that needed help and did not know where to go. The Kennedy Cluster Project provided assistance to the family as a whole. It got the child back on track and gave the parents a sense of wellbeing. They have utilized everything [the Kennedy Cluster Project] shared with them ....The child is doing a lot better in school now.
0

"One student had a problem with acculturation from Africa and got in trouble with a gun. [The team] supported his mother a lot and he is back at high school and doing average work now.
11

"[He]is doing well. Last quarter there was some concern about one class, but he has all As, and one B. Things have improved [since the multi-agency team provided support six months ago].
11

"[He] is doing pretty well. He is reading on grade level which was a concern earlier in the year."

Social

end

Emotional

lndlcators

While African

the

in1t1a1 purpose and

of the

Kennedy students,

Ciuster
what

Project
has

was

to

focus

on the

barriers project

to

achievement

among of

American that

111spanic

emerged

from

is greater and

awareness

resources impact

promote

academic

resilience.

There is strong

evidence

th.at

social

emotional

factors

academic

outcomes

(After-school
team that

A11iancef
makes foster

2009; At bright,
an important

Weissberg,
contribution

& Dusen c u r y, 2011; Harp er,

to closing the achievement the odds. success despite

& Griffin, 2011). The

gap by facilitating

multi-agency to services

access

at-risk

students' likelihood of

Participation in Extracurricular Activities

The Kim, ways Cho, children spend their Perez, o c e+ee-sc o o o t time is an important Nettles, t r-r d rc ert o r- of' their academic risk (Huang, in

Marshall, activities attainment

&
and

2011;
paying

Murray and

Mucherah, programs Scott-Little, time

&

Jones,

2000),
with

Participation more

recreational academic Liebenberg, a strong

such

as team
higher

sports jobs

mentoring

is correlated Hamann,

positive

(L1eras,

2008;

2013;

Vande11, Reisner, Of school

&

Pierce,

2007).
risk

Conversely, behavior

spent

predictor

t e n o r e and teenage

(Beuhrlng,

& Jurs, 2002; Ungar & "hanging out" with friends is B1u rn , & Rinehart, 2000).
activities through MCR students Montgomery

The

Kennedy

C1ust:er Project

promotes

engagement services,

in

extracurricular and year

County range

Department of leisure

of' Recreation activities and

(MCR)

collaborations the

partnerships. which help

o r're r s <.i wide

experience

opportunities

throughout

interactions
Ciuster

and develop

skills that
the

contribute

to academic resilience.
and fa mi ties to

Data

suggest:

that

the

Kennedy

Project

has increased

access

of students

MCR

services.

"I see actually more families in my center now than I did before [from Kennedy Cluster Project referrals]. 11
11

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRl\FT

"...the childrenmany times need an outlet and [MCR}can offer that by giving them something positive to do." "Ihaveformed some friendships with some families that have come through [my MCRprograms].
11

"What has been really helpful is the summer program, the fun center available for youth 5 to 12 years of age that KennedyProjectparticipantscome to." "We have a summer leadershipchallengeprogram whichgives teens [ages 13 to 16} the ability to learnskills they need to be a junior counselorand...is also very important to providethat self esteem piece." Access to Mental HealthServices
Access to students.
mental health

ser vtc es is a significant percent and

factor

in promoting who

resllience

among disadvantaged well in school also are

Between 12 2002).
Most

30
are

percent

of children

are performing

facing emotional Luther,

stress that ultimately

vulnerable

may cause a downturn

children conf"ronted

ln their ecec e mrc performance

with the added risks

(Becker &
with

associated

disadvantaged

environments.

Even when

rnent at

health

needs are evident,

school

personnel

have

limited options for addressing the issues.

"The school system is limited in what we can do...the family therapist can say something that a schoolcounselorcannot say." "Outside therapists see things we don't see in the school. They can do family therapy....The therapist goes to the home...and sees [family}dynamics.
11

During the

2013 school year,

the team provided mental health services for students at all grade levels. well despite considerable personal emotional
r

Many students were performing tvvo poignant stories that

stress. Mothers shared

highlight the extent of' the soet at ernot.t o rr at challenges students faced while

trying to maintain their academic performance:

"Back home in [Africa]we had everything....Now we are refuqees:"

earlier,

A year
had been

the mother's

rr

uso and, a high-ranking government to death.

official, fled

imprisoned

and sentenced

Same

family

members

the country.

For the past eight months, the mother and her son had been living in one room

of a friend's apartment in Silver Spring. The fate of her husband and the
vvhereabouts of her oldest child in Africa were unknown.

"When I had her I was in high school. I was raped.... I haven't been with her as a parent since she was 6 months old." The babywas raisedby her 9rand parents in
Cameroon. mother

In

middle school, she came to the United States to live with

her

and a family she did not know.

f'ew months after she arrived, the

young uncle with whom she grew up, and who was like a sibling to her, was shot

and killed. "When [my daughter]came, she did not talkfor 2 weeks. She did not

know me....After the shooting she started saying that she might take her
12

CONFIDENTIAL WORl\ING DRAFT

life...that she does not deserve to Jive. Most of the time she is depressed and won't say anything." Beliefsabout the Future-Hope
Hope is a trait that is characterized

and ere ate a positive future

are hopeful vvhen they

an individual s optimistic beliefs (Ciarrochi, Heaven, & Davies, 2007; Hoy,

by
1

about

his or her ability

to

plan For

Tarter,
about

&

Hoy,

2006).
to

Ind ivid uaIs

they get to after feel good their they

f'eel that

there

are adults

in their.

lives

who

care

them

and when

confident grades, problems

Jn their flnd and many get

abilities

solutions job

a good

graduate (Gallup,

2013).
vvho cluster attended in the 'fall

On
schools in the

students

Kennedy

of

2012

rated their
same

feelings
as

of hope at
average

about

the

levels

the

MCPS
that

ratings for

students

at the

same

grade levels (Figure the

2).

Results suggest C1uster

feelings

Kennedy
fost:ered and their

Project
of hope

Figure 2.

Result$

of

2012 G.nup
MCPS.

survey or

student

ratings

or hope ebout

Interventions among children

th., rutuce. Source:

fa m n re s .

One create team hope is by providing students more and equitable families to access access to social

way

the and

multi-agency opportunities. them

team

works

to

services who can

Multi""agency a range that of the

meetings and

give

1:0 experts supports

help

address report

problems

provide

referrals

appropriate

services.

Team

members

Interventions Support studentS1 and parents' problem-solving

Skills and promote hope,

"A huge barrieris Jackof knowledge about what is out there and what is available.They just need a little bit of help [about]where they couldgo." "[We] identify students and families who are facing challenges inside or outside the
school system and come together to alleviate those problems."

"So many people are right at the edge of falling through the safety net. A lot of times there is a window where you are eligibleand if you don't apply at that time it willfall through. If the family doesn't thinkabout it, the thinqs we takefor granted don't work." "We frequently have those moments when clients [tell us they] are grateful for our assistance". "Parentsfeel hopeful after hearingeveryone...say what they can do to help." Wellbeing
Wellbeing wellbeing involves is a strong how individuals of think academic about and experience their Perez1 lives (Gallup,

2013).

Student

predictor

success

(A1va,

1991;

Espinoza,

Ramos,

Coronado,

&
13

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

Cortes,
more

2009;

Waxman,
to learn

Gray,
and do

&

Padron,

2003;

Waxman,
vvhen they

Padron,
are

Shin,

&

Rivera,
and

2008).

Children

are
they

available

better

in school

happy,

healthy,

confident that

have family

and rr-te n e s they can count on when

they need someone

(Ga11up1

2013).

On

average,
in the

students Kennedy

who

attended
in 'fall

schools

cluster

2012
levels

rated their feelings of wellbeing at

MCPSESA...~*""' that were the same or higher than

the

MCPS

[McesMSA::::.:-1
i MCPS HS /w,., v

averages levels

for students (Figure

at

the The or

same

grade

3).

consistency Kennedy the

of this
cluster

'finding
schools

r c r- all levels suggests

that

Kennedy

Cruster

Project

contributes

to student

wellbeing. K. :yHS ~y..MS l.-MS G ~,.f

G. fS S..- . ES B.,,P ES

ts Student-S' wellbeing eff"orts to families promote care is enhanced for by 'e ne

wellbeing For them.

Figure 3.
wellOe!ng,

who

An

Results of" 2012 Source: MCPS,

Ge11up

surv0y

of"

student. rt!ngs

or

e ve r eu

important step l n that process ls to roster trusting relationships between families, Data suggest that the multi-agency team processes and follow-up build

the school, and the community. trust and enhance wellbeing. from a necvvo r-x that

The

trustlng relationships increase the likelihood that 'Familieswill benefit information, and support that parents can access to

is a source of connection,

create more positive home environments for themselves and their children,

"To help the child, you need to help the families. All the multi-agency representatives are there to help the families be more self sufficient, learn parentingskills,and get resources." "Theprogram began in 2007 with the goal to providesupport to help students achieve their academic potential. But...what I've observed is that for so many of the childrenin the Kennedy cluster and Montgomery County in general, some part of the academic issue, large or small, is based on so many of the other things that surround them likefood insecurity,homelessness, domestic violence, foreclosures... When we provide the family with some level of stability with regard tofood, living,housing, it allows the child to have a base to begin to focus on theirschool." Student and FamilyEngagement
Student engagement in learning activities and the broader school environment is a strong predictor o'f of Students' prior performance or ability (F;nn & Rock, 1997; fantuzzo, 2012; Gonzalez & Padilla, 1997; Masten, Best, & Garmezy, 1990; Reyes & Jason, 1993; Waxman, Padron, Shin, & Rivera, 2008). Students are more likely to be engaged at school when they f ee! sa'fe encouraged, and welcome (Gallup, 2013). The Kennedy Ciuster Project works to enhance academic resilience regardless LeBoeuf, Rouse,

&

Chen,

student

engagement

by providing

mentoring

programs and academic supports that

f'oster school

connectedness and involvement.

In addition, the multi-agency team of'fers a eeee haven eor-seenut ee to

14

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

share fears
encourage

and

problems

and to

make connections

with

people

in the

community

who

help

and

them.

Nationally,

and

in

MCPS,

student

engagement

is highest

among elementary

students

and lowest

among

hlgh school students

fall

(figure
feelings

4). On
of

average, students who attended

at levels that were about:

schools in the Kennedy cluster in

the same as the

2012

rated

their

engagement

MCPS
grade

averages

for students

at the same

levels.

Students 4.3 4.6 4.3

mat:ter are

with what their

involved income to attend

parents,

no

or background, school, earn

.fl 37

more

likely

higher

grades1

graduate, programs

and enroll

Jn

postsecondary

(Henderson

&

Mapp, 2002). One of the school counselors remarked, "Any time we

c;..,..,,,..ra
S

engage a family and get them to come in for a meeting, it is a positive."

Efforts to engage
for are

L MS

parents

are

e s p e cl e t+y whose
language differences

figure 4.

Rsults

of

2012 Ganup

su~vy

of studnt

rtings

of sel'\001

nggmn<. Source: MCPS.

important families

Hispanic challenged

students by

barriers

and Fear,

cultural

(Emerson,
The Kennedy Ciuster Project
multi-agency

Fox,
who

&

Sanders,

2012).
in

team includes

many Spanish speakers

are instrumental

reaching out to Hispanic parents.

and a translator work one-on-one

At multi-agency team meetings, a Spanish"'speaking

with parents to build trust and help encourage them

care coordinator
to use available

resources to

enhance

their

we11-being.

These

team

members

explained

some of the

barriers

that

prevent f'amifies f'rom seeking help.

"[Manyparents] are afraid, undocumented, scared, have a language barrier ....or are afraid of how information willbe used.u "Some Hispanicfamilies worry about getting a green card if they accept help from the government."
"{one Hispanicparent] thought they would take her to jail [if she talked about the reasonfor her child's truancy]."

"Onemother was homeless with her seven kids and was afraid to tell the school because she thought her kids would be taken away." "When families come in they are overwhelmed with emotions and fear of the unknown." "Oneof the biggest things I saw with a family when Ifirst started and walked in [to the multi-agencymeeting] with her, Isaid to her, 'Ifat any point you want me to ask them to stop let me know.' I saw the fear that was in her eyes when she saw that big groupof people.
11

!5

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

"Now when I bring them into the room [for the multi-agency team meeting], I say 'Don't get overwhelmed, we are here to support you and link to different resources and see what resourcesyou need.' So I set it up so when they walk in they are prepared."
The last meet:ing of t ne

2013

academic

year

provided

an

example

of

how

multi-agency

team

engagement over the course of the academic year built trust with, and enhanced hope and well-being for, a Hispanic family with a history of domestic violence.

In November,
winter

the counselor referred

and furniture. mother broke

a mother who requested 'financial support,

with told the the multi-agency that she

clothing,

At the stx+rn o rrt+r follow-up

down and, through

team

~n May,

the

tears,

team

needed help escaping

done home well and in school beginning

26 years of
past show

domestic vlolence.
was

Her

middle school son had

in the to

but

t r a u rn e et z e o by what was happening at

mutti-

some of his father's violent behaviors. The

mother asked for another meeting.

agency team helped this mother make the contacts she needed to access legal
and social services. In June; the With the

help of' her Spanish translator, she thanked the team f'or their support.

After the last meeting I gained strength and knew that I was not by myself. I got out of my home. My childrenhave changed a lot and are doing better in school. [TheKennedy ClusterProjectcare coordinator]is helping me get my children into summer school programs...J feel stronger and more independent. I couldn't do it by myself. I thank all of youfor your support."
u From Multiple Agencies to a Multi-Agency Team

In 2007,
gaps in

the Kennedy Ctuster Project began to identif'y and address the root causes of' the achievement

MCPS.

Implementing

solutions

to those

root

causes required

multi-agency

team collaboration

and sharing of ln'formation laws and state regulations

about students and their families pfaee restrictions for on the ability

among various service providers. Federal of agencies to County Govern share anything beyond

directory County

;nformation. Ponce
and

In 2008, attorneys
Justice1 vvorked with

MCPS,

Montgomery

rn e n t., and Montgomery a Memorandum of

appropriate

agency heads to

develop

Understanding

(MQLJ) to
ro r- many

address some of' those restrictions.

fn

2009,

plans

recommended

Kennedy Ciuster

Project

interventions

'Were scaled back due to

budget constraints, the

But the multi-agency team remained Committed to the project. headed by

Since spring 2QQ9,

muJtl~agency team,

Mr.

Donald

Kress representing

MCPS

and Ms. Fran Brenneman during team

the

representing Montgomery Document analysis o'f and

Coun'ty Government, meetings from

has heard cases -cvetc e per month

and

school work

year.

team

2007 to 2012

observations

of the

at

in 2012

2013

provided strong evidence of benefits of the couebor at ron.

An

uni rrreno ed positive

co nsequenee of' the at no additional

multiage ncy collaboration cost t:o

was em bedded

professionaJ began with

development an

for participants, multiple

MCPS
lnto

or the county agencies. What team

MQLJ

between

agencies has developed

a multi-agency

of' pr or esstc nafs with approaches to

shared vlsion, high levels of' trust

and interdependence,

and creatfve problem-solving

16

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

service delivery.
resources and

T earn
utilization

members
of a

spoke with one voice about their

network to enhance

greater
their

awareness of the r seues and

to access and d e tj v e r-

professional

capacity

services to children

and families.

Building Awareness and Shared Vision

The Kennedy
out years to

Ciuster
to

Project
and

alfovvs their

schools

to

take

advantage

of
who

more

coordinatedwith the to

strategy
program

r o rTor

reaching several

children

families. sessions

School counselors
reported

have

worked

and

attended

training

increased a

evve r e o e ss of" how

access

directly

resources

deal with

specific

issues that

do not require

mu!t:J-agency intervention.

"The multi-agency team has held training sessions so that school staff can learn more about county resources available for their students.
11

"The [training] workshop with representatives from different organizations ...was very helpful in getting counselors the resources they could use.
11

"The counselor does not always have the information and connections to answer questions parents have .... [Now] when we talk to parents and teachers we know what services {are available].
11

"It was an eye-opener for the Pupil Personnel Workers.... We became more aware of what services we can offer ourfamilies.
JI

"My previous job looked at welfare services. I didn't know what the achievement gap was about.
JI

"Being a member of the multi-agency team] opened my eyes up to things I was not aware of before. I knew we had county recreation department, for example, but didn't know what they offer." "I have learned so much about the services [other agencies] provide. " "Sitting at the meetings and hearing the members talk about what is available has been an education for all of us." Building Trusting and Interdependent Professional Relationships
Over
would the not

past

rt ve years,

team

members the

have

built

p r-o r'e es t o o e I relationships

'for collaboration.

that

typically

have been

possible

without

opportunity

"We developed an ongoing relationship ... we did not have before. " "{Over the years] we began to know who to call and who we can get help from." "I keep their phone numbers near and dear." "It is a lot easier to coordinate services when you can put a face with a name."
17

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

"Now we are friends and we ... help each other."

18

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

Discussion

Students

in

Kindergarten small

through it

Grade

12 spend

about

20

percent

of' their

waking

hours

in school4.

Given that

percentage,

is not surprising

that

schools

across the

United States are partnerif"lg

with their students' families and communities

ct uscer, the
out-of-school contributions time

to support student success. For students in the Kennedy groups

Influence

of other

agencies and community

directly and indirectly

are essential
the

to

provide
gap.

access to

opportunities

that

achievement

The Kennedy C1uster Project multi-agency

team collaboration

reduced

com muntcation barriers Better communication

between

and among the school system and county departments more efficient their families delivery of educational

and agencies.

resulted in

and community-based

resources and services to students and and enrichment:.

during and beyond the school day. Services included academic support

programs that: could directly improve academic achievement.

But perhaps more im porta~t was access to housing and

to social services and programs that: addressed basic needs related health care, counseling, leisure and recreational activities, and legal aid.

ec o o

insecurity,

A1though academic gaps have not closed, there is evidence that the Kennedy C1usterProject Is making a difference. Statistical and anecdotal evidence suggest that the Kennedy C1uster Project contributed

directly to higher achievement, School in

Trends in graduation were higher and more equitable at Kennedy High Dropout rates of Hispanic students were significantly lower than in

2012

than in prior years.

the past at Kennedy High school. to reduced mobility schools.

In addition, data showed that the Kennedy Ciuster Project contributed and performance among students at all the cluster

and bet:ter classroom attendance

The Kennedy C1uster Project's indicators that are highly

most

t rnp orue rrt contributions with

rn e y be on

the impact on e ccter-e rn cctooet Survey data and

in

correlated

academic resilience

and achievement,

anecdotal reports provide evidence that program benefits included htgher rates of participation

extra-

curricular activities among students at risk, better accessto mental health services, greater engagement of Hispanic families, and more posit:ive feelings of hope and we11-beir"lg.

For the multi-agency team, the achievement gap is no 1onger rner-e t y problem. Ciosing the achievement gap requires the commitment

a school problem. It is everyone's

agencies with a shared

of' multiple

vision for how to better deliver social and educational services to students and their 'families. past five years, the Kennedy Ciuster Project has contributed More needs to be done. But because of the commitment
'ta

Over the

success 'for indtviduals and r cr schools.

of' the stakeholders and the shift in ownership

of' the- problem, the future- offers promise of continued progress tovvatd a solution,

4 Based
on

180 see c e r deys of6.5

hours eec!-l eMd

365 cete ne er- days

where

students

ere aweka for

16 ho1,.1rs nd

e:s:tP

for

hours

on

overeg:e.

19

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

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S., Mucherah, W., & Jones, D. S. (2000). Understanding Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR),5(1-2),

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achievement of homeless and highly mobile children in an urban school district: Longitudinal

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Reyes, 0., & Jason, L. A. (1993).

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Hamann,

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Jurs,

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Ungar,

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Liebenberg,

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K. M. (2007). Outcomes linked to high-quality afterschool programs:

22

CONFIDENTIAL WORKING DRAFT

Appendix

2012-2013 School

Programs

at Kennedy

Ciuster

Project

Schools

c ::.::

" " c

),
O!

<(

-J

a:
co

c ,, ei c 0
c

<:)

--*
Professional Development Programs

.
0

'-'- 0

s:
v v
L

</)

Posit.lv Behoviorol

lntervent.:ions (Parclol) Acedemy

end

Support:.s {PSIS)

Middle School Reform Sec.on dory Schooi-Bosed

Academy or

and

Magnet: Progremis

Business Studies

Career Pathwey Progrems. Conege Institute

lnternat:ion1!ll Baccelau!"aate Leadership MediaCom:

*
(18) D1p1om& Progrem
me

Training Institute
Mul'tJmedia

& T ele.c o rrrm c n+c acs c n e Academy

Mdicine
end

Medical Careers Medical Careers, Sports Management Academy

Novel Junior Reurve Orncer Training Corps (NJROTC) Navo I Ju n io r Reserve Omcer Tr sining Corps (NJROTC)
Duef Language School for Digital Design
and

Magnet Elementary Focused Focused

Development

Schoo1-Ba'5ed Academic Academic

Academic

Programs Funds Title

Support-locl!lll Support-Federel

I Funds

H.,ad

Scart

Prekindergen::en Medie/T ecn no logy Progra rn

Resource {K-5)
Reading/lenguage Ruth Arts Program Ra1&$Reeding Program Dream Academy - 21st Century

*
Com muni1:.y Grant
Pr"ograms

One

Schoot-Bssed Sacond&ry

Speciell Education Leornlng Center Center

Eiement:ary Learning

Av't.i-sm
Leernlng end Academia
DisDbiHties

Girted and
Emotional

T alented/Leorning
Disebi!itles

01sebled

Physical Disobil!ties Learning for Independence

Out-or-School end Community-Based Arcer School T b e e t.re Progrem Character Count:s!

er

Programs

Com ro o nwe

T utorng
School Model

Destin at.Ion Graduation

E1ement:4'r'Y Homa Excel Beyond

the BeJI

* *
Co1.mi:.y Public

Extended Day Program Passion 4 learning

Sena 011s, www.m ontgorner-yschoo1sma.oro

Schoo1/CommunityB"sad

Source: Schoolsat a Glonce, Mont.gom-.r-y

A Case St:udy of

the

K.enn""OY C:usu.; Pro;ecr.

23

Implementation plan Nov. 21, 2008

Page 1of4

~{~,i!{jlli~
_
Objectives/Activities

t 11-21-08 I K dv Clust p tati Pl .itt:at,fe~icdisn_ari/y_ in the Ken)iedfcluster olschools between Afl'ica"B _C.qn :a11'il-Other studentsi-

Cost Estimate

Timeline

Dept./ Agency Responsible

Expected Results

Obj. 1: There will be an increase in the use of equitable practices. a. Develop cultural competency for employees and nonprofits. $tbd 9/08continue HHS/OCP/REC Cultural training for employees and non-profits who work in the Kennedy Cluster. Argyle MS will be included in the next middle school cohort of the MCPS Professional Learning Communities Institute. Kennedy HS should be included in the first cohort if/when a high school PLC! curriculum is developed. The responsible offices, principals of the Project schools, and MCEA will agree to staffing policies, procedures, and incentives that will enhance the quality of staff in the Project schools.

b. Include Project secondary schools in the MCPS Professional Leaming Communities Institute

$0 (PLC! is already included in the MCPS Operating Budget)

July 2009

MCPS Office of Organizational Development

c. Evaluate alternative staffing Strategies.

$0

2/2/09 4/1/09

MCPS Offices of School Performance & Human Resources

Obj. 2: There will be improved student health & well-being. a. Expand Linkages to Learning to all project middle and elementary schools FY'lO (startup. year) - $1,122,591; Year2: $1,358,956 (see attached estimate
I I

#1

b. Schedule fall vision and hearing screenings. 775 students will be screened

$0

Full implement ation of all sites within 6 months of funding becoming available (i.e. 7/1/09111II0). 8/19/0812/31/08

HHS,MCPS& Partner Agency (vendor)

HHS-School Health

c. Assess Need for Immunization Clinics in Schools.

$0 Vaccines free

8/26/2008 are
-

HHS-School Health

9119/08

d. Expand Summer Meals Program

$115,000

Summer

MCPS Food

Non-academic barriers to learning will be addressed for identified students via delivery of prevention, case management, and/or mental health services that seek 12 improve social/emotional well-being, school functioning, and family self-sufficiency. Serves all children/.families in lem and Middle schools. Students will be referred as needed to specialist and will be seated in front of class. Serves all children/families in Elem, Middle, and High School schools. Students who need vac's will have access/all students will be in compliance Serves all children/families in Elem, Middle, and High School schools. Summer Open Lunch

Implementation plan Nov. 21, 2008

(annually) 2009 Service & Transportation

Page 2of4
Programs would operate at Kennedy HS, Argyle MS, Georgian Forest, Bel Pre and Strathmore ESs, with MCPS circulator busses serving each site.

Obj. 3: There will be more parent engagement. a. Providea Parent OutreachCoordinatorat each targetedschool (.5 FTE) $303,811 (annually) salariesand benefitsfor five 0.5 FTE 12monthpositions FY IO MCPS Office of School Performance & Dept. of Family & Community Partnerships Improvedcommunication betweenparents and their child's school Increasedparent involvement at each school On-goingparenteducation opportunitiesat each school Improvedstudentattendance Reductionin student suspensions Increasedstudent achievement Parentswill report an increasedawarenessof how to accesscountyservices

Obj. 4: There will be more students ready to learn. a. Increase universal pre-school opportunities for all 3- and 4-year olds 516,522 fY09 HHS/ESC/MCPS All children ready to learn schoolas definedby the MarylandState Departmentgf Education(MSDE)Children Readyto Learn.da!!!,

#2
Obj. 5: There will be sustained collaboration among partners in providing information and communication that work with Kennedy Cluster students. a. Conduct resource fairs. $800 (printing, water, light refreshments, giveaways for children/famil ies) $43,800 ($20,000 for printing, equipment rental, food, logistics, promotional needs; $23,800 for overtime pay for staff to process extra applications resulting from Resource/Ben efits Fair) Nov 2009 HHS will lead and solicit participation from other relevant private or government reps.

Sept/Oct 2010

HHS will lead but will also solicit participation and resources from other relevant private and community service providers.

150participants attendingthe fair At least20% of the people attendingthe fair will receiveapplicatons to lffiS programs. 20% of benefits applicationsare to be returnedto lffiS within 60 daysof completionof fair At least 15programswill bring informationto the fair. At least 50 % of the attendeeswill completea Surveyto help understandusefulnessof information,and to informthe Benefits EnrollmentFair planned for Fall of2009.

#of people reached at Fair with information on services and programs;

Implementation

plan Nov. 21, 2008

Page 3 of 4
# of people referred to services and programs; #of applications completed and submitted at Fair; # of applications approved for services # exhibitors and programs participating

b. Co-locate Gilchrist and Rocking Horse Centers. c. Develop inter-Agency MOU for information sharing.

TBD $0

7109 5/08-10/08

HHS/MCPS

d. Continue operation group meetings.

$0

10/08-1010

HHS

Gov't will be able to provide more effective and efficient services through info sharing. Shared project accountability/shared problem solving among azencies

Obj. 6: There will be a rich out-of-schoolenvironment for students. ~ully operationalize Excel Beyond the Bell (EBB) **345,330 FY 2009 and FY 2010 Collaboration Council as the intermediary with a Partnership Group that includes Recreation; DHHS;CUPF; and several other public & private agency representation Increased number of youth participating in quality programs; 2. Increase in the variety quality programs and opportunities; 3.Better allocation of public and private resources to fit comm. needs and youth preferences; 4. Increased funding and sustainability of programs and2}:'.stem infrastructure--All resulting in positive youth development, including physical, social/emotional and academic/iritell~tual growth. The availability of technology within the Project area will be increased through the distribution of refurbished MCPS computers to qualifying families.

#3
ES Coordination and partner building: 300 youth Estimated number of new "slots" to serve children and youth: At least 100-125 (based on $2000-2500/youth for $250,000 requested) Estimated number of out-of-school time providers who participate in professional development activities & accountability (program performance data collection): at least 20 Estimated number of youth impacted by these providers: At least 600 (average of30 youth/provider) b. Provide Refurbished Computers. $20,000 2,000 computers@ $10 each. 1/09

ot

MCPS Division of Technology

c. HeightenFocuson the County's PositiveYouthDevelopment Initiativethroughthe existingKennedyClusterCommunityBased Collaborative(CommunityOutreachand Education)

$15,000

FY'lO

Regional Youth Service Center, MCPD, MCPS, HHS, Rec, Collaboration Council, MCPL

Increasedparticipationfrom representativesfromthe public,private,and non-profit sectors( 3 in each areaper meeting) Increaseyouthparticipation (by I0 studentsper meeting) Increasedknowledgeof communityresourcesand assets (participantsto receive no less thantwo additional availableopportunities)We average about 60 (at least 20 of those at students) people

Implementation plan Nov. 21, 2008

Page 4 of 4
per meeting - 4 meetings per year -- 240 people per year

d. Create Summer Youth Employment

Program.

$80,000

FY'lO

Rec/DED/OHR

#of youth placed in jobs Skills learned # of job opportunities # of job fairs career knowledge

Serve 100 kids

e. Evaluate use of programmed after-school space.

$60,000 $28,649
After-School Activities Coordinator: $8,049 (using the same stipendas the currentmiddle schoolAthletic Coordinator: $2,683) - Excel Beyondthe Bell alreadyprovides such a positionfor ArgyleM.S. Activity Busses: $20,600 ($75 per activitybus per day; providing service 3 days per week for 32 weeks

FY'lO ASAP

Rec/CUPF MCPS Department of Transportation

f. Expand activity bus services

# of programs # of youth served Provide I activity bus to each elementary school and 2 to the middle school for 3 days per week for an additional 4 weeks.

Obj. 7: There will be a decrease in the involuntary housingrelated factors that lead to student mobility. a. . As a component of the Housing First Initiative, collaborate with landlords, property managers and property management firms to engage them in activities that will help them effectively intervene with tenants who are in danger of being evicted. $0 FY 09 HHS/SNH compiling the number of evictions in the Kennedy Cluster area the numbers of meetings held and the feedback received from landlords

b.

Collaborate with HHS Homeless Services to provide housing support for families 30 to 35 families at a time

$101,757

FY09

HHS/SNH

# of grants issued # of cases manag~d

#3

Total $2,989645
Evaluation of project 150,000

TOTAL $3,139,645.00
**EBtB does not include transportation costs or leased space *L TL- includes full 5 day sites at each school with infrastructure