These are the compiled notes of the event, "The Opportunity of Community Schools in the KCMSD: a conversation among men of color"

<h1>These are the compiled notes of the event, "The Opportunity of Community Schools in the KCMSD: a conversation among men of color"</h1>

<h2>QUESTION 1: IMPLICATIONS OF NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS POLICY ON PUBLIC EDUCATION?</h2>
<ul>
<li>potential benefits
<ul>
	<li>neighborhood schools are cheaper (no busing)
	<li>neighborhood schools provide the potential for more parental involvement
<ul>
	  <li>the assumption can be made that neighborhood schools can provide a particular community with stronger or more sustained feelings of trust and unity in the school district.  These variables (parental involvement, trust and unity) are not to be underestimated when developing the capacities to inflict change in the public school system
</ul>
	<li>the potential exist for increased inclusion of social services into schools.
	<li>using networks to create social capital; alumni associations, partnerships with higher education, faith-based organizations, recreational organizations, local businesses, etc which will suspend the decline of the American community.
	<li>community and/or local sponsored social programs/activities to provide students with extrinsic and intrinsic rewards; values.
	<li>community involvement and support
	<li>parent direct involvement
	<li>ownership
	<li>Community schools improve community (activity, meetings, congregational center, art, sports, technology).
	<li>changing time
	<li>unity within community
	<li>imprints in social capital 
<ul>
	  <li>pta / conference
	  <li>attendance
	  <li>cohesion within community
</ul>
	<li>trust within teachers
  <li>eliminates busing
  <li>developing pride in a curriculum that promotes ethnic diversity
  <li>families/neighbors go to school together again
  <li>families walking to school together; healthy for all
  <li>teachers/administrators more present in community activities
  <li>teacher retention might be better
  <li>accountability may be improved with teachers and neighborhood schools
  <li>teacher commitment to community could/should increase
  <li>engagement/students
  <li>collaborative work: middle school with hs
  <li>transportation
  <li>school/teachers available
  <li>parental involvement
  <li>stability
  <li>there was pride in schools based on neighborhood
	<li>could help students stay in school
	<li>know everyone who is going/living/working in the area
	<li>all for neighborhood schools so long as neighborhoods provide the city a target for city involvement
<ul>
	  <li>infrastructure and housing needs to be a priority
</ul>
	<li>measures of success
<ul>
		<li>low dropout rate
		<li>educational attainment (post secondary)
		<li>increased pride in school
		<li>increased parental involvement
		<li>increased economic development in the neighborhoods
		<li>more eyes watching (more accountability)
</ul>
	<li>reduced transportation and infrastructure costs, resulting in more resources towards core educational activities and programs  
	<li>the elimination of middle schools 
<ul>
	  <li>encompassing prek-8 would alleviate the added social pressure of an additional right of passage
	  <li>there would only be one between the 8th and 9th grades
</ul>
	<li>may improve faith in community
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<p>
<ul>
<li>how to maximize potential benefits
<ul>
	<li>parental involvement in the policy shaping of the school district is critical in the building the relationship between the school district. 
  <li>parent involvement
  <li>high quality activities
  <li>sports activities
  <li>anger management
	<li>must start with the neighborhoods
	<li>kcmsd focuses on education; focus only on curriculum and implementation
	<li>kcmsd cannot be all things to all people
	<li>need to create a "village" mentality
	<li>district needs to get good at educating kids first before offering other services
	<li>21 yr old age limit needs to raised
	<li>more flexible hours for improved accessibility 
	<li>community’s control accessibility
</ul><p>

<li>potential costs
<ul>
	<li>success depends on morale in neighborhoods
	<li>poor education of adults affects students
	<li>lesser sense of community (present)
	<li>classism vs. racism? 
	<li>previous city plans were molded when/against poor – minority
	<li>how have charter schools helped or hurt the functionality of public school districts throughout the country?
  <li>everything second hand
  <li>financially disenfranchised 
  <li>competitive model
  <li>busing model
<ul>
    <li>limitation of integration
</ul>
  <li>resegregation
  <li>bad elements in neighborhood
  <li>snow and heat days (having to walk)
  <li>unequal funding for non-productive schools
  <li>underperforming schools get less resources with nclb? would this divide neighborhood schools?
	<li>human cost/social
	<li>safety/infrastructure
	<li>transportation
	<li>safety
<ul>
	 	<li>sidewalks
	 	<li>traffic
	 	<li>abandoned homes
</ul>
	<li>stakeholders/residents
	<li>capacity
  <li>no vitality in neighborhoods; can't expect vitality in schools
  <li>bs in neighborhood is important eco devo issues
  <li>going to be bottom quadrant with poor neighborhoods and their schools
  <li>what are the neighborhoods?
	<li>upward mobility of certain residents has created a void of role models and modeling opportunities in neighborhood school
<ul>
	 	<li>the result is academic, professional, and economic segregation
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<p>  
<ul>	
<li>how to minimize potential costs
<ul>
	<li>identifying opportunities to receive additional funding in the form of grants (ie: Kauffman Foundation).
	<li>legislation: separate but equal; Plessy vs. Ferguson; ensuring that resources are spread evenly to disenfranchised people, equal distribution.
	<li>coming to the realization that everyone is a stakeholder in the successes or failures of a public school system. 
	<li>Safety must be addressed before community schooling 
<ul>
	 	<li>lack of funds?
	 	<li>physical presence of positive minority men – CCO?
</ul>
  <li>receive equally distributed finances
  <li>class structure and its influence on public schools 
  <li>implement methods to insure equal distribution of funds
  <li>business partnerships
  <li>organizations within communities
  <li>partnerships with charter schools
	<li>need to prepare
  <li>we must be mindful of the immigrant population and the fact the inner city schools have a very diverse need for educational services
<ul>
    <li>one size does not fit all because of immigrant population generally staying close together in certain neighborhoods
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
      
<h2>QUESTION 2: WHO ARE THE STAKEHOLDERS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION?</h2>
<ul>
<li>who are the stakeholders?
<ul>
  <li>the community
<ul>
    <li>engage people; give sense of purpose
    <li>cooperation
    <li>stakeholders and commitment to community
</ul>
 	<li>identify stakeholders
  <li>arts and education institutions
  <li>orgs that tie into culture
  <li>faith communities
  <li>ethnicity is economic division (created)
  <li>all institutions are stakeholders (ie: hospitals, banks, churches etc)
  <li>international communities 
  <li>as communities of color, we can't go it alone
  <li>what are the boundaries?
	<li>parents
	<li>local govs
	<li>local univs
	<li>community centers
	<li>religious institutions
	<li>everyone in kc should care/should be involved
	<li>successful community-based programming
	<li>positive adults interacting with all children
	<li>role models
	<li>cultural competency of the neighborhood / ethnic groups
	<li>athletics: professional and collegiate
  <li>business
<ul>
   	<li>employ students
   	<li>show how business works
   	<li>open to students
</ul>
  <li>churches
<ul>
   	<li>buy into concept; providing services to students
   	<li>churches become community mouthpiece
   	<li>serve as defacto role for paretns; for schools and students; leadershi[
   	<li>let church teach religion & schools teach academics
</ul>
  <li>community based orgs
<ul>
    <li>structured activities before and after school
</ul>
  <li>residents
<ul>
    <li>be good property owners
    <li>other sets of eyes and ears
    <li>create sense of safety
    <li>become politically involved
    <li>involved in schools
    <li>coach, mentor, tutor
</ul>
  <li>parents
<ul>
    <li>prepare them to go to school and be ready to acheive
    <li>show up to parent meetings
</ul>
</ul>
<li>it is important to identify those with a 'vested interest' in the success of school. 
<li>we must tap into the individual assets of the community to have a presence in the schools.
<li>the role of the schools in the community as 'centers of neighborhood' need to be reinforced by school administrators to their staffs
<li>creating synergy between schools and some social service should be considered and encouraged for convenience and increased opportunities.
<li>setting up elementary and high schools in a campus setting would make transportation, meals, and infrastructure more efficient
<ul>
  <li>this would offer the potential for parents to participate in school activities for children should they be elementary or high school age
</ul>
<li>school design and redesign should consider the integration of after hours community space to reinforce the schools as 'center of community'
</ul>

  
<h2>QUESTION 3: NEIGHBORHOOD/CHURCH ROLE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION YESTERDAY AND TODAY?</h2>
<ul>
<li>disconnect / busing
<li>community involvement disconnect
<li>parents more protective
<li>less of the village raising the child
<li>gone from race to class
<li>social norms change, less trust
<li>more predators in confined area
<li>neighborhood isolation
<li>less church utilization in terms of education
<li>change in parent involvement
<li>change in social programming
<li>advocacy of social justice
<li>lack of church involvement
<li>build public will for change; public policy needs to be focus 
<li>black middle class has abandoned the urban core
<li>suburbs: increased middle income people of color
<li>mega-churches are no longer in the city
<li>mainstream churches have mostly members that no longer live in the neighborhoods
<li>value/understanding of education seems to have decreased
<li>communities and churches need to be reintegrated into the school system
<li>parents, business, and even alumni associations will have an impact in the success of neighborhood schools
<ul>
	<li>schools as the 'center of the community' should be considered
	<li>(much the way churches were considered in recent memory)
</ul>
<li>Bruce R. Watkins is “new Troost” –divides city
<li>Translation issues hinder communication and addressing needs
<li>Churches used to be the center of community
<li>Neighborhood around churches are declining, thus….
<li>Many prominent church members are commuters
<li>Churches must be pillars in community 
<ul>
   -scholarships
</ul>
<li>CCO- Clergy Caucus: 25 churches that rep 18,000 families
<ul>
	<li>Faith based orgs assist with needs – communication
	<li>Lack of catholic support, some parishioners attend public schools
	<li>Faith based motivation speaking may improve some issues within the school
	<li>Jesuits could be very pivotal in turning around community morale
	<li>Grassroots organization is necessary
</ul>
<li>Business (corps) can be tapped for resources (money, volunteering, etc.)
<ul>
	<li>Companies have not been solicited by schools and districts
	<li>Assistance could help with recruiting for companies
	<li>Mentoring partnerships with businesses.
</ul>
- Govn’t and econ stakholders andt to see comm. involvement before more money is added
<ul>
	<li>Democracy
	<li>Egual access to availability education
	<li>Parents schools 
</ul>
<li>Donors-parents-local universities (very isolated from the community)
<li>Community centers, religious churches, programs 
<li>Everyone in KC should care, should be involved
<li>Look at programs in the neighborhood 
<li>fraternities, service based organizations –athletics-professional and collegiate groups.
</ul>

<h2>QUESTION 4: IMPACT OF MINORITY'S UPWARD MOBILITY ON PUBLIC EDUCATION?</h2>
<ul>
<li>race segregation, class segregation
<li>charter schools
<ul>
  <li>alternative form of education
  <li>community control
  <li>community alternative method to education
</ul>
<li>absense of middle class does affect the children in kcmsd
<li>absent role models has made an impact
<li>middle class families need to be brought back with quality services, schools, communities
<li>robbed urban areas of ability to succeed by taking out professionals/important/successful people
<li>people left because they were concerned about education of their children
<li>street churches have memberships that live outside of the neighborhood
<li>abandoned
<li>attitudes of teachers, you are better and you know more
<li>the value of education/understanding seems to have decreased
<li>you are what you see
<li>the value is decreased 
<li>its’s different to value a place where you are stripped of your culture
<li>communities and churches need to get involved
<li>Absence of middle class does affect the children of kcmsd
<li>Absence role models exit has made an impact
<li>Get programs to re-engage the youth 
<li>Once you become middle class you know white schools are the better schools.
<li>African American and Latino males are underachieving compared to other students in urban public schools (KC)
<li>Has deseg removed influential/prominent members?
</ul>
 
<h2>MAJOR THEMES</h2>
<ul>
<li>as communities of color, we can’t go it alone
<li>build public will for change – public policy needs to be a focus
<li>a holistic approach is necessary, not optional for sustainable academic performance
<ul>
	<li>however, school district must remained focused on educating; other stakeholders must provide services with coordinating leadership from district
</ul>
<li>one size does not fit all
<ul>.
  <li>any proposed efforts must be mindful of the community in which they are to be implemented
</ul>
<li>seize opportunities for modeling 
<ul>
  <li>openings for our students to be in relationship with people modeling academic success should be pursued
</ul>
</ul>

<h2>NEXT STEPS</h2>
<ul>
<li>all participants volunteer in two high schools: northeast and central
<li>similar gathering among business leaders
<li>district-led development of sector-based strategies for engagement (gov, faith, resident/neighborhood, nonprofit/community, parental, business)
</ul>
 
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