© e 3 alliance, 2012 embracing the creative tensions in collaborative action susan dawson hannah...

© E3 Alliance, 2012

EMBRACING THE CREATIVE TENSIONS IN COLLABORATIVE ACTION

Susan DawsonHannah Gourgey


E3 Alliance uses objective data and focused community collaboration to align our education

systems so all students succeed and lead Central Texas to economic prosperity

Mission

E3 Alliance is a Catalyst For Educational Change in Central Texas

E3 serves as the Central Texasregional P-16 Council

© 2011 E3 Alliance


Our History• Born out of community leaders discussion at

AARO – not designed as a P-16 CouncilBirth to Economic Prosperity

• Built around other successful regional approaches to complex infrastructure issues

• Leverage “lessons learned” and models from other regions around U.S.

• Housed at Austin Community College• Formally launched May 1, 2006


St. David’sCEO

Earl Maxwell

St. David’sCEO

Earl Maxwell

ACCPresident

Stephen Kinslow

ACCPresident

Stephen Kinslow

Region XIII ESCExecutive Director

Terry Smith

Region XIII ESCExecutive Director

Terry Smith

United WayPresident

Debbie Bresette

United WayPresident

Debbie Bresette

Lewco InterestsPresident & CEO

Carolyn Gallagher

Lewco InterestsPresident & CEO

Carolyn Gallagher

Winstead PCFounding Partner

Pete Winstead

Winstead PCFounding Partner

Pete Winstead

TX State Univ.President

Denise Trauth

TX State Univ.President

Denise Trauth

LeanderSuperintendentBret Champion

LeanderSuperintendentBret Champion

E3 AlliancePresident

Susan Dawson

E3 AlliancePresident

Susan Dawson

AAROHigher Ed Chair

Ed Sharpe

AAROHigher Ed Chair

Ed Sharpe

UT AustinVice President

Gregory Vincent

UT AustinVice President

Gregory Vincent

VALCO ResourcesPresident

Doyle Valdez

VALCO ResourcesPresident

Doyle Valdez

12 Districts: Austin Bastrop Del Valle Eanes Hays Hutto Lake Travis Leander Pflugerville Round Rock San Marcos Taylor

BusinessLeaders:AAROGreater Austin ChamberGAHCC …

Governance Structure

Project Based:

GeorgetownDripping SpringsWimberleyUT ElementaryKIPP…

8 Colleges:UTTexas StateACCConcordiaHuston-TillotsonSt. Edward’sSouthwesternWestern Governors


What We Don’t Do• Run school programs• Provide direct services • Write curriculum• Make decisions that school boards or leaders

make for their districts

Instead, we are acatalyst for positive change in education


Elementary Grades

Pre-K & Kindergarten

Early Childhood

Middle Grades

High School Grades

Higher Education Career &

Life

Goal One: All children enter

Kindergarten school ready

Goal Two: Eliminate achievement gaps

whileimproving overall student

performance

Goal Three: All students graduate college & career ready & prepared for

a lifetime of learning

Goal Four: As a community, Central Texas prepares children to

succeed

Central Texas’ strategic plan to build the strongest educational pipeline in the country

E3 Alliance Cradle-to-Career Continuum

Ready, Set, K!

Campaign for Grade Level Reading

Kids Vision for Life

RAISEup Texas

STEM Pipeline Austin College Access

Network

Increased Attendance | ELL Collaborative | Teacher Effectiveness | Council on Educator

Preparation


E3 Alliance Model for Change

Using Information to Drive Action

Building Community Will for Change

Regional Strategic PlanBridging disconnects;Overcoming barriers;

Aligning resources and practices

© 2011 E3 Alliance


Systemic Alignment

Common Agenda

Changed Practices

Systems Change

• Share measures • Cultivate resources

through collaboration • Identify innovation &

promise • Align practices

INFORMED DECISIONS

SHARED COMMITMENT

• Institutional commitment

• Build policy support for proven strategies

• Scale successes

DATA INSIGHTS

• Research issue• Recruit stakeholders• Convene community • Build community will• Set targets

• Evaluate progress• Renew Commitment

© 2012 E3 Alliance


Systemic Alignment

• INFORMED BY RESEARCH:

• Kindergarten readiness

• English language learner achievement

• Middle school challenges

• Student Growth Percentile

• STEM School-Workforce pipeline challenges

Common Agenda

• INFORMED DECISIONS:

• Common Pre-K practices, committed investments

• ELL Collaborative PLC investigating bright spots

• RAISEup Texas transforming MS teaching & learning

• Change district policies to eliminate gaps

• STEM Pipeline Collaborative

Changed Practices • SHARED

COMMITMENT & INSTITUTIONAL CHANGES

• Common Pre-K guidelines & assessments in 18 districts

• Legislative support for Pre-K

• 8 RAISEup Texas Demonstration Middle Schools w/ 500+ teachers trained

• Articulated credit for engineering

• 300+% change in STEM Pipeline Enrollment

Systems Change


What are the Building Blocks of Collective Impact?

• Common Agenda

• Common Measures of Progress

• Mutually Reinforcing Activities

• Communication

• Backbone Organization

• Regional Footprint• Research &

Evaluation • Objective Forum • Adaptive

Leadership• Collaborative

Ethics


In Theory, Collective Impact Looks Like This ….

11


But our Reality Often Looks Like This ….

12


SO, HOW DO WE EMBRACE THE CREATIVE TENSIONS TO ENERGIZE CHANGE

13


The Tensions of Collaborative ActionPartner

Push

Community Goals

OrganizationalGoals

Inclusiveness

Expediency

Education

Advocacy


•When is it appropriate to “push” key stakeholders?•And then, “how” best to do so?

15

Partner

Push


•In an ideologically charged climate, when is it appropriate to promote certain policy versus education about an issue?•What approaches work best and when?

16

Education

Advocacy


•How do we help stakeholders balance organizational versus community interests?•What strategies help organizations prioritize a common agenda? •How do we foster “enlightened self interest?”

17

Community Goals

OrganizationalGoals


• How do we balance including many community and stakeholder voices and moving forward with urgency?

•What criteria should we use in striking that balance?

18

Inclusiveness

Expediency


SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION


Feedback

20Click to edit attribution


We Assume Collaborative Action Should Look Like This…

21


But In Reality, Common Destination Matters Most ….

22


www.e3alliance.org

© e 3 alliance, 2012 embracing the creative tensions in collaborative action susan dawson hannah...

Documents

e3 alliance slide

central texas e

alliance cradle

alliance model

country e

education slide

austin community college

economic prosperity