closing the gap between school & community partnerships
TRANSCRIPT
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Closing the Gap Between School & Community Partnerships
A Needs Assessment in the City of Indianapolis
2021 NASW – Indiana Chapter State Conference
September 27, 2021
PresenterKate Roelecke, MPH, CHW
Marion County Commission on Youth, Inc.
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Developing a Needs Assessment
Developing a Needs Assessment
Who needs to be involved?
What do they want to find out? What will they
do with the data?
When will the assessment take place
and how long will it last?
Where do you want to focus?
WHY do they think an assessment will be
helpful?
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Location of Assessment: Indianapolis, IN
About Indianapolis/ Marion County
15%
27%
28%
30%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Ages 15 - 17
Ages 10 - 14
Ages 5 - 9
Ages 0 - 4
White43%
Black35%
Hispanic18%
Asian4%
Child Population by Age Group in Marion County
Child Population by Race and Ethnicity in Marion County
About Indianapolis/ Marion County
County Poverty Rate:
17.2%
TANF Families:
1,020
SNAP Benefits: 129,001
Child Poverty Rate:
25%
Free Lunch: 58%
Homeless Students:
4,942
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Timeline of Assessment
Apr. 2019
Online Survey
Over 350 responses from school personnel
Nov.–Dec. 2019
Community Conversations
3 School districts
Apr. 2020
Key Informant Interviews
School Administrator, K – 8 Principal, Mental Health Provider
Assessment Methods
Online Survey
Community Conversations
Key Informant Interviews
Other Methods to Consider
Data Collection Method Description
Surveys A survey is a way of collecting information that you hope represents the views of the whole community or group in which you are interested.
Focus Groups A focus group is a small-group discussion guided by a trained leader. It is used to learn about opinions on a designated topic and to guide future action.
Interviews Interviews are usually defined as a conversation with a purpose. They are great if you are looking for in-depth information on a particular topic from an expert.
Community Mapping Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a method of digital mapping that links data to its geographic location. GIS does require specific software and expertise. But you can also generally map a community by identifying where certain resources (or gaps) are.
Photovoice Photovoice is a process in which people – usually those with limited power – use video and/or photo images to capture aspects of their environment and experiences and share them with others.
Windshield and Walking Surveys Windshield and walking surveys are systematic observations made either from a moving vehicle or on foot. They can be used to assess general community needs.
Others Learn more and explore other options at the Community Toolbox! Visit: https://ctb.ku.edu/en
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Online Survey: Overview
45%
14%
11%
8%
4%
3%
15%
Teachers School Counselors Principals Social Workers
Assistant Principals School Psychologists Other
Survey Responses by Role
12%
19%
31%
5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
PreK/ Kindergarten Middle School High School Other
Survey Responses by School Grade
What issues impact student success?
Emotional/ Social Health
Trauma/ Violence
Mental Health
Chronic Absenteeism
Social Media/ Internet
Respondents asked for the following resources…
Students
Mental Health Services/ Access
More Counseling Services/ Access
Mentors/ Mentoring
Resources/ Education for
Social Emotional Health
Resources to Meet Basic Needs
Families
Parent Education/ Support
Access to Mental Health Services
Support to Meet Basic Needs
Access to Health Care
Housing Assistance/ Affordable
Housing
Teachers
Training/ Professional
Development
Specialized Staff/ Support for
Teachers
Classroom Supplies
Discipline Policies/ Practices
Administration
Training/ Professional
Development
Additional Staff
Funding Assistance
Resources
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Barriers to Accessing Resources
28%
17%
16%
9%
7%
3%
Lack of funding/ financial limitations
Lack of resources & specialized staff
Lack of time to use resources or implement programs
Parent engagement/ involvement
Lack of awareness of available resources
Administration follow through
Online Survey: Key Findings
School administrators, teachers, and support staff view the degree of impact certain issues have on student success differently.
Different types of schools utilize different policies and practices to address challenging issues.
Both students AND families need mental health services and access to basic needs.
Teachers desire more professional development and training, while administrators wish to hire more support staff.
Community Conversations: Overview
0.7% 0.7% 0.5%
40.3%
18.7%
54.8%
31.8%
13.4%
17.7%
5.4%6.9% 7.9%
21.6%
60.1%
18.9%
0.1% 0.2% 0.2%0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
Indianapolis Public schools Decatur Township Warren Township
Asian Black/ African American Hispanic Multiracial White Other
Student Populations by Race
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Community Conversations: Overview
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% 90.00% 100.00%
Economically Disadvantaged
Graduation Rate
Chronic Absenteeism
Comparative Data for Three School Districts
Warren Township Decatur Township Indianapolis Public Schools
Community Conversations: Process
Dialogue C List all the things you want for your students
Imagine a successful student 10 years from now. What does this look like?
Dialogue B What policies, practices, or programs are working to address these issues?
What could be done differently to address these issues?
Dialogue A What are your responses and reflections from the survey data?
Think back to a time when these issues affected student success and describe the situation.
Community Conversations: Key Findings
Trainings (though popular) may not be the most effective solution for addressing these challenges.
What school personnel desire for students and their success in the future may be more reflective of the lived experience and education levels of school staff.
The challenges are complex and systemic – and school staff do not feel that they have the adequate resources or capacity to address them.
Trust is an integral part of creating a safe space at school for students and their families.
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Key Informant Interviews: Overview
K – 8 Principal
Township Administrator
School-Based Mental Health Provider
Key Informant Interviews: Process
Question 1
How have you seen these challenges directly or indirectly impact students and schools at-large?
Question 2
What barriers do you identify from your perspective? Can you give a specific example?
Question 3
In a perfect world, what would an effective partnership with schools look like? What would facilitate success?
Question 4
What is the single most effective thing we could start doing right now to ensure every child succeeds?
Key Informant Interviews: Highlights
“The adult doesn’t see the problem because they are in the middle of it.”
– School Principal
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“It isn’t equitable within our district in terms of how we can provide resources to our
families in need. We just need to equal the playing field. You shouldn’t suffer because
you don’t have that person to be able to help you and you shouldn’t suffer if you’re not on
someone’s caseload.”– Township Administrator
“Communication is the hardest and biggest part of most partnerships because you to
constantly discuss, ‘Oh, I thought you were doing this…’ and ‘Oh, I dropped the ball on
that? I just assumed it was happening…’ and then nothing is happening. But
communication takes time and there’s not enough time in the day.”
– School Principal
“It sounds easy to engage the family, but it’s not. There are so many different barriers in their life,
and they can’t focus on the education of their child if they don’t know if they will have a place
to live next month… that’s one easy way to engage families – if there are basic needs that
they have, then helping them connect is automatically going to help create a relationship
with that person.”– Mental Health Provider
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“Family involvement is the key to it all.”– Mental Health Provider
“There is nothing to hide. We are just trying to do the best we can with what we have.”
– Township Administrator
Key Informant Interviews: Key Findings
The challenges impacting student success are interrelated and connected – they cannot be teased out or addressed individually.
Structural barriers make it difficult for effective partnerships to exist –supporting families and students is not simply an “information problem.”
Family engagement is critical for impacting student success and countering the numerous challenges this assessment identified.
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Closing the Gap
Whole Child Approach
Strengths-Based Family Engagement
Community School Model
Allocate the Resources
Schools Need
Data to Action in Indy
School-Based Community Health Worker Program
Community Conversations Asset Mapping
Acknowledgements
• Education Action Team
• IUPUI Office of Community Engagement
• Indianapolis Public Schools
• MSD Decatur Township
• MSD Warren Township
• MCCOY Interns
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Contact Information
Kate Roelecke
MCCOY, Inc.
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