Summit Education Initiative BUSINESS PLAN November 27, 2013

Summit Education Initiative
BUSINESS PLAN
November 27, 2013
Derran Wimer
Executive Director
Summit Education Initiative
520 S. Main Street
Suite 2455
Akron, OH 44311-1095
Tel: 330-535-8833
Fax: 330-535-0242
Email: [email protected]
CONFIDENTIAL
No offering is made or intended by this document. Any offering of interests in Summit Education Initiative
will be made only in compliance with Federal and State securities laws.
This document includes confidential and proprietary information of and regarding Summit Education
Initiative. This document is provided for informational purposes only. You may not use this document
except for informational purposes, and you may not reproduce this document in whole or in part, or divulge
any of its contents without the prior written consent of Summit Education Initiative. By accepting this
document, you agree to be bound by these restrictions and limitations.
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary ......................................................................................... 3
Mission and Vision ............................................................................................ 3
Overview ........................................................................................................... 3
Success Factors ................................................................................................ 7
Financial Highlights ........................................................................................... 9
I. Executive Summary
MISSION: Ensure that all students in Summit County graduate from high school well prepared for
successful careers and/or higher education.
VISION: Education becomes Summit County’s highest priority and its education system is rated the
best in Ohio.
Overview
Founded in 1996, Summit Education Initiative (“SEI”) is Summit County’s leader of outcome
improvement efforts along the educational Cradle to Career Continuum (“Continuum”). Our work is
evidence based, data driven, and predictive.
Through collaborative, “collective impact” efforts SEI functions as the backbone organization to lead
and facilitate engagement and action processes throughout Akron/Summit County. 1 The success of
this effort is dependent upon collective interest, investment and involvement of individuals,
businesses, public and non-public P-12 schools, early childhood providers, universities, career
training providers, and civic, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations across the community.
SEI’s most significant work includes the following:
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Establish and facilitate cross sector benchmark teams in the six key transition points in the
continuum. These are critical transition points in a child’s education, at which time
attainment is necessary in order to successfully proceed to further educational success.
Each Team develops smaller tactical teams (as needed) to identify and execute data
supported initiatives to improve performance on agreed upon student outcome metrics (see
graphic below).
Provide facilitation, technical assistance and research to support the teams.
Provide services for the initiatives, and if validated, facilitate alignment of additional
resources through an “invitation to act” to community partners in order to provide momentum
to bring successful initiatives to scale.
The Stanford Social Innovation Review (Winter, 2011) highlighted characteristics and benefits of successful collective impact efforts in education. Five identified
conditions for collective success are : common agenda; shared measurement systems; mutually reinforcing activities; continuous communication; and support of a
backbone organization.
1
3
County-wide benchmark teams monitor and communicate progress toward goals at each of the key transition points on
the continuum. Tactical teams implement research-based strategies to improve benchmark outcomes. Feedback and
data from SEI leadership informs tactical team efforts.
As previously stated, the majority of the work will be completed by the Teams. Currently three
Teams are operating (Ready to Learn, Third Grade Reading Action Team and Graduate High
School Meeting Career/College Readiness Standards). SEI uses the following approach with these
Teams:
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Select Team membership, schedule meetings, set agendas, and facilitate work.
Provide data support and guide discussions regarding the correlation of data and proposed
actions or initiatives.
Provide research, white papers, and references that will validate characteristics of effective
school-based out-of-school-time providers programs.
The goal of this plan is to have all benchmark teams staffed and working by the conclusion of the
2013-2014 school year. The critical factor in the formation of the Teams is the development of our
data system. The data system is fundamental to inform the work and to develop targets and
measures.
Although SEI is the convener of these Teams, volunteer leaders are chosen to coordinate much of
the work. SEI serves to support, encourage, and to guide “on track” work flow.
The benchmark teams, through the SEI staff, report their progress to the SEI Board of Directors at
the quarterly Director’s meetings. The SEI Board is purposefully configured to represent a cross
section of community stakeholders. The teams are comprised of representatives from schools, out
of school time providers, philanthropy, universities, other engaged organizations, and SEI.
It is the role of SEI’s staff to periodically and annually report the progress of the teams through white
papers, videos, email blasts, and press releases as well as frequent website updates.
At SEI, we believe that all children should begin and complete their formal education as prepared,
passionate and persistent learners, and that by so doing, each child will have the opportunity to
graduate from high school with a variety of college and career choices. Achieving this goal for each
Summit County child is our top priority.
4
What We Do
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Aggregate and analyze the data of program providers (“providers”), defined as schools, outof-school time providers, for-profit corporations, foundations, etc.
Build student achievement predictive models from preschool-college attainment that provide
early warning systems for schools to identify students who are “off track” for attaining an ACT
score of 21+.(a 21+ score is a validated predictor of college and career readiness).
Identify, validate (through historical and predictive analytics) and showcase best practices of
providers.
Develop a “Map” of all providers serving the educational needs of Summit County, and we
use this map to align the efforts of all providers.
Inform the community of educational outcomes in Summit County (actual versus goal).
How We Do It
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Establishing working agreements with every Summit County public school district, some
private schools, preschools, and the University of Akron.
Forging strategic alliances with all interested providers in Summit County.
SEI Benchmark Teams (“Team”) working with providers to identify performance concerns
very early in a student’s academic career.
Aligning provider efforts at each transition point on the Continuum based on specific metrics.
Collaborating to identify attainable, measureable targets, sub-targets and accompanying
action plans to improve outcomes.
Scaling validated initiatives through SEI-directed Alignment Summit - Invitations to Act
(“Invitations”), which serve to invite interested providers to align resources and expand
successful, data supported initiatives across the county.
Producing dashboards by SEI for providers to act upon with their students.
Utilizing real time data by providers and community members to understand the current
status of educational attainment and outcomes.
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Why Does This Work Matter?
Education operates in a culture dominated by aggressive testing and accountability. This culture
fosters competition and inhibits collaboration among schools. Funding limitations restrict most
schools and agencies to minimum operations. Coupled with these factors are inconsistent metrics
and inefficient access to actionable data across agencies, resulting in a “cloudy” big picture view
and a lack of evidence based decision making. The barriers contributing to this challenge are
technical and bureaucratic, not physical. Unfortunately, students are connected with many
disconnected agencies.
SEI, serving as the neutral convener, incubator, researcher, validator and advocate is
uniquely positioned to lead a more unified approach to educational excellence.
This work matters. We are stronger working together. We can realize efficiencies and economies of
scale. We can promote a shared vision and a clear understanding of roles among agencies.
We live in a connected global community and economy. The challenges we face are shared. The
challenges are not unique to one community, one neighborhood or one school. What happens
educationally in one part of our county is significant to people, agencies, and businesses in other
parts of our county and across the region.
Individual and regional prosperity arises from regional commitment to excellence in education.
For the above reasons SEI’s work matters, now more than ever.
Our Customers
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Public and non-public schools
Non-profit educational providers
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Success Factors
Based on the following success factors, SEI is uniquely qualified as the leading educational
backbone organization for Summit County:
 SEI is the only non-profit organization in Summit County which has as its goal the
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improvement of educational outcomes for ALL students.
SEI is viewed as a neutral organization, and hence is able to convene all stakeholders to
address issues for improved educational outcomes.
SEI is developing the infrastructure necessary to lead throughout the county.
SEI Board of Directors membership represents leaders from across the county in multiple
sectors who can lend support, advice, and influence.
There is significant interest and support for SEI within the business, nonprofit, public,
education and civic sectors.
SEI’s efforts align with existing county, state and national educational improvement efforts. In
fact, SEI is being sought out by national organizations for its approach and advice.
The education leaders in Summit County are engaged and very supportive.
SEI Milestones
1998 - 2010
 Established SEI as a leader in program and standards-based innovations adopted
throughout the State of Ohio;
 Created a county-wide focus on teacher recognition and professional development;
 Began community-wide conversations around the educational pipeline with an initial P-16
focus and high school completion with programs like SPARK and Destination College.
 Created a new awareness of college and career aspirational development with tools like the
EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT series.
2010 - 2011: Board Develops New Strategic Plan
 SEI Board of Directors (“Board”) went back to the drawing board with its strategic plan, with a
determination to return to its original mission of serving as a backbone organization for all
providers in Summit County;
 Added to SEI’s Board two school superintendents and seven additional business and community
leaders to better represent SEI’s range of stakeholders.
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2012 - 2013:
 SEI formally announced to the community its new strategic plan to lead the collaborative effort in
Summit County in order to “align & engage for student achievement, cradle to career”,
focusing on six transition points in the education pipeline.
 Piloted with great success and redesigned for an expanded rollout across Summit County, the
Preschool Transition Skills Summary project which aims to promote a shared understanding of
school readiness expectations across early childhood settings by 2016.
 Close working agreements were developed with all 17 public school districts in Summit County
enabling SEI to build predictive models for the districts and the county regarding the critical
Cradle to Career Transition Points.
 Produced the first county-wide report card on the transition points, all directed to the valued
outcome of college and career ready (21+ on ACT).
 Began the alignment of youth-serving organizations with the support of local foundations and
United Way;
 providers, through consult with SEI, began to align their work and metrics with SEI’s transition
points (a significant step toward collective impact).
 Over 45% of preschools now administer an identical Transition Skills Summary for exiting
preschool students
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Financial Highlights
Note: Fiscal Year Ends June 30th
Corporate Contributions
FY2012
FY2012
FY2013
FY2013
Actual
Budget
Actual
Budget
5,000
-
12,000
-
53,500
-
339,230
339,000
Grants and Foundations
338,633
339,038
176,553
260,000
Individual Contributions
143,300
243,000
9,150
10,000
7,079
-
10,000
52,500
(135)
500
8,011
3,500
Total Income
547,377
582,538
554,944
665,000
Salaries and Benefits
213,608
276,500
395,254
419,000
Operating Expenditures
102,495
117,350
84,674
129,750
Organization Expenses
33,457
29,250
14,833
36,000
Cradle to Career Alliance
56,088
-
47,525
80,000
9,359
58,000
542,286
664,750
415,008
481,100
132,369
101,438
12,658
250
Endowment Fund
Earned Income from Services Provided
Interest, Investment, & Miscellaneous
Income
Total Expenses
Net Income
(Loss)
9