Early Childhood Education Draft Board Resolution

Transcription

1 SAMPLE RESOLUTION Early Childhood Education Draft Board Resolution How To Use This Resolution California s new school funding law, (the Local Control Funding Formula or LCFF) provides an opportunity for organizations and individuals to work with their districts to make Early Childhood Education (ECE) a core part of their efforts to close the achievement gap and ensure students are ready for college and careers. Districts from across the state are showing their commitment to ECE in a variety of ways and at varying investment levels. One approach that can help set a foundation for ECE within a district is the adoption of a resolution by the district board in support of ECE. This document is meant to serve as a reference for working toward this end. The clauses included in this Sample Resolution should serve as example language that can be modified to better fit the needs and opportunities in individual districts. How The Document Is Organized This document is organized into three sections : Section 1 - Sample Resolution: The first is a complete and usable version of a resolution that presents the rationale for investing in ECE and a request for the district to leverage the LCFF to support early learners. Section 2 - Alternative Resolved Clauses: This section includes alternative language that could be included in the Resolved portion of a local resolution. The first alternative presented provides the option for the district to make a commitment to activating an ECE Workgroup to identify the opportunities for ECE in the district. The second alternative focuses on having the district formally recognize the importance of ECE and the need for the state to invest more in early learning. Section 3 - Alternative Whereas Clauses: This section includes language that can be incorporated into your local resolution based on need and opportunity. These clauses provide sample language for (1) Preschool-specific supports, (2) English-Language Learners, (3) Additional Outcomes, and (4) Parent Engagement. Guidance on Using This Resource This document is meant to serve as a reference template to inform the local efforts to formalize district support for ECE. Given the diversity of California school districts, we highly encourage that organzations and individuals work with their districts to tailor this language to suit their local needs. Please Share Your Adopted Resolutions If you have any questions about this resource or ways it could be utilized in your community, please contact Eduardo Aguilar at [email protected]. Please also share your adopted resolutions with us. Early Childhood Education Draft Board Resolution

2 Sample Board Resolutions Affirming Our Commitment to Early Education through the Local Control Funding Formula Whereas, The <<Insert District Name>> School District is committed to ensuring that every student has access to high quality supports and opportunities that will ensure that they graduate college-prepared and career ready; Whereas, The first five years of life are a critical period for brain development that directly impact a child s capacity for developing future linguistic and cognitive abilities as well the acquisition of learning and social emotional skills; Whereas, a strong body of research conclusively shows the impact of a rich array of early learning and development initiatives on a number of key metrics used to measure K-12 student success, from graduation rates to student achievement, as well as positive effects on cognitive and social outcomes; Whereas, research demonstrates that the impacts of early learning are particularly strong for the students that the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) was specifically designed to support: high-needs children, specifically low-income, English learners and foster youth; Whereas, researchers have estimated an 8 to 1 return on investment for early learning benefits based on long-term life outcomes of children; Whereas, early learning has been documented to show a direct impact on all eight of the LCFF State Priorities, including the opportunity for the district to work with its parents and communities to develop and implement more locally tailored approaches to achieve greater outcomes; Be it therefore resolved, That the <<Insert District Name>> School District Governing Board directs the Superintendent to invest <<Insert specific amount/percentage>> along with any other early childhood education funds available from Federal, State or other funding to the Early Education Division to strengthen our early learning supports to improve long-term student outcomes in our district; Resolved further, That the Board directs the Superintendent to seek ways to leverage the additional funds towards (1) expanding access through increasing slots and hiring additional staff, (2) establishing and implementing a quality improvement assessment process, (3) expanding capacity building supports for early childhood education teachers and staff, (4) providing parent education and engagement opportunities where appropriate, and (5) coordinating a culturally responsive approach to early mental and physical health screenings where possible; Resolved further, That the Board directs the Superintendent to charge the Early Education Division to develop and implement a plan that prioritizes the use of funds at school sites that can leverage existing early education programs based on proximity and that best meet critical criteria that includes but are not limited to: Elementary school sites that show the greatest need as based on 3rd grade reading Elementary schools with large populations of LCFF targeted students, including: English Learners, low-income and children in foster care Early learning programs that are located in high-need communities and that have been subject to persistent wait lists, and other District and community identified measures; and, be it finally Resolved, That the Board requests the Superintendent, the Early Education Division, and community stakeholders as appropriate, to come together to establish an Early Childhood Education Workgroup that will be tasked with developing a specific plan to leverage the resources that will be allocated for early education, upon adoption of this resolution. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: The Superintendent will report back to the Board of Education by <<Insert Date>> on the progress towards activating the Early Childhood Education Workgroup.

3 Alternative Resolved Clauses Alternative A Develop a Plan in Order to Prepare for Investments Next Year THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Board of Education of the <<Insert District Name>> School District requests that the District analyze and make recommendations to the Board about what resources are needed - including release time, stipends, and extended hours, partnerships, to support teachers, principals, and families - in the development of a high quality early childhood education program, and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: The District will establish an Early Childhood Education Workgroup that will include representatives from relevant stakeholder groups, to develop a plan for strengthening the District s ability to provide access to high quality early learning; and, FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED: The Workgroup will develop recommendations for policies and resources necessary to ensure the availability of high quality early learning supports to ensure that all <<Insert District Name>> School District students enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed; and, FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED: The <<Insert District Name>> School District will explore the opportunity to leverage all available funding, including Local Control Funding Formula funds, to support the District s commitment to providing access to high quality early childhood education supports and services; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: The Superintendent will report back to the Board of Education by <<Insert Date>> on the progress towards activating the Early Childhood Education Workgroup. Alternative B Call on the State to Invest More Funding in Early Learning THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Board of Education of the <<Insert District Name>> School District urges the Governor and the State Legislature to prioritize the needs to give every student a strong start by having access to high quality early learning supports and services; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the <<Insert District Name>> School District will provide a copy of this resolution to the Governor and to our state elected representatives; and Therefore, be it resolved, the <<Insert District Name>> School District s Board supports the adoption of state funding policies that ensure that California provides access to high quality Early Childhood Education programs for all children to increase school-readiness and to promote academic and lifelong success.

4 Optional Whereas Clauses Preschool Focus Whereas, preschools that are part of the California State Preschool program produced gains of seven percentiles for language and math, with even larger gains for specific literacy skills; Whereas, the Fresno County Office of Education found that students who participated in preschool were more than twice as likely (50% vs 21%) to be ready for kindergarten compared to their peers who did not have any preschool experience, demonstrating that preschool attendance is a critical component of kindergarten readiness; Whereas, a Stanford University analysis of Redwood City showed that after controlling for demographic factors, students who participated in the San Mateo County preschool for all program for two years had higher proficiency rates in multiple kindergarten subjects when compared to children who did not attend; Whereas, over 120 studies, including one evaluating 31 school districts in New Jersey - found that quality preschool programs produced lasting gains with cognitive benefits equivalent to reducing at least half of the achievement gap among students; Whereas, well-designed preschool education programs have been shown to produce long-term improvements in a variety of school success measures, including: higher test scores, lower rates of grade retention, decrease in special education placements, gains in social emotional development and increased graduation rates. Whereas, quality preschool programs have been shown to lead to a significant reduction in special education placements, of up to 48 percent; Whereas, a study of over 600 California kids found that those who attended a quality preschool program were absent an average of 4.5 fewer days in kindergarten than their peers; English Language Learners Whereas, the positive impacts of preschool participation have been shown to be just as strong if not stronger for English language learners and children of immigrants when compared with their native-born or English speaking peers; Whereas, research shows that English Learners who have access to a consistent, coherent approach to education that provides continuous, enhanced learning opportunities from Prekindergarten through Third Grade (PK-3) offers the best chance for improved academic performance; Whereas, high quality early learning programs provide students from all backgrounds with access to a language-rich and developmentally appropriate environment that can address the findings of a 2014 Stanford study that demonstrated that the gap between socio-economically disparate groups of students begins to appear as early as 18 months and results in a nearly 9-month difference in reading ability by the third grade; Additional Outcome Language Whereas, early academic performance in preschool and early elementary is one of the most consistent predictors for dropping out of high school; Whereas, an analysis of numerous studies concluded that preschool students demonstrated an immediate cognitive gain of nearly 20 percentile points on achievement test scores while also demonstrating long-term gains in graduation rates (77% vs 60%, Perry Preschool Study, 2011), scored higher on early literacy and math assessments (Oklahoma s Universal Preschool Program, 2005), and demonstrated consistently higher college attendance rates (Galinsky, 2006); Whereas, a 25-year longitudinal study of the Chicago Public School Child-Parent Center Program found that the program produced strong and lasting benefits for its participants graduation rates (82% vs 75%), attendance of a four-year college (15% vs 11%) and were less likely to engage in detrimental behavior including lower rates of drugs or alcohol (17% vs 23%);

5 Whereas, well-designed preschool education programs have been shown to produce long-term improvements in a variety of school success measures, including: higher test scores, lower rates of grade retention, decrease in special education placements, gains in social emotional development and increased graduations rates. Teacher Support Whereas, kindergarten teachers statewide unanimously agree on the importance of pre-school (96%) and say that students with preschool experience are better prepared for kindergarten (95%) and whereas 88% of teachers agreed that students who had not attended preschool required extra time working on basic skills (Praise for Preschool, 2005); Parent Engagement and Support Whereas, a 2002 study of Early Head Start demonstrated that parents of early head start students, when compared to nonparticipating parents, were more emotionally supportive, provided more support for language development and learning and were less likely to engage in negative parenting behaviors all of which were shown to be correlated with higher student performance on cognitive assessments; Whereas, 82% of low-income children who participated in the Parents as Teachers home visiting program and attended preschool were ready for school at kindergarten entry a higher percentage than their affluent peers who did not participate; Whereas, quality, evidence-based home visiting programs produced statistically significant benefits for children, including increases in school readiness and reductions in child abuse and neglect (48%); Whereas, the high school graduation rate for mothers in California s Cal-SAFE program, which provides academic and support services to teen parents and their children, was a full 55% percentage points higher than the overall rate for teen mothers (75% vs 20%); Whereas, children enrolled in Cal-SAFE were more likely to be up-to-date on their immunizations (by 13 percentage points) than the California average; About Children Now Children Now is the first and only research, policy development, and advocacy organization providing umbrella representation for children s issues in California. We do this work without any vested interest other than the best possible outcomes for kids. Our staff of top children s experts covers the full range of education, health, and child welfare policy issues that are fundamental to giving all children the chance to reach their potential. Our issue areas include early childhood, TK-12 education, expanded learning, health coverage and access to care, child welfare services, obesity, and media policy related to children s education and health, among others.