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Black and Brown Coalition Announces Vision to End Inequities in Montgomery County Public Schools

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Post by Kimberly Rusnak, Project Director for the Children's Opportunity Fund

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“Everyone wins if we can tackle the achievement gap,” said Diego Uriburu, the Executive Director of Identity and a key leader in the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence.

As I sat in the auditorium at Gaithersburg High School for the Black and Brown Forum for Educational Equity and Excellence on the night of October 15, I was amazed by the power and energy in the room. The Black and Brown Coalition—a group of nonprofit partners led by Identity, a Montgomery County nonprofit serving Latino youth and families, and the NAACP of Montgomery County — shared moving data points, told stories, and led the audience to understand how black and brown children do not have access to the same opportunities as their peers.

Their data came from the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) system, where educators commissioned a resource study that showed three dramatic inequities:

  • Black and Latino students in MCPS from low-income families are 1.5 times more likely to have a novice teacher than their peers.

  • Lower-income elementary and middle schools are much more likely to attend schools led by novice principals. In Title 1 elementary schools, more than half of the principals have less than 3 years of experience in MCPS, and more than 60% of low-income middle schools have a novice principal.

  • Black and Latino students are less likely to have access to the most rigorous curriculum than their peers.

In addition to these powerful statistics, students shared stories about how this inequality affected their own educational experiences. Giankarlo Vera, an MCPS graduate, shared how he once dreamed of becoming a doctor. Despite an excellent GPA in honors classes, none of the counselors ever encouraged him to look at four-year universities or provided guidance on how to pursue his dream. He reflected,

“Where was all the support that I was promised when I enrolled in MCPS schools?”

Education is a key factor that impacts all aspects of life. A great education can pull an individual out of poverty. It is especially important in Montgomery County, a county with a reputation for an excellent school system, that everyone benefits.

One especially moving moment occurred when Ruby Rubens, a long-time education activist, shared that a group of concerned parents named 1977 made similar requests of MCPS 42 years ago. Despite a positive response from the administration at the time, not much has improved.

The time to act is now. Approximately 1,000 people attended the event on a Tuesday night – including elected officials, community organizations, parents, students, educators, and other groups of concerned citizens. They sent a message, loud and clear, that the Montgomery County community cares about equity in education.

I was proud to participate and represent the Children’s Opportunity Fund to pledge our support to strengthen education for all Montgomery County students. The Children’s Opportunity Fund is a proud partner, planner, and supporter of the Coalition’s work, including this forum. Through the Children’s Opportunity Fund, we will continue to invest in evidence-informed solutions to drive our community toward better outcomes for all. We recognize that no one person or organization can do this work alone. There is power in numbers.

We can no longer stand idly by and wait for others to get this right. We need to get loud. We need to push. We need to influence and demand positive change. The Children’s Opportunity Fund is ready to catalyze this change. In partnership with the Black and Brown Coalition, the Children’s Opportunity Fund will continue working to amplify community voice and ensure that county officials understand the importance of closing the achievement gap for all students in Montgomery County.

If you have questions or would like to support with the Children’s Opportunity Fund, please contact Kimberly Rusnak, Project Director for the Children's Opportunity Fund at krusnak@thecommunityfoundation.org.

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Leapfrogging Inequity in Montgomery County

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Guest post by Kimberly Rusnak, Project Director for the Children's Opportunity Fund

What is leapfrogging in education? The concept was explored with a group of Community Foundation donors at our most recent President’s Forum in Montgomery County. It is the ability to jump ahead or disrupt existing paradigms to make rapid and non-linear progress. It is the possibility to transform what and how children learn so that young people can develop a broad set of skills needed to thrive. The concept is discussed by Rebecca Winthrop, a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institute, in her new book, Leapfrogging Inequality: Remaking Education to Help Young People Thrive. 

The first major point covered during the talk sought to answer a critical question: What is the goal of education? Though it seems like such a simple question, the answers in the room were vastly different. Some of the answers were: the goal is to teach basic skills of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. This was countered with the goal to ensure sustainable employment. Or is the goal to provide young people with the tools for a fulfilling life and to encourage active civic participation? Or all of the above?

The answer posed to the group by Ms. Winthrop was called, “Academic +,” also known as The Breadth-of-Skills-Movement. While an education system must prioritize knowledge acquisition, there must also be a strong emphasis on developing skills needed to use that knowledge in different settings overtime. This includes academic subjects, plus globally relevant topics, communication skills, problem solving skills; and trying to prepare students for the future. It’s a tough job—and no single approach is the perfect solution because learning happens everywhere—at home, at school, in the community. 

In an average year, an elementary school student only spends 14% of their time in school (based on a 7-hour school day, 180 days  per year). Roughly 33% of a student’s time is spent sleeping, and 53% of their time is spent awake and out of school. If the majority (53%) of learning happens at home, in the community and among peers, think about what that means. 

For many families that cannot afford quality early learning and pre-K access, fee-based out of school programs, private tutoring and costly summer camps, the opportunities and exposure to academic and non-academic skills and knowledge are very different compared to affluent families who can. The families who cannot afford expensive out-of-school supports are often immigrants and people of color; which is why the opportunity gap and racial inequity exists in almost every county and city in the United States.  Race and poverty are not the same thing, but there are strong correlations in the world of education.  As Kevin Beverly, a Trustee of The Community Foundation reflected:

“Encouraging educators to open the aperture and look beyond the standard approaches is a key to helping our at-risk youth excel.” 

In order to make major strides and changes in education, we must take big leaps and major calculated risks to achieve greater change for children and address this inequity. We must do our work differently so that we can achieve different results. Incremental change is not enough; we must find ways to leapfrog. As Shirley Brandman, an Education Advocate in Montgomery County reflected:

“Our commitment to equity will only become real when we can invest in tangible strategies that catch students up and keep them on track academically.  Making more than a year's worth of progress in a year of schooling is key and the insights shared about how we can harness innovation to leapfrog or accelerate learning should inspire us to rededicate our efforts.” 

There were several examples of this idea shared at the President’s Forum last week.  An initiative called, LEMA (Literacy and Math Education Labs) has created board games that teach literacy, numeracy, teamwork and collaboration at the same time. Another example was Wonderschool in California who works with families, educators and childcare providers to helps individuals start their own businesses by assisting with licensing, marketing and everything in between. 

I have spent my entire career working in education and the field of out of school time.  I am excited for the opportunity to take my experiences and knowledge and put them to work in Montgomery County through the Children’s Opportunity Fund. It is our goal to help every child succeed.  The Fund focuses on supporting and scaling evidence-based initiatives that are meeting gaps in Montgomery County. 

Thank you to Rebecca Winthrop for sharing her knowledge and expertise.  Our community will use these learnings and others to help investigate opportunities to innovate and address inequity in education in Montgomery County, and across the region. 

Kimberly joined The Community Foundation in the summer of 2018.  Through her previous experience as a Program Officer with the Social Innovation Fund, she oversaw a portfolio of innovative interventions ranging from cradle to career.  Kimberly came to The Community Foundation well-versed in program development, nonprofit management and community development.  She is a passionate advocate for young people and believes it is critical that we provide equal opportunities to all. 

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Closing the Achievement Gap in Montgomery County

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The Children’s Opportunity Fund champions and supports strategic investments to improve the lives of low-income children and families in Montgomery County. The Fund was launched jointly by the Montgomery County Government and Montgomery County Public Schools to identify priority areas for investment based on unmet need and to help align resources toward effective multi-sector collaborations serving the County’s most vulnerable youth and their families. In July 2017, the Fund made its inaugural grants which were leveraged against matching dollars to launch and expand innovative, evidence-informed programs throughout the county. We are pleased to report that the Fund recently made another $623,000 in grants to these high-impact organizations to further support their vital work:

Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) works to create high-quality learning opportunities for the children who need them most, mobilizing schools and communities to expand learning time beyond the traditional school day and school year. The 2017 grant from the Children’s Opportunity Fund supported BELL’s Summer program which provided educational services to 1,134 rising 3-5th graders. For six and one-half hours per day, five days a week, the program blended academics with nutrition, enrichment, and mentorship at no cost to lower income families. The result was an increase in the average scholar’s literacy by 1.5 months and math skills by 3 months, increased self-confidence for 98% of scholars, and improved scholar attitudes about school which led to a 93% average daily attendance rate. Read about Bell’s efforts to prevent the ‘summer slide’ in an op-ed for the Baltimore Sun.

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“I have been inspired by Montgomery County’s commitment to equity in education. Families and MCPS educators have advocated for increasing access to the BELL Summer program with evidence-based instruction and engaging resources to accelerate scholars’ learning year-round. The Children Opportunity Fund’s visionary investment in BELL Summer has helped us double this collective impact in summer 2018 and serve 2,100 young people across 11 Title I MCPS schools!”
— Damon Johnson, Vice President, Partner Impact, BELL

Family Service’s Thriving Germantown Collaboration. As Germantown has grown and become more diverse, so has the rate of increased poverty (16% versus 6% countywide) and the economic, health, and educational disparities for the most vulnerable residents. Over 20 community nonprofit partners established a five-year collective impact initiative, Thriving Germantown Community HUB, designed to help Germantown families connect to health care, early child care, adult education, employment, and more. Family Services, Inc. was selected to provide leadership for this multi-sector, multi-generational care coordination initiative to improve student/family health and wellness outcomes, achieve academic success, and ensure that children have safe, stable and nurturing environments in which to live. A grant from the Children’s Opportunity Fund supported the coordination of work around early childhood care and education. In its first year, Thriving Germantown provided 99 comprehensive family risk assessments and facilitated referrals and linkages to appropriate resources and services for 131 children, adults and families. Read more about the school and leaders behind the Thriving Germantown collaboration in Bethesda Magazine’s 2017 December cover story, “Hope Lives Here.”

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“Partnerships are at the heart of Thriving Germantown – with families from the Daly School community, school staff, and over a dozen community health and social services organizations. The investments from COF are particularly helpful in supporting our early care and academic related service coordination. We’re excited to include as goals for the new year deepening our reach into the community, enhancing data sharing and collaboration with our partners, and developing a permanent shared nonprofit services facility for the Germantown community.”
— Kylie McCleaf, CEO Family Services, Inc.

Urban Alliance is committed to helping underserved youth gain the experience, support, and training necessary to compete in the labor market and embark on a pathway to self-sufficiency. With the grant from the Children’s Opportunity Fund, Urban Alliance expanded its High School Internship Program into Montgomery County to provide career preparation and internships to high school seniors in the East County area. Through the program, students had the opportunity to gain significant professional development training, one-on-one mentoring from adult professionals, and paid, real-world work experience. The program placed 30 interns at worksites around the county, with a 100% retention rate – all youth who began the program in the fall are still actively enrolled. While their post high school plans are still in progress, all Montgomery interns have applied to college, all have been accepted to at least one institution, and all have completed a resume.

 
Anna Hargrave, Executive Director of the Community Foundation in Montgomery County, poses with Urban Alliance Scholars.

Anna Hargrave, Executive Director of the Community Foundation in Montgomery County, poses with Urban Alliance Scholars.

 
““The Children’s Opportunity Fund is making it possible for Urban Alliance to provide even more young people in Montgomery County with early, meaningful work experience and professional development to help them succeed in adulthood. We’re so grateful to the Greater Washington Community Foundation for their dedication to improving outcomes for underserved youth by helping us to sustain and grow our program here in the county.””
— Eshauna Smith, CEO of Urban Alliance
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The Children’s Opportunity Fund Announces Initial Grants in Montgomery County

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July 17, 2017 -- The Greater Washington Community Foundation has announced the Children’s Opportunity Fund’s (COF) first grants of $625,000 to three high-impact nonprofit organizations in Montgomery County, Maryland.  All three groups provide life-changing educational opportunities for low-income children and reflect the COF’s innovative and systemic approach to closing the opportunity gap for children and youth in Montgomery County.  These first three grants include nearly $625,000 in public funding and will leverage an additional $625,000 in private matching funds, totaling a $1.25 million investment. 

Children’s Opportunity Fund Grants June 2017

The Children’s Opportunity Fund's initial grants will serve over 1,200 students in the following ways:

Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) works to create high-quality learning opportunities for the children who need them most, so that they, too, can develop the skills, interests, and determination to excel.  BELL builds educational equality by mobilizing schools and communities and expanding learning time beyond the traditional school day and school year.  BELL exists to transform the academic achievements, self-confidence, and life trajectories of children living in under-resourced communities. The grant from COF will support educational services to students currently attending Montgomery County Public Schools Summer Program in partnership with the Norman R. and Ruth Rales Foundation, Montgomery County Government and MCPS.

The Urban Alliance Foundation, Inc. partners with businesses to empower under-resourced youth to aspire, work, and succeed through paid internships, formal training, and mentorship. The grant from COF will expand the Urban Alliance High School Internship Program into Montgomery County by providing career preparation and internships to low-income high school students in the east county area.

Family Services, Inc. (FSI) provides high-quality services for newborns to adults to foster health and well-being in the home, school, and community.  FSI currently serves over 27,000 of the most vulnerable residents through more than 36 programs throughout Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. The grant announced today supports the coordination of work around early childhood care and education for participants of the newly formed Thriving Germantown Collaboration.

Although Montgomery County is the 11th richest county in the United States, most people are shocked to discover that over 200,000 people are living below self-sufficiency levels and over a third of MCPS students quality for free and reduced meals  — widening the opportunity gap for children and families.  The latest U.S. Census data show 12 census tracts with poverty rates of 18 percent or more.

The Children’s Opportunity Fund is working to close the opportunity gap for children and their families; address the need for integration among health, education, and social investments for vulnerable children; and diminish the disparity in educational achievement between children from wealthy and low-income families.

About the Children’s Opportunity Fund

The Children’s Opportunity Fund (COF) is a component fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation (The Community Foundation) and its local office in Montgomery County. Funded jointly by the government of Montgomery County, Maryland, and Montgomery County Public Schools to leverage public funds to attract private investment, COF champions, plans and funds strategic investments that improve the lives of low-income children and families in the county. With a focus on innovative, evidence-informed efforts targeted at closing the opportunity gap, COF identifies priority areas for investment based on unmet need, aligns resources toward effective multi-sector collaborations serving the county’s most vulnerable youth and their families, and seeks new funding sources.

COF is guided by and works closely with a Policy Leadership Group and Steering Committee representing leaders from government, philanthropy, business and the community. These leaders include:

 Children’s Opportunity Fund Policy Leadership Group

  • Ike Leggett, County Executive, Montgomery County
  • Nancy Navarro, Councilmember, Montgomery County Council
  • Patricia O' Neill, Member, Montgomery County Board of Education
  • Jack Smith, Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools

 Children’s Opportunity Fund Steering Committee

  • Uma Ahluwalia, Director, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services
  • Gabriel Albornoz, Director, Montgomery County Department of Recreation
  • David Asai, Senior Director of Science Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Kevin Beverly, President and CEO, Social and Scientific Systems
  • Parker Hamilton, Director, Montgomery County Public Libraries
  • Anna Hargrave, Executive Director, Montgomery County, Greater Washington Community Foundation
  • Julian Haynes, Program Officer, Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
  • April Kaplan, Executive Director, Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families
  • Agnes Leshner, Board Member, Montgomery's Kids
  • Maria Navarro, Chief Academic Officer, Montgomery County Public Schools
  • David Petr, President/CEO, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation

For more information on the Children’s Opportunity Fund, click here.

 

Contact:

Mala B. Thakur

Executive Director, Children's Opportunity Fund

Greater Washington Community Foundation

mthakur@thecommunityfoundation.org

Montgomery’s Children’s Opportunity Fund initiated by Councilmember Navarro selects leadership team and creates new partnership

New executive director, Community Foundation representatives and steering committee establish strategic framework to help children and families

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 29, 2016—Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro today applauded the progress made by community partners and public policy leaders to create the professional structure needed to fully implement the mission of the Children’s Opportunity Fund (COF) in the County. Mala B. Thakur began work as executive director on June 27; a key partnership has been established with the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region; and new members have been appointed to the COF Steering Committee.

The overarching goal of the COF is to champion, plan and fund strategic investments that improve the lives of children and families in the County with a focus on innovative, evidence-based efforts targeted at closing the opportunity gap.

In 2014, Councilmember Navarro created the Children’s Opportunity Fund as a mechanism to ensure a long-term, strategic approach and a dedicated funding stream for early childhood education and interventions aimed at closing the achievement gap. In Fiscal Year 2016, at Councilmember Navarro’s request, County Executive Ike Leggett earmarked $250,000 in the Department of Health and Human Services’ budget and the Council approved it as part of the budget process. Montgomery County Public Schools also provided $125,000. Funding for the COF was increased to $375,000 in FY17.

In addition to support from the County, private funds are necessary to meet the long-term goals of the COF and the growing need for services. The COF leadership team will seek private funding to support the fund and leverage County resources.

“I am delighted with the progress that has been made so far and excited about the new leadership that will guide the operations of the COF because there is much work we need to do on behalf of our County’s children,” said Councilmember Navarro, who chairs the Council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee and is a member of its Education Committee. “Partnering with the Community Foundation, having Ms. Thakur as executive director of the COF and convening a talented steering committee will enable us to grow this initiative so that all of our children will have the opportunity to thrive.”

“This is an important initiative and I fully support it,” said County Executive Leggett.  “I look forward to the progress we make as a community in closing the achievement gap.”

Ms. Thakur said she plans to focus on the COF’s three goals: identifying priority areas for investment based on unmet need; aligning resources toward effective inter-agency collaborations serving the County’s most vulnerable youth and their families; and seeking new funding sources for innovative evidence-based efforts targeting interventions that help to close the achievement gap.

Ms. Thakur has spent her career building coalitions, developing policies and identifying practices that support comprehensive approaches to closing the achievement gap and expanding opportunities for underserved populations. Before joining the COF, Ms. Thakur served in a number of leadership roles including as executive director of the National Youth Employment Coalition, as director of workforce development at the New York Citywide School to Work Alliance and as director of public policy at the National Puerto Rican Forum. She also serves on the board of directors for the National Human Services Assembly and the Latin American Youth Center Career Academy.

“I salute Councilmember Nancy Navarro for her vision in creating the Children’s Opportunity Fund,” said Montgomery County Board of Education President Michael Durso. “As we work with our communities and partners to address the persistent achievement gap in our classrooms, institutions like the Children’s Opportunity Fund will be crucial in reaching across traditional walls that separate partners and resources to provide the appropriate supports to meet our children’s needs. The Board of Education looks forward to working with the Children’s opportunity Fund’s Executive Director Mala B. Thakur and other key stakeholders to design and implement strategic initiatives that provide a nurturing and equitable space for all children in our classrooms.”

“Narrowing the opportunity gap is critical work, and we look forward to working with Ms. Thakur to ensure that our children receive necessary supports and resources so that they can flourish in their academic pursuits,” said Jack R. Smith, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools. “The Children’s Opportunity Fund will provide valuable interventions for the children who need it most. We very much look forward to this new partnership.”

In May, the COF established a strategic partnership with the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, which “works to ensure access and opportunity for all residents in the Washington metropolitan area.” Known as the “hub of philanthropy,” the mission of the organization is to strengthen the region by supporting charitable giving and by providing effective leadership on critical community issues.

“We know that low-income youth do not have the same access to supports and opportunities to succeed as their more affluent peers do. The Children’s Opportunity Fund is critical to addressing this problem in Montgomery County,” said Bruce McNamer, president and chief executive officer of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. “The Community Foundation brings together different sectors and community entities to solve problems, and this fund is a shining example of that. All of us must be engaged in the effort to close the achievement gap. Our young people are depending on us.”

The COF also has expanded its steering committee, which oversees operations. The committee includes key community leaders in philanthropy, business, health and children and youth experts. These steering committee includes:

  • Uma Ahluwalia, director, Department of Health and Human Services

  • Maria Navarro, chief academic officer, Montgomery County Public Schools

  • Anna Hargrave, executive director, Community Foundation for the National Capital Region in Montgomery County

  • April Kaplan, executive director, Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families

  • Gabriel Albornoz, director, Department of Recreation

  • Kevin Beverly, president and CEO, Social and Scientific Systems

  • Agnes Leshner, board member, Montgomery’s Kids

  • David Asai, senior director of science education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Through the COF, Councilmember Navarro was able to create a partnership with the Norman R. and Ruth Rales Foundation to help the County fund the Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) summer program, which focuses on closing the achievement gap. The Rales Foundation pledged $3 million over four years, which is matched by public funding, to bring the BELL program to the County. This summer marked the first class of BELL scholars in Montgomery County Public Schools.

BELL is a data-driven summer program that serves rising third and fourth graders to help prevent the knowledge drop, or “summer slide,” that occurs among students during the summer months. It is expected that the BELL program will serve 4,200 students in the County during a four-year period.

“In July, I had the opportunity to visit with students in the BELL program at Weller Road Elementary School in Silver Spring,” said Councilmember Navarro. “I experienced how the program fosters a child’s love of learning. I know that this innovative program along with other early interventions and wrap-around services are necessary for all of our children to have the opportunity to succeed. I appreciate the work of our community partners who pulled together through the COF to make a difference.”