SXSWedu: Upholding Innovation in Education

Guest blog: Krystal Parsons, Global Community Affairs Intern, Applied Materials Inc.

Learning about the education landscape is one of the great advantages of engaging with Central Texas Education Funders (CTEF) - from staying abreast of current education trends, to identifying opportunities and connecting with others who share a passion for education. This past July, CTEF had the opportunity to connect with Ron Reed, executive director for SXSWedu, to learn more about the upcoming SXSWedu 2013 Conference to be held in Austin, Texas on March 4-7, 2013.

SXSW conferences are notorious for being on the cutting edge of innovation— in film, interactive and music - and in keeping with tradition, SXSW designed an education track to explore and preview what is next and new in K-12 and higher education.

SXSWedu 2012 keynote: U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, (Photo courtesy of Texas Observer)

Approaching its third year, SXSWedu spotlights thought leaders, practitioners and entrepreneurs in education and mixes educational programs and social events to create an interactive dialogue of creativity and innovation in education. One of the tools Reed highlighted in his call with CTEF was the launch of the PanelPicker, a user-friendly, online proposal tool, allowing active engagement of conference participants. This feature allows the community to share their individual voice on SXSWedu’s programming. Participants can suggest ideas, review posted session proposals, comment and cast votes on the conference's program offerings.

What's exciting is that PanelPicker doesn’t just open a forum for new ideas, it opens the proposal vetting process with a broad reach to education stakeholders across the globe. In 2012, SXSWedu attracted more than 2,000 people for the conference, representing 44 states and 13 countries. This was a 250 percent increase from their first year in 2011. It is this type of creativity that SXSWedu sparks to get education stakeholders from all edges of the world to exchange innovation in education topics and open doors to success.

Needless to say, CTEF members left inspired and excited of what's to come during the SXSWedu 2013 Conference. One concrete step of CTEF's call with Reed is its help to promote awareness of the conference March 4-7, 2013 and highlight opportunities for education entrepreneurs, funders and providers to pitch their work and best practices in K-12 and high education on PanelPicker. Don't dilly dally too long as PanelPicker submissions close September 7! Click here to get started on your winning idea. Good luck and hope to see you at SXSWedu 2013!

Laura and John Arnold Foundation Launches Powerful K-12 Education Tool

The Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) recently announced an innovative education database system, the Education Resource Information Navigator Project (ERIN Project). The web-based system is free and open to the public.

 

As part of LJAF’s Technology & Innovations Initiative, the ERIN Project provides a broad overview of the national education landscape. ERIN, which is currently in beta mode, provides user-friendly information in five key areas, including: education research, education policy, reform organizations, education technology, and philanthropic support across 13 key topics ranging from issues such as blended learning to teacher evaluations.

The ERIN Project gives users the opportunity to dive into important issues and questions in education reform such as, charter school effects on student performance, the laws shaping teaching and recruitment, the top 20 philanthropic organizations working to improve curriculum, and many others.

In order to help the education community have a transformational impact on education, ERIN provides a multidisciplinary perspective that looks at the current educational environment and helps us identify where we can progress together.

~ Caprice Young, LJAF Vice President for Education Initiatives

Some of the foremost experts in education contributed to the creation of the ERIN Project in order to make it a cutting-edge, functional information source. These researchers include some of the leading authorities in education reform, including: Dan Goldhaber, Director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings; Jay P. Greene, Head of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas and Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute; Robert Siegler, Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Carnegie-Mellon University; Grover Whitehurst, Director of the Center for Education Data & Research and Professor in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington Bothell, and more.

To begin using the ERIN Project database, please visit: http://www.erinproject.org/. The database is still in beta phase and comments and reflections on the tool are welcome and can be directed to the LJAF.

The Laura and John Arnold Foundation is a private foundation that currently focuses its strategic investments on education, criminal justice and public accountability reform. LJAF has offices in Houston and New York City.

Communities Across Texas Avoid Summer Learning Loss

This month's blog is by guest blogger, Molly Wofford, executive director of the Texas Partnership for Out of School Time, a statewide network dedicated to increasing the availability and quality of out-of-school time opportunities for Texas youth. She comments on the realities of summer learning loss and the efforts across Texas to avoid set backs in student learning. In addition to her work in quality afterschool programming, Ms .Wofford led efforts to address college and career readiness, family financial stability and disaster recovery in communities across the state as the Vice President of Statewide Initiatives for United Ways of Texas. Ms. Wofford holds an MBA from the University of Manchester (UK) and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin.

School is out for summer and millions of children are hitting the parks, pools, and video game consoles across Texas. Every parent remembers the pure joy that comes from three months of no teachers and no classes. Every parent also dreads the worry and expense of finding quality child care once school is out. But despite the challenges involved, parents and communities have an opportunity and a responsibility to address the vacuum of learning during long, hot Texas summers.

Recent research confirms that there is an academic cost to be paid during the summer months. Many students lose ground on reading and math over the summer and return to school far behind where they left off in May. This “summer learning loss” has tremendous consequences for the future success of students.

Low-income students are particularly susceptible. According to a recent study commissioned by the Wallace Foundation, summer learning loss exacerbates the achievement gap between poor kids and their wealthier classmates. The negative impact of this annual drop in academic performance compounds itself year after year, making it harder for students to catch up.

Summertime has health implications for kids on top of the academic impact. A new report from the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) and United Way shows that children gained body mass two to three times faster during the summer as compared to the school year.

This month’s parental scramble for safe and developmentally-appropriate summer programs was made all the more difficult by cuts to state and local budgets. Nonprofit organizations, city parks departments, school districts and faith-based programs that provide quality summer programs are struggling to serve a fast-growing population of school-aged children.

"Summer learning loss is not an insurmountable problem,"

Molly Wofford, executive director of TXPOST

Research by NSLA in 2009 explored strategic partnerships between summer programs, school districts and community based organizations across the country that were successful in leveraging minimal resources to produce maximum results.

There are also some great examples of high quality summer programming right here in Texas. Organizations like Dallas AfterSchool Network are linking the business community, parents, and program providers to boost the quality of summer and other out of school time services. Grantees of the Texas ACE 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the largest funding stream in Texas designated for afterschool programs, are taking advantage of opportunities to expand their summer programming. You can support these organizations by getting involved with regional out of school time networks in your area or by encouraging school boards and local nonprofits to collaborate on summer program offerings.

Naturally, parents are critical partners in fighting the summertime academic slide. Encourage your children to turn off the television or video game and read for at least thirty minutes per day. Make a family trip to the library to stock up on free books. Integrate basic reading and math into everyday activities like shopping and driving to grandma’s house. Because the connection between physical fitness and academic achievement is so clear, urge your kids to move their bodies and to eat right.

Summer learning loss is a huge challenge, but it is also preventable. As the percentage of low-income children in Texas public schools continues to increase, Texas must do all it can to ensure that the academic progress of our students continues unabated year round – even when the pools are full and the playgrounds call their names.

Adopting Grantee-Friendly Practices aimed at Impact!

This spring, Central Texas Education Funders and Austin Area Foundations, co-sponsored a session about the potential power of philanthropy's role in improving the nonprofit sector's effectiveness. At this joint meeting, funders learned about Project Streamline, a national movement where grantmakers and grantseekers are working together to improve the grant application and reporting process. On a local level, the meeting highlighted various CTEF "Common" grantmaking tools that have been adopted and used by several funders in the region.

The objectives of this session included:

• Learning about collaborative efforts, at a national and local-level, where grantmakers and nonprofits work together to improve grant processes;
• Understanding how local funders are using the "Common" grantmaking tools aimed at alleviating the administrative burden of nonprofits and free up more time and money for mission based activities; and
• Discussing ways Central Texas can continue to implement best practices in grantmaking to help grantseekers achieve their goals.

For further information on this event, view the presentation slides on CTEF's website. And if you haven't done so already, take a close review at the Common Grantmaking Tools, specifically the Application, Report, Indicators and Giving Profile to see how your funder colleagues around Central Texas are fostering change to elevate nonprofit impact!

Central Texas District Spotlight: Austin ISD & Office of Innovation and Development

Shirley Heitzman, Executive Director of the Office of Innovation and Development for Austin Independent School District (AISD) was invited to contribute as a guest blogger to share highlights of February's CTEF meeting with Dr. Carstarphen. Heitzman leads AISD's partnership and resource development efforts to improve educational outcomes in a district of over 86,000 students.



Photo courtesy of AISD.

This last February, CTEF membership met with  Austin Independent School District’s Superintendent, Meria Carstarphen and Austin Corporate Investors Network members to discuss high interest topics including current successes and challenges in the District, as well as answer questions on topics of interest to the group. More information on the State of the District can be found here. 

Austin is an amazing city, topping the charts of the greatest place to live, run a business and to raise kids. How else can we become the top? We can be number one in education by increasing the number of students who graduate from our public schools through strengthening our student support systems and by increasing community support.



Image courtesy of AISD.



We all have a stake in public education. It is the most important investment that we can make as a community for the future health and prosperity of our city, state and nation. As a community, we need to determine the quality of education we demand for our kids. We need to ask ourselves whether we have the courage and community will to adequately invest in our school and in our children’s education for the future.



How can you contribute and invest in the future of our students and community to continue making Austin great and opportunities greater? Although AISD is currently on sound financial footing, the financial crisis in education remains and additional, tough cuts will have to be made in the coming years. AISD anticipates the need to secure an additional $30 million in private funding over the next three years to continue to provide new delivery models, improve the overall school and district climate for learning and develop academic achievement and support strategies for special populations through accelerated and differentiated instruction. AISD is humbly asking you to help support and fund these innovative strategies to increase student achievement in the areas such as the Arts, Pre-K, expanding Literacy, and High Dosage Tutoring.



While celebrating our diversity, AISD also embraces the challenges of providing excellent education to all of those students in our ever changing demographic. AISD wants to get operations, partnerships and innovations right for ALL of our students, so that AISD can be used as the standard against which urban public education are measured.

To learn more on how to strategically partner with AISD, visit The Office of Innovation and Development. Equally, visit AISD's webpage to learn more details on AISD programs. It is through vibrant, community collaborations that AISD is successful in preparing students for college, career and life.

Saving Philanthropy screening in Austin!

The blog entry below is authored by Kate Robinson, executive producer of Saving Philanthropy. Coupling her passion in film and capturing the vital work of the social sector, Kate and her team set their quest to illustrate how nonprofits think about managing an outcomes strategy and key components it takes to create an outcomes culture that nonprofits and philanthropists can embrace. Saving Philanthropy will screen in Austin, Texas on February 14, 2012 and will feature an interactive seminar for nonprofit professionals after the showing.

Do you wonder if your philanthropic work is having the effect you want? Are you drowning in data? Do you want real evidence of progress but are struggling with how to measure it? If so, mark your calendar on VALENTINE'S DAY to join your nonprofit colleagues at the showing of Saving Philanthropy: Resources to Results Workshop at the Austin Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar!

Hi I'm Kate, life-time nonprofiteer and producer of Saving Philanthropy, a film highlighting the art, science and stories of nonprofit organizations striving towards the evidence of impact. I can honestly say the questions posed above are the very questions I find myself pondering and I know I am not alone. We made this film for leaders of nonprofit organizations and foundations who want to know if their efforts are effective, but are struggling with how to measure it. To date, the film has screened in 23 cities across the country and in Canada reaching thousands of nonprofit professionals who grapple with ensuring program effectiveness. Needless to say, the response has been overwhelming.

I am incredibly encouraged by how helpful people find the film and by the spirited discussions that invariably follow to help communities openly discuss the roadblocks and opportunities for supporting positive outcomes. It’s truly an honor to screen the film in my hometown of Austin and feature local high-performing organizations showcased in the film. Ananda Moss and Jill Nilson from Southwest Key Programs will be sharing their theory of change model and processes for collecting and assessing the right data and Isaac Castillo, from Child Trends, will discuss what happens when you discover a program isn't working. Outcome measurement is here to stay, and the nonprofit sector and the individuals it serves will be better for it.

Check out Kate's interview for the Foundation Center talking about her inspiration for the film!

Join nonprofit colleagues from: Urban Connection, AnyBaby Can, Breakthrough Austin, Center for Public Policy Priorities, Communities In Schools of Central Texas, Front Steps, Greenlights for Nonprofit Success , Hospice Austin, KDK-Harman Foundation, LifeWorks, Southwest Key Programs, Austin Film Society, and OneStar Foundation to explore ways of improving philanthropy and effectiveness in our sector. Aligned with the efforts of Central Texas Education Funders Common Indicator Initiative, I hope you will join in this interactive learning session!