Wednesday, July 24th | 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

National Update from Coalition for Community Schools

OPENING SESSION

The Coalition for Community Schools is the national organization advocating for the Community School Model at the federal and state levels. It is an alliance of local, state, and national partners moving the evidence-based model forward to promote educational excellence for all children, no matter what zip code they reside in. During this session, you’ll learn about national and state trends and challenges in the expansion of community schools.  

Coalition for Community Schools - Speaker TBD

Wednesday, July 24th | 12:30-1:45 P.M.

Moving from Transaction to Impact: Becoming an Issue-Focused United Way

GENERAL SESSION

Local United Ways (LUW) are in a unique position to lead social change and impact in their communities. Positioned at the intersection of the private, public and philanthropic sectors, LUWS can leverage collective impact to bring together resources to improve community conditions, but only if they are willing to change their operating model. By moving away from the transaction approach and becoming razor sharp issue-focused, LUWs are well positioned for success well into the future. During this session, you’ll learn how to navigate the transition from transaction to impact and hear how United Way of Erie County successfully made the switch. 

Gary Goscenski

Senior Consultant, Perspectives Consulting Group

Laurie Root

President, United Way of Erie County

Mike Jaruszewicz

Senior Vice President, Community Impact, United Way Of Erie County

Wednesday, July 24th | 2:00-3:15 P.M.

Building Backbone Capacity & District Partnerships

BREAKOUT SESSION

To successfully implement the Community School Model, both the backbone organization and the school districts involved need to have the capacity and commitment from its staff to move forward. This session will include perspectives from United Way of Erie County leadership and Erie School District administrators. This session will highlight United Way’s staff responsibilities as the backbone organization of the Community School Model and how United Way keeps clear and open communication and direction between office staff and community school directors embedded in schools. Leadership from United Way and Erie’s Public Schools will discuss the timeline for planning and rollout of the Community School Model within a school district, and how United Way and the district maintain dialogue and a strong working relationship to support students’ educational goals.

Brian Polito

Superintendent, Erie’s Public Schools

Mike Jaruszewicz

Senior Vice President, Community Impact, United Way Of Erie County

Teresa Szumigala

Assistant Superintendent, Erie’s Public Schools

Wednesday, July 24th | 2:00-3:15 P.M.

Creating a Positive Environment for Wellness & Learning

BREAKOUT SESSION

The Community School Model emphasizes the importance of a positive environment for learning where all students, families, and faculty feel welcome. In this session, attendees will learn strategies to improve school culture. Community school directors will discuss specific approaches at their schools that increased the comfort, sense of belonging, and school pride of students, their families, teachers, and administrators alike. Examples include how one suburban community school leveraged student leadership groups to foster positive behavior, how an urban elementary school promoted proactive attendance strategies to maintain positive family bonds, and how one middle school created an environment Erie’s newest Americans can call home.

Caitlin Kinnane

Iroquois Elementary Community School Director

Rachel Pierce

East Middle School Community School Director

Shanna Potter

Harding Elementary Community School Director

Wednesday, July 24th | 3:30 -4:45 P.M.

Data Drives Success: Collecting & Using School Data

BREAKOUT SESSION

Data Drives Success: Methods for Collecting and Utilizing Community School Data
The Community School Model relies on data to identify unique needs and gaps at each school. In this session, attendees will learn about United Way of Erie County’s data collection process, including qualitative methods (surveys, focus groups, observations) and quantitative methods (student-level, district-level and community-level metrics). United Way of Erie County’s Data and Evaluation Team will highlight how they use this data to formulate a community school’s unique Action Plan, which serves as the roadmap for CSDs to use through their first years implementing the Model. Additionally, presenters will also discuss how community school directors and the data team continuously collaborate to make data-driven decisions. Following the presentation, there will be a Q+A with the presenters.

Alycia Olivar

Data & Evaluation Manager, United Way Of Erie County

Josh Kehl

Data & Evaluation Manager, United Way Of Erie County

Nathan Arora

Data & Evaluation Manager, United Way Of Erie County

Sara Naughton

Director Of Data & Evaluation, United Way Of Erie County

Wednesday, July 24th | 3:30 -4:45 P.M.

Expanding Enrichment & Extracurricular Opportunities

BREAKOUT SESSION

Model 2: Data Drives Success: Methods for Collecting and Utilizing Community School Data
The Community School Model relies on data to identify unique needs and gaps at each school. In this session, attendees will learn about United Way of Erie County’s data collection process, including qualitative methods (surveys, focus groups, observations) and quantitative methods (student-level, district-level and community-level metrics). United Way of Erie County’s Data and Evaluation Team will highlight how they use this data to formulate a community school’s unique Action Plan, which serves as the roadmap for CSDs to use through their first years implementing the Model. Additionally, presenters will also discuss how community school directors and the data team continuously collaborate to make data-driven decisions. Following the presentation, there will be a Q+A with the presenters.

Katrina Byrd

Strong Vincent Community School Director

Tami Krzeszewski-Conway

Edison Elementary Community School Director

Tammy Radar

Elk Valley Elementary Community School Director

Thursday, July 25th | 8:15 A.M.-9:30 A.M.

Braided & Blended: Funding for Sustainability

GENERAL SESSION

A sustainable and stable revenue model for full-service community schools, leveraging multiple funding sources, is essential to the viability of the model for the long-haul. At United Way of Erie County, we say this is a marathon and not a sprint -- for academic growth, proficiency, and funding. Since launching the Community School Model in 2016, United Way has developed a braided funding approach to reduce the risk of depending on one source to support the work. During this presentation, participants will learn how to establish a Corporate Partner program, create a dynamic affinity group, and the importance of establishing a Community School endowment.

Julie Chacona

Chief Development Officer, United Way Of Erie County

Laurie Root

President, United Way of Erie County

Robin Scheppner

President/Owner, American Tinning & Galvanizing

Thursday, July 25th | 9:45 A.M.-11:00 A.M.

Completing the Continuum: Bringing the Community School Model to Erie High

BREAKOUT SESSION

Donald Orlando

Principal of Erie High, Erie’s Public Schools

Jason Burgert

Director, Career & Technical Education, Erie High

Lori Krause

Senior Director, Community Impact

Meghan Easter

Lead Erie High Community School Director

Thursday, July 25th | 9:45 A.M.-11:00 A.M.

Engaging Families to Support Student Success

BREAKOUT SESSION

Caregivers serve as the first role models for their children, which means barriers to success cannot be reduced without families as partners. As community schools work towards building robust partnerships, they may still face the challenge of getting parents in the building. In this session, presenters will discuss strategies used to move families towards attending academic programming, encourage families to sit at the table and be a voice for change at their community school, and to spend time getting to know fellow students and families at fun engagement events.

Amy Grande

Mckinley Elementary Community School Director

Bailey Pituch

Union City Area Elementary Community School Director

Scot Galloway

Perry Elementary Community School Director

Thursday, July 25th | 11:30 A.M.-1:00 P.M.

University Partnerships

CLOSING SESSION

When United Way of Erie County launched their model in the 2016-17 school year, Gannon University enthusiastically joined as the Lead Partner for one of the original pilot schools. Since then, the partnership has deepened to offer a multi-layered level of support and resources. Universities are uniquely positioned to leverage students, faculty, athletic teams, and others within the model. From service-learning opportunities, students volunteering in afterschool programs, tutoring, and more, Gannon has brought a wealth of resources positively impacting the academic and social emotional enrichment of students. During this discussion, you’ll hear from Gannon University’s president, Dr. Walter Iwanenko, why he is committed to the Community School Model and why he believes universities benefit from their involvement.

Dr. Walter Iwanenko

President, Gannon University

Thursday, July 25th | 1:00 - 3:00 P.M.

UNITED WAY AVAILABLE FOR DISCUSSION

Discussion

Join the United Way of Erie County team for an engaging discussion about the conference. Take advantage of the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with staff and collaborative group discussions.