Category: Uncategorized

CLEVELAND – Greater Cleveland Community Shares has added a new member nonprofit: The Cleveland Transformation Alliance.

Each year, Community Shares launches workplace giving campaigns in a diverse group of 90 Greater Cleveland workplaces, including the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Municipal School District, Tucker Ellis LLP, and many other private businesses throughout Northeast Ohio. With the addition of the new member, Community Shares represents 36 innovative nonprofit organizations working on the front lines of social justice.

The Cleveland Transformation Alliance is a public-private partnership dedicated to growing a portfolio of quality district and charter schools. The Alliance works to ensure every child in Cleveland attends a quality school, and every neighborhood has great schools from which families can choose.

“The Cleveland Transformation Alliance is honored and excited to be selected to join Greater Cleveland Community Shares as a member organization. Our work to ensure that every Cleveland family is aware of all their K-12 public education options, both district and charter schools, is a commitment to educational equity and social justice.  We look forward to sharing our story with area organizations, businesses, and other member organizations through Community Shares’ strong network,” said Executive Director Meghann Marnecheck.

Community Shares’ mission is to support social justice organizations through workplace giving programs and other philanthropic initiatives. Since its inception in 1984, Community Shares has invested nearly $15 million to advance long-term solutions for our community.  For more information on Community Shares and its 36 members, visit communityshares.org or call 216-361-9920.

Community Shares Member Nonprofits

Adoption Network Cleveland · Bellaire-Puritas Development Corporation · Bike Cleveland · Burten, Bell, Carr, Development Inc. · Business Volunteers Unlimited · CityMusic Cleveland · Cleveland Animal Protective League · Cleveland Jobs With Justice · Cleveland MOTTEP · Cleveland Public Theatre · Cleveland Transformation Alliance · Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research · FutureHeights · Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity · Heights Community Congress · IRTF · Journey Center for Safety and Healing · Lake Erie Ink · LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland · LEAP · May Dugan Center · NAMI Greater Cleveland · NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Foundation · Near West Theatre · Neighborhood Pets · NEOCH · New Agrarian Center · Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio · Policy Matters Ohio · Preterm · Providence House · Slavic Village Development · Tremont West Development Corporation · Union Miles Development Corporation · Waterloo Arts · Women’s Recovery Center

Xiomara Hernandez-Marcelo, a Family Engagement and School of Choice Specialist with Esperanza, loves spending her work day helping support Spanish-speaking Cleveland families in whatever ways they need, especially when it relates to access to education.

As a Cleveland State University graduate student and former Cleveland Transformation Alliance intern, Hernandez-Marcelo has always enjoyed being in the community and connecting with families. In her current role, she helps by connecting them with Esperanza programs and services or those of other Spanish-speaking partners in the Greater Cleveland community. “I love that when our clients come to us (almost always by word of mouth) it doesn’t just feel like we’re providing a service. We’re like a family; we’re all connected. I want our families to know that they have education options.” Eager to listen, she knows that parents know what their children need. It’s her job to connect the dots and help them advocate for their children and themselves.

As a School of Choice specialist, she is also a trained School Quality Ambassador working with Cleveland Transformation Alliance staff to assist with making their services available to Hispanic families. This includes reaching out to families who speak Spanish as a primary language and letting them know about school choice resources in Cleveland, whether they are looking for additional services within their current school or making a school transition. She makes sure they are aware of how to register for school and how to do their research to find a school that meets their students’ needs.

Esperanza has always prided itself in its open-door policy, trying to be available to families based on an extended schedule that works around parent employment schedules. Since the pandemic, however, they’ve become mostly remote and contact has included a lot of text and tech support with limited in-office capacity for an onsite learning pod to help Spanish-speaking middle school students with remote learning.

Hernandez-Marcelo recalls a recent situation in which she helped an out of state mother locate the “right fit” schools for her two high school students,  “I like to ask parents and listen to them because they know what their kids need or have interest in — and you can tell they may have not been asked those questions before.” Getting to know families is the essence of school choice, from her perspective, and she often finds that clients have more school options than they realized.

To learn more about Esperanza’s commitment to building the confidence and skills of Spanish-speaking youth and adults in Northeast Ohio through free, personalized mentoring and family support programs, visit them online at EsperanzaInc.org

Updated May 5, 2021

As we approach the 10th anniversary of the Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools, our staff and board members will formally evaluate the progress we’ve made and our role as education advocates. Like many of you — equity is at the forefront of our mission. The first step toward creating a more equitable future for all Cleveland families is to ensure that every child has access to fully funded, high-quality schools. 

Questions that we hope to answer in the coming months: 

How do we measure equity in education? 

What does equity in education mean for Cleveland families? 

How can we ensure that Cleveland residents have a say in the policies and decisions that impact their child’s education? 

Policy Issues that Cleveland education advocates should follow:

School Funding

During the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s recent legislative update, CEO Eric Gordon shared facts about the disproportionate financial burden that affects CMSD based on the Cleveland Scholarship Program funding model, which pays up to $6,000 a year for Cleveland students’ tuition at private schools.

As it stands currently, the Cleveland Metropolitan School district is responsible for an excessive burden of costs for the Cleveland Scholarship Program as compared to other urban school voucher programs. And these costs have dramatically increased in the past few years, resulting in a “double whammy” of lost student enrollment and millions paid out in vouchers. Gordon has asked state leadership to consider transferring Cleveland to a funding model that is similar to the state’s EdChoice voucher program, which would enable the district to qualify for a lower percentage of the shared cost, noting that current students should not lose their vouchers under any updates to the plan.

The “Fair School Funding Plan,” currently in consideration as House Bill 1 (Cupp/Patterson) in the Ohio General Assembly, is explained in this article from Policy Matters Ohio, which outlines the compound challenges of insufficient state funding and outdated formulas for how schools are funded. The Transformation Alliance is monitoring the new iteration of the Cupp-Patterson bill. We are especially interested in disconnecting funding for charter schools from the districts’ bottom line. House Bill 1 has been added to the current biennial budget bill, which is now being considered in the Ohio Senate.

The Digital Divide

House Bill 2 (Carfagna/Stewart), passed by both the House and Senate, expands and funds increasing broadband access to all Ohio communities. Still, it does not address the cost of internet services, which continue to be a barrier to access for many Cleveland families. “The city of Cleveland is the worst-connected city in America, an industry report shows,” State Sen. Sandra Williams (D., Cleveland) said. “…If we’re expecting people to go to school virtually, if we’re expecting people to attend doctor’s appointments virtually, and if we’re expecting people to work virtually, we need to do something to make sure that they can afford broadband in their homes.” Learn more.

Transportation

While we don’t often think of transportation as a core issue concerning school access, the families we work with consistently say it’s a primary concern for school choice. There are several transportation provisions in HB 110 (State Transportation Budget) passed by the Ohio House of Representatives on April 21, 2021. They have a potential impact on school bus transportation, and we will continue to follow and assess the impact of these changes on Cleveland students and families. 

State Report Card Reform

There are two competing versions of state report card reform in the Ohio General Assembly: House Bill 200 (Jones/Robinson) and Senate Bill 145 (Brenner). The Ohio Department of Education provides this side-by-side comparison document of the two bills, taking into account concerns for equity in school quality reporting, which historically puts high-poverty districts at a disadvantage.

Cleveland Transformation Alliance continues to improve the community review process that families rely on for school choice. We are in the process of researching best practices nationally for community ratings and will continue to make site updates to our online school profiles and the school quality guide based on what families tell us is important to them.

If you’re a public school parent in Cleveland or know anyone who is, there’s a good chance your Facebook and Instagram feeds have been full of “back to school” photos over the last couple of weeks. Almost one year to the date (Friday, March 12), after a statewide shutdown of Ohio schools in March 2020, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District started bringing students back for a phased return to hybrid learning for students.

For up-to-date information on CMSD and other Cleveland return to school plans, visit the District website or our School Update page.

While District schools are just beginning to go back in person, there have been several community resource centers and informal “learning pods” for students and families who needed child care or learning support throughout the pandemic. Breakthrough Schools, for example, has implemented remote learning centers in partnership with Open Doors Academy, which they intend to continue for the remainder of the current school year. Sonya Terry, whose second-grader is a student at E-prep Woodland Hills, said keeping her son engaged with the online classes has been challenging, though his overall test scores have continued to improve. Terry said she looks forward to a return to in-person learning and reports feeling comfortable with the COVID-19 precautions that have been taken by the remote learning center he attends. “Math is starting to get a little harder,” she said, so she will appreciate direct time with his teachers for extra support.

Like many parents, Leo Scott, whose children attend Orchard STEM and Lincoln Park Academy, struggled with working full time and supporting his wife, who was home with their four children, all in different classes/grade levels. His older children returned to in-person learning last month, and “Their grades are already up,” he said. “I feel very good about it,” he notes, about the schools’ COVID-19 health and safety measures, reporting that the schools have no outside visitors (including parents) while reinforcing masks, physical distancing, and symptom screening for students and teachers.

Ronetta Stallworth, whose children attend Citizens Academy, is eager to return to in-person learning even though she knows it might not happen for them until the next school year. Even working part-time, the added cost of daycare has been a challenge for Stallworth, a concern she recently discussed with Anju Abdullah, her School Quality Navigator. Stallworth is hoping to find a learning center placement for her sons, ages 6 and 10. Like many six-year-olds, online learning has been a challenge for her youngest son. “It’s hard to keep him focused. He just gets up and dances!” While this may be developmentally appropriate for extended screen time at his age, it has been an ongoing concern for many young children’s parents during the pandemic. Stallworth is hoping that learning center staff might be more skilled at keeping him engaged in online lessons and re-directing him as needed.

Appreciation for their school community and teachers was a common narrative from the Cleveland families that we spoke with, including an appreciation for the individual attention students receive and the ability for parents/families to decide what they are most comfortable with for their child.

With just a couple of months left in the 2020-21 school year, school administrators are starting to consider learning options for the summer that might help fill in achievement gaps from remote learning. During his most recent hybrid learning update, Eric Gordon, CEO of Cleveland Metropolitan School District, shared this message:

“While I am pleased with how well our students and families have transitioned to a Hybrid Learning model overall, I also recognize that each child’s success is dependent on his or her individual level of satisfaction with the school experience. For this reason, we are working to identify any student or family member who needs additional support to make their child’s hybrid or remote assignment a joyous and comfortable one, as it should be for all.”

If you or a family member struggles with any aspect of hybrid learning or school-related issues, please reach out to your student’s teacher or principal as the first point of contact.

Our School Quality Navigators and Ambassadors are also available to assist and guide families through school-related decision making. Visit our online Family Resource Center for information related to navigating school challenges, helping students at home, advocating for your student’s needs, and more. Anyone can use the form at the bottom of this page to make a referral or get in touch with our staff.

The onset of spring school decision making is one aspect of education that hasn’t changed during the pandemic. Now is the time of year when families and students are considering their options for next year, with open enrollment and/or the application process underway in most Cleveland district and charter schools. Students in pre-school may be staying in their current school or transitioning to a new school for kindergarten. Eighth-grade students and their families are likely weighing the many quality highschool options in greater Cleveland, which will also pave the way for participation in the Say Yes to Education college scholarship program.

Choosing the right school for your child can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Cleveland families do not have to go it alone. After a successful pilot last year, the School Quality Navigator program has returned with a new cohort of informative and professional staff members who are available to provide support, information and a personal connection through all phases of the school choice process.

Anju Abdullah has been working with Cleveland Transformation Alliance for over five years, first as an ambassador in the community, distributing School Quality Guides at events and completing family surveys to inform the community reviews on MyCleSchool.org website. In her new role as a School Quality Navigator, Anju enjoys the opportunity to engage directly with families, hear their concerns and provide assistance. One recent example is a family that is moving closer to downtown and wanted to know more about nearby schools, she was able to discuss four nearby school options and provide information so they could follow up with tours at each school. A longtime Cuyahoga County county employee, Anju’s experience in social services and public education programming makes her a tremendous asset to the families she is working with.

On the flip side, her colleague Natalie Ziegler is a recent “northeast Ohio boomerang” who returned from Rochester, NY to participate in the Cleveland Foundation fellowship program where she served at the Cuyahoga County Public Library. Natalie re-discovered a love for Cleveland in her library role, where she engages with students and families. Natalie sees a lot of parallels between Rochester and Cleveland and credits her library experience with informing her approach to working with families and community engagement, “When I’m in library world, I’m working with people to help them with paperwork, research for personal family issues, faxes or copies of divorce papers, etc. — even helping someone find a new book to read.”

Like Anju, this kind of personal connection is central to Natalie’s interactions with Cleveland families. She is inspired by “the way parents and families are connected and rooted in supporting each other,” recalling one parent who has been in the district for 20 years. Now, as an alumni parent, she is one of many people who Natalie thinks of as champions for Cleveland schools — which she sees as a counter to the news/media perspective often portrayed.

In addition to Anju and Natalie, Maxine Williams has returned for her second year in this role. She is a Cleveland parent who also works at the Cleveland Public Library adjacent to CMSD’s Marion Sterling school, and helped with the initial pilot program in 2019. “We did such a good job,” she said, prompting families to stay in touch with her even after the program ended.  Williams enjoyed learning more about Cleveland schools alongside the families she served. Before becoming a navigator, she said, “I didn’t know that you could go to any school or that schools had specialized programs,” she said. “The Navigator program took me out of the library and gave me a more in-depth connection with the community. I love being able to measure our success.”

Navigator support can include phone calls, in-person meetings, Zoom conferences, and online assistance navigating the tools and resources that are available to help Cleveland families searching for the “right fit” school for their children. With updates to the School Quality Guide (both in print and online), a new Family Resource Center, and a growing School Quality Ambassador program, the Transformation Alliance hopes to connect with and support more families through partnerships and referrals.

Would you like to be connected with a School Quality Navigator?
Please fill out this form.

Since 2012, Cleveland Transformation Alliance’s annual Cleveland Plan Progress Report has served as a community benchmark, highlighting bold ideas and incremental progress toward Mayor Frank Jackson’s transformative vision for Cleveland public schools.

In the eight years since its inception, the challenges affecting Cleveland’s education landscape have not changed — too many Cleveland families continue to live in poverty and racial and socioeconomic disparities are ever present. Nonetheless, The Cleveland Plan has created measurable, powerful momentum that will benefit generations of students and families.

“This year marks the first year that the CMSD’s high school graduation rate is over 80 percent. That is a 28 percentage point increase in a decade. This progress equates to millions of dollars in earning potential for thousands of young Clevelanders,” according to Cleveland Transformation Alliance executive director Meghann Marnecheck.  And with the launch of Cleveland’s Say Yes to Education program, the pathway to college for these high school graduates is clearer than it has ever been.

The 2020 report also celebrates goals met and exceeded for Cleveland’s youngest learners, such as kindergarten readiness (67% of students on track) and pre-school language and literacy (52% of students on track). PRE4CLE, Cleveland’s 2014 plan to expand high-quality preschool to all 3-and 4-year-olds has been instrumental in this progress.

Parents at the Center of the Conversation

More than any other external factor, the effects of COVID-19 have created disproportionate challenges for Cleveland public school students. And as we look ahead, overcoming those challenges has reinforced our commitment to connecting directly with parents/families to guide our work and partnerships. We recognize parents as the primary stakeholders in their child’s education. Through our 2020 family survey and informal “Family Café” events, parents/families have shared the following concerns about school choice:

Overcoming the Digital Divide

Another pressing concern is that Cleveland students should not have their academic progress threatened by the digital divide. With Cleveland ranking the highest percentage of households without broadband Internet accounts of any U.S. city with 100,000 or more households — i.e. the worst connected big city in America. As it became clear that schools would remain closed, “our educators responded in ways that some would argue is outside their responsibility,” said Marnecheck, noting the extensive supports, including meals and technology, provided through home/school connections during the pandemic.

“This community has come together to quickly respond to a crisis” with teachers, counselors, and community programs across the city working tirelessly to connect virtually with families and students since the pandemic transitioned all CMSD schools, and many Cleveland charter schools, to online learning in March of 2020. CMSD and our partner charter schools have distributed approximately 30,000 computers and 12,000 hotspots between last spring and this fall. These efforts have been generously supported by local philanthropy.

Per the 2020 Cleveland Plan Progress Report: “The Cleveland Plan is working. Students are reaching the highest achievement levels in recent history. As a community, we must work together to continue to build upon these gains so that our children can reach their highest potential. Much like we have come together to respond to the digital divide, we can continue to find ways to support students and their academic achievement.”

To read the full progress report, click here.

Supported by the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, school choice is an essential aspect of Mayor Frank Jackson’s Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools. Together with education leaders, community stakeholders and Cleveland families, our goal is to ensure every child attends a quality school, and every neighborhood has a multitude of great schools from which families can choose.

In support of this, the Navigator’s role is, primarily, to work directly with families whose children are transitioning from preschool to kindergarten and from 8th grade to high school. Navigators will guide families, help them learn about their public school options, and decide which school best meets their children’s needs.

Navigators will also help students/families enroll in the public schools they choose.

This is a part-time, seasonal role, up to 20 hours per week
Salary: $15 to $20 per hour, commensurate with experience
Flexible Remote and In-Office Work
Start Date: January 25, 2021
End Date: March 31, 2021
The position can be reoccurring during a summer employment cycle

To read the full job description and application details, click here.

Learn more.

Learn about the Cleveland Metropolitan School District levy on the November 3, 2020 ballot.  Funds from a successful ballot effort will also support partnering charter schools in Cleveland.