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“We want to meet families wherever they are,” says program coordinator Eli Stacy about the Cleveland Transformation Alliance’s recently re-launched Navigator program.  The program is an extension of the Alliance’s commitment to being a partner for Cleveland families choosing from the variety of high-quality options in Cleveland’s public school landscape, which includes both district and charter schools.

With the continued unknowns and challenges caused by COVID-19, this commitment to families will be both figurative and literal.  The Transformation Alliance will equip their Navigators with the tools needed to fully support and inform families at each stage of the decision-making process – from initial inquiries to research and assistance overcoming barriers that can affect a student or family’s access to quality education.

Navigator support can include phone support, 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.

This will expand the organization’s services to meet the needs of families who need guidance in navigating the school choice process as well as those with more complicated issues and concerns.

“We want our Navigators to provide a continuation of support for everyone in the CMSD footprint, to be that go-to-resource,” said Stacy.  Our goal is to help families work through transportation concerns, language barriers, and IEP issues and collaborate with other organizations in the education landscape to ensure that every student and family feels confident in their educational opportunities.

Maxine Williams, a Cleveland parent who also works at the public library adjacent to CMSD’s Marion Sterling school, helped with the initial pilot program last year in the Central neighborhood. “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. “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.”

While she has always known and helped students in the library, Williams rarely saw any tangible results from efforts like food drives, donations, etc. As a Navigator, though, she has been able to accompany families from beginning to end in their school choice journey, knowing that educational choices and opportunities will benefit those students for years to come.

Wyndi Moore, another Cleveland parent and Navigator who keeps in touch with several families she met during the pilot program, is looking forward to collaborating with Cleveland’s grassroots organizers. Many neighborhood groups have stepped in to meet the needs of their communities since COVID-19. Recently, the Navigator team went to visit Carl Cook, founder of Project Save, who has been hosting weekly resource “open house” events to provide Ward 5 residents with food delivery, food pantry, hygiene and personal care items, activities/bikes for youth, legal support and economic housing assistance as well as mental health services. We look forward to including school choice and advocacy information as a resource for families who attend the weekly Project Save events.

As the coming school year approaches, Wyndi recognizes that there will be many questions about how to meet children’s academic needs amid the uncertainty of social distance recommendations and remote learning challenges. Being involved in weekly events like those hosted by Project Save is one way Wyndi sees Cleveland Transformation Alliance being able to work with and for families who have questions and concerns about school choice and registration.

To learn more about the Navigator Program, Cleveland Transformation Alliance, and the variety of school choice resources available to Cleveland families, visit myCLEschool.org.

In 2016, Eli Stacy moved to Ohio as part of the Cleveland Foundation’s Public Service Fellowship Program. Born, raised and educated in Virginia, he planned to stay until the year-long learning experience was complete and then return home. 

Four years later, Stacy is a Cleveland homeowner and the newly appointed program coordinator at Cleveland Transformation Alliance.  “I love this place, it pulled me in,” Stacy says of his experience completing his Master’s degree in Public Administration from Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. He was simultaneously working and building relationships in a variety of Cleveland neighborhoods and the civic community. 

Most recently, Stacy served in the City of Cleveland finance department, a role that strengthened his leadership skills and reaffirmed his passion for being out in the community, working directly with residents and community partners. Prior roles as a grant program coordinator with Cuyahoga Metropolitan Authority’s (CMHA) Jobs Plus Program and a Homeownership and Financial Counselor with CHN Housing Partners gave him experience connecting with Cleveland families and developing programs for youth in underserved neighborhoods. 

“First, I’m here to listen,” he says of his plans to work with parents and students as an advocate for school choice, knowing that the effects of COVID-19 on public education creates additional obstacles for families. He recalled a situation when a student whose family was part of the Jobs Plus program was at risk of failing as she struggled with online learning deadlines. Once the school established lines of communication and clear expectations, she was able to get back on track. Sometimes challenges can be overcome just by asking families what they need.

Stacy sees this as part of his new role, being an advocate for parents and “ensuring that their voices are being heard” by community leaders and elected officials. He has already started reaching out to re-establish connections with his colleagues at CMHA and CHN to strengthen those partnerships on behalf of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance.

According to Stacy, consistent, ongoing connections and follow-up are a key indicator of positive outcomes for the communities that he has served in the past. “There are “good people who really care and want the best for their youth in every neighborhood,” says Stacy. He knows that a sense of hopelessness can also be a barrier to education access, something he hopes to counteract by ensuring that families can easily access all the support and resources available to them — particularly for students who receive IEP services.

After working indirectly with CMSD students and families through CHN and CMHA, Stacy recognizes the interconnectedness of housing, employment, and educational success, and he is eager to apply that practical experience to shape the programs and services offered by Cleveland Transformation Alliance.

Following the extension of Governor Mike DeWine’s order that all Ohio schools will be closed until at least May 1, 2020 to decrease the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19, Cleveland Transformation Alliance has shifted its efforts to support Cleveland families in a variety of new ways.

More than just a disruption to learning, we recognize that closing schools means Cleveland students are disconnected from their normal routines, trusted child care providers, healthy meal programs and social support networks, adding to the uncertainty and stress of potential health concerns and work-related issues that families may be facing.

In light of this, we are collaborating with a variety of community partners and information sources to provide resources and information that may be useful to parents/students/families affected by school closures. This list will be updated regularly as more information becomes available. You can access the COVID-19 resource page here.

If we help ensure the basic needs of our students and their families are met, then we can begin to consider ways to continue learning at home. We are proud to support the committed public educators, both district and charter, who have pivoted quickly to connect with their students in innovative ways.

CMSD Superintendent Eric Gordon and Cleveland Schools Book Fund director Sharon Brown collaborated with Scholastic Books as soon as closures were announced to ensure that any Cleveland child who picked up lunches could also choose from a variety of free books.

Principals from our community partners at Breakthrough public schools offered the following suggestions to make things simple for families concerned about home-based education:

Fourth-grade Campus International School teacher Miles Bubbett took to Youtube to share a “global connectedness message” with his students, something we all understand a little more now that the whole world is facing COVID-19 together and in different ways.

Have you seen other examples of dedicated Cleveland educators supporting  and connecting with their students during the school shut down? Are there resources you’d like to see added to our Family Resource Page? Let us know!

We’re staying in touch (from a distance) and sharing lots of resources for students and families via Facebook and Instagram. You can also fill out our contact form to get in tou

Photo credit Rowland Scherman [Public domain]

In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, all Cleveland Metropolitan Schools and facilities will be closed on Monday, January 20, 2020. Throughout Greater Cleveland, there are a variety of ways for students and families to extend classroom learning in honor of the national holiday commemorating the civil rights leader, including:  

The City of Cleveland and Cleveland Public Library’s 35th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Ceremony: Let Freedom Ring, Monday, January 20, 1:00-2:00 p.m., John Hay High School Auditorium. The capstone event of Cleveland Public Library’s 150th anniversary, the ceremony honors 150 Unsung Heroes of Cleveland who make a difference in their own neighborhoods, families, or libraries. Celebrate Drum Major for Change award winner Robert P. Madison. Keynote presentation by Akram Boutros, President, and CEO of MetroHealth. 

The Cleveland Orchestra: Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Open House, Monday, January 20, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m., Severance Hall. A day of music and community engagement, including performances by The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. Throughout the day, fun activities include the “MLK I Have A Dream Wall,” MLK themed coloring pages, puzzles, and activity sheets, the Cuyahoga County Public Library Book Display, and dancing.

City Year MLK Day of Service: City Year AmeriCorps members and community volunteers will come together at Franklin D. Roosevelt Academy for school beautification projects (murals, painting, organizing closets). and will also assist area non-profits on projects to benefit community youth–including children in foster care. Click here for more details or to register.

Hear Our Voices: A Free MLK Day Celebration, Monday, January 20, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Celebrate the life and legacy of the iconic civil rights activist during an all-day event, free and open to the public. Featuring three special programs, including a sermon by Cleveland’s own Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. at 10:30 a.m., a performance by the Evelyn Wright Quartet at 1 p.m., and a documentary film screening of “Soundtrack for a Revolution: Freedom Songs from the Civil Rights Era” with talk-back by Kyle Kidd at 3 p.m.

Cleveland Museum of Art: Martin Luther King Day Celebration, Monday, January 20, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through art, dance, theater, spoken word, and music. Enjoy art activities led by guest artist Van Monroe, Family Art Stories, gospel and jazz music by Hubb’s Groove, and a Martin Luther King Jr & Black History Tribute featuring the young artists from the Cleveland Foundation’s Arts Mastery Initiative. 

Free admission is also available on January 20, 2020, to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Ice Fest at North Harbour and Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the Ice Rink at Wade Oval. Please visit each organization’s event link above for additional details.