Parents United Leadership Boot Camp
InCommons Collaboration Challenge
Parents United Leadership Boot Camp
Closing the achievement gap and improving success for all students requires effective teachers, trained leadership, data-driven decisions and appropriate resources. In Minnesota, these essential components for success are inextricably linked to state-level policy decisions. Yet for most people that policy making process is opaque, intimidating and inaccessible.
Parents and families, as consumers of the public school system, are hampered in offering effective input in decisions if they are unschooled in the basics of education funding, governance, the legislative process and the skills to intervene in this process. Parents United's Leadership Boot Camp increases these skills so participants can be knowledgeable and confident advocates for an excellent public school system that benefits all Minnesotans.
About You
About You
First Name
Mary
Last Name
Cecconi
Country
United States, MN
About Your Organization
Organization
Parents United for Public Schools
Organization Website
Organization Phone
651-999-7391
Organization Address
1667 Snelling Ave
Organization Country
United States, MN
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Your Story
Collaboration Title
Parents United Leadership Boot Camp
Country your work focuses on
United States, MN
Describe your locally-based collaboration and the problem it sought to address
Closing the achievement gap and improving success for all students requires effective teachers, trained leadership, data-driven decisions and appropriate resources. In Minnesota, these essential components for success are inextricably linked to state-level policy decisions. Yet for most people that policy making process is opaque, intimidating and inaccessible.
Parents and families, as consumers of the public school system, are hampered in offering effective input in decisions if they are unschooled in the basics of education funding, governance, the legislative process and the skills to intervene in this process. Parents United's Leadership Boot Camp increases these skills so participants can be knowledgeable and confident advocates for an excellent public school system that benefits all Minnesotans.
Tell us about the community in which this collaboration took place
Over a two-year period, one-day training sessions will be offered in 10 geographically diverse locations throughout Minnesota.
Issue Selector
n/a
Partnership
Who was involved in co-creating or implementing your collaboration (other organizations, leaders, community members, etc.)?
The model was developed using the Parents United Advisory--a geographically, socio-economically, racially, ideologically and politically diverse group of education advocates/reformers.
To what extent does your collaboration involve partnerships that are outside or cross traditional organizational or sector boundaries?
Participants are being recruited in populations traditionally under-represented in the political process using non-profits and school programs already trusted in their communities.
Innovation
What makes your locally-based collaboration innovative and unique?
Education is a state mandate that requires state-level solutions—solutions that WILL NOT work unless local communities are part of the development process. The Boot Camp model is grounded in this reality. Recruiting emerging local leaders and providing networking opportunities with neighboring community leaders around the convergence of an excellent public school system and how that requires the need for on-going civic engagement flies in the face of centralized decision making.
We are working to build the public will to support the idea that each child can and will attend a high-quality school. It is at the very heart of our work that we believe communities best understand what they need to attain this goal.
Using our reputation as an organization with a proven track record of providing credible, timely and relevant information, data and legislative analysis we provide face-to-face time to build a trusting relationship between those local leaders and support their efforts to enter into the political process to make necessary changes to Minnesota's public school system. It is slow, it requires enormous face-to-face time, relationship building, and blind trust.
Did you take risks in establishing this collaboration? Explain
Today it is a risk to be supportive of public schools. When one calls themselves an advocate for Minnesota's public schools, is can be seen as an acceptance of the status quo. Far from that, we believe in public schools AND we believe equally that unless the community is engaged in the policies and funding for those schools, the schools cannot and will not reflect the changing needs of our state.
How did this collaboration differ from the normal way of doing your work?
Prior to the development of the Boot Camp model, we have been more passive in our work. This collaboration has us actively recruiting, building relationships and networking in communities where we have yet to be a presence.
Impact
How do you know your collaboration has been effective?
The early evaluations have shown attendees very excited about what they learned, whom they met and interested in moving ahead. One superintendent called to tell us that the three people who attended from her district declared that "this was the best training they have EVER attended in their lives".
What progress or impact has been made?
In the first month we held four Boot Camps in Northfield, Grand Rapids, Frazee and Cambridge. In these first attempts, we recruited over 60 participants and are on track to increase the number of Camps held to 50% more than our original proposal. We are hearing from attendees that they want us back in their communities to help THEM have significant conversations with the rest of their neighbors.
Next Steps
How would you go about continuing, expanding, or replicating this collaboration?
If the resource becomes available, we will provide multiple follow-up trainings and more opportunities for these emerging leaders to build deeper relationships with other regional leaders.
Our intent is to continue our grassroots structure to network the state with informed parents/citizens who are committed to Minnesota's leadership in quality public education for all--because great schools benefit all Minnesotans
Describe the current stage of implementation and desired next steps
We are organizing two camps in the metro area over the next two months and training leaders who have organizing reach specifically so that they will be able to encourage the new leaders with whom they are working. As we look out at our next year, we are researching more creative ways to recruit in greater Minnesota especially in our newest populations.
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