The Community Learning Center Institute will receive the Champion Award from the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau for their work in bringing the Coalition for Community Schools National Forum to Cincinnati. Each year, the Cincinnati CVB honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the convention and tourism industry with the Spirit of Cincinnati USA Awards. The awards have become a recognized and coveted honor in the community – the CVB’s highest honor – and the Community Learning Center Institute has been included among the ranks of the select few winners. The award ceremony is March 5 at Duke Energy Convention Center.
The Coalition for Community Schools National Forum will be in Cincinnati April 8-11, 2014. Conference organizers are expecting 2000 people from across the country and around the world to learn about Cincinnati’s community learning centers which received the Coalition’s Award of Excellence in 2013.
The theme of the Conference – Community Schools: Engine of Opportunity – reflects the Coalition’s commitment to equal opportunity for all students. We believe that community schools, with their deep and sustained partnerships between schools and community resources, are the “engine” that will prepare our young people to succeed.
This Forum comes at a key moment in time. There is a growing awareness and discussion of the importance of student engagement in learning, and the influence of out-of-school factors, including poverty on student achievement.
“Cincinnati Community Learning Centers in the Spotlight”
Learn how Cincinnati – its community, leaders, schools, and partners – came together to craft a district-wide community school initiative, in light of long-standing barriers and challenges. The Community Learning Centers within the Cincinnati region are structured to address the comprehensive needs of the local school, partnering with community partners to provide those services which best fit the needs of that school’s population.
Networking Opportunities
Learn from your peers and share your stories! There will be various opportunities for networking, giving all attendees the opportunity to voice their opinions and share successes of their local school communities and districts.
FORUM PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Site Visits: Local community school leaders are planning a series of visits to Community Learning Centers to allow participants to see the nuts and bolts of how they work and engage the communities they are located in.
PreConference Institutes will offer in-depth learning opportunities focusing on such community school topics as Principal Leadership, Scaling Up, Building an Equity Strategy, Strengthening the Role of Coordinators, and Community Schools 101: A Strategy, Not a Program.
Plenaries Current invitees include—Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers; Chris Edley, The Equity and Excellence Commission; Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education; and Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Mini Plenaries will address topics such as the relationship between community schools and other place-based initiatives including Promise Neighborhoods and Cradle-to-Career initiatives; family and community engagement; and community organizing;. All these mini plenaries will address key challenges including chronic absence, suspensions and expulsions.
For more information and registration, please visit http://www.cvent.com/events/2014-coalition-for-community-schools-national-forum/event-summary-670d825cb9434edfa13c21bf8a07871f.aspx