value of CPS'
learning centers
Gamble retiree, and Dedra Robertson
huddled over a math textbook in the
corner of a classroom at South Avondale
Elementary.
Dedra, 9, a fourth-grader, was matched
with Shuford this year for tutoring through
the schools' Community Learning Center, a
network of partnerships in the building.
The two meet once a week for 45 minutes.
• PDF: CPS Community Learning Centers
review
Elsewhere in the building on this day,
parents picked up gift baskets to help
them through the holidays, students talked
with therapists to get help with their mental
health issues and after-school programs
were in full swing.
Organizers, parents and teachers have
long known these services are valuable in
helping students succeed in school. But an
evaluation released this week confirmed it.
Innovations in Community Research, an
evaluation office housed in Cincinnati
Children's Hospital Medical Center, recently
completed a study that provides student-
claims that Cincinnati Public Schools'
Community Learning Center services
improve academic achievement for the
PreK-8th grade students they serve.
Innovations, using a pilot system for data
collection, for the first time was able to see
specifically which service worked for which
child, and how well it worked. In short, the
system provided a more meaningful
analysis than in past years.
At South Avondale, for example, the study
showed that students who had math
tutoring like Dedra scored an average of
19 points higher on the state math test last
year compared to gains of just 9.5 points
for those who didn't have tutoring.
It gave similar comparisons to the
mentoring, College Access and after-school
programs.
Although Cincinnati is the only local district
to operate Community Learning Centers,
there are more than 5,000 nationwide.
Written by
Jessica Brown
the country that has included such specific
data for CLCs, said Martin Blank, president
of educational leadership and director of
the Coalition for Community Schools. The
Washington, D.C.-based Coalition is a
national resource for community learning
centers (called "community schools in other
states").
Blank called the report "pioneering."
"We're really excited about the data," Blank
said. "Cincinnati is on the cutting edge of
having a data system that allows you to put
together the information that links
individual support and opportunities to
individual children."
Proving that CLCs are effective is important
because districts, communities and
volunteers invest considerable time and
money into them. Julie Doppler,
coordinator for the district's CLCs,
estimates the partnerships bring in millions
of dollars in services annually.
Cincinnati Public has set up CLCs at 31 of
its 42 elementary schools. The district
provides office space in each building for a
CLC coordinator and uses grants to help
fund that person's salary.
The coordinator recruits businesses,
nonprofits, community members and
parents to provide programming tailored to
the needs of that building. That includes
health care, tutoring, after-school
programs or English as a Second Language
classes for families. None of the money
comes from the district's cash-strapped
Children's Hospital has done annual
evaluations on the CLCs since 2002 which
have long showed that students as a group
made greater academic gains at schools
with CLCs than those at schools without
them.
But this study is different. It tracked
individual student gains, not just
schoolwide gains. It was able to show, for
the first time, which services seemed to
help the most.
Among the findings:
Tutoring: Students with CLC tutors made
2½ to three times the gains on their state
math and reading tests than kids without
tutors. This was the most significant impact
of any service the CLCs offer.
College Access services: Kids participating
in CLC College Access services made
slightly more gains in math (but slightly less
in reading) than kids not participating in
After-school program: Math test scores of
students in CLC after-school programs
went up 25 percent more in math than the
scores of those that didn't participate.
Reading scores were up 37 percent.
The evaluation also found that absences
and disciplinary referrals for students at
schools with parent volunteers - another
focus of CLCs - decreased.
District officials emphasized that their
system is still a work in progress.
"The work you're doing is incredible,"
Cincinnati Public Schools Deputy
Superintendent Laura Mitchell told
coordinators and partners during a
presentation about the study. "We now
have the data to show you have a positive
impact on kids."
About community learning centers
Community Learning Centers provide an array of services to students and the community. Through CLCs, a school partners with neighborhood groups to bring in services for the community and students - from after-school programs for kids to English as a Second Language classes for whole families. More than 5,000 CLCs exist nationwide in districts serving 5.1 million children. Cincinnati is the only local district to operate CLCs.
Cincinnati Public Schools launched its districtwide CLC initiative in 2001 in response to a growing desire to connect the community with their schools and provide kids and families with the "wrap-around" services they need. The philosophy was that providing just academics wasn't enough. Schools also needed to address the child's physical needs of food, clothing and shelter as well as things like mental health care, tutoring and social service workers.
CPS operates CLCs in 31 of its 42 elementary schools.Cincinnati Public Schools and Innovations in Community Research used a new software tool, "Learning Partner Dashboard," to collect data on each student including their state test scores, attendance and discipline referrals. The Learning Partner Dashboard was created through a unique partnership between the district, Microsoft, Proctor & Gamble and the Strive Partnership.
The dashboard uploads student data and the CLC coordinators add data about what services the student gets. The coordinators then identify and match students with the services they need. If a student failed the state math tests, for example, the student is flagged in the system and the coordinator matches them with a math tutor. If the student has trouble getting to school on time, the coordinator matches them with a social worker to work with the family. Only those with clearance have access to the student-level data.
About the study
The study cross-referenced the dashboard data to find out, for example, if the math tutor actually did help improve that child's math scores or if that chronically late student's tardiness decreased. The goal is to see whether the services are working.
