Annual Report 2006 -2007

annual report  2006 -2007 Educators  for  social  rEsponsibility Mission Statement ESR works directly with educators to implement systemic practices that create safe, caring, and equitable schools so that all young people succeed in school and life, and help shape a safe, democratic, and just world. Message from the Chair  During the fall of 1990, I became acquainted with Educators for Social Responsibility because of its Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP). As principal of a middle school that adopted RCCP, I saw first-hand the positive impact it had on the entire school. Today – 17 years later – I still hear from former students about the difference the RCCP training continues to have on their lives! Over the years, ESR’s vision has expanded into the promotion of social and emotional development and educational equity. On ESR’s 25th anniversary, I am proud to be associated with an organization whose guiding principles are focused on constantly working to make the world a safer and more equitable place for all. As we begin the next 25 years, we see ourselves as a learning organization that provides transformative professional development to help create safe, caring, and equitable schools. While our emphasis has changed as the needs of our society have changed, we still hold the same premise that we have held since our beginning – an education is the key to a better life for young people and a better world for us all. Cover: Students at Gibbons Middle School,Westborough (MA) participate in a group problemsolving activity. 23 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138 (617) 492-1764 (800) 370-2515 toll-free (617) 864-5164 fax educators@esrnational.org www.esrnational.org Larrie Hall is the assistant superintendent at the School for Integrated Academics and Technologies in Vista (CA) and an instructor at The Principals’ Center of Harvard University Graduate School of Education. annual rEport 2006 - 2007 Message from the Executive Director Our 25th anniversary year is a fitting time to look ahead. Ten years from now, I expect we will say that ESR played a prominent national role in successfully addressing one of the major social justice issues of our times – unequal opportunity and access to an excellent education – while having deepened the skills and convictions among young people that enable them to be socially responsible citizens who help to create a better world. What follows is a portion of a recently completed vision of the future for ESR, the educators we work with, and the young people they serve: The adults with whom we work create personalized and culturally responsive learning environments. Teaching is learner-centered, and every student has equitable access to a challenging and relevant educational program that reflects her or his personal needs, interests, talents, and aspirations. All students experience safe, caring, respectful, and productive learning communities in which they can develop, practice, and master a wide array of academic, social, emotional, and civic competencies. They have opportunities to solve problems, develop ethical principals, and take meaningful action in their schools, communities, and the world based upon their convictions. Larrie Hall and Larry Dieringer As a result, all young people in the schools with which ESR works graduate from high school with the abilities to achieve continued success in education and the workforce, forge and maintain positive relationships, lead productive and fulfilling lives, actively participate in our democratic society, and work for a safe and just world. I am deeply grateful to all of you who join ESR in making this vision a reality and pleased to share with you this report on some of last year’s accomplishments. 1 Educators  for  social  rEsponsibility secondary Advisory “I’m on your side and on your case.” This is the ESR motto that describes how advisors in secondary schools work with students. The essence of successful advisory programs is that every student has at least one adult at school who knows them well and supports their individual achievement and social and emotional development. As ESR staff member Rachel Poliner says, “adolescence and anonymity are a bad mix.” Effective advisory programs make sure no student is overlooked. Advisory builds conscious, positive relationships between teachers and students and among groups of students. “In many schools, advisors are the only adults who stay involved with a given group of students for multiple years, really shepherding young people through their high school experience,” Rachel says. Advisory groups serve as a safety net for students, catching problems before they become serious. They also nurture positive peer culture as students progress through the grades by providing a consistent small community ESR is working with over 140 schools in 17 states to implement advisory programs. We are now a national leader for resources and training on the practices that make advisory programs work. We have distributed our 2004 publication, The Advisory Guide, to more than 19,000 educators. Staff member Michele Tissiere (r) meets with Austin (TX) high school teachers during advisory training, fall 2007. within the larger school. Research shows that students who are connected and attached to school are more successful and more likely to avoid high-risk behaviors. One of our newest sites for advisory is Austin (TX). ESR began consulting with educators at eight of the city’s high schools last year to design and implement advisory programs. ESR supports each school as it designs an advisory program best tailored to its needs. Rachel Poliner and Michele Tissiere provide training for all the key participants in the process: advisory design teams (some of which include student representatives), school administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, and district leaders. Each school – and the entire district – are building their capacity to support and respond to each student personally. annual rEport 2006 - 2007 2 school change Guided Discipline and Personalized Student Support One-half of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years of their service. One of the main reasons they leave is the difficulty of managing day-to-day challenges in the classroom. Teaching populations with wide variations in learning styles, abilities, and family involvement can also be a struggle for veteran educators. ESR has developed a set of strategies called “Guided Discipline and Personalized Student Support” to help teachers manage their classrooms and engage students effectively. The approach is rooted in our core beliefs in social and emotional skill development (for both students and teachers) and is motivated by our goal to make schools work for all students. Rather than promoting a punitive approach to behavior issues (which rarely changes a student’s behavior for the better), guided discipline helps teachers lead students to make more responsible choices and learn more socially skillful behaviors. Teachers undergo training that helps them reflect on their own beliefs, values, and practices related to power and authority. They examine their relationships with their students and develop the ability to see each student holistically. Once teachers have gained better insight into themselves, they tend to de-personalize conflicts in the classroom and learn other strategies for creating a highly functioning community of learners. In this community, teachers extend invitations to cooperate New York City teachers in a Guided Discipline and Personalized Student Support training institute, summer 2007. and self-correct when problem behaviors occur. Collaborative problem solving is done by students with the support of an adult. Students become accountable for their actions and are expected to carry out steps to make things right again, including steps to restore a relationship and sense of trust. ESR’s Guided Discipline and Personalized Student Support program is under way in schools across the country. During the last year, we trained teachers in places such as Chicago, New York City, Miami, and suburban Boston. For example, in New York City, we conducted ten four- and five-day institutes, reaching over 300 teachers. 3 Educators  for  social  rEsponsibility social and Emotional learning     Resolving Conflict Creatively Program in Hughson (CA) Surrounded by row after row of walnut and almond trees, Hughson (CA) is a typical small farming community in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley except for one thing – all of the elementary and middle school students in this district will be involved in ESR’s Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) over the next three years. Veteran RCCP trainer Jane Harrison travels regularly to Hughson for trainings and staff development with the administrators and teachers of the district’s schools that serve nearly 1,500 students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Planning began in the spring of 2007 for implementing all of RCCP’s components. Teachers will receive several days of introductory training followed by staff development. Students will participate in lessons on topics such as Creating a Positive Classroom Environment and Respecting Differences. ESR will RCCP got a big boost in April 2007 with the publication of Connected and Respected: Lessons from the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program. This resource is making its way into classrooms across the country, including those of veteran RCCP teachers in 26 school districts where the program has been adopted. It will also be the cornerstone of 16 regional institutes on social and emotional learning that began in May 2007, thanks to a grant from the JAMS Foundation and major gifts from two longtime ESR supporters, Lorene Lamb and Alba Witkin. After-school teachers in Hughson (CA) take part in an RCCP activity. train selected students as mediators as peer mediation programs are put into place. Parents will participate in RCCP’s “Peace in the Family” workshops. And the training even extends into the district’s after-school programs. A longtime California resident and ESR supporter who wanted to help the community offered to sponsor RCCP and the district eagerly accepted. According to Fox Road Elementary School Principal Mark Taylor, “School activities are a major focus of our town.” Understanding this, the sponsor believes that training all of the town’s children in conflict resolution and mediation skills, and teaching them to respect differences, will have a major impact on the community as a whole. Vice-Principal Brenda Vaca of Fox Road School tells us, “We knew this was just what our small town needed! In recent years we have noticed an increase in bullying behavior in our schools. The Resolving Conflict Creatively Program is giving the teachers and administrators tools that help teach students to make better choices and to treat others fairly. Our students are really enjoying the lessons from the curriculum and are using the skills to create community agreements and show respect for others.” annual rEport 2006 - 2007 4     and character Education Online Team-Building for International Teachers and Students ESR is making a contribution to the fast-growing field of online education through a partnership with the Oracle Education Foundation (OEF) for their Think.com and ThinkQuest project-based learning web sites. During the past year we designed tools to help online teams build and support productive relationships. OEF sponsors internet-based projects in which groups of students learn with online teacher-coaches in a secure space on the web. Teams have collaborated on projects such as “Breaking Down the Walls,” in which students created a web site that invited their peers to use materials to “learn how you can help break down the barriers between cultures and learn about what it’s like to be a kid living in a different country.” Another team made up of students from Jamaica, Philippines, USA, Finland,Australia, and Egypt and who called themselves Team MDG (Millenium Development Goals) collaborated for several months to create a web site that educates other young people about global concerns. One of the benefits of cross-cultural collaboration is the rich diversity of thought and experience that comes into play. However, given the differences between and among people of different backgrounds and cultures, and little or no face-to-face contact for teammates working on projects with tight deadlines, OEF saw the potential for conflict and asked ESR to help establish better team-building practices. ESR staff member Jane Harrison conducted a survey of current research on team conflict and used this knowledge, as well as her extensive experience in our 5 Educators  for  social  rEsponsibility ESR and Oracle Education Foundation staff and online specialists at their July 2007 training. Resolving Conflict Creatively Program, to craft a guide for OEF’s teacher-coaches. The guide focuses on diversity, cultural difference, communication, team dynamics, and creating team agreements to manage conflict. In July 2007, Jane and ESR colleagues Ken Breeding and Denise Wolk trained 16 specialists from countries around the world who came together at OEF’s facilities in Redwood Shores (CA). They led mediation exercises, conducted online role-plays, and “test-drove” the new guide. The specialists are now helping ThinkQuest teams worldwide build relationships and address problems. publications New Leaders for New Schools New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS) is a national academy for urban school principals. Nationally, school systems are having a harder time recruiting and retaining top school administrators. NLNS is helping solve this problem by providing intensive preparation and support for its participants. Within its program, ESR is the major partner providing training on school climate, culture, student development, and discipline. Over the course of the last few years, we have trained over 300 aspiring school leaders who took positions in New Orleans, Memphis, Chicago, New York, the San Francisco Bay area and other cities. ESR trains new groups of potential principals each year in summertime institutes. When graduates move on to school placements nationwide, ESR follows-up with observations, consultation, and coaching for the new leaders. One participant in the summer 2007 NLNS institute commented, “Before this course I thought that a school-wide plan was very complex and I couldn’t visualize it. Now I know it will be difficult but I can see the steps. I feel better prepared to lead a school to be a more respectful and caring place.” Connected and Respected: Lessons from the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program was published in April 2007. This two-volume elementary curriculum focuses on social and emotional learning for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. Our newest publication, Making Connections: Building Community and Gender Dialogue in Secondary Schools, is now available. This curriculum helps counselors, social workers, teachers, and youth group leaders guide young people to a greater understanding about issues related to gender, harassment, and relationships. During the 2006-2007 school year, ESR distributed over 13,200 publications. The Advisory Guide was our most popular title, reflecting the great need in secondary schools for resources that help teachers and administrators personalize the learning environment for high school students. “I wish that the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program could be taught in every classroom in America and hope that this wonderful new and teacher-friendly curriculum helps make that possible.” Marian Wright Edelman, Founder, Children’s Defense Fund annual rEport 2006 - 2007 6 Donor Profiles financials Years ended June 30, 2007 2006 $360,357 368,078 1,117,411 7,995 1,853,841 Revenues and Support Contributions and Grants* Publication Income Program Contract Revenues* Investment and Other Income Total Unrestricted Revenues and Support $309,475 416,493 1,080,689 8,346 1,815,003 Expenses Program Services Publications and Marketing Social and Emotional Learning Programs/ Character Education Partners in Learning Adventures in Peacemaking Special Projects and Other Programs Total Program Services Supporting Services Management and General Fund Raising Total Supporting Services Total Expenses Change in Net Assets Net Assets at Beginning of Year Net Assets at End of Year *Includes net assets released from restrictions 339,473 106,422 892,172 2,963 73,408 1,414,438 238,462 155,781 394,243 1,808,681 231,700 815,155 $1,046,855 368,490 210,094 653,764 5,956 206,418 1,444,722 239,785 128,747 368,532 1,813,254 (39,796) 854,951 $815,155 These figures are derived from ESR’s audited statements, full copies of which are available upon request. 7 Educators  for  social  rEsponsibility national advisory board National Advisory Board Sheldon Berman Superintendent of Schools, Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools Gene R. Carter Executive Director, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development James P. Comer Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry; Associate Dean, Yale Child Study Center Marian Wright Edelman President, Children’s Defense Fund Roger Fisher Professor Emeritus and Director of Harvard Negotiation Project, Harvard Law School Daniel Goleman Author of Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence Maxine Greene Professor Emerita, Teachers College, Columbia University Eileen Rockefeller Growald Founder, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Michael Hartoonian Professor Emeritus, Department of Educational Policy and Administration, University of Minnesota Mary Hatwood-Futrell Former President, National Education Association and Dean, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University Fr.Theodore Hesburgh President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame Jonathan Kozol Author of Savage Inequalities, Amazing Grace, and The Shame of the Nation Deborah Meier Author of The Power of Their Ideas; Founding Principal, Mission Hill School, Boston Public Schools Gabriella Morris President, The Prudential Foundation Sonia Nieto Professor Emerita, School of Education, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Author of Affirming Diversity Vito Perrone Retired Senior Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education Robert S. Peterkin Director, The Urban Superintendents Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education Deborah B. Prothrow-Stith Associate Dean and Professor of Public Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health Theodore Sizer Chair Emeritus and Founder, Coalition of Essential Schools; Author of Horace’s Compromise Charles Slater Director, Education Ph.D. Program and Associate Professor, Texas State University-San Marcos annual rEport 2006 - 2007 8 board of directors and national staff Board of Directors Mark Baldwin Dean, College of Education, California State University at San Marcos, San Marcos (CA) Barry Berman Retired Chief Financial Officer, Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP, Boston (MA) Sheldon Berman Superintendent, Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville (KY) Carol Bershad Educational Consultant, Natick (MA) Deborah Childs-Bowen Director and Associate Professor, School of Education, Samford University, Birmingham (AL) Larry Dieringer Executive Director, Educators for Social Responsibility, Cambridge (MA) Larrie Hall Assistant Superintendent, School for Integrated Academics and Technologies,Vista (CA) Janice Jackson Lecturer on Education, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge (MA) Larry Leverett Executive Director, Panasonic Foundation, Inc., Secaucus (NJ) Kathi Mullin Special Assistant to the Superintendent for High School Renewal, Boston Public Schools, Boston (MA) Jan Phlegar Executive Director, Learning Innovations, Stoneham (MA) Leslie Rennie-Hill Chief Officer, Office of High Schools, Portland Public Schools, Portland (OR) Rene Townsend Managing Partner, Leadership Associates and Director of Outreach, Price Charities, Encinitas (CA) Nancy Wilsker Attorney/Partner, Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP, Boston (MA) National Staff Nicole Day Marketing Manager Larry Dieringer Executive Director Stephanie Gazell   Office Manager/Administrative Assistant Lisa Groves Sales Manager Elaine Lamy Director of Development Audra Longert Publications Manager Lisia Morales Professional Services Manager and Program Associate Lucy Patton Development and Communications Associate Carlos Telles Director of Finance and Administration Denise Wolk Director of Publications and Marketing Program Staff Jennifer Allen Director, Partners in Learning Jane Harrison Senior Program Manager Carol Lieber Senior Consultant Cassandra Bond Program Consultant Ken Breeding Program Consultant Nina Dibner Program Consultant Jane Harrison Program Consultant Mary James-Edwards Program Consultant Kim Jones Program Consultant Cathy Kalina Program Consultant Esther Kattef Program Consultant Naomi Migliacci Program Consultant Rachel Poliner Program Consultant Catherine Ruby Program Consultant Michele Tissiere Program Consultant Linda Trabman Program Consultant Photos: Cover: Merrill Shea All other photos property of ESR Design: Bryant Design and Illustration Print: Fleming Printing Co. Recycled paper with soy-based ink 9 Educators  for  social  rEsponsibility Educators  for  social  rEsponsibility 23 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138 (617) 492-1764 (800) 370-2515 toll-free (617) 864-5164 fax educators@esrnational.org www.esrnational.org