Don’t Leave, This is where We Put It All Together: Making a Difference In Your School and Community

1. Don’t Leave, This is where We Put It All Together: Making a Difference In Your School and Community Don Quick, District Attorney, 17th Judicial District

2. The Road to Safe Schools is The Road to Academic Success

5. Symbiotic RelationshipSafe Schools = High Performing Schools

6. Collaboration Definition Collaboration: Exchanging resources to advance the cause Difficult, long-term problems Rarely have simple, short-term solutions

7. Partnerships and the Exchange Theory What’s in it for me? What are you going to give me? Does this solve a problem for me? What will I have to give up in order to get it? Is it worth the effort to me? Will it give me more money OR Will it take money away from me?

8. Reasons for Collaboration Justice System Education System Not in school Drop out rate Substance abuse Highest periods of crime 68% of DOC inmates 80% of DOC inmates (Bullying, Truancy, Mental Illness, Gangs)

9. Reasons for Collaboration • Issues too big to address alone! • No one group can address identified needs of a community such as student success or juvenile crime prevention. • Allows for easier access, better coordination and enhanced service delivery. • Opportunities to leverage resources and access additional funds. • Increased accountability with the public in the wise and prudent use of resources and funds.

10. Barriers to Successful Partnerships • Competitive rather than cohesive. • Lack of clear purpose and common objectives. • Unrealistic goals. • Differences in philosophy and ways of working. • Lack of communication. • Key interests missing from partnership. • Hidden agendas. • Financial and time commitments outweigh potential benefits.

11. Effective Partnerships • Establish a common vision and mission. • Operate within a climate of trust and honesty. • Promote collaborative decision-making. • Benefit all partners.

12. Successful Partnerships • Characteristics • Agree that a partnership is necessary. • Respect and trust between different interests. • The leadership of a respected individual or individuals. • Commitment of key interests developed through a clear and open process. • Develop a shared vision of what might be achieved.

13. Successful Partnerships • Time to build the partnership and push to action. • Shared mandates or agendas. • Good communication – could be aided by facilitator • Collaborative decision-making, with a commitment to achieving consensus. • Effective organizational management.

14. Safe Schools Planning ModelCenter for the Study and Prevention of Violence

15. ACYI’s Process to Building a Collaborative • Identify Purpose and Establish Team • Bring Stakeholders Together • Prepare Inventory of Existing Programs • Prepare List of Existing Partners and Partnerships • Commit to Mission and Objectives • Commit to Broad Partnership • Assess Strengths and Needs • Identify Missing Partners • Identify Gaps for Services or Programs • Multi-agency collaboration

16. ACYI’s Process to Building a Collaborative • Identify and Implement Strategies • Recommit to Mission and Objectives • Commit to a Broad Partnership • Commit to Evidence Based Programs and/or Evaluations • Agree to Structure • Commit to the reduction of youth involved in delinquent behaviors and substance abuse and the increase of youth who remain in school and graduate. • Use evidence based programs or agree to have program evaluated. • Collect Appropriate Survey Information

17. ACYI Partner Agreements • Determine Expected Outcomes • Use Survey and Valid Research for Bi-Directional Planning Process • Review Mission and Objectives • Recommit to Mission and Objectives • Monitor and Evaluate • Start up Funding and Sustainability • Continue Reporting Outcomes for Each Project

18. ACYI Partners • School Districts: Mapleton School District; Adams 12; District 14; Brighton 27J; District 50 • Law Enforcement: District Attorney’s Office, Adams County Sheriff, Police Departments from the Cities of Brighton, Broomfield, Commerce City, Federal Heights, Northglenn, Thornton and Westminster • Juvenile Justice - Juvenile Court, Juvenile Probation • Youth Serving Agencies - The Link Juvenile Assessment Center, Adams County Social Services, Community Reach Center – Mental Health, Adams County Education Consortium – Work Force Development, Tri-County Health Department, Early Childhood Partnership of Adams County

20. Now It’s Your Turn- Why Not? There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not? Robert Kennedy

21. Identify Purpose and Establish Teams Improve school climate – increase school safety – increase student achievement As Kevin Jennings said…kids can’t learn if they don’ feel safe Vision – what does our safe school look and feel like? Don’t forget the adults in your vision – how do the adults treat each other/the students…it trickles down Set aside detractors (for now) - can’t do it here, parents don’t care about education, generational poverty, etc… What teams will help make the vision a reality? Who needs to be involved? Most supportive and/or most resistant? Include staff and community partners

22. Assess School Strengths and Needs Assessment Resources: Safe Communities~Safe Schools Pre-Planning Assessment Checklist (www.colorado.edu/cspv/safeschools/assessments/index.html) Student and Staff Surveys (ww.colorado.edu/cspv/safeschools/assessments/index.html) Adams County Student Survey 6th to 12th grade (www.acyi.org) Colorado Healthy Kids (www.omni.org/survey.aspx) Hot Spot Surveys Infinite Campus Data Parent and Community Surveys Focus Groups

23. Identify & Implement Strategies How can structures in your school be changed to help alleviate some of the problems? Some things may have a relatively easy fix… What policies and practices do you have in your classrooms/school/district that positively or negatively impact climate? Map your school and community to determine what resources are available to help with the issues. Non-profits, faith-based, volunteers, parents Establish partnerships with them What are your detractors and how can you address them? If your team has identified a need for a comprehensive program, do your research to find the best fit Center for the Study and Prevention for Violence Contact ACYI staff in Adams County

24. Determine Expected Outcomes How will you measure the effectiveness of your strategies? What benchmarks will you measure along the way?

25. Monitor & Evaluate Once it’s done, it’s not done. Manage the change process.

26. The Road to Academic Success is Not a Sprint but a Marathon