Outside Evaluator for the DoDEA Consortium Grant

The Annie E Casey Foundation's Kids Count reports for the last decade have denoted the urgency in schools working together in nurturing relationships with parents/guardians, care givers, and community stakeholders in an effort to provide students with stimulating and educationally rich environments both in the home and school. James Heckman, Nobel Prize-winning economist, has noted that the earlier schools are able to intervene with students addressing their needs, the better the investment we make as a nation by annually reducing crime, improving academic achievement and building a skilled workforce. Heckman noted a 7 to 10% return on investment for the nation exceeding the stock market. With a dynamic research base, Christian County Public Schools, Clarksville Montgomery County School System, University of Kentucky and the Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Foundation formed a partnership to focus on addressing two concerns that impact the military connected students in their communities. (1) The first goal is to build a Parent Community Engagement model that provides highly mobile families an effective and meaningful process for becoming connected to the schools and community. The model will address three components research has noted as key, (a) effective communication processes, (b) purposeful learning opportunities and programs, and (c) valid volunteer opportunities. (2) The second goal is focused on insuring students develop grade level reading proficiency meeting meaningful targets and exit high school meeting college and career readiness benchmarks for reading. Reading interventions identified for implementation are designed around the 90-minute literacy block with additional opportunities for intervention in extended day activities. This work is also coupled with addressing the Response to Intervention model for literacy. Finally threaded throughout the work is addressing student behavioral needs which often manifest due to disengagement with the school and learning environment as well as learning deficits which inhibit the ability to develop understanding.