September Update on the Partnership and Join Us on Nov. 15th

Dear Friends –

Last week the All Hands Raised Board of Directors had the opportunity to gather for their annual Board retreat. As the visionaries, ambassadors, and champions for this work of adapting a Cradle to Career Framework locally, it was an important time for them to strategize how to continue to move the Partnership forward. Their work will reap rewards over the coming year and guide us as our community leads the nation in going from the “what” of Collective Impact to the “how” of a deliberate and disciplined continuous improvement model that results in improved outcomes for all kids.

The next opportunity for all of us to gather to dive deep into the All Hands Raised Partnership is on November 15, 2012 at “Raising our Hands, Raising the Bar: Collective Action for Student Success.” The morning will feature many important contributors to our work including: Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, Portland Mayor Sam Adams, Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith, Strive Network Executive Director Jeff Edmondson, business leaders, and many Multnomah County educators and school leaders.

To learn more and to RSVP, please click here.

The event will also provide a time to better understand our local Partnership’s recent progress and contribute to an action-oriented dialogue (CWT Overview 9.26.12) on the next steps in our effort to ensure an excellent and equitable education for all our young people from cradle to career. We’ll also provide a preview of the forthcoming All Hands Raised Report to the Community, including baseline data and 3-year improvement targets for each of our key indicators.

The improvement targets we will share use a methodology based on the work of several Oregon School districts (including Portland Public Schools) focused on closing the achievement gap through steady, incremental, and equitable growth. These slides (August 8 Council Target Methodology) capture a preview of the methodology, that was approved by the Council and the Board. Both bodies provided a strong endorsement to lock the targets in place for three years, commit to specific percentage improvements, and assess our progress and the methodology for setting targets in three years.

The national conversation continues to gain tremendous momentum. Members of our team are in Milwaukie this week to join colleagues from across the nation for the Strive Network annual convening. I am thrilled that Strive invited Carole Smith of PPS, Lee Po Cha of the IRCO Asian Family Center, and Nichole Maher of the Northwest Health Foundation and the Oregon Education Investment Board to highlight our community’s work to eliminate educational inequities through a focus on data and community engagement with the national community.

I look forward to seeing you on November 15th. Thank you for continuing to keep your hands raised to build this long-term work to change behaviors, systems, and outcomes for our kids.

Sincerely,

Dan Ryan