Building Systems Guide Training Event

Starting, sustaining, and scaling up Community Schools is no pipe dream. A scaled-up system of community schools refers to a vertical network of schools from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 in a single attendance area with all schools linked horizontally across one or more school districts.   Rather than providing a rigid formula or set of requirements, this workshop will walk you through the critical stages and milestones necessary to facilitate collaborative leadership and functional capacity for a system of community schools.

Agenda:

11:30 am - Welcome & Thruway Coalition Overview:  A Vision of Broad Collaboration

Noon - Lunch &  Table Discussions

12:45 pm - Introductions

1:00 - 4 pm - Community Schools Building Systems Guide Training using the content from the Coalition for Community Schools: https://www.communityschools.org/building-a-community-schools-system/

4 pm - Coffee & Networking

Trainers:

Joline Collins - Northeast Regional Deputy Director for the Coalition for Community Schools Joline Collins serves as the Deputy Director of the Northeast Regional TAC Center. She is a proud first-generation college student and is currently a 2022 Ed.M. candidate at Harvard University Graduate School of Education; studying education policy and management. Since 2017, Joline has honed her expertise in systemic family and community engagement, leadership development and network management at IEL. She has supported the growth of IEL’s District Leaders Network on Family and Community Engagement, a peer-driven knowledge network designed to engage over 175 members as both experts and learners through a national structure to support member capacity-building activities, organized professional learning experiences, co-authored Taking it to the Next Level: Strengthening and Sustaining Family Engagement through Integrated Systemic Practice, and more. 

Ryan Hurley - Midwestern Regional Deputy Director for the Coalition for Community Schools 

Dr. Ryan Hurley (he/him) serves as the Regional Deputy Director of the Midwest Technical Assistance Center. Ryan brings experience as a community organizer, Community School Coordinator and the Director of a regional Community Schools initiative. As the Director, Ryan supported the establishment and growth of a network of Community Schools, developed cross-sector partnerships, and collaboratively created a transformational strategy grounded in shared leadership, equity and cultural relevance. Under his leadership, the partnership grew exponentially and is regularly recognized as a best practice in systems building across the national Community Schools network. Ryan has supported and advocated for Community Schools policies at the local, regional and national level. Before transitioning to IEL, Ryan developed an organizational and financial structure to support continued growth and sustainability, including securing a highly competitive multi-year Department of Education grant and the passing of a Community Schools policy by the local school board.

Ryan served as the co-chair of the Coalition for Community Schools United Way Network, co-founded a state Community Schools Coalition, and is member of the Coalition’s Community Schools Leadership Network. Ryan has advocated for disability inclusion, developed award-winning arts education programming, and collaboratively organized spaces for educators to build culturally responsive and restorative classrooms and schools.