Like many communities,
the schools in Edmonton's downtown core face a number of challenges
including declining enrolment and student achievement rates,
families struggling with poverty, and an aging physical infrastructure.
The City Centre Education Project (CCEP)
is a groundbreaking collaboration, launched in 2001, of seven
inner city schools that have come together to create a positive
learning environment.
School administrators collectively pool and
manage their resources to offer enriched programming opportunities
and improve student learning, making tough decisions about
how to use scare resources.
Across the city’s often fragmented
human service systems, schools and social service groups provide
targeted support to families and children to help them get
the most of out their education.
Today, CCEP 150 staff members serve approximately
1,700 students. Education outcomes have improved and the partners
play host to people from all over North America interested
in understanding how this innovation might play out in their
own community.
On April 5, Colin Inglis, Coordinator of
CCEP joined us to share about this innovative collaborative
model.
| Colin Inglis, Coordinator
City Centre Education Project, Eastwood School
12023-81 Street
Edmonton, AB T5B 2S9
Tel: 780-471-2630
Email: colin.inglis@epsb.ca |
Colin Inglis is the Co-ordinator of the City Centre Education
Project in Edmonton, a groundbreaking collaboration, launched
in 2001, of seven inner city schools that have come together
to create a positive learning environment.
Colin is a native Albertan. Colin graduated
from the University of Alberta and worked as social worker/
childcare worker/youth worker for various agencies before
returning to university to complete a degree in education.
Colin has worked 30 years in the Edmonton
Public Education system. As a teacher Colin has taught everything
from kindergarten to grade 12 and special needs students.
He has also worked as a principal and, most recently, with
the City Centre Education Project, where he’s been for
the past six years.
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City Centre Education
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The Situation in Edmonton
There are a number of schools located in
Edmonton's core. They deal with a variety of issues including
declining enrolment and families struggling with poverty and
substance abuse.
Transiency is also a major issue. This undermines
and effects the achievement of children in schools. When children
as young as grade 1 have been in 8 different schools in their
lifetime, their ability to make connections with others and
with learning is severely limited.
Edmonton's public education system has a
long history of site-based decision making in schools that
draws on input from all staff, parents and the community at
large.
The system is also a competitive one - with
open boundaries, children can go to any school. Schools need
to be entrepreneurial and develop attractive cultures to attract
students and resources.
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The evolution of the City Centre
Education Project (CCEP)
Eight school administrators came together
more than four years ago to explore common issues and challenges.
The key impetus was the achievement of kids in the city's
core. Teachers and staff were doing everything they could
to help kids, but were seeing no discernible improvement in
achievement.
Administrators felt that they were drifting
from their core work. While staff and teachers were doing
good work (e.g. providing breakfast programs, clothing programs,
counselling, etc.), they weren't doing the "right"
work (i.e. teaching, focusing on achievement).
When the administrators approached the superintendent
with their concerns, the superintendent empowered them to
act. They began to seek solutions rather than talk about the
problems, together.
After much deliberation, they came to some
tough decision, including the closure of several schools.
They assessed every school in the city's centre to determine
the resources required to make it better. Ultimately, they
decided to close 2 schools and 2 junior high programs.
Seven schools then formed the City Centre
Education Project.
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Key Features of CCEP
Edmonton Public Schools’ City Centre
Education Project (CCEP) goal is to achieve superb results
from all students.
Three “Core Beliefs”
- “Poverty cannot be a limiting factor for children’s
education.”
- “Good for the best is good for the rest.”
- Everything the kids in suburbia get, core kids get too.
- “The need to move from me to we.”
- Focus on collaboration.
Mission
- All students will complete high school
- All students will receive an excellent education with
enriched opportuniteis and experiences for learning
- Equality of opportunity requires inequality of resources
- Strong relationships and partnerships are the foundation
of success
Three Pillars
- How we teach
- How we organize to teach – inter-schools
- How we work with agencies to support learning
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Collaboration in CCEP
Collaboration happens at three levels:
- Within Schools
- Professional learning community
- Between/Across Schools
- Administrative Level (budget management)
- Cluster Groups (teaching, custodial, support)
- Greater Community
- Organizations & Services (e.g. Family Centre
– therapists, Children Services – professional
involvement in schools)
- City Centre Joint Parent Group
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Major Accomplishments
- Greater focus on learning and better support services
for families - Families are able to access better services,
including family therapists, children’s services,
etc. It's actually a Win/Win/Win situation for children
& families, teachers and all service providers. CCEP
is changing the frustrating work of children’s services
because everything’s housed and organized through
the school.
- Improvement in Achievement
- Ripple Effects across the Education System - CCEP is
a model for replication in Edmonton and other communities.
Additionally, agencies are beginning to view working with
schools in a different way and vice versa. Now when agencies
and school administrators meet, everyone all put our resources
in the middle of the table in an effort to resolve the
issue.
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- Community
education - Check out Tamarack's section on education!
It's full of interesting resources and stories on education
and community engagement.
- Strengthening
Community Education
- This workbook focuses on community collaboration with
a particular emphasis on the importance of collaboration
for small and rural schools.
- What
Makes Collaborations Succeed - This article from the
Wilder Foundation describes The Wilder Collaboration Factors
Inventory and how to use it to see if your collaboration
has the necessary ingredients to succeed.
- Four
Keys to Collaboration Success - An article by Carol
Lukas, consultant to more than 50 collaborations in the
past 10 years. Carol has identified four keys that—while
not a guarantee to success—are essential to a well-functioning
collaboration.
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