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7:45 a.m. Optional Session Orientation to the St. Louis Metropolitan Children's Agenda New to the Children?s Agenda? Attend this background briefing to learn about how the Children?s Agenda was created, how it operates and how you can get involved. Amy Sedlis & Richard Patton, Vision for Children at Risk 8:30 a.m. Welcome Lora Gulley, Co-Chair, St. Louis Metropolitan Children?s Agenda St. Louis Area Children?s Issues Update - 2007 Children of Metropolitan St. Louis Report Newly compiled information on over 25 key indicators of child well-being in the St. Louis region Courtney McDermott & Richard Patton, Vision for Children at Risk - St. Louis Metropolitan Children?s Agenda Report Progress, strategies and key concerns of the Children?s Agenda, which involves some 300 agencies working collaboratively on some 25 strategies targeting priority issues of children. Lora Gulley, St. Louis Metropolitan Children?s Agenda Co-Chair ? - Introduction to the St. Louis Area Children?s Information Clearinghouse See a preview Vision for Children at Risk?s new Web-based tool for researching an expanded range of data on children and best practices in the field. Richard Patton, Vision for Children at Risk 9:30 a.m. Keynote Speaker Pedro Noguera, Ph.D. New York University One of America?s most important voices on education reform and diversity, Dr. Noguera is an advocate for a strong and vibrant public education system. He is the author of City Schools and the American Dream: Reclaiming the Promise of Public Education along with Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools. Dr. Noguera is a professor at the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University, and has served as an advisor and engaged in collaborative research with several large urban school districts throughout the United States. His comments will inspire St. Louis as we push forward to reform and improve our public schools. 11:00 a.m. Morning Breakout Sessions Strategic Initiatives Addressing the Needs of St. Louis-Area Children, Youth & Families The St. Louis Aging Out Initiative Nine St. Louis-area funding agencies have united to address the needs of youth aging out of foster care. The St. Louis Aging Out Initiative targets 16-year-olds in residential and transitional living arrangements in an effort to encourage self-advocacy, skill attainment and independence. Missouri?s Workforce-Oriented Economic Development Agenda To compete both nationally and globally, Missouri needs an action-oriented strategy to guide economic development in the region. The centerpiece of such an agenda, the Missouri Career Readiness Certificate, is a means of documenting the area?s workforce skill levels. City of St. Louis Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Success Hear an update on the Mayor?s Council on Early Childhood Success and plans for next steps. Panelists also will examine specific strategies to increase Parents as Teachers participation in urban areas. Gateway to Prenatal Care Collaborative ? A Community Partnership to Eliminate Health Disparities The Gateway to Prenatal Care Collaborative is a joint effort of St. Louis-area agencies to fight racial disparities in infant mortality in a targeted area of north St. Louis city and county. Participants will launch a coordinated outreach and education campaign supporting early and regular prenatal care. After School for All Partnership The Afterschool for All Partnership (ASAP), led by St. Louis for Kids and ARCHS (Area Resources for Community and Human Services), is creating a coordinated system of after-school programs in the City of St. Louis. With public and private funders and youth-service agencies, ASAP will significantly increase the availability of high-quality programs. Representatives from the lead agencies will examine the need for and benefits of a coordinated system of after-school programs. Needs of Children with Incarcerated Parents Children of incarcerated parents face significant challenges and have unique needs. Personal testimonies and evidence-based research identify specific areas of concern for these children, such as role reversal, corporal punishment and violence, and issues of power and independence. Specific interventions that can be utilized by educators and social-service providers will be discussed. Data-Driven & Research-Based Children?s Strategies: 2007 CMSL Report & Children?s Information Clearinghouse In January 2008, Vision for Children at Risk will launch a new Web-based information clearinghouse providing user-friendly access on a wide range of research data, policy information and best-practice approaches related to the needs of children, youth and families in the St. Louis area. Come learn about the Children?s Information Clearinghouse. 12:30 p.m. Lunch Speakers: - Robbyn Wahby, Office of the Mayor, City of St. Louis - Mary J. Armstrong, President, AFT St. Louis, Local 420 - Dr. Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent, St. Louis Public Schools Awards Presentations ?● Children?s Champion Awards ?● Special Achievement Awards ?● Invest in Kids Award 2:00 p.m. Afternoon General Session Framework for School Improvement in Metropolitan St. Louis? Dr. Robert Taylor, School Improvement Supervisor for Metropolitan St. Louis Missouri Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education 3:15 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions Critical Educational Issues in Metropolitan St. Louis Improving Student Achievement The most critical issue facing our schools is how to improve student achievement. This session will focus on strategies for ensuring that all St. Louis-area students have access to a quality education and succeed in school. Current Directions and Plans for the St. Louis Public Schools The St. Louis Pubic Schools face a variety of problems related to student achievement, accreditation, governance and finances. This session will focus on the district?s current plans for addressing those issues. Expanding Participation in Pre-Kindergarten Expansion of pre-kindergarten programs is an evidenced-based national movement directed to improving both life and educational outcomes for all children ? particularly those who face the challenges of poverty. This session will examine the status of pre-K efforts in the St. Louis area and strategies for pursuing extension of pre-kindergarten to all children who will profit from participation. Providing Community Services in the School Setting An important and challenging issue for many urban school districts is the number of children for whom basic life needs are not met. Effectively educating children requires that these needs be addressed, but schools are for the most part without the resources to provide required services. Partnerships between school and community-service agencies provide a means for addressing the multiple, unmet life needs of students. This session will look at how such partnerships are employed in the local setting and how they might be strengthened. Promoting Parental Involvement in the Schools There is no group with a greater direct interest in the quality of a community?s schools than the parents of the children who attend. There is no group that is better informed about the schools and positioned to advocate for the educational needs of children. Parents, however, are frequently not included in a substantive way in discussion of school issues and in making decisions related to the educational system. This session will explore avenues for increasing parent involvement in the schools. The Role of the Philanthropic Community in Public Education The role of the philanthropic community in promoting quality education in the public schools is a critical and much-discussed issue. In recent years there has been concern among philanthropists about the return on investment they have realized related to improving the quality of schools and student achievement. Local philanthropic organizations will discuss the role of St. Louis funders in promoting quality public education. Establishing a Public Education Coalition in St. Louis Most major metropolitan areas in the United States have established a broad-based public education coalition to improve the quality of their schools, as well as overall community and economic development. St. Louis is one of only a few major cities without such a coalition. A group of key stakeholders has been working to establish a St. Louis Public Education Coalition. This session will examine the need for a local public education coalition and strategies for advancing that effort. |
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