[img]2826|right|||no_popup[/img]Eight months after community leaders representing a wide array of Culver City organizations banded together to sign the Culver City Compact, the same leaders reconvened to assess how the effort is progressing, how to continue the joint commitment to improve students’ lives.
“After our first meeting, it is clear that powerful opportunities to harness the goodwill, talent and resources of our community are abundant,” said School Board President Laura Chardiet. “The potential to collectively transform lives of our children and families is awesome.”
City Councilman Jim Clarke, echoed those sentiments.
“The collaborative nature of the Culver City Compact provides an opportunity to utilize the talents and experiences of the Compact members to address substantive, multi-faceted issues that extend beyond the scope and expertise of any one member,” he said.
“The Compact provides for a coordinated approach to problem solving. This is an opportunity to leverage local resources and funding with federal, state or foundation funding to maximize results. The Compact provides a way to collect and analyze data to ensure that performance measures are being met.”
Signed in March, the Compact seeks to achieve three primary goals:
1. – All students graduate from high school
2. – All students graduate high school with the skills, passion, and sense of purpose to succeed in higher learning
3. – All students have access to and experience in pathways to relevant, sustainable jobs and careers
School District Supt. Dave LaRose called the group’s first meeting a success.
Organizations from the Chamber of Commerce to Sony Pictures Entertainment, from the Fineshriber Family Foundation to the District itself are working shoulder-to-shoulder to share information, pursue grants, engage the community and advocate policy reform that will transform educational outcomes in Culver City from cradle to grave.
“These are tremendously committed, thoughtful and innovative people,” Mr. LaRose said. “They recognize that by banding together we can become even more powerful advocates for our children.
“I thank them for their inspiration and their hard work, but most of all for embracing the vision that we have.” a
The Culver City Compact includes a wide range of signatories, including Mr. LaRose, Ms. Chardiet, representing the Board, Councilman Jeff Cooper; Steve Rose, President/CEO, Chamber of Commerce; John Nachbar, City Manager; Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, President, West Los Angeles College; Shane P. Martin, Ph.D., dean of Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education; Janice Pober, Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Social Responsibility, Sony Pictures Entertainment; Marcia Shulman, President, Culver City Education Foundation Board of Trustees; Jody Reichel, President, Culver City Council PTA; Audrey Stephens, Director, Culver City Office of Child Development; Veronica Montes, Principal, Culver City Adult School and Culver Park Continuation High School; Debbie Hamme, President, Assn. of Classified Employees; David Mielke, President, Teachers Union, and Marcia Antopol, Executive Director, Fineshriber Family Foundation.
“What an extraordinary experience it is to work with other individuals who share a passion and commitment to the whole child,” said Ms. Hamme of the ACE union.
“There’s an old African proverb that says, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’” said Judy Blake, president of the Education Foundation. “The Culver Compact enables our village to help raise the quality of every student’s education and life.”
The Culver City Compact outlines 10 specific strategies for working collaboratively among the School District, the city, the business community and throughout the community:
1. Build collaborative leadership capacity
2. Share data
3. Map community resources
4. Identify, celebrate and expand successful practices
5. Invest in, develop and reinforce high-quality teaching and learning in all classrooms
6. Develop inter-agency professional learning communities focused on student learning
7. Engage in a purposeful evaluation and assessment of current practices
8. Coordinate advocacy for educational policy and funding issues
9. Partner, create and enhance student pathways for workforce and career
10. Ensure support services for all students and families
Those interested in learning more or signing on to support the Culver City Compact, may contact Mr. LaRose at davidlarose@ccusd.org.
Mr. Maleman may be contacted at gmaleman@aol.com
