"A student who can't read on grade level by 3rd grade is four times less likely to graduate by age 19 than a child who does read proficiently by that time. Add poverty to the mix, and a student is 13 times less likely to graduate on time than his or her proficient, wealthier peer,"
Among large North Carolina public school districts, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Guilford and Wake County public schools graduate their White male students at or slightly above the national average, with both Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Wake counties showing unusually large achievement gaps.
Black students accounted for 78% of "Total Mental Retardation" classifications, while White students accounted for 17%. Black students accounted for 77% of classifications for "Emotional Disturbance" and 57% of "Specific Learning Disabilities"
An incredible number of African American boys and girls are subjected to disproportionate discipline as compared to their white counterparts.
The Healthy Communities Walk begins with the Healthy Communites Hometown Hero's Breakfast. This breakfast is sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America Chapter 16615. As a fraternal benefit society, Modern Woodmen is dedicated to improving the quality of life for families and communities. The Hometown Hero Program gives Modern Woodmen members a chance to recognize others in the community who strive to do the same thing through volunteerism or an act of bravery.
Chapter members choose a member of the community they would like to thank through this program. It can be a chapter member, but often it is another member of the community. To show appreciation for all the work they have done for the community, the chapter recognizes the honoree with a dinner or another gathering and presents them with a certificate and a $100 donation to the charity of their choice. Modern Woodmen helps pay for this activity and provides a certificate for the chapter to present to the recipient.
The model
Engaging organizations and partners in a
community and getting them to agree on a common agenda.
Common agenda
All participants share a vision for change that includes a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving the problem through agreed-upon actions!
Engage
Interact with both the most powerful and least powerful people in a community.
Talk and Create
TALK about community's priorities for action then
CREATE directories for institutions and organizations serving as participants.
Shared measurement
All participating organizations agree on the ways success will be measured and reported, with a short list of common indicators identified and used for learning and improvement!
Mutually reinforcing activities
A diverse set of stakeholders, typically across sectors,coordinate a set of differentiated activities through a mutually reinforcing plan of action!
Continuous communication
All players engage in frequent and structured open communication to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and create common motivation; and
Backbone support
An independent, funded staff dedicated to the initiative provides ongoing support by guiding the initiative's vision and strategy, supporting aligned activities, establishing shared measurement practices, building public will, advancing policy, and mobilizing resources.
The Backbone Organization needs to build coalition leadership as opposed to being the leadership.
