THE
EFFORT
TO
SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS
AND IMPROVE GRADUATION RATES
The Early Warning and Response Systems (EWRS) effort
created by United Way Worldwide and 11 local United Ways
to increase the national graduation rate.
Our focus
In 2013, a group of 9 local United Ways and United Way
Worldwide formed an Early Warning and Response System
Compact to develop, implement, and scale early warning and
response systems in grades 6-9 in their communities and within
the United Way network. We have recently had three more
local United Ways join the effort.
What are Early Warning and Response Systems?
For many years, educators, parents, community groups,
employers, and researchers have known that monitoring the
ABCs of Attendance, Behavior and Course passing/performance
in middle grades, then providing effective interventions aimed
at student improvements dramatically reduces the drop-out rate
in high school. This combination of ABCs plus student supports
and interventions comprises what is known as Early Warning and
Response Systems (EWRS).
Why we are advancing this initiative
Our combined efforts dedicated to this initiative will help ensure
our children graduate ready for college, career, and citizenship.
United Ways are best positioned to fully leverage
all of a community’s assets to remove barriers to academic
success and improve outcomes for children.
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.
United Way’s Role
Working together with our local United Ways, community
organizations, school systems, and national partners, this compact
will implement Early Warning and Response Systems (EWRS)
nationally. Our United Way network exists in every community in
the country. We have long-standing, constructive relationships with
schools, non-profit service providers, companies, faith communities,
and government.
Using a collective impact approach, United Ways can identify our
nation’s most at-risk middle school and high school youth and provide
a local coordinated connection to evidence-based comprehensive
services and interventions that students and their families need
to address their educational, physical, social and emotional needs.
Our goal is as simple as the ABCs —increase Attendance, decrease
negative Behavioral Issues and improve academic achievement in Core
Competencies.
United Ways can:
• Advocate for district and state early warning and response
systems;
• Identify resources and fund early warning systems technology,
professional development, technical assistance, etc.;
• Advocate and utilize best practices for data sharing between
schools and community based organizations;
• Map existing community resources and identify gaps;
• Align and coordinate quality supports/services that are
outcomes-focused;
•
Build community awareness and engagement;
• Evaluate and share results.
(more)
https://online.unitedway.org
Early Warning and Response Systems (EWRS) represent a collaborative
approach among educators, administrators, parents, and communities
to using data effectively to keep students on the pathway to
graduation.
A robust EWRS has five (5) essential components. Local United Ways
are uniquely positioned to help ensure that each of these components
are in place locally for the most successful EWRS model.
The five essential components of high-quality Early Warning and
Response Systems are:
Essential Component #1
Timely IDENTIFICATION of students who are off
the path to graduation using the following Early
Warning Indicators (EWIs) data: Attendance
(tardiness and absences), Behavior (classroom
referrals, suspensions, expulsions) and Course
performance (grades).
Essential Component #2
Regularly scheduled, frequent teacher,
educational support staff, administrator and
community partner REVIEW, DISCUSSION and
ANALYSIS of student early warning data (e.g.
weekly grade level meetings).
Essential Component #3
Use of early warning data to MATCH students
to timely, appropriate and effective school and
community-based supports and interventions
that are targeted to students’ immediate
and longer-term need for support. Frequent
MONITORING of the success of supports and
interventions and modification of interventions
that are not working.
Essential Component #4
A TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS — which
includes individual student level (e.g., tutoring
for a student who is struggling with math
concepts), classroom (e.g., additional training
for a teacher who is having difficulty managing
students’ classroom behavior), and school-wide
interventions (e.g., a clear policy about the
consequences of student tardiness).
Essential Component #5
School and community PERFORMANCE-BASED
PARTNERSHIPS to share student data; match
students to timely school and community-based
supports; monitor, track and evaluate outcomes;
foster continuous improvement; and create
shared accountability.
Short-term goals of EWRS initiative
• Increase youth success in school;
• Decrease high school dropout rates locally and nationally by
1/2 before 2018;
• By the end of the 2015-16 school year, 100 percent of
students with adverse ABCs are identified through real-time
data and counseling;
• By the end of the 2016-17 school year, at least 85 percent
of students identified are matched to appropriate, effective,
and integrated school and community supports.
Long-term goals of EWRS initiative
• Create a corporate common brand experience across the
United Way markets/geographies;
• Aligned, integrated and accountable investments for donors;
• Local United Ways partnering to develop shared stategies
and results;
• Establish United Ways as the community partner of choice
for advancing population level community change in
education;
• Engage volunteers to support the development and
implementation of EWRS;
• Scale the EWRS framework across the USA and docment the
results.
Benefits of being part of the EWRS initiative
• Support with implementing EWRS framework (including
essential components);
• Access to tools and templates that are being specifically
developed for United Ways implementing EWRS;
• Access to technical assistance from peers already engaged in
this work;
• Support with positioning the role of United Way in EWRS in
your community and nationally;
• Opportunity to leverage this work for increased engagement;
awareness, and resources under management for your
United Way;
• Ability to be on the cutting edge of how the United Way
network works together;
• Ability to draw upon national data on resources invested,
number of students reached, and the impact on student
perfomance.
For more information on EWRS, please contact Heidi Paluk at
[email protected]
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.
https://online.unitedway.org