Maria Celis

ETEC 530
May 7, 2014
Planning Project
Community Partnership Plan
Create a 2-year community partnership plan that
links educational technology users with stakeholders in the community.
Orange Unified School District
Educational Technology Community Partnership Plan
Introduction:
In November of 2010, United States Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, presented
Congress with the Obama Administrations National Education Technology Plan (NETP),
Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. Duncan states in
his congressional letter that this plan would call for applying the advanced technologies
used in our daily personal and professional lives to our entire education system to
improve student learning, accelerate and scale up the adoption of effective practices, and
use data and information for continuous improvement. The NETP is guided by five
goals considered to be the five essential components of learning powered by technology:
Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure, and Productivity. By seeking to change
and better these components of learning for nationwide education, it must be
acknowledged that a large amount of support and collaboration will be required for such a
shift. Within the NETP Executive Summary, the third component goal of Teaching:
Prepare and Connect is explained as the transition towards a model of connected
learning. More specifically, it is stated that there will be a need for a number of
participants besides the teacher and student:
In connected teaching, teaching is a team activity. Individual educators build
online learning communities consisting of their students and their students peers;
fellow educators in their schools, libraries, and after-school programs;
professional experts in various disciplines around the world; members of
community organizations that serve students in the hours they are not in school;
and parents who desire greater participation in their childrens education.
Although this need for a team was not referred to as a community partnership in the
NETP, the Department has acknowledged the value of community partnerships in its
recent release in April 2014 of the Parent and Community Engagement Framework,
known as the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships. It is
stated in the Departments Family and Community Engagement website that the release
of such a framework for schools and the broader communities will provide a model that
schools and districts can use to build the type of effective community engagement that
will make schools the center of our communities and increase student achievement.

While both the NETP and the recently released Framework have yet to be combined
into a larger encompassing plan to integrate technology with the support of the
community, Michael Robbins, senior advisor for nonprofit partnerships at the
Department, has already discussed the value of such a combination in the Departments
blog. In an article posted in 2013 titled, Community Partnerships for the Digital
Learning Revolution, Robbins discusses the Alabama Huntsville School Districts action
to launch one of the nations largest school district transitions towards digital learning.
Robbins emphasizes that community and family partnerships are essential for the success
of digital learning. Furthermore, Robbins make the point that among the vast amount of
educational technology investments already made by many districts, there has yet to be a
corresponding development of partnerships to help transition digital learning to succeed.
Just as the Framework promises for increased engagement, Robbins also states that the
promotion of community partnerships can transform how schools, parents, and
community-based organizations can collaborate to ignite student curiosity and
engagement in learning. Robbins also explains that community partnerships can reduce
digital learning transitions from exacerbating achievement gaps because it provides
comprehensive supports both inside and outside of schools. Robbins concludes his article
by identifying the key areas of collaboration: expanding access and digital literacy,
community-school bridging, service and volunteering, and creating new avenues for
anytime-anywhere learning. Although Robbins provides example supplemental
government programs to support each individual area, he acknowledges that in order for
any district to start its own digital learning transition, there are technically no guidebooks
except for everyone to work together to develop their pathways to digital learning
partnerships. Robbins everyone includes specifically community partners, families,
schools, and educational technology initiatives.
Because Robbins suggested areas of collaboration utilize aspects of both the NETP
and the Framework, these areas will serve as the basis for OUSDs intention to initiate,
develop, and implement its education technology community partnership plan. The plans
programs, to be known generally as the Collab-Programs, will be named after these areas:
1) Expanding Access and Digital Literacy
2) Community-School Bridging
3) Service and Volunteering
4) Creating New Avenues For Anytime-Anywhere Learning
As well, Robbins identification of groups essential to building community
partnerships are considered and will consist of the following sub-committees of
community stakeholders:
- Community Partners
- Families
- Schools
- Educational Technology Initiatives
To acknowledge the potential of individual sub-committees strengths in serving

OUSD, each sub-committee will be assigned to work on specific Collab-Programs. The

particular pairing of the sub-committees are believed to provide the best opportunities for
insight, program development, and project ideas because of their already established
networks and experience with issues similar to the Collab-Programs they are chosen to
work under. Community partners, such as libraries, tutoring centers, non-profit and forprofit organizations, and local businesses are intended to work alongside local
Educational Technology Initiatives in the Orange County area in the Expanding Access
and Digital Literacy and Creating New Avenues For Anytime-Anywhere Learning CollabPrograms. Families and Schools are intended to work together in the Community-School
Bridging and Service and Volunteering Collab-Programs. The sub-committee
assignments are arranged in the table below:
Collab-Programs
Expanding Access and
Digital Literacy
-Community Partners
-Educational
Technology Initiatives

Community-School
Bridging
-Families
-Schools

Service and
Volunteering
-Families
-Schools

Creating New Avenues

For AnytimeAnywhere Learning
-Community Partners
-Educational
Technology Initiatives

Below is the OUSDs two year plan outline, to be known hereafter as the
Educational Technology Community Partnership Plan or ETCPP. The plan will be
divided into four six month increments of a total of forty-eight months. Each six month
period will be identified as a Transition Stage, I-IV.
ETCPP Outline
Mission Statement:

To promote student learning and achievement through digital

learning by engaging the community to collaborate and provide
continuous support in the Collab-Programs.

Vision Statement:

Where successful students and a participatory community

utilize educational technology in order to build an environment
where all can benefit from digital learning.

Transition Stage I: Months 1-6

During the first six months, permission for ETCPP development will require the
approval from the OUSD school board. A District-Schools Representative Committee,
DSRC, must then be formed to manage planning and other development processes. The
district must provide a designated place and office space for the impending planning and
committee events. It is essential that after the establishment of the DSRC and the
acquirement of work space, that a designated informational website be created to give the
ETCPP an online presence and a basis for monitoring recruitment. The website will
include a communal forum and calendar for announcements and events and will be
maintained by the DSRC. Collab-Program project proposals forms will be issued on the
ETCPP website and through the district network as a means for attaining community

involvement and interest in developing the ETCPP. Immediate recruitment and

organization of those who will serve under the designated sub-committees will take place
by relying on the districts email, mail, and telephone network of employee associations
and current community liaisons of parents and other organizations. Intensive online
communication and community cold-calls will be held by the DSRC to confirm subcommittee commitments. The first face-to-face ETCPP Meeting will take place at the end
of the six month period. Sub-committee representatives will be elected and review and
selection of their Collab-Program project proposals are to take place at the meeting. As
well, confirmed participants of the designated sub-committees will convene during the
meeting for separate planning and establishment of monthly online and face-to-face
meetings concerning work on their Collab-Programs. Meeting minutes will be
documented and made available on the website. The website will remain the primary
form of contact between sub-committees and the DSRC.
Transition Stage II: Months 7-12
Collab-Program projects will be developed by the respective sub-committees. Most
resources required by the projects will be provided and allocated by the DSRC, yet other
avenues of funding sources must be considered and researched by the sub-committees.
An official review and adoption of the finalized projects will take place at the second
face-to-face ETCPP development meeting midway of Transition Stage II, during Month
9. Necessary collaborative workshops and trainings for all committee participants will
take place throughout the rest of Transition Stage II in order for the sub-committees to
become acquainted with the demands and requirements of the adopted projects. An
informational ETCPP monthly newsletter will be created and distributed hereafter
through both online and offline channels shared through the sub-committees. The
newsletter will continue to inform the community of the ETCPP development process,
recruitment need, and the impending implementation of the Collab-Program projects
during Transition Stage III.
Transition Stage III: Months 13-18
The third face-to-face ETCPP development meeting will take place during Month 13
in order for sub-committees to collaborate and prepare for a community-wide
informational meeting needed to announce Collab-Program project implementation. The
community-wide informational meeting will be announced and advertised as Digital
Learning Day and will simulate the official Digital Learning Day supported by the U.S.
Department of Education. After establishing a date for Digital Learning Day towards the
end of Transition III, during Month 17, outreach events throughout OUSD schools will be
planned to promote the day and ETCPP Collab-Program projects. Posters and postcards
will be distributed throughout the community at the sub-committees discretion. The
DSRC will conduct school-wide promotional events for student recruitment. These events
will take place in the form of assemblies, lunchtime events, and afterschool events.
Students will be given the opportunity to create a cohort alliance with the ETCPP Schools
sub-committee as well as gain representation on the ETCPP website. Collab-Program
projects initiation will begin after Digital Learning Day. The respective sub-committees

will manage the projects execution and maintenance while the DSRC will monitor and
require online update correspondence from sub-committee representatives. Weekly status
reports will be maintained by sub-committees.
Transition Stage IV: Months 19-24
A fourth face-to-face ETCPP development meeting will take place at the start of
Transition Stage IV in Month 19 in order for committees to review status reports of their
respective projects. The DSRC will provide support for project maintenance where
needed. The DSRC will also continue to regularly maintain the monthly newsletters and
ETCPP website throughout the rest of Transition Stage IV. Preparations for a fifth faceto-face ETCPP development meeting will be determined for Month 24 in order to fully
review the overall ETCPP planning process since Transition Stage I. The DSRC will
distribute an online survey to all sub-committees during Month 23 in order to receive
input for improving the current ETCPP. Considerations of the data from this survey will
then be discussed at the meeting. As well, the meeting will include considerations for
additional project proposals and traditionalizing Digital Learning Day. It is the intention
that the current ETCPP outline will assessed and redrafted with improvements discussed
by the committees and a new two year plan will commence to continue to maintain and
improve upon accomplishments from successful Collab-Program projects.
Transition Stage I:
Months 1-6

Transition Stage II:

Months 7-12
Transition Stage III:
Months 13-18

Transition Stage IV:

Months 19-24

Conclusion:

ETCPP Time Table

Month 1,2: Board approval
Month 2,3: DSRC established; office space acquired
Month 3,4: ETCPP informational website created
Month 4,5: Collab-Program project proposals forms posted; subcommittee recruitment initiated
Month 5,6: Sub-commitee recruitment finalized; proposals
collected
Month 6: ETCPP Meeting #1
Month 7,8: Project development
Month 9: ETCPP Meeting #2
Month 9,10,11: Sub-committee workshops and trainings
Month 11,12: ETCPP Monthly Newsletter distributed
Month 13: ETCPP Meeting #3
Month 14,15,16: Digital Learning Day promotion; school
outreach
Month 17: Digital Learning Day
Month 18: Collab-Program projects initiated; DSRC monitors;
sub-commitee weekly status reports
Month 19: ETCPP Meeting #4
Month 20,21,22: DSRC and sub-committee maintenance; full
review preparations
Month 23: DSRC online survey distributed
Month 24: ETCPP Meeting #5; ETCPP redraft

As it is a national goal to improve student learning with the help of integrating

educational technology and utilizing community involvement, it is OUSDs intention to
set an example and follow these intentions by developing its own pathway. The United
States Department of Education, spearheaded by Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan,
has presented our legislation with a plan, the NETP, in order to transform American
education through the power of learning with technology. OUSDs ETCPP is the first step
towards the actualization of the digital revolutionized world that Michael Robbins spoke
of in his blog post for the Department. Robbins noted that the problem we face with
transitioning towards digital learning is the fact that our unprecedented amount of
educational technology investments have yet to have the corresponding developments
made possible with partnerships. These partnerships are the key to help transition to
digital learning succeed for both students, schools, and the community. Just as the ETCPP
mission and vision statements suggest, OUSD hopes to accomplish making the necessary
developments towards fostering a collaborative community who will support our
students learning and utilize the opportunities that digital learning can offer for all to
benefit from. Partnerships made possible through the ETCPPs Collab-Programs are
OUSDs evidence of trying to transform American education. The future is made clearer
with plans such as the ETCPP. The problem of educational technology investments will
be solved in our attempt to provide and foster corresponding developments through
enduring partnerships.

References:

Brice, Jonathan. Department of Education Releases New Parent and Community

Engagement Framework. 2014.
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2014/04/department-of-education-releases-new-parent-andcommunity-engagement-framework/
Digital Learning Day. Alliance for Excellent Education. 2011-2014.
http://www.digitallearningday.org/
Robbins, Michael. Community Partnerships for the Digital Learning Revolution. 2013.
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/01/community-partnerships-for-the-digital-learningrevolution/
U.S. Department of Education. National Education Technology Plan. 2010.
http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf