TO: NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES FROM: Jill Bourne
AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
SUBJECT: SJ LEARNS PROGRAM DATE: July 24, 2023
STATUS REPORT
Approved Date
8/3/23
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the annual update on the implementation of the San José Learns expanded learning program for youth in grades TK-3 in partnership with local school districts, as well as a review of the program’s accomplishments over a five-year assessment period.
SUMMARY AND OUTCOME
The Neighborhood Services and Education (NSE) Committee will receive an annual update and learn about plans for future implementation of the San José Learns Expanded Learning program.
BACKGROUND
Grade-level proficiency impacts San José students across all neighborhoods and has been proven to be one of the leading indicators of later academic success across all demographics. The San José Learns Program (“SJ Learns”) is a City-directed, City-funded grant-making initiative, which aims to bolster academic achievement by funding promising and innovative expanded learning programs that serve San José public school students in transitional kindergarten (TK) through third grade. Programs eligible for grant funds must serve the students most at-risk of not reaching proficiency in English-Language Arts and/or Math by the end of third grade. SJ Learns is intended to provide Local Education Agencies (LEA) with resources that leverage their own out of school time budget as well as that of any provider(s) it selects to ensure learning outcomes and increase the number of at-risk children who attend high-quality out of school programs.
The grant program was initially launched in 2015 through City Council action to allocate $2,000,000 in funding and was shaped by the SJ Learns Working Group and Advisory Committee, composed of educational experts and stakeholders representing nonprofits, foundations, school districts, county offices of education, and the City of San José. In 2018, the San José Public Library (“Library,” SJPL) assumed the lead role for implementing SJ Learns as NSE AGENDA: 8/10/2023
ITEM: (d) 1
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
part of the Education and Digital Literacy (EDL) Strategy1 - Learning at Grade level Proficiency, Expanding Education Beyond the School Day. 2 SJ Learns has grown as a hallmark program, allowing the City to leverage strong academic partnerships and quality program providers to extend the school day and empower students to achieve critical grade level learning by third grade.
Ongoing oversight has been provided by the SJ Learns Grants Committee (“Committee”) as a standing body of the San José Public Library Foundation (SJPLF) Executive Board (“Board”), comprised of community members and Board members, that guides award decisions and supports the administrative grant team as needed. Grants are administered by the SJPLF, with the Library’s Education Team providing leadership for the grant process and all related administrative, programmatic, and evaluation activities. The current list of committee members is included in Attachment A.
SJ Learns funds LEAs that:
• Serve a high proportion of students from low-income backgrounds and English Language Learners (ELs);
• Serve a higher percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals; • Identify a clear plan to recruit students who do not meet (or are at risk of not meeting) grade-level standards;
• Demonstrate an enhanced commitment/innovative approach to implementing SJ Learns strategies and priorities;
• Include both summer and academic year expanded learning programs; and • Focus on student achievement in Mathematics and English Language Arts.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2018-19, the Committee developed a list of grant priorities that include:
• Whole Child Learning: Grantees take a whole child approach to education, ensuring San José students are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. • Collaboration: Grantees partner with city agencies, community-based organizations, businesses, and other entities to improve student outcomes. • Family Engagement: Grantees encourage trusting relationships between staff and parents, create a sense of community within programs, build parents’ capacity to help improve student outcomes, and empower parents to be active decision makers and lifelong advocates on behalf of their children.
• Continuous Quality Improvement: Grantees are committed to program improvement and ensure programs are aligned to the Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California. Attachment B provides the complete list of Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California.
1 https://www.sjpl.org/education
2 https://www.sjpl.org/education-expanded-learning
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
Theory of Change and Logic Model
In December 2018, a Theory of Change was developed and finalized by the Committee to guide decision making and program evaluation. In July 2019, Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) led the development of an associated Logic Model to assist in grant making decisions, program assessment, and reporting. As stated in the Theory of Change, SJ Learns will support lowincome families of San José by developing innovative and ongoing opportunities that strengthen pathways beyond the school day for young students to thrive.
Key long-term (5+ years) outcomes for the logic model include:
• Community supports expanded learning programs with funding demand, all students have access to programs. The community ensures an educated city with students reading and demonstrating mathematic skills in 3rd grade that are at grade level; higher high school graduation rates and has a thriving workforce;
• Programs engage in program quality assessment and improvement, partner with their schools in a shared vision and goal setting, and programs implement promising practices; • Families trust their schools and program providers, have agency over their child’s education, and support a college and career mindset; and • Students will graduate from high school, identify as lifelong learners, are ready for college and career, and can demonstrate strong social emotional learning.
The SJ Learns Theory of Change and Logic Model are included in Attachments C and D.
Upon assuming management of SJ Learns, the Library and Foundation initiated a third-party program assessment and data sharing requirements, intended to understand the academic impacts of programs, identify promising practices and potential quality improvements, and ensure that the City’s investments are reaching the intended participants.
ANALYSIS
This report provides a retrospective of key elements of the SJ Learns program over the past five fiscal years, with a focus on program funding and awards to academic partners, the development of a robust Community of Practice, and findings from program outcome data and assessments.
SJ Learns Program Funding and Awards
Since 2018, approximately $7.3 million has been awarded for SJ Learns programs to eight LEAs, across 26 schools, many of whom have been funded multiple times to provide expanded learning programs during the summer and academic year. Stable funding and support allow schools to learn what works, adapt, and try new solutions based on individual student needs.
As shown in Table 1, LEAs and their program providers continue to request more funds than are available to meet the learning recovery needs that they identify in their students. The Library and Foundation have worked to leverage the City’s investment to create a model that may
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
expand to meet the demand from LEAs, scaling to accommodate additional available funds and diversified funding sources.
Additional funding opportunities were made available through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. The City approved $500,000 in FY 2021-22 and $500,000 in FY 2022-23 to assist LEAs in offsetting the impact of pandemic-related learning loss. The SJ Learns Tutoring Expansion Grant was made possible through a $2,000,000 allocation by City Council in FY 22-23 for San José students in grades 4-12 to access high-quality tutoring services and accelerate growth towards academic goals. A two-year grant cycle initiated in summer 2022 with program completion anticipated by December 2024.
TABLE 1
SJ Learns Award Distribution Summary
Grant Period
Allocated Funds by Source LEA
Requests Annual City Awarded
Budget ARP Donor Funds
2018-19 $1,000,000 $1,801,037 $957,376
2019-20 $1,500,000 $300,000 $1,213,847 $921,114
2020-21 $1,000,000 $1,970,211 $1,401,656
2021-22 $1,000,000 $500,000 $2,855,652 $1,469,845
2022-23 $1,000,000 $2,500,000* $1,692,990 $1,668,600
2023-24 $1,000,000 $2,060,464 $870,000**
Total $6,500,000 $3,000,000 $300,000 $11,594,201 $7,288,591 * Includes $500,000 for additional SJ Learns partner programs and $2,000,000 for two-year pilot SJ Learns Tutoring Expansion Grant program.
** Year-two awards for the SJ Learns Tutoring Expansion Grant still pending.
Along with direct funding sources, SJ Learns has benefitted from another program that was created with ARPA funds. Resilience Corps is a jobs program for young adults that focuses on critical areas of community resilience. The program was designed to address economic and workforce development needs among young adults while aiding in learning recovery for K-8th grade students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Also managed by the Library, with fiscal sponsorship of the SJPLF, the Resilience Corps: Learning Pathways cohort provided enhanced capacity to SJ Learns program partners, such as Think Together and Boys and Girls Clubs, thus leveraging both programs to increase impact, particularly for San José residents living in highpoverty census tracts.
Community of Practice
In 2018, SJ Learns staff developed an expanded learning collaborative with a strong focus on continuous quality improvement in order to amplify the positive impact of programs for students
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
and their families. In partnership with the Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation, Region 5 Expanded Learning, and Cisco Impact Grants, the SJ Learns program convenes the Expanded Learning Community of Practice (ExL CoP). There are over 25 active members representing grantees from all funders, meeting quarterly. Library staff provides management for administrative, programmatic, and convening activities. A list of current members is included in Attachment E.
The ExL CoP functions as a professional learning network that enables peer organizations to exchange knowledge and develop competencies. It provides LEAs and expanded learning program staff with opportunities to connect and solve problems, share ideas, set standards, and deepen relationships. The ExL CoP has maintained a consistent purpose to build “a safe space for learning and continuous quality improvement to ensure the implementation of high-quality expanded learning programs that are integrated into a shared vision for student achievement” and set of goals The ExL CoP Scope and Sequence was developed collaboratively among members to include a focus on three main topic areas:
• Social Emotional Learning & Mental Health
• Student/Family/Community Engagement
• Equity & Inclusive Teaching.
In the 2019-20 Academic Year, ExL CoP members worked with the Region 5 team to provide recommendations about “Quality Staffing Solutions” to the California Department of Education (CDE). The ExL CoP also monitors and discusses landscape shifts in the expanded learning field, including:
• An influx of state funding.
o The Expanded Learning Opportunity Program includes $4.6 billion in 2021-22 and promises high levels of ongoing funding future years ($4.4 billion annualized) o Focused on TK-6 (no new funding for middle or high school programs) • Staffing Challenges that include recommendations.
o Increase wages for program staff, most of whom do not currently earn a living wage to assist with staff recruitment and retention
o Creatively fill gaps with programs such as the City’s Resilience Corps program3.
Social Emotional Learning
Since March 2021, ExL CoP members have convened an ad-hoc committee, in partnership with SPR and funded by Cisco Impact grants, focused on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in efforts to demonstrate the collective impact of expanded learning programs in the Bay Area and beyond.
The committee’s high-level goal is to build the collective impact of expanded learning programs by first identifying and articulating, then measuring and assessing SEL skills. In 2021-22, the committee focused on refining shared metrics and developing measurement tools and strategies 3 ov/your-government/departments-offices/parks-recreation-neighborhood-services/get-involved/resilience-corps
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
that were piloted with Campbell School District during Summer 2022 and academic year (AY) 2022-23.
Starting in Summer 2022, the committee created, piloted, and validated an assessment to measure SEL among students. In Fall 2022, Campbell School District sites were identified with students in which Site Coordinators and Program Managers administer the assessment for one SEL competency, reflected on the revised rubrics, and conducted and participated in exit interviews to understand challenges or confusion with the tool. Information about the Pilot Assessment Protocol is included in Attachment F.
In Spring 2023, Campbell School District presented the committee’s progress and learning to funders and staff members onsite.
Program Data and Evaluation
A primary focus has consistently been given to identifying ways to assess and evaluate the impact of SJ Learns on learning outcomes for participants and LEAs. In addition to the ongoing need for expanded learning opportunities for youth to achieve grade level competency in reading and mathematics, the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic created significant unexpected disruptions to onsite academic learning for all students. The SJ Learns program model has been recognized as a critical, flexible asset for LEAs to support students in learning recovery, as well as those who need additional help to succeed.
DataZone
In Spring 2021, SJ Learns solidified a partnership with the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s DataZone4. DataZone offers low-cost data warehousing with secure district partitions and role-based authentication. The platform aggregates multiple data sources (Student Information Systems, Assessments, HR, Finance) to visualize information for decision-making.
The partnership offers the City of San José and SJ Learns a few key benefits:
• Provides high levels of data security;
• Enhances reliability in reporting structures;
• Opens the door for the possibility of longitudinal analyses; • Establishes baseline relationship for analyses of other City programs/educational services;
• Strengthens partnership with County Office of Education and City; and • Saves evaluation costs.
During each grant reporting period, DataZone collects program data forms from grantees, extracts student demographic and assessment data from the warehouse, and creates deidentified reports for SJ Learns staff and SPR to use in alignment with evaluation activities. The first data pull was conducted for the July 2021 reports and has continued a semi-annual basis. 4 www.datazone.org
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
Five-Year Program Assessment
Since 2018, the SJPLF has contracted with SPR to serve as external evaluators of the SJ Learns grant program. The aim of the 2022 evaluation was to look retrospectively at program accomplishments to date. SPR's evaluation shifted its focus from reporting on the progress made over a single year to examine the program’s progress since the Library assumed the leadership of this program in 2018. Key accomplishments and recommendations from SPR are included in this analysis.
Program Participation and Demographics
Between FY18-19 and FY21-22, SJ Learns programs served on average 891 students per year.
As shown in Table 2 below, the number of students served increased. During that time, the percentage of participants designated as English Learners remained consistent, ranging from 50- 55%.
TABLE 2
SJ Learns Student Participants Profile
FY 18-19 FY19-20 FY20-21 FY 21-22
Number of Students 652 883 998 1,032
% English Learners 52% 54% 55% 50%
Students from Low SES* Households NA NA 74% 62%
Students with IEPs** NA NA 13% 9%
Average Summer Attendance 153 hrs. 111 hrs. 72 hrs. 132 hrs.
Average School Year Attendance 290 hrs. 328 hrs. 581 hrs. 438 hrs. *SES- Socio Economic Status
**IEP-Individual Training Plan
The racial and ethnic composition of SJ Learns students has remained relatively consistent over time, with an increase in Hispanic/Latinx students and a small decrease in Asian students, as shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3
Student Demographics
Race/Ethnicity FY18-19 FY19-20 FY20-21 FY21-22
Hispanic/Latinx 66% 67% 78% 76%
Asian 19% 8% 11% 12%
White 7% 7% 2% 5%
African American/Black 2% 3% 3% 4%
Multiracial NA 1% 2% 2%
Pacific Islander 1% 5% 3% <1%
Native American/Alaskan Native 1% n/a <1% <1%
Unknown 3% 9% <1% <1%
Assessment of Academic Outcomes
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
SPR’s evaluation leveraged survey data, focus groups and interviews to assess how SJ Learns has progressed towards key outcomes for students, families, programs, and community.
Long-term goals outlined in the logic model are that students: will graduate from high school, identify as lifelong learners, are ready for college and career, and can demonstrate strong social emotional learning.
Programs utilized a variety of strategies in pursuit of academic achievement including hiring credentialed teachers to lead small group interventions, partnering with families to encourage learning at home, implementing fun and interactive virtual and in-person enrichment activities, providing personalized activities via small group and one-on-one sessions that align with schoolday instruction, and more. A brief report on the academic impact of the SJ Learns program is included in Table 4 below.
TABLE 4
SJ Learns Academic Impact
FY
Summer School Year Notes
Growth in Students
skills
Maintained skill
level
Growth in
skills
Maintained
skill level
Comparison of
baseline & end of
program
assessments
18-19 39%
reading
33%
reading
87%
reading
10%
reading
Assessments
registered on 76%
of students
652
19-20
59%
math
57%
reading
2%
math
13%
reading
80%
reading
8%
reading
Due to the transition
to distance learning
in March 2020,
programs were
impacted.
883
20-21
84% math
82% reading
69%
reading
2%
reading NA
Due to challenge of
assessing students
in distance learning,
53% had both
baseline & final
assessment data.
998
21-22 NA
84% math
82% reading
Both baseline and
final assessments
registered on 75%
of students.
1,032
Total 3,565
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
Engagement with Participant Families
The long-term goals outlined in the SJ Learns logic model are that families should trust their schools and program providers, have agency over their child’s education, and support a college and career mindset. SPR reported that SJ Learns funded programs support families through communication about their child’s academic progress and social emotional wellbeing, parenting education, and connection to resources. Additionally:
• Families reported feeling safe and supported by expanded learning programs. • Families gained access to community resources through expanded learning programs. • Families deepened their connection to school staff and programming.
Program Quality
Other long-term goals require that Programs should engage in program quality assessment and improvement, partner with their schools in a shared vision and goal setting, and programs implement promising practices.
Expanded Learning Quality Standards
The California Expanded Learning Quality Standards, adopted by the City Council on May 07, 2019, “are intended to create a framework of clear expectations and a shared vision of quality among multiple stakeholders”5. Research suggests that program quality dimensions such as participant engagement, staff training, and the use of data to measure progress are tied to positive outcomes for participants attending expanded learning opportunities.
As outlined in the SJ Learn’s Logic Model, programs should aim to understand quality standards for expanded learning and, over time, align with these standards and use shared tools and measurements to assess themselves. SPR found that program made progress toward outcomes by:
• Training staff on topics related to quality standards; • Programs utilized improvement processes and tools aligned with the program standards; • Programs began developing shared tools for assessment; and • Programs changed learning assessments to reflect a more widely adopted assessment.
Findings – Promising Practices in Quality
SPR spotlighted how districts, schools, and expanded learning providers have shifted their relationships as a result of the shift to distance learning and a return to in person learning. • Many programs used the same or complementary learning strategies and curricula that were used during the school day. Examples included the Four Blocks literacy program, project-based learning, and Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports. Using the same software that tracked student progress also allowed expanded learning teachers to best support students and know what students were working on during the day. 5 https://www.afterschoolnetwork.org/post/quality-standards-expanded-learning-california
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
• Some programs and schools shared staff. Some hired school-day staff (e.g., behavior therapists, school social workers, teachers, etc.) to serve in afterschool or summer school roles. Others hired program staff as substitute teachers or to provide support during school-day instruction.
• Grant requirements spurred more collaboration. CBO and district leaders collaboratively completed the proposal and grant reporting requirements leading to a better understanding of the direction the district is heading and how programs fit in that vision. • Schools, districts, and programs moved closer toward shared vision, goals, and strategies, particularly since the start of the pandemic. According to interviews in spring 2021, the history of collaboration between district and CBO leaders allowed expanded learning programs to meet the changing needs of the school community when the shelter-in-place order was imposed. Expanded learning providers consulted with district and school leaders, identified how they could best serve the school community in this new context, and program staff suggest that these meetings and the coordination that occurred led to an increasingly aligned vision of how expanded learning can support school-day instruction.
Support of Learning Community
Long-term goals outlined in the logic model include the fact that the community at large should support expanded learning programs and all students have access to programs. The community ensures students are reading and demonstrating mathematic skills in 3rd grade that are at grade level. SPR shared key outcomes related to SJ Learns as a support for the Community. • SJ Learns programs supported 26 schools across the city, where students received academic support and engaged in enrichment and social emotional learning activities. • Programs supported student engagement in learning and connections to school, piqued students’ interest in math and reading, and fostered positive relationships between students and caring adults.
• Simultaneously, programs formed relationships with parents, often serving as a bridge between schools and families and building a sense of trust in the school. Through various activities ranging from formal workshops related to topics such as at-home literacy activities to informal conversations about student progress at pick up, program staff helped parents engage in their children’s education.
• To align with school-day instruction, programs collaborated closely with schools and districts, used the same or complementary learning strategies, and in some cases even shared staff with schools.
• The SJ Learns grant initiative supported expanded learning programs through grant making and the facilitation of a CoP—a place where program staff can align around common standards of quality, share best practices, and create shared tools assess program quality and student outcomes.
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
Next Steps
Staff will continue to implement the SJ Learns grant program and incorporate NSE Committee feedback. Additionally, staff will continue to implement and lead the Community of Practice in service of Expanded Learning action items.
San José Learns Tutoring Expansion Grant Program
The Library will manage the final implementation process for the SJ Learns Tutoring Expansion funding opportunity on behalf of the City. SJPLF will continue to serve as the grant administrator and provide technical assistance through an existing online grant management system, which is currently utilized for SJ Learns and Resilience Corps Initiatives. Working with the SJ Learns Committee, Innovate Public Schools will provide a program evaluation for the first round of grantees in fall 2023. As of the conclusion of FY 23-24, the Tutoring Expansion grant program will be expended and conclude, unless additional funding is allocated.
Resilience Corps Workforce Program
Resilience Corps Learning Pathways participants are placed with host partner organizations, which includes SJ Learns grantees. In the upcoming academic year, staff will identify staffing gaps at grantee locations and work with grantees to place Resilience Corps participants at various locations.
Children and Youth Services Master Plan
The Children and Youth Services Master Plan is being developed with policy and programming recommendations and will provide a vision and strategic approach which will include equitable access to pathways and appropriate supports for families to thrive. Library staff will ensure that SJ Learns program goals and outcomes are in alignment with the Children and Youth Master Plan.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
The Library will work with SJPLF and school district partners to track the implementation of SJ Learns and will report back to the Library and Education Commission annually or as directed.
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the San José Public Library Foundation and the City Attorney’s Office.
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
July 24, 2023
Subject: SJ Learns Program Status Report
/s/
JILL BOURNE
Director, San José Public Library
For questions, please contact Lauren Hancock, Community Programs Administrator (Expanded Learning), at [email protected]
Attachments:
A. 2022-2023 SJ Learns Committee
B. Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California C. SJ Learns Theory of Change
D. SJ Learns Logic Model
E. 2022-2023 Expanded Learning Community of Practice Members F. Pilot Assessment Protocol