8/30/2021

1

Closing the Gap Between School & Community Partnerships

A Needs Assessment in the City of Indianapolis

2021 NASW – Indiana Chapter State Conference

September 27, 2021

PresenterKate Roelecke, MPH, CHW

Marion County Commission on Youth, Inc.

1

2

3

8/30/2021

2

Developing a Needs Assessment

Developing a Needs Assessment

Who needs to be involved?

What do they want to find out? What will they

do with the data?

When will the assessment take place

and how long will it last?

Where do you want to focus?

WHY do they think an assessment will be

helpful?

4

5

6

8/30/2021

3

Location of Assessment: Indianapolis, IN

About Indianapolis/ Marion County

15%

27%

28%

30%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Ages 15 - 17

Ages 10 - 14

Ages 5 - 9

Ages 0 - 4

White43%

Black35%

Hispanic18%

Asian4%

Child Population by Age Group in Marion County

Child Population by Race and Ethnicity in Marion County

About Indianapolis/ Marion County

County Poverty Rate:

17.2%

TANF Families:

1,020

SNAP Benefits: 129,001

Child Poverty Rate:

25%

Free Lunch: 58%

Homeless Students:

4,942

7

8

9

8/30/2021

4

Timeline of Assessment

Apr. 2019

Online Survey

Over 350 responses from school personnel

Nov.–Dec. 2019

Community Conversations

3 School districts

Apr. 2020

Key Informant Interviews

School Administrator, K – 8 Principal, Mental Health Provider

Assessment Methods

Online Survey

Community Conversations

Key Informant Interviews

Other Methods to Consider

Data Collection Method Description

Surveys A survey is a way of collecting information that you hope represents the views of the whole community or group in which you are interested.

Focus Groups A focus group is a small-group discussion guided by a trained leader. It is used to learn about opinions on a designated topic and to guide future action.

Interviews Interviews are usually defined as a conversation with a purpose. They are great if you are looking for in-depth information on a particular topic from an expert.

Community Mapping Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a method of digital mapping that links data to its geographic location. GIS does require specific software and expertise. But you can also generally map a community by identifying where certain resources (or gaps) are.

Photovoice Photovoice is a process in which people – usually those with limited power – use video and/or photo images to capture aspects of their environment and experiences and share them with others.

Windshield and Walking Surveys Windshield and walking surveys are systematic observations made either from a moving vehicle or on foot. They can be used to assess general community needs.

Others Learn more and explore other options at the Community Toolbox! Visit: https://ctb.ku.edu/en

10

11

12

8/30/2021

5

Online Survey: Overview

45%

14%

11%

8%

4%

3%

15%

Teachers School Counselors Principals Social Workers

Assistant Principals School Psychologists Other

Survey Responses by Role

12%

19%

31%

5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

PreK/ Kindergarten Middle School High School Other

Survey Responses by School Grade

What issues impact student success?

Emotional/ Social Health

Trauma/ Violence

Mental Health

Chronic Absenteeism

Social Media/ Internet

Respondents asked for the following resources…

Students

Mental Health Services/ Access

More Counseling Services/ Access

Mentors/ Mentoring

Resources/ Education for

Social Emotional Health

Resources to Meet Basic Needs

Families

Parent Education/ Support

Access to Mental Health Services

Support to Meet Basic Needs

Access to Health Care

Housing Assistance/ Affordable

Housing

Teachers

Training/ Professional

Development

Specialized Staff/ Support for

Teachers

Classroom Supplies

Discipline Policies/ Practices

Administration

Training/ Professional

Development

Additional Staff

Funding Assistance

Resources

13

14

15

8/30/2021

6

Barriers to Accessing Resources

28%

17%

16%

9%

7%

3%

Lack of funding/ financial limitations

Lack of resources & specialized staff

Lack of time to use resources or implement programs

Parent engagement/ involvement

Lack of awareness of available resources

Administration follow through

Online Survey: Key Findings

School administrators, teachers, and support staff view the degree of impact certain issues have on student success differently.

Different types of schools utilize different policies and practices to address challenging issues.

Both students AND families need mental health services and access to basic needs.

Teachers desire more professional development and training, while administrators wish to hire more support staff.

Community Conversations: Overview

0.7% 0.7% 0.5%

40.3%

18.7%

54.8%

31.8%

13.4%

17.7%

5.4%6.9% 7.9%

21.6%

60.1%

18.9%

0.1% 0.2% 0.2%0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Indianapolis Public schools Decatur Township Warren Township

Asian Black/ African American Hispanic Multiracial White Other

Student Populations by Race

16

17

18

8/30/2021

7

Community Conversations: Overview

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% 90.00% 100.00%

Economically Disadvantaged

Graduation Rate

Chronic Absenteeism

Comparative Data for Three School Districts

Warren Township Decatur Township Indianapolis Public Schools

Community Conversations: Process

Dialogue C List all the things you want for your students

Imagine a successful student 10 years from now. What does this look like?

Dialogue B What policies, practices, or programs are working to address these issues?

What could be done differently to address these issues?

Dialogue A What are your responses and reflections from the survey data?

Think back to a time when these issues affected student success and describe the situation.

Community Conversations: Key Findings

Trainings (though popular) may not be the most effective solution for addressing these challenges.

What school personnel desire for students and their success in the future may be more reflective of the lived experience and education levels of school staff.

The challenges are complex and systemic – and school staff do not feel that they have the adequate resources or capacity to address them.

Trust is an integral part of creating a safe space at school for students and their families.

19

20

21

8/30/2021

8

Key Informant Interviews: Overview

K – 8 Principal

Township Administrator

School-Based Mental Health Provider

Key Informant Interviews: Process

Question 1

How have you seen these challenges directly or indirectly impact students and schools at-large?

Question 2

What barriers do you identify from your perspective? Can you give a specific example?

Question 3

In a perfect world, what would an effective partnership with schools look like? What would facilitate success?

Question 4

What is the single most effective thing we could start doing right now to ensure every child succeeds?

Key Informant Interviews: Highlights

“The adult doesn’t see the problem because they are in the middle of it.”

– School Principal

22

23

24

8/30/2021

9

“It isn’t equitable within our district in terms of how we can provide resources to our

families in need. We just need to equal the playing field. You shouldn’t suffer because

you don’t have that person to be able to help you and you shouldn’t suffer if you’re not on

someone’s caseload.”– Township Administrator

“Communication is the hardest and biggest part of most partnerships because you to

constantly discuss, ‘Oh, I thought you were doing this…’ and ‘Oh, I dropped the ball on

that? I just assumed it was happening…’ and then nothing is happening. But

communication takes time and there’s not enough time in the day.”

– School Principal

“It sounds easy to engage the family, but it’s not. There are so many different barriers in their life,

and they can’t focus on the education of their child if they don’t know if they will have a place

to live next month… that’s one easy way to engage families – if there are basic needs that

they have, then helping them connect is automatically going to help create a relationship

with that person.”– Mental Health Provider

25

26

27

8/30/2021

10

“Family involvement is the key to it all.”– Mental Health Provider

“There is nothing to hide. We are just trying to do the best we can with what we have.”

– Township Administrator

Key Informant Interviews: Key Findings

The challenges impacting student success are interrelated and connected – they cannot be teased out or addressed individually.

Structural barriers make it difficult for effective partnerships to exist –supporting families and students is not simply an “information problem.”

Family engagement is critical for impacting student success and countering the numerous challenges this assessment identified.

28

29

30

8/30/2021

11

Closing the Gap

Whole Child Approach

Strengths-Based Family Engagement

Community School Model

Allocate the Resources

Schools Need

Data to Action in Indy

School-Based Community Health Worker Program

Community Conversations Asset Mapping

Acknowledgements

• Education Action Team

• IUPUI Office of Community Engagement

• Indianapolis Public Schools

• MSD Decatur Township

• MSD Warren Township

• MCCOY Interns

31

32

33

8/30/2021

12

Contact Information

Kate Roelecke

MCCOY, Inc.

Kate.Roelecke@mccoyouth.org

34