Murrieta Unified Valley School District Presents:

Show me the Money

For your School Counseling Program!

Goals of the Session:

• How to obtain ESSCP grant• 15 plus tips for winning grants• The importance of data and accountability • 10 + Tips to maintain sustainability • How multimedia can help!• Answer your questions (if time!)

Why Did We Write a Grant?

• Had NO elementary school counselors • Principals wanted more help! Needed counselors!• Looking for way to provide support • Learned of the Federal grant: Elementary and

Secondary School Counseling Demonstration grant – @1.2 million dollars over 3 years for 2 GRPA

requirements – Purpose was to increase SC– Decrease violence referrals

If We Can Do It You Can Too!

• We wrote a winning grant with no experience!• Did well! (scores 98! & 99!) • We have learned a lot and want to share • We hope this session helps you to implement

a successful grant!

Let’s get started…

Main Points of OUR Grant

• Hire 3 Elementary School Counselors • Create a multi-tiered process for curriculum,

referrals and intervention • Provide all of our 4/5th graders with universal

prevention program• Provide intervention for students needing

more • Provide crisis response services

Tip #1 Start Early

• Its more work than you think • Takes longer to get everything together than you

can imagine• Stuff comes up in your day• People you need signatures from are not around• You really can’t close your door – people bother

you• The woman you need budget stuff from is on

maternity leave

Tip #2 Familiarize yourself with RFA

• Allow time to familiarize self with RFA• Get samples from other districts or all others

who have won them (their names are on line) • Read through several times • Familiarize yourself with each area you have

to write to • Make sure you FOLLOW formatting

requirements

Tip #3 Don’t be afraid to call USDE

• They really will answer the phone• They will answer questions • They really do want you to get the grant• They really do want you to spend the money• They are not out to take it away – their job is

to support successful implementation

Tip #4 Assemble Team(s)

We had two teams: • Administration team– Principals and assistant principals, D/O etc. to discuss

site team– Met with each principal to ENSURE they would support

if we obtained grant • Grant writing team– Teacher (50%)– School counselors – Director of Student Services

Tip #5 Involve the Community

• Involve community• Involve parents• Utilized anecdotal statements from them

about bully issues on campuses

Tip #6 Gather the Data you Need

• Violence and Safety Data– Discipline Data – CHKS (in CA) or YRBS in most states– All states were required to collect this data if they

have accepted Title IV funds (which is over, but they should still have data)

• Academic data (better climate better achievement) so we looked at that too– Language Arts and Math Scores (CST’s)

Tip #7 Be Realistic in Design

• We had NO elementary school counselors before

• Had over 9,000 students • Wanted to serve them all (with 3 counselors?)• Recommend 1 per school? • Focused energies with 4/5th graders only. • Could have picked 3 schools with greatest

needs

Tip #8 Involve Non Profits/Agencies

• Involving non profits and community agencies can increase communication with outside and local providers

• Better opportunities for outside referrals• Grants helps you create articulation for

agreements for services • Will support you in future grant writing efforts

Tip #9 Request letters early

• Ask for more than you need • Make it easy for them • Offer to write it • Send a sample• Give an early deadline • Have a backup plan

Tip #10 Ask Local Rep. to Write a Letter

• Mary Bono Mack (Congresswoman 45th district) wrote ours • Once grant is submitted, get the number (post card #)• Then call or email and ask them to write a letter of

endorsement for your grant• They will also be involved with promoting grant in the

future • Great for public relations • And sometimes they all you to tell you WON! • Went to share results with her and what we did with the

money so she’d support it again!

Tip #11 – Use One Voice

• Do not break up sections with authors • Needs consistent voice • Needs to read in a flowing way – not choppy • When done, ask someone to read that doesn’t

know the grant – see if it makes sense to them (sometimes we don’t’ see holes)

Tip #12 Use one Operating SYSTEM!

• Switching from Mac to PC is a disaster • Multiple versions are a formatting nightmare!

(Word 2003, Word 2007) – STICK with ONE! • Excel to PowerPoint for charts and graphs: use

ONE mode

Tip #13 - Use District Summaries

• District must create summary reports yearls• Ask for a copy – saves time on demographics

and district/community narratives • May find in District accountability report cards

Tip #14: Keep Your Own Data File

• Tear out local demographical info and keep handy

• Local newspaper a good resource • Magazine articles • Anything to do with district data or local

economic info

Tip #15 Failure is a Future Opportunity

• After you hear back (funded or not) remember to ASK for the rating sheets!

• This is great feedback for the next time you write any grant

Outcomes: We Had 8 Goals

1. Increase number of school counselors 2. Increase 4th and 5th grade Language Arts and

Math proficiency3. Decrease number of referrals suspensions4. Students will display positive attitudes about

school and teachers

Objectives: Goal

5. Students are supported at home – parents actively participate

6. 5th grade students attendance rates improve 7. Homework completion and accuracy increase– (took this one out)

8. Elementary school students who need mental health services are identifies and connected to services

Guidance Lesson Curriculum

• Taight guidance lessons to >>• When • What • Where • Meaures impact with prepost

Pre and Post Test Highlights

• Students were asked pre-post test questions to determine what they gained from the lessons based on the following:• Attitudes: What they believed

• Knowledge: What information they learned

• Skills: How they could apply this information

What do Students Learn?

What personal strengths are

Difference between anger and violence

What the "Golden Rule" is

0102030405060708090

100

7179

2

86 89 87

PrePost

What did Students Learn?

Identify the STAR method Identify one thing they could do if bullied (tell adult)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

37

93

75

94

PrePost

Students appear to know this prior to the lesson

Nice growth seen here

“I believe there is an adult at school I can go to for help if I have a problem of if I am being bullied.”

really believe believe not sure don’t believe really don’t believe

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

8070

21

61 1

64

24

71 0

PrePost

No positive change seen here; more work needs to

be done in this area

“I believe fighting is always wrong unless it is to protect myself or someone else who is being hit or hurt”

really believe believe not sure don’t believe really don’t believe

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

36

28

21

84

48

31

16

5 4

PrePost

“I believe that peacemakers value other peoples feelings by putting themselves into someone else's shoes”

really believe believe not sure don’t believe really don’t believe

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

36

28

21

84

44

31

16

5 4

PrePost

What Skills did Students Learn?

Identified Aggressive Behavior Identified Assertive Response 0

102030405060708090

100

45

7277

88

PrePost

Our Goals…

Achievement Related Data:– Increase in satisfactory marks on citizenship grades.– Decrease in number of behavior-related referrals and

suspensions.– To increase feelings of safety on campus

Achievement Data:– The decrease in referrals will have positive impact on

students’ academic progress by allowing teachers more time for instruction and more time for student learning.

School Safety and Academic Achievement – Interaction

Safe at School Hit or Pushed Caring Adult0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

83

50

64

85

41

62

91

37

70

Schools with Lowest API

Schools with Middle API

Schools with Highest API

Academic scores are higher at school where

students report feeling safer

Proficiency Levels for Language Arts

LA 4th LA 5th Math 4th Math 5th 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

70

59

75

62

7568

79

65

2007-20082009-2010

Proficiency areas im-proved in

both areas at both grades

Intervention Groups

• Whoi • What • When • Curriculum • Etc

Average CST Scores Between Students Receiving Small Group Intervention and Total Population

4th In Groups 4th Total MVUSD

5th In Groups 5th Total MVUSD

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

268 273 286

237

280 290 295

245

2007-20082008-2009

Average CST Scores Between Students Receiving Small Group Intervention and Total Population

Boys In Groups Boys Total MVUSD

Girls In Groups Girls Total MVUSD

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

268 273 286

237

280 290 295

245

2007-20082008-2009

Steps to Maintaining Sustainability

• Collect and share data• Market program• NAME it• Fliers brochures• Emails regularly• Send newsletter to entire distinct • Branded the Product• Website logo

Steps to Maintaining Sustainability

• Create CHEAP logo – e-lance• Presentations to school board • Presentations to school staff • Parents meetings• Parents advisory council (share data and

results) - they become advocates• Ongoing discussion with district administration• Take school board president to lunch

Tips to Sustainability

• Continuing to connect the program to Students achievement – to academics !

• (that’s what they REALLY care about• Affiliated self with larger (important folks!) – Adelman and Taylor UCLA/ SDSU

• Remind them this is models after ASCA Model • Inform people of counseling standards• Connecting work to the standards• Ensuring that school counselors assigned to programs

are ONLY doing school counselor related activities

Tips to Sustainability

• Integrating it into the fabric of what you are doing! • Create the infrastructure so its indispensible!• Collaborating with principals and teachers • Make them say” I don’t know what I’d do it I didn’t

have the programs to refer students to!”• Use local media (news paper articles) - get to

know reported – they need stories and if they trust you they will put your stuff in and print what you ask

• Crisis team

How Can Multimedia Help?

• Show multi-media – Videotaping groups– Testimonials– Teachers– Staff members– Video clips online – Email– Putting a FACe on the data

How Can Multimedia Help?

• Single most important sustainability… – The mothers report – – Her son was slipping away – The PERSONAL message of hope fo her and her

son

Steps to Implementation

• Assembled a team• Once we got money• Hired counselors• Met with principals to remind them what they agreed to • met with howard and Linda Adelman• Chose evidence based curriculum (Peace makers for

classroom guidance) • Social Skills group Intervention for small groups (social

skills) • Used CHKS wbsite to find evidnced baced curriclum

Steps to Implementation • Created PowerPoint to present to EVERY staff as to what to expect from an

ASCA Model programs• Shared referrals process • What IS and Is NOT appropriate referral – what IS a crisis? • Parent nights for all the schools to roll out the program• Scheduled guidance lessons so as to not disturb academics core

instructional time much (afternoon)• Intervention in morning • Created feedback loop• Continuously revised to imporve efficiency and effectiveness • Weekly staff meetings • One day a week we set aside for us to collaborate, reseaqrch, email get

caught upo

Lessons Learned….

• Start sooner • Identify evaluator and have them involved from

beginning• Refine and reduce outcome data expectations

so you are not measuring EVERYTHING!• Decrease number of outcomes we put in – we

had too many• Reducing school we searched (serving 11

schools with 3 people)

In Summary….

Thanks for coming!

• To Contact us: – Dean etc etc