Progress on Past Recommendations
The recommendations from 2019-20 and the programs’ progress on those recommendations include:
Understanding and measuring success: Given the significant change to virtual programming and the lack of typically available data to understand progress towards goals, there was an opportunity to think differently and creatively about how to understand the program’s effectiveness. The program expanded the scope on engagement to include communications with students and families in diverse ways, such as via emailing, phone calls, texting, and hosting virtual community events. At Meeker, the Site Coordinator kept track of the frequency of engagement with parents via phone, email, chat, and supply pick-ups, and offered weekly office hours in which students and families could connect and receive supports. The program revised its family event surveys to better align to the content and structure of family events. Site Coordinators also shared anecdotal data from students, such as how students have built new friendships, have appreciation to have a space to connect with others and how they feel supported in facing the difficulties of the school year. At Mill Creek, the Site Coordinator shares how students came together to plan and promote an LBGTQIA event in which they made goodie bags for nearly 100 people.
Leaning into these new ways of knowing and defining program success paves the way for better reflection on how to illuminate the successes and lessons learned in delivering program within the unique context of the past year. The program has already demonstrated a capacity to think creatively and quickly adjust to operating within this new environment which is an encouraging sign of the program continuing its journey of continuous improvement and progressing to achieve its’ goals.
Clarifying the focus of virtual programming: The programs’ adaptability and creativity of the past year is evidence of their commitment to be responsive and supportive to student and family needs through the pandemic and school closures. The identified priorities at the start of the 2020-21 year reflected this reality, including a focus on students’ regular attendance, family engagement, learning new methods of engagement and approaches to facilitate programming, and continuing to develop new partnerships. The program made progress in each of these areas, as they had a high proportion of regular attendees, specifically of students that attended over 90 days, than in past years. Additionally, the program hosted multiple virtual family events and leaned into new partnerships in 2020-21 to expand on program offerings. Both sites offered an opportunity for students to reflect on programming so that student feedback could be incorporated and considered into the program structure. The programs’ also prioritized creating a welcoming and safe virtual environment so that students could build maintain social connections with their peers and with staff. This encouragement supported students as they struggled with the transition from virtual learning to hybrid/in-person learning.