Roles and Responsibilities

Implementation of Community for Learning (CFL) as a comprehensive school reform program will be a joint effort among participating schools and their districts, the State Department of Education (DOE), and CFL staff at Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education (CRHDE). These organizations will share responsibility for making CFL work and will play different roles in the process. Below is an illustrative list of some of the tasks to be carried out by each.

School's Role 

Aim: To carry out the site-specific plans for a high degree of CFL implementation.

  • Develop a site-specific plan that includes a clear timeline for conducting the needs assessment, providing awareness to parents and the community, conducting pre-implementation training,  modifying curriculum, and conducting team planning and staff development.  
  • Ensure participation by the entire school staff in pre-implementation training and ongoing data-based staff development (including principals, specialist teachers, and other professional and paraprofessional staff).
  • Ensure participation of school staff in networking activities and sharing with other CFL schools.
  • Achieve a high degree of program implementation based on CFL indicators.
  • Collect evaluation data for program implementation monitoring and refinement.
  • Implement CFL in accordance with the school's implementation plan.
  • Develop a family involvement and community participation plan for implementing the non-classroom instruction components of CFL.
  • Coordinate collaboration among the principal, the facilitator, and school staff in developing an implementation plan for the non-classroom component of CFL.
  • Redeploy current resources and expertise to support CFL implementation.

School District's Role

Aim: To ensure that administrative and personnel policies support CFL implementation.

  • Provide communication and receive Board of Education approval for program implementation.
  • Submit an application to meet criteria and deadline specified by the State DOE for incentive funds (e.g. Title I, comprehensive school reform initiative, etc.) for starting implementation training.
  • Devote district-allocated staff development days to training and curriculum development work for participating school staff.
  • Allocate staff time of district personnel to participate in needs assessment, program planning, and pre-implementation and ongoing staff development.
  • Ensure that participating schools receive the personnel and material resources the district routinely provides to all schools.
  • Provide district-collected data on student characteristics and achievement to CRHDE for analysis and feedback for planning at each school site.
  • Assign a coordinator to serve as a CFL liaison to provide support and program coordination across all CFL implementation sites in the district.  
  • Assign a full-time facilitator to each participating school to work with CRHDE to provide site-specific staff development and in-class support for individual teachers. 
  • Cooperate with the participating schools and CRHDE in problem solving.
  • Redeploy current resources and expertise to support CFL implementation in the district's schools.
State Department of Education's Role

Aim: To support schools in their efforts to implement CFL.

  • Develop an incentive grants program for providing the initial three-year program support for schools interested in using CFL as their comprehensive school reform model.
  • Assign a program coordinator from State DOE to serve as a liaison between the state, the participating school districts, and CFL staff at CRHDE.
  • Provide information on how CFL can help schools meet the state standards and education reform goals.
  • Use Porter-Obey to provide start-up funds (first three years) for participating schools and commit to support program maintenance and extension in subsequent years, using existing program funds (e.g., Title I and/or special education and compensatory funds). 
  • Provide the opportunity for all schools that are engaging in various reform efforts in the state to meet, share their experiences, and problem solve.
  • Provide funding for program evaluation.
CFL Implementation Specialists' Role

Aim: To provide participating schools implementing CFL with staff development and technical support.

  • Provide assistance to conduct needs assessment and develop a site-specific implementation plan.
  • Provide awareness and training materials.
  • Assist district and school staff in curriculum preparation to ensure alignment with state standards. 
  • Provide pre-implementation training of principals and facilitators.
  • Provide on-site data-based staff development assistance to facilitators.
  • Provide technical assistance to principals and the district in using district-collected student achievement data for planning and monitoring student progress.
  • Provide consultation through telephone and/or e-mail. CRHDE will make an 800 number available.
  • Conduct training and provide technical assistance in developing a demonstration capability.
  • Develop a joint plan with the school district and State DOE to assist other school districts in the state that are interested in implementing CFL.
  • Assist the district and schools in developing a program evaluation plan to monitor program implementation and student achievement progress. 
  • Provide networking opportunities for schools implementing CFL in the state and elsewhere.
  • Provide training to state personnel responsible for professional development and program implementation assistance.
  • Assist State DOE and schools in establishing training and demonstration centers in selected schools for capacity building in the state.
  • Arrange site visits to CFL program sites.