Community Dialogue

Community dialogue provides a forum for discovering how the public education system works, identifying the elements of a quality education, and using data that reveal how effective the current system is. LEFs help community members understand their role in creating quality public education. They help members reach agreement on issues and action steps through action-oriented dialogue that includes strategic planning, town meetings, and education roundtables.

Constituency Building

Improving public schools often entails the creation of constituencies—families, youth, educators, the business community, policymakers, civic groups, and individuals—that will support and advocate for education reform. LEFs help communities build alliances to identify concerns, demand change, understand how change is enacted, and promote a collective responsibility for change. Empowered community alliances can shape public discourse and demand
accountability from public officials and policymakers.

Engaging Practitioners

Building practitioner capacity is a critical factor in strengthening teaching and learning. As the people who work in and with schools, teachers, administrators and other staff have the greatest effect on the day-to-day implementation of public school reform efforts. Through engagement efforts, educators become responsible for their own continued learning and begin to advocate for quality professional development. For LEFs, working directly with educators is the best way to build understanding of the work of schools and of the capacities needed for effective practice.

Collaborating with Districts

Collaborative efforts between local education funds and school districts have the greatest potential for generating sustainable systemic change. LEFs partner with school districts to improve teacher skills and capacities, implement wholeschool change models, develop high academic standards, and build community support to implement standards. LEFs work with districts as vendors, critical friends, and allies to sustain effective practice.

Policy Analysis

Agenda development begins with an analysis of the factors that influence the quality of teaching and learning, and the effect current policies have on those factors. LEFs help educators, school administrators, policymakers, and others in the community understand current policies and their effects on teaching and learning. LEF use data to develop easy-to-understand presentations and clear arguments and generate broad support for change.

Legal Strategies

Litigation is an effective way to fight for resources and regulations necessary to provide quality education to all children. Most school litigation is based on state constitutional or statutory provisions for a free public education at the elementary or secondary level. LEFs can play an important role in litigation by collecting and using data, giving expert testimony, and bringing public opinion and community needs to bear in shaping legal strategies and remedies.

Youth Engagement

Education policies and programs have a direct impact on the quality of
education that young people receive, and on their opportunity to develop the skills they will need to become productive members of their communities. LEFs support youth engagement efforts through a range of partnerships and initiatives that recognize the strengths youth bring to the learning process and to civic life.