Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership

Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors

Monday, April 25, 2011

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Crenshaw High School Library

5010 11th Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90043

Conference Call-In Number: 1(605) 477-2100, Participant Code: 964091*

Agenda

Welcome, Opening Remarks(5 minutes)                                   Blair Taylor, GCEP Board President

Administrative Update (10 minutes)                                            Blair Taylor, GCEP Board President

_ Action Item: Approval of Minutes of March 28, 2011

_ Action Item: Crenshaw High School Budget Approval

Budget Process and Approval (30 minutes)………………..Beverly Ryder, GCEP Executive Director

Carrie Allen, Principal, Crenshaw High School

Executive Director’s Report (20 minutes)………………………………………..………………… Beverly Ryder

Update on GCEP Activities

_ GCEP Financial Update

_ Report Card Findings

_ Governance – Discussion of protocol for GCEP approval of

_ Crenshaw High grants/donations

_ Retreat Planning

Principal’s Report (20 minutes) …………….………………………….…….…………………………….Carrie

AllenConsultant’s Update (10 minutes)…………………………………………………………………Sylvia

Rousseau

Partner Updates (10 minutes)………………………………………………………………………….…Blair Taylor

Los Angeles Urban League

• · China Trip/Law Firm Internships Jeffery Wallace
• · MSNBC Broadcast at Crenshaw Blair Taylor

Public Comment (10 minutes)…………………………………………………………………………………………

Any member of the public may sign in to address the Board on any topic within the jurisdiction of the Board.

Individual presentations shall be limited to 3 minutes. The Board is legally prohibited from taking any action

on presentations until a subsequent meeting.

Acknowledgments and Closing Remarks(5 minutes)………………………………………………... Blair Taylor

***Requests for disability-related modification or accommodation needed to participate in the meeting

should be made to PJ Johnson at (323) 298-8211 by Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.***

MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR MEETING
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTOR OF THE
GREATER CRENSHAW EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP, INC.
March 28, 2011
The Board of Directors of The Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership (GCEP) held a
Regular Meeting on Monday, March 28, 2011 at Crenshaw High School, 5010 11th Avenue, Los
Angeles, California 90043. The following directors, constituting a quorum of the Board of
Directors, were present:

Blair H. Taylor, President

Dean Karen Gallagher, Vice President

Ms. Eunice Grigsby, Parent

Mr. Miguel Abarca, Parent

Ms. Monique Sutton, Parent

Mr. Charles Franklin, Honda Corporation (by telephone)
Also present were the following:

Ms. Beverly Ryder, GCEP Executive Director

Ms. Carrie Allen, Principal-Crenshaw High School

Ms. Renita Smith, VP Strategy, Los Angeles Urban League

Dr. Sylvia Rousseau, GCEP Consultant

Mr. Maynard Brown, Crenshaw High Business Management & Entrepreneurship
Academy

Mr. Gregory Franks, Tom & Ethel Bradley Foundation
Absent (Excused):

Dr. Lewis King, Secretary/Treasurer

Dr. Marilyn Flynn, Dean USC School of Social Work
Welcome and Opening Remarks
The meeting was called to order at 7:20 p.m. by Mr. Blair Taylor, GCEP Board President. Mr.
Taylor expressed his concern over the period of time between meetings and requested that the
Board reconsider returning to monthly meetings. He also noted that he will be traveling to China
and will provide a briefing of the trip at the next meeting. He has asked Mr. Jeffery Wallace,
Special Assistant to President/CEO, Los Angeles Urban League, to attend the next meeting to
provide an update to the board on the LAUL China trip for Crenshaw students.
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Approval of Minutes
Mr. Taylor entertained a motion to approve the minutes from the Regular Meeting on January
31, 2011. Dean Karen Gallagher moved to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by
Mr. Miguel Abarca and the item was unanimously approved.
Executive Director’s Report
Before yielding to Ms. Ryder, Mr. Taylor discussed Ambassador Frank Baxter’s visit to
Crenshaw High School and Mr. Baxter’s positive response.
Executive Director Ryder then briefly reviewed the agenda.
Update on GCEP Activities
Ms. Ryder reported that Dr. Sylvia Rousseau and Principal Allen would address CST (California
Standardized Testing) Preparation further in the agenda. Ms. Ryder reported that the Ford
Foundation grant has been officially approved by the Ford Foundation and the Business
Management and Entrepreneurship and the Social Justice and the Law academies are involved in
discussion with faculty about the planning and implementation of the grant. She stated that
GCEP has two major areas of focus in April, CST Preparation and School Budget Planning.
Public Choice 3.0
Ms. Ryder discussed the latest round of Public Choice (3.0). She described the evaluation
criteria for placing schools on the public choice list and compared Crenshaw data to the
performance of neighboring high schools that are in this next round. Ms. Ryder also reviewed the
conversations between the network partners and iDesign regarding the establishment of criteria
for evaluating the performance of iDesign schools over the past three years since the MOU
(Memorandum of Understanding) has been in place.
Mr. Taylor strongly suggested that GCEP be proactive in insisting that a fair accountability
system be established that reflects the evaluation of the network partners’ schools’ performance
from 2008 – 2013 ( the initial MOU period) and not that of the Public Choice cohorts. He also
suggested that this position be submitted in writing and include GCEP’s goals and deliverables.
Ms. Ryder stated that while Crenshaw High School is currently not on the Public Choice list, we
must be cognizant of the criteria that places schools on the list and continually assess Crenshaw’s
improvement process. Mr. Taylor and Ms. Grigsby expressed various concerns regarding
aspects of the public choice model. Ms. Grigsby also stated that GCEP should “stay the course”
with the current structure and that GCEP should continue to demonstrate to LAUSD the validity
of the current structure.
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School Report Card 09-10
The Board of Directors examined the Los Angeles Unified School District’s School Report Card
prepared for Crenshaw High School. Discussion ensued regarding the report card statistics,
particularly the calculation methodology utilized by LAUSD reporting graduation rates.
Concerns were expressed regarding differences between Crenshaw/GCEP’s reported graduation
rate and the rate the district reported in 2009-2010. Discussion occurred about the accuracy and
timeliness that school record-keeping has played in some of the reporting of graduation and
dropout rates.
President Taylor recommended that Crenshaw/GCEP create a mechanism for early detection and
correction of erroneous information prior to the distribution of the report card. Mr. Taylor also
emphasized the importance of putting in place a process to inform the community about the
report card and any incorrect information and to develop discussions with parents, possibly on an
annual basis in a Town Hall Meeting setting. He suggested an annual mechanism for dialogue
on this information, including a pre-release check point where the information can be checked
and double checked with the district before the distribution of the report. The board also
emphasized the need for inputting correct information on a timely basis.
Principal Allen is examining a Pre-Parent Teacher Conference to discuss the report card. Mr.
Franks recommended that the Small Learning Communities (SLC’s) be used to disseminate the
information. Mr. Taylor then requested a report back at the next meeting on the plans for dealing
with the report card.
GCEP Budget Update
Executive Director Ryder handed out an updated version of the GCEP Budget with projections
through the remainder of the fiscal year. She introduced Mr. PJ Johnson, her executive assistant
who is contributing to GCEP projects. She went through the budget, answered questions about
unanticipated costs, the nature of communication costs, and explained forecasted expenses until
the end of the fiscal year. Ms. Ryder presented a new Crenshaw High School recruiting brochure
to positive response.
CST and CAHSEE Testing Discussion
Ms. Ryder then distributed a comprehensive CST Prep Calendar to the Board of Directors for
review. She stated that CST Testing begins on May 16th and noted that Crenshaw High has
created a very detailed outline of the preparation leading up to testing. Ms. Ryder stated that
GCEP will provide incentives and resources such as printing, prizes for mock testing, and
supplemental snacks during the testing week.
Dr. Rousseau pointed out that while CST Preparation is all year, it becomes very strategic as the
school gets closer to the actual testing period. A question was raised about the instruction for
CST, and it was noted that the instructional resources include the best classroom teachers
holding tutorial sessions, team teaching, and how Special Education teachers who are skilled
4
have been spending days and valuable class time for preparation. Strategically, the tutorial
classes have also been streamlined according to grade level and educational level of difficulty.
Dr. Rousseau informed the board that scores are improving but there is still a problem in math
instruction. Principal Allen stated that she needed Math for America teachers at Crenshaw and
Dean Gallagher expressed that USC teacher-students in Math for America are available to
Crenshaw. Dr. Rousseau stated the need for Crenshaw to acquire Math for America teachers and
emphasized the importance of Math for America teachers to help support the improvement of
math instruction.
Principal Allen also pointed out that this year’s preparation for CST is more focused,
concentrated, and in-depth. She also believes that the more substantive preparation has resulted
in API gains that have been more continual and gradual. The API target for 2010-2011 is 615,
which would equate to a growth of 48 points from 2009-2010.
Ms. Allen then discussed plans for recruitment and increased enrollment. She stated that the
targeted increase in enrollment is 250+ students. Enrollment is critical in maintaining the
staffing to operate a comprehensive high school.
Ms. Allen discussed areas of outreach, primarily targeting the feeder middle schools and charter
school students. Mr. Taylor suggested visiting the KIPP School to speak to their parents and
students and noted that he could provide an introduction.
Dr. Rousseau emphasized the need for securing funding for advertising to create an aggressive
advertising campaign. Mr. Franks suggested a Saturday Camp Day where the school completely
demonstrate the unique aspects of Crenshaw High School. As a part of the outreach discussion,
questions arose around the website. Ms. Ryder explained that Crenshaw’s website has been
updated thanks to Crenshaw Assistant Principal Dr. Roderick Castro. Mr. Maynard Brown
recommended that GCEP tout partnerships that other schools do not have, such as Sony, Toyota,
Starbucks, etc.
Principal’s Report
Principal Allen distributed her report to the Board of Directors and members of the audience. She
reported on the activities and partnerships with Toyota and Legacy Ladies. The Legacy Ladies
Torch Awards gave out three (3) $3,000 scholarships. The Youth Empowerment Program (YEP)
held their College Awareness Kick-Off Rally on Friday, March 25, 2011. She noted the
following other

The Crenshaw High School Urban Debate Team qualified two (2) students for the
National Championships in New York.

The National Football League (NFL) Hall of Fame Foundation recognized Crenshaw
High Students Yohance Salimu and Pierre Romain for their scholastic and athletic
achievement. Salimu was awarded one of three monetary awards as the “Best of the
Best,” and has been accepted into the Air Force Academy and Carnegie Mellon’s School
of Engineering.
5

The award-winning choir appeared as a part of the National Basketball Association
(NBA) All-Star festivities Saturday night, February 19, 2011 as a part of the Sprite Slam
Dunk Competition. The choir also sang as part of Bishop Desmond Tutu’s program and
presentation at Santee High School which will be shown on national television.

The Crenshaw “Cougarbots” Robotics Team participated in the annual Robotics
Competition at California State University Long Beach and advanced in competition to
the second round.
Principal Allen informed the Board of Directors that current enrollment numbers do not support
the current faculty levels. Mr. Taylor asked about the School Improvement Grant (SIG) grant
and was told that the process to apply for the grant was voted to go forward. She cautioned that
to complete the application grant, it would require more than 80 hours of work over the next
week.
She then gave a brief overview of the current budget process.
Public Comment
Mr. Maynard Brown thanked the Los Angeles Urban League for introducing Crenshaw High
School and the Business Management and Entrepreneurship Academy to Toyota, Inc. He also
discussed the developing partnership with the National Association of Security Professionals
(NASP). He noted that NASP members are providing internships/mentorships to 8 students and
setting them up with scholarships that when they finish will be approximately $10,000 each.
Ms. Sybil Harris thanked the Los Angeles Urban League and Ms. Carlene Davis, Deputy
Neighborhood Officer, Education – Neighborhoods@Work, Los Angeles Urban League for the
Desmond Tutu event.
A recommendation was made to the Instructional Leadership Team that each Small Learning
Community compile five (5) bullet points about themselves and/or Crenshaw High School and
submit them at the next meeting.
Adjournment
President Taylor entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was made by Dean
Karen Gallagher and seconded by Mr. Miguel Abarca. The motion was approved unanimously
and the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
6
***

1
MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR MEETING
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE
GREATER CRENSHAW EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP, INC.
January 31, 2011
The Board of Directors of The Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership held a Regular
Meeting on Monday, January 31, 2011 at Crenshaw High School, 5010 11th Avenue Los
Angeles, California. The following directors, constituting a quorum of the Board of Directors,
were present:
• Blair Taylor, President
• Dean Karen Gallagher, Vice President
• Dr. Lewis King, Secretary/Treasurer
• Ms. Eunice Grigsby, Parent ( by telephone)
• Mr. Miguel Abarca, Parent
• Ms. Monique Sutton, Parent
• Mr. Charles Franklin, Honda Corporation
Also present were the following:
• Ms. Beverly Ryder, Executive Director
• Ms. Carrie Harris Allen, Principal of Crenshaw High School
• Ms. Renita Smith, VP Strategy, Los Angeles Urban League
• Dr. Sylvia Rousseau, GCEP Consultant
• Mr. Alex Caputo-Pearl, Faculty Member and SLC lead
Absent ( Excused):
• Dr. Marilyn Flynn, Dean USC School of Social Work
Welcome & Opening Remarks
The meeting was called to order at 7:20 p.m. by Mr. Blair Taylor, GCEP Board President. Mr.
Taylor suggested to Ms. Ryder that Deputy Superintendent John Deasy be invited to attend and
address a future meeting.
Approval of Minutes
Mr. Miguel Abarca moved to approve the minutes from the December 23, 2010 Board meeting.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Charles Franklin and unanimously approved.
Executive Director’s Report
2
Executive Director Ryder briefly reviewed the agenda.
Ms. Ryder reported that the Crenshaw High website has been updated with current information
and gave thanks to Dr. Roderick Castro and Mr. Amos Adams for the efforts the previous
semester and during the holiday break to delete outdated information and post up-to-date faculty
and school information. She also stated that they are exploring bids for a new site and look for
implementation by the new school year.
Ms. Ryder then provided an update on the Public Choice initiative. She stated that GCEP opted
not to participate in the current cycle (Public Choice 2.0) in order to concentrate on key issues of
focus at Crenshaw High School. Ms. Ryder noted that Horace Mann Middle School was the
only school in the Crenshaw feeder pattern in 2.0 and their school based reform proposal is under
consideration by the review panel. Ms. Ryder described the more stringent criteria for being
placed on the list for Public Choice 3.0 and noted that Dorsey High School and 42nd Street
Elementary school were among the schools in the area on the 2011 list. Letters of intent for
Public Choice 3.0 will be due March 1, 2011.
Mr. Taylor inquired about Dorsey High School’s receptivity to develop a partnership with GCEP
around their response to Public Choice. He also discussed the ways that GCEP might become a
more active partner with Mann Middle School and Ms. Deborah Gayle, Mann’s principal.
Carrie Allen, Crenshaw High’s principal described her articulation work with Mann and noted
Superintendent Cortines’ positive comments about GCEP and the partners.
Ms. Ryder then presented the GCEP budget and stated that to-date, the budget and spending was
within the forecast with no major current exceptions. Mr. Taylor emphasized the importance of
raising outside funding for GCEP to remain viable and achieve its growth goals.
Ms. Ryder provided an update on issues regarding adding a student and faculty member to the
GCEP board of directors. While she expressed a commitment to having student, parent and
faculty voices as part of GCEP, she stated that she is researching the most effective path for them
to participate. Ms Ryder presented ideas for several ad hoc committees of the board on student
affairs, parent engagement, and governance and stated that she is researching several legal issues
including any conflicts of interests and liability issues related to the aforementioned board
members joining GCEP as voting members. Mr. Taylor expressed the need to have student and
faculty voices and urged her to resolve the outstanding issues as soon as possible. Dr. King
expressed his concern that there is too much reliance on the legal process rather than thinking
innovatively with flexibility so that there can be representation. Both he and Mr. Taylor strongly
endorsed having faculty members and students serve as board members. Mr. Caputo-Pearl stated
that LAUSD Superintendent Cortines and iDesign Director Parker Hudnut would not have issues
with voting member serving on the board.
Ford Foundation Grant
Ms. Allen provided background on a $200,000 Ford Foundation planning grant that Crenshaw
has been working on since 2009 with USC that would improve the quality of teaching and
student learning at Crenshaw. The proposed grant supports, through a project-based learning
approach, the development of a collaborative learning environment at Crenshaw that makes
3
stronger connections between learning and the contexts of the school, its stakeholders and the
community. Ms. Allen applauded the collaborative effort of the faculty and administration and
the leadership that Dr. Rousseau and Mr. Alex Caputo-Pearl provided in securing and refining
the grant.
Dr. Rousseau then presented a slide presentation that outlined the key parameters of the grant,
the timeline for implementation and the expected outcomes at the end of the planning period.
Dr. Rousseau also explained how the model involves all school and community stakeholders coconstructing
the learning platform, related outcomes and accountabilities to measure the model’s
success. She emphasized that the organizing idea is of co-constructing knowledge at every
juncture in areas that surround the student- parent-to child, student-to teacher, teacher-to –parent,
student-to-community, and community-to –school.
Dr. Rousseau stated that the anticipated grant approval from The Ford Foundation is expected to
occur in mid-March and that the teams would begin meeting immediately thereafter. The project
will be piloted in the Business and Entrepreneurial Management and the Social Justice and the
Law Academies during the planning year. Dr. Rousseau emphasized that in the spirit of
collaboration and co-construction, all stakeholders must actively participate to design the
learning environment.
After discussion, Ms. Ryder requested a vote of endorsement from the board. Mr. Taylor
indicated his support with the condition that progress be reported upon monthly. He also
requested that the text of the entire grant be circulated to the board members. Mr. Abarca moved
to endorse the Ford Foundation grant, Mr. Taylor seconded and the motion was unanimously
approved.
Mr. Taylor lauded the innovative thinking behind the grant and thanked Dr. Rousseau and Mr.
Caputo-Pearl for their hard work to bring it to completion.
Dr. Rousseau then discussed the presentation that she and Dean Gallagher made in Washington,
D.C. to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education, Thelma Melendez and her team. Dr. Rousseau
stated that the Crenshaw High School work was well received.
Principal’s Report
Ms. Allen discussed the changes in the second semester planning to focus on intervention with
lower performing students and to ensure that the targeted students were making progress. She
noted the adjustments to the master schedule to meet the Quality Education Investment Act
(QEIA) requirements for class size reduction, the professional development for teachers and the
work of the USC team in the 9th grade academy. Ms. Allen also described the support of outside
partners who are providing student enrichment programs including Legacy Ladies’ Schoolhouse
to the White House leadership program for girls and the Los Angeles Urban League’s Youth
Empowerment Council and Fire Academy which encourage and nurture non-traditional leaders.
Ms. Allen provided an update on the T.H.E. Health clinic and mentioned the significant progress
that has been made to place a mobile unit on the campus.
4
Ms. Allen then stated that D’Anthony Thomas, the all city football MVP has committed to USC
and the basketball team has remained undefeated.
Ms. Allen announced that Crenshaw will be converting to uniforms with a planned
implementation during the 2011-2012 school year. She stated that the process is student driven
with students designing prototypes and the student council taking on a major role in designing a
process for review and approval by students.
Ms. Allen then reviewed the current college acceptances of the senior class. To date, students
have received acceptances to USC, Bethune, most of the Cal State campuses, Hampton,
Northern Arizona, Spelman, Morehouse, Drexel, Howard, North Carolina A&T, Vanderbilt,
Duke, MIT and Dartmouth.
Mr. Taylor applauded the progress and congratulated all on the hard work. He then provided an
update on the LAUL’s sponsored trip to China for selected Crenshaw High School students. He
noted that Starbucks, UPS, and American Airlines have signed up as sponsors.
Under general comments, Ms. Grigsby expressed her concern regarding the need to eliminate the
special education stigma among parents and students and the effort needed to change the campus
attitude toward special education students.
Public Comments
Under public comments, Mr. Caputo-Pearl distributed a Los Angeles Times article on teacher led
education reform and cited the positive mention of the work that Crenshaw High school is doing.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 9:20.
***
.

Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership
Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors
Monday, March 28, 2011
7:00 pm –8:30 pm
Crenshaw High School – Library
5010 11th Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90043
Conference Call-In Number: 1(605) 475-7800, Participant Code: 783114*
Agenda
Welcome, Opening Remarks (5 minutes)…………………………… ………Blair Taylor, GCEP President
Administrative Update (5 minutes)……………………………………. Blair Taylor, GCEP President

Action Item: Approval of Minutes of January 31, 2011
Executive Director’s Report (20 minutes)…………………………………… ……. Ms. Beverly Ryder

Update on GCEP Activities

Financial Update

Ford Foundation Grant- Update
CST and CAHSEE Testing Discussion (20 Min)………. Carrie Allen and Dr. Sylvia Rousseau
Principal’s Report (25 minutes) …………….………………………….…….…………………..Ms. Carrie Allen
· 2011 School Budget Outlook
Public Comment (10 minutes)………………………………………………………………………………………… …………….
Any member of the public may sign in to address the Board on any topic within the jurisdiction of the Board.
Individual presentations shall be limited to 3 minutes. The Board is legally prohibited from taking any action on
presentations until a subsequent meeting.
Acknowledgments and Closing Remarks (5 minutes)…………………………………Mr. Blair Taylor
***Requests for disability-related modification or accommodation needed to participate in the meeting should be
made to PJ Johnson at (323) 298-8211 or (562) 305-8670 by Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.***

Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership
Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors

Monday, January 31, 2011
7:00 pm –8:30 pm
Crenshaw High School – Library
5010 11th Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90043

Conference Call-In Number: 1(605) 477-2100, Participant Code: 964091*

Agenda

Welcome, Opening Remarks (5 minutes)…………………………… Blair Taylor, GCEP President

Administrative Update (5 minutes)…………………………… Blair Taylor, GCEP President

 Action Item: Approval of Minutes of December 13, 2010

Executive Director’s Report (20 minutes)……………………………………Ms. Beverly Ryder
 Update on GCEP Activities
 Financial Update

Ford Foundation Grant (15 Min)…………………. Dr. Sylvia Rousseau ,Mr. Alex Caputo-Pearl

 Discussion and presentation of a $200,000 Ford Foundation planning grant to support Crenshaw High School’s collaborative learning model and extended time for teachers and students
 Action Item: Board Endorsement of the Ford Foundation Grant and GCEP’s Participation

Principal’s Report (20 minutes) …………….………………………….…….……Ms. Carrie Allen

Student Trip to China ( 10 minutes) …………………… ……………………….. Mr. Blair Taylor

Public Comment (10 minutes)…………………………………………………………………………………………
Any member of the public may sign in to address the Board on any topic within the jurisdiction of the Board. Individual presentations shall be limited to 3 minutes. The Board is legally prohibited from taking any action on presentations until a subsequent meeting.

Acknowledgments and Closing Remarks (5 minutes)…………………………………Mr. Blair Taylor

***Requests for disability-related modification or accommodation needed to participate in the meeting should be made to Arturo Frazier at (323) 298-8206 by Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 12:00 p.m.***

Board Book Materials

 Minutes for Approval
 2010 Budget and Actuals To Date
 Resolutions for Approval
 Presentation Materials
o Ford Foundation Executive Summary and Power Point
o Metrics – Revisions for Approval

MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR MEETING
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE
GREATER CRENSHAW EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP, INC.

DECEMBER 13, 2010
The Board of Directors of The Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership held a Regular Meeting on Monday, October 25, 2010 at Crenshaw High School, 5010 11th Avenue Los Angeles, California. The following directors, constituting a quorum of the Board of Directors, were present:
• Blair Taylor, President
• Dean Karen Gallagher, Vice President
• Dr. King, Secretary/Treasurer
• Ms. Eunice Grigsby, Parent
• Mr. Miguel Abarca, Parent
• Ms. Monique Sutton, Parent
• Mr. Charles Franklin, Honda Corporation
Also present were the following:
• Ms. Beverly Ryder, Executive Director
• Ms. Carrie Harris Allen, Principal of Crenshaw High School
• Ms. Renita Smith, VP Strategy, Los Angeles Urban League
• Ms. Carlene Davis, Deputy Neighborhood Officer, Los Angeles Urban League

Welcome & Opening Remarks
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mr. Blair Taylor, GCEP Board President.
Approval of Minutes
Dr. Karen Gallagher, moved to approve the minutes from the October 25, 2010 Board meeting. The motion was seconded by Ms. Eunice Grigsby and unanimously approved.

Executive Director’s Report
Executive Director Ryder briefly reviewed the agenda for the evening.
Principal Carrie Allen introduced Ms. Sherry Rubalcava, Assistant Principal of Crenshaw High School to the board and was welcomed by the Board Chair, Blair Taylor. Ms. Rubalcava oversees the Social Justice and Law Academy and the Math, ESL and Foreign Language departments.
Ms. Ryder reviewed a draft proposal of Crenshaw High School goals for 2010-2011. Included in the report was a three year performance summary, CST test results for language and mathematics and API growth rates. Ms. Ryder highlighted the increase in Crenshaw’s graduation rate, noting that in the recently released data by the California State Board of Education, Crenshaw High School’s graduation rate reached 64.7% , a 25% increase over the previous year and a 23.7 point increase from 41% over the past three years. She also noted that these results were the second highest in the district. Mr. Taylor congratulated the Crenshaw High community for the great result and the hard work. Ms. Ryder also stated that during the last three years the API has grown 47 points, suspensions have decreased by 19.5% and there have been increases in the number of students matriculating from the 9th grade to the 10th grade. Ms. Ryder mentioned that this information forms the basis for setting the quantitative and qualitative goals for 2010.
Ms. Ryder then presented a draft 2010-2011 performance objectives for discussion. She indicated that the chart was based on the summary of goals from the WASC report, the 2009-2010 school site plan, and the Strategic Alignment Plan.
Board discussion acknowledged the necessity for these aspirational goals but emphasized the need to provide concrete action plans on how to achieve them. Dean Gallagher commented on how many of the data points and targets are interrelated. Mr. Taylor suggested that Crenshaw focus on math proficiency improvements and suggested that GCEP become directly involved in supporting one or more of the targets.
Ms. Grigsby stated that accomplishment of the goals is a collaborative effort and all stakeholders, including parents, must agree with the goals and identify and understand their specific roles in achieving them.
Mr. Franklin commented on Crenshaw’s ability to develop its own data to measure progress and Ms. Smith suggested the need to establish interim benchmarks. Mr. Taylor requested that the goals include student satisfaction and parent engagement benchmarks. Ms. Sutton also noted that it is important for volunteers and parents to be engaged and for students to see them on campus.
GCEP Consultant’s Report
Dr. Rousseau reported on her work with the administrative team on the master schedule and noted the impact of meeting the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) requirements on the second semester schedule.
Dr. Rousseau then discussed the professional development work that the USC Rossier School of Education is doing with the 9th grade teachers to raise the level of rigor in teaching literacy and numeracy in all content areas. She described the key objectives and the process of examining the strands of literacy. Dr. Rousseau also noted how she is working with 9th grade special education and regular education teachers and noted the importance of integrating special education students in regular classrooms. She also stated that the concentration will be on improving performance and scores of the far below basic/below basic students in the 9th grade and on the basic students in the 10th grade.
Mr. Caputo-Pearl reported on the progress of discussions with the Ford Foundation on a one year planning grant which will support the development of a collaborative problem-based teaching and learning model to raise student proficiencies in literacy and mathematics. He and Dr. Rousseau will bring a full report of the grant to the January board meeting for the board’s review and subsequent endorsement.
Dr. Rousseau then suggested areas where GCEP could lead the development of a working definition of parent engagement supported by a Crenshaw based parent engagement index. Ms. Grigsby then commented on the need to understand the social-emotional needs of the students at Crenshaw and the impact on student learning.
Principal’s Report
Ms. Allen reported on the impact of the QEIA funding requirement and per pupil spending on the school’s budget and how the administrative team is working with the QEIA office to make the scheduling adjustments in the master schedule to meet the class size reduction requirements for the second semester and the 2011-2012 school year. She discussed the need to add additional classes or sections and noted that the team is considering options such as adult school classes, having administrators teach one period and team teaching in specific subject areas.
Ms. Allen reported that Crenshaw has been chosen by the district to house a wellness clinic on the campus. She stated that the facility would be operated by the T.H.E. Clinic, Inc. , a community based health organization, and will be funded by LAUSD bond funds. The clinic will have a separate entrance for the community and will be expected to be fully operational within 18 – 24 months. Ms. Allen also noted that the project will also assist Crenshaw High School in upgrading its health office on campus in addition to providing the clinic.
Ms. Allen provided updated information on school enrollment trends. She noted that the current attendance is 1684 students and is in line with 2009 trends. Attendance rates are holding at 88% but is below the district target of 95%. Ms. Allen also noted that transfers of 62 in/52 out are also following the trends of the last three years.
Ms. Allen stated that all of the parent councils have met and are seeing strong attendance and robust participation from a diverse group of the parents. Ms. Allen will introduce the chairs of the parent groups to the board at a future meeting.
Ms. Allen then discussed the formal receipt of the WASC accreditation certificate and reiterated the criteria that WASC will be addressing in their 2012 one day review. In response to Mr. Taylor’s inquiry about a school site WASC team, Ms. Allen replied that various school site council subcommittees have ongoing responsibilities for WASC and the small learning community leads are also involved.

Board Retreat and GCEP Budget
Ms. Ryder reported that she is working on a retreat for GCEP and will have further details as the planning unfolds.
Ms. Ryder stated that GCEP has spend $38,000 to date. She noted that most of the expenditures are related to start-up costs and one time expenditures.
Mr. Taylor requested that Ms. Davis provide a brief update on discussions with feeder middle schools. Ms. Davis discussed how we are working with Mann Middle School and noted that at least 50% of Mann Middle School students go to Crenshaw. Ms. Davis also stated that through the pre-K collaborative, they are working on programs to improve basic skills in math to lay a better foundation for Algebra 1 at the high school level.
Public Comment
Ms. Cathy Garcia, teacher and Crenshaw High School UTLA chapter chair, stated that the iDesign partner school chapter chairs met recently to review the partners’ MOU with iDesign and discuss revisions and requirements for assessing the network partners’ performance criteria under the MOU. She noted that the chapter chairs are drafting an MOU for review and discussion by the network partners for future submittal to iDesign.
Mr. Caputo-Pearl inquired about the progress of placing a teacher and a student on the GCEP board. Mr. Taylor requested that the process be initiated as soon as possible.
Ms. Grisby suggested encouraging ninth grade students to make early connections with colleges that they would be interested in attending as a way to build a college-going environment at Crenshaw.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned by Mr. Taylor at 9:00 p.m.

Problem-Based, Community-Connected Extended Learning
Crenshaw High School

Executive Summary

Timeframe for Funded Work: March 2011 – March 2012, with subsequent consideration for multi-year grant
Funding Amount: $200,000
Funded Institutions: Initiates with Social Justice and Law Academy (SJLA) and Business Management and Entrepreneurship Academy (BME) at Crenshaw High
Granting Institution: Ford Foundation
Fiscal Agent: University of Southern California
Principal Investigator: Sylvia Rousseau, continuing to work in close collaboration with the faculty project leads, Alex Caputo-Pearl and Maynard Brown, and with the principal, Carrie Allen and the GCEP executive director, Beverly Ryder

This project seeks to extend learning time and enhance learning experiences by making stronger connections between learning and the contexts of the school and community through a problem-based approach. The organizing idea is one of co-constructing knowledge at every juncture in the ecosystems that surround the student – parent-to-child, student-to-teacher, teacher-to-parent, student-to-community, community-to-school.

The project is school-initiated and grows out of a history of movement at Crenshaw High School (CHS) towards reform, pioneered by the parent/faculty/administration/student collaboration in the Crenshaw Cougar Coalition, which contributed to the initiation of the partnership with the Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership (GCEP). Project implementation will build on recent reforms at CHS, including wall-to-wall SLC’s, block scheduling, a resource coordinating team, structured professional development, and new partnerships that bring relevance to the educational enterprise. Moreover, the project will build on broader community initiatives, such as the Los Angeles Urban League’s Neighborhoods@Work program. In these ways, the project seeks to address graduation rates, class passing rates, provision of effective instruction, API scores, program improvement status, and other school indicators, as well as assist in reversing CHS’ recent declines in enrollment.

The first 12 months of the project will be a planning and initiation period, piloted by the two small learning communities. The first 12 months will include:

Extended Time for Teachers
Teachers in the two pilot academies will work collaboratively for 8-14 additional planning hours per month. In this extended learning time for teachers, they will:

• Work with the USC Rossier School of Education and the Tom and Ethel Bradley Foundation to extend capacity for facilitating students’ proficiencies in literacy and math in a culturally-relevant context
• Engage professional development provided by USC Rossier School faculty to implement problem-based learning focused on California Content standards, 21st Century Skills, and research-based pedagogy
• Produce 2 collaborative standards-based units of study
• Demonstrate proficiency, through observations, in teaching literacy and mathematics in a culturally-relevant context
• Develop a peer observation and feedback system, resulting in identification of model classrooms to be used for school-wide teaching and learning
• Create interdisciplinary problem-based culminating tasks for 12th, 11th, and 10th graders, respectively
• Collaboratively create formative assessments, and accompanying rubrics, that help to scaffold students into the problem-based culminating tasks
• Collaboratively assess student work and make instructional adjustments accordingly
• Build relationships with existing and new organizational partners and parents in the context of bringing additional support to the problem-based, community-connected extended learning model
• Experience internships with community and business institutions to increase teacher awareness of social action efforts and 21st century workplace skills.

Student Activities
In addition to benefiting from during-the-school-day implementation of the new units created by teachers during their extended planning time, students will be involved in pilot efforts in extended learning time through both existing programs, and through new efforts to provide academic support. Student activities will include:

• Extensive engagement with expository text and mathematic/scientific critical thinking, with resulting increased literacy and mathematics proficiency rates
• Targeting tutoring, based on individual student data analysis, that supports students who have not achieved proficiency in reading comprehension and mathematics, with resulting increased scores on the CST and CAHSEE
• Extensive engagement with cultural histories and structured learning experiences to cultivate autonomous learners
• Through work with UCLA IDEA (Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access), extensive student-led research on the development and implementation of the problem-based, community-connected extended learning model.

Parent Activities
Parents will recruit other parents to get involved in and shape the problem-based, community-connected extended learning model. Parents will engage in training, leadership development, and mentoring. Parent activities will include:

• Through work with the Bradley Foundation, extensive engagement with intentional civility training sessions and structured dialogue sessions with teachers and administrators on the role of culture, family, and community experiences in informing instruction
• Adopting roles in the planning and implementation of the problem-based model
• Through work with the Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ), extensive engagement with trainings on the broader school reform context and parent/community organizing
• Mentoring other parents in intentional civility, the role of culture in shaping instruction, the problem-based model, the school reform context, and community organizing
• Increasing involvement in school governance and decision-making
• Bringing their cultural, historical, community, and ethnic knowledge into the school to shape instruction and other policies and practices at the site

The Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership meeting that was initially scheduled for Monday, January 24th from 7 pm – 9 pm has been moved to Monday, January 31st from 7 pm – 9pm due to a recently scheduled out -of- town meeting for one of our board members and key presenters.
I apologize for the inconvenience and hope that you will be able to attend this meeting.

The meeting will be held in the Crenshaw High School Library. You will receive board materials in advance of the meeting. Please don’t hesitate to call me with questions at 323-313-2528.

Beverly Ryder
Executive Director
Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership

MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR MEETING
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE
GREATER CRENSHAW EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP, INC.
OCTOBER 25, 2010
The Board of Directors of The Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership held a Regular Meeting on Monday, October 25, 2010 at Crenshaw High School, 5010 11th Avenue Los Angeles, California. The following directors, constituting a quorum of the Board of Directors, were present:
• Blair Taylor, President
• Dean Karen Gallagher, Vice President
• Dr. King, Secretary/Treasurer
• Ms. Eunice Grigsby, Parent
• Mr. Miguel Abarca, Parent
• Ms. Monique Sutton, Parent
• Mr. Charles Franklin, present via phone
• Ms. Beverly Ryder, Executive Director, Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership
Also present were the following:
• Ms. Carrie Harris Allen, Principal of Crenshaw High School
• Ms. Renita Smith, Los Angeles Urban League
• Mr. Arturo Frazier, Los Angeles Urban League
• Mr. Maynard Brown, Crenshaw High School
• Dr. Sylvia Rousseau, (former Executive Director)
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Mr. Blair Taylor, GCEP Board President, called the meeting to order at 6:40 p.m..
Introduction of Executive Director
President Taylor welcomed the new Executive Director, Beverly Ryder.
Introduction of New Board Members
President Taylor also welcomed new parent Board members Eunice Grigsby and Miguel Abarca.
Eunice Grigsby thanked the members of the Board for the opportunity to serve and stated that her goal is for the students at Crenshaw High School to achieve their goals. She further stated that as a parent and community board member, her hope is to fulfill the challenge of moving the school forward and promoting Crenshaw High School as the best school, without overlapping the efforts of the principal and staff.
Miguel Abarca thanked GCEP for the opportunity to help the students at Crenshaw High School accomplish their goals.
Monique Sutton, parent and board member, referred back to the student protests and asked if the students had expressed any specific desires or needs.

Approval of Minutes
Dr. Karen Gallagher moved to approve the minutes from the August 23, 2010 Board meeting. The motion was seconded by Dr. King and unanimously approved.
Executive Director’s Report
Executive Director Ryder discussed a slide presentation that reviewed GCEP’s Strategic Alignment Plan, which outlined the key vision, mission and academic goals for Crenshaw High School from 2009 – 2015. She stated that the plan was developed by the key stakeholders of the school at a GCEP- led retreat in spring, 2010.
President Taylor acknowledged the information provided in the slideshow and suggested that the Board’s primary focus be on improving math proficiency. He requested that Ms. Ryder work with the Board to define GCEP’s role in supporting the school in achieving math proficiency.
Secretary/Treasurer King expressed the need for clarification of GCEP’s role in facilitating the Strategic Alignment Plan, and its alignment to the contributions of the principal and staff, in order to avoid overlapping roles.
Executive Director Ryder acknowledged that there were significant resources available that GCEP could bring to bear. She cited everyone’s efforts, independently and cooperatively working towards one solution.
Principal’s Report: State of the School
Principal Carrie Allen discussed norm day enrollment and provided an outline detailing the decrease in enrollment projections for the spring and its impact on clerical staff. She also stated that one of Crenshaw’s key goals is to ensure that special needs students are acclimated into regular classes.
The Board discussed the school environment in the wake of recent student protests centered on scheduling issues and noted that it is continually improving.
Principal Allen indicated that there is a sense of urgency to address and implement scheduling-related issues in the next 30 to 60 days.
Discussions ensued on the number of magnet, special needs and foster care students currently attending the school.
Secretary/Treasurer King stated that it was important for the Board to institute an orientation process that will allow all new faculty to be introduced to GCEP and its role in relationship to the school.
He also emphasized the need to continue to clarify the nature of GCEP’s contribution to Crenshaw High School’s culture, academic proficiency, and overall environment. Dr. King also stressed the importance of GCEP keeping the focus on expanding our learning community to fully include parents and the larger community.
Principal Allen stated that the students have expressed an opposition to the bathrooms being locked on certain floors and the seniors’ inability to leave the campus early for work experience. They have also commented on four or five other issues, including the abolition of nutrition from the daily schedule. She noted that the majority of students remained in class during the student protests and should be recognized.
A discussion ensued on the key elements of GCEP’s role at Crenshaw High School. Dr. Rousseau stated that there are three major issues at Crenshaw that need to be addressed– sustainability, investment in staff and faculty, and the implementation of the original GCEP Business Plan.
President Taylor suggested that GCEP schedule a board retreat to address all of these issues.
Presentation and Approval of 2010 – 2011 GCEP Budget
Executive Director Ryder presented the budget and asked for Board approval in order to fund GCEP expenditures.
President Taylor requested that the Executive Director present a monthly budget status report.
Secretary/Treasurer King voiced concerns regarding the budget and how it would be allocated. He inquired if discussions were held with the Principal prior to presenting the budget to GCEP.
Principal Allen assured him that she was consulted and further stated that she was working on the protocols to adequately address the issue of disbursements and expressed that she was comfortable with the process of ensuring stakeholder buy-in on budget goals.
Board members, led by Dr. Gallagher, discussed the fact that an approved budget is necessary to pay the Executive Director, as the previous directors were paid from in-kind contributions from the University of Southern California.
Dr. Gallagher moved to approve the 2010-2011 budget. The motion was seconded by Mr. Taylor and unanimously approved.
Public Comment
President Taylor commended Renita Smith, Beverly Ryder, and Arturo Frazier for their exceptional work with GCEP. Mr. Taylor asked that representatives from LAUSD’s Innovation and Charter Division be invited to address the Board at a future meeting.
Renita Smith distributed Board Orientation binders to new Board members. Binders included copies of bylaws, the memorandum of understanding with LAUSD, Brown Act guidelines, and previous agendas and minutes.
Maynard Brown, the lead teacher at Crenshaw’s Business and Entrepreneurship Academy, asked that the Board acknowledge the student entrepreneurs who attained national recognition in a National Foundation for Teen Entrepreneurship business plan competition.
The meeting was formally adjourned by President Taylor at 8:29 p.m.