Community Engagement and Coalition Building

Our Work in Action

We improved attendance and academics through outreach to families in Corning, Calif.

TNTP worked with the Corning Union Elementary School District in California to identify the root causes of students’ academic challenges and to engage families in efforts to help them succeed. Concentrating on literacy, language, and attendance, we assisted the district in creating a community-driven vision.

In the first year, nearly 25 percent of the students in the district moved up a level in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), a test used in California to measure student progress.

Our approach included:

• Engaging parents and guardians as authentic partners in education
• Academic consulting to improve literacy instruction
• Personalized interventions for high-need students
• Communicating with parents about attendance, academics, behavior, and other updates

We built partnerships to support young learners in Sanger, Texas.

In Sanger, Texas, a rural school district launched a collective action network to increase the quality of early childhood education. They engaged TNTP, and together we set out to form and foster coalitions in order to identify gaps.

We strategized, conducted surveys, and held community meetings and focus groups in multiple languages. Our work led to feedback from more than 200 stakeholders.

As a result, the district was well-informed and prepared to implement an exciting community-driven vision that includes:

• A new district pre-K campus
• A common definition of kindergarten readiness
• Formal partnerships with local childcare providers to share standards-aligned curriculum, professional development opportunities, and assessment data
• A community-level advisory group charged with sharing resources more broadly in the community

We helped create an action plan for change through our community coalition work in Birmingham, Ala.

TNTP worked with community stakeholders in Birmingham, Ala., to reimagine education for the 25,000 students who call the city home. The project engaged a total of 186 families and 122 local organizations, including clergy from historically Black churches; activists; and representatives from city agencies, universities, and schools.  

We began by gathering all stakeholders to identify challenges and priorities. The resulting action plan was ratified by coalition members and shared with the mayor, city council, and district superintendent.