Teachers Lead Philly on Teacher Evaluation (links attached below):

Teacher Evaluation ~ Position Statement (http://bit.ly/ZTcllU)
Teacher Evaluation ~ Beliefs (http://bit.ly/ZiZdZ7)
Teacher Evaluation ~ Data/Survey Results (http://bit.ly/12LYENu)

TEACHERS LEAD PHILLY

BELIEFS ON TEACHER EVALUATION
March 12, 2013

• We believe that Philadelphia is full of excellent teachers who value meaningful

• We believe that it takes time, energy, and careful consideration to accurately assess the complex work that we do.

• We believe that teacher evaluation must account for the contexts in which we teach, and that each school community should determine for itself how to evaluate its teachers.  Each school community is unique, and the values, goals, and challenges of one school may be very different from those of another school.  An evaluation that is flexible and context-specific can help to account for these differences.

• We believe that teacher evaluation should encourage professional growth.  The most valuable evaluations we receive are formative and provide meaningful feedback to help us improve our practice.  As teachers, we should play an active role in directing teacher evaluation by helping to select the goals and measurements most appropriate to our experience, our practice, and our contexts.

• We believe that teacher evaluation should take into consideration a teacher’s level of experience. The goals and challenges of a novice teacher are very different from those of a veteran teacher, and teacher evaluation must reflect these differences.

• We believe that teacher evaluation should reflect the range of people who are affected by our work. As we seek to continually improve our practice, some of the most valuable feedback we receive comes from our students, our students’ families, and our peers.

• We believe that any system of teacher evaluation must be paired with a system that ensures the resources and support necessary for teachers and students to learn.

Accountability must go both ways. We are accountable to our students and communities for creating quality learning experiences; we expect our leaders to be accountable for securing the basic conditions necessary to create those experiences—facilities that are clean and safe, counselors and nurses in every school, and adequate time for teachers to plan and prepare. Accountability is only fair when it is reciprocal.

For more information:

http://www.TeachersLeadPhilly.org

The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation Grassroots Organizing for Social Change Program supports non-profit grassroots, constituent-led organizations across the country that are using direct action, grassroots community-organizing strategies to accomplish their goals.

Proposals should align with the foundation’s broad interests in social justice, environmental justice and sustainable food systems.  The foundation funds organizations with budgets of $500,000 or less. Grant awards are up to $20,000 for a one-year period.

For more details, go here.

http://www.benandjerrysfoundation.org/the-grassroots-organizing-for-social-change-program.html

Women’s Way has announced the release of its Fall 2013 Letter of Intent process for its Community Women’s Fund.

http://womensway.org/grantmaking/community-womens-fund

The deadline to apply is Thursday, August 15th.

Additionally, Women’s Way has released the findings of its 9th Annual Women’s Issues Summit, which was held on June 4th.  The summit helps guide the funding priorities for the Community Women’s Fund.

http://womensway.org/resources/2013-womens-issues-summit-report

The Douty Foundation is now accepting applications for its Fall 2013 grant cycle. The deadline to apply is September 15th.

For more information, visit here.

http://www.doutyfoundation.org/how-to-apply/

Summary
The Financial Empowerment Centers are part of a national effort to improve the financial stability of Philadelphia’s households by integrating high-quality, one-on-one financial education and counseling into existing public and non-profit programs in order to achieve multiple outcomes for clients.  All services are provided at no cost to the client at Financial Empowerment Center Hub or Satellite offices located in the city of Philadelphia.

The Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator works closely with the Outreach Manager in raising awareness of Financial Empowerment Centers in Philadelphia.  The activities of the Coordinator are conducted through ongoing contact with the community residents in and around the neighborhoods where the Centers are located.  The outreach is intended to fulfill the mission of the Financial Empowerment Centers to deliver counseling and education programs to the residents of the City of Philadelphia.

Job Parameters
This is a temporary position that will last for a duration of three months, beginning in August 2013 and ending in November 2013.

http://clarifi.org/about-us/careers/neighborhood-outreach-coordinator-financial-empowerment-center

The Organization
Rebuilding Together Philadelphia is a local, independent affiliate of a national network focused on preserving affordable homeownership using volunteer resources. RTP works primarily in West Philadelphia, Germantown, and North Philadelphia, helping older adults, military veterans, and multi-generational families with critical home repair projects, including energy efficiency upgrades, and safe and healthy home projects. Through its core Block Build strategy and other projects, RTP has helped more than 1,200 low-income homeowners and 55 community agencies since its founding in 1988. Every dollar received generates $5 worth of repair services due to volunteer efforts and inkind donations. Location: Philadelphia, PA.

http://www.rebuildingphilly.org

Position Summary
RTP’s Executive Director is responsible for: 1) strategic management that directs and develops both current and future RTP goals and initiatives, 2) promoting the continuous improvement of program, strategy, staff, and volunteers in service of the mission, and 3) assuring RTP’s financial viability through fund raising, public relations, and resource development. Working in partnership with, and reporting to, the Board, the Executive Director oversees a staff of four, a volunteer corps of 1,000-1,500 people, and is responsible for an annual budget of $500,000-$1 million. The Executive Director is instrumental to setting the tone for collaboration, respect, and professionalism throughout the organization, and ensures that RTP’s mission remains paramount in the organization’s activities and decision making.

For consideration, please send your cover letter and resume electronically to: Search Committee, search@rebuildingphilly.org.

RTP is an equal opportunity employer. We support diversity in our workplace, and encourage applications that will diversify our candidate pool.

Job description
Position Overview

The Communications Director is responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive communication and outreach strategy to raise City Year Greater Philadelphia’s profile as a premier service partner to schools and communities. In collaboration with site leadership the Communications Director manages a wide range of projects and initiatives to strengthen City Year’s brand among target audiences, improves print and electronic communication with existing and potential champions, increases the frequency and depth of engagement with elected officials, and leverages events to educate and inspire attendees. The Communications Director will use every opportunity to sharpen central themes of the City Year experience and convey it effectively internally and externally.

Responsibilities

Site & Executive Office

• Build strong relationships with City Year champions, service partners, community leaders, and media representatives to support implementation of communication strategy
• Develop and manage “message calendar” commensurate with City Year benchmarks and milestones throughout the year, including national events, media pitches, and external partnerships.
• Implement a marketing and communications plan for each site-wide event, including the annual fundraising dinner, City Year Opening Day, MLK Day and other events as needed
• Advise and train staff on ways to effectively leverage their relationships with stakeholders and community leaders and use the message manual to train staff on communicating the City Year story

Marketing/Brand

• Develop and manage a portfolio of media, marketing and communications relationships to bolster City Year’s brand recognition and value in the education and nonprofit funding community
• Oversee the production and distribution of high quality and timely in-house publications for various aspects of City Year’s mission, ensuring that all external communications maintain continuity with all aspects of the City Year brand including: City Year’s website, electronic communications, press releases, print collateral and all media coverage
• Oversee HQ Social Media plan at site level including #MakeBetterHappen campaign, managing the CYGP Blog, and developing local social media strategies to support national campaigns and events.
• Create a system to track results of marketing campaigns impact on fundraising and recruitment efforts

Site Events

• Oversee messaging at key City Year events such as the annual spring gala, Opening Day, receptions, and more as requested. This includes print materials seen on screen and tables, as well as working with staff on messaging on stage through scripts and talking points.

Investor Marketing/Communications

• Builds and maintains press lists, pitch calls, and op-eds to push forward the City Year story for prospective donors
• Provides strategic direction for City Year’s Visitor Program through which prospective partners are introduced to our school-based service.
• Implement with Development department a baseline communication plan for all donors, potentially including e-newsletters, printed materials, and end of year reports.
• Partner with recruitment department on social media and #MakeBetterHappen campaign
• Partner with Impact department on effectively telling the impact story to the district, service partners, and education funding community

http://www.idealist.org/view/job/MmWHHdnt8874/

Job description
LRI is a non-profit, consumer driven organization that advocates & promotes Independent Living for persons with disabilities. More than 51% of our Board as well as 51% of our employees are persons with disabilities. LRI is committed to affirmative action to ensure that individuals with disabilities, particularly those who are members of traditionally under-represented groups, receive full access to LRI including employment opportunities. In addition to a commitment to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals, LRI strives to affirmatively hire & promote individuals in protected classes, including those with disabilities throughout the organization.

Summary:

This position provides direct services to consumers. It ensures consumers receive the services needed to live, learn, work and socialize in their communities. This includes the ability to identify, provide and maintain regular supports to assure continuity of care while maintaining compliance with all contract and funding regulations.

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

Work is performed both in an office setting (50%) and in the field (50%). Employee may be asked to attend meetings outside of the primary worksite. This position has physical requirements which may include but are not limited to:

• The operation of basic office equipment such as a copier, fax machine, computer, keyboard, calculator, telephone;
• The ability to frequently sit, stand, bend, lift, carry, push and pull (20 lbs.) with or without reasonable accommodations to perform the essential responsibilities of the position;
• Travel either by personal vehicle or public transportation to local and regional destinations (at least 50% of the time) to perform the essential responsibilities of the position. In some situations, national travel may be requested or required.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Assist consumers in meeting eligibility requirements by analyzing and collaboratively determining their service needs, establishing goals, and formulating individualized service plans.
• Advocate for and represent consumers, who request support and for those who are unable to advocate for themselves.
• Initiate, prepare, facilitate, monitor and provide ongoing oversight of consumer service plans, transitional services, eligibility requirements, individual progress, and facilitation of enrollment in Medicaid Home and Community-based waiver programs to ensure timely and effective services for consumers assigned.
• Participates in quality assurance activities; contributes to and recommends program enhancements; and supports consumer groups as assigned.
• Represent Liberty Resources, Inc. at community functions and meetings as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree including or supplemented by at least 12 college-level credit hours in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology or another behavioral science.

Supports Coordinators must have at least 40 hours of training within the first year of service, which includes at least the following trainings:

• Conducting a person-centered assessment.
• Developing and modifying a participant’s service plan.
• Utilizing HCBS’s data systems (HCSIS).
• Improving communication skills.
• Acquiring conflict resolution skills.
• Completing documentation.
• Understanding the disabilities of participants served.
• Supports Coordinators shall have at least 20 hours of training annually that includes the trainings above.

http://www.idealist.org/view/job/pNHSxB36mk5P/

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Philadelphia (CASA) is seeking dedicated volunteers to advocate for the best interests of children who are victims of abuse or neglect and have been placed in out-of-home care, receiving services from the Philadelphia Department of Human Services.

The CASA volunteers serve as the “eyes and ears of the court” by providing a detailed investigation of each child’s situation and recommendations to the court to aid the judge in planning decisions. Each volunteer is assigned to an experienced CASA staff person to help guide them in their work.

CASA volunteers are asked to make a 2-year commitment and undergo a thorough 30-hour training course and background checks. Typically, a CASA spends an average of 10-15 hours per month working on a case.

For more information on CASA of Philadelphia or to download an application, go here

http://www.casaphiladelphia.org/

or Carletta.chandler@casaphiladelphia.org

The Capacity Building Department at United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey is currently recruiting a volunteer intern to help United Way advance its initiatives in the upcoming year.

The position will be unpaid as UWGPSNJ is looking for a student (either grad or undergrad needing a field placement or credit) who can commit to 3 days per week, starting in August.

For a job description for the position, go here.

http://hosted.uwsepa.org/newsletter/intern.pdf

For more information, email Romana Lee-Akiyama at rlakiyama@uwgpsnj.org.

A new course at the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, Introduction to the US Healthcare System, is designed for immigrant health professionals who aspire to work in the American healthcare field.

The first course starts in September and will continue for 14 weeks. It is designed to provide immigrant doctors, nurses, and others with a practical grounding in American healthcare vocabulary, practices, and professional culture.

For more information, call Antoinette Thomas at 215-557-2626 or email her at antoinette@welcomingcenter.org

Early care and education teachers can apply for the 2014 Terri Lynne Lokoff/ Children’s Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Awards, which honors the work and dedication of early care and education teachers and acknowledges the influential role child care teachers play in the lives and development of young children.

The award is presented by the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation. Recipients of the National Child Care Teacher Awards will each receive $1,000.

For guidelines and requirements, please visit here.

http://www.tllccf.org/pr_nccta.php

The Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation is spearheading an initiative to align all behavioral health organizations in the Philadelphia region through Twitter.

The purpose of the initiative is to enhance communication, to increase the exchange of ideas, and to encourage the sharing of best practices in a simple and expeditious fashion.

The goal is to create an interconnected network that provides each organization access to a greater variety of information than would be available otherwise.

The new network will be called the Behavioral Health Idea Exchange. The foundation believes that there are numerous behavioral health organizations in the Delaware Valley and that many of them currently engage in cutting-edge practices that span the spectrum from service provision to policymaking. The entire region will benefit from increased collaboration, and a social media platform such as Twitter makes this collaborative effort easier than ever before.

http://www.scattergoodfoundation.org/activity/applicant/announcing-behavioral-health-idea-exchange

Members of the foundation staff have Twitter expertise and are available to assist any organization that needs or desires assistance in using Twitter effectively. All that is required to participate in the Behavioral Health Idea Exchange is to use and to follow the hashtag #BHIdea on Twitter.

For more details, email Tim Clement at tclement@scatterfoodfoundation.org.

ABC, in partnership with Youth Service America, is calling on young change-makers to apply for an ABC Summer of Service Award.

The awards recognize young people who are creating positive change through volunteering and service. Winners receive a $1,000 award to help make a lasting, positive change in the world.

Young changemakers, ages 5-18, are eligible to apply by midnight on September 1st.

For more information, go here.

http://www.ysa.org/ABC

Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Eva Gladstein, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO), have announced the City of Philadelphia’s new, comprehensive anti-poverty strategy, Shared Prosperity Philadelphia, which will bring together governmental, private and philanthropic agencies already working to reduce poverty across the City to better coordinate and expand efforts and improve progress tracking methods.

“Poverty is a persistent and devastating problem in Philadelphia.  It affects children, families and seniors and limits the potential of our great city’s economy, communities and thousands of citizens,” said Mayor Nutter.  “Shared Prosperity Philadelphia is a critical first step in creating a new, holistic approach to understanding, confronting and reducing the effects of poverty and creating a more thriving, prosperous Philadelphia for every citizen.”

Shared Prosperity Philadelphia focuses on five strategic goal areas that aim to:
* Focus job creation and workforce development efforts on adults with the greatest barriers to employment;
* Expand access to public benefits and essential services;
* Ensure children enter school prepared and expand year-round learning opportunities;
* Increase housing security and affordability; and
* Strengthen economic security and asset building.

The CEO, established through Executive Order by Mayor Nutter in January, will serve as the coordinating agency.  It succeeds the former Mayor’s Office of Community Services. It will support collaboration, coordination and communication among partner agencies.

“We believe in collective impact: bringing together all our anti-poverty efforts with a common agenda, shared measurement of our strategies and continuous communication. Harnessing the energy of our many partner organizations and experts will multiply our effectiveness. It will not only maximize the impact of every anti-poverty dollar we now have but could inspire more investment and commitment from government and other sources,” said Gladstein.  “Shared Prosperity Philadelphia is a call for all of us to come together to fight poverty and to increase opportunities for all of our citizens.”

The CEO led the data gathering process and analysis to create Shared Prosperity Philadelphia.  The process included: meetings, focus groups, surveys, and more than 200 interviews with anti-poverty experts from non-profits, academia, philanthropic foundations and government, as well as providers and consumers of anti-poverty services.

To read the full Shared Prosperity Philadelphia report, go here.

http://www.sharedprosperityphila.org/

Grants are competitive and there is no guarantee of funding.

IMPORTANT: The first check off on the application indicates that you must discuss your project with staff at TMF before filing an application.  Please take this step seriously and understand it leads to stronger applications.   Almost unilaterally skipping this step means you will be turned down because the application is off target for our goals or the company is not qualified under our requirements.

TMF has two core grant making areas for businesses that have been legally established for at least three years in Philadelphia:

Business Stabilization grants up to $10,000 to help small businesses remain stable, viable and grow in the face of economic challenges or to respond to opportunities.  We do not make grants for working capital.

http://www.merchantsfund.org/grant-areas-business-stabilization.html Requirements and PDF of application.

Business Loan matches up to $20,000 to match accredited government programs or bank loans at least dollar for dollar ($20,000 loan matched by a $20,000 grant).  TMF does not make loans.

http://www.merchantsfund.org/grant-areas-business-loan.html Requirements and PDF of application.

Please visit our web site http://www.merchantsfund.org/ for printable applications and detailed guidelines or contact us directly at info@merchantsfund.org or  call 215-399-1339.

The next deadline will be in February of 2014.

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2012/Accelerating-Progress-in-Obesity-Prevention.aspx

Two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight or obese. Left unchecked, obesity’s effects on health, health care costs, and our productivity as a nation could become catastrophic.

The staggering human toll of obesity-related chronic disease and disability, and an annual cost of $190.2 billion for treating obesity-related illness, underscore the urgent need to strengthen prevention efforts in the United States. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation asked the IOM to identify catalysts that could speed progress in obesity prevention.

The IOM evaluated prior obesity prevention strategies and identified recommendations to meet the following goals and accelerate progress

• Integrate physical activity every day in every way
• Market what matters for a healthy life
• Make healthy foods and beverages available everywhere
• Activate employers and health care professionals
• Strengthen schools as the heart of health
• On their own, accomplishing any one of these might help speed up progress in preventing obesity, but together, their effects will be reinforced, amplified, and maximized.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/07/12/how-healthy-your-citys-food-landscape?cmpid=apatt-fb

From 2011 to 2012, Susan Sides, Cameron Farlow, and numerous volunteers were ubiquitous around town the town of Fairview, NC, sitting outside popular restaurants, tracking people down in the library, and leading group conversations. Their mission? Find out how residents of Fairview—a town of 8,000 just outside of Ashville—view their ability to “buy, store, grow, prepare and enjoy healthful food.”

Sides serves as executive director of The Lord’s Acre, whose mission, according to her, is to “build community by growing food and giving it away” in a part of the state where a staggering 29 percent of children under 18 are food insecure. Committed to setting its strategy based on actual needs in the community, Sides teamed up with Farlow, an AmeriCorps volunteer, to write a community food assessment for Fairview. The results would, as Sides says, help The Lord’s Acre (which gives away food it grows through its pantry) create an accurate map of both Fairview’s food resources and needs, and hopefully lead to policies that would make quality food accessible to more residents.

“We wanted to make sure we were listening to the whole community, not just the pantry clients,” Sides tells TakePart.

This focus on the entire community—not just low-income neighbors—is a common theme in the groundswell of community food assessments that have popped up in cities over the last decade, says Andy Fisher. Fisher, while a graduate student at UCLA, cowrote the first community food assessment. A few years later, he co-wrote a  manual about conducting assessments while Executive Director of the Community Food Security Coalition, which he founded and ran for 17 years. CFSC assisted numerous communities in conducting assessments of their food landscapes before it closed its doors last year. Assessments might focus on urban agriculture, entire counties, food access, or more farm-centered issues, Fisher says, but he adds that in city after city, the process proves just as important as the final assessment.

Manual: http://www.downtowndevelopment.com/pdf/whats_cooking.pdf

Responsibilities:
• Supervise Designators; ensure that verification and entry of designations and renewals in PELICAN occurs in a timely manner and in accordance with OCDEL policies.
• Supervise the work of the STARS Assistant in processing provider enrollments, managing provider correspondence and supporting the collection and distribution of provider paperwork.
• Assign sites to Specialists as they enroll or as case assignments need to change.
• Track designation expirations; provide reports to Specialists and Team Leaders on upcoming expirations and ongoing designation timeliness.
• Ensure that all designations are conducted with fidelity to the Keystone STARS Standards, OCDEL ELS memos and directives and SERK processes.
• Review data in PELICAN to ensure that SERK data is accurate, entered in a timely manner and responsive to OCDEL directives and policies.
• Act as a resource to STARS Specialists and Designators to clarify internal processes, outline and interpret OCDEL policy and support effective STARS management and designation practices.
• Coordinate with Team Leaders and Designators to provide training and support to STARS Specialists.
• Conduct designator reliability visits and monitor designation reliability both internally and in comparison to other regions.
• Liaise with designators and managers in other regional keys to share processes, ensure reliability and triage common concerns.
• Track certification actions to ensure that the SERK is responding in an appropriate and timely manner based on OCDEL policy.
• Supervise the work of the STARS Assistant in processing provider enrollments, managing provider correspondence and supporting the collection and distribution of provider paperwork.
• Create management reports to demonstrate that SERK is meeting key OCDEL deliverables in terms of designation timeliness and data integrity.
• Liaise with the ERS Team to schedule assessments and triage concerns.
• Support revised enrollment process as a result of Rising STARS initiative.
• All other duties as assigned.

http://www.phmc.org/site/index.php?option=com_jobline&Itemid=1595&task=view&id=691

The Community College of Philadelphia’s 9 credit Youth Work Proficiency Certificate could be right for you!  The Youth Work Certificate prepares students for careers in youth development and youth services.  This includes places like: Community Centers, Boys & Girls Clubs, Recreation Centers, Group Homes, In/Out Patient Facilities, OST and After School Programs and MORE!  Graduates of this program will be prepared for employment as youth development practitioners.

THE FALL 2013 SCHEDULE
Foundation of Youth Work (101)* CRN 40383 Tuesdays, 5:30-8:35pm (MAIN campus)

Community and Family Engagement (110)  CRN 40389 Wednesdays,  6-9pm (MAIN campus)

Critical Issues in Youth Work (115) CRN 45917 Mondays, 6:30-9:45pm (NORTH WEST CAMPUS)

*you can take the courses in ANY order; you do not have to take the 101 course first.

Find out more by going to the Community College of Philadelphia’s website: http://www.ccp.edu and typing in Youth Work in the Search button (upper right corner).

Contact Rebecca Fabiano, Coordinator at RFabiano@ccp.edu (allow 48 hrs for a response)