Report on Community-Driven Educational Improvement and Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction

Current federal policy uncertainty affects education programs, funding, and the division of responsibilities among federal, state, and local authorities in delivering quality education to children. Local leaders including school district superintendents, mayors, business, and community stakeholders emphasize community-driven approaches to enhance educational outcomes.

Promise Partnership Utah and Community-Based Initiatives

Promise Partnership Utah is a network of community-based cross-sector partnerships focused on empowering families, inspiring students, supporting teachers, and mobilizing communities to ensure every child succeeds. Their programs include:

• Education for new parents
• High-quality preschool
• Community schools addressing barriers to learning
• Mentoring and tutoring
• Out-of-school time programs to enhance learning
• Post-secondary planning and support for career-path graduation

Educational Challenges in Utah

Despite Utah’s strong educators and favorable rankings compared to other states, many children face challenges:

1. Not reading at grade level
2. Insufficient proficiency in math and science (source)
3. Unpreparedness for college or career upon high school graduation (source)

These issues are primarily linked to complex socio-economic factors that schools alone cannot resolve.

Team-Based Approach to Educational Improvement

Improving educational outcomes requires a collaborative “team sport” approach involving:

• Families
• Teachers and superintendents
• Business and community leaders
• Mayors and government officials
• Volunteers, faith communities, philanthropies, and nonprofits

This collaborative effort is known as “place-based infrastructure” or “civic impact infrastructure,” which emphasizes:

• Family empowerment
• Shared local accountability
• Aligned efforts with shared goals and clear roles
• Effective measurement and continuous improvement

This infrastructure must be intentionally built and sustained over time.

Impact and Benefits of Civic Impact Infrastructure

Research indicates that schools and communities utilizing this approach demonstrate:

• Improved reading and math outcomes (source)
• Higher graduation rates
• Reductions in crime
• Improvements in community health (source)

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The efforts of Promise Partnership Utah and civic impact infrastructure directly support several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

1. SDG 4: Quality Education – Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – Improving health outcomes through community support and reduced crime.
3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – Addressing socio-economic disparities affecting educational achievement.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – Fostering multi-sector partnerships and collaborative governance to achieve sustainable development.

Recommendations and Future Directions

Given the ongoing federal policy uncertainties, it is essential to prioritize and adequately fund place-based civic impact infrastructure. Key recommendations include:

• Supporting and scaling community-driven educational initiatives
• Building sustainable local teamwork infrastructure with shared accountability
• Aligning philanthropic and policy efforts to reinforce successful programs
• Encouraging more schools and communities to adopt this collaborative approach

For further engagement and information, stakeholders are encouraged to visit www.promisepartnership.org.

Leadership and Endorsements

This report reflects the perspectives of key leaders involved in Promise Partnership Utah and Utah’s Promise Philanthropic Alliance, including:

• Harris H. Simmons, Chairman and CEO of Zions Bancorporation
• Mayor Cherie Wood, South Salt Lake
• Dustin Gettel, Mayor of Midvale
• Ben Nadolski, Mayor of Ogden
• Mark Shepherd, Mayor of Clearfield
• Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor of Millcreek
• Erin Mendenhall, Mayor of Salt Lake City
• Elizabeth Grant, Superintendent of Salt Lake City School District
• Ben Horsely, Superintendent of Granite School District
• Dan Linford, Superintendent of Davis School District
• Luke Rasmussen, Superintendent of Ogden School District
• Greg Peterson, President of Salt Lake Community College
• Scott Anderson, Former CEO of Zions Bank
• Lauren Call, Board Member of Call to Action Foundations
• Bill Crim, CEO of Utah’s Promise and United Way of Salt Lake
• Lisa Eccles, President and COO of the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation
• Christian Gardner, President and CEO of The Gardner Group
• Crystal Maggelet, CEO and Chair of FJ Management, Inc.
• Kathie Miller, Trustee of the Mark and Kathie Miller Foundation
• Mark Miller, Trustee of the Mark and Kathie Miller Foundation

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed or Connected

1. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • The article focuses extensively on improving educational outcomes, addressing challenges in reading, math, science proficiency, and college/career readiness.
   • Emphasis on early childhood education, community schools, mentoring, tutoring, and post-secondary planning aligns with SDG 4 objectives.
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The article highlights socio-economic factors affecting educational outcomes and the need for community-driven, inclusive approaches to empower families and students.
   • Focus on local accountability and removing barriers to learning supports reducing inequalities.
3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • References to civic impact infrastructure, teamwork among government, nonprofits, and communities, and reductions in crime indicate connections to SDG 16.
4. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Improvements in community health are mentioned as benefits of the integrated approach to education and community support.

2. Specific Targets Under Identified SDGs

1. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • Target 4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
   • Target 4.2: Ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education.
   • Target 4.3: Ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.
   • Target 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for vulnerable populations.
   • Target 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive.
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere (implied by reductions in crime).
4. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Target 3.4: Reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases and promote mental health and well-being (implied by community health improvements).

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied to Measure Progress

1. Educational Performance Indicators
   • Student proficiency in reading, math, and science (linked to standardized assessments referenced in the article).
   • Graduation rates and college/career readiness metrics.
2. Community and Socio-economic Indicators
   • Measures of family empowerment and community engagement.
   • Indicators of local accountability and collaboration effectiveness.
3. Social Outcomes
   • Crime rates reduction as a measure of community safety improvements.
   • Health improvements within communities as a proxy for well-being.
4. Infrastructure and Programmatic Indicators
   • Presence and sustainability of place-based civic impact infrastructure.
   • Participation rates in mentoring, tutoring, out-of-school programs, and family education initiatives.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: sltrib.com