Cleveland Heights-University Heights District Profile

Cleveland Heights-University Heights (CH-UH) City School District serves students in three inner-ring suburbs of Cleveland, OH. As a small progressive district near major health and arts resources, CH-UH strives to foster strong partnerships with community resources. CH-UH’s family and community collaboration (FCC) goals are guided by multiple task forces that prioritize equity and offer leadership opportunities for families and community members.

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Featured Strategies

• Investing in dedicated staff to lead FCC initiatives 
  Creating specific staff positions that focus on supporting and empowering families demonstrates that CH-UH considers FCC a top priority, worthy of an investment of both resources and time. Two dedicated staff build the district’s capacity for FCC by becoming trained in evidence-based practices, leading initiatives, planning events, and connecting district leadership, families, and community groups.    
• Empowering citizen task forces to co-create district plans
  CH-UH creates citizen-led task forces to serve as ongoing opportunities for community members to work with district staff to address district problem areas. CH-UH supports power sharing by encouraging task forces to contribute to important district planning and decision-making. The task forces reflect how CH-UH values the community’s participation and is committed to making shared decisions that serve all children and families.    
• Ensuring the missions of community partners match district goals
  In developing and maintaining partnerships with community-based organizations, CH-UH staff try to ensure that all community partner organizations value equity in their services and have missions that align with schools’ goals for students. Through these partnerships, CH-UH collaborates with community organizations on initiatives that mutually benefit both the district and the community partners, such as the Heights Wellness Center.  
• Using feedback loops to support two-way communication 
  At both district and school levels, CH-UH recognizes the need to communicate with families and the public about what is happening in the district. The district uses its website, social media, and YouTube to share information about strategic priorities, opportunities and events. CH-UH frequently seeks community feedback about their services so they can improve. CH-UH uses surveys and community events to collect information from families and shares results with respondents so they see how their feedback informs district activities.