For the 2021-22 school year, Alignment has three specific organizational goals that shape its program priorities and resource implementation in support of School District U-46’s Equity Plan to include:
Goal 1: Provide a central role in facilitating community leaders and organizations coming together to address common community challenges at the local, state, and national levels.
Goal 2: Encourage community organizations to convene together as collaborations where the strengths of the various organizations are maximized to address current and future challenges facing communities.
Goal 3: Retain and grow Alignment’s leadership capacity and volunteer expertise in the community utilizing team structures to identify and deploy leaders that represent the community and school’s composition specifically related to race, culture, career preparation, and geographical location.
These three goal statements direct how Alignment supports the students and families of U-46 to enhance learning experiences for all children and youth of the greater Elgin community. Central to being able to provide that support is the ability of Alignment to bring together organizations and individuals that are diverse and understand the community’s challenges, which impact the ability of the community currently and in the future to achieve greater equity.
Examples include how we address the preparation of our community’s early education and elementary age children best utilizing resources at the local to national levels. It also directs Alignment’s work with these organizations and the community’s mental health professionals to ensure that children and youth benefit from a safe and supportive environment during school and while in after school programs. These programs must model a trauma informed care culture that works with children, youth and their families to foster resiliency especially in the areas of our community that have the largest equity gaps and underserved populations.
As the community works to ensure a future workforce prepared to successfully live and work in the community, that preparation must begin as early as the elementary grades escalating that work with middle and high school students. The work must prepare them for academic and career success leading to financial security, but it also must develop within them the necessary social and emotional competencies to be contributing members of the community embracing diversity, inclusion, and shared progress.
ACE is a member of the Alignment USA communities of collaboration and collective impact.
