Civic Leadership FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you have a question that isn’t addressed here, please email and ask us!

Would I make a good Civic Leadership Program participant?

To help our students (and their families) be successful, we need engaged, passionate, and informed members of the local community serving in leadership roles. Too often, the people who are most affected by leadership decisions are not present at the table to share their experiences and ideas. The Civic Leadership Program is designed to empower those who wish to serve – either as an elected official or community advocate – who may otherwise not have full access to opportunity. 

If you have the passion, interest, dedication, and commitment – Civic Leadership Program can help provide the information, skills, and support for you to become an educational advocate!

While we are proud to recruit people of different backgrounds, skills and experiences, they all share:

• A belief in the ability of every child to succeed,

• A passion for and knowledge of the community,

• A willingness to learn, and

• A track record of positively impacting the community

Are there any requirements to participation?

With the Civic Leadership Program, we invest a lot in creating a worthwhile experience, and we expect that participants will invest in their own learning. While there is no cost, if accepted, you must agree to attend all of the sessions and field trips, and to arrive on time and prepared. Additionally, participants sign a media waiver so that we can share all the good stuff we’re doing with the world.

What is the time commitment?

You need 5-10 hours a week to devote to the 8-month learning program. Some weeks, that is time on your own reading and preparing for group sessions. But often, that time is with the group. It’s important for you to have a flexible schedule in order to attend board meetings and school tours during the day; we also have tried to schedule evening and weekend sessions to accommodate a variety of schedules. After the learning program, the time commitment will vary depending on what you choose to pursue.

The schedule is pretty intense. What if I have to miss some sessions?

The curriculum is designed for participants to benefit from field trips, expert speakers, and engaging discussions with their classmates – all requiring in-person attendance. With that in mind, we ask applicants to review the full schedule in advance, so you can set aside the time and commit to the program. Because we know that things sometimes come up, we allow up to three absences over the course of the 8-month program. If you miss more than that, you won’t graduate with your original cohort, and we will invite you to reapply to join a program cohort in a future year.

Are there any other expectations of participants?

During our learning program, we provide a robust curriculum that includes the opportunity to engage with content area experts, current and former elected officials, access to relevant research and materials, and field trip experiences. However, we also expect you to be actively involved in your learning by coming prepared, asking good questions, and engaging in meaningful conversations.

Additionally, every session incorporates points of reflection, where participants must consider and articulate their values, how those values and their skills & experiences intersect with the work that needs to be done in our school system or local governments, and make connections between the decisions they will make as elected officials or advocates and the impact of those decisions on our students and community. This is difficult and sometimes uncomfortable work, but we expect participants to engage in it in order to better serve our students.

I don’t live in Dayton, but I’m interested in this program. Can I apply?

During the first year, we are limiting attendance to residents of Dayton. While many of the lessons and themes will overlap, our current curriculum features speakers and examples from the Dayton Public Schools and the City of Dayton local government offices. Because of this targeted focus, we are limiting eligibility to City of Dayton residents only. Stay tuned! We may be able to expand geographic eligibility in the future.

I don’t have a school aged student currently in DPS. Am I eligible?

Yes! Anyone who is interested in supporting students succeed can be a great candidate for the Civic Leadership Program. While we require participants to be high school graduates (18+), there are no additional expectations around your personal experiences with local schools or local governments.

I want to run for school board or elected office! Will you help me?

There are lots of great organizations that can help you campaign, but the Civic Leadership Program is NOT involved in any political activity. Our training and materials may be helpful to your process, but you will need to seek out other organizations that specialize in campaign work for specific help.

How much does it cost?

Through the generous investment from Blue Meridian Partners, Learn to Earn Dayton is able to offer it at NO COST to accepted participants.

I'm interested, but there are issues (childcare, transportation, conflicting work schedule, etc.) that make it difficult. Can you help?

This vision behind the Civic Leadership Program is to help make the leadership table bigger, especially welcoming people who may have conflicting priorities that keep them away from exciting opportunities. If you think you are the right person for CLP, but you need a little help overcoming a challenge that might keep you away from participating – let us know!

Who is leading the Civic Leadership Program?

The Civic Leadership Program is led by a strong coalition of volunteer community leaders. Learn more about our Advisory Committee, who they are, why they are experts in the work, and why they opted to launch this program to strengthen the pipeline of potential leaders.

Who is administering the Civic Leadership Program?

The Civic Leadership Program was brought to Dayton by Learn to Earn Dayton, a regional nonprofit, serving Montgomery County, with a focus on student success across the “cradle-to-career” continuum. While classroom or school-wide activities and afterschool programs are incredibly beneficial for individual student success, we recognize that advancing outcomes for all students requires the understanding and support of those making the big decisions for students. Learn to Earn Dayton understands that forces outside the school building have a dramatic impact on student success; that is why we prioritize full-family engagement and place-based efforts. This program helps all residents from all Dayton neighborhoods to better understand the inner-workings of the systems that are affecting their students, in hopes to empower interested residents to support positive outcomes.

Where did the Civic Leadership Program come from? 

A program called School Board School launched in Cincinnati in 2018. The Learn to Earn Dayton team engaged them to bring their thoughtful curriculum here, adapted to meet the needs of our own local community. While they focus every class specifically on the inner workings of the school board, our Civic Leadership Program has expanded slightly to serve participants who may be interested in learning more about how other leadership positions (local government, quasi-governmental agencies, nonprofits, etc.) may be able to support positive student and family outcomes.

How is this different from the other leadership programs around the region?

The Civic Leadership Program is an adaptation of School Board School. While we have expanded slightly to provide insights regarding local government and nonprofits, the focus remains on how residents may better understand the roles, responsibilities, and opportunities for elected leaders and advocates to support student success. Other valuable programs across the region offer a wider range of topics or a different targeted focus area. If you’re not sure if CLP is right for you, contact us and we can help you decide.  

Other excellent programs that sound similar, but each serve different purposes include: Dayton Civic Scholars, Neighborhood Leadership Institute, Black Leadership Development, Leadership Dayton, African American Leadership Development Program, New Leaders Council, and Generation Dayton Ignite, plus many leadership development and ongoing training opportunities available through local colleges and universities.

How will applications be scored?

Our partners at School Board School have shared their trusted rubric with all national partners who adopt this model, including our local Civic Leadership Program. A review panel, featuring Advisory Council volunteers with administrative support from Learn to Earn Dayton will closely review all applications.