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WKEF/WRGT By Joshua Richardson DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF/WRGT) -- Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley acknowledged the challenging year the city just went through and compared it to other high-profile tragedies and challenges throughout the years, such as the Great Dayton Flood of 1913. She said the city overcame those challenges and it will overcome the challenges of the present. She mentioned the community's opposition to a KKK-affiliated rally, the support and healing in the wake of the Memorial Day tornadoes and Oregon District shooting and the loss of Dayton Police Detective George Del Rio, who was killed in the line of duty. Watch Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley give her State of the City speech here. "Our community has responded to all of these events of last year with so much courage, grit and resiliency. It has been simply amazing to see so much beauty from our response," Whaley said. "Dayton has done what Dayton does best: We took care of each other." The mayor said much still needs to be done in the wake of the recent tragedies. "As a community we have a great deal of healing to do. Rebuilding our city physically and emotionally will take a long time," she said. "But this year I want us to intentionally focus on how we heal together." She said the city in the next few weeks will roll out "Dayton Stronger," a campaign that will celebrate and build upon the city's resiliency. Daytonstronger.org will aggregate many resources into a single platform. The community needs to realize the mental health impacts from the recent tragedies, she said. She also said gun violence is far too common in Dayton. The mayor mentioned gun crimes that had happened before the Oregon District shooting, which she said barely made the news. "Gun violence has become too routine in too much of our city. And just as much as the high-profile tragic events of last year, regular gun violence causes wide-spread trauma and pain," Whaley said. She said the city piloted a program last year to focus on a public health approach to inspire progress in ending gun violence. She said early results are encouraging and the program will likely expand to more parts of the city in 2020. "I'm happy to be working with Gov. DeWine and a bipartisan group of mayors and legislators to pass gun safety reforms in the state of the Ohio," Whaley said. "The bill is not perfect and I know it does not go far enough to end gun violence in our communities. But this is an important first step." However, she said that if legislators refuse to act, advocates for gun reform would take the issue directly to voters. She said the big news events of 2019 overshadowed some progress that was made in the city. Preschool Promise and neighborhood revitalization were among two of those subjects. Whaley said that Dayton acted following the devastation of the 1913 flood. "Instead of shying away from the hard work of fixing the city, Daytonians came together," Whaley said. They kept the promises they made themselves during the tragedy. Read the full article and watch the video here: https://dayton247now.com/news/local/dayton-state-of-the-city

Dayton Daily News by Bonnie Meibers, Staff Writer Sinclair Community College worked with two local organizations to re-enroll adult students who previously dropped out of college. The school partnered with Learn to Earn Dayton and the non-profit StrivePartnership Cincinnati to bring back 430 adult students. The students re-enrolled at Sinclair for the 2020 spring semester. After university staff ran a degree audit, they found that nine of the students were eligible to graduate with a degree or certificate without having to take additional classes because of a change in degree requirements and graduation requirements, said Sinclair spokeswoman Deena John. These students are sometimes referred to as “stopped out students.” This initiative was funded and established by StriveTogether, a national non-profit network of nearly 70 community partnerships that work to ensure every child succeeds, regardless of race, income or zip code. Learn to Earn’s primary goal for Montgomery County is that by 2025, 60% of working-age adults will have a two- or four-year degree or credential. “At Sinclair, we are deeply committed to eliminating barriers to school success, ensuring that we help more people in the Dayton area be college and career ready,” said Sinclair College President Steven L. Johnson. “With a focused effort on stopped-out students, we will help more adults earn credentials with labor market value, leading to family-sustaining wages and a stronger workforce for southwest Ohio.” Many of these “stopped out” students dropped out of college for work related reasons, family struggles, health issues or financial hardships, John said. The median age of those who re-enrolled is 47, and the majority are part-time students. They are enrolled in face-to-face classes, online classes and blended classes, which are a combination of online and in-person classes. John said other colleges are aware of Sinclair’s work and are considering similar initiatives. The University of Dayton does not have a formal program like this, according to spokeswoman Meagan Pant. Wright State often enrolls “stopped out” students, said spokesman Seth Bauguess, but also does not have a formal program like Sinclair. “It is common for Wright State students to have stopped out here or from another school, take a break from college for personal reasons, and then enroll here,” Bauguess said. “Wright State is often a perfect fit for students like that.” Read the full Dayton Daily News article here: https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local-education/sinclair-enrolls-400-students-who-previously-dropped-out/20KK5iHHpmi0F3m8Hl7LxO/

Dayton Daily News By Kaitlin Schroeder, Staff Writer A state grant will provide seed money for the creation of the Dayton Regional Pathways HUB, which will be a program designed to reduce the area’s high rate of infant deaths. The Pathways Community HUB model is a model already in use in other cities and is a model where there’s a central hub connected to a network of agencies that coordinate holistic care. Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association said in a statement that the Dayton Regional Pathways HUB will coordinate a network of community partners that employ community health workers. The hospital association stated the initiative serves all at-risk women, but will focus efforts on African American women due to the disproportionate poor birth outcomes and infant mortality disparities. Targeted zip codes include 45402, 45405, 45406, 45414, 45415, 45416, 45417, and 45426. Montgomery County’s infant mortality rate was 6.8 deaths for every 1,000 births overall in 2018, though the rate was 10.5 deaths per 1,000 births for black infants. The initial grant is for $463,800 over two years from the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. The hub is not going to be a physical location but a model of care coordination. Community health workers will work with women every day to ensure that the necessary resources and services are in place to support a healthy pregnancy. The funding will also provide support for hiring a HUB director and provide training, technical assistance, data analysis, outreach services, and project management for the HUB network. “Bringing the certified HUB model to our region has been a community-wide collaboration that will ensure mothers and their babies receive holistic, culturally competent, family-centered care coordination,” Sarah Hackenbracht, president and CEO of the hospital association, said. Dayton Regional Pathways HUB current advisory board members include: • Tim Bete, President, St Mary Development Corp. • Tiffany Brown, Nurse Practitioner and Co-founder of West Dayton Strong • Jeff Cooper, Health Commissioner, Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County • Diane Ewing, Chief Liaison to President/CEO and Vice President, Government Affairs, Premier Health • Sarah Hackenbracht, President & CEO, GDAHA • Lisa Henderson, VP of Health Initiatives, GDAHA • Helen Jones-Kelley, Executive Director of Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services • Jodi Long, Associate Director of Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services • Robyn Lightcap, Executive Director, Learn to Earn Dayton • Deb Mals, VP of Health Services, CareSource • Angela Nichols, Chief, Office for Exceptional Children, Dayton Public Schools • Geraldine Pegues, Director, Montgomery County Human Services Planning & Development • Lynne Schnuth, Child Outreach Specialist, Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley; former Community Health Worker with CHAP Pathways HUB in Mansfield, Ohio. • Amaha Sellassie, Assistant Professor, Director of Center for Applied Social Issues, Sinclair; Co-founder and president of Gem City Market; Co-founder of West Dayton Strong • Jonathan Thackeray, MD, Chief Medical Community Health Officer of Dayton Children’s Hospital • Amy Riegel, Director of Housing, CareSource • Jody Underwood, Executive Director of Population Health, Kettering Health Network • Hope Vuto, Birth to 5 Program Manager, Learn to Earn Dayton • Karin VanZant, VP Integrated Community Partnerships, CareSource • Nicole Wasmuth, AmeriCorps VISTA, Hall Hunger Initiative • Terra Williams, Director of Health Promotion, Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County Read the full Dayton Daily News article here: https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/health-groups-plan-dayton-hub-prevent-infant-deaths/MdChJtIl8sUoiZDkaSrPOL/

Dayton Daily News By Jeremy P. Kelley, Staff Writer The Dayton-Montgomery County honor specifically named Learn to Earn Dayton’s work. Learn to Earn officials said it was a result of community-wide efforts they led to analyze student data by demographic groups, “leading to system changes and targeted interventions that promote all students’ success.” Learn to Earn has worked for years on school readiness, school attendance, summer learning and other K-12 benchmarks, getting all of Montgomery County’s public school districts and other groups to collaborate on solutions. “We have learned so much by partnering with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading,” said Robyn Lightcap, executive director of Learn to Earn Dayton. “Our partnerships and coalitions have allowed us to ensure professionals have the tools they need to close the educational achievement gap. That’s our goal — ensuring that all children are realizing their potential.” Read the full Dayton Daily News article here: https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local-education/local-group-one-agencies-win-national-education-honor/JhSpbSQ92BfstGqJRAlVFI/

Excerpt from Dayton Daily News By Jeremy P. Kelley, Staff Writer Better attendance can make a difference in kids’ lives, Lolli said. Dayton Public Schools launched a new campaign to boost student attendance after ranking among the bottom 10 school districts in Ohio in that category for each of the past three years. “Attendance is so front-of-mind because it is such a major factor in whether or not a student achieves,” Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said this week, pointing to statewide efforts to attack chronic absenteeism. The good-attendance incentives include gas cards for parents, bike giveaways for kids, sports and movie tickets, plus parties for the classes that have the highest attendance. The district’s message to students and families is to “be present for a better future,” urging them to “strive for less than five” absences for the year. The Path Forward project investigates solutions to the most pressing issues our community faces, including improving Dayton schools. After several years ranking at or near the bottom of the state in report-card performance, DPS has begun another attempted turnaround. Read the full Dayton Daily News article here: http://epaper.daytondailynews.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?artguid=2803021b-c5bf-44e8-870d-2c0b96ad4d4c&utm_source=app.pagesuite&utm_medium=app-interaction&utm_campaign=pagesuite-epaper-ipad_share-article&appid=2942

from Dayton 24/7 Now By Christina Schaefer DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF/WRGT) - The Greater Dayton RTA is encouraging summer reading by giving away books to kids in Dayton. The book giveaway was held Monday at Island MetroPark and is part of the 'Read on RTA' program. This is National Summer Learning Week , so to mark the occasion, RTA stocked one of its green 'Read on RTA' book shelves with books. Books for kids and adults were available in the giveaway. Read the full article here: https://dayton247now.com/news/local/rta-encouraging-summer-reading-with-book-giveaway

DAYTON DAILY NEWS INVESTIGATES After 18 months of strategic changes, Dayton Public Schools leaders acknowledge the district still needs to turn a corner in the family engagement area — both communicating better with students’ families, and helping those families be better involved in their children’s education. The district is trying to create a PTO group at each school, expects to announce its new Parent, Family and Community Council this month, and just hired a new director of outreach and student activities. “We need to reassess the way we engage the public. I think we’ve been approaching it the wrong way,” said school board Vice President Jocelyn Rhynard, who led a series of town hall meetings last school year. “We need to make a better effort of coming to people, rather than expecting them to come to us.” Read the full Dayton Daily News article here: http://epaper.daytondailynews.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?artguid=ddb4a545-0167-46ea-9615-fb994d3b9517&utm_source=app.pagesuite&utm_medium=app-interaction&utm_campaign=pagesuite-epaper-ipad_share-article&appid=2942

Excerpt from Dayton Daily News By Jeremy P. Kelley, Staff Writer Initiative served about 1,800 Montgomery Co. 4-year-olds this year. Montgomery County’s Preschool Promise program approved contracts this week to expand into Mad River, Jefferson Twp. and Trotwood schools, and to fund another classroom in Dayton Public Schools. The expansion to three new districts, funded by the county, means Preschool Promise classrooms will serve about 200 students in Trotwood-Madison schools, 100 in Mad River schools and 30 in Jefferson Twp., Director of Operations Ashley Marshall said. The organization also is 50-60 applications ahead of last year’s pace in private, non-school-based preschool/daycare sites as well, Marshall said. “The program is largely the same; we’re just trying to get better at it and make sure we’re reaching the right people,” Preschool Promise Executive Director Robyn Lightcap said. Read the full Dayton Daily News article here: http://epaper.daytondailynews.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?artguid=82121b8d-4a6e-4450-846a-bec1394315b1&utm_source=app.pagesuite&utm_medium=app-interaction&utm_campaign=pagesuite-epaper-ipad_share-article&appid=2942

Excerpt from Dayton Daily News By Cornelius Frolik, Staff Writer $12M to fund initiative to address economic mobility at young age. A new initiative, which was first unveiled last fall, is in response to declining economic mobility and growing income inequality. The work is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Ballmer Group. “These pioneer cities will not only expand opportunity for their own residents, they will provide valuable insights to communities across the country,” said Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In Dayton’s project, the city and Preschool Promise will work together to try to create more opportunities for parents to engage in activities that help build children’s brains and eventually enroll the kids in preschool, the city said. “It’s encouraging that Preschool Promise’s great work is receiving national attention, and I think this initiative will only accelerate that,” said Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. Read the full Dayton Daily News article here: http://epaper.daytondailynews.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?artguid=80c4a621-8f8d-4f14-8ea8-38f2acec2d42&utm_source=app.pagesuite&utm_medium=app-interaction&utm_campaign=pagesuite-epaper-ipad_share-article&appid=2942

The Plain Dealer By Patrick O'Donnell Yet another proposal to rework Ohio’s controversial state “takeover” plan for struggling school districts is emerging in the state Senate: having outside consultants work with individual schools to improve them. The plan calls for a new Ohio School Transformation Process to replace the state’s “Academic Distress Commissions,” panels that are mostly state-appointed and that supersede local school boards, with a single state Transformation and Student Success Board that would work with any troubled school in the state. Districts would then pick outside consultants approved by the state panel to do a “root cause analysis” of the issues at individual schools and help those schools solve them. The new panel would then track how well the consultant’s plans are carried out. State Sen. Peggy Lehner, chair of the Senate Education Committee, is proposing the plan after gathering help from a “workgroup” she created. She said the plan leaves more control to local school boards than under the Academic Distress Commissions. “We’ll hear as many people as want to and need to testify,” said Lehner, who allowed the 2015 bill to go through her committee in a rush, but now says she regrets that decision. “I’m not doing this without fully vetting it publicly.” Read the full Plain Dealer article here: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/05/state-takeover-of-schools-could-be-replaced-by-consultants-new-state-panel.html

The Plain Dealer By Patrick O'Donnell Europeans rank high school diplomas; Americans leave confusion: Pathways to Prosperity ZOETERMEER, Netherlands – What’s a diploma worth? In the U.S., it’s hard to tell. High schools and colleges have very different standards and expectations of students, so comparing is difficult. In Europe, a number offers a clue. Thirty-nine European countries share what’s known as the European Qualifications Framework, which rates training and diplomas students receive from one to eight. With this system, employers in Ireland know how to rate a Lithuanian credential, for example. And the countries have agreements that let credentials for a given job transfer from country to country. Read the full Plain Dealer article here: https://www.cleveland.com/business/2019/05/europeans-rank-high-school-diplomas-by-number-americans-leave-confusion-pathways-to-prosperity.html

The Dayton Daily News Learn to Earn Dayton Bryan Stewart, workforce director, Montgomery County ESC, Learn to Earn “Signing Days” aren’t just for athletes announcing the team they’re joining. Throughout May, in gymnasiums and libraries all across Montgomery County, the next generation of workers will celebrate their education and career plans as they head off to college, certificate programs, the military and new jobs. In an effort to change the way we celebrate and recognize all young people — not just our athletes — local high schools and communities are coming together to recognize students’ post-high school education and career decisions. Students are making great choices. Some are pursuing a 4-year or 2-year degree. Others are choosing to participate in an industry-recognized training program or joining the military. Some are ready to start learning on the job. In recognition of the fact that young people need time to think about their education after high school and to consider myriad exciting career choices, our schools are bringing industry leaders and professionals into classrooms and lunchrooms to educate students about careers — some of which young people may not even know about. College and career signing days are just the beginning of new ways our community is supporting young people. Educators, business leaders and others are meeting regularly to brainstorm ways to connect students to career pathways — while they’re still in school. This work is being led by our region’s Business Advisory Council, which represents all Montgomery County school districts and a host of corporate and industry groups. The advisory council’s goal is to promote substantive collaboration and exchanges between K-12 educators, higher education and business leaders on how best to prepare students to compete in a global economy. As we celebrate seniors’ next steps, it is important for families to recognize that employers’ expectations are higher today than ever. While “Now Hiring” signs are posted all around the community, successful applicants for jobs that pay a living wage must be well-trained and well-educated. Career-readiness is the new game in town. By hosting and celebrating College and Career Signing Days, we are working together to raise awareness about the many paths available to students after graduation. As graduation rolls around, it is important to take a step back and highlight what our young people have achieved and all that they’re doing to become tomorrow’s sought-after employees. Reference the Dayton Daily News article here: http://epaper.daytondailynews.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?artguid=04a788d8-d4c4-4574-81d8-4e3132a8e2aa&utm_source=app.pagesuite&utm_medium=app-interaction&utm_campaign=pagesuite-epaper-ipad_share-article&appid=2942