Community Learning Centres (CLC)

1) Category:
Specific program

2) Issues Behind the Program:

In Qubec, the official language, French, is spoken by 79% of the population. The anglophone population is spread unevenly across the province. For example, Montral has 29% anglophones, while in other regions, the figure is a mere 1%. The development of this community school model is particularly appealing to regions where there is a minority anglophone community because the model provides a locus for access to various family resources.

3) Objectives:
Help anglophone minority schools secure a future for themselves in the regions where they are located. Offer a variety of services and activities that promote quality learning. Encourage student success and the expansion of community. Promote the language, culture and vitality of anglophone communities, especially in outlying regions. Ensure a slate of comprehensive and concrete services consistent with existing policies and practices. Emphasize diversity, inclusion, respect, reflection, critical judgement, dialogue and collaboration.

4) Environment:
Primary and secondary anglophone schools Anglophone communities

5) Target Group:
Students from 6 to 16 years of age

6) Key Words:
Community Learning Centre, coeuraction, school-family-community partnership, Community school, English, minority, school success, diversity, inclusion, respect, dialogue and collaboration, hub, anglophone, region

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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7) Description:
The Community Learning Centre (CLC) is the building block of a learning community where students, teachers and other members work together dynamically, reflectively and collaboratively. It is also an environment that supports mutual interaction between school and the community. The schools involved are often called "extended service" or "full service" schools. There are two kinds of CLCs: learning community and hub of community service, both of which make the school the nucleus for an array activities and services there or at a partner institution. The CLC Framework (Smith et al., 2007) and the CLC guide are tools to help schools transition to a CLC by following specific steps and a specific action plan. Each CLC develops its own strategy for change, tailored to the needs of the community, and determines the expected outcomes for short- to long-term results, as well as a means of achieving them. The Operational Team (social services, school or centre and community action group) has representatives from the different partners and from the main interest groups. The province provides technical support delivered by five professionals: a project manager, a community development coordinator, an evaluation coordinator, a coordinator responsible for community learning, and a coordinator for videoconferencing and technical support. A team interested in starting up a CLC can contact the advisory committee headed by a representative of MELSs Service la communaut anglophone.

8) Steps:
Here are the five steps to creating a CLC: I. Explore: Study the possibility of creating a CLC (formal partnership between schools or centres, private or public organizations and community groups to benefit the students, families and community). o o See what CLCs look like in other communities. There are different kinds and different contexts (e.g. community school). Create an image of a CLE for your community (determine the advantages for the school, families and community, rally the necessary partners, define the vision of a CLC that reflects the community). Determine if future partners are ready to embark on this joint venture.

o II.

Initiate: Rally the partners. After reflection comes commitment. The steps differ according to the type of CLC and the context. o o Determine the communitys needs and strengths. How can the CLC best contribute to its own development and become truly useful? Develop a mission statement. Keep in mind the reasons that inspired these partners to create the CLC (values and objectives, desired outcomes, key principles) and the changes sought in the lives of the children, the families and the communities. Allocate responsibilities and resources in forming the Operational Team. Enter into a partnership agreement, be it in writing or some less formal way.

o o III.

Plan: Draw up an action plan that clearly specifies the direction of the changes that must take place further to the agreement among partners. o Determine the desired outcomes.

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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o o

Determine which programs and services to offer. Put together a creative, practical and realistic combination of ways to effectively reach these goals. Determine which services can be offered, taking into account the infrastructure, human resources and initiative needed to create and maintain student performance according to expectations. Determine ways of evaluating activities and desired outcomes through selfevaluation and performance indicators for accountability and improvement. Consolidate and review all aspects of the action plan, bearing in mind the partners yearly planning. Allocate resources and begin service delivery. Allocate resources and conduct capacity building. Monitor service delivery and capacity building. Collect the data and the bits of information (questionnaires, rating scale, interviews and research documents). Analyze the data. Gather all the bits and pieces and draw logical conclusions. Report to the stakeholders. Use technological tools to convey evaluation results in a meaningful way so that the lessons learned can provide the basis for what needs to be done in future action plans.

o o IV.

Implement: Implement the previously approved action plan. o o o

V.

Evaluate: Evaluate the efficiency of the CLC o o o

9) Activities/Actions:
Activities are varied. They are organized by the following services: complementary health services, social services, educational activities, integrated childcare services, evaluation and consultation, education and support for families, employability assistance and career guidance, child development, homework assistance, Saturday program, recreational programs, tutoring programs, literacy programs, workshops for parents, language courses, a room for the parents and their families. Guiding principles for the Framework: First, the Framework is meant to be comprehensive and practical, dealing with relevant issues in a manner that people in the field will find helpful, without being unduly complex. Therefore, the Framework attempts to say everything that needs to be said in as short and straightforward a way as possible. Second, schools/centres and other front line service providers are under pressure to achieve a multitude of results. Accordingly, the Framework is designed to dovetail with existing education policies and programs. Third, the Framework recognizes the fundamental importance of reciprocity; it must respond to the needs, aspirations and contexts of all partners. Although it is not possible to consider every potential partner, let alone deal with all their concerns, the Framework addresses all issues from this wider perspective. Fourth, the Framework is advisory, not prescriptive. It is open-ended, setting forth the issues to be dealt with but leaving many details to be decided by the users.

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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10) Resources Required:

Human resources: o School staff, families, community partners, project committee, Operational Team team

11) Roles of the Participants:

School: o Serves as a meeting place, provides services to and reaps benefits from the community. Can be part of the support committee, participate in activities or play a role as a partner by offering services. Can be part of the support committee, participate in activities or offer its services by getting involved in learning, while benefiting from the services offered at the school. Creates a link with school board administrators; Creates links with anglophones and the Department of Canadian Heritage; Supervises CLC funding; Facilitates networking between partners across the province. Directs the team Provides technical support.

Families: o

Community: o

The CLC Project Implementation Committee: o o o o

The Operational Team: o o

12) Scientific Basis or Validity:

This program is based on an ecological view of school and community as an organic whole (Smith, 2006). The Framework is built on grounded theory of sustainable change based on lessons learned from the real-world experiences of people and organizations (CLC, Smith, 2007). To consult the online evaluations, go to: http://www.learnquebec.ca/en/content/clc/clc_res_eval.html. Evaluation was carried out by WestEd (Learning Innovations), in collaboration with Patricia Lamarre from Universit de Montral (WestEd, 2007). Evaluation was managed by an External Project Evaluation Committee.

13) Program Material:

CLC Framework A guide, available from all CLCs, provides an overview of the five steps of the Framework, describes a recent three-year CLC start-up project, and lists the information sources. Website: http://learnquebec.ca/clc

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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14) Additional Information:

The information contained in this factsheet was taken from International Perspectives on Contexts, Communities and Evaluated Innovative Practices by Rollande Deslandes, and from: o o http://learnquebec.ca/clc; http://www.learnquebec.ca/export/sites/learn/en/content/clc/documents/CLC_fr ame_R-f.pdf.

This CLC project is the first initiative of its kind and scope in Qubec for anglophone communities. CLCs were introduced in Qubec in 2006 by MELSs Secteur des services la communaut anglophone et des affaires autochtones and made possible by Canadian Heritage grants under the Agreement For Minority-Language Education and SecondLanguage Instruction.

15) Contacts:
Paule Langevin, Project Manager Learn Qubec 2030, boul. Dagenais Ouest, 2e tage Laval (Qubec) H7L 5W2 Tel.: (450) 622-2212 /1 (888) 622-2212 Email: clcinfo@learnquebec.ca

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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