Ask an Advisor Answers

Question: Hello,

My name is Chas Damo. I’m a new Grants Specialist for the Tribal Education Department within the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona (30 minutes south of Phoenix). I am in charge of a grant that is looking to expand the capacity of our department and am interested in how the Community Checklist could play a role in helping us attain our goals. I would like to present this tool as a option for consideration to my Director within the next week or so and could use a saleskit or presentation that could explain in brief what the Checklist does.

Specifically, we are working to unify our various school districts, which comprise of public, parochial, charter, and tribally controlled Bureau of Indian Education funded schools. It is important that our department be as transparent as possible during this process and I see the Checklist as a way to create a more visible working process towards this new era in our education system.

Has the Checklist been applied to work such as the unification of local school districts into unified school districts? Collaboration would include many education stakeholders including, but not limited to, our Tribal Education Department, local school boards, an Education Standing Committee of locally elected officials, Community Council, school principals and administrators, etc.

Answer:

… Thank you for writing to us, and for your question about the Community Checklist. (We call it the Community Check Box.) For our readers, the Community Check Box is a tool developed by the Community Tool Box to help community groups better evaluate their own programs. (or, "to measure what you treasure.") More information about it can be found at https://checkbox.ctb.ku.edu.

In this case, we have referred your particular question to our Tool Box staff for a more detailed response. You should be hearing from us (outside of the Ask an Advisor system) shortly. In the meantime, all best wishes for great success in your new position.

Question Date: Thu, 04/08/2021