SCH OOL-C O M M U NI TY C O L L A B O RA T IO N
After Class and into the Future: The World of Opportunities "Beyond School Bells" By Tyler Dahlgren, NCSA Communications Manager
Jeff Cole was teaching in New York City when he was tasked with developing an internship program in the high school he served. A young and hungry educator, Cole accepted the challenge and dove in. The implementation process left him with two fundamental beliefs. First off, when building that type of program from the ground up, The Big Apple is a good place to be. Possibilities in NYC are endless, and it didn’t take long before Cole was sending sophomores into businesses all across the sprawling concrete jungle. Secondly, Cole learned that the education of a student neither stops, nor pauses, nor ends with the ringing of a bell, an idea that has served as the foundation for his entire career. Summers, weekends, before and after school, you name it and Cole has utilized it. The internship program quickly evolved into a nonprofit organization called Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies. “That was really where my passion for after-school and summer learning began,” said Cole. That passion would lead him to Nebraska, where he would
aim to do something similar in the state capital for the Lincoln Public Schools Foundation before joining the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation in 2006. “It’s been a natural evolution,” he added. Cole would serve as the Network Lead for Beyond School Bells, a “statewide public-private partnership geared to support sustainable, high-quality, school-community collaborations and provide youth with what they need to be successful in school and in life.” Nebraska understands the importance of school-community collaboration like few other places. Towns across the state fiercely value relationships with local schools and the students cycling through. Once again, Cole had struck gold. He was in the ideal place to carry out the task at hand. “In Nebraska, we are fortunate to have high-quality public schools, because there are a lot of public school systems across the country really struggling right now,” said Cole, who is part of a 50-state network working on after-school programs. “In our state, we believe that after-school programs can support, but don’t need to duplicate or remediate for a poor-quality school day program. It creates this unique
Lessons From the Past…Guiding the Future (continued from page 13) During my career, NASES moved from being a group of administrators that got together over pizza and beer, to a legitimate professional organization focused on advocacy and growth. It was fun to watch, and NCSA recognized we were onto something and supported us as an affiliate. McKayla: What’s your best advice for school administrators these days? Craig: You set the tone for your work…take that part of your leadership very seriously. The culture of a district or a school is infinitely influenced by its leaders, especially when it comes
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NCSA TODAY SUMMER 2022
to including students with disabilities. Be sure your words and your actions reflect your beliefs and remember that they aren’t “your” students or “my” students…but "our" students. My father retired after 40+ years in Special Education from North Platte Public Schools in 2004…my first year as a Special Education administrator. I’m honored to be a part of the NASES family and will do my best to carry on the legacy of his work and the work of other trailblazers in our great state. There is still much to be done…so with an eye towards the future, I’ll never forget our past! ■
