Personal Opportunity Plans
Issue: Empowering & Educating Communities
Target Level of Office: School Board
Policy Origin: National Opportunity to Learn Campaign
Link: www.YEONetwork.org/2013policy/?i=251
Summary Narrative of the Policy: A policy guide for school board members, this resource from
the National Opportunity to Learn Campaign is designed to provide a blueprint for bettercoordinated support and opportunity systems for children and families. In partnership with key
stakeholders – students, parents, teachers, school staff, principals, district officials, community
partners, and elected officials – Personal Opportunity Plans are meant to benefit all children,
but especially the most vulnerable, from the time they enter the public school system until they
graduate from college.
Relevant Talking Points & Important Information:
• As advocates for equity and excellence in public education, school boards play an
instrumental role in addressing the push-out crisis through effective board leadership
and governance.
• While the factors related to the push-out crisis affect all students, it disproportionately
impacts students of color; special education students; English Language Learners; foster
care youth; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered youth; teen parents; and students
in the juvenile justice system and alternate education settings.
• Personal Opportunity Plans (POPs) are individualized learning plans that leverage
community partnerships to deliver more time, attention, and personalized and tailored
resources directly to students. They are student-centered and student-directed plans that
maximize a student’s academic, social, emotional, and college and career development
and foster success in school and life.
• POPs are not intended to be a compliance mechanism for teachers and administrators,
but rather part of the culture driving school-community decisions from the time a student
enters the system.
Policy
2014 Book
School Board
83