Many Kinds of Community Engagement

OCPS's bold new vision is to be- " The top producer of successful students in the nation." Our mission statement is- "To lead our students to success with the support and involvement of families and the community."

A healthy society and strong economy depend on strong public schools. Strong public schools depend on the strong support and involvement of families and the community. That engagement can be through PTA, PTSA, or SAC (School Advisory Council). It can be through mentoring, volunteering or providing needed resources for schools or students. It can also be through committees or task force groups that study district-wide issues. Additionally, in our areas of growth, the community can be involved in the process to develop attendance zones and names for new schools. On bigger issues, there are a variety of ways to be engaged. This past fall, we held thirteen town hall meetings and conducted surveys on the district's new vision and strategic plan.

Three notable examples of sustained community engagement are the Superintendent's long-standing African-American and Hispanic Advisory Councils, Construction Oversight and Value Engineering Committee, and School Calendar Committee.

During 2004-2005, Orange County, the City of Orlando and the school district convened a Blue Ribbon Panel on Education, a group of community stakeholders who, with district staff, developed a set of recommendations for educational improvements. As a brand-new board member during that time, I was able to accelerate my learning curve by attending their many sessions. The school board adopted the majority of recommendations, and 80 of 110 have been implemented fully, or as part of other initiatives. Most of the remaining 30 were not feasible due to limitations in public funding. Many of the adopted 80 require sustained community partnerships and outside funding, especially in the areas of family involvement and early childhood education.

To create an atmosphere of honest and productive dialogue when engaging the community to study broad issues or provide input for official decision-making, I have learned that these questions must be answered-

What are the facts?

What are the boundaries? (financial, regulatory, legal, school board policies, timelines, etc.)

What are the shared values and mutual goals?

What is the big picture?

What, if any, are the potential obstacles to healthy dialogue?

What can everyone live with?

What is the follow-up?

Ultimately, after gathering input, the school board must make final decisions. The school board and superintendent are constitutional officers, and are thus charged with making equitable and fiscally responsible decisions that are in the best interests of all students. If those involved in the process have worked within a framework of vision and reason, the outcome is likely to be something that everyone can live with, and ideally be something that all can celebrate.

Thousands of corporations, businesses and individuals donate time, talent and treasure to our schools and our children. Those who serve as mentors give invaluable service to our children in need. Along the way, these community partners gain understanding, bring needed resources and often offer ideas and big networks of support.

For 25 years, the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools has been an important avenue for providing teachers grants, reading mentors, and programs for addressing unmet needs. Two years ago, they created the Count-Me-In Initiative, a community engagement effort. They recently facilitated community conversations about the restructuring of Hungerford Preparatory School. As the school board representative on the Foundation for the last 2-1/2 years, I have worked closely with them to strengthen the relationship between the Foundation and the school district. We worked collaboratively, along with the Count-Me-In steering committee, on a school board resolution that celebrates shared community values related to the education of Orange County's children. (Their link is on the right side of this blog.)

A Gift for Teaching is a support organization that provides a wide range of classroom materials and supplies for teachers and students in our most at-risk schools. Their work exemplifies how the community can become informed about specific needs, engage others to join forces, and endeavor to fill those needs. They are also flexible and creative in the way they develop targeted programs as additional needs or opportunities are identified. (Their link is on the right side of this blog.)

As chair of the school board's communications committee, I, along with my colleague Joie Cadle, have worked with the Superintendent's staff on a variety of efforts: rebuilding the district website, protocols for community engagement and communications standards for school renovation projects, e-newsletters for board members, convening a pro bono think tank of public relations professionals, town hall meetings, presentations and publicity for the district's new vision and strategic plan, electronic school board agenda, printed informational materials, videos with celebrity speakers for high school character education, and continually seeking opportunities to inform and engage groups or individuals in the community. In a district as large and dynamic as Orange County Public Schools, good communication is critical.

Final thought- the best kind of community engagement of all is that of families supporting their own children's education, by setting high expectations for scholarship, self-discipline, integrity and public service.

Every Day is New

Seeking knowledge and understanding of the complexities of public education, our global economy, societal and political trends, the arts, the sciences and other issues of today are important to me as a community leader. I came across a quote today that reflects how I view each day as I seek sound answers, creative solutions and bold actions:

"Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it."

-Wilfred Peterson, popular 20th century author

Building Critical Knowledge

I returned yesterday from the annual Legislative Policy Conference held by the Council of the Great City Schools in Washington, D.C. Superintendent Blocker and I sit on the board of directors. It is a powerfully successful, highly respected support, advocacy and research organization for 66 of the nation's largest public school districts.

As always, it was very informative. There was plentiful discussion about the status of reauthorization of No Child Left Behind legislation, possible administrative changes by the U.S. Department of Education that may occur even without reauthorization, proposed education and education-related bills remaining in this year's Congress, and repercussions from last year's Supreme Court rulings on exceptional education reimbursement and race-based student assignment policies. The next several years will be critical. I look forward to continuing to build my knowledge while ensuring that Orange County Public Schools has a place at the national table.

Since Orange County Public Schools is the fourth largest school district in Florida and the eleventh largest school district in the nation, we must be actively engaged on state and national levels to stay aware of current research, regulatory issues, judicial rulings, political and legislative trends, best practices and effective reforms. It is also important to be in dialogue with legislators as proposed bills are debated in Tallahassee and Washington. And it is essential that we network with and learn from other school board members and public school administrators throughout the state and nation who share our challenges and seek similar goals of excellence and equity.

The more I have learned and understood as a district leader, the more I have been able to use that knowledge to affect positive change and help inform our community about the increasingly complex, sometimes difficult, always vibrant path to becoming the "top producer of successful students in the nation."