Letting others help in planning - Elizabethtown ISD

School Administrator, March, 2003

Involving community members in its long-range planning to better serve the needs of students has made Elizabethtown Independent School District the Kentucky winner of The Civic Star Award.

The community engagement project that began in 1994 has involved three different planning processes. In the first two phases, community members and business leaders were key contributors who worked with the school district staff to develop long-term goals and strategies. A third planning and development initiative was conducted by the Elizabethtown Educational Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer group that provides fund-raising and marketing assistance for the district.

A common goal of each planning process has been to establish and maintain community partnerships with the school district. This collaborative approach to planning has resulted in a major support system to address the academic, emotional, social, health, recreational and employability needs of students and their families.

The central component of the community engagement effort is the long-term business partnership program, in which a local business or agency agrees to be a partner with an entire grade level of students until they graduate. The businesses plan a curriculum with participating teachers and visit the classroom on a regular basis to conduct activities that focus on their areas of expertise. This effort provides academic benefits and mentoring opportunities for students.

Other projects and programs that have grown out of the planning process include:

* Movers and Shakers, which brings high-profile individuals to classes to provide inspiration and motivation to students.

* Read Between the Lines, a literacy effort that pairs individuals from the community with students as book buddies who correspond in writing about the books they read.

* First Panther Bank, a student-managed enterprise at the high school.

TO LEARN MORE CONTACT:

Paul Upchurch, Superintendent

Elizabethtown ISD

219 Helm St.

Elizabethtown, KY 42701

Phone: 270-765-6146

E-mail: pupchurch@etown.k12.ky.us

Web: www.etown.k12.ky.us