Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School

School Governance Council Meeting“Getting Started”

November 14, 2011

“Schools, families and communities all contribute to student success, and the best results come when all

three work together as equal partners.”CSDE Position Statement on School-Family-Community Partnerships

School-Family-Community Partnerships

The Research Says…

• Higher test scores• Higher school morale• Less suspensions/expulsions• Higher graduation rate• Better reputation in the community• Higher sense of belonging for all families

Purpose of School Governance Councils

• The intent of Councils is to enable parents, school staff, students (where appropriate) and community leaders to work together to improve student achievement in the state’s schools.

• School Governance Councils serve in an advisory

capacity to assist the school administration.

School Governance Council Advisory Areas:

School/student achievementBudget objectives

Interview committeesProgram and operational

changes/policyParent policy and compact

Parents Surveys

Councils Do NOT:

• Manage the School• Supervise staff• Enter into contracts• Discuss individual parent/student issues• Determining eligibility for admission• Determine class allocations/student

assignments

Things You Need to Do Before You Begin

• Review the purpose of the council• Establish Norms• Think about a faciliator• Electing your community members• Begin formulating by-laws• Determine the answer to your first question:

Who are our students? What are their greatest needs?

Let’s Begin with our Strengths

• Please work with each other to identify the academic and operational strengths of your school

Identifying the Issues

• Determining needs• What common needs have been

identified?• Narrow those down to no more than

2

Build The Success Together

• Determine strategies to address the selected goal(s)

• Share how each stakeholder can contribute to achieving the goal

• Develop a timeline and a process for measuring the effectiveness of your plan

• Celebrate all successes