Standard 6. Stakeholder Communications & Relationships
STANDARD: The system fosters effective communications and relationships with and among its stakeholders.
Impact Statement: A system is successful in meeting this standard when it has the understanding, commitment, and support of stakeholders. System and school personnel seek opportunities for collaboration and shared leadership among stakeholders to help students learn and advance improvement efforts.
Indicators Rubric: Please indicate the degree to which the noted practices/processes are in place in the school system. The responses to the rubric should help the school system identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement as well as guide and inform the school system's responses to the focus questions.
Indicators Evidence: For each Indicator, click the (Add Evidence) link to provide examples of evidence that support the rubric response.
Definitions of Indicators Rubric
Not Evident - Little or no evidence exists
Emerging - Evidence indicates early or preliminary stages of implementation of practice
Operational - Evidence indicates practices and procedures are actively implemented
Highly Functional - Evidence indicates practices and procedures are fully integrated and effectively and consistently implemented
INDICATORS: In fulfillment of this standard, the system:
6.1 Fosters collaboration with community stakeholders to support student learning:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Internship/partnership agreements with community-based business and agencies; Agendas, minutes, calendar of parent meetings; Calendar of events that promote stakeholder involvement; Stakeholder survey data; Other: Crisis Communication Call System
6.2 Uses system-wide strategies to listen to and communicate with stakeholders:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Calendars, agendas, minutes of parent meetings; Newsletters, brochures, letters, memos; Web page dedicated to parents/community members; Emails, phone answering system; Parent - Teacher conferences schedule; District Improvement Committee: agendas, minutes, membership; Wide variety of stakeholder communication documents/avenues; Stakeholders affirm they have variety of opportunities to be formally involved in life of district; Other: Rebel Report (newspaper insert)
6.3 Solicits the knowledge and skills of stakeholders to enhance the work of the system:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Policies regarding volunteer involvement; Calendar, agendas, minutes, committee membership; Stakeholder survey data; Schedule of volunteer activities; Advisory Committees
6.4 Communicates the expectations for student learning and goals for improvement to all stakeholders:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Regularly published newsletters to community; Brochures, pamphlets; Online calendar, schedule, and news/updates; Student Handbook; Newsletters about student performance; Parent -teacher conferences: calendar, procedures, participation data; Parent versions of Curriculum Pacing Guides; Parents and students are informed and involved in making course selections; Parents and students are informed and involved in developing individualized learning plans for students; Stakeholders affirm that they are knowledgeable about student learning
6.5 Provides information that is meaningful and useful to stakeholders:
Highly Functional
Evidence Provided: Policies regarding reporting schedule; Report cards; Parent -teacher conferences: calendar, procedures, participation data; Other: Standard-based report card information online; Other: Report Rubrics - Parent version
Focus Questions:
1. How does the school system's leadership ensure that the system and its schools are responsive to community expectations and stakeholder satisfaction?
As part of the school improvement planning process that exists at every school, the leadership meets with teachers on a regular basis to determine the climate of the school, inside and outside of the building. Surveys are administered throughout the year to various groups of stakeholders to solicit information about school policy, procedure, climate, culture, and special projects. Recently, Haralson County Schools administered surveys regarding the four-day school calendar and school transition to middle and high school. Surveying and climate-checks ensure that internal stakeholders remain satisfied and that their “voices” are heard. Additionally, the administrative teams meet monthly with their leadership teams, which are usually made up of academic coaches, counselors, media specialists, and representatives from each grade level, content area and/or special program, to facilitate communication and to actively involve the entire faculty in the decision making process. School leadership teams allow the administrative teams to make informed decisions that will meet the community expectations and allow certified and classified staff to provide their input.
Many measures have been put in place to ensure that external stakeholders have opportunities to provide input and to participate in the education of Haralson County students. For example, special education teachers, Early Intervention Program (EIP) teachers, counselors, system social worker, and parent mentors meet frequently with stakeholders, such as Georgia Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS), Local Interagency Planning Team (LIPT), Truancy Treatment team, church leaders, behavioral health providers and agencies, and juvenile court liaisons to meet the needs of students. The School Councils and Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) also work with schools in order to provide support and input regarding meeting the needs of the community. The individual schools sponsor events such as science, math, and reading nights, fall festivals, spring flings, and open houses in order to provide parents and community/business members an opportunity to participate in educational activities outside the usual school day. A variety of resources and services, such as supplemental educational services (free tutoring from outside agencies for students in grades 3-8), “backpack” food and clothing programs, Toys for Tots, and multiple opportunities for underprivileged families to receive assistance, are offered by the system and the local schools; however a disconnect may exist as parents may not take advantage of the available resources. The leadership at all of the schools holds meetings with stakeholders as well. The administrative teams report frequently to community groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, Family Connection Coalition, the Community Advisory Boards, as well as local newspapers and radio stations.
The school system’s leadership ensures that the system and its schools are responsive to community expectations and stakeholder satisfaction by establishing protocols, processes and guidelines that encourage stakeholder input and feedback. This is accomplished in the following ways:
1. Maintaining an open door policy to administrators at the school and system level
2. Scheduling open Board of Education meetings twice per month
3. Providing a process for stakeholders to be heard at board meetings through a formal process of request
4. Holding regular Parent/Teacher conferences and meetings at all schools
5. Conducting needs-assessment surveys
6. Hosting Community, Teacher and Student Roundtable Forums
7. Sponsoring parent interest workshops
8. Hosting family involvement nights focused on academic areas and family involvement
9. Establishing media and technology committees (that include stakeholders) to review media materials, determine ongoing needs, and make recommendations for future media acquisitions
10. Conducting School Council meetings
11. Providing parent information sessions for identified needs (i.e. CTAE informational meetings, parent workshops, registration, Title I meetings)
15. Offering pre registration opportunities for middle and high school students in the evenings to accommodate parents’ schedules
16. Providing multiple course offerings through dual enrollment, Georgia Virtual School and e2020 to enable students to meet prerequisite requirements to all colleges and universities
2. What avenues are used to communicate information to stakeholders about the effectiveness of the school system and its schools, including the sharing of student performance results?
Communicating expectations for student learning goals for improvement is achieved using a variety of methods within the Haralson County School System. The system and school websites provide resources and information to stakeholders about the effectiveness of the school system and its schools. The System Strategic Improvement Plan and Balanced Scorecard are available through eBoard on the system website. There is also a link to the Georgia Department of Education website where stakeholders can find the AYP reports and the Annual Report Card for the system and each school. The school websites have links to the Georgia Performance Standards and all plans, including the School Improvement Plan, the Parent Involvement Plan, and the Title I Plan. Additionally, many teachers within the system have web pages to keep students and parents informed. For example, parents may use the school website to access homework assignments, and in some cases, video-taped classroom lessons, which are frequently updated.
Other forms of communication are used to disseminate information regarding school performance, AYP status, assessment results, and progress toward achieving system and/or school improvement goals such as announcements, postcards, letters, newsletters, local newspapers articles, Rebel Review, Rebel Report, brochures, Title I Parent meetings, and School Council meetings. Often schools will take advantage of events that bring parents to the school to share information. These events include parent workshops, Family/Student nights, Renaissance Awards ceremonies, Open Houses, and regularly scheduled meetings of committees. Individual student performance is usually communicated via parent/teacher conferences, student-led conferences, EIP/RTI/SST/Special Education meetings, student agendas, student portfolios, and transition meetings for EIP, Special Education, Gifted, or ESOL students as they transition from one school to the next.
The system and schools utilize data boards, data rooms, and the Balanced Scorecard to communicate standardized assessment performance,and the overall progress of each school and the system. The Crisis Communication System is used to make announcements and to relate school and system events to the parents and staff members. An established schedule for progress report and report card distribution helps parents stay abreast of their student’s performance toward the state standards. Teachers, parents, system personnel, and local leadership have instant access to student performance, discipline logs, and attendance data through PowerSchool.
School Councils and PTOs meet on a regular basis to disseminate information and seek input. Some CTAE Programs have advisory committees to share business/community information and expectations for students entering the workforce. School employees and administrators participate on committees such as Workforce/Education Committee and the Entrepreneur Friendly Committee with the Chamber of Commerce. Teachers, students, and clubs present annually at local civic club meetings such as Lions and Rotary. The superintendent is often asked to speak to civic group about the state of the school system. School personnel and stakeholders work in conjunction to place and evaluate students, create and review training plans and agreements, work on school improvement and Title I plans, and write grants. Additionally, all system committees are composed of a diverse stakeholder population, and these groups are updated regularly on system/school achievement results as well as goal setting and strategic planning.
In addition to what the system and the schools do to disseminate information and to solicit feedback, the schools also encourage stakeholder participation though volunteer programs, committee memberships, booster clubs, guest speaker opportunities, parent suggestion boxes, school council membership, and local board meetings. School leaders are required to report out regarding school progress in regular Strategic Work Aligned to Teaching (SWAT) meetings with system leaders and to board members at board retreats and board meetings.
Overall Assessment:
Operational: The school district has the understanding, commitment, and support of stakeholders. District and school personnel seek opportunities for collaboration and shared leadership among stakeholders to help students learn and advance improvement efforts and can demonstrate good participation by some stakeholder groups.