Stakeholder Engagement
If we value and leverage school and community partnerships, then we will maximize our collective impact on our core mission.
Objective: Increase stakeholder involvement in all aspects of school programs and activities by building a connective learning community, engaging families, partners and the greater community to meet the needs of all students.
This strategic theme focuses on four critical initiatives. The Tuscaloosa City Schools' strategic plan 2.0 is developed in concert with Cognia. By definition, a critical initiative is are evidence-based practices that:
- guide the implementation of actions to achieve objectives
- are sometimes referred to as a strategy
- can be multiple per objective
- are written “high level”
- are evaluated for their effectiveness
- answers “what we’ll do…”
Critical Initiatives
Family and Community Engagement
TCS will partner with families and the community to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, ensure effective communication, and enhanced engagement with families.
Intended Outcome: Positive student outcomes, including improved student achievement, decreased disciplinary issues, improved family-teacher and teacher-student relationships, and improved school environment.
Key Measure: COGNIA Stakeholder Feedback Surveys
Activity 1: Create a system-wide Family Engagement Plan.
Person responsible: Ingrid Edwards
Progress monitor: Ingrid Edwards & Vertis Giles-Brown
Status: Not Started
Required resources: $15,000-Title II, consultants for training & materials
Activity measure: Family Engagement Plan; August 2021
Project monitor: Ms. Vertis Giles-Brown
Department: Federal Programs
Activity 2: Establish and provide training for Parent and Family Engagement Leadership Teams at all schools.
Person responsible: Principals & Parent Liaisons at each school
Progress monitor: Ingrid Edward
Status: Not Started
Required resources: $130,000- consultants, materials, coaching; ESSER II funds
Activity measure: Evaluation of training, sign in sheets; agendas; October 2021; January, February, March 2022
Project monitor: Ms. Vertis Giles-Brown
Department: Federal Programs
Activity 3: Develop an Opening of School Engagement Conference for Parents, Staff, and Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Leaders.
Person responsible: Ingrid Edwards/Scholastic/FACE Representative
Progress monitor: Ingrid Edwards
Status: Not started
Required resources: $18,000 Funding for speaker, venue, & Training Materials; ESSER II funds
Activity measure: Sign in sheets and agenda; October 2021-in person
Project Monitor: Ms. Vertis Giles-Brown
Department: Federal Programs
Activity 4: Establish a Parent Teacher Association in every school, aligned with the National PTA priority areas, for collaboration at the city wide Areas (Family Engagement; Advocacy; Membership; Finance; Volunteer).
Person responsible: School Parent and Family Engagement Leadership Teams
Progress monitor: Ingrid Edwards
Status: Not started
Required resources: None
Activity measure: Sign in sheets & agendas; September 2021
Project Monitor: Ms. Vertis Giles-Brown
Department: Federal Programs
Activity 5: Establish Parent and Family Engagement Programs (i.e, Male Summit, Father’s of Future Freshmen, Parent Ambassador Group, Parent Professional Learning Community, PTLA, Parent Project, Bilingual Family Program).
Person responsible: Ingrid Edwards
Progress monitor: Ingrid Edwards
Status: Not started
Required resources: $50,000- Title I, Title III, ESSER II, consultants, venue, & materials
Activity measure: Evaluation of training, training rosters; January, 2022
Project Monitor: Ms. Vertis Giles-Brown
Department: Federal Programs
Activity 6: Research, collaborate, develop a wrap-around services center for students and families in Tuscaloosa.
Person responsible: Jessica Constant, Tesney Davis, Social Services & Parent Liaison
Progress monitor: Ingrid Edwards and Jessica Constant
Status: In progress
Required resources: $1,000,000 funding building renovations, furnishings, & professional development; Local General Funds/Capital Funds
Activity Measure: Benefits & Risks of center; Survey of community
Partners; January 2022
Project Monitor: Dr. James Pope
Department: Learning Supports & Teaching and Learning
Activity 7: Engage with families and community groups in support of student achievement and/or school improvement through the use of focus groups, surveys and other opinion-gathering methods.
Person responsible: Ms. Vertis Giles-Brown, Lydia Avant, Dr. Andrew Maxey, & Ingrid Edwards
Progress monitor: Ingrid Edwards
Status: In Progress
Required resources: $80,000 funding for surveying tools and newsletter tools; General Funds
Activity measure: Survey results. Focus group participation & Community
Meetings publication notices; parent advisory groups
Project Monitor: Dr. James Pope
Department: Teaching and Learning
Activity 8: Establish plan for Facilities for participation in community and school based programs that promote leadership and student Development. (ie Job Shadowing, Summer Work Programs)
Person Responsible: Tyran Robinson, Randy Tyra, Leadership Team
Progress Monitor: Tyran Robinson
Status: In progress
Required Resources: None - Planning/Scheduling
Activity Measure: Completed Plan/ Participation Documents
Project Monitor: Edward Smith III
Department: Facilities
Activity 9: Enhance training program for principals (and assistant principals) to create, implement, evaluate effective school communication tools/resources.
Person Responsible: Principal, School Leadership Team
Progress Monitor: Lydia Avant
Status: Not Started
Required Resources: Staff time (no budget needed)
Activity Measure: Individual school communication plan by August 2022.
Project Monitor: Dr. Deron Cameron
Department: Human Resources & Operations
Activity 10: Assist schools in developing key messages related to schoolwide foci for use in school-to-home communication.
Person Responsible: Principals
Progress Monitor: Lydia Avant
Status: In progress Not Started
Required Resources: Staff time (no budget needed)
Activity Measure: Each school will develop 3-5 key messages by the end of October annually, starting in 2021.
Project Monitor: Dr. Deron Cameron
Department: Human Resources & Operations
Communication
TCS will provide opportunities for families to access necessary information, knowledge, and skills to support their children’s education at home and at school.
Intended Outcome: Families will have access to all information regarding their child’s education.
Key Measure: The number of families that access available information as reported on the system’s automated message tracking report.
Activity 1: Engage stakeholders through the use of focus groups, surveys, establishment of a superintendent employee advisory council, and other perspective-gathering methods.
Person responsible: Lydia Avant, Dr. Andrew Maxey
Progress monitor: Lydia Avant
Status: In Progress
Required resources: $80,000-general funds, surveying and newsletter tools
Activity measure: Survey results, focus group data
Employee meetings and advisory groups; 2021-2024.
Project Monitor: Dr. Deron Cameron
Department: Human Resources & Operations
Activity 2: Ensure timely and relevant communication for families through content creation published through digital tools (e.g. website, social media).
Person responsible: Lydia Avant, Eddie McClinton, Dave Crutchfield
Progress monitor: Lydia Avant
Status: In progress
Required resources: Web content management/automated messaging system, newsletter tools, television production equipment
Activity measure: Social media analytics. Content calendars. Electronic newsletters. Message tracking; 2021-2024.
Project Monitor: Dr. Deron Cameron
Department: Human Resources & Operations
Student Engagement
TCS will include secondary students in the decision-making process by providing avenues of two-way communication
Intended Outcome: Build student voice into the decision-making of the system.
Key Measure: Student survey data. Stakeholder meeting sign in sheets, meeting/program agenda, content calendars for website and social media.
Activity 1: Engage students through the use of focus groups, surveys and other opinion-gathering methods in their native language whenever possible.
Person responsible: Lydia Avant, Dr. Andrew Maxey
Progress monitor: Lydia Avant
Status: In progress
Required resources: $80,000 funding for surveying tools, newsletter tools
Activity measure: Survey results. Focus groups. (General Fund)
Student advisory meetings agendas & sign in rosters; Newsletters; 2021-2024
Project Monitor: Dr. Deron Cameron
Department: Human Resources and Operations
Activity 2: Ensure timely and relevant student communication for the benefit of secondary students through the use of digital tools (website, social media).
Person responsible: Lydia Avant, Eddie McClinton, Dave Crutchfield
Progress monitor: Lydia Avant
Status: In progress
Required resources: $90,000 Web content management/automated messaging system, newsletter tools, television production equipment (General Fund)
Activity measure: Updated websites, social media. 2021-2024 and on-going
Project Monitor: Dr. Deron Cameron
Department: Human Resources & Operations