Wake Education Summit 2000

Summit III: “Getting It Right From the Start,” 2000

After examining school system challenges and priorities for two years, the 2000 Summit focused on ways the community could support the schools. Through a focus on early childhood issues of family involvement, literacy and readiness, the 2000 Summit began a process of linking service organizations, community leaders and citizens together in effective partnerships serving Wake children. A pilot program between the school system and Wake County Human Services to share databases and link services for at-risk youth was the top-rated priority in the 2000 Summit.

School Readiness:
1. Expand pilot programs linking human services and the public schools so that all children are adequately served.
2. Provide parenting classes along with prenatal care (workplace, hospital, doctors’ offices and churches).
3. Improve skills of childcare teachers through partnering with colleges and universities.
4. Identify ways to align community childcare practices and the public schools.
5. Create a shared accountability plan for all programs that serve preschool students.
6. Find ways that pre-school and childcare providers can conduct physical and mental screenings before kindergarten (health and developmental screenings, immunizations).
7. Urge the public schools to create a method of assessing school readiness.
8. Develop a provider index and work to establish accountability to agreed-upon standards of school readiness.

Literacy:
1. Adequately fund the Accelerated Learning Program in grades K-3.
2. Reduce class size for K-3 grade classrooms.
3. Provide literacy training for all teachers in grades K-3.
4. Create a community-to-school literacy plan to engage preschool and childcare workers in pre-K activities.
5. Secure 2003 volunteers to work with children not achieving at grade level.
6. Facilitate community adoption of pre-K literacy standards.
7. Link school support programs that are currently addressing the needs of K-3 children.
8. Get more books in the hands and homes of children.

Parent/Family Involvement:
1. Provide more opportunities through parent groups, work sites and community agencies for parents to expand their knowledge and skills.
2. For employers and parents to make time available for volunteer activities supporting schools, teachers, and children.
3. Encourage employers to review and revise family-focused policies and programs.
4. Encourage schools to have policies and programs that are family friendly.
5. Help parents gain access to resources about parenting and child development.
6. Encourage parents to commit to setting high expectations for their children along with providing a good learning environment at home.
7. Encourage schools to identify ways to strengthen communication with parent/guardians along with evaluation procedures.
8. Work through parent groups and other community agencies to be more inclusive of all parents.
9. Appoint parent liaisons in each school to impact student achievement.
10. Catalogue all public and private services for parents.