GOAL 3: STRENGTHEN PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR EDUCATION
MILESTONE 3: All schools are welcoming to our diverse student and parent communities and provide varied opportunities for engaging parents as partners.
DATA POINT: School Improvement Team Participation
OVERVIEW
Each MCPS school is required to have a School Improvement Team (SIT). The team should include representatives from all stakeholder groups (parents, professional staff, supporting staff, and students in Grades 3–12). Many parents on the team have attended training on strategic planning with school staff. The purpose of the SIT is to review and monitor the school’s strategic plan, identifying goals, objectives, strategies, action steps, and measurable targets.
Using the Baldrige-guided School Improvement Plan and the Framework for Improving Teaching and Learning, the team defines, designs, and deploys the school improvement plan, reviewing the data at least quarterly. State and county assessments are the primary sources of data. Other data may include program interventions, the School Climate Survey, and attendance records. Summative data become available in the summer and are used by the SIT in preparation for leadership week.
During the 2006–2007 school year, 96 percent of schools had at least one parent on the School Improvement Team. Overall, schools had an average of three to four parents on School Improvement Teams.