Haddam and Killingworth Come Together for Education

Despite June 2^nd being a very busy date for many, approximately 60 people came out to discuss this year’s topic, ”The Role of the Parent and the Community in Our Children’s Education.” This conversation was made possible by a grant from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Foundation.   This year’s conversation was co-sponsored by the RSD 17 School District, with members of the Board of Education participating not only in the Conversation, but also in the planning of the event itself.

Participants from all over our communities contributed to a rich discussion about how to more effectively engage and involve parents and the community in education. Participants included parents of students of all ages, teachers, school administrators, business professionals, students, seniors, civic leaders, and some of our state legislators.

The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Foundation has provided grants to well over one hundred communities in Connecticut to discuss various topics aimed at school improvement.  The format of the Conversation involves an opening/introductory session followed by breakout groups in which a moderator facilitates the group through detailed discussion about the topic at hand.  Each group is charged with identifying some areas of common ground, areas of disagreement, and proposing some recommended actions and next steps to report back to the full group at the conclusion of the conversation.     

The final summaries and findings will be presented to the RSD #17 School Board at their Education Meeting at the HKMS on Tuesday, August 21 at 7:30 pm. All residents are invited to attend this meeting to listen to the Community Conversations results, and to share their comments.

Some of the specific suggestions and recommended actions that came out of this year’s Conversation included:

• Using social media more effectively to promote involvement (e.g. creating an inclusive community calendar or developing an HK Community App).
• Identifying and tapping underutilized resources in the community to participate/volunteer in schools where appropriate.
• Offering vouchers to taxpayers to attend a school sponsored event when they pay their taxes.
• Developing a “Parent Guide to Involvement.”
• Engaging PTOs to help support parent and community involvement more effectively..
• Creating a “Community Yellow Pages” for schools to draw upon resources in the community.

Over the next few months, those involved with the Conversqtion will be exploring the ideas and suggestions that emerged from the conversation, and sharing them with various stakeholder groups, including the RSD #17 Board of Education.  The final summary and findings will be presented the RSD #17 Board of Education Meeting at the Haddam-Killingworth Middle School on Tuesday, August 21 at 7:30 pm.  All residents are invited to attend this meeting to hear about the creative ideas that emerged from this year’s Community Conversation, and to share their comments.

There will also be a follow-up meeting tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, October 3^rd for all those interested in helping out with implementing next steps.  More details regarding time and location of this meeting will be announced in the coming weeks.

Submitted by: Susan Dean