District 196 Partnership Intended to Better Prepare Students for College

The will look at entering into a new partnership in the next year and a half to help students become more prepared for college and careers.

Jerry Weast, who founded the Partnership for Deliberate Excellence, is looking for nine U.S. school districts to partner with, according to a presentation at Monday's District 196 school board meeting.

District 196 is one of the nine, Superintendent Jane Berenz said; the partnership would be privately funded.

Weast—who was superintendent of the Montgomery County, MD, school system for 12 years—and a team of education experts would help each district create a plan for their schools and communities. This could include working more closely with unions and other staff, and looking at the district's college and career standards, even beginning in preschool or kindergarten.

Weast’s principles aren’t "that different from what we’re doing, but he has a network and connections to take what we do and bring it to another level," Berenz said.

“I like how data-driven [the partnership] is,” school board member Art Coulson said.

The next step is to talk more with Weast, and in the next year and a half nail down exactly how the partnership will be executed, Berenz said.