[PC News] Focus Group for African-American Parents

[Shelley Payne]

Parent Council News
December 3, 2004
http://avenue.org/parentcouncil <http://avenue.org/parentcouncil>
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Topics in This Issue:

1.     Focus Group for African-American Parents
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Focus Group for African-American Parents
February 2005
Dear Parent and Community Leader,
The Albemarle County Public Schools system has been engaged in a strategic
planning process for the last several months.  This process is designed to
set direction for and to lead the school system over the next three to five
years.  Building on the current strategic plan, the school system is
identifying the next set of strategic challenges to maintaining high quality
curriculum, assessment and instruction, as well as how to position the
system to thrive in the future.
New evidence about best approaches to teaching and learning, the Virginia
Standards of Learning, and the new economy creates both an opportunity and a
set of challenges for the school system.  Part of the challenge for the
organization is to define its core business, figure out the challenges of
the future, and identify how to best provide quality education to all
students and value-added services to the community, parents, and partners.
As part of our ongoing strategic planning process and our commitment to
excel in customer satisfaction, we are examining our core business.  We have
received feedback in formal and informal ways that we are not good at
soliciting feedback from the many diverse voices in our community.  Through
our strategic planning process we are soliciting community input on how well
the school system is doing and how we can improve our services to all
students, their parents, and the community.
On behalf of Albemarle County Public Schools, we are writing to you as a
valued stakeholder to ask your help. We are committed to being customer
focused in the development and delivery of our educational services.
Therefore, we want to know what our customers expect and how we can exceed
those expectations. By sharing your thoughts, you can help us better prepare
students for their futures.
On February 22, 2005 we are hosting focus groups for African-American
parents and community leaders as part of our efforts to receive feedback for
development of a new strategic plan to improve the quality of our
educational services. A flyer containing details is attached. As a focus
group participant, you will join other parents and community leaders in
identifying what we do well to prepare students for their futures and how we
can improve.
This interactive focus group will be moderated by outside facilitators from
the firm of Strumpf Associates: Center for Strategic Change. These
facilitators are trained to obtain the most the most thorough information
and to reflect your opinions in an unbiased manner.  We want you to be
direct and honest in your assessment of how we can improve our engagement
with all parents and others in our community.  The opinions of focus group
participants will be included in a report to be utilized by the school
system’s Strategic Planning Team. In the report, individuals will not be
identified.
Thank you in advance for your support in our continuing efforts to develop
education services that meet the needs of all youth and the community.
Sincerely,
Kevin C. Castner
Superintendent of Schools
FEBRUARY 22, 2005
TIME
3 to 4:30 p.m.
3 to 4:30 p.m.
6:30 to 8 p.m.
6:30 to 8 p.m.
LOCATION
Union Run Baptist Church Fellowship Room,
3220 Keswick Rd.,
Keswick
Scottsville Community Center, 250 Page Street, Scottsville
Union Run Baptist Church Fellowship Room,
3220 Keswick Rd.,
Keswick
Scottsville Community Center, 250 Page Street, Scottsville
DETAILS


Light dinner at
5:30 p.m.
Light dinner at
5:30 p.m.



Childcare for ages
3-12
Childcare for ages
3-12

R.S.V.P. by FEB. 21, 2005: Call (434) 296-5893 or e-mail to
csinatra at albemarle.org to sign-up to participate.
Currently participants are needed in the focus groups at the Scottsville
site and the 3-4:30 p.m. session at Keswick. The evening session at Keswick
is full.
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