High marks given to PC Schools
, Editor & Publisher
04-26-2007
PULASKI — Pulaski County Public Schools should be awarded district accreditation as a quality school system.
That was the final recommendation of a three-member Quality Assurance Review Team that visited the county this week. The team made its recommendation known Wednesday as part of its exit report at a meeting of the county’s school board.
The team, from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, consisted of educators from Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. During its visit, the duty of the team was to assess the capacity of the school system to meet accreditation standards; assess the effectiveness of the school system’s methods for quality assurance; identify strengths of the system deserving of commendation, and to develop recommendations that are designed to help strengthen Pulaski County schools.
During its visit the team interviewed some 255 school administrators, teachers, parents, community leaders and stakeholders, and reviewed a great deal of documentation provided by local school officials.
In its final report Wednesday, the team pointed out a number of strengths and accomplishments of the Pulaski County school system.
The team praised the school system for its culture and climate, leadership from the school board down to the individual schools and for having a caring and dedicated staff. It also credited the schools for communication between the central office, schools and stakeholders.
The school system got high marks for its schools being “community centers,” and for its “transparency” - being open, honest and accessible.
The team also praised the school system for its shared services with Pulaski County, and for student performance and achievement being the main focus of the system.
Other strengths identified by the team included:
•Local media is division / school friendly
•Community support
•Full-day kindergarten initiative
•Long term planning for facilities
•Implementation of building leadership teams
•Collaboration / support with the board of supervisors and county administrator
•Organizational and instructional effectiveness
The team commended Pulaski County in several areas, including:
•Having a clear mission / vision (“Reach Each Child”) that is embraced by all
•Maximizing limited resources
•Having open door communication at all levels
•Deliberate communication with parents through its website, ParentCONNECT, View My Schedule.com, etc.
•County partnerships
•High quality staff development
•A strong sense of community
•A culture of learning for staff
•Career and technical education opportunities.
The team also pointed out some challenges and limitations for the school system.
They included:
•Funding
•Aging facilities
•Competitive salaries
•Attracting and retaining highly qualified staff
•Economic growth
•Parental involvement
•Meeting state and federal mandates
•The ability to secure facilities
The team now will prepare a written report of its finding and observations over the next month and send it to school superintendent Dr. Don Stowers.
The team’s recommendation once approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) will mean each of the county’s schools will also be accredited.
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