Highline Public Schools Strategic Plan

There is significant buy-in for the idea that parents, community-based organizations, and local businesses can and should be strong allies for the school system. Community members see the opportunity for: Equity, in this context, is used very specifically: access to resources and enrichment opportunities. Resources include adequate language/cultural translation support, supplies, field trips, and access to technology. • • Community members talked about the broad disparities of extracurricular and enrichment activities among schools, with some having strong programming, and others having nothing. Enrichment activities included tutoring/homework support, math, chess, creative writing, sports, world languages, technology/robotics, and the arts. Parents and other family members to support teachers in the classroom as well as support enrichment programming and strengthen the cultural competency of the school; Community-based organizations to support parent/ family education and support services, as well as provide interpretation and cultural services; and • Businesses to provide mentorship and internship opportunities for students. In order to do this, there are three areas to proactively address: Communication: Strong communication is essential to effective trust-building and collaboration. On the school front, there is the need to strengthen ongoing, two-way communication between parents and teachers/ schools. At the district level, community members expressed a desire for greater ongoing investment in relationship-building and idea-sharing with specific communities, particularly groups who have traditionally not participated actively in schools or that experience language or cultural barriers. Parent and Family Education: There is a strong demand for parent/family education regarding the system and how it works, including: • Understanding long-range educational options for students, and how to plan early; • Learning how to advocate for the needs of their student, ask questions, and challenge when necessary; • Learning how to navigate various parts of the system; • Understanding what parents and families can do to help their student succeed at each grade level. Schools as Community Builders: There is enthusiasm for the role each school can play in the active development of its local community. Ideas include schoolsupported community events and "Parent University," an educational opportunity for adults, organized by language, covering a range of topics. Theme #3: Equity of resources across the system "I don't understand why I have to pay for all of my child's field trips, but parents at other schools don't." "Regardless of where you go to school, people want equity. That means access to materials, PTAs, programs, facilities, resources." Theme #4: Leverage cultural diversity as a primary asset "We need curriculum designed for different learning needs and different cultural styles of learning and education." "Students need to see themselves in the curriculum they use every day." "My child has been singled out for not 'knowing the rules,' and I don't know how to talk to teachers or the principal about it." "Every child should know more than one language." Our students have the advantage of living and learning in a community with rich cultural diversity. Highline students represent about 80 nationalities and speak over 90 different languages, making it one of the most diverse districts in the country. Many community members expressed the desire for this asset to be actively used within the classroom for the education and enrichment of all students. Through the telling of personal stories and experiences, community members said it is important to: • Invest in training and support for teachers and staff in order to work with students in a culturally responsive way; • Invest in hiring staff that are representative of the students within the district; • Proactively create culturally diverse and responsive curriculum; and • Support students in their abilities to navigate a range of cultural environments. There is also strong support for dual language education and for the opportunity for all students to learn a second language. Learning a second language was named as a 21st-century skill, as well as a way to fully embrace Highline's language and cultural diversity. STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-17 for Highline Public Schools 7

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