The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Partners look at short-term goals
Partners look at short-term goals
Goals are coming due for Community Business Schools Partnership participants who hope to improve education in Lorain City Schools.
The group held its monthly meeting March 21 with a task set by school district CEO David Hardy Jr.He asked them to consider actions they could take in the next five, 15 and 30 days to work toward the commitments in The Lorain Promise, the district’s academic turnaround plan.
The CBS Partnership attendees have reached an “inflection point” when it is time to consider how to get new school initiatives started, Hardy said.
“We have a lot of plans on paper,” he said. “What does it look like actually put into action?”
Various task force committees were to meet March 12-15 and discuss how Lorain Schools would use initiatives to meet the commitments and strategies of The Lorain Promise, the academic turnaround plan for the school district.
“By the end of the next 30 days, I would hope to hear from each task force team that we have a pilot we’re going to run with and put into play, April of this time,” Hardy said.
The CBS Partnership participants divided into groups based on what commitment
they work with.
Seated around tables, each group had easels and tablets marked with two words: “If, then …”
Hardy encouraged the groups to diagram what they want to see in the schools.
He had his own drawn example starting with school leaders, with arrows pointing back and forth across the page leading to growth, joy, positive change and eventually successful Lorain scholars.
For example, one commitment is to support the whole child beginning at birth. The group drew a diagram
with a continuum of care starting with a new mother, hospital, community, transportation and home intervention leading to kindergarten.
Another commitment is to build equity. The group drew a staircase with plans to focus on the transition from eighth to ninth grade.
The idea prompted a conversation about that grade transition for scholars. Lorain students and Lorain police Officer Reuben Figueroa suggested creating transitions for sixthgraders, who sometimes have a difficult grade transition because of their social
interaction in middle school.
Two other commitments were merged with the goal to create schools where adults and scholars thrive.
For the five-, 15- and 30day deadlines, the group suggested sending out a survey to identify partners for job shadowing, job readiness and graduation. Then the members could sift through those partners and in 30 days have businesses and community members willing to work with scholars.
The Lorain High School boys basketball team is getting ready to play in the state championship final tournament.
The CBS Partnership members referred to the recent basketball success as one of many ways to inspire pride and confidence in Lorain schools. Lorain schools could use community engagement and school spirit items, such as yard signs and flags, to show a renewed sense of improvement.
Driving through Lorain, it appears there are numerous yard signs promoting the class of 2022 for Elyria Catholic High Schools, when Lorain students have as many opportunities as the other students, said LHS junior Kaitlyn RameyRowland.
“People are proud to put that on their yard, even in Lorain,” she said. “So I think we need to have, ‘Lorain High Class of 2022,’ out.”
“I think you’re raising a really powerful point,” Hardy said. CBS Partnership participants who come every month “are getting to this place and realizing, like, we can do this. We can legitimately do this and instill the pride that we have, our kids have, in our city and promote it, show it and be proud of it.”