Issues of equity, school funding, student health and well-being, and school resources are among the biggest concerns facing Hamilton County community members, according to surveys gathered by a local education nonprofit organization.
UnifiEd launched its Action Plan for Educational Excellence, or APEX, project in August with the aim to craft a policy that would ensure all Hamilton County students have the resources they need to succeed, regardless of socioeconomic status.
The first step of the project was to gather community feedback, which the organization has done in the form of 2,600 surveys now being analyzed by UnifiEd’s team.
“Since Aug. 1, when the survey launched, over 2,600 surveys were collected … through small group meetings …” said Natalie Cook, UnifiEd’s communications director. “Each of the 27 steering committee members hosted their own small group meetings called EdTalks … and some principals shared the survey with their students, so we got quite a lot of youth voice with this project.”
SURVEY THEMES
These are the top 25 themes that resulted from the APEX survey, which was completed by more than 2,600 Hamilton County residents. Community members will be asked to pick their top 7 during APEX bus tour beginning Wednesday. For more information about the APEX bus tour and schedule go to www.unifi-ed.org/apex.Elected officials› Equity must be at the forefront of funding decisions and policy development.› There must be funding to recruit, support and keep the best teachers.› Funds must be provided to make all school facilities safe and healthy learning spaces, and there must be a long-term plan to keep them that way.› Funding must be provided to support the end of socioeconomic and racial segregation in our schools.› Elected officials must be transparent in their decision making.Hamilton County Department of Education central office administration› Equity must be at the forefront of decision-making processes.› Our teacher population must reflect the diversity of our students.› A plan must be developed to end socioeconomic and racial segregation in schools.› Central office administration must make and communicate decisions in a transparent way to the community to ensure accountability.› Teaching and programs must provide personalized support, especially to those with special needs and minority identities (like English-language learners and LGBTQ+ students).Schools› Discipline policies must focus on community health and well-being within the school rather than punishment through zero-tolerance policies.› Students and teachers must have a voice in the issues that matter to them to support better relationships and engagement.› Student health and well-being must be promoted through healthy foods, physical activity, self-expression, and the arts.› Student mental and emotional health needs must be supported.› Schools must use new, creative forms of outreach to parents and communities to determine and meet their unique needs.Community members› The community must invest in our public schools by supporting increased tax revenue.› Community members must demand the end of socioeconomic and racial segregation in our schools.› Community members must remain educated on current issues in our school system.› The community must actively hold elected officials accountable to ensure equity for all students.› Parents and community members must embrace opportunities to support schools and children.Community organizations› Organizations must advocate for equity to be at the forefront of decisions made by the school system and elected officials.› Mentoring, field trips, and early childhood education initiatives must be expanded.› Opportunities for parent engagement must be fostered for student success.› Local organizations and businesses must support and provide resources to our schools.› Community organizations must actively align strategies and resources in support of equity in our schools.Source: UnifiEd