To be successful in launching a Ready Schools Initiative, it takes a team approach that includes both schools and the larger community. It takes careful planning, leadership, and an on-going commitment to building and sustaining partnerships to develop both a Community-District Team and a School-Based Team(s) that support the overall school district initiative. To meet your goals, you must take a broad-based and multi-layered approach that involves diverse representation from across your community and school(s).
Ready Schools Implementation Process:
- Collaborative Team Development
- Needs Assessment
- Action Planning
- Implementation
- Evaluation
View a chart showing the Ready Schools Process.
Download the Getting Started section from the Ready Schools Toolkit, Part 2.
Download Appendix A, Resources for Getting Started.
Selected Getting Started Resources:
WEBSITES
Conducting a Community Assessment: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/css/ppt/chap2.htm
The North Central Regional Educational Labratory provides an informative chapter on how to conduct a community assessment. A community assessment is an exercise by which a collaborative partnership gathers information on current strengths, concerns, and conditions of children, families, and the community.
Developing an Action Plan: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/section_1089.aspx
This informational chapter is part of the Community Tolbox from the University of Kansas; it contains pertinent information, examples, and training materials for developing action plans.
The Economic Case for Investments in Young Children: http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/studies/earlychild/
From the Federal Reserve of Minneapolis, this study shows the need to invest in early childhood education in order to prepare our next generation of workers.
Pre-K Now : http://www.preknow.org/resource/index.cfm
A comprehensive website providing tons of resources about Pre-K.
ARTICLES & REPORTS
SMART Goal Setting Guide: http://ndgrowingfutures.org/files/pdf/SMARTGoalGuide.pdf
This guide provides steps, tips, and a template for setting SMART goals.
DOCUMENTS
Alignment of Ready Schools with other NCDPI Reporting Requirements
This document shows the alignment of Ready Schools principles with other NCDPI reporting requirements and can be used to show district personnel how Ready Schools supports current programs. Programs covered include: NC Title I Comprehensive Needs Assessment, NC School Improvement Plan, NC Teacher Evaluation, NC Principal Evaluation, NC Superintendent and District Personnel Evaluation, and NC Transition Planning.