More than 130 individuals — parents, community members and staff — have divided into five key Strategic Direction Work Groups for the “Each Student Learning, Every Day!” planning for the Edmonds School District. But according to the district, It’s not too late to participate. Sign up here to attend the Oct. 20 session from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Educational Services Center.

In addition to the below summary notes, each Board Director is serving as a co-facilitator on each work group and provided a comment during the Oct. 7 School Board meeting on their perspective on this work kicking off. You can read those comments by clicking here.

Effective Learning for All Students
The Effective Learning for All Students work group provided feedback on the indicators and identified questions related to the indicators and goals of academic achievement, higher level thinking, student engagement, programs, and family connections. The work group will focus on developing their background knowledge based on the current district work and begin to identify needs from their different perspectives.

Equity of Opportunity
The Equity of Opportunity work group reviewed their work group goals and recommendations for the upcoming year to provide equity of opportunity for students in support of Each Student Learning, Every Day! They then broke into smaller groups to review Strategic Direction indicators, identifying areas of measure they support; areas that need more clarification, and areas that may be overlooked. The group’s focus for the next meeting will be to have a more in-depth conversation around strengthening indicators.

P — 3rd Grade Early Learning
The P—3rd Grade Early Learning work group viewed a trailer for the soon to be released feature length film, “The Raising of America.” The Raising of America Project is a documentary, multimedia project and public engagement campaign that explores how a strong start for all kids can lead to a healthier, stronger and more equitable America. The team then began to review the P-3rd programs and supports currently in place within the Edmonds School District and current community partnerships. They also discussed the strategic direction indicators specifically associated with Early Learning and the work group provided feedback regarding these indicators. Their October meeting will build upon the feedback gathered as a result of indicators discussion.

Graduates Who Are Ready for Life
The Graduates Who Are Ready for Life work group discussed the interpretation of “Graduates Who Are Ready for Life” and had in-depth conversation about the scope of their work. Draft indicators were explored and group members provided feedback and brainstormed areas of focus to include systems currently in place, educating parents about what we’re telling students regarding high school and beyond; a system for supporting and monitoring students, mentorship programs; and early intervention, to name a few. The next meeting will continue with refining areas of focus and looking at CORE 24 and College and Career Planning opportunities.

Facilities and Enrollment
The Facilities and Enrollment work group meeting started with an overview of operational issues and discussion on identified areas for analysis in the future. Focus for the next meeting will be to continue providing background information to bring workgroup members up-to-date and upon which to lay a foundation for future work.

The Strategic Direction document that is the basis of these Work Groups is available by clicking here.