“Schools tend to be as strong as the community makes them.”
–William McNeal, Jr.; 2004 National Superintendent of the Year; Wake County, NC
Education First was formed as a way to raise the level of community involvement and support in the Bibb County Public School System because a community can be the driving force behind the improvements needed in a school system. Involvement and support can only bring about good things in our children’s lives, so it is Education First’s mission “to bring the imagination, the will, and the resources of the entire community to enable every child to achieve his or her full potential.” Schools are only as strong as the community makes them - and communities are only as strong as their schools.
In 2002, under the direction of Congressman Jim Marshall, a two-year grant was written for and received from the Peyton Anderson Foundation and the Macon Alliance for Education Excellence and Communities in Schools Macon-Bibb County merged into Education First. A diversified Board of Directors comprised of philanthropic leaders, the school superintendent, chamber executives, school board members, government officials, business leaders, and the local university presidents was chosen to lead the new organization into the future.
“If you can pull the right group of people together in Macon, or anywhere else in Middle Georgia, wonderful things can happen. This merger gave us the opportunity to bring to the table some folks who have a history of getting things done,” Marshall says. “And I can’t think of a much more important subject than focusing on public education.”
“This Board’s commitment is a statement that a strong public education system is critical to the quality of life and the long-term economic well being of the entire community,” says Melvin Kruger, President of L.E. Schwartz & Sons.
“We want to unite the community behind common issues of education for all children,” says Cyndey Busbee, Director of Marketing for the Medical Center of Central Georgia.
In early meetings, Board members discussed “the most effective way to develop a support team to assist the education community to move Bibb County toward a system of excellence,” says Kruger.
Four areas of focus were identified - teacher recruitment and retention, student readiness, After School Programs, and marketing and public relations - in which Education First could directly work with during its first year as an organization. “I believe we have identified the major problems,” says past Board Chair Roy Fickling. “The solutions, however, are more difficult with no quick fixes.”
The most visible work to date has been the partnership with The Telegraph resulting in The Learning Curve, a weekly page in the paper highlighting the accomplishments, hard work, and success of the system’s students, teachers, and administrators. Through The Learning Curve, they have found that every school has its own unique character, strengths, and community. There are so many great examples of parents and the community coming out to support their schools; Education First wants to tell their stories.
They have also been working to identify additional ways the business community can support our schools. Thanks to grant dollars from GEICO, a number of projects were funded, including the launch of Education First’s Web site (www.education-first.org). They were able to use GEICO interns to help revamp the school system’s Web site (www.bibb.k12.ga.us). Partnering with the school system, the funds are being used to help teachers earn their National Board Certification, which helps a teacher develop professionally by successfully completing a set of high and rigorous standards.
“National Board Certification is one of the most highly respected forms of professional development there is, and Bibb County is very lucky to have its teachers so interested in and excited about working towards it,” says Education First Executive Director Julie Pennybacker.
In the near future, through a partnership between Education First, Community Foundation, and Goodwill, they will be launching a Web page in which teachers and administrators can log on and submit requests for donations such as money, supplies, and volunteer time. The community can then view these requests and respond with any support they would be able to provide.
“It is so wonderful to feel the support of the community for me, but it is even more heart-warming to know your organization is putting in such an effort to make the educational system better for the children of Bibb County,” said Lane Elementary teacher Kristina Cummings, who completed her Certification process this past year.
In two major shows of appreciation, Education First spearheaded both the New Teacher Banquet and the Teacher of the Year Banquet. The New Teacher Banquet featured community speakers thanking them for choosing the teaching profession and showing them how much they are appreciated. The Teacher of the Year Banquet honored the school system’s best and brightest as chosen by their peers.
“The teachers in this system deserve to know how much we appreciate and are willing to support them,” says Education First Board Chair Tred Shurling.
Working with independent contractors, Education First has delivered an evaluation of Bibb County’s After-School Program, which is the second largest in the state. “Through this evaluation, we have identified the overall strengths and weaknesses of the program,” says Pennybacker, “giving children the opportunity to enrich their skills and keeping them safe in the most vulnerable hours from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.”
Right before Christmas, Education First was able to work with KaBOOM! (a national non-profit which builds and repairs playgrounds across the country), The Home Depot, and the Middle Georgia Association of Realtors to provide a needed and much-anticipated playground for the students at Barden Elementary. Local churches, parents, teachers, The Home Depot and Education First employees, and students all came together for this one-day build.
“To have all these different groups and organizations coming together for a common purpose was truly an amazing experience with a significant outcome,” adds Pennybacker.
The school had wanted to build one for quite some time to help meet the requirements of Georgia’s Pre-K program, which says a teacher must watch how students act in play. “It was a void we knew we needed to fill,” says Principal David Dillard.
“It brought out pride in the community,” said Bibb County Public Schools Superintendent Sharon Patterson. “We gave Barden an early Christmas present they and the community can enjoy for years to come.”
Recently, Bibb County was selected to participate in BellSouth’s Teacher Working Conditions Survey. Teachers were polled anonymously on a wide variety of topics, including how supported they felt by the administration, if they had enough time to teach what was necessary, and if they felt the physical condition of the school was satisfactory.
“The results of the survey will be a key resource as we partner with the school system and the Chamber of Commerce to meet the needs and concerns of one of this county’s greatest resources: its teachers,” says Shurling.
\ “It will also be a great platform to open a community discussion regarding adequate school facilities and the need for an Education Special Local Option Sales Tax this fall,” adds Pennybacker.
“Education First is a true partnership,” says Palmira Braswell, “which is what we as a community need to move forward as far as student achievement is concerned.”
In the upcoming year, Pennybacker hopes to continue with projects already begun as well as setting a few more in motion. The continuing partnership with The Telegraph means The Learning Curve will continue to be published every week; Education First will again be working on the New Teacher and Teacher of the Year Banquets; the After School programs will be evaluated again this year, looking for more ways to make improvements; teachers seeking their National Board Certification will still be eligible for tuition assistance as well as equipment; and the BellSouth Teacher’s Survey will be released to the public, allowing the community to share their input on changes that need to be made.
“We’ve made some great strides in the past few years,” says Pennybacker, “and we are dedicated to making even greater strides in the future.”
Focusing on the students themselves, Education First knows a student’s readiness is crucial to their success and the success of the school system. For this reason, they want to make sure each child is properly prepared to enter school and is working with Community Partnership – a local non-profit organization – to help Bibb County childcare centers meet state regulations.
“We are progressively earning a good reputation for bringing resources to the table and organizing agents of change,” says Busbee. “I am impressed with what we have done with shear human resources – networking, managing change, being present at important events, and now being asked to come to the table with other providers.”
“The great thing about this effort is that the school system and community leadership are genuinely on the same page, working together, and the partnership is strategic and long range,” says Peter Brown of Mercer University.
“The kinds of improvements we are trying to make are for the long run and will have tangible results,” says Pennybacker. “The future of the school system and the community depends on a dedication to making sure our children are completely and properly educated and prepared for life beyond school.” |
