2014

A Partnership of Fort Polk

Progress, Vernon Parish

Schools, and JRTC & Fort

Polk

4/15/2014

From Good to Great!

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Moving Education from Good to Great!

The Education Initiative What is it?

The Education Initiative is a partnership effort of Fort Polk Progress, Vernon Parish Schools and JRTC &

Fort Polk. It is made up of stakeholders representing the military, the school district and higher

education. The Initiative is further supported by education experts at the local, State, and National level.

The Initiative builds on current successes in Vernon Parish Schools and plans for continued excellence.

The Education Initiative was formed with three goals:

1. To improve school performance and move Vernon Parish Schools from Good to Great

2. To educate parents about Common Core State Standards and how they can support their child, and

3. To benchmark Vernon Parish Schools against the national average and school districts that support

other major Army installations.

While the Vernon Parish schools are good, they also have challenges that is why the education

initiative was formed. The Initiative brings educators, parents, and the community together to identify

challenges and develop an action plan with measurable goals that will move our schools from good to

great! The implementation of the action plan will be governed by Fort Polk Progress who will oversee

assignment of actions and track progress. The action plan is long-term and will be revised annually.

Results will be reported back to the community through an annual report.

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The Education Initiative Success Takes Time

The foundation for the Education Initiative began in 2007 with the Louisiana Communities and Military

Partnership Summit and Visions for Vernon Strategic Plan. Within the Visions for Vernon Plan the

Education Committee outlined the following actions:

1. Leesville High School renovations - site, funding, design, etc.;

2. Increase to 120 the number of students enrolled in dual credit classes at local universities,

online and at the technical college;

3. Prepare a needs assessment of military students of deployed parents to determine social,

emotional, and educational needs; and

4. Prepare a Vernon Parish School Replacement/Construction Plan.

Vernon Parish School District has demonstrated its commitment to the Plan, its students, and especially

the military child, in a very tangible way by securing more than $40 million for not just one, but two new

schools: Leesville High School and South Polk Elementary, which serve the largest military populations

in the parish. Funding sources included over $20 Million in local Bonds and an $18 Million Office of

Economic Adjustment (OEA) Grant. Additionally, Dual enrollment has increased to _______ and the

Needs Assessment was prepared and recommendations implemented in _________.

In February 2009, JRTC and Fort Polk included an education objective in its Community Campaign Plan

and actively began working with the community through Fort Polk Progress to achieve the actions in

support of the objective. The following was extracted from the Community Campaign Plan:

Objective: To improve public school facility infrastructure and raise the standards of educational

achievement.

Means:

Infrastructure school tax base is generated through property taxes and ad valorem sales taxes.

Fort Polk occupies a large area of Vernon Parish, reducing the tax base needed to construct new

facilities. The Army provides approximately $7M of Impact Aid to Vernon Parish School System

annually; however this is not enough to make up for the lost tax revenues. A new State-of-the-

Art School will provide the focus needed by Vernon Parish and the State of Louisiana to attract

new business to the area and improve the image for attracting Army Families. Estimated cost of

the school is $48M. $28M can be raised through local bonding authority. School Superintendent

Jackie Self has submitted a plan to the State (Feb 09) for consideration of supplemental funding.

This plan will also be submitted to the Chief of Staff of the Army (Mar 09) and the Congressional

Delegation.

South Polk Elementary Poor learning environment identified as an Army Family Action Plan

issue South Polk Elementary has an out-dated design (open forum, no interior walls). School

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Superintendent Jackie Self has submitted a plan requesting $2.1M to the State (Feb 09) for

consideration of funding to remediate this issue, external assistance is needed.

Higher Standards - Vernon Parish has a unique opportunity to attract business growth from the

Army and related defense contractors and supporting civilians. Quality education is viewed as a

necessary ingredient to stimulate economic growth and to provide an educated workforce.

Vernon Parish Schools should compete for upper third of national academic achievement

performance ratings.

In November 2013 a community group lead by the City of Leesville and the Greater Vernon Chamber of

Commerce developed the Louisiana Development Ready Community (LDRC) Strategic Plan Lets

Grow Vernon! A significant portion of the plan was focused on Education. The following was

extracted from the Lets Grow Vernon! LDRC Strategic Plan:

Quality schools are the foundation for any successful community. Leesville/Vernon is no

exception. The good news is that, based on standardized tests and metrics developed by the

State of Louisiana, Leesville/Vernon has among the best schools in the state. The challenging

news is that being among the best in Louisiana is still less than excellent.

Leesville/Vernon has two challenges in continuing to raise the level of education for its residents.

The first is intangibleParental support and involvement is extremely important. The second is

programmatictoo many students are graduating without a path to either college or skill

development. To address these issues, the Steering Committee has adopted the following:

Education Goal 1: Improve the perception of Leesville/Vernon schools and engage more parents

in the education system through improved communication, telling success stories and asking for

more involvement of the community in decision-making regarding schools.

Education Goal 2: Work to implement Work-Keys or similar skill measurement programs in

Vernon Parish schools. Work-Keys is required in the Louisiana Technical College system

investigate opportunities to partner with LTC.

Education Goal 3: Create a public campaign to support skilled technical education and career

opportunities with parents, emphasizing the pay and other benefits, and both current and future

opportunities in targeted industries.

Responsible Parties: The LDRC Education and Workforce Committee, Vernon Parish School

Board, Northwestern State University, and Louisiana Technical College.

Education Short-Term Measurable Outcomes: 10% increase in parental involvement in Vernon

Parish schools, and development of a Work-Keys based assessment program in partnership with

LTC by September, 2014.

Education Long-Term Measurable Outcomes: 20% increase in STEM (Science, Technology,

Engineering and Math) classes in Vernon Parish Schools; additional 15% of students going on to

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Work-Keys based technical training for highly-skilled positions in Leesville/Vernon Parish

targeted industries, and 15% increase in enrollment in highly skilled technical programs with

NSU and LTC by September 2016.

On 27 March 2014 about 700 educators, Soldiers and family members congregated at Fort Polk's Bayou

Theater to attend an Education Symposium spearheaded by Fort Polk Progress. The Education

Symposium was developed as part of the larger Education Initiative, a partnership among Fort Polk

Progress, the Vernon Parish School District and Fort Polk, to acknowledge the achievements of the

Vernon Parish schools and prepare for future educational challenges. Presenters at the event included

Paul Sawyer, with Louisiana Economic Development; Dr. Kelly Laster, Louisiana Department of

Education; the Rapides Foundation; and Dr. Ben Martindale. Keynote speaker was Jamie Vollmer, an

award-winning advocate of public education who speaks at schools nationwide. Vollmer stressed that

today's school system is based on a model created by Thomas Jefferson around 1781. "I'm here to tell

you, it's got to change. Things cannot stay the same as they have been for decades. America needs

great public schools now more than ever and that's going to take the entire community, not just those

who have children in school. For example, when a community comes together and works to increase a

student's success, the crime rate in that community falls. When a community like Vernon Parish bands

together to ensure that each child gets a decent education, property values go up. Life gets better when

local schools improve. We are all tied into this in a way that many people don't see. In a community like

Vernon Parish -- where your schools are moving forward -- you have momentum. If you take advantage

of that momentum, you could create not only the best schools in Louisiana, but the best schools in the

world," Vollmer said. Keeping the momentum going is an objective of the Education Initiative.

And finally, Vernon Parish Schools have actively incorporated a successful strategy to improve

education. Here are a few facts to demonstrate this:

The District has continuously improved its performance score since 2000 moving from #19 in

the State to # 4 in 2013.

All 19 schools in Vernon Parish received either an A or B grade during the 2012-13 academic

school year. Performance scores from LEAP, End of Course and other exams show Vernon

Parish students are above the national average.

Eighty-two percent of the districts third through eighth graders performed at or above basic

levels, significantly higher than the state average of sixty-nine percent

Louisiana, which requires every student to take the ACT, has an average score of 19.5, while the

average U.S. score is 20.9. Vernon Parish students, including those who have no intention of

attending college, have an average score of 19.4. Two Vernon Parish schools logged ACT scores

in the top twenty of the state in 2013. Anacoco High School has the 9th highest Act score (24.2)

in the state, while Rosepine High School has the 20th highest score (21.2).

While the performance of Central Louisiana schools as a whole falls in line with the states

performance, Vernon Parish Schools literally soar above the pack, with 10-or-more-point leads

in English and Math scores on the LEAP tests at both fourth and eighth grade levels.

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The Education Initiative Model

An Education Initiative model has been developed which contains the following four components:

First and foremost This is a community driven process built on established partnerships. The

partnerships began forming in 2005 and solidified in 2007 with the Louisiana Communities and Military

Partnership Summit and Visions for Vernon Strategic Plan, which resulted in funding the Leesville HS

renovations and the establishment of Fort Polk Progress. Working together, Fort Polk Progress and its

partners invested millions of dollars to support Fort Polk to include constructing a new Elementary

School at Fort Polk, 4-laning highways in support of military convoy routes; $25 million in infrastructure

improvements outside the gate of Fort Polk and the list goes on. This isnt a short term reaction to

down-sizing. For the Education Initiative, the partnership was expanded to include new stakeholders

the School District, the State Department of Education, State University, and most significantly

Parents. It takes all of these partners working together. Not one entity on its own can achieve success

without the support of the other.

Next this isnt a passive partnership. Fort Polk Progress has set out to engage the Stakeholders. The

Education Initiative had a formal kick-off on 8 January with a strategic planning session attended by the

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key stakeholders, each pledging their full support. But the real heart of the Initiative is the Parents.

Tremendous effort has gone into getting the voice of the military child from parent surveys and

engaging Families through a multitude of forums. The input from the Families was used to identify

topics for the Education Symposium held on 27 March 14. The Symposium featured discussions on

education rankings, common core state standards, tools and technology to support Teachers, Parents

and Students as well as an afternoon Parent University with hands on learning from subject matter

experts on topics like Common Core.

Through the Education Initiative a Strategic Action Plan has been developed. The implementation of the

action plan is governed by Fort Polk Progress who will oversee assignment of actions and track

progress.

And most significantly it takes commitment. Vernon Parish Schools are good and they have

demonstrated through performance scores that they are driven to be better. Since 2000, they have

consistently improved their performance from 19th in the State to 4th in the State in 2013!

Furthermore, all 19 schools in Vernon Parish received either an A or B grade during the 2012-13

academic school year. Its also noteworthy, that there is a strong support from the Louisiana

Congressional Delegation and the Governors Office. It has been that support that has financed many of

Fort Polk Progress initiatives. The continued support of the Governors office to Fort Polk, and

specifically to the Education Initiative, was shown through assignment of a representative from both

Louisiana Department of Education and Louisiana Economic Development to the Education Initiative.

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The Education Initiative Action Plan

The Education Initiative Action Plan has been compiled from plans sited previously and the Vernon

Parish District Improvement Plan (Appendix A) as well as actions developed with input from the public

through the Parents Survey (Appendix B), the Education Symposium, and public input received during

the month long comment period following the Symposium.

The Education Initiative Goals are:

1. To improve school performance and move Vernon Parish Schools from Good to Great

2. To educate parents about Common Core State Standards and how they can support their child, and

3. To benchmark Vernon Parish Schools against the national average and school districts that support

other major Army installations.

To achieve the goals requires actions beyond the local level. This Action Plan comprehensively

addresses education issues and concerns in Vernon Parish while expanding the initiative to partners at

the State and Federal level.

The Action Plan targets four Focus Areas. They are:

1. Quality Education

2. Communication

3. Programs & Opportunities

4. Facilities

Within each Focus Area, actions have been compiled from other published plans or created in this

document for further development and discussion.

Quality Education

I. Improve Student Learning

A. Integrate the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in all teaching and learning activities

a. Implement a rigorous curriculum aligned to Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

b. Improve planning and instruction

c. Implement Weekly Professional Learning Community meetings (PLCs) for

collaboration around Instruction and learning

d. Develop and implement lessons that align to CCSS

e. Provide professional development opportunities for teachers and support staff to

enhance powerful instruction for all students

B. Annually increase student achievement by 2% in ELA and Math proficiency for students in

grades 3 8

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C. Annually increase student proficiency on the ACT and EOC by 4% for Vernon Parish students

in grades 9-12

D. Annually increase graduation rates by 2%

a. Collaboration around instruction and learning for Headstart and LA-4 district PLC

meetings

b. Implement district transition plan Pre-K to Kindergarten (What is the transition

plan?)

c. Provide Response to Intervention and Remedial/tutoring programs

d. Continue to implement and support PBIS Positive Behavior Support school-wide

plans

e. Increase Carnegie unit offerings in middle and high school (by how much annually?)

E. Support continuous development of all school personnel

F. Collaborate with Vernon Parish partners to make Vernon Parish a premier place for

principals and teachers to work

Communication

A. Become Parent and Family Centered

a. Actively reach out to parents to involve them in their childrens schools, including the

launch of a School Advisory Council in every school

b. Establish clear processes for parent and family input and ideas

c. Provide parents with information about their students progress and how to support

that progress

d. Provide parents and families with excellent customer service

i. Follow-up with parents who provided comments at the Education Symposium

ii. Develop a database of attendees to the Symposium to provide continuous

updates on education actions and opportunities

e. Provide parents with ample information on schools

i. Develop a matrix of information on all schools in Vernon Parish to better inform

parents of individual school academic and extracurricular offerings

ii. Develop information sheet for each school which identifies educational

opportunities, registration requirements, instructional courses, and

extracurricular activities offered by the school. Information sheet should be

available via the web.

iii. Educate faculty, staff, parents, and children regarding services provided by the Military Family Life Consultant (MFLC) for short term, situational, problem solving counseling for issues amenable to short-term problem resolution such as school adjustment issues, deployment and reunion adjustments, and parent-child communications.

iv. Research, develop, and implement programs and practices that will support military students and families in Vernon Parish schools (MFLC)

B. Promote quality of education offered in Vernon Parish Schools

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a. Develop method for comparison of VP Schools to National Level and other schools that

support military installations

b. Continuously educate stakeholders, State and Federal agencies, and Army leadership

c. Examine criteria used for ranking LA schools and work to change or align with criteria

d. Improve the perception of Leesville/Vernon schools and engage more parents in the

education system through improved communication, telling success stories and asking

for more involvement of the community in decision-making regarding schools.

C. Cultivate and sustain partnerships at the Parish, State and Federal levels

D. Provide support to parents to educate them regarding CCSS a. Develop and implement an ongoing parent tutoring program after school

E. Create a public campaign to support skilled technical education and career opportunities with parents, emphasizing the pay and other benefits, and both current and future opportunities in targeted industries.

F. Annually review, revise, and report success and status of action plan items to stakeholders.

Programs & Opportunities

A. Work to implement Work-Keys or similar skill measurement programs in Vernon Parish

schools.

B. Investigate opportunities to partner with LTC.

C. Develop and implement Adopt-a-School Program to provide academic assistance to schools

such as tutoring.

D. Seek legislative approval for an exception to policy for the 2-year residency requirement for

military/DOD students.

E. Expand enrollment in Dual Enrollment/Advanced Placement Courses by 5% annually

a. Develop and implement pre- Advanced Placement classes to improve student scores on Advanced Placement tests.

F. Seek funding to increase participation in LA-4 to make available for all 4-year olds.

a. Develop a plan for location of students and estimate costs to fully implement the

program

G. 20% increase in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) classes in Vernon Parish

Schools over the next five years.

H. Develop opportunities for continued learning through summer camps and other education focused venues. a. Develop and implement Education Discovery camps b. Incorporate Common Core methodology in all Fort Polk CYS educational programs

Facilities

A. Provide students with an environment conducive to learning

B. Implement and maintain safety and climate plans that incorporate evidence-based programs

C. Provide a clean and comfortable building environment in all schools

D. Assess all school facility infrastructure and develop a prioritized plan for capital replacement or

renovation

E. Review equipment and technological needs in each school and develop a plan for acquisition

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Summary

As with all plans, this plan is meant to be flexible and evolve with time. As actions are accomplished

new actions will be identified. No one partner will be responsible for all actions. The success of the Plan

is dependent on the continued partnership and spirit of cooperation which has developed through this

initiative.

Additionally, implementation of the plan will take time. It is recognized that financial resources may be

scarce; however the plan was not constrained by these potential limitations. Instead, by documenting

all unconstrained actions, all possible funding sources can be explored and pursued.