A City that "Gets It"

[Pamela Ann Cameron]

     There was an article in the Dallas Morning News on September 19, 2011 that was extremely relevant to the topic of planning.  The article is entitled "Think now about schools of the future," and it was written by Wendy Hundley.  In the article she explains that the Lewisville public school district wants their public schools to be innovative and ready to prepare students for the future.  What I find most interesting about this article is that school officials are actively "encouraging the community to think about how we educate kids" (Karen Permetti).  Lewisville is holding educational summits, six of them to be exact, where citizens will be encouraged to bring their ideas and share them.  Their goal is to have 1,000 people participate in these summits.  Anyone unable to attend will be afforded the opportunity to view a video of the meetings on the Lewisville School District website. 

     Hundley explains that there are going to be three phases to their "strategic design process."  The first phase is brainstorming at the summit meetings.  Next, they have planned the formation of focus groups where more information will be gathered from students, parents, residents, and staff. The last phase begins with a strategic design team who will create an "educational plan for the district" that will be based on the input from their information gathering phase.  Sounds a lot like our Urban Planning textbook.

     Keep reading; I do have a point.  The Lewisville School District does not want to wait for the state to tell them what to do.  They want to be pro-active in changing their schools to meet the changing needs of students who will have to find a job in a global marketplace.  They really do want to implement new and exciting ideas.  Of great interest to me is the fact that they do not think the district has all the answers.  They want input from families, and businesses, and citizens.  They also feel that schools need to change.

     The school district is doing what early planners like Hausemann and Olmstead and Burnham did not do.  They are encouraging participation in the creation of the plan before it is submitted to the school board.  They are not assuming that they alone know what is best for students and parents and even teachers.  Wow--how refreshing is this!  I think planners from all areas of the discipline should be actively engaged in letting citizens participate.  This is what democracy and freedom is all about.

 

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I absolutely love this post! As you said above, it is extremely refreshing to hear that the Lewisville School District is reaching out to parents and teachers all over Lewisville to make sure their kids in their school district get a "well rounded" education! It is essential that more school districts all over Texas, and the United States, start to involve parents and staff on the material their children are going to be educated on. 

After reading this article, My NOW overall perception of the Lewisville ISD is very high; the school district has taken notice that their education plan is not reaching particular standards, so they are reaching out to the community and staff for direction and leadership. As you stated above, "The school district is going what early planners like Hausemann and Olmstead and Burnham did not do". Personally, I think that the only way someone can learn and gain knowledge is to know that no matter how much they know about a topic, there is still room to learn more and gain better knowledge! If a school board, or school district, thinks they have all the answers, their education program will not grow or improve; being open-minded and open to learning is what educating is all about.

I applaud the district for being smart on their decision to not just "go along" with what the state is going to provided them with for an education plan; Its always best to not assume that the states education plan is efficient, but to make sure it will be by creating a "strategic design process". This kind of leadership shows the districts dedication to their students, their teaching staff, and the students parents; that their guarantee of provided a good education system is not just talk, its real life.

 

- Alyssa McNeill

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Often times schools are only concern with and listen to what the school board or the "powerful" people or organization that control the school, for change. Often times, it fails!

This is awesome that Lewisville is taking a wiser and a bigger step for a better future for the students, and also for their schools! It is awesome that this school raises the concerns of the students, parents, and teachers as their first priority for this great plan for a greater future of the students. "How to educate children in an effective way" should be the number one concern for all teachers; knowing which and what best method to teach and educate kids will have a greater impact. When knowing what is the best way for the majority of the students to learn better, it will absolutely facilitate his or her motivation to learn and engage in school! When these are met, I believe that it will decrease the negative affects on the students, such as drop-outs, and developing delinquency behavior. 

The information gathering phase from the students, parents, residents, and staff is the main core to launch this plan for success. This is because these group of people, other than teachers, would know what is best for their own kids. Involving the voice of the community or the majority is the key to better improvement and growth!