Table of Contents
Quality
Schools Improvement Planning
Student Academic
Standards and Assessments
Quality Professional Standards
Family, School, Business, and Community Network
Quality Schools Improvement
Planning
Mission
Every Student will be afforded the opportunity to be successful on the exit exam. In accordance with state education policy, the purpose of education is to help ensure that all students will succeed in their education and work, shape worthwhile and satisfying lives for themselves, exemplify the best values of society, and be effective in improving the character and quality of the world about them.
Vision
All our students will have the necessary academic skills to graduate from high school with a valid diploma and will have the social, emotional and decision-making skills to shape worthwhile and satisfying lives for themselves, exemplify the best values of society, and be effective in improving the character and quality of the world about them.
Needs
Galena City School District encompasses three schools. Galena City School (GCS) is a K-12 traditional school set in the village of Galena. Project Education Residential School is a 9-12 alternative boarding school housed on the air force base in the village of Galena. Finally, Interior Distance Education of Alaska (IDEA) is a correspondence cyber school. These three entities are unique and serve drastically different educational needs and student populations. In order to produce a district plan we met with the Parent Advisory Committees (PAC) representing each of the three entities. During these meetings all aspects of the quality school plan were discussed and suggestions were made and recorded regarding needs for the individual schools.
Once GCSD gathered district improvement information a sketch of the improvement plan was discussed during a district school board retreat. The school board, district administration, and the federal programs coordinator met to discuss the strategies and funding available to supply the needs of the district’s students. The following needs were identified through the planning process.
Student Academic Standards
· Continued emphasis on standards, with the addition of focus on life skills, money management, and college preparation.
· IDEA parents need assistance in understanding what needs to be covered in the curriculum to ensure their children pass the HSQE and how to judge the quality of curricula.
· In higher-level math and science, the home school parents need additional tools to teach these subjects. They would like a math workshop for parents.
· Reinstitution of the team approach to children with problems--the multi-agency team worked well for children with academic, social and other problems. Issues of confidentiality can be overcome so this team approach can once again address the needs of the students.
· Need long-term follow-up of graduates to learn from them about the strengths and weaknesses of the school and how we can make it better.
Quality Professional Standards
· The staff needs continued training in developmental needs and learning styles. Home school parents would prefer this training to come from well-respected home schoolers or a peer. The home-school teachers have more credibility among their peers than "experts". They do see a need for using trainers that are experts, and would also think a "trainer of trainers" approach using experts would work. Basically, IDEA parents would like to receive training from those with experience in home-school education. They would like training efforts to provide practical tools for the situation. They would also like to have follow-up to workshops, perhaps provided on video or in face-to-face meetings. They would like multi-level training, flexible scheduling, an interactive Web site, and parent mentoring.
· The IDEA contact teachers need to have more information and experience in working with home school environments.
· The IDEA parents would like to have more interactivity through the computer with the contact teachers.
· Staff needs to continue training in areas linked to academics.
· Staff needs training and to develop support systems for grief. We need to address the issue we have faced this year in so many deaths--children cannot function at school when they are dealing with grief. Grief counseling is needed for students, training for staff on how to deal with grief, and parent training so parents can learn how to deal with their children's grief.
School Excellence Standards
· This includes the cultural programs--how can cultural elements be strengthened and community cultural groups become more involved.
· ‘Adopt a grandparent’ program could be implemented.
Family, School, Business, and Community Network
· Strategies that will strengthen the communication with the community.
· Joint community calendar, perhaps located on the district website
· Ongoing process to be a part of other organization meeting agendas for reports on the school, as well as to get input from others in the community.
· Using the "Circle of Care" model as a way to become more integrated into the community.
Use of Technology
· Targeted money for technology to allow for threaded discussions, video in real time, CD and DVD technologies.
· IDEA needs a bigger and better server in order to increase its interactivity with the homes. (Discussion and presentation at this point of the proposed GOLD project which will develop and implement CD and online based courses.)
· Use of technology to build a community of students who are working on similar skills.
· Online assessment of student skills.
Galena City School District has and will institute several strategies to address all district needs. These strategies will be described in detail in the following sections of the Improvement plan.
Student Academic Standards and Assessments
Goal and Strategies for Improving Student Learning/ Standards-Based Education
Galena City School District has adopted a district-wide goal that “every student be afforded the opportunity to be successful on the exit exam”. This goal is the heart and center of all three school programs, though implementation strategies vary according to the student population. In order to support this goal the district utilized state and federal programs to increase state assessment scores in the areas of reading, writing, and math.
Strategies to support academic standards and assessment include:
1. Continuation of the use of Powerschool and academic checklists to monitor every student's performance towards standards-based goals.
2. Development and implementation of individualized educational plans for students who are in need of additional assistance.
3. Implementation of Galena Educators Tutorial programs for students who are in need of additional assistance.
4. Continuation of implementation of the 21st Century Community Learning Center’s academic assistance program in after-school, weekends, and summer settings.
5. Implementation of class-size reductions in order to increase the likelihood of each student getting adequate time and attention from teachers.
6. Increase the vocational offerings available to students through the design and implementation of courses that meet industry standards and lead to certification in areas of need in rural communities and areas of growth throughout the state.
7. Design and implementation of online and CD-based resources that teach and reinforce standards-based skills in reading, writing, and math.
In order to implement these strategies, the district will utilize the following program and funding sources:
· Title IA and IC
· Title II Reading
· Title IV
· Title VIB
· 21st Century Community Learning Center grant
· Carl Perkins
· Adult Vocational Center Funds
· Star Schools grant
We will evaluate the degree to which this goal is being reached through monitoring the following data:
1. Results of the Alaska Benchmark and High School Qualifying Exams for trends at the district and school levels.
2. Individual student checklists at each grade level for indicators of problem areas.
3. Tracking of individual students, especially those most in need for positive growth in achievement levels.
4. Tracking individual changes in CAT5 test scores, which the district administers to all students annually.
5. Participation levels of students in GETS, the 21st Century Community Learning Center academic program, and the vocational programs offered to students.
Adopted Curriculum/Assessment
Galena City School curriculum in the core curriculum areas of language arts and math has been rigorously reviewed and revamped over the past two years and has been aligned to Alaska's standards, benchmark, and exit exams,
During the academic year FY99 the Galena Schools developed a three-part curriculum and assessment system which addresses the current state and federal requirement. It consists of sets of curriculum documents in each of four core academic areas: Language Arts & Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. Each subject area curriculum (Language, Math, etc.) will comprise the following for each grade level or course (Grade 1 or Algebra):
1. Checklist-Progress Report
A one-page checklist of 25-30 essential standards which the student must master. This checklist will serve as a summary of the content of the year's learning and can be used by the teacher as a report card to indicate to the parent and child quarterly which standard the student has mastered, is showing progress toward mastery, or failing to show progress. A student's grade will be based on the percentage of skills in which he/she shows mastery or progress. This checklist is the most important document for parents and children. The checklist includes and synthesizes in summary report form all the key skills and content included in the CAT 5, the Alaska Benchmark Tests and High School Diploma Exam, and the Alaska State Content Standards and national frameworks.
2.
Assessment Benchmarks-Testing Guide
The Assessment Benchmark is a 2-4-page document of approximately 100 competencies, which lists skills tested on the CAT 5 test in Science and Social Studies, and in Math and Language Arts (Reading and Writing) to the Alaska Benchmark Tests when they are made public. Every skill included on these essential tests is listed in the Assessment Benchmark documents. Furthermore, these benchmark statements provide information specifically about how the skill is tested. These documents are primarily for use by the teacher to plan quarterly and semester units to ensure that all skills on the tests are taught and that the skills are addressed in the classroom in the same way they are tested on the tests.
3.
Curriculum Frameworks
The Curriculum Frameworks provide the teacher with a 4-15 page comprehensive list of 200-400 objectives. The content of each framework has been aligned 100% with the Alaska Content Standards. In addition, it includes material from national curriculum associations such as the National Council of Teachers of Math, National Council of Teachers of English, National Science Teachers Association, and Geography. This most comprehensive document includes not only student skills and objectives, but also activities and teaching suggestions. It will serve as a reference resource guide for the teacher in developing detailed daily lesson plans to teach to the standards on the one-page checklists.
Once these documents have been presented to and approved by the Galena School Board they will become a part of district policy. Teachers will be required to implement them. Principals will supervise teachers and review lesson plans to ensure that these instructional skills are covered. New text materials will be reviewed and selected based on their match to the target curriculum competencies. Student assessment and report cards will be revised to reflect the new competencies and parents will receive quarterly feedback on how well students are doing at mastering the specific goals outlined in the Assessment Core. Classroom posters and other informational material for the parents and community will ensure that children, teachers, parents, and administration are all focused on the targeted skills.
For more information on the GCS curriculum system, go to the district website: http://209.124.159.11/GCS/Administration/admin.html.
Over the next five years of this plan, the Galena City Schools will continue the project by implementing the following strategies:
1. Training teachers and implementing curriculum mapping with teachers which indicate when and how the skills outlined in the curriculum will be taught throughout the school year.
2. Review and revision of the curriculum based on results of the state benchmark and exit exams.
3. Increasing the use of Powerschool and the curriculum checklists. Currently, while about 80% of the teachers are using it for attendance and grades, only 30% are using it to monitor student achievement relative to the checklists. The goal is for 100% of the teachers to use Powerschool to actively use and monitor student achievement relative to the standards checklists.
Quality Professional Standards
Goal and Strategies for Improving Teaching
Professional Development for Improvement of Instruction
The district goal is that all students will benefit from teachers who utilize research-based strategies to improve learning and student motivation.
During April 1999, with the assistance of Spence Rogers and Sue Tomaszewski of Peak Learning Systems, the Galena City School District conducted a needs assessment of the Galena curriculum, instruction, and assessment systems. During a four-day process, Peak Learning Systems staff interacted with and/or observed in action every educator and staff member in Galena. They also interviewed a number of student groups, met with the board of education, and interacted with parents. Staff completed surveys designed to determine whether daily classroom and system practices support strategies proven to improve standards-based performance. The purpose of the assessment was to develop an understanding of where the Galena City School system is in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment and develop a set of recommendations that will guide the future activities of the district relative to the overall district goal of ensuring successful and meaningful learning for all students. The following summarizes briefly the findings of the district's strengths and recommended steps for continued growth.
Strengths Observed:
1. Genuine caring for students and their success was demonstrated by staff.
2. Curriculum maps and checklists have been developed to provide curricular guidance to teachers.
3. Most teachers are using the curriculum maps and checklists to impact the design of lessons and units.
4. Many teachers are utilizing varied instructional practices obtained from recent professional development activities. These practices, however, are being implemented at varying levels and with varying success by the teachers.
5. The administrative team is providing strong leadership to convey the commitment in Galena City Schools for the success of all students.
6. Galena teachers have access to outstanding technological resources to support instruction.
7. Galena teachers appear to be exceptionally hard working and willing to continue to be on behalf of students.
Recommendations for Growth Towards Ensuring Success
for All Learners:
1. Continue the drive for improving student achievement while monitoring and adjusting for teacher stress. Consider shifting the emphasis from curriculum (the what) to instructional and assessment practices (the how) that will provide measurable gains by students.
2. Provide significantly more and varied celebrations of teacher, school, and district successes as shown through multiple measures.
3. Provide an in-depth weeklong in-service for teachers in the research-supported Effective Teaching and Learning Instructional Model with aligned strategies for instruction, assessment, and learning environment. The workshop should focus on:
(a) Numerous research-based strategies and techniques that are easy to implement tools for increasing student motivation and learning.
(b) The essential keys, principles, and standards of the Effective Teaching and Learning Model to provide a model for effective instructional and assessment practices.
(c) Significant instruction and assessment strategies for increasing students' motivation, achievement, performance quality, and accountability for reaching standards. These should include writing across the curriculum; student developed coaching rubrics and "Sonoma Testing."
4. Begin developing a group of teachers who will evolve into role models, instructional leaders, modelers, and coaches for the rest of the staff.
5. The administrative team should use simple cooperative structures and other good practices in meetings.
6. Provide in-service for teachers in identifying and teaching clear and specific objectives.
7. Design and implement a procedure for using time flexibly in order to support all students in reaching rigorous standards.
8. Establish an ongoing communication and staff development support system including class observations, feedback, coaching, study groups, next-step training, and teleconferencing to support full implementation of targeted instruction and assessment practices
Administrative and instructional staff in staff meetings identified their desire for additional instructional practices that will help students to meet the standards. Results of the classroom checklist survey that staff completed showed that the areas most in need of improvement are:
· Making learning standards highly visible in student language in the classroom.
· Increasing students' understanding and ability to explain what proficient work means for each assignment.
· Using commonly used standards, such as written expression, in every subject area.
· Working with other teachers collegially such as exchanging student work for review and evaluation regularly.
To meet that goal, the district has implemented an aggressive and extensive professional development program with the expected outcome that all teaching staff will utilize the adopted proven teaching strategies that are intended to increase student achievement. Three research-based programs have been chosen for their ability to increase student motivation and achievement. They are:
1. PEAK Learning Systems: Galena City Schools contracts with Peak Learning Systems to provide ongoing staff development in the use of effective proven standards-based strategies. The system designed will include on-site training, development of a staff leadership team to provide ongoing collegial training and support, and follow-up training and consultation. As a strategy to ensure that all teachers have the same baseline knowledge in these strategies, the district will provide PEAK Learning Systems basic training to all new teachers hired by the district. Peak Learning Systems is headed by director, Spence Rogers. Peak Learning Systems offers a variety of services focused on building high performance classrooms, helping to make learning by all students a reality through enhanced student motivation, improved curriculum, and assessment that is aligned with research-supported brain compatible instruction. Mr. Rogers is recognized for his abilities to make research practical for teachers while helping them build on their strengths. Spence Rogers is the co-author of three best selling books that are highly praised by both classroom teachers and experts in the field for their practicality and adherence to research and best-known practices. He is also a featured consultant with the National School Conference Institutes' Satellite Staff Development Telecasts in the area of Increasing Motivation, Learning and Performance Quality.
2. Pudewa Writing Workshops: Structure and Style Writing Program. This set of workshops and institutes trains teachers and parents in specific techniques they can employ to support the use of the Six Trait Analytical Writing Assessment Model. One of the primary goals of the Structure and Style approach is the focus of writing in all content areas, not as a subject itself. Specific techniques are provided to teachers and parents to help students in both the structural aspects of writing and the stylistics techniques. Andrew Pudewa of the Institute for Excellence in Writing provided this training.
3. Kagan Workshops: The schools have focused on elements found necessary to school success through a series of training events provided through Kagan Cooperative Learning and Kagan’s Multiple Intelligence Company. A district team attended the Kagan Multiple Intelligence training in June 1999; they act as resources and provide training to other staff members. Some possible choices for further Kagan training topics are Cooperative Learning, Creating the Cooperative School, Higher Level Thinking Strategies and Manipulative, Peer Coaching for Teachers, Cooperative Learning in the Primary Classroom, Team building and Class building, and Cooperative Learning Across the Curriculum.
During the five years of this proposed plan, the Galena City Schools will continue to build on the base of its current investment in staff skills by:
· Galena will continue to work with the Peak Learning Institute team. This summer 20 staff and administration members will attend a weeklong summer institute. Several staff members have been chosen to become coaches and will then be responsible for teacher tutoring and in-service training. The district strategy is to train exemplary staff members to become expert teachers who then can train and support their new and continued staff members. The process of becoming an expert teacher takes several years of continued dedication and committement. Galena City School District will support our staff through incentive pay, time off for training, and celebration of school successes.
· In addition, in an effort to improve student achievement, the Galena City School District and the Galena Education Association have developed an Incentive Award Program. This program offers certificated teachers the opportunity to earn an award of up to 5% of their yearly salary by implementing projects that will improve the education of the students in the district. Proposals may be submitted either by individual teachers or by groups of teachers. These proposals must be in areas intended to improve student achievement and implement an innovative program or other area of merit. This program is intended to increase staff knowledge and skills by offering incentives for them to design and develop new programs.
The funding sources that the district has used to support its Staff Development program to date include:
Goals 2000 grants
Title II
Title II Reading
School Excellence Standards
Goal and Strategies for Improving Governance and Management
The district school board is committed to the district goal “That all students are afforded the opportunity to be successful on the exit exam.” The district policies reflect emphasis on attendance and increased graduation requirements. The district school board understands that the policies they make now and in the future are the backbone for student achievement. The school board is committed to enforcement of policy without exception.
The district improvement plan has been communicated to all three schools via parent advisory committee meetings and school board retreats. All schools are aware of the district plan and are expected to use the plan as a sketch board to improve all programs.
The plan will be evaluated annually through parent advisory committee meetings and school board retreats. All aspects of the plan will be evaluated and all revisions will be made at the end of each school year. An addition to the Report to the Public will include Improvement Plan progression.
Fair Opportunity to Learn
Since the goal of the Galena City Schools is that that all students will succeed in their education and work, shape worthwhile and satisfying lives for themselves, exemplify the best values of society, and be effective in improving the character and quality of the world about them, it is imperative that all our students are afforded the opportunities they need both individually and as a group to learn the skills necessary to meet this goal. Doing so in a district with as diverse programs as the three schools we operate, means that we must have a wide variety of options for students to enable them to learn the skills expected and mandated by the State.
The student population of the three sites includes the following special and historically underserved populations:
1. Galena City Schools: primarily Athabaskan students.
2. Project Education Residential School: Alaska Native students from a wide variety of tribes and cultures from across the state.
3. IDEA: home-school students from across the state.
To serve these students and ensure that their educational, cultural, and social needs are being met, the district currently employs the following programs:
1. 21st Century Community Learning Center: Provides after-school, weekend, and summer academic and recreational programs to Galena City Schools children and Project Education Residential School children.
2. GOLD: A project to design and deliver online and CD-ROM based resources to assist students in learning standards-based skills in mathematics and language arts. The strategies used in these resources are based on learning theory and are intended to assist students most in need. This program will be especially helpful for IDEA students and their families for study at home, but will also help in developing individual skills in PERS and GSC students.
3. Vocational programs: In FY 2001 PERS staff achieved the primary goal of redefining the program as a state-of-the-arts vocational program with a strong academic core. Three vocational programs: Aviation, Cosmetology, and Automotive now offer articulated certification with post-secondary training and are fully aligned with industry standards. Goals for next year are ambitious and plans are already underway to meet them. The Galena School District will offer a full post-secondary program on site in Galena. Funding has been secured for the Galena Adult Vocational Facility to provide courses to adults in the region. All PERS vocational education classes will be fully articulated with the adult services. This means that students enrolled in PERS can achieve a high school diploma while taking vocational education courses which are accepted for college credit and which count toward the achievement of vocational certification in the industry.
4. Resiliency program: Alaska Native students attending boarding high schools and universities and other on-site training facilities often come to the campus exhibiting a number of risk behaviors and are too often not successful in making the transition from rural village life to an educational residential environment. Attrition rates among the Alaska Native students are high; some years 30%-50% of these students leave the school and return to their home villages Project Education Residential School will be participating in a federally funded project intended to mitigate these problems. The objectives of this project will enable the residential school to create more healthy environments for Alaska Native students based on research. We expect that in turn, the students living in these settings will become more attached to the school and have the values and skills necessary to succeed in school, project a positive future for themselves, and overcome the lack of attachment that comes from being away from their home community. In addition, by developing a higher number of protective factors in these students, the research shows that fewer incidents of alcohol and drug use, school absenteeism, violence and other behavioral problems, inappropriate sexual behavior, and depression and suicide will occur.
Over the next five years, we will continue these strategies and will expand to include other opportunities that will ensure that all our students have the opportunities that they need to become successful.
Culturally Responsive
Galena City Schools must reflect, honor, and work with the cultures of the students enrolled. We deliver programs that support the schools as a part of the culture of the community including:
· Indian education programs
· Koyukon studies
· Iditarod project
We intend to continue these programs as well as look for additional ways to strengthen our relationships with the culture of our community. Over the next five years, we intend to implement strategies that include:
1. Increasing communication with the Alaska Native organizations and groups in the community and exploration of a common calendar to eliminate conflicts with community cultural organization.
2. Working with local cultural groups to identify and implement programs such as "adopt a grandparent" or others that will promote cultural responsiveness.
3. Create a community web page to avoid conflicts between local organizations.
4. Utilize 21st century money to create Native Arts special events – bring in recognized native expert artists.
5. Create Alaska Native Resource Kits for IDEA families.
6. Teacher in-service training will include Cultural Sensitivity. The Cultural Sensitivity committee presentation will be formed and conducted by community members.
7. Galena City School District will utilize in-service days throughout the year to address local needs such as depression, suicide prevention, grief counseling, and working with traumatized children.
8. Galena City School District will work with local agencies to address community-wide needs for suicide prevention, grief counseling, and working with traumatized children.
9. Galena City School District recognizes our diversity and accepts it as our greatest strength. We will continue to help every individual (adult, child, native, nonnative) to reach their personal potential without losing their individuality.
School Environment
The Galena City School District has developed a crisis plan which is on file with the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. It can also be accessed on the Galena City Schools website: http://209.124.159.11/GCS/Administration/admin.html
Since Galena City Schools only operates three on-site schools serving a total of about 300 students, (the other being a cyber-school), the crisis plan is a plan that includes building-level as well as district-level plans. Schools will use this plan and will review and revise the plan as needed to meet the needs of the site and students it serves.
Discipline and safety expectations are communicated to parents and the community in the Student Handbook, which is made available to students and their parents and is also available on the Galena City Schools, website: http://209.124.159.11/GCS/Administration/admin.html
Included in the GSC Crisis Plan is detailed information on the process for submission of detailed accounts of disruptive or violent behavior by students.
Family, School, Business, and Community Network
Family Involvement
Family involvement is important to the success of our students. Again, since the three school programs that we operate are significantly different in the levels of family involvement, we must design and deliver family involvement strategies at the school level.
Galena City Schools is the most traditional in terms of family involvement issues. The two city schools (elementary and middle/high school) serve families within the community of Galena. A majority of the families served are Athabaskan and the family involvement strategies recognize and build on the cultural values of the families in the community. Currently, the programs that support family involvement in the city schools include:
· Indian Education Home-School Coordinator
· 21st Century Community Learning Center grant
· Powerschool
· Parent Advisory Committee
During the development of this plan, the planning team indicated that one of the strengths of the school district has been in the area of parent communications and recognition of achievement. We want to build on that success and will continue to utilize those programs to implement the following strategies over the next five years:
1. Increase the communication between home and school using Powerschool and the district's website.
2. Provide workshops and training to parents in areas of concern such as grief management, discipline, etc.
3. Increase the ways that parents can become involved in the school through the use of the Parent Advisory Committee addressing the issues of lack of volunteers in the school.
4. Continued cooperation with local and regional agencies.
The Galena City Schools PAC will annually review the strategies that are employed by the city schools and will revise or add to the strategies as necessary
Project Education Residential School (PERS) serves students in grades 9-12 in a residential setting. Since these students are away from their home communities and their families, there are additional issues involved in family involvement and communications issues are at the heart of any strategies that must be employed. In addition, the dormitory staff takes on many of the roles that families generally must deal with--homework, discipline, behavior, and other issues. The district is currently using the following programs to support the issues at the PERS site:
· 21st Century Community Learning Center grant--providing recreational and homework assistance after school hours.
· Resiliency project, which will focus on building protective factors in the residential students.
· Powerschool.
Currently, PERS students have been involved in community service projects in Galena where they assist elderly residents in home repair or other projects. This has been beneficial in helping the PERS students make connections with adults in the area. Over the next five years, this school will employ the following strategies to increase the family involvement of these students:
1. Utilize multiple avenues of communication between the school and the families of the students including electronic (websites, email), phone, and written communications. The PERS website should include information for parents.
2. Develop new avenues for parent and family involvement for PERS students.
3. Design and implement additional community projects and connections that promote connections of PERS students to the Galena community.
4. Continued cooperation with local and regional agencies.
PERS parents will be surveyed each year to determine what communications and support services are helpful, what services they use, and for ideas on how those services can be improved. PERS has a regional advisory board which meets quarterly to evaluate and discuss the programs offered at that campus. The advisory board will continue to review efforts to involve parents and make recommendations for change.
The IDEA program serves approximately 3000 students whose parents have chosen to educate their students at home. Family involvement in these students' education is inherent in this schooling option and it is required that one parent stay at home to educate the children in order for these students to participate in this educational option. Families are currently supported in their efforts through regional centers that offer resources and contact teachers for guidance and assistance in their home schooling endeavors. Over the next five years, the district will employ the following strategies for assisting these families in providing the highest quality education to their children:
1. Increase the use of telecommunications to support and connect IDEA families with each other and with the contact teachers.
2. Provide assistance in the form of mentoring and other means to families that are new to home schooling to increase their success.
3. Provide training to home school parents in content, instructional methodologies, and instructional strategies.
4. Provide additional resources and support to home school families that will assist in ensuring that their students are acquiring the skills necessary to pass the high school qualifying exam.
The IDEA PAC will review strategies yearly to determine which are the most beneficial and to revise the strategies and add to them if necessary.
Cooperation and Collaboration with Agencies
The Galena City School district is committed to collaboration with other agencies to ensure that all students' physical, emotional, and social needs are being met. Students in Galena City Schools and PERS face a number of social issues that tend to inhibit their learning. Those factors include:
· Community isolation.
· Alcohol and drug use, a high percentage of children with fetal alcohol syndrome and effects.
· High numbers of single parent households.
· High incidence of child abuse and neglect.
· Poor nutrition.
· A single law enforcement officer for the community.
· Lack of parenting skills.
· Poverty.
In order to address these problems, the Galena City School District has partnered with all the community agencies that deal with those issues including:
· Louden Tribal Council: Coordination of teen services, child care, cultural events, providing elders for cultural activities, recognition dinners, environmental education information, and staff.
· City of Galena: Police services, mental health services, health clinic, and recreational facilities (swimming pool/recreation center).
In the past, the district participated with these entities to implement a team approach to addressing student needs. That