MUNCIE, Ind. — Since the 2018-2019 school year, Muncie community schools had only 50 students enrolled in pre-k. That number has grown to 246 this school year through a strategic plan with Muncie Community Schools.
For community and family engagement, a Listen and Learn session was held in 2019, just at the brink of COVID-19, causing the sessions to take a pause.
“We heard from our parents that a high-quality preschool was important, they wanted to have engagement into our schools, they wanted to have the best high-quality educators and administrators in the building so, we heard those things and we focused our efforts on improving those things,” Dr. Chuck Reynolds, CEO and Director of Public Education said.
There are five pillars of the plan that focus on many aspects of academics and the experiences of students and their families. These pillars are high-quality pre-k education, recruitment and development of educational leaders, student-centered teaching and active learning, social and emotional learning, and family and community engagement. Chief communications officer Andy Klotz highlighted how the improvement of MCS is greatly impacted by the last pillar.
“Another pillar of our five-year plan is building our family engagement. And that is something we are always looking to do, it's something you can always improve on, no matter what district you’re in. and we want to continue to get feedback and input from the community,” Klotz said.
Dr. Reynolds also mentioned some goals and expectations for MCS, including career development programs that support the transition between high school and students’ desired pathways.
“Whether it's enrollment, meaning they're going to go to some post-secondary institution, whether it is enlistment into a military branch, or right into the workforce. We want to make sure that the high school seniors that graduate are set up for life after MCS,” Dr. Reynolds said.
As the five-year plan is coming to an end, Dr. Reynolds plans to bridge the gap between families and schools through family navigators, surveys and parent committees. MCS will have two more sessions this spring, the upcoming meeting will take place at Southside Middle School on March 20 at 6 p.m..
Contact Kahmara Munn with comments at kahmara.munn@bsu.edu.
