By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS – It’s typically school officials and board members who do the brainstorming about how to drive student success.
But the Kannapolis City school district is taking a different approach this year by asking parents and community members for feedback.
The school system will host an event called Kitchen Table Forums from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Bethel Baptist Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church and Kannapolis Middle School.
“We think it’s extremely important for schools to go into the community instead of always asking people to come to us,” Superintendent Dr. Pam Cain said. “We’ve designed these forums to be as convenient as possible so people can share their ideas.
“We understand that families know more about their children than anyone else, and these forums will give us a chance to tap into that special knowledge.”
Cain said the forums will focus on how to increase family involvement and help students make smoother transitions between schools and grade levels.
“It’s a big research fact that students achieve higher gains always when family is involved,” she said.
Research also indicates when students move from school to school there is often an achievement dip, Cain said.
Cain said officials want to make sure that doesn’t happen. “We are always focused on student success and achievement,” she said
The school system is also open to hearing about other points of interest outside the two main topics.
“Mostly, we went people to know that we will listen to them,” district Spokeswoman Ellen Boyd said.
Trained volunteer facilitators will lead discussions of groups with no more than 10 people.
“It’s not going to be a big group session,” Boyd said. “We want to have small groups where people can talk to each other and be heard. We want people to feel comfortable.”
Half the tables at St. Joseph’s will feature Spanish-speaking facilitators to communicate with the Hispanic population.
Cain said the district could have gathered input through social media sites or online surveys, but she wanted to take a more personal approach.
“There is nothing like sitting around a kitchen table looking at each other and having a conversation,” she said.
Boyd said the district wanted to take the event out into the community so that people wouldn’t have to go out of their way to participate.
“The three locations are spread out in different parts of the community to make these forums as easy as possible to attend,” she said.
The churches also act as a safe haven for those who might be wary of taking part in a school function.
“We wanted to go where people feel comfortable,” she said. “Sometimes if people didn’t have a good experience themselves in school they are intimidated by that setting.”
Cain said the district has spent the past year planning the event with the idea for the forums came from school board members who had seen another district conduct them.
“These are longtime serving board members who know the community and are very interested in how the community feels,” she said.
Cain, board members and the district’s administrators will attend the forums Thursday.
The feedback will be compiled and shared during the board’s October meeting. It will also be posted on the school system’s website and shared with principals.
Food will be available during the event and the doors will open at 5:45 p.m.
Cain said she’s excited and ready to host the forums.
“We hope people will come out to share their ideas and help us provide an even better education for their children,” she said. “Our hope is that the forums will generate great ideas that we can use right away.”
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.
Twitter: twitter.com/posteducation
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Who: Parents, community members
What: Kitchen Table Forums
When: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Bethel Baptist Church, 1209 Opal St.; St. Joseph Catholic Church, 108 St. Joseph St.; Kannapolis Middle School, 1445 Oakwood Ave.
Why: Provide input about the Kannapaolis City school system
RSVP: No RSVP is required, but those who are on Facebook are encouraged to “like” the Kannapolis City Schools’ page and accept the invitation to attend the event