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Health & Fitness

COMMUNITY LISTENING FORUM MONDAY!!!

Monday's District Improvement Committee LISTENING FORUM is going to inform the direction of the Windsor School System.

Please join the conversation to help support a comprehensive plan for achieving our district and school goals... we can NOT do it without you!!

Monday, December 9, 2013
7:00PM
Board Room, LP Wilson
599 Matianuck Avenue, Windsor

Consider the following research that supports community involvement and ownership:

When carrying out a community-based strategy for impacting the outcomes of our children, there is a need for community members to be included in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programming.  This will ensure that the community is empowered to "own" the program and sustain the initiative over time.  Edwards, et al., describe this as collaboration and cooperation (2000).

Collaboration can be understood as the process through which individuals, groups, and organizations work together to achieve desired outcomes for the target population and/or community they serve. (Collaboration Framework - Addressing Community Capacity: the national Network for Collaboration http:/crs.uvm.edu/nnco/collab/framework.html). In our district, collaboration is based on the shared vision to develop the genius in every child and to create life-long learners. 

I believe that our vision can be realized through the development of an interdependent system that contributes to the achievement of the goals outlined by the district and the respective schools. An interdependent system, connected through a collaborative process of community investment, is established through active community involvement versus strict community input (Foster-Fishman, et al., 2001; Harper, et al., 2004).

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Although community input is critical in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of community based initiatives, research supports stakeholder involvement as being an essential component in carrying out community based strategies.  This was demonstrated in the results of Chilenski, et al. (2007), which indicated that greater community involvement, which can be understood as active participation in community initiatives, is a predictor of stronger attachment, feelings of initiative, and overall efficacy.  When each of these areas are increased there is an overall strengthening of community readiness and stronger outcomes were observed. 

In summary, please get involved.  We need your help!
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