LaRue County Schools Gears Up for Community Involvement During the New Year

LaRue County Schools is excited to start 2023 by building its Profile of a LaRue County Learner program. This program invites community members to help determine what knowledge, skills and dispositions are needed for students to succeed — both in and out of the classroom.

The district is hosting several sessions in mid-to-late January, giving the community multiple opportunities to stop by and weigh in on the conversation. Everyone from parents, students, staff, businesses, industry, government, and more are invited.

The school district hopes that by developing a common purpose, the community would benefit even further from the bright minds in its schools.

LaRue County Schools Assistant Superintendent for Student Achievement Amanda Reed explained more about why this program needs to hear from the community.

“The Profile of a LaRue County Learner should reflect what this community views as most critical for the success of our students, our future citizens,” she said. “A broad voice is needed to make sure we are hearing from every corner of the community, every perspective, every voice.

“This is not about what any one person or one group thinks is best. It’s about coming together as a community to help prepare LaRue County’s children to become successful citizens.”

The Power of Community Investment

Why should communities get involved in students’ education? Data shows that schools with active community engagement perform better. A policy brief from the National Education Association (NEA) found that “when schools, parents, families, and communities work together to support learning, students tend to earn higher grades, attend school more regularly, stay in school longer, and enroll in higher level programs.”

Community involvement can also help foster a sense of civic responsibility. Feeling like the public cares about student education encourages students to give back to a community that invested in them.

Maintaining LaRue County’s Exceptional Performance

The school district has performed very well in the state’s school accountability system. Students, staff and families have continually put in work to achieve high marks by state standards.

While Kentucky’s assessments are challenging for academic standards, the LaRue County School district wants to broaden success to include more than academics. Exploring how to include these other attributes is a key goal of the Profile of a Learner program.

Reed said the district has high hopes for where this program continues long term. Once the district develops the Profile of a LaRue County Learner, they’ll break it down into what each attribute looks like in elementary, middle and high school students. This includes answering questions like:

What would need to take place at each grade level for all students to develop the capabilities identified in the Profile?

How will we know if a student has achieved it?

How can we communicate student progress with students, families, and the community?