Sucess Stories

Let’s Do Lunch!

by Sue Barker
Northeast Texas Community College, Mt. Pleasan

Once a month, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, approximately six to eight key Mt. Pleasant Independent School District (MPISD) Even Start personnel and Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC) Adult Education Department personnel have lunch together. Reservations are made (even in Mt. Pleasant) and email reminders with agendas are sent by the MPISD Even Start Director. Agendas are sent to participating personnel before the meeting for review and to allow anyone to add to the agenda items for discussion. Getting together for lunch has been found to be the best and most productive place for the meeting of the minds to stay abreast of recent program activities, evaluation and future program planning. Staff arrive with their appetites, calendars and any other pertinent information in hand.

To document for program evaluation, an agenda is passed for attendees to initial, proving their attendance. After lunch orders are placed, the Even Start Program Director begins the meeting.

Typical agenda items include the following:

1. Participants for Even Start: number of families, active, dropped, new parents that participated in New Student Orientation; verifying and cross referencing names for accuracy in TESPIRS and in TEAMS and waiting lists.
2. Curriculum: the need for lesson plans in case of teacher absences; parenting; Adult Education alignment with the new Texas Content Standards and Benchmarks; summer curriculum; results of input from student survey regarding curriculum and Project-Based Learning activities.
3. Calendar: the school district calendar vs. the community college calendar; 12-hour New Student Orientation; conferences/workshops; staff development; Thinkfinity Literacy Network; night class and day class schedules; computer lab schedule; GED graduation; Even Start/Adult Education Recognition events; TETN grant trainings; summer school hours; progress assessments and last day of class.
4. Questions and Concerns: available grant applications; sharing of local program, district and area statistics; need surveys; staffing for next year; letters of collaboration; book fair and visit by external evaluators.

Formal minutes are not kept. However, notes are made on calendars and penciled in on agendas. Meetings are kept casual and all participants look forward to being together and discussing their common bond, the education of those in need.

The most recent collaborative activity shared between the two partners has been two Even Start Parent Needs Assessment Surveys; one for Summer School Opportunities and one for Experiences This Past Year (2007-2008). Results were provided directly to the adult education department.

The top classes chosen for summer school in preference order were:

1. A+ Computer Program
2. Basic Computer Skills (Keyboarding and Word Documents)
3. Grammar and Vocabulary
4. Math
5. Creating a Book for Your Child

The number one favorite experience for the parents was English/how to speak better English/vocabulary.

Goals set by parents for summer 2008 include:

1. Take my child/children to the park
2. Read to my child/children every day
3. Attend day classes
4. Read daily

These goals were created to encourage parents to plan ahead in regard to their education and their parent involvement, and also to plan ahead for their children’s education, because, historically, participation numbers have been down in summer months.

Before leaving the restaurant, next month’s meeting date is set. Staff members pay for their own lunches. This lunch time meeting is an example of the MPISD Even Start and NTCC Adult Education Department’s successful collaboration. The idea is to keep all of the players informed; no surprises! The programs never fail to have a number of activities and action items to discuss each month. Each partner supports and respects the other’s program. The partners participate in each other’s events. Both are providers of educational services and are stakeholders.

The lunch meetings have worked well for these two educational partners. Everyone must eat lunch. Other programs might try it. And, don’t worry if your agenda has a catsup stain, just read around it and see what’s next!

About the Author

After teaching first grade for 13 years, Sue Barker began work for Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC). In 1987, through NTCC and a Title 6 grant, she established The Franklin County Library Literacy Program in her hometown of Mt. Vernon, Texas. Today, Sue serves as Director of Adult Education at NTCC. Recently, she has worked with the East Region Project GREAT Center providing Literacy and Reading training for teachers. Sue and her husband, Ronny, live in Mt. Vernon, Texas. They have a daughter, Dr. Karen McClard of Dallas, and a son, Cole, of Georgetown, Colorado. Their grandson Hayden, age 3, is Sue’s current Family Literacy participant, reading together, side by side with Grandmother, better known as Gigee.