News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County Schools training on a new District Guiding Coalition to achieve increased social and academic enrichment for students.
Secondary Instructional Supervisor Bubba Winningham said the coalition has 33 members including Director of Schools Corby King and the principals of all district schools. Winningham said the coalition is result-oriented, pursuing measurable enhancement of student and teacher experience.
“Anything we do, we want to make sure it’s grounded in what’s best for the student, so we remind ourselves of that,” Winningham said. “But that’s where we want to see the rubber meet the road, in what’s best for our students and what we’re doing to make a positive impact.”
Winningham said the program teaches educators how to collaborate district-wide to garner tangible evidence that students and teachers are in a position to maximize their potential. Winningham said the coalition meets monthly throughout the school year.
“Our schools have their own leadership teams and guiding coalition teams, so some of the things that we are talking about as a district are coming from their guiding coalition teams and vice versa,” Winningham said. “Some of the things that we’re talking about as a district, they’re taking back to their guiding coalition teams within the school.”
Winningham said the district wants to more closely align school schedules so that all students have the same opportunities. He said lately, they have been focused on district-wide equity.
“Things that we look at from a district point of view, and things that we look at from a school point of view, we want to make sure we’re aligned,” Winningham said. “This leadership team helps us in that alignment process to make sure that we’re doing what’s best for our students and that we’re doing what’s best for our teachers and our schools.”
The coalition went through the Professional Learning Communities training process last summer.
