It takes everyone to make schools succeed

I have often said that public education is best operated on the concept of a Three-Legged Stool. One leg of the proverbial stool is the school itself, and includes the teachers, staff, administrators, and of course, the students. Another leg of that stool is the community at large. The community may not have children in the school, but the successes of the local schools will help drive the success of the community. Finally – and certainly not least – are the parents as the third leg. Parental involvement in the local schools are why local schools exist in the first place. Parents have long since wanted a place to send their children for an education and those desires gave birth to local schools.

Teacher and staff engagement is key as well. Educators want to help each child succeed, and that comes with help from the parents and the community. Our educators are under the stress of unprecedented times and they need the support of the rest of the "stool" to be successful. I am fully aware that we live in some challenging times in education with several issues at the state and national level. However, I believe it is important to always remember that the proverbial three legs of the stool cannot hold the “stool” upright without the other two. It is a collective effort that makes our schools function. I will always take an engaged populace of educators, students, parents, and the community when it comes to keeping the stool upright because engagement moves mountains while disinterest gathers dust.