Public education is one of the most fundamental and paramount institutions in our society.  At its root, the public education system in America seeks to provide a quality education for all children regardless of race, gender, or ability and provide those students with the best possible path for future success.  

On a local level, public education school districts across the country provide far more than an education to the children of their communities.  Teachers form bonds with students and families year after year; schools create a communal atmosphere through sports, theater, and community service projects.  For the majority of cities and towns in America, the local school system has an incredible impact on the culture and well-being of a local populace.  In the end, however, the core responsibility of a school system is to educate the students who attend school in that system.

In Haywood County Schools, teachers and district personnel strive to know each student by name, strength, and need.  Through a high-quality and rigorous curriculum, students are given personalized learning instruction and are consistently challenged to continue to grow and learn in each of their subjects.  Supporting this learning on each campus is a team of school-level leaders who reinforce the academic focuses of the district and support teachers as they educate students to learn in ways that are both effective and engaging.  

From our early literacy focus with The Reader/Writer Project at our elementary schools to our multiple pathways to postsecondary success with Advanced Placement course access for all students and multiple Career and Technical Education pathways at Haywood High School, students in HCS have an abundance of opportunities to build a launching point for future successes.  

At each school in Haywood County, students are given benchmark assessments three times a year to help teachers strategize how to best support students on their learning pathways.  Teachers also use high-quality curricula such as LearnZillion, Ready Math, and Bridges in Mathematics to best support student learning.  Teachers and school-level leadership teams dive into the curriculum at each school during their Professional Learning Communities meetings.  During these PLC’s, teachers collaborate using the benchmark data and curriculum to plan the most effective ways to champion academic growth among students.

Instructional Facilitators (IF) on each campus bridge the gap between classroom teachers and building level administration by being both a support for teachers as well as a real-time coach.  IF’s help lead PLC’s, partner with teachers to evaluate student work, and disaggregate data in purposeful ways.   

IF’s are a crucial aspect of the academic vision in HCS.  Over the next few days, we will be spotlighting the IF at each campus and dive into the academic focuses of each school and each grade band.  

Like all public school districts, HCS provides many different methods of support to the students in the district, but the primary role of HCS is to educate students and prepare them for a successful future when they leave the district.  As we continue to show consistent academic growth, we know that the work would not be possible without the strategic alignment of high-quality curriculum, talented teachers, and leadership teams at each school who value the work of the students and educators.