PRI’s Lee, Menifee, Powell, and Wolfe (LMPW) project serves school communities in four rural districts covering large counties in which there are perceived or real lines between the students who live in town and those who live in the remotest, least population dense communities. While the schools served by the LMPW FSCS grant are some of the most economically disadvantaged in Kentucky, and the nation, community members have a deep passion for reaching and supporting their students to the greatest extent possible. They see great potential in the work of the grant, and school coordinators, to help them in that quest. 

The school coordinators play a vital role in the success of the grant. LMPW hired school coordinators quickly after the grant was awarded, which allowed for early training and a seamless launch into the school year. These school coordinators have formed a cohesive team over the last two years, and schools value the coordinators as a new and important player to support increased resources and opportunities for students and families. School coordinators have also helped to create a bridge between schools and community partners. Now with the FSCS grant, school coordinators note that these various community stakeholders are not as siloed and that the grant has helped to “bring everybody together to one central location.”

The FSCS LMPW grant continues to focus many of its activities on needs identified by community stakeholders such as career awareness experiences that align with students’ interests, access to high quality academic support programs and enrichment, as well as increased support and activities for students and families provided at the school.

One way in which the FSCS grant has increased opportunities for schools to expand career awareness experiences for students is through partnership with school CTE programs. CTE programs in LMPW provide students with opportunities in welding, horticulture, and visits to local trade schools, including a nationally recognized horseshoeing school. The FSCS grant supports the CTE programs in purchasing high quality instructional materials and resources such as drones to enhance their curriculum. In addition, the project enabled the development of internships for students at the school district. In rural communities, schools are major employers. These opportunities provide students with practical skills that introduce them to career paths that may have not previously considered. Because the opportunities are now available within the district, previous access and transportation challenges have also been significantly reduced.  

The FSCS project has ensured there are investments in each of the four pillars within schools. Of particular note are the high quality instructional resources and enriched learning opportunities that were added. The project has enabled new curricula and tools to promote literacy to be introduced. School leadership noted that their reading proficiency scores (on state standardized tests) have increased substantially through expanded literacy resources such as i-Ready, an online program that helps teachers personalize their lessons to the needs of each student, and CKLA, a highly-qualified instructional resource for reading, which would not have been possible without the support of the FSCS grant.

Schools in LMPW continue to make significant efforts to reengage families and students in the school community through new activities such as family events, student programs, and field trips. Many of these opportunities, which were previously out of reach, are now made possible through the coordination and partnerships of the FSCS project. Now, school coordinators are empowering schools to host programs and activities to create meaningful experiences for students and their families who may have previously been disengaged in the school experience. Additionally, schools have noted that these efforts have also had a positive impact on school culture and contributed to higher rates of attendance.

School coordinators continue to collaborate and share programming ideas with one another, which ensures students are exposed to similar opportunities across the schools that are being served by the grant. School coordinators and school staff also report an uptick in families’ interest in the community as they have been offered more opportunities to engage with the school. Families are now able to see that school coordinators and leadership are working to make the school “more family oriented and more community oriented” and therefore have grown increasingly interested in volunteering.