It is the CAC’s mission to represent
the Unit 5 community by fostering district-wide dialogue
and examining topics of interest.
Citizens Advisory Council Information Sharing
Project Summary
As a liaison between the Unit 5 community and Board of
Education, the Citizens Advisory Council has consistently
recognized the importance of active and effective communication.
It is critical that information pertaining to CAC initiatives is
shared with the community and that opportunities are provided
for the CAC to receive information from the community. Members
of the Citizens Advisory Council Information Sharing committee
will work to formalize information sharing processes that
encourage open communication to and from the CAC.
Critical components of this study topic include:
Researching and assessing effective methods of information
sharing, with consideration of the management of both incoming
and outgoing information
Identifying CAC information that is of greatest need/interest to
the community
Creating a system by which school and community issues may be
shared with the CAC
Testing proposed information sharing methods and establishing
processes by which the relative success of these ventures may be
evaluated
Authoring a formal report that includes recommendations of “best
practices” for future CAC information sharing initiatives
Continuing to Map the District’s Future: Unit 5 2025
Project Summary
The March 2006 Unit 5 2025 report effectively identified
numerous topics that warrant additional consideration in the
scope of the district’s long-term visioning process. As the
second stage of this multi-year CAC study topic, the Continuing
to Map the District’s Future: Unit 5 2025 committee will study
identified areas of interest while maintaining its focus upon
the need to proactively plan for the future academic, facility,
and community-based needs of the district.
Critical components of this study topic include:
Reviewing the content of the March 2006 Unit 5 2025 CAC report
Building upon existing data by conducting in-depth research
pertaining to the following topics of long-term district
interest:
Optimal locations for future elementary, middle, and high
schools
Appropriate budgeting/cost saving measures in the Operations and
Maintenance Fund (including the potential use of alternative
fuels)
Innovative business curricula (as described in the March 2006
Unit 5 2025 report)
Potential development of community schools that offer services
outside of the traditional educational arena and beyond the
hours of a typical school day
Identifying additional, previously unexplored topics that
warrant consideration in the scope of long-range district
planning
Including recommendations pertaining to the social, fiscal, and
logistical feasibility of the aforementioned topics in a formal
report
Exploring the Early Learning Center Concept
Project Summary
In an effort to provide centralized services for
Pre-Kindergarten/At Risk and Early Childhood Education students,
a number of school districts have embraced the early learning
center concept. By studying both the efficiencies and challenges
that may be created by educating the district’s youngest
students at a single location, the members of the Exploring the
Early Learning Center Concept committee will help to gauge the
feasibility of pursuing this alternative educational structure
in Unit 5.
Critical components of this study topic include:
Studying the content of the CAC’s February 2002 Creating Early
Childhood Learning Opportunities report
Gathering information pertaining to early learning centers that
includes, but is not limited to:
Potential/suggested physical and academic structures of early
learning centers
The relative success (citing both research-based and anecdotal
evidence) of existing early learning center programs
The correspondence between early learning center “best
practices” and existing district facilities and resources
Assessing the impact of the creation of early learning centers
upon student transportation, available classroom space, and
families served
Exploring the benefits and pitfalls of the early learning center
concept
Developing a formal report that includes recommendations
pertaining to the district’s future consideration of the early
learning center concept.
Alternative Educational Structures In-Depth: Year-Round
Education
Project Summary
In its March 2006 CAC report, the Alternative Educational
Structures committee identified year-round education as a topic
in need of additional, detailed study. Often noted as a means of
enhancing student performance and maximizing instructional time
and space, year-round education requires a significant
adjustment to the traditional academic calendar. Members of the
Alternative Educational Structures In-Depth: Year-Round
Education committee will advance existing CAC studies by
providing a research-driven analysis of the potential
implementation of year-round education in the Unit 5 community.
Critical components of this study topic include:
Examining the foundational year-round education research
provided in the CAC’s March 2006 Alternative Educational
Structures report
Utilizing Alternative Educational Structures data and
recommendations to guide further consideration of the following
topics:
The extent to which identified advantages and disadvantages
apply to the Unit 5 community
The ease with which identified policy concerns could feasibly be
addressed by and within the Unit 5 community
Identification of a potentially desirable year-round education
model based upon analysis of multiple factors including academic
and logistical needs
Gathering personal feedback from districts that have implemented
year-round education programs
Acquiring a sense of the Unit 5 community’s desire for and
receptivity to year-round education
Authoring a formal report that includes a justified
recommendation for further pursuit or tabling of the year-round
education concept
Reporting Time Line and Format
All Citizens Advisory Council studies will conclude with the
presentation of reports at the March 21, 2007 general membership
meeting.
A standard reporting format for Citizens Advisory Council
reports is not prescribed or appropriate. Committees are
encouraged to adapt their reports to the topic of study and to
the talents and preferences of the members. However, each report
should include an executive summary, overview of the topic or
subject of study, a presentation of data and resources, and
recommendations for Board of Education consideration. Samples of
a wide variety of reports and formats are available for any
committee to use as reference material.
Due to the potential inter-relationship of study topics, it is
anticipated that communication among the committees may be
necessary and valuable.