Short Term Action

• Find ways to increase parental involvement in children’s education
• Increase Partners In Education membership and participation
• Research effective parent-school involvement efforts and implement new strategies to engage parents in Columbia County
• Find ways to effectively engage and support families and children who are at-risk for educational failure due to issues of poverty, family illiteracy, learning difficulties, and other social problems
• Help families whose children need after-school tutoring programs to overcome the barriers to attendance
• Tutoring is available at schools, Boys & Girls Club, SWADDC, Adult Education Center, and other locations in the county, but not all children who need it are able to attend due to transportation and other obstacles
• Encourage participation in Magnolia Unlimited’s incentive program for GED graduation

Medium Term Action

• Expand participation in the Southwest Arkansas Writing Contest in grades K-12
• Support efforts to build technical and vocational training opportunities for youth to build work skills for higher paying jobs
• WAGE program
• SAU-Tech and public high school collaborations
• Youth Apprenticeship for Allied Health Care
• Support efforts to reward and encourage academic excellence in public and private school settings

Long Term Action

• Begin research and planning to improve literacy and reading skills for citizens of all ages
• Action Idea – ReadShare program to recycle books and magazines through the community with accessible locations where individuals can donate books and magazines and anyone can pick up a recycled book or magazine for free.
• Begin research and planning to develop alternative learning services for students who are at risk for school failure due to serious emotional and behavioral disturbances
• Support training program development at Magnolia Business Park
• Form internships for Columbia County students in local businesses to promote job availability and furthering education