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160 Fairforest Way Greenville, SC 29607 Phone: 864-355-6300 Fax: 864-355-6329
South Carolina Department of EducationOffice of Public Information Phone: 803-734-8815 Web: www.myscschools.com 78 schools earn Red Carpet Awards for being family-friendly, having excellent customer service
COLUMBIA – Can you imagine getting a weekly e-mail from your children’s principal with the latest news from the school? Being able to park right in front of the school in a specially marked visitors spot? Being recognized quickly and greeted warmly when you walk in the front door of the school?
Sound like a dream? Not if you’re a parent or visitor in one of South Carolina’s 78 newly named Red Carpet Schools, a three-year-old State Department of Education initiative to recognize schools with family-friendly environments.
“These schools are doing an outstanding job of providing warm and inviting settings,” said State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum. “But they do more than that. Parents and community members are key players in the decision-making process. The schools use good customer service skills and active community partnerships to make themselves better learning environments.”
More than 300 schools applied for the award last fall. Schools prepare written applications that detail their family-friendly philosophies and environments, along with the methods used to self-evaluate those efforts. They also are required to include copies of their schools’ communication plans.
Schools that pass the written application phase are then screened by independent judges who rate how telephone callers and visitors to the school are treated. Judges do not identify themselves during telephone calls or site visits, and site visits are not announced in advance.
This year’s 78 Red Carpet winners join 211 recognized over the past two years. Winning schools receive actual red carpets with the state seal to display in their lobbies, and they maintain their recognition status for a three-year period.
Tenenbaum made the announcement of this year’s recipients at AJ Lewis-Greenview Elementary School in Columbia. The school joins five other Richland District 1 schools as honorees this year – the highest number of new recipients for any district in the state. In addition, two school districts – Lexington/Richland District 5 and Spartanburg District 5 – now have 100 percent of their schools with Red Carpets.
“Schools need to focus their efforts on improving their environments so that parents feel comfortable and know their involvement is critical to students’ academic success,” Tenenbaum said. “Red Carpet Schools make this a priority every day.”
The State Superintendent said the program provides solid feedback to all schools that apply for ways to improve their efforts. “This is more than just a recognition effort. Of this year’s 78 recipients, 50 had applied in a previous year. That shows that they used the feedback from previous applications to make positive changes.”
This year’s recipients include 62 elementary schools, seven middle schools, five high schools, one early childhood center, one vocational center, one alternative school, and one countywide school serving severely disabled students.
“Some folks think this is just something that elementary schools do well, but that’s not the case,” said program coordinator Mary Anne Byrd. “This year, we had applications from a diverse population of schools, and the awards reflect that. Red Carpet status is attainable regardless of the school’s grade structure, the age of the building, geographic location or other physical factors. It’s all about interpersonal skills and relationship-building.”
Members of the South Carolina chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (SC/NSPRA), and staff from the Department of Education, Communities in Schools and current Red Carpet Schools volunteered to take part in the judging process.
“Red Carpet Schools understand the importance of welcoming environments, quick and accurate responses, and active engagement of parents,” said SC/NSPRA President Michelle Foster, whose district has developed its own Customer Service WOW program. “The state-led initiative motivates all schools to continually evaluate and improve how they do business and involve parents.”
In addition to recognition, the Red Carpet Schools program sends weekly electronic customer service tips provided by SC/NSPRA to all interested schools. A live teleconference featuring the principals of four Red Carpet Schools from 2002-03 was broadcast to all schools last fall; it included a question-and-answer period and video tours of award-winning schools.
The Red Carpet Schools initiative was one of only two programs in the nation to receive a Distinguished Single Project Award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) last year. This year, Red Carpet Schools has been featured in NSPRA’s monthly newsletter as well as the monthly newsletter of the National Elementary Principals Association.
Across the state, Red Carpet schools show many examples of family and community-friendly programs: · Draytonville Elementary School (Cherokee County) holds parent meetings every Monday and mails home invitations to its seven award assemblies held throughout the year. · Parents at Lake Carolina Elementary School (Richland District 2) can participate in an evening book study where dessert and supportive discussion help participants improve their parenting skills. · Every certified staff member at Mossy Oaks Elementary School (Beaufort County) makes at least one positive call to a parent every week. · Every classroom at Summit Drive Elementary (Greenville County) has its own week to make the morning announcements over the school intercom. Parents are invited to come hear their students. · Students and parents at Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology (Darlington County) can call teachers’ individual homework hotlines to access information about class assignments and leave messages for the instructors. · A health clinic at McCarthy/Teszler School (Spartanburg District 7) is staffed by two nurses and used regularly by two physicians to provide continual, monitored care for over 200 students.
Schools were judged on a variety of factors, including the exterior and interior appearance of the campus, the way people were treated in person and over the telephone, and the information and programs available for families and visitors. Specific items that judges evaluated on their site visits included:
Outside· Clearly marked visitor parking spaces near the front door. · Well-kept grounds that are free of debris and trash. · Plainly marked entrances, particularly the main entrance door.
Front entrance/lobby· Clean and appealing lobby/front entrance. · “Welcome to our school” signs that clearly direct visitors to the main office. · Attractive, colorful displays of student achievement and school events.
Office· Clean and tidy front office. · Reading material about the school available for visitors. · Welcoming and professionally dressed staff who greet visitors promptly and quickly ask to offer assistance. · Visitor badges available. Telephone· Telephones that are answered promptly (within three rings) and professionally. · Person answering the phone has basic, up-to-date information readily accessible. · Callers are put through to appropriate parties promptly.
Red Carpet School 2003-04 winners are:
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