It Takes A VILLA
Cherokee County
School District’s VILLA
parent academy program
offers parents the opportunity
to become more
engaged in their community’s
schools.
Developed in 2017 in
collaboration with the
Georgia School Boards
Association, VILLA (Volunteer
Instructional Leadership
Learning Academy)
offers parents the opportunity
to learn more about
their school district and its
operations and how they
can be more involved in its
future success. CCSD’s
program has earned state
recognition, including the
Leading Edge Award for
innovative practices, and is
used as a model for parent
academies statewide.
An application process
is used to ensure that
classes are inclusive,
diverse, and include representation
from all of the
School District’s “Innovation
Zones” (a high school
and its feeder middle and
elementary schools), as
well as parents of students
16 CLASS ACT | 2022-2023
at different points in their
education. While the
primary participants are
parents, community members
who volunteer in
CCSD schools also have
been included in each class.
The application process
timeline for this school year
will be announced in
August on the CCSD website
and social media and in
the CCSD Connections
parent e-newsletter.
“This program changes
the trajectory of parent
involvement in an extraordinary
way,” a VILLA
graduate shared. “The
VILLA program demystifies
public education. By
welcoming parents and
community members
behind the scenes in a
small group format, a tone
is set for mutual respect
and idea sharing. It is a
setting highly conducive to
relationship-building and
growth. The program
fosters an invaluable
perspective shift with
regards to participants and
their role within the district.
While participants
might begin the program
from the perspective of
‘consumer’ or perhaps
‘observer’ in their relationship
with the district, they
graduate the program with
roles that sound a lot more
like ‘partner’ or even
‘influencer’ within the
district.”
During the first four
classroom sessions, participants
learn from School
Board members and Superintendent
of Schools Dr.
Brian V. Hightower and his
senior staff about CCSD’s
governance model, the role
of School Board members,
the School Board’s priorities,
and CCSD day-to-day
operations. Every aspect of
operations is covered: from
budgeting to employee
recruitment to standards
for teaching and learning.
The content is refined each
year based on an anonymous
post-graduation
survey of participants.
Three of these initial
sessions are held in CCSD’s
administration building,
and one is held in CCSD’s
technology center.
These first four sessions
all include dedicated time
for questions in addition to
the ability, due to the small
size of classes and openness
of School Board
members and the Superintendent
and staff, to have
ongoing conversations
throughout. Every meeting
includes a light dinner, provided
by Credit Union of
Georgia, a CCSD Partner.
For the fifth session, the
class takes a “field trip” to
an elementary, middle and
high school, where participants
see the operations in
a new light given their
newly gained insights. For
lunch, it’s a buffet of choices
from CCSD’s school
cafeteria menus, served up
by the executive director of
school nutrition, who then
participates in a Q&A
session with the class.
The final session includes
not only the last
lessons, but also a celebratory
dinner, provided by
Credit Union of Georgia,
and a graduation ceremony.
The ceremony is
conducted at a School
Board meeting, so participants
can, again, see the
proceedings in a new more
informed light.
In addition to being
considered for Superintendent’s
ad hoc committee
roles, VILLA graduates use
their newly gained knowledge
to help fellow parents
and community members
better understand what
happens in their school;
how they can help their
child, their child’s teachers
and their child’s school
succeed; and how they, too,
can help improve the
culture of their school and
school district.
VILLA participants get an up-close look at operations of the School
District-- which includes riding a school bus for a day.