Charles Terrett

Charles Terrett, superintendent of Fulton County Schools in Hickman, Kentucky, describes how representatives from schools and various service agencies meet for planning and collaborating of integrated services. Excerpted from the video series Schools That Work: The Research Advantage, videoconference #8, Integrating Community Services (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1992).

"You have a monthly meeting, which is a general information meeting where all the agencies come. We have visitors in, sometimes fifteen-twenty people there now. Only representatives involved come to the case conference, and when they come out of that case conference, the decision's been made, well this is the problem that the schools bring forth perceived problem, and then the different agencies brainstorm as to how they can meet the needs to resolve that problem. When they go out, health departments are going to do this, Social services is going to do this, Social interest is going to do this, the job program is going to help dad get a job, all those types of things, and it's really great to sit down 'cause all of a sudden we're in a little remote county like Fulton County. We had a bundle of resources that had been here all the time and we didn't know it and we found out they were there, and more importantly, we found out how to use them."

This Critical Issue summary was written by Robin Fleming and Stephanie Lubin, program specialists with the Center for School and Community Development at North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.

Date posted: 1998