By Lannette Burlingame
Most Americans are very familiar with the often-used African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child." Books have been written on the topic, and parents and educators alike sometimes use it when expressing the need for teamwork in raising a child. While this expression may sometimes be tongue-in-cheek, the importance of the need for community in raising a child really resonates with many.
Most can agree that children need the care and interaction of many people to grow safely and healthily, but how do we foster such interactions as educators while balancing all the requirements designed to happen within the school walls? Is all the time and effort really worth the results?
Let's take a look at how connecting schools and communities can be a "win-win" for our students and our communities alike!
Access to additional resources, real-world learning experiences, stronger social support networks, and increased family and community engagement are key benefits of engaging in community partnerships.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Community Partnerships Student Success Initiative
The TEA recognizes the importance of community partnerships so much that they support the Texas Community Partnerships Student Success Initiative. "The vision of the Community Partnerships initiative is to support significant improvements in educational and developmental outcomes for children and youth who live in struggling communities by providing access to great schools and access to a system of high-quality community, academic, and government resources from birth through college and career." (Texas Community Partnerships Student Success Initiative, 2025)
According to their website, "The Texas Education Agency's (TEA) Student Success Initiative provides Community Partnership grants to local school districts to implement a comprehensive support program that increases the number of students performing on grade level by leveraging academic, community, and governmental supports. The initiative supports schools in creating a continuum of resources to provide wrap-around and holistic services for students and families." (Texas Community Partnerships Student Success Initiative, 2025)
See more pictures of community partnerships.
Chapel Hill Independent School District (CHISD) is one of four Texas districts identified in the current cohort of grant recipients for their comprehensive approach to addressing student needs through collaboration. CHISD Child Nutrition, CHISD Counseling, the CHISD Nursing Team, and the Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) providing the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) partner to ensure students have opportunities for improved academic outcomes by addressing overall well-being.
The "Parent-Powered Literacy Project" is another excellent example of collaboration. This project, designed to enhance parents' capacity to support early literacy in their homes, functions through several partnerships. While Chapel Hill ISD partners with The University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler) in this initiative, the "K-16 Literacy Center," which operates within the UT Tyler School of Education, also provides support.
In addition, CHISD also partners with the East Texas Food Bank to provide training on healthy eating habits, the Tyler Junior Achievement to provide financial literacy lessons, local wellness experts to lead yoga lessons, and local police and fire departments to provide safety education.
Chapel Hill ISD's community partnerships are "designed to have a transformative impact on the district and its families" by empowering parents, fostering engagement, and promoting the well-being of students. (Community Partnerships: Who We Are, 2025)
For more information on this project (and others), visit the Community Partnerships website under the "Who We Are" tab. (Community Partnerships: Who We Are, 2025)
Iron Chef, Job Shadowing, and the ECC
Another recent community partnership occurred as the result of a collaboration between the Region 7 Education Service Center (ESC7), The East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind (ETLB), and Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU). The university partnership included the SFASU School of Human Sciences Culinary Department as well as the SFASU Braille and Cane Club. These organizations collaborated with ESC7 and the ETLB to host "Iron Chef: A Culinary Experience for Students with Visual Impairments" on February 7. This partnership was born out of a desire to give students with visual impairments an opportunity to learn basic kitchen/cooking skills.
See more pictures of Iron Chef at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU).
Alexandra Driver, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI) for Lufkin ISD, explains it in this way. "Students with visual impairments need more support than their peers when it comes to learning independent living skills like cooking. While their classmates may take everyday tasks for granted, these students need specific guidance, tools, and techniques to navigate their world safely and confidently. Direct instruction helps them build the independence they deserve, giving them the skills to live on their own terms and truly thrive."
The need for "direct instruction" Alex describes is the essence of the Expanded Core Curriculum or ECC.
Senate Bill 39 (passed during Texas' 83rd Legislative Session in 2013) made evaluation in all nine areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) a requirement for students identified with visual impairments. Direct instruction in the ECC is required as priority areas are determined by each student's IEP team/ARD committee.
The nine areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum are as follows:
- Compensatory Skills
- Independent Living Skills
- Social Interaction Skills
- Assistive Technology
- Sensory Efficiency
- Orientation and Mobility (O&M)
- Recreation and Leisure
- Self-Determination
- Career Education
According to the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, "The term expanded core curriculum (ECC) is used to define concepts and skills that often require specialized instruction with students who are blind or visually impaired in order to compensate for decreased opportunities to learn incidentally by observing others. In addition to the general education core curriculum that all students are taught, students with visual impairments, starting at birth, also need instruction in the ECC. The ECC areas include (A) needs that result from the visual impairment that enable the student 'to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum; and (B) other educational needs that result from the child's disability' as required by IDEA (34 CFR 300.320 (a)(2)(A)(B)). Texas Education Code (TEC) 30.002(c)(5) and (e)(5) require the flexibility of school districts to make arrangements for services to occur 'beyond regular school hours to ensure the student learns the skills and receives the instruction' in the ECC." (What Is The Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC)?, 2025)
Opportunities to collaborate with organizations such as the East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind and Stephen F. Austin State University to provide ECC experiences, such as Iron Chef, are valuable for many reasons. Not only do our students get opportunities to practice necessary skills (such as cooking skills), but they also help build confidence for the future.
Kimorie Turner, a junior at Marshall High School, reflected on her experience at the Iron Chef cooking event in the following way. "I really liked going to SFA because of how everyone worked together in the kitchen. I liked how involved and helpful the professors were. I also liked getting to see how the students worked on the food truck at lunch. I want to have my own business someday, and I now know I want to attend SFA to study culinary arts."
Beverly Jackson, SFASU Orientation and Mobility Clinical Instructor, in conjunction with the SFASU Braille and Cane Club, has been instrumental in collaboration for events such as Iron Chef, Goalball, Beeping Egg Hunts, Holiday Shopping, SFA University Visits, and more! Beverly explained this partnership in the following way. "The SFASU Visual Impairment Prep and Orientation and Mobility program emphasizes collaboration with external agencies to offer hands-on learning experiences. Students training to become visual impairment professionals gain practical experience through activities that support the expanded core curriculum. These partnerships provide opportunities for students to apply lecture strategies in real-world settings and enable students with blindness and low vision to interact with peers in diverse environments."
An additional community partnership activity occurred on March 5 through a collaboration with Region 7 Education Service Center, the East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, and Horizon Industries. The ETLB and Horizon Industries opened their doors to high school students with visual impairments from across the region to provide an opportunity to job shadow adults with visual impairments working in the following positions: Assistive Technology Instructor, Community Relations Administrator, IT Specialist, Production Specialist, and Distribution Specialist. Students were also given a presentation of the services offered by the ETLB and a tour of the client services facility.
Headquartered in Tyler, TX, the East Texas Lighthouse physically serves 40 local counties but is open to assisting clients from across the state and the nation.
According to their website, the "East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind is a 501c3 non-profit organization, a proud federal contractor, and a Department of Defense supplier. We fulfill our mission of empowering the blind through two divisions of our company, which include a manufacturing operation (Horizon Industries) and our community rehabilitation facility (Client Services). Companywide, we are the largest employer of those who are blind in East Texas. Purchases from Horizon Industries fuel both jobs in that manufacturing setting and a portion of the funds needed to run the Client Services division." (About East Texas Lighthouse, 2025)
Alicia Lansford, Vice President/Chief Mission Officer East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind in Tyler, expressed her philosophy of collaboration in the following way. "East Texas Lighthouse firmly believes in the power of collaboration through community partnerships. In successful partnerships, each agency focuses on its strengths and what it can bring to the table rather than competing for the spotlight. When all parties participate openly, sharing the desire to do what is best for the client (or student in this case), magic happens, and outcomes improve. We are proud to partner with our ESCs and make real differences in the lives and trajectories of our students."
Beth Morgan, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI) and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS) for Marshall ISD, also believes in the magic that happens when her students benefit from community partnerships. Mrs. Morgan brought four high school students to the Job Shadowing event at ETLB. When reflecting on her students' experiences, she replied, "It was great for the students to witness adults with visual impairments and blindness working and being able to produce things. Getting to have such a hands-on experience, whether in Assistive Technology, IT, or production, was important for my students because they got to see that there are opportunities for them in our area. They also got the opportunity to interact with others who walk in the same shoes. They got to see adults working independently as well as peers with visual impairments. It is so important for them to connect with others so they know they are not alone!"
See more pictures of student job shadowing event.
Tracy Johnston, Transition Specialist for Region 7 Education Service Center, also understands the power of community partnerships. She emphasizes that "community partnerships can be a game-changer for students with disabilities, helping them achieve their postsecondary goals – whether that's landing a job or living independently. These partnerships offer vital resources – financial and otherwise - along with guidance and collaboration that create a safety net. This support empowers students and their families to step boldly into the unknown, knowing they're not alone on the journey." To start building that network, students are encouraged to explore the Texas Transition and Employment Guide to discover agencies and resources in their community that can help turn their goals into reality.
Community partnerships are powerful! I dare say that such partnerships unlock our students' potential and set the stage for meaningful opportunities to prepare all students for academic and real-world success! It may very well "take a village to raise a child," but the benefits of "village collaboration" may very well be the realization of the hopes and dreams of us all!
Resources:
East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind
Guidelines and Standards for Educating Students with Visual Impairments in Texas
Texas School For The Blind and Visually Impaired
Texas SPED Support: Blind/Visually Impaired
Texas Transition and Employment Guide
Stephen F. Austin State University School of Human Sciences-Hospitality Administration
Stephen F. Austin State University-Orientation and Mobility Certification Preparation
East Texas Lighthouse Empowers the Blind, Helps With Independence
Shining a Light on Potential: East Texas Lighthouse Hosts Job Shadowing Event
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Lannette Burlingame is a Special Education Specialist in the area of Visual Impairment at Region 7 ESC. Before coming to Region 7 ESC, Lannette worked as a special education teacher at Whitehouse ISD. She taught Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) in Whitehouse for 22 years before returning to college to complete her master’s degree in the area of visual impairments. After transferring into the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI) role in 2016, Lannette served as an itinerant TSVI in Whitehouse ISD, Arp ISD, and Troup ISD before accepting a position at Region 7 in July of 2021. |
About East Texas Lighthouse. (2025, March 13). Retrieved from The East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind: https://www.easttexaslighthouse.org/about/
Community Partnerships: Who We Are. (2025, March 13). Retrieved from TEA Community Partnerships: https://communitypartnerships.tea.texas.gov/who-we-are
Texas Community Partnerships Student Success Initiative. (2025, March 13). Retrieved from TEA Community Partnerships: https://communitypartnerships.tea.texas.gov/
What Is The Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC)? (2025, March 13). Retrieved from Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired: https://www.tsbvi.edu/programs/ecc