The typical board spends the majority of its time reading, reviewing, and reacting to staff-produced work that is basically finished when it comes to the board. The magic of strategic management lies in selecting the right issues to tackle. Experience suggests that no school district can hope to deal with more than four or five major initiatives during a given year. Unless the support system is extended beyond the classroom itself, many children will fail. This means creating a kind of community school that addresses health, social, and recreational needs, as well as offering extended time for academics.
Some schools function as health delivery sites, while others provide referrals to caregivers.
In Clay County, W.Va., for example, wellness centers at the county-wide school system's middle school and high school owe their existence to a collaboration among the school district and several state and local health agencies. For many teenage mothers, finishing high school depends on the availability of child care. Nurseries have been set up to care for their infants at schools in New Jersey and Minnesota. Lengthening the hours that schools are open is another way that schools have responded to their communities. The Beacon School at P.S. 194 in New York City keeps children off the streets by offering late-afternoon activities.