Taos School Zone

In 2015, Taos School Zone, a collective-impact initiative that is a special project of Taos Community Foundation, began meeting with and surveying teachers, nonprofit organizations, school administrators, and community members to begin to understand their perspectives on the challenges to education in Taos County. We were asked by those groups to create a collective-impact report. This report contains observations gleaned from these interactions and sets forth ideas for a different model, one that might make it easier to put students and teachers at the forefront.

TSZ.FULL .SIGN .final Taos Community Foundation https://www.taoscf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TCF-Website-Logo.png
Read the Taos School Zone Collective Impact Report here.

This document represents the culmination of the extensive work done by TSZ in the six years since it’s founding. It is a document that asks, “What If?” we worked together as a community to remove some of the roadblocks our children face in achieving an excellent and equitable education. We, and our sponsor Taos Community Foundation, look forward to the community discussions that will be generated as a result of this work, and to seeing them move forward in the coming years.

At this time, having accomplished so much as a TCF special project, Taos School Zone will step back from its active role in the community. We very much appreciate the work of the TSZ Advisory Council members (past and present) as well as the members of our support teams, and are especially grateful for the support and encouragement we’ve received from the entire Taos County community over the past five years.

In addition to publishing the Taos County Education Snapshot, Taos School Zone’s accomplishments include:

  • Kickstarting the community school movement in Taos County, resulting in more than $1 million of funding for Taos County schools and providing essential support services for students and their families;
  • Developing the interactive an website, which gathers in one place for educators and parents valuable information about nonprofits who serve schoolkids;
  • Providing significant support for teachers, including funding board certification and professional development, and conducting social and emotional wellness surveys of teachers and staff;
  • Creating a series of mindfulness videos for use by teachers and staff during the COVID pandemic;
  • Regularly convening nonprofits, resulting in countless collaborations that help them work more effectively.

We hope and believe that publishing the Taos County Education Snapshot will help every member of our community understand the critical need for community involvement in our education system, and will inspire new leadership to step forward and take action on the areas outlined in the report.

Sincerely,

Taos School Zone Advisory Council

Taos School Zone
www.schoolzonetaos.org

Taos School Zone was a collective impact project, a special project of Taos Community Foundation, PO Box 1925, Taos NM 87571.