The Greeneville Board of Education on Sunday evening heard plans for the "Greeneville Global Initiative" during the first day of its two-day fall retreat.

The board met for nearly three hours with central office administrators of the Greeneville City School System at the Kathryn W. Leonard Administrative Office.

The retreat was scheduled to resume this morning and conclude around lunchtime.

The "Greeneville Global Initiative" is Director of Schools Dr. Lyle Ailshie's plan for the school system to partner with schools in the Central American country of Belize.

The partnership ultimately would result in teachers and students from Greeneville participating in an exchange program with teachers and students from Belize, according to Ailshie's plan.

Ailshie provided the school board background on how he developed the plan and progress that has been made in the schools and the community. (More information on Ailshie's report on Belize will appear in the Tuesday edition of The Greeneville Sun.)

Also on Sunday evening, Ailshie received feedback from the board on ways to improve stakeholder communications.

He said he is planning to organize focus groups of 10 to 15 parents and community members to meet for lunch and discuss education issues.

Board member Mark Patterson recommended that community members be organized into specific focus groups, such as industry leaders, and that parents be from one set of grades, such as middle-school parents.

Board member Craig Ogle agreed and added that a Greeneville alderman, city department head or city employee also should be invited to participate.

Ogle added that former parents, especially those whose students went on to college, could provide key information to the focus groups.

Board member Cindy Luttrell said the focus groups should include parents from all grade levels to help prepare parents for their students' transitions to higher grades. She added, however, that narrowing the parent groups could increase the comfort level in the focus groups.

Ailshie said he could organize both types of focus groups.

Board member Mike Hollowell recommended an agenda for each focus group to help with the limited time during the lunch meetings.

Hollowell added that the focus groups will provide a way for parents to meet and interact with central-office administrators.

Patterson recommended the addition of a school-system newsletter.

Ailshie said such communications could be done by e-mail.

The board also discussed the fifth of its five annual goals: "Engage in exploration and innovations research."

Terri Tilson, federal programs supervisor, led the discussion on the strategy to "investigate best practices in the pursuit of excellence."

Tilson gave "performance measures and objectives," progress made toward those objectives, and action plans for making further progress.

Part of the "pursuit of excellence" will be visits to other school systems within the six-state "Eastern States Consortium for Learning and School System Excellence" of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), according to Dr. Vicki Kirk, assistant superintendent for instruction.

Kirk said she and a small group of Greeneville educators is planning a trip in November to Westfield Washington Schools in Westfield, Ind., to learn about best practices in mathematics.

Ailshie said Greeneville also is considering a trip to Salem City Schools in Salem, Va., another school system in the consortium, to learn more about its international baccalaureate program.

Both the global initiative and expansion of stakeholder communications were part of proposed additions to the strategy to "investigate best practices in the pursuit of excellence."

The board's other four goals were scheduled to be discussed today.