Florence 1 Schools and The School Foundation collaborated on a Needs Assessment study which was completed in 2009. The study identified five key drivers for success in Florence 1 Schools. These key drivers are three to five goals and can drive program planning.

The key drivers are as follows:

• Building community involvement
• Increasing preschool education and links to elementary school
• Establishing high elementary school achievement levels
• Coordinating and expanding use of teams in middle school
• Encouraging innovative leadership at all levels.

The School Foundation will focus on the above drivers and strive to work with Florence 1 Schools on obtaining these goals.

Since its inception, The School Foundation has done the following:

• Rejuvenated its board
• Formalized its meeting schedule
• Held strategic planning sessions
• Hired Executive Director Debbie Hyler
• Implemented sophisticated office software for financial reports and donor tracking
• Revised its grant process to include, among other items, guidelines on measuring a grant's effectiveness
• Established a Council of Parent Leaders to get input from active and involved parents of Florence 1 Schools students
• Joined forces with Florence 1 Schools on a Needs Assessment survey to establish 5 key drivers for educational success in the district
• Partnered with Florence 1 Schools on StartSMART, a school readiness program focusing on preparing all children for kindergarten
• Created Fellows in Education and Early Childhood Ambassadors to increase awareness of what's happening in our schools
• Teamed up with Bright by Text to send free age appropriate (through age eight) text messages to parents/caregivers phones