History of Heartland
Making Good Schools Better
"The goal of the Heartland project is to shift the focus from school to education and shift the responsibility from school to community."
In the fall of 1991, community members in Orrville, Ohio, formed a coalition that began to explore ways to leverage the talent and resources of the community to improve education.
The Heartland Steering Committee is comprised of volunteers representing many areas of the community including parents, educators, business leaders, social service representatives, city government and clergy. The Heartland Steering Committee guides subcommittees on various projects. These committees focus on specific issues generated by an annual planning process.
The Heartland Consortium
Orrville community organizations and members were not alone in their efforts. Several other organizations formed what is called the "Consortium." Each consortium member brings a unique expertise, assisting Heartland on many projects. Consortium members include:
- The Orrville City Schools
- The City of Orrville
- The J.M. Smucker Company
- The University of Akron Wayne College
- Kent State University
- The College of Wooster
- The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
- Kepner-Tregoe, Inc.
- Charles F. Kettering Foundation