A series of Eanes ISD community dialogues brought together an estimated 200 people to brainstorm how to better prepare students for the future.

The four meetings held in April were organized by Eanes ISD parents John Havenstrite and Julia Webber and hosted by the Education Equals Economics, or E3, Alliance.

"The dialogues were an attempt to get the community to sit down and talk about issues and prioritize their solutions to the different issues they agreed they had in common," Havenstrite said.

Attendees during the first two meetings identified priorities that they thought were important for students to succeed in the 21st century.

Having curriculum that students could use in the work world and building character skills such as teamwork were priorities discussed at the meetings.

Participants also said that academic rigor should be balanced with a well-rounded education.

"The good news is that many of their priorities aligned with our school goals," Eanes ISD Superintendent Dr. Nola Wellman said.

The next two meetings focused on how to achieve the priorities.

The action steps included having an Eanes ISD entrepreneurial track and exposing students to cultural diversity.

E3 Alliance compiled the ideas into a final report given to the school district and the 33-member community dialogue steering committee. The dialogues cost the school district about $28,000 for E3 Alliance to facilitate, Wellman said.