| Our plans for the future as the new board 227 takes its seat on April 9, 2013: Part Two The demands of public accountability challenges local boards to focus as never before on student achievement. As the new school board, we will model collaboration for others. Unlike the present board, who continues their engagement in fluff, selfish aims, speech suppression, bragging on themselves, and in the thick of thin things with no substance, we expect the new school board members to be data savvy, collaborative, and goal focused, even when the student achievement data is negative. Collaboration and two-way full board and community communication begins with the school board. The present Board's community speech and participation suppression efforts makes it impossible to bring in the full board and community members in a two-way dialogue as committed partners. This is not who we are as Americans. Leadership also means public input. As a result, the present board majority cannot provide the essential leadership role in establishing the collaborative full board and community relationships efforts that would most advance student achievement goals, rather they block this essential process. The new school board of April 9, 2013 will collaboratively discuss and use data to drive student achievement and continuous improvement, rather than deny and hide it. As a new high achieving board on April 13, 2013, we will identify specific needs through data, and justify decisions based on that data. As an effective board, we will regularly seek that data and not be shy or threatened about discussing it, first among the school board, and then with the superintendent in another meeting. In contrast, the present school board is in denial of the data, refuses to meet to discuss the data, then meet with the superintendent to determine what can be done to improve student achievement levels. The present board tends to greet data in a negative blaming mode, rather than in a positive problem solving mode, making students, teachers and families, whom the board has shut out of the school improvement process, as major causes for low performance in district 227. Then they leave their job of evaluation to the superintendent and school administration to hold itself accountable and evaluate itself, interpret the data, and recommend solutions, with no suggestions, and no effort or continuous improvement policies in place on the part of the school board. When it comes to student achievement, effective leadership and teacher quality is key. The board is responsible for putting in place the proper keystones for students to learn and achieve at the highest level possible. The primary agenda of school boards is raising student achievement and productively engaging the community to attain that goal. Community engagement starts with two way communication. School district leadership has the essential responsibility of informing parents and other community members about issues and events in the public schools, not hiding it. As an effective school board, on April 9, 2013, we will be free to align and sustain resources, such as professional development, continuous improvement, and to hold formative and summative assessment meetings to freely discuss and measure district goals. To this end, the new school board will promote and support extensive professional development programs for both school board and the staff. The present school board insists that teachers and staff make their own decision on staff development with no input from the school board based upon their perceived needs in the classroom, the curriculum, evaluation, or for certification. This is the typical do-nothing, see-nothing, know-nothing, discuss nothing, stand-for-nothing, suppress school improvement dialogue, unaccountable and irresponsible board response with no vision or goals to achieve characteristic of low achieving school districts. As an effective new school board on April 9, 2013, we intend to lead as a united team with the superintendent, each from our own perspective, with strong collaboration and mutual trust based upon a shared vision in improving student achievement levels and democratically engaging the district 227 community. Our new school board will define an initial vision for district 227 and will work with the superintendent who will match that vision. The role of effective school board members is to improve student achievement levels and to democratically engage the full board and school district community to achieve this goal. In contrast, our present board does not look at our vision, has not discussed it, monitored it, formatively evaluated and assessed it. They have not worked with our ideas as defined in the vision. This has caused the present majority school board to be out of alignment with the vision and goals for the school district. We don't respect the student achievement data that we don't inspect, meet to discuss, come to a resolution, and then meet with the superintendent in addressing our children and district needs. As an effective board, beginning on April 9, 2013, we will begin to take part in team development and training, sometimes with the superintendent, to build shared knowledge, values and commitments for our improved efforts. As a new board, we intend to live, breathe, move and have our being in success. In high achieving districts, there is formal, deliberate training for new board members. Beginning in April 2013, to move forward from tragedy and defeat to success, the new school board must be ready to meet and discuss specific topics in addressing a regular process to review student achievement data to ensure continuous improvement. The present board has stated that the time that we have learned together has been mainly the times when the superintendent or other staff members made presentations of data. Although we have the Illinois Association of School Boards sponsored TAG (Targeting Student Achievement Growth) Program and School Board Self Evaluation, none of the presentation lessons learned addressing student achievement growth, looking at ourselves in the mirror, superintendent and district evaluation presentation at the National School Boards Association Conventions, or in any other venue has found its way into school board practices. It is not enough to attend training and talk, but fail to walk that walk or practice the lessons learned. We have never met to discuss specific topics or to implement new board policies that would make for more district goal-focused and productive board meetings. Beginning in April 2013, as the new school board take its seats, we will also take part in the attitudes, knowledge and approaches that separates us from our counterparts in lower-achieving school districts. In this era of academic, instructional, and fiscal accountability, we must focus on the accountability that will provide the essential blueprint for success. In this process, we wlll provide a roadmap for school districts nationwide.
Consider my first hand experience as a call to action. I'm the Chicago Public Schools principal who led a school on probation in West Englewood to triple its student achievement growth in just three years. If schools can be turned around and made to work in Chicago's West Englewood community, then it can happen anywhere in America. The key is great leadership found in an effective school board with vision, oversight, and integrity. Effective school board members do not make excuses for failure, neither they do they blame the victims, our parents, children, and community, who have been shut out of the process of school improvement and full board and public participation by the present school board. Those who fail to plan are planning to fail.Upon achieving our emancipation on April 9, 2013, we will go forth to improve our schools, and in process, improve the future of our children and community. If these principles have worked within the inner cities across America and around the world, they will certainly work in Chicago's suburbs better. But first, we must act.
Being united means stand up for a great cause that is worth the effort.
To be united as a school board and as a community, we must choose to improve student achievement levels and to productively engage the full board and community to achieve this goal by choice, not by chance, not by suppression of our free speech and public participation rights, which prevents it, and not by excuses. We must be motivated, not manipulated and suppressed by those who do not represent our children's best interest or our community's future. We must be useful, not used and programmed; to excel, not compete, suppress, or deny. As board members, we are to empower, not dis-empower and dumb down the school board, our children, and our community. We must choose to help ourselves, not self pity. We must choose to listen to our inner voice that represent our children and community's future, not the selfish, irrational, and unrealistic aims and opinions of those whose attention is not focused upon what is in the best interest of children and our community's future. A vision is a dream in action. We must walk that walk, not just talk. Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.
Dr. David E. Morgan School Board Member Rich Township High School District 227 Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 WEB ADDRESS: richthscoalition.org |
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