School Climate

It is useful to draw attention to the importance and excellence of our teachers, but it would be severely limiting to underestimate the importance of other aspects (i.e., energy efficient buildings and clean environments, budgets that reflect goals and priorities, effective building leaders, or anything else) that contribute to a positive school climate for teaching and learning.  

I believe it is easy for people to underestimate the level of thought and collaboration necessary for a high functioning educational enterprise.  Superintendent Dr. Ash and his administrative team are attuned to all of these aspects and more, keeping the School Committee, Selectmen, Appropriation and Capital Expenditures Committees, Town Manager and others apprised of emerging issues or developments across the district, especially as they relate to people, programs, and facilities.

 

Our students continue to be well served due to the high quality of instruction to students from our educators, the engagement of our students and families, and also to our nationally recognized high level of commitment to professional development and collaboration with the Lexington Education Association (LEA).  Because the community and district place such a high value on these attributes, our schools continue to improve.

Two years ago, the LEA surveyed all teachers on a full complement of issues; the administration has worked collaboratively with LEA President Phyllis Neufield and the LEA Board with regard to the data obtained from that survey.  Another such survey may be administered again in the near future.  I believe this process fosters greater educator satisfaction and stability, as well as a more comprehensive and unified instructional program, thereby engendering further trust and collaboration from all involved.

Our schools are thoughtfully, collaboratively, and financially well run.  The vast majority of teachers in Lexington are retained from year to year and are committed to the goals of continuous improvement across the district.

The School Committee has to focus on topics where we need to deliberate and take action.  We need to work hard to prioritize what we put on the agenda, whether it is with regard to special education, school technology, eliminating or reducing elementary instrumental music fees, improving professional learning communities, professional development, or many other goals already identified.

Education Opportunity & Equity - Washington DC

I attended PTA’s Annual Legislative Conference last week (March 7-10). Two others from Massachusetts’ State PTA Board joined me to meet with Massachusetts’ Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown, Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas, and Congressmen Ed Markey and Barney Frank.  We spoke with them about the importance of promoting family engagement standards in the reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind and of providing opportunity and equity for all children so they can be prepared for the future.

Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, was keynote speaker at lunch Wednesday. As the country’s highest-ranking health official, Secretary Sebelius played a key role in the passage of the historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and is now leading its implementation.  The Secretary spoke about how effective family engagement, beginning with Head Start and during a child’s early years, lays a positive foundation for success during transitions and across a child’s lifespan.

Listening to her, I was struck anew by the powerful responsibility we all share to ensure people receive the health care they need and provide children, families, and seniors with the essential human services they depend upon.  Across Massachusetts schools lack resources for critical programs they need to reduce gaps and overcome barriers to learning that threaten the quality of education for every child and leave our most vulnerable children behind.

Our state and local governments, with the federal government as a critical third partner, also share responsibility for assuring all children have equitable access to high-quality public education and health care.  Budgets are tight but government requirements, and children's needs, are growing; this is most pronounced at the intersection of children's education and health care needs.  Engaging families on this issue is vital:  when children are healthy, school attendance improves and children learn better.

Here we are, already in the second decade of the 21st century.  as we navigate challenges before us, let us continue to look for opportunities.  Our public health infrastructure throughout the country must be a higher priority and we need to upgrade state and local health departments.  Secretary Sebelius has answered President Obama's call to break down walls in government to serve the American people more effectively.  For example, she has teamed up with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to raise the quality of early childhood education programs.

Founded in 1897, PTA is the oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association in the country.  One of PTA's founding principles is its dedication to engaging parents in the education of their children.  Since its inception, PTA has provided workshops and resources on healthy child development to parent groups and community leaders.  From the outset, PTA championed the importance of equal opportunity for all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, and addressed  associated problems of child labor, childhood diseases, and the unfair and punitive treatment of children involved in the justice system.

PTA continues to advocate for all children to have the opportunity to grow and achieve through education.  In the context of PTA, advocacy is supporting and speaking up for children in schools, in communities, and before government bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children.  We educated members of Congress and their staff on PTA's priorities:  adequate funding for schools and an improved juvenile justice system that ensures all children are college and career ready.

Bullying

Bullying is a serious issue that for too long had gone unchallenged, with parents, who are often unaware of the bullying problem, neglecting to talk about it with their children; with students, feeling that adult intervention is infrequent and ineffective and will only bring more harassment from bullies; and with school personnel, viewing bullying as a harmless rite of passage that is best ignored.  

The Lexington School Committee and the LPS administration are committed to supporting policies and programs that address the prevention, intervention, and elimination of bullying.  The legislation that was swiftly enacted last year in Massachusetts was a good start.  However, we know we need a multi-pronged approach to change acculturated behaviors.  I believe thoughtful guidelines for parental notification along with resources so vital for training and prevention in schools and communities will go a long way to change that dynamic--and I sincerely hope it does.

Family Engagement & Involvement

Studies document that, regardless of the economic, ethnic, or cultural background, an adult engaged in a child's education is a major factor in determining a child's success in school. Family involvement also contributes to other positive outcomes, such as better school attendance, improved homework completion rates, decreased violence and substance abuse, and higher graduation rates.

Family engagement programs that are well structured result in consistent family participation, rather than attendance at a onetime event, such as a parent-teacher conference or an annual back-to-school night. Families must be engaged in substantive tasks, such as school restructuring and setting higher learning standards.

Barriers to family involvement, such as no time off from work allowed, scheduling conflicts, lack of transportation, lack of child care, and language and cultural differences, must be removed.

An Army of Advocates

Even before the financial crisis of 2008, many of our children were attending inadequately funded and over-crowded schools.  These days, local budgets are stressed like never before and city and town leaders are faced with impossible choices for public education, public health, and public safety.  

Silent Auctions, Spring Fairs, and the like are great community-building events that also raise money to shore up some budget shortfalls, but they can only go so far.  Raising funds to cover operational and capital expenses (like teacher salaries, essential technologies, new school buildings, and important curricular offerings), requires decisions that are made at the state and federal level of government.  To effect the change at that level requires an army of advocates.

PTA has been training advocates longer than anyone - over 100 years!  They have the tools necessary to amplify our voice at the local, state, and federal level.  There are many opportunities to increase your advocacy skills, including: 

• State PTA-sponsored workshops and conferences offered at various times throughout the year;
• E-learning online at www.pta.org;
• DVDs to take you through the steps of identifying a problem and putting together a plan;
• Scheduled conference calls and webinars, based on your interest areas
 

Join the PTA movement.  Get connected to opportunities to advocate for what you are most passionate about.  Whether it's public education funding, healthy food choices in school cafeterias, increased arts education programming, or something else altogether, PTA offers many options to become a better advocate for your child and for all children.  Download Statewide Cranberry PTA Membership Form.

Title I

A high quality basic education is essential to student competency and schools should be held accountable for ensuring that all children succeed.

The intent of ESEA/NCLB is to help children of low-income families receive a high-quality education equal to their economically-advantaged peers. Concern remains, however, about the law relying too heavily on testing as the primary measure of accountability, without looking at other important indicators that help assess school performance, such as equity of resources, physical infrastructure, class size, instructional methods, and parent involvement.

It is imperative that parents know exactly why their child's school is failing, what the state is doing about it, and what parents' options are - all in a very clear and understandable manner. The law in its current form does not give explicit instructions to the state or local education agency (SEA or LEA) regarding how and when the parents should be involved. Moreover, there is no unified, consistent method for an LEA to keep their parents notified of how their child's school is doing and what actions the school is taking to become proficient under the current law.

Leading researchers, expert practitioners, and advocates define family engagement in education as: a shared responsibility of families and schools for student success, in which schools and community-based organizations are committed to reaching out to engage families in meaningful ways and families are committed to actively supporting their children's learning and development. This shared responsibility is continuous from birth through young adulthood and reinforces learning that takes place in the home, school, and community.

Parent involvement policies, improved targeting resources to students and schools most in need, and increased authorization of funds for Title I programs must be strengthened.

Student Achievement

Rising problems with poor nutrition and physical inactivity - and the resulting weight and health problems - weaken student academic achievement. This can cost school districts millions of dollars each year.

As schools search for solutions to meet performance outcomes and minimize budget cuts, it is critical that they don't further aggravate problems of poor nutrition and inactive lifestyles, thus undermining their overall goal of providing a high-quality education for all students.

Instead, providing healthful food options and increasing students' physical activity can help schools meet academic performance goals and improve the financial bottom line for schools and communities.