Sponsor Insights Engage, Innovate, Educate By Dr. Gerald Dawkins It’s not too difficult to find an article or blog espousing the need to “fix” public education, after which we would miraculously see higher student achievement, a more prepared workforce, job growth, and higher wages. Often, the actual solutions offered are seen by others as the very reason for public education’s problems—more rigorous standards (Common Core), tougher assessments (PARCC/Smarter Balance), ever-changing technology, always-on social media, availability of school choice (vouchers, charters, homeschooling), state and federal accountability measures, college and career readiness, and on and on. And, of course, all of these fixes come with their own funding challenges. So how do we wrestle with these suggested solutions? Fortunately, there are educational leaders successfully addressing these challenges with a commitment to engage, innovate, and educate. ENGAGE to Learn: Taking a page out of Jamie Vollmer’s book, 30 MASA LEADER • Spring 2015 Schools Cannot Do It Alone, successful school leaders build support by engaging in meaningful dialogue with parents, staff, and community members to improve student learning opportunities. Engaging the community is a central goal of the Waterford School District leadership team. Like many communities in Michigan, Waterford has seen declining student enrollment over the past few years. Determined to tackle the issue head-on, Superintendent John Silveri spoke with various stakeholders to iden-tify those areas most in need of improve-ment. Those conversations have now allowed Waterford to address concerns surrounding its declining enrollment. INNOVATE to Improve: From virtual collaboration and social media to 3-D printers and computer-aided design, technology is an innovative way for schools to enhance student learning and broaden communication. As social media continues to expand how we network and communicate, school districts are continually exploring innova-tive ways to improve student achievement without increasing expenses. To address the issue of summer learning loss, Manchester Community Schools in rural Michigan is engaging in commu-nity- wide discussions to consider moving to a new balanced calendar, spreading the 180-day school year across 12 months to provide continuous learning. Through a series of eight community forums with parents, teachers, students, administrators and community members, the district is discussing the pros and cons of changing its school calendar. And the “It community involvement has also helped us to determine areas perceived by students, parents, staff members, and community members to be in need of improvement, providing us the opportunity to address these areas as appropriate to increase our effectiveness and be better positioned to attract and retain students.” —John Silveri, Superintendent of Waterford School District For more information, go to www.waterford.k12.mi.us/pages/52151/yourvoice Manchester Community Schools Superintendent Cherrie Vannatter is using technology to solicit input, which expands community outreach, helps with tracking feedback, and is a great way to share information with the school board and the entire Manchester community. For more information, go to www.manchesterschools.us/ node/1366
MASA Leader - Spring 2015
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