Visiting Our Schools

One of the best parts of running for school board is the opportunity to meet the good people of this district. One strategy I have used to understand our schools better is visiting different schools for their various Back to School Nights. Over the last week, I’ve visited every school I can get to as allowed by my schedule. Whitney Avenue Elementary has a great group of education professionals and parents who are working hard to have their students excel. I can see their efforts in improving their achievement standards paying off. Coyle Avenue Elementary was very welcoming to me and I saw how impressive their staff is. They are very excited about some of the summer improvements they’ve made with the facility and it’s new curb appeal. Casa Roble High School had a large crowd of students, parents and teachers all excited to be back in classes. I attended with a friend of mine who is a Class of 1996 alumnus and we had a delightful time chatting with all of his favorite teachers and coaches. He couldn’t stop smiling as he remembered the great times he had there years ago. Arden Middle School was a beehive of activity and I fortunately knew a dozen or so parents and was able to meet several dynamic and impressive including teachers, parents, PTA members and the principal. I could feel the enthusiasm from everyone as I visited a number of classes. As we continue to engage both the school professionals and parents in discussing the needs of our students, we’ll see our children better prepared for life.
In visiting these schools, I was also encouraged by the use of technology to communicate grades, homework and other essential information between the school and parents. There is a tremendous amount of information that floats around our schools. When we can manage and deliver it more effectively, then everyone has a better chance to contribute and succeed. I’d like to make the use of technology a hallmark of my tenure as a trustee. Hopefully, we can soon implement a longitudinal data system to accurately track the progress of each student that comes through our classroom doors every year. The current method of analyzing aggregated test scores gives us only a broad idea of what is happening to our kids. If we really want to know how to focus in on students and their individual needs, we need to know how that specific individual is doing. Then we can know how we are really progressing as a district.
I’ll continue attending Back to School Nights and Open Houses as long as they are happening. I’ll be at Bella Vista High School on Wednesday, September 10 for anyone who is interested in meeting me. Please send me an email if you would like to introduce me to any of your friends there that night. I look forward to seeing you there.