Main Problems in Rocky Road School District - Essay Example

Main Problems in Rocky Road School District Arriving into a new school district that is disastrous and full of problems and be stressful and overwhelming for a Superintendent but things can always be turned around. The first initial step is to take control of the situation immediately and figure out which issues need to be addressed first. When reviewing the Rocky Road School District, a few of the issues include but are not limited to; lawsuits from past parents and teachers, teacher contract negotiations, low test scores and a disconnect between parents and school because of bad communication. Each of these issues will need a plan of action to ensure that issues are handled in a timely fashion. When these issues are handled the Superintendent can work on rebuilding the school district. The Three-Year Plan The most important issue that will be handled first is the lawsuits from former teachers and parents. The district is facing a number of different lawsuits dealing with mishandled Individualized Education Plan’s (IEP’s) and discrimination. The first step is to determine the depth of the lawsuits and to find any research that will help the case. The new Superintendent must gather as much information as possible about each case so that she can determine how to help and the truth behind each case. There will also be scheduled professional developments that will focus on handing IEP’s and important information. Students need to understand the importance of privacy and we will focus on keeping private documents secured. Teachers will be informed of consequences for the mishandling of private documents to minimize future mistakes and issues. After determining how to go about the lawsuits and any important information that might help, we will then focus on increasing our test scores, student achievement and teacher and principal readiness. Staff in each school need to understand the importance of teamwork and how we can all work together to increase and better student achievement because the change starts with staff first. Included in this staff are teachers, principals, students, specialists and more. Everyone in the building brings something special to the team and we can all learn something from each other. Staff needs to learn how to trust and depend on others in order to encourage the success of our students. It will take time to rebuild the trust that has been broken amongst staff but with a number of opportunities and a change in the school climate we can all come together to reach our goals. When the staff rebuilds their trust, it will then lean the focus back to the students and parents. These relationships are all important because as many say “it takes a village to raise a child”. No one teacher, parent, principal, or specialist can do it all on their own. In the school district there is a large disconnect between parents and schools because parents felt there were no great forms of communication and that the teachers were not they’re for their students. Parents complained about principals never being available to meet with parents. Teachers of today feel tired, unsupported, overworked and underpaid. To change the views teachers have we must show them more appreciation and offer them the necessary support. Teachers will be shown various gifts of appreciation through luncheons, verbal praise, acknowledgement, certificates and small gifts to let them know that their hard work does not go unnoticed. These gifts of appreciation will need to be more encouraging than a teacher of the month award and we will focus on highlighting the strengths of our teachers. The school district will also create new benefits and incentives to encourage teacher and student achievement and growth within the district. Guodong, Ying, Haigen, and Zhaogang noted that “31 states rewarded teachers for earning certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS, or National Board) and 10 states rewarded them for raising student achievement” (2015). These incentives and programs were created through a new initiative to help attract and retain high quality teachers for various school districts. Teachers must also understand that they have a voice and we must allow their voices and concerns to be heard. In order to encourage teachers to be more vocal the Superintendent will invite teachers to a bi-monthly social event to listen to their opinions on school strengths and weaknesses and necessary changes to improve learning in their school and classroom. Teachers will be comfortable in these meetings because they will be an open space for teachers to relax, enjoy each other’s company and relieve built up stress and anxiety. We can better our programs and program initiatives by listening to teachers who are in the classroom and working with students daily. Through the interaction we can better programs, increase funding and clean the school district back up. There can also be a comment box in schools for people to voice their concerns, praise a teacher or student and any other information they would like to voice. Theses comments should be read by Superintendents or their teams and later discussed, if necessary. Meaningful professional developments can often become expensive but they are well worth the money to help prepare staff and increase student achievement. DiPaola explains, “Teachers at all career levels express dissatisfaction with professional development activities, particularly those entering the profession through alternative routes. Often the terminology used presupposes knowledge that is not always understood by individuals new to the profession” (2012). Professional developments are often boring, repetitive, unenthusiastic and overwhelming to many new and old teachers. Professional developments should be fun, encouraging and hands on to make sure that teacher are learning new information and retaining that information. When teachers are confident n the classroom and have built a connection with their students we can then begin rebuilding the relationship with parents. Karakas and Savas explain that there are “seven types of parental involvement which include parenting, learning at home, connecting, communicating, volunteering, decision making and community collaboration, positive relationships with teachers’ and trust between parents and students” (2012). Strong parent –teacher relationships can be built through opening the lines of communication. This communication can start with small in-person conversations, through email, and phone conversations. One fun and inspiring application that can be used to encourage communication is class dojo. Teachers can send instant messages, post videos, and pictures of students that are only visible by the parents who have been given permission to access information. Parents can also monitor student behavior using the application as well. Teachers should be encouraged and held responsible for communicating with parents more often then at parent teacher conferences. “Ecological perspectives maintain that the interaction between home and school is critical for supporting positive child outcomes” (2013). Teachers will learn more about proper formal and informal communication with parents throughout professional developments. Communication is key and holds the power to build or ruin a relationship. Teachers should also understand that you could communicate more often then sending home a bad report. Parents want to hear the good and the bad, not just the bad all the time. When the relationship is built between families and teachers, students feel the support necessary for success. With this new added support, achievement rates will sky rocket and students will be more confident inside and outside of the classroom. When the school climate is changed, the environment of the school will change and student achievement and test scores will increase. When communication is encouraged, teachers supports are created, student confidence is boosted and healthy relationships amongst teachers, staff and superintendents have been created the Rocky Road School District will begin turning around and growing. Can the District be Turned Around? Yes, it is feasible for the Rocky Road School District to be turned around within five years as long as everyone is doing his or her part. We can grow and watch out student achievement scores skyrocket higher than they ever have. Student will reach goals that they never thought were possible because they will know and understand that they have support behind them. There will also be an increase in services and supports for students and teachers. One of the main supports will be the community. With community funding and donations we can rebuild our district through books, materials, and building repairs, professional development and increases the amount of innovative technology available in schools. Political support and staff will also play a large role in the growth of the school district. If we all work together, encourage someone, and support our staff and students we can help them be successful and understand the importance and value of education. Read More