I want to start by congratulating both Suzanne and Brian on their re-election to the School Board and would also like to congratulate Anne Moore on her election. We look forward to continuing our partnership and collaboration with all of you.
The topic I would like to address tonight is the Teacher Principal Evaluation Pilot. Specifically, we are interested in parent input into the selection of the evaluation model. OSPI was required to collaborate with parents in the improvement of the evaluation system, which led to TPEP. Other districts in the initial pilot groups used parent input in their selection process. We would like our district and school board to follow suit and collaborate with parents as you work to make the decision regarding which model will be best for the students in our district.
It is not my intention to talk about each of the specific models tonight. However, I do want to talk a little about a couple of aspect of the models. Because “Communicating and collaborating with parents and school community” is one element of the new teacher evaluation criteria, and “Partnering with the school community to promote student learning” is an element to the new principal evaluation criteria, we feel it is vital that the model chosen includes parent and student input. I just don’t know how you can possibly evaluate the quality and effectiveness of a partnership without input from all of the partners.
We are also excited about the possibilities for student (and possibly parent) input in the areas of such things as:
- Recognizing individual student learning needs
- Using multiple student data elements to modify instruction and improve student learning
- Exhibiting collaborative and collegial practices focused on improving instructional practice and student learning
It is absolutely key that we are seeing a shift in thinking- to educator effectiveness and its impact on student learning.
Again, we look forward to working with you on this very important project.
School Board Comments – February, 2012
One of our Council goals this year is to “Actively support and reinforce advocacy at all levels.” What is PTA advocacy? I think sometimes there is a narrow view of what advocacy means. Especially at this time of year when the legislature is in session and our PTA Focus Day is coming up (February 20th). We talk about meeting with legislators, marching in Olympia, maybe a call to action that has us sending emails or writing blogs. We want to broaden that view and recognize the depth and impact of our advocacy. We have also been reminded of our history and all of the amazing things this association has accomplished: school lunches, car seat laws, education reform, and pre-school; the list goes on and on.
So at the national level“…PTA reminds our country of its obligations to children and provides parents and families with a powerful voice to speak on behalf of every child while providing the best tools for parents to help their children be successful students….National PTA was created to meet a profound challenge: to better the lives of children. And today, it continues to flourish because PTA has never lost sight of its goal: to change the lives of children across our great nation for the better.” (National PTA Website)
“PTA helps those closest to children speak up strongly on their behalf, and PTA gives members the tools they need to deliver services.” (Washington State PTA) For me, this quote was a really great reminder of why there is a “P” and a “T” in PTA. We are those who are closest to children and both have a (sometimes different) perspective and ability to support and speak on their behalf. With everything that we do in PTA, whether we are parents or teachers, we have to always remember to make decisions from the perspective of what is best for children.
So now let’s bring it down to the council and local level. Is what we do at the local level PTA really advocacy? Absolutely! There are so many things that our PTAs do, so obviously we can’t talk about all of them. But just a few examples. When we do something like fundraising to purchase science curriculum we are being advocates. We are saying that this is something that our kids need and we are willing to find a way to get it for them. When we give out golden acorn or outstanding educator awards we saying how important our teachers and volunteers are to our students. When we meet with our principals to give input on whether we should have recess before or after lunch we are advocating for our kids. When we plan a culture night or art appreciation night-we are advocating for the celebration of differences and including all.
And yes, we continue at all levels to advocate for big changes. Some issues like education funding and reform have been with us for a long time, some have already been checked off the list, and some we haven’t even thought of yet. All of them start with the idea of someone wanting to help or to make a change. All of them are in their hearts, for kids.