?
Creating ways to improve parent and community engagement by listening to teachers and
parents.
Teacher Support
I will ask and listen to what teachers need in order to find ways to provide them additional support. I
will also:
? Advocate for teacher assistants in the lower grades.
? Support an increase of local supplemental pay so our school system does not lose qualified
and experienced teachers.
? Expand professional development opportunities to help teachers keep up with new curriculum standards and related instructional strategies.
Creating Quality Educational Environments
To me this means creating schools where teachers want to teach and students learn using cutting
edge technology. We need to make sure we are helping, not hindering, our teachers and their students!
? I am committed to improving classroom resources, including access to technology, at each
school because it is proven to increase student achievement.
? I believe we must prepare all children for the modern global workforce that includes educating them on how to understand and utilize technology.
? I will push for a review of existing policies to ensure they encourage improvement of our
school environments.
? I will protect and expand our magnet system and to support policies that discourage concentrations of disadvantaged students.
Student Achievement
Every school must have a clear plan that ensures each child reaches grade level (or higher) at the end
of each school year. This must be the focus from the very first day of school. Every principal must be
held accountable for working with teachers and parents to determine the appropriate pathway to
success for each child. Whether it is a plan to help a child reach grade level or a plan to allow a child
to soar beyond their grade level; we must not allow one child to fall behind nor allow one child to
remain unchallenged academically. Just as I do not believe that teachers should be judged solely on
one or two student test scores, I also do not believe that a child’s “achievement” should solely be
based on one or two test scores. The skill set that each child needs to move from grade to grade or
from high school to job or college is broader than “student achievement” in the assessment world. As
a member of the School Board, I will work to make sure our student achievement levels increase at all
of the schools in District 2 by:
? Working with the Superintendent and members of t he school board to set clear goals to improve student achievement at each school.
? Advocating for adequate funding, strong leadership from the Central Office leadership, and
professional development opportunities for teachers so they are always at the top of their
game.
? Working to ensure teachers have the time and support to meet new curriculum standards that
require teachers and teacher assistants to learn and develop new instructional materials.
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