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I was\u00a0disappointed\u00a0with this\u00a0presentation. It was more about input and process and\u00a0absent\u00a0any\u00a0discussion\u00a0about outcomes and raising student achievement:<\/p>\n
One of the first tasks of Robert Arias did when he accepted the superintendency in Bakersfield, Calif., was to work with the school board to align the board\u2019s values and goals with the work of the central office and the school improvement plans at each campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cClarity precedes competence,\u201d Arias told attendees at a Hispanic Caucus Breakout Session on Sunday at NSBA\u2019s annual conference titled, \u201cLeadership Through Governance: Aligning Practice and Culture to Improve Latino Student Outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aligning every stage of a school district\u2019s efforts is necessary if school officials are going to be efficient and focused on improvement, he said. \u201cOtherwise, you\u2019ve got the board doing its thing, the superintendent doing his thing, and maybe what gets overlooked are the issues they need to work on.\u201d<\/p>\n
This alignment starts with the school board, Arias said. \u201cThey really must set the tone. It\u2019s up to them to bring in the superintendent and sit down together and work it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Bakersfield, where Hispanics comprise 78 percent of student enrollment, \u201cthe board really was interested in aligning its efforts, he said. \u201cThings weren\u2019t happening as they should, and the problem was things weren\u2019t aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n
The power of alignment can be seen in how the school system has dealt with the issue of student disciplinary issues, he said.<\/p>\n
One of the four values articulated by the school board is equity, and in the process of setting specific district goals, one issue that came to the forefront was the disproportionate suspension rates of black students. This led the district to drill down into the data, which helped guide district and school strategies to tackle the issue.<\/p>\n
The first step of administrators was to seek alternative strategies, including offering positive reinforcement for students, to deal with misbehavior\u2014and that did help cut suspension rates by 46 percent in a single year. But a closer look at the data, Arias said, revealed that black students still were three times as likely to be suspended as white students.<\/p>\n
But with the values and goals clear, he said, district and school administrators remain focused on the issue and this summer will be providing cultural proficiency training to help principals and teachers learn better techniques \u201cto combat biases that impede student success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another strategy, which also will boost student learning, was the creation of professional learning communities in each school, Arias said.<\/p>\n
That focus also is key, he said. In a visit to China, Arias recalled, he looked out the window at a forest of construction cranes across the city and thought to himself, \u201cThese people are gearing up to take over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest international test scores underscored his concern, as China ranked near the top of such tests and the U.S. was far down the list.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe point is, this is no longer somebody else\u2019s problem\u201d if minority students and students of poverty aren\u2019t academically successful, he said. \u201cWe have to find the solutions \u2026 or we\u2019re not going to keep pace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Link To NSBA Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was\u00a0disappointed\u00a0with this\u00a0presentation. It was more about input and process and\u00a0absent\u00a0any\u00a0discussion\u00a0about outcomes and raising student achievement: One of the first tasks of Robert Arias did when he accepted the superintendency in Bakersfield, Calif., was to work with the school board to align the board\u2019s values and goals with the work of the central office and the school improvement plans at each campus. \u201cClarity precedes competence,\u201d Arias told attendees at a Hispanic Caucus Breakout Session … Continue reading