Hooker Oak Alliance Questionnaire

By Andrea (Lerner) Thompson

responses to Hooker Oak Alliance questionnaire

1. Enrollment:

a. What steps should the District Board take to increase student graduation rate?

This is an excellent question, but part of its answer may be found in asking the question to more of the stakeholders in the district. Why hasn't the District asked students and parents to participate in evaluating our schools? Surveying this group on a regular basis would yield many answers to why students are not graduating and/or in what ways the schools are not meeting students' needs. My first answer to this question is to include the stakeholders in the discussion.

In a recent study underwritten by Harvard University and the University of Michigan, students who dropped out of college during their first year cited the following reason above all others: "no one knew me." Although high school seniors are not the same population as this study analyzed, I believe the answer is entirely relevant. Our high schools are simply too big. According to every major educational think tank in America (including the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation), size matters. The optimum size for a high school is between 1200 and 1500 students. Both of our comprehensive high schools have enrollment that exceeds 2000 students. The very best students will likely do well anywhere. And the very lowest students have programs in place as a safety net. But it is those students in the middle who are increasingly lost. It is not simply that the schools are too big, but the classes are also too large to be conducive for a high quality learning environment. Large schools and large classes are not the kinds of places where true mentoring can take place despite the best wishes of the staff.
Some students complain that school isn't relevant. Yet relevance needs to be felt in the classroom in the form of inspired teaching and strong interaction between students and their teachers. Such conversations and spirited discussions cannot flourish in a class of 40 plus students. If we had smaller high schools and smaller classes, and better feedback from students and parents, we could greatly improve the graduation rate in our schools. Moreover, we would improve the academic quality for all.

2. Canyon View High School & Measure A:

Roughly $9.8 million remains available from the 1998 Measure A bond, yet the need for a new high school is at this point questionable.

With all due respect, I am not at all convinced the need for a new high school is questionable. What is questionable is why the district waited almost eight years to buy the Canyon View site which ended up costing a much heftier price than it would have back in 1998. Similarly, the construction costs have skyrocketed. Even the Asst. Superintendent asserts that "eventually, in the not too distant future, Chico will need a third high school." I suggest we start small and begin to build it now. It may not have all of the features of other comprehensive high schools, but it will help to ease the overcrowding at Chico High and PV. As monies come into the district, we can continue to expand on it.
While the effects of not building the 3rd high school have subjected our children to large classes and overcrowded conditions, the impact to the community is far greater. If we do not build Canyon View--even as a small school, I cannot imagine how voters in our District will ever approve another bond for education. The credibility of the school district must be addressed or the future of local education will be jeopardized.

3. Career Technical Training: The District and Butte College have expressed interest in developing an early College late High School Career Technical facility on Butte's Chico campus a. How important is vocational training to the District? Vocational training should have a place in the district. Many of our students choose to pursue vocational directions. I look forward to learning more about this new direction as the District works through its study over the next months. One concern, however, is that some proponents of the Early College late High school facility have suggested that vocational training has been cut at the high schools and thus, such a center is sorely needed. In my discussion with Principals Mike Rupp (PV) and Jim Hanlon (Chico High), it would seem that this state of affairs is not as drastic as some would suggest. Principal Rupp pointed to outstanding career education courses at PV including the Culinary Academy, the Business/Industrial Arts Program which includes courses in Computer Applications, Video Production, Industrial Technologies including drafting, welding, and Architectural Design and Engineering Design. At Chico High, Principal Hanlon points to outstanding programs in Computer Technology, Electronic Media Technology, Studio Production, Desktop Publishing, Business Communications, Business Economics, Construction Trades, Drafting and Architectural Design. Before committing hundreds of thousands of dollars to vocational directions, I'd like a comprehensive accounting of what programs are already in place and how many students participate in them. b. Explain how your vision would incorporate vocational training throughout the educational system in our District. Vocational training should be a part of our district's offerings at the senior high school level. It would seem several outstanding programs are already in place. It is unclear to me at this time if large numbers of students desire additional programs or are not adequately served by existing programs. I would suggest students and parents be surveyed on this issue. While vocational training is important, it must not come without a commitment to academic skills include literacy, mathematics and critical thinking. No matter what career or profession students enter, they need to be prepared with excellent analytic and communication skills. c. Do you support issuance of bonds previously authorized to fund development of the Career Technical facility on Butte's Chico campus. My understanding from the Office of the Superintendent is that the school district has received a grant to study the feasibility of such a plan and has allocated a one year period for the study. At this point I look forward to learning more about the proposal, and I will wait until I learn more before making that decision. I have also heard that plans now point to building the center at the main Butte College campus. This could create additional concerns about transportation and the safety of young students on a campus with predominantly older students.

4. Extracurricular Activities a. What role do extra curricular activities have in the development of our students? b. What should the proper funding be for the Music and Arts Programs through all educational levels in our District? Extracurricular activities are important components of education. They afford students an opportunity to succeed in other ways than the conventional academic direction. We know that students learn differently, and for many the more intuitive approaches to the arts can be a wonderful arena for success. Every student needs to be good at something. While we all prize academic performance, some students will excel on the playing field, others in ship, others in band or drama. These activities present other ways of knowing and learning and allow for creativity, expression, collaborative or team strategies, etc.

Music and Arts should be funded at all levels of education. It may be possible to save money by utilizing students at the university who wish to become music or art or drama teachers. Internships created for these kinds of students would allow both the university and the District to enter a mutually productive collaboration.

5. Charter Schools a. How do Charter Schools fit into your plan for the District? I believe our local education system is made stronger by the availability of choices. Any parent who has more than one child knows that kids have different learning styles and different needs. In our district we are fortunate to have a variety of academic choices in public education including school within a school programs, Open Structure, Academics Plus, Spanish Immersion, GATE and the charter schools.

b. In relation to the Charter Schools' success, what is the role of the District Board?
I see the Board as Facilitators for the Charter schools' continued success. There should be a free and open exchange of ideas and strategies. The District has resources and experience to help the Charters reach their goals, and it is obvious that the Charters can also provide examples of innovative pedagogy and curriculum which may have a place in the district schools. The District needs to make sure that all schools--District and District charter meet the same high expectations for their students and find ways to measure their outcomes.

6. Federal "No Child Left Behind Law":

The darker side has become obvious. Many critics of NCLB point out that the Bill has never been fully funded, and consequently, it results in a major drain of district resources. Although we would believe parents have a right to send their children to good schools, the act would seem to arbitrarily decide--based solely on test scores--if a school is succeeding or failing. Schools that are having trouble tend to get punished rather than helped. Finally, there seems to be a notion that if we take a struggling child out of an "underperforming school," and place him/her into a "performing school" somehow magically the child will excel. I am not convinced of that... In fact, more likely than not, the "successful" school will see its test scores slip as more and more low performing students arrive. Moving kids doesn't really fix the problem. Finally, schools in higher socio economic areas tend to score higher than other schools, and this creates its own complex set of concerns.
In Chico Unified, which is now listed as "under performing district," NCLB has brought federal funds to those schools wherein 40% or more of the children qualify for free or reduced lunch. These funds enable the schools to hire before/after school mentors and instructors t help students who are not reaching the state standards as evidenced by testing. Because the District must also supply funds to under-performing schools, schools like Sierra View Elementary are struggling with budget cuts. Meanwhile schools like Chapman are reducing class sizes and finding other helpful ways to utilize the funds. The same disparity can be found between the two comprehensive high schools. So while I agree with the aim of NCLB, i.e. to insure that all children in the District reach state and federal standards of proficiency, in fact, the consequences have been a drain on resources in some schools in our district.

7. Performance Standards: a. How can the district increase academic performance? We need classrooms that are conducive to learning. That means we need a reasonable teacher-student ratio; we need to find ways to remove poor teachers from the classroom and not just move them to another site. We need facilities that are in good repair and clean and pleasant places to be. We need teachers who do not feel overwhelmed with too many students and too many bureaucratic hassles. We need a curriculum that is classic and yet up to date. We need teachers and the district to set a high bar for our students. The more we expect from them, the greater will be their achievement. We need greater opportunities for professional staff development. We need better communication between all of the stakeholders of the district: students, teachers, parents, community, staff and Board. b. How should the District measure teacher performance? In addition to the standard measures of teacher evaluation practiced in the District, we need greater input from students and parents. Although it is perhaps politically incorrect to suggest this, but education might be viewed to a degree as a commodity and our tax dollars the purchase price. The customer should have a voice in assessing the product. At the university we take student evaluations into consideration when evaluating teachers' performance. Although this cannot be the only factor, it should be a part of the process.

It is tempting to suggest that reaching the benchmarks put forward by the District might be another way to measure teachers' success. The problem here, however, is that such a system would encourage teachers' to only accept positions in the best schools. Only those teachers new to the system or without clout--or even poor teachers-- might be the ones teaching in those schools which most need the benefit of experienced and inspiring teachers, i.e. those schools where students are from lower socio economic backgrounds or who are second language learners. Because of this, benchmarks should not be a part of teacher evaluations.

8. District Board and Superintendent:

a. What is the proper relationship between the Board and the District's Superintendent?
The Board of Directors is elected by the voters, and thus, their responsibility is to act on behalf of the community. They do not work for the district administration; rather, they advocate for the students, families and community members. In my view, it is right and proper they see their role as questioning the District about its practices and procedures. I do not suggest this should be adversarial; it is simply that the Board represents the people and must act on their behalf to make sure that the District is doing its best to create exemplary learning environments. Of course, the Board would be respectful of the administration and vice versa. But respectfulness need not prohibit asking questions, or having frank exchanges about policy. If it was all up to the District staff, we wouldn't need a school board. The Superintendent answers to the Board and serves at the pleasure of the Board.
Certainly, one of my chief reasons for running for the School board is that currently there is not an educator on the Board. Although the current Board members bring fiscal and business experience to the table, too often on matters of pedagogy, they defer to the Superintendent or District staff. As an educator I feel well qualified to raise questions about educational policy and to bring experience grounded in education to the table.

9. Candidate Statement I believe in public education. I come from a single parent family, but I received a first rate public education. I teach in a public university. Strong public education ensures that all students receive the tools to succeed. The public schools demonstrate our conviction that all are entitled to a quality education at no cost. We need to resist the temptation to settle for the status quo. Although our schools are successful by many standards, we need to ask ourselves how to make them better. We need a policy of looking forward with determined vision. Instead of reacting to each year's new crises, we need to lay groundwork to shape our progress.