League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Christopher Kent Chiang Answers Questions Candidate for Board Member; Mountain View-Whisman School District

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. How would you determine that the schools are using federal, state and local funds wisely and fairly and how would you report your findings to the community?

In my eight years of teaching here in California and New York, I had found two truths about funding: California schools aren't adequately funded (in 09: CA- $9,706, NY-$16,794-, to learn more: http://www.edsource.org/pub10-how-ca-ranks.html) and funds we do have aren't always spent well.

Funds should always be allocated by a single criterion: its sustainable efficacy on student learning and wellness.

It takes a passion for hard data and trust in the teachers that work directly with our children to know what works.

Our district can be much more creative in utilizing technology and design philosophy to convey our finances to the community. We would find ourselves better supported by our community if we did more to inform everyone about how their tax dollars are being put to work for our society's future.

2. Are the schools offering instruction appropriate to the diverse educational abilities of all the students?

We have made substantial gains in reducing the achievement gap between student groups on state test scores. State test scores are however only one metric and we must not solely rely on a single data point. How are all our students fairing in high school and college? For students who live in Mountain View and don't attend our public schools, why? How well are our students prepared for a 21st century economy that requires very few of the skills that standardized tests measure?

The district still has a major challenge in ensuring every child receives instruction that is appropriate and challenging for them individually. This is not unique to Mountain View-Whisman, but unlike many districts, we have the talent and community resources to lead the nation in addressing this.

We should not guess or rely our own experiences alone when many nations have proven for years what works. The single common factor between all great schools from Finland to Singapore is a focus on teacher training and collaboration. We must train, trust, and honor our teachers as professionals. No nation has successfully educated a diverse student population through demoting teachers to technicians delivering scripted learning.

3. Where do you want the District to be five years from now? What steps should the District take to get there?

I want the school district to clearly know what skills and qualities they want from our children by time they leave eighth grade, and then I want the way we "grade" our schools to directly mirror those skills and qualities.

If the community sees their children's success in a broader lens than the results of annual state tests, we need a school board with the leadership to create a set of measures to let the community know how we are doing on what's important to them.

We cannot be great unless our metrics align with our values. If the state isn't willing to see that, we need the courage to innovate locally.

I have taught around the nation here in our community and in New York City at some of the best public and independent schools. I have closely collaborated with educators from Finland to our most innovative schools in America like High Tech High and the Uncommon Schools. I want our district to be more globally aware of best practices and innovation happening around us. For a local example, San Mateo-Foster City has been implementing a balance of parent choice in gifted programs, bilingual programs (Mandarin along with Spanish), and Montessori programs (the first in Northern California) along with neighborhood schools. In Ontario, Canada, they have successful scaled reforms that eliminate the achievement gap for students new to English. Last, I want our district to ask the best qualified community in the world-Mountain View, what our children will need to succeed in the 21st century? I want our schools to prepare them for that future.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 10, 2012 11:08
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