Week 2 Discussion - The Condition of Education: 2013

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1. How will you justify to the school board that so much money has been spent with little to show in reading scores?

I think it is imperative for school board members to understand growth is a process. While additional money has provided research-based resources, it has only been two years since the materials were purchased. I would explain that research often shows that the implementation of new curriculums and resources can actually cause a dip in test scores and that full implementation gains are usually not noticed until after year three. I would further explain that if a drop in scores is expected with new programs, our scores have not dropped significantly, and they are actually maintaining. I would present a detailed timeline on the positives we hope to see in the third year of implementation. I would also create a document which provided school-wide progress monitoring data, which shows students are making progress in standard-based instruction. I would hope by sharing what research says, providing data and a detailed timeline, and focusing on the positives, the board members would have a renewed sense of trust and know funding was not spent in vain. I would offer to meet with them again to continue sharing student progress and keep them updated as we approach and complete the third year of implementation. I would also make sure to thankful them for the allotment because without it, our students would not have the resources they need and the change which is shown in the progress monitoring data would not have occurred.

2. Someone from the audience wants to debate the fact that too much money is being spent on education and believes state funding for education should be under more scrutiny. How will you address this concern?

If someone from the audience wanted to debate the fact that too much money is being spent on education, I would gladly provide information to guide them to a new view which is in support of funding public education. When attending any type of financial meeting, it is imperative for all teachers and school executives to be well prepared to address any and all questions. When attending a board meeting, I would come prepared with facts from research, an outlined budget and exactly where it was spent, documentation of trainings and costs, and progress monitoring data. While it is important to explain how much programs and resources cost, I think it would be powerful to share the success of students with this individual. I would explain progress monitoring data which proves the use of resources and curriculums purchased by the state. I would explain each component and how students are making growth due to teachers being well trained and prepared through the resources and materials provided by funding from the state. As this individual is provided facts which show students are showing growth, I would then explain the breakdown of funds provided and how they were spent. In the end, I would hope the individual would leave the meetings knowing two things. They should understand the importance of research based curriculums and resources and how they are helping our students. They should also understand how expensive those resources are as well as the training for teachers. It might even me impactful to have data on teachers who implement the curriculum and resources without training verses those who are provided with proper training. That would also support using funding to train and prepare teachers.