3. Math, math, math!

Just mention "Investigations Math" and you will get a reaction. Oftentimes, not a positive one. With a math degree background, you can guess math is a very big issue for me. The adoption and promotion of Investigations Math was another example of the district and the board not being responsive to parents.

Math is one of those things that every parent wants their child to be able to do. We're not talking calculus, just the times tables and long division. There are programs out there that have substantial research and results to support them. The country of Singapore scores heads and tails above the US on every international math test. Singapore math is being used with great success in schools in the US. I have done Saxon and Singapore Math with my kids. And I would highly recommend both over the program currently being used at my kids' school.

Singapore gives a greater depth and understanding of the topic and uses physical and pictoral representations of the concepts. When we discuss balanced math (Investigations Lite) vs. traditional math, oftentimes the proponents of balanced math talk in terms of just rote memorization and drill. While I am in favor of memorization (it frees the brain up for higher computation and advanced thinking skills), memorization and drill are not the only components of traditional math. As in all things, an ability to be comfortable with numbers and their basic use, allows you to see patterns and concepts that would be hidden without that familiarity. A representative of Singapore Math stated, "We are not teaching math, we are teaching thinking through the medium of math." Math teaches logic and problem solving techniques which are applicable in all aspects of life. That is why it is critical we teach it well.

When I started following the discussion on Investigations Math, my husband attended a board meeting. He didn't have an opinion one way or the other, and has always avoided math whenever possible. What he came away with from that board meeting was the board was very defensive of the parents' disagreement on Investigations. Again, either Investigations was a phenomenal program that the board and the district failed to properly communicate with the families, or it was a bad program that the families had concrete opposition to. Either way, the proper reaction was not to ignore or minimize the parents' discontent. The board should have addressed the issue either by convincing parents with the superior results of the math program the district chose or by admitting the district's own failure in adopting an inferior program.

If we had had more local control at each school during the Investigations years, there would have been many schools and parents willing to try Saxon and Singapore Math. Instead, what we saw was a rise in charter schools, many of them created by parents to escape Investigations Math. When I was on a founding board for a local charter school, every parent I met stated Investigations Math was either their first or second reason for looking into a charter school. With greater local control, those parents who wanted Saxon/Singapore would have been able to send their kids to a school that offered that program.

Overall, I am pleased that Investigations isn't an approved curricula. However, I know we can do much better by teaching a tried and true math program with experience and data to back it up.

2. Academic Excellence

We have all heard the phrase, The Three R's: Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. I think this phrase was coined for a reason. If you were able to send your kid to school and all they learned was the ability to read, write, and do math, they would be able to apply that knowledge to get whatever additional knowledge they desired.

I have talked with many parents, and some of the principals, who recognize the desire parents have for their children to excel academically. I have yet to meet the parent that says, "I don't really care if my kid can't read, as long as, he can ______." The same is true with basic math, and writing skills. Once the basics have been mastered, then we want to push them a little harder to pursue greater academic excellence. Each child should reach their highest potential in those three areas. If we have children who can't read or do basic math, that is a major problem.

I'm also a fan of things like science and history, art and music. But again, a child who can read, if nothing else, can learn about all these things.

When we focus on something other than academic excellence, we lose our focus of why we are sending our kids to school in the first place. Every decision I would make as a school board member would be with the idea in mind that it should improve academics in the classroom. If it doesn't, we shouldn't be doing it.

Debate: June 2, 2010

On Wednesday, we had a debate at the Cedar Hills Golf Course. The incumbent, Chrissy Hanneman, Zonda Perry, and myself were there. It was nice to meet people and hear their thoughts.

I will put the formal debate questions here, along with my summary answers. There were other questions provided to the moderator during the debate that I won't be able to include at this time.

1. Property Taxes: need to go up, down or stay the same? Why?
--Stay the same. Times are hard. It isn't right to make people who are struggling pay more. In a situation like this, everyone needs to do more with less.

2. What is one thing ASD is doing well? What is one thing they need to improve the most?
--The teachers and families in ASD are very dedicated to education. Improve communication with and involvement from the parents.

3. Charter Schools: good or bad? Why?
--Good. I support parents having options.

4. To what extent should homeschoolers participate in public schools, including extracuricular activities?
--As much as they want. Their parents pay taxes too. They need to meet the requirements the same as everyone else.

5. What experiences prepared you to serve on ASD Board?
--I have a math degree, own my own business, have been involved in evaluating curricula for both a Charter School and for Home Schooling. I am able to find efficiencies, and, most importantly, listen to and represent the voice of the families.

6. Why are you running? What do you stand for?
--I want to take our district from good to better. I think we can do this with greater involvement from parents and more local control in the schools. I also want to focus on academics.

7. Investigations Math: is it still being taught in ASD? Is it good or bad?
--It's not supposed to be taught in ASD anymore, but there are many reports that it is still sneaking into the classroom. I, frankly, hate it. I'm a proponent of Singapore Math (also like Saxon). But, I would like to see the local schools decide, as long as there is support for the curriculum by the parents of those in that school.

8. Should ASD be spending more or less per student? Can ASD do more with less, or do they need more?
--ASD can absolutely do more with less. We all can and do. If the families who support the district have to do more with less, then the district does too.

9. Should teacher tenure be eliminated? Is tenure good or bad?
--Bad teachers have to go. Tenure, too often, stands in the way of schools being able to get rid of teachers who don't try anymore. Of course, training, support and a fair overview of a teacher is required. But, if they cannot meet the expectations of the principal, they should be given their retirement and released.

10. Should we try to measure who are the best teachers and pay them more? How?
--Yes. There should be a tangible reward for being excellent. Peer reviews could be used to determine some form of merit pay, taking in to account the difficulty of the class(es) involved, etc.

11. Is ASD doing a good job at teaching math? If so, why are so many ASD students not prepared for college work?
--No. This is a critical area in which ASD is failing. I think that Investigations wasn't a good decision. The NCTM--National Council of Teachers of Mathematics--recently revised their standards stating something to the effect that kids need to have quick recall of basic math facts. This is a dramatic departure from where they were a few years ago. This is a rejection of investigations and "investigations light" (balanced math).

12. Do Community Councils have enough automony?
--I don't think so. If you put them in charge of the Trust Funds, then they should get input from the schools, but it should be up to the SCC's to make the final decision. Otherwise, why have a Community Council make that decision?

13. Should charter schools be overseen by ASD?
--No.

14. Does ASD need a bond for new schools? Why?
--No. We can't afford it, and I'm opposed to debt, both personally, and publicly.

15. Did you vote for or against the school choice (voucher) initiative in 2007? Why?
--I voted for it. The funds were coming from the General Fund, not the Education Fund, and it provided greater choice for parents. I like parental choice.

16. What do you think of the mission statement that includes "enculturating democracy"?
--I think it's a poor motto for a school. Not only is it factually incorrect, it misplaces the proper focus of the district. I'd like to see one that focuses on academics. I'm not comfortable with the word "enculturating" as it implies to me indoctrination. Also, this country was established to be a 'republic', not a 'democracy'. We don't teach 2+2=5 and say it's close enough. Why not state 'republic'?

Thanks to Joel Wright for organizing this one and only debate. I wish there had been more debates. It is important for these concepts to be debated in public and for individuals to have input to those who seek to represent them.

Conversations with Principals

I had been working as a Project Manager for a couple of years when our team received a new boss. He was full of ideas and wanted to change everything before evaluating what worked and what didn't. The upside of a new person is that they don't have any loyalty to how things have always been done. The downside is that they don't have any loyalty to how things have always been done.

I want to make sure that I don't take what is good and dismiss it. So in that vein, I have been discussing the issues with some of the principals in the district. These are incredibly talented indviduals who really know what works and what does not. I have enjoyed our conversations. Overall, the theme is we have a good district. They are pleased with the support and respect they receive from the district. They feel the district is being run efficiently, and they appreciate the collaboration that takes place.

A number of the principals referenced "The Four Questions". I wanted to learn more about this concept and I think you will also find it interesting. In all things, the schools are to ask: 1) What do the kids know? 2) How do we know that they know it? 3) What do we do if they don't know it? 4) What do we do if they DO know it? I like the emphasis on both extremes: those that don't know and those that have it mastered. Therein is the trick in any classroom, how to meet the needs of those who are struggling, while providing the next step for those who have mastered the concept.

Another thing that was mentioned were the Areas of Focus that were put together with a lot of community involvement. To view this, click here. Also, a couple of them mentioned the Moral Dimensions of Teaching. These are principles adopted by BYU's College of Education and used to train teachers. To view these, click here.

One principal mentioned how the teachers were finding creative ways to use materials and supplies so as to reduce the amount needed during difficult times.

Finally, one of the schools has 'gifted' programs for all of their core subjects. After seeing how many children came to test for the pilot 3rd-grade A.L.L. program a few years ago, it is apparent to me that this is something parents want. A little more of a 'push' on the students is something I have heard repeatedly. It's nice to see some of this desire coming to fruition in our schools.

I congratulate these principals in their achievements and their endeavors. We have a good district. My goal, which I invite you to share, is to make a good district a great district. How do we do that? By changing the culture so we all take part and contribute what we have to offer. There are many things that can be done. Every principal, teacher, parent and student knows ways we can improve. Some are small improvements, some are major improvements.

To have the absolute best district possible, we must all do everything necessary to contribute to success. What does that mean for a school board member? I believe it is necessary for the school board to reclaim its position in preserving the balance between the interests of the district administrators and the interests of the families which they serve.

Our district has tremendous assets in its students, families, teachers, principals, and district administrators. Obviously, everyone has a vested interest in wanting the best education possible for the students. How that is actually accomplished is where people begin to differ. It is only natural for people to come at a problem with varying solutions. The role of the school board is to fairly evaluate the interests of all parties and make the best decision. The "best decision" should be defined as the decision that most effectively educates the students at the highest level possible.

Too often, leaders become insulated against the real world of those they seek to serve. It is a natural process where, left alone, decision makers begin to rely on their own set way of doing business. That is why we have elections with the wonderful opportunity to infuse our bureaucracies with new people, renewed passion, and those who more accurately represent the ideas and ideals of the common person.

My candidacy is about bringing the voice of the everyday family to the school district. We must keep what is working well. We must change what is not working. The only way to reach a higher level is to acknowledge we can do better and be willing to accept better ideas when we find them. To find them, we must be willing to listen. We can make our district better by opening up the system to greater communication, accountability, and representation. There are great ideas out there. The school board needs to return to a culture that embraces the views of the people they serve. By doing so, we tap into what truly makes our district great: the families and individuals who make up our communities.

1. Parents and the District

One of the biggest factors in the educational success of a child is parental involvement. But how does one get involved and find out what's going on? With the information age, we have a great advantage over previous generations: email, websites, social networking, as well as the standards: word of mouth, newspapers, TV, and radio. The trick is how to get the information out there in a form parents can use to their benefit.

First of all, a very simple option on the district website would allow parents to sign up for updates from the district and to receive emails of the agenda and minutes for school board meetings. Knowing the information is somewhere on the district's site is good. Getting it in your inbox is better. Our local school sends out email updates as well as using the 'robo-caller'. It works great and should be implemented at the district level as well. Making an automated email list is better because it is a proactive invitation to be involved. I would like to promote a more open and inviting relationship between the district and the people they serve. We have a good district; we can make it better.

Another issue is the way the district treats parents with complaints. I once worked for a business with a policy that acknowledged that we would occasionally make mistakes. But, once something became a problem, we would go out of our way to delight the client in how we fixed the problem. Parents are the customers of the district. When the customer takes the time to let you know something isn't quite right, the correct response is to acknowledge and thank the customer for their information. Then, you need to evaluate how you can fix the problem. In short, when you receive a complaint, you have failed: either in meeting expectations, in setting those expectations, or in communicating. Honestly accepting mistakes or other points-of-view enables us to improve our ability to serve others.

The two most public examples in the last few years were Investigations Math and the "America: Republic or Democracy" website link. In both instances, the board took a defensive approach to parental complaints. Their estimation appeared to be only a few, misguided parents were involved. So, rather than acknowledge the validity in the parents' concerns, the district wanted to show there were other parents and teachers who supported the district's positions and these parents were in the minority; those who disagreed with the district on these points weren't supportive of the district. Interestingly, our best friends are often those who are willing to point out our flaws and work with us in spite of them.

Take, as an example, the latest brouhaha over the Democracy or Republic schism. The district admitted the website link was a "serious mistake", but the people who brought it to their attention and the concern that ensued (implied by the link) was dismissed. It is understandable when your best intentions are called into question, you feel defensive. However, a better response from the board would have been to say, based on what was in the article, they can see where parents might have concerns and miscontrued the district's intentions? While the district said the link was a mistake and removed it in a timely manner, the board only committed to review the mission statement after a very energetic crowd showed up to a board meeting to demand change. Had there been a culture of honestly considering input from the public, this situation would never have occurred. One of the best things you can do for a customer is to acknowledge their complaints and comments as valid... and then fix the problem. The fix, in this instance, may not be everything those parents wanted. But, for the district to acknowledge their concerns is a good first step. And for every person who complains, there are many more who have the same concern, but do not come forward.

I would propose taking the district from 'good' to 'better' can't be done unless you are willing to allow for criticism. None of us is perfect, so no organization can be perfect. But through our involvement with others, we learn to acknowledge and improve upon our imperfections. Obviously, issues will arise, but seeing them as opportunities instead of problems, in the end, will yield the better results.

School Community Council Conversation

I had a nice discussion the other day with a member of one of our School Community Councils(SCC). I have known people who have served on the SCC's in the past, and have seen the flyers and voting for members of the SCC, but I had never realized that the SCC's are responsible for the school trust lands money. I always assumed that the district or the State determined what was to be done with that. (BTW, the school trust monies amount to about 1/2 of 1% of each school's budget, on average.)

Some of the things we discussed were reading the minutes of the school board meetings, how much time will I devote to the school board, and what her perception was from moving from out of state a few years back.

I really appreciated the conversation. It was helpful to have input from another perspective, and here is what I've done.

1) One of my first thoughts was how often do average people read the minutes for any meetings? Unless we have issues with things, we usually just ignore them. However, we need to know what the main issues are in order to affect a direction. After the conversation, I tried to find the minutes. I was able to find the April 20 minutes. It takes some doing to get to them when you first look. As a member of the school board, I would like the district to be more pro-active in getting the minutes and issues out to the community. Currently, my city allows subscribers to receive agendas via email. This wouldn't be difficult to implement at the district level.

My thoughts on the minutes.

Overall, other than the community comments (most of which were about the mission statement and "enculturating"...more on that in a later post), I didn't find the minutes to be all that helpful. The property items struck me as the most important information to be gleaned. They mentioned that my opponent, Mrs. Hanneman, voted against ceding some of the Lone Peak HS property to UDOT for the widening of 4800 W. The minutes do not give specifics other than to say that she voted against this and would have preferred a 4 lane road. My SCC council contact mentioned that it was 25 feet in front of the school, allowing for a wider road that would come closer to the existing school entrance. This specific information would have been helpful to have in the minutes. It would have been even better for people from the Lone Peak area to be able to have a say on this issue prior to the vote. I assume that no one knew about it, as it isn't referenced at all in the community comments. In light of my contact's information, I agree whole-heartedly with my opponent's vote on this issue.

2) I have found in life that projecting how much time something will take is a moving target. The more you have done something, the better your estimates will be. If you've never done it, you will be way off. I am committed to spending as much time as it takes on school board issues. I am also committed to spending no more than that amount of time. If there are efficiencies to be found, I will find them. I have experience doing that in my business, which is why I can operate a full-time business and still be an 'at home' mom.

3) My SCC contact was concerned with academic excellence and encouragement. In her previous state, her child read Beowulf in sixth grade. In our district, it is a high school (or late middle school) requirement. Also, kids in AP classes in the old state, pushed and encouraged each other and were proud of their accomplishments. Here, the kids that are in AP classes don't see it as a good thing, but rather as inhibiting social status. She also mentioned that the top 10% of graduating students were automatically accepted to state colleges and universities. She would like to see a program like that in Utah.

I appreciate the time that she took to contact me, and to give me more information. This is the type of transparency and input that the board and the district need to encourage, not just from those appointed and filling notable positions (SCC, District Community Councils) but from every day people, parents, students, and teachers.

Why I am running

The main reason I am running is that I have kids in the Alpine School District. We all want the best education possible for our children. So, the question really is, what makes me different? What do I have to offer to you?

It's time that Alpine School District re-prioritizes Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. My set of experiences in operating my own data migration business, helping found a charter school, home schooling, participating in public schools (2 children in public school) and belonging to the PTA enables me to understand a greater dimension of educational needs in the district. These experiences have exposed me to varied programs, curricula, needs and solutions that exist in our area.

My top issues are:

1. Change the culture in the district to pro-actively involve parents in all levels of their children's education. Utilize technology to make the district more inclusive and transparent.
2. Encourage and promote academic excellence, specifically with the basics (three R's).
3. Math, math, math, math.
4. Evaluate non-classroom programs and expenses in order to be directly accountable to the taxpayers.
5. Ensure that associations and advisors are focused on academics and not politics.
6. Site-based management, e.g. more local control at each school.

I will go into more depth on each of these items in subsequent posts.