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Solon group keeps watch on school reform
(by Sue Hoffman - August 14, 2008)
Solon group keeps watch on school reform
By SUE HOFFMAN
Solon School District administrators and parents attending a recent "watch party" said they are looking for enhancements in educating students rather than complete change.
The community was invited to the watch party held at the Solon School Board office last week. A dozen Solon administrators, two school board members and nine parents viewed a regional forum on education in Cleveland and discussed issues following the program. Tamara Strom, the district's coordinator of communications, served as facilitator for the discussion.
The forum, broadcast live from Playhouse Square on the Internet, was one of a series of 12 regional town-hall discussions on educational reform hosted by Gov. Ted Strickland. The current series is focusing on the mission of education, and a second round of discussions this fall will concentrate on financing a reformed system of education. The governor plans to introduce his education-reform proposal in 2009.
"We're probably a year away from having anything that will be impactful," said Solon School Superintendent Joseph V. Regano, who represented the Alliance for Adequate School Funding at the forum. He said education reform "is such a complex issue" and that any reforms will most likely aspire to "where schools like us are at. The question is where the funds are."
During the 1.5-hour forum, the governor discussed his six principles of education, as well as the possibilities of major change, such as an extended school year, to improve the skills and competitiveness of Ohio graduates in the global economy.
"Today, we're not artists looking at an almost finished canvas, wondering where to put that last little brush stroke to make the perfect painting or make things just a little better," Mr. Strickland said. "We're the artist looking at a blank canvas. And we're asking, 'What is the best thing we can create here?'"
Those watching the forum at the Solon School Board office said they are more interested in tweaking the current system.
"There was a lot of concern about not throwing out the baby with the bath water," Ms. Strom said. Participants want to keep the strides made from the professional collaboration, standards-based curriculum and best practices developed over the last decade, she said. "You want to keep improving upon that."
Following the forum, the Solon participants were divided into four small groups to discuss major ideas for education reform to share with the governor's office. The entire group then voted on the four ideas they believe are most critical to pursue.
The top reform voted on by the entire group is to capitalize on the value-added progress measures, which evaluate the annual progress of each individual student to ensure that all students are making strides toward reaching their potential.
They also voted on these reforms: to have greater focus on individualization and differentiation by taking students where they are academically and moving them forward; improve critical-thinking and problem-solving skills of students by incorporating local business partnerships; and improve service to students by bolstering mental health services and an interdisciplinary approach.
"We do not want to discount where we were as a state and where we've come in terms of improvement," the group wrote in its feedback to the governor's office. "It has taken a decade for Ohio to get on the same page with equal access for students. We need to ensure any and all reforms are research-based, acknowledge that what gets measured gets done and are systemic and not fragmented."
Other ideas submitted by the Solon participants to the governor's office included caring, safe schools, student engagement through use of technology, enhanced teacher training and greater emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving. They suggested that art education be used to foster creativity and innovation and that special-education students have access to educational resources.
Participants also stressed accountability to ensure that each child is meeting standards and not only achieving but improving upon prior achievement levels.
The governor's six principles of education reform include: strengthening the state's commitment to education; having world-class schools that produce a talented, competitive workforce; building on strengths of the current educational system; recruiting and retaining skilled teachers; developing a personalized education for each student; and using testing and assessment to guide individualized education and understand students' capabilities.
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