Post by title1parent on Sept 14, 2010 5:14:22 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/schools/2698982,D204-board-retreat_na091210.article
D204 board members go on retreat
September 12, 2010
By DAVID SHAROS For Sun-Times Media
Members of Indian Prairie School District 204 board took a two-day retreat this weekend to address a variety of issues concerning the district including effectiveness, planning, goal setting and evaluation.
Board member Cathy Piehl explained before the meeting that the weekend retreat at the Naperville Park District office on Jackson Avenue and Mill Street was the continuation of a similar first-time event held last year.
"We are all aware of the need for improvement in performance by board members as well as teachers," Piehl said. "There certainly is evidence that a high-performing board of education affects the performance of teachers. We did a workshop like this a year ago and we're looking to build on the mission and vision we began discussing last year."
Board President Curt Bradshaw said one of the problems a year ago involved "trying to focus on too many issues and too many goals" which he said was a deterrent to a more focused approach.
"When your attention is on too many things, there's no clarity and too many distractions, so we've tried this year to narrow our focus on six goals we've like to review," Bradshaw said. "Our hope is to refine our overall assessment and what our targets are and be sure we're on the same page as our administration."
According to Janet Buglio, director of communication services, the six goals include three items that are connected to student performance, with others relating to managing district resources, acquiring 21st century technology skills, and focusing on students and the community.
Using a workshop format, the Friday and Saturday sessions were overseen and led by Alan Leis, a former superintendent of District 203 who has retired and now serves as a consultant. Leis said that while he is not providing direction for the district, "having a facilitator helps put everyone on equal footing."
"When you have an outsider working with a group, it helps maintain the focus and also equals out the participation," Leis said.
Alka Tyle, vice president of the District 204 school board, said she hoped the outcome of Saturday's meeting would be to "reach a consensus about the district's vision, mission, and principles." Both she and Leis commented on the challenges districts face across the country, given the current economic crisis.
"When the needs of your students are changing at the rate they are, we as a district need to change as well and we're going to need resources that include time and more instructional resources," Tyle said. "One of the big challenges we face is a lack of awareness within the community as to what it takes to be competitive today and what kids need to know to earn a high school diploma. A good percentage of our parents aren't really aware, and one of our goals is to create better awareness and connect better with all the taxpayers and residents of our district."
"The focus on student academics and learning continues to be the challenge in education," Leis added. "It's important that school districts continue to push the envelope."
Bradshaw said that given the resources and demographics of the district, Indian Prairie "should be one of the best school districts around."
"We want to see an increase in our ACT scores, but we'd also like to see even more students exceeding the state standards," he said. "We're also concerned about narrowing the achievement gap in our sub-groups, which is something that's in line with the state standards."
Bradshaw noted that one of the outcomes of the weekend meeting would also be the regular monitoring of goals throughout the coming year via board meetings.
"We set up our annual calendar after this meeting, and one of the things we want to have on our agenda each month is to hold ourselves accountable to these goals," he said. "As a board, we want to have our house in order."
D204 board members go on retreat
September 12, 2010
By DAVID SHAROS For Sun-Times Media
Members of Indian Prairie School District 204 board took a two-day retreat this weekend to address a variety of issues concerning the district including effectiveness, planning, goal setting and evaluation.
Board member Cathy Piehl explained before the meeting that the weekend retreat at the Naperville Park District office on Jackson Avenue and Mill Street was the continuation of a similar first-time event held last year.
"We are all aware of the need for improvement in performance by board members as well as teachers," Piehl said. "There certainly is evidence that a high-performing board of education affects the performance of teachers. We did a workshop like this a year ago and we're looking to build on the mission and vision we began discussing last year."
Board President Curt Bradshaw said one of the problems a year ago involved "trying to focus on too many issues and too many goals" which he said was a deterrent to a more focused approach.
"When your attention is on too many things, there's no clarity and too many distractions, so we've tried this year to narrow our focus on six goals we've like to review," Bradshaw said. "Our hope is to refine our overall assessment and what our targets are and be sure we're on the same page as our administration."
According to Janet Buglio, director of communication services, the six goals include three items that are connected to student performance, with others relating to managing district resources, acquiring 21st century technology skills, and focusing on students and the community.
Using a workshop format, the Friday and Saturday sessions were overseen and led by Alan Leis, a former superintendent of District 203 who has retired and now serves as a consultant. Leis said that while he is not providing direction for the district, "having a facilitator helps put everyone on equal footing."
"When you have an outsider working with a group, it helps maintain the focus and also equals out the participation," Leis said.
Alka Tyle, vice president of the District 204 school board, said she hoped the outcome of Saturday's meeting would be to "reach a consensus about the district's vision, mission, and principles." Both she and Leis commented on the challenges districts face across the country, given the current economic crisis.
"When the needs of your students are changing at the rate they are, we as a district need to change as well and we're going to need resources that include time and more instructional resources," Tyle said. "One of the big challenges we face is a lack of awareness within the community as to what it takes to be competitive today and what kids need to know to earn a high school diploma. A good percentage of our parents aren't really aware, and one of our goals is to create better awareness and connect better with all the taxpayers and residents of our district."
"The focus on student academics and learning continues to be the challenge in education," Leis added. "It's important that school districts continue to push the envelope."
Bradshaw said that given the resources and demographics of the district, Indian Prairie "should be one of the best school districts around."
"We want to see an increase in our ACT scores, but we'd also like to see even more students exceeding the state standards," he said. "We're also concerned about narrowing the achievement gap in our sub-groups, which is something that's in line with the state standards."
Bradshaw noted that one of the outcomes of the weekend meeting would also be the regular monitoring of goals throughout the coming year via board meetings.
"We set up our annual calendar after this meeting, and one of the things we want to have on our agenda each month is to hold ourselves accountable to these goals," he said. "As a board, we want to have our house in order."