Candidate for
Trustee; San Luis Coastal Unified School District; Trustee Area 1

The number one concern of any school district is (or should be) the academic achievement of its students. According to the research there are three qualities of schooling that are positively correlated with academic achievement. Far and away the most essential is quality of teaching. Second is quality of instructional time, and third is a school culture that acts as if it truly values academic achievement.

1. Quality of Teaching

The overall poor teaching skills of American teaching (with a number of remarkable exceptions) is well documented. In their groundbreaking research, Stigler and Hiebert studied the actual math teaching methods used in America, Japan and Germany based on videographed lessons. They found that American teachers teach very superficially and procedurally ("put the 3 at the bottom of the one's column and put the 1 at the top of the ten's column") while teachers in Japan and Germany strive for conceptual understanding. In another famous study, Liping Ma compared American and Chinese teaching and found that American teachers typically lack what she calls "a profound understanding of the fundamentals" of mathematics. For example, many American teachers were unable to explain why we borrow and carry. Annenberg offers a whole series of video-based professional development workshops to address the lack of teaching skill in a number of subjects. The factor that most correlates to academic achievement is quality of teaching.

2. Quality of Instructional Time

American schools are plagued with numerous interruptions of instructional time. Minimizing the loss of instructional time is highly correlated with academic achievement. The teachers, as well as the students, remain "on task.' Schools must actively eliminate wasted instructional time due to crowd control, inefficiency of routines, announcements, and interruptions. (The Tribune incorrectly reported that I included "yard monitoring" as an example of how instructional time is wasted. If anything, I support more recess rather than less. Frequent breaks and physical exercise is correlated with increased attentiveness and concentration during instructional time).

3. Quality of School Culture

No matter how much we say we value academic achievement, it is common knowledge that we tolerate a school culture that, far from promoting and celebrating achievement, actually undermines academic achievement.

First, a student who achieves is denigrated by peers and viewed with suspicion by adults who charge that the parents with depriving the child of childhood, pressuring the child with unreasonable expectations, etc.

Second, the disrespectful treatment of substitute teachers speaks volumes about the school culture. How is it that we would ever think it is okay to make life miserable for any human being for a day?

Third, teaching is often the career choice of last resort. Education students have told me they want to be a teacher because, for example, they flunked out of hotel management,or it's either teaching or the Army, or any number of less than worthy motivations. Any college of education can confirm they often attract (again with some outstanding exceptions) the least able students and pass them through the system. I have seen unsuccessful teachers go back to school for Masters and Doctorates, and end up teaching in the colleges of education.

Fourth, the first year of teaching is the hardest. Teachers who leave the profession generally do so within the first five years. Schools can promote academic achievement by implementing an extensive induction and mentoring program for first-year teachers.

Fifth, society can demonstrate a commitment to academic achievement by supporting professional grade salaries for teachers which in turn attract the highest caliber students.

Sixth, a study commissioned by the San Luis Coastal Unified School District board projects declining enrollment to be a self-limiting phenomenon, followed by increasing enrollment. One way to ameliorate the present enrollment decline would be to bring back students who are in alternative programs such as the homeschoolers. Hickman Charter School in Stanislaus County has 629 students whose enrollment contributes to the funding enjoyed by the sponsoring school district which has only about 150 students. It is a win-win for everyone involved. The district has the benefits of increased enrollment with minimal demand for services while homeschooling parents and children participate in supplemental programs.

The bigger problem is that about one third of teachers are due to retire in the next few years. Districts have been shortsightedly hiring novice teachers over proven veteran teachers, ostensibly to save money. Districts had better snap up these gems of experience to replace departing seasoned teachers and to mentor novice teachers.

Finally, the schools need to expand the range of curricular offerings and electives. PE, music and art are not "fluff." Vocational training should be more widely available. Schools need to offer more foreign language, particularly Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Arabic and Farsi.

A school district that "walks the talk" by proactively incorporating the three established elements of academic achievement: quality of teaching, quality of instructional time, and quality of school culture, will see students achieve without resorting to testing, teaching to the test, or any of a multitude of educational fads. All boats will rise, helping to close the achievement gap experienced by the socioeconomically disadvantaged, special education students and English language learners.