Engage and Challenge All Students To Be Full Contributors to our Community and the World

Three years ago I worked with the School Board to hold a public forum for citizens to express their views about ACPS curricula.  The forum had a record turnout.  Speaker after speaker from across the city expressed their desire for their children to have greater opportunities for more challenging work.

We know we must prepare our children for the challenges of a global world.  The Internet has opened up a whole new horizon for all of us and means that our children will compete with their counterparts across the globe for jobs.  To thrive, our children must know how to think expansively, analyze problems, and design and articulate potential solutions. We must ensure that all Alexandria students are given every opportunity to develop these skills.

I will promote success for all students, whether they are at-risk or have special needs, are formally identified as “gifted” or are among the students often described as “in the middle.”  This includes reexamining our special education system (www.acps.k12.va.us/prc/index.php) to see how we can do a better job of meeting these students’ needs.

Our current system fails to identify many gifted students and this has caused a loss of confidence by the public in the integrity of the program.  The Board has just approved the Talented and Gifted (TAG) Local Plan (www.acps.k12.va.us/tag/tagplan.php) which includes measures to do a better job identifying the potential pool of gifted students through universal screening in the second grade.  We need to closely monitor and assess the plan’s success.  For our students “in the middle,” we need to provide a richer curriculum and employ greater differentiation in the classroom. “Differentiation” means focusing on the learning needs and gifts of the individual child and then tailoring the instruction to these needs and gifts.  Differentiation is needed for all students and we should continue our efforts to train our teachers to be adept at this instructional approach.

Further, by increasing our students’ engagement and excitement with what they are learning, we can reduce issues of boredom, discipline and classroom management problems, as well as retain more Alexandria families in our city’s public schools.

Attract & Retain the Highest Quality Teachers and Administrators

There is nothing more important to the success of our children than our classroom leaders.  The Board and Administration must foster an open, healthy environment of trust for our teachers and give them what they need to do their jobs effectively for the benefit of all our children. We must consult with teachers to find the best ideas for improving classroom instruction for the benefit of all students. School management should be flexible, supportive, and empower our teachers to be innovative and creative.  We need to ensure that our school buildings are effectively and wisely run by those who understand how to create conditions for effective learning environments.

To do this class sizes must be kept manageable so that teachers have the opportunity to work with each child.  Teacher frustrations over not being able to give their best to all their students result in departures from ACPS or even from the profession.  Another important component of fostering an environment of trust and respect is making sure that the package of teacher compensation and benefits are competitive.

Ensure Financial Accountability and Effectiveness

As a member of the School Board I will serve as a thoughtful steward of our tax dollars.  Citizens are rightfully concerned that tax dollars are spent wisely and efficiently.  Many question whether we have the right budgetary mix between resources committed to the classroom and resources committed to central administration.  We should have a bias in spending for the highest direct impact on classroom learning.

Another issue of concern is the rising cost of energy and its impact on the budget.  We should consider ways to save money such as installing energy saving devices in school and expanding recycling programs already underway.  This not only holds the promise of cost savings but also sets the right example for our children to be stewards of our environment.

Build Open Channels of Communication and Unity

For too long, there has been a high level of anxiety in our school system causing a loss of focus on our most important asset–our children.  Now is the time to come together to regain our focus on our children.

I will promote unity and open communication among all community stakeholders– students, teachers, administrators, the School Board and concerned citizens in our community.  An essential ingredient to my personal and professional success has been my ability to openly communicate with all stakeholders–especially as early as possible–about needs and resources and to build consensus.

Education of our children should be something we all rally around and we have great resources at our disposal.  Our teachers have wonderful ideas about ways to improve classroom instruction.  In addition to teachers and other educators, I will consult with parents and community members about their ideas for improving our schools.  Engaging all those with a stake in making the city of Alexandria and its public schools the finest in the region can reap long lasting benefits.

Make our Public Schools Alexandria’s Greatest Source of Pride

ACPS should be the system of choice for all who live in Alexandria. We can build public confidence by striving for excellence. We must mine our parent and community assets to improve our schools, including the wealth of cultural, scientific, governmental and historic resources available in the metropolitan area.

By staying abreast of leading edge thinking about education and the world, we can better prepare ACPS to be one of the premier school districts in the country. Education in today’s world is a complex enterprise and calls for those leading the system to model lifelong learning. We need to stimulate community-wide dialogue about the trends and drivers that are affecting the world our classrooms exist in now and going forward.

It is a crucial time for our school system as well as for our city.  The success of our children and our schools affect all aspects of our lives as Alexandrians, whether we are parents, grandparents, or concerned citizens.  With a new Superintendent focused on taking ACPS to higher standards, we must seize this opportunity for all of us to work together to believe in every child and move our system and our city to the highest level of performance.