Fostering a Culture of Collaboration and Continuous Improvement
Every day, Newton teachers are developing innovative approaches to educating their students – from using new technology to explaining an important point in a different way. The same thing is going on in other schools around Massachusetts and the nation. We should make sure our teachers see it as part of their job to talk with colleagues in Newton and beyond, sharing ideas and learning from each other’s experience.
Summary of Proposed Solution
We should make better use of School Councils, School Improvement Plans, and inter-municipal cooperation to improve public education in Newton.
Discussion and Implementation Plan
The opinions of our teachers, parents, neighbors and students are an important measure of the effectiveness of our schools. The valuable insights from these groups should be incorporated into the school system’s goals regarding various aspects of education, including class size, anti-bullying, facilities repair, coordination of SPED services, and the math curriculum. The School Improvement Plan created by each School Council provides a tool to accomplish this goal.
Individual schools are required by law to have a School Council, an advisory body made up of teachers, parents and community representatives. Each School Council is co-chaired by the school’s principal. School Councils are required to create an annual School Improvement Plan.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Education, “The school council is an advisory body that works together to provide ideas and opinions to help the principal. In this context, council members assist by:
- Providing information and recommendations relevant to the educational needs of students
- Reading and discussing the budget with the principal to understand the implications for goals and activities in the school improvement plan
- Participating actively in the process of analysis and planning that results in the identification of annual goals, activities, outcomes, and resources that will lead to school improvement.”
Each year the School Improvement Plan is required to be sent to and reviewed by the school district’s governing body, which, in Newton, is the School Committee. Individual School Improvement Plans should both inform and reflect the Newton Public Schools’ system-wide goals.
“Schools, teachers, and districts are required to align their plans strategically as a means of coordinating planning for improvement and ultimately increased student achievement. For example, the school council statute says that the school improvement plan shall be consistent with the educational policies of the district as well as with state goals and standards. The Regulations on Recertification require each educator to have a professional development plan that is aligned with the school and district improvement plan. When all of these plans are goals are well conceived and in harmony with each other, the school community as a whole can be more effective in improving student achievement.”
As Mayor, Ken Parker will work with School Department officials to make sure that each school’s School Improvement Plan is reviewed annually and that its recommendations and needs are incorporated into the discussion on our Districts’ system-wide Goals. In addition, during his first year as mayor, he will arrange to meet with individual School Councils and learn first hand of the challenges and opportunities at their school. We will also share information and resources with other communities, as discussed in the Finance & Management section.