Community Education Task Force

 Delivered to The Rochester City School District’s Superintendent Search Committee on December 3, 2011

 Criteria for: “evaluating candidates for the permanent Superintendent position: unique abilities, leadership qualities and experience desired in the chief executive of the District.”

History & Introduction: The criteria listed below represent vitally important abilities, leadership qualities, and experience desired in the chief executive of the Rochester City School District (RCSD). Many of the critically important attributes (see bulleted items below) were first presented publicly at a press conference, held by the Community Education Task Force (CETF), Coalition for Justice in Education, and a wide array of allies (parents, grandparents, students, educators, activists, and other community members) at the RCSD Central Office building on April 20, 2011.

Additional attributes (also contained in bulleted items) were developed under the title “people’s criteria” on November 28th, during the second public meeting of the Superintendents Search Committee (while Search Committee members—with the exception of Rochester Board of Education Commissioner-Elect Mary Adams and RCSD teacher Yolanda Montalvo—were in “recess”). Those who participated in developing the “people’s criteria” included at least 40 RCSD parents, grandparents, students, educators, activists (including many associated with the Community Education Task Force and Occupy Rochester), and other community members. The “people’s criteria” was transcribed by Mr. James Thompson, and was emailed to all Board members on 11/30/11.

Based on information and events outlined above, and on our collective knowledge, expertise, and proven commitment to help produce widespread, permanent change and improvement within the RCSD — we (CETF) are unequivocally convinced that the ideal candidate for the position of permanent Superintendent of the RCSD:

• is an experienced master teacher, with extensive instructional knowledge and a keen understanding of instructional practice and research-based education reform practices and methodologies.

• possesses demonstrated ability and skills that are necessary in order to build consensus with parents, educators, labor, and the broader Rochester community.

• is accessible, with demonstrated ability and skills to work in partnership with diverse groups of urban parents. Meaningful, ongoing parent and community engagement, involvement and input must be a valuable (as measured by concrete evidence) part of a democratic partnership in decision-making within the District.

• represents (equitably) the needs of all RCSD students and families, and subscribes to democrat principles, as opposed to corporate agendas and mayoral control ideologies.

• recognizes that the affects of poverty is at the core of student performance-problems and issues, and addresses that issue head-on.

• has demonstrated integrity, honesty, and trustworthiness.

• cannot be bought by big business, as borne out by relationships in the past.

• is opposed to corporate-driven, education agendas and mayoral control ideologies.

• is preferably from the Greater Rochester area.

• will create authentic mechanisms for parent and community engagement and involvement in decision-making at every level of the education system.

• allows teachers to teach and motivate youth, rather than to be shackled by standardized testing requirements. S(he) will fight at state and federal levels for local control.

• is willing to advocate and collaboratively develop alternative education programs, in order to best meet the needs of diverse, high-needs RCSD students in particular.

• will explore and collaboratively create assessment tools that extend beyond the sole use of quantitative standardized test scores, in favor of qualitative, broader assessment tools.

• has a history and record of recommending and successfully implementing meaningful change through concrete, demonstrable relationships with grassroots community organizations.

• is comfortable with, and has a record of developing socially just and democratic learning environments, as well as advancing culturally relevant curricula.

• can provide lists of grassroots, parent and community-based groups or organizations that s(he) has worked with and built long-standing, positive relationships with; can articulate the nature of such relationships, and explain/demonstrate how and why they were valued and respected.

• can articulate and demonstrate clear understanding of, and commitment to addressing the historical and ongoing impact of institutionalized racism and sexism within the District — by constantly and consistently creating, promoting and/or supporting adequate and appropriate professional development, and other activities, events, policies, practices, procedures, etc., that are designed to address these issues in meaningful (to students, parents/families and educators) and measurable ways.

Since the Superintendent Search Committee claims to need “help from the community to identify unique abilities, leadership qualities, and experience desired in the chief executive of the District,” we believe that certain criteria should be non-negotiable. A concrete example is criteria captured in the first bullet above, which states:

“is an experienced master teacher, with extensive instructional knowledge and a keen understanding of instructional practice and research-based education reform practices and methodologies.”

Matt Miles, an organization health expert, explains that “power equalization” is the ability of any individual to influence anyone else in an organization and feel valued.

In a school district, it would refer to students, parents, teachers, civil service personnel, administrators, the superintendent and school board feeling positive about their ability to influence each other. This concept is extremely desirable, but often absent in many organizations, including the Rochester School District.

sIt was the reason why several school board candidates and the Parent and Community Coalition for Education Change protested the school board’s intention to authorize the hiring of a consulting firm to search for Rochester’s next superintendent. Specifically, the board:

Called the meeting without adequately notifying the Rochester community, thereby violating New York state’s open meeting policy.

Would have agreed to pay the consulting firm, Ray and Associates, $40,000 or more.

Would be using a consulting firm that is recommended by the Eli Broad Foundation, a conservative, corporate-oriented, education reform group that has supported profit-making charter schools, mayoral control of schools, standardized testing for student and teacher accountability, and “top-down” decision making.

Full Article

Written by Jose Cruz

The selection of a permanent Rochester schools superintendent is one of the most important decisions the Board of Education will make.

The school board has committed to a robust community process in the selection of a permanent superintendent and we are committed to engaging all stakeholders in the process.

The board will appoint a community-wide selection committee consisting of members of the various sectors of our community — parents, City Hall, higher education and business partners will all be at the table as we seek to name a permanent superintendent who will work in concert with the board and the community in improving academic achievement and preparing students for the 21st Century. We anticipate having this committee in place before the end of October.

To gather information on criteria for a permanent superintendent, we will also have community-wide conversations in each of the school district’s three zones. These forums will give citizens the opportunity to share their thoughts on the qualities and characteristics they would like to see in a superintendent; the information gathered will be used in the crafting of the position description and the creation of a profile. A community-wide survey will also be launched. This will serve as yet another avenue for input on the criteria that we will be using in evaluating candidates. Focus groups with stakeholders will also be an important part of the process as we seek to touch every part of the community in our deliberations.

Full Article

It is evident that the new/old reconfiguration of elementary school to Pre-K-8 is not working. Elementary schools are overwhelmed by the scope of grade levels to be serviced. The numbers of students and the age variances between students has created more failure at the elementary level.

Yes, there is a problem at the Middle School level of education. That problem begins at the elementary level where children are not receiving the foundation necessary for success in higher levels of learning. As more testing is being pushed at the elementary level, less of the child’s needs are being addressed.

It is at the elementary level of education that the desire to learn must be nurtured. Instead, it is killed by testing. Testing that is not associated with the child’s progress but with the dollars a district receives. Testing that determines a child’s failed future, not their present requirements for success.

Full Article

Malik Evans: “The community will have input into the superintendent search process.”

Disagreement among some city school board members and between the board and some community activists have delayed the board’s hiring of a search firm to help find a new superintendent of city schools.

The board had hoped to hire a new superintendent by the end of this school year, but last week, board members postponed a vote to hire the executive search firm Ray and Associates.

The school board had a special meeting Tuesday night, unrelated to the superintendent search – although one board member said the topic could come up. Board President Malik Evans said in a phone conversation Tuesday morning that no vote would be taken.

Some activists say the board doesn’t need to hire a firm. With the help of the community, they say, the board and the district have the resources to do the search. And the money saved would be better spent in the classroom, says Howard Eagle, a member of the Community Education Task Force and a candidate for school board.

Full Article