2020-5-28 Board Member Report
Revised for publication.
We are almost at the end of our semester. We are experiencing a turbulence and we are facing uncertainty for the fall.
It is important for the school system to keep examining our distance delivery model and listening to our teachers, students and parents. Our students’ well-being and academic growth are both in the center of our daily operation. We should be able to conduct a survey before the school closes for the summer.
Many questions can be asked, for example:
- How do you feel during this time?
- Do you have a preference for synchronous (live-streaming) or asynchronous (pre-recorded) class formats?
- What is the best/worst part of distance learning? Where do you want to see improvements and changes?
- If we could make one change or do one thing to help you with right now, what would it be?
- For students in special education, ESOL, GT, etc, what do you want to change for the distant learning model?
- Do we have enough support for our high risk students and families?
- Which kind of interactions do you like with your teacher?
There are many more questions. It will take lots of effort to design an effective and actionable survey.
There are many unknowns. It is important to explore different possibilities , plan for the fall by conducting surveys and learning from the students and teachers. We should always pursue innovation in our teaching methodology and delivery.
I know many families are exhausted and anxious to know what is next. Frankly we don’t know the full picture until we get over this pandemic. However, I strongly believe that we will be able to overcome this short period of difficulty. Our community is gradually open again and comes back to normal soon. We will stay strong and safely.
Thank you.