Among many topics, I consistently hear a theme: We need to get back to basics.

In education, I understand “back to basics” to mean a serious focus on reading and math. I also know that when folks talk to me about the basics, they increasingly care about teaching our kids more about civics and government. “Basics” to most people also means teaching a respect for personal responsibility and the ability to leave high school with a marketable skill or trade. There’s a feeling that in all the good stuff kids can learn and do, we need more emphasis on what’s most valuable for their futures.

I am happy to report that our schools do focus on reading and math. And at the Idaho Department of Education, we want to be sure they continue that focus. Literacy achievement rates held pretty steady during the pandemic years and we were encouraged by our last round of reading assessments that we are headed in the right direction.

Math is not as shiny as our reading performance, and for students in grades 5 through 9, there is a lot of improvement that needs to take place, and sooner rather than later. Our schools know that too. One of the ways I believe the state can help this effort is to more fully refine our math standards to what we expect kids to know and at what grade levels. Working with the Board of Education, my team and I are sorting through all of the current math standards to identify the essential standards that work for all kids, whether they are college bound or pursuing other post-secondary options.

We believe this work is one of the ways we get back to basics. In no way does this diminish the standards we have now or discount the teaching happening in classrooms. We believe that we can strengthen our teachers’ ability to instruct and position our students with the knowledge that prepares them for the next grade and whatever is next.

As for government and civics, in the summer of 2023, Gov. Brad Little and I discussed ways to broaden the resources that we offer to our educators for use in the classroom. The state is now offering Idaho educators an interactive, multi-dimensional U.S. history curriculum. This resource adds depth and dimension to existing U.S. history curriculum, and is designed to support the development of productive citizens by offering students a deeper understanding of American history and the overall American experience.

The good news about getting back to basics is that there is room for prioritizing hard work and common sense-solutions. There is room for ensuring that what we’re doing is working and for making changes where those opportunities arise. Supporting our students doesn’t have to be complicated. As we focus on ensuring the long-term value of an Idaho education, let’s work to keep our focus on the fundamentals when it comes to getting our students ready for life beyond high school.

The transition from willing community member to effective school leader doesn’t happen overnight. Chances are good that most new trustees are not well versed in the complexities of school budgets, student achievement goals and open meeting laws. In fact, many trustees running for a second term often share that it took them the first term to know what they were doing!

Thankfully, trustees grow into these roles. The same goes for superintendents, principals, educators and district staff. We learn on the job, but exposure to training can flatten the learning curve and shorten the timeline it takes to become effective. In education, I would argue that training is critical for success. Fortunately, the Idaho education community is blessed with great organizations that support school administrators, trustees, teachers and others. Their workshops and seminars help us become the leaders we all want to be.

With that in mind, I want to highlight two upcoming trainings hosted by Idahoans for Openness in Government (IDOG). On October 25, IDOG will hold a training on the Idaho Open Meeting Law. A similar session on Idaho’s Public Records Act is scheduled for November 28. Both begin at 10:00 a.m. MT. They are free and will be streamed statewide through Idaho Public Television’s Idaho in Session service. The trainings will originate from the Capitol’s Lincoln Auditorium and in-person seating will be available. Recordings of the events will be archived at the IDOG website. More details are available at OpenIdaho.org.

Attendees will learn – or re-learn – the ins and outs of these two important Idaho laws to ensure future adherence and, ultimately, increase transparency. And in our work in the public sector, transparency is essential. It provides accountability to the public and fosters trust amongst the people we serve.

When opportunities like these present themselves, it’s important that we as an education community take advantage. If your schedule allows, I encourage you to attend or tune in online. If it doesn’t, I hope you can find time later to watch the recordings.

Open meetings and public records requests are part of our day-to-day in public education, so it’s crucial that we’re following the law. Your engagement with these trainings will help promote quality leadership for Idaho’s districts, schools and communities.

The start of the school year is about more than lesson plans and school bells. It’s truly about the community. After all, our school calendars are often major drivers in what the next nine months will look like for families and towns. Our schools bring life to our communities.  

As we reactivate our schools as central hubs throughout Idaho, I’d like us all to think about the many ways they add value to the places we live. Whether it’s an art show, student theater production, or parent night, our schools are the hearts of our towns and have an essential role in creating strong connections.  

As we look to another year of learning and growth for Idaho’s students, I’d like to speak for a moment about the things each of us can do to work towards this goal. Whether you are an educator, a parent or a community member, we each have a role to play in investing in Idaho’s future through our children.  

For our teachers: You have an opportunity to lean into this year’s academic growth with your experience and commitment to students. I can’t speak highly enough about the talented, dedicated professionals that we have in our classrooms. Delivering this product – high quality education – takes training and talent. Teaching is an art. I’m grateful for the work that takes place in the classroom and for your focus on seeing your students succeed. 

For our parents: we need your help and expertise.  Teachers are the experts in the classroom and parents are the experts on their kids. No one knows our students better than parents, and the potential for constructive collaboration between you and your student’s teacher can’t be measured. Please take advantage of the year’s opportunities to make your school a partner in your student’s success. We benefit from your presence in your child’s education.   

For our students: I’m not too old to remember that it’s hard ending the summer break! But as you look towards the school year, I hope you’ll be positive and be active in your own success. This year can be the one where you join that club you’ve been thinking about, try out for the school play or take on a team sport. Add an interest or new friend to your routine. These connections can make a difference in many ways, including academically!  

And for our communities and to Idaho as a whole: This year, I invite you to look to our schools and our amazing students to see what’s good in our communities. We’ve got the momentum we need to create important opportunities for our students and for our state.  

I’m excited to get to work with all of you on making the 2023-2024 school year a meaningful one. 

Today, months after assuming my new role as state superintendent of public instruction, I don’t want to miss a critical opportunity. So, I’ve commenced an honest, intentional and important initiative at the State Department of Education: strategic planning. Our goal is simply to ensure the future success of education in Idaho. In the business world, there’s a notion that if you can’t measure something, you can’t successfully manage it. In a way, the SDE is a business and we need a plan to accomplish the future I envision.

As we build our strategic plan, we will include my goals for the department, general objectives needed to achieve those goals and measurable activities to address each objective. Our plan is a work in progress but goals certain to make the list include:

• Ensure Idaho children are reading at grade level by third grade;
• prepare Idaho students for life, including college/career goals;
• modernize the state’s educational funding structure; and
• position Idaho to attract and retain exceptional teachers and leaders.

When strategic plans are given the time and attention they deserve, they result in many advantages. A well-articulated plan improves communication. It puts down on paper a common vision for an organization so that resources can be deployed accordingly. When there are measurable outcomes, progress towards goals is more easily achieved. Soliciting input from staff for the plan leads to important buy-in. An organization or business should be able to defend its efforts toward results with a measured plan. Finally – and this is especially important for us in the public sector – we achieve transparency with our constituents when they understand how their tax dollars are being spent.

While the benefits of implementing a strategic plan are clear, the process is often avoided for a variety of reasons. We’re all aware of instances when big-picture projects have been shelved when our time and attention get consumed by the latest fire that must be extinguished and the damage triaged. Once these important projects are put on the back burner, they often lose momentum they’ll never regain. When strategic plans are required, we sometimes go through the motions so we can check a box and clear it from our to-do list. But doing it this way is a missed opportunity that fails our students, our educators and our communities. Giving strategic planning the time and attention it deserves takes leadership and discipline.

This summer I’m asking and inviting school leaders in Idaho to join me in this exercise. I recognize that many are already at various points in their processes. Regardless of whether they’ve just started, just finished or need to dust off an older version, I hope they will see the importance of taking this step. I encourage our local education agencies to view strategic planning as an opportunity rather than just a compliance task. I really want each board to discuss, plan, engage and commit to something meaningful. That’s our goal at the SDE. The plans made by districts will be specific to their unique needs and visions, but we are all dedicated to shared goals: our students. Our students must be able to read and they must be prepared for the world around them. We increase their chances for success by increasing our chances for success. And we won’t get there by accident.

It’s not often that we hear a lot of excitement, let alone talk, about why strategic plans are so vital to our efforts. I don’t know that I can necessarily provide you excitement, but I certainly hope I can provide our schools and districts a spark in their own processes and discussions. Among the many things we do, this may very well be the one thing that ties our efforts to our success.

Those decisions can be challenging as there are many national publishers who have their own ways of explaining our history. Trustees are responsible for choosing a curriculum which represents community values while ensuring students master Idaho standards. As a former local board member and district employee, I’ve been part of this process. In a perfect world, the district has curricular experts, an engaged community and an experienced board.

As superintendent, some frequent requests I get from districts are for more help in choosing curriculum tied to Idaho standards, help in paying for expensive curriculum and help in navigating the politics of these decisions. Historically, the State Department of Education (SDE) has provided a list of curriculums and rated how well the materials align with Idaho standards. However, there’s been no consideration for proven effectiveness with Idaho students. That is about to change.

Going forward, districts will continue to select their curriculums, but the SDE will begin a process for identifying materials proven to be effective in Idaho schools. Instead of just providing districts a list of what’s available, we will instead provide more detailed information so districts know whether or not the material has been successful in Idaho. We will begin this process with reading curriculum, but will expand this process to other subjects in the future. This is a service we can provide our districts to help with these very important decisions.

Idaho education standards are reviewed and approved by the state legislature every five years. We are currently in the process of reviewing our social studies standards. This gives us an opportunity to do an analysis first and then prioritize curriculums that align with the standards. Recently, Governor Little and I provided an opportunity for districts to supplement their classroom curriculum at no cost to them. We used expiring federal COVID dollars to add more interactive content. Many teachers already supplement their core lessons with outside resources, and the new “Story of America” gives them one more. Details on how schools can access this will be available in the coming weeks.

The bottom line is that Idahoans care deeply about what our students learn in the classroom and want them to be prepared for life and the opportunities in a growing state. We want them to be strong citizens, who are self-reliant and independent critical thinkers. Providing our teachers with the right tools supports us in this important pursuit.

We hosted events in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Nampa, Twin Falls, Moscow and Coeur d’Alene. More than 500 superintendents, business managers, trustees, teachers and other leaders attended. Audience members also included key education groups like the Idaho Association of School Administrators, Idaho School Boards Association as well as state lawmakers from the education and budget committees.

Each stop on our tour followed the same format and included my staff and I updating attendees on changes to school funding, newly passed laws requiring updated policies and operations and much more. We made presentations and then welcomed audience questions. Some were easy to answer and others need a follow-up. We reminded our school folks that the legislative session just ended and some items that they will need to address weren’t yet finalized on our end. Attendees shared opinions on the issues that matter most to their district. By the end of the tour, we’d exchanged loads of important information and I was very appreciative of those who participated. Education is a team endeavor and it was really satisfying to talk through tough issues with the goal of providing facts and support.

This event is one of the most important services the State Department of Education provides to Idaho schools. The policy changes made by the Idaho Legislature are numerous and have impacts on every school across the state. Some new laws are high profile. Others are lesser known, but nonetheless important. For local leaders, watching every education-related development in Boise while running a district or charter is impossible.

This tour was my first as superintendent. I have participated in other ways for years, but to lead out, set the tone and engage with our educational communities on their own turf was an incredible opportunity for me as a public servant. It’s so important to hear directly from our school leaders and discuss the work we do.

My hope and goal was that attendees saw a superintendent and education department who listen to the challenges they face. I also want them to see us as willing partners in addressing those issues. In our efforts to support students as the primary focus of what we do, this type of outreach and support is critical to our shared success.

We celebrate our elections because they are the moments when we as voters pick our leaders. But for successful candidates truly dedicated to public service, today is also a day to celebrate. This day is special for me because I can finally start to work toward the positive changes I envision for students, educators and parents. In other words, the talking is over and the doing begins.

If you heard me on the campaign trail, you know my to-do list is long and there’s an urgency to the work ahead. Our kids don’t have years to wait for a system to catch up to their needs. It is
time to pivot Idaho K-12 to fit the needs of our students right now.

You will notice many changes in the look, function and work of the Department of Education and in the state superintendent’s role. There’s a purpose to all of it. I want you to notice many differences in how we do business and how we serve schools. Some changes will be big and bold. Others will be smaller and less noticeable, but will be designed to get results all the same.

My vision for education is to prepare students so they can live meaningful and prosperous lives. Starting today, I pledge to put in whatever work is necessary to make Idaho kids successful. Of course, this work won’t be done alone. It will take a true team effort with involvement from numerous partners.

There are many important connections that must be strengthened for our education goals to be realized. While we connect students to opportunities, we must connect educators to practices and resources that help them work with all students. We must connect schools to families by building trust and transparency. Success comes when we provide our communities with a skilled workforce and active citizens who will help shape a more prosperous Idaho.

The trust Idahoans showed in me in 2022 was humbling. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and I intend to honor that trust by putting in the work necessary to create the very best educational system Idaho can offer. Our kids, teachers, and parents deserve nothing less.

We are responsible for developing self-governing adults who can successfully manage life decisions. We want students who can think for themselves, be creative, and know how to solve problems.

I speak with families and business owners all over the state who want our young people to know of the opportunities in their own backyards. Many of our business leaders are more interested in seeing that a kid had a successful lawn mowing business during the summer than a high test score on an exam. Employers are interested in experience and the commitment someone has to starting and finishing something. This says a lot about how they will perform on the job. Work-based learning is valuable and can be equal to any goal and pursuit.

Skill development can be a means for reducing many behavioral and emotional issues students are struggling to overcome. I want to focus on skills and training in schools to increase resilience and grit for kids in a world of social media and other negative outside influences.

There are many startling data points about today’s kids. Among them are national trends that show many milestones toward adulthood are delayed. Statistics show that our young people have less life experience than they have had in the past, especially during the time of life where kids need to explore options before they get out into the world and have more serious responsibilities.

The number of twelfth graders who have driver’s licenses is declining. Less young people are dating, have worked for pay, and socialize outside of their phones. As these numbers decrease, we have seen an associated rise in anxiety, depression, and stress.

I do not diminish the serious nature of mental health issues our youth are facing. There are real struggles and trauma for many students and families that require professional help. What I am offering is a perspective that a focus on work, skills, and independence will create confidence and a value of self-worth in our students. With honest and real leadership, we can begin to change these outcomes for our kids.

I have a message that’s much different than my opponents. I believe that a vision for Idaho education has to involve serious policy discussions about prioritizing skills and job readiness. Policy details matter for a 21st-century education. I believe that we are responsible for developing adults who can manage their personal and financial decisions and ultimately become the future builders and leaders for our state and country.

This is why leadership in education is so critical.

One of the priority pieces of my overall vision for Idaho students rests on skills development for job readiness and a focus on personal finance, also known as financial literacy. Our kids need to be taught how taxes, health insurance, credit scores, interest, and loans work, among other important financial skills. The time to learn about retirement plans should be before our students enter the workforce, not when they realize they need one several years into their careers. These are different skills than what is presented in an algebra or economics class and they apply to each and every student, regardless of their decisions after graduation.

I believe we can address the comments that inevitably come when parents and employers note that high school graduates can “do calculus”, but don’t know how to balance their checking account or count back change. And, with the online banking world upon us, understanding non-traditional ways of managing money is indispensable for the future.

There are forms of financial education taking place around the state and there are many examples of high-quality programs. In fact, there are quality financial curriculums that are offered for free by great state partners. So what’s the missing ingredient at the state level? I believe it’s state leadership to supply a more uniform and consistent approach.

I believe we need a graduation requirement for financial literacy that takes in a deliberate effort to integrate skills and knowledge into coursework for real world applications. I have been sharing this everywhere in the state and the agreement has been overwhelming. Education is not an outcome.

Education is the mechanism by which we teach and prepare our students to thrive in their lives and contribute to the communities around them. A great way to kickstart good decision making after high school is to provide good foundations during high school. I want to lead and champion the work to close the skills gap and set the vision for our students for the 21st century.

]]> 57881 https://www.idahoednews.org/voices/student-success-requires-teachers-and-parents/ Tue, 28 Dec 2021 20:50:30 +0000 https://www.idahoednews.org/?p=54209 Educators deserve to be heard and trusted, paid competitively, and prepared with the tools to support students in any classroom. Idaho educators need clear expectations, simplified roles, and they deserve policies that help them work with all students. Educators want to be successful in their classrooms for students who excel, students who require additional learning supports, and students with behavioral issues. The system needs appropriate, comprehensive, and real accountability so teachers are not solely and unfairly held responsible for a district’s success. 

Teachers need a leader with a voice to be their advocate. I can be that leader. The first six years of my journey began in the classroom as a substitute teacher. This is where I saw the pressures put on teachers by a system that didn’t accurately reflect their teaching successes. I spent the next 17 years working on policies that strengthen the position of the educator; most recently focused on building the career ladder and creating conditions to attract and retain good and needed teachers. 

Dedicated and skilled staffing is critical. Our local districts need a talented labor pool that includes certified and classified staff to teach and operate. That takes a competitive salary and benefits package and a strong talent pipeline. If elected as State Superintendent, I will work to provide solutions to reduce the turnover and unfilled positions that hurt kids and impact student achievement. 

Education should not be teachers versus parents. We are stronger together, and there may be no more powerful example of positive potential than when parents and teachers work together for the good of their students and families. Parents are the first educators of their kids. I want to continue creating meaningful opportunities for parent participation in educational decision-making. My encouragement for parent involvement highlights my confidence in educators as success in the classroom grows when students are supported at home. Supporting parents’ rights and responsibilities while strengthening the role and impact of educators can bring communities together to benefit students and strengthen foundations for the future. 

For the last eight years, I have worked as the communications director for Cassia schools, purposely sharing the good I see in classrooms every day. I’ve seen parent and community support grow when we celebrate successes. I share this to reaffirm my confidence and highlight my experience serving multiple interests and closing divides. That’s what a leader does. 

I hear Idaho education calling for the effective use of each dollar as an investment in classrooms and students. Idaho is growing with legitimate economic expansion. We need a more worthy discussion of a sustainable and dependable funding model that addresses schools’ current issues and parental choice. I’ll work towards funding solutions that represent the cost of educating a child in the present context with resources that match local community expectations. 

All of us, parents and teachers alike, have faced monumental challenges over the past two years. I’ve seen schools and communities work together to overcome these challenges. Many parents have increased their respect, appreciation, and advocacy for teachers and helped their kids know the value of what teachers do. 

As your State Superintendent of Public Instruction, I will bridge the gap between the dinner table and the classroom. I will be the leader who effectively advocates for teachers and parents and works on complex issues with a vision for the future. For 17 years, I have listened, learned, and worked to include the educator’s voice in decision-making while being a champion for the shared interests of teachers and parents. We have the same goal: Put kids first. The future of our communities depends on the success of our kids.