Toledo City Schools: Giving students a voice
by Steve Horton
On May 7, I visited a special meeting of the Toledo City Schools Board of Education. It was an important event for the district, featuring a panel of high school students who had an opportunity to speak about their life experiences and what they and their fellow classmates are most concerned about.
Nine students sat on the panel related to the district’s March For Our Lives Platform, and each gave a short statement pertaining to one of three main topics: mental health, violence in the school and community and graduation rates.
The students’ overreaching concern was a need to speak and share stresses in a safe, non-threatening environment. Guidance counselors are focused on academics, and often as an outlet, they create more stress for students. More than anything, there is a common desire to share without fear of repercussion. The students want a place they can own.
Violence is a major concern. Panel member Jeremiah Hunter expressed frustration that our country worships guns and violence. He sees this as the underlying cause nobody is addressing. He also said it will take time to destroy an ideology of guns and violence that has been perpetuated through TV, movies and video games.
Inndya White shared that growing up, she always knew where to find guns. It was a grim reality of her upbringing. Her concern is more for her young niece.
In White’s neighborhood, guns are in dumpsters and alleyways, she said. When they are out, she always is concerned that her niece will innocently kick a loaded gun or pick one up, not knowing any better, with results that could be catastrophic.
An important consideration for the student voice program is cultural competence. Hunter asked everyone in attendance if it was fair to assume the audience did not understand his world, and he did not understand ours. Without this understanding, it is difficult to move forward in a positive way.
James Gault, Toledo City’s executive transformational leader of curriculum and instruction, shared a presentation outlining work that is already underway. Gault said the overall initiative began in November 2017.
A district-level task force was developed to learn what student organizations already exist both within and outside the district. It examined what surrounding districts are doing and any survey instruments used to collect information.
On Dec. 12, the task force convened the Student Voice Think Tank for idea sharing, and on Dec. 21, it went on a fact-finding trip to Cleveland Municipal to learn about its student voice work.
Part of the task force’s work was developing and implementing a survey sent to all secondary students between January and March. It resulted in responses from more than 1,800 students.
The survey focused on three areas: belongingness, climate and safety. The task force learned that students felt an overall connection to their school communities, but there were growth opportunities in student-to-adult connections, peer-to-peer respect and feelings of value. Student response was not as strong in the area of climate, but safety was an area of more concern, especially with peer-to-peer relationship development.
May was an important month for the overall program. Seven dates were reserved for student focus group sessions to begin collecting valuable feedback directly from respondents. This leads up to an August–September target date to assemble a Student Voice Team charged with developing, monitoring and reporting progress.
For the board, this meeting was both a culmination of work that has been ongoing and a launching point for a much bigger long-term project. Toledo City Board President Poly Taylor-Gerken let the students and audience know that the board sees student voice as a real opportunity and an important vision for the future.
It is ideal that the board embraces and intends on moving forward in a big way. An important acknowledgment of the board’s efforts were the students’ smiles and confirming nods.
Toledo City board member Chris Varwig shared with me prior to the meeting that opening the floor to the student panelists was a leap of faith on the part of the board, but it was an important and exciting step forward.
Teen outreach program is helping Northwest Ohio teens develop into student leaders
by Steve Horton
As the Toledo City Schools (TPS) Board of Education embarks on a bold new student voice initiative, an important partner in that work is the Northwest Ohio YWCA Wyman Teen Outreach Program (TOP).
Through the efforts of the YWCA’s youth development director, Penny Tullis, area at-risk teens are given an opportunity to connect with their peers and community in a positive way. Through TOP, a student-led March for Our Lives Platform served as the impetuous for a student panel that addressed a May 7 Toledo City board meeting, which made public the plans to move forward with a districtwide student voice initiative.
I asked Tullis some questions to learn more about TOP.
What is TOP?
The Wyman Teen Outreach Program (TOP), presented by the YWCA of Northwest Ohio, promotes positive youth development through a combination of curriculum-guided group discussion and volunteer service activity. TOP is an after-school program that offers weekly meetings where students can discuss teen issues, choose and participate in community service projects and connect positively with peers.
Research has proven that service learning improves character, values, responsibility and academics while providing a sense of connectedness to the school and community and promotes social and emotional skills. YWCA TOP teens contribute over 2,000 service hours to the community annually.
How many students are involved in the program?
In a typical month, we have approximately 150 high school students attend every week. These groups are held at the six comprehensive TPS high schools. In addition, we are providing TOP to two middle schools in Allen County, as we have a youth development department out of Lima. We have approximately 60 young people attending those groups every week during the school year.
What activities do the students engage in while involved in the program?
The teens meet weekly for one-and-half hours for nine months. During those meetings, they engage in curriculum discussion that focuses on building self-esteem, values, sexuality, decision-making and communication. The students also plan monthly volunteer service projects. The program includes optional parent night events, just-for-fun activities and summer programming.
What are the future plans for the program, and how does that align with the Toledo board’s vision moving forward?
We have requested more funding from Lucas County Department of Job and Family Services for the next fiscal year, starting in October 2018. If we receive more funding, we hope to increase parent engagement by providing programming for parents as well. We also would be able to increase the number of TOP clubs in the Toledo Public School District.
Is your program one that can be replicated in other districts?
Yes! This is an evidence-based program that is nationally replicated through Wyman. Currently, Ohio has one other TOP partner through Columbus Public Health.
TPS is realizing the benefits of TOP and intends on expanding its reach to more teens. It is an example of a partnership that can have a profound impact on students’ lives and the effectiveness of the schools in working with at-risk children.
To learn more about TOP, put July 18, the date for the summer USDAN meeting, on your calendar. Penny Tullis and Chelsea Varnum, coordinator of the Columbus TOP partnership, will have the opportunity to share their work in much greater detail.
Statehouse news: Distress commissions, school safety and more
by Will Schwartz, lobbyist
Academic distress commissions
The Ohio General Assembly delivered to Gov. John Kasich a proposal that requires a study of academic distress commissions. Contained in Senate Bill (SB) 216, the provision requires the superintendent of public instruction to review all policies and procedures of the commissions and to prepare a report of the findings by May 1, 2019.
The report must include recommendations on improving several items, including the duties and powers of the district’s chief executive officer (CEO), the CEO’s plan to improve the district’s performance and the appointment of commission members.
Meanwhile, House Democrats made several attempts to establish a temporary moratorium on new academic distress commissions, but none were successful.
Governor signs HB 21
The governor signed House Bill (HB) 21, which requires charter schools, instead of school districts, to verify the enrollment and residency records of charter school students. The act also delays a requirement for public and private schools to install storm shelters until after Sept. 15, 2019.
School safety, e-school regulations and teacher evaluations
The legislature sent several bills to the governor dealing with school safety, e-school regulations and teacher evaluations. The first bill — HB 318 — prescribes training requirements for school resource officers (SROs); appropriates $12 million for training, resources and assistance; and requires the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to conduct a study of SRO services and security upgrades in existing school buildings.
The legislature approved two other bills — SB 216 and HB 87 — that contain new e-school regulations. The proposals require the superintendent of public instruction to establish standards for e-school learning software and creates a study committee to provide recommendations on e-school funding.
SB 216 also revises the statewide framework for evaluating teachers and administrators. The bill implements the recommendations of the Educator Standards Board and eliminates the requirement that student academic growth count for one-half of an evaluation, among other changes. The new evaluation system takes effect in the 2020-2021 school year.
Rep. Ryan Smith elected speaker of Ohio House
On June 6, Rep. Ryan Smith (R-Bidwell) was elected speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. The election comes more than a month after former Rep. Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) resigned the post amid FBI inquiries into his overseas travel.
A financial advisor and former school board member and president of the Gallipolis City Board of Education, Smith is in his third term in the House and recently served as chair of the Finance Committee. He represents the 93rd House District, which includes Jackson and Gallia counties and portions of Lawrence and Vinton counties.
Lame-duck session
There will be no shortage of discussion of legislation after the November election. As always, we will continue to keep you updated on the progress of this legislation through OSBA’s weekly Facts in a Flash.