Top 5 Things Districts Need to do Better

The Survey Says

Is your district perfect? Does your district do everything possible to make teachers feel supported and equipped with the appropriate resources?

This is a rhetorical question, as we all know the answer.

ESGI and ThinkFives asked hundreds of teachers what they think are the Top 5 things districts can do better. For some districts, this might only require fine tuning, but for others, it may be time to rebuild around these themes completely.

There are many ways that parents can support learning in the home, particularly at the youngest levels. Reading to students, checking homework, and encouraging work on projects are just a few activities parents can do.

Parents also need to be actively involved in their children’s school as much as they can. Attending parent teacher conferences and back to school nights are particularly helpful.

Districts need to take the lead in encouraging parent involvement. This means knowing the community, polling them for interest, and accommodating their schedules and not the reverse. Districts need to partner with parents and PTA’s to find the engagement that best meets the needs of that particular community.

This is particularly true in terms of resources. Many teachers complain that resources are non-existent, textbooks are old and outdated, and that there is no budget to provide the workbooks and resources needed to fully teach some lessons.

Teachers are creative by nature. They like to use their talents and have them be supported by the district. Providing the curricular framework, the classroom resources and professional development to support teachers and elicit creativity are areas where a number of districts can improve.

This is particularly true in terms of resources. Many teachers complain that resources are non-existent, textbooks are old and outdated, and that there is no budget to provide the workbooks and resources needed to fully teach some lessons.

Big strides have been made in the last 20 years by providing technology to schools, but in many districts, there’s a long way to go. The right equipment, kept updated and supported by professional development, is essential to make technology a daily part of children’s learning.

Reversals of local decisions, change of leadership, and unpredictable support from the school board, all lead to low morale and poor working conditions.

Teacher frustration runs high when the district leadership or school board proclaim one thing and then do another. This is probably an area where leadership underestimates how their decision making undercuts their vision and plan for the district.

Communication in almost every direction can be better at most school districts. 

• This includes communication from the school board to the district on what it sees as the top priorities — and the consistency to support those initiatives.
• It includes the messaging from the superintendent’s office on key goals and keeping teachers abreast of news and political issues that may affect their schools. 
• It also includes better communication by principals to teachers at their local sites. Not all principles are FDR or Ronald Reagan, but regularly letting staff know about key issues relevant to the school and students is the minimum expectation we should have of principals

But teachers also must remember that communication is a two-way street. Teachers need to engage their administrators, become part of the school community and challenge administrators when needed.

If there is one thing teachers are telling districts, it’s work on communication – and this doesn’t require a budget, special funding or reorganization.  It just requires a commitment from the key leaders of the district and school.

What could your district do better?