Teacher Accountability, Parent Involvement, Testing Dominate Education Forum in Troy

More than a dozen parents, educators and concerned citizens – including School Board Vice President Ida Edmunds and Troy Mayor Janice Daniels – came together to discuss K-12 education Tuesday afternoon during a community conversation led by the Center for Michigan at the .

Attendees discussed what they think is working at the state and local level as well as areas of improvement they see for Troy Schools. The input gathered during the event was logged by the Center for Michigan and will be taken back to state legislators.

Parents ask for teacher accountability

Though the discussion sometimes focused on state-wide education topics, attendees had plenty to say about local issues, including parent involvement, standardized testing and teacher accountability.

In an informal poll taken during the forum, 36 percent of attendees said holding educators more accountable has the highest potential to improve student learning while 29 percent believed improving teacher preparation was the key.

"Some think parents should be able to grade the teacher," Pete Van der Harst said, "and students should be able to grade a teacher."

"It just amazes me how much (teachers) are not aware how they impact the students in the classroom," said Prasanna Vengadam, whose children attend Troy Schools. "The correlation between the student liking the teacher and the student liking the subject is very high."

Vengadam added that, though her children's teachers have been wonderful for the most part, her children have also been taught incorrect information in class, and that she would like to see teacher education standards improve.

"I would like to see those standards raised here in the United States."

No more MEAP, please

While most agreed that holding teachers more accountable for student success in the classroom is necessary, they also agreed that using standardized testing, including the MEAP, as a way to measure student success is not an accurate way to track student progress.

"I think it's important that you talk about growth," district spokesperson Kerry Birmingham said, "and not just about one mark in time."

To help give students a leg up and prepare them for the challenging pace of high school and college coursework, several participants suggested implementing a more rigorous curriculum at a younger age, and 43 percent agreed in an informal poll that early childhood education was crucial to a student's success later in life.

“I think you have to pick up the momentum much earlier," Vengadam said.

Varsha Bora, whose daughter is currently taking Advanced Placement classes, said she wishes her daughter had been academically challenged at a younger age. She added that teachers and parents should listen to students more, saying, "Student feedback is really crucial for what the student is finding rewarding in the class."

Parent involvement is key

While participants in Tuesday's discussion agreed that teacher accountability and a more rigorous curriculum are ways to improve student success, nearly every participant agreed parent involvement is perhaps the most important key to a student's success.

"I think it’s a dirty secret that involved families have kids that over perform," Van der Harst said. "We seem to have this bizarre disconnect that you chuck the kids into the school, and they pop out done."

"One thing we’re looking at is to pilot a parent ambassador program and connect kindergarten parents with parent ambassador when they come in to promote connecting and interaction,” said Jeanette Tanafranca, a parent volunteer at Bemis Elementary School. "This can even go across through elementary middle school and high school."

Other suggestions made during the forum include improving technology in the schools, offering more online classes, including more foreign language classes, taking spending control away from Lansing and placing it in local hands and improving special education in Troy Schools.

For more information on the Center for Michigan and how you can get involved, visit www.thecenterformichigan.net or email engage@thecenterformichigan.net.