The start of a new fiscal year brings opportunities to usher in positive changes on the heels of unexpected turmoil for administrators, educators, and student families alike. The demand for greater equity in school district practices is also growing on the heels of a turmoil amid the political election period. Earnest, education advocates are trying to find ways to protect children and the economic stability of their school districts. Even with this certain landscape ever-changing, administrators and educators are still expected to provide safe, quality, learning spaces for students, in which their growth and success is perceived as a direct correlation to their school environment, by some.
The demand for greater equity in school district practices is also growing on the heels of a turmoil amid the political election period.
Research shows that even in times of extreme peril and across cultures, basic acts of kindness and an appeal to the human experience underlies the resilience and triumph that occurs subsequently. How? Humans, of all ages, thrive in environments where they feel protected, supported, and valued.
Here are some facts and tips, based on research, to aid education & organizational leaders (inclusive of educators) in preparing for the new school year.
Facts:
The U.S. Census Bureau recognizes 18,990 individual school districts in their cumulative 2022 report.
The pandemic exacerbated poor academic achievement scores across many areas, except schools that were virtual prior to the onset of covid19. (This data paper reports a decline in math – 14% over the usual – and English scores for 3rd – 8th graders in 2021)
This year, attrition rates for educators, administrators, and staff in some states have stabilized – meaning their pre-covid rates have returned, yet many have increased by 4-5% over typical levels, leaving students in precarious positions. In this NPR poll, 80% of educators reported burnout, many of whom were/are new educators.
Some Administrators and educators fled their positions fearing disgruntled stakeholders and unknown outcomes, due to the subjects they taught or values they held. Increased reduction in educators of color in school systems is now becoming prevalent.
Many educators are saying, “I just want to teach!”
Tips for the upcoming school year:
PLAN in advance – know your area! One of the first sections in the book Implementing K-12 Civil Leadership: An Education Leader’s Guide to Fostering Education-Community Partnerships encourages education and organizational leaders (ECOLS) to review statistics and reports from federal, state, and local agencies. Leaders can gain a perspective on issues that may have developed since the start of the year. Begin planning a session to inform educators and staff about the most salient issues and develop goals that can adjust those that may spillover into the learning environment.
Leaders are responsible for the safety of all team members and students onsite.
REACH out to internal staff and area partners about the community societal issues, brainstorm external partners who can assist in addressing the needs that may include student families, and develop a written timeline naming designees with available time and resources to execute the resolve. Team members with little time may have available resources to allocate and vice versa. Strive to assign work within the confines of team members’ workloads to avoid burnout.
FOLLOW-UP by developing benchmarks and check their progress throughout a 6–10-month period. Be vigilant in tracking; surveys may make the monitoring practice easier.
The Great Resignation, lack of health care and childcare, and other resources in depletion for nearly a three-year time period has caused a ripple effect in several industries and the way business is conducted across the globe. Education and non-profit sectors are far from exempt.
Locate concrete evidence about the societal ills associated with your area and align them to potential student/staff groups that may be affected prior to the start of the school year. Leaders who prepare in this way can balance the impact of attrition, student attendance challenges, economic shortages, shifting policies, and more. Consider partnering with external entities that have daily access to the student families your organization serves. Collaborations between education and community partners can lessen challenges and positively strengthen student and staff experiences.
K-12 Civil Leadership: An Education Leader’s Guide to Fostering Education-Community Partnerships provides social action plan templates, research results and summaries from effective civil, civic, safety, and social-emotional learning programs. The pages are recyclable to encourage writing, print is large, and colors are muted to meet the accessibility standards for some readers. The book features a list of resource agencies and groups that assist educational and non-profit entities in fulfilling student (family) needs. Click here for a downloadable version of the forms from this book.
Written by: Ri’Cha ri Sancho, PhD who specializes in research & consultancy for improving interactions in organizational settings in consideration of organizational psychology & inequities in education.
K-12 Civil Leadership 