The Community Priorities Committee surveys key constituencies to determine priorities for areas of need and emphasis. It meets on a five-year cycle.
Read the full report for 2004-05 Committee Work and Findings
Parents expressed overwhelming positive perceptions about the school. Two of the strongest demonstrations of this were the 97 percent who indicated that SME provides a quality education and 89 percent indicated that they felt the school held high expectations for ALL students.
Areas that may not require additional funding but are critical to maintain include our routine parent involvement and student extracurricular programs.
Both of these were cited as enormous strengths. They also were noted as the areas least in need of improvement or attention by The East Fund.
Parents ranking of the school included a few areas that could be improved:
While teachers also gave SME a resounding endorsement (96% agree that a quality education is provided, 89 percent and 75 percent indicate high expectations for ALL students and innovative instruction respectively) they did not always see issues with the same lens as parents.
Teachers were less sure that parents are aware of what their students are doing either at school or outside school. Teachers also were more likely to identify “increasing student commitment to learning” as an improvement area that would make a significant difference in their academic expectations. This, similar to parents responses, highlights an interesting creative tension – parents should be more aware of students activities without impeding or inhibiting their ability to develop as independent learners responsible for their own work.
Staff also expressed an appreciation for a professional work environment. They are willing to grow, learn and improve curriculum and instructional methods but feel “crowded” by mandates, testing and unnecessary paperwork.
Students as Independent Learners and More Knowledgeable/Engaged Parents
Our survey elicited this interesting tension. Refining our approach, collectively, as parents to appropriately support and encourage our children while building their independence as learners may take more dialogue, creativity and tools.
Both teachers and parents want their students to have an increased commitment to more self-directed and rigorous academic goals. Parents and staff also indicate that they would like parents to “know more” about what goes on in the academic and social lives of their children. Finding a balance, helping parents and students “get it right” and building community values for these healthy relationships may be a longer term interest for the Fund.