Required Standards Are Being Taught by the Staff

¶ … Standards Are Being Taught by the Staff

Setting standards for education in our country is the focus of many federal and state regulations and policies, as well as those created by our own school district, with the purpose of improving the quality of education for all students. These required standards include instructions and guidelines on school conditions, class curriculum, lesson plans, classroom texts, student test scores, and a wide variety of other such recommendations that must be followed as closely as possible. It is necessary to supervise the school carefully to make sure that these standards are in fact being met, and to take whatever actions are called for to correct any substandard conditions. A comprehensive plan to monitor the adherence to school standards will help make it possible to best ensure that these standards are in fact being met.

It is the obligation of the administration to first establish consistent, comprehensive, and relevant standards for the school. These standards must meet the requirements of all federal, state, and districtwide regulations to be law-abiding as well as to receive the most funding possible for the school. Standards must also be developed specifically for our school, taking the unique situations and needs of the staff and students into account to create a supportive and productive environment that goes above and beyond meeting the minimum standards. The resulting set of standards should be a culmination of outside requirements from the government and school board and the input given by the school staff, students, and community as a whole.

Once standards have been fully developed, they must be organized and recorded then shared with all involved parties. Any policies or guidelines that are not made readily accessible cannot be incorporated into the curriculum or properly adhered to by staff and students. One excellent way to make sure that the information is fully circulated is by making the information available on a school website, where it can be read and discussed by any interested individuals. Contact information for school administration should be included as well so that any questions regarding school standards can be directed to the correct person for clarification. Information about all school standards should also be printed in manuals for teachers and students, and any changes, updates, or clarifications should be distributed in memos, newsletters, and the school paper. If the standards are easily understandable and accessible, they will be more easily followed. Workshops, seminars, meetings, and assemblies relating to school standards should also be used when appropriate to keep teachers, students, and parents up-to-date on school issues and to encourage adherence to standards by sharing the potential benefits.

Evaluation of school performance should begin with a review of the students' grades and standardized test scores, as these are the methods by which most federal and other government agencies will determine the success and funding of a school. However, our evaluation must extend beyond the factors that determine "academic excellence" to these outside parties. Students, staff members, teachers, parents, and community members should all be surveyed to determine perceptions of the degree to which standards are being met and the effectiveness of those standards as an actual functioning part of education rather than just as abstract concepts. All students and faculty should be given the opportunity to voice opinions, concerns, and suggestions in an anonymous way if desired so that there are no obstacles, be those real or conceived, preventing anyone from being totally truthful.