December Message from the USD 224 Superintendent: Continuing the Tradition of Academic Excellence

In November, USD 224 earned a series of outstanding academic excellence awards. The school district received these from the Kansas Department of Education, Governor Mark Parkinson, and the Kansas State House of Representatives. These were based on the district’s 2009 state assessment results in reading and math. Not only did the district earn three “Governor’s Achievement Awards” for placing in the top 5% of schools in the state, but the schools and the district received additional honors as well. Since the grade school placed 1st in the state, the middle school placed 2nd, and the high school placed 14th in Kansas, the Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas State House of Representatives honored the district with the new honor of officially making us the “Highest Performing Academic School District in Kansas.” In addition to this, we have the honor of hosting representatives from KSDE and the Kansas Board of Education for a full day with the staff and students at Clifton-Clyde. These representatives are coming in order to witness “first-hand” the effective teaching and learning that is happening in USD 224. Kathy Martin, Kansas State Board of Education Member, toured USD 224 buildings and met with the students and staff on Monday, November 30th, while Dr. Diane DeBacker, KSDE Commissioner of Education, is scheduled to come to Clifton-Clyde in January.

Although these are wonderful and outstanding honors for USD 224 and the community, they cause us to look at ourselves, our teaching, and our educational system in a different light. Knowing that we are the “Highest Performing Academic School District in Kansas” (1st place out of 293 school districts) causes us to look introspectively at our own good teaching and learning practices in the district. To this end, the teachers and staff at USD 224 have been looking at specific teaching and learning strategies that we have been doing in the district that helped us accomplish this task in 2009, and how we can “continue the tradition of academic excellence” for 2010 as well. This is the focus of my December Message to the public.

Since our goal is to “continue the tradition of academic excellence” and maintain our first place ranking in the state for 2010 as well, the teachers and staff of USD 224 were given a chance to share about the positive things that have helped us achieve this during our November late-start on November 9th. At the meeting, the teachers used the time in order to talk about our accomplishments and how each of us could encourage, support, and help each other continue this tradition for years to come. As the leader of the district, I guided the teachers in small groups through a series of specific key questions that brought these strategies and accomplishments to light. These questions had a profound effect on our conversations and it gave us a clear vision to follow about how we can continue this tradition. Here are the questions:
1. “What are the reasons why we became the #1 District in Kansas?”
2. “What specific things do we need to be doing now so that this upward trend continues?
3. “How can administrators help teachers reach every child?”
4. “How can teachers help other teachers reach every child?”
5. “What resources do students and teachers need?”
6. “How do veteran teachers help new teachers progress in this goal?”
7. “How can new teachers help veteran teachers progress in this goal?”
8. “What have you seen from USD 224 staff and students that go ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty in academics?”
9. “What could we eliminate for teachers and students so that we focus on high academic achievement?”
10. “What specific areas/ methods of instruction will we highlight and showcase to KSDE and the Kansas Board of Education representatives when they come to view the positive things happening at Clifton-Clyde?”

The positive suggestions from our teachers and staff about how we can continue and maintain our current academic excellence energized the staff and teachers at the November 9th Late Start meeting. The teachers and staff got a chance to celebrate our success and collectively learn from each other about how each teacher and student in the district makes a direct impact on achieving our goal. From the information gathered in the morning, the district has a clearer vision and focus on what specific projects to continue, and what projects are less valuable to achieving high academic success in the classroom with our students. This information is proving extremely beneficial in light of the recent budget cuts in school funding from the Kansas State Legislature as well. The information will support our efforts for keeping the financial cuts away from students and student achievement as much as possible. This information will also direct us to new projects, programs, teaching methods, and curriculum that have a direct impact on student achievement for the purpose of continuing our tradition of academic excellence.

As we remember the academic excellence of 2009, let us never forget what it took to get to the top, and what it takes to do that again in 2010. It should be our goal as students, staff, parents, and community members to strive to do the extra things that will allow us to stay “on top” and continue the tradition of academic excellence at Clifton-Clyde USD 224 for many years to come.

It is an honor to serve the Clifton and Clyde communities as your Superintendent of Schools. If you have any questions about continuing the tradition of high academic achievement of USD 224 Clifton-Clyde Schools, you are always welcome to contact me anytime at 785-445-3313.

Sincerely,

Brian Pekarek
USD 224 Superintendent
Clifton-Clyde School District
bpekarek@usd224.com
785-445-3313