Transparency needed in our schools

The Gettysburg Area School District faces a number of significant challenges. First, there is a persistent and significant achievement gap – likely made worse as a result of constrained operations during the pandemic – affecting students of color, the economically disadvantaged, and other at-risk students.

On average, the racial and ethnic disparities appear most pronounced in math across the district. For example, at James Gettys Elementary School, approximately 61 percent of students meet or exceed the state proficiency standard in math, but only 36 percent of Latinx students and 42 percent of economically disadvantaged students do. Similarly, at Gettysburg Area Middle School, roughly 57 percent of White students meet or exceed the math benchmark, but just 34 percent of Latinx students, only 16 percent of Black students, and 35 percent of economically disadvantaged students meet the same benchmark.

Further, across most schools, there is downward growth for certain student groups, including White students. Growth targets assess how well students are growing in their learning, whereas the proficiency benchmarks simply account for whether a student hits the proficiency target. When schools fail to hit growth targets, this should raise red flags. We need to ask questions around curriculum alignment, instructional practices, placement of students in appropriate courses, and whether appropriate academic opportunities exist for struggling students or students who may need enrichment.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) – the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides guidelines and aid for public schools – requires states and districts to raise achievement for all students, including students from economically disadvantaged families and students of color. Within ESSA, measures of transparency and accountability ensure that states and districts are able to meet the spirit of the law – and that other stakeholders, such as school boards, taxpayers, parents, and teachers, can be aware of the status of student achievement. Districts and schools are required to report data for all students, as well as for separate student demographic groups, in order to identify achievement gaps and understand where remedial efforts may be needed. Further, districts and schools are required to share their performance transparently and involve stakeholders in the development of improvement plans.

GASD faces problems at all levels due to a lack of transparency. The small staff is overwhelmed. Basic information about linkage between the curriculum and assessments, about plans for use of Title I funding (aid for schools with a high percentage of students from low income families), or remediation of learning losses during Covid is not available online. Questions addressed to the school district frequently go unanswered. Currently an important issue is to have a transparent process to allocate the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, one-time funds that should be used to remediate problems caused by the pandemic.

Regardless of their political beliefs or educational philosophies, everyone wants the best education for their children. We don’t always agree on what that means. Many parents worry that science and social studies are being pushed out of the curriculum in lower grades because of an excessive focus on English and math. “Moms for Liberty” claims that “Critical Race Theory” is being taught in some classrooms. The schools have been accused of teaching students “to hate our country and despise its history” and of teaching white students that “your ancestors are responsible for all the evils of the world.” The school district recently posted some curriculum material. That’s certainly a step forward but it’s unclear whether this represents an official curriculum, how it ties in with assessments, how, if at all, it is adapted for at risk students or English Language Learners, or how the content should be paced through the year to make sure everything is covered.

Gettysburg DFA believes the schools should equip our students for the rigors of life in the 21st century. We believe our students should leave the public schools with strong critical thinking skills. And we advocate for a strong civics education, which should include an understanding of the importance of a functioning system of checks and balances, the traditional importance of compromise in our system, rights and obligations of citizenship, and an understanding of the functions government carries out and “where your tax dollar is spent.”

But regardless of our viewpoint, anyone advocating for public schools should start with visibility into what is being taught – and should have a mechanism for expressing their views more productively than shouting at school board members. Part of the reason our school board meetings have become so contentious is that there are so few mechanisms to influence – or even understand – our school system policies. “Transparency” doesn’t mean just making information available online. It is also an approach that ensures that parents, taxpayers, and other stakeholders understand and parents can discuss and better understand issues such as curriculum, planning, discipline, and other vital matters.

Leon Reed is the chair of Gettysburg Democracy for America (DFA). Jenna Aurand Scott is an educational consultant and a guest columnist for DFA.