Most agree communication lines between the Harford Board of Education and parents and students are not clear, but officials hope an independent group can help.
The school board discussed its Comprehensive Secondary School Reform Plan at its Monday night meeting, and talks are under way with one group that would analyze data varying from teacher workload to student attendance, said Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Gerald Scarborough.
He was reluctant to name the group after the meeting, because it was not under contract yet.
The group is to report its findings on issues such as teachers? adjustment to block scheduling, students? transition into high school and a requirement of four high school credits to graduate to the board in July, after the first year of the programs? implementation, according to the board?s original plan from 2005.
However, board members hoped they could hear back by December.
“The question is how can we improve students? performance across the board and also keep achievement increasing,” said board member Ruth Rich, liaison between other members and Scarborough.
She outlined the four parts of the plan, saying the independent group was most crucial.
Board member Salina Williams has two children in high school block scheduling.
” ?The teacher would teach for a certain amount of time, give us our homework, let us do our homework in class, and then the rest of the time we?d sit and talk to each other,? ” she said her children told her. “So we need to make sure all this time in class that teachers are teaching.”
That is the type of feedback other board members said they want to hear from teachers and students.
But graduating high school seniors have not been surveyed.
“We have a pool of data that just walked out of our hallways,” soon-to-be board president Tom Fidler said.
“We have to take some responsibility for that,” Rich said. “We might lose some. We?re not going to lose them all.”
