Y'town academic distress panel hears from school leaders

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Academic Distress Commission heard presentations today from school leaders about district progress, in response to an Ohio Department of Education review.

Clairie Huff-Franklin, Ohio Department of Education Academic Distress Commissions & Education Reform director, last June presented the ODE review, conducted in the district from March 19-23, 2018.

Challenges and recommendations for the school district included a lack of communication to all stakeholders about progress, inconsistent educational evaluations, elementary school leadership teams without improvement plans, a lack of shared accountability, the selection of “instructional resources not aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards” and support systems not fully implemented.

During the YADC’s quarterly meeting, the presentations included recommendations to address the district’s challenges and their impact.

District spokeswoman Denise Dick discussed how the district has a developed a communication plan. This plan includes incorporating video into social media.

Another aspect was highlighted by Christine Sawicki, chief academic officer, who said the district is working heavily on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. Without the right behaviors, Sawicki said, you can’t expect the grades to go up.

In other business, the YADC chose members Nick Santucci and Benjamin McGee to be on the financial advisory committee.

Read more about the meeting in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.