Golden Schools Foundation

April 12, 2011

Para-Troopers and Survey Results

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Para-Troopers – Bell Proposal205 – 230k total2

Losing reading teacher – replace with para Losing attendance secretary – replace with para Extra-special needs students in 2011-2012 and no

support – support with para to avoid impact on general student popul.

Lost tech and other upgrades Science technology: 120 Net Books $60,000 for 4 classrooms Smartboard in library: $3000 iPads for social studies: 100 iPads (20 already) =$50,000 (4 c-

rooms) Sewing machines: 10 Bernini sewing machines @ $600 = $6000 Math curriculum resources: Resources for differentiation, 4 c-

rooms, 30 text books, $~25,000 or 30 devices (laptop or iPad) $60,000 total

Para-Troopers – GHS situation

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Losing 1 of 5 World Language teachers Losing 1 of 3 PE teachers (leave) Losing 1 very good English teacher Adding 1 math and social studies teacher (1 or 2?) No compensation for instructional leaders No extra dollars in budget/No programs lost Increase in costs for participation in

sports/ex-cur/bussing Course fees increase Need athletic secretary but was lost a year ago Replacing 15 yr old honors Algebra2 textbooks, no

tech plans

Para-Troopers: Recommendations?4

Initial program Bell: 1 and 1 para, which? Then technology items (which ones?) before other

paras? Then 3rd para? Other recommendations, GHS?These will be drafted by Greg for a full Board

vote.

Please start asking for donations now. Take action. Design communications plan beyond ourselves.

Golden Schools Foundation

School Survey Results through 4/8

Prepared for 4/12/11 GSF Meeting

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Comments and Caveats6

Data reflects snapshot as of 4/8. Focus on responses that indicate trends or issues

needing improvement Overview does not include all questions Written responses express strong opinions which may

or may not represent the majority, but expose issues worth knowing about.

3 Areas for Improvement: categorized written replies by topic; presented in order of most comments per topic

Strongly suggest that principals and board members review survey results and written comments, particularly for their respective schools.

Survey Overview7

Survey tool: Survey Monkey Total Number Of Questions: 26 Survey Opening Date: 2/14/11 Total Number of Responders (as of 4/8): 540

80% Golden Residents 20% Other Residents (Mostly unincorporated

Jeffco, Lakewood, and Arvada; misc surrounding Denver and Mountain communities)

Most parent/guardian of school age children (75%), followed by Golden resident with no school age children (8.5%).

Survey Overview8

Answered for: Elementary School age: 75% Middle School age: 17% High School age: 9%

Length of residency in Golden: 10-20 years: 29% (11) >20 years: 24% (10)

23 students 58 Jeffco employees answered; mostly teachers

and licensed employees (83%)

Opt Out Summary

10 responses For Which Grades did you Choose a School

Outside the Golden Articulation Area? Most indicated 7th-12th grades Many comments indicated satisfaction with the

Golden Elementary schools Which School did you Choose to Attend?

Compass Montessori—3 Colorado Academy, Manning,

Dennison/D’Evelyn —2 each Creighton—1

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Opt Out Analysis

Why did you chose this school? Key words include

Rigor Challenge—looking for college prep Low teacher to student ratio High standards Structure, along with flexibility—language options

Phrases of Interest Bell’s honor program falls short compared to other

programs at Creighton, D’Evelyn, and Manning There is a reputation that kids are permitted to

“Coast By” at Bell and GHS

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Opt Out Analysis

What Changes Would Draw you to your neighborhood school? Confidence of funding to run an outstanding school system Challenge and rigor Breadth of programs Extraordinary standards and/or programs; differentiated

learning Strong academics that flow all the way through Elem to HS Smaller class size—individual attention

Key Observation: Communications approach during funding crunch is resulting in rumors and misinformation about the final result. Need to close the communications loop when decisions are made, and identify where parental opinion has made a difference.

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Golden High School Analysis

Response Highlights:• Strong science program• Math is a “mixed bag”, mostly poor• Poor language arts• Poor performing arts, primarily due to dissatisfaction with staff• Lack of focus on challenging students

Total Responders: 48

Q. GHS has strong programs in science, math and technology; english/lit, writing, social studies, foreign lang., phys ed, arts: Agree to Strongly Agree (english/lit, writing)

Q. Statements regarding state of readiness of GHS: Agree

Response Highlights:• Most comments focused on need for updated text books or online options• Some books need to be checked out of the library or purchased

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Golden High School Analysis

Q. GHS reputation (good community rep; teachers and admin; preps students for college and workplace; community support; welcoming environment; strong academics): Agree

Response Highlights:• Mixed opinion of teachers (some good, some bad)• Negative admin comments (15.2% strongly disagree on quality of admin staff): “skating to retirement”, lack of engagement with students; administration does not set high performance expectations for students and “protects” teachers regardless of talent; not willing to make changes to improve the school

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Q. Specialized Programs (superior, adequate, innovative) : Agree

Response Highlights:• “GHS geared towards graduating average students.”• Strong science and AP programs• “Senior Seminar is one of a kind.”

Golden High School Analysis14

Q. Impression of Bell Middle School: Good (34.0%) to Very Good (26%) C+

Golden High School Analysis

Suggestions for 3 improvements to GHS (30): Improve programs and academic rigor: improve

language program, theater/music, math, computer science ; more rigorous AP and non-AP programs; teach study skills

Teachers: review qualifications; improve communications with parents, including using portals

Administration: “reorganized from the top” No “off-blocks”; keep students academically focused and

in the classroom; spend time on meaningful study skills, community service, tutoring, etc.

Close the campus and address parking lot for safety issues.

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Bell Middle School Analysis

Total Responders: 70

Q. Bell has strong programs Very Good in all areas except Good in library resources

Q. Middle school students should learn to type: All to Almost All (82%)

Q. Good learning environment and handling of conflicts: Agree to Strongly Agree

Q. Well maintained facilities; welcoming environment; strong PTA: Agree

Q. Impressions of Golden High: Good (40.6%) to Very Good (31.9%) C+

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Bell Middle School Analysis

Q. Good Reputation: Agree

Response Highlights• “The honors program is great! We don't hear many good things about the non-

honors pieces of the program.”• Lack of academic rigor; “a school in crisis”• Poor reputation, but not deserved anymore• Good school/good teachers

Q. Quality of Special Programs is Strong: Agree to No Opinion

Response Highlights • Great if you are in the honors program• There is a special ed program, but it is under-resourced and does not provide the kids what

they need; teachers have a poor understanding of parent expectations and don’t communicate with parents

• “There seems to be a huge difference in the teaching of the kids in the upstairs 7X hall verses the downstairs 7Y hall. I have had children in each and the upstairs teachers really seem to care if the kids learn and succeed. The downstairs teachers seem to have no interest in educating the kids or working with them to succeed.”

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Bell Middle School Analysis

Suggestions for 3 improvements to Bell (40 responses): Improved parent/community involvement through participation,

communication, improved parent/teacher conferences. Discipline and bullying: enforce better discipline with guidelines

and consequences; bullying awareness programs Improve academic excellence and rigor in general and through

programs (math, language, etc.) Technology improvements: SmartBoards, technology integrated

throughout the day, iPads Teachers/admin: improve teacher quality; training and

performance assessment program; enforce better, more consistent communication with parents

Improve Bell’s reputation through proactive communications with the community.

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Elementary School Analysis

Other: Free Horizon (2), Compass Montessori

Response Percent

Response Count

22.2% 1020.0% 928.9% 1311.1% 52.2% 115.6% 7

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Good

Poor

Very Good

answered question

What is your impression of the quality of that elementary school?

Fair

Excellent

No impression

Response Percent

Response Count

29.6% 8927.6% 835.0% 157.6% 2322.6% 686.6% 201.0% 3

301

Pleasant View Elementary

answered question

Shelton Elementary

Mitchell Elementary

Other (please specify)

You may be a parent, student or J effCo employee to answer questions in this section. The elementary school I am answering questions about is:

Ralston Elementary

Kyffin Elementary

Welchester Elementary

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Future action: break out results for individual elementary schools.

Elementary School Analysis

Q. Questions asking about the safe environment, quality resources (technology, texts): Agree

Q. Facilities, welcoming environment, strong PTA: Strongly Agree

Q. School is highly respected, best in Golden, best in Jeffco: Strongly Agree; preps students for middle school, culturally diverse: Agree

Q. Quality of lunch: Good

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Elementary School Analysis

Q. Impressions of Bell Middle School: Fair (27.8%) to Good (32.1%) C-

Response Highlights

• Other option schools are better (Manning, Creighton, D’Evelyn); “why do most kids in my neighborhood choose to open enroll in other middle schools?”

• Lack of academic rigor • Reputation for drugs, behavioral problems• Good honors program; mediocre for the rest• Good impression of admin and teachers

Q. Impressions of Golden High: Good (37.6%) to Very Good (26.8%) C+

Response Highlights

• Impressed with new facilities• Lacks academic rigor• Bad reputations for drugs; skipping class; open campus; off blocks• Negative comments about admin staff

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Elementary School Analysis

Q. Specialized Programs (GT, troubled, special needs, arts, etc) : Agree to Strongly Agree, No Opinion

Specials (art, music, PE):•Shelton specials teachers rock!•Strong negative replies for a particular music teacher (difficult to tell which school)•Need more PE / PE on a daily basis

Gifted and Talented:•G&T: Lukewarm – wastes $$, dependent on teacher willingness, lacking in addressing “gifted”, “joke country wide”, too much emphasis and resources, GT kids kept separate from peers; struggle adapting to honors in middle with no GT program in elementary•Where GT program is absent, HAS and ALPs are helpful for kids needing extra challenge

Special Needs:•Does not receive extra help – tutoring needed; special needs lumped with others (non-GT); more ability grouping and reassessment needed; special needs lower standards for everyone

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Elementary School Analysis

Suggestions for 3 improvements (223 responses):

Smaller class sizes (teacher-to-student ratio)

Better focus on both special needs and gifted kids (G/T programs needed in schools other than Kyffin)

More parent involvement Teacher training/performance Technology improvements Playground equipment and parking lot

improvements

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Summary Observations: Rank Importance

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80% or more feel all of the above are very important to importantThese ARE Golden’s school priorities… Core plus 21st century skills?

Summary Observations: Effect School Quality

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The future of the children of Golden 86.0% (411) 11.3% (54) 1.9% (9) 0.0% (0) 0.8% (4)

The quality of the choices made by children in Golden

74.9% (359) 20.7% (99) 2.1% (10) 1.0% (5) 1.3% (6)

Community pride 71.9% (346) 24.1% (116) 2.7% (13) 0.4% (2) 0.8% (4)

The future of Golden 66.4% (318) 27.1% (130) 5.2% (25) 0.4% (2) 0.8% (4)

The self-confidence of the children in Golden 64.7% (312) 28.8% (139) 3.7% (18) 1.2% (6) 1.5% (7)

The quality of life in Golden 61.8% (298) 33.4% (161) 3.1% (15) 1.0% (5) 0.6% (3)

Home prices 57.3% (277) 34.6% (167) 4.8% (23) 1.4% (7) 1.9% (9)

The industriousness of the children in Golden 48.8% (234) 40.0% (192) 7.3% (35) 2.1% (10) 1.9% (9)

How I am treated by others in Golden 22.7% (108) 34.7% (165) 21.4% (102) 14.7% (70) 6.5% (31)

3. I agree that the quality of schools and the education of school-age children in Golden affects:

Significantly Somewhat

Summary Observations26

Response Percent

Response Count

45.7% 22136.2% 17513.6% 663.9% 190.2% 12.1% 10

484

Answer Options

Poor

Very Good

answered question

Overall, what expectation do you have for the quality of education at Golden's schools?

Fair

Excellent

I don't have any particular expectation

Good

A-

Golden’s Expectations: A-Elementary School’s Rankings: Bell C-, Golden High C+GHS’s impression of Bell: C+Bell’s impression of GHS: C+

Summary Observations: Rank Importance

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Would you volunteer? 209 said yes (~40%), 201 said maybe.This is a huge resource and a sign of the community’s willingness to help.

Would you give $? 400 said yes (200 said > $120) This is a huge resource and a sign of the community’s willingness to help. Implication is significant source of fundraising.

SEEKING COMMON THEMES

GOLDEN SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

MEETING #3

Supporting student achievement so vigorously that Golden’s schools are a consistent draw.

Golden Schools Foundation 28

January 11, 2011 630-800pmMitchell Elementary

ANECDOTAL Parent Poll 29

• General lack of broad-scale rigor• Insufficient challenge for high performers• Lack of parent involvement at elementary

level• Cheating or the need for cheating

prevention• Lack of/insufficiently robust anti-bullying

program• Test scores deemed insufficient• the lack of programs at any given school• lack of technological advancement• teacher experiences/rumor• the kids/parents/education in general in

Golden• Graduation rates – high-level colleges seem

unreachable• They just wanted to move/don't like the

location of Bell• Teacher recommendations to go elsewhere

ORIGINAL Themes for Support

Golden Schools Foundation 30

1. Intervention and extra help generally (para-professionals, substitute teachers, volunteers) to allow teacher professional development

2. Textbooks and library books updated3. Technology enhancements/uniformity

• Laptops/Computing facilities• SmartBoards• Graphing Calculators• Document cameras, clickers

4. STEM (CSM meeting notes)

Next Steps

Identify areas of overlap and actionable items for GSF Follow up on priority issues (Need small team to

devise for May meeting) – need leader Carol, Leslie, Kim, Susan?

Community School Report Card: summarize results, thank responders, outline next step basics (break out answers for individual elementary schools) – need leader Shiela with Phil and Suzanne? Initial report 1 pager, followed by 8 pager?

Follow up with responders who said they’d volunteer/donate (part of comms plan) – Jackie plan with Pam plan/Rob

Collaborate with similar school foundations (Denver, nationwide?) for lessons learned and best practices – need leader to report in May meeting – Greg with Kim?

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Next Meeting

May 10 at Pleasant View? Para-Troopers fundraising progress report Draft Strategic Plan report Vote on 1 page Community School Report

Card release Report on other foundation approaches

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