Clover Park School District announcement.
LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Making a difference in the lives of students and children can be as simple as letting them know what qualities they bring with them every day that help them and those around them succeed. Clover Park School District launched its Give SIX initiative last year built around the idea that those simple statements can help students learn, grow and thrive.
Give SIX was developed as a direct response to student feedback gathered during the 2019-20 school year. During that year, Superintendent Ron Banner visited each district high school multiple times to meet with a cross section of students at those schools.
The intention of these visits was to listen and provide students the opportunity to voice their concerns and share their experiences. The listening sessions were one of many ways the district has worked to elevate student voice and emphasize the impact they can have on their school, district and community.
During the listening sessions, students repeatedly expressed the desire for adults in their lives to “see them, hear them, value them and affirm their dignity.” Give SIX was born out of this request and modeled after a similar and highly impactful initiative implemented at Fairfax County Schools in Virginia called Three to Succeed.
The idea behind Give SIX is to help students understand their value and increase their self-worth as individuals beyond what they accomplish in the classroom. The goal of the program is to help teachers, family members and community members make six connections with students each day.
Positive interactions with adults lead to a decrease in students engaging in risky behaviors, such as skipping school or drinking alcohol. Stronger relationships and a better understanding of what makes them valued members of their community help students find more success inside and outside of the classroom.
“When students understand that they have value as a person that goes beyond test scores and grades, they respond positively,” Banner said. “It is essential for us as educators and community members to help students discover the value they provide to those around them.”
Participating in Give SIX is simple. Making connections with students and children means explicitly letting them know through simple statements that you see them making a difference, that you believe in them or you value their efforts.
“During that year, Superintendent Ron Banner visited each district high school multiple times to meet with a cross section of students at those schools……….The listening sessions were one of many ways the district has worked to elevate student voice and emphasize the impact they can have on their school, district and community.”
A laudable attempt to listen and learn from students’ concerns and experiences but how about their parents? Despite the best of intentions I question why Superintendent Banner visited schools to gather information rather than the five Board members who were ostensibly elected to represent their Districts. Was “Give SIX” of Superintendent Banner’s initiative or a policy decision developed by and voted on by the Board Directors? Individual Board Directors have a responsibility to know what is going on in their District. How many visits did they conduct in their Districts as the genesis of “Give SIX”? If so, why are their names missing in this article?
We elect our representatives to the Board: the Board hires the Superintendent who is an employee. The Board’s job is to develop policy and demand accountability of the Superintendent. It is up to the Superintendent through staff to carry out that policy and achieve results. If the Board defers these responsibilities to the staff then the questions are “who exactly is it that represents the voters?” and “why do we need a Board?”