What is getting in the way of student success?
State of the District/LCAP and Community Conversation Feedback
(Numbers next to list items indicate multiple similar responses.)
Attendance
o Late buses - child gets to school sometimes an hour late - 3
o Attendance - having all stakeholders understand that it is important
o Snow days need new plan - 4
o Natural disasters - 4
o Rough winter
o Lengthy holiday breaks
o Students and staff - 2
o Hours out of school are not being made up – sick days, snow days, athletics - 4
o Attendance - 7
o Early out/late in STHS
o Bus messages and sports okay
o Too many independent studies
o Not having school
o Ripple effect from school closures and delayed starts
o Too much interruption
o Transportation - 2
o Weather - 4
o Sick days
Basic Needs
- Not enough food at STMS
- Nutrition - not healthy food
- Meal applications need to be completed by parents
Communication
o Decisions being made without or little input from those most affected
o Folks not having a say in what is happening
o Lack of transparency at all levels
o No clear path to success
o Community perception
o Unity (School/ communication)
o Lack of consistent vision from the top to the bottom
o Misinformation
English Learner (EL)
o Language barrier issues - 4
o Not enough speaking Spanish advocacy
o Lack of academic language for EL students to be successful
o Lack of ELOs - standard learning opportunities
o How to address ESP in gen ed classes
Environmental and Situational Factors
o Poverty
- Rebound from COVID
- Unforeseen distractions
- Screen time
- Social media
- iPhone
- Changes in student culture - hard for organization to keep pace
- Student engagement with peers - 2
- Distractions - 3
- Family
- Relationships and personal communications
- Attitudes
- Family dynamics
- Motivation - 2
Facilities
o Facilities - 2
o Modernize facilities
o Lack of space
Housing/Income
o Homelessness
Learning improvement
o Hands-on learning - recognize different learning styles
o Staff support 2 (lack of)
o Interventions: speech, math and reading - 2
o Teacher collaboration time
o Focus on too many things - not a deep dive
o Teachers unable to focus on enrichment/CORE only
o Relevant curriculum - life skills
o More Collaborative Learning
o K-12 - rigorous curriculum alignment
o More rigor
o Student staff connection
o SEL needs to be visited frequently
o Active outdoor time needs to be a priority
o Students lacking confidence and commitment
o Need to understand the why and Trust the system
o Getting resources
o Learning
o Acknowledging need for social emotional development concerns
o Burning differences
o Amount of aides in specific classes 3
Principals
- No full-time principal MTHS
- No clear list of resources
- Lack of English Learner resources in math at STHS
Mental Health
o Mental Health - 5
o Trauma - 3
o Limited understanding of mental health and impact on learning
o Social emotional needs
o More counselors
o Consequences expectations - drugs bathroom
o What are you doing to encourage behavior and consequences?
o Drugs/ bullying/ social media
o Relationship support
o Drugs at Middle School/Bullying
o Bullying - 4
o Need for kindness and empathy
o Stress/anxiety
o Not having ABA therapy available
STHS
o Communication of A-G AG requirements
o Students not getting the classes they need because they didn't know what they needed
o Library
o Better student relationships with teachers and secondary
o Reinstate ELL programs classes at High School
o Bathroom issues at STHS – vaping, smoking, bullying - 2
o Communication of AP/dual enrollment opportunities at STHS
Special Needs
o Disabilities
o Equity access
o Increase special needs resources
o More inclusion of special needs students in typical classes with aides
Technology and Navigating Technology
o Technology and navigating technology
o Over Reliance on screen time
o For ADHD
o Phones
o State recognition of virtual learning no
o Distance learning
o Remote learning/alternative lifestyle/hybrid
o How do we seek hybrid Solutions - Tahoe is unique
Miscellaneous
o Cultural competency
o Parent-teacher involvement
o Teachers are rude to students
o We need to recognize and celebrate the successes and achievements that we have more of this
o Student needs to work
o Alignment across schools
o Gaps in student performance based on equity across sites, representation of staff, accountability with teachers, lack of support for different needs
o Tracking
o College track - 38% are qualified to go to a four-year college
o Not raising bar in general - 2
o Some class sizes are too large to allow teachers to build relationships
o Staffing
o Parents - 2
o Funding
o The teacher’s union seems to not be open/receptive to work with Administration
o District Office needs to change
o The conversation about what we have learned about what the kids and our district need
o Support and access for extracurricular activities
o Staff retention will be able to keep great staff
o More extracurricular
o Create opportunity for wider engagement
o We need to compete with the world
o Partnering with too few afterschool activity childcare providers
o Police Department legal will not arrest students who break the law (drug/alcohol)
o Teachers Union
o All kids should have access to TK not just half the kids
o Specialization in Middle School especially ST and M
o The district/admin desire to assure students pass classes and who don't support
o Teachers who try to get kids to do the work - it is the teacher's fault when there are F's
o Behavior and interaction between teachers and students
Involving Parents more would help