Wednesday, August 09, 2000
Schools outline improvements
Covington answers audit with plans to change
By Lori Hayes
The Cincinnati Enquirer
New classroom lessons, new job descriptions, more staff training and a much more watchful administrative eye are in store for Covington Independent Schools this fall.
From the budget to teach er evaluations to school councils, the district is planning a major overhaul after a highly critical review from the state.
The Kentucky Department of Education conducted academic and management audits of the Covington district this spring, outlining a multitude of problems and needed changes.
The district is preparing a lengthy response, describing its plans to improve. Many changes are already in the works, but the district's to-do list is steep.
“It's pretty daunting, but you've got to take the first step,” interim Superintendent Jack Moreland said. “There is no quick fix. It just takes a day-to-day commitment.”
Among the changes: a more inclusive budget process, a reorganized administration, a new evaluation process for teachers and staff and an assortment of new policies and procedures, according to a draft of the response.
The Covington school board will review the draft Thursday night. The district must submit the final response to the state by Aug. 15. State officials said they will then respond to the district's plans within a week.
A common theme in the action plan is better planning and communication. Collaboration between administration and schools and communication with parents are key goals.
“It should have been done all along,” Mr. Moreland said. “We are committed to being more above the line.”
Many of the state's criticisms targeted Covington's instruction, pointing to a lack of organization across grades and schools. There was no formal plan for approaching curriculum.
The district is working to develop districtwide curriculum that maps out when skills and concepts are to be taught. And principals and administrators will set up a process to make sure the new instructional plan is carried out. This includes keeping files of student work at each school and visiting classrooms daily to monitor teaching strategies.
“We're not on a witch hunt, but ... the only real way to reach that accountability is to follow through and check on what people are doing,” Mr. Moreland said.
Other changes outlined in the district's response include:
• Revamping school councils to provide more training and help to revise schools' long-term plans to focus on student achievement.
• Setting up a district equity council to monitor the fair treatment of all students and schools.
• Providing more training for teachers and staff to improve instruction.
• Reorganizing district administration to focus on implementing audit recommendations. This includes reassigning some administrators to the classroom and beefing up the workload for others.
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