CARES Leaders Meet with New District 98 Superintendent

"Every communication that leaves my office will be in two languages."

This sounds like a good plan for a district that is 79% hispanic.  Research shows that parental involvement increases student achievement.

Dr. Carmen Ayala took over as Superintendent of North Berwyn School District 98 less than 2 months ago, but she has already identified community engagement as a key goal to her success.  She is the first Latina Superintendent of the District.  Members of Berwyn CARES sat down with Dr. Ayala to talk about her plans for moving North Berwyn District 98 forward.

When asked what strengths she has identified that she would like to build on, she cited the achievement growth that the district has experienced in spite of a shift in demographics and limited funding.  Indeed, District 98 students have kept pace with the state, going from only 57.3 % of students meeting or exceeding standards in 2002 to 77.9% in 2011.  No small feat considering that the low-income population has increased from 69% to 87.2 % in that same period.  Dr. Ayala points out that when you compare D98 achievement data to that of similar demographics and funding, the scores are "not bad".  She is quick to credit the talent of the teachers and staff for the consistent growth in achievement.

Dr. Ayala is working to focus all district efforts on 5 specific initiatives.

1.  Common Core Standards:  District 98 teachers will be teaching to the common core standards.  The common core initiative aims to align the curriculum across the country by identifying common standards rather than each state having its own curriculum.  45 of 50 states have adopted the Common Core Standards, including Illinois.

2.  Updated Assessments:  District 98 will be adopting assessments that are aligned with the Common Core Standards.  Discovery Education, an online assessment tool that gives benchmark data for students throughout the year, will give teachers immediate access to the student and class data, allowing them to individualize their instruction.

3.  Inclusion Education:  District 98 will be looking at how to most effectively include students with disabilities in regular classrooms with access to the common curriculum whenever possible.  

4.  SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol):  SIOP is an instructional model proven effective for English Language Learners.   21.8 % of D98 students are identified is Limited English Proficiency.

5.  Equity Cultural Audit.  The District will be holding an Equity Cultural Audit as a way to collect data from the District stakeholders (parents, staff, community, etc.) and assess school culture.

Dr. Ayala plans to refer to these 5 initiatives to guide decisions in the district and to provide a focus for teachers and staff in lesson planning, professional development and budgeting.

So that is what will be happening inside District 98 schools.  But what about that parental involvement piece?  In addition to making sure all communication includes a Spanish translation, Dr. Ayala plans to hold quarterly Superintendent Community Coffees.  On Saturdays.  In Spanish AND English.  No agenda.  This very approachable and enthusiastic leader is dedicated to having a dialogue with a community that has been previously unengaged.  Berwyn CARES looks forward to working wtih Dr. Ayala and the District 98 community to achieve this worthy goal.