SFPS committed to excellence in learning
With just weeks to go in the school year, and graduation ceremonies on the horizon, Santa Fe Public Schools is readying for next year. We have a strong plan to address learning loss that includes phasing in innovative standards-based learning and grading in schools, forging community partnerships for high-quality after-school programs and focusing on student absenteeism and reengagement.
Every school district in New Mexico is unique and develops learning strategies to meet their communities’ needs. While an extended school year might be an appropriate strategy for improved learning in some districts, for SFPS, we must first lay a foundation for equitable learning.
Students should be measured by what they know, not judged on how many assignments they complete. They need rich after-school programming from community groups so teachers can focus on piquing students’ curiosity to learn. And they need to be in school each day. The reality is that too many are missing from our schools.
Students and staff are grieving from the pandemic: Some lost loved ones; some have had family members impacted by illness. To provide high-quality instruction and find joy in learning, we must address the well-being of all. Meeting emotional, mental and physical well-being starts the healing process and provides the basis for teaching and learning.
A long-standing inequity in SFPS is that some schools provide more hours of teaching and learning than others. This is due to hours and minutes being tacked on to school calendars over the years without adjustment. This cannot continue, which is why my administration is working with NEA-Santa Fe to clear the slate and start school calendaring anew for next year. This will provide equity across the district for all students.
We do no one — not ourselves, our students, our community or the state — any favors by ignoring these realities.
With these issues in hand, I see much to celebrate by 202324: students who are learning what’s needed, and being graded fairly and accordingly; community partners who provide dynamic after-school programs so teachers can place their energy on what they do best, classroom teaching; and students who eagerly come to school every day. Only then will we be prepared to take the next critical step of launching K-12-plus extended learning across our schools, a plan we are developing for implementation when the time comes.
We’re so close. Working with David Holden, CEO and co-founder of the American Alliance for Innovative Systems, our school system has prepared during this year to further equity in learning through accelerated learning and differentiated instruction tailored to students’ learning needs, with teachers working collaboratively in professional learning communities toward that end. We are very excited that next year 13 district schools will launch standards-based learning and grading, with more to follow. This will ensure all students receive grade-level, differentiated instruction that meets them where they are.
In April, Santa Fe Public Schools gathered community partners to develop a menu of enriching and diverse after-school opportunities for principals to choose from this summer and next school year, including tutoring, mentoring and to support student and staff social-emotional and mental well-being. And we’re visiting with the city and truancy experts on ways to work in partnership to increase attendance. Our plan to address attendance barriers is two-pronged, focusing on separate strategies for elementary and secondary schools.
With the pandemic hopefully behind us, let’s stay committed to excellence in learning that’s grounded in the needs of our community. If we remain on course, we will turn this corner, welcome a new era of learning and further the recognition of Santa Fe Public Schools as a destination for exceptional teaching and learning.