TOWN MEETING ON

PUBLIC EDUCATION
AND TEACHERS
December 8, 2002

A REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY DIALOGUE ON EDUCATION
FEBRUARY 7, 2003

Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers

December 8, 2002

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section

Page

Introduction

General Session Summary

Teachers Face Severe Difficulties Today

A Better Relationship Is Needed Between Parents and Schools
Teachers Do Not Have Input Into Key Decisions
There Is A Lack of Trust Among Those Concerned About Education

4
5
5
5

General Session Comments

Small Group Summary

Teachers Are Too Stressed

Parental Involvement Is Important
Lack of Teacher Input in Major Decisions by Administration
Smaller Class Sizes Needed
Policy/Politics
Conclusions and Recommendations

12

Build Trust by Including Teachers in Decision-Making

Evaluate Standardized Testing Requirements to Determine if
They Are Necessary and Productive
Promote the Benefits of Parental Involvement in the Education
of Each Child
Increase the Involvement of the Board of Education in the
Governance of the School System
Appendix: Small Group Input Grid

Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers

December 8, 2002

10
11
11
11
11

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INTRODUCTION
The Community Dialogue on Education (CDE) is
a group of people that continues to meet on
Tuesday mornings to discuss public education.
We welcome anyone to meet with us. We are not
a single issue, advocacy group although we do
encourage individual members in their advocacy
efforts. In fact, we come from all walks of life
including religious ministry, business, public
agencies, parents and education. The glue that
holds us together is a desire to see all children of
Guilford County get a good education. We
sponsored a Town Meeting on Public Education
and Community in March 2002, which was
attended by about 180 people. Five major areas of
concern emerged from that meeting, one of which
is Teachers deserve more respect and support
from the Board, Administration, Parents and
Community.
In order to continue the dialogue, the CDE
sponsored a second Town Meeting (on Public
Education and Teachers) on Sunday, December 8,
2002. The purpose of this meeting was to promote
greater respect and support for teachers in order to
provide excellence in education for every child in
the Guilford County Public Schools (sometimes
referred to as District or School System). The key
question asked of all present was What can be
done to help teachers do the most effective job of
educating all children in the Guilford County
Schools?
The Sunday of the meeting was several
days after a major ice storm that resulted in
treacherous driving and many people in Guilford
County without electricity. In spite of these
conditions, 110 people braved the elements to
discuss public education. This number included
six members of the Guilford County Board of
Education (Cooke, Duncan, Garrett, Kearns,
Routh and Sykes) and State Representative John
Blust. The Meeting comprised two sections. The
first section was the General Session at which all
present that wanted to speak publicly were given a
chance to do so, with special encouragement for
teachers to speak. The second, Small Groups
Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers
December 8, 2002

section consisted of everyone gathering into five

separate small groups so people would be able to
express themselves in more detail.
The CDE plans to continue to facilitate an
ongoing dialogue among various parts of the
Guilford County community in order to ensure
excellence in education. As part of this mission,
we plan to continue sponsoring Town Meetings to
discuss matters of interest. The next Town
Meeting will be held in the Spring of 2003 at a
site to be determined, preferably in High Point.
The topic will be Standardized Testing.

GENERAL SESSION SUMMARY

Joyce Johnson and David Routh facilitated the

meeting, which began with a prayer by a Guilford
County student. They emphasized that this meeting was focused on teachers and asked people to
direct their comments to the key question.
The process and agenda to be used for the
town meeting was presented. Recorders would
capture the comments of both the General Session
and Small Groups and a report from the Town
Meeting would be produced.
The ground rules for the forum were the
same as the basis for the CDE meetings: to respect others and to listen thoughtfully, not writing
off ideas, but considering them carefully. Speakers were asked to keep their topics focused on
how to help teachers, and to speak for no more
than two minutes, so everyone could be heard.
Twenty-seven community members spoke
during the General Session. The main points recorded for each speaker are shown in the following
section. The speakers were fourteen white females
(speakers number 2,3,4,5,8,11,15,16,17, 20,23,24,
25,27), nine African-American females (speakers
number 1,6,7,9,10,12,13,18,26), one AfricanAmerican male (speaker number 14) and three
white males (speakers number 19,21,22). Speakers included 11 parents, 12 teachers, three concerned citizens and one state representative.
Comments during the General Session
focused on what could be done to let teachers do
the most effective job of teaching. Specific comments clustered into several broad areas in
which teachers need more support, which were:
the difficulties facing teachers today, the need
for a better relationship between parents and
Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers
December 8, 2002

schools, and the lack of input from teachers on

matters affecting both them and the education of
children.
Although we list these broad areas separately, they are actually inter-related. If teachers
felt their voices were being heard and taken into
account in decision-making by the Administration
and Board, their levels of stress would be much
lower for two reasons. First, people feel better
about themselves and the decisions that are made
if they are part of the decision-making process.
Second, if teachers input were seriously considered, decisions would likely be different, leading
to improved educational situations and less stress
and difficulties for the teachers. If the stress and
difficulties of teachers were reduced, they would
probably be more welcoming to the efforts of parents who want to volunteer in the classroom.
Each of the broad areas is discussed below. These areas and the following listing of the
specific comments by Town Meeting attendees
during the General Session represent the views of
those attendees and do not necessarily represent
the views of the CDE.
1)

Teachers Face Severe Difficulties Today

In addition to the traditional pressures on
teachers, they have to deal with many more issues
today. Teachers today must administer standardized tests and prepare the students for them. Interns at one elementary school spent 500 hours in
handling the tests. Without their help, the teachers
would have had 500 hours less of instruction time.
The testing requirements will become even more
onerous with the new No Child Left Behind
Legislation. Eliminating some of the scripted
programs imposed on teachers would be the
best thing we could do to help teachers because it
would give them time to teach. Not
continuously changing programs would let teachers build on a foundation. And, the variety of different cultures of the children and the accompanying slang language make communicating difficult.
As one teacher put it, I have taught for 19
years and never seen so much stress on teachers
as I see this year.I am frightened about what is
happening to teachers, many of whom are already
burned out now instead of its happening late in
the school year.

SUMMARY CONTINUED

homework or just talking about what is going on in

s
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h
o
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l
.

2) A Better Relationship Is Needed Between

Parents and Schools
Thirteen of the 27 people who spoke during
the General Session mentioned something about
parental involvement. There was consensus that
having parents intimately involved in the education
of their children helps their children, helps
teachers, and improves education. Some parents
have time during the school day to volunteer at the
schools. When this is the case, the school
should welcome their efforts and be able to
effectively utilize them. Several successful
examples are in structured programs that have
some coordination such as Lunch Buddies,
M e n t o r s
a n d
o t h e r s .
Regardless of whether a parent has time to
spend at the school during the school day,
however, it is critical that parents be involved with
their children on school related issues outside the
school day.
As one speaker put it, The best parental
involvement is what happens at home. Parents
should be educated about the importance of
listening to their children read, looking at

Some of the comments dealt with whether

or not teachers welcomed parents into the
classroom. Several people said they had not been
welcomed when they had tried to volunteer in the
classroom whereas several people said that parents
were welcome.
It was pointed out, by a teacher, that the
teachers are so stressed with other demands on
their time they may not have time to effectively
coordinate the efforts of volunteers, especially
if the volunteers show up unannounced.
3) Teachers do not have input into key decisions
Teachers repeatedly have to comply
with directives and programs that result from
decisions in which they have no input. They
do not see the Administration seeking out their
input, which would be based on years of
experience in the classroom. The resulting
changes often occur during the school year,
thereby disrupting the teaching process.
Examples mentioned of changes happening
without teacher input are putting most 8th graders
into an algebra program when about 75% of the
students are not ready for algebra and a new
computer program to test children
weekly on math. The clear
message is that input from
teachers should be solicited before
such decisions are made.
4) There Is a Lack of
Trust Among Those
Concerned About Education
Although not mentioned
by anyone as a specific concern,
an overarching theme that
seemed to pervade the General
Session comments was a lack of
trust. This lack of trust exists between parents and teachers; teachers and administration; and administration and School Board. If
this lack of trust were eliminated,
many of the specific concerns ex-

Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers

December 8, 2002

GENERAL SESSION COMMENTS

1) At some schools parents are not involved
much and students are suspended at high
rates. Parents are not well received when
they do go to the school to volunteer. How
can parents help in the classroom?
2) We live in a culture that does not take good
care of our children. Many parents do not
take care of their children. Parents are welcome in the classroom when they are there
as helpers as opposed to critics. Parents
should check with principals if they feel
unwelcome.
3) The Guilford County Council of PTAs is
offering grants to individual schools to promote parental involvement in the schools.
Forty schools have applied for grants.
4) Is it possible to bring parents to the table by
having a mentoring program for individual
parents who cannot visit their childrens
school?
5) Giving parents, who visit schools, a badge
that says visitor is not welcoming to the
parents. Find a new name for parental visitors, like parent.
Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers
December 8, 2002

6) The District needs a dress code for teachers. The dress of many teachers is such that
one cannot tell the teacher from the student. Dressing nicer would give more authority to teachers.
7) In the old days, teachers represented the
hallmark of respect. Now you cannot tell
the teachers from the students. The teacher
overrides the authority of parents. There is
too much prescription drug medication of
students, such as Ritalin.
8) Some students speak a cultural language
that is significantly different from the formal language. This difference causes misunderstanding between teacher and students. Students should come to school with
the right attitude and listen to what the
teachers say.
9) As a parent, I felt unwelcome when I went
to the school to volunteer. Had to prove I
was a good person. Low-income parents
often assumed to be poor parents. Talk to
the principal about fostering a welcoming
attitude.
10) Regardless of what language is spoken, a
teachers role is to translate so each child
can learn. We should not blame a child for
the language they have learned. If parents

entrust children to teachers, teachers should

do the best job they can.
11) I am a parent of three girls in school.
Teachers do not want parents in the classroom. We should value and support teachers but recognize that they sometimes cross
the line. When parents volunteer, they are
assigned to places like the library. It is still
important that parents are visible.
12) Are resources on language available to help
with diversity training? A teacher has a
mission once a child walks into the classroom. Some teachers put up walls to prevent parental involvement. Parent has to

keep pushing.
13) I had six children graduate from Smith
High School. It is important to get involved
in the school from the first day by volunteering, being active in the PTA, and meeting every one of your childs teachers.
Your children know when you are in the
school.
14) More after school programs are needed. If
children just go home to poverty areas,
they can be lost. All children will not be
scholars. Need guided growth programs for
academically challenged children.
15) As a student teacher, I find that parents are
welcome in the schools. When volunteering, a parent needs to be available for all
Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers
December 8, 2002

the children in the class and not just their

child.
16) There is no PTA at one of my childrens
schools and the second childs school has
begun a PTA this year for the first time.
Could a strong PTA from a school adopt
another school that does not have a strong
PTA? PTAs provide good services and material things to schools.
17) I have taught for 19 years and never seen
so much stress on teachers as I see this
year. This pressure results from the normal
teaching role, giving and preparing for
standardized tests, and now the No Child
Left Behind law. I am frightened
about what is happening to teachers, many of whom are already
burnt out now instead of its happening late in the school year.
This pressure is partly why
teachers are not able to welcome all
volunteers into the classroom. It is
not that the volunteers are not wanted, but that it is hard to coordinate
their activities along with all the
other responsibilities on teachers.
Come with open mind believing
that teachers want to help your
child. The best parental involvement is what happens at home. Parents should be educated about the
importance of listening to their children read, looking at homework or just
talking about what is going on in school.
18) It is hard to stay focused when there are so
many cultures. Can we reach all children?
Dont just pick on slang users because that
is their culture. Teachers should do what
they need to do. Some teachers think they
can do no wrong.
19) As a member of the North Carolina House
of Representatives, teachers often tell me
about their problems. They tell me they do
not have time to go to the houses of all the
parents who do not show up at the schools.
What percent of parents are involved in
school activities?
20) There is a significant difference in what my

current third grader is being taught in

school today versus what my current tenth
grader was taught when he/she was in the
third grade. The standardized testing is crazy. The stress it places on teachers and
children is unbelievable. This is not education.
21) Teachers are still not being solicited for
input before decisions are made that impact
them and their teaching. I have heard that
we are getting a new computer program to
test children weekly on math but have had
no information on it and have not been
asked for any input on it.
Changes should be made
before school starts.
22) The number of parents
who show up at functions sponsored by
Hunt er El em ent ar y
School increased significantly as school test
scores improved. They
now have 400 parents
show up for meetings.
Schools need to
change before parents
r e s p o n d positively..
This year 25
UNCG interns are doing
the standardized testing
at Hunter, which has consumed 500 hours of their
work. If teachers were
doing the testing, there would be 500 hours
less teaching time. The major problem is
not in taking the tests but rather in preparing the students to take the tests, e.g. teaching to the tests. Freeing teachers up from
all the scripted programs imposed on them
would be the best thing we could do to help
teachers.
23) In order to improve schools, parents also
need to be involved in the political life of
the community by writing our representatives and school board members. Change
can occur.
24) Without consulting teachers, the adminTown Meeting on Public Education and Teachers
December 8, 2002

istration has put most 8th graders into an

algebra program. This is increasing the
stress level on the 75% of my students who
are not ready for algebra. Teachers should
have input.
25) What would help me the most as a teacher
would be smaller class sizes and classroom
aides. Teachers today are stressed by standardized tests and having to provide medical
nursing for the students. I have no voice in
the decisions made by the administration.
Parents can do much for their childrens
education at home. How can teachers reach

parents who are not involved at all?

26) As an elementary school teacher, it would
help me if programs were not constantly
changing. Leave things alone so we can
build on a foundation.
27) As a paid tutor, I think the things that
would help teachers are smaller class sizes,
fewer students per tutor, and equitable contributions by PTAs to all schools.

SMALL GROUP SUMMARY

Following the General Session section of the Town

Meeting, the attendees were divided into five,
small groups. During this Small Group section,
each group was encouraged to continue the discussion on Public Education and Teachers in order to
give each attendee an opportunity to express his/
her experiences, opinions and suggestions on the
topic. Members of the Community Dialogue on
Education (CDE) facilitated the groups.
One person was appointed in each small
group to record the input from the participants in

that group. These persons recorded 70 separate inputs, some of which were repeated in various small
groups. Although these inputs covered a wide
range of topics, they all were directed at the issue
of providing more support for teachers in order to
provide a better education for all children of Guilford County.
All of these inputs were compiled in a listing and analyzed for the degree of convergence.
Based on this analysis, all of the Small Group comTown Meeting on Public Education and Teachers
December 8, 2002

ments were consolidated into six categories. These

categories and the specific comments by Town
Meeting attendees during the Small Group Session
represent the views of those attendees and do not
necessarily represent the views of the CDE.
The specific comments are shown
in the attached Small Group Input Grid.
Categories (and the number of inputs in
each category) are as follows:
Teachers are too stressed (18)
Parental involvement is important (17)
Lack of teacher input into major decisions
by District (9)
Smaller class sizes needed (7)

School Board polity/politics (12)

Miscellaneous (7)
In addition to a categorization of the comments recorded in the small groups, each group
also reported the one point that they considered to
be the most important point they discussed.
These most important points are:
1) Smaller class sizes are needed, particularly for
disadvantaged children and in grades K-2. Need

more input from teachers in decisions.

2) School violence causes disruptions and is unsafe. Need a safe, nurturing environment. Provide
services such as mediation and counseling
to bring children back into schools.
3) Have more classroom-based decisions as opposed to basing instructional decisions solely on
what is mandated by curriculum requirements.
4) Urge the School Board to adopt a more handson approach and not just accept what is mandated
by the State. Need a more structured way to involve teachers in decisions before they are made.
5) Parents can help teachers by working
with their children at home. The Administration
needs to provide support and training
regarding
working
with
parents.
A summary of the major categories
in the Small Group Input Grid follows.
Teachers Are Too Stressed
There was a plaintive plea in the voice of
the teachers in the small groups as they described
those things that prevent them from
teaching children, as they know they can.
A dominant theme was that so many mandates have been imposed on teachers they do not
have time to adequately prepare and teach the sub-

Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers

December 8, 2002

10

jects needed by the children. These mandates include standardized test preparation and administration, constantly changing programs, elimination of
planning periods, lunchroom monitoring and bus
loading duties. Not only do these factors hinder
their ability to teach, they also intrude into normal
functions such as having time to eat lunch, prepare
lessons and go to the bathroom.
Superimposed on these impediments to
teaching are issues such as teaching positions being
left unfilled for lengths of time, reductions in the
number of teacher aides, the disruptions of school
violence and the pressure of bearing responsibility
for lack of student performance on state-mandated
tests for reasons that are often beyond the control
of the teacher.
The result is that teachers are frazzled to the
point that many qualified teachers are considering
leaving the teaching profession. And, amazingly,
not one single teacher mentioned the frustration of
being paid at the low end of professional salaries in
spite of the critical nature of the position and in
spite of the difficulty of providing for a family on a
teachers salary.
Parental Involvement Is Important
There was universal acceptance that parents

play a critical role in the education of children.

Parents need to interact with their children around
school related topics. They need to ask their children about their homework assignments and provide help with them when needed. Parents need to
make contact with the teachers of their children to
ensure that the teachers know of their interest and
to ensure that their children know their parents are
monitoring their progress in school. Parents also
need to be aware of what is going on in the
schools. Parent/teacher conferences are an integral
part of this communication. Teachers should communicate both the good and not so good activities
of the children of the parent. Teachers should provide advice to the parents regarding how they can
help and parents need to receive that advice as
well-intended, constructive comments.
Where possible, structured volunteering
by parents in the schools provides a useful service
to the school and lets their children know that
they are vitally interested in their education. Such
volunteering should be on a structured basis instead of just showing up at school unannounced.
Teachers, principals and administration need to
provide a welcoming atmosphere for parents to
encourage their volunteering.
Lack of Teacher Input in Major Decisions by
Administration
There is a strong feeling among teachers
they their views on major issues are not being solicited by the Administration. This means that
their wealth of understanding of what works in the
classroom is not being considered. Examples offered are drafts of new proposed new schedules
and the 30-minute videotape interview process. In
addition to the possibility that their input would
result in better decisions, including teachers in the
decision making process would increase their
commitment to the decisions made.
Smaller Class Sizes Needed
Smaller class sizes are needed, especially
in schools with high percentages of disadvantaged
students and especially in grades K through Two.
The fewer students in each class would let the
teachers spend more time with each student, conTown Meeting on Public Education and Teachers
December 8, 2002

11

centrating on what is important for each student.

Fewer students would also result in more orderly
classrooms, even to the point of reducing fights.
One School Board member participating in the
small groups raised the critical question of where
the additional funding would come from in order
to reduce class size.
Policy/Politics
A number of people felt that the School
Board does not provide enough guidance to the
Administration. Administrators and Board members would understand better what goes on in the
schools if they would spend time in the classroom. The Literacy First program should be reevaluated.
In Guilford County (and across the State),
the Board of Education has responsibility for the
education of our children but has no authority to
levy taxes to support that education. The County
Commissioners have authority to levy taxes to
support education but have no responsibility for
the education of our children. This is a recipe for
failure. In addition, the County Commissioners
and Board of Education members have been at
cross-purposes for years. This detracts from the
esteem with which people hold the public schools.
The Board of Education needs the authority to
levy taxes. This would require a change in State
law. Parents should lobby politicians on education
and a good starting place would be such a change
in State law.

CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Town Meeting illustrated clearly that
Guilford County is blessed with teachers whose
primary concern is the education of the children
under their care. They are, however, experiencing
significantly greater stress than the profession has
known before. The greatest stress-inducer is the
emphasis being placed on standardized testing;
both the administration of such tests and the
student preparation for the tests as the teachers are
compelled to teach to the test. The new federal
legislation No Child Left Behind, while having
noble objectives, will exacerbate the emphasis on
standardized testing and result in more stress on
teachers and students. Our teachers increasingly
have to reduce the time spent on teaching subject
content in order to fulfill the standardized testing
requirements.
Teachers are also contending with changes
in curriculum, elimination of planning periods,
changes in school-day starting and ending times,

Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers

December 8, 2002

12

and demands of lunchroom monitoring and bus

duties. Each of these items adds to the stress
experienced by teachers.
Addressing these concerns by the District
will require a collaborative effort to find
solutions. Instead of the teachers feeling like an
integral part of a team that will move the District
forward, they have reason to doubt that the
Administration is looking after the best interests
of them and the children. This distrust stems, to a
large degree, because teachers input is not
solicited before decisions are made on topics
about which they have valuable knowledge.
Turning around this lack of trust will require
significant effort by both the Administration and
the Board of Education.
The involvement of parents is critical to
the education of their children, particularly in
interacting at home with their children around
school matters. Schools should ensure that parents
always feel welcome to visit their childrens
schools and classrooms. Most teachers also
appreciate and welcome volunteer activity by
parents, especially when they have some prior
knowledge of when the parents will be
volunteering. Parents are more likely to contribute
to schools when they see that schools are serving

the best interests of their children and they are

made to feel welcome.
The Community Dialogue on Education
suggests the following action steps to help
teachers do the most effective job of educating
all children in the Guilford County Schools.
1) Build trust by including teachers in decisionmaking.
Parents, teachers and community must
impress on the Board of Education and the
Administration the need to include them in the
decision-making process. Teachers have a wealth
of knowledge and understanding about what
works and what does not work in the classroom.
The Administration must include teachers, in a
meaningful way, in major decisions that affect
what goes on in the classroom. Teachers will gain
a sense of trust if the Administration repeatedly
includes them in the decision-making process.
Actions speak louder than words and such actions
by the Administration will be recognized and
appreciated by teachers.
The Board of Education must ensure that
the Administration takes these steps, which will
result in better decisions and a feeling of trust
among the Board, Administration and Teachers.
2) Evaluate the standardized testing
requirements to determine if they are
necessary and productive.
The Administration should undertake a
rigorous study of the amount of time being
devoted to standardized testing plus the impact
that No Child Left Behind will have on this
topic. Teachers, parents and community should be
an integral part of this study. The study should
determine if any of the current State and District
testing requirements are redundant and if the
amount of test preparation time is appropriate.
Part of this study should consider whether
achievement is too much defined by standardized
test results as opposed to other measures such as
curriculum, the individual needs of each child,
and parental involvement. Before finalizing, the
study should be reviewed with the public for
information purposes and to solicit input from the
public.
Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers
December 8, 2002

13

3) Promote the benefits of parental

involvement in the education of each child.
Parents can contribute greatly to the
education of their children. The Guilford County
School District should expand its efforts to
communicate the importance of this factor to all
parents and to all staff. Specific suggestions
should go to each parent of how they can enhance
their childs education. Each school and
classroom should foster a welcoming atmosphere
for all parents and citizens who are able to visit
and/or volunteer in the schools.
4) Increase the involvement of the Board of
Education in the governance of the School
System.
The Board of Education should take a
more hands-on approach in key areas of the
educational process. By this, we do not mean that
the Board should co-opt the responsibility of the
Administration in administering the policies of the
School System. Board involvement in key
decisions, however, would provide valuable
guidance to the Administration. The Board should
ensure that input is sought from teachers, parents
and community in the decision-making process.

APPENDIX: SMALL GROUP INPUT BY CATEGORIES

Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers

December 8, 2002

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COMMUNITY DIALOGUE ON EDUCATION

PO BOX 875
GREENSBORO, N.C. 27402
PHONE: 336-230-0001
FAX: 336-230-2428

Town Meeting on Public Education and Teachers

December 8, 2002

15