Improving Communications at Scarsdale High School

The Scarsdale High School PTA held its annual spring luncheon general membership meeting on May 8th. Communication was the theme of the popular gathering attended by parents, staff and administrators. The meeting began with a warm welcome from PTA President Angela Manson, thanking the many tireless PTA volunteers and the outgoing board members. She specifically made note of recent initiatives in improving communication within the greater high school community, including Principal Kenneth Bonamo's new quarterly updates.

The PTA Scholarship Fund recently received a generous gift from the Class of 2013, and former Fund president Valerie Abrahams gave a pitch to attendees to consider scholarship fund gifts as a great way to say thank you to teachers. The STEP (Student Transfer Education Plan) organization represented by President Valerie Abrahams and host parent Nan Berke gave a brief report on what STEP does; it takes students from "under sourced high schools" and places them with local families. Current STEP student Robert Lee, who is from Memphis, said it is a "life changing experience leaving your home and family" and made note of the generosity of the high school community in supporting the students who participate in the program.

The meeting quickly covered a number of other topics including a series of rapid fire committee updates presented by PTA vice president Linda Doucette-Ashman. It was abundantly clear that the high school is filled with committed volunteers. Some highlighted groups were the College and Career Center that provides a plethora of information and support for students and parents on behalf of the Counseling Department. The PTA Summer Activities Fair for Students sponsored 49 vendors and raised a record amount over $8,000. The Safety Committee presented a nationally recognized speaker, Jacy Good, on driver safety earlier this year. The Multicultural Committee addressed Issues unique to international families with events such as the Deans Question and Answer sessions.

Principal Bonamo introduced the main portion of the program speaking about collaborative goals undertaken by the High School administration and the PTA during the past year. Then Principal Bonamo and English teacher, Stephen Mounkhall, with an assist from technology teacher Greg Leong, presented the luncheon's main program about recent communication initiatives. They began with a brief overview of a communications survey conducted in March by faculty and PT Council on the premise of "if you had an issue who would you go to?" The complete survey results will be available this fall. This is part of an ongoing project to enhance communication between school and home. The goal of the survey is to eventually create a flow chart on the district's website which gives parents clear directions on who to turn to if you have a question or problem. Of the high school survey participants, 78% said overall communication was good.

However, the presenters wanted to know "are we addressing questions you have?" Parents suggested providing opportunities for further feedback and involving students in the survey process too. Both presenters and parents mentioned how high school communication is different than middle school communication. In high school the first step is the student trying to resolve the issue with the teacher, but few know where to go if that doesn't work. Mr. Mounkhall brought up a common problem, 15 students want to see him in one day, and the less determined student just gives up. We need to make sure he keeps trying. Unfortunately, not all teachers are as available as others. This emphasis on enhancing communication protocols is an attempt to make the awkward situations between teachers, students and parents less awkward.

Next came a demonstration of the survey given to the teachers. Hand held voting devices "clickers" were distributed to everyone at the meeting in order to record responses remotely. First question: "Which transition is more difficult for you as a parent?" A) Elementary to middle school or B) Middle school to high school? Most responded "B" but many parents said it depended on the child and there should have been the choice of pre-school to kindergarten. Mr. Mounkhall said that this survey made him think about what it means to be a parent in this district, not just look at things through his role as a teacher. Principal Bonamo noted how structures change from middle to high school. Students go from a house structure to a having five academic subjects with different academic departments. Lots of people don't even know that there are department chairs. One parent brought up how the 10th graders were participating in a civil rights program that they as parents weren't told about until the day of the event. Many mentioned that communication in the high school can be inconsistent and occasionally untimely.

The second question presented was "As my child gets older, I rely more on their reports of what's going on in school." A) Very much so; B) Kind of; C) Not so much. Although most parents chose "A" everyone concurred that teens are unreliable in reporting what's going on in high school. Many parents said information comes from other parents more than from their own children. Some brought up what so many teens like to say when pressed for information, "you over react" so I don't want to tell you anything. Mr. Mounkhall suggested try not reacting in the moment. Another suggestion was to schedule a time per week to talk about academics with your child.

The third Question: "I contacted my child's teachers most often in" A) Elementary school; B) Middle school; C) High school. Most responded elementary school as expected. The consensus was it was easier to get in touch with an elementary school teacher and more developmentally appropriate too.

The fourth question generated a great deal of discussion. "The overall relationship between the faculty and the community is positive." A) Strongly agree; B) Agree; C) Disagree; D) Strongly disagrees. Most chose "B" but many said the question was poorly worded. The question should not have used the word "community" without defining the term. Did they mean teachers, staff, administrators, and people outside the high school? This deliberation engendered a new question replacing the word community with parents and the word teachers for faculty. The result was still mostly "B".

The conversation then turned to additional questions. A free flowing dialogue included topics such as why the curriculum in one class differs from another. This led to the suggestion of doing annual department presentations with parents in the future. The openness of the parents, administrators and presenters made for a lively and constructive discussion on communication in the high school.

As one parent put it "This was the best PTA meeting I've been to in 20 years."