The Observation Deck

From Lakewood City School:

Congrats to Superintendent Jeff Patterson, who earlier this week was recognized as Ohio's 2015 Superintendent of the Year at the National Superintendent of the Year Gala in Washington, D.C.

Now the whole country knows, we have the best superintendent of them all, right here in Lakewood.

Betsy Voinovich

Great Job, Superintendent!!

http://reportcard.education.ohio.gov/Pa ... IRN=044198

yeah, right. The emperor's new clothes.

See attachment, broken down by individual schools:

As a retired Special Education educator, (for another district, although I have also taught in Lakewood) I would caution anyone wishing to draw conclusions based on "report cards" alone, and I would question those who might wish to heavily tie student progress reporting into evaluations; whether of a superintendent, or a teacher.

There are simply too many other outside factors involving students that transpire beyond the control of school personnel.

While of course, a superintendent is responsible for supervising the education in a district, just as a teacher is responsible for the education in a classroom, student outcomes are also very much linked to a multitude of circumstances outside of the school building.

It is, of course, the responsibility for a superintendent or an educator to be sure that education for all is accessible to all, and is as appropriate as possible towards meeting the needs of each student. Those dimensions, however, reflect only two components of student achievement. Home environment, learning readiness, student motivation, and many other factors can all become mixed into outcomes in the learning equation.

I have observed the efforts that Lakewood has made to engage all students in the learning process, and I believe those efforts to be exceptional.

Being a Lakewood Schools volunteer, I would encourage anyone to visit our schools and observe the good work being done there by the staff and a very diverse, inclusive student body.

Congratulations to Superintendent Patterson for this well-deserved recognition.

Even though I've been here but a short time, I too, (like Gary) being a HS teacher for many years in NYC, have seen something good here in the faces and attitudes of the students I've come in contact with while shooting many of their events. There is more than test stats; there is a charismatic and ineffable "je ne sais quoi" that reflects on the moral education that in many respects is more important than just book knowledge.

Amy, Lori, others

I have found Superintendent Patterson to be a breath of fresh air, and great for Lakewood Schools.
He tells it like it is, and I have never found him to misrepresent the facts, or to not work hard to understand the needs of the students, parents and teachers. His oversight and that of his crew have been monumental during the difficult period of growth and rebuilding the schools are going through.

I've dealt with 5 different superintendents, and find him to be most honest and there by, the easiest to deal with.

.

Just because you're better than the 5 previous superintendents shouldn't land you a national award. I'm sure he's a great guy, blah, blah, blah but our schools are graded on certain criteria - like it or not. Despite the bullshit that the Board of Education constantly feeds us about how great our schools are doing (i.e. - we're gonna need to raise your taxes AGAIN to keep this progress going!!) the fact is that the school district isn't anywhere near where it should be. I would wait until we achieve the same status as say Rocky River or Hudson before elevating anyone on a pedestal.