Newberg School District parents, staff and faculty have seen incremental changes to the district’s operations and communications efforts over the past year, but all say there is still much work to be done.
Comments such as this one are among the findings of a series of “empathy interviews,” also referred to as “ listening sessions,” that the district conducted with over 30 people in January. Dr. Stephen W. Phillips, Newberg Superintendent, sought feedback from teachers, parents, community members and even students. And he received it!
“Over the past several years, there has been so much written about the district on social media, on blogs, and even in whisper campaigns. Stepping into this role, it was difficult to really ascertain what the ‘people in the trenches’ thought about the job we were doing,” he said. “And without filters they let us know - ‘you’re on a good path, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to make our district what we all want it to be - a model school district.’ That message was clear.”
Dr. Phillips said the data gathered from this informal survey will be shared with the school board, administrators, and other key stakeholders. The information will be used to inform future district communications more targeted to parents, families, and district employees.
The district’s communications team worked with all Newberg-Dundee principals to identify parents, students, and staff members who have voiced concerns in the past or have said they would be willing to participate in communications initiatives. All participation was completely voluntary, and no one was compensated for their comments.
Participants were interviewed by a team that included board members Trevor DeHart, Shelley Kolb, Dave Brown, and Raquel Peregrino de Brito.
“At first there might have been some tentativeness,” Dr. Phillips said, acknowledging that more than one participant said in their time with the district, the Superintendent’s Office had never conducted these types of interviews. “But as people started talking and we just listened to them, we saw barriers fall. We saw mutual understanding. We heard loud and clear, ‘We respect what you are trying to do, but we demand excellence.’ And as superintendent, I needed to hear these things, no matter how uncomfortable they may be.”
Participants were told their names would be kept confidential. On the report, comments are listed only by school and the designation of parent, teacher, or staff.
Top concerns participants voiced:
- A focus on academic rigor at all levels in all schools
- Bullying in our schools and online by adults
- Inability of classroom teachers to discipline unruly students
- Classroom safety (in light of difficult classroom behaviors with a lack of resources)
- A shortage of special education teacher assistants
- IT staff turnover and IT services for teachers
- A need for clear, consistent, and official communications from the district
- Introduction to new staff at the district office
Dr. Phillips said many teachers and staff members had good solutions to issues the district is facing, and he said those solutions will be implemented as soon as possible. Other suggestions may take more time to develop and institute.
“We received some very good ideas,” he said. “People care about Newberg Schools. Even in our differences, let’s never lose sight of that. There is a deep bond between this community and the school district. What I was hoping would come out of this process was a message to our community: ‘We are listening. We hear you. And that might have been the most important part of this exercise for us’.”
One board member related that as he met with a particular teacher, he could tell right away the person was reserved and was holding things in. As they talked, the person opened up more and more. And more. “Our session ended up going on for two hours,” the board member said.
Dr. Phillips said he plans to expand the empathy interviews in the next few months and beyond.
“The first step for us will be to establish industry-standard, two-way communication systems for schools,” he said, “The data we received was more valuable than any mean tweet in helping guide our strategy for the future.”
The superintendent said he will be more visible in the schools and classrooms, places he knows well. He maintains an open-door policy, and he preaches transparency. He has launched a video blog to keep the Newberg community updated about district newsmakers and school events. A former math teacher, Dr. Phillips commented, “I still enjoy being with the students and teachers.”
He encouraged any parent, teacher, or staff member who would like to speak to him to reach out to him by email or by calling his office.
He’s listening.