3 obstacles to student achievement — and how they might be resolved
Schools in Northeast Ohio face more challenges than ever, as they’re tasked with preparing students for an ever-complicated future. And systemic barriers to education, like an unbalanced share of resources or a cycle of teacher shortages, won’t disappear overnight. Among the biggest challenges:
Problem: Getting students resources that help them overcome obstacles to learning, and helping students take ownership over their education.
Why it matters: An ability to learn requires more than just access to instruction. Transportation to school, adequate nutrition and reliable after-school care all contribute to a child’s readiness to concentrate on academic pursuits and to excel academically.
Potential solution: Schools can make learning more engaging and productive by ensuring what students care about are part of their day, says Adam Voight, director of Cleveland State University's Center for Urban Education. By empowering students, districts can foster a sense of ownership and belonging. When students feel like stakeholders in their overall environment, their investment in school culture and academic success deepens, and they can take advantage of other resources.
Problem: Staffing – not just teachers, but also administrators and support staff such as substitutes and bus drivers – has seen high turnover.
Why it matters: Building trust among the staff, community and parents takes time, and high turnover prevents long-term solutions from being implemented, short-circuiting aid that can help students grow as their educations continue.
Potential solution: Salaries are a big part of retention, so increasing teacher pay could help stem losses. Additionally, keeping support staff familiar helps students build a team mentality toward learning, said Superintendent Joe Clark of the Waterloo Local School District.
Problem: Federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, which had been used in some cases to expand programs that help students outside the classroom, dried up.
Why it matters: Year-to-year uncertainty over budget priorities at the state level, as well as levies failing on the local level, force districts to cancel programs each year, even highly successful programs with proven results.
Potential solution: A new state funding formula, such as the Fair School Funding Plan, which takes into account the number of economically disadvantaged students in a district, said Tanisha Pruitt, a former youth, opportunity and education researcher at Policy Matters Ohio, would give districts more continuity and control to apply funds to specific needs that are unique to their environment.
