Report on PTSA Participation at the Youth Forum

Greetings all,

On February 27, 2010, the second of three scheduled Youth Forums took place at Mitchell Park Community Center. The meeting was attended by approximately one hundred people. Gunn students with past involvement in the SEC, in ROCK and other leadership programs such as the Youth Council attended as well as many Paly students. Adults in attendance included representatives from the city, the fire department, the city council, the school board, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, PAUSD, PTAC, Gunn and Paly administrators, the PTSAs of Gunn and Paly and at large community members. I was accompanied by Caryn Gerber-Duffy, Grace Yu and Kathy Schroeder as Gunn PTSA representatives.

The teens crafted three subsets of discussion:

1. Schools
   
   1. Students and School-Related Stress
   2. Relationships with adults on acampus and building community
   3. Youth voice on campus
2. Youth and the Business Community-relationships and venues
3. Community events-events for teens and places to hang out

The adults broke into groups representing each of the three topics based upon their native purpose for attendance, so the Gunn staff and PTSA folks invested their time in the Schools group. Similarly, the students broke into three groups, and each of those groups rotated through the three adult groups to form discussion groups lasting forty minutes each. In this manner, while the adults participated in only one topical group, the students were able to be heard in all three contexts.

Absent first hand knowledge of the conversations in groups 2 and 3, following is a summary of the Schools discussions.

1. Students spoke about the pressures of tests overlapping and not knowing when tests will be held; expressed desire for a testing calendar and broader use of InClass.
2. Students are frustrated by not knowing their grades or where they stand in some classes; expressed desire for periodic grade printouts, especially before finals and broader use of InClass.
3. Students are frustrated by long delays between taking tests and getting the graded tests returned; not able to learn from mistakes before moving into new material.
4. Students want all tests returned and reviewed with feedback regarding class averages so they know where they stand; students are frustrated by not getting exams back to learn from mistakes and to use as study tools; they believe teachers should have to write new tests each year rather than recycling old ones that then inhibits them from letting students have the exams
5. Students feel competitive pressure from peers; perception that everyone else in the class is doing better; want teacher sensitivity to the pressure and reassurance.
6. Compliance with homework free periods is not maintained. Students expressed a preference for exams before winter break and no homework over the break. Some asked that performance on finals be used only to enhance a grade, not to have an adverse impact.
7. Students are frustrated that teacher evaluations seem to have no importance; they disappear with no accountability to the teachers; students feel thoughtful evaluations should be made available publicly; teachers with reported poor performance and/or attitude should be observed.
8. Students want more direct input regarding policy and procedures at school so they feel empowered to influence decision-making on campus. The capital improvement plans at Gunn and Paly were used as an example. Another suggestion was broader student participation in the PTSAs.
9. Students requested better communication. If their input about a topic is sought, but then not implemented, better communication regarding the decision-process, methodology and conclusion will be beneficial so they can better understand why the outcome was different than their preference.
10. Students are frustrated by taking surveys and not getting timely feedback about outcomes.
11. Some students feel teachers are not supportive of spirit week; some requested a Spring mini-version of Homecoming Week activities; students want more community building activities, some with cultural/ethnic themes
12. Students indicated counselors are inaccessible; always busy; student caseloads are too large so more counselors are needed.
13. Gunn students expressed a desire to explore a system akin to Paly’s advisory to provide for more one-on-one guidance around college planning with an assigned staff advisor; that advisor should be someone the student knows and trusts.
14. Some students asked that parents be involved in counselor meetings.
15. Students said they don’t know their counselor; they should be there in good times as well as bad; attend sports and other student extra-curricular activities.
16. Students would like to see more one-on-one’s with their counselor and to start the college planning earlier than the junior year; in junior year college assemblies and financial aid workshops are needed; recommend a college preparation boot camp for juniors, likened to the freshman orientation.
17. Students indicated the availability of ACS, its role, the campus representative and even the location is unclear to most students; they need to be introduced during freshman orientation to heighten awareness.

The third Youth Forum meeting is scheduled for April 3rd. At that meeting, the ball is in the court of the adults to report back to the students what tangible outcomes they have devised in response to the requests from students. As you can see from the above list, many of the items reside within the authority of the admin teams at school. The areas where the PTSA can provide support are more limited, but still valuable in the eyes of the students.

We always have a student representative on the PTSA roster. This is typically a student active in the SEC who serves as a conduit of information to and from the two organizations. I will contact our current student rep to convey the feedback from the Youth Forum that the PTSA is perceived as an avenue through which teens can have a voice on campus and increase their influence on decision-making. Hopefully we will be able to grow our student participation as we move into next year.

The students are eager to see more community building activities. Clearly, this is an arena where the PTSA can make a difference. In response to their desire for cultural/ethnic events, our recent International Fair fits the bill. Gunn students participating on the Forum spoke highly of the event. While this event has historically been hosted every other year by the PTSA, with a Health Fair in alternating years, we can certainly create a new tradition if we have the volunteers willing to step up and lead the charge to host the International Fair every year. This would be highly valued by the students as well as the staff. Anne Jensen, the IS for World Languages, let us know she would be delighted if we held our international lunch every year as a supplement to the activities of the staff and students in connection with International Week. Similarly, we could expand the Homecoming Barbecue activities. That event has typically been hosted in the evening to serve the athletes, air band participants, float stuffers and other students directly involved in Homecoming activities. Again, subject to recruiting the many necessary volunteers, the Homecoming Barbecue could become an all-school event similar to the Turkey Feast and International lunch. All it takes is volunteers. I am keenly sensitive to committing to more large events when so often our PTSA events are brought to life by the same small subset of volunteers, over and over again. I treasure those volunteers and don’t want to head in a direction of burnout. I want to preserve their dedication and fired up energy. I welcome feedback from the PTSA community regarding an annual International Fair and expanded Homecoming event and especially hope to hear from parents that have not been actively involved in the past but who want to improve their connectedness to Gunn and the world of their students.

The students engaged in the Youth Forum brought forth good ideas and thoughtful observations about their school environments. It is now incumbent on the parents, teachers, and administrators to respond with meaningful action plans. I have outlined a few projects that can be undertaken by the PTSA, limited solely by my imagination. I invite the imaginations of all of you to expand the list of possibilities and to offer the required leadership. Thank you for your support of our amazing teens.

Warm regards, Diane