The Mankato listening session was held Feb. 27 at the Holiday Inn. These were some of the participants’ comments:

What’s working well?

• Schools are keeping their identities in spite of budget restraints.
• Parental involvement.
• We educate all students K through 12, and all cultures.
• Data availability for parents is helpful (online grade book and lunchroom charges).

What are some of the challenges schools face?

• How to communicate and involve people in public education when the majority don’t have children in school.
• Equity in computers and technology.
• Diverse population of students.
• Changes in families’ parenting styles and lives.
• How to challenge bright students.
• How to get the most bang for the buck with scarce dollars.
• Wide spectrum of learning readiness among students entering school.
• Larger class sizes.
• Open enrollment pulling students from one school to another.
• Because of easy access to online grade book, parents are not coming to conferences.
• Too much testing, measuring and educational mandates.
• Schools get testing data too late to make changes that year.
• Choices forced by budget cuts.
• Discipline.
• Schools have their hands tied in dealing with disruptive students, sometimes due to legal restraints.
• Administrators have become paper pushers rather than dealing with students. 
• Reforms seem aimed at lowest common denominator rather than each student’s best potential.
• Communicating these challenges to the public.

What do we want from/for schools?

• Fairness in testing.
• Want schools to be valued.
• Want community to realize we are educating the generation that will pay for our Social Security.
• Want community to realize state school report cards don't reflect school quality.
• Produce good citizens in a safe, respectful, orderly environment.

If you were in charge of local schools, what is the first thing you would change?

• Reduce class sizes.
• Change attitudes.
• More challenging classes for students who can excel.
• Involve all stakeholders in planning.
• Get rid of every federal/state mandate that’s not fully funded.
• For one year, forget the curriculum; empower faculty to teach what they love and to give at least one student an “aha” moment.
• Draw in the community so they understand why we need what we need.
• Gifted and talented programs.
• Make sure people are educated about the issues before they vote.
• Involve parents in understanding why their students need to be disciplined.
• Expand the district-business partnership we experience during the levy campaign.

How can we help bring about necessary changes?

• Make our voice heard.
• Stay connected with the community, keep people informed.
• Put in as much effort with high-ability students as with low-ability students.

How can we close learning gaps?

• Early childhood education.
• Smaller classes in elementary school so kids learn the basics; it will make a major difference in high school, so we can have larger advanced classes. Don't include media specialists and counselors in student-teacher ratio.
• Reduce secondary teachers’ overall teaching loads – Asian teachers have larger classes but teach only a fraction of the hours their U.S. counterparts do.
• Every principal and superintendent should teach one class so they don’t lose touch with what’s happening in the classroom.
• Take advantage of substitute teachers’ unique perspective on schools’ strengths and weaknesses.