MarylandTransformsStrategicPlanningEngagementReport - Flipbook - Page 25
STUDENTS
ABOUT SPECIFIC CLASSROOM STRATEGIES THAT THE MOST
TALKED
IMPACTFUL TEACHERS WOULD USE
Student participants identified classroom strategies that the most impactful teachers would use to keep
students engaged and help them develop their knowledge and skills. One approach that stood out in
students’ comments was teachers’ openness to learn from students by voluntarily engaging in studentled activities and by asking students themselves how to improve their own teaching.
COLLEGE &
CAREER
READINESS WAS AN AREA WHERE BOTH PARENTS/GUARDIANS
AND STUDENTS FOUND ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
While some of the participants were benefiting from high-quality career and technical education and
other specialized programs, they acknowledged that these opportunities were not always well known
or equitably distributed. Participants advocated for greater investment in career counseling and for
an expansion of college and career courses during high school to better prepare all students for
KEY
TAKEAWAYS
postsecondary success.
FAMILY
MEMBERS
TALKED ABOUT THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC
ON THEIR CHILDREN’S ABILITY TO LEARN, THEIR EMOTIONAL
WELLBEING, AND THEIR SENSE OF CONNECTION
Beyond the immediate impact on their own children, participants reflected on how the pandemic had
laid bare long-standing unmet needs and profound deficits in services for students and their families,
from food insecurity to uneven access to reliable internet to a chronic shortage of mental health
services. The pandemic heightened these needs and created more urgency for finding solutions.
Participants called for greater availability of counselors in school buildings and for better education for
both parents/guardians and students regarding mental health and emotional wellbeing.
“
“My kid was in second grade before, but now he’s on third grade, but last year he fell behind so much
when the pandemic started. I don’t speak a word of English and his teacher doesn’t speak a word
of Spanish and my kid was falling behind more and more… and she tried everything, absolutely
everything to be able to communicate directly with me so we could do something about it. And
she would find, for example, a Google translator, other type of chats that would be helpful for us to
communicate. …He was able to catch up with all the content and his peers...”
The Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland State Department of Education will focus on supporting our
schools, local education agencies, families, and decision makers by producing relevant, timely, and high-quality data
and reporting, and enabling educators to make the best use of their resources to meet the needs of our students and
PRIORITY
All Maryland students graduate from high school college and career ready, and with an individualized
plan to succeed in college, career, and life.
ENABLER
EMERGING
PRIORITIES
& ENABLERS
accelerate student achievement.
Maryland is ensuring student success by:
■
supporting our students’ social-emotional learning, health and wellness, and safety;
■
enhancing school culture and climate;
■
scaling high-quality wraparound supports and partnerships; and strengthening family and
community engagement.
MARYLAND TRANSFORMS - ENGAGEMENT REPORT
25
