D90 Board of Education Questionnaire

Joe Cortese

Yes, I believe it is important for River Forest to offer full-day kindergarten.  I do not feel the scholastic programing in the current half-day model is adequate.  

From my discussions with parents and teacher, one of the major drawbacks of the current half-day model is that families are required to supplement the half-day program with a number of additional scholastic programs available nearby.  Therefore, when children arrive in first grade, they come in at different competency levels with different educational background given the different programs they attend in addition to half-day kindergarten.  In other cases, children come to first grade with no additional schooling other than the half-day program which may leave them at a disadvantage.  First grade teachers are required, then, to spend an inordinate amount of time bringing students that are behind up-to-speed and harmonizing the various educational backgrounds of students.  This time and effort could be better utilized directly on learning curriculum if students arrived with more similar educational backgrounds and experiences.

Offering full-day kindergarten is important from an overall community standpoint as well.  I have personally heard from families that have decided not to move to River Forest and decided instead to move to Oak Park and other nearby neighborhoods simply because they do offer full-day kindergarten.  So, by not offering full-day kindergarten, River Forest is putting ourselves at a disadvantage relative to other nearby neighborhoods in terms of attracting new families.  If not addressed, this could impact property values negatively over time.

Eric Isenberg

Yes. I made a public comment at a school board meeting in favor of full-day kindergarten in 2015. I’m glad that the school board is seriously considering this option.

Joe Cortese

See answer to #1 above.

Calvin “Cal” Davis

My strongest argument: Generational Evolution. River Forest has evolved from ten years ago  where it was a town of nannies and grandparents to a place where involved working parents  want to see increased student growth and student interactions. All day Kindergarten would  provide the face-to-face interactions and actual learning that children lost during the pandemic.  All day Kindergarten in River Forest is “building a better boat”. 

Eric Isenberg

Young learners need more time in school to keep pace with the Illinois Learning Standards, which build on the common core standards for English language arts and math. As Lincoln School kindergarten teacher Lori Suzuki explained during her comment at the school board meeting on February 7, “expectations have changed.” Ms. Suzuki went on to point out that the half-day program is fast paced, and that it can be challenging to meet the needs of all students, especially those who have pull-out interventions during the day. In addition, she noted that children need more time for creative play to interact with each other.

Kristine Mackey

The research on early childhood education has been building over the years, and indicates that it is in childrens’ best interest, laying critical and developmentally necessary foundation for future learning.  The reasons given previously for NOT providing this for River Forest children have been primarily financial, and can be overcome.  Also, the demographic of the village has changed meaningfully in recent years, with young families now representing a larger portion of the village’s population.  We should listen to them – they have expressed a strong preference for the district’s adoption of full-day kindergarten.

Joe Cortese

There will no doubt be challenges in shifting away from the longstanding half-day kindergarten policy to a new policy that requires new methods, new resources, new processes, etc.  The district may incur additional costs but I believe we can find ways to minimize the financial impact to the greatest extent possible.  Facilities may need to be reconfigured and it may be difficult to find additional, qualified staffing.  However, I believe our community is strong enough to face these challenges and to work together to find solutions that allow us to do the best for our children and our community overall.

Calvin “Cal” Davis

The greatest challenge is preparing for the unknown. We can never truly prepare for the  number of students who might enroll in all-day Kindergarten classes. If there is a dramatic  increase in enrollment, although cost and facilities have been analyzed, the biggest cost would  be construction and facility additions. Given the nationwide teacher shortages, staffing is always  difficult. However, River Forest and Oak Park are destination districts, and we are hopeful that  excellent staff will continue to be acquired. 

Eric Isenberg

Expanding to full-day kindergarten will double the number of kindergarten teachers, and we need to be honest about the fact that the additional funding needed for salaries—already the largest cost for a school district—will be the most significant long-term cost. At the February 7 board meeting, the principals of Lincoln and Willard laid out plans for creating the necessary classroom space, and District 90 has historically been able to attract talented teachers to fill vacancies. 

Overall, the benefit of full-day kindergarten likely outweighs the additional cost. A 2014 study by Dr. Chloe Gibbs used a randomized controlled trial—the gold standard for education research—to measure the benefits of full-day kindergarten on literacy at the end of kindergarten. Compared to half-day kindergarten, Dr. Gibbs found that full-day kindergarten had a positive impact large enough to be cost-effective. In 2017, in a separate study, Dr. Gibbs found that the benefits of full-day kindergarten persist through seventh grade for English language arts and through eighth grade for math.

Kristine Mackey

I don’t see staffing availability nor facilities as the issue.  We have proven we can hire great teachers – and we do have enough facilities to accommodate full-day kindergarten albeit with some reconfiguration.  Cost will be the challenge.  It will require some additional one-time cost as current buildings undergo some limited re-tooling.  There may be an additional annual cost if district offices move and lease off-site office space (if that option is implemented).  But the relevant cost of this change is additional teachers.  These additional ongoing operational costs as a portion of the district’s budget should represent approximately 10%  additional personnel expenditures – so most achievable. There are a number of ways that this amount could be covered, and meeting the cost challenge will require exploring all of those mechanisms carefully and perhaps with some cost reduction as part of the equation.

Joe Cortese

I believe we need a better-defined plan addressing catching-up our students from the learning loss that resulted from COIVD-19.  To date, I do not believe the district has provided any specifics aimed at dealing with the situation directly.  In addition to working internally with district administration, I believe we should consider outside resources with an expertise in overcoming these types of challenges.  How are other, high-performing districts dealing with these issues?  We need to better understand the losses that occurred at the individual student level and put a plan in place to ensure students get the help they need to catch-up. 

Calvin “Cal” Davis

There has been learning loss and social impact as a result of the pandemic.  

The learning loss is an issue that will take time and cannot be rushed. Learning loss is not unique to  District 90, everyone is suffering from the results of learning loss. The good thing is that District 90  has great teachers as well as other resources to support the help, challenge, and development that children require as they thrive in the strong environments that District 90 promotes. Likewise,  District 90 will continue to promote the growth necessary to support our children’s admittance into  high schools such as LAB, Nazareth, Fenwick, St. Ignatius, and the Illinois Math and Science Academy.  

There was a social impact as a result of remote learning. Some children, not all, experienced the  disconnection from same age peers and opportunities to socially develop as children. However, the  best way to support this is to increase social opportunities for children, not the social media, give the  children cellphones type of social interactions. Face-to-face, in-person, interactions between  children and teachers. Do you know how many languages are spoken in River Forest alone? Do you  know how many clubs there are in District 90? Do you have any idea of how many events are  planned each year by the combined District 90 PTO’s? Given this information, we know that clubs  and social events are important to District 90’s children. As a result, face-to-face meetings are the  life blood of our community and one of the pillars of our school district. This makes us better  because we can communicate, and we are informed. 

Eric Isenberg

The greatest challenge is complacency. Although students have returned to school and are growing academically, they must learn at an accelerated pace if they are to make up for the unfinished learning of the pandemic years. Remote learning also affected students differently at different ages. For example, students now in second and third grade missed out on the in-person early learning of kindergarten and first grade, the most challenging grades to take online, as well as on developing the social skills to interact with other children. As another example, the education of students in seventh and eighth grade were interrupted when they were in fifth and sixth grade, a time when student engagement is key and when disparities in academic growth can accelerate. While we are thankful that students are back in school, the board needs to make careful decisions about curriculum and ensure that instruction is tailored to students’ needs—both according to their age group and by the particular circumstances of each child.

Kristine Mackey

There has been learning loss undoubtedly.  Making up for lost time will require work on the part of families, and the school district.  We should monitor academic progress and be open about the data that we receive.  Teachers and Counselors are already identifying individuals’ needs as a result of learning loss. They are already communicating with families, coaching families in order to maximize recovery.  The Teachers and Counselors should be applauded, and supported in these efforts.  Families should realize that they have a part to play in recovery and should be evermore attentive to finding ways to support this.    Many already are through private tutoring, through library offerings, through ratched-up parent engagement in homework for example.  Finally, one of the greatest factors in increased learning is “time-on-task”.  Now especially — we should protect the full school day and school year.  While the state has guidelines on “Days That Count for Attendance” to meet their minimum requirements, River Forest District 90 should have as our guidepost in this time of recovery preserving time-on-task.   Covid dug a hole that was no one’s fault, and we must climb out of it together.  I believe we will be able to accomplish this together — with grace and aplomb.  

Joe Cortese

I believe we are all still recovering from COVID-19 and the recovery may continue for years.  In addition to COVID, other considerations such as social media usage are having a negative impact on our children’s mental health overall.  It does seem children today are facing more mental health challenges than in the past.

Public schools can play a role in addressing children’s mental health concerns but I do not believe we should rely solely on the school system.  Communication is an important aspect.  I believe teachers, given the amount of time they spend with our children, can help identify when a student may be disproportionately suffering from mental health issues.  To the extent parents, teachers, and administrators can communicate more frequently and effectively on this issue, we should be able to identify children that require additional mental health support and, from there, families can work with schools and other outside providers to get kids the help they need.

I also believe transparency and communication is critical in dealing with children’s mental health issues.  I do not think the school system should attempt to deal with specific mental health concerns without involving parents and guardians.  I believe we will be most effective in identifying and dealing with mental health issues, if parents, teachers, and district administrators work together.

Calvin “Cal” Davis

Yes, there are more concerns. Why? Because children have access to phones and social media at  birth. Access to social media has created exposure to increased social pressures in early  adolescence. Regardless of the filters and monitoring, children find themselves involved in viewing  and participating in activities that rob their childhood causing increased mental health concerns.  

School is any institution at which instruction is given in a particular discipline. Why do schools exist?  Schools exist to help children learn and grow into productive adults. School provides a structured  environment in which students can explore their interests and develop skills that will be useful in  their future lives. School is now also a safe space for children to unpack their thoughts and feelings  about the world around them. School ensures that children are mentally and developmentally ready  for the real world by providing lessons which will benefit them later into adulthood.  

Over the past five years District 90 has added School Social Workers, Psychologists, and School  Nurses to the staff at all three schools. District 90 is also taking advantage of local non-for-profit programs as well as Township Youth Services to provide various resources for the children in District  90.  

Eric Isenberg

Yes, I believe that today’s children are dealing with more mental health issues than in the past. While Roosevelt Middle School is far more dynamic today than when I was a student there in the 1980s, with, for example, more clubs, more activities, and more sports to engage students, at the same time today’s students have endured both the social isolation of the pandemic and the unrelenting scrutiny of the smartphone. Bullying existed then as it does now, but it was not supercharged by technology. So, in the 2022 Illinois Youth Survey for Roosevelt School, a fifth of eighth graders report that in the past year they drank alcohol, about a quarter report being bullied, and a quarter report being depressed. Because mental health issues can interfere with learning, schools should alleviate problems that students experience at school. District 90 has a strong core of social workers who have helped many students, but they are stretched thin by the demands placed on them.

Kristine Mackey

The need for wraparound mental health for all students – those with specific long-term and/or situational needs, and those for whom we want to preserve and promote mental health wellness—has increased over the last many years, including the COVID years.  District 90 and families have collaborated well to identify needs and to increase resources, as well as to provide additional training for frontline Teachers.  I think District 90 has done very well on this front.

Joe Cortese

The radical transformation in teaching, and in the schooling experience generally, caused by COVID-19 was indeed jarring and traumatic for everyone.  I’m not sure any of the teaching measures that were necessary during that time had a positive impact and should be retained.  From my perspective, the most important lesson we learned from COVID-19 relative to our children’s schooling is that remote education is woefully inadequate as compared to in-person learning.    

Calvin “Cal” Davis

I think the new learning has paved a way for students to interact more with each other in District 90.  Likewise, students can really engage with the content in ways that fit their unique learning styles.  Teachers in District 90 are creating different learning pathways which they can monitor in their small  groups and through digital feedback provided to children.

Eric Isenberg

More than anything, the pandemic proved the importance of in-person learning, but the experiment with virtual instruction may have some benefits for the future. First—and this may not make me popular with students—District 90 should never have to have a snow day again. In cases of extreme weather, students can take their iPads home and continue with classes for a day of virtual learning. Second, at conference time, virtual conferences can help some parents to meet with teachers more easily, although for those who would prefer face-to-face meetings it may be worth considering an in-person option at Roosevelt as exists at Lincoln and Willard.

Kristine Mackey

I assume by “radical transformation in teaching” you mean e-learning. I cannot comment on what District 90 has learned nor invented.  That said, I think there is a place for e-learning, but we haven’t yet perfected it and we don’t know enough about the long-term efficacy of this approach.  There are some children for whom it has proven wholly ineffective for a variety of reasons.  While most teachers put forth yeoman effort during COVID,  our teachers’ use of this methodology appears quite varied.  Finally, we have conducted no evidence-based research to help us better understand many things ie: which curriculum components were best served by this methodology, how to best train teachers to be most effective with groups and with individuals via virtual learning, what long-term academic and emotional effects resulted for individuals and for cohorts.  For these reasons, and at this time,  I believe virtual learning should not be used as an equal substitute for in-person classroom teaching at the elementary level.