Testimony Before the House Rules and Reference

Committee Regarding H. B. 597

August 26, 2014

Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, my name is Paul Imhoff.

I am the superintendent of the Upper Arlington school district.  I also have the honor of serving as the chair of the Alliance for High Quality Education, a consortium of 65 school districts located throughout the state.

Today, I am speaking only on behalf of the Upper Arlington district, our board of education, our nearly 6,000 students, and our staff.

I stand in support of the Common Core Standards for Math and English/Language Arts.  These standards hold our students to a higher level of performance than previous state standards– and there is no doubt that a higher standard is good for our students, good for schools, good for our communities and good for the State of Ohio. Let me give you an example.  One of our fifth grade math teachers told me that since she began using the Common Core standards:

Students have stopped asking, “Why do we need to learn this?” The answer: because the progression of instruction naturally guides them to make connections and find relationships in the number system.  They find value in what is learned and understand how to apply that knowledge to multiple facets throughout the year (in and out of the math classroom).  They “do” the math and “use” the math in their day-to-day lives.

We can no longer be satisfied with teaching students basic facts and formulas that can be googled in a matter of seconds. We must also teach them how to develop the critical thinking and collaboration skills that enabled us to CREATE things like Google.  The professional world has new standards for its workers, and we need new and higher standards for our students.

The educator in me must also share that while standards are critical, they are still just standards.  They are not a curriculum.  They are not a mandate of how to teach. Upper Arlington is a district known for innovation.  Our teachers have developed instructional delivery methods and assessments that are now used across the nation.  Nothing about these new standards will limit our freedom to innovate.  Nothing about these new standards will limit our creativity.  Nothing about these new standards will limit our ability to provide an education that matches or exceeds the expectations of our community.  These standards simply provide us with a stronger foundation for our work.

Whenever new standards are enacted, it takes time – a lot of time – for educators to translate those standards into a meaningful curriculum for the students in their communities.  Since standards are the foundation, whenever you replace one, you must rebuild the educational product. That takes teacher time, time when teachers are out of classrooms and away from students. It also costs money – money that most districts don’t have.  Common Core standards provide educators with a stronger foundation than ever before and every district in Ohio has invested years of time building its own educational product based on these foundations. Why start over?

As a superintendent, my most important role is to advocate for students.  If the proposed legislation is passed, our current eighth graders will have Common Core standards this year, the Massachusetts standards for two years, and new, yet to be developed, Ohio standards for grades 11 and 12.  Three sets of standards in five years.  Five years in which teachers and other dedicated professional educators must scramble to build a new educational product at the same time they are attempting to teach it.  That’s a lot like building a plane while flying it, and that is not what we want for any child.  It doesn’t make sense, and it isn’t good for students.  College and the workplace are more competitive than ever before.  Our students are competing globally for the best jobs; they need competent instruction based upon a solid, stable foundation.  The Common Core provides that.

You have heard a lot of testimony regarding this legislation in recent weeks, how the Common Core standards were crafted over an extended period of time after painfully detailed research and extensive input from educators, business leaders, elected officials, and the public-at-large.  How it was done under the direction of a consortium of governors and top state education officials from both sides of the aisle. How these standards are a response to a regrettable trend toward mediocrity in the academic performance of U. S. students compared with those of other developed nations. That they are not the result of any federal mandate and do not dictate curriculum, instructional models or assessments. These standards do not infringe on local control of education.

These standards strengthen our instruction; they strengthen the foundation we can provide students as they leave our schools and transition to college and career. Today, more than one-third of Ohio’s high school graduates who want to go on to college require remedial classes before they can enroll in college level courses. Throughout the recent recession, when Ohio unemployment soared, thousands upon thousands of jobs went unfilled because Ohio employers were unable to find qualified candidates. Too many of Ohio’s graduates are not prepared for either college or the workplace. A few years ago, Ohio, like 45 other states, adopted the provisions of the Common Core because the standards it contained provided the challenges and motivations needed to prepare our students, and demanded a level of quality education that would again match those of other leading nations around the globe.

Those Common Core standards have not changed; only the rhetoric has changed. Conscientious educators throughout this state have spent the intervening years preparing to provide Ohio’s youth the best opportunity for a quality education that they have ever had. These educators have embraced the standards as comprehensive, challenging and motivating. More experienced educators wish these standards had been available to guide their own children’s education. The younger ones are pleased that they will be available now.

We ask that you not let this preparation go to waste; that you not start a merry-go-round of constantly changing educational goals and objectives; that you not let well-meaning but misguided voices deter you from implementing the sound decision Ohio made a few years ago; a decision that holds so much promise for the future of our children. These standards are good for our children and as educators, taxpayers and parents, we believe we should do that which best serves them; they should not become collateral damage in a misguided, misinformed political tug-of-war.

Informative, Alarming…

THE HEROIN SUMMIT

No one is immune!

This is real, but there is hope!

We all need to own this.

Focus on the young; focus on the parents!

The cartel’s business model is simple: target affluent communities where there are fewer guns; more cash.

These are some of the messages that representatives of forty Alliance school districts heard yesterday at the Alliance-sponsored “Heroin Summit” held at Worthington Kilbourne High School.

The nearly 200 in attendance were quieted by a short video chronicling the trials of a former high school basketball and golf star who succumbed to heroin at age 20. Blessed with caring parents, Marin Riggs appeared to have everything: good grades, a heart-stopping smile, athletic success and a promising future. But, even after several months of rehab, and more than a half year of sobriety, she couldn’t escape the destructive power of heroin. Her poignant letter to the drug, itself, found in her journal by Marin’s mother, was a testament to the agony/ecstasy relationship Marin felt toward her tormentor. No one who sees this video will ever forget the quality of the life that has been snuffed out or the tragic impact upon the family of the victim.

The importance of the State’s efforts to end heroin addiction was underscored by the participation of Ohio Governor John Kasich and State Attorney General Mike DeWine. Both men declared their commitment to the statewide program, “Protecting Ohio’s Families: Start Talking,” and both emphasized that success could only be achieved through comprehensive community-based efforts. Kasich referred to statistics that demonstrated a 50% reduction in the use of drugs by young people whose parents discussed drugs and drug abuse with them at an early age.

DeWine talked about Ohio’s nearly 2,000 heroin-related deaths in 2013, approximately 700 of which resulted from overdoses. He went on to say that heroin has burrowed deep into the fabric of our culture and is being delivered to our homes like an order of pizza.

Both men hammered away at the need for local grassroots programs focusing on education, prevention and treatment, targeting all of Ohio’s young people and their parents.

Tracy Plouck, Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Marcie Seidel, Executive Director of the Drug Free Action Alliance, followed. Director Plouck discussed programs and funding available from her department and Ms. Seidel talked about recognizing risk factors and available prevention programs designed to help young people avoid the heroin trap. The group also heard from Avon Police Chief, Richard Bosley; Judge Scott D. Vanderkarr, of the Franklin County Drug Court; Andy Wilson, Clark County Prosecutor, and Heidi Riggs, Marin’s mother.

The formal program was followed by a work session led by Jennifer Biddinger of the Attorney General’s office, during which district teams sat together at work tables and discussed the organization of new community efforts or adapting some of the ideas that had been discussed earlier into existing programs.

Dr. Thomas Tucker, Superintendent of Alliance member, Worthington Schools, welcomed attendees and participants to Kilbourne High School and introduced State Superintendent Dick Ross who acknowledged ODE’s awareness of the epidemic and the role schools must play in helping students avoid the temptation of drugs by educating them about the risks involved.

Paul Imhoff, Alliance chair and Superintendent of Upper Arlington Schools followed with a stirring call to arms citing the tragedy and sadness inflicted by heroin addiction and the need for schools to take the lead in developing effective community programs.

The informative, alarming “Heroin Summit” is history.

Now the work begins.

Governor John Kasich to Speak at Heroin Summit

Heroin is a menace.

The very first experience can transform a previously normal, healthy, well-adjusted teenager or young adult into an insatiable addict.

This rapidly expanding phenomenon is most prevalent in well-to-do communities where both means and access are readily available.

Heroin addiction is a community problem that requires the attention, effort and commitment of families, schools, churches, law enforcement, social services and the courts.

It cannot be ignored.

It cannot be suppressed.

It must be addressed head on and treated.

The Alliance members want to join in the fight against heroin addiction so that the communities, families and students they serve, can enjoy the type of wholesome, drug-free environment that stimulates learning and prepares our youth for success in life.

On Tuesday, April 29^th, the Alliance, in collaboration with Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and the Office of Governor John Kasich, is hosting a “Heroin Summit” to acquaint representatives from Alliance communities with the horrors of heroin addiction and its impact on community life.

We invite all Alliance members, along with their community teams – elected officials, school administrators, law enforcement, judiciary, social service representatives, drug counselors, etc. – to join us for a three hour program that will address identification and treatment of users, suggested community organizational structures, existing A. G. programs and proven best practices.

Schools should be active partners in this collaborative endeavor and we ask that all member districts participate in this initial introductory event.

Our goal is to help you prepare to ensure that not a single life is lost to heroin in your community.

Shouldn’t you and your team be at the Heroin Summit on April 29^th?

Call 614-842-2273 for more details.