Maile Blume
When Superintendent Jill Geiser presented a draft of her strategic plan at a School Committee meeting on Sept. 24, she highlighted three main priorities for the next three years: academic excellence and equity, social-emotional well-being, belonging and engagement, and family and community communication.
“What we are showing you tonight is what was yielded from months of work,” said Geiser, “Starting in the spring with the steering committee around [the] mission, vision, [and] core values, [and] moving into the summer with the leadership team putting together the actual strategic plan.”
A vision of equity and excellence
The first priority — academic excellence and equity — addresses gaps in student achievement correlated with socioeconomic background, race, and English-language-learner status.
According to the plan, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds scored lower on academic achievement measures, including MCAS and class grades. Hispanic and African American students, as well as students who are English language learners, also had lower participation rates in advanced coursework than the overall student population.
The plan addresses these equity concerns by establishing a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) for students, creating a “vision of a graduate” to identify key skills all students are expected to demonstrate, and developing multiple pathways to graduation.
The plan states, “If we provide differentiated and challenging learning experiences that are rigorous, relevant, and responsive to students’ needs, with multiple and accessible on-ramps that meet students where they are in their learning, then all students will be engaged and interested in learning, achieve academically, and be prepared for post-secondary success.”
Protecting student mental health and engagement
Belmont’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior survey informed the second priority of the plan: social-emotional well-being, belonging, and engagement. The survey found 54% of stressors identified by Belmont High School students were related to achievement and high-stakes pressure.
Attendance records also showed that low-income students experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates than the total student population. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the attendance rates of African American students and students with disabilities have also fallen behind those of the overall student population.
The plan emphasizes providing high-quality instruction in mental health and social-emotional learning, as well as screenings, supports, and interventions designed to meet students’ mental health and behavior challenges.
Geiser said the spring forums generated conversations among community members about the importance of students having social-emotional skills, including navigating peer relationships, identifying behaviors, supporting a friend, and self-advocacy.
The plan reads, “If we support students and staff in building strong connections among the school community and developing self-advocacy skills, coping strategies, and core competencies for social-emotional learning, then students will feel a sense of safety, belonging, and connection so that they can achieve personal and academic goals.”
Strengthening Communication Channels
The third priority of the plan underscores the importance of developing culturally and linguistically responsive communication channels that treat families as partners in student learning.
The plan states that an equity audit from 2021-2022 found that “there are concerns with trust and family engagement among the wider school community and on the part of some families of color in particular. Concerns include selective communication (either tokenism when diverse representation is needed or dismissal when economic status is valued), [and] a lack of trust for BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of color] families when their concerns were not taken seriously.”
It proposes that Belmont schools “foster two-way communication between families and school staff in support of student needs regarding school programs, curricula, processes, and individual student skills and attributes that enable all stakeholders to contribute to student success.”
“We are looking at both structures and practices,” said Geiser, adding that an important consideration is keeping relationships with families positive and focused on student learning.
The school committee will vote on an updated plan version during its next meeting on Oct. 8. If passed, an advisory committee will oversee its implementation.
