HE’E Planning Meeting
September 11, 2013
The Learning Coalition Office, 841 Bishop St. Suite 301
4:00-6:00pm
Agenda
Attendees: Corey Rosenlee (Campbell High), Michael Wooten (Campbell High and Learning 1st), Karen Ginoza (FACE), Trent Ward (uMinca), Christina Tran (uMinca), Cynthia Okazaki (PACT-KCFC), Sue Emley (Parents for Public School), Gordon Miyamoto (DOE), Carl Ackerman (PUEO)
4:00-4:10 Welcome
4:10-4:30 Update from DOE’s Gordon Miyamoto on FS Partnerships
Gordon Miyamoto from the DOE reported that approval of revised Family-School Partnership Policy was progressing. There is also effort within the DOE to align family engagement initiatives-Title 1, WASC accreditation, etc.
4:30-4:45 Introduction of uMinca, Inc by Christi Tran
Christi Tran and Trent Ward frum uMinca introduced the company and described the project they were working on. uMinca is in the early stages of designing a semi-virtual “gaming” platform that seeks to dramatically increase the likelihood that underserved young people can achieve their goals in school and life. uMinca’s “gaming” platform would provide young people with tools to help them track their real-life progress, guide them through simulated life scenarios that align with their interests and strengths to help them set goals for their future, and link them to relevant resources, including peer and community support, so that they can be better informed in making decisions to reach their life goals.
Members liked the idea. Corey Rosenfeld remarked that he has had a gaming idea but had not found a company to create it.
uMinca will host a focus group at the next HE’E Quarterly Meeting on October 21, 2013. They would like to get the input of parents, teachers, counselors, particularly those who work with middle and high school student, to help inform the design of their product.
4:50-5:30 Lyndsay Pinkus, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Superintendent, on the Strive HI Performance System, and Stephanie Shipton from the Office of Strategic Reform, on the Common Core
Lyndsay started with an overview of the Strive HI System. Corey Rosenlee and Michael Wooten, teachers at Campbell High, posed some questions. Corey felt that the new system, while better than NCLB, still put too much emphasis on testing. Additionally, the new classification of schools shows that socioeconomic factors are significant in the classification.
Lyndsay emphasized that the new categories were not made to rank schools for punitive purposes, but rather, were made to help identify how a school could improve.
Mike was ok with the system as a tool for accountability but asked if principals were going to be held accountable.
Lyndsay answered yes, principals will be evaluated on growth, which is part of the Strive HI indicators.
The teachers will have a follow up meeting with the DOE team.
Meeting adjourned at 6:00pm
Meeting notes posted on http://heecoalition.org/resources/hee-meeting-notes/. Email archives on http://heecoalition.org/resources/hee-email-newsletter-archive