Technology ->Transparency->Trust

On Monday night, I shared with the Rockingham County School Board an issue regarding transparency in what our children are being taught. 
 
Here is the statement I prepared and shared:
 
Good Evening.
My name is Paula E. Lam, and I’m a parent of two students in District 5. I enjoy being involved in their learning experience and I have chosen to serve the school by being the PTSA president and Vice President of the Boosters here at SHS, serve on REFI Board of Directors, and participated in the Community Dialogue Initiative.  I’m running for school board in District 5 as an engaged albeit concerned parent.
 
My background is in policy and compliance, and I wanted to bring this issue to the board as one of several that I will talk about so that we can do what is best for our children.  As a parent, I have discovered that things aren’t as transparent as they need to be, and I want to suggest to the board tonight to research this issue.  During my time on the Community Dialogue Initiative, we talked about how to rebuild trust of the school system in the community.  One step in the right direction would be transparency in what our children are being taught.  Technology has provided us with the means to have information available at our fingertips, including our children’s educational record, which includes their full name. 
 
At many board meetings, we have heard that parents can access their children’s information anytime; we just need to log in.  I tried logging into the library and found out I must use my child’s username and password.  I’ve tried logging onto Schoology and I am able to see a little bit of information, but more often than not, I get an access denied page.  I’ve had kids in RCPS for the past 20 years.  I was able to keep track of the older kids' work because it was on paper and in books. With the technology that we have available, we should be able to access our children’s work and study materials at any time. 
 
I’ve had many good conversations, and it seems there is a toggle switch that the teachers can use that will make the work visible to parents.  I’d like to request that any instrument of learning (video, website, slide show, etc.) and any work completed that child’s parent would always have access to this information.  Through this transparency we will have access to our child’s record.  
 
Regarding the library books, I received notifications that my children have overdue books.  That means we can receive a notification when our children check out a book.  I’m a concerned and engaged parent that wants to make sure our students have a safe environment for learning, a transparent partnership with parents, teachers, and students, and engaged students giving back to the community.  That needs to begin with transparency in education. It is apparent that we are being distracted by political hot topics, and the real issue here is the education of our children. 

Policy IKA - Parental Assistance with Instruction and IKB – Homework relates to parents helping their students with homework. Policy IIA – Instructional Materials states, “Parents may inspect, on request, any instructional material used as part of their student’s curriculum.”
 
The technological resources we have today provide us with an excellent opportunity for transparency in education.  The school system should provide access to all instructional materials and our student's assignments without having to request that information formally. Access to instructional materials is vital for us as parents to do our part in supporting our children.  Technology is the tool that will provide the transparency needed to rebuild trust in the educational process.