I recently was presented with a new vocabulary phrase- reciprocal accountability. The phrase sounds pretty mysterious and complicated, but it really is quite easy to understand. If I am going to hold someone accountable for doing something, then I have an equal responsibility to ensure that person knows how to do what I am expecting them to do.
Let’s consider some examples:
#1: If the Tomah Area School District expects teachers to use technology to engage students in their education, then the District has a responsibility to ensure that teachers are provided with the technology and training to be able to engage students in this manner. This means the District needs to set aside resources- both money and time- for this expectation to be fulfilled. Additional funds must be allocated from the budget to have the needed technology and time must be set aside to provide teachers with the training to use that technology. The passage of the operating referendum provided additional funding for technology and our teacher collaboration/training days are filled with technology sessions designed to help teachers learn how to engage students with digital content and learning apps. That’s reciprocal accountability.
#2: If the residents of the Tomah Area School District expect the Tomah Area School District to support high achievement for ALL students, then those residents need to be willing to provide the school district with the resources to meet that expectation. It takes additional resources to assist students living in poverty, students dealing with mental health issues, or students exposed to adverse childhood experiences (i.e. domestic abuse, drug abuse, incarceration of a family member, physical, mental, or sexual abuse, neglect, etc…). Employing more school social workers and school counselors, offering a place for mental health services to be provided at school by private professionals, more education and screening on depression and brain health are all additional means which would improve our ability to support high achievement for ALL students. Will our community support another operational referendum to provide these resources so that ALL students can achieve at high levels? Will our community ensure that our school district employees have access to the resources necessary to meet this expectation? That’s reciprocal accountability.
#3: If parents of children in the Tomah Area School District expect teachers and administrators to reduce bullying, cyberbullying, and harassing behavior (much of which happens outside of school), then parents need to be actively involved in supporting school officials in these efforts. Parents must model for their children appropriate use of social media, refrain from acting disrespectful to other adults when there is a disagreement, and monitor daily the messages their children are sending on their cell phones and computers. Problems of this nature can’t be addressed solely by school officials or the police. Parents must be actively involved so that every effort is made to reduce this type of behavior. That’s reciprocal accountability.
I value the concept of reciprocal accountability because it reflects our responsibilities to one another. We can have high expectations for our students, all school employees and the district as a whole, but we must accept that those expectations come with an equally high level of accountability for our parents and the residents of the Tomah Area School District. We are in this together- we need to support and encourage one another and provide the necessary resources so expectations can be met. Our success is dependent upon our willingness to accept our responsibilities to one another, the essence of the concept of reciprocal accountability. The Tomah Area School District- our students and staff- have been fortunate to benefit from parents and a community that understands the importance of reciprocal accountability. Thank you.
If you have any questions or comments about the information and opinions expressed in this edition of The School Bell, please contact Cindy Zahrte, District Administrator, at cindyz@tomah.k12.wi.us or 374-7002.