Aldine ISD Holds Leadership Conference

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School leaders across the district convened to discuss initiatives for the new school year.

Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney (center) poses with a few leaders.

Recently, the district held its annual Leadership Conference. The annual event includes several days of curriculum deep-dives. It also provides an opportunity for every district- and campus-level leader across the district to meet as one group about the new school year.

Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney reminded leaders to stay grounded on the goals and priorities of the district’s strategic plan, A New Way Forward. The pandemic continues to impact students. To ensure all students are learning and progressing, Goffney noted it would require everyone to work together to accomplish Aldine’s vision and mission. 

Goffney reiterated the importance of leadership at every level, a goal where the district is dedicated to building its leadership capacity. Leadership matters in transforming schools and increasing student outcomes.

“Our students are relying on us to get it right,” said Goffney. “Remember your why. You are here for students. When we see a child, we need to see hope and possibilities. All means all. I need every leader here to be on board and move Aldine forward.”

She noted that AISD did not use the pandemic as an excuse to not do good work like implementing its new literacy initiative last year. The program is entering its third year. The district also continues to roll out its equity plans and raise the capacity of every teacher. 

Chief of Academics Dr. Todd M. Davis spoke about providing high-quality instructional materials and resources and quality feedback to provide teachers the coaching they need to give every child enriching learning experiences.

Chief of School Culture Dr. Katy Roede of making all staff feel supported, creating relationships with students, and developing a sense of belongingness. “In a student survey last year, students overwhelming said they knew they had an adult that they could reach out to and connect with.” Roede also discussed the social-emotional learning initiative about the rollout and the district’s framework for multi-tier support systems.

Chief Business and Operations Officer Dr. Tamika Alford-Stephens talked about organizational efficiency and building on the systems of great schools. She added that feedback helps improve systems, which could mean taking strategic steps to improve, evolve, and sometimes abandoning old systems to improve student outcomes. Alford-Stephens shared that while the district had a 1:1 technology plan, the pandemic accelerated it — all 67,000 students that needed a device had one—accomplishing the feat within a year versus five to seven years. The next phase of the plan is providing laptops — new or second-hand devices either bought or donated — to other staff so they can use good data to make good decisions. 

Chief of Staff Sheleah D. Reed, APR, discussed community engagement and outreach teams. Reed shared how the Family and Community Engagement Department had formed when the pandemic impacted schools in March 2020. The group rallied, putting a plan together to reach the community to meet needs. They also developed student and parent advisory groups to get their input. She moved on about the importance of effective communication and informing the Communication Office about new initiatives, programs, and feel-good stories to share with the community. Reed also shared the value and importance of building partnerships as it is the main objective of the Governmental Affairs and Constituent Services and Aldine Education Foundation. Their work is not only to collect money for initiatives or student scholarships. It is also about creating choices and opportunities for students and giving them life-changing experiences.

Goffney reiterated the importance of building relationships with each school principal’s team and their students. 

“Take action. Inspire. Make an impact. ZIP codes should not determine destiny — period. All students should attend high-quality schools — period. All students should have choices — period. Our schools should be the best choice for our students. STAAR (the state’s academic assessment) should be the floor. If students cannot meet the floor, we are failing them.”

Goffney reminded everyone about many changes coming, such as a new multilingual education program and math program. Change is hard but noted that the district does not change for change. “We are changing to improve. It’s about making a difference.”

One of those changes is the Associate Superintendent of Schools for High Schools, held by Dr. Xóchitl Rodríguez. She will focus on post-secondary outcomes to ensure students graduate with more than a diploma — they should graduate with choices and opportunities.

Dr. Goffney closed the rally by reminding leaders that “each leader is some child’s greatest hope.”