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February 2007
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 Carl's Cookie Jar 
Cookies with Carl was held January 11 at Freese Elementary. Here are the highlights of Dr. Cohn’s conversation with employees.
I recently saw “Freedom Writers” and thought it was great. Did the movie depict the real Carl Cohn? I liked Robert Wisdom’s portrayal of me as a thoughtful and deliberative superintendent, which is pretty accurate. In real life, I’m trying to restore quiet determination as a legitimate leadership style. I encourage everyone to see the movie — not because of me, but because it’s a wonderful story about the power of teachers. It's about Erin Gruwell, a young high school teacher, and her struggles to teach inner city kids. Through classic literature and writing, she’s able to capture the minds of her students and ignite a passion for learning. Her success didn't come easy. She faced much opposition from her teaching colleagues. At one point they actually sent me a letter asking me to rein her in. I, in turn, sent back a letter saying I really support what she's trying to do. I hope others will find inspiration in Erin’s story and create their own inspiring stories of student achievement here in San Diego. The movie sends a powerful message that we should never give up on at-risk students. There is a rumor that the district is being divided into five mini districts. Is this true? The central office is not closing, if that’s what you’re asking. With the new area superintendent structure, my goal is to continue to shift away from top-down, central office management and put solutions closer to home. You will see each area superintendent move out of the Ed Center and relocate at a school site in their geographical area. These moves show parents, students and schools that we are committed to truly being a part of the community. Each area superintendent is empowered to be an advocate for his or her clustered schools. They make sure that the central office understands the unique needs of the schools and employees in their areas. In keeping with our goal to accelerate gains in student performance, they make sure that every school has a fully enriched and competitive curriculum -- one that recognizes the importance of the basics along with art, music and physical education. In addition, they will hold the schools in their areas accountable for expanding their partnerships with parents, community, business and higher education. What is the district doing to make sure parents feel welcome? One of my five goals for the district is to strengthen parent, community, business and higher education support. The district recently launched the Family Friendly Schools Initiative to make sure that our schools are places where family members feel welcomed, informed and included. You may have seen the blue and white Family Friendly Schools commendation boxes and cards in your school office. The commendations give families and community members the chance to show their appreciation for high quality service from our staff members. We hope this type of recognition will increase the positive dialogue between parents and school site staff members. Companies in our community, such as Sharp Healthcare, have started similar programs with great success. While other hospitals are seeing a decline in patients and empty hospital beds, Sharp has increased its market share. We hope to see that same positive response in our district, resulting in a boost in employee morale and enrollment. Do you have a question for Dr. Cohn? Want to join the conversation with other employees? You’re invited to attend the upcoming Cookies with Carl:
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Staff Bulletin is published monthly for employees of the San Diego Unified School District. Send news items and classified ads to: Staff Bulletin Education Center, Room 2145 phone: (619)725-5578; fax: (619)725-5576 e-mail: communications@sandi.net |
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