Saunders: Listening, Learning, and Leading for Vermont’s Students

When I arrived in Vermont, I shared my intent to spend my first 100 days learning as much as possible about the state, our schools, and Vermonters' education priorities. What I have learned gives me great hope about the work underway in our state. There is a real and shared desire to build consensus on how we can strengthen and sustain our education system for the benefit of all our state's students and communities. We owe it to our students, Vermont's future, to do this work together.

I have traveled across the state visiting schools and speaking with community members from Southern Vermont to the Northeast Kingdom. The level of engagement and focus on schools demonstrate Vermont's deep commitment to student success.

Through my travels, I have met farmers providing nutritious ingredients for school meals; multilingual liaisons supporting refugee students and their families; technical education leaders training the next generation of workforce innovators; artists nurturing students' creativity; mental health providers promoting student and family well-being; and countless volunteers who serve on boards, committees, and school-based programs.

Teachers, staff, and education leaders who go above and beyond are at the core of our education system. I have been amazed to see the innovative ways educators enrich learning through international experiences, project-based activities, outdoor learning, leadership development, and much more. Having also met and engaged with many students already, it is abundantly clear that we should all be proud of our young people. I have been impressed with their understanding of complex issues from geopolitics to our own state education system. What's more, their commitment to giving back to their communities is deep and broadly shared.

All of this shows Vermont can truly offer a unique and special learning experience. But we must ensure that all students are given the same opportunities and that we can responsibly sustain and protect what we value most.

Despite the tremendous strains on our state education system, I have witnessed firsthand that education is what unites us. Our education system is where the needs and interests of children, parents, workers, businesses, and communities converge. I intend to continue putting students and schools at the heart of planning for Vermont's future. By strengthening our public school system, we will have stronger communities.

My planning for the Listen and Learn Tour has evolved as I've made my initial visits around the state. This initiative goes beyond orienting me as a new leader to the state. I see the Tour as an opportunity for state-level leadership to support strategic planning and a time for the Agency of Education to engage with local and regional education leaders, ensuring our work aligns with communities' needs and priorities.

We will engage communities through surveys, regional meetings with education leaders, and listening sessions with educators, families, students, and community members. I plan to support these conversations with relevant data to focus discussions on how decisions can improve educational outcomes for all students.

I also recognize that some issues impact the whole education system and need to be discussed on a larger scale. The Commission on the Future of Public Education is charged with creating a transformative vision. The group met on July 15 to begin its work to look at the needs of the system.  I am proud to participate on the Commission and Steering Committee and commit to bringing a data-driven, results-oriented, collaborative approach.

The Agency's Tour will not only help us to understand the needs of local schools and how we can help guide their work, but we will also bring this perspective to the Commission's conversations. I invite you to participate in any way you can. Please visit our website for more information about the Agency's Listen and Learn Tour and the Commission on the Future of Public Education.

I look forward to listening, learning, and leading to advance Vermont's education goals and build stronger futures for all learners.

This commentary was written by Zoie Saunders, interim secretary of the Agency of Education.

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