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Norwalk SGCs highlight literacy, family engagement and SAT prep as top priorities
Summary
During the May 6 workshop Norwalk school governance council members and principals shared successes such as SAT/PTECH gains, and raised challenges including parent time constraints and sustaining momentum; SGCs set priorities for 2025–26 that emphasized literacy growth, family engagement and attendance.
Parents, principals and school governance council (SGC) co-chairs used the May 6 Board of Education workshop to share successes and challenges from school-level SGC work and to set priorities for 2025–26.
Principals and SGC members reported concrete wins: improved PSAT/SAT literacy scores in some high schools, decreased chronic absenteeism at particular campuses, expanded student voice and leadership programs, and local initiatives such as device replacement and facility upgrades. One principal described the momentum that followed efforts to improve student connectedness: improved test performance, higher belonging scores on Panorama, and reduced absenteeism.
Parents and SGC members also described persistent challenges. Several speakers said time demands make ongoing parent participation difficult and urged low‑lift engagement options. Members urged broader promotion of college‑ and career‑readiness successes — several presenters said students had earned placements at selective colleges, workforce certification programs and athletic scholarships. The district said it will highlight recent scholar placements at an upcoming board meeting.
SGC priorities and next steps SGC co-chairs and table groups listed top priorities for next school year, with common themes including literacy growth, family engagement and building an SAT culture. Other priorities mentioned were communication, playgrounds and attendance initiatives. District leaders asked SGCs to capture successes and challenges via a QR code during the meeting so the district could collect examples for cross‑school sharing.
Closing remarks Superintendent Dr. Strayhorn and board members thanked SGC volunteers for their time and urged parents who cannot attend meetings to use email as a way to submit concerns and ideas. "Thank you for being part of this journey," Dr. Strayhorn said in closing remarks to SGC members and parents.
