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Scottsdale Unified School District’s AZ Merit test scores are a perennial concern discussed at school board meetings throughout the district.
In addition, the 2021-22 school year was made tumultuous by school involvement in a variety of political issues, including:
- A secret “Day of Silence,” held at Cocopah Middle School, which was sponsored nationwide by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
- Cocopah M.S. receiving an award from the Phoenix chapter of GLSEN for successfully changing school policy to allow students to change their “deadnames” (their birth names) on their school IDs without parent knowledge
- Staff at Cocopah M.S. being required to attend a 2 hour “Safe Spaces” training on Zoom for which Mr. Noonan authorized a payment of $500 from the school budget. This training was to “ensure staff access their personal beliefs for the purpose of dismantling them and reforming their speech to avoid gender terms like “he” or “she”.”
In the aftermath of the controversy caused by these issues, Mr. Noonan, the current principal of Cocopah M.S., is leaving. No explanation has been given as to why.
The search for a new Cocopah Middle School principal has begun. It is critical that the new principal attack the problem of poor academic achievement and end the involvement of our schools with political movements and groups, such as GLSEN.
When asked if the district has looked at the educational research regarding what makes an exemplary principal, the answer was, “Kind of, but that is difficult to do.” Educational research, done by the Association for the Supervision of Curriculum Development (ASCD), a well-respected resource throughout the US, is easy to access. ASCD found that the quality of a school principal is a big determinant of student achievement. In addition, ASCD provides extensive research on this topic.
I encourage parents and community members to insist that the district focus on academic achievement and not political causes.
I am a retired teacher, counselor, principal, adjunct college professor and Campus Faculty Assessment Liaison. I hold a BS in elementary education, an MEd in Guidance and Counseling, and an ABD (all but dissertation) in Curriculum and Instruction.
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