SCHOOL BOARD VACANCY SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE
Candidate’s Name: Arthur L.
White__________________________________________
Contact Address:
Contact Telephone Number: (614)
846-2046___________________________________
Contact Email Address: white.32@osu.edu_____________________________________
Please answer all questions and send a completed questionnaire by January
16 via email to:
My wife and I have a family of four girls who were educated
in the Worthington Schools. They are grown adults now and have families of
their own. One of them is a mathematics teacher in the Worthington Schools, one
of them provides day-care for pre-school children in the Zanesville area, one
of them is an art teacher with the Fairbanks Local Schools, and one of them is
a dance instructor for Otterbein College. My wife is a retired church musician
and organist and has directed youth and adult choral groups and youth and adult
handbell groups in
Following is a list of activities in which I have been
involved related to K-12 education. These activities range from serving as a
classroom teacher to providing assistance and resource information concerning
K-12 education for local, State of
K-12
Teaching and other Related Experience.
·
High School Science Department Chair and Science Teacher for the
Sheridan Community Schools in,
o
Taught 9-12 sciences (biology, chemistry, general science, physics.
o
Coached the boy’s varsity gymnastics team.
o
Directed drama and musical drama productions.
·
High School Science Department Chair and Science Teacher for the
Boulder Valley Schools in,
o
Taught 10-12 sciences (biology, chemistry, general science, physical
sciences).
o
Coached the boy’s varsity gymnastics team.
o
Co-director of summer gymnastics camp on The Ohio State University
campus.
·
o
Coach of 1968 Big Eight Conference Championship Team.
o
Official for NCAA and Big Ten Gymnastics Championship competitions.
The
·
Faculty member in the Mathematics, Science and Technology Education
section at The Ohio State University.
·
Instructor and Evaluation Consultant for the
Worthington Schools
Community K-12 Experience.
·
Volunteer gymnastics instructor in Worthington K-6 recreational
program.
·
Judge for Worthington High School Boy’s gymnastics competition.
·
Director of drama and musical theater productions in
·
Design and installation of stage set and special effects for various
·
·
Center of Science and Industry (COSI), Columbus, Ohio Evaluation
Consultant for Inquiry Learning for Schools Program funded by the National
Science Foundation.
·
Regional K-12 School Experience.
·
·
Mathematics laboratory evaluation consultant for the Princeton City
Schools,
·
Guernsey,
·
Evaluation
consultant for the London Adult Basic Education Diagnostic Testing Project,
·
Director of summer computer camp for grades 6-12.
State of
·
·
Evaluation consultant for the Job Corps Diagnostic testing for learning
disabilities project.
·
Member of the
·
The Mathematics and Science Goal Sub-committee: Goals 2000.
·
State of
·
Guernsey,
·
Co-evaluation consultant for Action-WISE: A program Encouraging Women
and Girls in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics. A National Science
Foundation -
National Professional Education Organization Experience
The
National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST):
Executive Secretary, Board of Directors.
Chair of the Research
Committee.
Member of the Dissertation Award Committee.
Member of Distinguished Contributions to Science Education Through
Research Award Committee.
Chair of the Research Award Committee.
Member of the Early Career Research Award Committee.
Member of the Election Committee.
Member of the Financial Advisory Committee.
Member of the International Committee.
Member of the JRST Award Committee.
Member of the Master’s
Thesis Award Committee.
Member of the Membership
Committee.
Member of the NARST Outstanding
Paper Award Committee
Member of the Publications
Advisory Committee.
Member of the Program
Committee.
Member of the Political
Action Committee.
Member of the Committee for
Recruiting and Retaining Members.
School Science and
Mathematics Association:
President.
President-Elect.
Executive Director.
Member of the Finance
Committee.
Member of the Convention
Committee.
Chair of the Publication
Committee.
Member of the Membership
Committee.
Member of the Awards and
Endowment Committee.
United States Department of Education
K-12 Experience.
·
Co-director of the National Center for Science Teaching and Learning
(NCSTL), a five year Science Education Center funded by the Office of
Educational Research and Improvement, Washington, DC.
·
Co-director of a network for integrated science and mathematics
teaching and learning funded by the National Science Foundation, School Science
and Mathematics Association, and the Johnson Foundation.
·
Co-investigator
for project to study the impact of calculators in elementary school mathematics
funded by the National Science Foundation.
·
Testimony at the United States Senate hearing on Science and
Mathematics Education Reform conducted by Senator John Glenn in Cleveland, OH.
International K-12 Science
and Mathematics Education Experience.
·
Mathematics curriculum consultant for the American Schools,
·
Qatar Ministry of Education, Doha, Qatar External Review of the Qatar
"Science" Schools under the sponsorship of the Midwest Universities
Consortium for International Activities, Inc. (MUCIA) at The Ohio State
University.
·
Evaluation consultant for the Laboratory School of the University of
Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica.
·
Academic consultant for the study of the role of
computers and computer education in K-12 education in
·
Director of summer computer camp for grades 6-12 in Trinidad &
Tobago,
2. What personal traits,
skills, or experiences would you bring to the position that you feel would make
you an effective board member?
The activities and interactions listed
above have provided me with a broad, as well as a focused perspective, on
issues, problems, and solutions in K-12 education from many parts of the world
as well as in the State of Ohio and locally. These experiences along with my
participation as a member of the Board of Directors for two international
professional organizations (the National Association for Research in Science
Teaching and the School Science and Mathematics Association) have given me
opportunities and the responsibilities to deliberate and make policy decisions
through consideration of the specific needs and consequences of the situation.
These experiences coupled with the numerous visitations and observations as
part of my supervision responsibilities for the mathematics and science
teachers who have obtained their teaching licensure from The Ohio State
University at the University over the last 35 years, have given me an unique
perspective related to helping to maintain and improve the quality of our K-12
educational system.
3. What do you think is the
most pressing issue in the Worthington Schools?
The most pressing issue as I see it
in the Worthington Schools, is also the most pressing issue in our nation’s
schools, and that is to recruit and keep good teachers in the classrooms. We
need to provide our teachers with resources, facilities, professional development
opportunities, and incentives that will motivate and enable them to provide the
educational experiences and support that our young people need and deserve. When we ask our potential teachers at The University
to write about their most unforgettable moments in their K-12 education, they
invariably relate experiences involving their interactions with their teachers
from years past. We can not underestimate the importance of these interactions.
4. If it were necessary to
make substantial cuts in the expenditures of the district, what areas would you
cut first, and what areas would you seek to preserve?
In order to determine what cuts can
be made with the least negative effect on our young peoples’ education, it
would be necessary to look carefully at what we are spending, where it is being
spent, and the benefits that are being derived or not derived from these
activities and expenditures. These kinds of decisions require careful
evaluation and assessment involving data from the system. It is not something
that a person looking in from the “outside” can expect to determine
effectively.
5. If it were possible to add new programs to the district, what
programs would you seek to add?
The characteristics of new programs
that I would consider adding would be those that enable and expect students to
assume greater personal responsibility for their own education and personal
development.
6. What do you see as the
impact of “No Child Left Behind” on the Worthington
Schools? What about the Ohio Core legislation?
The general tendency for these
legislated programs or initiatives is to specify what is to be accomplished
without providing the resources required to reach the desired outcomes. Often
this leads to the depletion of funds for programs and goals perceived important
by the local community that may differ from those legislated by those with
political interests.
7. If selected, what do you
see as your role in influencing state education laws and policies that affect
the Worthington Schools?
I see my role as a responsibility to
be in close contact with the State of
8. What do you see as the
roles and responsibilities of a school board member?
I see the responsibilities of a
member of the
9. What evidence do you
believe shows the Worthington Schools are adequately, or inadequately,
preparing students for their lives after graduation?
The information that I would look
for as evidence that the Worthington Schools are fulfilling their
responsibilities to the education of our young people would include the
incidence of home owners that either remain in the