Steven Gatlin, candidate for Durham School Board of Education District 3, 2014 People's Alliance PAC Questionnaire

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Steven Gatlin
PA-PAC Questionnaire for Durham Public School
Board of Education 2014
Candidate Name: Steven Gatlin
Address: 2512 Yorkdale Ct. Durham, NC 27707
E-mail address steven.gatlin4@gmail.com
Phone: 919-428-5548
School Board
1. Why do you want to serve on the Durham Public School Board of Education? What is the
role of a board member? I want to serve on the School Board because the service would
marry my professional passion for education with my desire to contribute to Durham’s
greatness. The role of a board member is to oversee the care and instruction of Durham’s
most precious resource and investment – the students. All actions of the board and its
members should be made with the interest of the students in mind.
2. The board will be involved in the hiring of a new superintendent. What should the search
process look like? What qualities should the successful candidate possess? The process
should be open, transparent, and should involve input from all stakeholders. I would like to
see advising committees of parents, teachers, and community leaders created to
recommend and advice the board before potential interviews. The new superintendent
should have experience as a classroom teacher and administrative experience. His/Her
main qualities should include: leadership, collaboration, communication, innovation, and
vision.
3. How should teachers and administrators be evaluated? Are the current state standards
effective? I would like to see a state-wide overhaul in the area of evaluation because the
current state standards are ineffective. Research has concluded that using test scores
alone, or relying too heavily on low frequency observations are ineffective methods for
evaluating teachers. I believe that evaluations should be based on multiple measures of
data, many of which should be created by individual schools according to the local
populations, needs, and goals. National standardized tests can be used, but on even
ground with the other measures. States and local districts do themselves a detriment when
they create standardized tests for evaluation purposes alone. Teacher observations have to
be consistent, multiple, and grounded in genuine feedback and growth potential. The
ultimate goal of teacher evaluations cannot be to rank a school’s teachers from best to
worst, but instead to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for professional growth and
then asses that growth. Another research validated, but untapped resource concerning
evaluations is student surveys. What students think and how they feel about schools,
teachers, and instruction should be included in all systems of evaluation.

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4. How should students be assessed? What role should standardized tests play in evaluating
students? Multiple measures of data should be used. When it comes to assessing student
learning individual growth is the best factor for assessing students. National standardized
tests are valid for ranking students across the nation, but should fall below growth data
when used to evaluate individual students. As far as day-to-day assessment, teachers
should be empowered to assess their students as they see fit. No one knows students
better than their teachers. Teachers are the professional in the classroom concerning
assessment and should be trusted as such.
5. In spite of the introduction of magnet schools, it appears that Durham Public Schools have
become increasingly segregated by socioeconomic status and race. What are your
thoughts on this situation? Magnet schools are great laboratories for innovation and
creation, but are one of the elements perpetuating segregation. To address this,
professionals at the school level must engage in the type of dialogue about race and
poverty that leads to respect and inclusion. From an administrative perspective, we must
make sure that we close the achievement gap and guarantee that all students have equal
opportunity for academic excellence.
6. Does DPS need to make changes to its school suspension policy? If so, what changes
would you work for as a Board Member? Yes, but this issue runs deeper than the current
policy. This is an issue of school culture and climate that must be addressed before an
actual “suspendable” behavior has occurred. As a board member I would like to encourage
each school to establish restorative justice programs as an alternative to automatic
suspension. These programs could be formed at the school level and then improved year
to year through research and collaboration amongst schools.
7. What is your opinion about the Charter School movement? I am highly cautious and
skeptical towards for-profit charter schools. However, I support the progressive public-
charter school movement. Parents and students deserve to have alternate choices in
districts they deem inefficient. Charter schools are many parents’ choice because they
operate free of the central office bureaucratic entanglement that suffocates the efforts and
intentions of teachers at traditional public schools. Charter schools and traditional schools
can work collaboratively for the students of Durham.
8. What is your opinion about school vouchers? I do not want to see public tax dollars moved
into the hands of private schools. I believe the voucher program to be unconstitutional. The
current public charter options guarantee all students the access to a quality education
without the need for vouchers.
9. As a board member how would you lead the decisions addressing the needs of the
students who are at risk for low achievement and dropping out? I would recognize,
highlight, and celebrate the efforts already made on this issue by teachers and schools
across the district. Through those examples I would encourage a replication of successful
practices based on research and collaboration. Teachers desire and are capable of
addressing this issue but they must be empowered to do so first.
10. Why do you think that parents choose to take their children out of the public schools in
Durham or don’t choose them at all? How would you address this issue? I have asked
many parents this question, and their answers are varied but include: “safety,” “lack of
attention to my child,” “not the best option for my child,” “I prefer smaller class sizes,” “trust,”

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and “I want my child to appreciate diversity.” In order to address these concerns, DPS
should waste no time defending whether or not these concerns are valid but instead accept
perception as reality and tackle these issues head on at the individual school level.
11. If you could do three things to improve Durham Public Schools, what would they be? 1.)
Teacher empowerment. I would create collaborative teacher led committees across the
district to research, advise, recommend, and enact policies that address student needs. 2.)
Central Office Leadership and financial audit. I would audit the leadership structure and
hierarchy of the central office with intent to restructure downtown in an effort to maximize
student achievement and financial resources. 3.) I would make sure every student has a
computer for the school day and at home.
Personal Information
12. Please describe your educational background, noting any degrees and honors you have
earned. (skip if resume included) resume attached in email
13. Do you have children? Where do they or did they attend school? I have a 5 month old,
Greyson.
14. Please describe your adult employment history (skip if resume included) resume attached
in email

4. Steven Gatlin
2512 Yorkdale Ct. Durham, NC 27707 919-428-5548 steven.gatlin4@gmail.com
CERTIFIED SECONDARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL
TEACHER (6-12)
I am a dedicated high school teacher and coach interested in career
opportunities that will allow me to further develop as a professional. I offer a
proven track record of commended performance teaching students in grades 9-
12. My core philosophy involves optimizing student success by building and
fostering meaningful relationships.
Core Competencies
Classroom Management
Creative Lesson Planning
Curriculum Development
Research Driven
Student Empowerment
Teacher-Team Collaboration
Vertical and Horizontal Alignment
Special Needs Students/IEPs
Teaching Experience
Voyager Academy High School
Social Studies Teacher 8/11 to present
Curriculum Specialist 8/12 to present
DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Social Studies Teacher (9-12), 1/06 to 6/11
Substitute Teacher (9-12), 9/05 to 12/05
I moved to North Carolina and was hired as a full-time sub in September of
2005 at Jordan H.S. In the spring semester I took a job at Northern and have
worked there ever since. While at Northern I have taught honors, standard,
and repeater-level World History. I also created and taught two sections a year
of Philosophy.
Key Contributions:
In 2007 I developed and submitted the philosophy curriculum to the central
office for course addition. The course: “Introduction to Western
Philosophy” has been taught by myself at Northern H.S. ever since.
I have been on the forefront of Northern’s conversion to a Professional
Learning Community. I served on the initial transition committee, attended
a national training workshop, and logged 30+ hours of professional
development. I have served as the World History Team Leader for 3
consecutive years.
From 2008 to 2011 I voluntarily taught the “not true freshman” World
History course. I attempted to unify the other NTF teachers into a
horizontal team of common accountability and practices.
Consistently commended for ability to redirect students exhibiting behavior
problems by replacing disruptive, unproductive patterns with positive
behaviors. I was frequently referenced as a mentor to beginning teachers for
classroom management.
Served on various school committees and taskforces focused on curriculum
development, textbook review, and professional development. My greatest
effort s were spent serving on the Struggling Students Committee.
I coached both football and baseball at Northern.
Education
UNNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI — Oxford, MS
M. Ed. In Curriculum and Instruction, 2005
UNNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI – Hattiesburg, MS
BA in History Education, 2003
“…Mr. Gatlin has a
great knowledge of
his curriculum. He
has a good rapport
with his students and
the students feel
comfortable asking
him questions and
interacting in class.”
“…Mr. Gatlin has
created a positive,
fostering classroom
environment where it
is clear students feel
they can succeed.”
J. Colclough
Former Principal
Northern High
School
“Mr. Gatlin uses
instruction
strategies that
accommodate
diverse learners.
Students were
encouraged to be
responsible for their
own learning and to
be actively engaged
in class.
J. Dennis
Former Assistant
Principal
Northern H.S.
“Coach Gatlin’s
classes are
crowded, yet the
delivery of
instruction allows
the students to
learn in a seemingly
small and intimate
setting.”
K. Bonner
Former Principal
Northern H.S.