“Communication previously has been better,” Urbana’s Administration continues to struggle

Urbana High School is full of teachers, families, and students from different backgrounds. According to Public School Review, Urbana High is in the top 5% in diversity in Illinois. With this diversity spread across over 1,000 students, it is crucial that the communication between the administration is clear, direct, and timely to be able to provide the best educational experience for the students.

“Communication previously has been better,” said Shanda Goodrum, an Anatomy teacher at Urbana. This clear, direct, and timely communication necessary to successfully run a school of Urbana’s size has not been happening as of recent, such as the late notice of MAP testing, Standards-Based Grading, and the no-zero policy.

Worst of all, this lack of communication has started to negatively affect the students. Junior Jack Minor said, “it’s awkward to watch our teachers having to change their lesson plans last minute because of the administration.”

The lack of communication with students has been specifically addressed by the administration through the Student Ambassadors, as well as various social media campaigns and student polls. Yet in spite of their efforts, the administration continues to struggle with the implementation and advertisement of their clubs, extracurricular activities, and sports, which disconnects the student body from their school.

“We need to be informed on certain things faster” is one way Goodrum believes the school can improve the situation. With the diversity and size of Urbana, the school has a lot going on such as clubs, teams, meetings, and sports, which only exist because of the hard work of teachers, families, and the students themselves.

To make sure the students, families, and teachers are informed the school needs better implementation of their programs and better communication to the people of Urbana High. The district has formed the Marketing and Communications Committee to address these concerns. They will first meet in late January to hear feedback from the perspectives of students, families, and staff, hopefully leading to a better version of Urbana High School.