No.13 "Dialogue and Collaboration with Schools"

(Education in Inagi City "Yale" May 15, Issue No. 9)

Dialogue and Collaboration with Schools

　On April 1, the Board of Education held the "FY2024 Inagi City Elementary and Junior High Schools School Faculty and Staff Appointment Ceremony," attended by the principals and vice principals of each school, to welcome school faculty and staff who transferred from other municipalities. On that day, the cherry blossoms and pear flowers along the Misawa River put on a wonderful performance, celebrating and welcoming those starting anew despite the continuous wind and rain.
　The ceremony proceeded with the "Appointment of Transferred School Faculty and Staff," the "Oath of Service by Newly Hired Teachers," the "Appointment of Newly Hired Teachers," and the "Address by the Superintendent of Education." I delivered a message saying, "At each school I visited yesterday, March 31, the School Faculty and Staff were united in preparing for a fresh start in April." and "Please enjoy fulfilling days in our city, which is rich in nature and increasingly vibrant as a city of sports and entertainment." The ceremony concluded with all attendees singing the city anthem together.
　Then, at each school, school management under the new system began, and after holding the "Regular Principal Meetings" and "Regular Vice Principal Meetings," the Board of Education started the "Beginning of the Year School Visits" (hereinafter referred to as "Initial Visits") from Wednesday, April 15.
　These "Initial Visits" are conducted every year around this time, visiting all 18 Inagi City Public Schools over several days. The members include myself and the Board of Education Secretariat staff (Director of the Department of Education, Director in charge of Educational Guidance, Chief of the Planning Department, Chief in charge of Educational Guidance, and Supervising Officer). Although the time allotted per school is limited to about one hour, it is a valuable opportunity to receive explanations about each school's management policies, current status, and educational challenges to be addressed this year, followed by Q&A and exchange of opinions. I have valued these "Initial Visits" as precious opportunities to engage in dialogue with principals about the schools' management innovations and challenges, to envision future directions, and to consider together how we can collaborate—how we can work together—to achieve our goals.
　The initial school visits for this fiscal year are currently underway as of the time of writing (April 20, 2024), with visits to 6 out of all 18 schools completed. These visits have been extremely meaningful. Therefore, I would like to share some impressions and thoughts gained from the six schools visited so far.
[Alignment of the Vision Between Principals and Vice Principals]
　On Tuesday, April 14, the day before the start of the "Initial Visits," the Board of Education held the "1st Regular Vice Principals' Meeting," during which all vice principals discussed the "Key Educational Issues for FY2026 and the Vice Principals' Response Strategies." The top management issues raised by the vice principals perfectly matched the "Key Issues" presented by the principals during the "Initial Visits," clearly showing that the two school administrators share the same vision and management challenges. Each school has thus begun FY2026 under such a strong management structure.
[Support from the Community and Experts and Promotion of Curriculum Management]
　At each school, in FY2024 as well, various educational activities supported by the community and experts are planned, such as "pear cultivation experience," "learning about entrepreneurial spirit," "welfare experience," "waterworks caravan," "baseball classes," "boccia experience," "interaction with Nursery Schools," and "advanced school experiences."
Various educational activities supported by local community members are being planned. Schools in our city have long received strong support from the local community, and the content of this support has become increasingly diverse year by year. This is the result of the dedicated efforts of the school support concierges, and additionally, I am convinced it reflects the enhancement of each school's curriculum management while keeping an eye on social conditions and understanding educational challenges. We look forward to the warm encouragement from everyone and the improvement of school management capabilities working together to further enrich the educational activities of each school.
[Realizing Individual Development Within Group Activities]
　When I visited a certain junior high school, a grade assembly in the gymnasium had just ended, and the second-year students were walking back to their classrooms through the school corridors. The students walked in an orderly line without any private conversations, and I was deeply moved by this sight. My impression was not simply because they were "well-behaved." Being able to act orderly when necessary is an essential and important quality for living in society, as it means that in times of emergency, the group can protect the safety of themselves and others. The ability to fully enjoy playtime, laugh out loud when encountering something amusing, and yet maintain silence when required is not only necessary for living in society but is also cultivated within the group. I confirmed that the schools in our city have been fostering this kind of ability as well.
　Also, at one school, the educational challenge of "enhancing information ethics education based on the results of promoting ICT utilization" was raised, and at another school, the goals were to establish a system where students can consult any teacher and to cultivate the habit of better greetings. Both initiatives link building relationships with others and fostering individual abilities, and we reaffirmed with the schools the significance of educational activities in schools where children develop their individual strengths while spending time with their peers.

　In this way, schools in Inagi City have started their educational activities for FY2026 with the aim of cultivating and enhancing the abilities of students to thrive in future society. The Board of Education is grasping and confirming this state of the schools through direct dialogue called "initial visits."
　The dialogue between schools and the Board of Education through the "initial visits" also serves as an opportunity to explore how schools will embody the directions indicated by the Board of Education and how the Board of Education will support schools in achieving their goals—in other words, it is a chance to discover methods of collaboration.
　I will continue to place importance on opportunities to visit schools, and based on the children, School Faculty and Staff, and the state of the schools I encounter there, I will strive to further promote educational policies.

Makiko Sugimoto, Director of the Inagi City Board of Education