Lan Li: Elmhurst D205 School Board Candidate - Abide by Golden Rule

Editor's note: The following is a reader's commentary. This is unrelated to Patch's reporting on the race.

Mr. Lan Li is a first-generation immigrant. His parents fled communist China with him at the age of 16. He expresses a deep appreciation for the new nation and freedoms that he and his family have in the U.S., the challenges he had to overcome, and how essential a great education is to helping District 205 residents rise up and meet their full potential.

“As a school board member, my primary responsibility is to ensure that all students in the district receive a quality education that prepares them for success in their future endeavors,” Li reiterated that “working with parents is essential to achieving this goal,” and outlined several key strategies to implement:

Communication: “Effective communication is critical in building a strong partnership with parents. I would regularly communicate with parents through various channels such as emails, newsletters, social media, and meetings. I would also seek their input and feedback on important issues that affect their children's education.”

Parent involvement: “Parent involvement is a critical factor in student success. I would work with the district to create more opportunities for parents to become involved in their children's education, such as volunteering in classrooms, and attending school events.”

Outreach: “Not all parents are actively engaged in their children's education, and some may face barriers to involvement such as language or cultural barriers.” Li’s own lived experience would be invaluable in this regard, while his parents were college professors in China, when they arrived in the U.S. they worked as a nursing assistant and a security guard. Li would spearhead working with the district “to develop outreach strategies to reach out to these families” who are struggling or who lack resources and go out of his way to “engage them in the education process.”

Support: Li explained that many parents in the district “need additional support to help their children succeed in school,” including outside the classroom. “I would advocate for the district to provide resources such as tutoring, mentoring, and parent education programs to support parents in their role as their child's primary educator,” and also needed support for parents of special needs students, many of whom have been strongly critical of the district.

Li explained that “working collaboratively with parents is crucial to ensuring that all students in the district have the support and resources they need to succeed in school and beyond. As a school board member, I am committed to building strong partnerships with parents and the community to further the education of all students in the district.”

One area in which the current school board has shown a lack of interest, particularly in the face of falling student performance, is curriculum. Li explained that the “oversight of curriculum is an essential responsibility of a school board to ensure that students receive a quality education that aligns with district goals and state standards. This oversight includes approving curriculum materials, establishing curriculum policies and guidelines, and monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of the curriculum.” Li again emphasized that parents “have an essential role to play in the oversight of curriculum as well. They are the primary stakeholders in their children's education and can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the curriculum.” Li identified various ways that parents can be involved in the oversight of curriculum, and things the board can do to make curriculum more transparent:

Curriculum review: Li explained that the district needs to welcome parents who want to be “involved in reviewing curriculum materials and providing feedback on the relevance and appropriateness of the content,” instead of the current model, which shuts parents out.

Advocacy: Similarly, Li stated that the board needed to be more supportive of parents who “advocate for curriculum changes or improvements” that better “align with their children's needs or interests.”

Participation in public meetings: Li noted that the board should do more to encourage parents to “attend public meetings where curriculum policies and guidelines are discussed and provide input on the direction of the curriculum,” and how well it works for students.

Feedback and evaluation: Li noted that while the board sends out a lot of parent surveys, one that the board has not sent to parents is one asking for their “feedback on the effectiveness of the curriculum through surveys or other means of evaluation.”

Li noted that the board “must work collaboratively” with parents and other stakeholders “to ensure that students receive a quality education that prepares them for success in their future endeavors.”

Another area where the board has been accused of ignoring parents involves how controversial issues are presented in the classroom. The school board has a policy that currently requires teachers to fairly present both sides of an issue and parents have alleged that the board is not enforcing it. Li explained that controversial issues need to be handled with care, because there are “issues that do not appear controversial to some teacher/parents/students but are controversial to other teachers/parents/students.” Li reiterated that the board should be sensitive to parents who want to exercise their rights to opt students out of curriculum. He also explained that effective policy enforcement may also need to ensure that the district has provided meaningful professional development opportunities and resources for teachers; clarifying for educators the purpose behind the policy, and ensuring they have the means to implement it effectively in the classroom; greater transparency; and ensuring that consequences for violations are also addressed in as transparent of a manner as possible so that all sides are meaningfully heard, “ensuring that all stakeholders are aware of the policy and its implications,” and keeping in mind the end goal: that “classroom discussions and debates are conducted in a way that promotes critical thinking, respect, and open dialogue.”

On the question of inclusion and social emotional learning, Li is well aware of the distinction between the “more traditional approach to social and emotional learning that focuses on promoting skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making,” and which “emphasizes the importance of developing students' social and emotional competencies to help them succeed in school and in life,” versus “Transformative SEL,” which goes beyond traditional SEL to elevate “issues of social justice and equity” above all else, obligating students to “become agents of change in their communities,” and express their “commitment to social justice.” The school should emphasize students’ independent critical thinking, not mandate political activism for a particular point of view.

Li explained that “we all want our children to be self-aware, socially well adjusted, have good relationships and make good decisions,” and that many of these soft skills are woven into regular classes. He is a believer in the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have done to you.” He would encourage treating “others the way we would like to be treated ourselves,” to “practice empathy and put ourselves in other people's shoes. By doing so, we can better understand how our actions might impact others, and act in a way that is respectful and considerate of their needs and feelings. In Chinese it is 己所不欲，勿施于人,” which “literally translates to ‘What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.’ In just about every culture, there is something similar.”

In a D205 survey of parents, over 70 percent stated that they wanted the district to focus more on academics rather than spend more time on SEL in the classroom, particularly since the district’s test scores have been plummeting steadily downward since 2014, and unlike other districts, have not shown a rebound post-COVID. Li committed to conducting “a thorough analysis of the factors contributing to the declining test scores. This analysis should take into account data from multiple sources, including student performance data, teacher and parent feedback, and socio-economic factors such as poverty and access to resources.” Li noted that while the district has expressed a desire to do better, there is no action plan in place to do so. He emphasized the need for a plan that “should include specific actions and timelines for implementation, as well as methods for monitoring progress and evaluating effectiveness.” He also noted feedback from teachers that the district has not done a good job investing in “teacher training and professional development to improve the quality of instruction. This could include providing opportunities for teachers to learn new instructional strategies, collaborate with colleagues, and receive feedback on their teaching practices.” Li also noted that the district needs to do more to provide resources and support “for students who are struggling academically,” including more and better “tutoring, small group instruction, or individualized support.”

Most importantly, Li is concerned that the district is not doing enough to create “a culture of high expectations for all students,” “provide opportunities for students to engage in rigorous and challenging coursework,” as identify “other opportunities for students to challenge themselves academically,” including in collaboration with local businesses and residents. He wants to assess if the district can do better “leveraging community assets to enhance student learning experiences.” Given the diverse nature of Elmhurst schools, he stressed that “improving academic performance is a complex and multifaceted issue, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.” The “most effective strategies” will depend upon the “unique needs and characteristics” of our district, schools and students. The district should also adhere to a “collaborative and data-driven approach, along with a commitment to continuous improvement.”

Elmhurst school board members supervise a nine-figure annual budget. The board has been accused of mismanaging referendum dollars for construction projects, and overtaxing district residents with maximum property tax increases that are allowed by law. Li has a B.A. in computer science and mathematics, as well as an M.S. in accounting. Li stated that he “detest wastes, delays and over budgeted projects,” and that many issues involving “overspending (i.e. under budgeting) can be attributed to the pandemic,” but that the board needs to be proactive thinking about “year over year CPI inflation on average at 6 or 7 percent” and the rapidly-escalating price of construction materials. Li would use his experience and skills to scrutinize budgets and exercise solid financial oversight. He supports the district following their board policies to not accumulate excessive surpluses from property tax increases.

Li has served on the Lincoln School PTA, volunteers as the Lincoln School chess club coach, and has lived with his wife and family in Elmhurst for over 14 years. He reiterated that our students need a “safe environment in school to learn,” improve academic achievement, especially in reading, writing, and math; and be fiscally responsible; and maintain a rigorous independence as a school board member to ensure that all stakeholders are listened to, for the ultimate benefit of supporting our students.

Li offered the Chinese proverb, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” It is time to start moving to improve D205, stop declining, and start growing.

We appreciate Li’s commitment to academic excellence and financial responsibility, and to providing comprehensive, thoughtful responses to our voter questions.