159 Search Results for "reform"

• The Miss for Bliss The Miss for Bliss

  • From: Tom_Whitby
  • Description:

    After watching the Jeff Bliss’s, viral video, as well as the remix of it, created to popularize the event even more, I was almost moved to do a reflective post on the subject. After viewing a number of supportive blog posts for the Bliss position I kind of backed off thinking that I was off base in my position. Then I read Why the Jeff Bliss story makes me want to quit by a fellow English teacher.

    The end of the academic year has all teachers stressed out. After giving one's all for a year, and having it come to an end, hoping all along for the success of the students, leads one to question much of what had been done during the year, and even why it was done.  When I first saw the Bliss video, I saw a kid being asked to leave the class for whatever the reason, and the kid trying to get back at the teacher. The kid began to use an attack that echoed the focus of many educators seeking to reform the system with the same rhetoric. Without knowing anything of the student, I determined he must be active on social media and had an interest in what was being said about the change in education. This was some evidence of intelligence. I also felt that everyone would see this teacher as the “devil teacher” responsible for all the ills of our system. There is probably some accuracy to both of those descriptions but I think neither is a reflection of the whole truth in this situation.

     As a retired teacher I encountered many rants from students that I removed from class for disruptive behavior. What is different in this instance is the addition of social media and the educator’s perceived opposition of the position taken by the student. This was further advanced by the teacher's negative responses to the student's critique. All of this recorded and published to the world in You Tube Celebrity.

    I was moved by the frustrations of the blogger who feels overwhelmed with the on going blogging, reflection, and discussion in social media about all of the turmoil in education. Much of this is flamed by the mindless, senseless and poorly planned reforms put forth by non-educators. I am not arrogant enough to think only educators can intelligently reform education, but the general feeling among educators is that the reforms are being mandated with very little educator input. That is the most frustrating part to many educators who are being targeted and maligned even by fellow educators. Educators seem to be circling the wagons and shooting to the inside.

    Most educators are doing what they have been trained to do, or what is supported by their school’s culture. I hate the fact that so many teachers use the work packets to present material, but that again is what is supported by the system that they must work in. We need to improve our professional development and be open to more relevant teaching methods, employing more relevant tools for learning, as well as more relevant attitudes toward student-centric learning.

    My friend and colleague Lisa Nielsen is a great student advocate and passionate education reformer. We have collaborated on a few very popular blog posts. I do not fault her for taking the side of Jeff Bliss in his rant against his teacher. Bliss made a convincing, and passionate speech against an outmoded method of teaching that stymies our system of education every day. I hope Lisa continues to follow her bliss (not the student) in supporting students in education reform. I would only hope that an “us and them” mentality does not dominate the discussion of education. There is no group more in favor of positive education reform than educators. We must keep in mind that educators are also products of the same education system that we seek to reform. They should not be the targets for the reform; they are in fact victims of that system as well. In order to educate our students, we need to first better educate our educators, and continue to educate them as part of their job. To be relevant educators, we need to be relevantly educated. That implies continuous education in a computer-driven, continuously developing culture.

    I would hope that this blogger was not discouraged by the reflection and conversation going on about education reform. We need more educators involved in the discussion that has been hijacked by business profiteers and politicians. There is a planned assault on public education. We need more educators adding their voices to the needed change. We need educators to tell other educators that it is okay to give up methods of the past, that are not working in today’s system of education. It is a question of permission, as opposed to confrontation. Educators are all in favor of kids succeeding; it is but a question of how to accomplish that goal. I would encourage this blogger to hang in and continue to speak out.

    If the post by this English teacher moved me, others may be moved as well. That is a skill that is not mastered by many and it is a powerful tool for change. We need more educators stepping up and speaking out if we as educators are to take back the discussion that we left to other less qualified people to dominate.

  • Blog post
  • 1 month ago
  • Views: 117

• L2L News: May 2013 L2L News: May 2013

  • From: Meg_Simpson
  • Description:

    ASCD Leader to Leader (L2L) News is a monthly e-mail newsletter for ASCD constituent group leaders that builds capacity to better serve members, provides opportunities to promote and advocate for ASCD’s Whole Child Initiative, and engages groups through sharing and learning about best practices. To submit a news item for the L2L newsletter, send an e-mail to constituentservices@ascd.org.

     

    Your To-Do List: Action Items for ASCD Leaders

    • Attend today’s Whole Child Virtual Conference Session “Grit: Multiple Intelligences and Instructional Technology in the Classroom” at 4:00 p.m. eastern with Walter McKenzie and Professional Interest Community Facilitator Tom Hoerr. Register now.
      View and register for the other Whole Child Virtual Conference sessions.
      
      
    • Apply for the 2013–14 Nominations Committee. ASCD is seeking ASCD leaders who are interested in serving on the 2013–14 ASCD Nominations Committee. More information, including the committee’s charge, qualifications for service, and time commitment, is available at www.ascd.org/nominations. ASCD will accept applications until May 31.
       
    •  Submit a proposal for ASCD’s 2014 Annual Conference. ASCD is accepting proposals for 2014 Annual Conference presentations until May 15.

     

    Newest Policy Points Revisits A Nation at Risk

    ASCD’s newest Policy Points (PDF) takes a closer look at A Nation at Risk, the 1983 report on the state of U.S. education that launched a spirited and ongoing debate about the quality of our public schools. This issue of Policy Points examines the specific recommendations of the report, the accuracy of its dire prediction about “a rising tide of mediocrity” undermining the nation’s well-being, and the evolving school reform debate the report kick-started three decades ago.

     

    Throughout May on www.wholechildeducation.org: The New Poverty

    In today’s global economic state, many families and children face reduced circumstances. These “poor kids” don’t fit the traditional stereotypes—two-thirds live in families in which at least one adult works and the percentage of poor students in many rural districts equals that in inner-city districts. In the United States, the economic downturn has dramatically changed the landscape, and districts that were previously vibrant are now dealing with unemployment, underemployment, and more transient families.

    Join us as we share what new—and old—solutions we are using to support learning and ensure that each child, whatever her circumstances, is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

    Download the Whole Child Podcast for a discussion on the current economic downturn; its result that many families and children face reduced circumstances; and implications for schools, many of which have seen drastic changes in the populations they serve and their communities. Guests include Deborah Wortham, superintendent of the School District of the City of York, Pa., and former assistant superintendent for high schools and director of professional development for Baltimore City (Md.) Public Schools; Felicia DeHaney, president and CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute; William Parrett, director of the Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies and professor of education at Boise State University;  and Kathleen Budge, coordinator of the Leadership Development Program  and associate professor in the Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Department at Boise State University. Parrett and Budge are also coauthors of the 2012 ASCD book Turning High-Poverty Schools into High-Performing Schools.

    Throughout the month, read the Whole Child Blog and tell us what has worked in your school and with your students. E-mail us and share resources, research, and examples.

     

    ASCD Leader Voices

    • Outstanding Young Educator Award (OYEA) cadre members PJ Caposey and Brian Nichols were featured in EdWeek’s Classroom Q&A series with Larry Ferlazzo. Read their thoughts about ways to observe teachers without demoralizing them.
      
      
    • Read ASCD Emerging Leader Ember Conley’sWhole Child Blog post about “Promising Whole Child Practices in Arizona”
       
    • Read ASCD Emerging Leader Daniel Smith’sWhole Child Blog post, “Who is Today’s Principal?”
       
    • Check out OYEA winner and ASCD Board Member Marc Cohen’s Whole Child Blog post, “Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High”
       
    • 2013 OYEA Winner Joshua Garcia has a blog series on ASCD EDge called WILL (What I Learned Lately). Read his #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 posts.
       
    • ASCDEmerging Leader Kevin Goddard, also known as “the Goddblogger,” has written great posts over the last few weeks on ASCD EDge: “Complicated vs. Complex,” “Systems Theory,” “Reductionism,” “Chaos vs. Complexity, ” and“Capacity Building.”
    • Read ASCD Emerging Leader Nicole Zuerblis’ ASCD EDge blog post: “Everything But the Kitchen Sink?”

     

    Arkansas Governor Signs Whole Child Legislation

    Arkansas Governor Michael Beebe signed a new bill into law that promotes a whole child approach to educating the state’s children. The legislation (PDF) establishes a Whole Child Whole Community recognition program and aims to measure the comprehensive well-being of children and how well stakeholders are meeting their needs according to the five whole child tenets and their indicators as identified by ASCD.

    The recognition program will acknowledge and highlight the work of Arkansas educators, parents, community members, and policymakers who support the whole child. The legislation also indicates that one purpose of the recognition program is to help spur systemic collaboration and coordination within and beyond schoolhouse doors and to promote a shift from narrowly defined student achievement and traditional education reform to broader, more comprehensive efforts that recognize the crucial out-of-school factors that influence teaching and learning. A diverse state working group will work over the course of a year to recommend a framework and process for recognizing exemplary whole child and whole community successes.

    Congratulations to Arkansas ASCD, which played a crucial role in supporting the bill’s development and introduction!

     

    Rhode Island Passes Whole Child Resolution

    The Rhode Island General Assembly passed a joint resolution (PDF) supporting a whole child approach to education that ensures each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

    The resolution affirms that to educate Rhode Island’s children effectively, the state must pay attention to factors within and beyond its school buildings as well as integrate efforts among schools, families, and communities. In addition, the resolution expresses the assembly’s intent to model whole child concepts in its own work and to join with other stakeholders who support the whole child.

    Congratulations to Rhode Island ASCD(RIASCD), which worked hard to have this joint resolution introduced into the Rhode Island legislature!

    To help the state fulfill its commitment to whole child education, ASCD and RIASCD offered some initial steps (PDF)—organized by the five whole child tenets—for educators, parents and community members, and policymakers to take. RIASCD also highlighted some of ASCD’s free resources to help the state put its whole child vision into action. 

     

    South Carolina ASCD Featured in ASCD Inservice Blog Series

    Weasked some of our affiliate leaders to tell us how the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has been going in their home states.In the seventh post of the series, South Carolina ASCD leader Josh Patterson writes about the challenges and successes that South Carolina has had with CCSS implementation.

    Previous Posts:Tennessee ASCD, New Jersey ASCD,Alabama ASCD, Arkansas ASCD, New Hampshire ASCD, and Florida ASCD

     

    The Effective Principal

    What we see through our research, reading, and conversations with principals and school staff is that to see what an effective principal is, don’t look at the person; look at the effects of her leadership on student achievement, school culture and climate, teacher effectiveness and satisfaction, and community relationships. As the wearers of many hats, principals are crucial to implementing meaningful and lasting school change. Read more on the Whole Child Blog.

    In April, we looked at what qualities principals in today’s (and tomorrow’s) schools need to fulfill their roles as visionary, instructional, influential, and learning leaders. Listen to the Whole Child Podcast with guests Donna Snyder, manager of Whole Child Programs at ASCD; Kevin Enerson, principal of Le Sueur-Henderson High School in Minnesota (an ASCD Whole Child Network school); and Jessica Bohn, an ASCD Emerging Leader and principal of Gibsonville Elementary School in North Carolina.

    Also this month on the Whole Child Podcast, we talked with educators from Oregon’s Milwaukie High School (winner of the 2013 Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award) about how they meet student and staff needs, taking challenges and turning them into opportunities for all. Guests include principal Mark Pinder, assistant principal for curriculum Michael Ralls, assistant principal for student management Tim Taylor, dean of students Donnie Siel, and teacher leader David Adams.

    Have you signed up to receive the Whole Child Newsletter? Read the latest newsletter and visit the archive for more strategies, resources, and tools you can use to help ensure that each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

      

    Something to Talk About

    ·         Most recent blog posts on ASCD EDge®

    ·         Mostclicked stories from ASCD SmartBrief

     

    Association News

    Killeen Independent School District Deepens Professional Development Partnership with ASCD—Killeen Independent School District (ISD)—whose more than 6,100 staff members serve approximately 42,000 students—is deepening its relationship with ASCD to meet its professional development goals. Read the full press release.

    ASCD Publishes Leadership Guide on Transforming Any Teacher into a Master—ASCD is pleased to announce the release of Never Underestimate Your Teachers: Instructional Leadership for Excellence in Every Classroom by best-selling education author, renowned educator, and professional development expert Robyn R. Jackson.
    Never Underestimate Your Teachers offers school leaders a new model for understanding great teaching as a combination of skill and will, and it's the first book of its kind to support leaders as they facilitate teacher growth in both areas through differentiated leadership. Jackson shows readers how to design and deliver targeted professional development to help each teacher realize his or her potential and achieve great results for the benefit of every student. Read the full press release.

    New ASCD Common Core Academy Supports School Leadership Teams Across the United States—ASCD is bringing its inaugural ASCD Common Core Leadership Team Academy to Chicago August 5–8, 2013. This intensive four-day professional leadership experience offers groups of administrators, teacher leaders, and nonprofit and higher education partners an accelerated plan for putting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into routine practice. Read the full press release.

    ASCD Summer Reading List Identifies 10 Books That Can Transform Teaching and Learning—In the spirit of promoting year-round professional development, ASCD has assembled a diverse list of books essential to educators who seek to improve their practice over the summer months. These books—organized by how they help educators transform teaching and learning—offer readers the opportunity to dive deep into the hottest topics in education, including using data to focus improvement, project-based learning, child development, and neurodiversity. All books are currently available in paperback and e-book formats. Read the full press release.

    Arkansas Governor Beebe Signs Education Reform Law Supporting the Whole Child—Arkansas Governor Michael Beebe has signed a new bill into law that promotes a well-rounded whole child approach to educating the state’s children.“An Act to Establish the Whole Child– Whole Community Recognition Program; and for Other Purposes” (Senate Bill 1051[PDF]) outlines a plan for the Arkansas education system that ensures Arkansas students receive a whole child education. Read the full press release.

    New ASCD Staff Expand Association’s Ability to Design, Deliver, and Evaluate Professional Development Resources—ASCD welcomes three new staff members to the association’s Program Development Work Group. Dr. Andrea Muse has accepted the position of director of research and program evaluation, Jen Thompson will serve as director of program management and process improvement, and Elizabeth Thurman has joined ASCD as director of customer engagement and product support. The additions of Muse, Thompson, and Thurman expand ASCD’s capability to design, deliver, and evaluate the crucial professional development resources today’s educators need to learn, teach, and lead. Read the full press release.

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 month ago
  • Views: 173
  • Not yet rated

• What happens in Vegas should b What happens in Vegas should be shared!

  • From: Tom_Whitby
  • Description:

    I recently participated in what might possibly be a one-time experience for an educator, an education conference in Las Vegas. Of course that probably doesn’t hold true for Nevada educators. Solution Tree Publishing sponsored the Leadership Now Conference in Vegas. It was a Quality event with high visibility speakers keynoted the event.

    The speakers at the event were Solution Tree authors and each was a leading expert in their area of expertise. They were also all affiliated with the Marzano/DuFour group. This was a big showing of the PLC at Work institute. For the most part I happen to be a believer in most of what they preach, so I was quite happy with the topics presented.

    Of course the backbone of most of what was discussed was the idea of collaborative learning communities within individual school districts. I love the idea and I believe in the concept that collaboratively we all benefit more in learning and teaching. I do find the idea of stopping that collaboration at the district level somewhat limiting however. We need global networks of collaboration. We should not stop at the borders of our own school district or just the network of a group of paying participants of some larger group. Collaboration through social media is free and global. We need to explore and use it to our best advantage as educators and as students.

    The First keynotes by Robert Marzano and Richard DuFour lasted an hour and a half each. They were lectures with text-ladened slides to keep the audience (learners) on track while laying out the research and philosophy of the grand plan. There was a printed and bound compiled text of the presentations along with worksheets for the learners. I actually weighed it. It was THREE pounds.

    The highlight for me was the keynote by Sir Ken Robinson. He did a keynote that covered many aspects of several of his TED Talk videos. Although I heard much of it before, it meant more live, presented in sir Ken’s unique blend of humor, irony and common sense. This was a vast improvement over the last time I saw him at ISTE with a disastrous panel presentation after what seemed like a ten-minute keynote. In contrast to that, Sir Ken’s Solution Tree retrospective presentation was one to remember.

    The workshops following the keynotes were again 90-minute lectures with text-ladened slides that corresponded to the three-pound, bound, text workbook. The material covered in the workshops was essential. The research seemed sound. It was all a common sense approach to the complicated problem of education reform. Each workshop was a clear presentation of how we might best approach what we are doing now in education with what we might be doing even better.

    I only wish that they applied the same amount of time, research, and development to their methods of teaching and presentation as they applied to their subject material. First rule of PowerPoint: Don’t read from text-ladened slides to the audience, even if it is from a book written by you, the presenter. To do such a presentation differently is not going to be an easy task and it will probably take several iterations of a presentation to eliminate so much text from slides, but it will help the learners or should I say audience. Although there is a certain element of entertainment in education presentations they are designed to inform and teach. That means the seats are filled with learners and not audience members.

    The workshop leaders of the workshops that I attended were wonderful, knowledgeable, and experienced educators. Leaders included: Rebecca DuFour, Tammy Heflebower, Timothy Kanold, Anthony Muhammad, Phil Warrick, and Kenneth Williams. The workshops that were most striking and helpful to me however, were the workshops of Anthony Muhammad. He dealt with changing the culture of the school in order to affect any meaningful change in the structure of the school. I found him to be a shinning star in a room full of stars. He was dynamic, engaging, and most of all gave out meaningful ideas to deal with the real changes for education reform with the most “elephant in the room” problems. He later gave a rousing, closing keynote.

    The low point for me anyway came when they had the panel discussion at the end of the sessions of the second day. It was not very well attended by the participants of the conference. The panel was made up of the key members of the Marzano group. Of course the lead panel members gave the longest answers. It was the questioning of the panel that struck me to be rather archaic in our world of technology. The audience was asked to write questions on a piece of paper that would be picked up and delivered to the moderator. There was no microphone stand for open questioning. There was no hashtag back channel screen. The moderator was not monitoring an iPad for questions. I guess this was made difficult because there was also no Internet service for the conference, which should be a mainstay of any education conference. 

    Criticisms aside, I found this to be a very informative conference. I wish it could have been live streamed to the many connected educators who were following the conference hashtag over the three days. I think the Marzano approach to collaboration and addressing the whole system in order to affect change is a sensible and sound approach. I would simply love to see an updated methodology in their approach.

    

  • Blog post
  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 145

• Complexity: Chaos versus Compl Complexity: Chaos versus Complexity

  • From: Kevin_Goddard
  • Description:

    Many confuse chaos theory with complexity theory. Chaos theory is defined by nonlinear, chaotic systems, homogeneous in nature, moving toward strange attractors which may very well describe dysfunctional organizational units within a complex system. Complexity theory seeks to understand heterogeneous complex adaptive systems moving toward one or more attractor patterns with the ability for “strong emergence” with radically novel results which describes the institution of education as a whole (Gilstrap, 2005).

    Theory is meant to explain in order to gain understanding to the point of accurate predictability whereas the science of complexity serves as a “conceptual framework” or paradigm to analyze complex adaptive systems (Semetsky, 2006). Bloch (2005) says, “It is in the nature of each [complex adaptive entity] to adapt to its environment and internal state to maintain its life” (p. 195). Levin (2002) defines the properties of complex adaptive systems as diversity and individuality of components, localized interactions among those components, and an autonomous process that uses the outcomes of those interactions to select a subset of those components for replication or enhancement. Schools can only be complex if they are more than their ‘complicated’ parts. Structure is not enough since those components have to be in competition and cooperation with each other to have enough tension for the system to become emergent as appropriate components within the school are replicated and enhanced. Schools are just now beginning to embrace complexity since the past has been an effort to revolve and replicate the entire institution of education around a point attractor and wait for the next cycle to occur.

    In Waldrop’s (1992) masterpiece, he defines complexity as:

    A class of behaviors in which the components of the system never quite lock into place, yet never quite dissolve into turbulence, either. These are the systems that are both stable enough to store information, and yet evanescent enough to transmit it. These are the systems that can be organized to perform complex computations, to react to the world, to be spontaneous, adaptive, and alive (p. 293).

    While Stacey’s (1996) following piece examining complexity in human organizations speculates

    what the peculiarly human features do seem to add is potential complexity; they make the operation of human systems more complex and unpredictable rather than less so…the rate of information flow, the level of diversity in schemas, and the richness of connectivity among agents all remain as control parameters [with] further control parameters added…of power differentials and levels of anxiety containment (p. 114)

     which move the organization along the complexity continuum and/or edge of chaos.

    “Complexity arises because you have a great many of these simple components interacting simultaneously” (Waldrop, 1992, p. 86). Since broad features of complex adaptive systems are knowable (Levin, 2002), “the challenge for theorists…is to formulate universal laws that describe when and how such complexities emerge in nature” (Waldrop, 1992, p. 86). Understandings of complex organizations coalesce around relationships, especially in schools where the density of network connections determines the level of complexity (Bloch, 2005; Gilstrap, 2005).

    A supersystem such as education has “a holographic or fractal aspect in which the parts interact continually to recreate the whole and the whole affects how the parts interact” (Stacey, 1996, p. 21). As smaller organizational units or fractals, which look similar to the overall organization, paradoxically enable and constrain each other through the layers of the organization, leaders have the opportunity to understand, through complexity science, the “dynamic, co-implicated…integrated levels—including the neurological, the experiential, the contextual/material, the social, the symbolic, the cultural, and the ecological—” of the school “rather than isolated phenomena” (Davis & Simmt, 2006, p. 296). Levin (2002, p. 16-17) asks “seductive” questions surrounding the study of complex adaptive systems that make their study relevant to educational leaders facing diminishing resources, increasing accountability, a hostile political environment, rigid school structures protected by reluctant staff and unions, growing concerns of equity and social justice, and absent family involvement:

    • How does cooperation arise and become sustained?
    • How do social norms arise in human societies and become sustained against external influences?
    • Can this understanding help us to sustain patterns of behavior that serve the common good…
    • And to change antiquated frameworks that are resistant to progress simply because they have become frozen accidents of a cultural evolutionary process?

    The dominant metaparadigm currently views organizations predominantly in equilibrium with members acting rationally and cooperating. Outcomes are predictable in the long run within a regular and uniform world. A metaparadigm based on the science of complexity would understand effective organizations as far from equilibrium operating at the edge of chaos, but not quite falling into chaos. The organization could embrace the paradox of competition and self-organizing cooperation in the behavior of its agents. Actions into outcomes would be unpredictable except in the extremely short-term as “the links between actions and their long-term outcomes are lost in the complex interactions between various components of the system” (Stacey, 1996, p. 248).

    An educational complexity metaparadigm would serve as a framework for understanding how school systems act as complex adaptive systems within local, national, and global ecosystems (Waldrop, 1992).  Because complex adaptive systems have many parts cooperating and competing, interaction is too overwhelming to reflect on at once, so, paradoxically, educators use many lenses to focus on one or two aspects of a system while keeping in mind that all the systems and agents working together actually account for what is happing on local and global scales (Stacey, 1996). Educational complexity is the matrix of cultural, social, environmental, political, symbolic, economic, historical, and directional interactions and contexts of which any given school is comprised. A school would not exist in as richly a manner and be able to provide the degree of cognitive stimulation necessary for the development of future citizenry without the complexity existent in the public school system. If we were all white, middle-class males from the same geographic location of the U. S. and would never work outside the local school community, then maybe complexity would not be as big an issue; regardless, the brain is a complex learning system that grows by being challenged and making connections through complex problem-solving situations (Nasir & Hand, 2006).

    Education is constantly barraged by new programs and new practices (Marzano et al., 2005). The recent trend of comprehensive school reform recognizes the complexity of the school system and attempts “to address all aspects of school effectiveness” (U.S. Department of Education, 1998, p. 21); however, through a lens of complexity, leadership recognizes resources “not as discrete items…but as inter-related variables that are a part of a comprehensive plan to impact student achievement in high-poverty schools. This is an important step beyond one-shot remedies or magic bullets” (Machtinger, 2007, p. 7). Marzano and colleagues(2005) agree with Fritz (1984) and Fullan (2001) that education is too complex for absolute truths or “once-and-for-all answers” (p. 67). DuFour and Eaker (1998) reiterate, “The interconnectedness of the elements affecting teaching and learning makes it impossible to attribute either improvements or problems to a single area” (p. 268). Leaders prepare for structural and pedagogical changes in school function as complex, difficult, and dependent on context while gauging multiple cores of successful practice within unstable environments (Marzano et al., 2005; Schechter & Tischler, 2007; Chenoweth, 2007).

  • Blog post
  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 184
  • Not yet rated

• Vive La EdCamp! Vive La EdCamp!

  • From: Michael_Fisher
  • Description:

    

    Forging a new path is never easy, especially when the way is filled with so many barriers. Educators live and work in tumultuous times nowadays. Lawmakers with no educational backgrounds pass laws about teacher evaluations. Mass Media creates and disseminates propaganda crucifying the profession on a regular basis. Educational companies are chomping at the bit to buy and sell learning and effective teaching and new assessments.

    
    

    You know what they all have in common? Every single person in every single role who makes a decision about what is best for schools and educators and children is in their position because of a teacher. A teacher is the common denominator of all professions.

    
    

    Isn’t it mind-boggling to think that teachers are still willing to do what they do? I’m amazed at their tenacity, their ability to rise above on a consistent basis and to forge ahead in spite of the current indictable culture.

    
    

    Alas, the road less traveled makes all the difference, right?

    
    

    Enter EdCamp. From their website, EdCamps promote organic, participant-driven professional development for K-12 educators worldwide.

    
    

    Politics and bureaucracies aside, I’m thrilled to see teachers taking matters into their own hands to continue to make a difference for the students they teach. This is the educational reform that matters. This is the opportunity to not only stay the course, but forge a new path that is ripe with possibilities and prospects for making a real difference.

    
    

    Those that attend these events are who I call Guerilla Educators--Independent leaders with transform mindsets who act locally to benefit the entire educational system. It’s a grassroots level experience that creates connections, supports just in time learning, and exponentially expands the ethos of modern learning landscapes.

    
    

    Interested in attending one of these awesome events? Check out the upcoming list of EdCamps--one may be close to you!

    
    

    I will personally be attending EdCamp Buffalo next weekend at Canisius College. (on April 13) If you’re going to be in the area, come on over--the revolution needs you!

    
    

    ¡Vive la EdCamp!

     

    
    

  • Blog post
  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 507

• Complexity: Capacity Building Complexity: Capacity Building

  • From: Kevin_Goddard
  • Description:

    Capacity building is one of the buzz phrases in education due to the complex nature of how society defines student success: “academic achievement; engagement in educationally purposeful activities; satisfaction; acquisition of desired knowledge, skills, and competencies; persistence; and attainment of educational objectives” (Kuh et al., 2007, p. 10). Capacity building within schools could not focus on only one aspect of development within the school because a single group within the school community could not possess all of the capacity necessary to fuel student success. Research indicates that capacity building increases student achievement (Cooter, 2003). All educators in effective schools take responsibility for improvement and professional capacity (Eaker, DuFour & DuFour, 2002; Chu Clewell & Campbell, 2007). Capacity builds as schools focus on learning and getting resources into classrooms to directly benefit students (Machtinger, 2007; U.S. Department of Education, 1998).

    Many authors have tried to articulate a definition of capacity. Ervin, Schaughency, Goodman, McGlinchy, and Matthews (2006) simply define capacity as skills, know-how, and available resources. Gewertz (2007) describes capacity as “building the school’s and community partners’ skills to improve, securing the resources to do it” (no page #). Fullan (2006) focuses on marginalized students when he articulates that

    capacity building involves any policy, strategy, or other action undertaken that enhances the gap of student learning for all students. Usually it consists of the development of three components in concert: new knowledge and competencies, new and enhanced resources, and new and deeper motivation and commitment to improve things…all played out collectively (p. 28).

    Knowledgeable education leaders understand that capacity building relies on the mission and vision of the local context which probably does not include academic achievement as primary to the futures of marginalized students (Schutz, 2006). Low performing schools do not have the capacity to turn themselves around in academic achievement when principals and communities are simply trying to survive concentrated poverty, low expectations, weak courses, burnt out teachers, run down facilities, overcrowding, and poor student behavior (U.S. Department of Education, 1998).

    Narrowly focusing expectations of schools in the form of AYP for all students as measured by one unattainable and not always relevant standard, when schools were on the brink of realizing the importance of participation by marginalized populations and opening up the possibility of class mobility of these populations, deflected attention away from what should be the true purposes of education (Noddings, 2006). By focusing attention on education’s inability to teach 100% of children to read and calculate on grade level in grade three through eight and the resulting distrust and dissatisfaction of the school community, schools have an even harder time building the capacity necessary to reach a critical mass in affecting true educational reform to create a truly powerful school-community coalition that could realize greater economic support for low SES schools, more democratic decision-making within low SES communities, and ultimately, better informed and equipped citizens of the future from all classes that might disrupt the status quo of the dominant class (Noguera, 2004). Low SES schools that were led by forward thinking and steadfast administrators continued this course of building the capacity of the school community to ensure truly unlimited opportunity for their student populations where the resources were available to students to be successful academically, socially, and culturally (Nesbit, 2006).

    The problem for meaningful and sustainable school reform is not attributable to a lack of energy, ideas, or a willingness to change in education. Fads, competing priorities, and unreasonable mandates deluge leaders immobilizing efforts to sustain and expand promising initiatives (Henig et al., 1999). As funding resources shrink, efficiency and capacity building become more and more important (Kezar, 2006). Teaching specific practices to families over making the effort to build capacity may result in advantages in certain times and places, but a “right way” approach causes action to lose its distinctive character providing the advantage (Lareau, 2000). “We need to reframe our entire reform strategy so that it focuses relentlessly and deeply on capacity building and accountability—a difficult but…doable high-yield strategy” (Fullan, 2006, p. 28).

    Capacity building is closely related to organizational learning. Knowledge and understanding moves from tacit to explicit back to tacit. “Teacher change, like most human change, must emanate from within” (Bonner, 2006, p. 41). Education becomes more than parents deferring to teacher professional judgment and only being involved to the extent that teachers value (Henig et al., 1999). By understanding capacity, the “lonely teacher… reaches out to and joins the community and family [as] school is a network with permeable boundaries connecting it to the other institutions comprising society” (Musial, 1999, p. 120), instead of “erect[ing] barriers with one hand while reaching out with the other” (Schutz, 2006, p. 726). Often, in unsuccessful schools, agents simply “do not know how to improve it, or they do not believe it can be improved” (Fullan, 2006, p. 60) when collective efficacy holds the potential for a better future (DuFour & Eaker, 1998). Authoritative leadership is not sustainable; but collective, collaborative, distributed leadership can build capacity and commitment to changing school culture in marginalized communities successfully through cooperating and competition, boundary conversations, dialogue, and productive conflict (Barr & Parrett, 2007; Copland, 2003; Patterson & Rolheiser, 2004; Stacey, 1996).

    As part of capacity building, principals actively build leadership capacity in others by “broad-based, skillful participation; a shared vision; established norms of inquiry and collaboration; reflective practice; and improving student achievement” (Lambert, 2003, Chapter 1, p. 1; Copland, 2003) and by developing learning communities where staff growth expands their capacity to provide for students (Eaker, et al., 2002). School reform rooted in the efforts of individuals and dependent on individual academic success cannot be sustained and will fail; working class learning is determined by the cultural context in systems dependent on sociocultural capital as opposed to individual capacity (Livingstone & Sawchuk, 2005; Musial, 1999). If capacity relies only on relationships or only on structure, capacity will be too soft or too rigid. Capacity is essential. “Because social systems are uncertain by their very nature, schools are fragile places (Lambert, 2003, Chapter 10, p. 1).

                Many factors interact to determine educational capacity (O’Day et al., 1995). Yet, education experts agree, capacity building “must become a core feature of all improvement strategies” (Fullan, 2006, p. 104). Education has progressed to the point where discussion about capacity involves lists whose discussion centers around lines of responsibility versus lines of authority. These discussions describe capacity as built through clear accountability, relevant data available for analysis and application, and high expectations for staff with support of professional development (Walk, 1998). O’Day and colleagues (1995) feel “interdependence of organization and individual capacity” contributes to an understanding of instructional capacity (no page #). These authors list the five dimensions of organizational capacity as vision and leadership, collective commitment and cultural norms, knowledge or access to knowledge, organizational structures and management, and resources.

                McREL (Dean et al., 2005, p. 5) defines capacity in three ways:

    • Leadership capacity: knowledge and skills to fulfill or support leadership responsibilities associated with high levels of student achievement, manage implications of change, establish and maintain a purposeful community, and determine a focus for improvement efforts
    • School capacity: collective ability to address the school-level, teacher-level, and student-level factors that are associated with high levels of student achievement and the ability to maintain a purposeful community
    • Teacher capacity: individual teacher’s ability to help all students succeed, contribute to school-level efforts, and address the teacher-level and student-level factors that are associated with high levels of student achievement

    Complex descriptions alluding to practices evident in High-Performing High-Poverty Schools (HP2S) get past the tendency to create lists and begin to open the door to envisioning improving instructional capacity in schools as an interaction of multiple elements to “produce worthwhile and substantial learning” (Cohen & Ball, 1999). Capacity building efforts result in “adoption, sustainability, and evolution of innovation” to allow HP2S to emerge (Schaughency & Ervin, 2006, p. 162).

     

  • Blog post
  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 288

• The next frontier of reform: J The next frontier of reform: Just do it (right)

  • From: Spike_Cook
  • Description:

    During the 2013 ASCD in conference in Chicago I was able to see one of my favorite speakers, Bryan Goodwin. Bryan, who was recently promoted to Chief Operating Officer of McREL and is a regular contributor to Education Leadership, discussed his take on the next frontier of reform.

    Bryan began his presentation by asking a question about education reform… How well are we equipped with implementation? I could see his point because we often talk of ideas, espouse our theories, and pontificate on what is right… but do we know how to implement? Measure the implementation?

    Knowing is not the same as doing

    The objectives for his presentation were….

    • Identify common faulty assumptions about implementation
    • Provide you with new ways of thinking about implementation
    • Practical tips and guidance for better implementation

    Bryan talked about some research that he conducted on the “Gold standards of studies” regarding programs to increase student achievement. The results were lackluster. What stood out to Bryan and his team was that the implementation had a significant impact on the the results. It left him with more questions then answers…

    if we know better, why don’t we do better?

    Bryan reviewed 5 implementation fallacies….

    • Truth shall set them free (When people know what to do, they will do it) -Professional Development doesn’t always work – Do people always automatically adopt new methods? He researched PD and found that just by telling people what to do (study the theory or demonstration or even practice) yields little in transferring the knowledge into the pedagogy  Yet, the research was clear that Peer Coaching has 95% transfer rate (Joyce & Showers,2002).
    • Talk slower and lower (Fear, facts and force overcome resistance)  – Bryan asked us a simple questions… Would you change or die? How many people out of 10 would change or die? The research shows that only 1 would actually change their behavior. What makes us change? Seeing how the change is possible, experiencing success and emotional support.
    • Shock and awe(Doing more does more) -What does your school implementation plan look like? Bryan showed us a few slides of various school districts’ implementation plans for school improvement. We were all amazed at how long the list grew (and what was put in the list)…. I think one slide had 50 or more implementation strategies (more like ideas) for improving reading… How could you possible achieve all 50 plus ideas?
    • Running before walking (ignoring improvement progressions) –  What is your progression? Mourshead, M (2010) researched how the world’s most improved systems keep getting better. For instance, aviation success rate is 99.999%. Standard Operating Procedures(SOP) ensure that the progression is always followed… What are your SOPs for continuous classroom improvement?
    • Focusing on the what, not the who (ignoring culture) - So much reform, so little change. Who have beat the odds, and actually improved schools? According to Bryan, the schools who have turned themselves around have somethings in common… Each has a culture of high expectations for learning and behavior. What is the secret sauce of improvement?  Culture is the secret sauce of school implementation!

    

    No one buys what you do, they buy why you do it

    Here are some suggestions Bryan offered us on implementation..

    • Focus – Do a few things well.
    • Challenge, engage, be intentional and motivational
    • Develop data-driven “high-reliability” systems
    • Create high-performance school cultures
    • Provide whole-child student support
    • Seek quick wins with a 6 week cycle
    • Don’t do the Forrest Gump for learning (Box of Chocolates)

     

    As I processed the presentation with my colleagues, our curriculum coach said, “We need to stop resting our laurels on excuses, and shift our mindset into a “can do” culture. This is how we can improve our implementation!”

     

  • Blog post
  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 201

• Building A Bridge From Where W Building A Bridge From Where We Have Been to Where We Need To Go: From Reading Scholars to Common Core Implementation

  • From: Patrice_DiMare-Bucci
  • Description:

     

     

        Many of us have been reading blogposts, attending workshops, and reading research briefs on how our teaching has to shift as our districts move toward full implementation of the Common Core. We have been asked to think about balancing informational and literary text, increasing text complexity, building knowledge in the disciplines, answering text dependent questions and expanding academic vocabulary. As we are being asked to “make shifts” in these areas, its important to reflect on what we know and build a bridge to where we are being asked to go.

                Reading scholars (Allington, Pearson, Duke, Afflerback, Serafini, Keene, Beck etc) have sounded the call to quality, authentic literacy instruction long before Common Core was developed. Those of us who have valiantly tried to keep pace with the rapid explosion of research have noticed that educational reform is progressing at warp speed. As we move toward implementation of the Common Core, it is worth a look back before we look forward.

                What have we learned and how can it inform teaching going forward?

                Old debates (phonics vs. whole language – Moats/Goodman) have been replaced with new debates (leveled text vs. complex texts- Pinnell/Shanahan).  What did we learn from the decades of heated debates?  We learned that it’s about balance. We learned that it’s about the teacher. We learned that it’s about intentional, responsive teaching.  Shift? Shift toward sensitively matching readers to text in ways that attend to qualitative, quantitative and reader features (Heibert).  We have learned that reading instruction involves choosing a text carefully, not choosing a DRA level.

                 We also learned that we need to provide our students with a balanced literacy diet, engaging them in reading a variety of genre (Duke, Daniels, Raphael, Strickland).  We need to teach our students to identify and understand our purpose for reading, and to understand the author’s purpose for writing.

                 We learned that providing authentic literacy experiences means resisting rote retells, main idea worksheets, and asking students to make connections even if they don’t have any (Serafini).

                 We learned that expanding vocabulary is more than knowing Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 words (Beck, McKeown). It’s about expanding word consciousness, identifying new and unusual words, and teaching students strategies for inferring meaning of words and noticing authors’ word choice.

                As we participate in district-sponsored workshops, unpack the common core standards, and think about “shifts” we are being asked to make, its important to pause and think about where we have been, where we are are going.  We need to build on the knowledge the great reading scholars have shared with us. Allington, Pearson, Duke, Afflerback, Beck, Mckeown, Serafini, Keene, Pinnell, Shanahan, Routman, Calkins, Fisher, Frey and countless others have done great work in ALL the areas that Common Core experts of the day are highlighting.  We need to build on their work. We need to build a bridge from what they have taught us over the years to that place where students can become engaged 21^st Century learners. We need to take what they have taught us and create engaging authentic literacy experiences and resist basalizing the Common Core standards. 

                As we work toward understanding the “shifts” we are being asked to make as we implement the Common Core standards, its important to understand that we are building on what we have done, on what we have learned from some of the greats in the field.

     

  • Blog post
  • 3 months ago
  • Views: 407
  • Not yet rated

• Teacher Autonomy: Where is it Teacher Autonomy: Where is it on the Common Core Landscape?

  • From: Patrice_DiMare-Bucci
  • Description:

     March 2013

           Emerging teacher evaluation systems, federal and state education reforms, and the Common Core Standards initiative make for the perfect storm that has the potential to stifle teacher autonomy.  While these efforts to improve teaching and learning are laudable, many in the field are sounding caution.

     

           Historically, Ed reform has moved at a glacial pace. The research to practice timeline was often slow and hampered by the bureaucracy of mammoth government run departments of education. Technology has changed all that. Information delivery systems are more efficient, and accessible on demand. We now have Ed reform on steroids. Fueled by educational think tanks, political agendas, and the burgeoning edupreneurs, these stakeholders are positioning themselves to ride the wave of educational reform...right to the bank or to political office.

     

           So what does this mean for teachers and students? On the surface, teachers welcome change that enhances the societal view of their much-aligned profession.  Students on the other hand, well they continue to be unwitting participants in the continuing social experiment we call public education.

     

           For too many years, budgets have constrained reform efforts, particularly unfunded mandates like NCLB.  Current reform efforts have learned from those mistakes, and now districts have the promise of federal money in return for adherence to accountability measures. The government gives you money, and in return districts sign on to their "recommended" standards, materials, and accountability measures (Race To The Top). Education reform is a thriving business.

     

           So again, what does this mean for those of us working day to day with twenty-five pairs of eyes in front of us?   We want our profession to have supports, to be respected, so we sign on. But what are we signing on to? District leaders and union leaders guide us. But again, I ask, what are we really signing on to?

     

           As many of us work on drilling down the common core standards, crafting curriculum maps, examining essential questions, piloting common core aligned reading programs and spending hours on understanding new teacher accountability measures, the fog of initiative fatigue is lifting. The landscape is coming into focus. What is it we are seeing on the horizon? Is it managed instruction "guided" by well meaning common core standards? And where does teacher autonomy fit into this picture?  

     

           As we move through the current educational reform movements, it's important for us to understand the difference between being guided and being managed.  We need to preserve our autonomy while we follow "guidelines". We need to hone our craft through professional development and personal learning networks. We need to continue to practice intentional, responsive teaching. We need to resist scripted programs that match students to texts based on lexile levels and grade leveled reading lists. Instead, we need to further develop our expertise and fully understand how to engage our students by knowing our curriculum, knowing our students and knowing ourselves.

     

           The fog is lifting; the landscape is coming into focus. The light of new knowledge is sparking awareness, curiosity and some caution across this landscape.  Teachers are inquiring and wondering, is the demise of teacher autonomy an unintended consequence of well-intentioned managed instruction? We need a sharper focus on what’s happening as we make our way toward implementing the Common Core.

    
    

     

  • Blog post
  • 3 months ago
  • Views: 273

• Beliefs about Learning and the Beliefs about Learning and their implications for teaching and learning

  • From: Elliott_Seif
  • Description:

     

    This commentary is co-authored by Elliott Seif and Jay McTighe

    Over the past twenty years, research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience has significantly expanded our understanding of how people learn[i]. Yet educational practice has not always kept pace with this new knowledge.

    The ten statements below are an attempt to synthesize the latest research about learning. The statements, along with their suggested implications (in italics) for sound educational practice, provide a framework for developing a research-based learning framework[ii] These learning principles and their implications can be used to start a discussion of what “research-based” learning principles should be adopted by teachers, schools, and districts in a 21^st century world. A commitment to the principles and a focus on their implications might also lead to significant changes in curriculum, assessment and instructional practice. Once in place, they provide a conceptual foundation for all classroom and school reform initiatives.

    As a means of better aligning theory and practice, teachers, schools and districts should develop or adopt a set of learning principles based on research and best practices. As you read these principles and their implications, ask yourself: How would we adapt these principles to conform to what we believe are current learning principles? What changes do they suggest for schools and /or classrooms? What would it take to make student learning consistent with these principles?

     

    Ten Research-Based Principles About Learning and Their Implications

     

    1. Learning is purposeful and contextual. Therefore, students should be able to see the purpose in what they are asked to learn.To create purpose, pose relevant and “essential” questions, create meaningful challenges, conduct investigations, and/or use inquiry/problem-based learning strategies.

     

    2. Experts organize or chunk their knowledge around transferable, core concepts (“big ideas”) that guide their thinking and help them to integrate new knowledge. Therefore, content should be “chunked” and instruction framed around core ideas and transferable processes, and not learned as separate, discrete facts and skills.

    
    

    3. Learning is mediated and enhanced through different types of thinking, such as explanation, classification and categorization, inferential reasoning, analysis, synthesis, creativity and metacognition. Therefore, students should continually be engaged in complex thinking activities to help them deepen learning.

    
    

    4. Understanding is revealed and demonstrated when learners can apply/transfer/adapt their learning to new and novel situations and problems. Therefore, students should have multiple opportunities to apply their learning in meaningful and varied contexts.

     

    5. New learning is built on prior knowledge. Learners use their experiences and background knowledge to actively construct meaning about themselves and the world around them. Therefore, students must be helped to actively connect new information and ideas to what they already know and build on current understanding and skill development.

    
    

    6. Learning is social. Therefore, teachers should provide opportunities for interactive learning in a supportive environment.

    
    

    7. Attitudes and values mediate learning by filtering experiences and perceptions. Therefore, teachers should understand how student attitudes and values influence learning and help students build positive attitudes towards learning.

    
    

    8. Learning is non-linear; it develops and deepens over time. Therefore, students should revisit, refine, and revise core ideas and skills in order to develop more sophisticated and complex learning and understanding over time.

    
    

    9. Feedback enhances learning and performance. Therefore, on-going assessments should provide learners with regular, timely, and user-friendly feedback, along with the opportunity to use it to improve learning.

    
    

    10. Learning is enhanced when a learner’s preferred learning style, prior knowledge and interests are effectively accommodated. Therefore, teachers should pre-assess to find out students’ prior knowledge, learning preference and interests. They should customize instruction to address the significant differences they discover, and promote individualization through choice and options.

    
    

    *Note: To read more about Learning Principles, see Chapter 4 of Wiggins and McTighe, Schooling by Design (ASCD, 2007)

     

    ---

    [i] For example, see Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School, Washington, D.C. National Academy Press; also Willis, Judy, 2006, Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

    [ii] Adapted from ten learning principles originally published in Jay McTighe and Elliott Seif, An Implementation Framework to Support 21^st Century Skills, in Bellanca and Brandt (2010).  21stCentury skills: Rethinking How Students Learn (Solution Tree Press), Chapter 7, p. 153.

     

    Jay McTighe is an educational consultant and the author and coauthor of ten books and numerous articles, including the best-sellingUnderstanding by Design series with Grant Wiggins. His website can be found at: www.jaymctighe.com.

    Elliott Seif is a long time educator, Understanding by Design trainer, author, and consultant. His website can be found at: www.era3learning.org

    

     

  • Blog post
  • 4 months ago
  • Views: 247

• The Road to Principalship and The Road to Principalship and Beyond

  • From: Dawn_Chan
  • Description:

    This post is a part of the ASCD Forum conversation “how do we define and measure teacher and principal effectiveness?” To learn more about the ASCD Forum, go to www.ascd.org/ascdforum.

     

    I became a principal in a rather untraditional way. In the retirement of our school’s long standing co-principals, two other colleagues and I decide to apply as a leadership team. We had advanced degrees in education, but neither of us had formal administrative experience, although we had plenty of leadership roles in our professional work. My principal preparation was on the job and mentor supported. I am currently in the process of taking further coursework which combines educational leadership theory and practice, particularly through an additional leadership practicum at a local school. Having the opportunity to connect my work so far with this theory has provided me with further opportunity for reflection on my role and skills as a leader. The practicum has been a wonderful opportunity to also see how other schools are meeting the every day challenges we share as administrators.

     

    In having this varied set of experiences, I offer some considerations for administration training and continued support throughout an administrator’s journey.

     

    1. Foster leadership within a school’s faculty now. As I write this, the future administrators of our schools and boards are practicing in our classrooms. Much of what I learned in my previous leadership roles was transferrable to my work as a principal. I know many principals currently work to build leadership capacity in their schools. This said, in conjunction with various faculties of education, formalizing ways to invest in both our current formal and informal faculty leaders would be an ideal way to cultivate future administrators. Most importantly, much of the current dialogue on education reform notes the absence of teachers to the table; this process ensures that we are at the forefront of decision-making about the change in our schools.

     

    1. Making connections to leadership theory and an administrator’s day-to-day work early on in is a must in principal preparation programs. Some faculties of education have chosen to do this by having candidates participate in administration practicums in local schools. This is a great start in allowing administration candidates to see the realities and challenges of putting what the research says into daily practice. Another component of connecting theory to practice for prospective candidates is allowing them the opportunity to experience how each school community is unique and that application of their learning changes in these various contexts. Finally, administration preparation programs that have course instructors who are practicing principals can further solidify the course experiences to the work addressed daily in schools.

     

    1. Mentorship programs are critical for new principals. No matter how superb the preparation program, it is impossible to prepare an administrator for every possible scenario they will encounter. Having a mentor for at least the first two years can be an invaluable resource for leaders. I was very fortunate to have many mentors throughout the course of my time as a new administrator. A few were gracious enough to mentor me for an extended period of time, others provided support on a more short-term basis for specific challenges that I encountered. Being able to have access to individuals who were knowledgeable, supportive and truly invested in the success of the school was hugely important to my learning as a leader. These individuals were also leaders in their respective fields, so it helped to alleviate the isolation that is sometimes felt by administrators.

     

    1. Find creative ways to support continued learning for principals. Every principal I know loves to learn and does so because they want to. We are also all human and there is no such thing as a perfect principal, so continued learning is key for what we can offer to our schools. Just as I know many of my administrator colleagues work constantly to free teachers from their classes so they may engage in professional learning, principals need this time set aside too. In today’s climate where there is so much demanded of a principal, it is especially important for this time to be formalized. Doing so places emphasis on the importance of continued learning for all and the school community benefits from the growth of their leader.

     

    1. Leverage the potential of technology to connect administrators within a school board or association. Since every educator is strapped for time, another option is the possibility of creating board or association on-line learning networks. Many principals already participate in on-line communities or have developed their own global personal learning networks. While this global perspective is essential, a district or association focused Ning or Wiki could be another means to support both new and experienced administrators. The on-line component gives administrators the opportunity to connect when it works best for them and also with individuals who may be working on similar initiatives shared within a board or association. For those who are newer to this kind of learning, this would be an excellent way to practice and dive into the new technology before branching out to other networks.

     

    Investing in effective training AND providing continued support to administrators are key to a school’s success. Our classrooms highlight future leadership potential, now it remains the responsibility of the educational community on all levels to foster and sustain these leaders.

  • Blog post
  • 4 months ago
  • Views: 738

• Where Are the Education Leader Where Are the Education Leaders?

  • From: Tom_Whitby
  • Description:

    I read a post recently talking about education leaders coming from teachers. That, in my experience, is a very difficult transition for really dedicated classroom teachers to make. They are too often consumed with doing what is needed to be a great classroom teacher. Even when professional education organizations recruit leaders for their own organizations on the state, or national levels, teachers from their ranks often cannot get enough release time from their individual schools to serve in the high-time-demanding positions required to move up the ladder of leadership in those organizations. Often times, administrators, or education consultants move into these organizational leadership positions.

    I am not saying that Administrators are poor leaders, or bad people. I am pointing out that they have a unique perspective and often one not close to that of a classroom teacher. YES, there are exceptions, and every administrator reading this post probably sees himself, or herself as such an exception. The point here however is that, in many instances, the further away from a classroom that an Education leader gets, the less the leadership becomes about education and the more it is affected by other influences.

    It is understandable how this change in perspective happens. Moving from the decisions about learning to the decisions about building management, staff management, budget management, public relations, labor relations, teacher observations, schedule maintenance, community relations, Board meetings, and political considerations as a focus to lead a school or district is a shift from learning considerations being the focus. Such is the stuff of administration, and understandably there is little time left for much else. It is no wonder that the average career lifespan in a district of an administrator is less than three years. Of course administrators leaving buildings and districts after such short periods of time complicates things even more in a negative way for a variety of reasons, but that requires another post.

    Next, we need to consider the influence of technology on our leaders. Data is King. Administrative decisions can now be more easily made and numbers can be tallied in the blink of an eye. We can call it researched-based decision-making, because we have the ability to easily quantify things. We have the all-powerful numbers. The question facing our leaders would be what things to quantify. Do we have the right numbers answering the right questions? What should we be assessing and how do we do it? Does assessment always require testing?

    Who gets to make up the questions becomes key. Our politicians are concerned with elections and they will be driven by whatever the popular sentiment is, whether or not it is based in fact, or if it has an impact on learning. Our business leaders will be driven by whatever is profit bearing, whether or not has any bearing on learning. Then we have the media leaders who are driven by both the leaders of politics, as well as the leaders of business, and of course popular sentiment will drive the entire bus with all on board.

    There are many things that are wrong with our education system, which cries out for leadership and change. Of course the greatest negative influences on education, which are often overlooked, come from the outside. Issues like poverty, security, safety, nutrition, health, and family support are some of these issues. That is all further complicated by political interference, as well as a mythology built around learning, motivation, and real assessment of learning. How are these measured? How will any core curriculum or standardization change these factors of influence? Non-educators claiming enough knowledge about education constantly legislate, and mandate many things that prove to educators to be counter productive to learning. Why is this met with such little resistance from educators? A better question might be why have educators been quiet about their objections?

    Why were educators removed from the national discussion on education? How did education leaders allow this to happen? Who stood up for education?

    Ask educators today where they stand on standardized testing and compare that answer to the national agenda. I believe they will be diametrically opposing positions. Who are the education leaders that allowed this to get so far from where we should be going? I wish I could point to the leaders standing up for education. I wish we could point to specific people directing the reform movement beyond just Diane Ravitch, Michelle Rhee, Bill Gates, Arne Duncan, and Michael Bloomberg. Those are the voices that have a platform, but how many have an education portfolio of experience?

    I know the standout leaders of connected educators who speak out on many issues. I know Keynote speakers and education authors at National and statewide Education Conferences who regularly express many of the same the same concerns. They all seem to be cheerleaders for the cause of education, but have not found a way to lead educators. Is it the lack of leaders or the lack of access to a medium to get the message out?“Why is this post filled with so many unanswered questions?” is a question that a leader should answer. Who steps up for education? Where are our leaders? What medium do we use for the educator’s voice? Politicians, business people and media people always have access to media and the public audience. Educators after being demoralized in too many cases are limited and seem to be far less inclined to speak out about needed reforms in education.  But then again, even if politicians, business people and media folks were to manage their own industries and get out of education, who will step up to fill the void? Who are the real educators who will lead the real reform for education?

  • Blog post
  • 4 months ago
  • Views: 312

• Education Reform? How about Re Education Reform? How about Relationship Reform?

  • From: Ryan_Thomas1
  • Description:

    Ken Chenault, CEO for American Express, once said, “Most companies maintain their office copiers better than they build the capabilities of their people, especially the ones who are supposed to be future leaders.” This is something all educational leaders aspiring to greatness should take to heart.
    
    

    We hear an awful lot about education reform. We’re no stranger to the discourses about high-stakes testing and reaching every student. We’ve heard the “3 R’s” (“Rigor, Relevance and Relationships”) and probably bandied them around ourselves. But do we have it all backwards? Shouldn’t it be more like, “Relationships, Relevance and Rigor?”
    
    

    In the political hubbub, it seems that we may have forgotten about nurturing the capabilities of our students and teachers by taking the time to establish real and meaningful relationships with them. There are an infinite number of ways to make this happen, but here are five to get you started.
     

    Use the gradual release of responsibility model with your teachers
    You spent time in the classroom. You didn’t simply stand before your students, tell them how to do something, and then watch them blossom before your eyes, did you? Very likely, you practiced some variation on what Frey and Fisher have described as the “gradual release of responsibility model.”
    
    

    You modeled the activity; then you offered guided instruction by posing questions, facilitating discussion and collaborating with your students.  When they were ready, you had them work in pairs and when they finally mastered the activity, they put it into practice and flew on their own.
    
    

    Your faculty and staff are no different. You can tell them how to respond to student work. You can talk about classroom organization and describe mentorship, but have you gone through the gradual release process that you’d use with your students?
    
    

    Stop by a different classroom every morning
    We’ve talked about 5-minute walkthoughs as an alternative to traditional teacher evaluations. But when was the last time you stopped by a random classroom just to reconnect with teachers and students? Before you do this, you may want to arrange it with teachers to make sure that you’re not interrupting a test or presentation. You’ll also want to let them know your intentions: You’re not evaluating; your visit isn’t a guise for something punitive. You simply want to reconnect for five measly minutes.
    
    

    Substantiate your philosophies
    If you’re passionate about your school’s vision of success, you should shout it from the rooftops. But don’t expect everyone to get on board until you’ve substantiated your initiatives with scholarship. Generally speaking, people are resistant to change; they don’t like disruptions and they are skeptical of new ways of doing things.
    
    

    If you want to win their hearts, prove to them that your way is not simply “best practice” because you happen to like it. No, it’s best practice because scholarly research and data say so.
    
    

    Get out of the office
    It’s easy to find yourself cloistered up in your office for hours (maybe even days) at a time, but you’ll find that parent, student and teacher concerns become much more tangible when you see them for yourself. Setting up shop in a “satellite office” is one of the best ways to get out of the office, but without having to compromise the work you do in your home base.
    
    

    Chances are that you spend a significant amount of time on your computer. Why not head over to the computer lab or grab your laptop and work at one of the tables in the library. This is a great way to engage with students and other faculty that you don’t get to see as often as you should. It’s also the best way for you to get an in-the-trenches perspective on the school culture.
    
    

    Greet your students every morning in person
    You probably arrive well before the students, but where are you when they start to trickle in every morning? You have your hands full, but being a visible and approachable leader is as important as the duties that call from your office.
    
    

    When it’s cold outside, stand in the lobby of the front entrance to the school and greet each student with a hello or a handshake. When it’s warm, stand outside and do the same. You’ll be surprised when students start approaching you on their own accord simply to say hello or chat.
    
    

     

                                          

  • Blog post
  • 4 months ago
  • Views: 998

• Resources for Access and Equit Resources for Access and Equity

  • From: Meg_Simpson
  • Description:

    This post is a part of the ASCD Forum conversation “how do we define and measure teacher and principal effectiveness?” To learn more about the ASCD Forum, go to www.ascd.org/ascdforum, or join the ASCD Forum group on ASCD EDge.

     

    ASCD Resources for Access and Equity:

    ·         Teach Up for Excellence: Seven principles for creating classrooms that give students equal access to excellence, Educational Leadership, February 2012 (please note, this article is only available to ASCD members)

     

    ·         Four Takes on Tough Times (see Efficiency and Equity section), Educational Leadership, December 2011

     

    ·         Creating Excellent and Equitable Schools: Five schools show how to beat the odds for low-income students, Educational Leadership, May 2008.

     

    Other Resources Regarding Access and Equity:

     

    ·         Education and Urban Society, 2012: Varying Teacher Expectations and Standards: Curriculum Differentiation in the Age of Standards-Based Reform (abstract/summary)

     “The development of academic standards in each state creates the context where common educational experiences and academic outcomes exist for all students regardless of the school they attend, the teacher they have, or the learning group placed. However, while the standards-based reform has the potential to ensure more equitable educational experiences for students, its impact can be compromised by the deficit beliefs that exist about low-income students and students of color and their families.”

     

    ·         Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, 2012: “Everything that's Challenging in My School Makes Me a Better Teacher”: Negotiating Tensions in Learning to Teach for Equity (PDF)

    “This paper responds to the call for further inquiry into the experiences of graduates of urban focused teacher education programs. I present and analyze the experience of Mia, a White, monolingual English female who earned licensure in secondary social studies through a graduate-level, equity-focused teacher preparation program before accepting a position at a large, traditional diverse, underperforming, urban middle school. The paper explores how negotiating tensions in curriculum and intersections with colleagues in her school context contributes to her identity development with respect to culturally responsive, equity-oriented pedagogy.”

     

    ·         Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011: Teacher and School Leader Effectiveness: Lessons Learned from High-Performing Systems. (PDF)

    “For its examination of teacher effectiveness policies, the Alliance and SCOPE looked to Finland, Ontario, and Singapore. These jurisdictions have attracted a great deal of attention in United States education policy circles recently, and with good reason. Most significantly, they get good results: they are among the highest-performing jurisdictions in international tests of student achievement, and their results are among the most equitable in the world. The gaps between the lowest-performing and the highest-performing students in Finland, Ontario, and Singapore are much smaller than in the United States, and the average performance is quite high.”

     

    ·         National Center for Educational Evaluation and Regional Assistance, 2011: Do Low-Income Students Have Equal Access to the Highest-Performing Teachers? NCEE Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2011-4016 (PDF)

    “This brief describes the prevalence of highest-performing teachers in ten purposely selected districts across seven states. The overall patterns indicate that low-income students have unequal access, on average, to the district's highest-performing teachers at the middle school level but not at the elementary level. However, there is evidence of variation in the distribution of highest-performing teachers within and among the ten districts studied. Some have an under-representation of the highest-performing teachers in high-poverty elementary and middle schools. Others have such under-representation only at the middle school level, and one district has a disproportionate share of the district's highest-performing teachers in its high-poverty elementary schools.”

     

    ·         Pursuing Equity in and through Teacher Education Program Admissions, Education Policy Analysis Archives, v19 n24 Aug 2011

    “This case study investigated equity in teacher education admissions. Through document analysis and structured interviews with ten past or current members of the admissions committee in a large initial teacher education program in Ontario, we developed an understanding of equity in teacher education admissions as encompassing two foci: equity in admissions--that is, equity of access for applicants to the program--and equity through admissions--that is, equity of educational opportunity and outcomes for the children in the schools where the teachers trained by the programs will eventually teach. Our analysis illustrates the importance of recognizing both foci and the tensions between them.”

     

    ·         National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, 2010: Ensuring the Equitable Distribution of Teachers: Strategies for School, District, and State Leaders. (PDF)

    “The brief contains the following information: (1) An explanation of the problem of inequitable teacher distribution; (2) An overview of school policies and practices that appear to contribute to equitable teacher distribution; (3) Strategies for school leaders to enhance teacher recruitment, hiring, and placement practices as well as improve working conditions; (4) Strategies for district leaders to enhance teacher recruitment, hiring, and placement practices as well as improve teacher compensation policies; (5) Strategies for state and federal leaders to facilitate district policymaking and build district capacity to support the equitable distribution of teachers; and (6) Resources to support leaders in promoting the equitable distribution of teachers.”

  • Blog post
  • 4 months ago
  • Views: 199
  • Not yet rated

• Mosaic of Effectiveness Mosaic of Effectiveness

  • From: Jason_Flom
  • Description:

    This post is a part of the ASCD Forum conversation on “how do we define and measure teacher and principal effectiveness?” To learn more about the ASCD Forum, go to www.ascd.org/ascdforum or join the ASCD Forum group.

     

    What is an effective teacher?

     

    It is the question we have paradoxically circled around and yet, improbably, ignored. Rather than define, describe and debate what effective teachers are or are not, we default to discourse on holding teachers accountable with test scores—crude metrics at best, destructive red herrings at worst.  In essence, we put the cart before the horse: measuring “effective” teaching before we know what it is or looks like.

     

    So what is an effective teacher?

     

    The effective teacher is a mosaic of professional behaviors, skills, and habits of mind that collectively amount to students’ vigorous well-being in body, mind, and emotion, or, in education reform parlance, “achievement” (another term crudely defined as a test score by default). The foundation of these behaviors, skills, and habits is learning: curiosity, inquiry, and a testing of theories. As a starting point, effectiveness in the business of learning is effectiveness as a learner.

     

    However, “master learner” is not synonymous with “effective teacher.” Educators must possess and apply a host of other qualities consistently in the service of students to attain the coveted “effectiveness” status. Dr. Leo Sandy, Professor of Counselor Education and School Psychology at Plymouth State University, penned a short essay, The Effective Teacher, that might serve as a good starting point for creating a common definition. Below is a distillation of his main points.

     

    He wrote:

    The effective teacher . . .

    • Must be a leader who can inspire and influence students through expert and referent power but never coercive power.
    • Is a provocateur who probes, prods, asks incessant why questions
    • Exemplifies what Maxine Green calls teacher as stranger.
    • Models enthusiasm not only for his subject but also for teaching and learning.
    • Is an innovator who changes strategies, techniques, texts, and materials when better ones are found and/or when existing ones no longer provide a substantive learning experience for her students.
    • Is a comedian/entertainer who uses humor in the service of learning.
    • Is a coach or guide who helps students to improve.
    • Is a genuine human being or humanist who is able to laugh at herself and the absurdity in the world without being cynical and hopeless.
    • Is a sentinel who provides an environment of intellectual safety.
    • Is an optimist or idealist.
    • Is one with others. He is a collaborator who places a high value on collegiality.
    • Is a revolutionary because she knows that, with the exception of parenthood, her role is the most vital one on earth in the preservation of the sanctity of life and its natural outcome – the elevation of humanity.

    It is here where I believe we should take up the question of what constitutes an effective teacher. Not because I agree with all of Dr. Sandy’s suggestions, but because I think they best approximate the kaleidoscope of responsibilities necessary to understand and meet the needs of all students.

     

    Hopefully for now we can set aside the brainstorm inhibitors—“How will these be measured?” and “How can we possibly go to scale with such subjective qualities?” Instead, let’s first understand what we want of our teachers (perhaps by considering the kind of transformational experiences we want for our students) and then determine the best ways to observe, cultivate, and measure those actions, behaviors, and “achievements.”  

     

    Image: eHow

  • Blog post
  • 5 months ago
  • Views: 1237

• The Accountability Canyon The Accountability Canyon

  • From: Kim_Barker
  • Description:

    With all the talk about the fiscal cliff, I feel the public isn't hearing all there is to know about the dangers looming ahead in education. Dubbed the Accountability Canyon, we have created a vortex where students are being exposed to high stakes testing upwards of hundreds of times in order to graduate high school.

    {Read more here...http://www.the-faithful-home.blogspot.com/2013/01/blog-post.html }

  • Blog post
  • 5 months ago
  • Views: 201
  • Not yet rated

• Top 10 Blogs of 2012 Top 10 Blogs of 2012

  • From: Tim_Ito
  • Description:

    How will we remember 2012? Once again, it has been a challenging year for many in education. The school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., shocked and saddened educators worldwide, and reawakened the discussions as to what role schools can play to best keep their children safe. At the same time, the shooting reminded everyone of the commitment and love that teachers and principials have for their students, as they put their energies, their focus and their lives on the line for kids on a regular basis.

     

    Seeing that kind of commitment, bravery and dedication from educators is what makes us most hopeful for the future. In the United States, teachers and adminstrators are pushing boldly in many areas to reform schools and improve student learning. Already, many districts have begun adopting new curriculum and assessment frameworks tied to Common Core State Standards. Worldwide, educators have moved to try new instructional approaches such as flipped classrooms and blended learning. And they are beginning to increasingly implement new technology strategies, establishing bring-your-own device programs and one-to-one iPad programs -- all the while improving upon core instructional best practices and techniques.

     

    We salute all those who are dedicated to improving student learning and achievement -- and are truly making a difference in the lives others.  In particular, as we do at this time every year, we would also like to tip our hat to our own community leaders -- those who have detailed their vision and ideas in the blogs below, and who have put thoughts out in the public domain for scrutiny and praise. As we look back at the past year, we hope that, in some small way, it can provide the impetus for helping you look forward, as you implement your own new ideas in 2013.

     

    Thanks to all of you who participate in our great ASCD EDge community. Have a safe and happy holidays.  And without further delay, we present...The Top 10 Blogs of 2012.

     

    The ASCD EDge Team

     

    The Top 10 Blogs of 2012

     

    10.  A Bucket List for K-12 Students   by Steven Weber

    In 2007, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman starred in The Bucket List.  In the movie, Nicholson and Freeman make a list of things they wish to do before they die...

     

    9.  12 Alternatives To Letter Grades In Education  by Terrell Heick

    Few artifacts of formal learning are as iconic as the letter grade...

     

    8.  Getting Ready for the Start of School Part II: Why Some Teachers Have Smooth Running Classrooms   by Muriel Rand

    I have observed many, many teachers in elementary and early childhood classrooms and the ones that have the smoothest-running classrooms all do the same thing: they teach procedures...

     

    7.  5 Top Resources for Aligning Your Social Studies Curricula to the Common Core  by Robert Zywicki

    Social studies supervisors and teachers across the country are revising their unit plans to meet their state’s content standards, as well as, the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History and Social Studies...

     

    6.  Eight Types of Instructional Strategies That Improve Learning in a 21st Century World   by Elliott Seif

    In today’s world, with its rich and overwhelming amount of accessible information, bewildering career options, uncertainty, and change, five skill areas stand out as important for lifelong learning...

    

    5.  10 of the Best Apps for Educators  by Ryan Thomas

    Whether you're an educational technology wonder, or a little slower on the draw, apps for your iPhone and/or iPad can make your job a lot easier...

     

    4.  What I Wish I Had Known about Student Motivation  by Bryan Goodwin

    “You’re a smart kid; I just wish you’d apply yourself in my class.”  Most teachers have uttered a similar phrase. I know I did. I remember one student particularly well; we’ll call him Jerry....

     

    3.  Five Reasons I don't Assign Homework  by Mark Barnes

    The homework debate is one that has permeated education for many decades, and it shows no signs of slowing. Homework proponents perplex me, because the research is so overwhelmingly against homework's effectiveness... 

     

    2.  The Seven C's of Effective Teaching    by Muriel Rand

    I recently attended an educational assessment conference in which Ronald Ferguson from the Harvard Kennedy School was the keynote speaker. He is an educational researcher who presented his work on teacher effectiveness...

    

    And the number one blog of 2012 is:

     

    1.  SOCRATES FAILS TEACHER EVALUATION    by Heidi Hayes Jacobs

    So, it came down to one day, one test, at the Acropolis as the young men of Athens took out their #2 chisels to answer 30 questions on stone tablets...

     

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 6 months ago
  • Views: 2715

• A Transitional Dilema A Transitional Dilema

  • From: Robert_Thollander
  • Description:

     

    My school is going through an administration transition.  It has been tough on everyone: staff, teachers, and students.   Recent events have my considering if I should change schools or even stay in education.  I reached out to a good friend for advice.  I met her when she interviewed me when I flew to Chicago for my first interview to become an educator.  At the time, she was the Program Director of Chicago Teaching Fellows.  We have stayed in touch over the years and she has excelled in her career and become the Program Director of The New Teacher Project (The 'parent' organization of the fellows programs in the US) and is now the Program Manager at a larger but more focused educational reform group.  During my initial teacher training, her drive to close the achievement gap in the US really imprinted on me and she still continues to inspire me with her dedication and wisdom as you will see in the conversation posted bellow.

     

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    me

    Hey Andrea, I hope you have been doing well!  Things are not going good at my school and I need to get out of the school before the new administration fires me (I'm being 'bullied').  I am thinking about leaving teaching altogether.  Do you have any inspiring words of advice?

     

    andrea

    Hi Bobby!I! It is great to hear from you- but I am SO sorry about what you have been going through- you have done an incredible job caring about each and everyone of your students, focusing on their academic growth and pushing them to aspire for greater things in the future.  It really is Collin's loss if they haven't been able to provide a setting that allows you to feel supported, safe and encourages your development. It is ok to feel the way you feel.  I cannot blame you for wanting to put yourself first and take care of your basic needs. Being bullied is NOT ok.  When a situation becomes too harmful (emotionally, physically) you need to feel like you can walk away. If it does come to that with your school- I would just make sure you do everything you can to leave your students with a smooth transition so that your departure does not disrupt their learning. I do however want to strongly encourage you to think harder about teaching- I have seen and heard of your work and I know- and I hope you know- that you are an incredible educator.  It would be a devastating loss to have you leave the profession.  Don't let your experience at this school spoil your gift- if after reflecting you recognize that it was your recent experience that has you considering leaving- then take a break and find a place where you fit- where you can thrive and still impact student learning.

     

    me

    Thank you so much for your kind words.  Reading them made me feel so much better.  The last administrator that we had for the past three years left yesterday and right before he did, he pulled me aside and warned me that they are looking at every little thing and are waiting for me to make even the tiniest mistake to try to get rid of me.  I guess I don't fit their profile of what an educator should look like and how an educator should educate.   I don’t want to leave teaching, I really do love it, and I absolutely LOVE my kids here at Collins.  I'm teaching the seniors anatomy and I taught them biology when they were sophomores.  I have seen them grow so much and am doing everything I can to help them get into the college of their choice with scholarships.  However, yesterday the Interim Principal who took over recently screamed in my face because I gave a couple of students a hall pass to go to their counselors to get college applications that I was going to help them fill out.  So, yes, I love teaching.  However, this experience this year has been so emotionally draining that so many other things seem more appealing.

     

    me

    Last night, I rewrote my resume and made a detailed 5 page CV detailing my experiences as an educator.But then I also started looking into schools and found this:  http://www.snre.umich.edu/sites/all/files/behavior_education.pdf and this:    http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/teaching/msc/admissions.php

    But I just don't know what to do.

     

    me

    On a happy note:  It was announced today that my favorite senior who I've been mentoring for 3 years got the Posse scholarship (over $240,000) and my top senior last year got it too!  Both want to be doctors or scientists!

     

    andrea

    Wow- it sounds like the culture and climate at your school has really turned toxic. I'm sorry to hear that- from what you've articulated it really does sounds like there has been a dramatic change (and there was a strong difference in vision between the old and interim administrators), On a side note- the work that you've done with your kids sounds awesome! It truly is the kids that keep us going huh- too bad dysfunctional systems and admin make situations so unbearable for excellent teachers!  I'm glad your heart is still in it- you've definitely done your piece in helping close the gap in Chicago and I know you have many more successes ahead of you. I think your approach is good- if it were me I'd focus on teaching within my classroom walls during the day and quietly look at other teaching jobs for this year (that way you have choices if something happens) and you find a good fit.  And you try to stick it out for your kids with a solid back up plan. Looking at your links- if you want to apply for grad school- that is always an option too- I mean it's never a bad investment to continue to improve ourselves. I'd love to see you continue in education- the one piece of advice I have to give you about grad school is - instead of approaching it as "what program interests me and then I'll find a job I qualify for," map out your ideal job- then identify what education you need and work backwards. Our jobs are such a big part of our life it is important to find something that fulfills and challenges us in the long run.

     

    andrea

    How fantastic!!!  We need more scientists!!  That is awesome; I hope you celebrate your success with that one

     

     

    me

    Again, thank you so much for your kind and inspiring words.  That is such good advice and I feel so much more at ease.  I'm going to do what you said, I promised my kids when we found out the principal was leaving (two weeks later a VP left and yesterday the other VP left) that I would be here for them as long as I am able to.  They have been asking me why I'm still here and why I haven't left yet and I tell them it's because of them!  Half of our staff was fired or left last year and replaced with first year teachers.  Your advice about grad school makes so much sense and you have answered a question that I have been wondering for about a year.  Thank you so much.  I really appreciate you and will always always-always be thankful for everything I've learned from you.

     

    andrea

    You're so welcome! Your dedication to your kids is always an inspiration to me!  Please reach out anytime you want to talk about anything.

     

    me

    Thank you!!! J It’s so good talking to you.

     

    andrea

    likewise

     

    me

    I literally just took the deepest breath and feel much better.

     

    andrea

    Good!  I’m so glad.

     

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 6 months ago
  • Views: 379

• SMART Goal for the Common Core SMART Goal for the Common Core

  • From: Robert_Zywicki
  • Description:

    

    My last blog, Tackling the Common Core, detailed how I led my department to align our curricula to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for literacy in History/Social Studies. For the past nine weeks, the newly aligned curricula have been put to the test in our classrooms. Consequently, our professional learning communities (PLCs) have transitioned from planning and writing to implementation and reflection.  

    To ensure quality implementation of our CCSS aligned curricula, I am utilizing a SMART goal strategy with my department. SMART goals are used to strategically plan and achieve objectives. Our SMART goal is driven by PLC-based common assessments, peer observation, lesson study, and the analysis of student performance data.

    When launching a new curriculum, supervisors and teachers need to address any gaps among the written, taught, and assessed curriculum. Curriculum gaps can arise due to unforeseen changes in instruction and assessment strategies, discrepancies in sequencing or pacing, or disparate student outcomes. In New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy resulted in school being closed for a week. Curriculum gaps could have occurred as teachers scrambled to adjust their plans for lost instructional time. Our SMART goal provided a framework for teachers to collaborate within their PLC to identify and quickly close any curriculum gaps.

    Here is our SMART goal:

     

    2012-13 PLC SMART Goal

    Specific

    Teachers will collaborate via PLCs to implement the CCSS in all department courses during the 2012-13 school year.

     

    Measurable

    Teachers will assess the implementation of the CCSS by analyzing common assessment data and performing analytics in Rubicon Atlas.

     

    Achievable

    This goal will be achieved via four PLC-based activities:

    · develop and analyze at least one common formative assessment per curriculum unit aligned to the CCSS

    · develop and analyze a common end of course CCSS aligned summative assessment

    · participate in at least four peer observations to provide feedback on lessons that target the CCSS

    · engage in lesson study to share best practices for teaching with newly acquired CCSS aligned resources from Brown Choices, DBQ Project, Gilder Lehrman Institute, and SPICE

     

    Relevant

    The CCSS define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs.

     

    Time Bound

    The PLC will provide the supervisor summaries of weekly meetings, PLC SMART goal related work product, and an end of year (June 2013) PLC report/portfolio detailing their activities and data analysis.

  • Blog post
  • 7 months ago
  • Views: 1164

• Comprehensive Planning Comprehensive Planning

  • From: Jason_Ellingson
  • Description:

    As superintendent, I feel it is my duty to continually think of the path of progress for my district.  In reality, I know there are many paths trying to improve our local educational system - each teacher, support staff members, board member, or administrator may have a slightly different vision of what progress looks like and should be.  Through time and discussion, we have learned that collectively we can move forward faster, stronger, and better than with un-aligned forces and interests.  (Seems like an appropriate time for a shout out to my alignment guru, Brad Niebling!)

     

    So, as I work to understand and align the various passions, philosophies, and practices in my district, I also think about the forces in the state at large.  At a recent Curriculum Network meeting at my AEA, we discussed some fairly strong competitive forces at the Department of Education, in the state Legislature, and throughout Iowa's school districts.

     

    For education reform or transformation or simply improvement to move forward as fast, as strong, as good as possible we must align our forces and our energies.  How do we have comprehensive improvement when we are debating third grade retention at the same time we espouse competency-based education?  It seems to me the two are not philosophically compatible, nor practically compatible.  Yet, strong forces on both sides leave gridlock, status quo and inertia.

     

    Further, we continue to learn more about the Smarter Balanced consortium and its instruction/assessment suite of tools, yet we also debate the merits of specific end-of-course exams.  Do they work together, or against each other?  Further, in a truly competency-based system, there may not even be courses to have end-of-course exams.

     

    In each Iowa district, each teacher and administrator is required to have an individual professional development plan aligned to a building professional plan that is aligned to the district plan that is aligned to the district comprehensive school improvement plan (and the Iowa Core implementation plan).  With all of this aligned planning, the expectation is forces are united and greater progress occurs.  I believe the same expectation is needed at the state policy level.

     

    We need to work to come together - then work together - so out efforts this far do not come undone.

  • Blog post
  • 7 months ago
  • Views: 325
  • Not yet rated