At my school we get a wealth of data from NWEA as we take MAP.  This gives our teachers a lot of info on their incoming students and allows them to see class wide trends.  We also have a new state assessment and we are getting better info from that assessment.

What are some things you are doing in your class or your school to best utilize the data available to you?  Are you really using it to drive instructional decisions?  If so, how? 

 1.  Are you blogging as much as you had in the past?  If not, why do you think this is so?

2.  Is twitter effecting your blogging?  How?

 I guess what I am hoping for is a way to continue to use both blogging and tweeting in my quest to be a true life long learner.  I do not want to abandon either platform, but I wonder if splitting the time is detrimental.  PLN - Let me hear your thoughts.

The results of the survey are used by me for my professional growth.  I try to be reflective as I study the results of the survey.  I will tell you up front - it is very tough to open yourself up for an anonymous survey.  You must go into knowing that the results will help you get better!  I am a very reflective person and I have to keep this in mind.  One of the things I try to do is create a synopsis of the results to share with the teachers and the leadership team.  If something keeps coming up, good or bad, there is probably a big need to look into it.  I try to see what “the middle” is saying and make these my top priorities.

This survey has become a tool that I value greatly.  It guides my professional growth and hopefully keeps me attuned to the needs/desires of my staff.  It will also be interesting to look back at each year once I have 10 years in!

In education we often add so many things and sometimes to take stuff away when we do this.  Our leadership team is going to sit down and see what we still do that is either unproductive or duplicating something else.  It should be an interesting session and I look forward to our NOT to do list.  Have you created a NOT to do list before for your school?

I posted this entry on my school podcast/blog as well.  As you know, I often write (well, it has been awhile….) about literacy.  It is drastically important o keep our students reading over he summer.  What are you doing to keep your students reading over the summer.  I would love to hear your ideas!

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It has been a long time since my last post and the summer is upon us.  We have one more week until school lets out for he summer.  While this is an exciting time for the students, it is important for learning to stay on the agenda during the summer.  In fact, research clearly indicates that many student lose ground academically during the summer.  This is from John Hopkins University:

Source: The Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Summer Learning The Problem

• All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Research shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of summer vacation (Cooper, 1996).
• On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Studies reveal that the greatest areas of summer loss for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, are in factual or procedural knowledge (Cooper, 1996).
• Low-income children and youth experience greater summer learning losses than their higher income peers. On average, middle-income students experience slight gains in reading performance over the summer months. Low-income students experience an average summer learning loss in reading achievement of over two months (Cooper, 1996).
• Summer learning loss contributes to the achievement gap in reading performance between lower and higher income children and youth. Research demonstrates that while student achievement for both middle- and lower-income students improves at similar rates during the school year, low-income students experience cumulative summer learning losses over the elementary school grades (Alexander & Entwisle, 1996).
• Large numbers of students who qualify for federally subsidized meals do not have the same level of access to nutritious meals during the summer as they do during the school year. Only one in five (21.1 per 100) of the 15.3 million children who receive free or reduced-price school lunches on a typical day during the regular school year participate in federal nutrition programs during the summer (Food Research and Action Center, 2002).
• Studies show that out-of-school time is a dangerous time for unsupervised children and teens. They are more likely to use alcohol, drugs, and tobacco; engage in criminal and other high-risk behaviors; receive poor grades; and drop out of school than those who have the opportunity to benefit from constructive activities supervised by responsible adults (Carnegie Council, 1994).

What can be done to prevent summer loss?  Check out the following website for more information:  http://www.readingrockets.org/article/15218#curb

The most important thing you can do is make reading a priority at your house.  We will mail the summer reading list home with your child’s last report card.  There are many ways you can encourage reading at home.  You can designate a family reading time that will allow your child to see you and others read.  You can read books, magazines etc…  Please take some time and visit the above linked website for a variety of easy to implement activities.  The best part is they are free of charge!

The group will have a very wide range of technological backgrounds.  Some of the principals are proficient in many technologies and some have very limited experience.   I want to somehow appeal t each and everyone n the audience.  The presentation will be about two hours.

What should we include in our presentation?  I know I would like to start off with a poll everywhere demonstration.  Here are some ideas we have so far:

poll everywhere

twitter - for developing a PLN and for school communication

podcasting

What do you think we should include?

Has Anything Changed?

I was going to post this entry 2 years ago.  I put it together and saved it without ever publishing it.  I was sorting through my admin. panel this evening and happened upon it.  It was an article about cell phones from Jan. 2008.  Clearly, we know there are many advantages to using cell phones in the classroom.  However, I wonder if we have come very far in actual implementation over the past 2 years?

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Many schools are forced to spend a lot of time on cell phones.  Here is an article out of N.Y.  Maybe if there was a more widespread use of cell phones as learning tools, they would be more accepted at school.

Confusion Over New York

Cellphone Ban in Schools

From - http://www.cellular-news.com/story/28376.php

Students returning to school this week in New York face a dilemma over what to do with their mobile phones when they enter the school property. Under a City Council law passed last September, pupils are allowed to carry phones with them on their journey to school - but not to then carry the phone into the school, causing confusion at the school gates. Plans by some schools to set up secure lockers for the mobile phones have been delayed by at least a year.

“It doesn’t make any sense at all,” Lashea Suggs, a pupil at the Young Women’s Leadership School told the local New York Post. “How can you bring your phone to school and have nowhere to put it when you get to school?”

City mayor, Michael Bloomberg imposed a ban in 2006 after he introduced metal detectors at some schools to help cut down on knife crime - and mobile phones were amongst the items confiscated. Responding to parent pressure who said that mobile phones were essential for safety reasons, the city council passed the new law which was aimed at forcing the Department of Education to find a solution to allowing children to be near their phone, without disrupting school lessons.

Enterprising local retailers have seized the opportunity caused by the confusion and for a charge will store a students mobile phone for them during the day - allowing them to collect the phone when they are heading home again.

There is a legal challenge to the ban - but it wont be heard until next month at the earliest.

Posted to the site on 3rd January 2008

One of the most important roles in a school is that of the assistant principal.  (Disclaimer:  I am currently an assistant principal, so these may be a bit biased!).  The duties of the assistant principal are wide ranging and quickly changing.  The job has always entailed student discipline and supervision as well as other managerial tasks such as bus duty, scheduling, event coverage, “key keeper” and so on.  However, assistant principals are asked to delve more and more into curriculum and improving student achievement.

Most assistant principals welcome this new requirement.  I have never pulled into the school parking lot excited about bus duty or making sure all of the doors are locked during an emergency drill.  I am quite certain most of my colleagues feel the same way.  I am an assistant principal so I can impact students.  I want to increase student achievement and allow each and every child to be the best they can be.  I want to be an instructional leader.  I want to gather and analyze data to improve instruction.  I want to build relationships with kids so they have another person looking after them and encouraging them through the tough times we call school.  I want to work with other adults collaboratively in the best interest of kids. 

Many, if not all, assistant principals do these things.  We know it is expected of us and we enjoy doing it.  We know it is in the best interest of the students.  However, many assistant principals struggle to find a way to balance the time demands of being an instructional leader and a manager.

I do not always want to do bus duty.  I do not particularly want to sort the bins of testing materials for the state assessment.  However, I know these are parts of my job and I always complete them with the most diligence and professionalism.  All of this presents an issue.  How can an assistant principal use the time afforded to “manage” the school and still be the instructional leader that he/she wants to be?

The National Association of Secondary Schools Principals recently selected 15 administrators for a task force on the assistant principalship.  I was honored to be one of those selected.  We will be spending a lot of time on defining the role of the assistant principal.  I am truly excited to be part of the task force and eagerly look forward to working with colleagues from across the nation.  

Assistant principals were stretched on time before the accountability aged rolled in.  Taking care of the nuts and bolts of school operation takes a tremendous amount of time. What are some of the ways an assistant principal can complete both managerial type duties with more instructional focused ones?      

I have worked directly with 9 or 10 different assistant principals during my time as a school administrator.  All of us have aspirations to be a building principal.  Two of them have already been promoted to lead their own school.  We realize that to prepare ourselves for our future role, we need to be the strongest instructional leaders.  Handling referrals are one thing, but if we are ever to be entrusted to run our own school, we know we have to stand out from the crowd.  We decided to develop procedures to give ourselves time for the instructional duties we wanted to perform.

At my last high school we made a fundamental change to how we handled student discipline.  Previously, we were each assigned a part of the alphabet and if one of our students received a referral, we handled it.  We often found ourselves in the office for a good part of the day.  One of my colleagues came up with a great plan.  Our school was rather large and there were 5 assistant principals.  Instead of handling student discipline via the alphabet we created a schedule that allowed us to be out of the office for 3 full days a week (sometimes even 4 days!).  Two administrators were assigned to discipline each day.  When you had discipline duty, you were often handling referrals all day.  This kept you tied to the office, but it created much more time during a given week to observe classes, work with data, and do the things we really want to do.  A positive unintended side effect was that referrals were handled much quicker as well.

At my current middle school we have 3 assistant principals.  We handle student referrals for our grade level.  I have tried to implement a few procedures to use my time as efficiently as possible.  I always make it a point to handle referrals as quickly as possible.  I think the teachers enjoy this and it is better for the students.  If a student misbehaves in class and three days later I ask why they did what they did, I will usually get a look of confusion.  Maybe they are trying to get out of trouble, but three days to a middle school child is similar to how I feel watching my beloved Dolphins this year (for the non-football fans, the Dolphins are 0-11!).

I try to schedule a time each day to handle student discipline issues.  The 7^th grade students attend their elective classes the last two periods of the day.  I generally handle referrals during this time.  It keeps them in their core classes as much as possible.  However, I am a true believer in the benefits of the arts, so I am not so sure this is the best plan possible.  Of course, some incidents require immediate attention and these are handled as they arise.  At my school, most of the incidents seem to occur outside of class.  I make an attempt to be as visible as possible during class change.  Hopefully, this is preventing some incidents before they occur. 

If you surveyed assistant principals, I think the number one issue would be finding time to be an instructional leader in light of our other responsibilities.  I would also predict that these instructional duties are why just about all of us chose this profession.  I hope serving on the task force will allow me to learn from others on how they manage their time.    

One of the big obstacles schools face is community and parental involvement.  Sometimes it is easy–drive by your local high school on a Friday night.  Depending on where you live, you may see the entire town (or close to it) at the school.  There is excitement in the air and everyone is pumped up about your school.  This is too easy!  However, we know why the people are there.

Sometimes the crowd gathers in the school auditorium.  Once again there is excitement in the air and everyone is there to see the hard work of the students.  Hours and hours have been spent rehearsing for the gathering.  The work has been done and the playbills are ready for distribution.  Wow, it is really easy to get families in our schools!

There are many examples where we are successful at bringing the community and families into our schools.  However, the previous examples deal with athletics and the arts.  These are important functions of schools and are worthy programs.  Once the crowd leaves and the staff is ready to head home their thoughts turn to the next evening.  Science Night!  Experiments are planned and there is even a guest speaker from the prestigious university.  The crowd should be huge!

The following evening rolls around and Science/Math/Literacy Night is set to begin. The anticipated reality then sets in.  There are only a handful of families in attendance.  The same can be seen at School Improvement Council meetings, PTA meetings, Curriculum Nights and the list continues.  Apparently, we have the ability to get families in our school (see first two examples) but it is the rare exception rather than the norm.  How can we increase attendance at ALL of our school events?

Publicize, Publicize, Publicize

If you are having an event at your school, you need to work extra hard in getting the word out.  Simply putting it in a newsletter and on the school marquee is not enough.  Advertise in the local paper. Post it on your school blog (you have one, right?).  Most importantly, reach out to your community!  Go to the places your community goes.  Post a flyer at the local grocery store.  The local restaurants often have community message boards.  What about the dry cleaners?  Everyone has to get their hair done or cut.  I am sure the salon would allow you to post your information.  Local churches?  Gas stations?

Truly Welcome Them In

Many people are intimidated by schools.  We are not always the most welcoming places.  We need to work to change that perception.  If the only time a parent hears from us is when their child is in trouble, why would they want to visit us?  Connect with the community and families often.  We must spread our good news because if we do not, who will?  And of course, a free meal never hurts!

What about the parents who work during the evening?  If a parent works second shift, are we catering to their needs?  If everything is planned for after school, when can they participate?  I do not think we are going to plan anything that starts at midnight, so we need to think of something else.  Why not run the program twice, with the first one mid-morning?  This would only work for certain events, but it is a start.

Engage Them

We work hard to create programs and courses that will engage our students.  We need to focus this same energy on our efforts to bring the community to our schools.  If we are fortunate to get them in the door, we better show them an exciting time!  Some events are more inclined to engage the audience, but we must make every effort to engage them no matter the reason for their visit.  We expect the same from all of our teachers, regardless of the course they teach.

Feedback

Sometimes what we think may be important and exciting does not resonate with our community or families.  We need to know what they think.  Exit slips are an easy way to gather this data.  Once they are there, find out what they liked.  We need to focus on our customers.  This also needs to be done before events are planed as well.  Surveys are an easy way to gauge interest.  These can be sent home with all of the forms that need to be filled out at the beginning of the year.

We all know how challenging it is to get genuine community/family involvement at our schools.  However, it can be done.  We need to reach out to our families.   We can no longer (could we really ever?) expect the families to show up simply because we plan something.  We need to make sure our schools are inviting places.  We need to go the extra mile in getting the word out to the community.  Just as we expect from our teachers, we need to engage them once they arrive.  Is it easy?  Of course not.  Is it worth the effort?  I think we all know the answer to that question.