It is interesting to see the differences in opinions between the groups. In the article is also talks about national standards. My last post dealtwith this same topic. I was surprised to read the statistics regarding national standards. The article from the LA Times concluded:
“Groups were split on replacing state-by-state academic standards with national ones. Most of the general public favors it (59%). Most teachers (43% support) and administrators (41%) do not.”
As an administrator I would highly favor national standards. Sure, it would be tough and uncomfortable for some states, but if we are being judged by student proficiency, we all need to be on the same playing field. I can only imagine the debate and politics creating national standards would create. I know many educators in states with the toughest standards become discouraged when the students are performing well nationally but marked below basic or not proficient on the state level.
Kudos to the states that have set the bar high–keep making your educators and students strive for excellence. If national standards were created, obviously some states would have to lower their standards. However, the lowering of standards would only have to occur for NCLB and for determining proficiency. I would hope these states would keep their high standards for their own purposes.
I think this is the correct path for public education. The bar needs to be set high, and it needs to be set equally. I realize all states are coming from different places, but should we not have the same lofty goals? What are your opinions on national standards?
Article and information from latimes.com
I read an interesting report comparing the states in regards to state assessments and determining proficiency. If you have been reading my blog, you know I recently moved to South Carolina from Florida. When I moved here all of the teachers were telling me how difficult the PACT is. I was sure it was difficult, but I was also sure all of the other state’s assessments were difficult as well. It was funny, in Florida we all thought the FCAT was probably the most difficult of all.
As time went on here in SC I kept hearing how difficult the PACT is. I kept thinking, “Well, O.K., but so are ALL of the other assessments the other states utilize. I then came across this report that scales the state assessments to the NAEP. I think this is a great tool to gauge where states stand. Are some states requiring their kids to do much better than other sates? It appears as this is the case. It plainly points out the differences in what is considered proficient from state to state.
I understand the NCLB is a federal act and the state’s are to determine the course of public eduction (in theory at least). However, if the states are responsible for moving all of their students to proficient or above, I think we should all use the same measuring stick. You can view the report at
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2007482.asp
If a state sets the bar too high, is it a double edged sword? Is it worth it? I would love to hear your reaction to the findings. Where does your state rank?
Is your school up to date with technology? I am going to assume most readers of this blog are technically literate - probably more so than me. However, I want to talk about the importance of creating a truly effective technology course of action at a school. Disclaimer-I am not an expert in technology. I have gone through major technology implementations at schools and want to share the process we followed. I know most schools have a ton of computers and maybe even a few smart boards. Does your current technology plan effectively serve your students? This is an important question that each school leader needs to ask. If we have all of the tech resources in the world and they are not serving our students, what is the use?
It is easy to be impressed by sleek computers with LCD monitors that fill several computer labs. Throw in a few high tech looking machines and you are really cooking. If you can round up a few robots that someone made and all of the school tours will go through that room. Once you look past the gloss, how does your tech program stack up?
What do you really need?
This is going to vary widely. If your school is a bit behind on the tech curve, this could be just brining your technology up to par. Maybe you need to create a computer lab where teachers can bring classes to work on projects. Wireless laptop carts are great as they can be moved room to room on a daily basis (if the rooms are equipped for wireless). I have witnessed wonderful work in wireless labs. If your school is ahead of the game, your needs are going to be much different. Decide on what you want to do. At my former high school, it was decided that we needed a new high-tech lab. Not just a computer lab—we already had several. This new lab would consist of computers, industry standard milling machines and robots, cutting edge software and more. It is what we needed (and fortunately had enough money to spend i.e. grants!). Wireless lap top carts are exciting (and expensive) and I think they allow for truly effective tech based work. Make sure you really focus on what your school needs.
Purchasing
This part is easy. You have decided what it is your school really needs. Now it is time to purchase everything! Let the fun begin! Each district has their own rules and regulations concerning purchasing. If it is from grant funds, you tend to have the most flexibility. This could mean better deals, more for your money. However, sometimes you are bound to a bid list. I always try to avoid this, but I guess it really depends on your district. The next step is the most crucial in the entire process.
Read the rest of this entry »
I was notified today that the comment field was not working properly. It is now operational. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions. Thank you for bearing with me as I learn more about blogging each day!
We all know there are a million programs available for purchase that promise to raise student achievement to a whole new level. The glossy ads promise a data driven approach that is guaranteed to work. You can have all this and more for just a small payment of (fill in the blank) dollars. We even have a teacher’s edition to get you started!
I must admit these deals are tempting. Everything looks slick in the glossy materials. They seem to be data driven, one our most precious buzz words. I think we have all been tempted to put our hands in the cookie jar. I know I have. Actually, I purchased one of these programs on a small scale—for one department in a high school. I thought our problems would be solved—and out test scores would prove it. However, once we had the materials in hand things went south.
I think the first problem was getting the crucial teacher buy-in. These products come and go and they were not impressed with the item of the week. We struggled with implementation and eventually the resource became an expensive dust collector. This really got my mind started. I truly believe in the data driven approach. My educational philosophy is heavily steeped in instruction tailored for each child. The cookie cutter approach no longer works (did it ever)? I decided we needed to create our own instructional program that would meet the needs of our school and our students. I never realized what a daunting task this would be.
This past weekend I had the chance to go to a Charlotte Knights baseball game (Triple A team for the White Sox). I am a life long baseball fan. I even use to coach our high school team when I was teaching. I have been to many, many baseball games over the years. For some reason, I noticed something Friday night. I began to think, “Wow, baseball is a lot like education.” There are many similarities and I wanted to take a moment to explain what I mean.
Baseball is a game that kind of just hums along. For the casual baseball fan, it does not seem like very much is going on. The pace is slow and there is not much strategy evident. Every once in awhile something happens and the fans notice. Every now and then you hear some cheers. To the casual observer, our school year just hums along as well. A baseball season is long and grueling, leaving little time for actual practice. Our school years are long and often hectic, leaving little time for reflection and learning. Every once in a while something comes up that causes a stir. It can be anything from good test scores to winning the state championship. Most people do not see the details in education or baseball.
Once you really know the game (baseball or education) you know there is so much more. If you stop and think, there is so much involved in every small aspect of each. The inside of the package is much different then it’s appearance.
In baseball you start to notice each position has a distinct role. The pitcher seems to be in control of the game, dictating the pace and action. The fielders support the pitcher and work together as a team.
If you really know the game of baseball, you know there is tons of strategy involved. From how you pitch a certain batter, how you position your defense all the way to working the count on certain pitchers. There is so much involved each step of the way. As educators we already know all of the planning and preparation needed to make our school run.
The owner of the team in baseball is like the local School Board or Trustees. They work to set the ultimate goal of the organization. They control the finances and work the larger behind the scene happenings. Public opinion on these leaders can change rapidly–if they do something the public likes they are heroes. If they do something necessary for the organization, but unpopular, watch out!
The manager of a baseball team is the superintendent of schools. They have a more direct impact on the game (er, school). They decide the direction of their individual organization (with guidance from the owner or BOE). They also help set the means for getting to the goal. Their leadership has a huge impact on the results of the team. They are often the public face of the organization. They get credit for a district’s success (deservedly so) but take the blame for anything else (often not deserved). The saying goes you can not fire all the players so the manager is the first to go). The manager is always considering all of the possible scenarios and numbers and strategy are always racing through their mind.
The pitcher is the school based administration. The pitcher is right there in the trenches. They are actively “running” the game. They decide on which pitch will best help the organization reach thier goal. They set the pace of the game. They are often praised or blamed for what the entire team does. The performance of the team is very, very dependant on the success of the pitcher. The pitcher has to have a good relationship with the rest of the team. The pitcher needs to build trust with the players and make them play their best.
The rest of the players are the teachers. A baseball team needs quality players at each position to be successful. The players must grow off each other and inspire each other to go beyond expectations. In baseball, entire teams can go through slumps. Once a few players get in a slump, it is contagious to the other players. I have seen great teams go through terrible stretches due to this (The New York Yankees up until a few weeks ago). We have seen this in teachers as well. If there are a number of teachers who are not performing it often “leaks” to other teachers. On the other hand, if teachers are teaching at a high level, it rubs off on others as well. The entire team (faculty) have to be at the top of their games on a consistent basis.
What does all this mean for educational leaders? Personally, I think it helps us think of the structure of education. There are so many parts that need to come together as a whole. I like the idea of comparing it to baseball. I think it is similar–each person on the team has a role that is valued and necessary. All of the cogs must be in place.
When our teachers return, I plan on using this with them. I want them to see how a team approach is necessary. All levels of education must work together for our goal-improving student achievement. I also tell teachers they always need to plan for their A game. In sports, we always strive to do our best. We need to make sure we do that in education–each and every day!
Before I get started, let me give you some background on my career. I started teaching at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida. I taught American History and loved it! I then was asked to start a technology program at the same school and that really began my dip into technology (Not really sure how history and technology meshed, but hey, why not?). It was a great learning experience and I think I really grew from it. My former principal then urged me to consider school based administration. I really did not know what to think. When I started my career I knew I just wanted to teach and never considered administration. However, we know sometimes our plans are tweaked, changed or just left aside. To get to the point, I became a high school assistant principal at SPHS. I really enjoyed working at the high school level. Sure, the hours were long (and I mean long!!) but there is something about the magnitude of high school. There is so much involved in running a huge school. I am also a huge sports fan and there is just something about Friday night football games and hammering down the logistics to make the evening safe and enjoyable for a couple of thousand people. It hard to say why I wanted to venture to the middle level, but I did.I always found myself saying, “If I only had a chance to get to this child earlier.” I often felt that by the time the child (or young adult) reached high school it was almost too late. If the child did poorly their freshman year, which many do, it put them in a huge hole. The odds are so tough from that point, and this is where we lose many of our students. I felt I needed to do something–I pondered, “How can I reach these kids earlier, before it is too late.” Naturally, I thought of middle school. When I was a substitute teacher, I once took a half day job at a middle school. I made it through the day, er, 4 hours, and vowed never to step my foot in a middle school again! It just seemed like a different world–plus I wanted to be in a high school. I received my first job at SPHS and did not look back. Well, not for a while anyway.As I went along day to day, I began thinking more and more, why not middle school. Usually, the thought did not last long and I came back to reality. However, the more I thought about it, the more I began to really consider middle school. Would I really have more of a chance to make an impact? Can I help in some small way to set them up for success in high school? Never one to back down from a good challenge, I decided it was time to make the move.
All of this happened as some big life changes were occuring as well. My family and I always talked about moving to the Carolinas. For one reason or another it was always delayed. I was involved in a pretty major car accident that left me at home for about 6 weeks. My family realized that if we wanted to make this move, we needed to do it now. Why wait? I ended up getting a job at a Middle School (Yikes!) in the district that I had my heart set on. I was ready to go. I would like to think I had a fairly successful, although brief, career as a high school assistant principal. Now, I would take these ideas, visions and plans and set up shop at the middle school. This would be easy. I could just do what I did at the high school on a smaller scale and I would save the day! This was going to be way to easy…….
When I arrived at my new school I spoke about the instructional programs I designed and about how we were going to do all of these great things (I did not tell them I already did this at the high school and all we had to do was scale it down–that was my secret!!). They must have thought I really knew what I was talking about! Then the students arrived. Actually, the first day was flowing along smoothly….Lunch time came and I was meeting and greeting all of my new 6th graders. After they eat, we allow them to go outside for about 15 minutes. I do not think I even gave this a second thought–I just assumed it would look like a high school–the kids would hang out and talk about whatever the hot topic happened to be that day. Again, everything was on track and I was thinking this was definitely the right move. Then I went outside with the kids. It is hard to put in words how I felt. I still can not do it justice. The first thing I noticed is they liked to RUN, Run and then RUN some more. There was more movement on that playground then I had encounted in 5 years at the high school. I truly could not believe their need to run and move. I started to think, “Was this the right move?” Can I do this? Can I get my old high school job back????
At this point there was no denying I was in for a whole new experience. My well thought out plans were crumbling as I ventured to the middle. I quickly realized this would be different than I thought and I needed to change my plan. As the year progressed I realized many of my preconceived notions about middle school were totally false. The kids at this age are different. I quickly learned that I needed to learn about the child at this age. What makes them tick…What made them shell up… I came to the realization that worked in high school will not necessarily work in middle school (at least not without major modifications). I wonder why I ever thought that.
The school year pressed on and I grew each day. The kids at my school are great and the teachers and staff I work with are wonderful. They all guided me through as I made the transition from the big kids to the kids who want to be big but are stuck somewhere in between! I really began to enjoy working with the middle school students. The challenges are different as are the rewards. I have only been at the middle school level for 5 months but I love it. I have the chance to reach students at an earlier age. Is it what I thought it would be. Honestly, no, not at all. It is different in so many ways. Do I love it? Yes, I do. I just had to reset my previous thinking. I am excited about the upcoming year and what lies ahead.
Why did I choose to become an educator? This is a question I usually ask myself from time to time. I need to take the time to look back and reflect upon why I do what I do. It certainly is not for the wealth or fame. We all know what it is like to go for a quick shopping trip to the mall or out to eat and have our students working at every other register or serving our food! When I think of why I do this, I always come back to this one thought–education truly is our last bastion of hope for society at large. Plus, it is the only variable I can control.
Our students come to us as they are. Yes, there are some that are prepared to learn, coming from supportive families. These children read with their parents and are exposed to all sorts of educational learning experiences. These are the lucky ones. What about the kids who arrive at our schools with little experience with learning and exploring. Unfortunately, many, many children come to us with this background. They do not have the supports at home needed to succeed. We are it. We are their hope for future success. Education is the last string of hope many of our kids have. It is a mighty task, but we DO have the chance to make an impact and provide what is needed for that child to succeed. This is why I keep coming back more than anything else. It is our responsibility to provide a sound educational program for all children.
