Classroom Observations are Not About Compliance

by Peter DeWitt on August 5, 2013 8:25 AM
from EDUCATION WEEK

 "The best thing about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest thing about being a teacher is that it matters every day." Todd Whitaker 

As much as Todd Whitaker was talking about teachers, I'm sure he'll agree that the same can be said about school administrators. I enjoy reading about systems change, and try to abide by servant leadership every day, but Todd has always been a game changer for me. Long ago when I began to read his books he provided me with the hope and inspiration that what I do as a school leader matters. His words cut to the heart of most issues. Todd gives feedback and it doesn't involve a point scale.

Getting ready for the school year, that seems to be quickly approaching, I have been reading a lot about evidence-based observations. If you're a teacher, and maybe even a principal, you're probably sick and tired of hearing about evidence-based observations. That's most likely because it is accompanied by some state-mandated training.

Take a Risk...Flip Your Parent Communication!

by Peter DeWitt on July 7, 2013 6:17 AM|
from EDUCATION WEEK TEACHER

The Flipped model can clearly be a fad, but it doesn't have to be if it is done with integrity.

Old model of parent communication - Monthly newsletters with important dates & info.

New model of parent communication - Classroom websites, district Facebook pages, school Twitter pages...and monthly newsletters.

But what about flipping communication? Most schools are looking for new and innovative ways to engage parents. Connected leaders have been flipping their faculty meetings in order to model the method for teachers who want to flip their classrooms. Some leaders are doing it because their teachers who flip their classrooms have influenced them and inspired them to take a risk. Yes, risk-taking is reciprocal.

Unfortunately, due to outside influences such as increased accountability, or to inside influences such as...well, staff and school leaders that don't get along, some school leaders are nervous about flipping anything.

They have a fear that the reaction to flipping will look something like this...

Last year I posted a blog about flipping parent communication and there were mixed reactions. I get it! There are educators who hate discussing technology because they believe it is a fad or feel that techies inflate the need for technology in the classroom. I have written numerous times about finding a balance, so even though I feel like it's implied when I write, I will say it again...it's about finding a balance (Finding Common Ground) between being old school and being...well...new school.

Three Things to Make Next Year a Better One

by Jill Berkowicz and Ann Myers on July 9, 2013 5:55 AM
EDUCATION WEEK TEACHER

In 2007, Karl Fisch, Director of Technology at Araphoe High School in Colorado, and the author of The FischBowl, and Scott McLeod, widely recognized as one of the nation's leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues and author of Dangerously ! Irrelevant, developed the video, Did You Know; Shift Happens - Globalization; Information Age. They surprised everyone with some pretty overwhelming information. This link is to the original version. It has been updated several times over these past six years, but even the original message still rings true. We are faced with a world that is continuing to change at an increasingly accelerated pace and we are charged with leading learning institutions inside of the tornado that has become our life.

 Every day there are blog posts and articles that give us (as an example) the "10 most important things to do in order to...." They all have good pointers and are very helpful in helping us manage to keep our feet on the ground and move forward in spite of that tornado that sweeps us off our feet and throws us around. Each of us must choose which applies to our environments and which applies to the readiness level of our teachers and schools. We offer 3 things to do in order to figure out which of the other 10 things are worth doing for your classrooms and schools. If we do these three things, we may be better prepared to handle this next year with more wisdom and preparation than we had in the last.

 Take Control of Your Time

As impossible as this seems, we can do it better. In a long ago post, we talked about the work of Paul Bambrick-Santoyo. In his book Leverage Leadership he suggests that controlling our schedules gives us the opportunity to provide "Quality School Leadership." Certainly this seems impossible with interruptions, a child or parent in need, meetings, Email, phone calls to take and return - especially for building level leaders.

You Better Start Listening to Teachers

from EDUCATION WEEK by John Wilson on February 25, 2013 6:15 AM

This past week I noticed a storm brewing, and I am not talking about the snowstorm that swept through the Midwest. I'm talking about the indications of unrest found in the latest MetLife American Teacher Survey. The results were dismaying but not surprising to me. I've talked to teachers who, like most in their profession, care deeply for their students and weep with anger over the bureaucratic intrusions into their classrooms that prevent them from doing their best for those students. I've talked to teachers who say they can't afford to teach, and I've talked to teachers who are exhausted from the struggle to provide resources and attention to classes too large for students so needy.

I have also heard that the average salary of teachers has declined---declined for the first time in my lifetime. Their profession is not getting better for teachers. Politicians, education leaders, business CEOs, and parents must listen to teachers before serious damage is done to the public schools of America.

New Face of Teacher Unionism, Eyes Fixed on Testing Mania

In 1946 more than 1,100 St. Paul teachers staged a five-week walkout for better pay and working conditions. It was the nation's first teacher strike. Over the next six decades, the sight of striking teachers walking a picket line became the indelible image symbolizing teacher might. Now a new face of teacher militancy is emerging.

In Seattle, a small but passionate group of educators is using the art of disruption 2.0 to express their dissatisfaction with the status quo. Over a month ago, teachers at Seattle's Garfield High School took a courageous step to stand up for their students by refusing to administer the flawed and irrelevant Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test. While the Garfield staff doesn't object to the mandated state test, they oppose the district-wide MAP for solid reasons. Aside from being poorly designed, MAP doesn't line up with state standards or district curriculum; it doesn't measure what students are actually learning in their classes; it's not an appropriate tool for assessing students or their teachers; and it wastes valuable class time.

Why I Hated Meredith’s First Grade Teacher: An Open Letter to America’s Teachers

Posted by: Kylene Beers | 20th Aug, 2012 on her blog
Reposted by the LCEA INSIDER | August 24, 2012

When my first born headed off to first grade, 21 years ago, she held my hand as we walked down the hallway of Will Rogers Elementary School in the Houston Independent School District. We walked into Ms. Miner’s room and Meredith’s steps grew more hesitant. This wasn’t the University of Houston Child Care Center, the place she had gone for years while I was a doctoral student at UH. This place looked different – bigger, more official. There were big-kid desks pushed together in clusters. And though there were centers, they were not the dress-up center or the cooking center or nap center or water play center of the Child Care Center.

Educators Say Mental Health Awareness Key to Preventing Gun Violence

By Cindy Long

In January, the nation has marked the second anniversary of the mass shooting in Tucson, listened to the emotional testimony at the court hearing for the Aurora movie theater gunman, and watched brave elementary school students return to their classrooms after the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary last month in Newtown, Connecticut. And then on Friday, January 11, yet another shooting took place at a high school in California, underscoring the urgent need for national action on gun safety.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, President Obama promised to take concrete steps to reduce gun violence and on Wednesday he announced expansive new policies, including background checks for all firearms buyers and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips. He also announced more federal funding for mental health and school safety initiatives, reflecting recommendations NEA submitted to the White House.

Teachers and Teacher Unions Are the Same

 

by John Wilson on August 30, 2012 7:15 AM

There they go again--trying to divide teachers from their union. Do they really think teachers will choose the unfilled promises of a politician over their union? Teachers know New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is no friend of theirs and that the New Jersey Education Association and the National Education Association have been tireless advocates for their interests and the interests of their students.

Listening to Governor Christie deliver his keynote speech to the Republican National Convention was a fairy tale moment. He said, "They (Democrats) believe in teacher unions. We (Republicans) believe in teachers." As we say in the south, "That dog won't hunt."

The Seven Most Surprising Findings of the 2012 PDK/Gallup Poll on Public Schools

by Learning First Alliance on August 23, 2012 8:15 AM

By William J. Bushaw, Ph.D., Executive Director of PDK International

As co-director of the PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, I anxiously await the results each year. It never fails. I am always surprised by what Americans think about their public schools — and this year is no different. So here you are — the seven most surprising findings of the 2012 PDK/Gallup poll. (For a free copy of the full report, go to www.pdkpoll.org or download the free Phi Delta Kappan iPad app.)

1. There is lukewarm support for evaluating teachers using students' test scores. Only 52% of Americans favor teacher evaluations that include how well a teacher's students perform on standardized tests. Many policy makers and teachers know that we do not have the tools necessary to create a thoughtful teacher evaluation system that relies on student test results, and it looks like the public agrees, despite the attention this has received. My prediction: Look for an increasing percentage of Americans to oppose this in the future.
   
   

The Register editorial: Parents a key piece in school reform

OP ED PIECE from the DES MOINES REGISTER

Gov. Terry Branstad has talked repeatedly about making Iowa the healthiest state in the nation. To accomplish this, he wants residents to eat better, exercise and “take responsibility” for their lifestyles. He has not suggested Iowa doctors do a better job. There have been no proposals to pay physicians in a different way or require a minimum grade-point average for incoming medical students.

Why not? Because such proposals are obviously ridiculous. No one would lay the responsibility for the complicated task of improving the health of an entire state on the professionals working in health care.

So why is the governor fixated on teachers when it comes to the complicated task of improving education in Iowa? His proposals to create “world class” schools are disproportionately targeted at educators. He has pushed for a new pay structure, mentors and even personality assessments for teachers. His education reform proposal would require college students to have at least a 3.0 grade-point average to be admitted to teaching training programs.

Five Practices for Building Positive Relationships With Students

by Kelley Clark for EDUCATION WEEK--TEACHER  
The objective is posted. The Do Now is ready to go. Your well-planned lesson is aligned with state standards, includes a variety of instructional methods, and offers opportunities for both summative and formative assessments.

What might still be missing? A strong positive relationship with your students, the kind of connection that makes them want to go above and beyond in your class.

Can you have a good lesson without having a positive relationship with your students? Yes. But can a strong relationship lead to an even higher level of academic success? Absolutely!