The Push & The Pull

The Push and The Pull

2011-09-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

Things are becoming more difficult for educators in New Jersey. We're facing uncertainty in the upcoming budget with regards to school funding, and uncertainty about reforms (tenure changes, pension changes, and accountability changes), testing, and the looming 2014 (you need to know NCLB for that one). In a sense, we are facing a push and feeling a pull.

The Push
You'd have to be living in a hole to not recognize that there is a powerful faction of education reformers picking a fight with traditionalists and progressives. I define traditionalists as those who cling to the methods, ways, and means of past education styles; the administrators and educators who believe that what worked in the 1960s is still viable today. In my mind, progressives are those who strive for changes a la Dewey or Parker.

The pushers consider both philosophies outdated and irrelevant. So, they have formed a philosophy I call "Accountabilitism"; every student can and should be measured, every teacher must and will be measured, and every administrator must and will become an Accountabilitist, on pain of being called a failure. All this without regard for the science, the research, and the plain old common sense that says one measuring stick will never accurately measure the depths of the ocean. Regardless, they push.

They have loads of money behind them (think Gates and Zuckerberg) and plenty of political clout. They even have Oprah. Think of this, what current Washington or any-state-house politician would ever tell Duncan, Obama, Gates, or Christie they are wrong or that they at least need to read some books and journals? Zero is the answer. Yet, here we are, in unchartered territory - where what we knew and what we know is out and the quick dismantling of all that public education has achieved is underway.

The Pull
I consider myself a progressive; I want for a time when we are educating, not producing, students. I want for a time when we see learning as messy and sometimes "here and there" and that it is okay for learning to fall off of a continuum... because it never can be mapped for students.

So I am pulled to be a defender of learning without deadly testing, a voice calling for the truth about Accountabilitists to be revealed, and one person standing on the sidewalk watching this parade of fools march down Main Street. And then I feel the push. Everyday.

Torn
As a principal I must think of SAT scores, HSPA scores, PSAT scores, Algebra exam scores, Biology exam scores. I enjoy looking at the data when it comes in. I can see trends, patterns, and speak with colleagues about making sense of the information. But here's the rub - I see that data as information only, meant to be devoured and discussed then used for improving curricula. Not because these tests mean life or death for us (as an Accountabilitist would). That's what a progressive would do. We look at data for information, not condemnation. We look at data to inform, not scorn. Data should drive, not kill.

The push comes when I discuss scores with those closet Accountabilitists we all know. They see slight dips in scores and immediately jump to statements like, "What are those teachers doing?" or "What's happening to the school?" Never mind the validity of tests or the motivation of students. That is not to say that instruction is not a factor in the equation... but it is only a factor. It also comes when I know that my faculty and I will be judged by the test scores. Then I must act, in some way.

So it's a push and a pull all day long. Which leads one to question their very essence. Thoughts like, "Maybe I'm the one who's wrong." and "Is this what it truly is all about and I never knew it?" begin to stomp through my mind, over and over again. It's like an internal tug of war where confidence, principle, and ethos are on the line.

I'm not so sure how long the Accountabiltists will last. Perhaps we will begin to see lots of research about schools who follow Accountabilitism or principals who live for more accolades through test results. Perhaps we will begin to get beyond their rhetoric and begin to examine their claims that small schools, charter schools, voucher schools, choice schools, and magnet schools are undoubtedly better than neighborhood public schools. Maybe... and maybe not. After all, we have yet to give Dewey and Parker a real chance in our public school system. For this, we can thank the traditionalists... and now the accountabiltists.

Enough ranting... my arms are tired from the pull, and my back is sore form the push

Who's Accountable?

2010-09-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

I recently finished Diane Ravitch's book. I have to say it was very compelling; not so much for what it taught me, but for the affirmation it provided. Her views and research on accountability will give any die-hard modern "reformer" a run for their money... and their test scores. After I finished her expose, I had the chance to hear her on the Leonard Lopate show on WNYC. Audio is here. She is quite impressive and I applaud her "Sisyphus-ness".

Since then I have been reeling about accountability - what it means, how it is determined, how the term is thrown around, and how almost no one outside of our profession can tell me what it means. Quite frankly, they often define accountability as being subject to punishments. After all, don't we all use the term "accountability' with kids when they did something wrong or hurtful? Accountability has a connotation that was unintended. So when I am asked what I think accountability is, I reply

I know that our school is on a continual mission to provide students with solid and strong curricula, determined and creative teachers, and oodles of opportunities to be creative, athletic, expand personally gratifying learning experiences, share talent, and contribute to our traditions and legacy (by the way, none of those opportunities are measurable in their success, but they are as important - if not more - than knowing calculus). And if there are state, federal, or commercial measures of accountability in this mission, then we are liable to keep our students at least on par with the comparisons. What matters most to me is that our students graduate on time and have the opportunity - if they wish - to attend college or a trade school because we prepared them.

I think that's a pretty fair and direct statement. And I am dead serious about that last line. We push our students to take more challenging classes (i.e. CP to Honors or AP), to take the SAT seriously, and to be well prepared for the SATs. That test, above all others, is the great equalizer for us. It took me a while to accept this... but it is true. Our students' college options are dependent upon those scores. We accept our role in this.

But once our students get to a college, what happens? Sadly, in New Jersey, it looks like 3 in 10 drop out and only 61% of all New Jersey college students earn a Bachelor's degree in six years. Take a look at this (source):

So if we're going to talk about accountability and own it (as I do), then why aren't institutes of higher education accountable for their completion rates? And don't tell me that it's up to the kids to get it done - I would be crucified if I used that line with my seniors - who will all be college students seven weeks after we graduate them.

I simply want the same level of accountability to apply to colleges (especially public colleges like Rutgers, Montclair, Ramapo, etc. who receive public tax money). But that might be asking too much.

Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus have published a book Higher Education? I had the chance to hear them on Talk of the Nation on NPR. They, like Ravitch does for the reform movement, point out the deficiencies in higher education and the system. It's worth a listen and a ponder.

It's nice to know that I'm not all alone in my thinking or views. Collectively, though, we may be all alone on an island. While we're here, we can at least debate the definition, merits, and measures of accountability. I don't think many others are.

Turn, Turn, Turn

2010-04-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

I just purchased Diane's Ravitch's newest book The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education (on my Kindle, of course). Reading the first chapter is like hearing a confession; intriguing, captivating, and leaving you wanting to hear all the gory and sexy details.

For those of you who do not know Diane Ravitch, start here. But if you have read her, you may be surprised now. She has rescinded her previous stands on testing, standards, and choice. Her newest book explains who she no longer can support the ridiculousness of the accountability movement, the folly that charter schools and competition in education will produce better schools, or the tests-make-best thinking. This turn has angered some - especially those who have been affected by Ravitch's previous writings and political wranglings.

Think on this line from chapter one

School reformers sometimes resemble the characters in Dr. Seuss's Solla Sollew, who are always searching for that mythical land `where they never have troubles, at least very few.' Or like Dumbo, they are convinced they could fly if only they had a magic feather. In my writings, I have consistently warned that, in education, there are no shortcuts, no utopias, and no silver bullets. For certain, there are no magic feathers that enable elephants to fly.

Magic feather like those offered by Wiggins or others of his ilk? Shortcuts like modeling schools after businesses? Yes. And I shall discover more as I delve deeper into her confession. But what is already saddened me is that by the end of chapter one, you already know and realize that the federal government and state government (at least here in NJ) is going the wrong way; testing, choice, centralization, and national standards are the tone and focus.

To keep things fresh on the blog, I'll try to post weekly and purge the details of Ravitch's epiphanies. But for now, if you can, get the book. I assure you that every page deserves another turn.

In The Badlands

2010-04-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

We're hunkered down and in survival mode here in NJ... it's like wandering in the badlands. We're looking for a way out of the imposing terrain. To navigate out of the mess we're in will be difficult.

At least three times a day I am engaged in conversations with colleagues and fellow administrators from other districts. It seems all we can talk about is the direction of our schools; we ask ourselves if this could get worse, if there will ever be any relief from the devastating budget cuts, or if we will ever be able to become the schools we currently operate. No one knows... and no one will know. But if I were to believe some people, the future of public schools looks dreary - but not because of the political winds or the budget woes.

NJ.com hosts a forum service for online readers. Some forums are sports oriented, other are town focused. The town forums often take on local political issues and events. The forum of interest to me has been alive with debate and comment about the school budget and the current showdown between the Governor and the NJEA. Here is a sample forum comment that has educators worried:

Rather that freezing salaries for one year and paying 1.5% of there salary into Health Care costs is unacceptable. Remember its all about the "children". One more tidbit. With other Unions there membership has a loyalty that is missing here. The Union members would sacrifice two weeks a year without pay to allow subordinates to keep there jobs. Why are the N.J.School Unions so quick to through the less fortunate to the curb. Again, its all about the "children". Hogwash!!!!

Anyone in our field knows the point trying to be made here is that the veteran teachers are throwing the younger teachers out with the bath water. In fact, it seems to me like the general public would like to see a sort of professional euthanasia; kill the older (i.e. "useless") teachers and save the younger (i.e. "better") ones.

Then there is the great iPod debate on the forum. Our district purchased a mobile iPod cart, equipped with 20 or so iPod touches. Anyone in education knows that an iPod can be used for some much more than just listening to music. But not everyone understands this:

COMPLAINT: Can someone please explain to me what is our BOE thinking???
If they are cutting out sports and other clubs for our kids at the High School, why in Gods name would they be giving every upper level Spanish student a new iPod touch? Aren't they supposed to be CUTTING the budget, not spending so unwisely?Who will pay for these iPod touches when the kids break them or they are reported missing or stolen? Nice move BOE- let's take away sports but hey, we're giving you an iPod touch!

RESPONSE: You are mistaken. My daughter and her friends are using them. The iPods are on a mobile cart that is used around the entire district. This week it arrived in the high school so that the Spanish AP students could practice using them for the oral recording portion of their AP tests in two weeks. No one takes them home. The cart is in the main office - full of iPods. This iPod cart is used by all grade levels for science, math,ESL, and languages. An iPod is versatile and useful for more than just music. The district purchased the iPod cart because of its many uses. No one plans to give students iPods. Please get the story straight.

REBUTTLE: Who controls what apps are installed or used on the IPod touches when the students have them? what is wrong with purchasing normal calculators the rest of the world uses? keeping up with technology doesnt neccessarily mean giving students ipods.

REBUTTLE: When did the BOE buy these iPod Touches? And WHY did they? How much money did that cost when new media centers were built all equipped with new computers might I add. There aren't any comparable programs out there that could be used on the new computers? Correct me, please, if I am wrong, but if there are only 'X' amount of iPod Touches available that are on this chart, just how many students can use them at any given time? With the new computers in each school, wouldn't that have been a better avenue to pursue?
I guess you should be thankful your daughter is benefitting from our BOE's frivolous spending.

RESPONSE: Education is supposed to keep current with viable and purposeful technologies. Lots of schools use Kindles, iPods, and clickers - tools that assist the students and enhance learning for today's students. You should be proud that the BOE has invested in such cutting edge learning tools. It's called progress - not wasting money. Will you be upset when they have to replace all district computer stations every three to four years? Education is morphing - Dumont seems to be on the right track here.

REBUTTLE: I love the iPod touch. It is truly amazing. It has revolutionized the way I use a calculator.Agree with all who believe purchase of iPod Touches are a waste of $$.

RESPONSE: Come on... no one in their right mind would purchase an iPod cart so they could be used as calculators. There lots of Science apps, Spanish apps, Physics apps, and more. They are useful and meet the mandates of the new NJ State Learning Standards. Will you have a problem when the kids begin using blogs? It's in the new state standards. The apps are controlled by the teacher. Perhaps you should visit iTunes University or explore all of the educational apps available other than the commercial baseball score-checker or gas station finder. Please, read something other than the Record (try educational technology journals, edu-blogs, or even explore the Apple Education site).

REBUTTLE: Now I don't feel so bad about voting down the budget.

REBUTTLE: Vote down the budget and let the Mayor and Council take the extra Million. This will force our State Teachers Union to make draconian cuts to there future contracts. 30,000.00 teachers are scrambling to retire so they do not have to kick in for there Health Care. And they claim there for the children....Bull, there only in it for themselves period.

REBUTTLE: I agree that while an understanding of technology is crucial to furthering ones education, particularly at the high school level, this is not the time to be purchasing any new media. Unfortunately,per the budget, we just can't afford it. Maybe next year.

So we're into a whole bunch of issues here; a short sightedness to technology investment, a misunderstanding of what technology's role in learning is, and a basic mistrust of the district. While combating this may be simple (talk to the community), it seems that, for now, the anger and angst is so deep that no one is prepared to listen to each other, nor do the opposing forces have much patience for each other.

I met with my staff last week. At the end of presentation, I made it a point to let them know where I stand with the dilemmas we find ourselves. In very simple terms:

You are deserving of respect - by everyone.
Your students need you and love you.
The “outside” will never know your life on the inside. Don’t expect them to.
Rally around each other.
No matter the outcome of state and local politics, this profession is worth the mission.

It's all I can do to help the faculty stay positive. I don't have the answers, but I do have the insight to what is going on here. The public is attempting to place private sector economics and principles on a public and socialist employment system. Like forcing a square peg into a round hole.

BOTTOM LINE: What is happening in NJ is like a divorce; both parties blame each other for the problems; both parties want the other to pay the freight; both parties are using the kids as pawns; and both parties are looking to hurt the other. I tell the teachers that this is what a political divorce looks like. For years the NJEA and Trenton insiders have been married. Now that the Governor has called for a divorce, the separation and blame has gotten ugly. Much like the rhetoric on the forum.

As I said, the NJ education terrain is rough... this is the badlands.

Race To The Pot

2010-01-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

No, not that pot. But rather the pot of money Duncan and the ARRA is dangling in our faces through the latest federal carrot and stick, Race To The Top. And I'm not kidding when I refer to it as Race To The Pot.

Here in New Jersey, the public online chatter has been fierce, fiery, frustrating, and ferocious. Then there were the comments made about the news reports. All of which amounts to folly and fury over making a major money grab which districts must decide to chase by January 14. In response to the state's request for every district to consider and reach a decision about chasing the pot, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) has issued its official listing of reasons why it opposes New Jersey's election to race to the pot.

For a few days now I have been reading New Jersey's proposal. I read it over and over again trying to find the point of convincing; when I would realize that I might be wrong and they might be right. But I cannot find it - I cannot accept many of the conditions and ground rules for education reform that the state is advocating. That's not to say I disagree with all of the state's plans; indeed I support the common standards initiative, the furthering of ownership of schools by teachers and boards of education (not solely the principal or superintendent), and the push to modernize curricula and pedagogy. But some of what the Race To The Top proposal advocates is highly questionable - especially when you read the depth of literature and research about schooling, learning, teaching, and leading.

Some of the state's vision for how education should be refromed are outlined as follows (you can read the NJ proposal in draft form here):

Provide collaborative time for teachers and school leaders to review and plan instruction based on real‐time student data and collectively review student work samples. Great idea... but since most schools are now cutting back on faculty (thus influencing teacher course load and class sizes) and because most schools already have a difficult time carving out time for teachers, this will be problematic.
Select and submit for review assessments, measures, or methodologies for attributing or calculating student growth for non‐tested grades and subjects. Here is the state's answer to the question, "How can we hold non testable teachers accountable in evaluations and how can we assure that non-tested subject teachers have a shot at getting their merit pay bonus?" Basically their answer is, "Make a test, we'll review it, and then you might get a shot at the bonus."
Establish required policy changes (including, if required, modifications to the LEA collective bargaining agreements) to support and use the revised evaluation system. This is the NJEAs sticking point. Districts will have to redesign and re-negotiate contracts with the local union representation. The potential for damage to a district is great with this provision.
Modify school schedules to provide common planning time by grade level or subject area for lesson study, collective review of student work, and review of students’ formative assessment data. Again, I love this idea... but when a district cuts a budget, they cut staff. When you cut staff you increase teaching load and class size. This affects time. Modifying a schedule for planning time means cutting back in other areas. Remember, there is only so much that can be squeezed into an already packed 7-hour work day. I have managed to do this by reducing the number of duties in a teacher's schedule and creating PLCs. But not all schools have that luxury.
Fund local data integration and training costs for the system through RTTT and other funds. Fund. That means pay for. That means adding an additional expense to the state's budget. What "other funds"?
Fund maintenance of any locally implemented customizations through RTTT and other funds. This is in relation to technology expenses. By all accounts, we're talking about funding techonlogy upgrades for districts. And you think the iPhone is expensive?
Allocate funds to expand access to high quality pre‐kindergarten programs for economically disadvantaged students who are not already being served. We in New Jersey know that we dodged a big bullet this school year when Gov. Corzine's mandated Pre-K initiative for districts was derailed by the economic downturn. This provision of the RTTT proposal will fund Pre-K in the urban areas. Pre-K is expensive... and there's only so much RTTT money to go around.
Implement 20% extended learning time according to state guidelines. This is in reference to failing school districts. Basically, this means moving to an extended school year, school day, or creating a year-round-education system. Again, not a bad idea. But think of the costs to upgrade facilties for summer use (if that's part of the plan), the costs to increase teacher salary due to longer working days or an extended calendar. This might mean referendums or increasing local property taxes or increasing state aid to districts.

It's seems clear to me that many of the state's proposals in their grant application required utilizing RTTT funding in order to institute changes that, in the long run, must be sustained when the pot of money stops delivering. RTTT funds are only promised for four years. What then?

New Jersey tax payers are fuming over our cost of living. Yet, they are demanding that New Jersey get into the RTTT challenge and get the money (part of which encourages districts to implement teacher and administrator bonus pay for student performance - but they hate that we make "so much money"). But do the citizens understand that racing to and taking the pot of money now means promising to keep paying the money later when the funds run out?

What Ring Will We Chase?

2009-12-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

"It's the tail that wags the dog." That's was that answer I was given when I began my first administrator job seven years ago. The question I posed to my principal was, "Why are we becoming so obsessed chasing after test scores and rankings?" I suppose that was my moment of clarity; the moment I realized what ideals administration was truly moving toward. I hated that answer. I hate that my principal was right. Chasing numbers (scores, magazine rankings, national rankings, international rankings, etc.) is the tail that wags this dog of education.

I never really bought into the "reform our education system for the sake of saving our economy" movement. New Jersey's Commissioner of Education sold us that bill of goods when she and her lakies pushed forth the NJ High School Redesign plan. They flat our told us that we need to design schools for the 21st Century for the good of global economic competition. I suppose that's true. But then again, I believe in Aristotle's premise of education - so I disagree with ed-reform for the sake of economic power.

I used to be a great fan of the video "Shift Happens". I thought it was very telling about the state of our nation's education system. Like many, I showed the video to parent groups and teachers. The music and imagery combines to create in viewers a sense of urgency, of curiosity about our national state of education, and prompts fear into the psyche that our children will face a world run by the Chinese and Indians if we don't inject technology, deep thinking, and creativity into our curricula. All valid points... but I think the film supports the idea that American education must chase numbers, rankings, and lists in hopes of furthering American economic power.

I am a member of the Shift Happens wiki. I enjoy the conversations people post about the video and the impact it has had on viewers. But then I came across this conversation. The most striking comment comes from the post:

[Shift Happens] advocates IT education as the panacea....for what, the loss of global dominance?. I can't help seeing that it is also logically flawed; how is training kids to use IT going to help if there are still all these "scarey" (just listen to the music) chinese and indian people willing to do the job for $100 a month.
I agree with the need to educate children in a more broad manner, but this video, while undoubtedly emotive, seems very much like the paranoid gasps of a failing empire. I don't make the connection between profound shifts in global power and having a wiki for my classes.

After reading that comment I had one of those moments - the kind where someone put into words what you believed but were never really able to articulate. It was like a validation. And while I still think the film has some merit, I agree that Shift Happens is shifting the thinking of people for the wrong reasons. Hence my initial question, "What ring will we chase?"

This video was also referenced in the post.

I watched and again I had that moment of validation.

As a principal, I now have the opportunity to provide an answer if and when a new administrator asks me, "Why are we becoming so obsessed chasing after test scores and rankings?" And, sadly, I will tell them that indeed, they are the tail that wags the dog. And it's not that we want it that way - it's that at the school level, we are recipients of state and federal powers that fail to see our schools as sacred homes for learning, sharing, and studying in order to create a more charitable, knowledgeable, learned, reflective society that honors values. Instead, we are directed and pressured to spoil our time with vain efforts of gaining favor and avoiding public shame by chasing numbers and making the mark in various think tank, agency, and global reports in hopes that we may be more productive. When that changes then I will believe that a shift has happened.

Counting on Accountability

2009-11-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

School level test scores, graduation rates, annual student achievement growth measures, district progress measurements, and SAT results are but some of the modern indicators used to measure public school performance. Increasingly, public school districts are required to administer and report these statistical data in order to secure funding, justify existence, maintain budget allocations, and acquire confidence and support from the taxpaying public. While educators lament these facts and often struggle to find ways and means of curbing this trend, the general public (especially the taxpayers) are firmly supportive of the accountability measures.

Peterson and West (2003) note that Americans began their love affair with accountability when the military used tests measure soldier’s abilities and intelligence. These tests later bloomed into the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). Thus, the SAT was our first academic testing tool used to measure education levels and, indirectly, the educational institutions from whence the test takers were schooled. Peterson and West go on to lift the veil of how school accountability came to light. It began in the 1960s when the national SAT average began to decline. The general public was alarmed and a national education reform movement began. But because the SAT was taken primarily by selective students, the Education Commission of the States developed the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) in the 1960s. The test was administered, randomly, to students aged nine, thirteen, and seventeen. The test was not designed to be an accountability tool, but according to Peterson and West, “...even though it was designed so as to not inform anyone about how any individual schools were doing, NAEP, ironically, would prove to be a key mechanism in hastening the accountability movement forward”.

As the 1980s dawned, the accountability movement gained greater ground. It was Terrel H. Bell’s commission that authored A Nation At Risk in 1984. Bell’s report predicted dire consequences for children and the nation if the American education system did not begin serious reform measures. Within a few short years, the federal Department of Education became a powerful and guiding force. States were ramping up their student achievement measurements, companies were designing and selling standardized tests, and talks of national curricula and testing were beginning. It was a nice marriage of education and business cloaked in the robe of learning, success, patriotism, and accountability.

Subsequently, today public schools are burdened by measurement tools. States are burdened with funding issues directly related to testing costs and accountability measures. Students are burdened by curricula that seeks not mainly to educate, but to ensure their success on standardized tests. Administrators and teachers are burdened with proving their worth and relevance - through the measures and results of timed tests.

A New Jersey student will be subject to the following standardized tests between prior to earning a high school diploma:

The New Jersey ASK 3
The New Jersey ASK 4
The New Jersey ASK 5
The New Jersey ASK 6
The New Jersey ASK 7
The New Jersey ASK 8
The New Jersey Algebra I End of Course Exam
The New Jersey Biology End of Course Exam
The New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment
The College Board’s PSAT
The College Board’s SAT

For more aggressive and ambitious students, the list can grow to include a number of the College Board’s AP exams. All of these tests are used as indicator’s of a school’s student achievement. But unlike the NAEP’s original intentions, the federal and state government make it very clear that these tests will be used to measure and judge a public school and a district.

Recently, another reform movement (as a result of the flood of localized accountability) has begun - the national standards movement. The Common Core Standards Initiative has gained much press lately. It is a joint reform effort by the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to bring states together under a united umbrella of reading, writing, and math standards for grades K-12. According to the CCSI, “These standards will be research and evidence-based, internationally benchmarked, aligned with college and work expectations and include rigorous content and skills”. States opting in to the initiative will, undoubtedly, develop new testing - or common state tests - to measure the standards’ implementation, thus ensuring that accountability measures remain.

I have to be honest... for all the criticism, anguish, and discomfort that accountability has brought to public education, it is undeniable that some of the ramifications have been positive. Federal and state measurement and judgement tools have forced many districts and schools to examine, analyze, and often rebuild their methods of teaching, their systems of thinking, their mechanisms of assessing, and their means of funding.

It is also true, however, that the business of education has become the business of education; test developers, inter-state commissions, and reform lobbyists (both at the state and federal level) all now have a much more powerful voice in the conversation of learning. Thus, “accountability” now means much more than just seeing how the students are doing. It means counting.

I'm Going To Education Hell

2009-10-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

We had our second faculty meeting of the year today. Usually, I skim over the "memoable" material and spend some time presenting on topics like PLCs or some other interesting material. I like to close the meeting with a humorous video clip (just to keep the hard working staff laughing). But today I did something a little different... something seemingly heretical.

For the last week, I have been reading Daniel Willingham's articles and pieces on this Washington Post blog. I have been intrigued with his ideas and even more so with his research. Maybe it's the skeptic in me, but I find his work and reference to research (or lack thereof) refreshing. Today, I decided to share this video with my faculty.

Learning Styles Don't Exist

After the viewing, I asked the faculty not to convert to his thinking, but to be cautious about what we commonly accept as true. My hope was that the faculty would engage in some fruitful dialogue about Willingham's stand. Who knows... maybe some of them would like to read more about this topic - get in the game - get in the debate.

Regardless of what their reactions will be, I did feel a bit like a heretic; presenting a debunk to what the edu-world and edu-gurus have been telling us for years. I don't like being told that "differentiated instruction" or "teaching to learning styles" is the way to teach our young minds. It is my firm belief that we are first and foremost pracitioners of curriclum (especially in the high schools). Our loyalties are to be with the curriculum, with the content, and with facilitating information transfer and student self discovery. This is not a new idea, but one that I learned from The Education Trust.

I was lucky enough to have been trained by The Ed Trust in assessing assessments and about how to approach teaching underpriveldged children. Ed Trust is not an advocate of the curriclum reaching children - rather, they want us to teach the children how to reach the curriculum. In other words, the content of the curriculum and our ability to have the students get it is much more important that simply watering it down so that they can easily access it. That, too , was refeshing to hear. They preach that teachers must teach the curriculum, forgo the pity that comes with broken students, and get the students educated, not pardoned.

Some time soon, that will also be part of my faculty gatherings. Willingham may have been my first sin in education, but it will not be my last.

We're a PLC Lab School

2009-09-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

During the last quarter of the 2008-2009 school year, I was heavily devoted to rededicating my high school as a place of professional collaboration. Throughout the school year, we had a very dynamic Curriculum Council running; 19 teachers volunteered their time to meet as a full council four times and as sub-groups multiple times to tackle such goals as:

Developing a Freshman Seminar course
Developing an Option II program (Option II is NJ's program for offering non-traditional learning experiences for credits. Things like internships, college classes, independent study, community class, and service learning)
Developing a Pathways program (Pathways are designed to focus students in college directions - i.e. Humanities, Science and Engineering, Liberal Arts, Business and Technology)
Developing an Economics/Financial Literacy course (this is the most pertinent goal since NJ has just mandated this course as a high school graduation requirement)

With the work they completed and the experience of working as a professional community, I decided to apply to be a PLC Lab School through EIRC. EIRC and the NJ Department of Education have teamed up to make the push for schools to develop strong PLCs (Professional Learning Communities). Schools selected as PLC Lab Schools would not only get the privelege of being named so, but would also receive professional development from Stephen G. Barkley. PLC Lab schools are also able to freely communicate with other PLC Lab Schools in NJ.

Proudly, we were selected as one of 33 schools in NJ as a PLC Lab School. We are also only one of five high schools in the state to be chosen. It's quite an honor to be recognized for the efforts to bring a cultural shift to a community of professionals... but I am more proud of the faculty who made this become a reality.

So now that we have been recognized and selected to receive further training and support, what do we do? We keep going. This year we managed to do away with some non-productive duty assignments for teachers and instead build real PLC time into their schedules. We have ten teams of teachers working as Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) on such SMART Goals as revamping the Algebra curriculum, designing common assessments, continuing the Curriculum Council goals from last year, and examining and applying the new NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards to existing assessments and plans. It's a tall order. But the faculty is ready to begin to own the construct of the school.

Creating a PLC - a true community culture in the building - can be rewarding... if the administration gets out of the way. PLT's can't be designed to fulfill the wishes of the principal, the supervisor, or the central office staff. Real PLTs gain momentum and strength from themselves once the administration allows them to pursue professional goals that pertain to the classroom, the curriculum, and culture. I tell my faculty that a PLC's purpose is to empower the faculty and to allow them greater design over their profession. So far, they have taken the challenge.

As a "lab" school we see ourselves not as a fully formed PLC, but rather as a specimen; we are in a lab, experimenting, trying, searching, questioning, and looking for the answers.

Bravery Personified

2009-09-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

A message to my teachers:

Sometimes an event is so important that it must always be remembered for its critical impact on our lives. On September 25, 1957 nine black students entered an all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Though they had attempted to enter the front doors of the school since September 4, their walk through the front doors was not done until September 25.

What may seem as a "so what?" moment for us now was nothing less than an act of absolute bravery for those nine young students and for President Eisenhower. Could you imagine the feeling of walking into a school, being spit on, pelted with garbage, and threatened to be lynched... all because you wanted your fair shot at an education? I'm not sure many people I know could have dealt with that.

This historical event has me thinking about how very little the majority of our students understand about struggle, pressure, or life being difficult. If these nine students could endure twenty days of hell just to get into a school building, then why can't our students endure your reading demands - your performance or writing expectations - or our pushing them to do better with the gift of a free public education? The way I see it, our students have no excuses and little to complain about. In fact, a little more pressure and push would do them a lot of good.

From historical accounts,

"[Federal] Troops remained at Central High School throughout the school year, but still the black students were subjected to verbal and physical assaults from a faction of white students. Melba Patillo, one of the nine, had acid thrown in her eyes, and Elizabeth Eckford was pushed down a flight of stairs. The three male students in the group were subjected to more conventional beatings. Minnijean Brown was suspended after dumping a bowl of chili over the head of a taunting white student. She was later suspended for the rest of the year after continuing to fight back. The other eight students consistently turned the other cheek. On May 27, 1958, Ernest Green, the only senior in the group, became the first black to graduate from Central High School."

If we are looking to give students a reason why they should care about education or integrity, we can begin with telling the story of the Little Rock Nine. Their desire for an education cost them dearly. Can our (your) students pay a price that isn't so costly? If they tell you "this is too hard", tell them they don't know hardship until they have to nearly die for the chance to learn.

Keep pushing... keep demanding... that's what learning is.

An Interview With The "Natives"

2009-03-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Every school year I am invited into our Sociology teacher's classroom for an interview with the students. The class fires questions at me asking what I think about adolescence - mine and theirs. The project is a simple one; students must try to first define the differences between generations' adolescence, then analyze the culture of adolescence. It's a pretty cool project and I really enjoy the interview. I think the kids get a kick out of hearing the teenage life of their principal, too.

This year's interview was quite interesting; aside from the questions about what I did as a teenager (no, I did not reveal all that hides behind the curtain), I was also faced with questions about technological advances between my teen years and now. We had a lively discussion about how technology has forced a change in education in the last 20 years, about how the world's entire wealth of information is now accessible to every person with the ability to connect, and about how our appetite for and excessive use of technology may be costing us our humanity. But that last point didn't come from the old fogey in the room - that one came from the so called "digital natives".

For all of the hype about how we (educators) must soak technology into classroom design, school design, and the craft of teaching, if only for the sake of engaging the digital natives, there is a kind of wanting in the natives:

While they adore and need their PCs, cell phones, and iPods, they also desire more intimacy with the world. Again, this is not speculation - this is what they said.
They also revealed that they believe the technology is actually a hindrance to them; information is so readily available in so many forms that the virtue of patience has faded from their view.
They expressed that there is a great amount of insincerity online. As one bright Senior said, "When I talk to people on AIM and then I meet them, I find out they are phony. It's hard to know who people are online." This comment was made after I said that the Internet offers all of us an opportunity to express our thoughts, beliefs, and opinions in a genuine manner - that current technology is making it easier for us to know each other.
The kicker... the students noted that all of the technologies available and designed to bring more freedom to their lives, actually leave them with less freedom. Their parents can track them via GPS, their cell phones are like appendages and they are never truly unavailable or disconnected, and their lives are so open online that they see virtually nowhere to have a private life. Unlike us 20 years ago.

I really enjoy technology. I get it. I know where it belongs in education. But I can't help but think that schools might actually somehow be offering students a calming respite from the immediacy of the web.

I would never advocate for the rejection web 2.0 in education... but I would also welcome an old fashioned English elective course (like "The Cool Tragedies of Shakespeare") where students read from plain old paper and discuss the weirdness of Titus Andronicus; students gathered in a circle - without laptops - without a wiki to post to - and fire into a really engaging discussion about why it was so cool when Titus cooked that chick's sons and made them into a pie. That would be another class worth blogging about.

An Evening With An Author

2009-03-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, March 3, my high school community officially celebrated a great accomplishment by one of our English teachers, Dan Cooke. Dan Cooke published his first novel, Melody, in the fall.

It's a cook book, full of darkness, vampires, and all things macabre. It's right up a lot of reader's alleys. It's not for the squeamish, though; Dan admits it's racy and sometimes hard to stomach.

An Evening With An Author was held in the high school's Media Center. Joining Dan to celebrate the publishing of his book was a former Board of Education member. She was on hand to hear Dan's official dedication of the book to her daughter, Meghan, and to promote Meghan's Message. Meghan was a former student of Mr. Cooke's. Sadly, Meghan passed away in 2007 from ovarian cancer.

I introduced Dan, citing the milestones of his life and his educational background. But the real event started when Dan gave the audience (of about 80) background into his novel. He also read the complete first chapter, then fielded questions from the audience. It was a lot like what you see on C-SPAN's Book TV. That was exactly as I intended it to look and feel. I wanted to give Dan a real classy event.

It was a great night and the first of such at my highs school. In the future, I hope to host another Evening With An Author with either local authors or other district faculty members.

Six Month Check-Up

2009-03-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

It's been six months since I began my work as the principal of my high school. 99% of the time the life is terrific... challenging, but still terrific.

When I first accepted the offer I was awed and a bit breathless. The phone call came on a Thursday night. My Superintendent answered my "hello?" with "Am I speaking to the next principal of...?". It was a special moment, but one that left me sitting on my living room floor with a sour stomach. It took three or four days to feel well again. I wasn't sick from unhappiness - I was sick from fear. Weeks later when the transition from Assistant Principal to Principal was made, I was ready to begin my new assignment.

One of the first things I did was to hold a Change In Leadership Conference. At the conclusion of that August day, I was presented with many insights, pieces of advice, and a clear direction. The most helpful findings came in the Structure & Management Rules, and Climate & Community sections. The faculty said,

‣Rules need to be appropriate, enforceable, and modern for today's environment (i.e. flip flops, cell phone policy)
‣Teachers need to be supported for enforcing the rules.
‣Class sizes need to be smaller or must be equipped for the growing population (i.e. provide the proper furniture and enough books)
‣Accentuate the positive to increase staff and student motivation
‣Treat us an individuals, not as a group. We are professionals, not children.
‣Be a school of genuine encouragement - celebrate the good work.
‣Respect the teachers' Lunch Period (i.e. no professional development when not everyone can or will make it).
‣Announcements and interruptions should be limited to emergencies - especially avoid the first and last 5 minutes of every period.
‣Improve the school's appearance and cleanliness.
‣Pulling students out of classes for administrative needs should be limited.

Six months later, I can honestly say I have kept all of these suggestions and wishes at the center of my daily work and my interactions with the faculty and staff. And I keep the findings in mind when I plan or organize my desires for the future.

Sadly, I can't do much about some of the other things the faculty wants attended to; the state of technology is dormant as we have a bare bones technology department, the funding for facilities improvement is shallow, and I can't control the amount of resources allotted to our building. But I was able to build a strong Curriculum Council (about 17 faculty strong), design a needs-based rotating allotment budget, and cut down on faculty paperwork even more by further utilizing our information system.

Overall, I am still as happy as I was six months ago. I have taken a few raps on the chin, experienced some losses, some anguish, and I have fumbled the ball. But it's a good life. It's a rewarding life. And I hope to continue to give that same feeling to my faculty each day.

Common Sense?

2009-01-31T14:17:00.000-08:00

Every Friday I send out to the entire staff a TGIF email. Usually, they are tongue-in-cheek messages framed around a historical events on the day of the email. I try to bring a little humor and frivolity to our very serious profession… our days are spent attempting to do the difficult, sometimes frustrating, and often thankless job of teaching and driving students to be better learners and citizens. But one Friday, I had a very serious thought I just had to share with the building. Here is the email I scripted on Friday, January 9:

On January 9, 1776, Thomas Paine published his most prized and notable pamphlet, “Common Sense“. (I think Mr. Paine would definitely have been a blogger if he were resurrected today - self produced pamphlets then were equivalent to today’s blogs). His words, thoughts, and ideology served as a call to action for his fellow citizens. In fact, reading his manifesto today can enlighten thoughts about governance and independence.

In 1983 (as some of our esteemed veteran teachers so clearly will recall), Ronald Reagan’s National Commission on Excellence in Education (yikes and yuck!) published “A Nation At Risk“; a scathing, brutal “report” that scared Americans and politicians into believing that the public schools were inept, soul-crushing institutions that were intellectually killing our kids and our country. Since 1983, all of us in education have been the pinatas of the public; we can do nothing right, we are hurtful, devious, and incapable of teaching what needs to be taught. Hence, we now have high stakes testing, the ruthless NCLB, mandated PD hours, countless forms, regulations, and severe government oversight. The worst part is that A Nation At Risk is now considered as important and monumental as Paine’s Common Sense was in 1776. But the report, unfortunately, was taken to heart by the most unlikely audience… teachers, educators, and administrators.

Some of you know that I am in the midst of reading Setting the Record Straight: Responses to Misconceptions About Public Education in the U.S. by Gerald W. Bracey. I consider his book and writings to be the modern Common Sense for anyone in education. He clearly outlines the bias - and commercial industry - wrongly generated from Reagan’s touted A Nation At Risk. Bracey also lets readers know, if very clear terms, that American public education is sound, well designed, and working, and that there is a poorly informed public hearing and reading about the ills of schools while the greatness and goodness is purposefully ignored and unreported. Are schools in need tweaking? Sure, but not the massive calls of reform, redesign, or (as many would like) absolute disassembling. And, most importantly, our teachers need not be so ridiculed and disrespected; they are sought after and heralded in many countries. American teaching and style is in demand in the world.

I’ll share with you more of what I learn from him and his ilk as I dig deeper and unlearn what I was taught - that public education is nearly criminal and and in need of serious reform. And that’s a big shift for me… I am a product of what A Nation At Risk bore. And I am doing all I can to learn and intelligently what I inherently understand - that public education, teachers, and schools are good places and are working. I need look no further than DHS to see this.
So as I go to meetings and symposiums on NJ’s redesigning high school initiative, I’ll think twice and very critically about what Grant Wiggins and Bill Daggett are saying and preaching. After all, I have learned that they are an industry and not prophets or shaman. By the way, Daggett (most famous for his “schools suck and are not challenging” presentations to many educators and politicians) is being vetted by the edu-bloggers and his integrity and truthfulness is under fire and under scrutiny. Google Daggett+lies and see what you get. Lies and falsities get you every time.

If you find yourself doubting the greatness of public education, I implore you to question and dig into those think-tank papers, news reports, international studies, and proposed education reform polices that threaten to undermine our work. Often, they lack common sense.

I Lead Like My Politics

2009-01-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

As an Ed.D student I have been exposed to so many of the great education authors, thinkers, and policy makers; Fullan, Sergiovanni, Pink, Kozol, Wiggins, DuFour, Dewey, and so many more. While they all have given me so much to digest, I have not yet seen anything relating a leader's personal politics to leadership style. While Bolman and Deal's frames of leadership does point out the importance of the political frame, it seems to me that one's personal political leanings directly influences one's leadership style.

I am an unashamed conservative (maybe with a more libertarian leaning) and I am beginning to understand that I am leading like one. Some clarification:

I believe in the spirit of individualism. Rather than forcing a faculty to be what I see, I prefer to see the strength in people as opposed to to their real or perceived weaknesses. I allow, and expect, my teachers and support staff not to solely focus on their short-comings, but on the things they do best. Support them in developing and growing their strength(s) and they will be better for it.
I believe that local governance is more effective and efficient than a distant central government. The great debate regarding national standards, national testing, and stronger education policy from Washington, forced me to assess how I think about the system of education. Local control is almost always better. If you think otherwise I ask you to outline those USDOE policies that have demonstrated real progress or have managed to positively influence student achievement. Think of the great charter school movement, the small schools initiatives, and urban schools that have risen from the ashes - these are the products of local policy, local leadership, local direction. They do not wait and hope for a Washington suit to proclaim the good news. They understand that leadership - like all politics - is local. This core belief directly influences my perspective of schooling. A central office should support the efforts and directions of a school rather than dictate the direction of a school. The assumption here, of course, is that the school is working within and toward the mission of the district and the superintendent. The same idea applies to the principal's office and the many classrooms and departments in my building.
I believe that self-empowerment is always better than providing sustainment. As principal, I am working to give the students a more valued and empowering voice - not by speaking for them or giving them handouts, but by encouraging participation in school governance, assisting them in finding funding, and allowing them opportunities to lead and, subsequently, sometimes fail. If I were to simply be their voice and their leader, than I would be violating this core conservative principle. A strong student council/government/organization is valuable only if it truly guided by students who are empowered. In the same vein, I want a richly informed, viable teaching faculty who does not wait for a benevolent dictatorship, but rather can exists, maintain, and sustain their ideals regardless of who occupies the principal's seat. I encourage teacher leadership, decision-based councils and committees, and look for teacher initiatives in school improvement as opposed to relying solely on my own.
I believe that each and every tax dollar coming into my building must be wisely, prudently, and responsibly spent. In a basic sense, the monies coming in should act as investment capital, not funds available for spending. Each dollar coming into my hands must be well accounted for and thoughtfully allocated. Senseless and baseless expenditures do nothing to improve the confidence that tax payers place in the public school system. Furthermore, I cannot simply look to the tax payer to fund all of my school's initiatives, plans, and capital improvements. As a leader, I must seek out creative funding for wish-list projects and long-term improvements. A well constructed budget - one that creatively funds projects and programs - is essential. I don't bleieve the budget should be some great secret either, which is why I share the entire building budget with all staff and faculty. They should know what is worth funding and where allocations go - and they should always be allocated to supporting and furthering the mission of the school and district - not edu-fads or neat ideas.

I could expand on my points, but why bother? The idea that my politics be divorced from my role as principal is absurd; I bring to my position all that I am and all that I believe. As a conservative, I must apply my core values to the daily decisions and methods of governance. Were I to divorce my politic from my leadership, I would be nothing more than a warm body occupying an office and position that requires values and vision.

Maybe I'll pay more attention to the politics of the Secretary of Education, The NJ Commissioner of Education, and my future bosses. That might tell me more than their past experiences.

Getting To Rigor

2008-12-07T04:21:00.000-08:00

My ears are burning. Stephanie Sandifer over at Leader Talk has a post about compliance and rigor. Just this coming week I was developing ideas on how to broach the topic with my staff.

Stephaine asks two important questions about rigor -

How do you, as a campus administrator (or instructional coach/lead teacher) monitor for effective implementation?
How do you monitor for deep, rigorous implementation as opposed to just simple compliance?

I'm not even discussing the subject of compliance (the connotations and images that word brings is too ugly to deal with), but I would like to add my thoughts about rigor.

I replied to Stephanie's post with this:

As a principal of a high school looking to increase rigor, I am preparing to involve the staff in a serious discussion and initiative about what rigor is and how it can be established and monitored. After much research, reading, and thought, I [broke it down] to this simple statement: "Rigor is achieved through expectations and assessment." It's not all encompassing about the subject of rigor, but it's a statement that a large faculty can understand and digest. (I like to keep things simple and palatable).

One way you can measure rigor is through assessing assessments. I will ask all faculty to structure exams and projects at the highest levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Quizzes and Homework should be relegated to the lower four quadrants of the taxonomy. We can then measure the level of rigor by monitoring the quality of assessments. And using UBD ideology, if your assessments are developed using essential questions prior to the teaching, then the rigor should flow throughout the unit.

My reply was quick and pointed. I know that rigor is also defined as getting students to develop the ability to understand content that is complex, provocative, and challenging. But that concept is too academic and stale... you need to get to the heart of establishing rigor - assessments.

In order to motivate and move faculty to assess at a level of rigor that is acceptable, it's important to frame the discussion in a way that generates thought, not compliance. I use this simple visual to help faculty understand how to develop rigor by using what they already do.

Looking at the visual, you have to understand that a faculty do not need, or deserve, more demands, compliance, or do-it-or-elses. This framework can serve as a mapping tool for faculty as they begin to collaborate and work in PLCs to develop a plan for ramping up the rigor in their classrooms, departments, and school. But what do these PLCs look like when discussing and focusing on developing rigorous assessments?

One example is the peer-review model. Teachers form teams and peer review eachothers assessments. Using an assessing assessments tool, teachers can then honestly gauge their level of rigor and make improvements or give assistance to others. I have seen it in action before. It's tough to do, but worth it.

Bottom line is this: look to the assessments to measure rigor. Assess the assessments, then assess your practice.

Ready for Building in the Buckeye State

2008-10-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Mantua, Ohio. I have been invited by a good friend to present collaborative technology to a middle school faculty. To spice things up a little, I invited one my teachers, Doug McGuirk, to present with me. Doug is a terrific teacher and understands the need for education to open up - he has shifted.

We were asked to get a staff going (and in turn, their students) with collaborative technologies. After some discussion, Doug and I thought it best to show and teach the faculty how to work with Google Groups, Google Sites, and Google Docs. We'll even throw a little podcasting via cell phone with Gcast, some Jing, and Skype into the mix. The staff has already been introduced to the idea and use of Docs, but we wanted to expand on their knowledge by inviting them into the group and sites use.

We set up a homepage, a group, and a site. The group is fully functional and the site is already full of links, videos, announcements, and files. Since most of the faculty already has a Docs account, we figured the transition to using Groups and Sites would be a natural one. Anyone who uses Google's applications will know how well their apps tie into each other. We were mindful that we are teaching to adults who come to the table with little knowledge of the Web 2.0 concept, so we wanted to create a day of learning and doing where what they saw and did, they could continue to build upon. We will leave with their Group and Site intact and open for use, edit, and expansion.

The hope is that the faculty understands the profound ease of use these tools bring to their professional community. We also hope that some of the faculty get the bug and begin class sites and class groups.

Follow up to be posted soon.

Pathways

2008-10-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

High School Redesign

With all the talk going on at the NJ Department of Education regarding high school redesign, many NJ high schools are preparing to buckle down and prepare for the vast changes coming from Trenton. In fact, the Commissioner and the Committee have been holding presentations for high school administrators and staff who would like to know about the redesign efforts.

I mentioned in a post a while back about my brief work with The Education Trust. Years later, NJ and 33 other states have joined together with Achieve Inc. to form the American Diploma Project Network. It's a consortium of states whose mission is to remake high schools for the 21st Century student.

Personally, I like the changes coming. I find NJ's plan for end of course exit exams much more relevant and meaningful for students (and schools) than the current testing. I also appreciate the state's push for more Option Two programs and their push to have all NJ high school students take at least one online course.

I attended the October 1 High School Redesign presentation at a Passaic county high school. The special treat that day was that Grant Wiggins presented on behalf of the Commissioner. His focus was on (what else?) schooling by design and other interesting and powerful ideas and calls to action. I found that what the state is pressing is what I am already planning.

Pathways

Currently, the students at my school have a menu of courses to choose from when they prepare their schedules. The courses are good, but the students lack a focus - a direction - when they create their courses of study. The administrators have banded together to formulate something more focused for our kids.

In short, we devised Pathways for our kids. It's nothing novel, but it is with us. One criticism (and a call for change from the faculty) is that our students lack any real academic direction in our school. With a little ingenuity, organization, and careful planning, we aim to construct these Pathways in the 2009-2010 school year.

An essential peice for us is the incorporation of an elective internship for our seniors. Option Two allows schools to devise authentic and non-traditional studies for students. Working with the local Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce, we hope to have a solid network of local professionals with whom we can place our seniors as interns.

The Plan

Arts & Humanities Pathway

Freshman Year	Sophomore Year	Junior Year	Senior Year
English 1	English 2	English 3	English 4*
World History	US History 1*	US History 2*	Physical Education
Math	Math	Math	Humanities 2
Language	Language	Language	Elective
Physical Education	Physical Education	Physical Education	Internship/Elective
Biology	Chemistry	Humanities 1	Internship/Elective
Seminar	Elective	Elective	Internship/Elective
Elective	Elective	Elective	Internship/Elective

Pathway Related Electives:

Advanced Speech & Drama
Art Survey
Band
Chorus
Creative Writing
Drawing & Painting
Graphic Design
Human Behavior 1
Human Behavior 2
Journalism
Legal Issues
Music Theory
Photography 1
SAT Prep Verbal
SAT Prep Math
Speech & Communication
VHS Humanities related courses
Video Production

Math, Science, and Engineering Pathway

Freshman Year	Sophomore Year	Junior Year	Senior Year
English 1	English 2	English 3	English 4*
World History	US History 1*	US History 2*	Physical Education
Biology	Chemistry	Physics	Math
Language	Language	Language	Science Elective
Physical Education	Physical Education	Physical Education	Internship/Elective
Math	Math	Math	Internship/Elective
Seminar	Elective	Elective	Internship/Elective
Elective	Elective	Elective	Internship/Elective

Pathway Related Electives:

Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry
Anthropology
Sociology
Biology AP
Calculus
Calculus AP
Chemistry AP
Computer Science 1
Computer Science 2
Environmental Science
Geo-Physical Science
Physics AP
Pre-Calculus
SAT Prep Verbal
SAT Prep Math
VHS Math and Science courses

Business & Industry Pathway

Freshman Year	Sophomore Year	Junior Year	Senior Year
English 1	English 2)	English 3	English 4*
World History	US History 1*	US History 2*	Physical Education
Math	Math	Math	Math
Language	Language	Language	Business Law & Mark.
Physical Education	Physical Education	Physical Education	Internship/Elective
Biology	Chemistry	Physics	Internship/Elective
Seminar	Accounting1	Accounting 2	Internship/Elective
Elective	Elective	Elective	Internship/Elective

Pathway Related Electives:

CAD I
CAD II
CIE
Computer Science
Foods
Journalism
Legal Issues
Meal Plan
Tomorrow's Teachers
Satellite Program
SAT Prep Verbal
SAT Prep Math
VHS Business courses
Web Design

Change In Leadership Conference

2008-09-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

New leadership is brimming with ideas and goals (I am no different) but often fail to identify the desires, needs, and parameters of the very people their ideas will affect.

I owe a big thank you to Kevin Riley for sharing his idea for new leaders to arrange a Change In Leadership Conference prior to beginning their new roles. Kevin's comments were first noticed on this Leader Talk post back in July. I was so impressed with his suggestion, I contacted him via email, called him from my office a few days later, and then forged ahead with a plan to arrange for my own Change In Leadership Conference. (Note: Due to time constraints and other pressures, I had to revamp Kevin's tried and true plan that he left on the Leader Talk post. Regardless, it worked!)

The premise of my conference was to establish the tone and culture of collaboration while also providing me with clear and concise information about my faculty’s values, wants, and concerns. This aim was met by asking the partcipants to answer four very crucial and essential questions.

What are we good at doing?
What is non-negotiable, regardless of who is in leadership?
What can we improve upon?
What advice do you have for the new principal?

In late July I contacted and met with Dr. Louis Centolanza, one of my most trusted advisors and a mentor. He agreed to facilitate the conference and work with the faculty I invited to participate. The decision to select faculty members for participation was not easy. I selected members from each department and chose faculty members who represented the various levels of experience. 25 faculty members were invited, and 17 were able to attend.

You should know that one of the components of a Change In Leadership Conference is that the new principal be divorced from the proceedings (short of arranging the details). I was not part of the three-hour conference until the very end; I was invited into the room after all had been discussed and documented. This is done to prevent the faculty from feeling intimidated and allows for a free-flow of ideas and discussion.

In the end, I was very pleased to hear the ideas, desires, and needs of the faculty. My promise to them was that I would document their answers to the questions, share it with the entire faculty, and use these answers to guide us (both faculty and administration) as we collectively and passionately pursue the mission, our vision, and our goals.

I recommend that all new principals and leaders use this approach when entering a new building or assuming a new role in a system. This type of activity would also apply to Supervisors; instead if discussing building issues, discuss departmental issues. In fact, the model of the Change In Leadership Conference will be applied to my Professional Councils within my building.

Soma for the Teenage Soul

2008-08-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Barry Bachenheimer at A Plethora of Technology has conducted his own version of the popular television show (and a great one, by the way) 30 Days. Barry decided to venture onto and into Facebook for one month to see a little social networking reality for himself. Read Barry's observations - they're poignant and drove me to leave a comment and produce this post. I especially liked his point that,

It sucks you in. Because of all the non-important information, I felt the need to check in frequently to see what everyone was doing, if anyone else wanted to be my friend, and if there was anyone else from my past who was out there.

How true. It's like soma for the teenage soul. Sadly, like Barry, I understand it.

I had a MySpace account awhile back. I admit it was interesting to locate old friends and to search for people to see if they had amounted to anything more than what I thought they would. I'm still amazed by how much we are like we were in high school. (Sidebar: I used to tell my students that what they see in high school is about as evolved as people get - the only real difference between high school and the adult world is a paycheck.). But like all things that are discovered to be a waste of time, I let it go and deleted my MySpace. But I was recently intrigued to go to Facebook and see what that platform had to offer and to see if the network and users had evolved in any way. And yes, I was interested to see if anyone from my elementary schools had become something other than the goons they were back then.

I was inspired to check out Facebook when my wife told me that one of our family members (a teenager) had an active Facebook and had recently posted something that peeked her interest. I took a look at his Facebook and realized that who he is portraying is not who he is. It's as if he has reinvented himself out here; become someone whom he wishes to be, but isn't really. He's not lying on his site... but the aesthetic of his site smacks of a personal ad in the back of the NY Post or Village Voice that might read:

SWM into the avante garde, seeks SWF for intellectual debate, curio shopping, and Star Wars marathons. Let's be rebels.

I don't know this kid to be these. But if I didn't know him, this is what his Facebook would have shown me. It's was like looking at a super model knowing it had been airbrushed and run through Photoshop for more than few edits.

And I suppose that is my issue with Facebook - it falsifies the truth. It cheapens the possibilties of networking. And what's worse is that most of our adolescents see that as Web 2.0 in its entirety. Facebook's flash and zazz, ease of friend making, and other addictive qualities do suck us in. And how does a class wiki, teacher blog, or Blackboard forum compete with that? I know we can. But the struggle is hard.

I offer an analogy...

Facebook : Wiki :: MTV : PBS

As an educator who desires to bring the wonders of Web 2.0 technology to my high school, it hurts to admit that most of my students will need to unlearn how to use networking technologies as they learn how and why they are effective and useful for their education, ideas sharing, and project creation and collaboration. I would hate to think that the Facebook and MySpace experience will be about as Web 2.0 as most students will ever be. But in many schools and much of America, it will be.

Looking To Break The Rules

2008-07-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

I have to credit my dad with this find. He bought me a copy of First Break All The Rules as a gift. I have read through it and found it to be very insightful. Even though it is a better read for a corporate schlub than a high school principal, the main foci of the book do offer food for thought.

Buckingham and Coffman worked for Gallup and basically took over 80,000 interviews with CEOs, managers, and business tycoons and compiled their secrets to great management for this book. What the extensive interviews reveal is that what is thought to be the rules of great management actually are not. (Hence, the clever and inviting title.)

Probably the most poignant point made by the interviewed managers is this: a key to great and successful management is focusing on strengths of employees. Translation for principals and education leaders: don't try to change teachers into what they are not or can't be - rather exploit their strengths if you want them to be better teachers. Quite a change from what many edu-authors say is the key to transforming a school or teachers. Somehow, they always seem to focus on changing, transforming, and molding people into the image of the vision of the instructional leadership of the school. I have a staff of about seventy-five. Is it really my aim to transform these adults into an image of mine own? The whole notion seems so... out of reach... impossible... ridiculous.

Buckingham and Coffman's managers have confirmed my instincts about working with people, specifically when you need to make progress. I liken the process to baseball (My NY Mets had better listen up!); each player has his own unique abilities and strength(s) and the management does not attempt to make a player what he is not. Rather the strengths are used, maximized and mobilized, for the better of the team. Would you put Jose Reyes behind the plate?

Over the last two years I was actually using this concept with a teacher whose strength can be summed in one word, "nurturing". She was having some trouble uping the ante in her class (the rigor was not quite at the level of expectation). Rather than sending her off to some workshop taught by someone who does not know her and asking her (symbolically) to change her ways, I worked with her to exploit her strength. We discussed how her motherly nature as a teacher could be maximized so that her students could reach our expectations. Rather than pull back and surrender when the complaints about how hard the assignments and projects were, we decided that she should then rely on her motherly ways to push the students. In a sense, she maximized her compassion by evolving it into encouragement when she began to let go of their hands. We were both pleased with her growth and the students' growth over the school year. And she is a much stronger, much more confident teacher who now understands that a strength is like a muscle; exercise it, maximize it, and it (and you) will grow and be healthier.

I've seen that focsuing on strengths and not weaknesses has worked wonders for one teacher... now I'll apply this same principle to the whole faculty. My team. My players. Each unique and more capable if I just see it in them.

I've Been Rock Climbing

2008-06-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post and a lot has occurred. I've been doing a lot of rock climbing.

The end of the school year has thrust upon me graduation preparation, numerous evening honor ceremonies, completing end-of-year reports, finalizing student scheduling, and planning for the September opening. Only this coming September, I will be the Principal and the demands will be greater as well as the stakes higher.

Being appointed to the office of Principal has forced me to do some real reflecting.

I think back to my first year as a Language Arts teacher in Paterson, NJ. I was naive, brash, and needed a reality check. I got one. My first students racked me over the coals, stripped me of my pride and confidence, and sent me to the brink. I thank them for that - really. They forced me to really think about what teaching is and what education is all about. They taught me more about teaching than any class I have ever been enrolled in - ever.

I think back to my first Principal (Sr. Gloria - who now runs Eva's Village). She contemplated firing me after that first tempestuous year, but told me she saw a teacher in me and allowed me to return to her building. It is because of her that I am now a Principal; her belief in me cultivated a belief in myself. She was a no-nonsense nun who truly believed that "God doesn't make junk", thus all children are deserving of dignity and an education. A powerful woman indeed. I thanked her recently by promising to invite her to my prospective 2009 graduation from Seton Hall University's Executive Ed.D program.

I think back to the great teachers I have worked with at Jefferson and Manchester. Their spirit and encouragement remains with me. They believed in my gonzo thoughts and ideas about what a school could and might be.

I think back and hear the words of wisdom from two great Principals (Hank and Jim). They have guided me through some difficult times and will remain as mentors for me as I face the future in the office of the Principal. I still love Hank's quips of common sense:

It's my sandbox, play nice in it or go the hell home.
Oh well, one less Christmas card to write. (a common phrase he uses when someone is pissed at a decision he's made)

Most importantly, I think about my wonderful, loving, and dear wife, and my three beautiful sons. I want to make them proud and show my sons what an awesome responsibility education is and what a respectful and honorable the office of the Principalship is. I figure that if I keep my sons and my responsibility to them in mind, my actions, reactions, and work with other people's children will be kept in check.

I once stated that I remind myself of Sisyphus. It's never been truer than it is now. The rock is heavy and the hill is high. Only now the rock is moving in the right direction.

image credit: "El Mito de Sisyphus - The Myth of Sisyphus"

From Reliance To Alliance

2008-04-25T04:47:00.000-07:00

After reading ed4wb's post on April 10, I have been engulfed in thinking about his statement,

If we are to make progress that actually helps lead us toward well-being, then schools will have to move away from fragmentation and independence as ways of thinking and instead, redirect educational efforts toward system thinking, connectivity and cooperation. Even though connective pedagogy is never going to be as easy as the highly formulaic and devised-for-convenience model of today, it’s what is sorely needed to help overcome the major challenges of the day...

Wow. Now match this up with DuFour's work regarding Professional Learning Communities and Wiggins' and McTighe's UbD work and you have a quite a potent cocktail to sip and savor.

So it's been over 14 days since the ed4wb posting. Every spare thinking moment and has lead me back to the concept of Interdependence in schools. I took some time to create this crude visual:

Seems to me that education, in general, is stuck in the Independence model. Evidence? Mission statements, school beliefs, practices (like ranking and "student of the month"), and even the much loathed supervision methods. You know how it goes, I come into your class, watch you teach, observe student interaction and participation, then give you some feedback. It's very much about the individual, not the culture or the community. This is exactly why I prefer alternate assessments for teachers. More on that in a future post.

Some thoughts on leading/coaching/moving to a culture of Interdependence in a school:

Acknowledge. What state are we in? Are we dependent upon the chain of command to get things done? Are our students and faculty happy just being left alone to do their thing? Identify the present to get to the future.
Speak. Dependent cultures begin to move toward Independence (and you can't get to Interdependence without first being Independent) by establishing a sub-culture of healthy dissent. Much like a child, the dependent organization needs to break free from the control and begin to move toward Independence. Stifled Dependents can begin with the most powerful tool educators have - the art of speaking out and persuading.
Persuade. A building or district leader can't expect or demand Interdependence until the culture sees and experiences benefits from collaboration, sharing, and team-designing. I start small by building coalitions and small PLCs just to wet their appetites and allow them the "aha!" moment.
Model. Why would anyone follow or believe in some one's message when their practice is unconvincing? Thus creating a culture of Interdependence calls for leading as an Interdependent. Ask faculty for ideas, request points-of-view, dialogue, delegate, and celebrate the small acts of collaboration and teaming.

There has been a lot of talk recently about teacher's being treated and seen as professionals. I can think of now better way to remedy this than to allow teachers to pool their knowledge, abilities, talents, research, and information, fostering collective and collaborative designs, to create and develop curriculum, spurn initiatives, and implement projects. PLCs, PLNs, and UbD are excellent ways to begin to move from a culture of Independence to Interdependence.

Now, if we could only take this concept one step further... from the faculty room, to the classroom. That's an interesting thought.

UbD For You and Me

2008-04-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

Wiggins and McTighe's groundbreaking work, Understanding by Design (UbD), has been extremely influential in my thinking about curriculum, teaching, and learning.

Background: I was first introduced to the concept of UbD nine years ago - a very influential Principal organized small learning communities (though he did not call it that at the time) and gave direction on creating curriculum maps. This was in my third year of teaching and was never given direction (or afforded input) about curriculum design. I believed, then, that curriculum was designed and written by admins and given to teachers to deliver and "cover". But my paradigm was significantly shifted and remains so now.

The Principal gave each team member an enormous set of blank UbD templates. I had never known what an "essential question" was nor had I given much thought to "beginning with the end in mind". But the concept fascinated me and I read all that I could about Wiggins and McTighe.

After a year of working with my colleagues, we had designed over 30 units. All were complete with essential questions, skills/knowledge expectations, and chock full of resources. I thought we were done. But once we completed the review process we were told that we were now ready to keep this going. Huh? I thought it was done? No. UbD required consistent and ongoing review, redesign, and reflection. I had just undergone another shift.

Knowledge gained/Skills Learned: Years later I am now an administrator. I am responsible for moving a team of people from the doldrums of "the way it's always been" to the liberation ideology of "this is the way it could be". How do I do this? One tool I use is introducing UbD to my staff.

It was especially useful this year when I organized our Special Education teachers into a PLC to complete UbD units for Language Arts. This was a shift for them - I imagine they felt and will feel much the same way I do.

Using this template the team was able to map out exactly what the students should understand, how they can be sure they understand it, what concepts to key in on, and what assessments and resources can/should be used when uncovering the unit.

Intended Consequences: The Special Education staff was very understanding of the need for us to begin to think this way for our students. I also believe they found great benefit in collaborating, thinking, deciding, and designing together.

Reflection: I know there are many examples, adaptations, and versions of UbD templates. Some have been completely watered down so much so that they seem like exercises in getting teachers to produce something static rather than to design something organic. UbD has been corrupted in some schools. That's a travesty - the unintended consequence from that type of PLC experience is that the teachers feel as though they were just subjected to another project from the admins. The shame is that UbD affords a staff the opportunity to really bond as a faculty, allows them to work as professionals, in control of their careers, their teaching, and the direction of the learning. And the intended consequence of that paradigm shift is that students will benefit and become much more engaged in the learning.

What is a Student [school]?

2008-04-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked what are the elements of a student? It's a pretty broad question that could require a broad, bloated, and philosophical answer. But I offered this graphic (in words, of course) as my answer:

I have spent 11 years in high school education. I have observed students at their best, their worst, and at their most troubled times. In all cases, I have reflected on what makes a student? What are the core components that we (as educators) could use to help us define a student's person? Take that one step further... what are the core components of a school? I have concluded that their are three components that make up a student (school) and affect their education.

The first 1/3 of a student's (school's) life is Academic Involvement; the classes, the studying, the attention they must pay to their gathering, analysis, and synthesizing of information.

The second 1/3 of a student's (school's) life is Community Involvement; the teams they play on, the clubs they are part of, the connection they have to their school, their peers, and their micro and macro communities through employment or service.

The final 1/3 of a student's (school's) life is Socialization; their character development (which includes the spiritual), their relationships to peers, authority, rules, democracy, and friendships.

These thirds are all encompassing from what I have observed. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find another element that would not fit into at least one of these thirds. So why am I putting this out here?

Because if we read the research and pay attention to our students (and schools), then we would be able to see that each of these thirds is:

Equally important

When we develop mission statements, visions, and policy that directly affect students, we might consider whether or not we are taking the entire "pie" of a student's life into consideration.
It is important for us to realize that community and socialization are just as important as academics. If we are too heavy in the academics and don't leave room for or encourage community connection, then we risk losing our students and making school more of a chore than a joy.

Interrelated

Think of you personal life; each aspect of your life affects the other (marriage affects friendships, as does money affect choice and decisions about your own socialization).
The "whole child" movement is based on this premise - one aspect of a student's life will affect another. You know the stories... one student fails in school not strictly because of poor intellect, but maybe because of family dysfunction, personal sickness, or social victimization.
Schools who lose spirit or student connection (community and socialization) see dramatic changes in their academic culture. Likewise, students who are not connected usually do poorly academically and lack well developed socialization.
Bottom line: The wheel will not turn without all spokes holding it stable.

Our responsibility as educators

To teach and lead our students is to understand their needs. These three elements are essential to our decisions.
I would hate to return to a school I once taught at only because the attention given to students' academics and the neglect of their community relations. Once the school's clubs and athletic teams saw a drop in participation (due to the pressure brought upon them to do better in classes and on tests) then the academics soon, too, fell apart.

Not that I'm breaking any ground in educational theory here - what I am saying is well documented and found nicely worded in other venues. But as a visual learner, the "pie" helps me to understand my role as an educator and school leader.

After thought: the pie chart looks much like the peace symbol. Am I onto something here?