I had the wonderful opportunity of working with the Human Capital Management team (Human Resources) with the teacher and administrator job fair. Attendance was extremely high with candidates seeking employment with the District. I helped with pre-screening teachers for positions, and forwarding those candidates with the necessary credentials to meet with school principals with the vacancies in their subject areas.
I was invited to assist in HR over the Summer. I am looking for to the opportunity!
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Monday, April 17, 2017
The Observation Process
The teacher observation assignment challenged me to reflect and examine on the observation model. The observation process consisted of a preobservation conference, lesson observation, and postobservation conference. This was spread out over a three day period and took approximately a total of two hours for each teacher. Thinking back on the process I realized that this is a long time when you consider the number of teachers an administrator has to observe. Each piece of the observation process is important and right because of time and other obligations parts are being left out. I have heard teachers complain about the scores they received. These teachers have said they don't know how to improve and that there is never any follow up conversations.
With time being an issue how can administrators still complete the full observation process for every teacher? The observation and rating is not the end of it. Administration needs to provide the necessary support for teachers to improve their instructional practices. There is a need for instructional coaches to support teachers. This year I have observed an increasing number of students enter the tier process and a high number of referrals. I can't help wonder if this is related to tier 1 instruction. Have other counties addressed these concerns? If so, how did they address them?
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Why don't More Men Teach?
About 80% of teachers are females. I would have actually guessed a higher percentage because I work in an elementary school setting.
When looking at superintendents, however, the percentage of females drops to about 33%. This number has actually gone up significantly because the job has become less desirable.
https://aheadoftheheard.org/where-are-all-the-female-superintendents/
Warning: This is only what I've seen from my one point of view, and is only meant to be taken as such.
I believe that males value education as much as females do, and are rooting for the success of the public schools as much as anyone. Why is it that only females are willing to teach? I understand that it is a demanding career, as are many male-dominated fields. Perhaps in the elementary school setting teachers are seen too much as nurtures, but what about high schools? And aren't doctors considered nurtures as well? Excluding pediatrics, gynecology and family medicine, most doctors are male. When I asked my husband he said it was because men aren't patient enough.
I believe that much of the imbalance in education comes from a lack of diversity in the staff, and administration. Students respond to male teachers differently then how they would a female. I also believe that both genders contribute different perspectives and strengths that are much needed in a public school setting.
At my school, we treat the male teachers like jewels. I never stopped to consider it until I wrote a paper on how gender impacts leadership roles. For two years I have had one male team mate (separate teams, and men). They were well-liked in the school, and both were always taken care of. We wrote their lesson plans, did their bulletin boards, printed and ran copies for them, and expected them to need help with things like organization. They are also frequently appreciated/recognized by administration.
I wish women looked out for each other in the same way, but I can't think of any female teacher who was treated as well. I feel like females who ask/need help are considered incompetent especially by the other females.
I do think it's positive that men are valued in schools because there is a need for more male role models for the students. In exchange for running some extra copies, we get a team disciplinary, and a different perspective when planning for a diverse group of students. It does make me wonder if females experience the same treatment in male-dominated fields.
When looking at superintendents, however, the percentage of females drops to about 33%. This number has actually gone up significantly because the job has become less desirable.
https://aheadoftheheard.org/where-are-all-the-female-superintendents/
Warning: This is only what I've seen from my one point of view, and is only meant to be taken as such.
I believe that males value education as much as females do, and are rooting for the success of the public schools as much as anyone. Why is it that only females are willing to teach? I understand that it is a demanding career, as are many male-dominated fields. Perhaps in the elementary school setting teachers are seen too much as nurtures, but what about high schools? And aren't doctors considered nurtures as well? Excluding pediatrics, gynecology and family medicine, most doctors are male. When I asked my husband he said it was because men aren't patient enough.
I believe that much of the imbalance in education comes from a lack of diversity in the staff, and administration. Students respond to male teachers differently then how they would a female. I also believe that both genders contribute different perspectives and strengths that are much needed in a public school setting.
At my school, we treat the male teachers like jewels. I never stopped to consider it until I wrote a paper on how gender impacts leadership roles. For two years I have had one male team mate (separate teams, and men). They were well-liked in the school, and both were always taken care of. We wrote their lesson plans, did their bulletin boards, printed and ran copies for them, and expected them to need help with things like organization. They are also frequently appreciated/recognized by administration.
I wish women looked out for each other in the same way, but I can't think of any female teacher who was treated as well. I feel like females who ask/need help are considered incompetent especially by the other females.
I do think it's positive that men are valued in schools because there is a need for more male role models for the students. In exchange for running some extra copies, we get a team disciplinary, and a different perspective when planning for a diverse group of students. It does make me wonder if females experience the same treatment in male-dominated fields.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Technology in Leadership
Apart of my leadership portfolio experience included providing lesson plan feedback to select teachers. Because the teachers at our school use Google Drive to submit their plans I thought using the comments feature of Google Docs to make notes, give comments, and provide feedback would be a great way to an open and transparent dialogue about the lesson plans. I have noticed that a common complaint from teachers is that they submit lesson plans and never receive any feedback from building level administration. The comments feature in Google Drive provided me with a great way to give feedback on teacher lesson plans. Using this feature created a two-way dialogue between the teacher and myself about their upcoming lesson. I took it a step further with the teachers I worked with to and created a shared folder for the lesson plan so that I could share resource’s that may have been helpful to them when planning their lessons. As an instructional leader, I can see the value in reviewing the lesson plans as a really good way to get to know the instructional needs of the staff. The fact that the comment feature in Google Drive allows the teachers to immediately respond to teachers with feedback is extremely useful. I think by having our teachers submit their lesson plans electronically, we are modeling digital workflow for our faculty.
One tool that I am less familiar with is edWeb.net. It is a free professional social and learning network that provides an intuitive Web 2.0 platform. The platform includes webinars, blogs, discussions, file sharing, shared calendars, wikis, live chat, messaging, polling, and shared links. I think this tool would be an excellent way for school administrators to share best practices, information on what’s working, and possibly even support each other across schools, districts, states, the country, and even around the world. I plan to explore this site more to see how beneficial it may be to our school and what the possible cost factors involved might be.
In conclusion, having technology is not enough. Using technology to meet the many needs of our teachers and students makes it valuable. As Thornburg (2000) writes, "How you use technology in education is more important than if you use it at all." References:
Thornburg, D. (2000). Technology in K−12 education: Envisioning a new future. The Forum on Technology in Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Available: http://www.air.org/forum/wpapers.htm
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Ex-Professor Says Dismissed Racketeering Case Is Still ‘Devastating’
Source: ttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/09/business/joy-laskar-georgia-tech-racketeering-case.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Feducation&action=click&contentCollection=education®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
This article looks at a former Professor at Georgia Tech who was fired because a grand jury indicted him for misusing university funds and other resources to benefit his own private start up. The case was tossed out before a trial because the ruling that a five-year state of limitation had expired on the misdeed that they had accused the professor of committing.
It is a really sad occasion and as pointed out in the article that had this been at another top university, it would have been handled differently. It is shameful that here we lost a top research scientist to industry because the college or state failed to follow up on their job and handle matters in a timely manner.
So now they literally destroyed a family or a persons career, and the college lost the talent. So no one gained anything here. Since the case was tossed out, we cannot prove if he was guilty or not, and his family name has to live with that cloud hanging over it.
This article looks at a former Professor at Georgia Tech who was fired because a grand jury indicted him for misusing university funds and other resources to benefit his own private start up. The case was tossed out before a trial because the ruling that a five-year state of limitation had expired on the misdeed that they had accused the professor of committing.
It is a really sad occasion and as pointed out in the article that had this been at another top university, it would have been handled differently. It is shameful that here we lost a top research scientist to industry because the college or state failed to follow up on their job and handle matters in a timely manner.
So now they literally destroyed a family or a persons career, and the college lost the talent. So no one gained anything here. Since the case was tossed out, we cannot prove if he was guilty or not, and his family name has to live with that cloud hanging over it.
Black Student More Likey to Graduate if They Have One Black Teacher
Source: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2017/04/black_students_are_more_likely_to_graduate_if_they_have_one_black_teacher_study_finds.html
The study was done by John Hopkin University. 100,000 black students who entered 3rd grade in North Carolina Public School was studied. Then the study was replicated in Tenessee by looking at black students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The study showed that low income students that had one black teacher in elementary school were significantly mlore likely to graduate high school and consider attending college. A low income balck student probability of droppignout of school was reduced by 29% if he or she had a black teacher in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade. The study also showed that 18% of those students were more likely to express an interest in college after they graduated. From the studies in Tenessee, those who had atleast one black teacher in kindergarten through 3rd grade were 15% less likey to drop out and 10% more likely to take a college entrance Examination.
The paper could not explain if there was a link between teachers, race and positive outcomes for black students. However the following ideas were expressed as possible factors; black teachers were better teachers, poor boys might not identify with higher levels of education, black teachers tend to have higher expectations.
It was an interesting article. But my thoughts are that this issue still exists today and unfortnately, some school districts are not even making much of an effort to address these issues. It would be interesting to see this study as it relates to the hispanic population
The study was done by John Hopkin University. 100,000 black students who entered 3rd grade in North Carolina Public School was studied. Then the study was replicated in Tenessee by looking at black students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The study showed that low income students that had one black teacher in elementary school were significantly mlore likely to graduate high school and consider attending college. A low income balck student probability of droppignout of school was reduced by 29% if he or she had a black teacher in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade. The study also showed that 18% of those students were more likely to express an interest in college after they graduated. From the studies in Tenessee, those who had atleast one black teacher in kindergarten through 3rd grade were 15% less likey to drop out and 10% more likely to take a college entrance Examination.
The paper could not explain if there was a link between teachers, race and positive outcomes for black students. However the following ideas were expressed as possible factors; black teachers were better teachers, poor boys might not identify with higher levels of education, black teachers tend to have higher expectations.
It was an interesting article. But my thoughts are that this issue still exists today and unfortnately, some school districts are not even making much of an effort to address these issues. It would be interesting to see this study as it relates to the hispanic population
The Issue of School Choice Overshadows Equitable Funding
Source:
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-09-15/education-dept-is-micro-managing-the-every-student-succeeds-act
The article discusses the " Every Student Succeeds Act" and the fact that it responds to the over centralizations and standardizations required by its predecessor" No child left behind." The No child Left Behind used data to address the whole child and systems that shape the lieves of students. The Every Student Succeeds Act is a acll for states, community partnerships, educators and students to create and develop a plan that improves the outcome for everybody. This will intern be beneficial to all students and the country overall. The intent of the law is to shift the focus from the bureacrats in Washington to state and local leaders. The department is not just drafting new rules to help states, it is writing new policies. It will allow states to allocate the resources needed to address the needs of each unique learner.
The article also emphasizes the need for states and local leades to be held accountable for results. State and local leaders should be able to customize learning for students, shift resources. to meet individual student needs, and individial groups, and also find ways to help all students to suceed.
I guess I could say that I have an issue with all the little individual states that have their own governing bodies for education. Unfortunately, I do not believe they are all effective and competent at what they do. I cannot understand why this being one county has 52 different boards of education. No wonder there is so much chaos in education. What this country needs is one effective governing body. If done right it can be effective, just as other countries do.
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-09-15/education-dept-is-micro-managing-the-every-student-succeeds-act
The article discusses the " Every Student Succeeds Act" and the fact that it responds to the over centralizations and standardizations required by its predecessor" No child left behind." The No child Left Behind used data to address the whole child and systems that shape the lieves of students. The Every Student Succeeds Act is a acll for states, community partnerships, educators and students to create and develop a plan that improves the outcome for everybody. This will intern be beneficial to all students and the country overall. The intent of the law is to shift the focus from the bureacrats in Washington to state and local leaders. The department is not just drafting new rules to help states, it is writing new policies. It will allow states to allocate the resources needed to address the needs of each unique learner.
The article also emphasizes the need for states and local leades to be held accountable for results. State and local leaders should be able to customize learning for students, shift resources. to meet individual student needs, and individial groups, and also find ways to help all students to suceed.
I guess I could say that I have an issue with all the little individual states that have their own governing bodies for education. Unfortunately, I do not believe they are all effective and competent at what they do. I cannot understand why this being one county has 52 different boards of education. No wonder there is so much chaos in education. What this country needs is one effective governing body. If done right it can be effective, just as other countries do.
States can help every student succeed
Source:
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-09-15/education-dept-is-micro-managing-the-every-student-succeeds-act
The article discusses the " Every Student Succeeds Act" and the fact that it responds to the over centralizations and standardizations required by its predecessor" No child left behind." The No child Left Behind used data to address the whole child and systems that shape the lieves of students. The Every Student Succeeds Act is a acll for states, community partnerships, educators and students to create and develop a plan that improves the outcome for everybody. This will intern be beneficial to all students and the country overall. The intent of the law is to shift the focus from the bureacrats in Washington to state and local leaders. The department is not just drafting new rules to help states, it is writing new policies. It will allow states to allocate the resources needed to address the needs of each unique learner.
The article also emphasizes the need for states and local leades to be held accountable for results. State and local leaders should be able to customize learning for students, shift resources. to meet individual student needs, and individial groups, and also find ways to help all students to suceed.
I guess I could say that I have an issue with all the little individual states that have their own governing bodies for education. Unfortunately, I do not believe they are all effective and competent at what they do. I cannot understand why this being one county has 52 different boards of education. No wonder there is so much chaos in education. What this country needs is one effective governing body. If done right it can be effective, just as other countries do.
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-09-15/education-dept-is-micro-managing-the-every-student-succeeds-act
The article discusses the " Every Student Succeeds Act" and the fact that it responds to the over centralizations and standardizations required by its predecessor" No child left behind." The No child Left Behind used data to address the whole child and systems that shape the lieves of students. The Every Student Succeeds Act is a acll for states, community partnerships, educators and students to create and develop a plan that improves the outcome for everybody. This will intern be beneficial to all students and the country overall. The intent of the law is to shift the focus from the bureacrats in Washington to state and local leaders. The department is not just drafting new rules to help states, it is writing new policies. It will allow states to allocate the resources needed to address the needs of each unique learner.
The article also emphasizes the need for states and local leades to be held accountable for results. State and local leaders should be able to customize learning for students, shift resources. to meet individual student needs, and individial groups, and also find ways to help all students to suceed.
I guess I could say that I have an issue with all the little individual states that have their own governing bodies for education. Unfortunately, I do not believe they are all effective and competent at what they do. I cannot understand why this being one county has 52 different boards of education. No wonder there is so much chaos in education. What this country needs is one effective governing body. If done right it can be effective, just as other countries do.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Meaningful professional learning
A recent success that I had was when I received feedback from our tiered or differentiated professional learning plans created for the teachers. Every year since I've been in education and I'm sure long before, teachers complain about participating in redundant, boring, and unproductive professional learning.
Before we planned our PL activities for the year, I created a survey so that I could get a true gauge of the needs of the teachers. Additionally, I sought information from the various content areas and teachers provided key information. The result was a tiered professional learning plan.
Tier I focused on new teachers that need intensive supports with pedagogy and instructional planning. Veteran teachers that were struggling in the classrooms and were on professional learning plan were also placed in Tier I. Tier II professional learning was focused school-wide initiatives such as technology integration, thinking maps, and rigor and relevance. Tier III was content-specific PL such as Gizmos for science teachers and document-based questions for social studies teachers.
Another component of the PL survey was finding out the optimal time for PL delivery. Teachers selected during planning time and Saturday PL. Teachers were not in favor of after school PL. With the help of the academic coaches, individualized PL calendars were created. Mandatory PLs were pre-populated and teachers selected the other PL dates. Teachers provided their evaluators their tiered PL forms during the pre-evaluation conference and it was incorporated in the development of the professional goals.
It was great to hear from the teachers that PL was beneficial to them this year and moreover they incorporated the information presented into their classroom.
Before we planned our PL activities for the year, I created a survey so that I could get a true gauge of the needs of the teachers. Additionally, I sought information from the various content areas and teachers provided key information. The result was a tiered professional learning plan.
Tier I focused on new teachers that need intensive supports with pedagogy and instructional planning. Veteran teachers that were struggling in the classrooms and were on professional learning plan were also placed in Tier I. Tier II professional learning was focused school-wide initiatives such as technology integration, thinking maps, and rigor and relevance. Tier III was content-specific PL such as Gizmos for science teachers and document-based questions for social studies teachers.
Another component of the PL survey was finding out the optimal time for PL delivery. Teachers selected during planning time and Saturday PL. Teachers were not in favor of after school PL. With the help of the academic coaches, individualized PL calendars were created. Mandatory PLs were pre-populated and teachers selected the other PL dates. Teachers provided their evaluators their tiered PL forms during the pre-evaluation conference and it was incorporated in the development of the professional goals.
It was great to hear from the teachers that PL was beneficial to them this year and moreover they incorporated the information presented into their classroom.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Can Staff Diversity Increase Grad Rates for Disadvantage Youth?
Interesting book study tonight... The Washington Post did a story Friday on a study that covered the same topic -- although, the study seemed to be a bit narrower in scope (at least, by what the article highlighted). Here is a link:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/04/09/study-black-students-from-poor-families-are-more-likely-to-graduate-high-school-if-they-have-at-least-one-black-teacher/?utm_term=.58ba23fe54b9
I recently did a site visit to a school in Athens that had an overwhelmingly white staff with a very diverse student population (55% black, 30% white, and 10% hispanic). Working with the AP, nearly every behavioral concern was between a white teacher and a black child. Throughout the entire day, he probably saw about 15 students for various infractions (most small). One student was white and one was hispanic, but the rest were all black.
Its hard for me to not notice the cultural disconnect, but I wonder if that was the issue. And it stands to reason, if these students are getting into more trouble than their white counterparts, then black students are also not doing as well academically as they could be. According to the basis of the article, this issue would improve dramatically if the school system simply hired a more diverse staff. However, I look at my own school in Gwinnett which has a very diverse staff, and I am not sure that we are doing much better than the Athens school in dealing with behavior or academics.
I do not propose to have the solution, but color is certainly not the only issue.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/04/09/study-black-students-from-poor-families-are-more-likely-to-graduate-high-school-if-they-have-at-least-one-black-teacher/?utm_term=.58ba23fe54b9
I recently did a site visit to a school in Athens that had an overwhelmingly white staff with a very diverse student population (55% black, 30% white, and 10% hispanic). Working with the AP, nearly every behavioral concern was between a white teacher and a black child. Throughout the entire day, he probably saw about 15 students for various infractions (most small). One student was white and one was hispanic, but the rest were all black.
Its hard for me to not notice the cultural disconnect, but I wonder if that was the issue. And it stands to reason, if these students are getting into more trouble than their white counterparts, then black students are also not doing as well academically as they could be. According to the basis of the article, this issue would improve dramatically if the school system simply hired a more diverse staff. However, I look at my own school in Gwinnett which has a very diverse staff, and I am not sure that we are doing much better than the Athens school in dealing with behavior or academics.
I do not propose to have the solution, but color is certainly not the only issue.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Gifted Models in Elementary Schools
Due to the high population of gifted students that are served in my school, we have had to implement different programs to make sure students are in an academically challenging environment. In fifth grade, we used to offer advanced placement courses. However, there are some pro and cons to this structure. Students are grouped in classes based on their ability. The advantage is that students are working with peers that have a similar skill set, but many in the lower leveled classes felt like they were not "as intelligent" as their peers. Likewise, the higher group had this sense of entitlement. In my opinion, for fifth grade this type of placement was not appropriate.
A few years later, we implemented the gifted cluster model and as a requirement the school made every general education teacher obtain their gifted certification. The teacher now had to deliver both the standard curriculum and gifted curriculum. The students were placed heterogeneously in homeroom classes. I found this model to work out the best since students had opportunities to work with similar ability and with others who may have different strengths and weaknesses. One group did not feel as inferior to the other.
Additionally, the current topic has been how to differentiate for our high math students. For the third year now, we have been offering an accelerated math class for those who have qualifying scores (CogAT, IOWA, Milestones, Interims). This course accelerates through all of fifth grade math curriculum, sixth grade curriculum, and half of seventh grade math curriculum. When these students go off to middle school they will finish with the seventh curriculum in math and work on eight grade curriculum all in sixth grade. This cohort has very few selective students and many of them love math. It is their passion, so they are not as bothered with the demands of the course. However, I worry that this may be too much of an acceleration for these students. Math is such an important foundation for student to have, that if they accelerate at that level with any gaps it can harm them from understanding content later down the road.
We have a team who is evaluating the effectiveness of this program. We are potentially looking into other options. Our parents in the community like that the course is offered, and once taken away they will be wanting an alternative that is either equal to or better than what was already offered. Does anyone have any option of models implemented in your schools to offer high achieving students more opportunities to excel?
A few years later, we implemented the gifted cluster model and as a requirement the school made every general education teacher obtain their gifted certification. The teacher now had to deliver both the standard curriculum and gifted curriculum. The students were placed heterogeneously in homeroom classes. I found this model to work out the best since students had opportunities to work with similar ability and with others who may have different strengths and weaknesses. One group did not feel as inferior to the other.
Additionally, the current topic has been how to differentiate for our high math students. For the third year now, we have been offering an accelerated math class for those who have qualifying scores (CogAT, IOWA, Milestones, Interims). This course accelerates through all of fifth grade math curriculum, sixth grade curriculum, and half of seventh grade math curriculum. When these students go off to middle school they will finish with the seventh curriculum in math and work on eight grade curriculum all in sixth grade. This cohort has very few selective students and many of them love math. It is their passion, so they are not as bothered with the demands of the course. However, I worry that this may be too much of an acceleration for these students. Math is such an important foundation for student to have, that if they accelerate at that level with any gaps it can harm them from understanding content later down the road.
We have a team who is evaluating the effectiveness of this program. We are potentially looking into other options. Our parents in the community like that the course is offered, and once taken away they will be wanting an alternative that is either equal to or better than what was already offered. Does anyone have any option of models implemented in your schools to offer high achieving students more opportunities to excel?
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