Thank-you Matt Damon!

"This has been a horrible decade for teachers. I can’t imagine how demoralized you must feel. But I came here today to deliver an important message to you: As I get older, I appreciate more and more the teachers that I had growing up. And I’m not alone. There are millions of people just like me . . . And none of these qualities that I’ve just mentioned, none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, that have brought me so much joy, that have brought me so much professional success (imagination, a love of writing & learning, and curiosity), none of these qualities that make me who I am ... can be tested!" ~Matt Damon at the Save Our Schools March in Washington, DC July 2011.

Wow! Someone finally someone publically stood up for teachers! I cannot think of a group of individuals that have experienced more criticism, had more fingers pointed at them, and given more blame for the ills that befall us than teachers. The profession has been an easy target for the past ten to fifteen years, and the slings and arrows continue to come our way. It is interesting that our newly appointed Director of Education, Jason Glass, has included in Governor Branstad’s blueprint for education a reference to the quality teachers that we have in our state, but that seems to be lost in all of the other very important aspects of the plan he will take to the legislature in the upcoming session.

It pains me to hear the criticism. I know that there are some teachers that should not be in the profession. Believe me, in my role it is a huge concern and responsibility; one that I take very serious. It is important to work with all of our teachers to help them become better at their craft, just like any other employee. But, people need to recognize that the quality teachers outnumber those that should not be in the profession by a huge margin. Thus, I believe that the criticism lobbed our way is undeserved. Education is an easy target because a tremendous amount of money comes from the government to fund it. Yet, politicians have demonized the profession for what I believe is their own political gain. In modern politics, you need someone or something to point your finger at. Thus, they have been aimed at us.

When we look at the big picture and people throw all kinds of statistics around, here is one that I believe sheds more light on the problem than any other, and one that for whatever reason has not attracted attention in the media or politicians. In the most recent PISA results that compare the performance of American students to those in other countries, if you would adjust for poverty, students in the United States perform at the top. Hmmm. Do you suppose we have a poverty issue in this country? Have we adequately addressed that? When you recognize that in most industrial countries poverty levels are not close to what we have in the United States at this time, should it be a surprise that teachers struggle to teacher kids that come to school so very unprepared for school? There is a huge divide between the “haves” and the “have not’s” in our country, as is evident by what is currently being fought over politically. Politicians spend a lot of time talking about fixing education. How about they spend a little bit of that time figuring out how they can fix poverty? I may be very interesting what the future of our country will look like if that would happen!

Let's Have Some Fun!

You know, sometimes it’s just a good thing to step back and have some fun. We have had quite a bit of fun the past couple of weeks with Homecoming and the festivities that come with that. In fact we even put a little more emphasis on the fun part as quite honestly, in years past there wasn’t that much going on that was fun. We added competitive games between advisory groups that were well received. Kids got a kick out of trying to work their way through hula-hoops and breaking apart frozen blocks of knotted t-shirts. Changing things up on Friday with a pep rally that included all of the kids in the district brought electricity into the gym. And the introduction of the “Interlude Dance” saw our kids drop their inhibitions and fill the floor, breaking moves and having a great time!

And then the Home Makeover crew came to town and out of the blue late Tuesday afternoon Mr. Willhite got a call asking if our softball team wanted to play a “fun” game Wednesday evening. The HM folks wanted to blow off some steam and work off some stress, and at the same time give folks in the community a chance to come out and see them. Talk about a “Field of Dreams” night! To a person, the girls that got to play had a great time! Talk to people that were there and the first thing out of their mouth was “it was a lot of fun!”

I think that we need to rediscover “fun” at school. No, I don’t expect teachers to be entertainers, and hard work generally isn’t fun. But, there are ways to make learning fun and I have seen it. Students had a great time designing and building Rube Goldberg machines in physical science over the past couple of weeks as they studied force and motion. I saw some hilarious “presentations” in speech class where students demonstrated things you don’t do when giving a speech. And it has been fun for kids to be part of the Interlude dance at events ever since it was introduced to us at homecoming. Days sure do seem to go a little bit better when you have a chance to laugh and smile a bit!

Privilege and Responsibility

Prior to the start of the current college football season, all of the major conferences host media days. In the Big 10, coaches, players, athletic directors, and other individuals associated with member school’s athletic departments gather for a few days in Chicago and meet the press. A few days after that gathering, a video clip started circulating of Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins and a speech that he gave on behalf of the players in the conference. It is out there on YouTube and I would encourage you to take a look. However, there is a part of his speech that I want to focus on, which I have included here.

"It's here in this place of privilege where perhaps danger lies," he said. "I've been taught that human nature is such that the place of privilege most often and most naturally leads to a sense of entitlement -- the notion that I deserve to be treated as special because I'm privileged. The truth is privilege should never lead to entitlement. I've been raised and taught to believe that privilege should lead to responsibility, in fact to greater responsibility."

When one reads about this current generation of teenagers, some often refer to them as “the entitlement generation.” Because of the way that many have been raised with a focus on making sure that they feel special, in turn they expect things because they are “special” and do not acknowledge that in “real life” you have to earn your keep. We see this quite often in the classroom where students believe they just have to show up to get a good grade, or that by simply completing a paper should bring reward, never mind the quality of work. As parents we have cheered the effort rather than the outcome, which I believe is a disservice to our kids. Of course we want them to participate, to try. But many of us have hesitated to push them to perform at a high level because we are afraid of what might happen. So, I believe that many kids have gained a false sense of privilege and do not recognize the responsibility that comes with it. For some, if it doesn’t make them feel good, why should they do it?

I am also concerned about a prevailing attitude that exists with seniors at North Fayette. There is a strong sense of entitlement among that group simply because they are seniors. They have “put in their time” and now it is all about them! It isn’t just this year’s class as actually, I have seen less of it with them than in my two previous years. What I want to see is that they have become leaders and that they make a difference in the lives of others, especially the underclassmen. They need to be the students in the building that teach others about what it means to be a North Fayette Hawk and to help prepare them for the challenges that are ahead of them. Rather than expecting that the spotlight will now shine on them simply because they have completed 12 years of formal education, our seniors need to figure out how they can expand the spotlight to include all of those things that they have done and all of the people they have touched to make NFHS a better place. With privilege comes responsibility!

Iowa Futures: Did You Know Iowa?

At the beginning of August I attended our annual School Administrators of Iowa Conference in Des Moines. In addition to renewing acquaintances and listening to a number of presenters, I attended one session that focused on the future of education in Iowa and how to engage the community in the discussion. One of the highlights was the premier of the video that I have included on this post. I think you will find it interesting and it should point out that if we want to provide the best for our children and the future of our state, we must start making the changes that so many people find hard to make. Click on the link to watch the video.

Iowa, Did You Know?

ESEA Reauthorization Part II: Are we going to get anywhere?

In previous entries and a couple of times in my newsletter, I have referenced my role as state coordinator for Iowa with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Basically that means that I represent Iowa in our national organization. My primary job with this position is to advocate for education and the principal profession with legislators at the federal level. There are other responsibilities, but that is the biggest one. In June, I spent three days in Washington D.C., as I have for three of the past four summers, with other coordinators with the primary purpose of meeting with our elected congressmen and senators from Iowa. At one of our trainings, the number one issue all of us were briefed on to discuss with the politicians was the reauthorization of ESEA. With all of the focus on the budget and debt ceiling, little attention appears to be paid to other legislation. Education only makes up 2% of the federal budget, so it is of no surprise that it ranks a little lower on the priority list. It will be interesting once the budget is settled, how things will shake out.
With that being said, the law says that reauthorization must take place. As an educator, we need direction. Of course, if nothing happens, then the original tenants of NCLB stay in place, even though politicians and educators do agree that there are changes that must be made. Under the current legislation, experts estimate that over 82% of all schools will not meet the performance levels of NCLB, meaning that they are non-proficient and will become a School In Need of Assistance. I understand that there are some failing schools, many of which have become dropout factories and no one would want their child to have to attend one of them. However, I find it ludicrous to believe that 82% of our nation’s public schools are failing! That is ridiculous, yet under the standards set by NCLB, that will most likely happen. If it does, then what? The federal government is not allocating more money to “fix” our schools, so what will we do? Of course 82% of our school are not failing. We have heard all of the negative statements from the anti-public school folks pointing out how we are failing our children, yet we are teaching our students more than any previous generation, and believe it our not, our students are learning more! Contrary to what the alarmists want us to believe, American schools are doing a good job providing quality education to students. The problem is, the world is changing so fast that it is ridiculously hard to try and move forward fast enough!
Another recent development in the response to NCLB is the fact that in some isolated instances school leaders have resorted to cheating to produce test scores that meet the mandates. Examples have been recently uncovered in Georgia where many people are now losing their jobs due to fraud associated with test scores. And, there are investigations into the same type of thing in Pennsylvania. The problem with this is that from the outset, NCLB has been punitive by nature. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has noted this leading up to the Education Summit being held in Des Moines and goes so far to say that it stands in the way of positive social change. But is all of this rhetoric? People have been talking about it for years, but it has been four years since reauthorization was to take place and nothing has changed!
The reality is that one way or another, public schools are going to have to meet the demands of the law, whatever that may be. Some states are starting to opt out and change their criteria for proficiency. Others, like Iowa, seem to be at somewhat of a standstill. What I do know is that unless changes are made, very few schools, if any, will see 100% of its students achieve proficiency in math and reading. I also know that many schools, including North Fayette, have made significant strides and have shown growth toward meeting those goals. NCLB has forced us to look closely at how students learn and how we teach. Now, we need a clear direction to chart our course for the future.

ESEA Reauthorization Part I: What is this all about?

You all have heard about No Child Left Behind, so you will know what I am talking about in the next few paragraphs. Commonly referred to as NCLB, or “nickel-b,” among educators, it is actually the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that was signed into law in January of 2002 by then President George W. Bush. A lot of controversy has accompanied this law and its implementation, but in reality, it has served a purpose that has moved education ahead in our country, drawing attention to some shortcomings and forcing educators to make changes in the best interests of our students. One of the interesting things about this law is that it was supposed to be reauthorized, or “re-upped,” four or five years ago, and yet here we sit waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

In reality, when President Bush signed the Bill in 2002, that was a reauthorization of a previous ESEA bill. What happens is once some bills are passed, there is a certain period of time built in that requires Congress to look at is, determine if it is working, make changes if deemed necessary, and then reauthorize it. As NCLB was unfolded a little over nine year ago, there was quite a bit of criticism from some sectors, yet people rolled up their sleeves and began working toward meeting the goals that were established. Like a lot of new laws, as people start working with them, strengths and weaknesses emerge, and one of the things that stood out very early on with NCLB was the goal that 100% of our nation’s children would be proficient and on grade level in reading and math by 2014. Anyone, and I mean anyone that knows anything about education, child development, and statistics can tell you that was a pipedream. There is no way that is going to happen. Would that be great and should we challenge every student to reach his or her potential? Heck yes! But there is a difference between dreams and reality.

As a lot of education reforms have been put in place, there are parts of this country where significant gains have been made in regard to improving reading and math, and about three or four years into NCLB, you heard educators and politicians start talking about growth models. You see another part of NCLB that caught a lot of criticism was the punitive nature of the law directed at schools, teachers, and administrators when the students do not meet trajectories or targets on the way to 100% proficiency in 2014. There have been some great stories of schools that have turned around, and even here, we have seen growth among some of our students. Yet according to the law, it isn’t good enough unless you are at a certain level.

What has evolved over the past four or five years is a more realistic perspective on NCLB, with educators and politicians from both sides of the aisle in agreement on a number of things that need to be changed, yet our leaders in Washington, DC have not been able to get it done. Growth models rather than 100% proficiency is almost universally agreed upon, yet the law has not been changed and 2014 is staring us right in the face. Outstanding literacy programs have been put in place, yet funding to continue them has for the most part run out. States like Iowa have undergone, or have initiated significant changes in their educational programs, with most of them raising expectations and implementing a common core of standards. President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have initiated some new programs designed to move our country back to the top in regard to the education our children receive. But, without the reauthorization, the old goals are still there and public education faces a potentially cataclysmic situation in 2014. Why are we at this point? I’ll address that in my next entry!

Commencement 2011

A few folks that attended our graduation ceremony complimented me on the comments that I made to the graduates. While it is not a full-fledged address, I have copied it to this blog.

Principal’s Address

Today we celebrate the completion of this group of student’s first 13 years of formal education. More is on the way regardless of what their plans are. Each of them is going to enter into an economy much different than the one that previous generations faced when they graduated from high school. The reality is that they will not have one occupation for the rest of their life. Unlike my grandfathers, they must go on to school to continue their education so that they can get a good paying job. They must also have a solid foundation of knowledge and skills because after a few years, they will most likely be required to move on to a different occupation, and perhaps more training or school. I really hope that a lot of you will get solid training as either an apprentice or journeyman, or perhaps through a community college for the skilled jobs that are so high in demand right now. These jobs are going to pay you a lot! But, you have to get the training and you must be willing to adapt.
This isn’t the way it will be for just the skilled workers. The world is changing for those with four-year degrees who enter the white-collar world. You will most likely compete with other people looking for a job from around the world, not just Iowan. And, you have to realize that young men and women from other countries are going to be willing to work for far less than you will. Because of that, you must be prepared to move on to new occupations.

The biggest advantage you are going to have is your ability to create and to problem-solve. American ingenuity is still the biggest advantage we have in the world economy. All of those word problems and science labs you were put through, and perhaps some of the projects you did where you had to take something and make something new out of it are a taste of the things employers will want you to do.

In the big picture, your education must continue. You need to persevere and seek more knowledge and more skills.
I asked a question when I arrived here as to how many students wanted to live in rural Iowa and a number of hands went up. Others want the adventure of seeing other places and perhaps the experience of the excitement of cities or other regions of the country. With all of that said, I ask you to consider the following proposal. For a little while, you need to get away. You need to go to school, join the military, or do whatever, but get away from home. Too many young people today do not break the tie soon enough from home to learn to stand on their own and become a responsible adult. Second, after a few years of experiencing life beyond Fayette County, come back! We need well-educated, passionate, progressive people to come back to rural Iowa to help us energize our small towns. I venture to say that most people in this gym today really like to live right here, otherwise they would have taken opportunities to move elsewhere. I also know there are frustrations with what has happened to our small towns. I talked to a friend yesterday from a town I lived in 15 years ago and he said that it bothered him how “scummy” his town has become. Well, you can do something about it. Come back and help us sustain a high quality of life in northeast Iowa. When you look around, there are others who have walked across this stage in the last ten years or so that have done that. But, you have to bring something to the table. That’s why you need to get out an experience what life has to offer.

As a personal note to you, the Class of 2011, what will happen after you walk out of here is the best thing that you could possibly wish for, and I am not sure that many of you realize it. What will happen is that your class will break up and you will move on. Each and every one of you can break free of the perceptions some people have and make something of yourself on your own. There is no doubt that there is tremendous talent in this class. Some of you just don’t know it yet! Many of you are going to make your mark in life and it is going to be very exciting to see whom that will be. When you all come back together in 25 years to celebrate a reunion, my bet is that a lot of you are going to be surprised!
Congratulations to each and every one of you! Good luck! And I wish you good health and happiness in the rest of your life!