Lead, Learn, Serve: The Principal's Office

March is "Risk Free Month of Teaching" at Solon High School

2012-03-05T09:26:00.001-08:00

Below is a letter I sent to my staff today. This idea comes from a colleague of mine that sent a similar letterto his staff.

Dear Solon High School Staff,

Today is the first full week of Marchwhich kicks off the “Risk Free Month of Teaching”. During themonth, you are encouraged to explore an exercise, lab, or lesson plan which you have not tried in the past. Research has shown that when a student orteacher takes a risk and attempts to stretch their knowledge, success of therisk is irrelevant. It is the learning process which makes us all grow.

Please take this month to grow yourknowledge and strengthen your skills in your content area, pedagogy and/or withtechnology. I fully support your efforts in trying something new.

Success of your risk taking is not afactor, your effort and attempt is what matters most.

Best of luck and most important ofall, have fun trying!

Oh, and have a great spring break!

New Grading System at Solon Schools Catches Lawmakers' Attention

2012-02-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Solon High School Welcomes Legislators to Open House

2012-02-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

The Solon Community School District will host an open house for state legislators, media, and educators to observe standards-based instructional practices at Solon High School on Friday, February 10th at 12:15pm.

The session will include a student and teacher panel, an observation of a standards-based lesson, and information on standards-based grading and competency-based education. The state of Iowa is discussing competency-based education as part of Governor Branstad’s proposal for world-class schools.

For more information or if you are interested in attending, please call Solon High School.

Weekly Update Feb. 7, 2012

2012-02-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

Solon Foreign Exchange Students

2012-01-31T10:25:00.000-08:00

Levente Cipak, Serbia, is a studying in the United States and joined our student body in the fall. His host company, Worldlink, requires him to present about his country to the school and community. Levente shared his presentation with the board in January and is now sharing with elementary and middle school students. Levente talks about school in Serbia, his native foods, traditions, and even taught the students a new dance!

Gabrielle Cavaletti, Brazil, is also a student at Solon High. She is getting involved in several activities including dance. Her host agency, Rotary Link, has provided her the unique opportunity to live with multiple families during her stay. This allows her to see and experience the culture of the United States from a variety of perspectives.

We are thankful to have Levente and Gabrielle in our school!

Solon Girls Show Their Character

2012-01-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

Below is an email I received from a Mt. Vernon community member.

Often times, it's not what you do on the court, but off the court, that makes a difference!

Good Afternoon Mr. Wear,

As you are aware, last evening the high school girls basketball team came to Mount Vernon for a game. After the JV game was completed approximately 6 members of the JV squad that did not dress varsity were in our commons area having some snacks after the JV game. As the varsity game was getting ready to start the commons area cleared, with the exception of these 6 young ladies. As soon as the National Anthem began to play, every single one of them stood and faced the gym door from where the anthem was being played. What a great testament to our country and to your student body to show such respect for the National Anthem! Congratulations! Solon was WELL represented last night.

Have a great day!

Weekly Update Jan. 19, 2012

2012-01-19T12:48:00.001-08:00

Solon High School Parking Regulations

2012-01-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

Solon HighSchool Parking Regulations

StartingJan. 17 the high school will begin enforcing parking rules and regulationsdescribed in the handbook. Allstudents that drive to school will need to register their car in the highschool office. To register andreceive a parking pass students will need to have the make, model, and licenseplate of the vehicle. There is nocost to register and students can register multiple vehicles. Additionally, students will need tosign this form acknowledging the guidelines below.

Belowis the language in the handbook that is being changed to enforce the newregulations with suggested changes.

StudentHandbook Language- Designated student parkingspaces are provided in the parking lot on the south side of the school. Designated teacher parking spaces areprovided in the parking lot on the south side of the school specifically forfaculty and visitors ONLY.

Use of “faculty/visitor”parking spaces by students on school days ~~between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm~~ isprohibited. Use of“faculty/visitor” parking spaces by students will result in a $5 parkingfine to be paid within five days to the school office.

Failure to pay this finewithin the allotted time will result in the loss of parking privileges onschool property. Vehiclesparked illegally may be subject to towing. ~~until such atime that the fine has been paid. If a student has received 2 parking fines, the 3^rd fine willcost the student $10.00 and a letter sent home to parents~~.

Students are to park in afashion so as not to block any incoming, outgoing, or parked cars. Students entering or leaving schoolgrounds are to do so in a safe, orderly manner. Violation of safe driving practices will result in the lossof parking privileges on school property.

Students needing to getarticles from their car during school hours must obtain prior approval from theoffice before leaving the building.

PrintedName ____________________________________________

StudentSignature ________________________________________

ParentSignature _________________________________________

Schoolyear _______________________________________________

Parking# (Office use only) _____________________________

StudentParking Lot Procedures

NO PARKING in faculty/visitor parking- violatorsmay be towed
NO PARKING on grassy areas- violators may betowed
Enter only through main entrance (see diagram)
Exit only through designated exits (see diagram)
Driving through lot is only ONE WAY
DO NOT cross entry lane to exit
Obey all traffic laws

Directions forplacing parking registration sticker

Sticker must be clearly visible from the outsideof the vehicle on the rear driver’s side window
Failure to register and display sticker willresult in a tow from the lot.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

From all of us at Solon High School we wish you a very happy holiday season!

Here are pics from the winners of our office ugly sweater contest!

Congrats to Eli DeWitt, Patrick McGill, and Ally Moore. Each received an iTunes gift card courtesy of the high school PTO.

Everyone joined in the fun!

Students Drop Flour From Airplane to Study Physics

2011-12-19T07:13:00.000-08:00

I'm proud to work in a school where innovative lessons and great teaching happen everyday. Recently, students in Shawn Cornally's Phyics class "took to the sky" to engage in learning an essential concept. You can read more about it in Mr. Cornally's blog post. It was also covered by the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Each year a local aviation group offers a scholarship to a high school student. One of our seniors won the scholarship a few years ago and has his pilot's license. So when the students suggested this activity, Mr. Cornally jumped on the opportunity to take learning to new heights (pun intended).

Then, over the horizon, came the plane with it's payload. If you look closely, you can see the flour hit the ground.

However, the calculations were off. A quick call to the pilot and an adjustment for speed, the class eagerly awaited the last attempt.

I commend Shawn, and all teachers, that look for innovative ways to challenge students to apply their learning.

Weekly Update Dec. 12

2011-12-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

Local Meets Global – Connecting Area Students to Future Careers

2011-11-30T14:10:00.001-08:00

Written by Nanci Young, Workplace Learning Connection

Kirkwood Community College

You can’t contemplate the future without considering theimpact of science, technology, engineering and mathin our everyday experiences, especially in our jobs. Students in high school will be facing far different workplacedemands than their parents. And,our middle school and elementary school population need to be prepared for jobsthat don’t even exist today! The34 school districts within the Grant Wood Area Education Agency Area 10, includingSolon Community Schools, are partnering with Workplace Learning Connection(WLC) to not only ride the wave of STEM careers, but to get in front of thedemand by providing work-based learning opportunities for their students.

Area high school students are job shadowing in STEM careersand participating in class-credit student internships at area STEMbusinesses. Local professionalsemployed in STEM careers are hosting worksite tours and going to elementary,middle and high school classes to speak to students about their careers. To date, WLC has connected students toSTEM careers over 850 times this school year.

Chemistry teacher, Jennifer Brown, Kennedy High School,explains why STEM education experiences are so important, “STEM careers are growing quickly and if wedon’t produce students to fill those positions, they will be lost to employeesoutside the US. Students are often unaware of the number and scope of optionsavailable to them, so it is important to increase their exposure. By working with WLC, we have access tothe large number of connections that they have developed with the community.”

Sarah K from Xavier High School talks about her job shadow experienceat St. Luke’s Hospital, “I think that it was really important for me to actuallysee what an occupational therapist gets to do. I learned exactly what kind ofwork the job entailed, what kind of training I would need, and what the marketlooked like for those skills. This experience will definitely help me inselecting my major in the next couple of years.”

Claire T, Linn-MarHigh School student, shadowed a physical therapist, “I learned about the different types ofphysical therapy, and shadowed one kind. It made me really interested to find out more about the rest! It hasinterested me to take more science classes and keep pushing towards this careerpath!”

Pete Kies, Lab Technician from Genencor International,explains why he participates in work-based learning activities, “I enjoy my workand I like being able to tell the kids that there are some cool jobs out there,if you have the skills and the knowledge to qualify for them.”

STEM touches a wide variety of career fields, over 75 ofthem explored this year through WLC’s job shadows, internships and events. These fields span five different pathways and include careerslike veterinarians and ag mechanics (Agriscience and Natural Resources), graphicdesigners (Arts and Communications), accountants, computer engineers and webdesigners (Business, Information Technology, Marketing and Management),machinists, aerospace engineering, and skilled trades (Engineering, Industrialand Technical Sciences), and dieticians, EMT’s and dermatologists (HealthSciences).

The need for STEM career education opportunities continuesto grow. This fall, GovernorBrandstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds commissioned a STEM Advisory Council togrow Iowa’s commitment to bolstering STEM education, STEM innovation and tobetter position Iowa’s young people and the state’s economy for thefuture. Workplace LearningConnection plays a role in this initiative by providing STEM career experiencesto K-12 students and instructors in this area’s 7-county region. To learn how to be a part of this waveof education, innovation and economic development, go to www.workplace-learning.org orbecome a fan of WLC’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Workplace-Learning-Connection.

Meet Auggie

2011-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

You may have heard from students about a dog in the building. Auggie, a 145 pound Newfoundland, is a therapy dog. Michelle Hand, Auggie's owner, has been taking him to local schools and hospitals to work with a variety of people. She has partnered with our MECCA counselor to provide services at Solon High School. It is a joy when he comes and all students benefit from his presence!

Why do I need to know this?

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

That question can often be heard in the classrooms of Solon High School. Our staff is quick to not only answer, but give students real-life, authentic learning experiences.

In the first video, students are using bubbles to investigate the permeability of cell walls. This lab further demonstrated the properties of cells and cell membranes and gave the kids a hands-on learning experience.

In a Project Lead the Way course, students used computer programs to evaluate the effectiveness of their robots. This measured energy consumption, speed, and other factors. Students were analyzing the data.

Finally, Spanish students were speaking to students in Mexico through Edmodo, an online and educational social media tool. This allowed our students to have authentic speaking experiences with native Spanish speakers.

Win or lose, we all are champions!

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here at Solon, we know a thing or two about being a champion. With 4 state football titles from 2007-2010 along with many other state titles in sports and music, our student athletes know how to win. So when our girls made the state volleyball tournament for the first time in school history, our student body was geared for another championship.

But when the final match ended, our girls, and our school were in new territory...we lost.

As a school leader, you hope your school has a culture that supports each and every person. My hope was validated all season long as our student body rallied around each other. The band played with heart, our students cheered, and we showed that no matter the score, we are all winners.

This is our school.

We are Solon.

And all of our students are champions!

Creating A Sense of Urgency for Grade Reform

2011-11-14T08:14:00.001-08:00

This article was initially published on Nov. 3, 2011 at www.edreach.us. You can access the link to the article here.

For those of us working inthe trenches in education to overhaul grading practices, the recent Educational Leadership journal from the Association for Supervision andCurriculum Development (ASCD) is a timely publication. Each article is dedicated to providinginformation about effective grading practices. The journal implies (actually it SHOUTS) the fact thatgrading practices are not effective in our schools.

So what can we do aseducational leaders to fix the grading problem? First, we have to acknowledge that the current system forgrading students is broken. Let meshare with you an example from our school. A student in a high school class recently scored poorly onan assignment. Here is the emailhe sent to the teacher.

Dear Teacher,

I was wondering if therewas a time we could meet. Before, after, or even seminar during school. When Iturned in my [assignment], you just said I needed more. I would like to go overit and get some more feedback from you. I feel like I could be a betterstudent. I would like to get more feedback and work through it with you.

Sincerely,

Concerned Student

His grade on this assignment gave no feedback on learning targetsthat were mastered and those that were not. This student was left with a feeling of unease and wants toknow what he can do to improve. Ifthis is a student in your school, you need to act now to prevent this fromhappening to other learners.

Below is a list of things you can do as a school leader to moveyour school toward more effective grading practices.

Startwith assessments. Teachers in ourbuilding are working on creating common assessments that are tied to essentiallearning targets. When teachersdiscuss and create assessments, they have ownership of the learningtarget. Then, when an assessmentis given, it allows the teacher to focus on the feedback from students to helpguide instruction. The ultimategoal is for teachers to focus on student learning rather than simply teachingthe concept.
Effectivegrading is about effective student learning. Share that message often with all stakeholders. Feedback is critical to the learningprocess.
Sharearticles with the teachers to improve their understanding of effective gradingpractices. We utilize a Google docto share articles and to gather input to allow all voices to be heard.
Creategrading guidelines for your district and have your board adopted that as localpolicy.
Starta book study group with staff. Westarted by reading Checking for Understanding by Douglas Fisher andNancy Frey or Fair Isn’t Always Equal by Rick Wormeli.

As Thomas Guskey stated, we can’t allow ourselves to say, “We’vealways done it that way.” Ourschool is taking on this challenge. Is yours?

Weekly Update November 7

2011-11-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

Vocal students participate in all day jazz workshop

2011-11-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

On Friday, October 28th, Solon High School vocal jazz students participated in an extraordinary master class with famed musician Michele Weir. Michele is often featured as guest vocalist at educational jazz festivals and is a former member of the Grammy-nominated vocal group, The PM Singers. Michele's vocal arrangements are performed by The Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, The Swingle Singers, M-Pact, Beachfront Property, Chanticleer, Voice Trek and her orchestral works played by the Boston Pops, the Buffalo, Cincinnati and Pacific Symphonies, and others.

She was Vocal Producer for the Manhattan Transfer¹s 2009 CD release, Chick Corea Songbook, and her arrangements or compositions have been featured on the Shari Lewis TV show, Disney's 101 Dalmations Sing-along CD, and the Holland America Cruise line.Michele is one of the leading figures in vocal jazz today. She has earned international recognition through a diverse set of talents as arranger, teacher, singer and pianist.

Currently serving on the faculty of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Michele taught previously at USC, CSU Long Beach, and the Phil Mattson School. Highly respected as a teacher and clinician, her work has taken her to more than 22 countries around the globe.

During the master class, students received the opportunity to participate in vocal improvisation, ear training, and scat singing. Several students also sang solos for the class and were critiqued one-on-one with Michele. Two of the vocal jazz ensembles performed one of their selections and were critiqued as well. Michele also provided foundations in jazz history, guided listening, and gave a long lasting, passionate session on life as a musician. In the end, students were treated to a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with one of the leading musicians in jazz today. The Solon program is fortunate to have such experiences and would like to thank Solon Spotlight for making this day possible!

Weekly update 10/31/11 Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T14:43:00.001-07:00

Moving Education Forward

2011-10-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

Moving is horrible. For any of you that have moved lately, you know what I'm talking about. To me, moving is an abomination. It took me 6 weeks to find my son's shoes and I know there are still things hidden in a box somewhere. However, the process of moving from one's house is much less daunting than moving a whole system.

How do we move forward in education?

For starters, we have to acknowledge the fact that there is no "moving company" to hire in education. You have to pack the boxes and do the heavy lifting yourself.
In order for change to happen, we need to confront the fact that the "educational house" we built no longer meets the needs of our students.
It will take everyone in the neighborhood to help with the move. This must be a community effort. Author Jamie Vollmer has a book titled Schools Cannot Do It Alone. I highly recommend his book, especially for those that have been out of school for awhile.
Change begins with the students. I have a student principal advisory group that meets with me monthly to give feedback on school policy and general happenings in our school. Thanks kids, I listen! And remember, I work for you!
No longer can learning be confined to the four walls of our schoolhouse. Lets extend opportunities in the workplace, provide kids with college credit and/or certifications in a job related field prior to graduation.
We need to change grading practices to improve student learning. Schools need to develop better assessments that provide feedback to both the teacher and student.

Will that get us to where we want to go? What else would you add?

Weekly Video Update 10/24/2011

2011-10-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

Student Voice Video Contest

2011-10-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Students I encourage you to participate in this contest!

http://iowatransformed.com/student-voice-video-contest/

You can also watch the promotional video here.

1. Get a team

2. Think of some ideas

Not sure where to start? Take a look at these idea-starters to help you get thinking:

What would make school awesome? How would you set up the structure of learning so that you couldn’t wait to get there everyday?
Tell us about a time you lost track of time learning something new. Maybe you were practicing a physical or musical skill or spent hours trying to understand a complex science or math concept. Maybe you had a great time researching an idea or person that you admire or built or fixed something with your own hands. Whatever it was, you worked hard and you did it! You stretched yourself, learned a lot and felt that rush of accomplishment. How could school be set up so that kind of learning happened all day for everyone?
Imagine there has never been a thing called school – ever before – and the community decided today that we needed to help young people prepare for adult life. What would you need to learn? Where would the best learning take place? Who should do the teaching? How would it work?

3. Submit your video by midnight on Nov. 2

4. Be sure to follow the rules.

Win some cash!

What class would you choose?

2011-10-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

I need to write more about the fantastic work our teachers do on a daily basis. They rock! Their work is dedicated, their hearts are genuine, and they come to school everyday giving their best.

But what do they do when the kids aren't in school?

And why do teachers need professional development anyway?

Take a look at this picture. It shows two classes. Class A and Class B. In orange are two columns of descriptors of those classes. In black, are questions I posed to the teachers.

What class would you want to attend?
What class would you want your own child to have?
Which class do you think students at Solon High School would choose?

These questions sparked our learning for the day. Teachers worked collaboratively in departments to analyze their curriculum in grades 9-12. After alignment, we then focused on creating assessments that matched those essential concepts.

However, at the end of the day, I asked them to think again about these two classrooms. If we have great content and great assessments but students have a lack of ownership, then where does that leave our students? Our discussion will continue next time as we begin to look at standards based grading and informing our students more along a continuum of the learning process.

What class would you choose?

Weekly Update Oct. 17, 2011

2011-10-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Weekly Update October 3, 2011

2011-10-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

Education Blueprint for Iowa Reform

2011-10-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Department of Education Director Jason Glass have released their education blueprint for Iowa education reform. As part of my commitment to innovation, I plan to work with SCSD staff to be a leader in this reform movement.

Here are some of the areas for suggested in the report:

Attract and support talented educators with an increase in starting teacher pay, more selective teacher preparation programs and improved recruiting and hiring practices.
Create educator leadership roles in schools and develop a meaningful peer-based evaluation system that requires annual and multiple evaluations of all educators.
Develop a four-tier teacher compensation system with Apprentice, Career, Mentor and Master levels and substantial pay raises for teachers who move up. Add other options for increasing teacher pay, such as work in extended day or year programs.
Establish a definition of educator effectiveness and tie job protections to an evaluation system based on this definition.
Free up principals from some managerial tasks to lead and support great teaching.
Improve and expand the Iowa Core to put Iowa’s standards on par with the highest-performing systems in the world.
Develop an assessment framework that includes measuring whether children start kindergarten ready to learn and high-stakes End-of-Course assessments for core subjects in high school. Have all Iowa 11th graders take a state-funded college-entrance exam.
Provide value-added measures for all districts, schools, grades and educators that take into account student background characteristics and consider student growth.
Seek a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law and work with key education groups and leaders statewide to design a new accountability system.
Ensure children learn basic literacy by the end of third grade with high-quality reading programs, supports for schools and students, and an end to social promotion for third-graders who read poorly.
Nurture innovation with funding for transformative ideas, greater statutory waiver authority for the Iowa Department of Education and pathways to allow for high-quality charter schools in Iowa.
Create a state clearinghouse of high-quality online courses available to any student in Iowa, and back the courses with licensed teachers and the best online learning technology available.
Set goals for student outcomes, including a 95 percent high school graduation rate and top statewide performance on national standardized assessments.

Click here for a copy of the report

Solon Schools use Social Networking Sites as Tools

2011-09-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Image: tungphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Social media in schools has been a hot topic lately. Some schools and states are blocking sites and discouraging teachers and students to interact online. However, our school embraces social media as a teaching tool and we plan to revise our policy to encourage that interaction. It takes the classroom outside the "four walls" of the building. Thanks to KCRG news for running the story and highlighting the progressive practices at Solon CSD.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, I encourage you to leave your thoughts below.

Week of Sept. 19

2011-09-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

POW/MIA Recognition Day

2011-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Solon High School was the site of POW/MIA Recognition Day on Friday, September 16. Nine veterans and their guests attended an event at the media center sponsored and organized by the VA Medical Clinic in Iowa City. Their stories of inspiration were amazing to hear! Students in history class got to hear firsthand accounts of imprisonment from the veterans.

Here are some pictures from the day.

No Office Day

2011-09-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

I was working late yesterday when our custodian came in and asked if I would be staying all night. I told him that tomorrow was my "No Office Day" and he thought that meant that I would be on the golf course for the day. While spending the day on the course would be a nice respite from the hectic life of a school principal, I informed him that I would be out in classrooms all day.

I came across on Twitter that several principals and other school administrators would have "No Office Day" during the week of September 12. I jumped at the opportunity to spend time in our classrooms. My goal as an instructional leader is to ensure high quality instruction occurs on a daily basis. In my experience, I have found that it is nearly impossible to do that while sitting in my chair in my office.

So, I look forward to spending my day in the halls, classrooms, and common areas talking and working with students. We have a group of veterans coming to school today to work with history classes and I will be teaching 1 block of PE.

Most importantly, I won't be in my office.

Are you a teacher, or an educator?

2011-09-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Eric Sheninger, Principal at New Milford High School in New Jersey, for posting this video on his blog http://esheninger.blogspot.com/

Week of September 12, 2011

2011-09-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Teaching 9/11

2011-09-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

For those of us that watched in horror the events that unfolded ten years ago, remembering the victims and tragedy of 9/11 brings back strong emotions. But what about teaching remembrance? How do help students understand the implications of such an historically important topic?

Most of our students were young when the event happened and had little connection with world events. Today students are having the chance to relive history in a meaningful way. Students in history class are looking at iconic images from September 11, 2001. The link for the photos can be found here. Their task is to write a caption for the photo, explain their emotion, and state why the photo is significant to historians. As I sat in class, I was proud of the discussion and reflection of our students. The anger emotion was evident. However, it is important to remember the needless loss of life. Our hope is to teach future generations about incidents in the world and learning how to be tolerant of each other's differences.

From the Desk of Mr. Wear- Week of Sept. 6, 2011

2011-09-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

A New Journey

2011-06-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

"Everything I ever needed to know I learned in Kindergarten."

Remember that quote. I can't help but think about that as I start a new journey in my career.

Moving from the halls of elementary to the halls of high school can be quite a change. As an elementary principal, I couldn't walk down the halls or into a classroom without getting a high five, fist bump, or the occasional hug. And while the high fives and fist bumps may continue at high school (to stay out of trouble) I plan to avoid the hugs.

Today, I am with the team at Solon CSD learning about the concepts of Professional Learning Communities. The amount of information can be overwhelming at times (so is the thought of moving from an elementary setting to the high school setting). However, I keep coming back to the same questions.

What are non-negotiable beliefs in K-12 schools? What practices, regardless of the level, are best practice? What common traits can Kindergarten teachers and Biology teachers share. Below are my non-negotiable practices.

1. Collaboration is a must. No longer can we in education allow "independent contractors" to work in our buildings.

2. The PLC structure is not something you "do". It is who you are and what you believe in as a staff that drives your work.

3. WHAT MATTERS MOST must be prioritized in regards to students learning objectives. Research shows that we would need to keep kids in a system that spans from K-22 instead of K-12 if we are to teach everything.

4. Assessment should be frequent and drive instructional decisions in the classroom.

5. Any school that claims its purpose is to help all students learn at high level then fails to create a system of interventions is preparing kids to fail.

To create a systematic process that ensures every child receives the additional time and support needed to learn at high levels is our goal. Otherwise you have a lottery where kids succeed based on the "luck" of getting a good teacher.

What are other non-negotiable K-12 school practices?

Creating Second Order Change

2010-03-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

Was your education good enough for you when you went through school?

To some, the answer is yes. Unfortunately, that model is not good enough for our students today. Changing the model is second-order change for most in education (and society) except for a few courageous leaders.

McREL, located in Denver Colorado, rolled out Balanced Leadership in our education agency about 5 years ago. The premise of their meta-analysis was that school leaders had 21 responsibilities that could be correlated with gains in student achievement. Furthermore, there are 6 district level responsibilities that are at the core of the superintendency. The idea of second order change comes from the premise that the magnitude of change at this level is much greater than first order change.

Are we attempting second order change in our schools? My answer would be "no". Check out the Committe of Ten and tell me how much things have changed since 1892. Looks pretty much like a current 2010 high school schedule.

According to our professor, the University of Northern Iowa is the only program preparing superintendents that is using the McREL research and Balanced Leadership responsibilities. Our challenge as new leaders is to create a "sense of urgency" in our schools. To push our profession to change.

Not just minor change, but a magnitude of change that will propel our children into a dedicated culture of 21st century learning.

March Madness

2010-02-23T21:46:00.000-08:00

OK, so my title is a little misleading. It's not even March and I don't find myself in a state of madness. However, I'm hoping those two key words at this time of year will drive a little more Google traffic to my blog!

1:1 Computer Initiatives

Thank you to the administrators, staff, and students in Sigourney Community School District, Sigourney, Iowa as well as the educational reps from Apple Computers for the tour of your school and the discussion of your 1:1 laptop initiative. As we toured the 7-12 facility today it was evident that engagement of student learning was a top priority.

Administrators, teachers, technology directors, curriculum directors, and students will be further developing this conversation across the state of Iowa at the 1:1 Iowa: 2010 Institute on April 7 in Des Moines. For the 30 or so districts already moving in that direction across our state, I applaud your effort. Van Meter is one of the few setting the pace in Iowa.

Most important learning from today:

1. This is not an initiative about computers. This is about changing learning.

2. The paradigm shift is from classroom to community.

3. Our students need to become autonomous learners. My definition of autonomy is the ability to allow teachers/students/administrators the discretion to choose a path that leads to a common goal.

4. Teachers' roles have changed. Students no longer need information. They can find that in .023 seconds in a Google search. Teach them how to make sense of information, synthesize, and collaborate.

5. Tools of today's workforce are

Digital
Virtual
Personal
Mobile

But, districts continue to ban these types of tools in schools.

Not our district. Today, we started moving in the right direction.

How Full is Your Glass?

2010-02-10T21:18:00.000-08:00

I have a note on my desk that describes a "realistic optimist". The definition states that "this person has a glass half full and finds ways to add water to the glass." Unfortunately, not all of us in education have this perception. I know a lot of people with a glass that is half empty. Unfortunately, I know a select few people that have so many holes in their glass that no amount of water can fill.

So when I received this email, I couldn't help but think how this mentality could benefit education. Often, schools are compared to businesses with students being the goods we produce and student achievement driving the bottom line. When you read this, think about how full your glass is (or should be). What can we do to soar like eagles?

No one can make you serve customers well... that's because great service is a choice. Harvey Mackay tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed my friend a laminated card and said, “I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.”

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said, Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment... This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.” My friend said jokingly, “No, I'd prefer a soft drink.” Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.” Almost stuttering, Harvey said, “I'll take a Diet Coke.”

Handing him his drink, Wally said, “If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.”

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card: These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.

And, as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.

“Tell me, Wally,” my amazed friend asked the driver, “Have you always served customers like this?”

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. “No, not always… In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years of driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written a book called, You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He also said to stop complaining and differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.

“That hit me right between the eyes,” said Wally. “Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So, I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.”

“I take it that has paid off for you?” Harvey asked.

“It sure has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it, and I take a piece of the action.”

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally, the Cab Driver, made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

Can we redo the "Race to the Top" Draft?

2010-02-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

The Federal Department of Education has released a little information about the Race to the Top Judges. For you sports fans, I'm sure Mel Kiper Jr. would have a field day trying to analyze this! I say we throw the names back in a hat and draft the players again.

The Race to the Top Program is the Obama administration's solution for overhauling the education system. While their purpose is to "ensure maximum integrity and transparency" in education across the country, I can't grasp how protecting the names of the judges is being transparent. Clear as mud? Check out these stats

15 are former principals, 30 are former K-12 teachers

4 are attorneys

35 have doctoral degrees

12 have served on state or local boards of education

15 are former state or district superintendents

25 are from the Northeast, 13 from the West, 13 from the South, and seven from the Midwest

32 are women, and 26 are men

As my friend Linda Hahner pointed out on Twitter, there are no current teachers listed in the group. Linda also points to the fact that we don't know anything about the diversity of the group. While I agree that true reform can only take place when school leaders can make local decisions, I am troubled by the fact that no current teachers are included in the list.

Finally, for those of us in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin, see you in the next round of applications because the Midwest doesn't have a chance.

Will Email Become the Next "Snail Mail"?

2010-01-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

Being relatively new to Twitter and the blog community, I found it hard to believe that I would ever use these tools. However, a friend of mine, Deron Durflinger, helped me see how valuable using these tools can be in the education field. Because of my new obsession with these great resources, I started to wonder if email would become the new "snail mail"???

I used to rely on my inbox to give me the most updated stories and news that I needed. Then I would wast time by hunting around the web at the end of the day going from page to page to check all of my favorite news outlets. Now, with Twitter, I can receive instant updates and follow people throughout the greater education community. I can hear issues and opinions from varying educators in the field by subscribing to their blogs. Furthermore, Google Reader gives me the information at such a blazing rate that some days it is hard to keep up!

So, just like I have done with stamps, I say "goodbye" to my inbox. I won't miss your slow updates, the number of meaningless messages, or the fact that you just can't give me the information my job and life require.

Here is a great resource for educators getting started with Twitter.

My next task is to get this information in the hands of our students and learners.

What is a great teacher?

2010-01-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

My last post on mediocre teaching created a lot of "buzz" in my elementary building. I'm not talking about the kind of buzz from too much coffee before an 8:00 am staff meeting, but rather the kind of buzz that energizes people into thinking about their practices in the classroom.

One teacher asked me if average teachers (I prefer mediocre) think they are good in the classroom. I quickly answered "yes" deciding that most teachers who think they are good instructors have obviously lost the ability to reflect on their practice. Instead, I asked the teacher this question, "Do our great teachers know they are great?"

Think about it. I have seen some excellent teachers in the classroom that leave the building each day asking themselves what they could have done better. Great teachers put in long hours each week, feel frustration when a lesson is not perfect, are dedicated to the profession, and constantly look for ways to improve. A great teacher has the innate ability to ensure that every child learns regardless of the child's circumstances or abilities.

We, as educational leaders, need to tell our great teachers everyday that they are the best person in that classroom!

The following excerpt comes from the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide (Grades 3 and up) by Ruth Culham. I think this best captures the qualities of a great teacher.

A Good Teacher

(Written by an 8th grader)

To be a good teacher, one needs to love kids, love education, be caring, dedicated, cheerful, etc. Yeah, we've all heard it before. We've been writing this essay since 2nd grade. It's what we're expected to tell you in our big, colorful words for our big, colorful grade. Sure, I agree, it does take all all of that, but maybe it takes a wee bit more, hmm?

Maybe a good teacher need passion. Not necessarily for teaching, but for life. Perhaps they need to be rebellious and independent, as opposed to standard issue Model A.

I think a good teacher should teach what's in their hearts. They should be outrageous and have fun with their subjects. They should be there to give advice, but they should not force it upon those who don't want it.

A good teacher should understand that being free spirited doesn't mean you're stupid and that being shy doesn't' mean you have no opinions. I think a good teacher could let loose and be causal. Let us have our freedoms without losing control.

They must realize that I am not 4, nor am I 40. A good teacher should never fear a new idea. They shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes. They should respect me and my privacy, understanding that this will bring respect to them.

A good teacher must realize that we are individuals. They should involves us in discussions and teach us about reality and things that are relevant to us. They should understand that we don't need to be sheltered as much anymore. Now we need to be taught.

A good teacher listens.

A good teacher learns.

If you leave the school building each day thinking to yourself, "What could I have done better today?" Take a moment to pat yourself on the back. You are a great teacher.

Mediocrity in teaching

2010-01-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

I start my first blogging "experience" with a topic that has bothered me ever since I started my educational career. What do we do with mediocre teachers?

For starters, and several have written on the topic, it has to begin with a better teacher preparation program. We need to find a way for pre-service teachers to be in front of a real-world class the minute they enter an educational program. Too often, a student-teaching experience is the first chance a person has to actual practice their pedagogy. The pre-service program must then assess the person early and if they have not shown the ability to effectively teach, then they are removed from the educational program. Would you want legal representation from someone who only had a few "field experience" hours in the courtroom? We don't want teachers like that in our schools.

But addressing mediocrity with teachers that are already on staff can be a challenge. One thing districts try to do is catch up those teachers that are behind. In a discussion with a teacher today, he commented on how frustrating it is to sit in professional development meeting and work with colleagues that show little or no motivation to learn or "get better". If teachers notice that about other teachers, how do you think the students feel?

So what do most districts do? They create staff development programs that address a broad range of learners and focus on the majority needs of staff. Isn't that what we're telling our teachers NOT to do in regards to instructing their students?

Instead, I propose we begin to look at professional development in a different way.

1. Get staff connected with the world of educators and allow them to use time to read professional articles, blogs, and collaborate with other teachers (This means that teachers could collaborate with teachers in other states or countries).

2. Use teachers and administrators to collaboratively plan professional development opportunities.

3. Quit the "one-for-all" approach to staff development and differentiate professional development opportunities based on the needs of the each educator (or group of educators such as special education or 4th grade teachers).

4. Connect evaluation systems with evidence of teachers' professional development: projects, implementation of new strategies, student learning.

The next step is then evaluating systems that break the traditional mold. But that's a whole other topic!

Tell me what your ideas are regarding innovative ways to fight mediocrity.