More Snow Days Ahead?

Difficult as it may be to fathom snowy weather and cold temps on this crisp, golden day in September, the weather wizards are already speculating about this winter.

According to weather experts at the University of Washington, western Washington may receive more snowfall this winter due to the La Nina effect. This cooling of the Pacific Ocean means we'll have more rainfall and varying temps in the coming months, researchers said. These conditions can mean more snow.

Last year, a series of bad weather instances -- ranging from wind storms and flooding to ice and snow -- dragged out the school year for many schools on the western half of the state until the end of June.

Did the weather disruptions affect planning for this school year? Does your school plan to do anything different to handle inclement weather as a result of lessons learned last year?

A Place for My Stuff

Like slide rulers and chalkboards, the school locker is quickly becoming a relic of school days gone by. Safety concerns, noise issues, constantly forgotten combos and the occasional student prank may all have contributed to the decline of the metal storage closets in today's modern schools.

The problem is, students still have all that, well, stuff. (Turns out George Carlin was right.) And a backpack can only handle so much.

Case in point: At Seattle's newest high school, a $67 million redesign of Cleveland High did not include lockers. However, given the amount of sporting equipment, books and other supplies students must tote, the school is rethinking the lack of storage. According to an article in this week's Seattle Weekly, 500 new lockers will be brought in to help stem the tide of bad backs and lost items.

So, about all that stuff: Does your school still have lockers? Or if yours doesn't, how are you helping students manage their school stuff? Extra classroom storage? (Bigger backpacks?)

And, if you don't have lockers, has not having them cut down on related problems?

New Face in School Safety at OSPI

The state department of education announced today that Tyson Vogeler is the new program supervisor for school safety and security. Vogeler has previously worked in the Naselle and Elma school districts and, according to OSPI, has extensive experience in working with at-risk youth.

In his new role at OSPI, Vogeler will be working on a new grant to enhance school safety planning (including the Prepared Response school mapping project AWSP has been involved with) and a new school gang task force.

The End of No Child Left Behind?

Well, in name, at least.

Today's Washington Post reports that Congress is considering a new name for the now infamous No Child Left Behind Act:

One reason, said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), a key sponsor of the original bill that transformed K-12 education in the country by ushering in an era of high-stakes standardized testing, is that "No Child" is inextricably linked to Bush. And Bush, he said, has become unpopular.

Furthermore, he said, people simply don't like the name.

"People find it an incredible insult [to suggest] that we are deliberately leaving children behind," he said.

Marian Wright Edelman, president of the nonprofit Children's Defense Fund, isn't a big fan of the name either. According to the Post, Edelman supports the change because it borrows from the CDF's own federally registered trademark, Leave No Child Behind.

Let's say Congress invited you to their focus group. What would you rename the act? And as an added bonus, they want you to name one major change you'd make to the law, on behalf of principals. What would you recommend?

One More [Post] for the Road

One last post for the week. The nonprofit Partnership for Learning has a newly redesigned Web site that is definitely worth clicking around.

AWSP has worked with the Partnership, or "PFL", for many years now on campaigns to inform principals, teachers, parents, students, lawmakers, the media and the general public about changes in the state's education system and the ongoing improvements in student achievement. Be sure to take a tour of their new site, which includes their new public service announcements about why math matters -- part of their college and work readiness campaign.

You can find PFL online at http://partnership4learning.org.

Caution: Light Blogging Ahead

AWSP will be in "The Palm Springs of Washington" (Yakima) Thursday and Friday of this week for fall board meetings. These are always great venues for new blog post ideas, but probably not until next week.

Educational CEOs

Like fathers, blondes and next-door neighbors, principals have acquired a certain stereotyped status in movies and on TV. The mischaracterizations usually fall toward the inept (think Principal Skinner on The Simpsons) or the controlling (a la Ed Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off). The reality is, few people know or understand what principals really do.

That's what makes this NPR piece noteworthy. Reporter Larry Abramson highlights some of the challenges facing today's "educational CEOs" hitting on the increasing number of retirements and mounting pressure to raise student achievement. It's a short story, but it's a refreshing take on the reality of the principal's office.

How would you characterize your role as a school administrator? Are you an educational CEO? Or are you an instructional leader? Both? Something in between?

Edublogs

Naturally, we here at The Comp Book were disappointed that Edutopia overlooked our little contribution to the blogosphere. However, you can't really knock any of their suggestions for Edublogs [They] Love: Ten Top Stops for Internet Interaction.

Are there any education blogs you read regularly that you would like to have seen on this list? Let us know! (You can post a comment to Edutopia's site if you beg to differ with their list, too.)

ZIP Codes and Healthy Communities (Yes, That Includes Schools)

For years, income has been used to predict test scores and student achievement. Now comes a new study that may throw another factor into the mix: property values.

In an article published in today's Seattle P-I, researchers at the U.W. have identified disparities in obesity rates based on ZIP codes. Property values, the researchers concluded, are a strong predictor of obesity. Each additional $100,000 in median home value for a ZIP code corresponded with a drop in obesity of 2 percentage points, the story noted.

In looking at the map that ran with today's story, it's tempting to wonder how student achievement might factor into this analysis of health and healthy habits? Would we find high achievement in communities at greater risk for obesity?

It's worth a look, particularly in light of SB 5093, the newly created Comprehensive School Health Task Force. This new commission was created in the last legislative session to The task force is currently seeking input from the school community on the following two questions:

• What is the most critical area of school health that should be addressed by the task force?
  
• What are examples of model programs or policies that could be expanded through legislative action?

In discussions at AWSP, staff concluded the task force should examine schools as a community resource and review existing programs for possible enhancement. Many schools serve meals year-round. How healthy are those meals? And could other services -- medical, dental and mental health resources -- also be offered at the school to build a stronger community? Take a look at the Parent Information and Resource Center grant just implemented by the folks at Blue Ridge Elementary in Walla Walla. What could this sort of thing do for other schools?

Better yet, what could it do for this map? What do you think?

Tuesday Tidbits - Sept. 11, 2007

In today's Tuesday Tidbits:

• OMG! Check out this USA Today article, confirming what many adults have suspected (and might also be a tad guilty of - LOL!): texting is affecting student writing habits.
  
• Testify: AWSP President Charlene Milota (assistant principal, Salk Middle, Spokane P.S.) joined four other ed association presidents Monday to testify before the Task Force on Basic Education Finance. Milota underscored the need for a new system that was both equitable and flexible for public schools in Washington state. She was joined by reps from the Washington State School Directors' Association, Washington Education Association, Washington Association of School Administrators and the Public School Employees of Washington.
  
• It's almost as bad as texting: The K-12 world is being taken to task for its abbreviations, which create verbal barriers for non-educator types (i.e., parents). While every industry has its own lingo, education seems to be brimming with these alphabet soup nicknames. NCLB, AYP, WASL, FERPA, NERCs, ESL, ELL -- let me count the ways...
  

Noblis Award at Rogers High

Day two of my first week of school photo outings.

Today, AWSP Executive Director Gary Kipp and I had the pleasure of visiting John R. Rogers High in Puyallup, where Principal Scott Brittain and his school played host to a national awards ceremony. This event was the first of two media events taking place today to honor Washington state as the winner of the 2007 Noblis Innovative Award for Homeland Security. You can read the full press release here about the award, which recognizes our state's efforts in the school mapping technology. (AWSP has been the link to schools in the mapping process.) In addition to hosting Gov. Gregoire, Supt. Bergeson and several current and former legislators, there were a host of first responder officials (fire, police, sheriff's office and Washington State Patrol) on hand to celebrate.

The event began with a Q&A session with the governor in the school library. Unfortunately, events like these are on ultra-tight timelines, and in reality, there was barely time for one question. But two were asked, and each was posed by a principal in the Puyallup School District: Zeiger Elementary Principal Marc Brouillet and Ferrucci Junior High Principal Aileen Baxter. Their questions focused on the need for improved funding of school safety and mental health detection for students.

The second and more festive portion of the event was a pep assembly, wherein 1,800 students, plus staff and all of the invited guests gathered for the presentation of the award. It was hot and it was crowded, but all in all, it was a nice event. There is nothing like a high school assembly to get you energized for the day! Principal Brittain did a wonderful job of setting the tone, and I was impressed by how attentive the students were, despite having to sit for a very long time (a third of them on the floor -- sorry, sophomores) listening to adults.

I mentioned that Rogers is a school of about 1,800 students; five junior highs filter into this high school. So managing the campus has got to be a huge job. Fortunately, the culture they've developed at Rogers goes a long way toward ensuring a safe and friendly atmosphere, something you noticed right away when you first walk on campus.

When we arrived today, were met and escorted by a handful of juniors and seniors, known as the Rodgers High “Rambassadors” (complete with spiffy embroidered blue polo shirts and khaki pants). Now, today was a special day, so you would expect a little extra polish on things. Except these students are a part of the every day routine of the school, serving as tour guides and backup help at school events . Having them there underscored the welcoming nature of the school and the tone they are striving to hit with all who work and visit there. And that sense of welcoming and security, coupled with the award-winning school mapping technology, is what really helps everyone feel safe, and connected, at school.

All in all, another great day!

Back in the Saddle Again

Today marks the first day of school for many districts in western Washington. I was privileged enough to spend today's "first day" touring four schools in the Highline School District, meeting our members and getting a feel for today's schools. I was not disappointed!

The first school I visited has actually turned into three. The district has moved to an academy model, first at Tyee High and now at Evergreen High, where I met Eric Hong, principal of the Technology, Engineering and Communications School and Vic Anderson, principal of the Arts and Academic Academy. Both were gracious enough to let me shadow them for the morning as they visited classrooms and interacted with students. As Eric pointed out, having 350 students will allow him more time to get to know each student better this year. Each of the three academies at the Evergreen High campus will eventually have about 400 students.

My second visit was to the beautiful new Hazel Valley Elementary. This brand new school is incredibly inviting and the students there all seemed to be settling into the new year well. There I met new principal Johnathan Letcher, who was busy making the rounds to classrooms. (On his suit coat, he wore a name tag with "PRINCIPAL" in large red letters.) In this photo, he's asking first-graders why they are at school. The answer: "TO LEARN!" they responded enthusiastically.

My third visit was to one of my own alma maters, Sylvester Middle School. Principal Vicki Fisher gave me a quick tour of the main building, which boasts a hallway that is a half-mile long. With 800+ students, it's probably a good thing, too. This is Vicki's second year at Sylvester, having spent her previous administrative time at the elementary level. Vicki also help me navigate the day's first lunch crowd, which was really fun to watch.

In each of these schools, there was an enthusiasm you just can't replicate sitting at the desk. The first day of school is something to be experienced, and I appreciate the opportunity to share today with these members, their staff and students. Let's hope the energy of the first day carries into the rest of the school year for everyone!

How did the first day go in your school?

SIDE NOTE: Today The Comp Book hits the century mark! This post is our 100th post since starting this blog last spring, and the first of what we hope are 100s more to come.

Tuesday Tidbits - Sept. 4

Today is Tuesday, so technically it's time for another installment of Tuesday Tidbits. However, given the long holiday weekend, it really feels like a Monday. (But we digress...)

Here's a round-up of some of the smaller, but still noteworthy, tidbits making news today about K-12 education:

• SETTLED: Everett Public Schools announced late last week that it had settled a lawsuit with two former student editors at Everett High. In fall 2005, the students objected to the principal's request to review the paper, The Kodak, which they believed was a public forum -- and thus not subject to review. This incident was one of several that inspired legislation this past session to remove principal oversight of student publications; the bill died but may be resurrected in the Legislature in 2008. You can read the district's press release here and the Everett Herald piece on it here. Who won in the settlement? You be the judge. Bottom line for AWSP: More must be done to help administrators, students and journalism advisers understand their respective roles in student press issues.
  
• ON HOLD: The issue of cell phones in schools continues to vex administrators. Today's Seattle Times takes a look at the struggle administrators and teachers find themselves in, balancing instructional needs with safety concerns and the distraction factor.
  
• DEBATABLE: How should teachers be graded? That's the debate shaping up in Congress right now, given the reauthorization of NCLB. As of last winter, 17 percent of U.S. school districts did not expect to meet the June 2007 deadline for highly qualified teachers, according to this story in today's Christian Science Monitor.

As always, your thoughts on any of the above are welcome!