Tuesday Tidbits

Each Tuesday, AWSP will try to capture some of the smaller, but still noteworthy, items making news in the K-12 world.

Today's Tuesday Tidbits include:

• The Professional Educator Standards Board will meet in Yakima on Wednesday, Sept. 12. Included in their agenda will be a 30-minute panel discussion on "the effects of collective bargaining agreements and local hiring practices on teacher assignment." Panelists include AWSP's own executive director, Gary Kipp, along with Jim Meadows of the WEA; Kevin Chase, superintendent, Grandview School District; and Missy Hallead, executive director of human resources, Vancouver School District. This meeting is open to the public.
  
• OSPI will host a K-20 today from 2 - 4 p.m. on communicating the AYP and WASL results this fall. Space is limited so be sure to call the site ahead of time. More information is on the AWSP Web site.
• Don't forget to vote! Today is primary election day in Washington state. Ballots must be postmarked by today, Aug. 21, 2007. Secretary of State Sam Reed's office has created these great e-mail reminders and MySpace vote reminders to spread the word among social media users (and perhaps a younger demographic of voters). According to Reed's press release, only 34 percent of eligible voters will cast ballots in this election.
  

College Rankings

Although the K-12 world often shies away from school comparisons, it's hard to not at least peek at U.S News and World Report's rankings of "America's best colleges."

Oh, there are a lot of familiar names amid the top 25 -- Princeton garnered the number one ranking followed by Harvard and Yale (sure to incite some Ivy smackdowns). In terms of Washington's schools, the University of Washington came in tied for 11th among public universities and 42nd among all universities in the country. Washington State University also made the overall list, tied for 118th with Samford University (AL) and University at Buffalo (SUNY). Peruse the full list for yourself and let the office/home bragging rights begin.

The list our state should be particularly proud of, though, is the magazine's ranking of the top schools for master's degree programs. That's where Washington really shines, with whopping 11 of the 55 spots (58 if you include the ties). Here's how that list shook out:

• Gonzaga (3rd)
• Seattle U. (6th)
• Whitworth (9th)
• Pacific Lutheran University (13th)
• Seattle Pacific University (14th)
• Western Washington University (17th)
• The Evergreen State College (27th)
• Walla Walla University (nee College) (29th)
  
• Central Washington University (43rd)
  
• Eastern Washington University (44th)
  
• Saint Martin's University (tied with three others at 58th)
  

With this announcement coming out today, the magazine's Web site is about as slow as I-5 between Spokane St. and I-90. Needless to say, there's lots of fodder for office water coolers everywhere.

Riding the Audit Trail

AWSP was recently invited to attend a meeting on the status of our state's K-12 performance audits. These audits are the result of I-900, which passed in 1995, requiring independent audits of all state and local governments. ESDs were the first entity in the K-12 system to undergo the audits. No publish date yet on the findings from those audits.

Next up: the state's 10 largest school districts. This includes:

• Seattle P.S.
• Tacoma P.S.
• Spokane P.S.
• Kent S.D.
• Evergreen P.S.
• Lake Washington S.D.
• Federal Way S.D.
• Vancouver S.D.
• Puyallup S.D.
• Edmonds S.D.
  

At the meeting, representatives from the State Auditor's office and the independent audit group, Cotton & Company, discussed this next phase. Cotton lists K-12 audits as one of its areas of expertise.

According to Lou Adams, the state's K-12 performance manager, there are two dozen program areas that will be examined, including district business offices, transportation and food services, instructional technology and professional development. Each audit will look at the efficiency and economy of each district's administrative operations, including:

• Gaps, overlaps in programs or services
• The feasibility of pooling technology systems
• Recommendations for regulatory changes to better allow districts to carry out their functions.

Site work is expected to run from Oct. 8 - Nov. 16 and the audit teams will spend one week in each of the 10 districts, save for Seattle. Results are expected in the spring of 2008.

ESDs and big districts have been put under the microscope with this initiative, came one question, so "what about OSPI?"

"They are on the radar screen," Adams said.

Tweens, Teens and Technology

According to a new study out by the National School Boards Association:

Online social networking is now so deeply embedded in the lifestyles of tweens and teens that it rivals television for their attention.

Nine- to 17-year-olds report spending almost as much time using social networking services and Web sites as they do watching television. That pencils out to about nine hours a week on social networking and 10 hours a week watching TV, the study found.

It's worth noting this research was funded by three companies with a vested interest in teen and tween communication habits: Microsoft, Verizon and Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. And while it confirms some things most people assume (young people are highly engaged in using technology) it also raises questions about ways schools might engage otherwise disconnected kids. So-called "nonconformists" -- students who step outside of online safety behavior rules -- seem to have

an "extraordinary" set of traditional and 21st century skills, including communication, creativity, collaboration and leadership skills and technology proficiency. Yet they are significantly more likely than other students to have lower grades, which they report as 'a mix of Bs and Cs,' or lower than, other students.

Interestingly, almost 60 percent of the students suing social networking say they talk about education topics online, and more than 50 percent talk specifically about schoolwork. But, the study points out, "the vast majority" of school districts have stringent rules against nearly all forms of social networking during the school day.

Among the other key findings of the poll:

• More than one in four school districts (27 percent) say their schools participate in a structured teacher/principal online community.
• Districts that report that their parents are influential in technology decision making are more active in social networking (71 percent vs 59 percent in districts with low parental influence).
  
• 96 percent of school districts say that at least some of their teachers assign homework requiring Internet use.

Have you ever used a social networking site? How is your school dealing with social networking among students?

Tested

Right now, educators are preparing for the first day of the new school year and the annual WASL and AYP announcements. Perhaps that's why the piece in today's USA Today jumped off the page.

The paper carries an interview with former Washington Post reporter Linda Perlstein, the author of a new book about No Child Left Behind and student testing. Curious about the real effects of NCLB, Perlstein spent an academic year at Tyler Heights Elementary, a high-poverty school in Annapolis, Maryland. Her findings are detailed in her new book, Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the Grade.

Interviewer Gregg Toppo talks with her about the book and about testing:

Q: Reading your account of a teacher dropping nonsense words into lessons to prep for their appearance on a vital speed-reading test, I thought about Thoreau's warning against becoming "the tools of our tools." What is wrong with this picture?

A: The teacher wanted her kindergartners to be prepared for their assessment, which makes sense. Kids should learn to sound out letter combinations whether or not they make actual words. But she would have preferred to use that time teaching her kids real vocabulary.

Take a look at the interview and read the excerpt from her book. Do you agree with Perlstein's analysis of the impact of NCLB on teaching and learning? Would you let a reporter undertake the same project in your school?

Education Funding Task Force

Last Friday, Gov. Gregoire announced a new task force to develop a plan for school funding in Washington state. You can read the entire press release here. The entire panel will eventually consist of 14 members, five of which are appointed by the governor. They include:

• Dan Grimm of Puyallup has been appointed as chair to a term effective immediately, ending in December 2008. Grimm is the Director of Doughty Hanson & Co.
• Cheryl Chow of Seattle has been appointed to a term effective immediately, ending in December 2008. Chow is the president of Seattle School District board of directors and is a long-time educator with teaching, administration and state agency experience.
• Bette Hyde of Bremerton has been appointed to a term effective immediately, ending in December 2008. Hyde is the superintendent of the Bremerton School District and was a member of the Washington Learns K – 12th advisory committee.
• Jim Kowalkowski of Davenport has been appointed to a term effective immediately, ending in December 2008. Kowalkowski is the superintendent of the Davenport School District and the executive director of the Rural Education Center at Washington State University.
• Laurie Dolan of Olympia has been appointed as the representative from the Office of the Governor/Office of Financial Management to a term effective immediately, ending in December 2008. Dolan is the director of the Executive Policy Office for Governor Gregoire and spent 30 years working for Spokane Public Schools.
  

Additional task force members will be selected from the House and Senate Democratic and Republican caucuses. State Superintendent Terry Bergeson will also serve on the panel.

Generation Net: Unplugged

And you thought Gilligan had it rough.

(No phone, no lights, no motor cars. Not a single luxury!)

Try no electronic media for 24 hours.

No cell phones, regular phones, iPods/MP3 players, computers, Internet access, blogs or TV.

For one whole day.

To give you some perspective on the upcoming generation of young adults (read: future teachers and principals), take a look at this Washington Post article written by Danna L. Walker. Walker is an adjunct professor of journalism in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C. Last spring, she put forward this e-blackout challenge to the students in her "Understanding Mass Media" course. As a sign of solidarity, Walker said she would participate in the e-fast, too. She noted their initial response in her article:

"No cellphones?" they asked in pleading voices, looking around at one another with wide eyes and open mouths.

"How are cellphones media?" another student protested, but she could sense that resistance was futile.

Now, to some, this may sound like heaven on earth. But for today's wired "Net generation," it's seemingly the quite the opposite. As Walker observed:

The 50 young women and men in my class at AU are what are called digital natives or "millennials," those born between 1980 and 2000, many of whom graduated from high school as the 21st century dawned. Researchers say they will constitute the largest generation in American history, outnumbering baby boomers by as much as 33 percent.

Millennials grew up thinking that computers were as much a part of the family room furniture as my generation thought televisions were. While we boomers have had to change our thinking entirely from its static analog map of reality, their generation has always been comfortable with the malleable, non-physical terrain of electronic networks. They started life with VCRs and CDs and led the charge to digital video and MP3s. They were the first generation to link up through cellphones and instant messages. Personal computers came of age as they were born, and they grew up with the World Wide Web and e-mail, not to mention Nintendo, Game Boy, Sony PlayStation, GameCube and Xbox. They are the demographic that marketers love to court, but they can be elusive to advertisers tied to old media.

The results of this one-day loose experiment offer a revealing glimpse of not only this generation, but of the reach of technology in our daily lives.

Most Prestigious Occupations

The research crew at Harris Interactive is out with the results of a new poll today that puts teachers in the mix of the six "most prestigious occupations."

According to Harris, half of U.S. adults polled by telephone between July 10 and 16 identified six occupations as having "very great" prestige: firefighters (61%), scientists (54%), teachers (54%), doctors (52%), military officers (52%), and nurses (50%). They are followed by police officers (46%) priests/ministers/clergy (42%) and farmers (41%).

Interestingly, the perception of teachers in this poll has risen significantly -- by 25 points from 29 to 54 percent -- in the 30 years since the poll was first started. Athletes, by contrast, have fallen 10 points from 26 to 16 percent. Some other established professions have also seen declines, including scientists (down 12 points), doctors (nine points), bankers (seven points) and entertainers (six points).

Principals, though not mentioned specifically in the mix, should take pride in these findings. After all, where do principals come from?

As the AWSP Executive Board discussed yesterday at its annual planning retreat, the development of principals, particularly principals of color, is largely dependent on the number of students who see teaching as professional calling. Therefore, the more that can be done to model teaching as a positive profession, the greater the opportunity for more young people to enter the profession and, perhaps, take the next step into educational administration.

In case you were wondering: the five occupations perceived by one-quarter or more of adults to have "hardly any prestige at all include stockbrokers (25%), union leaders (30%), entertainers (31%), real estate brokers (34%) and actors (38%).

Inbox Zero

For many principals, finding a way to tame the animal that is the inbox is an ongoing struggle. That's where the philosophy of Inbox Zero might come in handy. Created by writer/blogger Merlin Mann, it's a straightforward way of processing and managing the e-mayhem that has quietly taken over many people's lives.

The goal: zero e-mail in your inbox.

Intrigued?

Mann recently gave a Google Tech Talk about the Inbox Zero system. It takes about 30 minutes to view the formal part of his presentation (there is a Q& A for the last 30 minutes), which makes some pretty compelling points:

Today I feel like the only way you are going to succeed at a job...one of the most important soft skills you can have is figuring out how to deal with a high volume of e-mail.

The two most precious natural resources you've got are your time and your attention. They're both finite and they're both irreplaceable.

A lot of people are living in their inboxes...They leave their e-mail open all day long...it's auto-checking throughout the day. Little blips and e-mail becomes the nexus for everything they do at work.

There is no better way to have your time burgled than not having a healthy relationship with your e-mail.

Principals may not be able to apply all of his concepts to their inboxes, but there are some tips that can easily be put into practice (like the two-minute reply, spending time to address an issue immediately rather than allowing the message to junk up your inbox). It's worth trying, particularly if your inbox runneth over...And your time does not.

Tech Conference for Educators

Attention all tech-savvy principals!

(Yes, that's YOU!)

The National Association of Elementary School Principals is co-sponsoring the T+L Conference Oct. 17-19 in Nashville, Tenn., in what's billed as the largest annual educational technology event. Although we would not want to discourage anyone from attending AWSP's Principal's Conference that same week in Vancouver, Wash., this does sound like a great opportunity for school leaders with an interest in technology.

The event (we assume the T&L stands for technology and leadership) is being hosted by the National School Boards Association's Technology Leadership Network. According to the conference Web site, the event will focus on six big tech ideas, including "21st Century Skills" for students and educators alike.

With 75,000 new blogs and 200,00 MySpace pages being created every day (per Technorati), today's students, and to some extent, younger administrators, expect the world to be interactive.

What are you doing to keep your own technology skills up to speed? How about those of your staff?

Touchy-Feely Crap

You read that correctly.

Tumwater High Principal Scott Seaman (green shirt, right) knows how to get his staff meetings off to a great start. And this morning, on Day 2 of the AWSP New Principals' and Assistant Principals' Workshop, he cut to the chase about those often dreaded meetings: Make people do touchy-feely crap. Because, as Scott astutely observed, "nobody likes to do touchy-feely crap."

What better way, then, to break down barriers and get people out of their comfort zone?

Touchy-feely crap, of course!

Scott and his assistant principal, Penny Therrein, spent about an hour this morning helping new administrators think about ways to better engage staff and encourage teamwork by leading them in some really fun (and appropriate) "touchy-feely crap" exercises. And man, were they a hit! Three of the myriad offered this morning: eyeball tag and good ol' musical chairs.

Eyeball tag (photo at right) is as simple as this: Everyone at the table looks at the ground. On the count of the leader, everyone looks up and must look at someone else. If that same person you are looking at is also looking at you, you're out. This encourages people to meet others and also breaks the ice.

With musical chairs (below), one seat is removed from the table or group, then one person stands in the middle and calls out something they did recently. In today's example, the theme was "something I did this summer." Examples today included "I moved!" or "I went camping!" If you did that activity this summer, you scrambled to change seats. Last one standing calls the next activity. The game can be called off at any time -- but you should allow enough exchanges for everyone to get to know a little bit more about each other in a fun way.

Mosquito/salmon/bear. A Pacific Northwest take on the old "rock/paper/scissors" game, participants do their best impressions of mosquitoes, bears and salmon to beat out other players. You know the order: salmon beats mosquito, bear beats salmon, etc. Have people pair off, then work in teams of fours. Work until one half the group is challenging the other (salmon team beats mosquitoes at right).

Above all else, Scott and Penny encouraged new administrators to have fun and engage others (adults and kids alike). In fact, Scott and his staff have a school motto, "Go Big! Make It Happen!" which is printed on shirts and on other materials at school.

Scott also shared some of his "keys to loving the [principalship]":

1. Never say, "At my old school..." Instead, show others you are committed to your new school.
   
2. Assume the best in others. Wouldn't you want the same treatment?
   
3. Treat everyone like professionals (with respect). From the kitchen staff to your teachers and custodial staff. "Treat them like professionals, because that's what they are," Seaman told participants.
   
4. Be visible. Interact with kids, parents. If you're on the phone when the bell rings, excuse yourself to get out into the hallways and make a connection with your students.
   
5. Apologize. A leader who can't say 'sorry' is doomed.
   

We'll post Scott's complete list to our Web site (with his permission, of course). You can e-mail him if you're interested in learning more, too.

Hello My Name Is...

This morning, about 60 new principals and assistant principals from around the state gathered at North Thurston High in Lacey for AWSP's workshop for new administrators. Some are already administrators that are simply in new schools; others are completely new to the principalship. There were individuals from P-4 schools and teams, like the all-new administrator crew from Kent-Meridian High School in the Kent School District. Rural. Urban Suburban. Big. Small. In-between.

To get things started, AWSP's Executive Director Gary Kipp asked everyone to visualize the room as the state of Washington, then asked participants to stand in the approximate areas of their schools (like the group from southwest Washington, at right). This gave everyone a sense of who may be close by, in a neighboring district, in the ESD, or way across the state. It was a great icebreaker that helped put people more at ease with all of the new faces and helped them better connect with people who they might someday call upon for advice.

Dr. Harvey Alvy, an associate professor of educational leadership at Eastern Washington University, was the day's first presenter. A co-author of the popular New Principal's Fieldbook, Alvy began by focusing on the challenges of being a new administrator. His comments focused on the importance of interpersonal communication, underscoring the value of a principal's interaction not only with students, but with adults, as well. With so much to do at the start of the school year, he cautioned, don't forget about the adults in your quest to make things right for the students. His guiding quote for the day:

"Human relations is essential to the effectiveness of this job."

In our last post, we asked what advice you for your best "back-to-school advice" for new administrators. Today, in keeping with Dr. Alvy's theme, we want to know: As an administrator, what do you do to get to know or reconnect with staff at the start of the new school year?

Mr. P's Blog: To Blog....

Mr. P's Blog: To Blog....

This is a link to DeGrazia Elementary School (AZ) Principal Steve Poling's blog. He's responding to questions from principals about blogging. Thought readers of The Comp Book might also appreciate his thoughts. Steve is also a contributor on Ed LeaderWeb.

Summer Clearance Time

If you've taken a trip to your local Target or grocery store lately, then you know what's lurking around the corner: the start of school.

Want a beach towel? Be prepared to dig in the bargain bins, because the summer fun displays are about as fleeting as your tan, with stores now sporting rows upon rows of fresh Pink Pearls and pristine Pee-Chees.

At AWSP, the pace began quickening in the last week or so in preparation for next week's New Principals and Assistant Principals Workshop and our annual membership recruitment drive in August. This also means most of our members are headed back to their offices to begin the process of preparing for the new school year. Which leads us to today's question:

What's your best "back to school" advice for new administrators? Maybe you were a new administrator last year. What do you wish you could have done differently? Or maybe you're a seasoned veteran of the profession. What's your secret to back-to-school success? We'd like to hear from you.

More Help for Principals

Yesterday, AWSP learned that it will continue its work with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction as the provider of individualized principal leadership support to administrators whose schools are in the state's School Improvement Assistance Program.

Bob Mc Mullen, AWSP's director of high school programs, has been leading this effort for the Association -- an effort that at times means several days on the road touring the state. During these site visits, he meets one-on-one with principals for 90 minutes about their individual needs as school leaders. This has been one of the more popular, though labor intensive aspects of the program. For the cohort principals, participation in the program means not only putting your school under a public microscope, but your own leadership, too.

Each principal is teamed with a mentor and participates in a "360" evaluation of their skills, meaning the administrator is systematically evaluated based on survey data gathered from a variety of sources (parents, staff, teachers, etc.). This data guides their leadership training as school leaders for the duration of their stay in the program. For some participants, some who may be geographically bound, access to this kind of individualized professional development is invaluable.

The initiative began in 2003 with a small cohort of schools that did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress under the new No Child Left Behind Act. Fast forward to this year, and the program is now working with its seventh cohort of schools, which is set to include 15 schools (a cross-section of elementary, middle, high school and alternative schools). Another five may be added before the school year begins.

To qualify for School Improvement assistance, schools must receive federal dollars. And while it's currently a volunteer program, the State Board of Education is thinking about changing that.

What do you think about this model of professional development for principals? Should it be expanded?

WA Math 2.0

A consultant reviewing the state's math standards may have said it best last week: it's time for an upgrade.

That's the sentiment offered by Linda Plattner of the independent, Maryland-based educational research firm Strategic Teaching. Speaking before the State Board of Education (SBE), last week, Plattner delivered the draft report on our state's math standards. Given that about 40 percent of Washington's high school students still haven't passed the math WASL, some may have hoped the independent review would indicate the standards are too high.

Quite the contrary, per the new report.

According to the Associated Press' coverage of last week's SBE meeting, the independent reviewers from Strategic Teaching in Maryland found that compared to other high-achieving states and countries, Washington is actually not expecting enough from students when it comes to math.

The state is "on the right path" according to the report, but that adjustments must be made to help prepare students for post-high school success:

"If mathematics is the gateway to student success in higher education and the workplace, Washington is getting too few of its students to and through the door," the report concluded.

In a nutshell, the report suggests Washington state's standards place too great an emphasis on conceptual math and not enough on the mechanics. For example, the report found the standards often require student "understanding" rather than demonstrate they can actually use math to "calculate, estimate or solve" a problem (page 3 of the executive summary).

The researchers make seven recommendations (again, page 3, executive summary) to clarify what is to be expected of students and offers greater guidance to educators about what to teach and when to introduce different math content.

The initial document is being discussed at various SBE meetings around the state this week. AWSP has encouraged its members to attend and voice their concerns about the math issue.

What do you think about the report? Did you participate in any of the focus groups?

Inside the Costume: Mascots Gone Wild!

"So this is what it's like to be Superman," I thought.

Glancing at the array of foam and fur heads on the floor of the Nicholson Pavilion dance studio last Thursday, I started to feel like I had stumbled across some weird cult. Some underground ring of mute, theatrically dressed aliens. ("I've discovered a secret society!")

It was actually just Mascot Training at AWSP's CheerLeadership Camp.

It was incredibly fun to watch the six students from Adna, Eisenhower, Kennewick, Quincy, Mt. Rainier and Toledo high schools assume the roles of Captain Scallywag, The Mighty Cadet, Louie the Lion. Jack the Jackrabbit, Ajax the Ram and Chief Ike, respectively. I'm going to keep their real identities a secret because, apparently, that's part of the fun of being a mascot -- not having anyone know who you might be. Although in the case of the Adna H.S. Pirate (left), senior Jeremy Hubbell admits it doesn't take a lot of detective work to figure it out; the school only has about 200 students.

Heather Meier, a mascot trainer for the National Cheerleaders Association, said some of the participants were a little reluctant, shy even, when she first met them on day one of the camp. But once they donned their gear, it's like they were "completely different people."

Mascots have slowly gained new ground in schools, serving as both cheerleaders and P.R. ambassadors. Professional sports team mascots, like the infamous San Diego Chicken or, more locally, Squatch, the Sonics' mascot, have elevated the role. During last week's training, the mascots not only learned cheer techniques with their cheer squads, but also participate in special mascot classes and leadership training - finding ways to engage students and create a welcoming school culture.

In their mascot classes, they had specific coaching in creating skits and learning pantomime. If you want to be a mascot, mime moves are HUGE. Literally. Performing in front of an audience at a basketball or football game requires exaggerated movements and grand gestures. Some of the more patented moves? Pretending to take a shower, walking on hot sand, putting out fires, moving like a robot and, of course, sword fighting. It also helps if you can dance, and the four guys and two girls who were in class last week did a great job of keeping the beat, despite the heat.

Let's talk about the heat for a moment. Adding the costumes to the mix makes it a pretty sweaty operation. Some of the big giant heads have little fans in them to keep the mascots cool. It works... For about five minutes. Staff encourages them to keep hydrated and has them work without the costume most of the time. (Attention Gatorade marketing department...) The visibility can be poor in some of the costumes, too, so some mascots have an escort, usually another member of the cheer squad, to help them navigate a crowd.

Oh, and there's Do's and Don'ts for being a mascot: Do develop a personality for your mascot. But don't ever, EVER take your head off in public.

Meier, herself a cheer and mascot coach for a school in California, said Washington state's CheerLeadership camps are among the more sought-after among NCA staff because of the specific focus on leadership training and not just cheer technique. She's even thinking about sending her students up here next year, provided funding is available.

And, as in the academic world, there are standards for mascots. After performing a skit, the students were evaluated on various skills they had to incorporate into their performances. The students also critiqued one another and really seemed to enjoy hamming it up even for one another. They hope to start a blog this fall to keep their conversations going about being a mascot and help encourage other students to create mascots for their schools.

All in all, it was a fun day, and a great example of AWSP's Student Leadership office providing students with another fun way to engage in school.

Mascot Camp

Tomorrow, I'm off to the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg to sit in on a special training session just for high school mascots. This is a first for our Student Leadership program, which is hosting event in conjunction with our annual CheerLeadership Camp. Nearly 600 students from all over the state are attending this week's session on cheer technique and leadership training.

Although just six students registered for the mascot class, it will be interesting to be a part of the training, led by a member of the National Cheerleadership Association (who, I believe, was herself a former NCAA mascot). This goes beyond fun dance moves and chants. In recent years, mascots have become prominent reps for schools, taking on more of a leadership role. (Did you know, for example, that WSU's own Butch the Cougar won Capital One's National Mascot of the Year? Or that there is a Mascot Hall of Fame? The 2007 Mascot of the Year, MSU's Sparty, is at right.)

Professional sports teams have always relied on their mascots to be goodwill ambassadors. Why not middle and high schools?

The goal of this week's training, according to Susan Fortin, AWSP's director of student leadership programs, is to help these students develop their own leadership skills and find ways to be a positive force at school. Hope to have some photos of the students posted to the site tomorrow or early next week.

Best Schools for the Buck?

The financial magazine Forbes is out with a new ranking of school districts in the U.S.; per-pupil spending from property taxes is the primary focus. (It is Forbes, after all.)

"Best and Worst School Districts for the Buck" focuses on 775 counties that had the highest property tax rates and populations greater than 65,000. That yielded 97 counties where more than 50 percent of per-pupil spending comes from property taxes. Graduation rates and SAT scores were also used as indicators of the school's success.

Critics like Chester E. Finn, Jr. of the Fordham Foundation chided the study's obvious disregard for factors like wealth or parental education that can greatly affect a school -- or student's -- success. (In an e-mail to the Washington Post, Finn called the analysis " just plain dumb.") The study also raises the age-old debate as to whether more money means better schools. According to Forbes writer Christina Settimi's article:

Winners in this rating system are counties whose schools deliver high performance at low cost. The losers spend a lot of money and have little to show for it.

In looking down the list, there were no Washington state districts; most hailed from the east coast or the south. But then, our state dedicates nearly half of its biennial operating budget to education. As local readers may know, property taxes here are supposed to cover local district needs, and can be adjusted through levies.

So is this sort of research helpful or hurtful to the ongoing debate over school funding in America? Or is it just interesting fodder for education bloggers?

Aside: In addition to the full listing of all 97 districts, Forbes includes a slide show with Google maps of the "10 best and 10 worst districts for the buck." (I guess I was expecting actual photos of schools or the communities, not maps.) Interestingly, this same feature also showcases other Forbes slide shows like "The World's Top-Earning Models." For the record, Giselle Bundchen led the list at a cool $33 million. Compare that with Alexandria City, VA, which came in last in the school rankings and spends $11,404 per pupil. Lipstick versus pencils?

Again, it's Forbes.

How Do Great Leaders Get That Way?

Do you know someone who exemplifies outstanding educational leadership? Who mentored you or served as a role model for others? Who typifies the very word "leadership"?

How'd they get that way?

Last week in the Seattle P-I, guest writer and professional accredited coach Maureen Moriarty asks that very question (though slightly more eloquently). In "Workplace Coach: Becoming a great leader depends on skill, not talent," she makes the case that great leaders are not born, but rather made through ongoing professional development and continuous improvement. Her premise: though it may come easier for some than others, leadership is something most people -- even the best of the best -- must continue to work on.

Personal traits like integrity and character are more on the born, not made, side, as well as drive and cognitive/problem-solving ability. However, without experience, training and mentoring, personal traits are not enough. No one is born with a natural ability to effectively lead. Traits like business acumen, coaching/mentoring skills, persuasiveness and emotional intelligence are learned and developed, often over a lifetime.

Moriarty goes on to provide a telling list of characteristics found in most successful leaders today (they are adaptable, they encourage feedback). Although the column may be aimed at the traditional business environment, each of the traits she describes are very applicable to K-12 educational leadership roles.

Beach Bag Blog

The Comp Book will be on vacation next week, so in the spirit of all things summertime, consider today's post the informational equivalent of a beach bag full of water wings, sun screen, flip flops and several good reads. Let's rummage around in that bag and see what we pull up first:

• Susan Kovalik of the Center for Human Brain and Human Learning closed the WASA/AWSP Summer Conference in Spokane Tuesday, and her presentation gave all of the attendees a lot to think about. Some of her better bon mots:
  
• "Everything we do in our buildings should be brain compatible."
  
• "There's a fine line between leader and ringleader."
  
• "We are not born intelligent, only the capacity to be so and every day, our experiences enhance, stifle or diminish our intellectual, social and emotional capacity."
• "We are not our genes, we are our experiences."
• "Socio-political action is the ultimate goal of any classroom."
• "Responsible citizenship begins in kindergarten."
• "When students graduate, are they jury ready? Voter ready? Credit ready? Employer ready?"
  
  
• Granger High Principal Richard Esparza is traveling in China this week with a group of U.S. principals engaged in the College Board's Chinese Bridge Delegation program. You can read his travel blog here.
  
  
• Harris Interactive, a global market research firm, announced the findings of a new national study of middle school students today. Harris polled 1,814 students in grades seven and eight Feb. 14 - March 7, 2007 about problems in their schools, standardized tests and high school course selection. There's lots to be mined in this survey, but perhaps the most intriguing: Nearly half (46 percent) of those student polled said that student behavior is the biggest problem in their schools. Fifty-nine percent said they think their school gives them the right amount of standardized testing, too.
  
  
• The Educational Testing Service unveiled its latest survey of 1,526 adults about No Child Left Behind. Aside from the overall opinions about the nation's schools (which were given a letter grade of "C" by those polled), the research also drilled down on administrators' opinions about the omnibus education law. You can review all of the slides online. Among the key findings:
• 52 percent of public school administrators believe NCLB should be reauthorized with major changes. (Slide 20)
  
• 72 percent of the general public polled said in some cases, schools should be taken over/restructured with new administrators; another 24 percent said it should not happen in any instance. (Slide 29)
  
• 77 percent of administrators said they strongly or somewhat agree more flexibility is needed for English Language Learners; teachers polled the same way, but 67 percent of those who identified as Hispanic agreed, as did 58 percent of the general public. (Slide 32)

OK, now I'm rummaging around deep in the bag...among the random Life Savers, loose Kleenexes and ponytail holders. Here's a few last items of note:

• Jerry Bender, AWSP's director of governmental relations, will enter the blogosphere shortly when he heads to Washington, D.C. later this month for the NAESP/NASSP National Leaders Conference. "Can you blog from your phone?" he asked warily. (Answer: yes, you can.) Stay tuned for that launch.
  
  
• AWSP is still looking for a few new principals and assistant principals to attend the aptly named New Principals' and Assistant Principals' Workshop later in July.
  
  
• Did you know your volunteer parents who run your levy campaigns need to register with the state's Public Disclosure Commission? It's true. Check out the election guidelines for schools and districts.
  
  
• June 28 was comedian Mel Brooks' birthday. (Just thought I would throw that one in. Hey, we're at the bottom of the beach bag -- random things appear!)
  

Time to hit the virtual beach. Have a safe and Happy July Fourth.

Summer Conference Kicks Off in Spokane

And what a great way to start things off. Beautiful summer weather, lots of wonderful pre-conferences and tonight, a friendly reception and dinner in the newly renovated Spokane Convention Center. But the most uplifting moment of the day came when the evening's speaker, Alvin Law, took the stage.

Born without arms (the result of thalidomide use by his birth mother), Law quickly engaged the audience with his witty personality and self-depricating humor.

A native of Yorktown, Saskatchewan, Law was adopted by woman who had already raised two boys but at age 55, opened her home and her heart to him. She was, he noted, "the first person who looked at me and saw a future; everyone else saw a problem." Growing up, his mother (and father) cut him no slack, encouraging him to use his feet and requiring him to complete his chores--mowing the lawn, taking out the trash and vacuuming -- just like his brothers.

Where many are moved to see Law's adaptiveness as "amazing," he reminded the audience that not ever having had arms, he feels completely normal. He drives. He carries his own luggage. He does everything other people with arms and hands do; he just uses his feet. For Law, other people's perceived limitations of him have been the biggest obstacle to overcome -- not the apparent "disability." Law related a story about the time his family attended an grade school open house, in anticipation of his starting school. The principal, sizing up the young Law, dismissed the notion ("He's got no arms!" the principal said. "What do you call that?" he asked Law's parents. "Alvin," his mother replied.). The principal stood fast, insisting the young man would be bullied. His family patiently persisted, insisting Law would handle those situations on his own. Law started school the next day.

Law shared several humorous stories about his experiences growing up in school -- too many to mention here (his book, Alvin's Laws of Life, likely captures many of these gems). An affable, wickedly funny speaker, Law's thoughts on humanity, personal challenge and just plain growing up were thought-provoking and authentic. Here are just a few of the humorous and compelling observations he made during tonight's presentation:

• "Positive attitudes are better than negative attitudes. Duh! Even stupid people know that!"
• "I can teach a child about my life in about 35 seconds. How do I know they've learned it? They change the subject."
• "Kids have an amazing ability to stop looking at what I didn't have."
• "The biggest challenge has not been not having arms. It's been people."
• "It's good to be alive."

Notes on AWSP Board Meeting

Traditionally, the AWSP Board meets in June the Saturday prior to the Summer Conference; this year was no different. Today's board meeting saw the addition of new members, including Cle Elum-Roslyn High Principal Boyd Keyser and Serene Lake Elementary Principal Karen Reid. The board also thanked Lydia Hawk Elementary Principal Paula Quinn for her service to the board as the Association's past president.

Unlike our component board meetings, where elementary, middle and high school principals and assistant principals meet to share best practices, the AWSP board is largely a business meeting. Budgets are reviewed and reports are given on each of the Association's strategic plan goal areas.

Here are some of the more compelling, non-business -related points from today's meeting:

• AWSP passed a resolution in support of the simple majority referendum on the 2007 fall ballot.( Check back for actual text.)
  
• State Board of Education Member Amy Bragdon reported that the SBE is considering adding a high school graduation credit in tribal history. AWSP is appointing a committee to review this proposal.
• AWSP will continue researching the new NAESP E-Knowledege Portal as a member benefit.

Field Trip: Summer Conference in Spokane

I'm headed for Spokane tomorrow for our annual Summer Conference with the Washington Association of School Administrators (also known as WASA or the supes' association). Will do some blogging from the Inland Empire and hope to meet some potential guest bloggers at the event.

Would 'Onboarding' Work for Schools?

There is often a tendency to compare the private sector world with that of public schools, and the comparison is not always fair or accurate. Or feasible. But this article from Business Week suggests a new trend in leadership development could be an exception to that rule.

In the article, executive leadership coaches Marshall Goldsmith and Sue Schaefer discuss the new corporate trend of "onboarding" - helping new executives and their companies prepare for a leadership change. The parallels between prepping a new exec and a new principal are uncanny. Consider this exchange about corporate leaders in the context of bringing on a new administrator:

The old model just doesn't work often enough! Business cannot afford the existing failure rates that result from misaligned expectations. Harvard's Michael Watkins, author of The First 90 Days, has revealed that a staggering 58% of new executives—those hired from the outside—don't succeed in their new position within 18 months. The cost per failure is more than a million dollars.

Companies spend an enormous amount of money recruiting people. While we hear about recruiting costs and the costs of failed executives, we often don't factor in the indirect costs of hiring an executive who becomes toxic to the environment. It can take months—or even years—to rebuild an organization after a particularly negative experience. The higher up the executive, the more costly the "reconstruction" costs. Very high-level negative experiences can definitely damage the company's reputation and stock value.

Again, forget stock value for the moment. Consider instead the implications for a school and district as a result of a leadership change - on the students, staff and community. And the research on successful schools only reinforces the importance of strong principals.

AWSP is working on a new project that might help with the "onboarding" process in schools by developing leadership coaches for members at every step of their career. In fact, the association trained more than 20 skilled, veteran principals to serve as coaches. We hope to have more to share on this project with the start of the new school year.

What do you think? Would "onboarding" work in schools? Does your district already do this?

The Paramount Duty

Educators often cite the language of Washington state's constitution when discussing the funding of public education. But where does that language come from -- and what exactly does the constitution say about funding education?

You'll find it all in Section 1 of Article IX, in the preamble to the education portion of the document, not the preamble to the entire constitution). To wit:

It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.

Bonus trivia question: How many articles are there in the Washington state constitution?

Bonus extended dance remix question: What is the official state amphibian? (Hint: Ask the students at Boston Harbor Elementary in Olympia. They lobbied the Legislature this past session to make it official!)

Raising Green for More Green Time

As mentioned here in previous posts, AWSP has long advocated for the importance of outdoor education and outdoor experiences for years. Now it looks like some bigger players -- including the Walt Disney Co. and Sesame Workshop -- are making outdoor time a major priority.

Washington Post Writer Donna St. George reports in today's paper the corporations will join 40 other civic, governmental and private groups tomorrow in launching a $20 million campaign to to fund 20 initiatives across the country. The goal? To encourage children, quite simply, to go outside and play. St. George writes:

Advocates and researchers have been aware of the downturn in outdoor activity for a long time, and it has been documented by experts such as Sandra Hofferth, a family studies professor at the University of Maryland. From 1997 to 2003, Hofferth found, there was a decline of 50 percent, from 16 to 8 percent, in the proportion of children 9 to 12 who spent time in such outside activities as hiking, walking, fishing, beach play and gardening. Organized sports were not included as an outdoor activity in the study, which was based on detailed time diaries.

Hofferth's study also showed an increase in computer play time for all children and in time spent on television and video games for those ages 9 to 12. And it found increases in sleep time, study time and reading time.

At the National Wildlife Federation, St. George reports, they've started promoting a "green hour," encouraging children to spend at least an hour outside every day. By making it a part of their daily routine, like brushing their teeth, advocates believe the trend data could begin to turn around. From the Post story:

Marguerite Kondracke, president of America's Promise Alliance, which calls itself the nation's largest organization of groups focused on children, said the change in how children spend their leisure time is more dramatic than most people recognize and can lead to problems such as obesity and depression.

"I believe this has happened so gradually," she said, "that we as adults don't realize what's taken place. . . . I think we as a nation need to wake up to this."

What are your schools doing to encourage more outdoor time at school? Has your school ever visited Cispus or Chewelah Peak?

The Kids in the Marketing Department

Here's a fun one for you. The writers and editors of the Washington Post's kids section wanted to see how well a new TV commercial for breakfast cereal scored with its target audience. So they set up a focus group of fourth- and sixth-graders from a local elementary school to write down what they believed was the main idea of the advertisement, what they liked and what they disliked (it might make for a fun WASL prompt someday!). As Art Linkletter warned, kids do say the darndest things.

Presidential Primary Bumps Special Elections for Schools

As you may have heard, Washington state has a new presidential primary date -- Feb. 19. This bumps the Feb. 5 special election date many schools and districts use for bond and levy approval. Seattle-Northwest Securities (SNW), the state's largest financial adviser for school district bond and levy issues, recently issued a handy elections guide outlining the new election and resolution filing dates for 2008.

Incidentally, SNW will co-host its popular School Finance Workshop again Sept. 18 at the Shoreline Center with the help of the Washington School Public Relations Association.

Childhood Obesity Gets Another Champion

Move over Arnold. Make way, Bill Clinton. There's a new force in the fight against childhood obesity.

You may recall earlier this year California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Bill Clinton joined the American Heart Association in the launch of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an initiative to eliminate childhood obesity and promote healthy lifestyles among kids.

Well, on Tuesday, June 26, ABC premieres "Shaq's Big Challenge," starring NBA star Shaquille O'Neal in a reality show aimed at combating childhood obesity. According to the show's Web site, O'Neal will "help transform six obese middle school youngsters from Florida into healthy, fit kids - and along the way, demonstrate how other communities nationwide can help fight childhood obesity." The NBA All-Star will serve as the kids' coach and motivator, but they'll also work with Shaq's his own physician and trainer, as well as a nutritionist, a childhood obesity expert from Miami Children's Hospital, Food Network Chef Tyler Florence and Shaq's basketball coach from L.S.U., Dale Brown.

In an April 2006 survey conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 92 percent of all Americans consider childhood obesity to be a serious national problem. Interestingly, the same survey found that parents are less concerned about obesity in their own children:

• Only 41 percent of parents with children under age 18 were very concerned about their children being or becoming obese or seriously overweight.

The show about kids may really be aimed at adults; it will air at 9 p.m. (late on a school night, but it is summer, after all). With one-third of the country's children already obese or at risk for obesity, this new reality show could be the sleeper hit of the summer. It's hard to believe all of this all gets resolved in just six one-hour segments; it took "The Sopranos" six seasons and they're still seeking closure...

Depending on how the show goes, we may need a second helping of "Shaq's Big Challenge." Let's hope everyone who tunes in does so after at least 30 minutes of running, jumping and exercising.

Student Press Bill Moving Ahead in OR

Oregon could be the next state to broaden student media freedoms.

On Monday, the Oregon Senate approved House Bill 3279, and sent it off to Gov. Ted Kulongoski for review and signature. The bill makes students in high schools and higher education institutions responsible for the content of school-sponsored media. Amendments were made in the Senate to soften the measure, stripping out specific protections for student media advisers, restrictions on prior review and language about "public forums."

The Oregon bill was introduced on the heels of Washington state's own House Bill 1307, brought forward this past session by Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D-Des Moines). That bill died in the Senate, though the lawmaker told attendees at a journalism workshop this past May at Central Washington University that he plans to reintroduce the measure again next year -- but may start with a higher ed-only bill.

Where Credit is Due

Last Friday's "Report to Families" by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction suggests that students in the class of 2008 are rising to the challenge of the WASL as a graduation requirement. According to OSPI, 86.8 percent of the class has passed the test in reading and about the same (86.7 percent) did so on the writing exam -- both great numbers to cheer about. Math continues to be the subject of greatest concern, as just 74.3 of next year's graduating seniors have passed the test. The math requirement has been postponed until 2013, during which time the state will be working to review the standards, among other things.

The good news is more resources are being allocated to help those students still needing to get over the bar. The Legislature has allocated $12 million for Promoting Academic Success (PAS), which high schools and districts can use to target those students in need of additional reading, writing or math help.

Is the bar still too high for Washington's high school students? To see what the papers are saying about student progress, you can read this, this, this and this. Oh, and check out this and that, too.

Grad Requirements Translated

The Center for the Improvement for Student Learning (CISL) just completed its translation of the Washington State High School Graduation Requirements into nine different languages, including:

• Spanish
• Tagalog
• Cambodian
• Russian
• Vietnamese
• Korean
• Somali
• Ukrainian

The documents are all available as PDFs that can easily be printed and reproduced.

Commencing with Commencement

Here's a humorous read from a community columnist at the Kitsap Sun newspaper in Bremerton. Guest blogger Rob Woutat delivers a pragmatic virtual commencement address to students in Kitsap County high schools. Among the advice offered:

The further you drift from the protective arms of your parents and your school, the more you’ll have to jack up your skepticism, and the more you’ll recognize that skepticism is a basic survival tool.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt may have had the best approach to giving speeches: "Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated."

Since it's that time of year, tell us what you think makes a great graduation address (high school or college)?

How do you select the speakers at your high school? And for middle and elementary schools: do you hold commencement or transition ceremonies?

At Least They Spelled It Correctly

(Punctuation is another matter.)

Apparently someone walking by the AWSP office in Olympia last night felt strongly about Ms. Hilton's plight. This is the backside of our office sign, which we discovered first thing this morning.

Although the celebrity was released today from the L.A. County jail, I'm not sure we can count on the same person returning to restore our sign to its original condition.

Combatting the Summer Slump

And we're not talking about the Mariners here.

According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, 65 percent of the achievement gap between poor and more affluent students can be attributed to unequal summer learning opportunities during their elementary school years. Their study found that:

On average, children from low-income families lose nearly three months of grade-level equivalency, compared to one month lost by middle-income children when reading and math performance are combined.

What are your schools doing to prevent a summer slump?

By the way, National Summer Learning Day is July 12.

WASL Data

According to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), our state's education department, just 85 test score appeals have been filed so far this year. (That's out of 240,000 tests, BTW.) The numbers were released earlier this week as part of an informational event for Washington state media. Of those filed:

• 66 were in math; 12 were granted
• 9 were in reading; 1 was granted
• 10 were in writing; none (0) were granted

There are also about 2,000 students who have applied to submit a collection of evidence, according to Molly O'Connor, the state's assessment communications manager. The collection of evidence is one of the multiple alternatives to the WASL, a means by which high schoolers can demonstrate mastery in the content areas without re-taking the test. Another 85 students have filed their scores on the ACT, PSAT, SAT or ACT as proof of their abilities; 82 filed to use their PSAT scores, one filed to use SAT scores, and two filed to use ACT scores.

FYI, State Superintendent Terry Bergeson will present her "Report to Families" teleconference to the media on Friday, June 8, at which time she will announce the number of sophomores and juniors who passed the WASL in reading, writing and math this year.

Under Pressure

The photos from the Scripps National Spelling Bee do a wonderful job of capturing the emotion associated with this event. As I mentioned in Tuesday's blog, the official Web site has a great collection of trivia and resources about the famous contest. But it's the photos that really captured my attention. Here are a couple of my favorites, courtesy of the Scripps site:

1. This poor little guy. He received the dreaded "ding" of the bell, indicating an incorrect spelling. Not sure if he's near tears or just wincing. Or both. (Cute shot, though.)
   

2. Oh, the agony of a missed word...













And my favorite shot of all that I have seen so far is this one:


3. Forget the pressure of letting yourself down, let alone your school, your family, your city, your state... Consider the plight of the poor student facing THE MEDIA in all of this. The media moat in front of the stage would rival a senate hearing. There's even a priest on hand for this event!

Participation in this event gives students an education in more than just spelling. It gives them a taste of life in the 21st century modern world.

By the way, the winning word, if you don't already know by now, was serrefine. Don't know what it means? Do what my mom always told me to do: look it up!

Where the Jobs Are

More evidence to support the claim that math matters before, during and after high school (and college) graduation. Here are the top jobs for 2006-07 college graduates, and it includes some good news for the education world -- teaching is one of them:

TOP JOBS FOR 2006-07 COLLEGE GRADUATES

Accounting

Consulting

Management trainee

Sales

Finance

Project engineering

Design/construction engineering

Teaching

Software design, development

Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers

Finger Length and SAT Scores?

This just in from the "weird science and education news" department: student finger lengths can be used to predict SAT scores. Really.

As humorist Dave Barry would say, " I am not making this up."

According to research by LiveScience.com, students with ring fingers longer than their index fingers have higher math scores than verbal scores on the college entrance exam. Students with the reverse ratio tended to have higher verbal scores and lower math scores. What's to account for this trend? LiveScience says:

Exposure to testosterone in the womb is said to promote development of areas of the brain often associated with spatial and mathematical skills, he said. That hormone makes the ring finger longer. Estrogen exposure does the same for areas of the brain associated with verbal ability and tends to lengthen the index finger relative to the ring finger.

To test their hypothesis, researchers made photocopies of children's palms and measured the length of their index and ring fingers (using calipers accurate to .01 mm). The researchers then looked at boys' and girls' test scores separately, comparing them to finger-length ratios. In the end, they said they found a clear link between prenatal testosterone exposure (indicated by the finger length) and the higher SAT scores in math. You can read the full story here.

In the interest of full disclosure, LiveScience's hypothesis pans out with this author's own finger-ratio and math scores.

Maybe LiveScience could replicate the study with the WASL?

Is Spelling a Sport?

Like football, track or golf, it requires hours of study, dedication and training. It even has officials! But is spelling a sport?

The people at ESPNTV.com think so, and will be covering the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee , which begins this Wednesday in Washington, D.C. It's a fun parlor game to debate whether the 286 student spellers qualify as "athletes" or fierce competitors ready to unleash some serious lexicographical jujitsu on one another. As ESPN columnist Mike Golic observed in the network's magazine this week:

"We don't celebrate academic achievement nearly enough in our popular culture. The spelling bee can be an example: Hey. Here's another way to get on TV- use your brain."

Indeed.

If you have a chance, take a quick peek at the Scripps site, which, like any sport, includes lots of fascinating statistics (40 of this year's spellers are only children). They've also created a photo gallery, round results and, of course, study resources. You can also view a list of all of the students participating in this week's event, including four students from Washington state.

Spellings Holds Her Own

Forgot to follow up on U.S. Education Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' appearance on The Daily Show earlier this week. It takes a confident person to go on a fake news show and pull it off looking relaxed and witty. Say what you will about Spellings, she did both.

You also have to hand it to the show's host, Jon Stewart, to conduct a five minute interview of any substance while talking about No Child Left Behind and the student loan scandal. It's hard to even describe NCLB in five minutes, let alone make it funny.

Not sure if she's just that affable or her handlers prepped her well but she comes off as likable and on point about the graduation rate in this country. Incidentally, according to Stewart, Spellings is the only cabinet level official to accept the invitation to appear on the show. Click here to watch the interview.