SchoolTube -- Not YouTube!

Are your students interested in new technology, but you'd like to find a more positive outlet for their files than YouTube? Want a new way to jazz up those old morning announcements?

Be sure to check out SchoolTube, a safe and fun alternative to the other video sharing Web site. All videos loaded to the site must have the approval of an adult within the school -- be it a teacher, administrator, advisors, etc. The site is free and provides a nice and easy outlet for schools that want to encourage students' (appropriate) use of new media.

Differentiated Leadership

We're all familiar with the term, "differentiated instruction," but what about "differentiated leadership"?

This morning in Nashville, Minnesota leadership consultant Jane Kise made the case for differentiated leadership based on eight personality types she and her business partner, Beth Russell, have identified eight personality preferences and 16 personality types that can be identified and used to adapt school leadership as well as classroom instruction. Here are the four she covered in the session today:

• Extraversion or Intraversion: How are you energized? Do you gain energy through action and interaction, or though reflection and solitude?
• Sensing or INtuition: How do you gather information? Do you gather information with your senses or through connections and hunches?
• Thinking or feeling: How do you make decisions? Based on logic and principles or values?
• Judging or Perceiving? How do you approach life? Do you plan your work and work your plan or do you stay open and let things happen?

These tendencies are "hardwired" into each of us, Kise said. While she conceded some of this sounds like a lot of common sense, she can also offer example after example of situations where the school principal lead by their own personality preferences, which put off teachers, parents or other administrators who had opposite preferences. Most teachers--especially elementary teachers--are "feeling" types, whereas most principals are "thinking" types. She put things in perspective when she likened it to Singapore math. Singapore math works for so many people (especially those who are math phobic) because it appeals to both thinkers and feelers. Said Kise:

Be a better leader by knowing your personality preferences and those of your staff and students. The successful leader knows what their style is and tries to look for the other side to balance things out."

Politics Far From Usual

Today's keynote speakers were the national political duo James Carville and Mary Matalin. While many people scratch their heads in wonder over their red state/blue state relationship, it quickly became clear why these two work so well together: they have razor-sharp wits and sincere respect for one another. As a result, attendees at today's NAESP afternoon keynote session were not disappointed.

Matalin and Carville's professional experience read like a who's who of 20th (and 21st) century politics and mass media. Bush I, Bush II; Bill and Hillary Clinton; Meet the Press; Fox News and on and on. She's an unapologetic conservative and he's an unabashed liberal. They have two school-age daughters and now look at education through the lens of a parent rather than as campaign strategists and consultants. Speaking to the audience today, Matalin noted:

"You [principals] are at the epicenter of the most political issue of all political issues...There is nothing more important in the lives of families than what you do."

Carville and Matalin took turns addressing the audience, both exchanging friendly fire with one another while sharing their thoughts on the 2008 presidential races, politics and their own relationship. Carville likened the Democratic ticket to a game of blackjack or "21". Obama, Carville said, holds cards that amount to 20 and Hillary is holding at 15. In the world of gambling stats, Obama has the better hand, he said. But stay tuned -- both he and Carville said this race is unprecedented in American history. Both predicted a busy fall leading up to the election.

It was hard to keep up with the verbal barrage, but here are some of my favorite quips from today:

• Matalin on the question of her bi-partisan marriage: "You know how this works: He has selective husband thinking and I tell him I'm out of estrogen and have a gun!"
• Carville on the D ticket: "On the D side, we like to say we have the Mamma and Obama."
• Matalin on the 2008 campaign: "It is good for all of us...to watch the horserace. No matter who is elected, it will be a fascinating presidency."
• Carville on the campaigns: "The theater of the whole thing is just staggering...You can't keep your eyes off this thing."
• Matalin on Hillary: "I can relate to a Yankee who has a big-mouth Southern husband who doesn't know when to shut up..."
• Carville on education: "The impact as a human being of their first educational experience stays with that person for the rest of their lives...They're going to take these experiences with them deep into their lives."

I'm not even going to try to capture the stories they told about one another -- how they met, their fallout after a November appearance on Meet the Press. But it's clear both are passionate about each other, their families and the American political system. This session gave everyone a little something to chew on and laugh about.

News about NAESP

Have you noticed NAESP's new logo? The national office rolled out its new look this weekend in conjunction with the 87th annual convention. The Association also rolled out two major publications:

• Visions 2021: Transformations in Leading, Learning and Community.
• Leading Learning Communities: Standards for What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do (second ed.)

Both are available for purchase on the NAESP Web site; a free copy of Leading Learning will be distributed to NAESP members this fall.

Howdy From Nashville, TN!

Greetings from the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort!

The NAESP Convention is off to a fine start, with sessions covering an array of interests. Content strands include:

• Adult Learning
• Community Engagement
• Data & Decision-Making
• Expanding the Continuum of Learning
• Leadership/Distributed Leadership
• Student Learning
• Vision

Today I had the chance to attend two sessions. The first was world renown psychologist Dr. Jack Singer, who wrote attendees a prescription for three heaping teaspoons positive rational self-talk, optimism and laughter daily to beat back the stress of everyday life. Singer noted that children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults? Just 17 times. "You need to let that little child in you out," Singer advised. "You need to laugh!" The good doctor helped the audience work toward that goal with a warm, funny presentation.

The second, Diane Hodges, also focused on the positive. Hodges, a former secondary and elementary school principal, has parlayed her passion for staff morale into a successful consulting business. Frankly, it was hard to keep up with her -- the ideas were coming fast and furious during her presentation. I included some of those tips in my article for the NAESP Convention Newsletter.

Good News For People Who are Sick of Bad News

On the dropout front...

In the wake of the report issued yesterday by America's Promise Alliance pegging the national dropout rate at 50 percent comes this story about the Clover Park School District in Lakewood. Thanks to a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -- one of the underwriters of the APA's dropout study -- Clover Park High was able to restructure itself and keep students with the same teachers for all four years.

The payoff? A 30 percent + drop in the dropout rate , or, more positively expressed as a 30 percent increase in diplomas granted. According to John Seaton, principal, Clover Park High:

"You've got a relationship that is so tight with those kids that they're willing to share their life with you," Seaton explained. "So you can become part of the solution for their problems."

Food Allergy Guidelines

Here's something school principals should review and share with their staffs...

On Monday, OSPI released its Food Allergy Guidelines, created in conjunction with the Food Allergy Advisory Committee, a group comprised of parents, school nutritionists, nurses, administrators and pupil transportation staff. In 2007, the Legislature appropriated $45,000 OSPI to convene a workgroup to finalize draft guidelines and develop school food allergy guidelines and policies for districts to implement beginning in 2008-09.

The guide includes recommendations, forms and procedures school personnel need to anticipate and respond to situations involving students with these potentially life-threatening issues. The publication also includes a complete reference of all related Washington state laws and federal regulations.

According to the Food Allergy and Anphylaxis Network (FAAN), about 12 million people in the U.S have food allergies; 3 million of them are children. Eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (e.g., walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. You can read additional facts about food allergies here.

Let us know if your school has implemented any particular procedures or practices that have helped students become more aware of food allergies or better manage them schoolwide.

Blogging with a Tennessee Twang

Just a reminder that I'll be packing up the ol' kit blog and heading for Nashville later this week to capture the good times and great speakers at the 87th NAESP Convention. In addition to blogging about the convention, I'll be doing some writing for the NAESP office, covering the following sessions for their online convention newsletter:

• April 4: Dr. Jack Singer - Known as the "Patch Adams of Psychology," Dr. Singer is recognized among the world's leaders in promoting fun, humor and laughter as the most powerful antidotes to stress and illness.
• April 4: Diane Hodges - Hodges is one of the foremost authorities on staff morale, staff dynamics, development and training.
  
• April 7: Jane A.G. Kise - Kise is an educational consultant specializing in teambuilding, coaching and school staff development.
  

I also hope to post some pics of Washington state principals and assistant principals who will be attending this year's event. So if you're going, get ready to say "Cracker Barrel!"

You can check out all the convention offerings here. Stay tuned for more later this week!

More On Math

When we last left off, we were recapping the news about the demise of the math WASL and the status of mathematics testing under the new legislation signed by Gov. Gregoire. On Friday, OSPI issued a statement to clarify the specific requirements. It's worth sharing with staff at all grade levels and might be something worth linking to on your school's blog, Web site or in a school newsletter.

Math Hokey Pokey

You put the math WASL in, you take the math WASL out...

This week, Gov. Gregoire approved a plan that would phase out use of the math WASL and eliminate it as a graduation requirement. But don't let your students think they're off the hook entirely. Here's how things will work:

• The changes announced this week will NOT apply to this year's seniors.
  
• Students in grades 3-8 will still sit for the WASL in mathematics, as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
• The graduating class of 2013 (this year's seventh-graders) will have the option of taking an passing either the math WASL or individual end-of-course (EOC - yes, a new acronym) exams. In 2014, the math WASL will be no more and only end-of-course exams in subjects like algebra and geometry will be used.
• $3.2 million was allocated this session for development of the EOCs.
  
• High school students will still be required to take and pass the reading and writing WASLs, in addition to completing a high school and beyond plan, culminating project and any credits required by the district to graduate.
  

This week's bill signing marks yet another change schools must communicate about graduation and testing requirements to teachers, students, families and the community.

What do you think about the decision? Will end-of-course exams work better than the WASL for assessing students skills in areas like algebra and geometry? Do you think we will see different test results?

How are you sharing the changes with your key audiences at school?

Save the D-A-T-E!

It's spring, and that can only mean one thing: It's [Spelling] Bee Season!

Middle and elementary schools all over the country are buzzing with spelling champ wannabees, hoping to make their way to the big Scripps National Spelling Bee May 29 and 30. According to the official Web site:

The Louisville Courier-Journal started the event with nine contestants in 1925. In 1941 Scripps assumed sponsorship of the program. There was no Scripps National Spelling Bee during the World War II years of 1943, 1944, and 1945. Co-champions were declared in 1950, 1957, and 1962. Of the 83 champions, 43 have been girls and 40 have been boys.

You can view the complete list of previous champs and their winning words online. The Scripps program has a great Web site with links to several great resources, whether you're competing in The Bee or just need a handy online reference guide for your daily correspondence. (I'd better hit spell check on that last one...)

Technology: Fight It or Learn It?

Do you have a MySpace page?

Not for networking, but for keeping up with technology -- for staying connected to how students are communicating? (Or, just keeping tabs on your own child?)

That's the issue raised today at a meeting of statewide education association communication professionals. The group meets to discuss ongoing projects in our respective organizations, cross-market events and help each other solve communications and PR challenges. The subject of new media came up-- in particular the connection between bullying and the use of sites like Juicy Campus, where people can post anything about anyone anonymously. Use of the site has already caused a flare up in the Marysville School District, which has blocked access to Juicy Campus, though most posts occur outside of school hours via non-school resources.

For many educators, just keeping up with e-mail is a chore. But in order to better understand today's students, should professional development for administrators and teachers include regular updates on technology?

Should educators know about Twitter and MySpace and Juicy Campus in order to address issues that arise from these newfangled version of old school graffiti? Or, should more attention be placed on school culture, to prevent the bullying and harassment these tools seem to encourage?

Licensed to Teach - At Home?

Naturally, any time the subject of education appears in the media, it has our attention. So when the teaser for the CBS Evening News declared Saturday that you now need a teaching certificate to homeschool your child in California, we tuned in.

Last month, the Second District Court of Appeal in California was asked to weigh in on a case that would require the parents of eight children to send them to a regular public or private school, where their welfare could be monitored. A lower court had ruled that the parents had a constitutional right to home school their children. The appellate court found no such right existed, and further, that because the parents did not have teaching certificates, they could not educate their children.

As with all legal issues, this one will take some time to sort out and has raised educational and parental rights issues.

You can read the ruling here. You can also read Gov. Schwarzenegger's statement on this issue here.

More Pi!

Another fun site: http://www.piacrossamerica.org/

Go Ahead! Drop Out!

Go on! Go!

That's the advice coming from Michael Goldstein, founder of the MATCH Charter Public High School in Boston, to students lacking an interest in their formal education.

His hypothesis, as outlined in a recent e-mail to Washington Post education columnist Jay Matthews is as follows:

"I've got a nutty idea. When half the kids in most U.S. cities essentially reject the basic product called 'school' -- many would leave a lot EARLIER if they were allowed by parents and the law -- then the best path forward is not ONLY different schools (with caring, discipline, and rigor), but also offering a different product entirely.

"Here's the different 'product': What if a 16-year-old could drop out but bank the money that the school district spends per pupil ($15,000 here in Boston, but I'm sure it's more in D.C.), the amount that otherwise would have been spent junior and senior year, like a medical savings account or an IRA? Then it can't be touched for at least two years -- force-feed kids the feeling of the dead-end life they're embarking on.

By Goldstein's estimation, most of the kids who might drop out under his scenario would enjoy their newfound freedom...temporarily, then realize that being in the real world with no job, no marketable skills or a formal education isn't such a good idea. Meanwhile, the campaign to get them back in school would continue:

"The dropout would get a statement every quarter in the mail, like a mutual fund, which shows the $30,000 (plus interest) or whatever available for their education. In each statement, there would be an easy-to-read story about an inner-city kid who'd used the education funds to turn things around. Constant reminder.

Schools could bank savings by hiring fewer teachers. Teachers would "like their jobs more" according to Goldstein, not having the added social work duties that sometimes come with potential dropouts.

It's a pretty dire view, but is there a degree of truth to what Goldstein's saying? You can read the entire exchange in Matthew's column here. Check out this great post about it on The Core Knowledge Blog.

Save Your Fork, There's Pi!

Today is a high holy day for math enthusiasts, and with Washington state's new math standards nearly put to bed, we couldn't pass up this opportunity to celebrate. Plus, who doesn't love pi(e)?

March 14 has become the high holy day for math enthusiasts. Represented numerically, March 14 is 3.14 -- the same as the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, represented by the Greek letter Pi. And no, we are not making this up. (Someone already beat us to the punch on that one.)

Are your math classes doing anything to commemorate today's big day?

Threat Down: Credits vs. WASL

It's WASL testing week for Washington state's high school sophomores and any juniors or seniors (especially seniors) that want to retake or need to take the reading and writing tests to graduate. With this year's seniors bearing the title of the first to graduate under the state's new graduation requirements, there's a lot of focus on passing the WASL. But what about passing P.E.? Or Spanish?

That's the focus of today's article in The Seattle Times, which looks at several districts north of Seattle where credit deficiencies threaten graduation plans -- not the WASL. In Marysville, the district reports there are about 10 times as many students that are not on track to graduate due to credits rather than WASL scores.

"It's not these other factors that are impeding students from graduating — it's the low credits," [Ray Houser, Marysville executive director of teaching and learning] said.

"We realize that it's not necessarily the assessment or the state requirements, but the inability to successfully navigate the classes," he said.

High school principals: Is this something you're seeing in your own schools?

What Would You Fund?

The Washington State Legislature is just two weeks away from concluding its regular 60-day session on March 13. But they won't adjourn sine die until both chambers (and the governor) agree on a budget. Given where the two sides are -- and despite a Democratic majority in both houses -- this could take some negotiating.

Case in point: The House has included a 1 percent COLA increase for educators in its budget, though to the detriment of all-day kindergarten. The Senate, conversely, funds all-day K but makes no provisions for the 1 percent increase.

The League of Education Voters just released this handy comparison of the two budget proposals as they relate to early learning, K-12 and higher ed. Take a look and then tell us what you would fund. Or not.

The Smarter Generation?

Yesterday, we shared news of a national survey suggesting that today's 17-year-olds lacked common historical or literary references. Today, we offer another view on the topics, this column, "Why Teens are Smarter," from the Seattle P-I.

Apparently a New York Times story this week found that fewer 16-year-olds are in possession of drivers' licenses. In the article, the Federal Highway Administration noted that over the decade the proportion of 16-year-olds with driver's licenses has fallen from about half to less than one-third. Some of this could be connected to the introduction of graduated licenses. Fewer driving schools and increase costs of insurance and gas may also have something to do with it, too.

But Dale McFeatters, the columnist for the Scripps Howard News Service who wrote today's piece, suggests the decline it may be blamed on something else altogether:

One factor in the Times story was particularly eye-catching: The greater willingness of parents to drive their children around, that is, act as their chauffeurs.

Now who's the smarter generation.

I'll Take History for $500, Alex

We all laughed when Animal House's John Belushi accused the Germans of bombing Pearl Harbor ("Forget it. He's rolling.") But a new poll out about high school students' knowledge of history and literature suggests Bluto is alive and well.

According to a new study, "Still at Risk: What Students Don't Know, Even Now," today's high school students lack basic historical and literary facts and references. The research was compiled by Common Core, a non-partisan research group dedicated to "strengthening liberal learning in K-12 education."

Overall, the 1,200 high school students surveyed earned a "D." Among the findings:

• Nearly a quarter cannot identify Adolf Hitler, with ten percent thinking Hitler was a munitions manufacturer.
• More than a quarter think Christopher Columbus sailed after 1750.
• Fewer than half can place the Civil War in the correct half-century.
• A third do not know that the Bill of Rights guarantees the freedom of speech and religion.
• Half have no idea what the Renaissance was.
• Nearly half think that The Scarlet Letter was either about a witch trial or a piece of correspondence.

Thankfully, the survey did have a few bright spots. Of those surveyed, 97 percent knew the "I have a dream" speech was given by Martin Luther King Jr. And, 88 percent knew the bombing of Pearl Harbor led the USA into World War II.

(Take that, Bluto.)

On the serious: Is a study like this fair -- to students, to the K-12 system, to teachers? Or should we expect all students to have a common familiarity with this knowledge?

Public School Insights

There's a new education Web site you might want to check out. The national Learning First Alliance just launched "Public School Insights," an online education community that includes a blog, a toolkit section (with free downloads like their communications toolkit) and a success stories section where you can share your school or district's achievements.

In case you're not familiar with them, the Learning First Alliance is a non-profit partnership of 18 major national education associations that collectively represent more than 10 million teachers, parents, principals, superintendents, teacher educators, school board members, school counselors and other school and district staff. Washington is one of several states that has developed its own chapter of the LFA.

The Magic Number

And no, it's not 3.

Last Friday, I mentioned an NASSP report about a slight increase in middle and high school principal salaries. I was also curious to know the average principal salary here in Washington state.

It took a little digging on the OSPI Web site, but in the school finance section, you can find it (see table 2). So according to the state, the average principal salary is $92,103. Unfortunately, the salaries are not broken out by component levels.

Principal Salaries

Good news to end the week: Secondary school principals nationwide saw a little more green this [school] year thanks to salary indexes equal to or better than the Consumer Price Index.

That's the good word out today from the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). The average salary reported by school districts for junior high and middle school principals in 2007-08 is $91,486; for high school principals the average is $97,496. According to NASSP:

The 2007-08 average salary for senior high school principals is 4.9% higher than that for 2006–07. This compares to an increase of 2.8% for the Consumer Price Index, thus resulting in a slight gain in purchasing power—on average—for these principals. The CPI is the Department of Labor’s measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services and is often used to estimate increases in cost of living.

The Educational Research Service compiled the report, Salaries & Wages Paid Professional and Support Personnel in Public Schools. Salary tables for middle and high school principals and middle and high school assistant principals are also available on the NASSP Web site.

Time to hit the data files on the OSPI Web site to find the average principal salary here in Washington state... We'll report back when we find it!

You Better Think (Think, Think)

Developing "critical thinking skills" are all the rage in K-12 education these days. We often hear the phrase bandied about in debates about the need for higher standards and a push to provide students with skills that will meet the demands of the new economy.

But what does that phrase really mean?

An article in Monday's Washington Post explores this very question with some who think they know, others who think it means nothing and still more folks who think you should just challenge everything anyway ("Question Authority.").

How has an emphasis on "critical thinking skills" played out in your school? Are students better prepared now than they were five, 10 even 20 years ago?

When Kids Vote

According to Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed's office, more than 4,800 students participated in this year's Mock Presidential Primary. The Secretary of State's office has worked diligently in recent years to develop grade-appropriate curricula aligned with state and federal standards to teach civics and voting; the mock primary is just one piece of this effort.

Here's how things shaped up in the Democratic Presidential Primary (3,519 students voted):

• Joe Biden - 1%
• Hillary Clinton - 23%
• Chris Dodd - 0%
• John Edwards - 1%
• Mike Gravel - 1%
• Dennis Kucinich - 1%
• Barack Obama - 73%

Some observations on these results: First, Mike Gravel is not exactly a household name, so I had to Google him and apparently there is a man by this name running for president. (I guess I'm not smarter than a fifth-grader!) Second, John Edwards only garnered 1%?

Here's the results from the Republican primary, where 1,300 students cast votes:

• Rudy Guiliani - 3%
• Mike Huckabee- 25%
• Duncan Hunter - 2%
• Alan Keyes - 2%
• John McCain - 51%
• Ron Paul - 7%
• Mitt Romney - 8%
• Fred Thompson - 2%
  

Again, I flew to Google to find out more about this Duncan Hunter person and yup, he's got a hat in the ring, too. Guess I need to read that issue of Newsweek on my nightstand more carefully...

You can learn more about the Mock Primary on the Secretary of State's Web site.

Did your school participate in this year's Mock Election? If so, how did things go? What did your students learn as a result of this process? What did you or your staff learn?

Roses are... oh forget it.

Today is Valentine's Day, which, if memory serves, was a frenzied day for schools. Nutrition and obesity concerns have stripped many schools of any presence of sugary items, and the idea of being "sweet" on someone at school can quickly run afoul.

So how do you set the tone at school when it comes to days like today? Did your students get involved in a community project (Valentines for Vets)?

Or, was it business as usual?

Caucuses

There were an awful lot of people who had the chance to visit public schools in Washington state this weekend as a Democrats and Republicans converged on their respective caucuses. This was a great opportunity to showcase student artwork or other school projects to the public.

Did your school host a caucus event? If so, did you do anything special to showcase your school for these guests?

2008 Assistant Principals' Leadership Conference

Washington is one of the few states that offers its own conference designed just for assistant principals.

This year's event is being held at the beautiful Hilton Vancouver Washington, and about 160 APs, deans of students, principal interns and associate principals made the trip down, despite some nasty winter weather. For two days, conference-goers will participate in large and small group sessions around issues like dealing with gangs and gang-related issues; student management; discipline; school law; and interviewing for APs going into the principalship and interns going into assistant principalships.

This morning, attendees were treated to a keynote update on the revised math standards (think deeper, not broader). Bergeson said the urgency over math in this state and country is "like Sputnik times 10" and that we all owe it to students to develop new attitudes about the importance and value of mathematics.

Today's portion of the conference is also a time to honor the state Assistant Principal of the Year. This year, the award went to Granite Falls Middle School Assistant Principal David Bianchini, who, it was announced today, will be moving up in the ranks next year to assume the principalship at the same school. (Dr. Richard Panagos is retiring at the end of the 2008 school year.) Bianchini (at left, with AP Conference Chair Mary Lou Bissett) is credited with increasing the personalization at his school -- helping teachers zero in on 127 students who were just drifitng through the educational process Bianchini's honor is one of several garnered by the district, which also includes the 2007 National Teacher of the Year (music teacher Andrea Peterson) and the 2007 National Science to Service Award. Good things are happening in Granite Falls!

After two more rounds of breakout sessions and a fun dessert social with exhibitors, the day ended with relaxed social where attendees could chat with one another in a cabaret-style atmosphere, enjoying music from the Portland-area group Tall Jazz.

Tomorrow: more breakout sessions and a special presentation at lunch by 2007 Assistant Principal of the Year James Hester from Washington High in the Franklin Pierce School District.

What You Don't Know About Poverty...

Could dramatically affect the teaching and learning in your classrooms. That was just one of many powerful messages presented today by Dr. Donna Beegle at AWSP's 2008 Assistant Principals' Leadership Conference in Vancouver. Beegle's personal history (she's one of five children, and the only member of her family who has not been incarcerated) makes her analysis of poverty and its affects on students and educators so compelling.

In her remarks, Beegle emphasized the importance of understanding basic facts about poverty and the value in educators really knowing their students--that element of personalization. She shared traits of the various kinds of poverty -- generational, immigrant, working class--that all bring different language, culture and values to the table. And she underscored the critical importance of helping all students in poverty understand the language of school, to help them understand why what they do in class is of value to them as individuals, as citizens.

"If I don't know why I'm in school, how can it be important?" Beegle said. "Imagine how the world of poverty affects what you pay attention to...Tell your students why education matters and show them that people who do jobs [that require education] are like them."

Beegle's presentation provided an eye-opening glimpse at a world many teachers or school staff neither know nor understand, and provided many practical tips on how schools with high poverty populations can engage students, parents and families. Examples:

• Hold focus groups with parents to find out the best ways to communicate with them or engage them in school conferences and events.
• When conferences are held, offer meals and/or child care to entice family participation
  
• Work with community service groups and local stores to donate money, services or vouchers to offset these costs

"If we don't know the situation [students come from], we tend to exacerbate the problem. you have to know your communities," said Beegle. "Solutions have to come from within your building."

*********
Some random facts about poverty Beegle dropped into her presentation:

• 350 households are disconnected from water service for payment failures every day in Portland (where Beegle calls home). What's the number for your community?
  
• About two-thirds of people in poverty work 1.7 jobs, per the U.S. Census (per Beegle) How many jobs are your parents working to make ends meet?
  
• The average reading level of today's prison inmate? 8th grade.
  
• There is a five-year wait for housing in the U.S.
• It costs about $30,000/year to house one inmate in prison
• Do you know the minimum wage in Washington state? $8.07/hour

Tuesday Tidbits - Jan. 29, 2008

It's late on a Tuesday, but it's not too late for some tidbits. Here's a couple from today:

• What about education? That's what the National Association of Secondary School Principals wondered in their post today about President Bush's State of the Union Address Monday night. Education had a fleeting mention in the speech, which seems odd given the administration's landmark rewrite of the ESEA (No Child Left Behind).
  

• Is MySpace Overrated? According to Veronica Lim, a student at Heritage High in Vancouver, Wash., teens could be spending their time more wisely making real world connections. Check out her guest column in The Columbian.
  
  
• Should there be more money for teachers in high-need areas (like mathematics, science and special education)? No, according to Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. A contributor to the USA Today's editorial pages, though, begs to differ.
  

Is WASL the Real Graduation Hang Up?

That's the question Everett Herald reporter Eric Stevick tackled in today's paper, and the answer may surprise some.

Apparently the real hang up when it comes to the class of 2008 is not passing the WASL, but rather, getting enough seat time. Credits are the single biggest threat to graduation in the districts within his readership (like Granite Falls, Everett Public Schools and the Edmonds School District). Take the seniors at Everett's Cascade High for example. According to Stevick:

As of Friday, the Everett school had 386 students in its class of 2008, but 63 were behind on credits they need in order to graduate on time.

Of the 323 students on track to earn enough credits to graduate, seven have not passed the WASL's reading mark, five have not passed writing and 15 have not passed both reading and writing portions of the 10th-grade WASL. Of the 27 students with WASL problems, about 40 percent have either not taken the tests or not had their WASL scores recorded.

Of 63 Cascade students behind on credits, seven haven't passed the reading test, nine haven't passed the writing and 11 have not passed either exams.

Are credits a bigger barrier to graduation for students in your high school than the WASL?

Tuesday Tidbits on Wednesday

It's just been that kind of week!

Here, in no particular order, are a few education items of note:

• U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings took time to visit with Gov. Gregoire, legislators, members of the State Board of Education and representatives from various education groups (including AWSP) today at Roosevelt Elementary here in Olympia to discuss No Child Left Behind. According to Jerry Bender, AWSP's director of governmental relations, the meeting did not afford a lot of opportunities for input, but he was able to underscore the importance of support for principals given the workings of NCLB. You can read more about the meeting---and other legislative happenings--in Jerry's blog, From Olympia and Beyond.
  
• Speaking of NCLB, you can view Washington state's achievement "dashboard" online. This PDF gives a snapshot of our progress toward the goals of the act.
  
• True Confessions: The Tacoma News Tribune reprinted this column from a senior at Puyallup (pron. Pew-AL-up) who admits he may not have given it his all as an underclassman. In the column, which originally appeared in the school's student newspaper, he encourages his fellow classmates to get more involved while they're still in school (while the support is there).
  
• Recess is big news again this year in the Legislature. Two bills have been introduced on the topic, aiming to give kids across all grades more fresh air and time to move. Our Association supports the concept, but has trouble with the implementation. You can read about one of the bills in today's Seattle Times. Has your school cut back on recess? If so, let us know. (If you've added more free time, let us know that, too!)

Tuesday Tidbits - Jan. 8, 2008

It's Tuesday, so it's time for a fresh batch of 2008 tidbits:

• Are gifted students being shorted under No Child Left Behind? That's what one former California educator asserts in this thoughtful piece about the Advanced Placement programs.
  
• The National Association of Secondary School Principals wants your input on what would best improve boys' academic performance. Check out their online survey here. Interestingly, teaching boys better organizational skills is one of the multiple choice options in the online poll -- something we recently posted about.
  
• More on the health of today's students: A study appearing in this month's Archive of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine suggests that a teen girl's view of herself in the school social scene has health consequences. The study of 4,000 girls (average age was 15) found that girls who did not think of themselves as popular were 69 percent more likely than other girls to gain weight -- an equivalent of about 11 extra pounds over their target body mass index.
  

Cooties!

Unfortunately, we're not talking about the fun plastic toy game from Hasbro.

Check out this funny video--a phony public service announcement about that dreaded louse.

And to further add to the randomness of this post, there's apparently a software program (the aptly named Cooties - see logo at right) designed to help teach students about the spread of disease.

In the words of humor columnist Dave Barry, we are not making this up!

Ed on the Campaign Trail

Welcome back to The Comp Book and to a new year!

For the last few days, the national media have been camping out in Iowa to cover the landmark "First in the Nation" caucuses. And while there continues to be a lot of talk about Iraq and the economy, the one major issue none of the candidates are really talking about is education.

One place to scope out the candidates' views is a Education Election, a great blog written by education reporters from around the country. They've posted links to all of the candidates and their education platforms. It's worth a couple of clicks to see just what the candidates are--and aren't--saying. Today's Ed Election post discusses a Bloomberg News story on Microsoft's Bill Gates--who is NOT running for president--but has spent $30 million on his Ed in 08 campaign.

Thirty million dollars and still no traction on the national scene?

Here in Washington state, 2008 is also an important year because this is the first class to graduate under the state's new graduation standards. This includes passage of the state test in reading and writing, as well as completing a culminating project and 13th year plan. For lawmakers up for re-election next fall, it could mean more scrutiny of their position on this key issue. Stay tuned: session starts Monday, Jan. 14.

How are you keeping pace with the presidential candidates and their stances on education?

Why Are Boys So Disorganized?

That's the question posited by researchers and educators in this recent New York Times article by Alan Finder. Why are boys more likely to bring home backpacks that resemble black holes, while their female classmates quickly adopt filing systems?

Some educators think the tutors are on the right track, whether or not there is science to back them up. “The guys just don’t seem to develop the skills that involve organization as early,” said Judith Kleinfeld, a psychology professor at the University of Alaska and founder of the Boys Project, a coalition of researchers, educators and parents to address boys’ problems.

What's your sense of things? Do male students have a harder time staying on track and keeping organized? Or is this another gender stereotype? What do your teachers do to help students stay on track organizationally?

Last Post for 2007

Today's post is the final entry in The Comp Book for 2007. We'll be taking winter break from Dec. 21 - Jan. 2 to celebrate, ring in the new year and recharge for what will hopefully be a great 2008.

Before we bid you "Happy Holidays," here are a couple of things worth noting:

• Community farmers and environmental proponents will be urging Washington state lawmakers to consider legislation that would ease state laws so that school districts could purchase produce from local farms. The campaign is called "Local Farms -- Healthy Kids" and you can learn more here.
  
• The U.S. Department of Justice is sponsoring a National Missing Children's Day Poster Contest for fifth-graders to help raise awareness and teach children about safety. State entires are due by March 14 and should be submitted to Susan Miller, Washington State Patrol, Missing Person Unit, PO Box 2347, Olympia, WA 98507-2347.
  
• Is the 180-day school year going the way of the rotary-dial phone? That's the theory behind this Dec. 17 editorial that appeared in the USA Today.
  

As always, let us know what's on your mind about these topics or any other K-12 or principal leadership issues.

Happy Holidays!

Middle School Math Teachers in the U.S. ...

... are not as prepared to teach the subject as their peers in five other countries according to a new study out by researchers at Michigan State University.

The study, Mathematics Teaching in the 21st Century (MT21), suggests the training of middle school math teachers in the U.S. is not sufficient to teach a demanding math curriculum. MT21 studied how well a sample of universities and teacher-training institutions prepare middle school math teachers in the U.S., South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Bulgaria and Mexico. Specifically, 2,627 future teachers were surveyed about their preparation, knowledge and beliefs in this area.

According to the study:

Compared to the other countries, the U.S. future teachers ranked from the middle to the bottom on MT21 measures of math knowledge.

“What’s most disturbing is that one of the areas in which U.S. future teachers tend to do the worst is algebra, and algebra is the heart of middle school math,” said William Schmidt, MSU Distinguished Professor of counseling, educational psychology and special education, who directed the study. “When future teachers in the study were asked about opportunities to learn about the practical aspects of teaching mathematics, again we ranked mediocre at best.”

You can view the entire report online or listen to a podcast by William Schmidt.

Penny for Your Thoughts

The holidays--and recent flooding here in Washington state--make us all wonder what we can do to help. And for children, that question is an even more daunting. But the folks at the nonprofit Common Cents may have found a simple and easy solution to such a difficult question. And it's likely in your pants pockets, car ashtray or desk drawer.

The Penny Harvest was started by a four-year-old (yes, 4) and her father. In 1991, young Nora Gross asked her father how she could help feed a homeless man. Searching for the "right" answer to his daughter's question, Gross' father, Teddy, was inspired by a loose change bowl in their house. Fifteen years later, Common Cents and the Penny Harvest have helped schoolchildren find a way to improve things in their communities with the smallest gifts of change. Common Cents has developed Penny Harvest Kits that schools, school groups, individuals and communities can use to start their own projects. According to the site:

During the 05/06 school year, almost a half million children from 770 New York City schools took part in the Penny Harvest, collecting nearly 185 tons of pennies or $655,508.54. After months of research and study, more than 7,000 children sitting on 521 Philanthropy Roundtables made 1,283 monetary grants to non-profits, such as women’s shelters, animal rights organizations, community gardens and senior centers, and carried out 309 Neighborhood Service projects. Every penny collected goes back to the community.

Check out the current New York City Penny Harvest in Rockefeller Center, a collection of 100 million pennies that's as long and wide as a city block! There's also Penny Harvest Centers springing up in Colorado, Florida, Tennessee and right here in Washington state.

He Ain't Heavy (He's My Backpack)

With more and more schools opting to forgo lockers, the burden of carrying around a day's worth of books is falling heavily on the shoulders of today's students according to this article from The Olympian (republished in The Seattle Times). Parents in North Thurston Public Schools are asking district officials to provide secure storage for student backpacks and other gear since bags are now overflowing with binders, books, instruments and other school supplies.

Did your school phase out lockers? If so, what are you doing to help students better balance their academic luggage? Any thoughts of reinstalling them?

An "A" in Marketing

Schools in Seminole County, Fla. are taking some flak today over a partnership with local McDonald's restaurants. Apparently the district inked a partnership deal with the local restaurants to cover $1,600 in printing costs associated with their report card jackets (right) for the 2007-08 school year. Students who receive A's and B's received a free Happy Meal coupon on the jackets of their report cards, which they can redeem at local McDonald's restaurants.

You can read more about it here, here and here.

Caught Being Good

A nice editorial in today's Walla Walla Union Bulletin about students being singled out for positive behavior in the Walla Walla Public Schools. From raising their grades to keeping the school grounds tidy, students are being praised (e.g., noticed) for contributing in a positive way.

Does your school or district have a similar program in place? If so, how has it been received? Has it changed anything at your school?

Reporting or Sales?

Today's New York Times has a column questioning the ranking of high schools, such as the new U.S. News & World Reports ranking mentioned in Tuesday's post. Author Samuel G. Freedman posits whether the listing of high schools is more about selling magazines than about journalism or the search for quality secondary schools:

Whatever this list represents in terms of journalism or public service, it must be understood also as an exercise in business, in extending the U.S. News brand, in helping it survive in a financial and technological climate hostile to news magazines. Having devoted annual issues to ranking colleges, graduate schools and hospitals, U.S. News has now brought the same approach to secondary education.

What do you think?

Tuesday Tidbits - Dec. 4, 2007

It's Tuesday, so it must be time for some K-12 tidbits!

• The Dec. 10 issue of U.S. News & World Reports includes its first ranking of "America's Best High Schools." But don't look for Washington schools on the list. The U.S. News & World Report researchers' ranking formula evaluated schools based on how well students performed on state reading and math tests, participation in AP and several other factors. You can view the list of schools in Washington state here. Schools are sorted into Gold, Silver and Bronze categories, with scores given for Poverty Adjusted Performance, Disadvantaged Student Performance Gap, College Readiness Index, Minority Enrollment and Disadvantaged Student Enrollment.
  
• While we're on the subject of graduation and high schools, Tacoma News Tribune Columnist Peter Callaghan has a noteworthy column today on the debate over college readiness for all students. Should all students be required to take college prep courses regardless of their post-graduate plans?
  
• Experience vs. Degrees? Apparently experience trumps degrees when it comes to K-12 teaching, according to a new study by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy. “In the first few years on the job, a teacher gains considerably in her or his ability to improve the academic performance of students,” the report concluded. Members of the state's Basic Education Task Force, will use the study in its analysis of basic ed funding. (Unfortunately, it does not look like this study has been added to the WSIPP site just yet.)
  

School in a Box

In case you missed it last night, CBS's "60 Minutes" profiled technology thinker Nicholas Negroponte and his "One Laptop Per Child" movement. The idea is simple: provide every child in the world with a laptop computer. But as with everything, the devil is in the details.

Negroponte, a professor at MIT, engaged some of his computer-minded colleagues to design a portable, battery operated computer (named the "XO") for use in a variety of conditions, since many of these laptops are given to children that live without electricity, let alone many of the other comforts of the modern world. The resulting machine (right) is waterproof and can operate in full sunlight (try that with your Dell) for about 10-12 hours. Outta juice? Try the hand crank or a device that looks like a salad spinner, and you can generate 10-20 minutes of online reading with a minute or two of turning, according to reporter Leslie Stahl.

From a technology perspective, this is groundbreaking. Negroponte, famous for his work at the MIT Media Lab, has created something revolutionary in the personal computing world. But as the professor observes in the "60 Minutes" piece and on his OLPC Web site, "it's an education project, not a laptop project."

But educationally, Negroponte has been taken to task by groups like Geekcorps for distributing the machines to students with no formal education. The professor counters that's even more reason for children and families in extreme poverty to have access to an XO:

"You’re saying give them a laptop even if they don’t go to school?" Stahl asks.

"Especially if they don’t go to school. If they don’t go to school, this is school in a box."

What do you think about distributing these machines to students with no formal education? And, what could your students learn from being involved in this project?

P.S.: If you are interested in buying an XO, try the "Give One, Get One" program: purchase one for yourself and donate another to the program.

Reading is So 20th Century

In our Nov. 20 issue of Tuesday Tidbits, we blogged about the fate of some school libraries, and the push by some parents and librarians to reclaim them. Now, coincidentally, comes a study indicating that U.S. student reading skills are stagnating or declining in comparison to their international peers.

Test results on the Progress in International Reading Literacy showed that U.S. fourth-graders are losing ground compared to other kids around the world. The test, which was administered last year, indicated that students scored at the same levels as they did in 2001, the last time the test was given. Students in 10 countries and three Canadian provinces scored higher than U.S. students. In 2001, only three countries were ahead of the U.S.

According to the Associated Press, the results also showed:

• Among jurisdictions that took the test in 2001 and 2006, scores improved in Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Russia, Singapore, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.
  
  
• Average test scores declined in England, Lithuania, Morocco, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden. England, the Netherlands and Sweden were the top three performers in 2001. Sweden still outperformed the United States this time, but average scores in England and the Netherlands were not measurably different from the U.S. average.
  
  
• Girls scored higher than boys in the United States and all other countries except for Luxembourg and Spain, where the boy-girl scores were the same.
  
  
• The average U.S. score was above the average score in 22 countries or jurisdictions and about the same as the score in 12 others. The U.S. average fell toward the high end of a level called "intermediate." At that level, a student can identify central events, plot sequences and relevant story details in texts. The student also can make straightforward inferences from what is read and begin to make connections across parts of the text.

Tracy Warner, the editorial page editor for The Wenatchee World, wrote this interesting piece ("Reading we mostly don't") about what the scores might say about our students and our culture in America. In it, he references a telling analysis of reading habits completed by the National Endowment for the Arts. "To Read or Not To Read" looked at 40 studies on the reading habits and skills of children, teens and adults. Among their key findings:

• Americans are reading less - teens and young adults read less often and for shorter amounts of time compared with other age groups and with Americans of previous years.
• Americans are reading less well – reading scores continue to worsen, especially among teenagers and young males. By contrast, the average reading score of 9-year-olds has improved.
• The declines in reading have civic, social, and economic implications – Advanced readers accrue personal, professional, and social advantages. Deficient readers run higher risks of failure in all three areas.

What do you think about the results? Are students in your schools less interested in reading for pleasure these days?

Coming Soon to NBC: Law & Order - TPU

That would be the Teacher Performance Unit in New York City.

Check out this recent story in The New York Times on a new task force compiled by NYC Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein. There are two groups, really: the Teacher Performance Unit comprised of five lawyers and a second team consultants that includes former principals. The mission of the TPU will be to remove tenured teachers for "ineffective performance" Klein told the Times.

The plan will reportedly cost $1 million a year to implement.

National Assistant Principals' Task Force

Assistant Principals will soon have their own task force through the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Earlier this month, NASSP appointed 15 members to its National Task Force on Assistant Principalship for Middle Level and High Schools. The group will examine the role of the assistant principal and challenges these practitioners face in today's middle and high schools. According to NASSP's Web site, the goals of the task force are to:

• Improve professional development for assistant principals.
• Deliver programs and resources to inform the day-to-day work of assistant principals as they manage the business of the school.
• Connect those day-to-day tasks to instructionally focused whole school collaborative leadership.

You can view a complete list of the new panelists, including full contact information for each, on the NASSP Web site.

Tuesday Tidbits - Nov. 27, 2007

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are a few "leftovers" to share with you in today's Tuesday Tidbits:

• NAESP is partnering with the White House Commission on Remembrance to host an official countdown to Memorial Day 2008. The event, Old Glory's Journey of Remembrance, will take place over the course of 23 Mondays between Dec. 7 of this year and Memorial Day 2008. The official Web site is still under construction (www.remember.gov), but here's the gist of the celebration:
  

On Dec. 7, a flag will fly on board the USS Arizona. On Monday, Dec. 17, that same flag will fly at a ceremony in Dutch Harbor, AK. The flag will then travel throughout the country, stopping at battlefields, memorials, and national cemeteries. At each of these stops, a ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on a Monday morning.

The Commission is looking for 10 to 20 local school children, between third grade and sixth grade, who can attend the ceremony and help sing the National Anthem and a song, How Proud Are We, written especially for The Commission.

• Each year, AWSP tracks the movement of principals and assistant principals between positions in Washington state. In 2007, there were 670 principal and AP job changes in our state. Most of the changes (254) took place at the elementary level; there were 212 high school position changes and 162 at the middle level. About half (319) were advertised on the AWSP Web site. Need a point of reference? Last year, there were 605 changes (255 elementary, 131 middle and 195 high school). And in 2000, there were only 499 total job changes (205 elementary, 123 middle and 152 high school).
  
  
• The Washington State Supreme Court has held that surveillance video of students in public schools or in public school transit vehicles is public information. The case stems from a fight between two elementary school students in the Kelso School District. The students got into a tussle on a school bus which had security cameras on board. One of the parents of the students involved in the fight requested a copy of the tape, but was denied access by the district, which said it was part of the students' records. Said Justice Susan Owens in writing the majority opinion:
  

  Here, the surveillance camera serves as a means of maintaining security and safety on the school buses. The videotape from the surveillance camera differs significantly from the type of record the schools maintain in students' personal files.

Hey Mikey! He Likes It!

So much for the theory that kids won't eat healthy school lunches.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that school lunch sales don't decline when the daily fare includes healthy choices. Another bonus: healthy school lunches don't necessarily cost more to serve, either.

The study, which appears in the December issue of the Review of Agricultural Economics, analyzed five years of data for 330 Minnesota public school districts. It looked at compliance with federal standards for calories, nutrients and fats.

What has your school or district done to improve the nutritional value of school meals? Has it worked?

Dropout Factory Update

Oak Harbor High School has been removed from the now famous list of "Dropout Factories" generated by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The national study compared the number of high school students entering with those graduating three years later.

Oak Harbor H.S. should not have been included in the original list according to the university. In a letter, Robert Balfanz, a Johns Hopkins University researcher, said:

"Oak Harbor High School does not currently meet the criteria for 'fitting the profile' of a dropout factory and should not be characterized as such."

According to a note in today's Everett Herald, students at Oak Harbor are not counted by year class, but rather, students advance based on credits and course grades earned.

Tuesday Tidbits - Nov. 20, 2007

In today's Tuesday Tidbits, we're cleaning out the inbox to make room for all those Thanksgiving leftovers we'll return to next week. Savor and enjoy!

• Recess, Then Lunch: At least three elementary schools in the Vancouver, Wash. area have flipped recess and lunch, allowing students to play first, eat second. The theory is that students have better appetites, make better meal choices, have fewer playground disputes and trips to the nurses office as a result. Read more on recess first here.
  
• What About Books?: Public school librarians are banding together to ensure school libraries don't go the way of chalkboards with a grassroots campaign. According to an article in The Seattle Times, budget cuts in the Spokane Public Schools reduced 10 librarians to half-time and other school libraries around the state are also looking for creative ways to bring students and staff back into the stacks. (Quick! Somebody call Nancy Pearl!)
• Customer Service: Here's a great customer service tip sheet for schools and district compiled by school PR leader Brian Woodland, APR, from Peel District School Board in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Think twice before someone in your front office says, "that's our policy..."
• There's Two Os in Proof: A printing error has invalidated U.S. students' reading scores on the Program for International Student Assessment or PISA exam. The test in reading, science and mathematics is administered every three years to evaluate the progress of 15-year-olds around the world. Apparently, directions sending students "to the opposite page" were blurred during the printing process, and the printing company changed the order of the pages, which interrupted the question flow. As the Washington Post reported, questions about two essays about graffiti instructed students to look at the "opposite page" when the essays appeared on the previous page.

All-Day K Too Much, Too Soon?

Does universal preschool and all-day kindergarten really pay long-term benefits for the state's youngest citizens?

That's the question researchers at the conservative Washington Policy Center set out to answer in their recent review of research on universal preschool and all-day kindergarten. According to WPC scholar Liv Finne, research on the topic suggests there is a "dosage effect," meaning there's a limit to the amount of institutionalized care young children can handle without "suffering harm to their social and mental development."

Finne looked at studies conducted by other researchers at Berkeley and Stanford on the effects of children enrolled in "institutionalized care" for 15 to 30 hours, as well as research conducted by the RAND Corporation. All of the studies suggested that "too many hours in structured care tends to undermine a child’s natural curiosity and turn him or her against the entire school experience," Finne writes.

In Washington state, early learning has been the subject of increased policy debate, particularly in light of the report issued by Gov. Gregoire's Washington Learns. As Finne notes in conclusion:

Policymakers should avoid using a blanket universal preschool or all-day kindergarten programs to provide free childcare to middle and upper-income families, while neglecting the social and educational support that low-income families need most.

Providing training and skills to parents of at-risk children, to help them develop close, nurturing relationships with their children is a wiser policy. This approach is more beneficial to more children in the long run and is the most likely to prepare them for a lifetime of learning.

What do you think? Does all-day K make a difference in the lives of your students?

State of Education Address

State Superintendent Dr. Terry Bergeson delivered her annual "State of Education" address this morning at the Washington State School Directors' Association annual conference in Seattle. You can read the full text of the speech here. TVW will also replay the speech and stream it online.

Handling the Holidays

With Thanksgiving just around the corner --and seasonal advertisements bombarding us from everywhere -- we're officially in the grips of the holiday season. Throw in winter break disruptions and weather delays, and schools can lose focus quickly this time of year. This can either mean headaches or holiday cheer, depending on how it's handled.

Our question today is: How do you handle holiday issues at your school and still maintain cultural sensitivities about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other observances?

Creativity Matters

Eric Liu is onto something.

"We are in the midst of a failure of imagination in public schools," said Liu, the former speechwriter for President Clinton and current member of the State Board of Education.

On Oct. 30, Liu gathered together more than 150 teachers, principals, superintendents, business leaders, legislators and philanthropists for "Creativity Matters: Teaching Creativity/Transforming Education," a summit was designed to address the value of creativity in public education. As he noted in the day's opening remarks, "Play, discovery, exploration are at the very heart of what it means to be an educator." Unfortunately, Liu asserted, many schools are depleting the very areas that may inspire student learning at a time when there is so much pressure to improve.

The day long session, held at the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma, was an offshoot of Washington Learns, Gov. Gregoire's education task force. For the next 12 months, Liu and colleagues will wage a campaign to support an infusion of creativity in schools. AWSP's Gary Kipp is a member of the steering committee for the event and future initiatives. Said Liu of the effort:

"A lot of things can get outsourced to other places at a cheaper cost... but a state and people's capacity for creativity cannot. Creativity matters because it is at the heart of what we are as a community...Creativity is no some magic fairy dust that is sprinkled around to some and not others. It can be reduced down to a set of habits that can be taught in the way we teach, in the way we lead."

These five habits of mind are:

1. Observing intently - Creativity begins with observing intently and deeply noticing.
   
2. Taking risks - Reckoning with the possibility of failure.
   
3. Persisting - Developing the capacity for resilience
4. Recognizing patterns
5. Making connections
   

You can read the case Liu and others have made for creativity in schools here. Also, it's worth noting that Liu's group has partnered with the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Until recently, only New York public schools have been eligible for the Center's Imagination Award for teaching practices that encourage imaginative thinking across the curriculum. As a result of this partnership, middle and high schools in Washington state will also be eligible for the award.

E-mail: When in Doubt, Don't!

There are many life lessons to be learned thanks to the speedy and global reach of the Internet.

Today's cautionary tale of woe comes to you from Catskill, New York, where the superintendent's choice of words in a hastily composed e-mail has landed her in a heap of trouble with her union, families, students and herself.

According to this morning's New York Times, the superintendent, Dr. Kathleen Farrell, was at odds with teachers over fire and safety codes that required classroom doors to be shut while students were in attendance. Without air conditioning, the rooms became stagnant, causing teachers to prop the doors open. According to the paper:

Back and forth the discussion went, until Oct. 3, when Dr. Farrell wrote an e-mail message to the district’s director of facilities, John Willabay. She vented a bit and then allowed: “Please go KILL these people....Please, please, please.”

Then she sent it — not just to him — but, accidentally, to an unknown number of others as well, including Terri Dubuke, a sixth-grade teacher who was one of the critics. Ms. Dubuke read it in shock and referred it to the teachers’ union, and the matter was discussed at a closed-door school board meeting on Oct. 17.

You can imagine the fallout that ensued: apologies were exchanged. Punishment was demanded. Remorse was rampant. But did the reaction fit the infraction?

Granted, an student e-mail with these same words may likely have garnered equal, if not greater attention. But in looking more carefully at the context of the message, it was clearly unprofessional and inappropriate. But was this issue blown out of proportion?