Lucas' Blog

School visits this week: Walhalla High and Seneca High

2012-03-09T05:36:00.003-05:00

I was able to visit in classrooms at both Walhalla High andSeneca High this week.

Walhalla High School

I spent some time in in three classrooms at Walhalla High onWednesday of this week.

My first stop wasthe concert band class. There was goodconversation as I entered. Students were getting ready. The teacher inquired about a student who hadbeen sick, but returned with some special needs for the day (she could play aslong as she didn’t cough). They warmedup, and they sounded great. The mostimportant part was the teacher having the students spend time to critique musical work. They critiqued the warm up, they critiqued aselection of new music being played on a CD, and then they critiqued their own performance of work they just heard on the CD. The teacher inquired: How can we make this musical selection sound better? Are we covering up theflutes? How can we demonstrate morepower in the music without just playing louder? These students were thinking and being creative. Kudos is extended for the musical talent in the room.

My next stop was a US Government class. The students were discussing the majorcompromises at the Constitutional Convention. Groups reenacted the arguments between northern and southern states, largeand small population states, and those who imported and exported goods. The students clearly understood that in 1787 theterm “compromise” seemed like a reasonable solution (kind of contrary to today’s worldof government). Theteacher prompted and cajoled students as they made their arguments. It all culminated in a final compromise inwhich the Bill of Rights would be added as they the first amendments to thedocument. I applaud the thinking and persuasive arguments.

My final stop was chemistry. Students were studying changes in the state of matter. They had a neat project that will be due nextweek. The project is related to stoichiometry (Ithink it has something to do with the math behind the science). The class reviewed changesin state of matter, and they prepared for the upcoming test by engaging in areview game: Groups were to answerquestions (no talking allowed) by passing an answer sheet. I hope they did well on the test, and I’mglad I didn’t have to take this honors level assessment.

It was a great Wednesday at Walhalla High.

Seneca High School

Yesterday I visited classrooms at Seneca HighSchool. I arrived a little early and made my way to the classrooms.

I started off in an English 3classroom. The students were finishingup their bell work of analyzing a passage for evidence of character, diction,detail, figurative language and imagery. The class read a poem by Langston Hughes (Harlem),and then they counted off by fives to work comparing the poem with their current novel(Autobiographyof My Dead Brother). Thestudents were working hard and being assisted by the teacher as I exited. On a side note, I kind of interrupted with a bit of coughing and I apologize for the distraction; however, the teacher came to the rescue with a mint (great teachers always save the day).

I moved upstairs to see a biology class. The students were reviewing Standard 4 (the molecularbasis for heredity) as they prepared for a benchmark test to be given thisweek. The teacher was helping thestudents understand testing protocols and strategies that may be employed onthis upcoming test (and, more importantly, on the End of Course Assessment thatwill determine 20% of their final grade). It seemed like every question provided extraneous or distractor information and the students had to navigate aroundthis information to answer the questions correctly. I heard things about mutations, DNA, RNA,etc. I’m so glad that I don’t have torepeat biology. However, these kids weredoing a good job of answering and getting the questions correct. I appreciate the teacher helping the students understand the protocols and strategies for taking a standardized test.

My final stop was an Algebra 1 class. The teacher had the students factoring problemswith perfect square trinomials. I askeda student sitting in a desk behind me to explain what he was doing. He was able to do so perfectly (a very goodsign of effective instruction). Asstudents factored a problem, they brought it to the teacher. Lots of positive reinforcement was beingdoled out to the students at a high energy level. The students, with the assistance of theteacher, looked at some of the logic related to the parts of the equation. They seemed to get it (I can’t say that I gotit). These students also have to take a end-of-course test in this subject area.

I enjoyed my time at Seneca High on Thursday. However, please don’t ask me anything about RNA orfactoring perfect square trinomials. Theinstruction was effective for the students, but I think I would need a littlemore tutoring to get it.

WOMS student artwork on display in NYC ...

2012-03-08T16:02:00.000-05:00

A seventh grade student, Amber, from West-Oak Middle School recently had her artwork on display as part of the BigScreen Plaza Event in New York City. This event is part of the 2012 National Art EducationAssociation Convention. My congratulations to Amber and her art teacher at West-Oak Middle!

About this Artwork:

by Amber (Grade 7)
West Oak Middle School
Westminster, SC
taught by Avis Ellis

Artist Statement:

Amber's piece is Dinner With Van Gogh. Amber's was inspired by Vincent van Gogh's painting, The Irises. Amber's painting is done in the style of Judy Chicago by painting on dinner ware covered with canvas. Amber's medium is acrylic paints.

You can click here to see the online view of the artwork and the display.

Tread carefully when using “value added” data …

2012-03-08T05:52:00.001-05:00

Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford University professor, hada great commentary this week on value added education.

New York City recently released a rating of its teachersbased on test scores. Soon the “worstteacher” in the city was singled out and labeled.

According to Darling-Hammond, “reporters chased down teacher Pascale Mauclair, thesubject of the ‘worst teacher’ slam, bombarding her with questions about herlack of skill and commitment. They even went to her father’s home and told himhis daughter was among the worst teachers in the city.”

However, “Mauclairis an experienced and much-admired English-as-a-second-language teacher. Sheworks with new immigrant students who do not yet speak English at one of thecity’s strongest elementary schools. Her school, PS 11, received an A from thecity’s rating system and is led by one of the city’s most respected principals,Anna Efkarpides, who declares Mauclair an excellent teacher. She adds: ‘I wouldput my own children in her class.’”

Using test score data requires caution and deliberatecare. There have been experiments in Tennesseeand NewYork thatillustrate that “value added models” did not improve student achievement whenthey were used for incentive pay models.

Also, “in the District ofColumbia, contrary to expectations, reading scores on national tests droppedand achievement gaps grew after a new test-based teacher-evaluation system wasinstalled.”

The same can be seen inother areas of the world. For instance,in Portugal “a study of test-basedmerit pay attributed score declines to the negative effects of teachercompetition, leading to less collaboration and sharing of knowledge.”

The waiver being requested by the SC Department of Educationis paving the way for changing teacher evaluation. It is also setting up the structure to use “valueadded” measures as a component of pay.

I agree with Darling-Hammond, such a system has thepotential to harm teaching and learning. We need to tread cautiously when using value added data. There's always the potential to abuse such data. Just ask Ms. Mauclair at PS 11 in New York City about her experience.

Clickhere to read Darling-Hammond’s commentary in Education Week.

We can take things for granted …

2012-03-07T06:04:00.001-05:00

I’ve been a little frustrated. Two weeks ago I had a cold. It became bronchitis. The resulting cough irritated my vocalchords. As a result, I ended up withalmost no voice.

Well, it is almost three weeks later and I still don’t have much ofa voice.

The current problem goes back to a couple of surgicalprocedures I had while serving as an elementary principal. Procedures required for anesthesia can sometimes damage your vocal chords. That’s whathappened to me. So, I spent about a yearwith a very hoarse, raspy voice. Thencame Teflon. The doctor fattened up oneof my damaged vocal chords with an injection of Teflon so that I could speakmore easily. It worked.

You kind of take your voice for granted. I keep trying to talk and nothing seems tocome out. I know I need to keep quiet,but that can be hard to do in my line of work.

So, if you see me and I don’t speak you’ll now knowwhy. I hope a week or so of limitedvocal communication will do the trick.

Redshirting: Holding kids back from kindergarten

2012-03-06T05:39:00.001-05:00

I enjoyed reading Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. The book helps to explain why some folks have an advantage in life. For instance, Gladwell points out being the oldest among your peers may be an academic or athletic advantage (he uses hockey players as an example). However, some parents are using these concepts to keep children from attending kindergarten ("redshirting") until they are almost a year older than their peers.

Sixty Minutes did a story on this last Sunday night, and I appreciate one of our elementary principals sharing this with me.

You can see the story in the embedded link below.

Evaluating performance with test scores is complicated …

2012-03-05T06:03:00.000-05:00

Many states are moving to a “value-added” component of teacherevaluation. It looks at student testscores and measures the value-added by the teacher in studentperformance. In theory it soundsreasonable, but in reality so many variables influence a student’s test scoresin any given year. Also, most teachersdo not have a standardized test for their subject matter.

In yesterday’s New York Times (clickhere to read the article) there was an example of another problem croppingup with using and releasing valued-added data. There have been several studies, and the entire process has beenquestioned as to whether it improves student performance and accuratelymeasures teacher performance.

The article looks at fifth grade in a NY City schoolhouse. The teachers have impressive credentials andwork tirelessly to prepare students each week. “In 2009, 96 percent of their fifthgraders were proficient in English, 89 percent in math. When the New York City Education Department released its numericalratings recently, it seemed a sure bet that the P.S. 146 teachers would be atthe very top. Actually, they were near the very bottom.”

How could such a group of teachers be rated so poorly? According to The Times, “The short answer is:Numbers lie. And not only do they lie,but they are out of date, in this case covering student test results from 2007to 2010.”

The students had a negative gain in student performance. They scored at the top (97 percentproficient) to having lower scores in the next grade level (89 percentproficient). The students moved from agrade where test prep was important (4^th grade scores were always usedin school ratings) to a grade that focused on real-life curriculum (testing hadnot been used to “grade” schools in the past).

The students made gains, but the focus in the curriculum wasdifferent. The fifth grade teachers werepreparing the students for life, and not specifically for taking a standardizedtest. The principal of the school callsthis data “invalid value-addeds” when looking at and explaining these results.

Here’s an example of differences in the teachingapproach: “Across the hallway, Ms. Sangree might havescored higher than 11 in English by doing more test prep. There is a standardtest-prep formula for writing an essay: Topic sentence; three sentences thatgive examples to support the thesis, one from literature, one from currentevents, and one from personal experience; concluding sentence. Instead, herclass has spent weeks working on research papers about the Mayans.”

As we move in this direction in our state, I hope folks arepaying close attention to research in this area and the problems that exist with “value-added”methodology in rating teachers.

School Espionage, Part III

2012-03-03T13:10:00.000-05:00

The second day of the conference didn’t disappoint.

I heard a testimonial from a California educatorwho grew up with English as his second language. He must be about my age because he describedevents that had a familiar ring (remember “blue light specials” at Kmart).

The gentleman recounted how his elementary principalmade a big difference in his life. Beinga very young boy his first contact with his principal was as he walked from hisclassroom to an ESL class. His large and overpowering principal knelt and tied his worn shoes. That afternoon he ended up with a new pair of shoes to wear.

He described how other teachers andprincipals encouraged him and got him involved in track and extracurricular activities. All of these experiences made it possible for him to attend college. Educators changed his life, and it was so inspirational.

I learned more about “bring your own technology” or BYOT and some ofthe difficulties faced by other districts with implementation. I learned a little more about what schools are doing to have a virtualpresence with online courses. I alsoparticipated in a roundtable in which we shared problems and solutions.

The summit ended with some interactive group work to getus thinking. I know most of thefolks walked away with a seed planted on how they might improve instructional programs in their home district.

The mission in school espionage was a success and worth mytime and effort to attend.

He had green eggs and ham!

2012-03-02T12:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a photo I received from one of our principals today.

Did you have green eggs and ham for breakfast today?

2012-03-02T05:05:00.000-05:00

Today, March 2, is Dr. Seuss’ birthday. He would have been 107 years-old today.

Dr. Seuss’ birthday is one of celebration in most elementaryschools across America. Students willread his books and those of other authors as they celebrate the joy of reading. I hate I will miss out on the excitement today.

I have always loved Dr. Seuss’ work. Some may think of it as silly as they get older,but there’s so much meaning if you look closely at his words. Here are a few quotes from the good Dr. Seuss on his birthday:

From his books …

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And youknow what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” (Oh, the Places You’ll Go)

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no onealive who is Youer than You.” (HappyBirthday to You)

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. Themore that you learn, the more places you'll go.” (I Can Read With My Eyes Shut)

“A person's a person, no matter how small.” (Horton Hears a Who)

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing isgoing to get better. It's not.” (The Lorax)

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact.And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! Youwill, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.” (Oh, the Places You’ll Go)

Quote attributed toSeuss directly …

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is anecessary ingredient in living.”

“Sometimes thequestions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

“Fantasy is anecessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrongend of a telescope.”

“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Somecome from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm allready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

“Only you can control your future.”

So, let's all wish a happy birthday to Dr. Seuss today!

School Espionage, Part II: What did I learn today?

2012-03-01T19:02:00.001-05:00

I am tired as I write this. That’s a good sign because I think it means I learned a tremendousamount today. I’m stillprocessing the information, and I will continue to reflect on the key learnings from today.

One of the most fascinating sessions was related to teachingand student understanding of mathematics in the United States. First, our (the US) scores in math on NAEP donot look very good when compared to other OECD countries. Additionally, the US has shown progress instudent performance at the elementary level in math, but something happensaround 4^th grade. The premiseof the session was that many of us (that’s so true for me) don’t have a goodconcept or understanding of what’s behind the math. I watched as a former Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District math teacher illustrated some of the important number conceptsthat have to be taught nonverbally before moving to use of symbols andnumbers.

I know there was a push for the use of manipulatives to helpkids understand when I was a young teacher, but it is more than using pieces ofa pizza to understand some of the critical concepts like fractions. I think our Everyday Mathematics curriculum seeks to foster such understanding;however, with technology we may be able to do an even better job.

With the recent and tragic events in Chardon, Ohio, the sessionon school safety and security was so timely. I learned how schools may be able broker existing resources to improvesafety and security.

It was interesting tohear from the former Director of Security for the NY Public Schools share hiscomments regarding the 9/11 attack. Hedescribed the critical role of principals and teachers during this tragedy. The large and powerful NY school system wasprevented from getting buses to the disaster area and the district folks had nocommunication with schools as cell and landlines were down in the area. Principals and school staff members were able to deal with the situation, and they were responsible for thousands of kids attending school within 80 yards ofthe disaster. These kids allgot home safely.

Although each communityis different (for instance, we have a nuclear power plant), safety and security boils down to fourcritical responsibilities for district and school leaders: Prevention, Preparation,Response, and Recovery.

I also had a chance to interact with superintendents from acrossthe country in roundtable sessions. Despitedifferences in geography and community makeup, we had one thing in common: Ourdesire to diminish learning gaps for students.

I think I was able to steal some good ideas. I would say my efforts at school espionagewere successful today.

A little school espionage...

2012-03-01T09:28:00.001-05:00

I am a little late in posting this morning. I’m participating in a professionaldevelopment session for school superintendents, which is something I havepostponed for quite a while. I met manyof the participants last night (an impressive group), and I’m looking forwardto the training and roundtable activities today.

I have to admit it. I’m a big believer in “school espionage.” As a teacher and principal, I believed instealing the best ideas from my colleagues and putting them to use in myclassroom or school. The same applies tome as a superintendent: My goal is tosteal the best ideas and bring them back to Oconee.

I’m glad this form of espionage is not illegal.

Keowee students are as sharp as tacks!

2012-02-29T05:28:00.005-05:00

I spent time at Keowee Elementary yesterday, and I visited in threeclassrooms.

My first stop was fourth grade, and these students werestarting a new language arts unit. Theywere beginning a two week study of figurative language. Today’s topic was similes. As the teacher started the unit, she did aquick pre-assessment. “Do any of youremember this topic from last year?” She went on, “Give me some examples.” The students complied and were getting thehang of it. Many examples seemed to begender based, so she prompted and probed a little more. The teacher even got them to come up with afew similes for some of the nonfiction they were reading (“Lincoln was as wiseas an owl.”). They played a quick gamethat got them moving. It was great forthe teacher to point out the importance of figurative language in “voice” andword choice (which is part of the rubric used in our state for writing assessment). I have to admit, these students were as sharpas tacks.

I moved down the hallway and entered a third gradeclassroom. The students were finishingup an Everyday Mathematics sheet on fact patterns. I am always intrigued bythe Everyday Mathematics curriculum,and this was an interesting worksheet representing multiplication in differentways by 10s, 100s, and 1000s. The worksheet usedmultiple ways of showing the same multiplication facts, and the teacher workedto get them to understand that such things as 2[10s] is the same as 2 x10. They moved to “number stories.” I think this is a much better name for “word problems.” The students were using animals they hadlearned about in a science lesson on habitats. The students were comparing weights of animals. They were just beginning to solve and createnumber stories with this data as I made my exit. Oneinteresting fact I learned: I weigh asmuch as the largest mountain goat! Thesestudents were engaged and excited about learning.

My final stop was kindergarten. These kindergartners were in groups at tables. They were studying teeth (several kids showedme new or missing teeth as they smiled at me). The activity they were doing required the powers of observation,prediction, drawing, and writing. Each table hadan egg sitting in a plastic cup of an unnamed cola. The students were observing and drawing. They were to predict what would happen to the egg as it sat in the cola. Young children this age are such divergent thinkers (a skill that seems to diminish as they progress through thegrades). I heard all kinds ofpredictions or hypotheses (it would break, melt, swell, crack, etc.). They did an excellent job with writing their predictionand drawing a picture of it. The planfor the next day was to again observe the egg in cola and use a toothbrush totry and remove any discoloration. I know the students will soon make a connection with the enamel of teethand the need to use a toothbrush.

I love my job. Thereare days that may be difficult, but there are rewards that very few experienceoutside this field of endeavor. I had one of those rewardingexperiences while in the kindergarten class yesterday. A young kindergartener in glasses came up tome. She asked me to look at her work and provide feedback on her efforts. I toldthis young lady that I loved her color selection. I read her passage addressed to her mom and dad. I further explained that I bet the drawing ofa rainbow would bring a big smile to her parents when they saw it. She looked at me through her glasses, openedher arms wide, and gave me a real big hug as I sat in a little person’schair. I have something toreflect upon when I have one of those difficult days.

Yes, Keowee Elementary students are certainly as "sharp as a tack" in my view.

2010 Census Data: Educational Attainment in the United States

2012-02-28T04:53:00.000-05:00

Last week theUS Census Bureau released information regarding educational attainment in the UnitedStates. You can clickhere to see the summary and obtain access to the data files.

Here aresome of the highlights noted for March 2011 by race, ethnicity, and gender…

Over30 percent of the United States’ population 25 years old and older reportedthey had a bachelor’s or higher degree. This compares with 1998, when less thana quarter of the 25-and-older population had attained this level of education.
Thenumber of Hispanics 25 years and over with a bachelor’s or higher degreeincreased by 80 percent over the decade, from 2.1 million in 2001 to 3.8million in 2011. The increase among blacks was 47 percent and amongnon-Hispanic whites, 24 percent.
Thereare 61 million people 25 and over with bachelor degrees (30 million were menand 31 million were women). The number of women 25 and over with bachelor’sdegrees increased 37 percent in the last ten years (since 2001). The comparableincrease for men was 23 percent.
Twenty-twomillion, or 11 percent of the population 25 and over, had an advanced degreebeyond the bachelor’s level in 2011. This includes 16 million with master’sdegrees and 6 million with professional or doctorate (PhD) degrees.
Roughly7.2 million men 25 years old and older had a master’ degree, a 33 percentincrease from 2001 (5.4 million).
In2011, 8.8 million women had a Master’s degree, a 58 percent increase from 6.5million in 2001.
Men25 years old and over with doctorate degrees increased 24 percent in the lastdecade, from 1.5 million (2001) to 1.9 million (2011). The increase for womenwas 90 percent, from 0.6 million to 1.2 million in the 2001 to 2011 period.
Fiftypercent of Asians 25 years and over reported having a bachelor’s degree or morein 2011. This level of education was reported by 34 percent of non-Hispanicwhites, 20 percent of blacks and 14 percent of Hispanics.
Amongthe employed population with bachelor’s degree or more, 41 percent of males and53 percent of females, were in Professional and related occupations.
Thirtypercent of employed men with a bachelor’s degree or more were in management,business, and financial occupations, compared with 22 percent of women. Bycontrast, 53 percent of women with bachelor’s degree or more, but only 41percent of men were in professional and related occupations.

The study also provided information regarding averageearnings for those with high school and college degrees.

Peoplewhose highest level completed was high school and had any earnings averaged$31,000 in 2010. For those whose highest degree was a bachelor’s degree, theaverage was $58,000.
Amongmen who completed high school but no higher education, the average earnings was$36,000; for women in this category the average earnings was $24,000.
Atthe bachelor’s degree level (no advanced degree) the average earnings for maleswith earnings was $70,000, and for females was $45,000.

Finally, females in the labor force were slightly more likely to havea college degree.

Amongfemales 25 years and over in the labor force and employed, 38 percent had abachelor’s degree or more. Thirty-six percent of males in the labor force andemployed attained a bachelor’s degree or more.

Source: http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/pdf/bullet_1_cb12-33.pdf

Today is a “makeup day” …

2012-02-27T05:50:00.001-05:00

Today is one of those rare days. As required by state regulation, we build inthree “inclement weather days” into the school calendar each year. We use these days to cover any lost time forbad weather (or other things that may close school).

Last year we used all three days (and still had to be “forgiven”for additional time by the SC General Assembly so as not to extend the schoolyear).

This year’s weather has been unusual, and we haven’t had touse any of the days at this point. As aresult, students and teachers have a rare Monday holiday today. In fact, this was a four-day weekend for manyin the school system (students, bus drivers, etc.). Friday was one of our winter in-servicedays.

If these weather trends continue, students will have anotherfour day weekend in March (March 16-19) and an extra Monday during our SpringBreak (March 31-April 9).

As a student I remember that it was always exciting to havea day off when snow covered the ground. I guess these extra-long weekends and breaks will have to do in theabsence of snow.

An interesting life …

2012-02-24T07:01:00.000-05:00

I feel like time in my car can be used productively, so Ialways have an audible book I’m listening to as I drive. I recently finished listening to the book on SteveJobs by Walter Isaacson. It tookquite a bit of time over the last few months to complete this audiobook (25+hours).

I’m still trying to figure out what I learned from the book.

I learned that Jobs was not a very likeable person. At times he often smelled so bad as a young man (a combination of unusual diets and poor hygiene) that he was placed on a late work shiftat HP to avoid other workers. He oftenhad tantrums that resulted in crying fits when he didn’t get his way. He wasn’t a particularly good dad (especiallyto his daughters; the state of California had to require him to acknowledgepaternity to Lisa, his first daughter). Hefelt drug use (LSD in particular) was critical in his development as asuccessful inventor/entrepreneur. Hetook credit for the work of others.

I enjoyed the “behind the scenes” conversations. That wasespecially true with his professional rivalry with Microsoft and BillGates. The most fascinating story is abouthis summoning Gates to the Apple headquarters when Microsoft introduced Windows;Gates reminds Jobs that they both used stolen technology developed by Xerox.

I was fascinated by his quirks. Color was so important to him that herequired his machinery in the factory to be painted just the right shade. When the work was completed, the machinery nolonger worked correctly. The painting interferedwith the precision of the equipment in completing the necessary tasks.

Isaacson refers to him as being a genius, but not being verysmart. The story on his diagnosis ofcancer helps to illustrate how he thought he could distort and change reality. With the diagnosis of early-stage pancreatic cancer, it wasn't very smart to delay treatment so special diets could become a cure.

On his deathbed, he talked with the author and heacknowledged that he knew parts of the book would not be very flattering tohim. He was correct.

I guess what I learned is that this very complicated man washonest in the end. He shared hissuccesses and had his shortcomings revealed to the public. Although the book contributed to my not being so fond of Jobs, I think I better understand his ambitionand drive for perfection as an entrepreneur. What truly makes us human is theflaws in our character.

The time spent with the book was beneficial to me.

Calling your attention to two op-ed pieces today ...

2012-02-23T11:51:00.000-05:00

I’ve been a little under the weatherthis week, and I’m late posting today. Iwanted to draw your attention to two op-ed pieces that point out some prettyimportant information for folks in our state.

The first (click here) is entitled, “Mandatory-fundinglaws are not created (or treated) equal" by Cindi Ross Scope. Here’s a couple of paragraphs from the op-edpiece.

Butunlike the tax-relief and the scholarship laws, the Legislature has not obeyedthese laws since the start of the recession. Instead, it has suspended them,every year, and given schools and local governments part of what’s left afterit obeys those laws that it deems more important.

Toparaphrase George Orwell, all laws are equal, but some are more equal thanothers.

Thisyear, the Legislature will have more than $500 million in new recurring revenueto add to the current $6 billion state budget. There would be $7 billion tospend instead of just $6.5 billion if lawmakers considered the $550 million forproperty tax relief as open to debate as paying for teachers and localgovernment services. But they don’t. Likewise,if the pattern holds, lawmakers will spend an extra $15 million on LIFE, HOPEand Palmetto Fellows scholarships — over and above the $215 million the stateis spending this year. Because like the property-tax break, they consider thescholarships sacrosanct.

The other piece, by members of the SC State SchoolBoard, attempts to dispel some of the myths that have erupted regarding theCommon Core of State Standards, and you can clickhere to read. The authors point out their need to opine on the issue:

Out-of-stateorganizations from New York, Massachusetts and elsewhere are pushing a bill inthe [SC] Legislaturethat would rescind the adoption the Common Core state standards. We can nolonger stand by and watch the effort to dismantle them without calling attentionto the loss that this reversal would represent for our children’s future.

I encourage you to check out these two articles so you understand a little more about the political process in our state.

2012 Brown Center Report on American Education

2012-02-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

The Brookings Institute has releasedthe 2012 Brown Center Report on AmericanEducation (clickhere to read). The report has studied statestandards for a number of years, and it has determined through statisticalanalysis that …

1) Thequality of state standards, as indicated by the well-known ratings from theFordham Foundation, is not related to state achievement.
2) Therigor of state standards, as measured by how high states place the cut pointfor students to be deemed proficient, is also unrelated to achievement. Raisingor lowering the cut point is related to achievement in fourth grade, but theeffect is small, and the direction of causality (whether a change in cut pointproduces a change in test score or vice versa) is difficult to determine.
3) Theability of standards to reduce variation in achievement, in other words toreduce differences in achievement, is also weak.

It kind ofmakes sense to me. Just establishing thebar very high doesn’t mean much. It’s the effort made during the journey to reach the goals that iscritically important, and states and districts have to deploy needed resourcesto help students obtain proficiency at high levels (not just rely on "tough" standards). The needed resources in the classroom may be teacherquality, curriculum supplies/materials or infrastructure, but they also may berelated to those things outside the realm or control of the schoolhouse (e.g., dealing with poverty).

Board position on the move to privatize local school bus service ...

2012-02-21T05:18:00.000-05:00

The Board of Trustees for the School District of Oconee County voted to take an official position on the efforts to privatize yellow school bus service. Here's a copy of the document they signed at last night's meeting:

WSNW's "Coffee Time" for Feb. 20, 2012

2012-02-21T05:06:00.000-05:00

Earnestine Williams (HumanResources) and Michael Thorsland (Operations) were on WSNW's Coffee Time yesterday morning. Severaltopics on the broadcast included teacher quality, Darkness to Light training, the modified calendar, a proposed shift in school bus services in our state, and an update on construction projects in SDOC.

Use the embeddedplayer below to listen or clickhere for a link to the broadcast.

The Pygmalion Effect

2012-02-20T05:44:00.000-05:00

One of our principals shared aninteresting post (clickhere to read) with me that posed this question: Doescalling a school a “failing school” make it one?

There seems to be a self-fulfillingprophecy when you’re labeled as an individual. “If someonebelieves you're smart and successful, they're going to treat you that way. And,if you're treated like you're smart and successful, then you're more likely tobehave that way.”

The same thing happens when you label someone a failure. Thephenomenon is known as The Pygmalion Effect, and it is based on afamous 1965 Harvard Study: “Pygmalion in the Classroom, confirmedthat the beliefs teachershave about their students matter. When teachers in the study saw students asfailures, sure enough, those kids were more likely to fail.”

Would it not be true that labeling a school as a failurecontributes to its lack of success?

The post indicates another relationship may exist, too. A researcher (Kevin Kosar) has noticed anincrease, since 1995, in the number of books using the term “failing school.” There’s been a corresponding increase in the numberof schools being identified as a “failing school” since that same year. Can this also be a “chicken and egg” debate?

West-Oak Middle and Westminster Elementary

2012-02-17T04:27:00.004-05:00

I traveled to the Westminster area yesterday, and I observedin two schools.

West-Oak Middle

My first stop was at West-Oak Middle. My first classroom was 7^th graderswho were in the high school credit course Algebra I. They were doing a review, and they had a newtechnology tool. The students were usingthe “Whack-A-Mole”on the classroom Smartboard. A studentwould be selected from the list, the selected student picked up a ball, and he/shethrew it at the Smartboard. Hitting amole would open up a math problem for all students to do on their individualslates/whiteboards. They were figuring perimeterof irregular shapes, graphing equations on balloons that were rising and descending(When would they meet?), and determining if there were infinite or no solutions to problems. The young ladies at the desk grouping helpedme figure it all out. It was a great wayto merge technology and problem solving with a little competition.

I moved to see a sixth grade classroom. This class was a self-contained class, andthe students were working on fractions. They were using manipulatives to replicate the directions in thetext. For instance, they were asked toselect four 1/8 pieces. What was theequivalent fraction? What was thepercentage? The teacher used theSmartboard as a marker board and helped the students figure it all out. Again, they were thinking and workingon some complicated concepts in fractions.

My final classroom was a resource class of 8^thgraders who were working on “self-selected reading.” The SSR was enhanced by the students usingtheir e-readers (Nook). The studentswere reading the second novel in a series. One student quickly (and enthusiastically) filled me in on the first book,The Hunger Games. The students were engaged, and thestudents/teacher took turns reading. Iasked the students as the period came to a close, “Which do you prefer forreading: Paper or Electronic?” They all indicated a preference for the e-reader.

It is always great to visit in a middle school, and thesestudents were working and enthusiastic despite it being such a dreary wintermorning.

WestminsterElementary

I traveled the short distance to WestminsterElementary. I arrived a little late (butI was actually early). When I walkedinto the classroom I was about 20 minutes early, but that was simply a typo onmy schedule. It gave me time to spendwith third graders working on math problems. It was great to try to help the teacher by walking around to check someof their work.

When the appointed time arrived, some students exited whileothers stayed with their teacher. Oneyoung man pulled me aside to show me a story he had written with an iPad. This third grade classroom is a one-on-onepilot with the iPad. As theteacher worked with a small group on the parts of a book using the iPad, otherstudents were reading leveled books on their iPads. As I walked out the door, a small group ofthree students were having a book talk with their iPads, too. The technology seemed to be intriguing andengaging to the students. I was excited to see these third graders so engaged.

I moved to a self-contained class where students wereworking on both affective and academic skills. There were four groups of varying numbers. Timers would go off, and the teacher orassistant would make an assessment regarding their behavior. Everyone was on task and a couple of the students were ableto read me a story they had written about Valentine’s Day. I was encouraged to see the wonderful progressbeing made by these students.

My final stop was in a 5^th grade classroom. Inclusion with two specialists coming in toassist the teacher was the strategy in use when I entered. Thestudents were incorporating some history standards into their reading class. The novels were all related to World War II(escape from oppression). One student wasworking using a graphic organizer shaped like a hand (remember, five mainevents from the story). Grocery bagswere organizers for student writing (a neat thing I hadn’t seen before). It was great to see the literary circles atwork, and students taking time to have dialogue about what they had read.

My hat is off to these two schools for having stimulating lessons with very engaged students. Great job!

Tamassee-Salem Area Schools

2012-02-16T05:17:00.000-05:00

I spent time in the classrooms in the Tamassee-Salem areayesterday. My first stop wasTamassee-Salem Elementary.

I visited a self-contained special education classroom, andthe students were all on task. Studentswere in one of three groupings when I entered to observe instruction: one groupwas working with the teacher, another small group was working with theclassroom instructional assistant, and the remaining students were working independentlyon classroom computers. All of thestudents were young men, and they were obviously engaged and serious about thetask at hand. The group working with the classroom teacherwas using some game show strategies (spinner on the Smartboard, “life lines,”and tokens) to review vocabulary, story elements, details, and overallunderstanding of a reading selection. The assistant worked with a smaller number of students and concentrated onreading and vocabulary, too. Thestudents on the computers had individual games to reinforce theirlearning. I was amazed … all of the boyswere working so hard.

My next stop was second grade. Students were making a transition in math asI entered and took my seat. The classvery quickly, by size, gathered at the front. The teacher read a great story about a young man prone to some mischief. The story character had a substitute teacher, but she usedraisin bread to teach math. That’sexactly what these second grade students were to do next. Very orderly by gender up from the reading circle and got a worksheet and two napkins. The teacher distributed a piece of raisinbread and they started counting raisins. This became a lesson in fractions: How many pieces of bread were there in the loaf? What fraction was one slice to the entire number in the loaf of bread? How many raisins were in each slice? What was the total number of raisins? What a great lesson, and the end product wasedible for these second graders.

My final stop was first grade math. The students were using their EverydayMathematics Reference Book to complete a scavenger hunt. Then it was off to complete some activitiesin their Everyday Mathematics Journal. Ialways like seeing the Everyday Mathematics activities, and these students weredoing things related to probability and patterns. They had to think, and each student was hardat work as I exited the classroom.

I made the short trek to Tamassee-Salem Middle/HighSchool. My first stop was EnglishI. I arrived a little early, and thestudents were finishing up a quiz. Asthe students moved into the lesson, they reviewed vocabulary words withnegative connotations. The students arereading a book, The Contender, whichseems to be perfect for 9^th graders. I perused their journal topics on the novel study guide: dealing with adversity, coping strategies,jealousy, regret, dreams/aspirations, and bullying were among the prompts. Great topic prompts for high schoolers. I exited as they discussed Chapter 11 andplanned to move on to Chapter 12.

I popped into an economics class. The students had been studying the conceptsof supply and demand. They were focusingon supply, and the teacher did a simulation of a focus group and the pricing of products (DVDs, Blu-Ray Player, IPod Nano seemed to be good examples). They shared the amount they would be willingto pay with an imaginary $300, and they determined a class average. What was the difference between cost andaverage cost they were willing to pay? It was a good lesson, and the class was ending for the period.

I entered a sixth grade science class next. I was running a little behind so I wasn’table to see the complete construction of the barometers they were building, but I did get to hear thewater cycle rap. One student was reallyinto it. The bell rang, and they wereoff to their next class.

My final visit was in sixth grade language arts class. Students entered and completed a reviewactivity with spelling, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, etc. They were getting ready towork with their vocabulary prior to the lunch period when I exited.

It was a beautiful drive to/from the schools, and I reallyenjoyed seeing students and teachers in action.

Yesterday I reached my goal of visiting in 100 classrooms before Spring Break, and today I will be traveling to Westminster Elementary and West-Oak Middle.

Code Learning Center and Hamilton Career Center…

2012-02-15T05:21:00.001-05:00

Yesterday (Valentine’s Day) I spent time at two facilitiesin the district observing students and teachers in action. Ispent time at Code Learning Center and the Hamilton Career Center. Two words kind of describe the day: individuality and precision.

Code Learning Center

My first stop at Code was the Family Learning Center. I spent some time seeing young parentsinteract with their child as they completed preparation for the GED exam. These young parents were interacting withtheir toddlers in four stations. The toddlers were icing and decorating a heart-shaped cookie, using heart stamps and glitterto make cards, forming a heart shape with a square and a circle (a cookingtrick I heard from the bakers in the room), and finally decorating theirValentine’s bag. The kids were engagedand excited, and they were all at different levels of development. It was great to see this time during the family literacy instructional program. The class has had greatsuccess, and I heard about recent folks who passed the GED test and just got a new job at a local industry. Thanks to the staff for bringing out individual talents.

I moved around the facility and stopped in threeclassrooms in the Code Learning Academy (our alternative placement for middle and high school students). High school students wereworking individually with the assistance of teachers. The computer applications class had studentsworking with Excel, Word, and other technology related activities. The social studies classroom had studentsworking on such subjects as government, economics, and law education. One student was using the computer tocomplete a US History unit with our course software. Finally, I visited in a class where studentswork on both affective and academic skills. Individuality was critically important in these classrooms.

I moved to observe Adult Education classes, but the schoolentered a drill phase. All of oursecondary schools have been participating in “Code Red” procedures with the helpof local law enforcement. I didn’t getto visit in the classrooms, but I know these folks are working hard to preparestudents for upcoming assessments (Work Link, GED Exam).

Hamilton CareerCenter

Precision was the key element I saw during my visit toHCC. I visited in the machine tool technologyclass. These students were busycompleting a “Skills USA Step Block.” They had worked through the challenging math, determined the settings, and werefabricating the design on the steel block. After thisinitial practice stage, students will eventually have to complete all steps ofthe task in 90 minutes as their assessment. One student will be selected to share their work as part of the SkillsUSA program.

I moved around to see carpentry students in action. These first level students were busy layingout parts that would eventually be formed into a hub-shaped roof. The students were taking measurements,and they all were engaged and could easily explain what part they were workingon. Again, precision measurements andaccurate cuts were critical to the practice phase of this lesson.

My final visit was in a law enforcement class. Students were learning to locate statelaw (online rather than in books today). They also were distinguishingbetween types and levels of offenses. It was interesting, and I was pleased to seeall students engaged. The teacher reminded them that precision was key or a judge would not be able to consider the charge.

I had a great visit in classrooms yesterday, and I will beoff to observe in the Tamassee-Salem area today.

And the survey says...

2012-02-14T05:02:00.000-05:00

One of the goals this year is to communicate potentialbenefits of a shift in our school calendar for 2013-14 and determine the levelof support for such change. I providedthe board with an update regarding the online survey last night. The paper survey is still out, but the onlineversion closed last Saturday. You cansee the key slides I shared last night below. It provides the results in the aggregate as well as disaggregated views based ongeography and the role of the survey participant.

I appreciate all the folks who took time (1800+) to sharetheir thoughts and opinions on the online survey. At thistime I do not feel there is the needed support to make such a systemicchange, and that's what I recommended to our board. I enjoyed the opportunity tospeak with so many groups about the issue, and I believe it got folks talkingabout how best to serve the children in our community.

The board also received public comments which totaled over126 pages from the online survey. Again,the goal is to inform our community and listen to ideas and suggestions. Thanks to those who participated in thisprocess.

Clicking on a slide will make it larger for ease of viewing.

Two cool activities in our elementary schools …

2012-02-13T15:43:00.001-05:00

I visited Math/Science Night at Westminster Elementary lastweek (Thursday, February 9). The schoolhad a great turnout, and even the “mad scientist” was roaming the halls. I visited in several classrooms where kidswere engaged in math and science activities. I also saw lots of snakes and other creatures in one of theclassrooms. I didn’t venture to tastethe freeze dried crickets (they were even in onion and vinegar flavors) basedon the advice of one of the young men at the station. It is always exciting to see students excitedabout math and science. I hope we havesome future scientists or mathematicians who got their start at the school.

This morning (Monday, February 13) I started my week byseeing Northside Elementary 3^rd and 4^th grade studentsdemonstrate their reading skills and their understanding of America’s history. The first group did a wonderful “Readers’ Theater” Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. These thirdgrade students did a fantastic job of sharing the play with some of the most importantdetails from King’s life and work for equality and civil rights. The second group of students, 4^thgraders, memorized King’s “I Have aDream Speech.” Students each usedthe microphone to recite the speech from beginning to end. They did a wonderful rendition of the speech,and I know they learned a tremendous amount doing this unit.

Great job, and my hat is off to these two schools!

Changing Education Paradigms…

2012-02-13T06:15:00.002-05:00

I love the RSA Animate lectures. You have an individual discuss their ideasand/or theories, and an artist illustrates it as you listen. To me this brings the concept to life in amost remarkable way.

The one I wanted to share this morning is about changes ineducational paradigms. It’s provocative in its comments about ADHD and school structure. Also, it looks at the impact of formaleducation on divergent thinking.

I recommend it as something to get your thinking going on thisMonday. It can also be something to ponder anddebate this week.

Use this link (click here) if you have trouble with the embedded video below.

A difference of opinion is a good thing…

2012-02-10T06:03:00.000-05:00

Ihave been in several forums lately, and there has been much diversity ofopinion. I like when we I hear a diversityof opinion on topics (the modified calendar, too). Diversity of opinion actually yields a better much better product.

So,here are a few quotes to ponder as we conclude this week:

"It were not best that we should allthink alike; it is difference of opinion that makes horse races."

~Mark Twain

"We have become not a melting pot but abeautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, differenthopes, different dreams."

~Jimmy Carter

"Variety is the spice of life."

~Proverb

"Life lies in diversity, not inmonotony."

~M.K. Soni

"If we are to achieve a richer culture,rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of humanpotentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which eachdiverse human gift will find a fitting place."

~Margaret Mead

CPE's High School Toolkit ...

2012-02-09T06:26:00.002-05:00

I didn't have much time this morning (lots of e-mail), but I did want to share what I think is awonderful resource that arrived in my inbox.

The Center for Public Educationhas a new High School Toolkit (clickhere). The toolkit has questions andprovides a response (or a link to the research) in four areas (key goals,advantages, curriculum, and school boards).

My goal is to use this as amodel for sharing some of our local data.

A visit to Orchard Park Elementary

2012-02-08T05:26:00.000-05:00

I spent timein four classrooms at Orchard Park Elementary yesterday morning. As I walked down the halls, I was able tocheck out some of the student writing. Itwas amazing.

My firststop was third grade. The students werebusy with language arts activities when I entered. Thestudents were looking at a paragraph that had errors in punctuation, spelling,and grammar. You couldn’t fool thestudents. Class members quicklyidentified the errors and made corrections. The class made the transition to science. I joined one of the groups, and two youngladies quickly explained the observations they had made of rocks and minerals inthe unit. The students had detailed drawings anddescribed the characteristics with four of the five senses (taste wasallowed!). I was impressed with their observation skills and attention to detail. Resources for the students were all around the classroom; it seems they collect lots ofrules and concepts and display then around the room (a creative use forclothesline, too).

I moved downthe hall to fifth grade. Students werebusy with math, and they were working in centers. Students made timed rotations between using the Smartboard,netbooks and an iPad to reinforce their understanding of fractions. Some were doing games on equivalents (Arethose fractions equal or is one greater/less than the other?). Others were playing a game and had to quicklyadd fractions and match the answers in video game style. Another student was at the front matchingup fractions on a number line, but you had to think (How many eighths do youneed to equal one half on the number line?). As thesestudents worked to reinforce their skills, the teacher worked with two studentshaving a little trouble with improper fractions. These two students were getting the hang of it with the teacher's assistance. The young men quickly realized you cannot dofractions without knowing multiplication facts. Before I left, one student in the class escorted me to their writing on display inthe hallway. These fifth graders recently celebrated 1000 days of school (their cumulative time in K-5) and each wrote about what they had learned over the period of 1000 days. It was a wonderful and creative writing assignment.

My nextclassroom was in fourth grade. Thestudents were “family journaling.” Thestudents write an entry in their journal on a wide variety of topics, and they take the journalhome for a family member to respond. Iheard three wonderful examples read by students that used content specific vocabulary, detailedevents of the school week, and posed questions to parents. The students shared the response from mom, dad, orgrandma, too. I couldn't hear all of their stories, so the students shared anentry with their classmates. This wasa fantastic writing strategy, and it gave parents an insight into the thinking andwriting skills of the child. Hey, Iwondered about entries that may be too personal, but they had a strategy for such a situation: All entries that were private were to befolded in half. The teacher respected private entries and would not read them. Again, there werewonderful examples of writing that was neat and descriptive.

My finalstop was kindergarten. I am always inawe of kindergarten teachers. Thestudents were at tables sitting on rugs on the floor (the teacher called it Japanese style). They had finished up talking about weather,and the students were to draw two examples of weather in their sciencejournals. I saw clouds and sunnyskies. I saw snow and rain. I saw kids with the need to illustrate more thanjust two examples. These students were engaged andexcited about learning. They also wanted to share withme what they were doing. It was a super class, and the students were doing their version of writing with pictures.

I enjoyed myvisit and even got a recommendation for a book to read from one class of students (The SmallAdventure of Popeye and Elvis). The students at OPES were busy as bees with writing and their productivity was so evident.

Change is coming in state assessments…

2012-02-07T06:18:00.000-05:00

As we move to the new Common Core State Standards (click here) in South Carolina, newassessments will replace PASS in the 2014-15 school year. I understand that the SC Board of Educationwill receive a recommendation this week to become a part of the Smarter Balance Consortium (click here) that isdeveloping the next generation of student assessments.

Here are few details from their website:

Rigorous tests that will measureprogress toward college and career awareness;
Comparable scores will mean theability to compare performance across member states;
Current achievement and student growthdata will be important components of the assessment;
Multiple measures will be employedto assess student performance; and
Assessments will use computeradaptive testing as part of the student evaluation process.

We’re familiar with computeradaptive testing in our district. We currentlyuse MAP (clickhere) and the data provided to teachers helps with the instructionalprocess.

Here's a graphic detailing members of the consortium.

So, change is coming in state assessments.

Happiness and Productivity

2012-02-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

I saw this video thismorning on another blog written by a blogger who happens to serve as a schoolboard member in Rock Hill (clickhere).

I thought this “TED Talk” wasa great way to start the new week. According to Psychologist ShawnAnchor, “It turnsout that our brains are literally hardwired to perform at their best not whenthey are negative or even neutral, but when they are positive.”

Happiness increases productivity, and “that means that organizations activelyworking to enhance employee happiness gain a significant competitive advantage.”

Check out the video. It’s a little over 12 minutes, but worth theinvestment of time.

Influencing education in South Carolina…

2012-02-03T06:28:00.001-05:00

There’s so much money flowing into SouthCarolina from other parts of the United States for political purposes.

Many of our politicians spend a good bitof time raising funds for their campaigns from those who do not live within theconfines of our state. Citizens of ourstate should question the motives behind such fundraising efforts (and themotivations behind the donations).

One effort that seems to draw lots ofmoney to our state ( from such places as New York City) is the attemptto include tuition tax credits/vouchers into our state law.

Based on an analysis by the SC Boardof Economic Advisors, this year’s voucher bill (*H. 4576) will costcitizens approximately $68 million during the first year ofimplementation. The bill would also havea cost of $15 million in each of the next two fiscal years. You can clickhere to read this brief report from the BEA.

Anotherbill is under consideration is *H. 4547. This bill would cost taxpayers over $30 million next year. You can clickhere to read this report by the BEA.

I believe strongly that public moneyshould be used to support local public schools.

*The SC General Assembly website wasdown this morning, so I do not have links to the proposed legislation.

Update: Here's the link (click here) to the SC General Assembly website. Enter the bill number and you can read the proposed legislation.

Literary Quilt at Ravenel Elementary ...

2012-02-02T05:29:00.000-05:00

I receivedthis note a few weeks ago from Cindy Edgerton who serves as the media specialist at Ravenel Elementary:

There once was a librarian from Ravenel,
Who had a dream and wanted it to go well.
So she enlisted the help of the teacher of art,
Then authors and illustrators throughout the US and Canada were asked to take part.

The project began and took five years to complete,
Just organizing the endeavor was quite a feat.
Students learned lots through year number one,
Then it took a village to get the work done!

An invitation will arrive soon, so please save the date.
A celebration it will be - we can hardly wait!

The celebration was heldyesterday morning, and a new quilt with squares completed by many of the authors ofbooks read by the students at the school was unveiled.

The quilt looks great, andit now hangs in the school’s art gallery.

Here’s a picture of thequilt and one close up of the square by noted author and illustrator Steven Kellogg.

My congratulations go out tothe folks at Ravenel Elementary on this collaborative project that celebratesthe love of reading and books.

Two things are so important …

2012-02-01T06:10:00.000-05:00

A colleague gave me a wonderful quote that I keep on my deskso I can be reminded of it often. It’sfrom George Bernard Shaw. Shaw states, “Thesingle biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has takenplace.”

My goal in this job to provide clear communication, but I donot always succeed.

Another critical element for me is to have a sense of humor. Being able to laugh, even at my ownmistakes, helps me stay positive and optimistic.

With than in mind, here’s a video that I think encapsulatesthese two important concepts: The needfor clear communication and a good chuckle midweek.

NCLB/ESEA Waiver Meeting

2012-01-31T05:50:00.000-05:00

I’m off to Columbia this morning to hear more about thewaiver request being proposed by the SC Department of Education. This is a rescheduled meeting. The original meeting was to be lastThursday (January 26), but was cancelled on short notice Wednesday afternoon (January 25) without explanation.

I’m concerned about what is being proposed (see earlierblogs), and I’ve very interested in the simulations that are to be sharedtoday. It should prove to be aninteresting meeting.

EFOC Scrabble Tournament

2012-01-30T08:31:00.002-05:00

We had a great time on Saturday with the Education Foundation’sScrabble Tournament. There were five games that lasted 45 minutes each, and money raised atthis event help with the teacher grant program. The next tournament will be February 18 at Seneca High.

Congratulations to our winners pictured below ...

First place – Seth Chea
Second place – Rose Kratzer
Third place – Tamra Hawkins

Pictured: Jim Gadd (Education Foundation), Chea, Kratzer, and Hawkins

Comparison of the calendar options...

2012-01-30T08:10:00.001-05:00

I got a request for a side-by-side comparison of thecalendar options. Here’s the comparison:

Changing teacher evaluation...

2012-01-27T07:44:00.000-05:00

We seem tobe on a fast track to change teacher evaluation systems in our state. Although not required by the US Department ofEducation, this seems to be a major component of the NCLB/ESEA waiver beingproposed by the SC Department of Education.

Talking withmy colleagues across the state, there seems to be little support for suchchange and much concern. It seems in ourhaste to make tweaks to the evaluation system we may make some of the same mistakesthat other states have made.

With regardto “pay for performance,” most teachers (less than half) do not have tests thatcan provide “value added” data for evaluation purposes. There seems to be a narrowing of thecurriculum (maybe less teacher collaboration, too) when such systems get put into place. Anotherproblem seems to exist when you don’t structure incentives correctly: people will cheat (there are many examples of this across the US).

How do you manage such a system efficiently withexisting manpower? The additional load and responsibilities will fall onthe principal when moving from a bimodal system (teacher demonstratescompetency and then moves to a goals-based evaluation) to a frequent rating/ranking model. Such a system has to be fair and consistent, and that's been a major problem.

There’s anarticle that highlights some of the problems being faced by principals in otherstates in the rush to develop new teaching rating/pay for performance models (clickhere to read).

I hope wedon’t put the cart before the horse in this situation.

Student emails…

2012-01-26T07:49:00.004-05:00

I like when I get an email from a student. Such mail usually falls into one of twocategories: a description of a perceivedinjustice or a request for information.

I always try to respond promptly to such e-mails so I’m a little later in my posting this blog entry this morning.

The student who wrote me is writing a research paper related to high school dropouts. That’s a great topic, and it is so relevant.

I’m sharing on the blog the references I shared with thestudent this morning. It’s some reallygood information, and I hope folks will check out some of the disturbing facts andstatistics.

The student also wanted local statistics. These statistics can be found on the SC Departmentof Education website under the research portal. Graduation and dropout rates are reported as part of the annual schoolreport card (click here).

Although our on-time ratesexceed state and national performance, I’m not proud of these statistics. Our proposal for a modified calendar is anattempt to hold students accountable and improve these statistics.

Day 99 and a visit to the Walhalla-area elementary schools

2012-01-25T05:33:00.001-05:00

I spent time at James M. Brown Elementary and WalhallaElementary yesterday, and I really enjoyed seeing teachers and students inaction.

James M. Brown Elementary

My first stop was in 1^st grade. The students were excited; they were doingthe calendar and counting activities and it was day 99 in school. The 100^th day of school is alwaysa big event in early childhood classrooms. I have to commend the teacher because these first graders were thinkingand using vocabulary words like “commutative” and “expanded notation” as theyworked on number sentences. Thinking wastheir number one task.

I moved around the building and arrived at a kindergartenclassroom. These students were alsodoing the morning routine, but something was different. There were no chairs. Students had just starting using exerciseballs in the classroom for seating. The teacher ledthe discussion, and they were making t-shirts with segmented worms (finger painton their thumbs to make the segments). The worms were to have one hundred sections. I loved the caption on the shirt, “We arewiggling our way to the 100^th day.” So, they were getting ready forDay 100, too.

I next arrived in art. These second graders were carefully observing a picture by HenriRousseau. They looked closely at theflora and fauna in the artwork. Theywere using great vocabulary words. Theytalked about the forest canopy, the overlapping of plants, the cool colors, andhow best to demonstrate a 3D effect with their own artwork. The teacher modeled for the students, andthen they started to work on their own piece of art. I walked around, and the students showed meunique aspects of their artwork. There weretrees, lions, streams, fish, plants and vines. They were busy adding items to give dimension. They were learning and having fun.

I was impressed. Thinking and creativity were being exhibited in the classrooms at JMB.

Walhalla Elementary

I drove the short distance to Walhalla Elementary, and thistime I was slated to observe in a special education class, a music class, andsee fifth grade math instruction.

The special classroom was one-on-one instruction. The student was doing a great job learningabout pronouns. What pronoun can youuse to replace “children,” “mother,” “brother” in the sentence? The student was working hard to find the correct pronoun. The teacher was using a great strategy ofasking him to close his eyes and picture if the word was singular or plural(e.g., one child versus many). Again,there was much excitement in learning. The student gave us a high five as he finished his work and planned fora transition.

My next stop was music. The students were learning to read music and play simple songs with theirrecorders. Hey, I learned a fewthings, too. I don’t read music, and thestudents reminded me of the ways to read it (e.g., Every Good Boy Does Fine andFACE). They practiced playing thecorrect notes and having the rests in the music just right. They played and practiced as a group, and then they playedalong with the accompanying music on the MP3 player. They did a fine job, and I appreciate the teacher’s effort to help themappreciate and learn about music.

My final classroom stop was 5^th grade math. The students were on a pretty difficultsegment of mathematics. They wereworking with fractions, decimals, and percentages. One group worked with classroom computers(mostly netbooks) to determine which fraction was bigger using a web-based program. The computer program required that they placea greater than, less than, or equal to sign as the computer flashed up pairs offractions. They worked in pairs to determine which was bigger. Other students were busyworking in their Everyday Math Journals with such activities as converting fractions to percentages. The teacher pulled the instruction together with a Brain Pop video aboutunderstanding fractions. Again, they hadto think.

I was impressed with what I saw at Walhalla Elementary. The students were doing work at high levelsof the taxonomy.

Well, I had a great visit in the schools on Day 99. Thinking and creativity were all exhibited inthe classrooms, and I left excited about what goes on in our schools everysingle day of those 180 days.

As I write this entry, Iwish everyone a Happy 100^th Day of school today.

Keowee Elementary PTO Meeting …

2012-01-24T05:20:00.001-05:00

I was invited to share information regarding the calendaroptions at Keowee Elementary School last night. There was a great turnout, and the event started with pizza. Fourth graders were selling items to raisefunds for an upcoming fieldtrip.

I appreciated the opportunity to share information about thecalendar options. The parents and staffhad many great questions, and it gave me an opportunity to explain benefits ofmoving from the traditional calendar to one in which we remediate/acceleratestudents who are not performing successfully after each 45-day grading period.

Of course, the best part of the meeting was my ability tosee the Keowee students perform. Students shared with the audience information about South Carolinasymbols they had studied in class (a great skit and PowerPoint), and anothergrade shared a rap/song about figurative language (click hereto listen). I really enjoyed it, and thestudents did a great job!

I will be off to visit in classrooms today, and I’ll sharemy observations in tomorrow’s blog.

WSNW's Coffee Time Program for January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T12:14:00.001-05:00

Dianne England and I were on WSNW's Coffee Time this morning. Topics covered including the state's move to the Common Core of State Standards, the modified calendar process, the NCLB waiver being proposed by the SC Department of Education, and the local Education Foundation Scrabble tournament.

You can use the embedded player below or click here to listen to the broadcast.

How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work

2012-01-23T05:48:00.000-05:00

"Apple once bragged that its products were made in America. But it has since shifted its immense manufacturing work overseas, posing questions about what corporate America owes Americans."

I am about finished with the biography of Steve Jobs, so I was interested in this article in this weekend's NY Times. I encourage you to read this article which details how Apple outsourced its manufacturing of the iPhone and iPad to China. The article details some of the challenges we'll face in the future, and we will need to do more to educate our students for the future.

Business Day

How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work

By CHARLES DUHIGG and KEITH BRADSHER, The New York Times

Published: January 21, 2012

Building Apple’s iPhone in the United States would demand much more than hiring Americans — it would require transforming the national and global economies.

Click here to read this article.

Do you like to play Scrabble (or Words with Friends)?

2012-01-20T04:50:00.000-05:00

Please consider participating in the upcoming tournament next week. It's not too late to register.

Click here to find out more about the tournament.

The Education Foundation of Oconee County (EFOC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports educational excellence in Oconee County. The goal is to be an avenue for individuals, businesses, and community partners to provide financial and other resources to benefit students and teachers.

Apple Unveils iPad Textbook Plan

2012-01-19T12:58:00.001-05:00

Apple Unveils iPad Textbook Plan

Apple Says iBooks 2 App Reinvents Textbooks

Something was missing …

2012-01-19T05:54:00.003-05:00

I listened to the Governor’s State of the State speechlast night. I perused the speech thismorning (click here to read). In fact, I had my computer search the textfor references for the word “education.” It was mentioned in the contextof privatizing school buses, the funding mechanism for higher education, and charterschools being innovators.

There has to be more. I searched the text again using the word “school”and found two references. These two referenceswere related to higher education funding mechanisms.

One of the most importantresponsibilities of our state is public education, but it was generally missingfrom the speech.

The speech was focused on jobs andeconomic development. But education wasmissing.

As William Schweke points out in hisbook Smart Money: Education and Economic Development,education is a critical component to economic development in the community. He states, “A compelling body of researchlinks primary and secondary education to economic development and growth. Thisresearch recognizes people as a type of economic asset – ‘human capital’ – andshows that increased investment in health, skills, and knowledge providesfuture returns to the economy through increases in labor productivity.Education increases workers’ average earnings and productivity, and it alsoreduces the incidence of social problems such as drug abuse, crime, welfaredependency, and lack of access to medical care, all of which can weigh heavilyon the economy.”

What provides a significantreturn?

Research indicates an emphasis onpre-school education has a great return on investment with a “decreased likelihood for preschoolparticipants to repeat grades, require remedial education, be incarcerated forcrimes, and become dependent on welfare.”
Quality elementary andsecondary education programs are critical, too. "Educationspending can have a direct, positive impact on the business climate and canimprove the success of at-risk students, whose contributions to the economy arecritical for achieving a high-value/high-wage economy in the 21st century. Suchspending will have a greater chance of success if coupled with specificreforms, such as smaller class sizes, greater access to technology for at-riskstudents, support for teacher training and innovation, and improvedaccountability structure."

I kind of felt like something wasmissing from the speech. The quality of our K-12 public school system is tied to our future prosperity in South Carolina. Dum Spiro Spero.

How to motivate people …

2012-01-18T06:05:00.002-05:00

We had a great principals meeting yesterday, and during the highschool breakout we talked about some of the contradictions in what we do. We want students to be held accountable andexposed to a rigorous curriculum, but we have to do it in a way that doesn’tpush even more students who lack intrinsic motivation out of school.

One of the e-mail clippings (AASA News of the Nation) Ireceived this morning mentioned an article that relates to this dilemma. The Learning Network (NY Times) entry byLarry Ferlazzo references Daniel Pink’s summary of the research in Drive.

Current research says we can motivate people to do what we want withenough of the right incentives. For instance, with alarge enough cash incentive most people will comply with completing expectedtasks; however, they’ll soon resort back to their old habits if the incentivedisappears.

Edward Deci, a professor at the University of Rochester andauthor of Why We Do What We Do, saysthe real question should be: “How canpeople [teachers] create the conditions within which others will motivatethemselves?”

There are three things that educators can do to help studentsdevelop intrinsic motivation:

Praise effort over intelligence. Research indicates praising student effort,especially with difficult and challenging tasks, helps students develop a “growthmindset.” So, never say a student issmart, but highlight the great strategies they employed to complete a difficulttask.
Help students understand and developself-control. Delayed, ratherthan immediate, gratification is the key.
Assigning a 15 minute writing assignment onvalues to build confidence. Awriting assignment that occurs three to five times during the year buildsresiliency and self-worth. Researchershave found that when people reflect on important values they often have agreater sense of self-worth. This canresult in long-lasting academic benefits.

Check out the commentary (clickhere) which has links to research, articles and activities for teachers.

Modified or Traditional Calendar for 2013-14

2012-01-17T05:38:00.001-05:00

The survey to gather input on the type calendar supported byour community in 2013-14 is now online. You can find out more about the modified calendar option by clickinghere or here.

The online survey is only open to residents of OconeeCounty. The survey can be accessed by clicking here.

The modified calendar being proposed for 2013-14 providesopportunities for students to receive additional assistance or credit recoveryat the end of each nine weeks grading period.

Here are a few highlights from the calendar being proposed:

1st Day for Students: Friday, July 26

1st Quarter Grading Period: July 26 –September 27 (45 school days)

-ContainsLabor Day Holiday

1st Quarter Remediation: September 30 – October 4 (5 weekdays)

1st Quarter Break: September 30 – October 13 (10weekdays)

2nd Quarter Grading Period: October 14 – December 18 (45 school days)

-Containsthree days for Thanksgiving

2^nd Quarter Remediation: January 2 – January 8(5 weekdays)

2^nd Quarter Break: December 19 – January 9 (16weekdays)

3^rd Quarter Grading Period: January 10 – March14 (45 school days)

-ContainsKing Day holiday

3^rd Quarter Remediation: March 18 – 21 (4school days)

3^rd Quarter Break: March 17 – March 31 (11 weekdays)

4^th Quarter Grading Period: April 1 – June 6(45 school days)

-Contains 3 inclement weather makeups and Memorial Day holiday

4^th Quarter Remediation: June 10 – 16

4th Quarter Break: Begins 7 (approximately 7 weeks off for students)

Total Required Days for Successful Students: 180 Days

Total Days Available for Students Needing AdditionalAssistance/Support: 199 Days

Folks unable to complete the online survey may contactthe school or the district office for a paper survey.

All parents were notified via our calling system aboutthe availability of the survey beginning on Friday, January 13, and the survey willremain open this month.

Clickhere to see the four options (3 traditional and the modifiedcalendar). The modified calendar is onpage 4.

One of my favorite quotes ...

2012-01-16T05:16:00.000-05:00

Here’s one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr.:

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent aboutthings that matter.”

Student artwork on display at Duke’s World of Energy …

2012-01-13T08:14:00.002-05:00

Students from across Oconee and Pickens counties have artworkon display at Duke’s World of Energy. Idropped by yesterday afternoon to see the opening of the gallery.

There’s some fantastic artwork. I was kind of partial to an elementary workwith a pig, a high school self-portrait with powerful eyes, and middle schoolceramic work. There’s teacher artwork ondisplay, too.

The artwork will remain through February 11, socheck it out. Click hereif you want to find out more about Duke's World of Energy (including the hours ofoperation).

Oh, I wish I had just a tiny fraction of the talent that’son display.

Seneca Middle School ...

2012-01-13T07:19:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I spent some time in classrooms at Seneca MiddleSchool. It is always good to visit themiddle school level. It is like goinghome to me since I spent 18 years of my career either teaching or serving as amiddle school principal.

My first stop was 7^th grade language arts. The writing prompt for the journal entry was “Thegrass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” Students were busy interpreting and reactingto this statement as the teacher took role (and I pondered on the quote, too). The pace quickly changed and the students werereviewing theme, plot, and topic for an upcoming test. To make a good assessment of studentunderstanding, the teacher used colored sticky notes (blue for theme, red forplot, and yellow for topic). With theaid of the computer, a theme, plot, or topic from a literature selection theyhad studied was up on the screen. Students then held up the appropriate sticky and kept a tally of their response(correct vs. incorrect). It was a greatway to review the lesson (and to hold all students accountable).

I moved to another 7^th grade classroom. The next class of students was listening to abook as I entered the room. The teacher readfrom Cinder Edna. This was a great introduction to thestudy of ratios. Cinder Edna, likeCinderella, had a very important relationship with a shoe. The students had two tasks: boys were to trace then measure the length of their shoeand girls were to measure their heights. Then they switched. The teachermade it clear that everything was in centimeters because they were working todetermine the ratio of shoe size to height. It was a great activity, and hopefully the activity will serve as the “mentalVelcro” to help them remember ratios.

My final class was sixth grade language arts. I love ancient Greek and Roman mythology, andthese students were listening to a selection and following along with a graphicstory about Perseus and Medusa. Vocabulary was the focus (e.g., fate, oracle, demigod). The teacher was using a neat soundenhancement system that she had received as part of a grant. Several of our elementary schools use suchsystems, and it benefits all students (and reduces the need for the “teachervoice”) regardless of hearing issues (click here). Pace was quick, and soon the students were being introduced by video to visiting exchange teachers (one from Uganda and one from Peru) who willbe working in the sixth grade classroom with teachers.

I enjoyed my visit in the classrooms at Seneca Middle. Students were engaged and excited aboutlearning. I truly appreciate theprofessionalism and dedication of the SMS staff!

Base funding request for SC Schools in 2012-13 …

2012-01-12T05:39:00.001-05:00

Dr. Mick Zais, SCSuperintendent of Education, presented his budget request and priorities to theWays and Means Committee in the SC House yesterday (click here to read the AP coverage).

Citizens can review thebudget materials he submitted by clicking here.

The primary funding law forschools in our state is known as the Education Finance Act. The SC Board of Economic Advisors states the amountper student to fully fund this law is $2790 for 2012-13. The amount being requested by the Departmentof Education will remain at the 2011-12 funding level ($1880 per student).

Because of the EFA and theIndex of Taxpaying Ability, the School District of Oconee County receives abouthalf of this amount to fund schools from the state level. The remainder of it must come from local funds.

I’ve plugged Financing Education in South Carolina: ACitizen’s Guide before, and it is an excellent primer on school finance inour state. You can access this can 26page document from Clemson’s Strom Thurmond Institute of Government andPublic Affairs by clicking here.

Classroom visits resume: Blue Ridge Elementary was my first stop in 2012!

2012-01-11T04:45:00.000-05:00

I resumed classroom and school visits yesterday. I will be visiting in each school during thesecond semester. Blue Ridge Elementary School was my first stop in 2012.

My first classroom was with a teacher working with small groups of students who need additional support in reading and math. These first and second graders were hard at work on the “oo” sound and letter combination. You know, they were working with words like moo, smooth, moon, root,etc. The students had a secret word withthis letter combination, and they had to describe it to their classmates. Students took turns guessing from the clues,but they also had to spell it correctly if they guessed the word. I have to say “whoo-hoo”because these students were engaged and thinking.

I moved down the hall to see third graders in action. They were working with figurative language,and, specifically, idioms. Don’t youjust love idioms? I think those of us fromthe South constantly use them. Thestudents were being introduced to idioms in a book being read by the teacher. They next selected a slip of paper from abasket that contained an idiom. The students did their best to describe and explain its meaning. They were soon “busy as bees” and were to draw a picture representingtheir idioms and its meaning.

My next two classes to visit were in 5^th grade. Both classes were working in the area ofmathematics. The students were workingin centers and they were learning about equivalent fractions. One group of was playing a card game to seewho could win with the biggest fraction. Other students were working in their math journals completing someproblems (converting improper fractions to mixed numbers). Four or five students wereworking on computers identifying fractions that were bigger, smaller, or equalto one another. A final group wasworking with the teacher. The group working with the teacher had aneat tool that helped them see equivalent fractions; as the teachers explained, the tool would onlybe with them until they mastered the concept. Students were engaged and able to easily explain what they were doing to me.

As I exited the school, I noted the large number ofvolunteers who were working with students. It’s great to see so many citizens willing to give of their time to helpthese students at the school.

Classroom visits for 2012 started off great, and I appreciate the hardwork of the folks at Blue Ridge Elementary School.

NCLB Word Cloud …

2012-01-10T04:58:00.000-05:00

No Child Left Behind was 10 years old earlier this week(January 8, 2002; clickhere for more). Education Week posedthis question: What word or words do youassociate with No Child Left Behind? There were 280 responses, and this wordcloud (click herefor the jpg image) was constructed with the most common or popular responses inthe largest type.

Is your view represented in this word cloud?

Having a great teacher makes a big difference …

2012-01-09T05:01:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows that having a great teacher is extremely important,and I reviewed a new study by professors at Harvard and Columbia (click here tosee the study and the associated materials) this weekend.

With all the waiver talk going around with NCLB/ESEA, this studywas pertinent in that the professors dealt with two important questions:

Does VA (“value-added”) accurately measureteachers’ impacts on scores or does it unfairly penalize teachers who may systematically be assigned lower achieving students?
Do high VA ("value-added") teachers improve their students’long-term outcomes or are they simply better at teaching to the test?

To answer the questions, the researchers tracked approximately onemillion students (grades 4 to adulthood) in a large urban school district. They found that “teachers’ impacts onstudents are substantial.” For instance,replacing a teacher in the bottom 5% with a teacher of average quality (asmeasured by value-added techniques) may generate lifetime earnings gains worthmore than $250,000 for the average classroom.

The researchers note, however, “Our study shows that great teachers creategreat value – perhaps several times their annual salaries – and that test scoreimpacts are helpful in identifying such teachers. However, more work is neededto determine the best way to use VA for policy. For example, using VA inteacher evaluations could induce undesirable responses that make VA a poorermeasure of teacher quality, such as teaching to the test or cheating. Therewill be much to learn about these issues from school districts that start usingVA to evaluate teachers. Nevertheless, it is clear that improving the qualityof teaching – whether using value-added or other tools – is likely to havelarge economic and social returns.”

Teacher quality is critically important, and we must to our bestto attract and retain quality educators. The real question is how best to do it.

Limiting the future?

2012-01-08T07:16:00.001-05:00

There’s anarticle that outlines Dr. Zais’ ideas for reform of our state’s educationsystem. You can clickhere to read this article in the Charleston Post and Courier.

Dr. Zaismakes the statement, "Traditional proposals for improving education --more money, better facilities, improved curriculum and smaller classes -- willnot work. We've tried that. We've tried that for 40 years," said Zais.

He alsostates, "Sadly our high school curriculum is focused on collegepreparation and life enrichment. I'vesaid our high school curriculum should focus on career preparation and lifeskills. For example, business writing is a legitimate substitute to Britishliterature. Public speaking is an important skill that children do not learn. Consumermath, which is useful, might be more important than Algebra I or II. I havenever (seen) the quadratic equation in real life, but I'm hard pressed tocompute my own mortgage payments."

I don’tnecessarily disagree that there should be a focus on future career goals andskills (the EEDAhelps in that respect). However, there’sa danger of a return to our past. That’sthe way South Carolina’s public school system used to work. I am a product of a system that limited thefuture for certain students. Schools weresegregated (not just racially but by mill and town schools), and, even after integration, there were distinct (and limiting) curriculumpaths that students followed.

In the 21^stCentury, all children have to be prepared for some kind of post-secondaryeducation. We also cannot return tolimiting the future of children based on sorting. I’m fearful that some of the options mostoften touted as being beneficial will limit the future of so many young people in our state.It will also limit our state’s competiveness.

Our stateneeds an educated workforce that can compete in the global community. Let’s look forward rather than backward.

I wish everyone could see…

2012-01-06T05:36:00.000-05:00

I wish everyone could see the great things going on in ourschools. We have super teachers andschool staff members who bring out the best in our students.

This year we’ve been highlighting a school or two at each SchoolBoard meeting. The Board has gotten someexcellent presentations about programs and events at the schools. In December, we learned all about the MoneyCents program at Orchard Park Elementary. With the upcoming meeting on Monday, Ravenel Elementary will be highlighted by itsschool principal (we may even have a performance).

I know everyone can’t always visit a school or attend aSchool Board Meeting, but they can stay informed via the district website. Each Board meeting is recorded, and you canwatch by using this link (click here). If you select the December meeting video file (embedded below) you’ll see an excellent presentation and video about the financial program atOrchard Park Elementary (it begins about the 4 minute mark).

So, if you can’t visit a school or attend a meeting to learnmore about school events, please take a few minutes to peruse the video files onthe district’s website.

Check out the Money Cents Highlight from Orchard Park Elementary at the 4 minute mark.

January is a time to begin thinking about budgets …

2012-01-05T05:03:00.000-05:00

About this time of year we begin to think aboutbudgets. Our goal is efficiency andproviding the taxpayer with a good return on their investment.

As we begin the process, I gather data for the Board ofTrustees. One piece of information Ishared with them this week is how we compare on local taxation.

You’ll note three slides below. Citizens in Oconee County have millage ratesthat are much lower than most school districts (5^th lowest in totaland operational millage) in the most current comparison (clickhere for the 2001-2010 data from the SC Department of Education and you canclick herefor a good summary of school finance in our state).

We’re extremely lucky in our county because the value of aschool mill in 2010 was approximately $524,538.

You can determine the amount of revenue from local taxes bymultiplying the millage rate by the value of the mill. So, 31 mills for debt service isapproximately $16,261,000 that we can spend yearly to build, maintain, and retiredebt on our building and maintenance program.

The assessed value in Oconee County was approximately $527million in 2010. The district has theability to borrow for capital/building programs approximately $42 million. This is possible because the SC Constitutionallows us to borrow up to 8% of the assessed value.

Because of the amount/value of business and industry in ourcommunity, tax rates are relatively low to the average citizen andindustries.

I thought I would pass along this data this morning.

How did the Jan. 2 return date impact student attendance?

2012-01-04T05:14:00.000-05:00

With regard to our winter break, this year was unusual. January 2 fell on a Monday. Mostplaces were closed and many of the bowl games (e.g., South Carolina, 30 vs.Nebraska, 13) were held, but we were open and operating. How did itimpact our student attendance rates?

You can see in the graphic above that student absentee rateson January 2 were about 2.5% higher than the typical Monday in December. I guess a little higher than normal can be expected when you return from a holiday break.

We will not have this same issue next year (click here for the 2012-13 calendar). We’ll also return on January 2, but it’s aWednesday. Bowl games and the “official”state/federal holiday will be January 1.

Thanks to all those parents who helped to make sure 93.05%of our students attended school on Monday, January 2!

But are we moving in the right direction?

2012-01-03T05:02:00.000-05:00

The SouthCarolina Department of Education is seeking comment on its flexibility requestunder No Child Left Behind/Elementary and Secondary Education Act. I wrote about this effort in an earlier blog(clickhere).

The request followsfederal requirements (click here toaccess the site allowing for citizen comment, waiver materials, etc.). But is this the correct direction to bring aboutimprovement for our schools?

Dr. Helen F.Ladd, a professor of public policy at Duke University, wrote a response to someof these issues recently (November 2011). You can clickhere to read the entire address/report (“Education and Poverty: Confronting the Evidence”) or here to find out more about Dr.Ladd’s credentials as an educator and researcher.

Dr. Laddstates, “Current U.S. policy initiatives to improve the U.S. education system,including No Child Left Behind, test-based evaluation of teachers and thepromotion of competition, are misguided because they either deny or set to theside a basic body of evidence documenting that students from disadvantagedhouseholds on average perform less well in school than those from moreadvantaged families. Because these policy initiatives do not directly addressthe educational challenges experienced by disadvantaged students, they havecontributed little -- and are not likely to contribute much in the future -- toraising overall student achievement or to reducing achievement and educationalattainment gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Moreover, suchpolicies have the potential to do serious harm. Addressing the educationalchallenges faced by children from disadvantaged families will require a broaderand bolder approach to education policy than the recent efforts to reformschools.”

Here are acouple more quotes from the address/article that I felt were important:

Value-Added Teacher EvaluationInstruments: “The attention to value added, however, doesnothing by itself to help teachers address the educational challenges thatdisadvantaged children bring to the classroom. In that sense it ignores thecorrelation between family background and student performance. Even if it were true that value added modelsgenerated valid and reliable measures of teacher effectiveness (which extensiveresearch shows they generally do not) this focus on teacher effectiveness atbest pushes teachers to work hard toward the goal of raising student testscores, with no attention paid to other academic and non-academic needs ofchildren that may impede their ability to learn (Baker et al, 2010).”

Pay for Performance: “The best U.S. evidence to date indicates that providing financialincentives for teachers to raise test scores does not lead to the desiredresults. In a recent experiment in which randomly assigned math teachers ingrades 5-8 in Nashville were offered large bonuses for raising their students’test scores, for example, no differences emerged in the test scores of thoseteacher offered the incentive and those in the control group (Springer et al,2010). More generally, the focus on test based evaluation of teachersprovides incentives for them to narrow the curriculum to the tested subjects ofmath and reading, and to direct teacher attention to basic skills away fromstudent reasoning skills. In addition, statistical problems of bias andunreliability can lead to unfair and arbitrary treatment of teachers, which inturn lowers morale and reduces the appeal of teaching as a profession (Baker etal, 2010).”

Holding Schools Accountable: “At the same time, individual schools alsoshould be held accountable, but only for things that are under their control.Specifically, they should be held accountable for the internal policies andpractices that help to produce a far broader set of educational outcomes thanstudent achievement alone as measured by test scores. Schools might be heldaccountable, for example, for providing a safe and supportive schoolenvironment and a climate that promotes respect among children and teachers;for tracking the individual developmental needs of all the children they serveand for implementing strategies to address those needs; and for delivering thecurriculum in a coherent manner that engages students as partners in thelearning process and appropriately pushes them all to the limits of theirabilities.”

It is something to consider. Will the efforts really address the problems associated with poor school performance?

Looking forward to 2012 ...

2012-01-02T05:47:00.002-05:00

I am looking forward to 2012. We have 97 school days for students remainingin the 2011-12 school year, and I know it will be extremely busy and productivetime that culminates with graduation on Saturday, June 2.

I hope everyone returns today rested and ready for theimportant work that we have to accomplish during the next six months.

I have to be honest. I woke up this morning a little apprehensive. I had several dreams that signify a feeling of anxiety. I distinctlyremember three different dream scenarios from last night: There’s one where I am a student, and I can’tfind a notebook needed to complete an important homework assignment. Another one in which I’m traveling to work inmy vehicle and several bridges are out keeping me from arriving on thejob. The final scenario is my arrival atwork without any shoes.

My amateur dream analysis tells me this is normal when youreturn from a vacation. There may be somethings that may happen that are unexpected. I also know most folks operate a little better under some stress(if you’re experienced like me, you may recall they called it “level of concern”or “tension” in teaching pedagogy).

Well, I have my notebooks. I don’t anticipate any bridges being out as I drive to work thismorning, and I will be putting on my shoes. I'm ready for whatever comes in 2012!

Best wishes to all for 2012!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

2011-12-20T14:00:00.000-05:00

The blog will resume on Monday, January 2, 2012.

Coffee Time Broadcast for December 19, 2011

2011-12-19T10:56:00.004-05:00

I was a guest on Coffee Time (WSNW) this morning. Also, Dr. Michael Thorsland (Assistant Superintendent for Operations) participated.

The topics covered included the 2010-11 audit, modified calendar, grading practices, and future building plans. The show lasts about 30 minutes and you can listen by using the embedded player below.

SC DOE develops waiver request for NCLB/ESEA and seeks comments

2011-12-19T05:16:00.004-05:00

The SC Department of Education has put together a draft proposal for flexibility under federal accountability laws (NCLB/ESEA).

You can click here to access the SC Department of Education files related to this request. Comments can be submitted on this website (the comment period ends January 23, 2012).

Here a few of the changes that are being requested in the draft document …

Schools would receive a letter grade rather than using the current rating system (excellent, good, etc.).
High performing schools may receive financial incentives for progress.
All teachers would be evaluated on a multi-level scale and performance of students would be a component of this plan.
Principal evaluations will also be modified to include an assessment of school performance.
A sophisticated state-wide assessment system will be developed to track student performance as part of the evaluation process.

We all know that NCLB/ESEA needs modification and change. The US Congress has been unable to act to make revisions, so the US Department of Education is providing an opportunity for states to seek waivers.

Just like NCLB, the real issues are the details of the change. In principle things often sound very good, but the “devil is in the details.”

Congratulations to our newest high school graduates …

2011-12-16T05:09:00.002-05:00

Yesterday there were four new high school graduates from Oconee County. These students were among seven students who received high school diplomas from the Gateway to College program at Tri-County Technical College. The Gateway to College program is a cooperative venture between the seven school districts in Anderson (5 school districts), Oconee and Pickens counties and the technical college.

Gateway students work on their high school diploma and take courses toward a degree at Tri-County Technical College. Plans for the program started about eight years ago when these students were youngsters in elementary school. We’ve had several graduates complete the program from our school district.

The graduation was touching with remarks by Dr. Ronnie Booth of Tri-County Technical College, and then there was a luncheon for the graduates and their guests. The awards component would bring tears to your eyes. The students awarded and paid tribute to individuals who helped them make it through the challenges they’ve faced in life to reach the goal of receiving their high school diploma.

I was so proud of these students, and I join their schools (Seneca High and West-Oak High) in congratulating them on reaching one of life’s important milestones.

You can find out more about the Gateway to College program at TCTC (which will soon become Connect to College) by clicking here.

Show me the money?

2011-12-15T04:50:00.003-05:00

The NY Times has done an investigation into online charter schools (click here to read). Many of these "nonprofit" schools are owned by “for profit” companies. Some operate in our state, too (e.g., Connections Academy).

The article looks specifically at the Agora Cyber Charter School. According to the writer, “by almost every educational measure, the Agora Cyber Charter School is failing.” However, “by Wall Street standards, though, Agora is a remarkable success that has helped enrich K12 Inc., the publicly traded company that manages the school. And the entire enterprise is paid for by taxpayers.”

More and more folks are starting to ask questions. According to the report, “Kids mean money. Agora is expecting income of $72 million this school year, accounting for more than 10 percent of the total anticipated revenues of K12, the biggest player in the online-school business. The second-largest, Connections Education, with revenues estimated at $190 million, was bought this year by the education and publishing giant Pearson for $400 million.”

What’s the reasoning behind such schools? “The growth of for-profit online schools, one of the more overtly commercial segments of the school choice movement, is rooted in the theory that corporate efficiencies combined with the Internet can revolutionize public education, offering high quality at reduced cost.” Or does it? That's the purpose of the news report.

I encourage you to read this interesting investigatory piece about online schools that seem to advertise at the beginning of each semester. How much financial transparency really exists for these corporations running online schools with taxpayer dollars? Is the taxpayer getting a good return? Are the needs of students being met?

The real issue …

2011-12-14T05:12:00.002-05:00

A principal in our district shared a link to a great commentary on the real issue that persists in America’s schools: Poverty.

The op-ed piece is written by Helen F. Ladd (a Duke University professor) and Edward B. Fisk (a former education writer for the NY Times). I think they have a good perspective on the real issues faced by public school educators.

Here are three quotes from the piece (and you can click here to read it in its entirety):

“Large bodies of research have shown how poor health and nutrition inhibit child development and learning and, conversely, how high-quality early childhood and preschool education programs can enhance them. We understand the importance of early exposure to rich language on future cognitive development. We know that low-income students experience greater learning loss during the summer when their more privileged peers are enjoying travel and other enriching activities. “

“Yet federal education policy seems blind to all this. No Child Left Behind required all schools to bring all students to high levels of achievement but took no note of the challenges that disadvantaged students face. The legislation did, to be sure, specify that subgroups — defined by income, minority status and proficiency in English — must meet the same achievement standard. But it did so only to make sure that schools did not ignore their disadvantaged students — not to help them address the challenges they carry with them into the classroom.”

“A final rationale for denying the correlation [correlation of impoverished background and achievement] is more nefarious. As we are now seeing, requiring all schools to meet the same high standards for all students, regardless of family background, will inevitably lead either to large numbers of failing schools or to a dramatic lowering of state standards. Both serve to discredit the public education system and lend support to arguments that the system is failing and needs fundamental change, like privatization.”

There’s always some danger when you extract quotes, so I encourage you to read the entire commentary to gain insight into their perspective.

What about taxes?

2011-12-13T09:59:00.006-05:00

I shared in my earlier post today the results of our audit and a graphic that shares "where the money goes" in our school district.

I shared this slide (below) at our Business and Industry Partnership meeting this morning. Local property taxes (millage) has gone down during the past three years. We've also been fortunate that the value of a mill in Oconee County has increased.

Our county auditor was present at our meeting, and he reminded the group that in some cases lower school millage may have resulted in an increase in the amount of property taxes. As we've reduced millage the homeowner sees less of a credit from the state on his/her tax bill per Act 388.

Of course a reduction of millage does mean lower taxes for our business and industry folks.

2010-11 Audit for the School District of Oconee County

2011-12-13T05:18:00.004-05:00

The School District of Oconee County’s financial audit for 2010-11 was shared with members of the Board of Trustees at their regular December meeting last night.

Stancil, Cooley, Estep, and Stamey, LLP, serve as the independent auditors who review district financial data for the required audit that is due each year. Their primary role is to examine governmental, business-type and major funds and issue an independent report in accordance with Government Auditing Standards. Their report is dated November 21, 2011.

According to the presentation by company representatives, the School District of Oconee County received an “unqualified” opinion with no major findings. An auditor’s opinion is said to be “unqualified” when it is concluded that all financial statements give a true and fair accounting of the financial status under the appropriate framework (e.g., Government Auditing Standards). Some of the financial highlights include:

District assets exceed liabilities by $126 million, an increase in $11.7 million due to recent construction at Seneca and West-Oak high schools;
An unassigned fund balance of $25.5 million which is 32.4% of the general fund expenditures;
A positive net change in fund balance of $2.074 million;
A reduction in long-term debt by $2.3 million (3.8%) over the prior year;
A reduction in revenues of 2.0% for all activities from $124.8 million (2010) to $122.3 million (2011); and
Use of existing fund balance of approximately $2 million to balance the 2011-12 budget.

The audit provides the district with an opportunity to closely examine revenues and expenditures for the year. Using the Financial Analysis Model for Education, which analyzes 100 percent of the general ledger, the District can provide valuable information regarding school and district expenditures in key areas:

Instruction includes expenditures for teachers , substitutes, instructional assistants, pupil-use technology, and instructional materials/supplies;
Instructional Support includes expenditures for guidance counselors, library/media specialists, extracurricular activities, student health, curriculum development, in-service/staff training, program development, and special education;
Operations includes expenditures for transportation, food service, Safety, building upkeep/maintenance, data processing, and business operations;School Management includes expenditures for school principals/assistant principals, and school office personnel;
Program Management includes expenditures for program administration at the district level (administration in the area of assessment, staff development/special programs, and special education); and
Superintendent/Board includes expenditures for the superintendent and board Functions and legal fees associated with district operations.District financial data can be accessed by clicking here and using the links on the left.

Expenditures in these areas can be seen in the graphic above.

Click here to access our financial data on the website. Links are found on the left-hand side of the screen.

SC General Assembly - Pre-Filed Legislation Links

2011-12-12T17:34:00.002-05:00

The SC General Assembly returns to work in January. Several members have pre-filed bills.

Here are the links to the proposed legislation (click on the date):

House Pre-filed Legislation
House Legislation pre-filed on November 29, 2011
House Legislation pre-filed on December 6, 2011

Senate Pre-filed Legislation
Senate Legislation pre-filed on November 28, 2011
Senate Legislation pre-filed on December 5, 2011

Taking a “high stakes” test can be a humbling and disturbing experience…

2011-12-12T05:49:00.003-05:00

I’ve had several people mention a story about a school board member who took one of the state’s accountability tests and found it to be a very humbling (and disturbing) experience. I tried to find the story, but my skills with Google weren’t successful. Last night I received a copy of the story from a community member via e-mail (thanks!).

Here’s a quote from the original story:

“I won’t beat around the bush. The math section had 60 questions. I knew the answers to none of them, but managed to guess ten out of the 60 correctly. On the reading test, I got 62%. In our system, that’s a ‘D’, and would get me a mandatory assignment to a double block of reading instruction.”

You can read the original post (click here) and the follow up (click here) from the Washington Post.

The comments were from Rick Roach, a school board member from Florida, who had recently taken the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test). The FCAT is given annually in grades 3 to 11 in math, science, reading, and writing.

Mr. Roach is a pretty educated man. He has a bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees, and additional credit toward a doctorate. He oversees a company with 22,000 employees with a budget of $3 billion. He’s required to analyze and make sense of some pretty complicated data as part of his job responsibilities. But he got a low score on a 10^th grade accountability test.

He makes a pretty important comment: “It makes no sense to me that a test with the potential for shaping a student’s entire future has so little apparent relevance to adult, real-world functioning.”

I thought these posts were relevant and important as we move to the next generation of tests for the Common Core and “pay for performance” models.

I’ll have to be honest, I am a critic of such accountability measures (i.e., PACT and now PASS). I really like assessments like MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) that actually inform the instruction process.

Well, it was good to see another’s opinion of testing who had actually participated as a test-taker.

Awesome talent …

2011-12-09T05:40:00.001-05:00

As we come to the close of the semester and the arrival of the holidays, schools typically use this time to showcase the talents of their students.

I’ve spent most evenings this week attending as many of the events as possible. I’m helped out by others at the district office who also attend these activities to represent the district administration and our school board.

This week I’ve seen a principal serve as the conductor on the Polar Express, an art exhibit (I was partial to some awesome pigs drawn by third graders), and band, strings, and choral productions. There’s one word that can describe the events: Awesome!

I’m always amazed at the talent of our students. I’m also in awe of the ability of our teachers and staff to nurture and develop this raw talent and showcase it for the community.

There will be another week of such activities, and I encourage folks to check out the awesome talent of our students.

It's time to wash those hands ...

2011-12-08T07:01:00.003-05:00

Working in schools you're bound to come in contact with illness. I was at a school yesterday to meet with an SIC team on the topic of the modified calendar. Everyone seemed to have a cold or be recovering from one.

As a young teacher I was sick quite a bit, but I soon developed a stronger immune system.

One way to prevent illness is to wash your hands. This week is National Handwashing Awareness Week.

Here's a great infographic on the topic. So wash those hands to stay healthy!

Via Certification Map – Teacher Credential & MAT@USC: Teacher Certification

Federal role in K-12 education?

2011-12-07T05:46:00.000-05:00

I read an interesting Op-Ed piece in the NY Times (click here to read) yesterday. Frederick Hess and Linda Darling-Hammond argue for a coherent vision for the federal role in public education.

Both writers represent different political ideologies and perspectives, but they agree that the federal government should not micromanage the public school system.

The two feel that four functions are critically important and essential for the federal role in public education. The federal government should …

Encourage financial transparency on academic performance and spending in America’s schools;
Ensure that schools protect and defend constitutional rights of students (especially those from disadvantaged or vulnerable populations);
Support basic research that asks fundamental questions about learning; and
Sponsor voluntary and competitive grant programs that encourage innovation.

According to Hess and Darling-Hammond, “Beyond this list, the federal government is simply not well situated to make schools and teachers improve — no matter how much ambitious reformers wish it were otherwise. Under our system, dictates from Congress turn into gobbledygook as they travel from the Education Department to state education agencies and then to local school districts. Educators end up caught in a morass of prescriptions and prohibitions, bled of the initiative and energy that characterize effective schools.”

I hope many others read and consider their comments.

Showdown in Columbia this week …

2011-12-06T05:52:00.002-05:00

There was an interesting article in today’s Columbia area newspaper. According to The State, “a showdown is in the works this week over who has a say about accepting federal money for S.C. schools.”

The article goes on to say that “Superintendent of Education Mick Zais is refusing to follow a directive from the state Board of Education regarding federal education money. It is a sign of an increasingly tense relationship between the state’s education leader and could impact decisions on future education money.”

Further, “he will not follow an order from the 17-member board to give it a monthly report on education money available to S.C. schools from the federal government and private groups.”

You can read the story by clicking here.

NY principals angry over new teacher evaluation system …

2011-12-05T05:37:00.004-05:00

The NY Times covered a revolt that is growing among principals in New York. The revolt is related to changes in the evaluation system of teachers (click here to read “Principals Protest Role of Testing and Evaluations”).

Since the article was published, the number of principals signing the protest letter has grown to 756.

Here’s the gist of their concerns: “… the evaluation system was put together in slapdash fashion, with no pilot program; there are test scores to evaluate only fourth-through-eighth-grade English and math teachers; and New York tests are so unreliable that they had to be rescaled radically last year, with proficiency rates in math and English dropping 25 percentage points overnight.”

It is my understanding that our own state is developing a similar pay-for-performance evaluation system. However, superintendents (and human resources folks) have not received any kind of update on what’s happening or being developed.

It is critically important that superintendents, principals and teachers participate in changes in policy related to teacher and principal evaluation. The problem is often that things are imposed on the system; those who know it best are excluded from the conversation. It appears that is what has happened in New York.

My public school is great ...

2011-12-02T05:48:00.003-05:00

The following video was shared at our superintendents' meeting yesterday. Several districts in our state participated with students, teachers, and parents sharing their comments.

I thought it was a great video, and it's a great way to end the week.

Lines of Communication …

2011-12-01T05:38:00.005-05:00

I’ll be off today to a meeting of superintendents from across the state in less than an hour this morning. We generally meet the first Thursday of each month during the school year. Other groups (e.g., instruction, human resources, testing/assessment) also meet periodically.

It has been my experience, since 2005, of local school folks receiving updates from staff members of the SC Department of Education. Each month we learned about instructional programs, proposed regulations, state testing, budget concerns, etc. It also gave local school district folks an opportunity for dialogue regarding programs and services in our state with state officials. I felt informed and enjoyed the opportunity to voice an opinion on such matters.

This exchange of information no longer happens at these meetings. It ended earlier this year when a new administration took office at the Rutledge Building in Columbia, and it may have resulted from the politics of electing a constitutional officer to oversee educational policy.

I guess this helps me understand the need in our state for this policy position to become less political. A move from being elected to being appointed may help.

It is critically important that communication and dialogue exist between local school officials and the Department responsible for policy and regulation of our schools in South Carolina. What is a better way than meeting at the table periodically for such discussion and exchange of information?

The Corporatization of America’s Schools …

2011-11-30T05:58:00.006-05:00

I took time to listen (player below or click here) and read a report (The Nation) by Lee Fang on the efforts to privatize America’s schools. Fang’s contention is that politicians and corporate executives may be taking advantage of this effort. One area that he’s investigated is for profit companies in the area of virtual or online education.

How schooling is delivered to America's children is always up for political and philosophical discussion, but the bottom line is the use of taxpayer money to educate America’s children. We need to look carefully at how funds are being directed and expended (from the local schoolhouse to a "for profit" company).

Regardless of your political ideology, you might want to listen to his comments and observations from his article entitled "How Online Learning Companies Bought America's Schools."

Article links:

http://www.thenation.com/article/164651/how-online-learning-companies-bought-americas-schools

http://www.thenation.com/blog/164850/lee-fang-takes-corporatization-american-schools

Never too tired to text …

2011-11-29T05:11:00.003-05:00

You’ve seen kids (and young adults) do this. They have their two thumbs constantly in action on their cellphones. Folks spend so much time texting. They do it at all times … even while carrying on a face-to-face “conversation.”

I guess it is a generational thing. I don’t text that much, but I’ve heard from colleagues that it is the only way at times to get hold of college-age students. These young adults will respond to a text rather than a voice message, phone call, or e-mail. So, I found this article that arrived in my inbox this morning (click here) very interesting. The article links sleep deprivation and depression to texting.

According to the research referenced in the article, young adults lose as much as 45 minutes of sleep each week due to texting. These young adults already have a “sleep debt” of about two hours each night now. That additional 45 minutes over the week is a big deal.

I’m glad there are some restraints on high school-age students. Texting isn’t permitted in our schools, and many parents continue to regulate (or restrict) the use of cell phones. College kids do not have such a control mechanisms.

So much of technology consumes our lives. In my professional lifetime I’ve seen the advent of e-mail, phone messaging systems, and cell phones. Who knows what will be down the road.

Time flies ...

2011-11-28T05:36:00.004-05:00

As I write this entry this morning, I am fresh from the holiday break. I’m up a little earlier than usual with the anticipation of getting back to work. My mind is full of priorities and things to do, but one thing keeps coming to the forefront: Only 33 days remain in the calendar year!

Time flies. It seems like this year just got started, and I can now successfully write “2011” on my checks and items that I have to date.

What popped in my mind this morning was the story (click here to read) that I read about an experiment that has universal results. People of various ages are asked to estimate a three minute time interval of time (eyes closed). Older adults overestimate it and those who are around 20 years-old get it about right. According to the article “People in their early 20's were accurate within three seconds, and some got it exactly right. People in their 60's estimated that three minutes were up after 3 minutes and 40 seconds had passed. Middle-aged subjects fell in between but, like the older people, all underestimated the passage of time.”

I had to Google the information this morning, and I found a link (click here) to a psychology site that sets up the experiment. It might be fun to do with a group of staff members of various ages to see if the results are similar.

Well, time flies and I have been having fun. These next 33 days are going to be busy. The time, based on brain research, will pass much quicker for me than the kids in our schools.

Here's wishing you a ...

2011-11-21T05:04:00.000-05:00

American Education Week - Fast Facts for 2011-12

2011-11-18T05:50:00.003-05:00

This week has been American Education Week, so let’s end the week with some interesting facts from Institute of Education Sciences (click here).

Elementary and Secondary Education

Enrollment

In 2009–10, there were about 13,600 public school districts (source) made up of over 98,800 public schools, including about 5,000 charter schools (source). During this time, there were about 33,300 private schools offering kindergarten or higher grades (source).

In fall 2011, over 49.4 million students will attend public elementary and secondary schools. Of these, 34.9 million will be in prekindergarten through 8th grade and 14.5 million will be in grades 9 through 12 (source) . An additional 6.0 million students are expected to attend private schools (source).

About 1.1 million children are expected to attend public prekindergarten this fall. Enrollment in kindergarten is projected to reach an all-time high of approximately 3.8 million students (source) .

This fall, about 4.1 million public school students are expected to enroll in 9th grade—the typical entry grade for many American high schools (source).

Teachers

Public school systems will employ about 3.2 million teachers this fall, resulting in a pupil/teacher ratio of 15.5. This ratio is lower than the 2000 ratio of 16.0. Close to 0.5 million teachers will be working in private schools this fall, resulting in an estimated pupil/teacher ratio of 12.9, which is also lower than the 2000 ratio of 14.5 (source) .

Expenditures

Public elementary and secondary schools will spend about $525 billion for the 2011–12 school year. On average, the current expenditure per student is projected at $10,591 for this school year (source) , the same as actual expenditures in 2008–09 (source) .

Attainment

About 3.2 million students are expected to graduate from high school in 2011–12, including 2.9 million students from public high schools and 316,000 students from private high schools (source) .

The percentage of high school dropouts among 16- through 24-year-olds declined from 11.8 percent in 1998 to 8.1 percent in 2009. Although there have been declines in the Black and Hispanic dropout rates–which have traditionally been among the highest–dropout rates for Blacks and Hispanics remain higher than those for Whites and Asians (source and U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, October 2009).

The percentage of students enrolling in college in the fall immediately following high school completion was 70.1 percent in 2009 (source) . Females enrolled at a higher rate (73.8 percent) than males (66.0 percent) (source) .

Change the first five years ...

2011-11-17T05:47:00.004-05:00

A member of the community, a retired educator, shared this video with me yesterday. Our future can be so much brighter if we understand the importance of the first five years.

The video, which runs four minutes, is very powerful.

Change The First Five Years from Best Start on Vimeo.

Playing by the same rules …

2011-11-16T06:17:00.004-05:00

What would you think if Carolina and Clemson each had different rules for collegiate football? Well, presently states all have different rules and expectations for students when it comes to accountability and standards. It makes it difficult to really understand how students are doing.

To make sure we all have the same rules, most states have moved to become part of the Common Core of State Standards Initiative in order to set similar expectations for college and career readiness. With these new standards for learning, new assessments have to be developed. There are two consortia working to develop assessments for use in 2015.

South Carolina made the decision in the summer of 2010 to move to the new standards, and I have added an “app” that allows one to review the standards for English-language arts and mathematics on this blog (check it out on the right side of the page). You can also find free apps for phones and electronic tablets available, too.

We’re in the process of learning and preparing for this transition. Education is a state responsibility, but the use of national standards will provide similar expectation for students.

South Carolina now needs to decide which assessment will be used in the future. I hope the SC Board of Education will soon make this decision. Using the football analogy, our state is presently sitting in the stands watching as other states determine how learning will be assessed. We need to get in the game.

Click here to find out more about the Common Core of State Standards
Click here to visit the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium site
Click here to visit the PARCC (Partnership of Assessment for Readiness for College and Careers)
Click here for one of the Common Core Apps

2011-11-15T07:15:00.000-05:00

WSNW Coffee Time - November 14, 2011

2011-11-15T04:58:00.000-05:00

I was on WSNW's Coffee Time yesterday. My comments were on a range of topics (e.g., modified calendar, report card release, testing program), and you can hear the show by clicking the player below.

Friday’s High School Student Advisory Meeting…

2011-11-14T04:54:00.004-05:00

We have a high school student panel as part of our district advisory groups that I meet with each quarter. Our second meeting was on Friday at West-Oak High. We move the meetings around to the four high schools during the year, and it gives the kids a chance for them to see another school campus.

The group always offers great advice, and we’ve focused on the modified calendar and new grading practices/protocols that have been in place this year. These students are not shy, and they offer their impassioned advice. I truly appreciate their ability to “cut to the chase” from the student perspective.

I also enjoy visiting the campuses, and I come across some interesting things. The media center at the school had some of the neatest social studies projects on display. The students, studying world history, had to determine the “most absolute monarch.” There were projects with Louis XIV, Henry VIII, Marie Theresa, Elizabeth I, etc. The students replicated a picture or profile of the monarch with important information about their reign and why they were most absolute. It was great to see the information succinctly summarized and the creativity exhibited by the students in the depiction of the ruler. What a great project!

After the lunch meeting, members of the leadership team rode to see the new barn that was constructed across the road from the campus. This may be one of the few (or only) campus buildings approved by the Office of School Facilities in Columbia as a school barn. The barn is an essential part of the agriculture program offered at West-Oak High.

While in the barn I met Henry. Henry is the latest addition to the West-Oak Agriculture Program. Henry’s name is on his stall with a few messages from students. At first, he was a little shy. However, Henry soon approached us and began to talk to us.

Here are a couple of pictures of Henry taken by Dr. Michael Thorsland during our stop at the barn.

Thank You Veterans!

2011-11-11T07:53:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite activities on my Friday drive to work is listening to a Story Corps selection on NPR. These short oral histories are very touching.

The one I heard this morning was illustrative of the sacrifice of our Veterans. It tells the story of a young 17 year old and his experience at the attack on Pearl Harbor.

You can click on the player below to hear this tale (Warning: It’s rather graphic) or you can click here to go to the webpage.

I extend my appreciation to our Veterans for their sacrifice to our nation.

Visiting the Hamilton Career Center

2011-11-11T05:41:00.010-05:00

Each semester I set aside time to visit in classrooms in each school in the district. I had my final observations for this semester yesterday when I visited the Hamilton Career Center. It was a great visit, and, I must admit, a first for me during my 30+ years of experience.

Certified Nursing Assistant

My first stop was the CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) class. The students have classroom time, and they also have time where they practice what they’ve learned. It is all about demonstrating their skills. I walked in and the students were monitoring their fellow student "patients" in the health room setting.

The students were going through the required 24 skills that will be tested when they complete the required certification exam. The instructor monitored and marked their progress. A student was checking the patient’s pulse. Another was doing foot care. Others were practicing with bedpans.

One young lady approached me and asked if I would serve as her patient. I couldn’t say no, so I was up in the hospital bed. She quickly went through the bedpan procedures. That was a first for me … to have a student demonstrate this procedure. They even took pictures and I'm sharing one below.

Another great strategy in the classroom was the use of a heart made with painters tape (see photo below). As the students studied the circulation system, he/she could walk the blood flow process and label it with arrows. It was a great way to learn using multiple modalities.

The students were great, and they expertly described what they were doing. Each expressed an interest in a future medical career. We have many future CNAs, nurses and other health care practitioners in this class. I even saw the skill they will use if I'm ever bedridden.

Machine Tool Technology

I moved from the CNA class to the Machine Tool Technology classroom. This class is all applied mathematics (e.g., measurements, calculations, drawings). Students had successfully demonstrated completing a drill plate task, and it was fascinating to learn about the strategies they used to complete the calculations to complete the process (e.g., formula for calculating RPMs for cutting tools, reaming allowances). The students color coded the worksheets to help determine which calculation was the correct procedure.

The students were busy working on an individual project creating a "hitch pin bushing." I approached a student and he explained the step he was on in the process. One student used metal shavings to demonstrate why coolant was critical in the process.

Success in this class means almost guaranteed employment. Many of the students can also work and have their tuition paid as they complete additional study at Tri-County Technical College.

The students were great, and I was impressed with their ability to describe the process to someone like me who has such limited knowledge of the use of these cutting and boring tools in the manufacturing process.

I appreciate the teacher's passion for the cooperative experience and making sure his classroom matched the job requirements of our local industry.

Law Enforcement Class

My time was running short before the end of the period, and my final visit was in the law enforcement class. As I entered the classroom, a student was demonstrating her skill at administering a field sobriety test. Another student served as the individual being assessed; he was wearing special goggles that distorted and interfered with his motor skills. With strobe lights from a simulated law enforcement vehicle, the young lady put the individual through the routine. Students in the class were to use their powers of observation: What was done correctly? What evidence existed of driver impairment? What about probable cause?

The students responded, and demonstrated their knowledge. I was impressed with the activity, and I know this course has increased their interest and awareness of law enforcement careers.

It was a great day, and I really enjoyed seeing students in the hands-on application of their classroom learning.

2011 Report Cards Issued ...

2011-11-10T04:56:00.005-05:00

As part of the 1998 Education Accountability Act, school and district report cards were released online earlier this morning. You can see our district and school report cards in the post below. Other districts and schools will be available later today by clicking here.

In the area of Absolute Performance, most schools in the School District of Oconee County maintained or improved the absolute and growth/improvement rating received in 2010.

The District received a "Good" rating on both Absolute and Growth this year.

I find the statistics on the district and schools to be most interesting. For instance, the report card details per student expenditure (a low of $6904 to a high of $11,083), mean salary for the teacher at a school location (district average is $47,500), attendance rates, on-time graduation rates, etc.

Here’s the summary of the information and some of the selected statistics:

Click to make the graphic larger.

SDOC 2011 Report Card Files

2011-11-10T04:55:00.004-05:00

School District of Oconee County	Summary Report	Full Report
Elementary Schools
Blue Ridge Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
Fair-Oak Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
James M. Brown Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
Keowee Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
Northside Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
Oakway Intermediate	Summary Report	Full Report
Orchard Park Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
Ravenel Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
Tamassee-Salem Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
Walhalla Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
Westminster Elementary	Summary Report	Full Report
Middle Schools
Seneca Middle	Summary Report	Full Report
*Tamassee-Salem Middle	Summary Report	Full Report
Walhalla Middle	Summary Report	Full Report
West-Oak Middle	Summary Report	Full Report
High Schools
Seneca High	Summary Report	Full Report
*Tamassee-Salem High	Summary Report	Full Report
Walhalla High	Summary Report	Full Report
West-Oak High	Summary Report	Full Report
**Hamilton Career Center	Summary Report	Full Report

*Tamassee-Salem Middle/High receives two reports because of its grade configuration (Grades 6-12)

**Career Center Report Cards have not been published at this time.

Educating students since 1946 …

2011-11-09T05:15:00.004-05:00

I don’t know if you saw this NY Times article (click here to read) yesterday, but it was inspirational to me.

Mrs. Madeleine P. Brennan has been an educator in the NY Public Schools since 1946. She’s also served as a principal of a middle school for over 48 years (she's been at the school longer than most teachers at the school have been alive).

We too often see negative news, and educators often only make the headlines when something bad has happened. It was refreshing to see the community celebrate the service of Mrs. Brennan as she plans to retire at the conclusion of this school year.

She’s a traditionalist (well, maybe other than on rhinestone day). She runs a tight ship. So, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read about her service to the Brooklyn community.

Video as mental Velcro ...

2011-11-08T05:16:00.006-05:00

I have always loved to use videos as an instructional tool, and I have a pretty big collection I use when doing workshops. My experience with video goes back to the old reel to reel films you ordered from the state’s lending library to school owned filmstrips (Hey, I remember when they came out with a projector that automatically advanced filmstrips using a cassette taped script).

My final years as a teacher the VCR was in use, and I learned to edit videos by connecting two VCRs together so that I could use parts of a film that made the point (and saved valuable classroom time).

Videos are still a great tool, but they’re even better today. Teachers in our classrooms use Brain Pop and other short videos to introduce or summarize units. Many folks take snippets of films to illustrate a concept, and it can easily be manipulated with the computer and editing software.

The video becomes the mental Velcro that helps students or adults remember the message. Often folks will remember a funny, provocative, or intriguing video; the message conveyed by the speaker comes back instantly as a result of this technique (e.g., the mental Velcro).

I came across the video below on another blog I read yesterday. I think it’s about as perfect as an instructional video can get. It’s less than three minutes and it provides so much instruction on the world’s population growth.

Check out the video ...

Visualizing How a Population Reaches 7 Billion from NPR on Vimeo.

Teacher Cadets ...

2011-11-07T05:22:00.005-05:00

When I checked my e-mail Saturday morning, the picture above was in my mailbox. One of the school counselors had sent me the picture.

The Teacher Cadet program is a college credit high school class offered in the district’s high schools. According to the program mission statement at Anderson University, “The primary goal of the Teacher Cadet Program is to encourage academically able students who possess exemplary interpersonal and leadership skills to consider teaching as a career. An important secondary goal of the Program is to provide these talented future community leaders with insights about teachers and schools so that they will be civic advocates of education.”

In my long career as an educator, I’ve had cadets spend time in my classroom as an assistant or to work directly with students. One of these cadets I worked with didn’t become a teacher, but now serves as a member of the SC General Assembly (the secondary goal of the program).

It was great to see this picture of Oconee students excited about learning more about the education profession. I know we'll have future teachers, principals, and community leaders emerge from this group.

You can find out more about the program sponsored by Center for Education Recruitment, Retention and Advancement by clicking here.

What about poverty?

2011-11-04T06:55:00.005-04:00

This week the NAEP results were released. The news was shared that South Carolina’s results were below the national average. Concern was expressed about such stagnant performance, but I think a few other factors should be considered.

First, when you deal with a mean score then someone has to be below average. The “Lake Wobegon Effect” where all children are above average cannot really exist. So, some states have to be below average.

Second, we know there’s a strong correlation between poverty and student performance (e.g., SAT scores resemble family income levels). I was interested in this relationship, so I looked at the 2008 state poverty levels (US Census data) and compared it to the results.

The slides below illustrate this relationship, and you can see that most states with higher poverty tended to perform below the mean NAEP score.

The real problem in many states is poverty.

Source of Poverty Data:

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/rankings.html

Source of NAEP Reading Data: http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_2011/reading_2011_report/

A snapshot of public education in South Carolina …

2011-11-03T06:07:00.003-04:00

Superintendents from districts across South Carolina meet in Columbia today. It’s not our regular monthly meeting, but one in which we share a vision for public education in our state. A new website has been designed and you can check it out by clicking here.

The website provides a snapshot of what public education should be in our state.

Visiting Fair-Oak Elementary and Oakway Intermediate …

2011-11-02T05:32:00.005-04:00

I spent time yesterday at Fair-Oak Elementary (PK-Grade 3) and Oakway Intermediate (Grades 4-5) yesterday morning.

Fair-Oak Elementary

I was to spend my time in 3rd grade classrooms at FOES.

My first stop was small group instruction in English-language Arts. The teacher was working with a small group of students as others completed work at their desk, a computer station, or in a favorite reading location in the room. The small group of students was having a discussion of the book Ivy and Bean with the teacher. The students were using a great graphic organizer called “Character Cash.” Each student had selected a character and were describing to the teacher why they identified with the character. They used their skills to predict, and were planning on working in groups to retell aspects of the story. I was impressed with the thinking and conversation in the group.

My next classroom was a group of students identified as gifted and talented. They were getting ready to create a quilt related to mathematics vocabulary and operations. The teacher called the group together and they read the book Cassie’s Word Quilt as an introduction to the activity. I was fascinated by the story of the tar beach, and a student quickly pointed out that a “tar beach” was a rooftop and the tar was kind of like a beach when you had a picnic. The story, with its urban setting, was very different from the environs of our area. The students moved back to their desk, and they were to begin figuring out how to exemplify math operations on a quilt. Each student selected a unit (percents/chance, factoring, multiplication and division, etc.) and were to cut out the symbols for the quilt square. I was with a group of boys and it was interesting to hear them discuss their thinking (pizza for percentages, etc.) and see their creativity with the activity.

I moved down the hall to another 3rd grade classroom. This group was also doing small group English-language arts activities. As in the first class, students were engaged at stations. I took a seat, and a young lady shared with me the station menu of activities they were using. The teacher worked with a three young men, and they were discussing The Night Crossing. The guys were about to read three pages, but the teacher prompted them to think about something unpleasant that had happened to them. They were to keep this in mind as they read the three pages. Vocabulary (especially the use of context clues to determine meaning) and comprehension were part of the discussion. As this small group worked together, all other students were on task. It was impressive.

I enjoyed my time at Fair-Oak. Students were all engaged in tasks that required thinking and creativity.

Oakway Intermediate School

I traveled the short distance to Oakway Intermediate. I was going to spend time in the fourth and fifth grade (the only grades at the school).

My first stop was in the art classroom. I wasn’t scheduled to visit the class, but I wanted to congratulate the art teacher who serves Fair-Oak Elementary (4 days per week) and Oakway Intermediate (1 day per week). The teacher was just named the Elementary Art Teacher of the Year by the SC Art Education Association. The kids in the class were engaged in one of two activities, and I checked them out before slipping off to a classroom.

My first classroom visit was in the science lab. Fourth grade students were learning more about the scientific method. A quick video illustrated the process, and the goal in the class to predict (hypothesize) which solution polished pennies better (click here for the activity). They had three liquids provided by the teacher and could select the fourth as small groups. I joined one of the groups, and they formed hypotheses related to the liquids: milk, cola, lemon juice, and a solution of choice (orange juice, Gain detergent, vinegar, or water). The group I was with chose to have vinegar as their fourth solution in the experiment. The students explained their reasoning for selecting vinegar to me (mainly it was related to previous experiments). I exited as they dropped the pennies for the five minutes in the solutions. The teacher was ready to use that five minutes for learning, and the students were to review with a song. I wonder if the students’ hypotheses proved true? I’ll have to follow up with the class to find out.

My next stop was 5th grade English-language arts. The students were busy in groups with the Daily 5 rotations (e.g., Read to Self, Work on Writing, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, and Word Work). I saw each of these in action, and the teacher held a mini conference with individual students to discuss reading progress (fluency, vocabulary, etc.). I was excited to overhear the student conferencing with the teacher was reading The Sea of Monsters which sounded like the monsters from The Odyssey that I found interesting at this same age. I liked seeing the Word Work group working on Greek and Latin Stems, too.

I moved down the hall to PE in the gymnasium. The students were beginning a unit on bowling. I learned some fascinating things (Did you an English king banned bowling because his men preferred it to archery practice?). The teacher modeled bowling positions (holding and throwing) and some safety procedures. Then everyone was assigned to one of five groups to begin practice. The teacher planned to take the group on a field trip for some real bowling experience later in the grading period.

I really enjoyed my time at Oakway Intermediate, too. I was pleased to see active learning as I moved from class to class.

Why do kids misbehave?

2011-11-01T06:04:00.008-04:00

I read an article this morning about student behavior, and it brought to mind a workshop I have done on student behavior for various groups (I think I originated the workshop for bus drivers). I’m no expert on the issue, but based on my readings and experience as an educator, student behavior (and especially misbehavior) occurs for a reason. To be successful in managing any misbehavior, you have to understand the antecedent or cause and address it appropriately.

I’m including the four slides below that I’ve used to help identify the four main reasons for misbehavior. One often can determine the reason for the behavior by examining your personal reaction to the kid. So, if you’re angry as a parent or teacher, it is most likely that the child is trying to gain power or control of the situation (see the response chart below).

There are numerous resource guides on trying to understand and manage child behavior. One of the sites I’ve used in the past is www.disciplinehelp.com. This site may be helpful because it provides possible causes for the behavior and suggestions on how best to handle the situation.

We all come across students acting out. To be success, it is our behavior and reaction as an adult that is critical. Our reactions either diminish or reinforce the inappropriate behavior.