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Merry Christmas
December 21, 2015
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Seasons Greetings to you...
from the Officers and Directors of the Horace Mann League
In the United States almost all recent designs of teacher evaluation systems rely on standardised tests of student achievement as a substantial part of, or all of the teacher evaluation process. These tests have one characteristic that makes them completely inappropriate for this purpose; namely, they are remarkably insensitive to teacher behaviour. Standardised achievement tests instead reflect demographic characteristics of the students who are tested. In this lecture Professor Berliner will explore how teachers impact individual students enormously, but affect standardised test results only a little. (Read more.)
 No fools, though, the school choice being sold is intentionally limited-pedagogically speaking. It operates by filtering more involved parents and compliant students away from challenging mixed-ability classrooms. Homogenized into a setting where surprises, behaviors and distractions can be minimized-student test scores are more likely to increase because they are freed from the mix of challenges in the traditional education setting. I will never say that I don't appreciate even one child who realizes better outcomes, regardless of the setting that inspires those outcomes, but let's be honest about "choices" and who is doing the real heavy lifting. Not all students are capable of conforming to the ultra-strict behavior codes imposed in many choice schools, and not all parents wait teary eyed for a chance to be involved in either their child's academic success, or to be the focus of a carefully directed camera shot in a dramatically scored scene...you know-while they wait for Superman. (Read more.)
The U.S. Department of Education is celebrating a new milestone for the nation's high-school graduation rate, with just over 82 percent of seniors earning diplomas in 2014. But
these statistics
, like so many others in the education realm, should come with a warning label: The numbers don't tell the full story.
While this marks four consecutive years of improvement, and a record high nationally, the
GradNation
campaign-a leading organization pushing to improve outcomes and opportunities for high schoolers-called Tuesday's news "sobering." Here's why: Eighty-two percent was still a few tenths of a percent short of being on track for meeting the campaign's goal of a 90 percent graduation rate by the year 2020. And there are still significant gaps in the performance of black and Hispanic students, kids from low-income families, and English-language learners. (
Read more.)
On December 10 2015, that changed.
Will the Every Student Succeeds Act live up to its name and assure equal educational opportunity for every one of America's
50 million public school children?
As educators with both professional and personal (Felicity Crawford as special education teacher-educator, and Mary Battenfeld as a historian and urban public school parent) stakes in K-12 policy and practice, we think the answers range from certainly, in some ways, to a clear no.
The provisions of this 1,061-page bill (about 400 more than NCLB) do not vary radically from the "accountability through testing" mandates that have marked federal education policy for the last 14 years. The main difference is that the ESSA hands the educational accountability ball from the federal government to the states. (
Read more.)
Since then, national advocates have been weighing what impact that decision could have on charter schools in other states. Although the Washington Supreme Court doesn't have jurisdiction beyond its state, its ruling could provide a roadmap for charter school opponents elsewhere, they say. (
Read more.)
 I use Facebook every day, multiple times a day. It's such an automatic activity at this point that I couldn't even guess at an exact count. With the app for my phone, I can check Facebook as easily as I check the time. When I log in, my eyes dart to the small red number in the upper right-hand corner of the screen that tells me how much attention my status updates, shared links, and photos have received. Social media has become a fundamental part of my life. As an American in 2015, I am the rule, not the exception.
And yet, a 2013 study from the University of Michigan found that as its 82 participants increased their Facebook use over two weeks, their happiness and sense of well-being declined. And in a 2012 study by Anxiety UK, a majority of participants said social media use was an overall negative experience. Seventy-one percent of adult Internet users in the United States use Facebook. (
Read more.)
 If a school board is to govern effectively, its members must understand the board's limitations and develop a strategy for overcoming them. Here are three major limitations boards must overcome, and 10 lessons I have learned in my two decades of board service.
1 Our Time is Limited
2 We Act Indirectly The board acts through others.
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We are Limited by Low Expectations
4. A "soft bigotry of low expectations" affects the board as well.
5. Too many of us are overly dependent on the superintendent.
6. Two Final Lessons
A. LESSON: Board members need to recognize and assert their unique expertise as citizen-representatives.
B. LESSON: Boards need to recognize their own expertise as a governing board.
 School leaders are always looking for quality professional learning opportunities for themselves and their teachers. For me, there is still nothing better than participating in an hour Twitter chat. Dedicating some time to show staff where they can connect with colleagues from around the globe who have similar interests is well worth the time.
Here are the top five reasons that school leaders should get themselves and their teachers involved in Twitter chats:
- Build your network -
- Solve problems -
- Receive affirmation -
- Find experts -
- Keep up with current trends - (Read more.)
More about how moderate a chat,
click here.
Golden Rules for Engaging Students in Learning Activities
When we think of student engagement in learning activities, it is often convenient to understand engagement with an activity as being represented by good behavior (i.e. behavioral engagement), positive feelings (i.e. emotional engagement), and, above all, student thinking (i.e. cognitive engagement) (Fredricks, 2014).
 Following is a statement from AFT President Randi Weingarten on a Santa Fe judge's ruling to grant a preliminary injunction that will immediately halt the use of New Mexico's flawed teacher evaluation system.
"In a decision that will resonate through communities across America, Judge Thomson recognized that New Mexico's teacher evaluation system is deeply flawed, and deprives students of the high-quality educators they deserve while also hurting and demoralizing teachers-the very people we rely on to help students. The ruling stays the use of the New Mexico value-added system and should be a wake-up call to Gov. Susana Martinez and state Education Secretary Hanna Skandera who promoted this system, despite warnings from major educational research organizations and others about using value-added measures for high-stakes decisions. (Read more.)
 So what are teachers responsible for? I'm a teacher, and have been asked that by people who themselves tweet, post, describe, posit and blog regarding what they have learned about teaching through their efforts to travel, talk and write. They visit schools, attend school reform celebrations, talk to some teachers and students, read articles about schools and teaching... Sometimes I'm communicating with those who have had a child in some school somewhere, at some point in time. They may have even gone to school at some point, or served on a school board or even committed to the obligatory two or three-year classroom stint that pads a resume, lends a pinch of street-cred and paves the way to non-profit edu-activism (and the right to banter about teaching and teachers at one of those reform celebrations). I don't think they really wonder what teachers are responsible for, though-they think they have that one all figured out. (Read more.)
AASA Names Finalists for 2016 National Superintendent of the Year
The School Superintendents Association, announced today the finalists for the 2016 National Superintendent of the Year. This marks the 29th anniversary of the program, which honors school system leaders throughout the country. There are four finalists.
Webb became superintendent of Vancouver Public Schools in July 2008. He joined the district as deputy superintendent in 2006. Webb has a distinguished 31-year career in public education in Washington and California, serving as superintendent, deputy superintendent, assistant superintendent for secondary learning and technology, principal and assistant principal, high school teacher and coach. He is an active member of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools and the Western States Benchmarking Consortium. He co-chairs the Coalition for Community Schools Superintendents Leadership Council and serves on the Horace Mann League board of directors. In 2014, Webb was one of eight public school leaders in the nation selected by eSchool News as a Tech-Savvy Superintendent. He currently serves on the boards of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington and Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools. He is also a member of the Washington State University Vancouver Advisory Council and on the Board of Directors of the Horace Mann League of the USA.
Upcoming Event:
The 94rd Annual Meeting of the Horace Mann League will be held on Friday, February, 12, 2016, at the Phoenix Downtown Sheraton Hotel, starting at 11:45 am. Registration information, click here.
Special awards will be presented to the following at the annual meeting.
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| Dr. Andy Hargreaves Outstanding Friend of Public Education. Professor and Author, Boston College |
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Dr. Gene Glass
Outstanding Public
Education. Professor and Author, National Education Policy Center
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Gary Marx
Outstanding Friend of the League. Author and Past President of the HML, President of Public Outreach
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Sponsor a Professional Colleague for membership in the Horace Mann League.
Click here to download the "Sponsor a Colleague" form.
Starting the week off with a cartoon.
A gift for your Community Leaders:
On the Art of Teaching
by Horace Mann.
The book,
On The Art of Teaching by Horace Mann has been presented to new teachers as a welcome gift by a number of schools district. For orders of 50 or more, the district's name is printed on the front cover.
Ordering Information
Cost per copy: $12.50
Orders of 50 to 99: $11.00
Orders of 100 or more: $10.00
Send orders to: (include name of district, P.O. #, and address)
The Horace Mann League of the USA
560 Rainier Lane
Port Ludlow, WA 98365
FAX (866) 389 0740
To
download the full or summary report,
To
view in an electronic magazine format,
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A Few Political Cartoons for the Week
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Horace Mann Prints
The 11 * 18 inch print is available for individual or bulk purchase. Individual prints are $4.00. Discount with orders of 50 or more.
For additional information about this or other prints, please
check here
.
 In 1840 Mann wrote On the Art of Teaching. Some of HML members present
On the Art of Teaching to new teachers as part of their orientation program. On the inside cover, some write a personal welcome message to the recipient. Other HML members present the book to school board members and parental organizations as a token of appreciation for becoming involved in their schools. The book cover can be designed with the organization's name. For more information, contact the HML (
Jack McKay)
All the past issues of the HML Posts are available for review and search purposes.
Finally, 7 links that may be of interest to you.
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About Us
The
Horace Mann League
of the USA is an honorary society that promotes the ideals of Horace Mann by advocating for public education as the cornerstone of our democracy.
Officers:
President: Dr. Charles Fowler, Exec. Director, Suburban School Administrators, Exeter, HN
President-elect: Dr. Christine Johns-Haines, Superintendent, Utica Community Schools, MI
Vice President: Dr. Martha Bruckner, Superintendent, Council Bluffs Community Schools, IA
1st Past President: Mr. Gary Marx, President for Public Outreach, Vienna, VA
2nd Past President: Dr. Joe Hairston, President, Vision Unlimited, Reisterstown, MD
Directors:
Dr. Laurie Barron, Supt. of Schools, Evergreen School District, Kalispell , MT
Dr. Evelyn Blose-Holman, (ret.) Superintendent, Bay Shore Schools, NY
Mr. Jeffery Charbonneau, Science Coordinator, ESD 105 and Zillah HS, WA
Dr. Carol Choye, Instructor, (ret.) Superintendent, Scotch Plains Schools, NJ
Dr. Brent Clark, Executive Director, Illinois Assoc. of School Admin. IL
Dr. Linda Darling Hammond, Professor of Education, Stanford U. CA
Dr. James Harvey, Exec. Dir., Superintendents Roundtable, WA
Dr. Eric King, Superintendent, (ret.) Muncie Public Schools, IN
Dr. Steven Ladd, Superintendent, (ret.) Elk Grove Unified School District, Elk Grove, CA
Dr. Barry Lynn, Exec. Dir., Americans United, Washington, DC
Dr. Kevin Maxwell, CEO, Prince George's County Schools, Upper Marlboro, MD
Dr. Stan Olson, President, Silverback Learning, (former supt. of Boise Schools, ID)
Dr. Steven Webb, Supt. of Schools, Vancouver School District, WA
Executive Director:
Dr. Jack McKay, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska at Omaha,
560 Rainier Lane, Port Ludlow, WA 98365 (360) 821 9877
To become a member of the HML, click here to download an application.
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For an education movement that's
