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Welcome to the HML POST - For busy leaders of public education.
(Editorials and research articles are selected by
Jack McKay, Executive director of the HML.
Topics are selected to provoke a discussion about the importance of strong public schools. McKay is Professor Emeritus from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the Department of Educational Administration and a former superintendent in Washington state.) Feedback is always appreciated.
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Dr. David Berliner, the Regents' Professor Emeritus and former dean of the College of Education at Arizona State University, awards the 2014 Bunkum Awards for Shoddy Education Research.
Bad students often hate school.
Not exactly shocking, I know.
But perhaps more surprising is the pattern of low, sloppy or inconsistent academic achievement by so many of those adults who consider themselves education reformers, particularly
corporate school reformers
.
Our ideas of school are certainly formed during our years in it. Those working so diligently
to destroy the public school system
and
reshape it to resemble the business model
are so often people who didn't fit in. They earned low grades or only excelled in subjects they really liked. Perhaps school failed them or perhaps they failed school. There's no way to know for sure since school records are almost always kept private. But details do trickle through and display a clear pattern - a pattern that certainly gives the appearance of an ulterior motive. (
Read more.)
There's Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, in his hoodie, earning his first billion by the age of 23.
There's Miley Cyrus, preening for the cameras in a flesh-baring act that recalls a Snapchat sexting session.
There's Lena Dunham, TV's queen of overshare, spiraling into navel-gazing soliloquies that seem scripted from the therapist's couch.
They're brash, they're narcissistic, they're entitled. Or so the cliché goes.
But what about "Generation Z," the generation born after millennials that is emerging as the next big thing for market researchers, cultural observers and trend forecasters? (
Read more.)
Booster Enterprises, which says it currently hosts
Boosterthon
events in schools in about 35 states, is one of several firms offering to outsource fundraisers known as "fun runs." In 16 states, kids are participating in a similar program hosted by an Arizona-based company called
Apex Fun Run
. And still other schools use a comparable fun run fundraiser company called
FundRunners
. The general structure for all three appears to be pretty similar: the companies send a team to each school to promote "character education," fitness, and pledges. They host pep rallies, spend several days getting the kids excited for the fundraiser, and then cheer on the students as they run laps around a track to earn sponsor contributions. And they take a
large percentage
of the haul. (Read more.)
 There wasn't a lot of fanfare, but last week may turn out to be among the most consequential of President Obama's second term. By
executive order, Mr. Obama directed federal agencies to incorporate behavioral science - insights into how people actually make decisions - into their programs.
When government programs fail, it is often because public officials are clueless about how human beings think and act. (
Read more.)
 US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stopped in Pittsburgh at private university, Carnegie Mellon, to promote Common Core and its tests.
During that visit, Duncan said that the signature low scores on Common Core tests did not mean that students were "less smart than they were six months ago or a year ago."
However, two years ago,
in November 2013,
Duncan said some mothers were indeed realizing that their kids weren't so smart:
It's fascinating to me that some of the pushback [toward Common Core] is coming from, sort of, white suburban moms who - all of a sudden - their child isn't as brilliant as they thought they were and their school isn't quite as good as they thought they were....
(
Read more.)
 Consider the AP story, for example. It says that, across seven states, "overall scores [were] higher than expected, though still below what many parents may be accustomed to seeing." But the only things that have been released are percentages of students who supposedly meet "proficiency" levels. Those are not test scores-certainly not what parents would understand as scores. They are entirely subjective measurements.
Here's why. When a child takes a standardized test, his or her results are turned into a "raw score," that is, the actual number of questions answered correctly, or when an answer is worth more than one point, the actual number of points the child received. That is the only real objective "score," and yet, Common Core raw scores have not been released. (
Read more.)
 Critics say
the Ohio State Board of Education is practicing some fuzzy math on the Common Core, having voted earlier this week to depart from general benchmarks on the PARCC exam. Students who are "nearing expectations" according to PARCC benchmarks will be given a promotion of sorts in Ohio, where they'll be considered "proficient." If Ohio stuck with PARCC's benchmarks, about a third of students would be meeting standards, according to the early data, which includes only students who took the online tests. The board's change roughly doubles the number of students meeting standards. "This discrepancy should give pause to parents, community leaders and policy makers who expect transparency in Ohio's transition to higher standards and new tests," Karen Nussle, executive director of the pro-Common Core group Collaborative for Student Success, wrote
in a memo earlier this week. It "suggests that Ohio has set the proficiency bar too low and undermines the promise of ensuring kids are on track for college and career." (Read more.)
 With the new school year, it's time to take a look at how the lobbyists representing everyone from teachers unions to bus company owners and textbook publishers try to educate lawmakers in D.C.
Among the biggest spenders on lobbying are the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers, the two teachers' unions. (
Read more.)
 Collective learning from professional practices/approaches has been considered to be an important pedagogical framework for developing preservice teachers' capacities to meet the growing challenges in today's schoolwork. This collaborative learning framework represents a shift in emphasis from focusing on student teachers' teaching, to the notion of student as learner (Le Cornu & Ewing, 2008). Thus, collective process where preservice teachers are requested to reflect on the results they obtained in an activity (Fortus, Krajcik, Deshimer, Marx, & Naaman, 2005) has enjoyed widespread application in teacher preparatory programs around the world, especially in North America (Dean, 1999; Edens, 2000; Edwards & Hammer, 2006; Goodnough, 2003). (
Read more.)
 Are Americans signaling that they want changes that would boost the professionalism of teaching?
Americans want higher professional requirements for teachers and believe teacher pay is too low, but they don't like tenure, according to the newest PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.
Public school parents trust and have confidence in the nation's teachers, and they said communicating with their child's teacher is easy. In broad terms, the PDK/Gallup poll indicates that Americans believe schools are safe places where children are able to do their best work and that teachers recognize and praise good effort at school. (
Read more.)
 Our findings suggest that central office administrators are able to buck institutional trends and productively lead PPLCs provided (1) they come to the work with a teaching rather than directive or managerial orientation, and (2) central offices intentionally create other conditions to foster their success. Future research should aim to further understanding of principal learning in PPLCs and how central office and other leaders can productively facilitate the process. (Read more.)
 Some of the nation's top legal scholars, education policy experts, civil rights advocates, award-winning teachers, school board members and administrators filed five amici curiae, or "friend of the court," briefs with the California Court of Appeal today. The filings shine a spotlight on the numerous and major flaws that would harm students in last year's decision striking down important due process rights for California educators, as well as other laws governing hiring and layoffs of state educators. The briefs strongly criticize the Vergara ruling on both legal and policy grounds, urging that the decision be reversed. (Read more.)
 Schools are where young people first learn how to interact with their communities in official and personal capacities, and offer a touchstone to reconnect with way down the line. Our schools are signposts in the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and our communities. When I was reporting from Ferguson last summer, folks I talked to from all over St. Louis told me that the customary greeting asked of strangers upon the first meeting is, "What high school did you go to?" The answer, they said, carries with it all sorts of local meaning about just who you were and who you knew. (Read more.)
 Policymakers are revolutionizing teacher evaluation by attaching greater stakes to student test scores and observation-based teacher effectiveness measures, but relatively little is known about why they often differ so much. Quantitative analysis of thirty schools suggests that teacher value-added measures and informal principal evaluations are positively, but weakly, correlated. Qualitative analysis suggests that some principals give high value-added teachers low ratings because the teachers exert too little effort and are "lone wolves" who work in isolation and contribute little to the school community. The results suggest that the method of evaluation may not only affect which specific teachers are rewarded in the short term, but shape the qualities of teacher and teaching students experience in the long term. (Read more.)
 To be a good leader means that you can inspire others to follow your example, willingly and cheerfully. A good leader will both inspire confidence and give a strong example of what we should aim for. These are the characteristics of a good leader.
1. Lead by example.
2. Humility.
3. Appreciate your Co Workers.
4. Have a Clear vision.
5. Avoid arguments.
6. Listen to others.
7. Create a positive atmosphere.
8. Don't take yourself too seriously. (
Read more.)
 Speaking at the
British Science Festival in Bradford, England, on Tuesday, neuroscientist and sleep advocate
Paul Kelley argued schoolchildren and their adult counterparts shouldn't have to start their formal obligations for the day until much later in the day. He suggested a start time as late as 10 a.m. for schools, rather than the U.K. standard of 9 a.m.. Such a change, Kelley said, could improve test scores by as much as 10%.
"This is a huge society issue," he told attendees, according to
BuzzFeed News
. "Staff should start at 10 a.m. You don't get back to [a natural 9 a.m schedule] starting point until 55. Staff are usually sleep-deprived. We've got a sleep-deprived society. It is hugely damaging on the body's systems because you are affecting physical emotional and performance systems in the body." (
Read more.)
Sponsor a Professional Colleague for membership in the Horace Mann League.
Click here to download the "Sponsor a Colleague" form.
A gift for your New Teachers: 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,
-------------------------------------------
A Few Political Cartoons for the Week
-------------------------------------
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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It is hard to remember that we once had stable schools in this country. That was before No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top went into full implementation. Now, schools in African American and Latino communities are routinely targeted for state takeovers, turnarounds, transformations, and transfer to chartering entities, without the consent of the people who live in the communities and the people whose children attend the schools. The billionaires pushing the "parent triggers" want parents to have the power to turn their school over to a charter corporation, but they are unwilling to grant them the power to say "no" to a takeover or a closure ordered by the Mayor, the Governor, or some bureaucrat.
Oral arguments were presented today before the Alaska Supreme Court in Anchorage in the ongoing case over education funding. The lawsuit was initially filed by the Ketchikan Gateway Borough in Superior Court about a year and a half ago and is reaching the final stretch.
Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook are probably the top three social media sites that every blogger should be on right now.
