Imperatives

Good teachers - Teachers are the heart and soul of education. We cannot meet student needs without good teachers.

Building effective teams - a leader needs to build effective teams that work together to improve student learning. Without these, schools do not operate to their potential. When administrators and teachers work in isolation of each other, no growth can occur.
Poor Salary Scale - Education is not supported by community as a profession to work toward. It is not attracting people.  Private business is more attractive to those entering college.
Government interference in what happens in schools. Although intentions are good, government officials who make the decisions have no idea what happens in schools on a day to day basis.This interferes with the vision and creative thinking needed as a leader. School leaders become buried with directives and paperwork.
Bringing education into the 21st Century.
There are huge demands being placed onto schools. Schools need help in seeing and balancing the expectation of the job. What exactly are schools expected to do in the curruculum, social, and behavior aspects of the school. What are socieities expectations of a HS grad?
Information Technology
Need the funding for hardware and the professional development for the staff to keep up with curriculum.
Staff struggling to keep up with new curriculum and programs that engage students in the learning process. 
Leaders are frequently off campus with too many meetings to attend (e.g. various committees, steering groups), and no real help or time to get the discussed and needed changes embedded in the culture of the school.
There is a huge time conflict.
Need to adapt to instruction with information technology being dominant. This is where the students live, we need to meet them there.

Disparities other than money

I borrowed this blog from a teen-ager on line. I think she pretty much hits the nail on the head regarding the disparities we have with these kids that cause a generation gap. All the points we may disagree with that kids take part in are explaned quite well by Sarah. See if you agree. We as educational leaders need to talk to kids like Sarah, or simply read their blogs. By doing this I think we can get rid of a lot of misconceptions and understand these students a lot better.

Meet Net Gen- Chapter One


Posted by Sarah_CHS on February 18, 2009 at 4:56pm

View Sarah_CHS's blog

I was shocked at the way that intelligent adults see us. It shows that they don’t comprehend the way our minds work. I was honestly not expecting it to be so harsh. I think that some of it may be true, but it doesn’t seem so bad to us. And the rest of it is completely untrue. For instance, in the second point where we are called “sceenagers,” to us talking to people online is socializing. We are able to meet and get to know people that we might never meet in person. This communication helps us understand and keep an open mind to other people. This first point also irritated me. It’s not that we are dumb and can’t focus. We can multitask, which is a skill that other generations don’t have. And as for stealing, wouldn’t passing a book around friends be the same as sharing music with friends? Either way only one person is paying for it, and everyone gets to enjoy it. The other point that I felt was very untrue was that we don’t care. I personally do care. I have a strong set of values and don’t see what is wrong with caring about my friends. They are like family to me. the worst part about this is that it says that we don’t vote. If I remember the stats correctly, then we have been voting. There was a large increase of young voters in this year last presidential election. However, the points on being shameless, violent and bullying are more accurate. Instead of being shameless, I think that we just have different standards. We see it as letting people know who we are, as well as getting to know others. I can understand the worry about what we post on the internet. I personally don’t put anything up that I think will negatively affect me later in life. This generation gap is just too extreme for complete understanding of one-another. All we can do is accept that we are different.

Tags: netgen_stereotypes

Supporting todays diverse learners

21st Century Education


http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-parents-video

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Parents discuss how their children are digital natives, how we stand in the way of our childrens learnimg because we are afraid of the unknown. We should sit down beside them and learn more about the computer.

Digital Generation Parents Share Their Wisdom

http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-parents-video

Digital Generation Parents Share Their Wisdom

1. Do you agree that parents just need to get out of the way for their kids?

2. How can "home drive school?"

3. How do you engage the whole family in digital media?

4. How do you live in the moment with kids to support their current interests?

major shifts that should occur in education.

A 21st Century Education
In todays educational world, we have students on an assembly line; open their heads, pour in knowledge and test them to make sure we covered the material; not that they learned, but that we covered the material from A-Z. In this clip, Doug McCurry shows why we need to put the high expectations back into learning through relationships and actual caring that the students are engaged and have real life experiences with the knowledge. Change is inevitable, yet it does matter have we preceive it and embrace it to enhance student learning and social growth.


Doug McCurry


The Success of Achievement First

In this film, Doug McCurry describes the ingredients that make Achievement First's schools work: excellent teachers, high expectations, school choice, and a school culture that makes learning possible.

» View Video



» Download Video



» More about Doug McCurry

How do/can they do it???

2+2=4 cómo usted determina esto está alineándose los nubers en una fila, hace señales al lado de ellas y las cuenta para arriba. Isn' fácil; ¿t él?


2+2=4 как вы определяете это путем выравнивать вверх nubers в рядке, делает тикания около их и подсчитывает их вверх. Легкое isn' t оно?

당신이 이것을 결정하는 방법 2+2=4는 nubers를 연속적으로 일렬로 늘어서서 이고, 그(것)들의 옆에 진드기를 만들고 위로 센다. 쉬운 isn' t 그것?

2+2=4, wie Sie dieses feststellen, ist, indem es die nubers in einer Reihe ausrichtet, bildet Häckchen neben ihnen und zählt sie oben. Einfaches isn' t es?

2+2=4 how you determine this is by lining up the numbers in a row, make ticks beside them and count them up. Easy isn't it?
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¡Pare lo que usted está haciendo y funcione para la puerta, el edificio se arde!

Остановите чего вы делаете и побегите для двери, здание на пожаре!

당신이 문을 위해 하고 그리고 달리는 무엇을 정지는 불에, 건물 있다!

Stoppen Sie, was Sie tun und laufen Sie für die Tür, das Gebäude ist auf Feuer!

Stop what you are doing and head for the nearest door, the building is on fire!

What was that like? Can you imagine being in the US from Mexico, Russia, Korea, or Germany for two years and needing to take an exam in English in order to graduate from a high school? I don't know about you but I would have one heck of a time. We as educators need to educate our legislators on how difficult this is. The passing rate for the ELL students at my high school is causing great kids to consider dropping out of school. We need to do something.

Went to an interesting user meeting for A+ today. This is ALL about diversity in education. Here are my notes.
A+ Rudder High School October 23, 2009

Hybrid classes: Direct teach with self paced A+ (Four classes each week) and direct teach (one class period per week with projects, problems, or discussions that enhance and extend material already mastered on A+). Math Models will be the focus where the program has been running since Spring of 2008 at Bryan HS.
Credit recovery has a pre-test option. Students take two courses per semester. These kids have already taken the classes and were not successful.
kids can't take notes- geography example, write down points on what the students need to get from the A+ reading.
Kids must take notes in their notebook (see Dave)
Kids who have caught up and have passed TAKS can accerlerate into other classes; government, economics, electives. This is individualized per student.
Kids take test and don't pass at 80%, they need to go back through the peices they missed.
We have great tools with A+, but the people are more important.

Project 2nd Chance Georgetown 9th Grade Center- helping students get back on track.
Issue
student completion and drop outs
research says most kids drop out in 9th grade, interventions don't usually begin until 11th with struggling students
Current situation
fail 1st semester= go on to 2nd semester with no help. Can they make it the 2nd semester, what if they can't afford summer school?
lose the credit
missing skills and knowledge
possible TAKS concerns
Solution
utilize computer based instruction
offer credit recovery opportunities
send written invitations to parents- make them personal
90 minute session after school 4:00-5:30. Talk to coaches/UIL
Monday-Thursday
Six week sessions
Provide subject specific facilitators- team teach every other day, need teacher buy in
math and science emphasis
Principal is there everyday to support teachers and take care of discipline in the beginning
Letters
personalized
overview of personilized
cost $20.00 per session- bargan comparied to summer school
offer tuition deferment
transportation arrangements
calendar
application= rules and expectations
The Beginning
Feb 17- start date 62 students
week two= 99 students from word of mouth
spiral notebooks to learn how to take notes (Wal-Mart end of school sale)
snack and drink provided @ 3:45 in cafeteria
Credits recovered
Algebra1 -27/33
English-7/7
Geography- 18/19
Science- 11/27 Biology, Spec Ed students struggling with reading/vocabulary
Second semester passing rates were 45%, 28/62
Conclusions
Impact- 90 one-half credits regained- parents really loved it.
Surveyed parents, teachers and students after program- good results
74% passed TAKS math/reading
principal gives certificate to students on completion
need a 1-12 ratio
Decision you need to make how many times can the student take the exam?
1- no supervision
2- supervisor looks at spriral and notes
3- study partner before test is given



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Bryan Flex Program- drop out program for over-aged seniors who have already dropped out
because of needing hours, needing to work, illness, child. Needed to attend when school is not open. Life got in the way of school.
Program Goals
provide academic and career success
Flexible hours to meet needs of students 10:00 am-8:00 pm
Students attend as their schedule allows
credit given through seat hours
6 hours seat time, one ADA
teachers work from 10-6 or 12-8
have to apply for program
Using A+
teachers must be guide on the side not sage on stage
tackle one course at a time
build TAKS review into system
knock on doors to get students back
all agencies involved in getting kids back
classes off campus
In addition to A+
mentors, community leaders
Blinn Workforce ED. welding
job shadowing at St. Josephs and City of Bryan







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Sharon

oct 1

October 1, 2009 8:28 PM


Sharon said...

While reading an article regarding the Rainbow Project, the alternative SAT created by Yale Professor Robert Sternberg that Pink mentions in his book, I came across this. I hope you enjoy it.It is a nice break from the research we have been doing and a reminder of why we are here.



Making a Difference

"Dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.

He argued this way. "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher? You know, it's true what they say about teachers:

‘Those who can do, do, and those who can't do, teach.' To corroborate his statement he said to another guest, ‘Hay, Susan, you're a teacher. Be honest, what do you make?' Susan, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness, replied, ‘You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could and I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence. I can make a C-plus feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor and an A feel like a slap in the face if the student didn't do his or her very best!' Susan continued, ‘I can make parents tremble when I call home or feel almost like they won the lottery when I tell them how well their child is progressing,' Gaining speed, she went on: ‘You want to know what I make! I make kids wonder; I make them question; I make them criticize; I make them apologize and mean it; I make them write; and I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English.' And Susan then stopped and cleared her

throat. ‘I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart. And if someone ever tries to judge you

by what you make in money, you pay them no attention.'

Susan then paused. ‘You want to know what I make? She said, ‘I make a difference. What about that?'"

Reprinted from the New Hampshire Association of School Principals’

newsletter with credit to Dick Thomas, executive director

of the School Administrators Association of New York