The work of the superintendency is filled with challenges and opportunities. Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend some quality time at Bay Path College with Erin Gruwell, the self ascribed “maverick teacher” and famed author of The Freedom Writers Diary, an amazing true story of strength, courage, and achievement in the face of adversity that offers hope for schools in urban centers.
The day began with a small informal luncheon with Erin, Bay Path College officials, business leaders, foundation representatives and our Mayor. More importantly, Erin had the occasion to update us on her work through the Freedom Writers Foundation whose mission is to change the educational system one classroom at a time by providing educators with transformative tools to engage, enlighten and empower at-risk students to help them reach their full potential. The Foundation’s Freedom Writers Institute has trained over 200 teachers to strengthen their capacity in working with at-risk students.
The luncheon was followed by an evening event on campus for a film screening of “Stories from an Undeclared War” chronicling Erin’s work as a new teacher with 150 students at Wilson High School - all of whom graduated in spite of the odds. Her class was diverse in its ethnicity with many students having grown up in the tough neighborhoods of Long Beach, California and impacted by all the challenges of living in an urban center. Their work together in Classroom 203 was transformative through writing, changed lives and is now being paid forward through the Freedom Writers Foundation.
Although I’ve met Erin before, have read some of her work, and fully embrace the power of hope, my time with her yesterday was inspiring. Most importantly, it affirmed my belief that it takes many leaders, community members, parents and teachers working together to help our children realize their full potential and dreams; and yet, one person can make a significant difference.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Health Proposal Aims to Protect Kids
Two years ago, the district adopted a health curriculum that included a more comprehensive reproductive health component. This year, the proposed policy to make condoms available to sexually active middle and high school students who ask for them with their parents’ permission is the next small step towards helping improve the health and welfare of the city’s youth. The goal of the proposed policy is to decrease the amount of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancies among our youth (Springfield teens have among the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea compared to their peers across the Commonwealth and the fourth highest teen birth rate in the state).
On March 15th, the School Committee voted 5 to 1 in favor in of a Springfield Public Schools Access to Comprehensive Reproductive Health Policy that would make condoms available to students aged 12 and above who ask the school nurse for one. School nurses would be obligated to advocate for abstinence and thoroughly explain the risks associated with sexual activity before availing a condom to the student. The nurse would also check to see if the student’s parents had directed the school not to make condoms available to their child. Students whose parents “opt-out” of condom availability will not be provided condoms or sexual health counseling.
Though the School Committee voted in favor of the policy earlier this month, a second vote is required per School Committee policy. I fully respect and value the personal opinion that each School Committee member may hold. Certainly, this issue has been controversial. I myself, was hesitant to address it. However, the startling statistics around the sexual health of our youth, for me, was an eye-opener and a call to action. It’s my hope that the Committee will continue to act in the best interest of kids and pass this policy.
On March 15th, the School Committee voted 5 to 1 in favor in of a Springfield Public Schools Access to Comprehensive Reproductive Health Policy that would make condoms available to students aged 12 and above who ask the school nurse for one. School nurses would be obligated to advocate for abstinence and thoroughly explain the risks associated with sexual activity before availing a condom to the student. The nurse would also check to see if the student’s parents had directed the school not to make condoms available to their child. Students whose parents “opt-out” of condom availability will not be provided condoms or sexual health counseling.
Though the School Committee voted in favor of the policy earlier this month, a second vote is required per School Committee policy. I fully respect and value the personal opinion that each School Committee member may hold. Certainly, this issue has been controversial. I myself, was hesitant to address it. However, the startling statistics around the sexual health of our youth, for me, was an eye-opener and a call to action. It’s my hope that the Committee will continue to act in the best interest of kids and pass this policy.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Technological Advancements for Professional Development
This week the school district begins training for a new web-based system that will allow staff members to better organize, track and participate in strategically designed Professional Development opportunities.
This new addition to our Professional Development repertoire provides: an online catalog and enrollment system; approval routing of all forms and requests; the instructor and participant application and hiring process; and tracking and printing of certificates of hours completed for professional development.
It is a remarkable replacement for the manually processed blue professional development postings that have traditionally been sent out to the schools.
More than that, this new Professional Development Program, called My Learning Plan, exemplifies the critical role that technology can play as a solution to forming effective collaborations geared directly towards improving student achievement.
This new addition to our Professional Development repertoire provides: an online catalog and enrollment system; approval routing of all forms and requests; the instructor and participant application and hiring process; and tracking and printing of certificates of hours completed for professional development.
It is a remarkable replacement for the manually processed blue professional development postings that have traditionally been sent out to the schools.
More than that, this new Professional Development Program, called My Learning Plan, exemplifies the critical role that technology can play as a solution to forming effective collaborations geared directly towards improving student achievement.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The Road Ahead is Paved with SMARTer Goals
Good goals help school districts improve. As part of the ongoing training that administrators have been receiving in preparation for a new statewide educator evaluation system, principals and central office administrators recently attended a workshop that centered around what it means to create “SMART” goals.
Not all goals are created equally and this understanding is so important and pivotal to progress that the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has taken it on as a statewide initiative.
As we reviewed during the workshop, SMART goals are Specific and Strategic, Measurable, Action oriented, Rigorous, Realistic and Results driven; Timed and Tracked.
Karla Baehr, our facilitator, emphasized the unique opportunity that the new educator evaluation system represents as Springfield Public Schools continues the hard work of improving our district. The creation of new goals to help improve teaching and learning in the classroom is an integral part of the new teacher evaluation system. These goals are to be arrived at jointly through conversation and reflection by both the principal and teacher. SMARTer goals will include action plans and benchmarks and will be aligned with district goals and priorities.
The workshop offered administrators an opportunity to “turn and talk” to their colleagues about how SMART goals relate specifically to the work they do daily and how they can best incorporate this new system into their daily work routine. The session ended with Karla Baehr asking us all to recollect a time in our lives when we achieved a personal or professional goal and reflect on the pride we felt in our accomplishment.
Her challenge to all of us was to remember and fully understand the important role that our personal commitment played in our goal attainment and how we didn’t allow “perfection to be the enemy of action.” The exercise modeled how important it is for our teachers and staff to be personally vested in their goals. The new educator evaluation system will help us achieve those results through the creation of goals that are aligned to district objectives yet customized and personal to the educator.
As Karla Baehr pointed out for us, no one highlighted a goal that they felt was an easy achievement. They were all accomplishments that we had worked hard to achieve.
Good goals are not easy to achieve but there is no way forward without them.
Not all goals are created equally and this understanding is so important and pivotal to progress that the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has taken it on as a statewide initiative.
As we reviewed during the workshop, SMART goals are Specific and Strategic, Measurable, Action oriented, Rigorous, Realistic and Results driven; Timed and Tracked.
Karla Baehr, our facilitator, emphasized the unique opportunity that the new educator evaluation system represents as Springfield Public Schools continues the hard work of improving our district. The creation of new goals to help improve teaching and learning in the classroom is an integral part of the new teacher evaluation system. These goals are to be arrived at jointly through conversation and reflection by both the principal and teacher. SMARTer goals will include action plans and benchmarks and will be aligned with district goals and priorities.
The workshop offered administrators an opportunity to “turn and talk” to their colleagues about how SMART goals relate specifically to the work they do daily and how they can best incorporate this new system into their daily work routine. The session ended with Karla Baehr asking us all to recollect a time in our lives when we achieved a personal or professional goal and reflect on the pride we felt in our accomplishment.
Her challenge to all of us was to remember and fully understand the important role that our personal commitment played in our goal attainment and how we didn’t allow “perfection to be the enemy of action.” The exercise modeled how important it is for our teachers and staff to be personally vested in their goals. The new educator evaluation system will help us achieve those results through the creation of goals that are aligned to district objectives yet customized and personal to the educator.
As Karla Baehr pointed out for us, no one highlighted a goal that they felt was an easy achievement. They were all accomplishments that we had worked hard to achieve.
Good goals are not easy to achieve but there is no way forward without them.
Monday, February 27, 2012
National Summit Highlights Progress; SPS Students
Recently, members of my senior team, the president of our local teachers association and I had the opportunity to participate in a U.S. Department of Education (USDE) School Turnaround Summit and Nation Education Association (NEA) Foundation events, February 9-10 in Washington, D.C.
The School Turnaround Summit included School Improvement Grant (SIG) teams from 26 districts across the nation and several state education agencies. The summit was hosted by the USDE new Office of School Turnaround in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The summit provided an opportunity to reflect on our existing educational practices; to learn from other district leaders who have been successful in addressing persistent challenges in turning around their lowest-performing schools; and a chance to stay abreast of some of the latest research, promising practices and tools for practitioners in the work of school turnaround.
In addition to the summit agenda and targeted breakout sessions, there was also team time relative to the unique needs of our respective districts. Finally, the summit provided an opportunity for participating superintendents and union leaders to meet with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the White House to discuss challenges, impediments and what’s needed from USDE to support our work in the school turnaround arena.
The NEA events afforded SEA President Tim Collins and I the chance to co-present before the Foundation’s Board on labor-management-community collaborations as it relates to the Springfield Closing the Achievement Gap Grant. This allowed us to highlight our successes and opportunities for improvement as we approach the close of our second year of the grant (i.e., project interventions, union-district collaborations, community partnerships and performance outcomes).
The highlight of our visit to D.C. for me occurred Friday evening at the NEA Foundation's Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, where seven Springfield performing arts students (and their teachers) from Rebecca Johnson Elementary School, the High School of Science and Technology and Central High School got to perform on a national stage.
The genres included dance, instrumental and vocal performances. It was a heartfelt evening to watch our students represent themselves and Springfield so well in showcasing their talents and abilities.
The School Turnaround Summit included School Improvement Grant (SIG) teams from 26 districts across the nation and several state education agencies. The summit was hosted by the USDE new Office of School Turnaround in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The summit provided an opportunity to reflect on our existing educational practices; to learn from other district leaders who have been successful in addressing persistent challenges in turning around their lowest-performing schools; and a chance to stay abreast of some of the latest research, promising practices and tools for practitioners in the work of school turnaround.
In addition to the summit agenda and targeted breakout sessions, there was also team time relative to the unique needs of our respective districts. Finally, the summit provided an opportunity for participating superintendents and union leaders to meet with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the White House to discuss challenges, impediments and what’s needed from USDE to support our work in the school turnaround arena.
The NEA events afforded SEA President Tim Collins and I the chance to co-present before the Foundation’s Board on labor-management-community collaborations as it relates to the Springfield Closing the Achievement Gap Grant. This allowed us to highlight our successes and opportunities for improvement as we approach the close of our second year of the grant (i.e., project interventions, union-district collaborations, community partnerships and performance outcomes).
The highlight of our visit to D.C. for me occurred Friday evening at the NEA Foundation's Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, where seven Springfield performing arts students (and their teachers) from Rebecca Johnson Elementary School, the High School of Science and Technology and Central High School got to perform on a national stage.
The genres included dance, instrumental and vocal performances. It was a heartfelt evening to watch our students represent themselves and Springfield so well in showcasing their talents and abilities.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
