LeaderTalk

A New High School Experience

The New Jersey Department of Education has been promoting the fact that state educational code allows schools to approve experiences in lieu of the traditional graduation requirements.

A traditional New Jersey high school student is required to take:

4 years of English
3 years of mathematics
3 years of science
1 year of World History/Culture
2 years of US History
1 year of foreign language
4 years of Physical Education
1 year of a practical art
1 year of a fine or performing art

These requirements can be found in state code: 6A:8-5.1, 1, a., 1. Actually it is in section 1 (i). Listed in that same section, under the notation of (ii) is the idea of allowing students to be awarded credit for various experiences and have the activities count toward one or more of the graduation requirements listed above. This has become known as “Option II” programming. (see 6A:8-5.1, 1, a., 1, ii. @ http://www.nj.gov/education/code/current/title6a/chap8.pdf)

This alternate approach to achieve the graduation requirements can take a number of different forms. “Option II” could be exercised by a student who would want to have a specific college course that he/she takes while in high school also count toward the high school graduation requirements. Another example may be a student who participates in a regular, rigorous gymnastics training programming submitting a request to have this activity count as a year of physical education.

In addition, rather than individual students proposing “Option II” ideas, schools can approve programs that are deemed to satisfy the traditional, required courses. That way, students can simply select the non-traditional activity and know that it will count as satisfying a particular item on the regular list of graduation requirements.

We happen to be a very small school that is situated in a two square mile “city” that is also the county seat. This means that we have many unique opportunities that are in walking distance to the school – a hospital, the county court system, law offices, engineering firms, retail businesses, etc. Thus, we are planning to begin an effort to develop partnerships with these various industries so that there will be pre-approved “Option II” experiences that students can select (or apply for, if competition for the slots becomes significant).

In addition, on-line courses fit into the “Option II” parameters. Thus, since we are limited by the size of our faculty and student body with regard to the variety of elective offerings, we are considering providing students easier opportunities to select from a much wider range of interesting courses on-line.

What does this all mean? It is recognition that the learning taking place during the adolescent years is a compilation of many valuable activities and experiences. It allows the schools to celebrate the unique interests and learning styles of the students. Finally, it provides an exciting opportunity for students to find real meaning in their learning and explore interest in a way that also connects the experience to their official “transcript” of high school learning.

I am excited about the potential – especially given the unique characteristics of our district that will lend to a heavy emphasis of “Option II” learning. It will take some time before we have a full spectrum of program offerings, but we intend to make a serious start for the 2008-09 school year.

Is any other state system allowing/encouraging such an approach? Does anyone have good experience to share?

Player Piano -- No Human Required

I remember a scene in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Player Piano -- he has a character, a sheik, I think, visiting a home and witnessing a new, very fast dishwasher. The sheik questions the owner of the dishwasher – asking her what she does with all the time that she saves. The question confuses her. I think our young people would be confused by the same question of what they are able to do with all the time saved with all of our new technological devices. They would be confused because they do not have a sense for what time they should be saving.

I am just as confused – but for a different reason. I truly feel that there should be saved time – but where is the time that we’ve saved? Our lives are lived at a whirlwind pace. I remember walking down my halls as a principal – with no cell phone, no walkie-talkie. I remember driving in my car with no means to communicate with anyone other than those who were along for the ride. Today, we are in constant contact. And, this all starts to feel a bit surreal. Did we really save time? Are we really in contact?

I was invited by Scott McLeod to join this LeaderTalk effort because I was school superintendent with a blog that he happened upon. Scott’s world seems to be heavily focused on technology. My world is heavily focused on people. But technology is my necessary companion in these early years of the 21st century.

Sometimes, the technology is a welcomed friend – the ability to leave a message at midnight and know that the recipient will get the details when he/she awakes in the morning; the opportunity to easily use video clips from figures in history in presentations so that the emotion and expressions become part of the message along with the words; the chance to communicate better with a larger segment of the school community through a blog; the ability to use a computer spreadsheet to sort and present data quickly and efficiently. Technology enhances our work performance, our productivity.

Unfortunately, just as often, technology drains and taxes our sole. The examples -- too many e-mails, too many voicemails – easy access that demands response; children who want to text while at the dinner table; over two hundred televisions stations, a computer, a video game – all competing against the novel; video cameras in the supermarket, in schools, and at crossroads. Overwhelming, suffocating, and isolating.

I have always embraced the technology – my opening message to our staff this year included many video clips (imbedded directly in the PowerPoint presentation, thank you) that helped to paint a picture of the technological world of today’s youth --- a world that is growing and changing at such a rapid pace. It is a world that, as educators, we must understand and look to use all of the current tools of communication to work alongside students as we prepare them for a very uncertain future.

But, as much as I enjoy the fact that I can pay my credit card bill at midnight the day before it is due, I find other examples of the pace and use of technology to be equally troubling. Here is today’s example:

I registered my three youngest children for the township basketball program. On-line -- a new feature. A few minutes at my home desk, a credit card, and $310 later, I was ready to tackle the next thing on my Saturday list. In years past, we would be careful not to miss one of the two Saturdays that were set aside by the youth athletic association for registration. Either my wife or I (or both) would make the drive to one of the elementary schools in town, get a form, sit at one of the cafeteria tables with the others who were there, write the check, stand on line, and hand it in to the volunteers on the other side of the registration table. We would see friends – talk – maybe even be convinced to coach during a season that we thought we might slip by as a spectator. We participated in our town.

Today, when registering my kids for basketball, I never left my desk.

I don’t go to the bank much anymore (direct deposit), I can check out my own groceries, I can skip the toll booth (E-Z Pass), I can text instead of talk, e-mail instead of meet.

Overwhelming, suffocating, and isolating.

Friday, I was meeting with one of our elementary teachers. I met with her at her school so that I could be out of my office (Managing By Walking About). While there, the principal told me about a leak that was the result of a new roof installation; it had damaged some classroom supplies. I visited the classroom – saw the damage – and was also able to also observe a portion of the second grade Everyday Mathematics lesson that was taking place at the time. What a great visit!

Now – the teacher could have e-mailed me her issue. And the principal could have sent digital pictures of the damage or even called on either my school cell phone or even my personal cell. It would have been faster. The e-mail or digital photos would have also provided documentation of both the teacher’s issue and the water damage for easy, future reference. But, I am glad that I visited in person.

This is LeaderTalk for educators and, while we look to harness the power of new technology to improve our work, we should keep our eye on the bottom line -- we are in a people business. We should not lose touch with that reality.

If I Had a Hammer

I am on vacation and I am building a pond. Long story . . . becoming a long project.

But as I work in my yard, I often think how nice it would be if our work as educators was simply a matter of following instruction, working hard, sweating some, and coming back the next day to continue where we left off and work toward the finished product.

Similarly, it is not surprising that construction around the school district fascinates me – important projects, blueprints, construction managers, skilled labor, teamwork, and a finished product.

It’s not that simple here in our world of school. The product is never finished. We deal with people – as a result, our school districts are one of a kind, and each of our learners is unique.

When it comes to the carpenter, he has all his answers from years of experience – his own and others who share his trade. The wood that one carpenter uses to finish a product is often the same wood that most carpenters will use.

We too use experiences to help guide our work, but there seems to be much more required. Because each child is so unique, the individual student often becomes the focal point -- where the science and the art of teaching meet. The educator is successful if he moves the child a rung along the ladder of learning. Again, there is no finished product. Ultimately, our goal is to have the child climb a rung on his own -- and then want to climb even higher.

So, I keep reading, listening, talking – soaking in the experience of others and reflecting on how these match with my own efforts.

When it comes to the pond, all the pond builders seem to suggest the same general approach to the project. When it comes to construction, all the carpenters seem to use relatively the same skills, tools and approach to their work. But it is not this simple for the educator.

My most recent focus on my school work is on the need for a stronger emphasis on differentiating instruction, and this ultimately supports the concept that there is not a “right” approach for all but rather many different ways to excite and engage students to move up a rung today and in the future. So, how do we boil that down to a prescription – a direction – a blueprint? Not easy.

I am not sure how much sense this all makes –– I am digging dirt, cutting stone, following directions, sweating (it’s hot!), and looking forward to a finished product.

It will not be this easy when I return from vacation!

Summer Responsibilities

Summer is a wonderful time for me to catch up on my own professional development. Typically, for me, this can be as simple as gathering good books on education and leadership and having the time to read. Additionally, there are more “project-like” activities that can be addressed during the course of the summer weeks without the extra hustle and bustle of the regular school day hum in the background. We have a few weeks where we are not always “on call” – needing to be ready to respond and react to the unplanned crisis of the day/week/month.

 

I hope that, in your corner of the educational world, you take advantage of these summer weeks. It is a time to recharge your internal batteries with rest and relaxation (both are critical and important) AND to give extra time to your own professional growth and broader understanding of the important work that we have signed on to accomplish.

 

That being said, I realize how much I need to re-evaluate the summer with respect to the opportunities that are provided to the teachers in our district. We have a busy few weeks planned this year, but I want to do better at planning a more coordinated and consistent set of growth opportunities so that all staff know and expect what the summer months will bring. I want to establish a clear expectation along with associated opportunities that demonstrate these summer weeks to be not just a critical time for our teachers to reflect on the profession but also a time that the district supports with well-planned activities.

 

As we are about to embark on a busy summer of work, I see even greater possibilities. And, I am pleased. I am always looking for ways that we can do better work – in order to benefit our students, teachers, and the broader school community. This issue of professional development seems like such an obvious one, but it often gets relegated to the few available days of in-service that we have set aside during the regular school year.

 

Summer has always been a wonderful time for my own personal growth. I need to work systemic opportunities into the mix so that we can all seize the chance to reflect and grow as a school community and make that effort a part of our school culture.

 

Enjoy your summer growth!

Top on the "To Do" List

Personnel -- it is the most important work on a school leader’s “To Do” list. An excerpt from Lessons From A Child by Lucy McCormick Calkins gives the reason why hiring the right person is so critical. Calkins writes:

“I think that, especially because I was in room 209 not as a co-teacher but as a researcher, my presence highlighted the importance of Mrs. Howard’s role. My respectful interest in every little thing her children did validated the importance of her profession. Mrs. Howard and only Mrs. Howard could create the environment in which children would grow as writers.” [emphasis added]

It is the teacher who will create the environment – and only the teacher. Not the textbook, not the rolling laptop computer cart, not the new lights/ceiling tiles/paint, not the . . . any number of other things that we are involved with during the course of a school year. Those things all help the teacher, but the teacher is the one who ultimately controls the final product.

It is true for all of the content and skills that we want our students to learn. As administrators, we try to help set an overall tone – a general school climate -- that will support quality classroom learning. We work with our faculty to determine what they need and search for appropriate staff development activities. Then, it is the teacher who creates the classroom environment that will allow children to grow.

So -- I contend our most important work as school administrators is in getting the right teacher to be in that room. It is why I place so much emphasis on finding the right people to be “on the bus” (a Jim Collins’ Good to Great concept). We identify our staffing needs early. We go to educator job fairs to engage in critical face-to-face encounters. We bring an assortment of individuals to the table to help conduct interviews at our schools. When time allows and the circumstance warrant, we have our finalist conduct model lessons. And, then, we hire.

It is not a perfect process, I am not sure that you can make it perfect. I do believe that our early start and drive to find the best candidates for the positions open are critical factors for us to be successful -- especially in the very competitive market for some of the faculty openings.

In addition to this effort to identify the right people to offer teaching positions, there is more work associated with this hiring -- supporting and evaluating new hires. This effort during the non-tenure years is just as important; attention to these early years allows the appropriate support for the new teacher to mature. Also, this same attention will allow necessary decisions to be made with regard to whether a long-term commitment is offered. We need to be sure that the classroom will be one where children grow year after year.

Hiring early – in the midst of trying to close out a busy school year – is a critical step in this process. It helps to assure that we are finding the best in the market for a job. Non-renewing the marginal teacher who does not demonstrate clearly that he/she will be able to live up to high expectations is the more difficult but necessary part of this effort to have the best faculty.

Ultimately, the goal is to end up with a building full of people who are “on the bus” – and creating classrooms where children enjoy the learning process. The work to ensure that these people are the teachers of our children is the most important work that we do.

10,065 and MBWA

10,065.

I guess I shouldn’t admit to this, but that is the number of e-mails in my school e-mail account in-box. Don’t worry. Mostly all that required an answer have been responded to by now, but it is that next step – deciding to delete or file or . . .

That number does not include the e-mails that have been moved to the various other folders I have created to help track/locate specific items of importance. By the way, I am not sure that system works very well. Also, this e-mail count does not include those that I have deleted -- Yes. I have deleted e-mail!

There are also voicemails, written phone messages and even regular mail – you know . . . letters that people write, fold into an addressed envelope, affix a stamp to, and mail!

There are meetings – some start at 8 a.m. Others start at 8 p.m.

There are reports to write, observations to complete, data to interpret, and things to sign – lots of things to sign.

There are special events to attend – assemblies, performances, luncheons, and the like.

Did I mention meetings?

The bottom line is that the most important work that I do on any given day happens when I get to walk the hallways, drop into classrooms to observe/participate in a learning activity, catch a teacher on a prep-period in his/her room and discuss an issue of importance, or watch/listen to students moving through the hallways. Nothing that is scheduled on a calendar. All impromptu – all ways to breathe in the climate of the buildings, feel the pulse of the organization, and interact in truly meaningful ways with students, teachers, and visitors to the schools.

This is old school – MBWA: Managing By Walking Around. Tom Peters and Bob Waterman discussed Hewlett-Packard's MBWA concept in their bestselling book In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies (1982). Wow – twenty-five years ago!

It is always the highlight of any day when I have the chance to accomplish this important activity. I try to make time to attend to this every day. I am able to learn the most when I am able to get into one or more of our schools and move about in this fashion. Ultimately, this learning is critical in directing future decisions.

I would like to think that MBWA is the reason why the number of e-mails is 10,065. If given a choice, I pick getting out of the office and interacting with people.

I truly love my job.

Tell Me a Story

I am a younger superintendent; at least, that’s what I am told. I used to be a young high school principal. Near the end of my tenure as a principal, I was told by a sales representative about how the younger principal’s were purchasing a certain type of 403b retirement plan – and I was a bit taken aback when it became evident that I was not being included in his group of younger principals!

So, it was good to move on to a superintendency – I became young again. “You look young for a superintendent.” I am afraid the next time I need to regain a youthful presence will require retiring. But, that’s another day.

As a young high school principal, I was able to draw upon some experiences as a teacher, a curriculum supervisor, and a brief stint as a middle school assistant principal. But not enough. I sensed it then. I know it now. Luckily, I am a fairly quick study.

I tried to remember his name for this entry and then it came to me – Marty Harmon. He was a fellow high school principal but at the opposite end of his administrative career – close to retirement. It was Marty who put out a call for the high school principals to get together – to have “roundtable meetings.” These meetings had once taken place regularly, but had stopped. Thankfully, Marty put the call out. How refreshing – important -- those opportunities were for me as a new principal.

Marty revived and breathed new life into our county principal roundtable meetings. It was during these meetings that I would hear the stories, the worries, the problems and the successes of my more experienced colleagues. I too could – and would – share, but it was more important for me to listen. These gentlemen (mostly men -- all men!) were all very different, but I was able to learn from each.

I also remember one of the early summers of my principalship when I attended the New Jersey Principal & Supervisors Association’s Principals’ Center for Educational Leadership held at Princeton University. Again, the setting put me into contact with many experienced practitioners. I couldn’t listen fast enough. I even asked questions that felt foolish, but I knew that this was a wonderful opportunity to ask. Who was I going to ask these questions to in my building? We are often in a very isolated position as a building principal or a superintendent.

And now, in my second year as a superintendent, I find that my monthly meetings with colleagues – monthly roundtable meetings in the county and quarterly meetings with the school leaders in the same athletic conference – are still the most rewarding and helpful happenings. By the way, it is refreshing to see so many women now around these tables today! Reading current educational articles and books – or, another favorite of mine, reading business books [e.g., Good to Great by Jim Colliins; Shift by Carlos Ghosn; Winning by Jack Welch] help to fuel my thinking toward the goal of improving our results. Analysis of data is the buzz phrase in today’s test driven schools; that, too, is important work for an administrator. But, there is no substitute for hearing directly from the voice of experience.

I am a strong believer in the power of storytelling. It is a special meeting for me if my experienced colleagues share a story when we gather. Thomas Sergiovanni talks and writes about leadership and storytelling; it was listening to one of his talks and reading his work that helped me appreciate what it was that I was gaining from these chats with colleagues. I work in a school district that has a long history with many stories. I am sure that I will tell some when I return with other posts here on LeaderTalk. For now, the important message is how valuable -- how critical -- how sustaining it is for leaders to participate in this type of collegial sharing. Storytelling. It is not research based. It’s just good.

It seems that these early entries in LeaderTalk would allow for those who do not have a local network of colleagues to gain some of the benefit of such a group. Did you catch that wonderful idea posted by Kimberly Moritz in a comment (March 1, 2007)?

At the end of the year faculty/staff meeting, I lined the halls with our student's names. Every student's name went on a blank sheet of paper that I posted in the hallway. At the end of the meeting, teachers and staff were asked to go into the hallway and to sign their names to the papers of any student with whom they felt they had a connection. This was defined as knowing something about this student outside of the classroom and believing that the student would come to them if needed. At the end of the exercise, we took the students who only had a couple of names and mixed them into small, mentoring homerooms. The best news was that every student paper had someone's name on it. That's an exercise we should do again this year and every year after this one. We're looking at an advisement period next year, in the middle of the day--this is a great way to connect every kid with a caring adult.

What a wonderful story about an educational exercise that helps to drive home the importance of making personal connections.

I have learned a lot from listening to such stories. Roundtables. And now, blogs. Good stuff.