http://www.michiganedusource.org/gomasa/ldr/2005/ldr102805/ldr102805.htm
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28 October 05 Vol. 1, No. 2
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| MDE news: | ||
| AASA news: | ||
| in case you missed it: | ||
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| research report: | ||
| members in the news | ||
| professional development: | ||
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| leadership resources: | ||
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Newest nation’s report card shows steady growth and progress The latest Nation’s Report Card, released today, shows steady growth and gains by America’s schoolchildren, particularly among younger and minority students. The results, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2005 benchmark exam of fourth- and eighth-graders, confirm that real progress is being made in helping to ensure that the promise of No Child Left Behind is realized for millions of young Americans. “It’s notable that as our student population has become increasingly diverse, the scores have continued to rise, and it’s no accident," said Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. “It is a tribute to the hard work of classroom teachers, school principals and local policymakers. These results clearly show a need to apply principles of accountability in middle and high schools.” Some highlights from the Report Card:
NetDay, in partnership with BellSouth Corporation and Dell Inc. today announced its third annual Speak Up Event, a national study of technology in education. Schools can register now to participate in the survey at www.netday.org/. The survey will be open from October 21 - November 18. New in this year's survey are questions about the use and effectiveness of online learning programs. Teachers in particular will provide valuable information on their perception of the value of online classes for professional development.
With some 200,000 petitions in the pipeline, we all need to focus
and ramp-up our efforts to secure valid signatures within the next
30 days! Don’t wait for others to do it. Play your role in
making sure the message sent at the Rally in June does not get ignored.
It’s up to all of us to make sure legislators take seriously
the critical financial condition of today’s schools.
You can read more about MASA’s petition drive at www.michiganedusource.org/gomasa/k-16.htm. The Michigan State Board of Education (SBE) continues to consider and review information about the need for high school reform, including required coursework beyond a civics class for Michigan high school students. Mike Flanagan, the Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction, will be providing a recommendation to the SBE on November 15, 2005 for increased graduation requirements for students. The SBE has held a number of work sessions to consider the topic of high school reform and increased graduation requirements. Michigan Department of Education staff has met with representatives from five states that have recently introduced new graduation requirements to determine the issues and concerns that developed during their process of change. In anticipation of this important discussion and the anticipated recommendation from Superintendent Flanagan, MASA and MAISA representatives have attended all SBE work sessions. MAISA also held a drive-in meeting on September 21st at Saginaw ISD to develop talking points for use in a white paper describing the field’s thinking about high school reform. This report will be shared with the SBE and MDE. This material served as a resource for Rick Lane, from Saginaw ISD, and Jay Newman, from St. Joseph ISD, in their participation as panelists at an October 5th SBE work session on high school reform. In addition to MAISA representatives, a number of advocates have spoken out at the SBE work sessions. These advocates contend that increasing graduation requirements should not be done at the expense of quality curricular options for students, especially in the areas of the arts and career and technical education. Superintendent Flanagan has regularly responded to these concerns by reminding Board members and visitors to these meetings that the November 15 recommendation will simply begin the dialogue about how high school reform will affect students. He has said that although the timeline for recommendations is short, he expects the timeline for implementation to be more lengthy. If you have comments or ideas you’d like MASA/MAISA to share with the SBE, contact Jon Tomlanovich at jont@gomasa.org or 517.327.9260. |
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| MASA
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The MASA Executive Board and Council met October 19 at the MSU University Club in East Lansing. Read highlights of that meeting. The next meeting of the Council will be November 16. You can find a complete list of MASA/MAISA meeting times, dates and locations, along with driving directions, at www.michiganedusource.org/gomasa/Events.htm. Sign up today for MASATalk, our new opt-in discussion listserv. Use the listserv to post questions, start discussions, share ideas and spread resources in a virtual setting. When you sign up, you’ll be able to post a question via e-mail, and it will go to all members who have opted to participate in the listserv. Those who have answers or ideas to share can reply directly to the sender or to the entire listserv. Sign up today by e-mailing James Scofield. We will add your e-mail address to the list and send information about how the listserv works, along with a few simple guidelines to follow. Have you built a “better mousetrap” when it comes to leading your district to success? Could others learn from what you’ve done and get similar results in their districts? Why not share the idea with MASA members by submitting a nomination to the Winners’ Circle? Each year the MASA Membership Services Committee presents Winners’ Circle awards to members who have initiated a unique, successful program or implemented an innovative idea that has had a significant, positive impact on their school districts that can be used by other districts across the state. Nominations are received from throughout the state and the award recipients are determined by the Membership Services Committee. Winners are then recognized during an event at MASA’s mid-winter conference. This year, MASA will accept rolling nominations throughout the year. The Membership Services Committee will feature selected programs in the MASA Leader on an ongoing basis. We will continue to honor each year’s recipients at mid-winter conference. Nominations will be accepted at any time, but in order to be recognized at the 2006 conference, the member services committee needs to hear from you by December 23. Rules and forms can be found at www.michiganedusource.org/awards.htm. Questions can be directed to Linda Wacyk at 517.327.9268 or lwacyk@gomasa.org. |
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| MDE
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Michigan high school merit exams The MDE’s Jeremy Hughes, Deputy Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer, recently sent a memo to superintendents in order to clear up possible misconceptions about the Michigan Merit Exam. Please share these facts with members of your staff and community. The memo states:
More information about the MME will be forthcoming from the Department and ACT team later this fall. Although a small number of high schools will be participating in a statistical alignment of the MME tests with the MEAP High School Assessments, the Office of Educational Assessment and Accountability plans to provide extensive information on the logistics of the MME to all schools, so that each high school can begin to plan for the implementation of the MME statewide in spring 2007. Last month, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm announced the launch of an innovative state website aimed at encouraging young people to explore careers in the manufacturing industry. The website, www.michigan.gov/mfgcareers, targets a 12- to 24-year-old audience by featuring techno music, flash animation, a virtual tour of a General Motors plant, interviews with teens, and the state of Michigan's first blog. "This is not your average state of Michigan website. Its cutting edge design reflects the fact that Michigan is shattering outdated stereotypes about the manufacturing industry," Granholm said. "The state is working to prepare a 21st century workforce to fill the estimated 20,000 jobs that are expected to open annually due to retirements of baby boomers. We want students, teachers and parents to visit this site and get a second look at the types of exciting and well-paid careers available now and in the future.” The theme of the website is "New Age, New Look, and New Opportunities." The website highlights career options that are available in a variety of manufacturing settings including automotive, aerospace, nanotechnology, and computers. Job titles featured include human resources, purchasing agents, safety engineers, electricians, and pipefitters. The state's Careers in Manufacturers website features current salary information with "How Much Do They Make?" For example, an electrical engineer in Michigan makes $75,696 a year. The National Academy of Engineering's "Engineer Girl!" website indicates the average starting salary in the U.S. for an engineer with a bachelor's (4-5 year) degree ranges from $36,000 to $50,000. The website notes: "This is significantly higher than salaries for graduates with bachelor's degrees in many other fields. In comparison, lawyers starting out after at least 7 years of school average $45,000." The state website also features resources to find "New Opportunities" in manufacturing including education and financial aid information, job openings and internships.
The State School Aid Act requires school districts to provide homebound
and hospitalized services to pupils who are unable to attend school
for more than five school days because of a medical condition. Section
388.1709 of the Act requires the Michigan Department of Education
on a biannual basis to distribute information to local and intermediate
school districts as well as other parties who may be serving pupils
who are homebound or hospitalized. MDE announced the nomination information for this year’s Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This is an opportunity for school leaders, colleagues or members of the general public to recognize and call attention to some of the talented teachers who have been working with Michigan’s students. This information is available at the PAEMST website: www.paemst.org. For more information about this program, you may contact Ms. Jean Shane at shanej@michigan.gov. To view a copy of the MDE memorandum, click here. |
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| AASA
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Michigan reception to be held during AASA in San Diego MASA will host the Michigan Reception during the AASA Annual Conference and Exposition on Saturday, February 25th from 5:30-7:00pm at the Marriott Hotel in the Columbia II Room. The Michigan Reception is open to MASA members and their guests. Remember to register for the AASA Conference. Michigan has blocks of rooms for a special member discount at the Marriott Hotel and the Sheraton Hotel. To register for one of those hotels, please call AASA Housing at 888.381.7166 or go to www.aasa.org and use ID = michigan, Password = mi06. Children
across the nation tallying money raised for hurricane relief The
American Association of School Administrators (AASSA) has asked
its members to participate in a grassroots attempt to “count”
the contributions made by America’s school children to help
those suffering from Hurricane Katrina. This project was begun by
a 10-year old from Waukee, Iowa. Her idea was to tally all fundraising
efforts by school-aged children across the nation, culminating in
a Halloween finale, called T.L.C. (Trick or Treat for Loose Change).
Proceeds can be donated by the schools to any reputable charity
of choice that benefits hurricane survivors. The goal is to present
a check from the children of America to the Presisent of the United
States, and government officials representing the affected region.
Don’t forget about the 25th Anniversary AASA Women Administrator’s
Conference on November 3 - 6 at the Ritz Carlton in Arlington, VA.
This year’s event is crowned by the 25th Anniversary Gala
and Tribute to pioneering women in public education who have helped
to advance the role of women in educational leadership. |
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| in
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Michigan's achievement gap higher than national average Michigan African-American fourth- and eighth-graders scored much worse in reading and math than African-American students in the United States as a whole, according to national test results released Wednesday. The 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress results show significant improvement in math. But the test results show little improvement in reading scores overall since 1992. The gap between Michigan African-American students' progress and progress nationally has grown during the last decade. Robert Green, professor and researcher in Urban Affairs Programs at Michigan State University, said a disproportionate number of Michigan African Americans, especially Detroit African Americans, live below the poverty line— and poverty is the top factor affecting educational achievement. "We have to be very careful about stereotyping. This doesn't mean that these youngsters' "low income"parents don't care about them," Green said. The good news is that the gap between black and white students' scores in math and reading within Michigan has decreased. Source: Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki and Chastity Pratt, Detroit Free Press, October 20, 2005 Data suggests 94 percent of teachers are highly qualified The Michigan Department of Education released new data this month that shows as many as 94 percent of teachers in the state may be "highly qualified" under the definition in the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The Michigan Education Association, however, doubts the number of highly qualified teachers is as high as the state says it is. The MEA told The Detroit News it has heard from many members who were initially told by schools they were highly qualified, only to find out later they did not actually fit that definition. "It would be a dream come true if 94 percent are highly qualified at this time," MEA spokeswoman Margaret Trimer-Hartley told The News. "We are very nervous that we will fall short of the goal by 2006 ... because of confusion and misinformation." MDE Supervisor of Client Services Frank Ciloski said penalties for violating the rule could come in the form of state control of district federal funding. But Ciloski added he believes the state can get close to the 100 percent deadline by June, The News reported. The 94 percent mark is a two-percentage point increase from last year's measure, according to The News. Source: The Detroit News, Oct. 4, 2005
States have been promised a one-year reprieve on equipping every
core-subject classroom with a teacher who meets the federal standard
of "highly qualified," but only if the states are trying
hard enough. In an Oct. 21 letter to chief state school officers,
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said that federal
officials would not necessarily yank funds from states that "do
not quite reach the 100 percent goal" for highly qualified
teachers by the end of the current school year—the goal set
by the No Child Left Behind Act. Rather, she wrote, federal education
officials will apply a series of tests to decide whether states
have made enough progress to get the reprieve.
Ms. Spellings said federal officials would grant the one-year reprieve on the basis of examining whether:
If such an examination shows that a state has made good progress toward the goal, it can win a reprieve by submitting a detailed revised plan for meeting the 100 percent target in the 2006-07 school year. The states must make sure, as the law demands, that poor and minority students are no less served by highly qualified teachers than are their more advantaged peers. Source: Education Week Online, 10-24-05, www.edweek.org. University of California, Berkeley, professor Hal R. Varian reviews a National Bureau of Economic Research paper that found teacher effectiveness can be determined by the second year of employment and that students performed better with a teacher of their same race. Varian says data showing a significant slump in performance in the year teachers leave the profession or switch schools should convince school leaders to focus on retention policies. Source: The New York Times |
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| research
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The Digest of Education Statistics (2004) provides a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of education from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. Topics in the Digest include: the number of schools and colleges; teachers; enrollments; graduates; educational attainment; finances; federal funds for education; employment and income of graduates; libraries; technology; and international comparisons. To view the web-enabled version of this document, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d04/ This report provides projections for key national education statistics on enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures of elementary and secondary schools; and enrollment, degrees, and expenditures of degree-granting institutions. The report also contains state-level projections of public elementary and secondary enrollment and public high school graduates to the year 2014. The report notes that after increasing by about one-fifth between 1989 and 2002, enrollments in public and private schools are expected to increase at slower rates between 2002 and 2014. Enrollment in grades PK-8 is expected to increase by 5 percent between 2002 and 2014, while enrollment in grades 9-12 is expected to increase by 2 percent. Read the report at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005074. PreK Now has released a first-of-its-kind statewide study for Wisconsin measuring the economic impact to Wisconsin’s K-12 system if the state expanded Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (4K) to more children. The report emphasizes "a clear economic motive" for expansion of the 4K program to a significantly larger number of children in the state. The proposed program would generate strong fiscal benefits for the state, such as reduction in crime and reliance on welfare, as well as benefits to the children and their families. Additionally, the economic analysis found that: (1) Based on conservative estimates, implementing a high-quality, voluntary pre-k system increases total educational cost-benefits by 68 percent; (2) The largest proportion of cost savings in the education system are in reduced special education placement costs (approx. $42 million); and (3) Reduction in frequency of grade repetition ranges between 6-23 percent, with a representative estimate of 21 percent. http://www.preknow.org/documents/Wisconsin_report_Sept2005.pdf Source: Public Education Network |
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| members in the news: | ||
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E. Sharon Banks, Superintendent of Lansing Public Schools, was featured in the September 21, 2005 issue of Education Week. In the article “Conflict or Consensus? Why Collaboration Between Cities and Schools Is the Key to Reform,” authors Donald J. Borut, Anne L. Bryant, and Paul D. Houston offer evidence to show that education must be a collective enterprise and communitywide priority. Banks’ district was highlighted for its efforts to launch a communitywide literacy campaign designed and overseen by a broad-based local coalition. The campaign reportedly led to the establishment of a new mentoring program, a clearer emphasis on the use of data to identify problem areas, and a stronger focus on reading, in the classroom and throughout the community. The authors further recommend seven actions to civic and school leaders who want to improve education:
Read the full article here. This year's annual Fun Run/Walk sponsored by SET SEG took place as part of the MASA Fall Conference 2005. 15 runners competed in the 1 mile course and 17 ran the 5000 meter course in the light rain that morning. Awards were presented to runners with the fastest times and also for run times that came closest to the prediction. Winners were: 1
Mile Closest Prediction 5000
Meters Closest Prediction 5000
Meters Fastest Male |
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November 2, 2005
Bay-Arenac ISD, Bay City This course is designed to extend the concepts covered in PTD’s Intermediate Microsoft Word 2002 (XP) course, and presents new concepts in the areas of mail merge, table of contents and indexes and customization of the Word 2002 (XP) environment. www.gomiem.org
November 4, 2005
November 10, 2005 This conference is for building-level secretaries (elementary, middle school, and high school), superintendents’ executive secretaries, business office support staff and administrative assistants. There are 40 sessions to choose from. Five sessions targeted to SAPC Required Certification and three sessions are targeted for MSBO Certification. Most offer SAPC elective credit. www.gomiem.org
November 17, 2005 & January 26, 2006
This series is cosponsored by our state’s leadership associations.
The need for front line leaders is critical. If one is taking a
look and/or aspiring to this type of leadership, I promise you will
get great words of wisdom from a variety of proven leaders. This
event will take place November 17, 2005 and January 26, 2006 at
the Lansing Community College West Campus in Lansing. The Southfield Public Schools, in conjunction with the University of Michigan and as introduced at the MASA Fall conference, announces a State Superintendents' Conference on The Achievement Gap in a Flat World: New Challenges for the Superintendent. This Conference will address the urgent challenges faced by Michigan's school superintendents. Some of the keynote speakers will be:
November 21,
2005 There is no registration fee for this Conference, thanks to the generosity of sponsors: The University of Michigan, ProQuest/Voyager Expanded Learning Corporation, Chrysler Corporation For information and registration, click here. For questions, contact Dr. Beverley Geltner, Superintendent, Southfield Public Schools, geltnerbb@southfield.k12.mi.us or 248.746.8550. Free Balanced Leadership workshop Freedom to Learn, the 1-to-1 wireless laptop program is offering a free 2-day Balanced Leadership workshop for Michigan administrators. The Balanced Leadership workshop is based on six major research findings from McREL’s meta- and factor-analyses on principal leadership, which you can read at www.mcrel.org/topics/productDetail.asp?topicsID=7&productID=144. The workshop will be held at the MELG Building on November 21 & 22, 2005. You can register by contacting Kate Kennedy at 517.335.0449 or KateKennedy@ferris.edu. Learn more including additional dates and locations for this program. The Collaborative Analysis of Student Work: Improving Teaching and Learning Want
to Improve Your Students' Learning? Don't miss this 3-day opportunity Attend this three-day Introductory Institute with Amy Colton & Georgea Langer, the developers of Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning (CASL) as featured in their 2003 ASCD book, Collaborative Analysis of Student Work: Improving Teaching and Learning by Langer, Colton, & Goff. This professional development system creates teacher study groups that assess and analyze students' progress toward local learning standards. Come as a team (including administrators) and explore CASL's potential for your school or district. Click here for additional details and registration information.
November 30 - December 2, 2005 This conference brings together approximately 200 technology directors, technology coordinators and others interested in school technology issues from across the state. Visit www.gomiem.org to register. |
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| leadership
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"We
believe strongly that our continued focus on this issue over time
will produce the desired results. This is a problem that didn't
get here overnight and won't go away overnight."
"I've had enough, Saginaw. Every parent needs to check
their child's rooms, check their book bags, even check their automobiles."
"This year is the first time we've cut teacher assistants
because of a reduction of government funding for reading and at-risk
programs. When you've gone through this over the last five years
it becomes more and more difficult to operate. People need to know
that this is a reality." The Michigan Education Trust (MET) program (MET) is Michigan’s guaranteed tuition program and was the first in the nation. MASA Member Lon Schneider, Manton Consolidated Schools Superintendent and MET Board Member wrote MASA recently to announce that for the first time, the MET Board of Directors authorized a 12-month enrollment period to begin September 1, 2005 and end August 31, 2006. The MET board is asking superintendents to help spread the word about MET by placing a MET web banner and link on your school district web site. MET staff members are also available to make presentations to groups of 20 or more and/or set-up an information booth at school events. There is no cost for these informational programs/booths. If you have questions about MET or wish to schedule a presentation/booth, please call (517) 241-4884. To learn more about the program, visit www.met4kid.com. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) has pledged substantial organizational and monetary support for learning and teaching in schools that have taken in students displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Consequently, they have created a special Web area—2005 Hurricane Relief: A Call to Action—with resources to help educators meet the displaced students’ academic, physical, and emotional needs. In response to the trend of increasing obesity among school-aged children, Surgeon General Kimberlydawn Wisdom has announced a new initiative to encourage activity and healthy eating among children. The Healthy Schools Initiative aims to connect schools with community organizations to encourage children to be more active, eat healthy and avoid tobacco use. "Michigan needs school environments that support efforts to help students achieve their full academic potential," Ms. Wisdom said. "A healthy school environment gives students clear and consistent messages, accurate health information, and ample opportunity for application." As part of the initiative, the Department of Community Health has posted free resources for schools at www.michiganstepsup.org. New
Superintendnets who attending this year’s New Superintendents’
Pre-Conference received the Michigan School and Related Laws 2005
edition, with CD-ROM. This comprehensive compilation of education
statutes and regulations designed for education professionals and
attorneys. The publication collects relevant Michigan statutes and
regulations into one portable volume designed for quick reference.
The included CD-Rom provides a fully annotated, searchable, printable,
and downloadable version of the book, complete with case annotations,
cross references and links. The CD-ROM also includes pertinent Federal
statutes and regulations such as IDEA, FERPA and the No Child Left
Behind Act.
Other MASA members can order the book from LexisNexis at a 20% discount. Visit www.michiganedusource.org/gomasa/MembershipBenefit.htm to order (use discount code = "MASASL") MASA
has partnered with AASA in order to offer members a useful tool
entitled the 2005-2006 Superintendents Briefing Book. This
Briefing Book provides superintendents and their staff
with comprehensive, yet concise, overviews of the best thinking
available on a wide range of top-priority K-12 education concerns.
More importantly, all superintendents will benefit from its content
and will use it to make research-based, data-driven decisions with
confidence, and identify programs and practices that will improve
student achievement.
Normally retailing for $96.00, MASA members can purchase the 2005-2006 Superintendents Briefing Book for $75.00. Please contact Sue White at 517-327-9268 if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Dickinson
Wright, PLLC Harcourt
Assessment Integrated
Design Solutions |
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Michigan
Association of School Administrators 1001 Centennial Way, Suite 300 Lansing, MI 48917-9279 517-327-5910 |
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