Speaking of Leading: “If we can send young people to fight and die in the name of freedom and democracy abroad, surely we can take time to practice freedom and democracy at home.” - Charles C. Haynes, in a May 2008 column on students and the First Amendment.
Inside the First Amendment Are students canaries in the free-speech coal mine?
By Charles C. Haynes, First Amendment Center
“If we can send young people to fight and die in the name of freedom and democracy abroad, surely we can take time to practice freedom and democracy at home.” - Charles C. Haynes, in a May 2008 column on students and the First Amendment.
Note: Charles C. Haynes will present the Thursday keynote address at the MASA Fall Conference. He writes a regular syndicated column on First Amendment issues. This is a reprint of a column written May 2008.
After 12 years of censorship and regimentation, many high school students will graduate this spring with little or no idea about what it means to be a free, active, and engaged citizen in a democracy.
When they march across the stage to get their diploma, let’s hope someone slips them a copy of the First Amendment – with instructions on how to use it.
Far too many public school officials are afraid of freedom and avoid anything that looks like democracy. Under the heading of “safety and discipline,” administrators censor student religious and political speech, shut down student newspapers and limit student government to discussions about decorations at the prom.
Fortunately, a growing number of brave students defy the odds and take seriously what they hear about free speech in civics class.
Earlier this month, Heather Gillman won her fight when a federal judge ruled that her Florida high school violated the First Amendment by prohibiting students from displaying any symbol of support for gay rights, including rainbow stickers.
And last month, Alexander Nuxoll won the right to express the opposite viewpoint when the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that his suburban Chicago school must allow him to wear a “Be Happy, Not Gay” T-shirt while his civil rights case proceeds.
Of course, students don’t always win in court – in fact, they often lose. On May 12, Kimberly Jacobs lost her battle to wear a religious message on her shirt when a 9th Circuit panel upheld a Nevada school district’s dress code prohibiting messages (including political or religious expression) on student uniforms.
But win or lose, students shouldn’t need to call a lawyer in the first place. Public schools are supposed to be places that teach and model what it means to be a citizen in a democracy, especially what it means to use the basic freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Instead, many school officials are convinced that keeping order means ordering students to leave their religious and political convictions at the schoolhouse door.
Yes, schools have an important interest in maintaining safety and discipline. Schools can and should prohibit speech that is obscene or defamatory or promotes illegal activity. And schools may draw the line at student speech that can be clearly shown to cause a substantial disruption in the school.
But the widespread practice of censoring the political and religious views of students simply because their speech might offend someone or might be controversial contradicts everything schools are supposed to teach about freedom of expression.
Students have become canaries in the free-speech coal mine: We can predict the future health of freedom of speech in America by looking at how public schools live up to – or fail to live up to – the First Amendment.
Right now, there are a lot of sick canaries out there. It’s no mystery why so many young people tune out public-policy debates, stay home from the polls and become cynical about their government.
Not all school officials make the false choice between security and freedom. In a small number of schools across the nation – Federal Hocking High School in Ohio and Fairview Elementary School in California are two stellar examples – students are given a real voice in the life of the school.
When schools uphold the First Amendment, they become learning environments that are not only free, but also far safer than schools where students are alienated by censorship and repression.
The challenge is for schools to promote freedom through lessons in civic responsibility. This includes, among other things, involving students in decision-making, teaching peer mediation of conflicts, encouraging a free student press, offering instruction in the ethical use of the Internet, and integrating lessons in civic character across the curriculum.
Here’s a concept: Freedom works. Freedom and democracy, not censorship and repression, create safer schools for students – and ensure a more secure society for us all.
Freedom also takes work. Many school officials complain that in this era of high-stakes testing they don’t have time for such “extras” as supporting meaningful student government, promoting student journalism or creating opportunities for student engagement in public policy and service.
But if we can send young people to fight and die in the name of freedom and democracy abroad, surely we can take time to practice freedom and democracy at home.
Charles C. Haynes will present the Thursday keynote address at the MASA Fall Conference. Haynes is senior scholar at the First Amendment Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. Web: firstamendmentcenter.org. E-mail: chaynes@freedomforum.org.
State may owe millions to local schools
Michigan may have to cough up millions of dollars in additional funding to local school districts because of a state Court of Appeals ruling that says they should have been reimbursed for the cost of keeping and reporting more data required under education reforms enacted in the last decade.
In an opinion released Monday, a unanimous three-judge panel in Lansing said state officials — essentially the Legislature and governor — violated the 1978 Headlee Amendment by ordering schools to turn over data about students and student performance without providing additional resources. The judges said that the state Supreme Court previously ruled that if the state mandates any new activities by school districts, Headlee requires the state to provide funding for it.
Dennis Pollard, a lawyer representing taxpayers from 460 school districts that initiated the suit in 2000, said the reporting requirements add between $50 million and $100 million to districts' spending each year. It's the latest round in a more than 25-year battle between the state and school district officials who want the state to pay for programs. The state argued that the law prompting the lawsuit created only an agency to collect student data.
But the court found that the state still needed to reimburse the schools. The state enforces a federal mandate — the No Child Left Behind Act — to report the data, the court said, and other state laws outside of the lawsuit also mandate the data reporting.
"We have districts that are very close to being broke, and they've had to take money out of the classroom to pay for all the mandates," said William Mayes, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators. "This case acknowledges there are very real costs that go along with government mandates."
"Does that mean that money given to us previously for general purposes will now be earmarked to pay for this?" said Tom White, executive director of the state Association of School Business Officials. "That's the big question: Will we just get it packaged in a different fashion?"
Districts face Medicaid funding cuts, increased compliance requirements
What's ahead for school districts in terms of their ability to continue to access Medicaid?
Schools may lose $635 million for the 2008-2009 school year. In addition, proposed rule changes will in many cases stop payments for services rendered in schools that Medicaid long has covered. At risk are monies collected by schools for specialized transportation to and from school, as well as the elimination of Medicaid recovery for service coordination and case management. Districts will face more restrictions for payment for services such as speech, occupational, physical therapy and in some cases, nursing services for particularly fragile children. Also, they will continue to be paid at rates far below the cost of services due to the manner by which rates are set.
The reductions stem from Medicaid funding cuts in general, but also from a tightening of conditions under which schools can recover costs for direct and administrative services. Over the course of the past 10 years, federal and state enforcement agencies have brought actions against various states for inappropriate and duplicate payments that impact school districts. Moreover, the institutional risks of noncompliance have grown from relatively non-adversarial audits and occasional return of payments to formal investigations resulting in sanctions and sizable returns of monies.
SafeSchools training Webinar assists Pool and Fund members with program implementation
Members of the MASB - SEG Property/Casualty Pool and the SEG Self-Insurer
Workers’ Compensation Fund can now access free online employee training programs! This tremendous opportunity is made possible through the recent partnership between SET SEG, Michigan School Business Officials (MSBO) and SafeSchools, the nation’s foremost provider of school-specific online employee safety and compliance training. Now, MSBO is offering a web-based seminar for members of the Pool and Fund who want to implement SafeSchools programs. The training will help teach you how to enroll employees in the SafeSchools program and how to track their training progress!
Event Details
Date/Time: July 17, 2008. Two sessions are available: 9:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m.
Location: Clinton County RESA (if you wish to attend on-site), or participate by Internet and save time and gas! After you register, a link to the Web meeting will be sent to you via e-mail.
Who should participate: Human Resource Directors or others responsible for employee development, safety and compliance training.
Questions? Contact Deneen Hansen from MSBO at 517-327-2585 or dhansen@msbo.org.
SB-CEUs
It is now possible for your district to obtain State Board Continuing Education Units (SB-CEUs) for completing the SafeSchools training programs! Details on what’s required to obtain SB-CEUs will be shared during the Webinar.
The Michigan Department of Education has partnered with the Library of Michigan to develop the Michigan Reads! program. Governor Jennifer Granholm has proclaimed the month of September as “Michigan Reads to Children” month. In preparation for September, program kits will be sent to each school district administrative office for each public library outlet, Head Start Program, Michigan School Readiness Program, public school library serving K-2, and tribal library.
The kits will include a copy of the 2008 Michigan Reads! book selection, Raccoon Tune, written by Nancy Shaw and illustrated by Howard Fine. The Michigan Reads! kick-off will be held at the Target Book Festival at Kensington Metropark on August 23, 2008 where author, Nancy Shaw, will present her stories and sign autographs.
The Michigan Reads! program is sponsored by Target and co-sponsored by the Library of Michigan Foundation.
Michigan Teaching for Learning Institute
August 11-13, Lansing Center
The 2008 Michigan Teaching For Learning Institute is designed to accelerate the achievement of all students by examining the beliefs and practices of educators.
Participants will study comprehensive sets of data and apply research on current instructional practice by exploring strategies that influence teaching and learning. We encourage you to bring teams.
The morning of August 11 consists of group data meetings followed in the afternoon by a preview of online School Improvement plan template and tools.
August 12 begins with the choice of an opening keynote delivered by Dr. Patricia Mathes, who will provide an update on research findings since the National Reading Panel report, or Jamie Robert Vollmer, whose topic is Welcome to the Conversation: Increasing Community Support for Public Schools. The remainder of the two days provides Michigan educators with the unique opportunity to participate in an institute strand that is designed for in-depth study and application of the selected topic.
Overnight Accommodations should be made with the Radisson Lansing at 517.482.0188. Ask for the MDE Reading First State Conference block of rooms.
Supreme Court rules on two cases regarding FOIA exemptions
The Supreme Court, in two decisions released Wednesday, tightened a 21-year-old definition of what constitutes information of a personal nature that has guided courts when presented with FOIA disputes.
Any exemptions to the disclosure of public documents under FOIA are unaffected by the passage of time or changed circumstances, a unanimous court ruled in one case challenging Michigan State University's refusal to release records relating to criminal assaults in a dormitory. Justice Robert Young Jr., writing for the court (State News v. Michigan State University, SC docket No. 133682), said the proper time for a public body to evaluate a FOIA request is at the time of the filing. In this instance, the university cited the law enforcement exemption and privacy exemption in denying the State News request.
In the other (Michigan Federation of Teachers v. UM, SC docket No. 133819), a 4-3 majority said the law does not compel the University of Michigan to release to a faculty union the names, home addresses and telephone numbers of employees who did not consent to having that information listed in the university's telephone directory. Mr. Young, writing for the court, said the Court of Appeals erred in focusing on whether the information was of an intimate or embarrassing nature regarding the workers' private lives. In denying the FOIA request filed by the Detroit Federation of Teachers, he said the law's exemption encompasses not only potentially embarrassing information, but also that which is confidential and private.
The court said the 1997 Supreme Court ruling on which the appellate court relied unnecessarily limited the scope of the phrase "of a personal nature" when it referenced intimate or embarrassing details.
Both decisions reversed panels of the Court of Appeals which had ruled passage of time could affect the determination of whether to release records and that the employee information did not disclose anything of an intimate or embarrassing
Source: Gongwer News Service, 7.16.08
Sustainable school furniture makes cleaner indoor environment
Going back to school after summer vacation will always have its challenges, especially when they include significant furniture and equipment needs. Adding to the challenge is indoor air quality. More heavily exposed to environmental toxins by weight, younger children consume more food, water, and have higher inhalation rates per pound. That translates to greater sensitivity to indoor pollutants.
Furniture manufactured by Virco, a U.S. Communities supplier, is helping change the way schools address the indoor environment challenge.
In 2005, Virco product lines became the first classroom furniture lines to earn the premier national certification for meeting rigorous product emissions criteria for indoor air quality. Today, hundreds of Virco furniture models are certified according to this stringent indoor air quality standard for schools.
Learn more about the indoor air quality standard for children and schools at www.greenguard.org
MASA has partnered with U.S. Communities to provide a national purchasing forum for school districts by pooling the purchasing power of more than 87,000 public agencies. Learn how to save money and time with MASA’s partner, U.S. Communities.
MASA news:
Superintendent of the Year nominations due July 30
Region presidents are now welcoming nominations for regional 2009 Superintendent of the Year awards, co-sponsored by MASA, AASA, and Aramark. Anyone can nominate a superintendent for this program. Most often, nominations come from a school board member, parent, community leader or another superintendent.
Check with your own region president to learn the nomination process your region will follow. If the region has no planned process, then follow the following steps:
Submit the nomination form to your Region President AND AASA by July 30, in order to give nominees adequate time to complete the lengthy application packet. (The deadline for all nominees’ completed application packets is September 30.)
This year’s theme will be “Democracy's Promise: Educate Every Child” and a ll applicants will be measured against the following criteria:
Leadership for Learning – creativity in successfully meeting the needs of students in his or her school system.
Communication – strength in both personal and organizational communication.
Professionalism – constant improvement of administrative knowledge and skills, while providing professional development opportunities and motivation to others on the education team.
Community Involvement – active participation in local community activities and an understanding of regional, national and international issues.
This year marks the 22nd year of the National Superintendent of the Year Program. Nomination brochures have been mailed to all public school board presidents, so if you plan to nominate a colleague, be sure to check with their board president so you can work together. An invitation to participate should have been mailed to all public school boards and superintendents in late May.
To learn more about Michigan ’s process and timelines, visit www.MichiganEdusource.org. Click on “Awards, Scholarships and Recognitions,” then “Administrator.”
Retirees - Mark your calendars!
MASEL Luncheon – September 16, 2008
The 43rd annual luncheon of the Michigan Association of Senior Education Leaders (MASEL) will take place on Tuesday, September 16 2008 at the Kellogg Center, MSU, East Lansing.
Reservation information will be mailed to all retired members on the MASA mailing list in August.
MASA moments worth remembering - Dan Mulhern, 2006
Do you remember this message by keynote speaker Dan Mulhern at the MASA 2007 Midwinter Conference in Kalamazoo?
The First Gentleman asked:
“What is the energy level like in your “orchestra”… your community?
“It’s your job to light the fire… to motivate all the players in your ‘orchestra’ to care about and work for a vision that leads to success for the students in your community. It’s your job to rally them to insist on adequate funding."
He offered eight surefire ways to generate energy in 120 seconds:
Create a sense of hope
Have energy yourself
Relate to issues that matter to the people with whom you interact
See opportunity in challenges
Have fun
Celebrate accomplishments
Show people how they can make a difference
Get along beside them and work
You can find archived materials from many MASA, MAISA, and MIEM events in the Professional Development section of www.MichiganEdusource.org.
MASA Edlines includes profile of MASA President
Recently, the TriCities Business Review ran a nice profile article of MASA President, Craig Douglas. If you missed seeing it in our daily EdLines, we think you’ll enjoy reading it online.
Don’t forget—if vacations or meetings keep you from reading MASA’s daily news clippings, you can read each week’s top stories at the MASA home page by clicking EdLines-News Briefs in the left menu bar.
Contribute to the Leader!
Do you have news or information to share with members that’s interesting, impressive, or just plain fun? The staff of the MASA Leader invites you to contribute in several ways.
Members in the News: Send news clippings that mention you or other members. This could include news about awards, new programs or staff/student accomplishments.
Winners Circle: Nominate yourself or another member for the Winners Circle . This column features MASA members who have initiated a unique, successful program or implemented an innovative idea that can be shared and used in other districts.
Feature articles: Write a feature article from 300-1000 words describing research, best practices, or even opinion about hot topics MASA members care about: management; instructional or organizational leadership; staff, parent, board or community relationships; grassroots or legislative activity; communication; using data to make decisions; or more.
On the Job: Share a tidbit about life as a leader: a quick tip, a humorous incident, or a child saying “the darndest thing.”
Kid photos: Send photos of you, your staff, or students in action. (Just be sure all student photos are released for publication.)
Send submissions to Linda Wacyk at lwacyk@gomasa.org or fax to 517.327.0771. Include your name, contact information, and the type of item you are sending.
Make sure you receive your MASA membership benefits!
MASA sends important email messages to members on a regular basis. Here are some steps you can take to ensure you stay in the loop:
Update contact information:
Make sure MASA has accurate information to reach you by email, phone, and postage. We communicate in a variety of ways and want you to receive it in a timely manner. Contact Sue White at swhite@gomasa.org or 517.327.9266.
Adjust security settings:
Ask your technology manager to add the listserv.melg.org and gomasa.org domain names to your approved senders list.
View messages in HTML format:
If you are experiencing difficulties with the links from MASA’s EdLines (Morning News or Political Pulse), you might first check to make sure your email system is reading messages in HTML format. While differences in email systems makes it hard for us to tell you exactly how to change your view settings to HTML, you will generally need to open your email program, go to Options, and change the View setting to HTML (or a similar process).
For further guidance, contact James Scofield at jharder@gomasa.org or 517.327.9259.
MASA has placed a priority on helping members create strong board-superintendent relationships. Guidelines for superintendent contract language is available to every member. And through a variety of special events, some in collaboration with MASB, trained consultants can help build communication skills, work plans, and effective governance models.
John Severson joins the Winners' Circle
At this year’s MASA Distinguished Administrators’ Luncheon, 13 new MASA members were inducted into the Winners’ Circle. These members were honored by the Membership Services Committee for initiating a unique, successful program or implementing an innovative idea that has had a significant, positive impact on their school districts that can be used by other districts across the state. This year’s inductees include:
John Severson, Harper Creek Community Schools, Region 7
Unique Implementation of Collins Writing
John has implemented Collins Writing in Harper Creek Community Schools in a distinctly unique way. The idea behind the implementation of this purchased K-12 writing program is to give teachers and students a concrete method for learning about and referring to a writing process that works in each subject area K-12 across the curriculum. Students (and their teachers) come to understand that different types of writing are appropriate at different times, for different assignments, and for different audiences. Harper is presently in the second year of implementing this approach K-12 across the curriculum. The district consistently provides professional development and support via in-house instructional coaches. The program uses a veteran English teacher and certified trainer of the program, to provide program expertise. The teacher also included a week-long training for 30 of their staff members this summer. As the program continues to develop, they have expanded and raised the bar on expectations for students and teachers. Most importantly, K-8th grade focus correction areas are specifically linked to state grand level content expecations. High school English teachers are addressing writing strategies and prompts that relate to the Michigan Merit Exam — or MME — while the other departments promote focus correction areas corresponding to the MME. All K-12 grade teachers are required to complete three folder reviews with their principal and their instructional coaches. The superintendent personally attends high school folder reviews. While the Collins Writing process is a highly recognized program, Harper Creek continues to develop instructional support focused on improving the writing skills of every student. Their continual planning and professional development/support for their teachers has made a significant difference in the way they teach and how students learn, thereby helping students become better writers.
Interventions in truancy matters through VBISD-Sheriff's Office alliance result in some success
Van Buren County Sheriff Dale Gribler and Van Buren Intermediate School District Superintendent Jeff Mills recently reported that a partnership formed two years ago to assist local school districts with truancy and incorrigibility issues, is beginning to show positive results.
The local schools filed 254 truancy/or incorrigibility referrals with the sheriff's office this year, compared to 213 in the 2006-2007 school year. The positive side of this increase is that fewer cases required court intervention.
During the 2006-2007 school year, 27 parents and 46 students entered the court system compared to 24 parents and 40 students this past year. The percentage of successful interventions increased from around 70 percent the first year to nearly 78 percent this school year.
Next year's goal is to continue increasing the number of successful contacts and further reduce the need for court action.
Gribler stated that ongoing feedback from school administrators indicates having an officer dedicated to the intermediate school district and available to the county's school districts continues to have a positive impact on the overall attendance, and gives schools another tool to use in correcting inappropriate behavior
Source: Paw Paw Courier Leader, 6.23.08
MDE news:
Director of the Office of School Improvement
Betty Underwood has been officially appointed as Director of the Office of School Improvement. According to an MDE publication: “Betty has done an exemplary job as the Interim Director for the past year. We look forward to her continued leadership in our statewide initiatives to improve student learning.”
Michigan one of five NEA Dream Teams selected for Education Leaders Institute
Michigan students will be the ultimate beneficiaries of a renewed focus on arts and creativity in the state’s schools. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced last week that Michigan is one of five multidisciplinary “dream teams” to receive NEA support to participate in the second Education Leaders Institute (ELI), held July 15-17, 2008, in Chicago.
Michigan ’s ELI Team is led by Dr. Sally Vaughn , the Michigan Department of Education’s Deputy Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer. The Michigan team will build on the state’s Michigan Merit Curriculum that includes a one-credit minimum graduation requirement for all students in the visual, performing, and applied arts focused on the complete artistic/creative process.
“Research continues to confirm the importance of the arts and creativity in engaging diverse learners in powerful ways and developing skills that prepare students for the 21 st century’s creative economy,” Dr. Vaughn said.
The Michigan Team invited to participate in ELI is composed of:
Dr. Sally Vaughn , Michigan Department of Education
John Bracey , Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs
Cindy Ornstein , ArtServe Michigan
Bob Harris , Michigan Education Association
Steve Hamp , Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan
Ana Cardona, Consultant for Arts Education, Michigan Department of Education
The ELI teams were selected by a panel convened by the Arts Endowment in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council. Other teams selected to participate along with Michigan in the July 2008 Education Leaders Institute are Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island.
The Michigan Team will gather July 14-17, 2008, at the University of Chicago’s Gleacher Center to discuss how better alignment of Michigan’s K-12 education system with the state’s network of cultural institutions might improve support to local school districts in arts/creativity curriculum development, student services, and professional development.
The Michigan Team’s agreement to consider fundamental changes to how arts, creativity, culture, and education in Michigan come together for the benefit of all students represents a major commitment from the state’s key arts and culture leaders, each of whom represents thousands of constituents in classrooms, studios, museums, businesses, and universities throughout the state. Achieving better alignment within the region’s current budget constraints is one of the creative challenges the team will tackle.
State teams participating in ELI will jointly discuss promising practices and arts education challenges on topics such as assessment, leadership in arts education, curriculum development, and access to arts learning. National speakers and experts attending the event will support state teams, providing information and resources. As participants exchange ideas, innovative partnerships emerge, coupled with renewed commitment to arts education at the school-district level.
Michigan approved for pilot program to measure student academic Growth
Michigan is one of 10 states approved to participate in a national pilot program that will take into consideration a student’s yearly academic growth to help determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
The United States Department of Education (USED) approved Michigan’s application to participate in a Growth Model pilot in its continuous effort to adjust and improve the implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
“This will help recognize the hard work being done in schools where the students may not be reaching the required proficiency levels on our state MEAP and MI-Access tests, but are making significant educational progress every year,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan .
The Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test is given to general education students, and MI-Access is the state’s alternate test given to students with significant cognitive disabilities.
Three key features of Michigan ’s model include:
Using performance level change (first reported for fall 2007) to track students performance from year to year;
Measuring whether students who are not yet proficient are “on track” to becoming proficient within three years; and
Determining that if students are “on track” toward becoming proficient within three years, those students will count toward schools making AYP even if they are not yet proficient.
Identifying students who are “on track” toward proficiency within three years will apply only to grades 4-8 for the state’s English Language Arts (ELA) and math tests. Those are the only two subjects required by NCLB to be tested and used to determine AYP. Third graders will not be identified as being “on track” since that is the first time those students’ achievement is measured.
The Growth Model calculations will be used to determine this year’s AYP results. Preliminary AYP results already had been issued to elementary and middle schools for the 2007-2008 school year. As a result of this recent approval by USED to use the Growth Model, the Michigan Department of Education will add the “on track” students into the AYP calculation system over the next several weeks to create final AYP determinations. This will result in a modest number of schools that originally had not made AYP ultimately making AYP in the final determination. No schools will be affected negatively by considering student progress toward proficiency.
The other states approved for the Growth Model pilot program are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Class size reduction fund criteria
The MDE lists 6 criteria for funding of class size reduction using state or federal grant funds:
CSR must be based on a comprehensive needs assessment.
CSR must reduce class size to 17 students or fewer.
CSR can be funded in grades K-3.
Classes must be taught by highly qualified teachers who have adjusted teaching strategies to fit reduced class size.
CSR must be delivered to at-risk populations of students.
The CSR initiative must be sustained for the student cohort for at least 2 years.
Visit the Office of School Improvement’s Class Size Reduction webpage for the expanded criteria and a comprehensive set of frequently asked questions and answers.
Personal curriculum Powerpoints available
The State Department of Education announced that the PowerPoint presentations used for the Personal Curriculum Webinars are now available online:
Early Childhood Committee finishes two free resources
The Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators’ (MAISA) Early Childhood Committee offers two resources that can be used to advance early childhood education programming in your community. Prepared by experts in early childhood education, both contain useful, up-to-date information. Both are available to you free of charge and are posted at: www.michiganedusource.org. The two resources are:
This reproducible and customizable brochure contains many low-cost strategies for promoting children’s social and emotional development, parent education and children’s early literacy. Use it in your district. Share it with those in the community who are working with our youngest citizens to promote their school success. To customize this brochure with your logo, contact Lena Montgomery at Wayne RESA: montgol@resa.net.
Available in both on-line and pdf format, this resource has web links to all known state and federal programs that serve this age group, including programs for children, family support programs and community-based programs. Use this resource to discover and collaborate with existing efforts to foster and maintain quality early childhood programming in your area.
As you know, early childhood programs:
Improve achievement for all—since students who come to school learning are more likely to be successful in school.
Help meet No Child Left Behind Act goals—and adequate yearly progress by preventing early learning failure.
Save precious general education revenue and resources—by reducing/eliminating the costs for remediation.
Reduce special education costs—by early identification and early intervention for students at risk of developmental delays.
Create feeder programs for public schools—families who have early positive experiences with public schools are more likely to choose public schools when it comes time for kindergarten.
Improve the local economy—as Governor Granholm has said, “Perhaps the single most important key to economic development is the one that opens the doors to learning in the minds of our young ones today. In the knowledge economy, business and education are linked; you cannot succeed at the former if you do not excel at the latter.”
Build great adults—students who are successful in school are more likely to become stable, well-educated citizens who give back to the community.
And, by embracing early childhood programs your district has the opportunity to:
Influence early childhood policy and programs.
Show leadership in school improvement by modeling best educational practices.
Expand community links and collaboration with other agencies and businesses.
If you have questions about the work of MAISA’s Early Childhood Committee, call MAISA at 517.327.5910.
in case you missed it:
Online classes will emphasize coursework over 'seat time'
An online program to launch this fall at Rogers High School will give 100 students the chance to do school work on their own time.
With a waiver from the Michigan Department of Education, the Frontiers program will not require students to meet the state's "seat time" requirements. Instead, if students show progress in online coursework, they will spend as little as one hour per week in school.
"Students can actually earn time away from campus to proceed at their own pace wherever they have Internet access," said Al Vigh, program coordinator. "It's a completely different animal. It will truly blend traditional and online school in a way never before done in Kent County.
"Based on what's happening in our state with the economy and the dropout rate, we've got to change what we're doing. The needs of the students of the 21st century are changing, and we're trying to address those needs."
At the start, students will attend school 10 hours per week in two computer labs at Rogers. If students show progress on quarterly assessments, their time in school will decrease gradually. At the end of the first quarter, they will get a district-owned laptop computer to study off-campus.
Wyoming previously has offered online courses, but the state has limited students to two classes per day. Now, students can learn full-time through video lectures, online text, interactive web links, and a telephone hotline for homework help.
Teachers will staff the computer lab. They're not involved with the actual course delivery unless a student comes to them for help, but that teacher is still going to be responsible for teaching that student how to be a successful online learner.
"We're trying to meet the needs of the students," Superintendent Jon Felske said.
If college degrees represent courses of instruction completed, what measures what a graduate can do with the knowledge obtained?
To an increasing number of employers and job-training experts, the answer is a Career Readiness Certificate. The CRC has now been fully recognized by 16 states since its fall 2004 introduction in Virginia. Additionally, nearly 30 states are either deploying certificates locally, in the process of developing a program around the certificate or have shown an active interest in doing so.
The certificate is mostly used for jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree, but it is becoming common in many fields in which people are educated at community colleges. As a result, community colleges are playing key roles in creating certificate programs, and many are starting to require the certificate for entry to or exit from certain programs, or linking programs to their ability to prepare students to obtain certificates.
Considering the state of the U.S. economy and the reality of globalization, the CRC is “an idea whose time has come,” according to Barbara Bolin, pioneer in the development of the certificate and president of the National Association for Career Credentialing. It is a myth, she said, that employers want educators to provide them with fully trained employees for specific jobs. Instead, given the rapid growth of skills requirements in today’s working world, she counters that employers would rather have educators provide them with employees that are “trainable” for any job.
“Over the last 10 to 15 years there has been a weakening confidence in the academic credentials with which people graduate from high school and college,” Bolin said. “The CRC is the perfect complement to those credentials.”
Even though the certificates have different names in different states, they are based on the same set of criteria, making them portable throughout the country. Now that the CRC, based on ACT’s WorkKeys assessments, has taken root in a number of states, ACT has introduced a certificate of its own. The ACT’s National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) is, according to some critics, a redundancy of the many CRCs being offered at the state level. It is based on the same assessments and is therefore similarly portable.
Though Michigan is the only state offering the NCRC as its official work skills certificate six more states are talking about using the NCRC. States currently issuing their own CRCs may also purchase an ACT seal that can be applied to their certificates, adding them to this network.
Schools cutting bus service because of fuel prices
School administrators are spinning their wheels trying to cope with the soaring costs of fuel for school buses. The bottom line: More students will walk farther this fall.
"All the less drastic measures have pretty much been exploited," says Robin Leeds of the National School Transportation Association. "All that sort of easy-picking fruit has been picked."
Fuel costs are up 35%-40% since last year. Schools are making more students walk to school and axing buses for extracurricular activities, and more operate on four-day weeks:
Garden City, Mich., schools have eliminated Saturday transportation for extracurricular activities. Last year, the district cut out daily buses for high school students, but after two weeks, the buses were back when parents expressed safety concerns.
In Nash-Rocky Mount public schools in Nashville, N.C., a bus for any extracurricular event that is not a competition now depends on funds raised by students or booster groups.
The Montgomery County, Md., school board has given Superintendent Jerry Weast authority to expand how far students will walk to school or a bus stop if gas prices create "exigent circumstances."
At least 86 school districts are on four-day weeks, according to the National School Boards Association. Kentucky's Webster County schools switched to four-day weeks in 2005. This year…transportation for sports and other activities will be up to parents.
In Ohio, more schools are cutting back to the minimum requirement, which means buses only for kindergartners through eighth-graders who live more than 2 miles from school, according to Pete Japikse, the state's director of pupil transportation. The number of students on daily buses is down from 1.1 million to 1 million.
Busing advocates say cutting basic bus service jeopardizes safety. About 800 students die each year going to and from school, but only about 20 deaths are bus-related, according to the National Academies of Sciences.
Drastic cuts also threaten attendance, says Mike Martin of the American School Bus Council. Some students forced to find their own way to school may not go at all, he says.
Documentary compares schooling in U.S., India, and China
Top American, Indian, and Chinese students profiled in the new, limited-release documentary "Two Million Minutes," have widely divergent educational experiences: A U.S. student claims to do homework only "occasionally," while another talks about the need to balance schoolwork and fun. Meanwhile, their peers in China and India have early morning study sessions, pull all-nighters and work with tutors.
While some education professors criticized the film's premise, Harvard professor Tony Wagner said U.S. schools don't encourage creativity or critical thinking: "We don't challenge kids in schools," he said. "We don't challenge them to think; we don't challenge them to create."
Source: Los Angeles Times (free registration) (6.16.08)
AASA news:
Growth and innovation takecenter stage at AASA’s National Conference on Education
The National Conference on Education, Feb. 19-21, 2009, in San Francisco, is the only national conference aimed at your unique role leading K-12 school systems. Discounted registration is offered to AASA members July 1-14 at www.aasa.org/nce. General registration is now available.
Please be advised that a dedicated room block is available for our members at the Westin St. Francis hotel. These rooms are available from July 1 – September 29, 2008. A valid user name and password is required to make any reservation in the state block. Please use the following when you register online:
State: Michigan
User ID: Mayes
Password Gold09
In order to keep rooms accessible to Michigan members only, please do not share the user name and password with individuals outside of our state association.
Registration and Housing Information:
To make housing arrangements, you first must be registered to attend the 2009 National Conference on Education (NCE). Save Time and Secure Housing Immediately - Register online at www.aasa.org/nce.
Once your online registration is complete, you will automatically be linked to the housing site. If you choose to secure housing at a later date, your registration confirmation letter will contain the necessary information to obtain housing for the NCE. L
AASA regrets that it is unable to accept requests for housing prior to receipt and verification of payment in full for registration fees or purchase order numbers. Registrations with P.O. payments must be mailed or faxed and registrations with check payments must be mailed. Use of the registration form will delay receipt of your National Conference on Education registration confirmation ID required to access online housing. We suggest you send both the registration and housing forms together to expedite the housing process. Forms can be found at www.aasa.org/nce.
Note: Mailing/faxing of forms (for purchase orders and checks) will take several days to process, and registration IDs will not be immediately available. A confirmation will be sent directly from the registration company with this information. If a confirmation is not sent within 20 days, please call 1-866-229-3691.
NCE Registrations and housing reservations cannot be taken over the phone.
If rooms are sold out or you have questions about the state’s block, please contact Mandy Diroff at 517.327.9262.
ONLINE REGISTRATION AND HOUSING RESERVATION INSTRUCTIONS
All state association hotel reservations must be made on-line. Please follow the directions below to register and make housing reservations:
1. Have a credit card available for your registration and housing reservation(s) fees
2. Go to www.aasa.org/nce and choose Register Now! from the left navigation bar.
3. On the welcome page, click “State Association Registration and Housing” link (near bottom of the page)
4. On the State Selection page, choose your state from the pull down menu
5. On the State Association Registration page, enter your state’s user ID and password and click continue.
6. Enter your AASA member ID number (found on your AASA membership card) and last name to begin your registration process. Upon completion of your registration, the housing options will automatically appear.
7. On the housing page, click “Search for Hotels”
8. On the Room Search Page, use the pull-down menus to choose:
a. Hotel (only your state’s designated hotel will appear, however, you must still choose it from the pull down menu)
b. Arrival date
c. Departure date
NOTE: Available hotels are indicated with a circle before the name below. A red W means that rooms are not available in that hotel / category and a waitlist is not allowed. If a hotel shows 'waitlist only', this indicates that one or more nights during your requested stay are not available at this time. You may view more waitlist details by clicking on the words 'waitlist only' on the hotel list, or you may choose to alter your arrival/departure dates and perform the hotel search again below. Waitlist requests and rooms will be monitored carefully until September 28, 2007. Experient will clear waitlists as rooms become available. To continue with your waitlist reservation, click “Continue with State Block Housing Reservation”.
9.Click “Book Now”
10. Continue and complete each page to finalize your reservation.
Deposit Information: No hotel reservation will be processed or confirmed by AASA Housing without a credit card to guarantee the reservation. Hotel/AASA Housing will charge one night’s room & tax (per room reserved) immediately upon making reservations.
Deposits are non-refundable after January 19, 2009. Failure to abide by the January 19, 2009 cancellation policy will result in forfeiture of your room deposits charged to your credit card.
Changes and CancellationsAll Reservation changes and/or cancellations must be made in writing through AASA’s Housing Bureau (see contact information below). DO NOT contact the hotel directly. Changes must received by December 31, 2009.
Need Online Technical Assistance or Have Questions about State Block Housing?( To speak to an AASA Housing Service Consultant, call between 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m., CST. 800.974.9833 (US & Canada) or 847.282.2529 (International) or email Jennifer Moore at Jennifer.Moore@experient-inc.com or Brenda Howe at Brenda.Howe@experient-inc.com.
AASA Women in School Leadership Forum Oct. 30- Nov. 1, 2008
Savannah, GA
In a few months, women leaders like you from around the country, committed to promoting women’s leadership, will engage in candid discussions designed to address the myriad challenges unique to women leaders in education. As a leader in your profession, you owe it to yourself and to the women working their way up, to take time for active reflection and renewal. See the details, pair up with colleagues and save with your early-bird registration today!
AASA launches National School Safety Study
AASA and Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies kicked off a strategic alliance earlier this month by inviting AASA members to complete a survey on school safety and security called the Risk Mitigation Assessment. The results of the assessment will be used to create the first-ever National School Safety Study, which will be released in early October at the AASA Center for System Leadership’s 2008 Safe and Secure Schools: Superintendents Lead the Way Conference for administrators, superintendents and district security directors. Learn more at: http://www.aasa.org/newsroom/pressdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=10533
AASA responds to the “Broader, Bolder Approach to Education” statement
AASA Center examines pipeline to the superintendency
The AASA Center for System Leadership™ has released the 2007 State of the Superintendency Mini-Survey: Aspiring to the Superintendency. The survey offers brand-new data collected from superintendents nationwide. It offers a snapshot of the state of the school superintendency “pipeline,” incentives and barriers for joining the superintendency, and steps for expanding the “pipeline” to ensure a high-quality pool of superintendent candidates. Copies of the survey results are available free to AASA members and for $29.95 for nonmembers. Learn more at: http://www.aasa.org/newsroom/pressdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=10502.
research reports:
Great Public Schools for Every Student by 2020
The National Education Association has released a new policy paper on the Federal role in education, GREAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR EVERY STUDENT BY 2020: Achieving A New Balance In The Federal Role To Transform America's Public Schools.
NEA proposes that a "new balance" be created in the partnership among federal, state, and local leaders and that we collectively commit to making every public school great by the year 2020. The paper and related materials are available at:
The paper contends that Federal leaders have an opportunity to recalibrate the role of the federal government. Schools, districts, and states – not the federal government-are the primary engines of public school transformation. But to accelerate the pace of transformation, states and districts need well-designed federal policies to supply the balance of support necessary to deliver quality educational programs for every student in our public schools.
The paper proposes that the federal role in K-12 education be focused on the following six priorities:
Support the profession of teaching as a desired and complex field of study and practice.
Federal guarantee for the sustained funding of Title I and IDEA and for special needs populations.
Equal access to educational services and supports.
Support state-led public school transformation through authentic accountability that is publicly transparent.
Establish high-quality educational research and development as essential to educational improvement.
Support innovation and best practices to accelerate state-based improvement efforts and improve student learning based on proven teaching strategies and programs grounded in sound teaching and learning research.
High-Achieving Students in the Era of No Child Left Behind
This publication reports the results of the first two (of five) studies of a multifaceted research investigation of the state of high-achieving students in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) era. Authored by Ann Duffett, Steve Farkas, Tom Loveless of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Part I examines achievement trends for high-achieving students since the early 1990s; Part II reports on teachers' own views of how schools are serving high-achieving pupils in the NCLB era.
"The narrowing of test score gaps, although an important accomplishment," Loveless writes, should not "overshadow the languid performance trends of high-achieving students." He adds: "Their test scores are not being harmed during the NCLB era, but they are not flourishing either. Gaps are narrowing because the gains of low-achieving students are outstripping those of high achievers by a factor of two or three to one. The nation has a strong interest in developing the talents of its best students to their fullest to foster the kind of growth at the top end of the achievement distribution that has been occurring at the bottom end."
According to a review by Washington Post columnist, Jay Matthews, “Loveless exposes intriguing relationships in the data that suggest better ways to treat the learning gap. He looks closely at high achievers and finds those who are black, Hispanic or low-income have different characteristics from their white, high-income peers. Their schools are less likely to have the algebra courses that they are ready to take. But interestingly, their math teachers ‘appear as qualified to teach advanced courses as the teachers of high achievers as a whole,’ Loveless writes.”
Loveless suggests that Congress fund an experiment, as part of the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, to follow high-achieving students more carefully and create new opportunities, particularly for those who are disadvantaged. Rewards could be offered for improving the performance of those in already-high-achieving groups. Data could be collected and analyzed.
Out of Order, Out of Time:
The State of the Nation’s Health Workforce
Without immediate action to address the looming health workforce crises, the U.S. is at risk of losing its status as the global health care leader, warns a new report. "Out of Order, Out of Time: The State of the Nation’s Health Workforce" notes that the nation is running out of time to address the health workforce and calls for immediate action to create the infrastructure for policymaking that will respond to 21st century needs.
The report, conducted by the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC), recognizes that current fragmented and uncoordinated health workforce policymaking cannot solve the urgent systemic problems we face, and calls for a new, comprehensive and integrated national approach to health workforce policymaking and planning. The report was unveiled at a press briefing where a panel of experts discussed key findings and made recommendations to help avert a health workforce crisis.
The AAHC (www.aahcdc.org) is a national non-profit association dedicated to advancing the nation's health and well-being through leadership in health professions education, patient care, and research.
leader resources:
MASB online survey service saves district time and money
Surveys provide an effective means for gauging community perceptions and support for your school. Community input and feedback are the best ways to drive your strategic planning and goal-setting process, while showing your community that you value their input. Unfortunately, they typically take a considerable amount of time to create, distribute and collect. Not anymore! The Michigan Association of School Boards has launched a new online survey service that solves your survey distribution and collection problems—all with confidentiality and anonymity.
The benefits of online surveys are many. MASB offers districts online surveys that are anonymous and confidential from a neutral, outside source and creates the questions with best practices and research in mind. The new online survey service allows your district to enjoy a faster response rate, reduced employee time, mailing and printing costs. Online surveys can be customized with superintendent and board input and are ideal for evaluating individual programs and comprehensive campaigns. For more information, contact Jennifer Rogers at 517.327.5908 or jrogers@masb.org.
Free online resource guides district planning to archive digital communications
Email may have decreased the use of paper, but it hasn't cut back on the paper trail. Federal rules that took effect in December of 2006 mandate that schools, along with businesses and other organizations, keep track of email, IM, and other digital communications produced by employees.
Specifically, the ruling states that any party involved in litigation must be able to produce electronically stored information during the discovery process. This rule clearly places the burden of archiving email on school technology departments and staff, which is no small job if you consider the amount of email used today.
Today's schools have plenty on their technology plates. From Internet security issues to software and hardware updates, adding digital archiving to the mix is just one more task for the already maxed out ed-tech department.
Fortunately technology also offers solutions. The editor s of eSchool News have put together a collection of their best stories from the eSN collection, as well as a selection of additional resources, to help you determine how best to archive your digital communications.
Inside Michigan Education now featured on iTunes U
The weekly podcast "Inside Michigan Education," has now been featured in the MI Learning section of Apple's iTunes U.
Inside Michigan Education is produced in Grand Rapids and features in-depth interviews with regional experts who share their knowledge and opinions about the present condition and future needs of Michigan’s K-12 education system.
Apple’s iTunes U makes educational content available on demand, similar to the way music is delivered via the popular iTunes service. Apple recently extended the scope of iTunes U content from higher education to K-12 education.
Produced through the cooperative efforts of Apple and the state of Michigan, MI Learning is among the first of the K-12 channels. According to Bruce Umpstead, director of educational technology and data coordination for the Michigan Department of Education, "We are one of eight states that announced our pilot sites yesterday. Our site is called MI Learning and you can find that when you log onto iTunes U."
Umpstead acknowledges the use of iTunes for educational purposes is not without its detractors.
“ITunes is blocked by most school districts," he said. "Some of the content on iTunes can be questionable at times. Also, the videos and the music can clog a school district's Internet connection with non-relevant content. So the question is why are you going to engage?”
The vision, according to Umpstead, is founded in the desire to engage students in learning with rich media.
Superintendent's farewell - a case for strong board-supt relationships
Retiring Colorado superintendent Mary Barter makes a persuasive case for strong board-superintendent relationships in her farewell to the community in a Durango Herald Op-Ed, June 29, 2008
DURANGO, Colo. — Monday, I end my 42-year career as a public educator. I have been a teacher, principal, university professor and, finally, superintendent of three school districts in economically and culturally diverse parts of the country. I can say without reservation that my nine years in Durango have been the best years of my professional life. I have been blessed with and leave a strong, talented and committed staff of teachers, support personnel and administrators.
The District 9-R School Board has selected Keith Owen, a talented administrator, as its next superintendent. His energy, fresh ideas and commitment to the education of all children will serve Durango well. He and the district will prosper if we as a community are willing to respect the roles that a board and superintendent play; to understand that conflicts between them provide the fertile dialogue that leads to better decision making; and to commit to acting with grace and civility with the best interests of all children in mind.
In Colorado, voters elect board members to represent the community's values. The board hires the superintendent to operate the district and to inform the board about shifting community interests, changing legislation and other factors that affect their decisions. Because the superintendent understands the district's complexity, the superintendent must explain how the board's decisions will affect the district.
When complex issues arise, conflicting values often emerge as board and superintendent determine a course of action. They must be able to talk with each other openly and honestly to understand the consequences of a particular decision, so that the final outcome will best serve students and the district's mission. That's easier said than done, especially in today's media-saturated society where we too often portray vigorous debate in simple win-lose dichotomies. The board and superintendent need the public and media's patience to explore complex issues without political pressure to favor one value over another. Our children's education is too important to characterize the discourse as a win-lose proposition.
The district's continuing discussion about career and technical education illustrates the dilemma that competing values pose. The district's historical agricultural community has given way over the years to ex-urbanites who enjoy Southwest Colorado's rural setting. These changes have forced the district to consider whether it should continue traditional programs that primarily have served the needs of the agricultural community or whether resources should be used for different programs.
On the one hand, we value our rural heritage and want to protect programs that traditionally served agriculture. On the other, the board and superintendent have a responsibility to explore whether preserving tradition will negatively affect the district's ability to prepare students for work in the global marketplace. The superintendent clarifies the conflict in values and the financial, social and institutional ramifications of either course of action. The board seeks community opinion, weighs it against the information provided and makes a decision that it thinks will best align with the district's mission and serve its students.
When all parties focus on student success, when board and superintendent trust and respect each other and the information they provide, they create a healthy decision making system that results in sustainable change and that can withstand conflict. Board and superintendent do not focus on "winning" or who will be "right;" rather, they seek to improve the system of information-gathering, debate and deliberation to make the best decisions.
Finally, we must remember that board members are elected to represent all constituencies in our community, not only those who appear before them or those with special interests. We must have respect for the difficult dialogue that must occur without calling the board a rubber stamp or without accusing the superintendent of pandering to the board. When we resort to power politics to influence the outcome through name-calling or malicious blogging, we undermine the trust that sustains a productive board-superintendent relationship, and we disrupt the difficult process of decision making. And while the community will be asked — and rightly expects — to participate in the deliberations, ultimately, the board or superintendent must make the decision and live with the consequences.
I have learned in my years of working with board members that they must be capable of setting aside personal agendas. Board members who bring personal issues to the table lack the objectivity necessary to good decision making and can create confrontations that prohibit the board from gathering the information it needs. Furthermore, good boardsmanship calls upon individual members to speak their minds during discussions preceding their decision. Healthy disagreement makes for good information. But once the board decides, the majority rules, and board members — if they truly wish to work in the community's best interests — must support the decision.
District 9-R is blessed with a strong staff and administrative team, a system of continuous improvement that's working well and community support for its schools. The board has appointed a strong educator with excellent experience in education who has great potential to lead this district to the next level of excellence. The board and community will have a lot to do with his success. The community must elect board members without personal agendas, with the strength of character to withstand power politics, and with a commitment to serve the bests interests of the entire community and its children.
And when the community elects those board members, it must create an environment of respect and civility to allow the board and its appointed superintendent to create positive change for our students. We must understand and respect the inherent and necessary conflicts that arise between board and superintendent — conflicts that grow out of vigorous and enlightened debate about issues that have neither right nor wrong solutions. We teach our students to aspire to this level of discourse over the important issues of our times. Now, more than ever, it's time to practice what we teach.
Mary Barter is retiring as superintendent of Durango School District 9-R.
Note: Charles C. Haynes will present the Thursday keynote address at the MASA Fall Conference. He writes a regular syndicated column on First Amendment issues. This is a reprint of a column written May 2008.
After 12 years of censorship and regimentation, many high school students will graduate this spring with little or no idea about what it means to be a free, active, and engaged citizen in a democracy.
The kits will include a copy of the 2008 Michigan Reads! book selection, Raccoon Tune, written by Nancy Shaw and illustrated by Howard Fine. The Michigan Reads! kick-off will be held at the Target Book Festival at Kensington Metropark on August 23, 2008 where author, Nancy Shaw, will present her stories and sign autographs.
The Supreme Court, in two decisions released Wednesday, tightened a 21-year-old definition of what constitutes information of a personal nature that has guided courts when presented with FOIA disputes. 
Going back to school after summer vacation will always have its challenges, especially when they include significant furniture and equipment needs. Adding to the challenge is indoor air quality. More heavily exposed to environmental toxins by weight, younger children consume more food, water, and have higher inhalation rates per pound. That translates to greater sensitivity to indoor pollutants.
The First Gentleman asked:
Recently, the TriCities Business Review ran a nice profile article of MASA President, Craig Douglas. If you missed seeing it in our daily EdLines, we think you’ll enjoy 
Van Buren County Sheriff Dale Gribler and Van Buren Intermediate School District Superintendent Jeff Mills recently reported that a partnership formed two years ago to assist local school districts with truancy and incorrigibility issues, is beginning to show positive results.
Betty Underwood has been officially appointed as Director of the Office of School Improvement. According to an MDE publication: “Betty has done an exemplary job as the Interim Director for the past year. We look forward to her continued leadership in our statewide initiatives to improve student learning.”
