Head Start works according to evidence, despite comments by candidate
Nearly 40-year-old study cited in Presidential debate is flawed, outdated.
A wide range of recent research shows that Head Start — the nation’s premier early childhood and health program now serving about 1 million children and their low-income families each year — yields major, long-term benefits for the children and families in the program and the communities in which they live, according to the National Head Start Association (NHSA).
Earlier this month, Presidential candidate John McCain asserted that the gains children made from attending Head Start disappear by the time these children reach third grade. NHSA officials pointed out that this statement was based on a nearly 40-year-old study conducted by the Westinghouse Learning Corporation and Ohio University in 1969.
Subsequent analysis by Dr. Steven Barnett at the National Institute for Early Education Research and other researchers have found that this cross-sectional study was methodologically flawed and that Head Start has long-term favorable impacts (Barnett, 2003; Campbell and Erlbacher, 1970).
Additionally, more reliable and much more current research demonstrates that Head Start delivers long-term educational, health, economic, and law enforcement benefits:
An analysis of reliable studies have revealed that Head Start children have higher achievement test scores and high school graduation rates and lower rates of grade repetition and special education than comparable children who did not participate in Head Start (Barnett, 2003; Ludwig and Miller, 2007).
Head Start reduced mortality rates for children aged 5- to 9-years-old from causes that could have been affected by their participation in Head Start when they were 3- and 4-years-old (Ludwig and Miller, 2007).
The preliminary results of a longitudinal study of more than 600 Head Start graduates in San Bernardino County, California, showed that society receives nearly $9 in benefits for every $1 dollar invested in these Head Start children. These benefits were projected and include increased earnings, employment, and family stability, and decreased welfare dependency, crime costs, grade repetition, and special education (Meier, 2004).
Head Start benefits its children and society-at-large by reducing crime and its costs to crime victims (Fight Crime Invest in Kids, 2004; Garces, Thomas, and Currie, 2002).
On September 24, 2008, America’s Head Start leaders recognized the 25 millionth child to be enrolled in Head Start. At that time, NHSA Board Chairperson Ron Herndon, who also is the director of the Albina Head Start program (Portland, OR), said:
“Head Start has helped to launch 25 million American children and their families onto a life of achievement in the classroom and in the community. This is a true success story for the federal government and for our nation in terms of creating opportunity and hope where none existed before. Not only has Head Start served as the laboratory for pre-kindergarten and early education in the United States , but it will continue to be the cornerstone for pre-K/early ed for the United States as we look ahead to changes under a new Congress and President in 2009.”
The Head Start program was reauthorized in 2007, but it must be provided at least $1.3 billion in additional funds to maintain the high quality of its services and implement the many new mandates set out in reauthorization.
Learning First Alliance calls for a new federal role in K-12 education
TheLearning First Alliance (LFA) has released a statement calling for a new federal role in supporting success for all American public school children. Transforming the Federal Role in America's Public Schools offers a framework to help a new president, administration, and Congress align federal policies with the needs of America's more than 50 million public school students.
LFA members agreed that, at a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, federal investments in education are critical investments in the nation's prosperity.
The statement emphasizes support for students in need, as well as more effective and transparent accountability among key players in the system. It also calls for greater collaboration among the federal government, states and districts.
The Learning First Alliance is a permanent partnership of 18 major national education associations that collectively represent over 10 million parents, educators and education policymakers.
“It takes a village” to prevent dropouts
Coalition releases findings
A coalition that held a series of statewide hearings assessing Michigan's dropout crisis released its findings October 20 at a Dropout Leadership Prevention Summit in Lansing.
The “Dropouts: One is Too Many” coalition set out to jump start community conversations about the problems stemming from the approximately 21,000 students who drop out of school in Michigan every year. The hearings were held in Grand Rapids, Clinton Township, Detroit, Lansing, Flint, Traverse City, Ishpeming, Saginaw, Wayne , Ferndale and Kalamazoo between May and October.
Testimony was collected from more than 500 people who attended the hearings or shared ideas online at www.mea.org/dropouts. About 1,600 pages of testimony were
MAISA was one member of that coalition, which also included the MEA, Kent Intermediate School District, Michigan’s Children, Michigan’s Charter Schools, Michigan’s Promise, and Michigan Future, Inc.
Four key themes were culled from about 1,600 pages of testimony collected at public hearings around the state:
Students need caring relationships.
One size doesn't fit all students.
Tackle the problem early—high school is too late.
This isn't just a "school" problem; community collaboration is critical.
These themes were echoed by speakers and panels at the October 20 Dropout Leadership Prevention Summit.
To read a press release from the Summit, go to www.mea.org/dropouts. The site includes an executive summary of the report, video highlights, hearing transcripts and audio, online testimony and more.
Call SET for consultative services!
Effective Oct. 1, 2007, all districts are required to solicit bids whenever a new medical benefit plan is established, or every three years if continuing the same plan. The school insurance specialists at SET are available to assist your district with the bidding process, so you can find the best options for employee benefits.
Our service is free Preparing a Request For Proposal (RFP) is a complex and time-consuming process. To assist during bidding, districts are encouraged to use a consultative service, such as SET. SET develops RFPs at no charge to districts. If coverage is placed with a carrier that SET represents, it will receive a commission.
Comprehensive service SET will work with your district to help you determine which health care choices to pursue. Options may include:
Preferred Provider Organization plans;
High-deductible health plans with Health Savings Accounts or Health
Reimbursement Arrangements; or
Wrap plans.
Once you have identified your district’s needs, SET will submit your RFPs to a variety of carriers including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Aetna, Priority Health, Health Plus, McLaren Health Plan, Humana and others.
Unbiased advising During the bidding process, it is important that your district receive an unbiased selection of health insurance quotes. SET presents all bidding options to districts and offers objective purchasing recommendations. Districts make all final purchasing decisions.
Employee benefit experience SET is your complete source for employee benefits. We provide exceptional medical, dental, vision, life and LTD benefits to more than 300 districts in Michigan . If your district has questions about our health insurance programs or the bidding requirements, ask SET!
This article is reprinted with permission from Leader Talk, a group blog written by school leaders for school leaders. LeaderTalk is a CASTLE project.
Making sound decisions about teaching and learning substantiated by the fact that you use data from assessments is only partially true if you do not also take into account the information you can gather from directly experiencing what your students are experiencing. Do you Twitter? Have you created your avatar in Second Life? Are you a member of an online social network like MySpace or Facebook? If your answer to these or similar questions is a resounding NO, then you're missing out on an important source of information about 21st century administering, teaching and learning.
I have always been of the mind set that if you want to truly relate to kids, understand them and make good decisions about their learning, you have to directly involve yourself in the things that they are doing. To that end, I started out in my earlier administrative years as an avid arcade game player (PacMan) and then moved on to video game playing. For one thing, I wanted to understand the video game language but, more importantly, I wanted to understand the process of video game playing to determine 1) if/how this could be used in the instructional delivery of lessons and 2) what skills were needed to navigate through the video world.
More recently, I created an account in Second Life where I created my avatar. Of course, I made myself much younger, thinner, and blond! However, I had a difficult time maneuvering in this huge 3-D virtual world and found it to be overwhelming with the millions of residents moving around. I got very confused by the buy/sell/trade opportunities and just couldn't wrap my mind around the concept of living in a digital continent. On the other hand, there were similarities to video game playing in that the control of actions occurred by manipulating the mouse or hand control.
Being married for 43 years, I was very hesitant to join Match.com, the online dating service, so I asked my daughter if I could log in to her account. You can imagine what her answer was to that. The compromise was that she let me view her account while she stood over me watching. In both the Second Life and Match.com networks I learned that one can be anything or anyone they want to be. And in Match.com, my take-away was that I am glad I'm not single!
I graduated to more sophisticated endeavors when I joined the world of online social networking and created a Facebook account. An estimated 300 sites make up the social network universe according to an article in Knowledge@Wharton.
MySpace, with 70 million visitors, has become the digital equivalent of hanging out at the mall for today's teens, who load the site with photos, news about music groups and detailed profiles of their likes and dislikes. Other social network sites include Facebook, geared to college students, LinkedIn, aimed at professionals, and Xanga, a blog-based community site. In all, an estimated 300 sites, including smaller ones such as StudyBreakers for high schoolers and Photobucket, a site for posting images, make up the social network universe.
So, how does all of this apply to making decisions about 21st century administering/teaching/learning? This is best summed up in a study conducted at the University of Minnesota
Educational Benefits Of Social Networking Sites Uncovered
"What we found was that students using social networking sites are actually practicing the kinds of 21st century skills we want them to develop to be successful today," said Christine Greenhow, a learning technologies researcher in the university's College of Education and Human Development and principal investigator of the study. "Students are developing a positive attitude towards using technology systems, editing and customizing content and thinking about online design and layout. They're also sharing creative original work like poetry and film and practicing safe and responsible use of information and technology. The Web sites offer tremendous educational potential."
Greenhow said that the study's results, while proving that social networking sites offer more than just social fulfillment or professional networking, also have implications for educators, who now have a vast opportunity to support what students are learning on the Web sites.
"Now that we know what skills students are learning and what experiences they're being exposed to, we can help foster and extend those skills," said Greenhow. "As educators, we always want to know where our students are coming from and what they're interested in so we can build on that in our teaching. By understanding how students may be positively using these networking technologies in their daily lives and where the as yet unrecognized educational opportunities are, we can help make schools even more relevant, connected and meaningful to kids." Greenhow suggests that educators can help students realize even more benefits from their social network site use by working to deepen students' still emerging ideas about what it means to be a good digital citizen and leader online.
As administrators and teachers, it is important to have a clear understanding of how students are engaged outside of school and in their use of the digital world. The only way to truly understand this is to experience it first hand. Regardless of your age, you're Never2old2learn.
Highly recommended reading:
"Has social networking technology (blog-friendly phones, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) made us better or worse off as a society, either from an economic, psychological, or sociological perspective?" question posed to experts in a Freakonomics article by Steve Dubner in the New York Times
The Benefits of Facebook "Friends:" Social Capital and College Students' Use of Online Social Network Sites, a research study conducted at the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media at Michigan State University
Social Networking Can Have Educational Benefits, Survey Finds, article in Education Week
The One-to-One Institute is inviting your feedback on a short survey of all MI districts regarding 1:1 programs. One-to-one learning provides every student and teacher access to his or her own personal portable technology in a wireless environment allowing students to learn at their own pace and ability levels.
The Institute is interested in learning about the level of interest districts have in 1:1 technology. We encourage you to take a few minutes to complete the online Zoomerang survey at www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228DAUPUGQ5.
Presidential election reminder
Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land urges registered voters to take part in Michigan’s general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Why not take some time to remind staff and students who are new voters that in order to satisfy the state’s voter ID requirement, residents should bring a driver’s license or other acceptable picture ID to the polls? Those without proper ID may still vote by signing an affidavit.
Voters with disabilities have the option of using AutoMARK accessible voting equipment, which is available at every polling place in the state.
In addition, the Michigan Department of State has other materials available to help you inform your community’s voters, including:
A column on “An Election for the Ages” by Secretary Land
“Election Essentials” and “Absentee Voting” fact sheets
The text of the two statewide ballot proposals
Voter registration/turnout statistics from past elections in Michigan
Election-related photos
Contact Mike Doyle, Communications Representative at 517.373.2520 or doylem@michigan.gov for more information.
More information on polling places and election-related topicsan be found at www.Michigan.gov/vote.
MASA news:
All Children Will Learn
At last week’s meeting, the MASA Council resolved to support AASA’s efforts to enlist districts in shaping the future of education. How can you do that? Here’s one simple way.
AASA has created a draft resolution reinforcing AASA’s position on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the law currently known as No Child Left Behind. We urge you to work with your administrative team and school board to adopt the resolution, which supports AASA’s 2008 legislative agenda, All Children Will Learn.
AASA has compiled a web page full of resources to help you as you introduce, customize and distribute the resolution in your community. Please take a moment to check it out. It offers an excellent opportunity for you and your district to actively participate in the policy discussion surrounding reauthorization. Once your board approves the resolution, tailor AASA’s Press Release Template to fit your resolution and distribute it to your local media contact list to increase awareness of the resolution.
Also, please send MASA a copy so we can track Michigan’s progress. Send to lwacyk@gomasa.org or fax 5117.327.0779.
New on Audio Journal An excerpt from the interview with Phillip Schlechty
Q: if you were to be given an opportunity as a CEO or a superintendent with the full support of the school broad to remake a school any way that you wanted and have their support to make innovation permanent and reengage the students in a constructive way, where would you begin?
I think one of the biggest problems we have is communities and community leaders have not been seriously engaged in consideration of the issues that public schools must confront and the conditions under which public schools would work.
I would take a lesson right out of the handbook of some of the ministers from the mega churches and I'd started small study groups, and I'd use iPods and Podcasts.
I'd get groups of eight or ten parents and senior citizens sitting down together, and I'd frame the issues for them to talk about and I'd use those Podcasts as kind of a kicker - a 10 minute bit of conversation about an issue and then I have them talk about the issue.
And then I would get the community involved in what kind of schools—not how would you improve the schools—but how do you see school? What's the role of a teacher and what do we think the role of a teacher will be? What do you think about this technology stuff?
I spent a lot of time talking with parents, and many parents understand that there's a problem. They don't understand what the problem is. And what we had to do is help people develop what I call and C. Wright Mills calls a “Sociological Imagination” —that we’ve got to be able to imagine what the schools are about.
Once you've got the community in the right conversation, the school board will maintain direction. If you've got a visionary leader who understands that the business [and] direction of the school has to be changed. We had to re-purpose the schools. The purpose of the schools is no longer “instruction.” The purpose of the school now is
“learning.” And we had to become a platform for learning as opposed to a platform for instruction. Well, that's a difficult thing for people to understand.
Source: October 2008 Audio Journal Executive Briefing
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Affordable security solutions available through MASA Partner, U.S. Communities
There isn’t a parent alive that doesn’t go home and hold their child a little tighter every time another story of school violence is in the news. Securing schools and other public buildings while maintaining an open atmosphere that supports learning and provides citizens with the access they need can be very challenging.
No one wants their school, county courthouse or city hall to look or feel like a prison. But we all need to know that our children are safe at school while we safely conduct business with our local governments. Given current budget constraints, schools and other governmental agencies need solutions that are economical and flexible.
Sherman Independent School District (ISD) in Sherman Texas , 60 miles north of Dallas , took safety and security seriously. With responsibility for 12 schools, over 6,000 students, and nearly 500 teachers, Sherman ISD had an emergency preparedness plan, close interaction with local law enforcement and continual monitoring of national security directives.
When school officials sought to upgrade their security system, the district found the solution they were looking for through GTSI, a provider of IT infrastructure solutions. GTSI worked with Sherman ISD to design a new security system that integrates video surveillance, interior intrusion detection utilizing passive infrared motion sensors, and a comprehensive alarm system that monitors for burglary, fire, and emergency.
Sherman ISD was able to easily procure the solution they wanted quickly and at an exceptional price, because GTSI is a U.S. Communities supplier.
U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance is a nonprofit instrumentality of government that assists local and state government agencies, school districts (K-12), higher education, and nonprofits in reducing the cost of purchased goods through pooling the purchasing power of public agencies nationwide. National discounted pricing is obtained by competitively solicited contracts for quality products through lead public agencies.
Sherman ISD's new integrated security system is primarily designed to protect students and teachers, but it will also serve as a security countermeasure to manage risk, reduce theft and vandalism, and protect critical infrastructure. The system design integrates the security components onto one platform, providing the school system with the capability to easily manage, monitor and record activities at each of its schools from a single software application. The security system's open architecture allows for future growth in the number of facilities, surveillance cameras, distance from sites, and recording and storage time.
“In order to provide our students, teachers and parents with first-rate customer service, it is imperative that we work with partners like GTSI that can provide us with an exceptional, cost-effective physical security solution,” said Chuck Edwards, Director of Maintenance and Operations at Sherman ISD. ”We’re satisfied that this system not only meets our needs today but has the flexibility to evolve with the changes within our school district down the road.”
Midwinter Conference to honor MASA retirees
MASA will honor members who retired since June 2008, or who are planning to retire by June 2009 at a luncheon to be held on Thursday, January 29, 2009, at the Kalamazoo Radisson.
The following persons will be honored:
Brian Annable, Henry Bothwell, Al Broughton, Catherine Ceglarek, Del Cochran, Paul Ellinger, Gary Faber, Timothy Fitzpatrick, Frank Garcia, James Hund, Jacklyn Hurd, Julius Koenigsknecht, Jim Kos, Christine Lehman, Lee Lewis, Michael Linton, Randal Middlin, Thomas Miller, Marie Miller, Bruce Nelson, Jeanne Oakes, Donald Palmer, Thomas Paniucki, Jim Ryan, Charles Schnetzler, Evelynn Shirk, John Smith, Carole Swingle, Roger Thelen, Maryann Thompson, Donald Thwing, Greg Webster, Richard Witkowski.
Each member will receive a Distinguished Administrator plaque. If you know of others who have retired during this time and who are not listed above, please contact Kristy Warner at: MASA, 1001 Centennial Way, Suite 300, Lansing, MI 48917-9279, 517.327.9262, email: kwarner@gomasa.org.
Retirees - Mark your calendars!
MASEL Florida Luncheon – February 19, 2009
MASEL-FL plans to gather for its 45th annual meeting and lunch on Thursday, February 19, 2009, at the Peridia Golf and Country Club, 4950 Peridia Drive, Bradenton, FL.
All MASA retirees who will be in Florida are urged to attend this meeting to catch up with old colleagues, hear about important education news in Michigan and hear guest speaker Dr. Gordon Michelson, president of New College of Florida who will address the issue of politics in higher education.
Spouses and friends of retirees are welcome at this meeting to enjoy the great location and lunch.
Reservation information will be mailed to all retired members with a Florida address on the MASA mailing list the first week in January.
Nominate your superintendent for the MASA Winners’ Circle Award
Have you or someone under your leadership built a “better mousetrap” when it comes to leading your district to success? Could other school leaders learn from something you have done and get similar results in their districts?
You can gain recognition and draw positive attention to your district by nominating your school leaders to the Winner’s Circle, sponsored by the Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA).
Each year the MASA Membership Services Committee presents Winner’s Circle awards to superintendents or their first-line assistants who have:
Launched or adapted an effective program or practice
Which has had a positive impact on their school districts
That could be used in other districts across the state.
Winners are then recognized in the MASA Leader, in local media, and at MASA’s Midwinter Conference. You can read about former winners online.
MASA accepts rolling nominations throughout the year. Nominations will be accepted at any time, but in order to be recognized at the 2009 conference, the MASA Membership Services Committee needs to hear from you by November 25, 2008
Easy-to-complete nomination forms can be found at MASA's website. Click on “Administrator Awards” in the Awards, Scholarships and Recognition section. Questions can be directed to Linda Wacyk at 517.327.9268 or lwacyk@gomasa.org.
Winners Circle
Welcome to the Winner’s Circle
Winner’s Circle members have been 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. The 2007-08 inductees include:
Lori Tubbergen Clark, Newaygo County RESA, Region 3
Kids Hope USA mentoring
The Kids Hope USA mentoring Program Dr. Tubbergen Clark, through observations in the local school districts and in conversations with building administrators, quickly recognized that school staff are overwhelmed with the needs of children, especially in rural, high poverty Newaygo County . Teachers alone could not possibly meet the increasing needs of their students. She and her staff saw their students as "emotional checkbooks who were completely overdrawn.” She wrote and secured a grant to fund and sustain the Kids Hope USA mentoring program. She worked with community leaders who implored the church community to get involved. Churches then recruited mentors who could “make a deposit of love in the hearts of the children.” The district's teachers see Kids Hope USA as a link that connects disconnected children to caring mentors from neighborhood churches who can make these critical deposits.
To date, seven Newaygo County churches have partnered with NC RESA and the constituent districts to provide nearly 150 one-on-one mentors to elementary children throughout the county. This mentoring program is provided at no cost to any of the local school districts and grows in its number of mentors each year. Brenda Burt, executive administrative assistant, coordinates the countywide program with participating churches. One hundred percent of the Newago County superintendents and elementary principals have wholehearted endorsed this support of implementing Kids Hope USA in the schools. To provide at-risk children with the same one-on-one mentor for five years of elementary school is a gift for these children.
Contact Lori Tubbergen Clark at 2319248854 or lori@ncresa.org
Ten schools join the fight against asthma
Congratulations to the following 10 Michigan schools chosen as recipients of the 2008/09 Healthy School Action Tools (HSAT) Asthma Mini-grant.
Big Rapids Public Schools – Big Rapids
Buchanan Elementary School – Grand Rapids
Burton Middle School – Grand Rapids
Campbell Elementary - Detroit
Cooley High School-North Wing - Detroit
Floyd Jewett Elementary School – Mesick
Lake Fenton Middle School – Fenton
Nichols Elementary/Middle School – Detroit
North Central Area Schools – Hermansville (Menominee County)
O.L. Smith Middle School – Dearborn
The Asthma Initiative of Michigan thanks them for helping improve the school health environment for all children, families, and school staff affected by asthma!
in case you missed it:
By firing bad teachers and paying good ones six-figure salaries, Michelle Rhee just might save D.C.'s schools
Not long after Michelle Rhee took over as head of the Washington, D.C., public schools a year ago, she announced a plan to shut down almost two dozen schools in D.C.'s decrepit, shrinking, public-education system. At a meeting at one school, parents began screaming at Rhee and throwing things.
Rhee says she doesn't mind getting yelled at. "I don't take things personally," she says. Indeed, she seems unflappable, a slender, pretty young woman with a straightforward, though not humorless, manner. A tireless single mother of two young girls, she taps away at two BlackBerrys (one for her close friends and staff, the other for the city and the public at large) from early morning until after midnight, answering every e-mail personally.
That is not to say that Rhee is relaxed. She says she wakes up every morning with a "knot in my stomach," and that she is "angry," though "angry in a good way." She is angry at a system of education that puts "the interests of adults" over the "interests of children," i.e., a system that values job protection for teachers over their effectiveness in the classroom. Rhee is trying to change that system. In a way that few realistic observers thought was possible, she has a chance to succeed, not just in Washington, but also around the country.
She is entering into a struggle with the local teachers union that will test whether an urban school district can weed out its weak teachers—a profound threat to politically powerful teachers unions nationwide.
Rhee [earlier in her career, started] an organization, The New Teacher Project, devoted to recruiting better teachers for hard-to-staff inner-city schools. She caught the attention of Joel Klein, who was trying to reform the New York City school system under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Klein, in late 2006, recommended Rhee to Adrian Fenty, the newly elected mayor of Washington, D.C., who staked his reputation on fixing D.C.'s chronically poor schools.
At first Rhee said she was not interested. "It's not a job you would want," she says. "You have your hands tied. You have to deal with school boards. It's all about politics. You can't get anything done. It's an impossible job."
Even measured by the low standard of inner-city schools, Washington's have long been among the worst. Rhee is the seventh person to run the D.C. schools in the past 10 years. Most of her predecessors were, according to Rhee, "smart and worked hard and wanted to do the right thing for kids," but "they didn't get a whole lot done." The reason, she says, is that they "caved in" to the city's educational establishment, whose talk of reform was just that.
Rhee showed she was serious by firing more than a hundred non-union central office workers, including administrators, and 36 principals (one out of four). She even fired the principal of the school where she chose to enroll her own daughters.
Rhee's toughest fight, by far, is coming up. She has proposed a new contract for the union that would undermine tenure, the teachers union holy of holies. The carrot is money. By tapping Mayor Fenty and private philanthropists, she is hoping to make D.C. teachers the best-paid in the country.
The union president, George Parker, has been willing to work with Rhee, but he has taken heat from some union members who accuse him of cozying up to the school chief. Privately, Rhee and Parker have had some shouting matches.
The union can play hard. When Rhee moved to reclassify some central-administration workers so they could be terminated without cause, the union began running 60-second radio ads attacking Rhee, playing "Back Stabbers" by the O'Jays as background music.
U.S. to require shoulder seat belts on smaller buses
By 2011, all school buses weighing less than 5 tons must be equipped with shoulder-and-lap seat belts rather than the lap-only belts currently required, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. The change comes after four Alabama children died in a 2006 crash. The Department of Transportation estimated the changes to the smaller buses will cost about $6.1 million a year.
A case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this month could offer teachers protection from being sued for their actions at school unless they violate well-known laws. Police officers already receive such qualified immunity, and similar protections for educators could spare teachers from costly litigation expenses. The court is expected to rule on the case by June.
School-readiness skills for low-income and middle-class students improved after the students attended a universal preschool program in Tulsa, OK, according to a Georgetown University study of 3,500 Oklahoma kindergartners published Thursday in the journal Science. Those who participated outscored children who did not attend preschool or had enrolled in Head Start instead. "It seems to produce pretty big effects for all of the kids," said W. Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research.
The talents of children who are considered gifted are not fixed and can be nurtured or lost depending on their academic experiences, according to an American Psychological Association book to be released in January.
"The essence of this book, and the reason I found it so exciting, is that it is moving away from this idea of talent as something that some people have and some people don't. It's showing talent as something developable," said Carol S. Dweck, a Stanford University psychology professor who wrote the foreword to The Development of Giftedness and Talent Across the Life Span.
The structure of schools doesn’t always support the more recent perspective on academic talent, said co- editor Frances Degen Horowitz.
If schools were to view giftedness as more of a developmental process than an immutable attribute, they would likely need to test children more often. And children might move in and out of “gifted” programs more frequently, based on their individual needs.
Feb. 19-21, 2009 Moscone Convention Center • San Francisco , Calif.
You’re under the gun to make measurable changes, address conflicting priorities, and do it all with a slimmer budget. AASA gets it! Count on the National Conference on Education for answers. It’ll save you money, time and frustration … in just three days. You can’t afford to miss it so register by Oct. 31 to qualify for the early-bird discount.
2009 AASA Legislative Advocacy Conference
April 22-24, 2009
Hyatt Regency Crystal City • Arlington, VA
Save the dates for this important event in your advocacy agenda. Help shape the new federal education legislation from the current form of NCLB to best meet the needs of your school system. Learn how the process works in briefings and meet your representatives on the Hill. Registration opens soon!
Tell Your Story
AASA’s Children’s Programs Department promotes promising practices that impact the lives of students. If you have successfully implemented a policy or practice that you would like to share with AASA and your colleagues, submit your success story online! (But don’t’ forget to submit it for the MASA Winner’s Circle first!)
Reminder: AASA delivers 403(b) compliance information
On Oct. 1, Education Week reported on school districts’ new responsibilities to oversee workers’ 403(b) retirement accounts. Be sure your district is on target to meet the Jan. 1, 2009, IRS compliance deadline! Earlier this year, AASA sent superintendents nationwide a copy of Blueprints:A Guide to School Plans 403(b) and 457(b). Members can access the toolkit online for information regarding IRS requirements, choosing a plan provider and building a compliant 403(b) plan.
leader resources:
Bargaining Toolkit can assist with contract negotiations
Many school districts across Michigan are in the midst of contract negotiations and several districts are without contracts. As recent events have shown, breakdowns at the bargaining table can seriously disrupt the education of our students.
As your district approaches negotiations, it may be a good time to review the collective bargaining process and get up-to-speed on bargaining best practices. To help districts in this complex process, MASB, in collaboration with MASA and MSBO, has prepared The Bargaining Toolkit: A Resource Manual for School Districts. The toolkit is a free resource manual that will help you improve negotiations in your district.
Questions about the toolkit can be directed to MASB at 517.327.5900, 800.968.4627.
2009 Superintendent's Briefing Book: Vital Information for School District Leaders
Only $75 to MASA members
Hurry—limited numbers available!
Thanks to our membership in the ERS (Educational Research Service) and a partnership with AASA, we are able to offer limited number of this year’s Superintendent’s Briefing Book for a discounted price of $75.00 (others pay $96.00).
The Briefing Book, which MASA provided at no cost to new superintendents who attended this year’s pre-conference, provides you and your staff with comprehensive, yet concise overviews of the best thinking available on a wide range of top-priority K-12 education concerns. The flexibility of the three-ring-binder format makes it easy to use and share the articles. More importantly, you can use the content to make research-based, data-driven decisions with confidence, and identify programs and practices
Among the issues covered in the 356-page Briefing Book are: critical elements of school improvement, developing principal leadership, providing special supports for students at risk, using data for decisions, staff compensation, and much more! The 2009 Superintendent's Briefing Book will help you:
get up to speed quickly on key PreK-12 topics and issues
learn where to turn for additional information and related resources in areas of special concern to you or your district
share information with staffers that will enhance their productivity
The Michigan eLibrary (MeL) has just what Michigan educators need!
We all love Google™, but Michigan educators and their students don’t have to depend on that tool or any Web browser exclusively when lesson planning and doing research. There is an excellent alternative: the Michigan eLibrary (MeL). MeL is Michigan ’s 24/7 Library—available anytime, anywhere—with Internet access. Part of the Library of Michigan, MeL officially began in 1996 with a collection of subject specialist selected Internet resources reflecting diverse topic areas.
The following year, as part of the AccessMichigan project, licensed commercial databases were added along with training for Michigan 's libraries. 2002 saw a historical digital collection—The Making of Modern Michigan—added to MeL and then in 2005 MeL lept forward with the addition of MeLCat, the statewide patron-initiated interlibrary loan service with now over 250 participating libraries—school, public, academic and special—throughout the State of Michigan.
Michigan School Administrators need to know about MeL. Using it yourselves and promoting MeL to your teachers will only enhance learning by providing authoritative information for professional and curricular needs, lesson planning, and student assignments. In September (2008) we will be debuting a new component in MeL, the Michigan Online Resources for Educators (MORE).
This portal, which is a joint project of the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Education and Wayne State University, will point to thousands of free resources such as lesson plans, videos, podcasts, interactive Web sites and educational games. Even more exciting than this is that these resources are aligned to and searchable by Michigan 's Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs) as well as the High School Content Expectations (HSCEs). MORE users can also submit, rate and review resources and check employment opportunities in education all in one convenient place.
Students and their parents can also benefit when using MeL. The Michigan eLibrary contains vetted materials such as practice tests and tutorials (college entrance exams, K-12 skills improvement, vocational tests, etc.), full-text articles from magazines, professional journals and newspapers, maps, art images and much, much more, all free and accessible by teachers, students, and parents to enhance teaching and learning.
Turnitin offers low-cost software to Michigan schools
Turnitin, a service of iParadigms LLC, has formed an alliance with the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) to offer each of the state's high schools and middle schools a low-cost option to purchase Turnitin's new WriteCycle instructional tool.
WriteCycle is a digital workflow solution comprised of three interconnected services that help students better engage with their courses, instructors, and peers. The product helps students and teachers identify various forms of plagiarism and correct the problems. GradeMark, a digital markup system, frees instructors from hand-grading papers, allowing them more time to give each student feedback.
Turnitin’s patented Peer Review system gives instructors the ability to create Peer Review assignments that students use to evaluate and learn from one another’s work. These assignments provide a unique and valuable framework for students to develop their critical thinking and writing skills.
PBS has unveiled a new online community for preK-12 educators that aims to support the advancement of digital media content in education. "PBS Teachers Connect" provides Web 2.0 tools and opportunities for teachers, school library media specialists, technology coordinators, early childhood educators, and other education professionals to share ideas, collaborate, and support the effective use of technology to enhance learning.
The new online community is built around PBS Teachers, the web portal to the wide-ranging multimedia instructional resources and professional development services that PBS offers preK-12 educators.
MVU Symposium features forward thinking in educational technology
Disrupting Class, How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns
Dec. 3, 2008
Kellogg Center , MSU, East Lansing
“At long last, we can see a path toward the change we've been seeking desperately in our schools. Virtual learning presents a promising path to move toward a student-centric learning system — one that will motivate students to maximize their human potential and realize their most daring dreams.” (Clayton M. Christensen and Michael B. Horn, The Huffington Post, August 2008)
This year’s MVU Symposium features Michael B. Horn, co-author of Disrupting Class, How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (along with Clayton M. Christensen and Curtis W. Johnson), a book that’s been described as a must read for anyone thinking and worrying about where education should be headed.
Disrupting Class predicts that the growth in online learning will accelerate swiftly until, by 2019, half of all high school classes in the U.S. will be taught online.
As our second featured speaker, internationally-known educator Dr. Warren Buckleitner, founder of Children’s Technology Review and frequent contributor to The New York Times Circuits page and to Parents and Scholastic Parent & Child magazines, will present “Predicting the Future of Educational Technology.” Dr. Buckleitner will address the question “What does technology mean for the business of education?”
I believe our speakers and breakout sessions will challenge your thinking and provide you with a look at how “disruptive innovation” and online learning will impact education now and in the future. Session topics include online teaching training, a look at online learning from a national research perspective and more.
FOCUS on Results offers guidance and technical assistance for special education stakeholders
FOCUS on Results are guidance and technical assistance documents published by the Center for Educational Networking for the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services. FOCUS documents keep education stakeholders up-to-date on current changes in rules and regulations, dispute resolution, individualized education programs (IEP), alternate assessment, accountability, continuous improvement, early childhood, and other valuable and relevant topics.
Recently published FOCUS on Results documents include:
Understanding Michigan ’s State Performance Plan (SPP), Annual Performance Report (APR), and Public Reporting
Quick Reference Guide: Tips for Developing a Quality and Compliant Transition Individualized Education
Program (IEP)Documents are available at no cost in print and electronic formats. If you would like to subscribe to FOCUS on Results or receive email updates when new issues are available, visit www.cenmi.org and click on “Services” then “Subscribe to Publications” or send a request to info@cenmi.org. Upcoming FOCUS on Results documents include:
START Provides Training and Support to Schools Educating Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders
AIM for Success: Accessible Instructional Materials and the National Instructional Accessibility Standards
For more information, contact the Center for Educational Networking at 800.593.9146 or visit www.cenmi.org.
Scholarship opportunity for Teen Wellness leaders
Many Americans are seeking better wellness options in their communities, so Amway Global and YMCA of the USA have teamed up to reward teens who are making a difference on this front, from setting up after-school walking groups and fitness activities to advocacy for healthier food options in their schools.
A Teen Wellness Leader from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia will be selected to receive a $1,000 scholarship for further education plus a $1,000 donation toward his or her local YMCA. Through Nov. 16, 2008 , anyone can nominate a teen who is making a difference in their community. Go to www.inspirewellness.com to nominate a teen and for further details and official rules.
Heart attack and CPR/AED awareness: Michigan Schools AED Drill Weeks
November 10-14, 2008 February 2-6, 2009
MASA is joining the Kimberly Anne Gillary Foundation, the Michigan Chapter of the American Heart Association (AHA) and various Michigan School Associations to help promote Michigan Schools 2008-09 CPR/AED Drill Weeks. Schools who participated in last year’s event overwhelmingly found the drills to be educational and worthwhile exercises.
We encourage AED Coordinators to conduct Practice Drill(s) at your building(s) during this week to improve school safety, heighten AED Awareness, and help to save lives. An AED drill can be conducted before, during, or after school hours. In addition, it does not have to disrupt the whole school and should take no more than several minutes to complete. Drills also give administrators an opportunity to improve their program before an actual emergency arises. Participating CPR/AED instructors, Fire and EMS responders, and Local Hospital personnel may contact you to offer their assistance.
For help on conducting an AED practice drill visit www.aeddrill.com or contact the Kimberly Anne Gillary Foundation at 248.528.0440 (ecgillary@gillarylaw.com) or Aventric Technologies/HeartAED at 800.228.3343 (tperna@aventric.com), the originator of the event.
In 2004, the AHA Publication – The Emergency Response Plan for Schools, emphasized routine AED practice drills and evaluations. Considering the importance of fire drills, a situation anyone can relate to; the need for routine practice of rescuing a sudden cardiac arrest patient, a rare and complex situation, is a logical conclusion.
These events will also provide a great opportunity for school and community relations and serve as a benchmark for continued practice throughout the school year. Most importantly, an AED Drill improves the chances of saving the lives of students, staff members, and visitors who may suffer sudden cardiac arrest.
According to the Michigan Department of Public Health, from 1999 through 2006, 185 Michigan children, age 5 to 19, have died from sudden cardiac arrest. Studies have shown that early 911, early CPR, and early defibrillation and early advance life support can help save lives.
The Kimberly Anne Gillary Foundation was founded by Randy and Sue Gillary after the death of their 15 year old daughter, Kimberly, who suffered a cardiac arrest while participating in a water polo game on April 1, 2000. A 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, its mission is to place an automated external defibrillator ( AED ) in every Michigan high school and to advocate cardiac screening and testing of all high school student athletes. To date, the Foundation has donated over 400 AEDs. For more information on the Foundation visit their web site at www.kimberlysgift.org.
A wide range of recent research shows that Head Start — the nation’s premier early childhood and health program now serving about 1 million children and their low-income families each year — yields major, long-term benefits for the children and families in the program and the communities in which they live, according to the National Head Start Association (NHSA).
The Learning First Alliance (LFA) has released a statement calling for a new federal role in supporting success for all American public school children. Transforming the Federal Role in America's Public Schools offers a framework to help a new president, administration, and Congress align federal policies with the needs of America's more than 50 million public school students. 
A coalition that held a series of statewide hearings assessing Michigan's dropout crisis released its findings October 20 at a Dropout Leadership Prevention Summit in Lansing.
Making sound decisions about teaching and learning substantiated by the fact that you use data from assessments is only partially true if you do not also take into account the information you can gather from directly experiencing what your students are experiencing. Do you Twitter? Have you created your avatar in Second Life? Are you a member of an online social network like MySpace or Facebook? If your answer to these or similar questions is a resounding NO, then you're missing out on an important source of information about 21st century administering, teaching and learning.
Have you or someone under your leadership built a “better mousetrap” when it comes to leading your district to success? Could other school leaders learn from something you have done and get similar results in their districts?
Lori Tubbergen Clark, Newaygo County RESA, Region 3 
Only $75 to MASA members 