Speaking of leading “Board members volunteer for an often-thankless job. According to financial forecasts, they are in for another year or more of tough decisions. They should not be fired by the communities they serve - and for that matter, neither should their superintendents - for following best practices and upholding the law.”
–William H. Mayes, MASA Executive Director in the Detroit News 12.4.08, regarding the attempt to recall Wayne Westland board members over unpopular decision.
Midwinter Conference is a must-attend event
As Midwinter Conference approaches (January 28-30 in Kalamazoo), here are the hot items you need to know about. Sign up now to ensure your spot at the table where information is shared, decisions are made, and networks are established. Reserve your hotel stay while group rates last.
Preconference events add value to your time away from the office:
Contract Planning and Review (1/27/09) -
Save personal aggravation and wasted time in the district by maintaining a fair and binding contract. Spend a full day with attorney Tom Derderian of Kluck and Associates getting his advice on the subject and consider scheduling some one-on-one time to review your specifics.
Understanding School Finance (1/28/09) -
Targeted at superintendents within their first few years on the job, this half day of guidance from our expert line-up of experienced presenters will look at the financial side of the superintendent's job and what it takes to succeed.
Podcasting for Administrators (1/28/09) -
Get your own iPod and learn how to use it and other media tools to increase your effectiveness as a communicator. Walk away with skills, equipment, and information to extend your reach into a new media for your team, students, and community.
High School Site Visits (1/28/09) -
Take a brief tour of a local school to see some best practices in action and share with staff and students about what's going on in the classroom and behind the scenes. Choose between Comstock High School and their work with the Michigan Merit Curriculum or Portage High School's International Baccalaureatte program.
Brian McNulty, of the Leadership and Learning Center, will share the most recent research on schools and the role of administration. The data reveals areas of success and highlights new objectives for school leaders to focus on in the 2008-09 school year. He will disseminate new information, strategies, and methods for creating standards-based classrooms for success.
EdYes! Reform
Hear the latest recommendations and share your input on reforming Michigan's accreditation system.
Poster Peer Sharing This gallery will highlight work being done in districts sharing descriptions of programs and initiatives, major findings, challenges, questions still to explore, summaries, resources, and contact information for administrators involved. Get a snapshot of these innovative projects brought right to you as part of your conference experience.
Break-out session topics like...
Data Driven Decision Making
Triangle of Systemic Change
Dealing With High Priority Schools
No More Cookie Cutter High Schools
Responsible Contracting
and more...
Mike Flanagan, State Superintendent
"Where We Go From Here"
Brad Biladeau, MASA Associate Executive Director for Government Relations
Legislative Update
Mark Bielang, AASA President, Paw Paw Public Schools Superintendent
AASA Update
Chris Wigent, Wayne RESA superintendent
"Lessons Learned"
Round Table Discussions
Distinguished Administrators Luncheon (Thursday, January 29)
Please let us know if you plan to attend (no charge) when you send in your registration
Teachers' message to Obama: Build 21st century skills
Ensure that students are learning 21st century skills so they are prepared for tomorrow's work force. That's the educational top priority that K-12 educators want President-elect Barack Obama and his newly-named Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to address, according to a new survey conducted by ASQ (American Society for Quality), which provides resources and training to help K-12 educators implement continuous improvement in schools.
More than half of educators surveyed (52%) ranked 21st century skills as the most important priority for the new administration. 21st century skills have been defined by the Partnership for the 21st Century Skills as the learning, innovation, technology and life and career skills that students will need to live and work in the new millennium.
Two items tied as a second place priority: retaining qualified teachers (42%) and helping all students meet achievement goals (42%). Surprisingly, transforming the No Child Left Behind policy to improve measurements was not listed as a top priority for this group with only 29 percent ranking this as a top area of focus.
ASQ conducted the survey of teachers and education administrators around the United States over the past several months. ASQ saw the opportunity to provide educators with an outlet to provide ideas on what needs to change most in American education and offer them the chance to help shape our nation's K-12 education agenda. In early January, ASQ plans to work with its Public Policy Action Committee to deliver the list of priorities to President-elect Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Two areas in the survey that educators ranked as the lowest priorities include:
Closing the achievement gap among whites and minorities (17%)
Eliminating budget waste and inefficiency in K-12 schools (22%)
"While education may not be front and center due to the immediate economic crisis, educators want to remind President-elect Obama that K-12 students need to be a top priority so that our nation can produce a globally competitive work force for the future," said Maurice Ghysels, chair of ASQ's K-12 Education Advisory Committee.
"Ensuring 21st century skills will be a critical component to making this happen," added Ghysels
Subjects That Need More Attention
Not all school subjects are created equal, according to educators surveyed. Closely aligned with their priority to emphasize 21st century skills, educators ranked math and science as the top subjects that U.S. students need more focus on in their schools, followed by technology/computer training and foreign languages. Another recent ASQ study shows that parents and other adults agree with educators that schools are not making these skills a priority in the classroom.
"While No Child Left Behind has strived to improve test scores, it's clear that more needs to be done to improve problem-solving and critical thinking skills evident in these subjects," said Ghysels.
A number of educators also referenced the need for more attention to character building and life skills such as financial planningand budgeting, skills every student will need in the real world but many don't learn at home.
About the Survey
ASQ conducted the survey from August through November 2008, with a five-minute, three-question online survey available on the ASQ Web site, K-12 Priority Survey. In addition, a hard copy of the survey was provided to educators attending ASQ's National Quality in Education Conference (NQEC), Nov. 16-18 in Reno, Nev. Five hundred K-12 teachers and educational administrators (superintendents, principals) from across the United States participated in the survey.
About ASQ
ASQ sponsors the annual NQEC, the nation's leading conference where teachers, administrators and support personnel learn from schools and districts about improving student achievement and operational performance through the use of quality tools and concepts. Since 1991, ASQ has offered training and other quality tools to help educators implement continuous improvement initiatives in their districts.
The American Society for Quality, www.asq.org, has been the world's leading authority on quality for more than 60 years. With more than 90,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers, encouraging all to Make Good Great®. ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., ASQ is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report.
Inauguration resources and reflections
The upcoming presidential inauguration offers schools and students an apt occasion to reflect on citizenship, the presidency, the nation's past and our collective future. Public School Insights, along with the Learning First Alliance, has assembled resources to help educators and families take advantage of this historic moment.
SET SEG and CCMSI help self-funded workers’ compensation districts save!
Great news for districts currently self-funding workers’ compensation coverage! The SET SEG/ Cannon Cochran Management Services Inc. (CCMSI) alliance offers unrivaled advantages for individually self-insured workers’ compensation programs. Together, we can provide you with excess, reinsurance underwriting, risk control and third-party administrative needs and help you save in the process.
Although the majority of Michigan school districts belong to the SEG Self-Insurer Workers’ Compensation Fund, some larger districts elect to operate their own self-insured programs. The partnership between SET SEG and CCMSI can help your district reduce workers’ compensation program costs. Plus, you’ll receive exceptional customer service from the helpful staff at CCMSI.
How districts save
With extensive statewide and national experience, CCMSI is a leading third-party administrator for workers’ compensation self-insurance programs. CCMSI’s Michigan office specializes in servicing school districts throughout the state, helping them reduce lost-time claims, implement return-to-work programs and manage medical expenses.
Our multi-disciplined approach to cost containment helps control medical costs by incorporating:
Three-tiered Preferred Provider Networks;
Nurse case management;
Vocational rehabilitation;
Telephonic case management;
Pharmacy benefit management; and
Cutting-edge bill review processes.
Helpful assistance
Claims are handled locally by responsive staff members who are knowledgeable about school-related work injuries. Their ultimate goal is to reduce your costs.
CCMSI’s claim examiners, who also work on behalf of the Fund’s 475 member districts, are experienced with school claims management and available to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.
Convenient, user-friendly online reporting system
The Internet claims management system, iCE, offers these benefits:
Online access to all real-time claim information and loss reports.
The ability to track MIOSHA incidents, report injuries and generate state-mandated forms.
A great model for school leaders-A new bully pulpit
by Leslie Wilson
Last month, David Plouffe, President-Elect Obama’s campaign manager, sent me (and 10 million others) an email asking for help shaping the nation’s priorities. He directed me to an online survey where I identified four areas I deemed most important. Mr. Obama’s expansive social network continues to be connected after impressive presence and decisive engineering.
It is exciting to realize that the White House will be modeling 21st/22nd century strategies for bringing people together, forging a vision that will result (we believe) in strong actions to create the ambitious changes Mr. Obama promised. The Obama team’s cyber campaign and communications clearly affected the election outcome. It will be interesting to watch, read and listen to how the new White House will engage this revamped bully pulpit.
FDR’s bully pulpit, his fireside chats, were one-sided communications. President Roosevelt pushed out his messages while Americans loomed close to their radios to hear each word. It is noted that 37% of the US citizens never listened to even one of the famous ‘chats’. Yet the image of a pervasive American public engaged in each of FDR’s talks is the one to which we cling.
The 21st century version of this platform or bully pulpit is a two-way link for communication AND collaboration. If Plouffe’s recent email is indicative, this practice is exactly what the new Executive Team will be embracing. A president who wants to keep his grassroots supporters connected and informed, providing them the ability to weigh in on matters of importance. How will he collaborate with the American masses over such heartfelt matters? Will giving voice, debate, discussion and honest decision-making create the kind of national spirit we seem to so deeply crave?
This will undoubtedly be challenging. A new president. New visions. Two-way communications. The challenges of this presidency will be immense. Possibly the value of the online connections will be the ability to be consistently informed of the issues even if a populace disagrees. Communication is a dominant factor in a community’s building or declining relationships. Even when that communication is forthright disagreement with accompanying rationale.
As exhilarating as it is to realize that our national leader-elect will create virtual realities in his White House, it is as emotionally painful for me to witness schools and districts whose leaders still do not comprehend the imperative of creating 21st century environments. The rhetoric about ‘no money’, ‘lost positions’, ‘contracts’, etc., etc., doesn’t wash as excuses when we are talking about what is at stake for our young people who go through the Pre-K-12 systems without engaging tools for a new century. There are ways to push the imperative forward with focus, shared vision and project plans. It takes the kind of leadership such as Barack Obama’s whose special interest group (SIG) has become the United States of America.
If there is any newly emerged model for ‘how to’ make robust technology environments a reality in our schools-it is Mr. Obama’s campaign and connected team approach. If a congressman from Illinois, whose name I didn’t know 24 months ago, can effectively connect with the youth of our country, why can’t all of our school leaders do the same?
This article first appeared on Leslie’s Digital Learning Environment blog
Leslie Wilson is President of One-to-One Institute (OTO), a national not-for-profit serving schools, districts, states and countries in their implementation of 21st century teaching and learning. OTO’s genesis is Michigan’s Freedom to Learn, one-to-one teaching and learning program. Contact her at lesliew@one-to-oneinstitute.org
Citizens Research Council report notes state cash problems in face of dual deficits
The much-anticipated Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference forecast released last Friday shed light on the Fiscal Year 2009 and 2010 budget outlooks for the State of Michigan. Meanwhile, the basic financial condition of the State shows a weakened cash position in the face of Michigan's ongoing structural deficit. This is the principal conclusion of a new analysis of the State budget by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.
The report, Michigan's Weakened Financial Position and the Problem of Dual Deficits, notes that Michigan is ill-prepared to deal with the current cyclical problems associated with the national economic recession because it has failed to deal with the underlying structural deficits that have existed since FY2000. At the end of FY2000 the State had amassed over $3.9 billion in major fund cash reserves to deal with the 2001 recession. Today it faces a cash deficit of approximately $400 million that it must finance by means of both internal and external borrowing.
The report notes that Michigan is ill-prepared to deal with the current cyclical problems associated with the national economic downturn recession because it has failed to deal with the underlying structural deficits that haves existed since FY2000. At the end of FY2000 the State had amassed over $3.9 billion in major fund cash reserves to deal with the 2001 recession. Today it faces a cash deficit of approximately $400 million that it must finance by means of both internal and external borrowing.
"Policy makers must take care to adopt policies that will not deal with the cyclical deficit at the cost of worsening the structural deficit," said Craig Thiel, CRC Director of State Affairs. "The approaches that have been used for much of this decade will no longer work. Tactics aimed at achieving only short-term balance in FY09 will simply compound the problem for future years."
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan is a private, nonprofit public affairs research organization, founded in 1916 to analyze issues pertaining to state and local government organization and finance in Michigan.
Looking for some cold-weather safety tips?
St. Clair County Health Department, in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Community Health, share these cold-weather outdoor tips to post and pass. Use them to help your families and staff remain healthy and safe this winter... More>
MASA news:
Dear MASA Colleagues,
We are busy and generally work hard. Sometimes it is a challenge to know how best to use our time. If we are not careful, we can over-commit our time. I am talking about myself, too; there are times when I ask if I have over-done it.
I want to make a case that time spent at the winter MASA conference is time well spent. As we prioritize what events can be set to the side for now or eliminated from a monthly schedule, I would encourage you make sure the MASA conference is a “keeper.”
There are many reasons that I say this; here are three for you to consider.
First, a most important reason is the opportunity to stay current. Every conference I attend makes me more informed and better prepared to lead my district. The format for the coming conference will enhance my ability to pick up ideas and trends.
Second, the opportunity to network is unparalleled. I have come to know colleagues who I can trust for good advice when I need it. And the MASA conference is a great chance for me to re-connect with these important persons in my life.
Finally, the conference gives me an opportunity to renew my personal and professional energy. I come away with more enthusiasm for the role of the superintendency. As a result, I am filled with hope.
In 1991, one of the biggest mistakes I made as a new superintendent was thinking I could do it by myself. At first, I didn’t see the need for MASA or for attending the state conferences. I am not proud of my stupidity. I was inexperienced and did not understand that MASA is the best source of information for superintendents about how to lead Michigan’s school systems. I soon caught on, and since 1993 have made it a point to attend both the winter and fall conferences. In no small way it has made me a better-prepared superintendent.
See you in Kalamazoo soon.
Sincerely,
Craig Douglas, Superintendent of Carrollton Schools
MASA President
MASA to put constitutional change to a vote
At its annual general membership meeting in January, MASA will ask members to vote on an amendment to Article VI (Officers) of its Constitution. Members will be asked to approve the addition of Section 10, which would allow the Executive Board to appoint for a one-year term one At-Large representative if it is deemed necessary in order to maintain broad representation on the Board.
If approved, Article VI would be amended as follows:
Section 10 (new)
The Executive Board may appoint one at-large director with full voting rights to fill an additional seat as deemed necessary to maintain broad-based representation for the organization on the Executive Board. Such appointment shall not exceed one full-year term and shall require a majority approval of the full Executive Board. This special at-large appointment may be used as a temporary arrangement to expand broad-based representation on the Executive Board when there are no Board vacancies or when candidates for vacancies do not achieve the Board’s goals for broad-based representation.
The MASA general membership meeting will be held on Friday, January 30, 2009, at the end of the 2009 Midwinter Conference in Kalamazoo. Questions regarding this meeting or the proposed constitutional amendment should be directed to William Mayes at 517.327.9262 or wmayes@gomasa.org.
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:
Ed Alverson, Brian Annable, Henry Bothwell, Al Broughton, Catherine Ceglarek, William Coale, Del Cochran, Gary Faber, Timothy Fitzpatrick, Frank Garcia, Wally Gunderson, Milli Haug, James Hund, Jacklyn Hurd, Julius Koenigsknecht, Jim Kos, Christine Lehman, Lee Lewis, Michael Linton, Kathy Malnar, Randal Middlin, Thomas Miller, Marie Miller, Sandra Feely Myrand, Bruce Nelson, Jeanne Oakes, Donald Palmer, Thomas Paniucki, Jim Ryan, Marv Schneider, Evelynn Shirk, John Smith, Carole Swingle, Roger Thelen, Maryann Thompson, Donald Thwing, Greg Webster, Jim Weeldreyer.
Each member will receive a Distinguished Administrator plaque. If there are others who are not listed above, would you please write, call or email 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.
MASA members can now SAVE on car rentals
We are pleased to announce that Avis and Budget are now suppliers of rental car services for members of MASA. For personal and/or business rentals when making a reservation, it is very important that you always ask for the best rate available and provide one of the following Customer Discount numbers:
Budget—(BCD) Z862000
Avis—(AWD) S028400
MASA members can enjoy special member rates, considerable value-added discounts and the latest in technology, products, and services to make your car rental experience better than ever.
You can access these benefits by booking a rental directly through the MASA website as well. You can find the links and additional coupons at www.gomasa.org, member benefits, discounts. Or bookmark the following links:
Superintendent James Hartley said the program is a joint venture between the Michigan Association of School Boards, the Michigan Association of School Business Officials and the Michigan Association of School Administrators. The purchasing system allows school districts to reduce the number of purchase orders and to consolidate the purchase of school supplies.
Superintendents serve on Special Olympics board
Lisa Hagel, superintendent of Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools, will replace June Schaefer as a member of Special Olympics of Michigan board of directors. June has represented superintendents on the Special Olympics board for 6 years, completing her term at the end of 2008, following her retirement from Marquette-Alger RESA.
Last month, Lisa was elected to the Special Olympics of Michigan Board of Directors, which consists of twenty-one people statewide who meet three-four times a year. This is a policy board where members are asked to network and make contact regarding Involvement in the community; make introductions to new opportunities; help to create awareness and fuller knowledge of Special Olympics; and a willingness to reach out to family members.
MASA appreciates all our members who go “above and beyond” their local responsibilities to serve on various statewide boards and work groups related to our work as education leaders. Their work helps superintendents—and MASA members in particular—play an important role in shaping policy and practice and in ensuring all Michgan’s youth have a chance to succeed.
Graduation/Dropout review and comment application release
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) recently sent a memo to the field regarding Graduation/Dropout Review. This letter provides critical information about preparing to meet the new U.S. Department of Education regulations for cohort graduation rate calculations when the Graduation and Dropout (GAD) Application is released on January 5, 2009.
This memo lists deadlines and actions that should be followed to prepare for and complete district’s GAD review. Your district’s GAD authorized users will be able to review their 2008 cohort of students and make requests for minimal changes to the data through February 6, 2009. This will be district’s only opportunity to review and appeal their graduation rate data.
If you have questions, contact CEPI at cepi@michigan.gov or 517.335.0505 (select option 3). If you need assistance in understanding the impact of the four-year and five-year graduation rates on your district, contact MDE’s Office of Educational Assessment and Accountability at 877.560.8378. As always, thank you for your continued collaboration with CEPI and MDE.
CIMS-2 redesign takes shape
In November 2007, MDE’s Office of Special Education/Early Intervention Support began redesigning the state’s Continuous Improvement and Monitoring System (CIMS) to update the process and tools used to help the state, intermediate school districts (ISDs) and local school districts keep track of the tasks and activities required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Highlights of the CIMS-2 redesign include an emphasis on data analysis versus data collection and a new schedule of activities. Every local school district will complete the CIMS-2 process each year, with teams convening in the spring to review and analyze existing data as presented in the new CIMS-2 report for State Performance Plan (SPP) indicators. Corrective action plans (CAPs) will be drafted in the spring, progress reports will be due in the fall, and CAP activities must be completed by December of each year.
The CIMS-2 will launch on April 15, 2009. For more information on the status of the CIMS-2 redesign, or to learn more about CIMS-2 training training opportunities, visit www.cenmi.org/cims.
Mi-GAL (MI Grants Available List)
Did you know that the Michigan Department of Education maintains an online searchable database of grant opportunities? The Michigan Grants Available List (MiGAL) is designed for schools, higher education institutions, parents, and the general public to find education-related funding opportunities.
Users are able to generate searches for federal, state, private, and other funding or grant resources that relate to education and/or youth. The MiGAL database web address is: www.michigan.gov/migal.
The database recently has been updated to include over 100 new grant, scholarship, fellowship, and award/contest opportunities. Three recent additions include (click on links for more information):
Partnerships in Character Education Program - This program supports the design and implementation of character education programs that can be integrated into classroom instruction and that are consistent with state academic content standards.
Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program - This unique initiative (supported by three agencies: Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice) supports the implementation and enhancement of comprehensive, community-wide plans that focus on multiple elements, including safe school environments, mental health treatment services, and early childhood learning programs.
Teaching American History Grant Program - This program supports projects that aim to raise student achievement by improving teachers’ knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of traditional American history.
During a presentation on a survey of ISDs across the state relating to consolidation of services (part of “Darkening the Dotted Lines, MAISA’s partnership with the MDE), State Superintendent Mike Flanagan warned that if the 500-plus school districts don't voluntarily begin consolidation services to save money, they could wake up some morning to state-imposed district consolidation. The conversation took place at the January 13, 2009, meeting of the State Board of Education.
Flanagan said that because of the challenges to the budget there is going to have to be efficiencies in non-educational operations in school districts so that classroom instruction is not compromised. If school districts don't make a move on greater efficiencies, some night in the wee minutes before midnight, the Legislature could impose school district consolidation.
"We don't need consolidation of school districts if we have consolidation of services," Flanagan said during a meeting of the State Board of Education. "We can't keep on saying we don't have enough money."
Board President Kathleen Straus put it more bluntly when she said, "All these new legislators could come up with something they think is a great idea but isn't workable."
The survey, which was conducted pursuant to PA 63 of 2007 and provided to lawmakers late last year, revealed that 90 percent of the ISDs in Michigan are consolidating some level of efficiencies in the area of professional development; 87 percent on improvement of instruction, administrative technology support and instructional technology support; and 81 percent in human services and transportation.
Low levels of non-instructional service categories were event management, legal services, production printing, and shipping and receiving.
Clark VOLZ, of Midland RISA, and co-chair of the Support Services Committee that conducted the survey said 50 percent of the state's superintendents asked have 148 initiatives in the works, many in the transportation area and many outside ISDs on transportation maintenance.
"Local control is a big issue," Straus said. "We have to look at things through a different lens now. The study provides a background for looking at change. We're going to have to save money somehow."
Flanagan suggested that maybe a solution to the local control issue is countywide consolidation of non-educational operations and local school district control of the educational operations.
"It's churning," Flanagan told board members. "Our obligation is to keep pushing."
Source: MIRS Capital Capsule, 1.13.09
Straus re-elected president again
For the sixth time, Kathleen STRAUS has been elected to a two-year term as President of the State Board of Education. She was re-elected to her third eight-year term on the Board in the November election.
Straus served as Board President in 1997-98. She was elected President again in 2001 and has been re-elected to the top post every two years since then.
The other Board officers were also re-elected. They are: John AUSTIN, vice president; Carolyn CURTIN, secretary; Marianne McGUIRE, treasurer; and Nancy DANHOF, board representative to NASBE.
research reports:
Employers and educators differ in how they define creativity
Discrepancies bolster the view that while schools teach students how to solve problems put before them, the business sector wants workers who can identify the problems in the first place.
An overwhelming majority of surveyed school superintendents who educate future workers and employers who hire them agree that creativity is increasingly important in U.S. workplaces, according to key findings issued last year in a report by The Conference Board and Americans for the Arts, in partnership with the American Association of School Administrators.
Ready to Innovate: Are Educators and Executives Aligned on the Creative Readiness of the U.S. Workforce? states that 99% of the 155 surveyed school superintendents and 97% of the 89 surveyed employers believe that arts training—and, to a lesser degree, communications studies—are crucial to developing creativity. Yet, there is a fundamental gap between understanding this truth and putting it into meaningful practice. Findings indicate that most high schools and employers provide such training and studies only on an elective or “as needed” basis.
Reads the report: “While creativity is recognized as a critical ingredient to success in the workplace, schools and businesses need to re-examine their curriculums and training programs to determine the most effective way to increase the emphasis on developing this skill. That’s the only true way to effect change and turn out better qualified workers with more creative talents.”
Both the superintendents and employers surveyed agree that the ability to identify new patterns of behavior or new combinations of actions and integration of knowledge across different disciplines are foremost in demonstrating creativity. Other responses received reveal a lack of alignment. For example, employers say problem identification and articulation are the most important talents indicating creativity. School superintendents rank this skill only 9th. While these superintendents rate problem-solving the highest, employers rank it 8th.
These discrepancies bolster the view that while schools teach students how to solve problems put before them, the business sector wants workers who can identify the problems in the first place.
In addition, 70% of superintendents presume employers seek out “creative thinkers” over “technically skilled” individuals. Employers, as a group, are evenly split (49/51 respectively).
“The findings of the Ready to Innovate report present an opportunity for school system and business leaders to further engage in a dialogue about how best to foster creativity among students, not only to produce a competitive workforce, but also to help all students succeed in life,” says Paul D. Houston, AASA executive director.
In summary, this new research shows that both businesses and schools recognize the critical role of creativity as a workforce skill, and both groups accept the role they have in fostering it. Both also recognize that arts-training is a key way to foster creativity. Yet despite this recognition, most schools do not include arts training as a mandatory part of the curriculum, and most businesses provide creativity-fostering training only to very few employees. With this growing recognition of the role a creative workforce has on the global competitiveness of American business, both business and education leaders need to examine what changes can be made to more widely foster these skills in our current—and especially our future—workers.
Impact of School Breakfast on Children's Health and Learning
A November 2008 report commissioned by the Sodexo Foundation supports a hunch all educators have: When children don't eat breakfast, their cognitive capacity is impaired because their brains do not have sufficient fuel for learning.
These new findings come on the heels of related research over the past twenty years into the relationship between inadequate nutrition and a variety of adverse developmental outcomes in children. Youngsters from homes without sufficient food have a poorer overall health status than do children from similar backgrounds who have enough to eat. And when children fail to get sufficient dietary energy, particularly in the mornings, their cognitive capacity is impaired their brains do not have sufficient fuel for attention, concentration and learning.
Impact of School Breakfast on Children’s Health and Learningconcludes that the body of evidence, drawn from more than 100 published research articles, provides the scientific basis for concluding that the federal School Breakfast Program is highly effective in terms of providing children with a stronger basis to learn in school, eat more nutritious diets, and lead more healthy lives both emotionally and physically.
Key findings:
Children who experience hunger:
get sick more often
are more likely to have ear infections
experience iron deficiency anemia
get hospitalized more frequently
miss more days of school
have poorer mental health
are more likely to be withdrawn and inattentive
exhibit more disruptive behaviors and disciplinary disorders
are more likely to need other special educational services
require more counseling and other mental health services
While no single study necessarily provides a uniquely definitive assessment of the program’s benefits, and while some studies occasionally reach differing conclusions, the combined and quite consistent message of this body of research is that serving children breakfast at school significantly improves their cognitive or mental abilities, enabling them to be more alert, pay better attention, and to do better in terms of reading, math and other standardized test scores.
Children getting breakfast at school also are sick less often, have fewer problems associated with hunger, such as dizziness, lethargy, stomachaches and ear aches, and do significantly better than their peers who do not get a school breakfast in terms of cooperation, discipline and inter-personal behaviors.
Economic Literacy Survey shows many Americans lack basic personal finance and math skills
Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill December 18, 2008 that would allow a financial literacy course to count as an option toward meeting graduation requirements.* Survey results by the Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Literacy (CEEL) reveal that students really do need these courses.
Last month, CEEL released the results of the holiday economic literacy survey, which shows that Americans lack basic math and personal finance skills—especially as those skills relate to being financially responsible over the holidays.
The national survey shows that an overwhelming number of Americans are unable to answer basic financial literacy questions.
The survey showed:
65% answered incorrectly when asked how many reindeer would remain if Santa had to lay off 25% of his 8 reindeer because of the bad economy;
75% of people thought that it would take 15 years or less to pay off $5,000 in Christmas presents if making the minimum payment on their credit card. In reality, it would take 46 years to pay off those holiday expenses!
1 in 3 people did not know how much money a person would be spending on gifts if they spent 1% of their 50,000 per year salary;
16% of respondents admitted that they do not expect to have their holiday debt paid off by March 1st, 2009.
“Many Americans don’t even have the basic math skills required to balance their checkbook, forget about understanding complicated mortgages or credit card statements," said James Bowers, managing director at the Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Literacy. It is important that all Americans redouble their efforts to ensure that they have the knowledge to make the best financial choices for their families and their budgets.”
See the full survey released in December…
Learn more about Econ4U, an economic education program reaching young people in non-academic environments while they were not intending to be taught!
* The bill signed December 18 also allows students to complete Algebra II over a 2-year period with each year counting as a credit.
Unprepared kindergartners may cost Minn. schools $113 million a year
Students who enter kindergarten without adequate preparation are more likely to drop out, plus they're more likely to need special education or have to repeat a grade at a cost of some $24.4 million, additional English instruction for $11 million and more resources to deal with delinquent behavior, at a cost of $6 million, according to a Wilder Research report.
The study, which was commissioned by the Bush Foundation, focused only on the quantifiable costs within the K-12 system.
It found that, per year, the school system loses:
$42 million of per-pupil money from the state because of students dropping out before graduation.
$28.9 million in teacher-related costs, because of higher rates of teacher absenteeism and turnover, and higher pay for teachers working in unsatisfactory conditions because of behavior problems and low achievement among students that could have been prevented if students were better prepared.
$24.4 million for special education and grade repetition costs that can be attributed to children entering kindergarten under prepared.
$11 million to serve students learning English who have no early education.
$6 million spent on school safety because of delinquent behavior that possibly could have been prevented if students were better prepared for school.
Chase said that the estimate is likely conservative, because many costs to schools can't be quantified. How much does it cost for remedial programs for students who were unprepared for kindergarten? How often do parents pull their children from public schools because they don't like bad classroom behavior?
"The schools by themselves can't afford to prevent all these issues," Chase said. "The state would have to take some form of collective responsibility to better prepare our kids for school success."
Source: Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul) 12.29.08
Report gives Michigan schools above average grade
Michigan schools perform above the national average, but just, according to a report released by Education Week magazine January 8.
The magazine's annual Quality Counts report gave Michigan a C+ grade and a score of 77.8. That put the state in 16th place nationally, about where it stood last year , and just above the national average of 76.2.
As with last year, no state earned an A, though 10 states had Bs. Maryland was the top state overall with an 84.7, followed by Massachusetts with 84.6. New York, which was first last year, dropped to third with an 84.1.
Washington, D.C., again fell to the bottom of the listing with a D (68.3), topped by Nevada with a 68.8.
To reduce burdens on state officials filling out questionnaires, the magazine this year moved to a rotating basis for the scores, so only scores for Chance for Success, Transitions and Alignment, and School Finance were new this year.
Among those, Michigan did best in Transitions and Alignment with a B (85.7), ranking sixth. Among the places where the state missed in that category was having a definition of school readiness and having districts assess students based on that, having high school diploma requirements aligned with college requirements and a state-required high school curriculum. But the report noted that last issue would be resolved for the class of 2011.
Sign up for AASA National Conference and receive wellness tips
Exhibit Wellness is a fun new feature of AASA’s 2009 National Conference on Education. Exhibit Wellness is a health-focused section on the exhibit hall floor that will provide you with resources — for your own health and the health of the students and staff you serve.
In connection with the effort, AASA will periodically send “wellness challenges” to registered attendees of the conference to encourage them to challenge themselves to take the time to improve your own health.
Read December’s “Act of Wellness” below.
Laugh out Loud
laughter [laf-ter] – noun 1. An inner quality, mood, disposition 2. An expression or appearance of merriment or amusement 3. A major health benefit
Everyone knows the old adage that “laughter is the best medicine.” Did you know that studies have shown that laughter can definitely promote a healthier you? The data shows that laughing can:
Lower your blood pressure
Reduce stress hormones
Increase muscle flexion
Boost immune function
Trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers and produce a general sense of well being.
At work, encourage your staff or students to supply a joke of the day — and post it in the faculty lounge or on a graffiti wall in the cafeteria. Not only will your spirits be lifted, your whole body will smile too!
AASA adds special conference features
AASA has added several enhanced features to its 2009 National Conference on Education. Take a look:
a special breakfast event that lets AASA Professional Library subscribers network with featured authors.
Enhanced presentations to help school leaders meet today’s economic challenges. Linda Darling-Hammond, head of the Obama education transition team, will brief attendees at the Federal Relations Luncheon on the new administration’s plans for education policy. A special track of programs will feature practical, cost-saving methods from economic experts and educational visionaries that help administrators plan for economic changes.
AASA Studies Economic Downturn’s Effect on Schools
On Nov. 12, AASA released the “Study of the Impact of the Economic Downturn on Schools.” The study, based on a survey of AASA-member superintendents conducted in October 2008, found that school districts in every region of the country are feeling the impact of the economic downturn and implementing belt-tightening measures in response to shrinking budgets. Read the full study at http://www.aasa.org/files/PDFs/Publications/AASAEconomicImpactSurvey2008.pdf.
AASA's Executive Director is guest on DistrictLeadersPodcast.com
How can educators effectively meet the challenges that accompany the nation's difficult economic conditions? What will be the direction for education with the new Obama administration? Those are some of the questions addressed by Dr. Daniel A. Domenech in a January podcast.
AASA Energy Summit Toolkit Offers Cost-Saving Solutions
The 2008 AASA Energy Summit Toolkit, developed exclusively for AASA members, contains materials adapted from the 2008 AASA Energy Summit, a meeting of AASA members, industry representatives and architectural visionaries, held Oct. 23-25, in Washington, D.C. The summit examined issues surrounding the current energy crisis and actionable steps school system leaders can take to address the energy challenges they face in their districts. View the toolkit at http://www.aasa.org/newsroom/pressdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=10846.
The Joys of the Superintendency?
Don’t miss the December issue of The School Administrator magazine, which looks at the “Joys of the Superintendency.” It is a 24-hour job with expectations that often seem unreasonable; yet for all the stress, the bad headlines and the aggravation, superintendents on the whole are upbeat about what they do for a living, reports the magazine. This issue also revisits the lives of six educators whose first-year adventures as superintendents were chronicled in the magazine in 2002, looks at strategies for strengthening superintendent resilience, and more. View the issue online at http://www.aasa.org/publications/saissuedetail.cfm?ItemNumber=10861.
Stimulus Facts and Action the focus of April Advocacy Conference
For complete details on the stimulus and how to access those new funds, for news on what’s been done so far and what’s upcoming on Capitol Hill; be sure to sign up for AASA’s Legislative Advocacy Conference, April 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va., just across the Potomac river from Washington. Prepare to learn and then act on that information with your own members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Details and registration at www.aasa.org/conferences/iMisEventDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=10860
AASA National Conference on Education
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.
AASA adds special conference features
AASA has added several enhanced features to its 2009 National Conference on Education. Take a look:
a special breakfast event that lets AASA Professional Library subscribers network with featured authors.
Enhanced presentations to help school leaders meet today’s economic challenges. Linda Darling-Hammond, head of the Obama education transition team, will brief attendees at the Federal Relations Luncheon on the new administration’s plans for education policy. A special track of programs will feature practical, cost-saving methods from economic experts and educational visionaries that help administrators plan for economic changes.
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!
leader resources:
Michigan LearnPort announces stipend opportunities for online professional development
Michigan LearnPort® is a statewide professional development portal developed through a partnership between Michigan Virtual University® (MVU®) and the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). To encourage teachers, administrators and other instructional personnel to experience the value and effective nature of online learning first-hand, Michigan Virtual University is offering $150 stipends for enrolling in and completing selected curriculum content courses and requirements through Michigan LearnPort. Enrollment is limited to the first 30 participants for each section. The goal is to meet the needs of ISDs and their constituent districts, professional organizations and individual educators through expanding the use of Michigan LearnPort. The courses for which stipends will be provided are the following:
MMC Algebra 1 for Teachers
MMC Algebra 2 for Teachers
MMC Geometry for Teachers
MMC English Language Arts for Teachers
MMC Biology for Teachers
MMC Chemistry for Teachers
MMC Physics for Teachers
MMC World History and Geography for Teachers
MMC U.S. History and Geography for Teachers
Integrating Blended Instruction into Your Classroom
These courses are instructor-led and provide teachers with resources and strategies to meet the needs of the diverse students required to meet the Michigan Merit Curriculum. Upon completion, participants will earn between 1 – 3.5 State Board Continuing Education Units (SB-CEU).
Eligibility for the stipend requires completion of the course and the submission of one lesson plan using one or more of the strategies or activities described in the course. This lesson plan must be accepted by the course instructor as part of the course completion requirements. This lesson plan will become a resource for Michigan teachers through Michigan LearnPort.
Teachers must apply for the stipend after completion of the course on the course form provided by the instructor or downloadable from the course community room. This stipend is paid from and governed by requirements of and provided through ESEA Title II, Part (A) funds. Payment will only be made for full course completion and submission of an accepted lesson plan.
The courses are offered three more times this school year. Each course will begin on February, April and June and run for four weeks. Enrollment is limited to the first 30 participants for each section. An individual may only take one course under the stipend program each session (February, April and June) for a total of a maximum of three courses this year.
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
Fair-use guide offers copyright protection for educators
Hoping to clear up the confusion over the "fair use" of digital materials in teaching and learning, a panel of university professors has developed a "Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education." The document clarifies how fair use applies to the most common situations where media-literacy educators make use of copyrighted materials in their work, and it offers guidance for instructors so they can make more informed judgments about using these materials.
Wisconsin affiliate partners with AASA on asthma-related videos
The Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators has six streaming videos on their website featuring asthma-related content. The videos were created through their membership in the Leadership Forum for Healthy Students and Healthy Schools, which is an activity of AASA’s cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control to build the capacity of school leaders to work on asthma issues. View the videos.
Free resource offers “GPS” for E-Rate success
For ten years Congress has funded the E-Rate program, channeling up to $2.25 billion annually to K-12 public and private schools and non-profit public libraries to aid with telecommunication and Internet access for the classroom. If approved, a school can be reimbursed between 20% and 90% on eligible services.
However, the application process is complex with many twists and turns, multiple forms to complete, waiting periods to be observed, and cascading deadlines to be met. There is also likely to be increased competition for funds this year. In spite of E-Rate's complexity, though, 77 percent of applicants say it's meeting its goal.
The editors of eSchool News offer a free Educator Resource Center to prompt you, turn-by-turn like a GPS, to E-Rate success. Here is a sample of what's available to "talk" you through the process:
How to Survive another E-Rate Season provides live training sessions, online videos and other web-based resources to train your personnel.
How to Prepare for an E-Rate Audit gives clear, concise direction for maintaining proper documentation about your E-Rate eligible activities.
Sounds painful…is it worth going through the process? Hear from many applicants who insist that E-Rate is crucial for meeting connectivity goals for their schools and libraries.
Beware of Danger Ahead provides the roadmap to success, including "roadside assistance" for when it is…and is NOT…appropriate for a service provider to be involved.
Ten Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs presents all the red flags up front to mark a clear path for your team.
Nobody is Perfect and the eSN-TV video on E-Rate will help you correct clerical mistakes and avoid funding denials.
New framework helps work 21st-century skills into English classes
English teachers now have a free resource to help them infuse so-called 21st-century skills into their curriculum, thanks to a collaboration between the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
This new resource—a framework that provides teacher-created models for how 21st-century skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity can be incorporated into English classes—is part of P21’s effort to create curriculum maps that demonstrate how to teach key 21st-century skills in the classroom.
By offering sample lessons that combine 21st-century skills with interdisciplinary themes such as global awareness and civic, economic, and entrepreneurial literacy, the new 21st Century Skills English Map gives concrete examples of how to align teaching and learning with the standards of the 21st century.
Michigan speaker specializes in “I Have a Dream” speech
Editor’s Note: Firstline administrator Shirley Johnson, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services at Kentwood Public Schools, made us aware of this resource, which we thought schools might find helpful as Black History Month approaches.
When Marvin Blanks walks onto the stage, he takes on the voice and mannerism of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the man Mr. Blanks said he was born to imitate. Called by some “the Orator of the Century,” Blanks learned the famous speech after listening to the speech on a 45 record produced by Berry Gordy he purchased in a record store in South Haven, Mich. “I knew I wanted the record, so I bought it instead of the James Brown or Aretha Franklin I was hoping for,” Blanks writes on his web site. “That day I went home and played it over and over and over again. … I was intrigued by the message so much until I couldn’t get enough of hearing it. Slowly but surely, Blanks began mimicking Dr. King. Adapting his voice to the rhythm of the speech - with all the peaks and all the valleys and twists in Dr. King’s voice.
Currently an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, trainer, and consultant, Blanks specializes in MLK Day Celebrations, Black History Month Events as well as keynote speeches and training workshops. You can learn more at www.MarvinBlanksSpeaks.com.
As Midwinter Conference approaches (January 28-30 in Kalamazoo), here are the hot items you need to know about. Sign up now to ensure your spot at the table where information is shared, decisions are made, and networks are established. Reserve your hotel stay while group rates last.
Brian McNulty, of the Leadership and Learning Center, will share the most recent research on schools and the role of administration. The data reveals areas of success and highlights new objectives for school leaders to focus on in the 2008-09 school year. He will disseminate new information, strategies, and methods for creating standards-based classrooms for success.
Ensure that students are learning 21st century skills so they are prepared for tomorrow's work force. That's the educational top priority that K-12 educators want President-elect Barack Obama and his newly-named Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to address, according to a new survey conducted by ASQ (American Society for Quality), which provides resources and training to help K-12 educators implement continuous improvement in schools. 
Great news for dis
Looking for some cold-weather safety tips?
Only $75 to MASA members 