Speaking of Leading
“Who is racing to do what? Based on the performance of legislators to propose effective reporting mandates and successfully address and stabilize school funding issues, it is a 'race to the bottom'.”

-Mike O'Connor, superintendent of Glenn Public School, in an op-ed for The Holland Sentinal, 2.17.10

“I’m jumping in at a time that’s very difficult, knowing that good things will come.”

-Eve Kaltz, new superintendent at Center Line Public Schools, in the Warren C & G news 2.10.10 , following her “Polar Plunge” into Anchor Bay, which she says mirrors her “plunge” into the superintendency during an economic downturn.

ISDs collaborate to provide science and social studies leadership

By Mike Yokum, Oakland Schools

Two projects initiated by Intermediate School Districts, and intended to assist local districts in curriculum work, have gained significant momentum in the state.  One project is developing a complete Kindergarten to grade 12 social studies curriculum and the other is writing priority expectations for science curriculum. 

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum

The social studies project, which is named the Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum, is an online curriculum (www.micitizenshipcurriculum.org) supported by 40 ISDs.  The curriculum includes units of study, lessons, teacher and student materials and videos which help explain how the units and lessons can be taught.  The project is working with the Michigan Assessment Consortium (another ISD collaborative) to develop assessments for the curriculum. The project is managed by a steering committee of ISD social studies consultants who work with writers and editors to develop the materials and place them online.

The project also includes a professional development component. Five ISDs have come together to share professional development using videoconferencing technology. The professional development brings together networks of teachers at a specific grade level.  The teachers are introduced to the curriculum through a series of professional development sessions that take place through the school year.

At each session the teachers are introduced to a new unit of study and the accompanying materials. The teachers also share their experience in teaching earlier units as well as student work. Video clips from each session are posted on the website so that teachers who are not able to attend the sessions can hear an explanation of the unit and lessons from the website.

Science Priority Expectations Project

The science project also involves 40 ISDs working together. On this project, referred to as the Science Priority Expectations Project, ISD science consultants are developing a document that will help local districts identify the most critical content in the science content expectations. 

One of the criticisms that has been targeted at science standards across the country is that the lists of things students should know are so extensive it is hard for teachers to prioritize and forefront in their teaching the learnings that are most important. The science priority expectations will highlight those critically important learnings and demonstrate they are connected to the remainder of the content expectations in science.

If you are interested in either project contact your local intermediate school district.

Michael Yokum is Director of Learning Services  at Oakland Schools. Contact him at Michael.Yocum@oakland.k12.mi.us.

National Financial Challenge

Michigan school leaders can support U.S. efforts to get our economy on track while opening doors for their students. How? By encouraging high school students in your district to take the National Financial Capability Challenge by April 9, 2010. The Challenge is an awards program for educators and high school students that aims to encourage the teaching of personal finance.

Michigan JumpStart Coalition, the premier advocate for youth financial literacy for the State of Michigan, is joining a national effort to get one million high school students to take the Challenge, which includes a voluntary online exam, by April 9, 2010. To make that happen, they need superintendents, principals and teachers from across the country to register and get their students prepared. Two thousand educators have already signed up, but there is a long way to go.

How you can help
Encourage high school teachers – and other educators working with high school
students age 13-19, such as librarians, youth group leaders, and after-school program staff – to encourage students to sign up for the Challenge at http://challenge.treas.gov by March 14.

How to start

1. View the video message from Secretary Duncan
2. Register for the Challenge by March 14th
3. Recruit their colleagues to participate (flier available here)
4. Prepare their students (using the free educator toolkit or their own resources)
5. Administer the online exam one day between March 15th and April 9th
6. Present official (printable) awards certificates to high-scoring students

Learn more about the Challenge…
Learn more about Michigan JumpStart Coalition…

Register now for Eat Healthy + Play Hard = Smart Students Conference

2010 will mark the fifth Eat Healthy + Play Hard = Smart Students Conference, to be held April 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn. This conference series provides a unique opportunity to help create healthy school environments. Schools can improve the health and academic performance of their students by using coordinated school health teams to focus on improving the school environment and policies related to healthy eating and physical activity.

Keynote speakers include:
Mark Fenton
Kathleen Zelman
Erik Wahl

Concurrent plenaries by Robert Murray and Paul Zientarski. 

Registration is now available at www.smartstudentsconference.com
Early registration rate available until March 15

Questions: Contact Diane Drago, Conference Coordinator
DMSdiane@concentric.net; 517-663-5147

New Secure Central Registry to track SB-CEUs online

Online March 1, 2010

Educators who apply SB-CEUs toward their Professional Education Certificate renewal will soon be able to track and get transcripts of all SB-CEUs earned from one central location.

A new secure central registry (SCR) has been designed through a partnership between the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Michigan Institute for Educational Management (MIEM), and it will be implemented for individuals who use SB-CEUs toward Professional Education Certificate renewal:  School Counselor License renewal, School Psychologist Certificate renewal, Administrator Certificate renewal, and Administrator continued employment requirements. MIEM will be responsible for operating and maintaining the system.

The ability of educators to track SB-CEUs and obtain a transcript of all SB-CEUs awarded in one central location is an exciting step. The SCR creates an automated process that replaces the current time-consuming system.

MASA members should have received a letter notifying you about the changes related to implementing the SCR and inviting you to participate in a webinar to explain the changes and to provide feedback on the new system. Webinar dates, times, and call-in information were included in the letter and are also listed in this issue of the MASA Leader. Please share this information with your human resources director and invite his/her participation in the webinar.

SB-CEUs Awarded on Completion of Common Evaluation

The new SCR system requires the use of a common evaluation, which will provide greater detail on program quality for all participants in all SB-CEU programs. SB-CEU coordinators will upload participation records, triggering an automated email to each participant that requests completion of the common evaluation. SB-CEUs will be processed when the evaluation has been completed. MASA’s SB-CEU Coordinator is Susan White.

Personal Account Creation

The SCR will provide educators and administrators with the ability to track all SB-CEUs awarded to them (after January 1, 2010) in one central location. To use the system, all educators and administrators will need to log in to the SCR and create a personal account.

Maintenance and Support Fee Structure

To maintain the new SCR and SB-CEU program approval process and provide a helpdesk for educators and administrators who use the system, the following fee structure, payable by credit card, will be effective on May 1, 2010:

• 25.00 Application processing fee charged to each SB-CEU Sponsor for each SB-CEU program approval application;
• $2.50 SB-CEU processing fee per SB-CEU award charged to each participant requesting SB-CEU credit via the SCR; OR
  $1.00 SB-CEU processing fee paid by the sponsor at the time of upload of participant to the SCR; (MASA will pay for members earning SB-CEUs earned at MASA/MAISA events.)
• $20.00 Official Transcript processing fee charged to each participant for each official SB-CEU transcript available through the SCR.

Official SB-CEU transcripts will be optional in the new system because the new licensure system will accept the electronic record from the SCR. “Unofficial” transcripts will be available for desktop printing at no charge to the end user and should satisfy most of the current requirements for official transcripts.

The SCR fees will be used for software support and maintenance, staffing the help desk, and general administration. The SB-CEU sponsors will be charged the processing fee upon submission of the program approval application. The participants will only be charged the $2.50 processing fee mentioned above if the SB-CEU sponsor does not pay the $1.00 processing fee at the time of upload of attendees to the SCR.

Questions regarding the SB-CEU program and the new SCR will be addressed in a series of webinars.
Additional inquiries can be directed to:

• Debbie Kopkau, MIEM Director of Operations, 517.327.2587; dkopkau@msbo.org
• Susan Koenigsknecht, MDE SB-CEU Program Administrator, 517.241.4928; KoenigsknechtS@michigan.gov.
• Susan White (MASA SB-CEU Coordinator), 517.327.9266; swhite@gomasa.org

2010 Census In Schools

Now is the time to encourage your community’s involvement in the 2010 Census. That’s because Michigan schools and communities stand to lose funding, as well as representation in Washington D.C., when census counts drop. After a decade of job loss and declining populations, Michigan needs to count everyone who lives and learns in our communities.

Key dates coming up:

Each school district in America has been sent a set of 2010 Census: It’s About Us cross-curricular program materials to distribute to each principal in your district. If you have not yet made use of these free materials, you might consider pushing the message during March. And be sure to encourage staff and families to mail back their questionnaires.

The K–12 standards-specific curriculum initiative is offered free to schools nationwide by the U.S. Census Bureau. Please encourage principals and teachers to include 2010 Census: It’s About Us in their 2009–2010 lesson plans. The classroom-friendly lessons in the kitoffer real-world data that reinforces curriculum goals, from map skills and community involvement to data literacy.

Apart from what it teaches students, the program is intended to:

• Help enlist students as vital census advocates
• Convey the importance of 100% census participation
• Allay concerns some parents or guardians may have about the census due to misinformation or language barriers
• Boost the effectiveness of the once-a-decade U.S. census for the benefit of individuals, schools, families, communities, and our nation

Teachers in your district’s schools will find lessons, worksheets, and a range of additional support materials online in convenient printable PDF files at www.census.gov/schools.

Count MI In!—10 questions. 10 minutes. 10 Years of Value. You can find more information specific to the Michigan census, including why it’s important, at www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-29938_54239_54607---,00.html.

Obama to speak at your high school commencement?

Enter the High School Commencement Challenge to find out

President Barak Obama could be your 2010 graduation speaker if you apply by March 15 to a challenge issued this week by the White House. The 2010 Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge invites the nation's public high schools to compete for the opportunity to welcome the President as their commencement speaker for the class of 2010. 

This challenge is designed to recognize high schools with effective strategies for reducing the number of high school dropouts, promoting college and career readiness, and encouraging college enrollment in support of meeting the President's goal of producing the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

In order to participate in the competition, schools will be required to submit an online application consisting of four short essay questions that demonstrate how the school successfully prepares students for high school graduation and college and career success. The deadline to submit applications is March 15, 2010. 

Following the application deadline, six finalists will be selected by the White House and Department of Education. These schools will then be featured on the White House Web site and the public will have an opportunity to vote for the three schools they think best meet the President's goal. The President will select a national winner from these three and visit the winning high school to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2010. 

Bring the Fight to Lansing!

MASA/MASB Legislative Conference
March 10

On Wednesday, March 10, superintendents and school board members from across the state will unite and descend on Lansing for the annual MASA/MASB Legislative Conference. The timing of this year's event will coincide with the early stages of the budget process and allow you to have the greatest impact on the final outcome.

Be sure to come and let your legislators know that you've cut costs and achieved greater efficiencies at the local level, but as other costs keep increasing, more revenues are needed to sustain the quality education system Michigan's children deserve.

This year's event will conclude with a march to the Capitol and a call to action from the chair of the SOS Task Force, Tom White.

Register online today.

Strong Governance Workshop

Join state and national leaders to gain strategies for building strong teams and learn how to reframe educational challenges into opportunities. Registration

Negotiating Employee Benefits: Stories, Strategies & Solutions

Negotiating employee benefits in the current economic climate can be an even more complex task for districts. Administrators want to save on health insurance costs but are concerned about maintaining labor peace. This spring, SET Employee Benefits and Thrun Law Firm will address these issues during panel discussions across Lower Michigan.

Panel discussion content

Panelists will include a representative from Thrun Law Firm, SET SEG and school administrators who have implemented innovative benefit programs. Content will include:

• Examples of cost-saving employee benefit plans;
• Negotiation tactics for districts trying to reduce employee benefit costs;
• PA 112, becoming the “policyholder;”
• Saving opportunities for experience-rated districts; and
• Insurance carrier options.

Cost

There is no cost to attend.

Dates & Locations

Seminars will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at noon. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Save the date for the location nearest you:

March 5: Gaylord University Center
March 15: Genesee ISD, Flint
March 17: Holiday Inn West, Kalamazoo
April 22: Lansing Community College West Campus

Registration

To register, visit www.setseg.org. Select “Company Events” from the menu at the top of our home page. Then select the location of choice.

Register today!
1-800-292-5421

MASA seeks two representatives for AASA Governing Board

This year, Michigan will have two slots to fill on the AASA Governing Board for terms beginning July 1, 2010 and running through June 30, 2013. Current representative Rob Olsen’s term will expire on June 30, 2010, opening one seat. The second open seat comes as a result of Michigan’s AASA membership growth in AASA. The number of AASA eligible voting members in Michigan increased from 243 in September 2008 to340 in 2009.

The new AASA Governing Board members will join Rodney Green (2012) and Kimberly Hart (2012).

Eligible nominees must be voting members of both MASA and AASA, and must be able to fulfill the following responsibilities:

• Represent Michigan at two Governing Board meetings a year
• Summer meeting – travel reimbursed by AASA;
• February meeting is not reimbursed
• Represent AASA in Michigan and report back to Michigan AASA members and the state organization
• Set direction for AASA; approve the legislative agenda; approve dues increases; approve position statements
• Elect Executive Committee members from the region
• OPTIONAL: serve on Advisory Committees (only 18)

NOTE: AASA reimburses travel expenses for the summer meeting, but not the meeting held in conjunction with the National Conference on Education.

The 2010 summer governance meetings will be held at the Hyatt Regency
Washington on Capitol Hill. Travel dates for Governing Board members:

• New Governing Board members -
  July 27 and July 30 (AASA pays hotel for 3 nights)
• Returning members –
  July 28 and July 30 (AASA pays hotel for 2 nights)

These governance meetings are followed by the AASA Summer Summit Conference, also in Washington, D.C. on July 30 – August 1.

You can request a nomination form by calling Linda Wacyk at 517-327-9268 or email lwacyk@gomasa.org.

MASA member runs for AASA Executive Committee

Rod Green of East China, will take on opponent James Hess of Bemidji, Minnesota, for a seat on the AASA Executive Committee representing AASA Region 3. Rod is a past president of MASA and is currently in his second term on the AASA Governing Board.

Ballots will be mailed to Governing Board members in each of these regions. Questions about the AASA Executive Committee election process can be directed to C.J. Reid at creid@aasa.org.

Highlighted Benefit

Now easier to start and promote in your district

The miSolution Discount Benefit Program offers your employees access to important education on retirement planning and insurance approaches, as well as the option to participate in a discount benefit program to save on everyday needs. miSolutions is a benefit available to all MASA/MAISA members through a partnership with the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA). It’s “All American Lineup” includes:

• An online resource library for your employees.
• Planning tools and calculators to help employees with their retirement planning needs and insurance strategy selections.
• Low-cost solutions to providing discounts and benefits.
• Support for your employees’ personal health and wellness.
• Subsidized benefits at a low cost.

It’s so easy

Once your school district chooses this resource, miSolution creates a customized web site, specifically designed for your employees. The resource allows your employees to determine their retirement and lifestyle needs, and learn about options available to them. Through the life insurance companies of Great American Financial Resources®, Inc., they have the option to purchase retirement products online, or meet face-to-face with an insurance professional. Additionally, employees can find information and tools on other insurance strategies, including life insurance.

Discount benefits that matter

The miSolution Discount Benefit Program can help alleviate the financial burden of medical expenses by offering discounts on medical and lifestyle benefits. For just cents a day, your employees can take advantage of fantastic discounts. A combination of discount medical and lifestyle benefits is available to your employees for a monthly membership fee. These benefits will save your employees money on essentials:

• Retail and mail order pharmacy savings
• Dental care discounts
• Vision benefits
• Roadside assistance
• Savings on vitamins and diabetic supplies
• Travel assistance
• 24-hour phone access to medical physicians

miSolutions makes it easier to start and promote a program

miSolutions Discount Benefit Program now has a new easier-to-use set of online supports to help you launch and market this service in your district. Get started today at www.allamericanlineup.com/miSolutions.html, where you will find customizable marketing pieces (fliers, posters, payroll and mailbox stuffers, etc.) for the miSolution program. Complete and use these forms to promote the Discount Benefit Card in your ESA, school district, association or business.

SOS Michigan Updates

SOS Michigan was at the Capitol Tuesday, February 16 to unveil its legislative agenda. The legislative agenda, which was supported by MASA at last week’s General Council meeting, calls for both policy and school funding reforms.

On the policy side, the SOS plan addresses cost-saving measures and collective bargaining reform.  The agenda calls for cost-saving measures like:

• Mandatory premium sharing for health care
• Cap on employer paid health care costs
• Increased employee retirement contributions
• PERA reforms like freezing automatic pay and benefit increases if contracts aren’t settled
• Increased enforcement for illegal strikes.

The funding reforms include changes to school finance laws that can be undertaken immediately as well as short- and long-term funding reform efforts to stabilize and protect School Aid Fund revenue. The school finance changes include:

• Automatic renewal of 18-mill non-homestead property taxes
• Expanded use of sinking funds
• Moving all tax collections to summer
• Restoring school funding to 2008-09 levels using short-term revenue increases including closing tax loopholes, a sales tax on services, freezing income tax rates and paying schools for the cost of unfunded mandates.
• Long-term, the plan calls for a comprehensive review and overhaul of school funding based on the results of the Citizen’s Research Council study currently in progress.

Districts called to take action

Now SOS Michigan is urging districts to take action in generating grassroots support for a balanced policy solution. Superintendents and boards are asked to visit www.SOSMichigan.org to read the SOS “Policies for a Stronger Michigan,” and then follow up with a grassroots campaign in their own communities. In addition to the position statement itself, district leaders will find talking points, sample communications, and tips on sharing this information with local media and stakeholders.

Next SOS Event:

Join us for the MASA/MASB Legislative Conference, “Bring the Fight to Lansing,” March 10, 2010. The conference will wrap up with a 1:45 p.m. march to the Capitol steps, to hear a call to ac­tion from SOS Michigan Chair, Tom White. Even if you can’t make the conference, join us for the march!

New Communication Tools Available

Visit www.SOSMichigan.org and view new sample letters, op-eds, and pieces published by districts. NEW this week: Talking Points for Superintendents

Kudos!...

...to MASA members spreading the SOS

• Marsha Wells, Portage
• James Hartley, Madison
• Mark Eckhardt, Charlevoix
• Steve Matthews, Grand Ledge

If you have a letter, op-ed, or column to share, submit it to lwacyk@gomasa.org.
Submit stories about how funding cuts are hurting your district at http://sosmichigan.com/stories.

Legislative Updates

House Committee on Education seeks input on reform

As reported in our most recent Weekly Update, the House Committee on Education is beginning a series of hearings on education reform savings. To that end, Committee Chair Tim Melton (D-Auburn Hills) has launched an online survey on his House website for the public to submit suggestions to the committee on areas for education reform that would generate cost savings.  The Chairman has asked for feedback from all interested parties.

To participate, you can find the survey on Representative Melton’s website or you can click here to access it directly.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Brad Biladeau, 517-281-5733 or bbiladeau@gomasa.org; or Bob Kefgen, 517-899-0367 or rkefgen@gomasa.org).

House Fiscal Agency releases report on proposed retirement reform

The plans outlined by Governor Jennifer Granholm to provide an incentive for state employees to retire would save the state's general fund $758.1 million by 2020, while gross savings would total $1.95 billion, according to a new review by the House Fiscal Agency.

The bulk of her proposed changes - increasing the pension multiplier by 0.1 percentage point, raising terminal leave payments and retiree health care costs - will actually cost $617 million, but Ms. Granholm's savings of $2.6 billion come from not replacing everyone who walks out the door.

Other savings come from capping years of service at 30, requiring all employees to pay 3 percent of their salary for their pension and eliminating dental and vision insurance coverage for those who retire after October 1.

Ms. Granholm's proposal also includes an option for retirees 60 or older to work part-time while drawing on their pension. The option would be up to management's discretion, the reason why the Executive Office has no estimates on how this would impact the budget.

The fiscal agency found that the proposal assumes 85 percent of the 7,400 potential state retirees will take advantage of the retirement plan if the Legislature approves it. The bulk of the eligible retirees would come from the Department of Human Services, where 2,357 workers could retire based on their service years and credits purchased.

Changes proposed to MPSERS

The fiscal agency also broke down the impact of the governor's proposal for school employees, although any savings from those changes would accrue at the local level and again are based off of the same incentives for retirement.

However, the governor's plan for schools does create a hybrid pension and defined contribution plan for NEW EMPLOYEES. School employees currently are on a traditional pension plan.

Under the hybrid plan, final average compensation would be based on nine years, not three, any cost of living adjustments would be eliminated, and the minimum retirement age would increase to 65. Minimum retirement age for the basic plan currently is 55.

If the entire school package was enacted and 75 percent of the 38,600 potential retirees leave it would save $6.4 billion over the next 10 years. Immediate savings to schools would total $701.1 million, according to the fiscal agency, which based its numbers from information provided by the State Budget Office and Office of Retirement Services.

Read House Fiscal Agency reviews:
For state employees…
For school employees…
Source: Gongwer, 2.19.10

Schools are drowning under a tsunami of paperwork

by Mike O’Connor, superintendent of Glenn Public School

Has anyone dared to count all of the new mandated reports, documentation, data collection programs, assessments and applications that the public school systems have had to submit to the state and federal governments in the past several years? Does anyone even know the number, which is still growing?

One of our local legislators recently proposed that schools should now be required to conduct 10 count days on which state aid would be based. That is one every 17 days! His vague reasoning is that schools would then keep kids in school and not be so apt to suspend them — as though it is done so casually. In all of their wisdom, the Legislature has yet to develop an equitable, stable funding mechanism for the school aid budget, something he and others should be concerned about rather than inventing more ridiculous ways to create more paperwork for school employees who, instead, could be spending more time in classrooms.

It is time that we, as educators, stand up and scream, “No more!” to additional mandates by refusing to comply with them on a statewide basis. Shut your computers down and spend time in the classrooms instead of filling out countless reports and implementing ridiculous, ineffective mandates.

Rather than wasting vast human resources filling out ridiculous reports that no one reads and implementing foolish, ineffective mandates, the focus needs to be on building relationships with students and engaging families in the educational process while abolishing this foolish reporting frenzy masking under the noble title of “accountability.” However, we need a stable funding mechanism to sustain this as a priority.

Who is racing to do what? Based on the performance of legislators to propose effective reporting mandates and successfully address and stabilize school funding issues, it is a “race to the bottom.”

Read the full op-ed...

Source: The Holland Sentinel, 2.17.10

Hunger doesn't take a summer vacation

More Sponsors Needed by March 31

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is looking for community sponsors to run summer food programs to prevent more than 510,000 children in Michigan from going hungry when school lunchrooms close for the summer.

The Summer Food Service Program could fill the summer hunger gap for hundreds of thousands of children if more sponsors are signed up to run the food program. Last year, out of the over 510,000 low-income Michigan children who were eligible, only around 84,000 (16.5 percent) were able to eat free meals or snacks at approved summer food program sites in their neighborhoods.

“Many families across Michigan are struggling, and we can’t have children going hungry in the summer when programs like this are available,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan said. “I am calling on schools, churches, and local government and civic organizations to step up and have a positive impact on the lives and health of children in their community by being a Summer Food Service Program sponsor.”

Sponsors receive federal payments for both the meals served to children and the administrative costs of serving the meals. New sponsors will receive free training and technical assistance from MDE.

The Summer Food Service Program serves nutritious meals to children up to age 18 living in low-income areas (where 50 percent or more of the students qualify for free or reduced price school meals). The program can operate in schools, public housing centers, playgrounds, camps, parks, and faith-based facilities.

Sponsors can be public school districts or nonprofit private schools; public or private nonprofit residential summer camps; local, county or state government agencies; colleges or universities; or private nonprofit organizations.

To sponsor the program this summer, organizations need to contact MDE by March 31, 2010. Applications and sponsor information may be obtained from MDE’s Grants Coordination and School Support office, Summer Food Service Program, 608 W. Allegan Street, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, Michigan 48909, 517.373.3347; or on the MDE Website at: www.michigan.gov/sfsp.

MDE Memos:

Secure Central Registry and State Board Continuing Education Unit more>

Statewide articulation agreement between Michigan Department of Education and Davenport University more>

Guidelines for awarding credit in Career and Technical Education (CTE, humanities, and other delivery models) more>

National School Breakfast Week, March 8-12, 2010 more>

FY 2010-2011 comprehensive community needs and resources assessment for the Great Start Readiness Program more>

Additional waivers of Title I School Improvement Grant requirements more>

H1N1 update - MDE to send thermometers more>

Catch up on the latest MDE memos any time

Don't confuse me with the facts

In this February School Administrator article, New Jersey Association leader Richard Bozza debunks six myths about school administration and related costs. He does so by examining the data available in states and nationwide.

Myth 1: School administration is just another layer of government bureaucrats whose work brings nothing meaningful to student achievement.

Reality: Bozza points to McREL meta-analysis of research that finds a statistically significant positive relationship between district leadership and student achievement.

Myth 2: Superintendent salaries in our state are out of line with those in other states

Reality: Data reported in the Educational Research Service’s annual report “Salaries and Wages Paid Professional and Support Personnel in Public Schools” reveals that Michigan pays administrator salaries on the low end in a region that’s second lowest in the nation.

Myth 3: Superintendent salaries exceed those in comparable jobs outside education.

Reality: The study New Jersey commissioned found that universities and college presidents in New Jersey with comparable student populations to that of superintendents earn more than double what superintendents make. Hospital executives earn more than four times the salary of a superintendent. Corporate CEOs collect on average more than six times the average salary of a superintendent.

Myth 4: School administration costs are a huge chunk of school district budgets.

Reality: Despite popular perceptions about the percentage of the school dollar going to administration, nationally 10.8 percent of school districts’ current expend-itures are devoted to school administration, according to reports published by the National Center for Education Statistics. 

Myth 5: Too many school administrators have been added to the payroll over the years.

Reality: Between 1989-90 and 2005-06, student population in our state grew 30 percent, the number of teachers increased by 47 percent. School administrators and supervisors increased by only 2.6 percent during the same period.

Myth 6: School administration costs more in smaller school districts than in larger ones.

Reality: The data for New Jersey, which has nearly 600 school districts, demonstrate the average cost per pupil in K-6, K-8 and K-12 school systems is remarkably similar. (Editor's note: Michigan data echoes that of New Jersey).

Read the full article...

Michigan will receive school improvement funds

At least 57 of the state's lowest-performing schools could see federal funds to assist in its rebuilding under an announcement Thursday by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Mr. Duncan announced during interviews with Michigan media that the state would see up to $115 million in federal school improvement grants provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grants provide up to $2 million per school for the lowest 5 percent of schools in a state.

The funds are provided to the state Department of Education and the schools then have to apply for those funds, said Marty Ackley, spokesperson for the state department. Before any schools can apply, the state needs to craft a list of eligible schools, which will take some time. A preliminary list showed a substantial number of Detroit Public School buildings in the bottom 5 percent.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan has said this week that he hopes to have that list of the bottom 5 percent of schools completed before the September 1 deadline set in new state school reform laws, but he has also said he needs funds to hire staff to accomplish the list by the deadline, much less earlier.

Columnist calls retirees to lead a 'generativity revolution'

 “It now seems clear that the only way the U.S. is going to avoid an economic crisis is if the oldsters take it upon themselves to arise and force change.…Only the old can lead a generativity revolution — millions of people demanding changes in health care spending and the retirement age to make life better for their grandchildren.”

–New York Times columnist David Brooks, 2.1.10

In a February 1, 2010 op-ed, New York Times columnist David Brooks challenges older citizens to organize around a “cause of unselfishness.”  Without such a “spontaneous social movement, as he calls it, he believes today’s children will be robbed of money, freedom and opportunity."

Debunking old beliefs that aging brings on a sort of self-centered withdrawal from societal engagement, he points to recent brain research that shows the brain is capable of creating new connections and even new neurons all through life.

“A series of longitudinal studies, begun decades ago, are producing a rosier portrait of life after retirement. These studies don’t portray old age as surrender or even serenity. They portray it as a period of development” Brooks writes.

Brooks points to Harvard author George Vaillant, who describes one key to healthy aging: “generativity” — providing for future generations. Seniors who perform service for the young have more positive lives and better marriages than those who don’t. As Vaillant writes in his book Aging Well, “Biology flows downhill.” We are naturally inclined to serve those who come after and thrive when performing that role.

Yet Brooks contends that we seem to now be living in an age of reverse-generativity.

“Far from serving the young, the old are now taking from them,” Brooks writes.

How are they doing that?

1. They are taking money—Brooks quotes statistics showing federal spending of $7 on the elderly for each $1 it spends on children.
2. They are taking freedom--As more money goes to pay off mandatory spending promises made mostly to the old, the young have less control.
3. They are taking opportunity—rising tax rates and high pension costs are squeezing education spending in many states.

“In the private sphere, in other words, seniors provide wonderful gifts to their grandchildren, loving attention that will linger in young minds, providing support for decades to come. In the public sphere, they take it away,” Brooks writes.

He calls on a “spontaneous social movement,” similar to those that elected Barack Obama and now spurs the Tea Party movement, around a “generativity revolution."

“It now seems clear that the only way the U.S. is going to avoid an economic crisis is if the oldsters take it upon themselves to arise and force change…. Only the old can lead a generativity revolution — millions of people demanding changes in health care spending and the retirement age to make life better for their grandchildren.”

Read the column…

Ringing the bell for K-12 teacher tenure reform

States have done remarkably little to reform their policies by which new teachers are granted tenure, according to a new report by the Center for American Progress. The extremely low rates of dismissal for chronically low-performing but tenured teachers means that most tenured teachers are essentially employed for life regardless of their success in teaching their students. These findings come from a new report written by political science professor Patrick McGuinn called "Ringing the Bell for K-12 Teacher Tenure Reform." The report provides new data on teacher dismissal; analyzes current and past teacher tenure reform proposals; and highlights recommendations for policymakers.

The report also presents for the first time new state-by-state data from the U.S. Department of Education's Schools and Staffing Survey that shows that school districts dismiss or decline to renew the contracts of only 1.4 percent of tenured teachers each year. In Michigan, districts on average dismiss 2.6. percent of tenured teachers and 12% of non-tenured teachers each year. The extremely low rates of dismissal for tenured teachers, and the fact that dismissal is generally pursued for egregious conduct violations, means that tenured teachers in most states enjoy the functional equivalence of employment for life.

The report also finds that both the tenure granting and tenure revocation processes ultimately depend on the underlying district teacher evaluation systems to function effectively, but these are also deeply flawed. Unfortunately, in most states teacher tenure processes remain largely disconnected from teachers' performance in the classroom or student achievement.

Read the full report (pdf)
Read the executive summary (pdf)

Recommendations include:

• The federal government should leverage education funding to push states to develop more meaningful teacher evaluation systems based on a clear definition of teacher effectiveness. The U.S. Department of Education should fund demonstration programs that will provide empirical evidence of how effective different kinds of teacher tenure policies are on raising teacher quality and student achievement.
  
  
• Empirical evidence should be the basis for a serious—and unprecedented—conversation among policymakers as well as the general public about the costs and benefits of teacher tenure and the circumstances under which it should be granted and revoked.
  
  
• States should reform their tenure laws to explicitly mandate that teacher retention and dismissal decisions incorporate teacher effectiveness data.

The trillion dollar gap:

Pew Report: says Michigan 'Needs Improvement' On Retirement Funding

Michigan needs to improve the way it funds state employee pension and health care benefits, and without changes soon, residents will face higher taxes or cuts to social programs, the managing director of the Pew Center on the States said last week.

Sue Urahn spoke to reporters about a new Pew study showing significant gaps in the promises governments have made to their employees and how much money is actually in the bank to back that up
"The Trillion Dollar Gap: Underfunded State Retirement Systems and The Roads to Reform" shows that Michigan has promised $70.4 billion worth of government employee pensions. Thankfully, they have funded all but $11.5 billion, according to 2007 and 2008 data. The picture for retiree health care is much more alarming. In terms of retiree health care costs and other non-pension benefits, Michigan has $40.7 billion in obligations and $39.9 billion of that is unfunded.

Pew found that while Michigan paid more into the pension system than required, the same has not been true for retiree health care. According to the Pew figures, Michigan made a payment of $1.2 billion, when it should have been contributing $3.9 billion.

In the past five years, a couple states have restructured their retirement system, making it similar to Michigan's defined contribution plan, which does not impact school employees. But more states have taken steps to trim around the edges by requiring more contributions from state employees or reducing the benefits offered upon reaching retirement.

"Even if financial markets improve and pension funds recover, the fiscal crisis, political issues and demographic issues will continue their stress on retirement systems," Ron Snell, state services director for the National Conference of State Legislatures, said.

Read the report…

Read House Fiscal Agency reviews of the retirement reform proposal made recently by Governor Jennifer Granholm for state employees and for school employees…

Charter schools split along racial lines

New study finds parents' choices accelerate re-segregation

Charter schools operated by corporations are “accelerating” resegregation of American schools by race, income and disabilities, according to a new study released last week and co-authored by Western Michigan University researchers.

“Charter schools aren’t doing it on purpose, but they are facilitating” white and black flight from public schools, said Gary Miron, WMU professor of educational leadership, research and technology, and lead researcher on study. “The issue is lack of diversity because families are self-selecting” charter academies with high concentrations of either white or minority students.

The new study, “Schools Without Diversity: Education Management Organizations, Charter Schools and the Demographic Stratification of the American School System,” looked at almost 1,000 charter schools across the country operated by educational-management companies.

The study was written by Miron, WMU research assistants Jessica Urschel and Elana Tornquist, and William Mathis of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The study showed that:

• Charter schools tended to be less diverse than the districts that send students to those schools. “Only one-fourth of the charter schools had a composition relatively similar to that of the sending district,” the report said.
• The charter schools in the study tend to serve either largely high-income or largely low-income populations. “Between 70 percent and 73 percent of the schools were in the extreme categories of the scale, depending on the comparison,” the report said.
• Most of the charters in the study enrolled substantially fewer special education children than their home districts, although a small number of charter schools focused almost exclusively on students with special needs.
• More than half of the charters enrolled far fewer English language learners than did their home districts. About one-third of the schools had an ELL population similar to their district.

Miron acknowledged that the segregation that is occurring is a result of parent choice. But he also said that charter schools tend to reinforce segregation through the marketing campaigns and policies. For instance, the schools operated by National Heritage Academies in Michigan, which includes Paramount in Kalamazoo, do not offer bus transportation and push parents to volunteer in the schools. As a result, NHA schools tend to have very few single parents and tend to draw white, middle-class families.

Miron said the findings of his study are particularly pertinent at a time when U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is aggressively pushing for more charter schools nationwide. Miron suggested that may be fueled by Duncan’s experience as superintendent of Chicago Public Schools. He added that Chicago has been unusually successful in holding charter school accountable and closing down underperforming academies.

“But here’s the real problem. Researchers, including myself, can poke holes and say that charter-school companies aren’t working, but we don’t have any better solutions for urban schools.”

The entire study is available online at http://epicpolicy.org/publication/schools-without-diversity.

Read the full article…

Read the study…

Source: Kalamazoo Gazette, 2.15.2010

Gaining ground in the middle grades: Why some schools do better

This new report released February 24 from EdSource describes the policies and practices that distinguish high-performing schools for middle grade students. The report found that regardless of socio-economic factors, successful schools have a shared district and school-wide culture that places the primary focus on improvements in academic outcomes for all students, from the lowest performing to the highest, and designs its instructional program to prepare all students for a rigorous high school education.

The report is based on a survey of 303 principals, 3,752 English Language Arts and Math teachers in grades 6-8, and 157 superintendents in California. The study compared common policies and practices against the spring 2009 scores on California’s standards-based tests in English Language Arts and Math of close to 204,000 students in grades 6, 7, and 8 from the schools included in the survey.

Available at www.edsource.org/middle-grades-study.html.

2009 State teacher policy yearbook:

Report gives Michigan D- for policies on teacher quality

Michigan gets a D minus when it comes to preparing teachers for classroom performance, according to a new report by a respected education group.

The National Council on Teacher Quality, a nonpartisan research and advocacy group, released the report called "2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook," which is a comprehensive review of state laws and regulations that govern the teaching profession.

Despite recent improvements, the report shows Michigan can do more to produce more excellent teachers. Instead, Michigan awards tenure to teachers almost automatically. And the state does not require annual evaluations for all teachers, the report found.

Some highlighted grades from the report:

• Delivering well-prepared teachers: D. While the state Superintendent of Public Instruction has initiated an effort to hold teacher colleges accountable for the quality of teachers they produce, he hasn't retained full authority of the approval process.
• Expanding the teaching pool: F. The state collects little objective data to hold alternate teacher certification programs accountable for the performance of the teachers they prepare as well, according to the authors.
• Identifying effective teachers: D-. Michigan lacks any meaningful process to evaluate teachers' cumulative effectiveness in the classroom before awarding lifelong tenure.
• Retaining effective new teachers: C-. Michigan does not support retention bonuses, compensation for relevant prior work experience or differential pay for teachers working in high-needs schools or shortage subject areas.
• Removing ineffective new teachers: D. The state lacks an efficient termination process for ineffective educators.

Read the full column…

Source: Detroit News, 2.8.10.

Whole child podcasts

ASCD's Whole Child podcasts feature educators and policymakers from around the globe sharing insights about sound education policies and practices that ensure all children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Download Whole Child podcasts on the first Thursday of every month or listen to archived episodes. Access the Podcast Archive here.

CRC introduces series of papers on Con-Con question

The Citizens Research Council of Michigan has released the first of a series of papers analyzing issues that voters may use to decide their vote on the November 2, 2010, regarding Proposal 1, to convene a constitutional convention. Proposal 1 will ask Michigan voters whether a constitutional convention should be convened for the purpose of a general revision of the state Constitution.

This month marks the beginning of the constitutionally prescribed budget process in Michigan that is initiated with the Governor's introduction of a balanced budget and the legislature's enactment of spending authorizations. The development of the state's annual budget has been the focus of public policy debate over the last decade.

"Among the many issues a constitutional convention may choose to address," said CRC President Jeffrey Guilfoyle, "Are the roles of the executive and legislative branches in the budget process, the balanced budget requirements, and the operations of state government when appropriations are not enacted before the beginning of each fiscal year."

The 1963 Michigan Constitution provides in Article XII, Section 3, that in 1978 and every 16 years thereafter the question of a general revision of the constitution shall be submitted to the electors of the state.

CRC plans to release analysis of the con-con question in a series of papers to be released on roughly a bi-weekly schedule at www.crcmich.org/elections. Sign up for CRC’s e-mail updates to have notice of their release delivered directly to your inbox or subscribe to the Elections page for RSS feeds.

Read the report, General Revision of the Michigan Constitution…

FOCUS on Results

The latest issue of FOCUS on Results is now available on the Center for Educational Networking. Select the links below to read the articles online or to download PDFs of the formatted versions.

The February 2010 packet features the following articles:

• Resolving Special Education Disputes: Special Education State Complaint Procedures
• Michigan Medicaid School-Based Services (SBS) Program Helps Cover the Costs of School Health Care Services

FOCUS on Results are brief guidance and technical assistance documents published periodically by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services (OSE-EIS).

What Works Clearinghouse posts new multimedia files

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) hosts a number of events related to the use of evidence in education decision making. Archived multimedia files and transcripts from these events are available at whatworks.ed.gov/publications/multimedia:

• WWC Webinar: Using Data to Improve Student Achievement
• WWC Webinar: Helping Students Navigate the Path to College
• Response to Intervention (RtI) in Early Reading and Mathematics
• Education Research: Moving Evidence on What Works into Practice

The WWC is a central source of scientific evidence for what works in education. As the WWC continues its work to connect educators with the tools needed to make informed decisions, visit their website at whatworks.ed.gov.

• SB-CEU Secure Central Registry webinars
  Monday, March 1, 9 – 10 am
  Tuesday, March 2, 9 – 10 am
  Wednesday, March 3, 2 – 3 pm
  
  
• Bring the Fight to Lansing!
  March 10, 2010
  Lansing Center
  
  MASA/MASB Legislative Conference and SOS Michigan Capitol rally
• Strong Governance and Leadership Teams: Thriving During Challenging Times
  March 23, 2010; 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  Radisson Hotel, Lansing
  
  Join state and national leaders to gain strategies for building strong teams and learn how to reframe educational challenges into opportunities.
  
  
• Making Inclusion Work with Transdisciplinary Teaming
  April 17, 2010
  Social Science Building, UM-Dearborn
  
  Presented by UM-Dearborn's School of Education and Oakwood's Center for Exceptional Families in collaboration with Oakland Schools and Wayne RESA
• Exploring the Superintendency
  Four-part series continues March 24,
  April 21
• Michigan Construction Career Days, 2010
  April 27 & 28
  Springfield Oaks County Park, Davisburg, MI
  
  Help students see how they can change their world by choosing a career in construction. Registration is limited to the first 3,500 students.
• 2010 Eat Healthy + Play Hard = Smart Students Conference
  April 28-30, 2010
  Hyatt Regency Dearborn

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