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May 9, 2008

BoardBuzz was excited to see our friends at the Center for Public Education making the case for pre-K this week. In the story, out of Orlando's Channel 13, the CPE's Patte Barth makes the case that pre-K education is essential to student success later on.

Pre-Kindergarten is where kids start learning vocabulary, shapes and colors, and the big sell for voluntary pre-K is that it's free.

Florida leads the country in voluntary pre-K with nearly two-thirds of 4-year-olds in the program last year. Experts say they need more students to get the money they need.

"The benefits are really an investment. It's good for kids, but it's also good for communities because that investment pays off," said Patte Barth, the director of the Center for Public Education.

According to the Center for Public Education, every dollar spent for pre-K can save up to $16 in public education because fewer students need to be placed in special education classes, and that means fewer students are held back.

Also, studies show pre-kindergarten education increases test scores and graduation rates.

"We're not putting little children in desks, giving them worksheets, giving them a strong academic program. No, play is important," Barth said.

Indeed, play is important. And so is a quality pre-K education. For more on pre-K, visit the Center's pre-K topic area, and be sure to sign up for the e-newsletter.

Posted at 12:55 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

May 8, 2008

High school is a stressful time for many students (anyone who's ever been to high school knows that). Everyone remembers the tests, the time limits between classes, keeping friends, extra-curricular activities, sleep deprivation, and the pressure of getting into a good college constantly on your shoulders. We often hear about drunk driving and teens and groups like MADD, SADD, and others have made excellent strides in reducing the number of drunk drivers that are teens.

BoardBuzz noticed this story in the New York Times about suburban Long Island teens leaving campus for lunch who were involved in fatal car accident while rushing back to school. This fall, two students at Smithtown West High School were killed and a thirteen year old in another car was also killed as the students hurried back to campus from lunch so that they wouldn't be late to their next class.

The Times staff did their homework and went around the country to find that other districts in other parts of the country grapple with an open high school campus. While some districts restrict movement during the day to the school grounds, others continue to let the students roam in the community. There are arguments on both sides of the issue and it's easy to recall the exhilaration of getting a driver's license and being able to have the freedom to roam, but if students are expected to behave accordingly during the school day, shouldn't they be limited to school? It's an issue school boards around the nation have to face and parental and student pressure can sway depending on the district, but nobody wants to read more stories like this one in the Times. Lunch just isn't worth dying for.

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May 6, 2008

October will be here before you know it and along with that comes NSBA's T+L Conference. Registration opened today for what promises to be a conference chock full of great learning opportunities.

Held in Seattle from October 28-30, this year's conference boasts an impressive lineup, including keynote addresses from Stanford University professor and futurist Paul Saffo; education “revolutionary” Joe Caruso; and educator David Warlick.

You can read all about it on the T+L web site and in NSBA's press release.

We're also looking for leaders in education technology to be recognized as the latest group of "20 to Watch". You can learn more about it and submit an application here. Check out last year's group here.

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May 1, 2008

Have you ever wondered what people are really thinking? As a principal, counselor, administrator, school board member, or teacher, a lot of faith is put into the idea that we are doing a good job and the people we work with feel the same way. But sometimes those perceptions are wrong, sometimes our perceptions aren't those of our key stakeholders, and sometimes the educators need to be educated.

NSBA's Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) recently conducted a study led by Dr. Brian Perkins (along with recommendations from the PTA) regarding school climate. What We Think, surveyed more than 10,000 urban parents in 17 different states to find out their opinions about bullying; teacher/student respect; safety; and expectations, to name a few of the topics.

NSBA and CUBE have previously examined student perspectives on school climate (Where We Learn) and teacher and administrator perspectives (Where We Teach). The third study came to some interesting conclusions, including:

~ Slightly more female parents (76.7%) indicated visiting the school to support its activities than did their male counterparts (72%). ~ Parents overwhelmingly believed that their child was capable of high performance on standardized tests (84%).

~ Most parents felt respected by the teachers at their child's school (87%).

~ Parents with children in the middle grades (6-8) indicated that their children were bullied at least once per month more than parents at other grades (13%).

~ Generally, parents who used self-experience as their primary source of information about their school held more positive views about safety (76.1%), while parents who used the newspaper as their primary source of information about their school held more negative views about safety (12.5%).

Take a look for yourself. The study (as well as the first two) is available on CUBE's website and the results are sometimes surprising. Our friends at Education Daily and Public School Insights already have, and there's no disputing the fact that parents have an important insight into our schools and are crucial to their success.

Posted at 4:33 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

April 22, 2008

BoardBuzz is always happy to have the media on our side, and especially on the side of school board members. That's why we couldn't help but enjoy this article that came to us from the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer.

The reporter was doing a little digging into the school district's attendance at NSBA's Annual Conference earlier this month, and what he found was definitely educational.

Good training workshops can remind professionals why they do what they do and inject them with new ideas. Folks get too comfortable and too cynical and become predictable in their jobs when they never undergo training.

So, I don’t begrudge the nine members of the county school board and Superintendent Bill Harrison for taking a junket to Orlando, Fla., that must have been positively refreshing. I’m a degree or two less thrilled that the bill taxpayers footed came to $21,000, which seems expensive for 10 people.

To see what you and I paid for, I let my fingers do the walking over to the official Web site for the 2008 Annual Conference for the National School Boards Association. I was surprised to find that the presentations for many of the sessions were available for download.

A session that caught my attention was titled “Handling Media Inquiries With Nerves of Steel” presented by Tim Carroll, the public relations person for a Texas school district, and Rich Bagin, director of the National School Public Relations Association.

Not only does this reporter get that school board members need and should take advantage of professional development, but he also did his homework to understand just what the school board members were learning in Orlando.

Allen and Bagin include a piece of advice that works in nearly all arenas, from politics to marriage:

“Think before you speak.”

I called school board member Kim Fisher to see if she had made it to the session on media inquiries.

She called me back promptly and answered honestly that she had not.

“That was one of the main ones I wanted to go to,” she said, but the shuttle between where she was staying and the conference ran late.

“By the time I got there, they were at capacity. It was popular.”

Fisher said she did not think any of the board members were able to make that session, but said it was a great conference. She said she planned to share with teachers and staff members ideas she picked up from the NASA Educator Resource Center at the Kennedy Space Center.

“There’s so much out there for our teachers.”

I noticed Fisher used no jargon. I can’t know whether she thought before she spoke, but she seemed to answer my questions with quite the nerves of steel.

Not only did the reporter do his homework, but the school board member did hers. She attended the conference with her district in mind and worked hard to ensure that her district's money wasn't wasted. If BoardBuzz were going to write a textbook, this story would be in it!

Posted at 9:39 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

April 21, 2008

This month marks the 25th Anniversary of A Nation at Risk, the government study that examined education and what needs to be changed to improve American education. The study was put together by a team of educators including school board members from urban districts, rural districts, state associations, presidents of universities, principals, a Nobel Laureate, and a teacher of the year (to name a few). It's widely regarded as "the" report on education, but for many of us in the daily grind of working in the world of education, we were merely school kids ourselves when the report came out.

USA Today took one side of the issue in Friday's edition, essentially saying that while we have a long way to go, there are improvements in education that should be emulated. In the other corner, Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, pits the problems in schools against other American problems such as poverty, the credit debacle, and a loss of industrial jobs.

Nothing in America operates in a vacuum, and education's problems often trickle down to other aspects of society, but can the schools solve a credit crisis? How about health care? Poverty? Shall we go on? Yes, education is the answer to many of our ills, but educational innovations are the key to the future. So much has changed, yet so much has stayed the same as the America we knew in 1983. Look at the facts--economic uncertainly in the U.S.--check. Uncertainty in the international community and it's view of the U.S.--check. Wages being stagnant--check. "Crisis" in education--check.

So what's a teacher, administrator, school board member, superintendent, or most importantly, a student to do? The ideas are out there, but just like those days in school in 80s, you're gonna have to do some homework (and the internet wasn't even being used by regular people yet). NSBA has some innovative ideas through the National Affiliate program, CUBE, TLN, and your state school boards association is always willing to help. Dig in. You'll find that the best answers are often in the depths of the web pages, but what's most important is that as we read about all the flaws and comparisons to the last 25 years, we realize that we still have work to do, and it is possible to have positive results.

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April 16, 2008

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a school board member? Or perhaps how other school board members' experiences compare with your own? Wonder no more. NSBA's National Affiliate program's new series, Life on the School Board explores these age old questions.

The first in the series features Willis (Tony) Brunson, board president of Rich Township High School District 227 and Paul Jasinevicius, board member of Park Forest-Chicago Heights 163, (both in Illinois) and their experiences as school board members. You should definitely take a listen--you'll be glad you did, and you'll probably learn a thing or two.

For more information about this series click here. To share your own story of Life on the School Board, click here.

Posted at 3:40 PM | Link to this story | Comments (1)

April 9, 2008

It does BoardBuzz's heart good when we see things like this recent opinion piece in the Post-Bulletin (Minn.). School board member Diane Hermann Blakley discusses the importance of community engagement and 21st century skills in her editorial.

I recently had the pleasure of attending the National School Board Association Conference in Orlando. This conference helped to assure me that our schools need to teach the core subjects, but must also address the 21st Century Skills.

These skills include problem solving, critical thinking, media literacy, global awareness, collaboration skills and civic leadership. The skills students need today are fundamentally different from what was needed 20 years ago.

Teaching our students 21st Century Skills is essential to our nation's economic success. Our nation cannot afford to have ANY of our students not reach their full potential. The demand on our workforce in upcoming years will require all our students to be well taught. This Rochester School Board, along with Superintendent Romain Dallemand, is committed to closing the opportunity gap.

And it sounds like not only are they committed to their students, but to their community too.

We need to engage all of our youth in their communities and engage adults in the lives of our youth. We as a school board are working to engage students into becoming productive citizens within our community and our country.

Parental and community involvement is the key to this process. Parents need to find the time to spend quality time with their children. Positive adult-child interaction increases student achievement, reduces substance abuse, creates responsibility, and respect.

Engaging the community in the public schools is not a new idea, but it certainly a critical one. And BoardBuzz thinks that Blakley sums it up best when she says, "Every child is a gift to our community. ALL children can learn, and with the leadership of our schools, parents, and community, we can make this happen." We couldn't agree more!

Posted at 12:00 PM | Link to this story | Comments (1)

March 27, 2008

BoardBuzz loves our blogging school board member friends. And as we prepare to head off to NSBA's Annual Conference in Orlando, there are a few of them that are taking their shows on the road.

Our old friend Andrew Mizsak, from Ohio, who blogged his way through the FRN Conference in February, is back and blogging the NSBA Conference start to finish. He'll also appear as a guest blogger on our Annual Conference Blog.

This post is all about blogging school board members, and promises some attention at the conference as well. And this school board member from Oregon pledges to "make sure the information comes back to the district."

In the past we've offered tips for sharing your Conference experience once you get back to your school district (and be sure to LISTEN to a message from Anne Bryant, NSBA's executive director with more on the subject), and it seems that now it's time to add blogging to the list. What better way to share what's happening as it happens than through the magic of the Internet?

And for more blogging school board members and all the conference happenings, do check out the Annual Conference Blog, because after today, that's where we'll be.

Posted at 11:33 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

March 10, 2008

BoardBuzz was thinking this weekend, as we prepare for NSBA's Annual Conference in Orlando, just how valuable attendance at the conference is. Sure, the General Session speakers, like Sandra Day O'Connor, Garrison Keillor, Sidney Poitier, and Jim Lehrer are enlightening and inspiring, but conference attendance is so much more than that.

The opportunity to meet other school board members and school district administrators, talk about challenges and opportunities, and share ideas is certainly another exciting perk. When else do you find so many school board members in one place? On top of that, the Exhibit Hall is chock full of ways for school districts to learn, grow, and even save money (and with financial times being tight these days, who doesn't want to save a little?).

Attending sessions is probably one of the best ways to get the most out of your conference experience. And this year is no exception. You can use the online conference planner to browse through all of the sessions and even plan an itinerary for yourself prior to your arrival in Orlando.

And the learning doesn't have to stop once you've returned to your district. In fact, it shouldn't stop! Be sure to share your conference experience with fellow board members, school district staff, parents, and your community. They've invested in your attendance and deserve to know just how well your time was spent. For some more tips on how to share your conference experience back at home, click here.

Posted at 12:26 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Donald Trump's not the only one doing the firing these days. The Washingon Post reported on Saturday that the new Washington, D.C. School’s Chancellor, Michelle Rhee, fired 98 central office workers.

The Post called the act, “the first mass firings in about a decade” and said “the move came about two months after the D.C. Council gave [the Chancellor] unprecedented authority to reclassify…nonunion central office workers [to] "at-will" status, which allowed her to fire them without cause.”

Rhee said her efforts were geared towards efficiency, allowing the embattled DC system “to push more dollars down to the schools.”

One fired worker said he’d been in the central office for six years without receiving an evaluation until the new administration arrived. Wow! Six years! It boggles the mind that a public school employee would actually express surprise the he/she is being held accountable for his/her own job performance. And, the Chutzpah of the Year Award goes to . . . (Pssst… over here, dear reader. If you learn of any such blog opportunities, please do let BoardBuzz know).

Speaking of chutzpah, several other employees have also griped about the evaluation process to their city representatives. BoardBuzz wonders if they also objected to the recent evaluations after years of a free evaluation lunch, so to speak. Some parents apparently also disagree with the Chancellor’s methodology of fire-ology (or, should that be termin-ology?) “Cherita Whiting, an activist and parent of a D.C. public school student” said the employees should have gotten some sort of “probationary period to improve performance.” Hmmm… does this also apply to the fella that wasn’t evaluated for six years? Just asking.

But, Ms. Whiting may well be on to something when she said, "I hope the paperwork will substantiate each and every one of these firings… Otherwise, they're going to have lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit over it." That’s just what D.C. public schools need right now: more lawsuits! Oy vey!

Posted at 11:52 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

March 3, 2008

Our good friends at the Center for Public Education have done it again. In their ongoing mission to bring the unbiased truth in public education to the world, the Center has created a new tool called Good Measures for Good Schools.

The tool, which is a practical guide to the various measures of school quality, helps you determine the right questions you should be asking about our schools.

Good measures for good schools provides the national average performance for each measure, and links you to comparable state data where you can see how your state performs. On some measures, we also link you to web pages that offer data for your district and school. By clicking on each question you should be asking, you can learn more about the usefulness and limitations of every measure and get easy-to-understand tips for how to interpret the data. When possible, the measures are linked to relevant research, analyses, and success stories on the Center site so you can find the best thinking on what to do to improve school performance.

The guide also gives you:

The right questions to ask for a full picture of the quality of your schools.
National data and easy links to state data to help you gauge the performance of your schools on 28 key measures. We also link you to district and school-level data as much as possible.
An explanation of each measure including how the data is useful and how it is limited.
Other questions to ask when the available data doesn't say enough.

The tool, which is denoted by the yellow ruler graphic, offers a great at-a-glance resource, as well as in depth information on each of the measures. But don't take BoardBuzz's word for it -- visit the Center and check it out for yourself.

Posted at 2:01 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

February 12, 2008

It's no secret that tough economic times are a-comin' (in some places, they're already here). This article came to us by way of the Associated Press and highlights just how those economic woes might affect school districts nationwide.

With times tight all over the place, already-strapped school districts are looking at ways to tighten belts without cutting vital programs. In California, for instance, where a $4 billion cut has been proposed, tensions are high.

"It would decimate education as it exists right now," said Paul Chatman, a school board member from Ocean View, Calif.

Chatman said some of the district's new teachers, who aren't protected by seniority rules, will lose their jobs, even if the governor's cuts are scaled back as expected.

"It's unavoidable," he said glumly. "Those are going to be the ones that are going to have to go."

Other desirable school programs are on the chopping block as well. Chatman said efforts to reduce class sizes will probably be slashed. A block scheduling program, in which students study subjects for longer periods, may be scrapped altogether because it relies on extra teachers to make it work.

And it's not just cuts, either.

A projected shortfall in Minnesota's budget also has education officials there worried, said Jackie Magnuson, a school board member from the Minneapolis suburb of Rosemount.

She said school districts around the state would likely try to persuade voters to approve increased taxes for school funding, but she said those kind of ballot initiatives wouldn't pass easily.

"They're not going to be in any real particular hurry to run and help support the schools and pay for increased taxes for you, even if they'd like to, because they're already up to their eyeballs (in bills)," she said.

Operating costs, salaries and benefits, and rising energy prices are making it harder and harder for school districts to make ends meet.

Laura Hall, a school board member from Marion, Va., said the increasing cost of operating schools means level funding or slightly increased funding amounts to a cut. She said she thinks her small school district in the mountains of southern Virginia will be able to pass a budget this year without drastic cuts. But she said she worries about what will happen if the economic trends continue.

"In the back of my heart, I'm really nervous about what comes next," she said. "We haven't seen the bottom yet."

Chatman, president of the California School Boards Association, Magnuson, president of Minnesota School Boards Association; and Hall, president of Virginia School Boards Association attended NSBA's FRN Conference in Washington, D.C. last week, which aimed getting members of Congress to increase education funding and reauthorize NCLB prior to the Presidential election.

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February 5, 2008

NSBA's Federal Relations Network Conference has been abuzz with activity. With dynamic speakers Norman Ornstein and Freeman Hrabowski wowing the crowds on Sunday, Senator Chuck Hagel encouraging them on Monday, and a full day of lobbying on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, FRN Members got their fill in D.C. this week.

FRN members went to the hill to encourage members of Congress to reauthorize NCLB before the presidential election this year and to get increased funding for school districts. One FRN member from Ohio, Andrew Mizsak, has been blogging on his experiences, and sums up the programming better (and in far greater detail--here, here, here, and here) than BoardBuzz ever could. And besides, he brings the perspective of an actual school board member. If there was ever any doubt that school board members come to the FRN Conference in Washington to work and learn, one needs only read Mr. Mizsak's blog to understand what a dedicated bunch these members are.

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December 12, 2007

BoardBuzz was delighted to see NSBA Executive Director Anne L. Bryant's commentary in this week's edition of Education Week. Bryant took on one of our favorite topics -- mayoral takeovers -- and nailed it! BoardBuzz has covered the takeover attempt in Los Angeles, and the outright takeover in D.C. in the past.

Bryant argues that instead of takeovers, what mayors should be focusing on is partnerships with school boards, citing San Francisco as a superlative example.

What is outmoded is not the idea of school board governance, but the belief that takeovers are the direction school systems need to move in order to be successful. The power lies not in takeovers, but in partnerships. Mayors and school boards working together in collaboration, each bringing their expertise to benefit the schools and the community as a whole, is the answer for urban districts. In fact, such partnerships are working in districts across the country.

Mayor Gavin Newsom and the San Francisco school board have a downright collegial relationship. They recently worked together to sign an unprecedented agreement providing more than $40 million in school-based and school-linked services to the children and families of San Francisco, building on existing partnerships between the city and the school system. Rather than butting heads, plotting takeover attempts, and creating a hostile environment, Mayor Newsom has taken steps to form an alliance. This is the kind of collaboration mayors should be entering into with their boards. This city and school district are moving forward with the best interests of their students at heart.

BoardBuzz's favorite part of Bryant's commentary, and a solidly valid point, argues that with all the city management issues that mayors deal with on a day-to-day basis, adding running the schools to the list is probably not the wisest idea.

School boards deal with the tough issues on a daily basis: hiring and retaining a highly qualified superintendent, increasing student achievement, collective bargaining with teachers’ unions, changing school boundaries to ensure diversity, creating healthy environments so that all students feel safe and nurtured, and many others. Mayors, who are charged with handling a host of city-management issues, should not be adding these vital activities to their already full plates. Student achievement and snow removal do not, and should not, go hand in hand.

Zinger!

Education Week will be hosting an online chat with Kenneth Wong and Francis Shen on their new book, The Education Mayor Thursday, Dec. 13, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. , and we can't wait to see the discussion this generates. What's your take on takeovers? Leave us a comment and tell us about it.

Posted at 1:09 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

November 8, 2007

Election Day came and went on Tuesday without as much fanfare as we're used to seeing in most states. With no presidential election or mid-term elections to entice people to go to the polls, the more local matters became the center of attention. Yesterday we highlighted the Utah voucher vote which was watched closely in education circles, but what about some of the other issues? From Seattle to Miami, and everywhere in-between, there are some big challenges to address, especially in urban districts.

A recent study from the Southern Education Foundation found that poverty is on the rise in the south, requiring school districts to accept the fact that, according to our friends at Ed Week, "low-income students are now a majority in the public schools of the U.S. South, and that schools in the West may cross that line in the near future." This undoubtedly brings health issues to the forefront of public schools, and it seems that you can't open the newspaper or go to the web without seeing a blurb about childhood obesity. In Houston, they're facing the issue with a pilot program that brings in chefs to discuss healthy eating, cook great food, and change the way students choose what to eat. An article in the Houston Chronicle on election day outlines the program and discusses the challenges. But poverty, health, and obesity are not alone...

National academic standards, school choice, school safety, conquering the achievement gap, NCLB, and pre-kindergarten (just to name a few) are on the minds of Americans, but are they on the minds of the candidates? Now that election day 2007 has come and gone, these issues could actually be addressed by the 16 presidential candidates. So far, other issues have dominated the debates and the rhetoric so in some cities, it's the students who are chiming in with ideas. In Washington, D.C., almost 200 students participated in a town hall meeting to tell Mayor Adrian Fenty and School Chancellor Michelle Rhee how they thought the D.C. schools could be improved. What's happening in your part of the country? Leave a comment to share the issues that you feel should be addressed.

Posted at 9:47 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

November 1, 2007

Last week in New York City the Wallace Foundation hosted a conference on education leadership. The conference, Education Leadership: A Bridge to School Reform, brought together 450 leaders from diverse backgrounds all committed to helping principals turn around chronically underperforming schools.

BoardBuzz was there and we got the scoop. The conference brought together leaders, including mayors, school board members, superintendents, principals, state education officials, academics, and association and research professionals, to examine ways that low-performing schools are being transformed into centers of teaching excellence through strong instructional leadership. Wallace has invested more than $200 Million over the past seven years to address school leadership issues, and has focused on the principalship as the locus for change.

The agenda included presentations by such education powerhouses as Linda Darling-Hammond, Kati Haycock, Rudy Crew, and Joel Klein. A refreshing programming twist was that seated at each table at the opening dinner were New York City principals who had come through the NYC Leadership Academy. As Wallace moves forward in examining leadership issues in school reform, BoardBuzz encourages the Foundation to continue to include the critical role of local governance.

For more information on the Wallace Foundation's education leadership efforts, visit their Web site.

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October 25, 2007

BoardBuzz got wind of the Boise, Idaho school district doing things a little differently, and we can't wait to see what happens. The district's Parent-Community Advisory Council (PCAC) is composed of parent representatives from the district's 52 schools, and, according to this article in the Idaho Statesman, "enables parents and other community members to gather information from school district officials and trustees and bring that information back to their schools and to groups like the Parent Teacher Association."

Sounds like true community engagement to us. The group holds monthly meetings with guest speakers like the superintendent, associate superintendents, and other education policy experts.

PCAC set a tentative policy agenda in the spring by polling community members and its own committees. [President Tani] Theiler said the group will likely focus this year on middle school curriculum, reducing class sizes, increasing the number of aides available in classrooms, health and nutrition in the schools, and encouraging junior high parents to be more engaged with their schools. This agenda might change as other issues develop, she said.

Becky Young, who was president of PCAC last year and is now vice president, said the group is not set up to represent individual schools or teachers or administrators.

"We represent the school community," Young said.

PCAC's October meeting focused on the Idaho Standards Achievement Test, and the district's curriculum director, Don Coberly, took detailed questions on the new ISAT and the reauthorization of the federal education funding law No Child Left Behind.

"We're not just about what's happening in the Boise School District," said Kay Brassey, PCAC's secretary. "Anything that affects children, we take back to our schools."

This sounds like a win-win for all: the board, superintendent, community, and most definitely, students. Imagine the leverage that a group like this could have in the state legislature to support new programs and funding. BoardBuzz will be definitely keeping its eye on their progress.

Posted at 3:06 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

October 24, 2007

Our friends at the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) recently released the updated State of the American School Superintendency study, which "offers a definitive look at the state of school leadership in the United States ... and a detailed picture of the men and women leading the nation’s schools, based on a representative sample of school leaders nationwide."

Some key topics outlined in the study include superintendents’ professional experience, preparation, and training; superintendent/school board relations; working conditions of the superintendency; superintendent tenure; board evaluations and contracts; superintendent demographics; national trends and key issues affecting education and leadership; and the history of the school superintendent in American public education.

BoardBuzz was most pleased that superintendents report good working relationships with their boards. The study points out that "89% of superintendents say their boards evaluated them very fairly or fairly." And, "Boards expect a great deal from superintendents but nothing more so than leadership in working with the board and the community and in being a political leader for district interests. Management of budget, finances, and operations are the highest priorities followed by leadership in instruction and curriculum."

Moreover, "superintendents are generally pleased with how well the board works with them in leading the district. Fully 78.8% said their boards were doing a good job in providing district leadership." Great news for superintendents and school boards alike!

Want more? Get findings from the study here and purchase a copy of the full study here.

Posted at 3:56 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

October 11, 2007

SpecialEdLaw Blog is all (dare we say?) abuzz about yesterday’s Supreme Court indecision, er, decision, in a special education case, and even more abuzz about our posting yesterday. SpecialEdLaw Blog (SELBlog) predicts BoardBuzz’s “already loud” “bellyaching” is sure to grow even louder. Hmmmm. We beg to differ. Maybe “buzzing” would be a better word.

SELBlog disputes BoardBuzz’s rationale, claiming our view of Congressional intent is not quite as clear as it should be because lower court judges (applying 2nd circuit precedent by the way; meaning: how else could they rule?) saw the law differently. Just because courts disagree doesn’t mean the law isn’t clear. That’s certainly the case in appellate courts and courts of limited jurisdiction like the Supreme Court. And, when it comes to doing the math, BoardBuzz thinks what really matters is how 5 of 9 vote instead of how many votes were had on the bus, in the hallway, on live dancing shows, or on the way to the courthouse steps in Washington.

And, while we’re talking about what really counts, it is this: the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act is about collaboration NOT unilateralism. If that were the case, the Supremes would not have ruled repeatedly that Congress intended for parents to work with school districts to achieve appropriate educational results for students. SELBlog says that “most parents do not opt out and unilaterally place, until that they have first opted in.”

We agree. Most parents of students with special needs are happy with the services their public schools offer their children. But that’s not the point. Those parents who unilaterally choose private placement when they have never given the public school a chance to work with their kids were never interested in being part of public system to begin with (as Justice Scalia suggested). Well, except to collect public money for private schooling.

And, ahem, here’s a bit of math for ya: the average cost of a student in special education is $33,000 a year in New York City. So, yes, SELBlog, it’s not likely a big district like NYC will close its doors any time soon, but don’t forget there are many, many small and mid–sized school districts across the 2nd Circuit (many of them single-school districts) that could face serious budget challenges from even one unilateral placement ala Tom F.

So, it ain’t bellyaching. It’s truth. And, that means with the feds providing only 17 percent of the 40 percent of funding they promised for their share of special education, the burden falls to the local taxpayer.

This is not about the “weak party” nor about playing on “the school’s home turf” as SELBlog suggests. It’s about doing what’s right for students. All students. And, the sad reality is that placing greater financial demands on schools without commensurate federal funding hurts all students.

BoardBuzz knows parents like Tom F. may be well-intentioned. But, striking out on their own out of a misguided belief that private is better (especially without having given the public schools a chance) can have a serious impact on the ability of public schools to educate all children. So, to take a phrase for the horse’s, er, SELBlog’s mouth, “Let's keep this whole thing in some perspective.”

And, while we’re at it, SELBlog, our legal analysis is just fine, thank you. You may disagree with it. But, if disagreement were the standard for determining unprofessionalism, well, what would you be saying about the Supreme Court given its decisions in special education cases beginning with Rowley? So, make your point. And play nice. Or guess who’s the real bellyacher?

Posted at 2:00 PM | Link to this story | Comments (1)

BoardBuzz tips its hat to one of its devoted readers, Eric Randall, editor-in-chief at the New York State School Boards Association, for passing this tidbit along from The Citizen of Auburn, N.Y.:

Some students in upstate New York (Syracuse area) were assigned to attend a school board meeting to learn about this form of democracy. Here's what one student told her local newspaper: “I thought it was just a group of grumpy old people making decisions for people because they couldn't,” said Kayla Beard, 17, of Port Byron. “And after (the meeting), I realized how important it is for these people to make those decisions.”

Ah, score one for school boards and democracy! Read about more student reactions of this experience.

Posted at 1:06 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

October 10, 2007

Attention! We interrupt our previously scheduled hiatus to bring you breaking news.

The U.S. Supreme Court has just issued a 4-4 ruling in a special education case that has the potential for serious financial consequences on school board budgets.

Speaking of numbers, BoardBuzz has a math problem for its loyal readers: What is four minus four minus one? In math terms: (4- 4) -1 = X. BoardBuzz's quick readers have undoubtedly concluded X = -1. And, in the world of Supreme Court math, a -1 justice can have dire consequences.

In the case of NYC vs. Tom F., minus one justice (Anthony Kennedy recused himself) means the appellate court's decision stands to award the parent of a special education student tuition fees for placing his child in a private school. And, that kind of math will have a serious implications for school district budgets in the 2nd federal circuit, where parents now can avoid collaborating with their school districts as required by the Individual with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) AND still collect public dollars for private schooling.

Say what?

Yep, you heard it. The Supreme Court's ruling lets stand a decision by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals that found the NYC School Board had to reimburse a parent who placed his special education child in private schools without ever enrolling his child in public schools. When the public school district found that its schools could provide the free appropriate public education required by the IDEA, the parent challenged the school district in court because he wanted to retain his child in the private school. Of course, the private education comes with a hefty tag.

Hello? When Congress revamped the IDEA in 1997, they specifically said that before parents were entitled to reimbursement for placing their children in private schools, they needed to first enroll the children in public schools. In other words, because a private school education has the potential for breaking the proverbial school district bank, Congress felt the public schools should have first dibs at providing the free appropriate public education required by law. If the public school could not provide the appropriate educational services, or if it was proven the education was not appropriate after the district had tried, then and only then was the district responsible for paying for private tuition.

But, the Court apparently could not decide on what Congress meant when it gave school districts "first dibs." Were that BoardBuzz had a seat on the Court rather than in the gallery! After all, BoardBuzz was a baby bee blog once too, and understands the meaning of "first dibs" along with every other first grader.

Congress knew some parents would choose not to send their children to public school. And, that is just fine. But, Congress also knew that public schools should not be footing the bill for those parents that never intended to send their children to the public school, but wanted the taxpayers to pay for their choice of private schooling. So, that's why Congress, said that public schools should serve children first. Justice Scalia had it right when he commented at oral argument that public schools “should not have to pay the freight for people who would not be coming to public school anyway.”

Dedicated readers of BoardBuzz know we are not one to clamor for legislation. We think, afterall, that the law is clear. But, now that the Court (without Justice Kennedy) cannot tell us what Congress meant, maybe it's time for Congress to spell it out for the rest of us ... and for the Court.

Want more? Read NSBA's amicus brief. Check out what our legal beagle friends over at the SCOTUSblog are saying. And tune into NBC Nightly News tonight to see NSBA Executive Director Anne Bryant's take on the decision.

Posted at 4:43 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

October 5, 2007

NSBA's Center for Public Education just keeps on comin' with good ideas. Now they've produced a quick and detailed explanation of why voting in school board elections is so important and what to look for in school board candidates. Designed to be a citizen's guide to school board elections, the flier called All in Favor, explains what school boards do, what good schools mean, and questions to consider before voting for a school board candidate.

Like it? Feel free to download and distribute to your community or post on your school district web site.

Posted at 5:49 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

October 2, 2007

The October issue of ASBJ is hot off the presses, and BoardBuzz thinks it's a winner!

The issue includes Building the Perfect School, an examination of the trends that architects and planners think will take hold in the coming years; and Planning for Integration, a look at how the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Louisville and Seattle desegregation cases affects school construction. And November’s edition promises to be a doozy too, featuring a fascinating look at “Politics and Research.”

Not receiving ASBJ? You can subscribe here. Did you know that NSBA National Affiliates get ASBJ as a benefit of membership? Get more information about the National Affiliate program here.

And if you still haven't gotten your fill of ASBJ, check out their blog, The Leading Source.

Posted at 4:25 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Back to school got you swamped? Missing summer days when BoardBuzz was all you could think about? No problem! We've made it easier than ever to get all the latest and greatest from BoardBuzz in no time flat!

If you're on the go, why not consider downloading BoardBuzz's weekly podcasts and get the same great content. You can subscribe to our feed in iTunes or download the podcasts online (see that big box on the top of the BoardBuzz page? Just click on it!) to listen to at your leisure. The advantage to subscribing is that each time you return to iTunes, you'll have the most up to date podcast waiting for you! Perfect for the reader on the go . . .

Posted at 4:20 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 25, 2007

Last week BoardBuzz told you about a recent meeting in Iowa that examined some really interesting research about school boards. And now our friends at Education Week have picked up the story, too.

The article points out that, for the most part, the debate of the effectiveness of school boards doesn't have much basis in research.

“There’s a lot of conjecture and opinion out there,” said Thomas L. Alsbury, a researcher from North Carolina State University and the chairman of the Sept. 13-15 meeting. “Most of those debates are not predicated on research.”

Drawing 150 researchers, school board members, and association officials, the conference was the first time since 1975 that scholars and practitioners met at a national level to talk about research on school boards, organizers and scholars said.

Though local boards have governed American schools for more than 200 years, researchers know little about how the 95,000 citizens who sit on school boards do their jobs, apart from a brief spurt in the 1960s and 1970s when such studies were more in vogue.

Yet current research gaps notwithstanding, many experts say the job of school boards is being redefined, and weakened, by changes taking place at the national, state, and local levels.

Those changes include sweeping federal legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act, the growth in the proportion of school funds coming from state coffers, and the trend toward mayoral takeovers of urban school systems.

The article goes on to discuss takeovers and their effect on school districts. You can read the complete article by clicking here.

Posted at 5:31 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 20, 2007

Speaking of protests, a big one is expected today in the little town of Jena, La., over pending criminal prosecutions against six students for a school fight. The chain of events that led to this point started when some black students asked their high school assistant principal if they could sit under a tree on campus where some white students typically hung out. "You can sit it wherever you like," was the answer. But the next day there were three nooses hanging from the tree.

The principal proposed expulsions for the white kids who'd hung the nooses, but instead a central office committee (which some have confused with the school board) recommended suspending them for three days. The superintendent accepted this advice, referring to the nooses as a "prank." As a result, there were lots of racial tension, threats and fights on and off campus, the district attorney was brought in to read kids the riot act, and, possibly connected to these events, someone torched a school building.

A few days later, six black students allegedly jumped a white classmate, knocking him unconscious, stomping and kicking him, and sending him for a short visit to the hospital. They not only were expelled but were brought up on felony charges, including attempted murder. Some of the charges have been reduced, and a state appeals court has ruled that one defendant should have been tried in juvenile court, but the severity of the prosecutions has sparked outrage and protests nationwide against uneven justice. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have been keeping the pressure on, and rock star David Bowie just donated $10,000 to the legal defense fund for the "Jena 6."

The most detailed timeline BoardBuzz has found is, not surprisingly, the one from the local paper, the Jena Times (although parts of it are a bit defensive). Between 5,000 and 40,000 protesters are expected today in Jena. Schools will be closed. And the tree? The school board had it cut down before the school year started. "A clean slate," explained LaSalle Parish School Board chair Billy Fowler. "I'm serving on the new School Board, and we're wanting to start fresh on some things."

Posted at 9:51 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 18, 2007

While many of you were watching football last weekend, BoardBuzz was hanging out with 150 or so researchers and school board members convened by our friends at the Iowa Association of School Boards to learn about dissatisfaction theory. No, this has nothing to do with a plot to get Mick Jagger to go home and act like the grandpa he is. According to researchers Frank Lutz and Laurence Iannaccone, the Dissatisfaction Theory of American Democracy says simply that when voters are dissatisfied, they get out and vote to change whatever it is they are dissatisfied with.

Dissatisfaction theory plays out dramatically in school board elections. Unhappy voters have been shown to turn out in larger than usual numbers to get rid of board incumbents when their constituents don’t like something happening with the schools. The newly elected board members, in turn, fire the superintendent, hire a new one, and make policy changes.

Conversely, the low voter turn out in many school board elections – sometimes as low as 15 percent -- can be seen to reflect voter satisfaction with the way schools are going. But before you think BoardBuzz is suggesting a “keep out the vote” campaign, remember that low turnout can also be a sign that the community flat out doesn’t care, which is never a good thing, especially for school leaders attempting to do more for their students.

Related to this, the Lighthouse Project, IASB’s own groundbreaking research of school board effectiveness, shows that acceptance of the status quo is a characteristic of low-achieving districts along with a tendency to attribute students’ low performance to factors outside of school. School boards of high-performing districts, on the other hand, are more likely to express confidence in their students’ ability to achieve and their professional staff’s capacity to make it happen. They also put their beliefs to work by creating conditions that support school improvement.

Perhaps what our schools really need from their communities is a bit of constructive dissatisfaction -- communities that are never quite satisfied with “good enough” and support their schools' ongoing efforts to do even better.

The research presented at the symposium will appear in the book Relevancy and Revelation: The Future of School Board Governance to be published by Roman & Littlefield Education in early 2008. For information on the Lighthouse Project, drop in on the Iowa School Boards Association.

Posted at 4:14 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 14, 2007

Check out this fun item from yesterday's Legal Clips, NSBA's school law e-newsletter, on a topic BoardBuzz has addressed before:
State encroachments on local decisions about the school calendar. Interesting collection of links there.

Seems more state lawmakers are getting the school board itch on this one, often at the behest of their tourism industry, according to USA Today. For fun, we should all carefully note the name of every lawmaker who thinks he or she knows better than school boards what school schedules should be, and then check whether that same lawmaker is prone to sanctimony about school accountability, achievement gaps, competitiveness, etc. As Legal Clips highlights, there are lots of considerations that have to go into a calendar decision—academic, operational, financial, and practical. All the more reason this needs to be a local call, as Pennsylvania School Boards Association executive director Tom Gentzel tells USA Today. And if ever an issue highlighted why you want a body whose sole mission is education making calls like this, here's a perfect example.

Speaking of local calls, an eye-popping quote by presidential contender Fred Thompson caught BoardBuzz's attention. But first, some serious caveats: We will be giving attention to other candidates, we do happen to believe the federal government has important responsibilities to public education, we know nobody's about to turn back the clock on accountability, and NSBA is one of the groups occupying the middle ground in the No Child Left Behind debates (mend it, don't end it).

Even so, given how enthusiastic some folks are for ever more federal mandates, we can't help but take note of Thompson's answer to a question about his ideas for education:

"It's your responsibility. If you don't like what's going on, don't get in your car and drive by your school board and maybe drive by the capitol and get on an airplane and fly to Washington and say, 'I don't like the way the school down the street is being run."'

Posted at 4:01 PM | Link to this story | Comments (1)

September 6, 2007

It's that time again! The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) and NSBA are seeking nominations to recognize a local school board for outstanding support of the arts in education. This national award has been presented annually since 1988 to a school board that has demonstrated support for and commitment to high-quality arts education in its school district, community, state, or special jurisdiction. The award will be presented at NSBA's 2008 Annual Conference in Orlando.

The winning school district will receive a plaque and a $10,000 cash prize to help the district continue its work in striving towards excellence in arts education programs. Only one nomination per state will be considered by the KCAAEN/NSBA award review panel. This nomination may come from the state school board association, the state arts alliance, or the state school board association and the state alliance jointly.

For more information about how your school district can compete for this prestigious award and for complete entry requirements, please visit the award Web site.

Posted at 4:30 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 5, 2007

Sure, Rudy, Barack, and Hilary are under the microscope when it comes to campaign donations, but school boards? That seems to be the case with the Scranton, Pa. school district. According to this article in the Times-Tribune, "The design team chosen to oversee the Scranton School District's $60 million construction project donated at least $21,500 to a Democratic committee supporting School Board candidates since it was named to take over the project." Not only that, apparently the district's CEO (i.e. superintendent) also contributed to campaigns. BoardBuzz smells a conflict of interest.

And the paper notes, "The donations from the design team have not been limited to the committee." One school board member received $500 from one of the companies.

Lisa Soronen, a senior staff attorney for the National School Boards Association, said she had never heard of a superintendent or top district official giving money to school board members' campaigns.

"It doesn't look the best," she said.

One concerned party, Barry Kauffman, executive director the Pennsylvania chapter of government-watchdog group Common Cause, suggested that, "It would be appropriate for the School Board to pass a code of conduct rule that would prohibit school officials from contributing to the campaigns of board members."

BoardBuzz wonders if this has happened in other school districts. Does your district have a policy in place to prevent similar conflicts of interest? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Posted at 3:24 PM | Link to this story | Comments (2)

August 27, 2007

It's been a while (see here and here), but as we get closer to the beginning of the school year (some districts have already returned) the cell phone debate has started up again. BoardBuzz caught this item in today's Washington Post which reports on Montgomery County's (Maryland) move to allow middle school students to carry cell phones to school. According to the article,

School boards everywhere are revisiting decade-old bans against portable communication devices in the classroom. Enacted with dire visions of drug dealers plying their trade, the rules have instead become an impediment to lacrosse moms trying to negotiate pickup times. Parents are also vexed by the notion that their children might not be allowed to call home during an emergency, the very scenario for which many such phones are purchased.

The article also points out that,

Elsewhere in the nation, large, urban school systems tend to have more restrictive rules on cellphones, and small, rural districts are more permissive, said Reggie Felton, director of federal relations at the National School Boards Association.

Cellphones are banned in New York City public schools. Detroit and Miami schools allow students to carry cellphones but not to use them. Chicago officials leave the decision to principals.

It's clear that this hot button issue will continue to be contested. One Cleveland-area television station posts its local school districts' cell phone policies right on their web site. Our friends at the Pennsylvania School Boards Association report that they know of 321 school districts with cell phone policies, and of those policies, 86 are complete bans on the possession of cell phones in schools. The remaining policies allow students to possess cell phones in school, but restrict usage to after the school day ends. At the other end of the country, the Association of Alaska School Boards reports there are no outright bans on students having a cell phone, but their use is restricted in most districts to outside school hours. Some Alaskan districts allow their use over the lunch hour, but an outright ban on their possession has not been proposed.

Should students be allowed to carry cell phones to school or should students leave the technology at home? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think.

BoardBuzz sees that school districts are dialing back their agressive cell phone policies, and it looks like this may be the future for social networking sites and internet usage as well. Often, in the past, school districts have reacted to the negative reputation of social networking sites rather than harnessing the opportunities they offer. As NSBA recommended in its recent study, Creating & Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social and Educational Networking, students become more savvy with technology and turn to these sites as resources, school districts will have to find a way to make technology work for them, rather than working against technology. This follows a trend noted in NSBA's annual technology survey which takes place at the T+L Conference each year.

Posted at 5:17 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

August 10, 2007

It seems that a school district's recent attempt at highlighting its diversity has backfired. The Philadelphia Inquirer is covering this story about the city's school district and the academic calendar it sent out last year.

In an effort to include all ethnic and minority groups, the school district sent out the calendar acknowledging African American, Hispanic Heritage, Asian Pacific American, and Gay and Lesbian History Months. This attempt at inclusiveness brought fire from different groups and the community who called for the Gay and Lesbian History Month to be removed.

Flash forward to this year, when all diversity awareness months have been removed from the calendar. According to the article, "The only days that get recognized now are the ones that mean a day off from school, said Cecilia Cummings, the district's senior vice president for communications and community relations." She also pointed out, "We were just not prepared for the controversy. We were besieged by calls, threats, letters, and we didn't have the manpower to staff it. Nor did we have the preparation or training to really figure out how to deal with this issue in a way that could keep kids safe. We had meetings where adults were calling kids names."

The removal of the months from the printed calendar will not effect the events being acknowledged in the schools.

Removal from the calendar has no effect on curriculum, Cummings said. Furthermore, Black History Month, as well as gay history events, will continue to be held in schools.

The district's decision to retreat on the calendars was first announced in the Philadelphia Gay News last week. Cummings said the district thought it was fair to tell that newspaper first.

But the effort to avoid controversy may backfire.

Some groups on opposing sides already have begun rifling off news releases.

"It is appalling that a school district would drop months that recognize and educate our schoolchildren about the history and contributions of America's diverse fabric," said Malcolm Lazin of Philadelphia, executive director of Equality Forum, an international gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil-rights group.

BoardBuzz is sure this debate won't end here. Stay tuned for what's next.

Posted at 4:21 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

August 2, 2007

BoardBuzz was delighted to see this article out of Arkansas about the Clarksville School Board. It seems that eight months ago, the board decided to address its deficiencies and reevaluate its priorities. Enter NSBA's Key Work of School Boards, which the board used to create a mission and vision and encourage community engagement in their schools.

School board President Dana Schneider pointed out,

“In the past, school boards just acted as a rubber stamp for the administration. But now, with No Child Left Behind and all communities being different, expectations are so stringent. School boards need to be more involved so that policies are set to the guidelines of federal and state policies, while also meeting local needs. School boards cannot function as they have in the past. We need to take a leadership role.”

In their discussions, school board members are learning more about what Clarksville wants and needs from its school system, she said.

“In finding that out, we can adjust and adapt our curriculum to fit those needs,” Schneider said.

You can follow the example of the Clarksville school board and obtain a copy of the Key Work of School Boards to help your board improve its effectiveness by clicking here.

Posted at 5:30 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

July 10, 2007

In these times of political correctness, it's often difficult for school districts to name a new school. What historical figure to choose? Which person will cause the least amount of controversy? How to keep the whole community satisfied?

Some school districts in Virginia have managed to sidestep this political landmine by choosing to name its schools not after people, but scenic, geographic, or patriotic titles. Jay Mathews at the Washington Post covers the story today here.

Part of the problem, according to a recent study and some Northern Virginia school officials, is that presidents, particularly the more recent ones, and other well-known people tend to be controversial, whereas few Americans have bad things to say about rivers, lakes, forests or freedom.

Additionally,

According to a new Manhattan Institute for Policy Research study, impersonal school-naming practices are a national trend. Three researchers found that 45 percent of public schools built in New Jersey before 1948 were named after people, compared with 27 percent of schools built after 1988. Similar patterns were found in Minnesota, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

So BoardBuzz guesses that means you can kiss J.F.K. High goodbye and say hello to Maple Tree Middle School. What's happening with school names in your district? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Posted at 5:33 PM | Link to this story | Comments (2)

June 11, 2007

Two articles in the Washington Post yesterday and today that dissected the many ailments of the Washington, D.C., public schools could run under the head, "As the Stomach Churns." The thoughtful reporting and analysis leave readers wondering where this school system is headed given the endemic problems it faces.

First, a history lesson: "Washington's unique status as a federal city has played out in often-tumultuous struggles over governance of the public schools. Congres