In her recent TED talk, Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, tells us how her mind works. She gives an overview of how people on the autism spectrum think and makes the case that the world needs those people: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids. She describes autism as “a continuum of traits. When does a nerd turn into Asperger’s, which is just mild autism? I mean Einstein and Mozart and Tesla, would all be probably diagnosed as autistic spectrum today.”

Grandin advocates that people on the autism spectrum need to be encouraged in school. The standardized testing scheme of the No Child Left Behind Act simply doesn’t work for neuroatypicals as she calls them. This is just one reason why the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is important to our education system. One-size-fits-all is not an educational policy that will work for neuroatypicals. Individualized Education Programs (IEP) can do wonders for such students. 

More importantly, Grandin is not arguing that autistic students need such flexibility for their own interests alone; she contends that we as a society need these kids. The wonders to be found in the neuroatypical mind could be key to solving future problems.

Grandin also speaks her mind on certain education reforms. She advocates the need for classroom teachers who can teach a subject well, but who don’t necessarily have education degrees:

 And this brings up mentors. You know, my science teacher was not an accredited teacher. He was a NASA space scientist. Now, some states now are getting it to where if you have a degree in biology, or a degree in chemistry, you can come into the school and teach biology or chemistry. We need to be doing that. Because what I’m observing is the good teachers, for a lot of these kids, are out in the community colleges.

Mentorship is certainly an idea BoardBuzz can get behind. There are undoubtedly many bright young minds that just need the right mentor to help them find their talent and develop that potential. Grandin called on the TED audience to think about mentoring and hiring those kids.

She also joked that Silicon Valley would not exist today if it weren’t for those geeky neuroatypical minds, which drew a big laugh from the techie crowd. And she suggested that this next generation of kids with autism, properly mentored and motivated, could solve the world’s energy problems.

“The world needs different kinds of minds to work together,” she said. Check out the Ted Talk below or at the link above.

Ever since No Child Left Behind became law, we’ve heard a lot about student assessments and school ratings and the need for basic reforms in schools not making the grade. Data-driven reforms are one of the keystones of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The Race to the Top grant program offers money to states to improve their ability to use data to drive student achievement.

In a recent press release, the U.S. Department of Education cites research findings from their report, “Use of Data at the Local Level” , that stresses the importance of viewing data-driven decision making as an ongoing process for improving school performance. The report states that data systems must provide relevant diagnostic information on students’ learning needs, with the data providing a direct connection to instructional practice changes. This report also points out that to be effective, data use must be combined with human and organizational supports – put simply, teachers must be given the time and the training to connect data to improved teaching practices.

Independent education consultant Kathy Gemberling, is a recognized expert on using data to drive school reforms. She is currently the project director of The Center for Public Education’s initiative to help school boards use data effectively in their decision making. This project is a partnership between the Center and state school board associations in Illinois, Michigan and California.  Gemberling will be addressing this topic in a workshop at the 2010 NSBA Annual Conference, April 10-12, in Chicago, where she will share more information related to data-driven reform initiatives.

BoardBuzz suggests you also check out the The Center’s, Good Measures for Good Schools, on which the data-driven decision making effort is based.  This practical guide identifies the key questions related to school assessment and pairs them with links to the relevant national and state data.

Planning to attend your state school boards association conference or NSBA’s Annual Conference this year? It’s a tough decision in today’s economic climate, but professional development is an investment in improving your district’s student achievement. Reno Contipelli, Board President from Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio, wouldn’t consider skipping either event.  Hear Reno’s thoughts on the importance of professional development, and see how he spent his time and what he learned at last year’s NSBA Annual Conference:

So spoke Governor Bob Wise of the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE) at the release of their new study on the economic benefits of reducing the dropout rate in the nation’s 45 largest metropolitan areas. 

“The Economic Benefits from Halving the Dropout Rate” measures on a city-by-city basis the growth in jobs, home ownership, levels of spending and investment, and car sales that will result from cutting the high school dropout rate in half. 

Nationally, the study estimates that halving the dropout rate of Class of 2008 could have resulted in: $4.1 billion in increased earning, $2.9 billion in additional savings and investments, $10.5 billion in increased home sales, $536 million in increased tax revenue and 30,000 new jobs.

The report includes detailed findings for many of NSBA’s CUBE districts, including: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Columbus, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Fresno, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York City, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Philadelphia, Phoenix-Mesa, Portland (OR), Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco-Oakland, San Jose, Seattle, Tucson, Tulsa, Virginia Beach, Washington, DC, and Wichita.  See the city-by-city results . 

AEE partnered with and State Farm Insurance to develop the model because from the business perspective, investment in education has an impact on the economy that is undeniable.  America’s Promise also participated in the study, noting that the U.S. Department of Education has already embarked on an ambitious education agenda.  BoardBuzz agrees that a robust investment in education pays off for individuals, communities and the nation.

Is your school district in city one of the areas studied?  What do you think of the results?

What do school boards do? According to Julia Bernath, board vice president of Fulton County Schools, GA, and President of the Georgia School Boards Association, they set the vision for a school district. Hear Julia’s thoughts on governance and how NCLB has impacted student achievement in her district in this video.

Find  information on all of the sessions that can help you define and develop your role as a board member on the Annual Conference website.

BoardBuzz just checked out this post over at The Edifier about a report that was just released by the Department of Education that compared each state’s standard for proficiency on their state assessments. The report shows that what each state considers proficient varies from state to state. BoardBuzz is certain that some will use this report to argue for national standards, Gadfly I’m looking at you, but Edifier makes a good point. What matters most is if the standards meet the needs of their students and not necessarily if they are the highest. Each state has their own needs and the variation in state standards may just reflect this fact. For example, what students need to know and be able to do in Michigan may be a whole lot different than what students need to know and be able to do in Hawaii.

So before we get too excited over one report and rush into creating national standards, lets take a breath and determine whether each state asks enough of their students so they leave high school prepared for life after high school. If so, we could use our time and energy to actually help schools improve rather than spent arguing over national standards.

To learn more about the national standards debate check out the Center for Public Education’s A new national conversation on national standards? and for more information on NAEP achievement levels check out the Center’s The proficiency debate: A guide to NAEP achievement levels.

BoardBuzz read this excellent article in Education Week  on a nationwide study of teachers and their perspectives on the profession.  The “Teaching for a Living” study by Public Agenda and Learning Point identified three categories of teachers – “Contented,” “Disheartened,” and “Idealists” – and describes the differences between them. 

But when BoardBuzz looked at the questions and results here, what stood out is a key similarity between Disheartened and Idealist teachers. Both Disheartened and Idealists were motivated to go into teaching by the idea of putting underprivileged kids on the path to success – 73 percent of Disheartened teachers said it was either the most important or a major factor in their decision and 78 percent of Idealists responded similarly.  Only 56 percent of Contented teachers responded this way, by contrast.   

BoardBuzz wonders…if Idealists and Disheartened teachers are similarly motivated to begin with, what happens afterward to put them in such different places?  We noticed that 77 percent of  Idealists have been in the profession for 10 years or less, compared with only 21 percent of Disheartened teachers.  Do Idealists become Disheartened over time?  If so, what do respondents think will keep teachers motivated, effective and feeling valued? The respondents give us some clues:

- Career paths: Most respondents see teaching as a lifelong choice, but Idealists are more likely than others to see it as part of a career path in education. 

- Classroom supervision by experienced teachers is viewed by all groups as an effective strategy for improving teacher effectiveness.

- Ensuring technology is available in each classroom to aid instruction is highly valued by all groups, but most highly by the Idealists (97%). 

- Increasing teacher salaries to levels of other professional jobs such as lawyers or doctors – need we say more?

There is lots of other interesting information in the study – and more still to come. At least ten questions in the study are being held for later release, and BoardBuzz will let you know as soon as we do.

Do you see evidence of the three categories of teachers in your school district (Contented, Disheartened, and Idealist)?  What are some strategies to assure that all children have access to effective teaching?

BoardBuzz thanks NSBA president Sonny Savioe for delivering NSBA’s message to the U. S. Senate!  Savoie was invited to speak on behalf of school boards at a roundtable convened by Senator Blanche Lincoln (AR), chair of the Senate Rural Outreach Program and chair of the Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee.  Also attending the roundtable were Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) and Senators Kay Hagen (NC), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Jeff Merkley (OR) and Jon Tester (MT).  About a dozen organizational leaders were invited to discuss such topics as funding equity, transportation, after school education and teacher quality as they effect rural states and districts. Savoie spoke powerfully to the need to improve NCLB and recognize that the economic conditions in each community impact educational needs and decisions locally.  

NSBA president Sonny Savoie speaks with U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (right) and Betsy Landers, NPTA.

If you check out EdWeek today you’ll find NSBA’s very own Center for Public Education commentary Why not count them all? (registration required) on why schools should be given credit in NCLB—currently states can apply to do so but no state has been given permission to do so—for those students who take more than four years to graduate high school. The commentary is based on The Center’s Better late than never report that showed that students are much better off after high school than their classmates who went on to earn a GED or didn’t graduate at all. As a matter of fact, the report also showed late graduates were nearly as well off after high school as their classmates with similar backgrounds who graduated on-time.

BoardBuzz strongly suggests you check out both the commentary and the report so you can advocate for schools to get credit where credit is due by counting all students who earn a diploma as graduates even those who just needed more time to do so.

Diane Ravitch does not mince words about privatizing education: privatization will not help us reach our goals.   BoardBuzz agrees with this and many of her observations about the consequences of NCLB, the promise and potential pitfalls of common standards and the need for discernment with regard charter schools and other reforms.  Further, BoardBuzz supplements Ravitch’s recent interview with Learning Matters with a few observations of its own:

• Charter schools – Reports on the CREDO National Charter School Study frequently overlook a key finding: that states with multiple charter school authorizers (translation: entities outside the public K-12 system) experience significantly lower growth in learning in their students.  The reasons aren’t completely clear, but the report suggests that multiple entities could permit charter school operators to “shop around” for an authorizer and recommends ratcheting up accountability and transparency.  School districts already are accountable to their communities and remain the logical authorizers for charter schools. 
•  Common standards – A common set of standards, not mandated by the federal government but supported by it, can lead to raising student achievement.  Funding for research and financial assistance to states in developing and implementing standards are appropriate federal roles, but not federal mandates over content or national assessments.  Read more here.   

What’s the buzz on privatization, charter schools and common standards in your state?