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.

Do charter schools pose a threat to public education, or can they play a part in improving it? What about giving financial rewards to districts that demonstrate they are willing to implement reforms?

These topics are being debated across the country these days, as Arne Duncan and the Obama administration promote their ideas for public school reform. Education historian and former federal education official, Diane Ravitch tackles these ideas head on in her new book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System.

A recent article in The Washington Post examines Ravitch’s new book, and points out that many of its ideas are not in line with those of the current administration.

Ravitch believes the new methods rely too much on business principles, such as pay for performance, and standardized testing. Instead, Ravitch believes public schools need to adopt a national curriculum that covers a full range of arts and sciences. She is also a strong defender of teachers’ unions, which puts her at odds with the proposed move toward more charter schools.

Diane Ravitch is one of the featured speakers at NSBA’s 2010 Annual Conference in Chicago, April 10-12, 2010, and she will also be signing copies of her new book at the Conference bookstore on Saturday, April 10.

Earlier today, President Barack Obama spoke about high school dropouts, and how he hopes to help the cause. The numbers are scary. About 7,000 students drop out of high school a day. Yes, everyday! That’s more than a million a year nationwide and you can only imagine the consequences of all those students not completing their high school education. You’ve heard BoardBuzz talk about high school graduation rates before, but alongside President Obama’s efforts is another familiar face, General Colin Powell.  He and his wife, Alma, and their organization (America’s Promise Alliance) are starting Grad Nation, which they hope will curb the dropout problem.

What’s common knowledge doesn’t mean there’s a common solution.  The education community understands that many of these dropouts are in large and urban districts, and these same districts are the ones being concentrated on as the lowest performing schools that need to be changed.  The administration and the Department of Education have made it very clear that they are targeting the 2,000 schools that contribute the most to the dropout problem.  But with grants and promises of major funding coming from the government, is that all these districts need?  We know, based on the work that the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) does within NSBA, that one size does not fit all.  Each district has its unique issue to address and a network of like-minded solutions must be draw upon for success.  We’re hopeful that the network set up by America’s Promise will help shape policies and programs that help school districts succeed.  With $900 million to utilize as transformational grants, BoardBuzz hopes it pays off and changes graduation rates for good.

BoardBuzz has seen the devastating results of lay-offs in our school districts including: larger class sizes that do not facilitate the type of interaction and specialized instruction for many students and teachers; the loss of specialists for intervention programs such as reading and math coaches and after school tutoring; and discontinued extracurricular programs that help provide a well-rounded education program for our students.

Take for example Virginia, where  Gov. Bob McDonnell is recommending $731 million in cuts over the next 2.5 years.

Virginia’s proposed budget cuts will trickle down to each of the local school districts.

The largest school district in Virginia, Fairfax County, has announced it is planning to cut hundreds of education jobs and reducing full-day kindergarten, foreign language immersion, sports, music programs, and social workers and guidance counselors. Additionally, class sizes could increase and new fees are being considered for athletics and for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests.

BoardBuzz came across a recent article on Ars Technica about a new study which suggests that elementary school may be a breeding ground for math anxiety. Girls have long embraced the stereotype that they’re not supposed to be good at math. And according to the study they may be getting the idea from a surprising source—their female elementary school teachers. Yes, the study claims that female elementary teachers who display a high level of anxiety about math transmitted that anxiety to their female students:

Teachers with high math anxiety were shown to have a significant effect on the math achievement and stereotypes of their female students. Girls with anxious teachers scored lower on math achievement tests at the end of the year than girls with more confident teachers—the more anxious the teacher, the more likely girls were to confirm the stereotype that girls have less math ability when they took the year-end tests. Girls who agreed with the stereotype all had lower math achievement scores than girls who did not agree, as well as lower scores than boys in general, who remained immune to their teachers’ influence.

BoardBuzz isn’t quite sure what to make of this study. However, it does appear that in early elementary school, where the teachers are almost all female, teachers’ math anxiety would carry consequences for girls’ math achievement by influencing girls’ beliefs about who is good at math. What do you think? Could female teachers be passing on their own math inadequacies to their female students?

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.

In the last ten years, many teachers have gone through the lengthy and difficult process of earning their National Board Certification, but things are changing for these expert teachers.  A teacher must be in the classroom for at least three years before considering the program and to become a board certified teacher (much like other professions), the coursework is demanding and time consuming.  In recent years, many states and districts have given incentives for teachers to go through the process, including paying for the courses, materials, and time off if needed, all in return for staying with the district that pays and perhaps even getting an additional pay increase for being a leader and expert.  For many teachers this has become a way of getting a raise in tough economic times, but as we all know, those times are changing.

An article in today’s Washington Post discusses the possibility of cutting the program, saving the district $600,000.  Other districts around the country are also contemplating cutting the extra cash for teachers, blaming trimmed down budgets and impacting fewer teachers than a wholesale change for all teachers.  With as much rhetoric coming out of Washington and state capitols about high teacher quality, the program is something we’d expect to hear about regarding increased funding, not the opposite.  The fact is, these dedicated teachers are often leaders in and outside the classroom.  If teacher-leaders stop being recognized (other than a polite thank you from administrators and parents), will they continue to lead? 

BoardBuzz gets concerned when good teachers and school leaders are taken for granted, especially in programs that work.  Students in Washington, D.C., as well as many other urban, rural, and suburban districts deserve more of these dedicated teachers who are rewarded for their professionalism and dedication to their field.  We know the money isn’t the only reason teachers become board certified, but isn’t it fair to pay them for going the extra mile?  In any other profession, they would be treated that way.

When the Department of Education released the final application for more than $4 billion in Race to the Top Funds earlier this month, ”innovation” became the leading buzzword in education. To receive a share of these funds, states need to demonstrate innovative reforms that have raised student performance and have the capacity to accelerate achievement gains in the future.

That got BoardBuzz thinking about famous innovators, and one name at the top of our list was Steve Wozniak. In 1976, Wozniak, along with Steve Jobs, founded Apple Computer, and helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products. Now a Silicon Valley icon and noted philanthropist, in the early days of Apple, Wozniak was just a college drop out with a lot of great ideas and a unique vision for the future. Working with limited resources and a driving passion to succeed, Wozniak was able to achieve his vision.

In 1985, Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology – the highest honor bestowed on America’s leading innovators, and in 2000 he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame. Since leaving Apple, he has devoted a large part of his time and resources to education. Working at the local level, he “adopted” the Los Gatos School District. But, not only did he donate state-of-the-art technology equipment – he was right there in the classroom – sharing his passion for technology in the learning process as a volunteer teacher.

You can see Wozniak in person at the 2010 NSBA Annual Conference, where he will be the keynote speaker on Monday, April 12. His unique life story, his passion for classroom innovation, and his ideas for how technology can help transform education in the 21st century can inspire us all!

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?

When you think of urban districts that are setting trends and getting the attention of other districts around the nation, you probably think of Chicago, Washington, D.C., and recent award winning districts like Atlanta and Aldine, Texas.  Over the weekend the Wall Street Journal ran an article that discusses a groundbreaking change in New Haven (a CUBE district, by the way).  What they did was change the way teachers can be evaluated, and loosened the protections for bad teachers, two things that teachers unions are often criticized over.  The change from the teachers unions is big news for many urban districts, and two quotes in particular caught BoardBuzz’s attention.

“I rarely say that something is a model or a template for something else, but this is both,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, who helped broker the New Haven deal.

“This shows a willingness to go into areas that used to be seen as untouchable,” [Arne] Duncan said.

So if New Haven, with an enrollment of 20,000 students, and more than 80 percent minority student population, can make a drastic change to the structure of the teacher contract, can other unionized school systems do the same?  It’s one of those questions that time will have to answer.  Education Secretary Arne Duncan speaks to the union leaders often, and at the NEA convention this summer he was booed when he mentioned merit pay for teachers saying, “you can boo, just don’t throw shoes.”  (He made a similar joke at NSBA’s Annual Conference in the spring when discussing mayoral control in school districts (time for a new speech writer?)).

So perhaps news from New Haven is good for the students there who may be taught by “bad” teachers, and now administrators have more options to move them out of the classroom.  If the outcome is as good as the expectations, it will be worth repeating in other urban districts.