106: Realities of School Safety

I posted this blog on school safety when I was principal at Pinedale High School. However, the topic is still germane and relevant today so I am going to re-post it with a few edits for my new readers.

There is no magic wand that a school board, superintendent, or even a principal can wield to make schools safe. It is a community effort and culture that work together to magnify the importance of the local schools and their legitimate purpose of educating our children in a safe environment, free from distraction. There is no policy or procedure that can stop the purely demonic event of someone entering our schools to hurt kids. There is no system of locked doors, secret codes, signs posted at the front door, or mechanical protocols that are going to stop someone from hurting another human being. Even the physical presence of a law enforcement officer on every campus in America will not guarantee complete safety from such acts of violence. The events of 9/11 are a great example of how a small group of committed individuals can reek havoc when they are willing to sacrifice their own lives to fulfill their objective. However, there is hope. There is training and awareness that schools, emergency responders, and community members can participate in regularly that can reduce casualties in these senseless situations that paralyze us with fear.

A SOFT TARGET

It is my personal belief that schools are singled out as easy targets for mass carnage because they are open to the public, full of students, and a place where opposition to a cowardly assault is unlikely. I do not know if more guns in the building is the answer, however, if a school is perceived as a hard target, these individuals will be less likely to walk in the door with ill intent. Research shows that people who commit such acts do not want to be confronted by an opposing force, that is why they are prepared to take their own life before anyone else does. If a perpetrator knows that a professionally trained peace officer is likely to be in the building they will be less likely to enter. At the end of the day, all of the training, personnel, guns, and locked doors may still fall short of keeping students 100% safe. This is the world we live in, and to tell you anything would not be true.

A HARD TARGET

This is a common view of schools in an urban area and unfortunately, rural areas such as Rawlins, and Baggs, are not exempt from violent incidents. CCSD #1 schools must be viewed as hard targets that will not go gently into that goodnight. What can we do to improve school safety? Contact your legislators and tell them that school resource officers or SRO's are valuable and need to be commonplace in school districts. States should be funding these positions if they care enough about school safety. Monitor your students closely and if you ever hear anything suspicious concerning school safety, let a school official know immediately. CCSD #1 schools have and will continue to implement the latest safety precautions to protect our students. Lock-down drills have been conducted with local law enforcement, and will continue to be a regular part of our safety training. Finally, pray for our schools, our students, and our staff that we are protected from this kind of nonsense. Using a Biblical illustration, a school should be a place of peace, a haven of rest, green pastures, still waters, here kids should have their hearts, souls, and minds restored by loving adults who care for them as their parents do.

School violence is a spiritual problem in our country, and know that my #1 concern as your superintendent is for the safety of our students while they are in my care. Every other piece of school data is a very, very distant second.

As always,

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105: What is Accreditation?

According to AdvancED, accreditation is a voluntary method of Quality Assurance developed more than 100 years ago by American universities and secondary schools, designed primarily to distinguish schools adhering to a set of educational standards. The accreditation process is also known in terms of its ability to effectively drive student performance and continuous improvement in education (http://www.advanc-ed.org/what-accreditation, Oct. 14, 2013).

What is more important about this process is instilling best practices within our educational institution and making sure that we are continuously engaging in the most effective educational practices for our kids. Controversy and discontent with accreditation are usually around cultural differences and community expectations. Some educators and community members advocate that their community is different than other communities so "you can't compare us with others or put us in that standardized box." AdvancED has created a system of standards and indicators that are universal regardless of community culture. Those focus areas are:

1. Purpose and Direction
2. Governance and Leadership
3. Teaching and Assessing for Learning
4. Resources and Support Systems
5. Using Results for Continuous Improvement

Those 5 standards each contain indicators which are scored by an external review team that visits each institution for a period of time to affirm accreditation and leave the organization with powerful practices and areas of improvement to move forward with. Accreditation also leaves a community with the confidence that their local academic institution is fully accredited and their students are leaving with a basic education that will allow them to be successful in a global economy.

At a recent area superintendent meeting, I was discussing with other superintendents our district's accreditation experience with theirs, and although there were many similarities, there were also differences. This is not unusual for evaluation. There is an old saying "a church is perfect until you put people in it." People are not standardized or reliable. They do not see things the same way and every AdvancED accreditation team is completely different. They will have different experiences at different institutions and their view will be different based on their belief systems. Regardless of the matrix of scoring that they hold in their hand, they can make a case for a score based on their personal belief system which is not consistent, standardized, or objective. What does this mean? Take accreditation for what it is; a group of experienced educators from another community, analyzing and evaluating our educational institution according to a set of standards that we can compare against other districts. This process gives us a systematic approach to how an educational institution should run, and drives us to implement a continuous improvement process that will sustain growth for a long period of time. It is not perfect.

Evaluation does not go away, it is used to improve a person, organization, institution, etc. Teachers evaluate students - principals evaluate teachers - superintendents evaluate principals - school boards evaluate superintendents - the community evaluates the board members at election time - the Wyoming Department of Education is supposed to evaluate districts, however, districts also look to outside accreditation teams to give us the most objective view of ourselves possible. Evaluation and continuous improvement should be an ongoing process in any organization. So, with that in mind, what grade would you give our federal government on their performance?



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104: "A Color TV in Every Room!"

I have discussed this topic and these illustrations with many people, but for the sake of being thorough, I thought I might stress the importance of technology for my readers in order to illuminate the landscape of contemporary public education again. 

When I speak to groups about my goals and expectations for education, there seems to be a gap between what the public perceives to know about education and what is really going on in schools. As I drive through towns, I see old motels with signs under their marquees that read "A Color TV in Every Room." Back in the day it was a luxury to have a color TV in your motel room. It was even more of a luxury to have a heated swimming pool. In the eyes of many people, classrooms have desks aligned in cemetery rows, with a larger teacher desk in the front of the room, and a blackboard on the wall with rules listed in the corner. That was much the style around the same time color televisions were a novelty.

Technology Boom
The American contemporary classroom has had an extreme makeover. There was a time when a large, archaic computer sat in the back of the classroom and students rotated through games of Oregon Trail, thinking it was the greatest thing in the world. Teachers and principals were proud that they were offering such a technologically advanced activity in their schools. The Oregon Trail experience evolved into an actual computer lab in the school where teachers could sign up for time and take their class into a room where every single student had the experience of engaging in a "computer activity." This unfortunately still exists in many schools because they have not made the jump to having a computer device for every single student and adult in the school. The next jump was having a giant touch screen or "smartboard" in every classroom where the teacher could facilitate learning electronically through that screen. Whether it was a power-point presentation, movies, research, or learning games, the smartboard ruled the day these last 7 years. 

Technology is no longer a luxury like a color television, it is a non-negotiable. Those who fight the technology wave will find themselves sinking in an ocean of smart phones, IPods, IPads, tablets, document cameras, desk-tops, Wi-Fi, and hundreds of online programs that will engage students broader, deeper, and more authentically than professor knot-head's lectures. Now kids can challenge the content taught just by using Google on their device. Or they can conduct language arts revision and editing assignments without using paper on programs such as GoogleDocs. This technology boom quickly killed typing classes and made way for keyboarding programs that are out of this world. Technology is such a serious focus for our district, we combed the Earth until we found a guru in Alaska that we had to have. Joshua Jerome is working at light-speed to bring 100% of our student body into digital citizenship.

Internet Safety
What does this mean for school districts? We have to be one step ahead of students with our technology skills. What it doesn't mean is more internet filtering restrictions so that students and staff are crippled from accessing information. Students need to learn from teachers how to access credible information from the web so that when they get to college they will be experts on researching electronic resources. We will do everything to protect our kids from harmful information, however, most students are able to access inappropriate websites when they are at home or other locations that provide free Wi-Fi such as McDonald's. Schools do have filters that stop harmful information from getting through, but in the end, if a student is accessing inappropriate information on their device in the classroom, that is a classroom management issue for the teacher, not the fault of technology.

Technology gurus around the country contend that technology will not replace teachers, however, those teachers who use technology to engage students, will replace those who don't. As a contemporary superintendent, I do not expect teachers to use technology every day in every lesson. The internet does go down, power goes out, programs get updated, devices become antiquated, and in the end, I do not want our kids to lose the art of sending a well-written letter in the mail. Our goal is 21st century learning which is digital literacy, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving. Think about how fast we have come in this world with technology, where will we be in 20 years? Ride the tech wave and stay on top, or the world and our kids will pass you by.


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103: Back to School Again

Back to school marks an important part of the year for everyone...FOOTBALL SEASON! Just kidding. High school, college and professional football does start about the same time as school, but going back to school means something different to everyone. Visiting Rawlins Kinder Camp, I witnessed a vast array of emotions from both staff, students, and parents as the doors to the school were open again. A common and depressing feeling about back to school from almost everyone is "where did the summer go?" Some kinder kids cannot wait to jump into this new adventure as others are clinging to mom and dad with frightful tears of hesitation and uncertainty. Parents mirror this behavior as I can easily spot those who are not willing to let go of their children and denial of change sweeps through the building creating butterflies in every stomach.

Staff react differently to coming back to school. Some teachers never mentally or physically leave for the summer as they stay close to their email and classroom, redesigning lessons, and organizing their stacks of teaching materials. Education is a waterfall of activity and these work-horses never truly step out of it. For the majority of teachers, the summer brings a long deserved break from kids, parents, grading, meetings, and bus duty. Plans are made to travel, see family, go camping, and just sleep in. Most teachers need to recharge and get away from the school in order to continue to love it. Either way, teachers are different creatures. This life in education is most closely related to a calling, and someone can tell right away if it is not in their blood. The average layman who has not had the privilege of teaching does not understand why teachers absolutely need June, July, and August off as a break from the classroom. The amount of responsibility of taking a classroom full of kids and educating them in subjects where they haven't the slightest clue, is a thoroughly exhausting and monumental task.

This school year, reflect on why you chose the field of education, why you stayed in the field, and what you will do to make your classroom and instruction more engaging and rigorous for students. Charles Darwin said... "It is not the strongest of the species, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." Whether we like it or not, education is always changing. Embrace change and be a positive agent of change in your school. Students are relying on us, parents are trusting us, and the state and federal governments are regulating, standardizing, and funding us. Have a great year, be safe, and work everyday to outdo yesterday.

Who is this guy?

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102: Education Finance at a Glance

Education finance is a topic that will put a vast majority of Americans to sleep. But funding a school district is a monumental task for a business manager that is extremely important to every function of the district. CCSD #1 Business Manager David Horner has done a noteworthy job in this arena. The 4 main functions of a school board are to hire the superintendent, create goals for the district, establish policy, and to fund the district. One non-negotiable to keep in mind when dealing with public education is at all cost, keep the students at the center of every decision. A grave mistake that staff members make in schools is to worry more about the adults than the students. If there is ever a question in your mind about a decision that is made in public education, ask yourself if students were considered first in that decision.

A superintendent's job with finance is to ensure we are spending our money where students are supported with every available resource possible. For example, our students should be receiving the most engaging instruction, by the most talented instructors, in the safest environment, with every available modern resource. Anything short of this is missing the mark. Our district acknowledges and spends much of our budget on highly qualified educators that will change students' lives and take Carbon #1 to the top of the state, and this is money well spent. Approximately 80% of our total budget is spent on staff. Where districts divert and lose focus is when they spend monies, attention, and resources on things that have little impact on students and learning. Programs can fall in this category and many districts are suffering from program fatigue because they believe throwing money at expensive programs can raise achievement and fix their district.

This year Carbon #1 will reload, focus our sights on goals that have been collaboratively set through strategic planning, and pull the trigger on educational outcomes that are solely centered around our students graduating and becoming leaders in a competitive economy. Education finance should not be boring or overlooked. It can mobilize the community to take a broad look at our school district and give feedback on where they think our resources should be spent. These are tax dollars and we will be accountable for every penny that is entrusted to our organization. But keep in mind the main filter for every decision in education...is this good for kids? If not, reconsider the decision and spend the money where kids will benefit the most.


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101 - Educational Leadership

Any organization will succeed or fail due to a large part by its leadership or lack thereof. The people in an organization will be motivated to perform at higher levels and will be loyal to leaders who are approachable, collaborative, and supportive. When leaders invest in their people and treat them with dignity, respect, and validate their efforts, the organization has a greater chance of success. Education is a unique field as the ultimate goal is not monetary profit, but to grow the intellectual capacity of students so that they become informed, resilient, and successful adults who can positively contribute to a sometimes ruthless and competitive global society.

A leader's work is never completed in isolation, it truly takes a village to educate a child. A great educational leader will surround him or herself with stellar individuals who are incredibly hard to manage with their ambitious drive to push the envelope on every issue for the sake of kids. Having to pull a staff member back is a great thing. Having to kick someone in the tail to get going is tougher to do because it requires that person to work harder. In any job, once someone has insulated him or herself from hard work it is difficult to change that behavior. A counter to this argument is the "work smarter not harder" attitude. But working smart and hard is the best combination that will produce results in any organization.

The work of an educator is becoming more and more difficult in contemporary America. Shrinking budgets, deterioration of the home, standardized testing, school safety, technology, and politics, have all changed the game. Today's educators have to be extremely talented in many different disciplines in order to handle the classroom. I give my utmost respect and applause to anyone willing to go into this field and reap the greatest reward in the world - transforming students' lives.

Each day presents opportunities for us to grow and improve in our specific arena of responsibility. Let's take hold of those opportunities and catapult our organization to new levels of excellence.


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