Empty Pails and Bright Fires

"Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire."

                                                                                                       William Butler Yeats

We recently honored 20 retiring faculty and staff members who represent nearly 360 years of combined service to the children of the Needham Public Schools. During the retirement reception I read aloud from a 4th grader's journal in which the student, Andy, acknowledges his principal's upcoming retirement and his affection for her. I shared his note because it reflects what students feel about their teachers and because it is so earnest, innocent, and loving:

I’m thankful for having a kind and helpful family including my friends, teachers, my mom and dad, my pets, my favorite teacher Mrs. Mukenbeck and my favorite and only principal I know, Mrs. Wilcox!! 

But she is now too old to be a principal so she is retiring this year.

Well hope you, Mrs. Wilcox, still remember all of the Eliot school children. 

But, sadly, I will still remember Mrs. Wilcox.

Love,

Andy

Like Andy, we won’t soon forget (or remember?!) our colleagues and friends who have not just filled pails but who have lit many fires over all these years:

Amy Cicala, Hillside

Bruce Cohn, Needham High School

Barbara Collins, Needham Public Schools

Donna A. DeMaria, Hillside

Thomas Dorney, Needham High School

Ann Freeman, , Needham High School

Leslie Hatton, Needham Public Schools

Michael Higashi, Needham High School

Ingrid Hoffman, Needham Public Schools

Laurie Levin, Needham Public Schools

Jane Lockhart, High Rock

Martha Matlaw, Pollard Middle School

MaryLou McCarthy, Needham Public Schools

Sharon Pickering, Pollard Middle School

Robi Richards, Broadmeadow

Sharon Salzbank, Preschool

Jane Streisfeld, Pollard Middle School

Judith Torian, Mitchell

Martha Wells, Broadmeadow

Suzanne Wilcox, Eliot

Thanks to our retirees for their deep commitment to the Needham Public Schools; thanks to them for sharing their lives and believing in young people so that they, in turn, can make our world a more beautiful, just, and peaceful place.

A Visit to Beijing: Needham's Partnership with the Daxing School District

Our new friends in the Daxing School District in Beijing

Over April vacation Broadmeadow Principal Emily Gaberman and I traveled to Beijing, China as part of an ongoing effort to expand our partnership with the Daxing School District in the fast growing southern part of the city.   In the last two years many Daxing students and teachers have visited the Needham Schools and stayed with local host families as we have worked to develop a relationship to benefit our schools and students.   

Our host in Beijing, Superintendent Li Da, arranged visits to several area schools where we were able to interact with students and staff and discuss educational issues, trends, and ideas important to both Chinese and American educators. 

We also discussed increasing student and teacher exchange opportunities in future years. Mitchell Principal Mike Schwinden and several members of his faculty have already taught  summer classes in Daxing, and we hope to encourage even more teaching and learning experiences for our staff and students.

We were accompanied by Dedham resident and entrepreneur Ying Liu, who also works with Boston Ivy, an organization that works with Daxing to expand and promote educational opportunities.  Our gracious and hospitable hosts in China and our excellent tour guide (and translator) Ying made the quick trip meaningful, worthwhile, and fast-paced.

What are a few of my takeaways?

•  The Chinese are eager to learn more about the American educational system and to consider new ways to organize classrooms and implement creative and useful instructional methods.

•  The students, all of whom begin learning English in Kindergarten, were keen to speak to us and practice their language skills.  (There are more Chinese speaking English in China than there are Americans speaking English in the U.S.!)

•  The students we interacted with were hardworking, playful, and determined to learn and achieve.

•  Beijing, with over 20 million people and covering over 2,400 square miles (larger than the entire state of Delaware) is pulsing with construction, movement, and new opportunities for entrepreneurs and young people.  Traffic, infrastructure, and smog, however, are immense concerns and must be addressed to sustain the city's growth.

•  Besides education, it is clear that family, food, tradition, and a reverence for the historical past are cultural touchstones for the many wonderful Beijingers we met. 

Enjoy the photos and stay tuned as we explore more learning opportunities with the Daxing School District!

 

One of our many visits to elementary and high

Schools in the Daxing School District

Students at the Feicuicheng Elementary

School

Physical education class at the Pang

Ge Zhuang Elementary School

I tried my hand at badminton (and lost…)

  

A street poet using a sponge to write Chinese characters

Principal Gaberman and I visiting

Tiananmen Square

My trek up to the Great Wall of China...

... My slide down from the Great Wall!

The Temple of Heaven

It's About Time

   
The ringing of afternoon bells signals the end of another day in Needham’s classrooms and reminds me that our time with students is precious and limited. 

In our schools and classrooms the pace is steady, the stakes are high, and the enthusiasm is palpable as folks work to ensure the Needham experience is the best it can be. Clearly, teachers, administrators, students, parents, School Committee members, and others are devoted to their schools and committed to continuous growth and improvement. 

In Needham, there is no shortage of ideas to develop and grow; there is no paucity of talent and enthusiasm.  But there is a lack of time—the time required to address our most pressing learning needs and goals.

A 2012 survey conducted by MetLife  confirms what many of us in Needham know well:  teachers and principals work hard to support students, but they face immense challenges managing and sustaining learning, particularly in an environment of high expectations, accountability, technology innovation, and curriculum changes.  The MetLife data revealed that more than half of the educators surveyed believed that: “the instructional leadership responsibilities of implementing the Common Core, creating and maintaining an academically rigorous learning environment, and evaluating teacher effectiveness” are critical issues ahead.

Recent Needham Public Schools program reviews have all recommended that the District consider adopting and implementing various curriculum, instruction, and assessment improvements.  The K-8 Science Report (2007) suggests increased science instruction at the elementary and middle school levels; the Fine and Performing Arts Report (2009) recommends more creative learning opportunities; the ELA Report (2010) outlines the need for greater articulation and collaboration between teachers and schools; and the World Languages Report (2012) urges the reintroduction of foreign language instruction at the elementary level.  The common and consistent theme in these reports is clear:  If Needham’s young people are to continue to benefit from a superb education and be appropriately prepared for an interconnected and globalized society, certain programmatic and instructional needs must be addressed.

There are several factors that suggest now is the time to extend learning in the Needham Public Schools:

Programmatic Needs

•  The introduction of the Common Core curriculum and the continued refinement of all curriculum areas, PreK-12 will require time and attention.

•  New and expanded elementary and middle school programming:  foreign language, science, social studies, health, and/or fine and performing arts could be offered or increased with the addition of instructional time.

•  The introduction of interdisciplinary learning and opportunities at Needham High School involves curriculum innovation and time for planning.

Instructional Needs

•  Struggling students should have more time to achieve individualized learning goals; advanced students seeking additional academic challenge need increased time to take advantage of enhanced instruction.

•  The introduction of a robust Response to Intervention (RtI) program that assists teachers and principals to address student needs within the classroom is critical.

•  The implementation of the new educator supervision and evaluation model assumes ongoing and regularly scheduled conversations, collaboration, and planning for all Needham staff.

•  Increasing demands and expectations on teachers makes it difficult to plan and work together in a coherent way within the existing school day structure.

Of course, it is also time to expand our Kindergarten program to a full-day instructional model.  Unfortunately, we currently lack the space in our elementary schools to expand the existing model. The upcoming and planned renovations at Hillside and Mitchell, however, will incorporate sufficient classroom space to make a high quality and full-day Kindergarten program a reality for Needham’s children. 

These programmatic and instructional needs can only be addressed if we consider adding more time to the day and if we reconsider how we use the time we already have for elementary programming, professional development, and staff meetings.  Unlike many of its neighbors, Needham Public Schools provide less instructional time in the classroom for elementary and middle school students.  In fact, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) identify Pollard and High Rock as elementary schools and not secondary schools because of insufficient instructional time on learning.

Several school administrators and teachers recently initiated an informal conversation about the possibility of extending the school day for students and providing increased opportunities for programmatic and instructional needs. The discussions have focused on a recognition that if we wish to expand learning opportunities for students and provide additional time for teachers to collaborate we would have to increase the existing six hour student instructional day by an amount that is both cost effective (i.e., keeping transportation and programming affordable) and does not significantly impact or disrupt family lives (i.e., mindful of daycare or after school activities).

Based on these early conversations and knowing that a high quality, 21^st Century educational program for Needham’s young people is an imperative, I believe that the Needham Public Schools experience for all students can be enriched if we a) expand the elementary and middle school instructional day by a modest amount, b) introduce new and/or expanded programming at the elementary level, and c) ensure that teachers and staff at all levels have sufficient time during and after school hours to work together to improve student learning. 

More time on learning in and of itself will not address all of the many tasks and challenges ahead for the Needham Schools nor is more time in the classroom a guarantee of accelerated student learning or achievement.  But there exists an opportunity to pursue extended learning in Needham—for students and teachers—that I believe will support educational innovation and empower young people and the adults who serve them.

I propose that School Committee members, teacher leaders, and administrators discuss the possibility of extending the day for Needham’s students to address the specific programmatic and instructional needs highlighted.  

It’s the right thing to do for Needham’s students, and it’s about time to have a formal conversation about extending the day.

Parents:  Take a quick survey and tell me what you think about more time:

Time and Learning Survey 

School Committee Needs Your Help with the Budget

The School Committee wants your feedback on the 2013-14 school year budget proposal!  

Growing enrollment, increased student needs, and program innovation all require resources and funding if Needham intends to provide the kind of education that meets the community’s high expectations for its young people and the adults who serve them. 

Diminished and uncertain State and Federal funding coupled with sluggish economic growth has required the shaping of a balanced, prudent, and responsible budget plan that addresses real student learning needs.  The School Committee wishes to hear from parents, students, staff, and community members about the budget proposal as they consider possible reductions in the plan. The task ahead of them is difficult, and I know they will certainly appreciate feedback from the community at the FY14 Budget Public Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at Broadmeadow.

The proposed FY14 plan totals $54,423,967 and represents a 6.48% increase over the current budget year. This budget proposal outlines the resources the schools need to support a viable and sustainable educational program for our students, one that is consistent with our core values of Scholarship, Citizenship, Community, and Personal Growth.

The budget plan was developed in the context of growing student enrollment, particularly at the secondary level, where more intensive resources are required to meet the complexities of the middle and high school programs.  Additional staffing for teachers at the middle and high schools and an assistant principal at the high school are requested as part of this plan, as well as staff to expand and grow student intramurals and athletics.  Student enrollment at the elementary level has not decreased; this budget request seeks an additional grade two teacher at Hillside, as well as additional support to enhance mathematics learning and support for all students in each elementary school.

The budget proposal also takes into account the growing need to provide staff training, professional development, and tools to support the mandated educator evaluation program and to develop teacher increased skills and knowledge, as we integrate new and additional technology into Needham’s schools, classrooms, and offices.

Budget highlights include:

·      The budget represents a proposed 6.48% increase of $3.3 million over the current fiscal year. If Federal budget cuts are implemented this spring, an additional $142,000 will be needed, for a total budget of $54,566,025.

·      Contractual costs account for $1.2 million of the overall expenditure increase; enrollment and mandated (level service) costs account for $1.6 million of the increases.  Contracts and level service increases account for the majority of the budget request or 5.68% of the total 6.48% request.

·      Program improvements and innovation account for a modest $410,000 or 0.8% of the requested amount.

·      The budget assumes that total PreK-12 enrollment will grow to 5,519 in FY14 (from 5,476 in FY13.)  Elementary enrollment is projected to decline slightly from 2,519 to 2,507; middle school enrollment is expected to rise from 1,313 to 1,331 and High School enrollment is expected to increase from 1,562 to 1,598.

·      Overall staffing is increased by 25 Full Time Equivalents (FTE), including 22 FTE teachers.

·      Regular education transportation costs will also increase, resulting in an additional operating budget subsidy of $65,000 and a fee increase of at least $5.00 from $390 to $395.

·      Two additional math instructional coaches are proposed to support students and teachers at the elementary level; an athletic assistant is also included (and partially funded by the revolving account) to develop the high school’s athletic and intramural programs for all students; technical support staffing is increased by 1.5 FTE.

·      Support for professional development and technology tools is also increased in this budget plan by a total of $128,081.  This amount will provide training for the new and mandated teacher evaluation model and the expansion of training required to expand the middle school’s 1 to 1 technology initiative.

Members of the School Committee and central office administration have been working closely with the Finance Committee to review the school budget plan in anticipation of a presentation to the full Finance Committee later in January. While supportive of identified needs in the schools, members of the Finance Committee are concerned that the proposed school budget exceeds available resources. They have asked the School Committee and school administration to reconsider some worthwhile budget requests and scale back plans. However, as your superintendent I am worried that reductions in this plan will further erode services parents and students have come to expect.

Please attend the School Committee’s FY14 Budget public hearing at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 15^th at Broadmeadow to learn more about the budget proposal and voice your ideas, concerns, and support. You may also email the School Committee at: schoolcommittee@needham.k12.ma.us  .

A Season of Unreasonable Hope

Today, on a chilly December morning in the midst of a season of lights, joy, and anticipation, we paused as a nation to commemorate a tragic and incomprehensible loss of innocent life.   

I was struck by the dissonance of the moment:  Quiet reflection punctuated by tolling bells; holiday preparations interrupted by somber prayer.  This is not the season, this is not the time to be marking the loss of 20 beautiful boys and girls and the six adults who cared for them. 

There is never a time for this. 

So I come away more than a little confused, conflicted and even a little guilty.  I anticipate the holidays with my family but know that Newtown parents now dread this season.  I imagine for them that the lights of Hanukkah and Christmas will forever be dimmed. 

Despite the tragedy, we will send students off for vacation and holidays with their families.  It is that time of year and the calendar says so.  We will rest, enjoy family time, catch a movie, and share some laughs with a friend.  Our teachers and principals, who throughout the year—and most certainly in the last several days—have acted with compassion, courage, and commitment to their students and families, will take a break, read a book, play with their own children, maybe even sleep in a little late to recharge their batteries.  All of it well deserved and natural.

Yet as parents, educators, young people, and as a nation we are experiencing an awkward and disconcerting moment in our lives:  We mourn, and we celebrate. We worry, yet we hope.   We remember, but we move on.

The English writer G.K. Chesterton called hope “unreasonable and indispensable.”  Hope is bright, stubborn, unyielding—hope never gives up, and we are nothing without it.  We find ourselves in such a season of hope. 

It is a childlike, youthful hope.  The kind of hope that glimmers in our students’ eyes and shines in their curiosity, creativity, and resilience.  This youthful hope allows even the most cynical and tired among us to endure difficult times, to persist, and to move forward even when the evidence suggests otherwise.  The bubbling energy and courage of young people reminds us why we do this work, why we care so deeply. 

This youthful, unreasonable, and indispensable hope inspires us to carry on and, working together, build a better, more just, and loving world. 

I wish you and your families a joyful season of hope.

Flipped Classrooms and Broken Silos

The Needham Education Foundation (NEF) recently held a symposium entitled Flipped Classrooms and Broken Silos:  Education Trends in Needham and Beyond.  Speakers from Olin College, MIT, and education technology entrepreneurs from Classroom Window and edX shared their ideas and vision with an enthusiastic audience of parents, teachers, and community members.  The following excerpt is from my introductory comments about a new interdisciplinary initiative funded by the NEF.

We are taking small steps to re-envision the middle and high school experience and perhaps break down some of the traditional silos of content and departmental curriculum that are typical of American schools.  Most secondary schools, and Needham’s are no exception, are organized into departments: math, English, foreign language, and social science. Teachers are assigned classes and even identified by the state as highly qualified in a given subject or discipline. At the secondary level we routinely refer to teachers by their subject:  He is a biology teacher; she is an art teacher. I recall one faculty lounge comment about a new teacher who was referred to simply:  “Oh, he’s a Math.”

The problem is this:  The world is not so compartmentalized and departmentalized.  We work and play in a world where communicating, thinking, presenting, and innovating requires the integration of our knowledge, perspectives, and skills. Our lives are interdisciplinary and interconnected, and we should provide similar opportunities for our students and not isolate their learning. We need to lead students to a place where the curriculum silos and walls we have established can begin to melt away into appropriate interdisciplinary experiences so they can see relationships, increase understanding, synthesize information, apply concepts, and enjoy the beauty and the challenge of an increasingly dynamic and complex world.  Fortunately for our students, Needham’s teachers are experts in their disciplines and they radiate a passion for creative learning and discovery.

I happen to be a recovering high school English teacher.  Long ago in Los Angeles where I taught, I recall one of my students muttering under his breath about not understanding why I didn’t teach Huckleberry Finn at the same time as the History teacher was teaching the Civil War.  “Why,” he asked, “Can’t we learn about these things together?  It’d make more sense, you know.”

Years later at another school we developed an American Studies course, a combined American literature and U.S. history class where the teachers could discuss Twain’s Huck and Jim in the context of slavery and abolition.  Students made clear connections between the two subjects and discussed significant themes like justice, poverty, war, peace, and prosperity all through the eyes of historical and literary heroes.  They developed a deep understanding and appreciation of our nation’s story.  They came away connected to the content in a way that is natural, engaging, and empowering.  That’s just the kind of learning we should strive for!

In Needham we are working toward a vision of just that kind of learning for all students.  At Pollard we have introduced an engineering and design course that incorporates science, technology, and math.  We are allowing students to explore scientific and engineering concepts and principles in ways that stimulate their minds, imagination, and curiosity.  We have introduced a Chinese culture course that integrates basic language skills with Chinese history, lifestyle, and traditions.  At the high school a new African-American studies course blends history, politics, literature, and more into a rich opportunity to study, debate, and engage.

And now with an extraordinary financial commitment from our NEF partners, the high school is embarking on an ambitious and multi-year effort to create a unique and pioneering interdisciplinary program for 12^th graders—Integrated Senior Studies:  The Greater Boston Project.

NEF and high school leaders have collaborated to develop an innovative course that pulls together three teachers from three academic disciplines: English, social studies, and math, to provide students the opportunity to study specific periods in Boston’s history to investigate how individuals and groups perceived the world around them and how they worked to affect change.  Beginning next school year they will look at propaganda in pre-Revolutionary times, analyze population demographics during Antebellum, and recreate a town meeting during Urban Renewal.  Students will connect academic disciplines and knowledge in projects that will require them to read primary historical sources, build mathematical models, and hone presentation skills.  By learning across three disciplines they will immerse themselves in their learning and prepare themselves for advanced academics and problem solving in college and beyond. Consistent with the district’s core value of citizenship, students in the course will investigate a unique problem associated with the City of Boston and pursue possible solutions to complex urban problems.  The teachers will work together with the students and model the sort of learning, service, and collaboration we value and aspire to scale up in the years to come. 

The NEF’s commitment allows us to jumpstart principal Jonathan Pizzi’s desire to enrich the high school program of studies with creative, innovative, and interdisciplinary academic courses, especially in the senior year when students often languish and are ready and equipped to pursue their learning in new ways, in ways that propel them to adulthood.

For more information about the high school's new initiative or to learn about and contribute to the NEF:  www.nefneedham.org/

Trick or Treat?

It was definitely a trick, especially so early in the school year.  After all, there is a reason we call them “snow days.”  But given the intensity of Hurricane Sandy and the potential for widespread damage and power outages, closing school was the appropriate choice this time around. 

It turns out the real problem was not the first day of the storm but the aftermath and cleanup, at least in Needham.  NSTAR work crews arrived too late to clean limbs and lines in time for a safe path to school, so we closed the district for a second day.

I am not a fan of “snow days” or as we now (now being the last 48 hours) refer to them: inclement weather days.  Our time with students is already too short and a day missed throws the learning off and certainly upsets the family routine.  On top of that, readjusting lessons and rescheduling teacher meetings, field trips, and assignments is a challenge. 

My philosophy has been that we will always have school unless deteriorating weather conditions indicate that schools should close due to unsafe conditions.

A few inches of snow, ice, or slush should not be reason to close school!  Folks just have to get up a little earlier on a morning weather is predicted to be poor and prepare for icy windshields, slippery walks, and long commutes.  Put on the galoshes, warm up the car, and get going!  School is waiting!

Of course, if the snowstorm—or hurricane—is or is predicted to be nasty, I take a cautious approach.  I don’t want any child to be put in harm’s way, and I take that responsibility seriously.  That’s why early in the morning of an inclement weather day I consult with public safety officials, review weather maps and information, and then drive around the streets of Needham to see what road and sidewalk conditions are.  I try to balance all of that information and arrive at a decision that is a safe one for students and staff. 

Like all decisions I make, however, not everyone agrees.  And there have been times I was too cautious and canceled school when, perhaps, we could have just had a delayed opening.  And each time there is a cancellation there are at least half a dozen parents who call or email to tell me I a) made the wrong decision and what was I thinking?; or b) I should have made the decision the day before and what was I thinking?; or, c) please wait until the morning to make a decision and what was I thinking?; or d) please don’t wake me up at 5:30 a. m. to tell me there is no school and, by the way,  what was I thinking?.  (On the last point, instructions for opting out of the weather-related cancellation phone/email notifications can be found on the district’s website: http://www.needham.k12.ma.us/  Look on the left under Hot Topics and open the PDF: No School/Two Hour Delay Information.)

Bottom line?  Students should be in school and weather should never interfere with the learning.

Unless it does.