Educator Evaluation: What's in an Effective Program?

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is considering a new educator evaluation system that will include, among other things, the use of student achievement data to gauge a teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom. The Commissioner’s proposal has raised eyebrows among many teachers who believe that MCAS results, for example, will not be be used effectively or fairly to evaluate a teacher’s classroom performance. In fact, fewer than 20% of all K-12 teachers’ students take the MCAS each year so the reasonable and practical use of this data appears to be limited.

The proposed regulations also suggest establishing regular review cycles for teachers and administrators, shortening the time an underperforming teacher must improve before he is terminated and generally ensuring that a culture of accountability is established within a school system. There’s a lot to like in the proposed new regs.

Without arguing the merits or pitfalls of the Commissioner’s plan, let me offer some of the critical components that I believe should be part of a well-designed teacher and administrator evaluator system:

• Supporting and strengthening teacher classroom performance should be at the heart of any evaluation plan. The goal of any evaluation system should be to assist a teacher to grow, learn, and innovate. It should not primarily be designed to manage the ineffective or underperforming teacher or simply become a bureaucratic exercise that is reluctantly completed by harried administrators. Teaching is a challenging and complex endeavor, and the system should be designed to provide tools, resources, feedback, and modeling to help a teacher, particularly a new or struggling teacher, to succeed in the classroom. The process should also provide ample support for teachers to take risks and create new and innovative lessons for students. In Needham the vast majority of our teachers excel in the classroom, and the existing evaluation instrument acknowledges that reality and builds within it opportunities for good teachers to get stronger and develop additional capacity for reaching all students.

• Ensure multiple classroom observations and reflective conversations are part of the evaluation system. Over the years I have watched teachers fret and sweat as they prepare for the once-per-semester 55-minute classroom observation (also known as the “dog and pony show”). They prepare handouts, ensure the technology is working, design a beautifully crafted lesson plan, make provisions for necessary materials, and generally execute with precision. Unless, of course, the projector bulb blows. And then the administrator walks away, and eventually writes a two or three page classroom observation—sometimes a few weeks later—but typically long after there is any real opportunity for a thoughtful and reflective conversation about what happened in the classroom. Unfortunately, observation reports often arrive after the teacher, administrator, and certainly the students, are all on to something else. Frequent, briefer, and even unannounced classroom visits would allow administrators to observe and support teachers more naturally and without the anxiety the two or three seasonal and staid observations bring. Administrators can then coach throughout the year rather than judge once per term. And reflective discussions and conversations between the teacher and administrator immediately following these brief visits are essential: The administrator can ask questions, make suggestions, or offer encouragement with a promise of coming back in a day or two to see how things are progressing. The teacher can talk about an individual student’s needs, demonstrate growth of students over time, and share frustrations and new ideas as they occur. The Needham Public Schools will pilot the Marshall Model, a system designed to promote frequent classroom observations tied to clear and regular feedback and reflective dialogue between the teacher and administrator. Thus, rather than looking like an annual inspection, the evaluation process feels more like instructional coaching.

• Integrate local student assessment data, school goals, and community engagement efforts into the evaluation system. Principals should ensure schools are organized in such a way that teachers can regularly and naturally collaborate with one another to develop challenging assessments to better understand student learning, growth, and achievement. Ask teachers how this data informs their practice and facilitates student growth: What is working? How will you respond when students are (or are not) learning? How can I help you? Can you assist another teacher who is struggling with similar students? Teachers should ask: Can I work with another colleague to develop a program for advanced students? Can you find additional resources for me? What professional development opportunities exist to enhance my practice? These questions should all be part of the ongoing conversations between the teacher and the administrator. Additionally, integrating school and district goals into teacher and administrator practice is essential to school and student improvement efforts. The evaluation process should consider the teacher’s ability to participate in and even lead activities beyond his or her classroom that ultimately strengthen the school, the district, and the learning experience for each child.

• Ensure student voices are part of the evaluation process. Written student feedback, provided at least annually, should be included as a data source for teachers as they reflect on their classroom practice. In my experience, students provide candid and serious feedback to teachers, and they can help assess the quality of the classroom environment and experience. Of course teachers need to balance the extreme sentiments from students—the good and the bad—with the overall thematic comments that let teachers know if homework is turned back in a timely way or if the teacher rushes through material before the students understand it. Students thrive in a learning environment where they believe their voice is heard, and they can influence in a positive way the behavior of the adults who care about them. The same is true for administrators, including principals, who must seek out written feedback about their leadership from students, teachers, and parents, most of whom are eager to share their voices to improve the school community and enrich a school’s culture.

Let’s remember what teacher and administrator evaluation is for: Supporting educators and holding them to high standards to improve and enhance the school experience for each child. Although we have room to grow, that’s just what we are doing in the Needham Public Schools.

A Respectful (and Necessary) Conversation about Sex Education

The headline in this week’s local paper claimed: The Needham Public Schools Sex Education Controversy Escalates. That’s news to me and most of my colleagues and parents in the Needham Public Schools who have been engaged in a responsible, respectful, and heartfelt discussion about a proposed sex ed program.

The article goes on to describe the objections of a few parents who have publicly expressed concern about what they perceive to be a lack of family values embedded in the program. The reporter also interviewed the district’s Wellness Director, Kathy Pinkham, who has led a robust and transparent effort to develop an appropriate and meaningful sex education program that is responsive to the Massachusetts Curriculum frameworks, reflective of good research, and grounded in school and community values.

As superintendent, I know this can be tricky and sensitive territory to cover, especially in a community with high expectations and myriad viewpoints. But the focus has been, and will continue to be, what’s good for students. Here are some takeaways worth considering:

• The staff has engaged the parent, medical, and broader community over the last two years in the development of curriculum goals for sex education in grades 5 through 12.

• The process, although imperfect, has been honest, candid, and transparent. There have been over ten community meetings on the topic and three or four School Committee agenda items on sex education. Last week Dr. Pinkham met with the Needham Clergy Association to share program goals and solicit their feedback. Bottom line? No secrets in what we do here in Needham! We have been and will continue to be open and clear about what we teach students.

• Parents are the primary educators of their children, and we will partner with them as we teach their children. Parents will be asked to participate in homework assignments designed to encourage conversations between children and their parents. Parent meetings will be held this spring to inform parents about the 5th and 9th grade programs. Parents may also opt out of any portion of or the entire program at anytime.

• The curriculum, resources, public presentations, a Frequently Asked Questions guide, and other materials are all available on the district’s website for review. Soon, additional lesson outlines and resources will be available as we pilot the new ninth grade program this spring. Please check out the district’s website for more information: http://rwd1.needham.k12.ma.us/wellness/Sexuality

• We will teach sex education within a context of social and emotional learning and help young people learn how to make good decisions about their bodies and their relationships. The program emphasizes abstinence and promotes the values of respect, commitment, and trust.

• We will constantly reassess and re-evaluate what we are doing and improve our efforts and program. We will survey students and parents to get their feedback and make necessary adjustments. We may make mistakes along the way, but we will work hard to ensure the development and implementation of a sex education program that complements and supports our parents’ efforts and meets the community’s expectations.

So far, the sex education discussion in Needham has been thoughtful and respectful. In the end, I am glad we are having a community conversation about an important topic. I am happy we are all thinking about the young people in our lives who are looking to us for good information, a balanced perspective, and an honest conversation to assist them to make thoughtful decisions as they navigate adolescence and a world that is often indifferent to their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

Let’s keep the conversation going and the focus on what’s best for all of our kids.

The Cost of a Better America

Wisconsin’s current political and civic dissonance has prompted talk radio, water cooler, and coffee shop conversations and arguments about power hungry politicians, Tea Party activism, and budget busting union contracts and benefits. I don’t live in America’s Dairyland, so I won’t opine about what they should or should not do. I am sure they will figure it out. After all, we have our own deficits and (former) state legislators on the lam here in Massachusetts.

What is interesting to me is what has not been part of the cacophony in Wisconsin and throughout the nation as Congress, governors, mayors, and Town Meeting Members struggle with a poor economy and challenging budget plans that are increasingly unable to support even basic public services. What is missing in the national conversation is the realization that we made a bargain generations ago to live in and support a safer, more just, and healthier country—and that costs money.

Beginning with the New Deal’s Social Security Act, followed by the GI Bill, Medicare, Americans with Disabilities, the Clean Water Act, No Child Left Behind, and a host of state and local initiatives and laws, Americans, as a nation, made decisions to support programs and services designed to provide secure retirements, veterans’ benefits, medical care, food vouchers, special education classes, and accessible buildings for the disabled. The combination of American prosperity, technology, entrepreneurship, education, and—yes—hard fought political battles resulted in homes, schools, neighborhoods, and cities and towns that are healthier, cleaner and safer.

Some call it progress and some call it government run amok. But who today goes to the grocery store concerned about the quality of the beef in the freezer? When was the last time you worried about the water pouring out of your tap? Who thinks twice about whether or not firemen are on duty at 3:00 in the morning in your community? Which of us questions the need for a wheelchair ramp or elevator at the local library? Who questions the value of medical care for a returning vet or premature baby? Who will deny a special education program for a struggling and disabled learner? We don’t often think about these scenarios because we have become accustomed to a standard of living and security unparalleled in history.

In many ways, of course, we have created expectations and programs far beyond our means. And, unquestionably, some of the costs associated with these services have become exorbitant. Generous medical plans, for example, with low co-pays are no longer affordable. In Wisconsin, paying a portion of pension benefits has been a source of negotiation and angst. (Note to Wisconsin teachers: Most educators—and soon all—in Massachusetts have had 11% of their paychecks going toward their retirement benefits since 1995!) We have to treat our public servants fairly and with dignity while offering competitive wages, but we have to have an adult conversation about reasonable and sustainable benefits. We simply can’t afford to do it all.

Some would argue we have supplanted individual responsibility for a nanny state that encourages indolence and an insatiable appetite for the convenient and unnecessary. I think there is some truth in that, but I sure don’t want to return to the time when students with physical or learning disabilities were locked away or kept out of the neighborhood schoolhouse. I want to feel confident that when I pick up the phone and press 911, a local dispatcher will ask me what my emergency is.

We have created a more humane and secure society that places enormous value on human life, freedom, dignity, and education. Part of this grand bargain is that we have to pay for it.

And as we struggle to balance budgets it’s easy to demonize public servants, especially at a time when state and town revenues are failing. But let’s remember why they are there in the first place and then work together to develop solutions, promote relationships, hold one another accountable, and ensure a level of service and performance that balances our aspirations as a democratic and humane society with our ability to pay for it.

By the way, that’s why I like working in Needham: At the local level town officials, public employees, and citizens are guided by core values that ensure we collaborate, communicate, and sustain great services. In Needham we work together to find efficiencies, innovate, and, at times recalibrate our needs and expectations, all in an effort to provide excellent and responsive services for students, their families, and the entire community. It’s not always easy, and sometimes there are disagreements along the way. But I think Needham can be a model for the way this hard work is done.

Our communities and our nation deserve nothing less.

Top Ten Resolutions for 2011

I have never been very good at developing—never mind sharing—New Year’s resolutions. I like to think that if I want to or need to change something I won’t wait until the turn of the December calendar. This time, however, I decided to give it a try. Here we go:

1. Participate in more professional development opportunities that will strengthen my leadership skills and deepen my understanding of high achieving schools.
2. Increase my interactions and relationships with town and community departments and organizations that will support increased student learning and growth.
3. Consider ways we can encourage additional student feedback and input to improve school and instructional programs.
4. Visit more classrooms.
5. Build support for a reasonable and prudent 2011-12 budget plan that sustains our work in the schools.
6. Ensure the upcoming repairs and the relocation of students at the Newman Elementary School are completed safely, efficiently, and under budget.
7. Review special education programming within the Needham Schools to learn how we can a) increase student learning and achievement, and b) use our resources more efficiently.
8. Speak out about senseless legislative and administrative “reforms” that only burden educators and do little, if anything, to improve learning or assist teachers. (The recently adopted Massachusetts Ethics Commission disclosure guidelines for teacher gifts come to mind, for example.)
9. Attend as many of my high school daughter’s track meets as possible this winter and spring; Skype frequently with my two other daughters; and share even more goofy stories and jokes with them.
10. Take my wife out to dinner more regularly and lengthen our walks around the neighborhood.

And, finally, don’t do all of these things in order; be more flexible. Happy New Year!

Inspiring Learners

A day or two before the Thanksgiving holiday I paid a brief visit to each one of the elementary classrooms to extend best wishes to each classroom teacher and say hello to the students. I am always impressed but never surprised at the level of excitement and engagement in these classes!

These and my other classroom visits remind me of the skill, wisdom, and competence of our teaching staff here in Needham. I regularly observe students tuned in and turned on to any number of tasks, projects, and discussions. Whether the students are working alone, in small groups, or in pairs there is a joyful sense of purpose and self-discovery evident in our schools, and it’s led by talented and committed teachers. Students are clearly in charge of their learning, and they take pride and ownership in their individual achievement, creativity, and growth.

Of course, it is a skilled and mature instructor who can step to the side and guide the learning rather than stand in front and command the students. And that takes time, persistence, and patience. There are no quick routes or easy paths to become the kind of teacher who connects closely to students and can assess their personal needs and potential with efficacy and compassion. I like what Carol Steele, writing in December’s (2010) Educational Leadership, says about the stages successful teachers go through in their career: “I believe teachers progress through four stages: unaware, aware, capable, inspired.” She observes that teachers work through these stages as they develop experience, competence, and the flexibility to respond to a variety of situations and divergent thinkers and learners.

Within a collaborative structure and provided with a reasonable amount of training and support (versus a well-intentioned but overwhelming amount of professional development), our teachers can move through these stages and develop a sense of accomplishment that comes with doing something meaningful and purposeful in a classroom full of students.

We simply must give teachers the support, time, and latitude to try new ideas and even make mistakes as they grow and develop into inspired teachers who excite children. So what else does it take? Steele concludes that “desire, a curious mind, and a thirst for continuous learning” are the links in a chain of teacher growth and improvement.

In Needham’s classrooms, I am proud to say that our teachers have these prerequisite skills and attitudes, and wherever they are on Steele’s continuum, they are working hard each day to empower and inspire young minds.

Needham's Community Steps Up... and Students Benefit

I shared the following remarks at the Needham Steps Up Benefit at the Sheraton on October 7^th:

Several years ago I began my teaching career in Los Angeles. I was an English teacher working in a Catholic high school set amidst the poverty and violence of Watts.

The noise of city life—screeching buses, honking horns, whistling trains—was routinely interrupted by the staccato of automatic gunfire, sirens, and the thumping of police helicopters hovering overhead. Nickerson Gardens, the largest public housing project on the West Coast, loomed over the school and was—and still is—the home of the notorious gang, the Bloods. Some of my students came from the Gardens, but many came from Slauson—Crips territory. And somehow, under one roof, students from different religious traditions, neighborhoods, family situations, and gang affiliations gathered each day to grow and learn.

To this day, the school remains an island oasis surrounded by chaotic and desperate waves of hunger, fear, and loneliness. The school nurtures the lives of young people who, in a daily act of courage, step from a battered neighborhood and into a learning environment that embraces them and challenges them to be their best.

It was in this unlikely setting that as a young man and new teacher I learned the meaning of community.

Within a neighborhood of broken and burned out buildings, vacated by families but infested with gangbangers and drug dealers, there existed a spirit of common expectations, connections, and care. There, even in this wounded city, a spirit of community thrived to serve our students. The teachers and coaches, parents and pastors, police detectives and probation officers, bus drivers and convenience store clerks and even the Bloods and the Crips figured out a way to work together to ensure the students were encouraged, supported, and loved.

There, folks from different perspectives and walks of life collaborated to ensure the young people of Verbum Dei High School received an excellent education. And the energy, pride, and support generated by a sense of community not only empowered learning, it served to diminish the factions, the fear, and the dissonance of adults and young people alike. A passionate belief in building community, I learned, breaks barriers, promotes understanding, and boosts young people.

The mean streets of Needham are a far cry from Central Ave. in LA! But I have learned that here, too, in Needham the commitment to build community is strong and it is an expectation you have of one another. Needham’s students, parents, teachers, religious and civic leaders, business owners, and older citizens understand the power of community.

As your superintendent, I have watched you work together, pool resources, and embrace uncertainty and differences to address real concerns. Your fierce dedication to young people is a vital part of a web of cooperation and commitment called community. And Steps to Success is yet another example of Needham’s steadfast support of access, equity, and opportunity for all students, including those who are often alienated and distanced from their learning and their community. Simply stated: Needham gets it!

Needham is not South Central, but we are hardly immune from pockets of broken families, economically disadvantaged youth, unemployment, ignorance, and loneliness. And Needham knows—you know—that if we participate as active citizens and work together on common problems and on behalf of young people, we will enrich their lives and, in turn, they will grow strong and achieve and become full and responsible partners in the life of the community.

Steps to Success provides high school students the opportunity to connect with a caring mentor who offers guidance, support, and friendship. And research suggests that a program like Steps to Success provides students more access to college and beyond. You should be immensely pleased that your personal contribution has enabled and empowered students! And know that your personal involvement is multiplied many times over by those around you and by many more who are not here this evening.

Working together, your voices and actions proclaim the value of young people and a commitment to their education. Thank you for all your work on behalf of Needham’s youth and families; thank you for sharing lessons of care, generosity, and humility. And thank you for continuing to demonstrate the purpose and the power of a hope-filled community.

Budget Priorities for the 2011-12 School Year

Believe it or not, the Needham School Committee and school administration are gearing up for a new budget season. While one budget year concluded on June 30th (Fiscal Year ’10 or FY10) and another began on July 1st (FY11), we must now prepare for the school department budget that will begin on July 1, 2011 (FY12). It seems as if we are always in budget season!

And, like last year, the development of the FY12 budget will be a challenge. Growing school enrollment at the middle and high school level, decreasing local and state revenue due to the economic downturn, and increasing student needs have combined to make the development of a school budget an enormous undertaking for the School Committee.

Each year the School Committee establishes Operating Budget Guidelines to provide the school administration guidance as we go about the task of developing a budget that best meets the needs of our students. This year, parents and members of the community are encouraged to comment on and provide feedback to the School Committee about its draft FY12 budget priorities. Please take a few minutes to read the draft budget priorities (excerpted from the document above) and submit a suggestion, comment, or question on the blog or directly to the School Committee: schoolcommittee@needham.k12.ma.us


FY12 Draft Budget Priorities (excerpted from Operating Budget Guidelines)

The School Committee budget should reflect certain priorities that address the needs of the Needham Public Schools. These priorities should provide direction to administrators and guide staff in developing budget recommendations. The priorities also should guide the School Committee in its deliberations and the budget planning process.

The budget should reflect the following priorities, in relative order. The School Committee may sometimes choose to fund items addressing the lower priorities over items that may claim a higher priority. While not done lightly, such choices must sometimes be made to ensure that no priority is neglected.

1. The District’s mission, vision, values, and goals;
2. The need for highly qualified staff teaching within established student/teacher ratio guidelines;
3. The ongoing refinement of curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices; and
4. The need to develop and maintain educational resources and a technology infrastructure that supports student learning and meets District goals.

For a detailed description of the budget guidelines and priorities, please visit the School Committee's webpage for more information. Thanks for your feedback!