A Challenge to Teachers from St. Ignatius Loyola

My welcome back remarks to staff included my hope and expectations for the year ahead.  Excerpts from my comments follow:

“Go forth and set the world on fire.”

Here’s what this quote from St. Ignatius Loyola says to me:  Empower young people to learn, grow, achieve, and then release them to go and repeat this cycle for a new generation, for a world desperate for their scholarship, service, and leadership.  Kindle within your students a sense of belonging, of purpose, and a hunger for innovation and social justice.

If by year’s end we have not raised up all of our students—all students—to stretch their minds, overcome a personal obstacle, create, or discover we have failed them and their lives are diminished and the world has become a little darker.

And this world can use some help.  Given what we read about in the news and experience firsthand, how can we not believe that our work in schools is not critical?  Political gridlock.  Newtown.  Climate change. Trayvon Martin. Marathon bombing. Egypt. Syria. We do not have to look far to see the hubris, arrogance, and prejudice that pervades our world and dims the lights. Education is the answer and teachers are the fire-starters who must propel young people forward to dispatch ignorance.

You are the ones to guide young people in their quest for self-discovery, growth, and meaning. And education is the critical mass needed to assist young people to develop the skills, imagination, and courage to tackle the intractable problems of today’s world. These problems will require sophisticated responses, intelligent discourse, and creative problem solvers who will collaborate and cooperate to improve lives and brighten the world.  Along with their parents, we have the awesome and humbling responsibility to nurture and excite young people and believe in them so they, in turn, can become beacons of compassion, justice, civility, and hope.

And I commit to you today you will not do this work alone.  The district will have failed you and your students if we do not build and maintain the relationships, resources, and structures you need to start fires!

•  First, we will organize training and planning around educator evaluation in such a way that supports you to grow and empowers you to stretch yourself and enhance your skills and your students’ learning.

•  Together we will craft innovative curriculum programs and common assessments that will engage students in creative and consequential ways, in ways that promote interdisciplinary learning and authentic opportunities for students to express themselves and their growth. We will act together to ensure equity and access for all students so they can learn and achieve.

•  We will strengthen advisory, homeroom, and small groups facilitated by teachers and adults so students can build relationships and develop skills that will assist them to grow into responsible, resilient, and caring young people.

•  We will pilot new and mobile technology tools so that both you and your students can learn more efficiently, collaboratively, and in a way that complements the technology rich environments of home, college, and the workplace.

•  We will offer opportunities for you to expand your students’ experiences into the community so they can serve and learn about the world around them.  We will expect you to become more culturally proficient and understand that each adult and child has a unique story to tell—one that is rich in culture, ethnicity, language, lifestyle, and faith.

•  We will collaborate closely with the School Committee, Town officials, and parents to advocate for additional time, space, and the resources we need to support all of this work and more.

And, finally, we will do this work imperfectly and we will allow room for error, failed attempts, and mistakes.  And we will be OK with that and grow from the experience.

Next Tuesday, and every day after, as scores of young people tumble from buses and cars and pile into your classrooms they will bring with them a jumble of emotions, skills, experiences, expectations, and possibilities.  Somehow you must skillfully and carefully connect your knowledge and wisdom to the lives of your students in a way that inflames their passion for languages, the arts, writing, math, and scientific discovery. 

This, then, is the essence of your work:  You don’t just teach children, you ignite a generation!

Dear Legislature: Take a Time Out!

Earlier this summer I headed to the Statehouse with almost 80 Massachusetts superintendents to urge legislators, state education officials, and Federal lawmakers to curtail new education laws and reforms that we believe are getting in the way of student learning.

I join my colleagues today in support of House Bills 459, 512, 528, and 375.  It is timely and necessary to review redundant and inconsistent laws and rules and to take a “time out” from additional legislation, as proposed in HB 375, that has burdened schools with both funded and unfunded mandates, eroded local control, and obstructed educational growth and achievement.

It is has become crystal clear that the sheer volume and dissonance of reforms, requirements, and laws generated by the DESE, state agencies, and Federal Departments of Education, Justice, and Agriculture are crowding out innovation, excitement, and common sense in our schools. The growing political, economic, and social agenda imposed on our schools has become a nightmare of confusing and burdensome regulations and rules that are often impossible to implement.  Well-meaning policies are preventing teachers and principals from doing what they know to be in the best interest of children and their families.

For example, new Federal school lunch rules enforced this past school year, following on the heels of Massachusetts DPH nutrition rules imposed only the year before, require schools to serve the exact same number of calories at lunch to a Kindergartener as we serve to a 5^th grader.  Parents know better than that!  And the result?  Students across the Commonwealth, including in my district and no doubt around the country, are abandoning school lunch programs.

The pace of change and reform is grueling and unrelenting.  Teachers, school staff and principals are increasingly required to address and attend to mandates and initiatives that leave them little time to personalize learning experiences for the children in their charge. Educators fill their day completing checklists, filing paperwork, recording reams of data, and complying with numerous regulations that have minimal benefit and are not improving schools or the student learning experience.

For example, the Legislature wants us to have zero tolerance for bullying.  Bullies and students who threaten or jeopardize the health and safety of others have no place in our schools.  However, beginning in 2014 MGL 37H and 37H1/2 stipulate specific limits on the way principals can discipline students for egregious behavior.  And there is no new funding to pay for alternative educational programs now required by this law.

Teachers, students, and parents don’t know where all of the rules and regulations come from, and they don’t care. They just know their principal is telling them they have one more thing to do that compels them to take an unnecessary step, saps energy away from the classroom, and stifles creativity and learning. Little time and fewer resources are left for the principal to propose or implement educational experiences that she knows are good for young people and necessary for them to become capable, caring citizens and innovative contributors to the global economy.

Of course, we recognize you are responsible only for what happens here in the Massachusetts Legislature, and that is why we urge you to support these bills and work with educators to craft coherent and reasonable legislation that will enhance and empower learning in each Massachusetts school.

Race, Culture, and the Talk

This summer I have been thinking  a lot about Trayvon Martin, the acquittal of George Zimmerman, and what this tragic episode means to me as a parent and as a white man who happens to be a superintendent of schools.

As a father, I can’t begin to comprehend the anguish and suffering Trayvon’s parents endured when they first learned their son was killed and again when they heard the verdict. I can’t imagine the grief, pain, and sense of loss brought on by their child’s death, especially at the hands of another.  And over the last year and a half they have had to relive and replay Trayvon’s death instead of finding some semblance of comfort—if it’s even possible—with the passage of time.  I only hope his mother and father will soon experience the peace, dignity, and privacy they and their family now deserve.

As an educator I can’t help but think about the broader implications of this tragedy and what lessons we are to take away from what happened in Sanford, Florida and what happens here in Massachusetts and elsewhere when we are confronted with someone who looks and acts differently from us.  Just this week a Paris suburb exploded into violence when police demanded a veiled Muslim woman remove her face veil or niqab, a garment now banned in France in an effort, apparently, to keep public spaces secular and free of religious symbols. 

As a superintendent, I believe there is a role schools and teachers must play to encourage a discussion within the classroom, especially when the presence of a young black man wearing a hoodie or an observant Muslim practicing her faith causes others to react in such a way that violence erupts.

As a white man, I can’t recall a time when I worried how I looked or what I was wearing might cause suspicion or provoke a response.  I have the privilege of moving about in a world that generally accepts me as nonthreatening and tolerable.  Being white and a male typically permits me access and allows me to pass undetected and unmolested.  Many years ago I recall one of my students in South Central Los Angeles, John, explaining to me exactly how he and his friends were going to dress and how they would walk on a planned field trip to West LA so they would not attract undo attention from residents or the police.  “John,” I asked incredulously, “Are you really going to worry about something as silly as how you look or carry yourself?”  He explained:  “You may not have to think about it, Mr. G, but it’s what I need to do to get by in that neighborhood.” I have since learned that some black parents have “the talk” with their sons about how they must be ever vigilant when they engage and interact in a predominantly white community, in a way that allows them to feel safe and to get by.

Now I don’t pretend to know what happened that night in Sanford or why the French authorities confronted a Muslim woman.  None of us is privy to the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of George Zimmerman or the French police.  But I think we owe it to our students to ask them how they view and interact with those who look differently or even pray differently than they do.  We have a responsibility to use the existing curriculum, engage our social and emotional learning programs, and facilitate developmentally appropriate conversations in middle school advisory and high school homerooms to ensure students have the opportunity to discuss these issues in a safe environment, one that values and respects all human beings, regardless of how they look or worship.

To be honest, I feel it’s a little risky to even bring up the subject.  But we have to be willing to participate in this discussion and accept that it is OK not to know all the answers.  Parents, faith communities, and educators all have a responsibility to engage young people in an ongoing conversation about race and culture. Perhaps Needham’s efforts to support culturally proficient practices in the schools and organizing the upcoming school and community Diversity Summit are steps in the right direction.  Clearly, as we work to ensure access, equity, and justice in an increasingly interconnected global community, we must pursue hard questions and even risk feeling uncertain or uncomfortable as we learn from one another.

Let’s hope we can expand “the talk” to include families and children of all cultures and races, especially as we prepare young people for the world that awaits them.

We hear you!

In recognition of the importance of feedback from our parents, students and staff, the Needham Public Schools administered the NPS 2013 Survey. 2179 parents of students in grades 3-12 completed the District Survey – an impressive 52% response rate compared with less than 21% when the survey was previously administered. We combined the results of the Parent Survey with responses from 2999 Students and 511 Staff to measure progress against the District goals.

The survey allows our school district to celebrate strengths and respond to goal areas needing attention. We will engage the staff, students, School Committee, and School Councils in analyzing the survey findings for every school in depth in order to develop and support annual improvement efforts and actions steps.

As promised, we are committed to sharing the results of the survey with Needham Public Schools’ parents, students and staff. Here are some highlights of key findings for the district.

According to the survey results, parents, staff, and students believe:

-The staff and schools have high academic standards

-The staff is responsive to parent input

-Staff care about how much students learn

-Schools are safe and welcoming

-Students are not fearful of being hurt by others

-Staff work well together

The results also suggest areas to explore and consider for improvement:

-Student involvement and decision-making

-Parent understanding of and involvement in student growth and progress

-Student stress and academic pressure

-Student discipline and consequences

We especially appreciate the hundreds of open-ended, thoughtful and caring comments that clarify your experiences with Needham Public Schools. As one family wrote: “We feel so fortunate to be able to be in a school system that has an excellent staff and adequate funding. We are looking forward to the next 9 years!”

We are continuing to analyze the school-specific results and share them with the principals. In the fall, you will learn more about the action steps we are taking in response to your feedback—because we hear you!

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