Here’s to Summer Vacation.

A recent TIME magazine lamented the lazy days of summer for children, observing that a two-month reprieve from books, classes, and testing is a sentimental and archaic throwback to the agrarian age when the planting schedule dictated a need for extra farmhands to bring in the corn and cabbage. I am not so sure, however, we should ring the bell on summer vacation.

The TIME author correctly notes that many children, who often languish unsupervised at home or in urban areas without benefit of summer school, campfire ghost stories, reading, or family trips to the Cape or mountains, do lose some of the academic progress they have made during the school year. In fact, some analyses have suggested this is especially true for students with certain learning disabilities who require frequent repetition and instruction to keep up with their peers. And there is some evidence that students, regardless of race, background, or socio-economic status, may lose ground in math, perhaps because there are fewer opportunities for children in all grades to practice or discuss math and mathematical concepts in July and August.

But should we extend the school year into July, plan on a few weeks off after the 4th and return in early August? I’m not convinced. Time off in June, July, and August may be a throwback to a an earlier age, but the opportunity for children to get away from the routine of school to vacation, attend camp, visit with distant relatives, or just loaf in the backyard still makes sense, even in the high stakes environment of the 21st Century.

On the other hand, an extended school day for all children does make sense today, especially if we wish to engage students in a rich and diverse curriculum as well as teach them how to work together, problem solve, and create. Even an additional 30 minutes a day would provide needed time for students to deepen their knowledge and extend their learning. But keeping them in stuffy classrooms until mid-July seems like a loss rather than a gain.

Kids need some unstructured time to play, relax, and daydream. Summer vacation is a great time to continue learning and growing by making new friends, reading a book, or hiking a trail. The structure of the contemporary school day and the after school regimen of play dates, athletics, religious school, and music practice mean that most of our young people are “on” all the time with little chance to slow down or even try something new. Summer vacation provides relief from the routines and an opportunity to explore.

One of my friends brought his 13 year old son and another boy to work with him a couple times recently and gave them money for a Charlie Card and told them to stay in touch by cell phone but encouraged them to visit the New England Aquarium, Beacon Hill, and Harvard Yard. The boys, routinely programmed during the school year with classes, homework, and a host of other guided and supervised after school activities, were eager to be off by themselves, exploring on the T. They had a great time! Sure they got off at the wrong stop a couple times and had to ask directions and double back. They even had to figure out how to use a payphone when their cell phone died. But they had the freedom of a summer’s day to take it all in and learn a little bit about Boston, friendship, and having fun. Not a bad way to spend a couple July afternoons.

We certainly need to get it right and lengthen the school day to ensure we have sufficient time to assist children to learn a challenging and innovative curriculum. But let’s make sure we don’t wipe out summer vacation and all of its opportunities for young people to grow, explore, and, yes—even to learn.

Pomp and Circumstance: One Dad's View

At approximately noon on Sunday, May 17th in Washington, D.C. my wife and I officially became parents of a college graduate for the first time. Sitting in front of the U.S. Capitol where members of the George Washington University Class of 2010 assembled under a cloudless sky, we watched with a jumble of emotions, mostly pride, as our oldest daughter stepped further away from her parents and childhood and processed off the National Mall and into her future and adulthood. Yes, I told our youngest daughter seated next to me, the bright sun’s angle caused my eyes to tear up. Well, sort of.

As a high school principal and now as superintendent I have presided over 14 graduation ceremonies, signed about 4,500 diplomas, and endured countless commencement speeches, a couple of them my own. I fretted about weather on the big day and worried if we had enough seats for grandmothers and uncles. Pomp and Circumstance is practically the National Anthem of school and college administrators, and it rings in our ears reminding us of some little graduation detail we have neglected to attend to (Did I spell the School Committee Chair’s name correctly in the program? Did we ask for a traffic detail?). I chew my nails a lot in May and June, and I am relieved when the last grad, fists pumping, runs off the stage to the thunderous cheers of his friends and family. It’s over! I sigh. And no one did anything embarrassing!

This time, though, sitting on the National Mall I was not so anxious for the ceremony to conclude. This time I was not an officious administrator, and as parents and family we lingered, snapping photos, and congratulated other parents and graduates as the afternoon wore on. We laughed and joked, and we commented on First Lady Michelle Obama’s Commencement address (Thumbs up, we all agreed.). We watched as thousands strolled past, stopping for hugs and handshakes along the way. I enjoyed this moment in our lives and saw no reason to hurry. Of course, the college officials and professors made a polite but hasty exit, their academic robes and regalia flying in the wind as they raced toward the Metro or waiting cars; they wanted to get home to their families. I smiled because I understood.

This time, though, my family was together, and I was celebrating and not officiating. There we were—Karen and I and our three incredible daughters, one clad in black, diploma in hand, all grown up. How could anyone rush from this tableau and not take the time to notice the stunning brilliance and beauty of thousands of young people, all eager to take on the world? Countless stories and struggles, freshly minted degrees, untold opportunities ahead, and energy to light up New York. I got to be Dad this time and it felt great to luxuriate in the moment and take in the scene around me.

In a few weeks the Needham High School Class of 2010 will take to the stage and, once again, the principal and I will fret about distant drizzle and missing mortarboards. We will call each other about fifteen times on Graduation Day checking in on humidity, security, and our own sanity. We will be thrilled and exhausted when the ceremony goes off smoothly and parents are beaming as the sun sets on Memorial Field.

But this time, instead of rushing off, maybe I will hang back a few minutes longer to take it all in. You see, I don’t have a child in the Needham High School Class of ’10, but I am a parent and it’s a good thing every once and a while to slow down and remember that and remember what Graduation is really all about.

To the Class of 2010: Congratulations!

To their (us) parents: Savor this time with our remarkable sons and daughters.

Personnel is Job # 1

When I first became a high school principal years ago my superintendent, Anthony Bent, told me: “Daniel, the most important work you are going to do is to hire great teachers.” And when I became a superintendent he advised me: “Daniel, the most important work you are going to do is to hire great leaders.”

He was right on both counts: Personnel is Job # 1. Oh sure, superintendents and school leaders are preoccupied with budget development, curriculum design, school safety (this above all), MCAS, and school culture. But the priority must be recruiting, hiring, supervising, and retaining the most qualified classroom teachers and principals around. It is critical that I spend time seeking the best folks possible to lead our schools and programs.

We might have a well researched, robust, and rigorous science curriculum with all the bells and whistles, but in the hands of a mediocre teacher the curriculum is rendered ineffective. However, a strong teacher who is skilled and intuitive can take a poorly formed or resourced curriculum and create a worthwhile and exciting learning experience for students. In the same way, a thoughtfully developed school safety plan with detailed descriptions of protocols and procedures becomes useless in the hands of a disorganized, unfocused, and careless administrator. But a strong and experienced principal can secure a school and lead students and staff to safety even if the plan is outdated, impractical, or poorly written.

Effective, skillful, and smart school and program leaders make good things happen in schools for kids. A great principal will hire and lead exceptional teachers who will instruct, inspire, and care for children throughout the year. What could be more important?

In Needham, we spend a lot of time (some complain too much time) selecting and interviewing administrative candidates. We involve teachers, community members, parents, administrators, and at the high school level, students to participate on an interview team. After narrowing the field to three or four candidates, we begin reference checking; ask candidates to spend a day visiting our district to meet with staff, parents, and students; and we will then conduct a site visit to the candidate’s school. We will also ask candidates to speak at an evening forum to parents and members of the community. The candidate is asked to complete a writing prompt and provide a portfolio of their best work. Along the way, we ask staff, students, and parents to provide written feedback and input about the candidates. My favorite part of principal interviews is when the candidates are grilled by a panel of students who ask challenging questions, take notes, and immediately following the interview provide very honest and candid feedback.

It’s a grueling and often emotional process for the candidate and time consuming for the administrators, but I believe it’s what we need to do. I think we have been tremendously successful in the last few years bringing aboard talented, mature, and savvy building and program leaders who are doing an exceptional job. It’s a joy to watch them work with teachers and students!

Unfortunately, there are times, despite our best efforts, we may still come up empty-handed. We may learn at a site visit that a candidate is not exactly the person portrayed in his interview or on his resume. Or we may discover that transcripts are incomplete, references weak, or the candidate lacks strong communication skills. One finalist told me recently “It’s clear Needham will expect too much from me, and I won’t be able to deliver.” That candidate bowed out.

I don’t like to break up searches and start over, but I won’t settle for the runner up, a mediocre pick, or the comfortable choice. We will start searches all over again to find the best match for Needham, even if it consumes more time and resources. And time and resources are hard to come by these days.

But nothing else is more important than finding the right teacher for your child and the right principal for your child, her teacher, and the school community.

Cyberbully: What’s the school’s response?

The untimely death of a South Hadley (Massachusetts) teenager has prompted concern throughout the Commonwealth about the tragic effects and consequences of school bullying. Since the news surfaced about this beautiful young woman’s suicide, parents, school administrators, legislators, and talk radio hosts have clamored for answers and have assigned blame. I have received several inquiries about what our district is doing to protect young people from bullying and what steps we are taking to eliminate it from our schools. One community member offered to send a large donation to help put programs and training in place. Needham Schools have practices and procedures in place to confront bullying. But one thing is certain: Schools can’t do this alone.

The playground bully has been around since there were school playgrounds; it is not news that some bigger and stronger kids may take advantage of their peers through the use of persistent threats, intimidation, hazing, and bullying. Each of us has probably either been the victim of a bully or witnessed an encounter—even among adults!

What is new, and in some ways more insidious, is the issue of cyberbullying. The National Crime Prevention Council describes cyberbullying this way: “Cyber bullying is similar to other types of bullying, except it takes place online and through text messages sent to cell phones. Cyber bullies can be classmates, online acquaintances, and even anonymous users, but most often they do know their victims.”

Our young people can be vulnerable to a bully on the playground, classroom, or bus, but cyberbullying silently confronts children and teen-agers at home, where kids are supposed to feel safe. The widespread use of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other online social networking sites makes the bullying possibilities almost endless. Additionally, electronic bullying can often remain hidden to parents, teachers, and other caring adults who may not know that a child is being harassed in the online environment. Kids (and, let’s be fair, adults) will write, record, and publish things online they would never say in a personal encounter with a peer. And the videos, text messages, photos, and email diatribes can even be more excruciating than the schoolyard bully’s punches and putdowns: In the electronic age, the hurtful message is distributed instantly to a large audience, exacerbating and magnifying the shame, grief, and pain of the bully’s victim.

Most of the cyberbullying occurs at home and away from the school setting, which makes it difficult for school administrators to monitor and address. I do not believe that school administrators should assume responsibility for addressing online bullying that occurs away from school. Unfortunately, in the online environment, the “he said-she said” behavior that is standard teen drama can quickly spiral out of control and become cruel and bullying behavior. Household and neighborhood problems between and among young people need to be resolved by parents, older family members, and, if necessary, the police. The school principal simply cannot and should not referee a child’s online behavior in the family livingroom.

Sometimes, though, what happens on the walk home from school or even a late night Facebook posting can result in a fight, personal injury, or serious disruption on campus that requires a swift and unambiguous response from the school administration. In these cases, schools need to have clear, consistent, and tough reactions to those students who bully others in person at school or whose online behavior outside of the schoolhouse affects the safe operation of the school community. All students have the right to feel safe and secure on the bus, in their classroom, on the playground, in the cafeteria or locker-room, and on the playing field. School principals can’t monitor Facebook, but they can take aggressive action if cyberbullying affects the safe and orderly operation of the school.

The Needham Public Schools has invested significant energy and resources into the instruction of social and emotional skills for all children. Embedded in our curriculum and programs are messages of respect, integrity, tolerance, and care. We simply expect young people to treat one another in a way that is consistent with our core values of Scholarship, Citizenship, Community, and Personal Growth. We believe young people want to do the right thing and, mostly, their behavior demonstrates that core belief.

But we will continue to be alert and vigilant. Our school principals and staff work closely with students and families to ensure safe and secure learning environments. And the Needham School Committee is developing a bullying policy to complement the principals’ work and to ensure that we have the procedures, practices, and programs in place to address bullying behavior. We can’t guarantee a student will not be bullied while in school; but we can assure a swift and immediate response to both the schoolyard bully and the cyberbully whose online behavior at home in the evening disrupts the classroom during the day.

First the bad news...

This week I will ask the Needham School Committee to vote on a budget plan totaling $46,059,078 for the 2010-11 school year (Fiscal Year 2011), a 1.49% increase, or $676,193, over the current year. Unfortunately, due to the current economic realities we face locally and as a nation, we have been unable to craft a budget that will allow us to retain the same level of service next year that we enjoy this year. Nonetheless, it is a prudent plan and one that requires us to slow down, but not halt, progress on various district goals and initiatives.

It has also become clear that the following year (2011-12) will present its own challenges as well and will require further cuts and reductions unless there is a new and stable source of revenue. We will utilize over $600,000 in one time and federal stimulus funds to balance the FY11 budget; but the following year we will face a funding cliff in the same amount because that money dries up.

Increased staff contractual obligations and rising special education costs are two of the budget drivers for FY11. Unfortunately, local and state revenues are down resulting in significant decreases in aid to the schools and town. For example, one state program we rely on to reimburse the schools for certain special education costs is down over $600,000. We must still provide the service, but we have to reduce other areas of the budget in order to make up the shortfall. Increased student enrollments, particularly at the secondary level, place additional and growing pressure on this and future budgets.

We have worked hard to avoid reductions to classroom teachers, but with over 88% of our total budget in staff salaries, most of that teachers, it is impossible to avoid classroom cutbacks. We first reduced professional development, supplies, conferences, and then cut back on administration and administrative support. Ultimately, however, we had to cut three elementary teachers, two and a half middle school teachers, and up to two high school teachers to balance the budget. These cuts, though painful, are measured, balanced and will maintain reasonable class sizes, consistent with School Committee policy, throughout the district.

Now here is the good news: A lot of good folks are working very hard to ensure an appropriate and reasonable level of support for the schools in one of the worst economic climates in generations.

The work is not over. We await news from Beacon Hill around the State budget plan for FY11. New or reduced revenue could ultimately affect decisions around the school budget. And the Finance Committee, working closely and collaboratively with the Selectmen and School Committee, will continue to review the Town and School budgets as they prepare for their budget recommendation to Town Meeting in May.

Here is the best news: Using the resources the community provides, Needham’s teachers, administrators, and support staff will continue to provide a consistent and first rate educational program to the best students around.

We know the community has high expectations and wants the staff, administration, and School Committee to work very hard to ensure we are providing an optimal level of service to each child. We will continue to scour the budget for efficiencies, seek grant opportunities for funding, and look to economize wherever possible. We are dedicated to providing each Needham student with a competent, qualified, and inspiring teacher within a supportive learning environment.

The dollars may be hard to come by, but you can take our collective commitment to the bank.

For more information about the FY11 Budget plan, check out our website:

http://rwd1.needham.k12.ma.us/finance/Budget

Living in Boston, Learning in Needham: A Sophomore’s Story

I met with Tim, a high school student I mentor, the other day to check in and see how his first semester is going. Tim (not his real name) is a sophomore and a Boston resident who participates in the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) Program. As one of only 33 Boston students of color at nearly all white Needham High School, Tim manages to get up early (5:00 a.m.) for the bus ride into suburban Needham, tackles assignments, rushes to football practice or a workout in the fitness center, and heads home to complete homework or rehearse for the church choir. Like any other teen, he struggles to balance his grades, football, friends, and responsibilities at home.

But Tim is also navigating his high school career within a venue far from his Boston neighborhood and the comfort of familiar friends and faces. It’s tough enough these days for teenagers to figure out how they fit in; it’s an additional challenge to live two lives, one in suburbia where many of your friends are white and the other in the city, where most of your friends are black.

Freshman year was an adjustment for Tim. His grades suffered a bit, but with the assistance of staff and the encouragement of his parents he muddled through and is in a much better place as a sophomore. He is more engaged and focused, and he talks more seriously about his schoolwork and its importance. He is a very social young man (part of the problem freshman year!), and he seems entirely comfortable in the halls of Needham High. He told me he plans to run as a student council rep in the spring, and I have no doubt he will be successful.
“I have a lot to offer,” he told me.

Tim’s participation in the METCO Program is a real advantage for him, one that not all Boston students of color can enjoy. His parents’ perseverance, the Commonwealth’s financial support, and the Needham community’s willingness to partner with METCO these past 42 years means that Tim, and about 140 other Boston students of color, can enjoy an exceptional educational experience with Needham resident students beginning in Kindergarten.

It’s not a one-way street, by the way. Needham’s students benefit from the METCO program as much as their Boston friends. While Tim and the other Boston students attending Needham Schools are receiving a great education, Needham’s students are experiencing and interacting with young people who look different than they do and who have different social and cultural circumstances. They are all learning about each other and gaining lifelong friends whom they will depend on long after they graduate from Needham High.

The Needham/METCO connection means that all of our students are teachers: White students and students of color share their stories, assist one another, appreciate their similarities and differences, and learn powerful lessons about the human family. These are meaningful and important lessons, especially as our students study, work, and live in an increasingly diverse and global society.

My hope is that Tim—and each of our METCO students—will continue to have a successful year, although I am certain there will be hurdles and obstacles. Clearly, his parents, teachers, pastor, and Boston and Needham friends will support and encourage him along the way. Indeed, he has so much to learn and to gain from his Needham Public Schools experience. And if we all listen carefully and pay close attention to his personal story, we, too, will be enriched by his presence in our classrooms and within our community.

To learn more about the Needham/METCO connection, check out our website: http://www.needham.k12.ma.us/metco/index.htm

Honoring Song, Dance, and Play

A few days ago three Needham High School alumni, Steve Gross (’85), Leslie Woodies (’70), and Lisbeth Scott (’76) received the Distinguished Career Award for their accomplishments in the fields of the arts and social service. Following are the remarks I shared at a luncheon honoring these outstanding alum:

You know, over the years I have attended many assemblies and workshops with student and community groups. And I always try to leave an assembly with at least one idea, one take away that will help me summarize my experience and what I learned. So here is my take away from today: Song, Dance, and Joy. My take away is learning that our honorees have used their skills, talents, sense of wonder, and playfulness to lead creative and exuberant lives.

Your presence here today is a reminder, especially, of the power and relevance of scholarship in our world today and the importance of the arts in a comprehensive and rich academic program. You see, embedded in our definition of scholarship, at the very core of the way the Needham Public Schools understands scholarship, is the essential role creativity plays in our lives and learning. We believe it is essential to nurture a sense of awe, wonder, and playfulness within our children so that they may innovate, invent, and create. The role of music, literature, fine and performing arts, theatre, dance, and athletics are all essential ingredients to a high performing and high achieving school community. They also happen to be the DNA of a broader community where lives are enriched, neighborhoods enhanced, and human relationships are made meaningful and joyful.

Without a sense of creativity one has little capacity to problem solve, think independently, or take risks. The schools must promote an atmosphere of learning and scholarship that helps young people learn to think outside the box, offer alternative ideas, promote diverse thinking, and develop hypotheses that may be unconventional. In my view, the juxtaposition of scholarship and creativity makes sense; one supports and complements the other. Scholarship without creativity is a stately library without books.

Two authors folks in the Needham Schools have been following lately offer cautionary tales for those schools and communities that ignore the role of creativity in our classrooms.

Yong Zhao, a Michigan State University professor who recently penned Catching Up or Leading the Way (ASCD, 2009), exhorts Americans to be careful about the disabling effect of standardized testing and increasingly reduced opportunities for students to participate in the arts, music, and play in school. He notes that in an effort to encourage higher tests scores and become more competitive with other countries we have cut art programs in schools, for example, and emphasized academic drill and rote. Zhao believes the unique success of the American education system is its ability to help individuals grow into self-discovery and fulfillment. He posits that our economic and democratic success is a direct result of an innovative and nurturing education system that celebrates both diversity and divergent thinking. He warns us about trying to emulate the rest of the world too much. He writes:

“ Two paths lie in front of us: one in which we destroy our strengths in order to catch up with others in tests scores and one in which we build on our strengths so we can keep the lead in innovation and creativity. The current push for more standardization, centralization, high stakes testing, and test-based accountability is rushing us down the first path, while what will truly keep America strong and Americans prosperous … is the one that cherishes individual talents, cultivates creativity, celebrates diversity, and inspires curiosity.”

Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind (Penguin, 2006) tells us that a heavy reliance on right brain activities—emotion, creativity, big picture thinking, and inventiveness—is the key to our continued success individually and as a nation. Like Zhao, he cautions us to reconsider the notion that only the highest SAT scores or GPAs are the sole source of success in a highly interdependent and globalized work place. He encourages us to remember the importance of creativity, design, storytelling, and play in our lives, schools, and work.

He relates the story of a greeting card artist and designer who was a frequent visitor to schools. When he walked into classrooms, he would note all the artwork on the walls and ask the same question: “My, there must be several artists in this room! Where are they?” In Kindergarten classes, every hand shot up. In second grade, 3/4 of the hands went up, and in fourth grade maybe half went up. But by sixth grade, no hands went up.

As our children grow and schoolwork and academics takes a more serious turn, do we push aside the arts and squelch the natural and bubbling enthusiasm, joy, and pride of our students? Do we turn off the music, eliminate recess, gut sports and co-curricular activities all in the name of promoting a first class educational experience and in the process deny young people a chance to discover the gifts within? Pink asserts: “The wealth of nations and the well-being of individuals now depends on having artists in the room. In a world enriched by abundance but disrupted by automation and (the) outsourcing of white-collar work, everyone regardless of profession, must cultivate an artistic sensibility.”

And that brings me back to song, dance, and joy—and to our three honorees. Using song, dance, and joyful play our three honorees have lived honorable, caring, and creative lives which have enabled and encouraged the dreams of their audiences, students, and community.

Lisbeth Scott, a singer, songwriter and composer, has lent her voice and her immense talent to several major theatrical and movie productions. She has received extraordinary artistic acclaim and has devoted herself to assisting those in need in rural and impoverished areas to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. Leslie Woodies, dedicated choreographer, performer and teacher, has immersed her life in the art of dance, theatre and movement. Steve Gross has inspired hope and possibility to untold number of children locally and in areas around the globe devastated by crisis and disaster. Relying on his love of athletics and theatre, Steve ensures at risk children have the opportunity to express themselves through movement and joyful play while healing their pain and trauma.

They have each shared their time, talent, and wisdom to make this a more beautiful and just world for all of us. They began their journey at Needham High School and were influenced by family, friends, and teachers to express themselves and to celebrate the creative spirit and possibility that lies within. Their lives are a manifestation of our core values, and a reminder to all of us of the power of creativity in our world and the need to rededicate ourselves as a school community to ensure that we always allow the arts, athletics, and co-curricular activities to remain a significant and integral component of the Needham Public Schools experience.