Superintendent’s Blog

I was recently at a meeting with several Saline Area School parents discussing communication.  We were discussing the ways in which we (SAS) communicate with families and the community.  The group entertained the idea of developing a team of “key communicators” to meet with, discuss issues, get feedback, etc.  with administrators.  As we talked about “who” these “key communicators” are, it became more complex.

We realized that over the last several years, Saline has changed.  For example, the president of the bank, publisher of the local newspaper, executive director of the hospital, etc.  don’t necessarily live and raise their families in Saline.  In the not so distant past, most if not all key community leaders focused their work, family and social lives around Saline.  Now, it is common to consider the Ann Arbor region as the area within which the “key communicators” might work and pursue their social interests.

So, how do we communicate to a broad cross-section of the community?  Is it possible to assemble a workable sized group to represent the many diverse opinions within our community?

This is a question we are working to answer so that we can better communicate what is happening in and around Saline Area Schools.  The timing is critical.  We need engaged residents to provide insight and feedback as we work through challenging budget issues, as well as, develop and refine the instructional focus for the next three to five years.

I know it’s not likely to mean much very soon here in Saline, but there are some fundamental changes coming down the pipe from Washington D.C. We are moving from NCLB (No Child Left Behind) to RTTT (Race to the Top).  Or, as I like to call it….. from education policy Texas style to Chicago style…..  which if we were talking about pizza, would be great!

It’s still too early to tell what it all means, but it is interesting as all of us in public education watch the process unfold.  Today there was an interesting OP-ED  in the New York Times about the issue. It talked about the transition and the promise any change process holds.  I am hopeful that we can shift the focus to deep understanding, 21st Century skills with an integrated/project-based approach.  The piece notes,

Imagine, for instance, a third-grade classroom that was free of the laundry list of goals currently harnessing our teachers and students, and that was devoted instead to just a few narrowly defined and deeply focused goals.

In these difficult times where most of our conversations are about what we can’t do - it’s exciting to think about a brighter future for us all.

Recently, a parent dropped off the January/February issue of The Atlantic. The magazine contained an article by Amanda Ripley titled, “What makes a great teacher?” This is the age-old question in education.

Here in Saline we are fortunate.  We attract top quality applicants, have a comprehensive selection process, and retain our staff.  This is not the case in all districts. However, to remain a premier school district in Michigan, we need to focus on continuous improvement.  For example, last year we implemented a screening test to provide another piece of information to review during the selection process.

Another issue is how does one capture the entire story of a teacher’s impact?  Are test scores the method?  I’m personally skeptical of using test scores to assess overall performance – but it does matter – particularly over a several year time period.  The process highlighted in the magazine of the Teach for America study used test scores but also included classroom visits.

One researcher noticed he’d get a similar response from all of the high performing teachers.

“They’d say, ‘You’re welcome to come, but I have to warn you—I am in the middle of just blowing up my classroom structure and changing my reading workshop because I think it’s not working as well as it could.’ When you hear that over and over, and don’t hear that from other teachers, you start to form a hypothesis.”

Great teachers, he concluded, constantly reevaluate what they are doing.

They report that tendencies seemed to emerge.  These teachers maintain focus, involve students and parents in the learning process, plan exhaustively, and exhibit perseverance against the menace of not only one’s income level, but bureaucracy and budget deficits.

In fact, overall they determined “grit” and a history of perseverance were key indicators of teacher success.  The article goes into more detail about some of the other key factors.

It strikes me that perseverance is also an excellent trait for principals and superintendents.  Maintaining focus, involving staff and community in the decision making process, planning exhaustively, and persevering against bureaucracy and budget issues…  sounds like an effective strategy to me.

Tags: Ann Arbor area schools, Great Teachers, Saline Schools

Check out this excellent video from Ms. Staci Nazareth our Middle School Media Specialist.  It highlights some of the innovative ways Saline Area Schools is using technology to engage students.  For perhaps the first time ever - we are talking about “appropriate” use of cell phones in the classroom!

embedded by Embedded Video

Tags: 21st Century Skills, Saline Middle School

In a December, 2009 article in American Educational Research Journal, researchers reported on a study of how students learn using four different instructional approaches. All four claim to be effective at getting students actively selecting relevant information, organizing it in their minds, and integrating it with what they already know. Here are the teaching approaches, as seen from the student’s point of view:

• Tell me how it works
• Show me how it works
• Let me explain how it works
• Let me investigate how it works

Under normal circumstances, it’s very difficult to determine the merits of an instructional approach from the talents of the individual teachers. It was decided to factor out teaching as a variable by studying the four approaches as students worked with interactive computer instructional programs, all teaching mathematical probability theory to the 10th and 11th graders:

• Hypermedia learning (tell me) – Text, pictures, animation, and video elements are presented in nodes interconnected by hyperlinks; students are free to decide which piece of information they want to select and observe, and can work at their own sequence and pace.
• Observational learning (show me) – The computer program allows students to observe experts performing a task or solving a problem.
• Self-explanation-based learning (let me explain) – Worked-out examples are presented without the solution steps and students themselves type in explanations of how to work out the steps.
• Inquiry learning (let me investigate) – Students inductively come up with the answers by interacting with the subject matter.
• And the winner was… (c) The self-explanation approach. The outcome for students who used this learning program had the most impressive results across the board. The hypermedia and observational approaches produced the lowest results, and the inquiry approach was in between.

The only downside of self-explanation was that it took more time, whereas the hypermedia software was the quickest. Given enough time, self-explanation would be the method to use – although, if they could redesign the experiment, the researchers suspect that a combination of self-explanation and inquiry would be even better.

Ever been in a conversation in the stands or on the sidelines of a youth athletic event?

Ever traded comments while shopping at the local grocery store or Target?

People often share their thoughts and opinions about their local schools. Saline is no different.  In speaking to superintendents across the state, our community is no different than theirs when it comes to the rumor mill.

The issue is misinformation and unfounded rumors about the schools tend to take on a life of their own and official information from the school is often not heard.  The issues can be inconsequential to seriously disruptive.  For example, last week I was speaking with a class at the high school and student asked about the pool being “3 inches short” and that all records set in the pool were invalid.  He added that he heard we were going to spend thousands of dollars to fix the issue.  Thankfully, he asked the question.  I was able to clear up this misinformation, letting him know that there was no truth to the rumor and that the pool was the proper length, and that the hard work that went into setting those records was not to be discredited.  Sadly, this was not the first time I had heard the rumor.  Over the past 5 years I have heard the “pool’s too short” rumor.

So how do we combat the rumor mill and inform a community of 5,400 students and 600 employees?  My answer is to provide information that is understandable.  School districts can be a complex organizations even for the most informed community members.  For example, I’m not sure it is widely known that the vast majority of district decisions are based on state and federal regulations, board of education policies and contractual obligations.

The first step is to ask the question.  Like the student in the class last week, ask a school official about what you may have heard.  If they don’t know the answer, they can get it for you.  It may be something that we need to communicate out to a larger group via our email loops or on our website.  Feel free to post a comment/question here or on one of the other blogs for more information.

Over the past weeks we have been working on a framework that we can use to develop a Strategic Plan.  We have begun to assemble a steering committee of community members, parents and staff.  The process will include a variety of steps with the final version to the Board of Education by the end of the school-year.

While investigating concepts for discussion, the term “Global Competencies” kept being highlighted.  What is a “global competency”? This is a very good question.  According to the University of Wisconsin Global Competence Task Force, it is a person who possesses the skills, knowledge, and attitude to work effectively in our increasingly interdependent world.  In their report they state,

“Foremost amongst these ‘global competencies’ are the abilities to communicate effectively across linguistic and cultural boundaries, to see and understand the world from a perspective other than one’s own, and to understand and appreciate the diversity of societies and cultures.”

Globalization is here, but what does this mean for Saline Area Schools?  Is adding world languages to the 5th & 6th grade curriculum enough? This is an important conversation for us to have as we prepare our students for the future.

Tags: 21st Century Skills

I am big fan on Daniel Pink. This year, I gave each of our new certified staff a copy of his book  A Whole New Mind. A copy of the book was first given to me by one of our High School faculty, Ms. Cyndi Koppelman. He has a new book out called Drive. I have not had a chance to read it yet, but I saw this quick promo video that made me think.

What is my sentence?  Do organizations have “a sentence” and if so, what is Saline Area Schools’ sentence?

embedded by Embedded Video

What is your sentence?

Last week I read an interesting fact about the State of Michigan.

Michigan leads the nation in the percentage of adult population that earned a high school diploma and attended college but obtained no degree.

I also learned that the difference between “some college” and a Bachelors degree with regard to lifetime earnings is significant.  The difference between a high school diploma and “some college” is minimal.

Is improving the quality of our workforce and the Michigan economy as simple as making sure a higher percentage of the students that enter college actually finish with a degree?  Why don’t they finish?  Is the cost too high or are they not “college ready”?

On Thursday, the Board of Education and I toured Harvest Elementary and the High School to witness some of the programs that make Saline Area Schools great.  One of the classes we visited was the “seniors only” flexible-schedule English class where the students attend class two days a week.  The other three days they are involved in community service projects around Saline.  They are making valuable contributions at places like Brecon Village, Human Society, and the Red Cross. It was interesting to hear the students share the impact of not being in class and “accountable” to a teacher on a daily basis.  Many were working through their own learning about how to manage the newfound flexibility.  Several noted this provided them with a new perspective on how they need to manage their time, especially as they prepare for college.

I feel we not only need to prepare our students for the rigors of college, but also for the structure of the learning environment.  This style of course provides a relevant experience for our college bound students. We must make sure Saline students have the skills not only to get into college, but also to obtain a degree.

One of the issues facing Saline Area Schools is declining enrollment.  It sounds odd to say due to the fact that the number of school-aged children in our district exploded from 3,100 students in the 1991 to 5,150 in 2001.  That growth over 10 years shaped the structure and culture of our school system.  During this era we purchased land, built buildings, added staff, expanded existing facilities – all to accommodate our newfound size.  Our peer group changed both athletically and academically.  No longer did we compare ourselves to Dexter, Chelsea, Tecumseh, etc. we looked at Ann Arbor, Brighton and Novi.

Well, that era is over.  We have about the same number of students enrolled today (5,450) as we did in 2005 (5,425).  Our largest 4 grade levels are all at the High School.  We have 475 students in 12th grade and 385 students in Kindergarten.  If all current K-11 students remain enrolled and we enroll another 385 next year in kindergarten we will be 90 students smaller next year.  That is over $650,000 in reduced foundation payments from the State.

In the 1990’s, being a declining enrollment district had a stigma.  It implied that a community was not healthy enough to generate children during relatively prosperous time in the history of our State.  The stigma too is gone.  Last year, 80% or the districts in Michigan declined in enrollment.  From 2000-2008, only 3 counties in Michigan gained students – Benzie, Macomb and Washtenaw – and the growth in Washtenaw was well short of the growth our county enjoyed in the 90’s.

SEMCOG predicts that while the population of Washtenaw County will stabilize over the next several years, it will be an older population.  This population will produce fewer children, needing fewer schools, fewer teachers, fewer support staff, fewer principals and likely fewer superintendents.  The State of Michigan, and the Midwest in general is dealing with flat to declining population.

Is this a bad thing?  To a degree it is, dealing with a system that ties revenues to enrollment means fewer resources.  This is amplified by the other reductions in funding.  Our system is now built for 5,500-7,000 students, so affording the current structure of the district is problematic.

Are there good things?  Sure, managing fewer students and staff allows us to create a stronger sense of family and community.  We can also gain some operational efficiency by maximizing the use of our active facilities.

In the end, it doesn’t matter if it is a good thing or a bad thing.  The future will be what we make it, regardless of how many students we have enrolled each year.