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"The biggest room is the world is...Room for Improvement."

Each of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry; Our lives are woven together for a reason.

"When the pace of change outside an organization becomes greater than the pace of change inside the organization, the end is near".  John R. Walter, President, ATT

I had rather do and not promise than promise and not do.    - - Arthur Warwick - -

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School Impact Fees

As was discussed in the School Board worksession on Tuesday, September 22, to prepare for future growth of the school population in Polk County, the consulting firm Henderson, Young and Company is recommending an increase in the impact fees on new residential units built in Polk.

You may wish to read the resulting news article in The Ledger and the NewsChief.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20090923/NEWS/909245030/1134?Title=School-Board-Talks-About-Impact-Fees

http://www.newschief.com/article/20090923/NEWS/909235042/1021?Title=Schools-want-impact-fee-doubled

This recommendation from Henderson, Young and Company will have to be decided by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners.  By Florida state statute the county commission is the only body with the authority to impose these impact fees.  They also have the authority to issue building permits for all new housing units constructed within the unincorporated areas of Polk County.

July 30, 2009                  

School Improvement Program Expands to Cover All Public Schools

Florida’s Differentiated Accountability pilot program has been expanded to account for every public school student in the state. With Governor Charlie Crist’s recent signing of House Bill 991, the Differentiated Accountability pilot program now incorporates all public schools that, for two years in a row, fail to meet 100 percent of federal proficiency standards. These schools will receive escalating district and state support based on their specific needs.

Under the program, schools are placed into six categories based on their state-assigned letter grade, percentage of federal proficiency requirements met, and the number of years they have failed to meet those requirements. Support provided to these schools varies, depending on the amount of improvement needed. Some examples of support services include assistance in school-wide planning, leadership development, teacher training, curriculum development, and data analysis. To learn more, visit http://www.fldoe.org/news/2009/2009_06_25.asp.

July 3, 2009                  

Tax Rolls Drop Not As Bad As Feared Earlier

By Tom Palmer
THE LEDGER

"The loss in the value of taxable property in Polk County moderated somewhat from an earlier estimate, according to figures released Thursday by Polk County Property Appraiser Marsha Faux's office. The July 1 estimate is $30.3 billion, up from..."

To view the remainder of this article click on this link: http://www.theledger.com/article/20090702/NEWS/907025052/1410?Title=Tax-Rolls-Drop-Not-As-Bad-As-Feared-Earlier

FCAT School Grades Released

The overall grade for the school district is a B. Polk's grade summary is as follows:
A-53 schools
B-26
C-26
D-8
F-1
69 percent of Polk schools received an A or B
92 percent of Polk schools received an A, B or C

Visit the Florida Department of Education Website at www.fldoe.org to check for an individual school's grade and a complete FCAT grade summary or click here for a list of all school grades.

School Board Adjusts Tax Millage, Employee Health Benefits
(June 23, 2009)

The following are results of two school board votes during the Tuesday, June 23, 2009 board meeting.

Tax Millage

The board approved (over my objection) to levy an additional .25 discretionary tax millage as authorized by the state legislature effective with the 2009-2010 school year. The new millage rate will appear in the tax bills mailed out in November 2009.

Due to an estimated decreased value of properties across Polk County, the additional millage should still result in a decrease compared to prior year’s school taxes for the average homeowner.

The school board voted for the discretionary millage to support students and instructional and support personnel.

Employee Health Benefits

The school board approved a new health plan for its employees and retirees. The following is a summary of the health plan as authored by the school district’s risk management department.

The School Board of Polk County has enjoyed the opportunity to provide its employees with outstanding health care coverage through its self-funded insurance plan. For several years, there have been no plan design changes and no premium increases to employees while health care costs have been rising. At this time, the health plan expenses are exceeding the premiums and the health plan is losing money. Significant plan design changes are now necessary to reduce the expenses in the plan in order for the plan to remain financially viable.

On June 23, 2009, the School Board approved options for the October 1, 2009 Plan Year that we believe will provide a comprehensive health plan for all employees while addressing the need to reduce costs. Employees will have the opportunity to continue a plan that is provided by the School Board at no cost to the employee and at the current dependent rates. Additional “Buy-up” options will also be available during the Open Enrollment.

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A Strong Student Connection to the School Community and its Staff Are Key to Preventing Violence, says McLean Hospital Researcher

In a report issued on June 5 by McLean Hospital, the United States Secret Service and the United States Department of Education, researchers note that creating a positive school climate in which students believe the school staff genuinely wants to hear from them about threats or possible attacks is critical to preventing future Columbine-like school violence.

The 15-page report “Prior Knowledge of Potential School-Based Violence: Information Students Learn May Prevent a Targeted Attack,” is available at www.secretservice.gov/ntac/bystander_study.pdf and www.mclean.harvard.edu.  It outlines the results of multiple interviews of bystanders to violent school attacks to determine how students with prior knowledge of school violence made decisions regarding what steps, if any, to take after learning the information.

Kathleen High's Danny Whittenton was a Finalist for the Florida Department of Education-Macy's Florida Teacher of the Year

Summer Hours

As a cost reduction measure for the summer months, Polk County Public Schools have initiated 10-hour work days. Schools, offices and facilities of the Polk Public Schools are open Monday - Thursday and closed on the following Fridays: June 13, June 20, June 27, July 4, July 11, July 18, July 25, and August 1.

June 25, 2008

Magazine Names Polk Top Employer

Black Collegian Magazine has ranked Polk [County Florida] Public Schools as one of its top 100 employers for the graduating class of 2008 from colleges and universities. Polk County Public Schools is ranked 55th of 100 top employers. Also making the list were IBM (ranked 4th), Procter & Gamble (ranked 33rd) and Owens Corning (ranked 88th). According to the magazine, The Top 100 Employers List is based on the hiring projections of America’s largest employers. Polk is among 12 education entities to make the list. To read more and see the entire list, click here.

Polk Students Excel In Science

Two Polk students won significant awards for their scientific research. David Futch, the 2008 valedictorian at Winter Haven High, was honored by the American Museum of Natural History and Reagan Lee, who will be a senior at Bartow International Baccalaureate in August, was honored at the state FFA convention. Futch’s Young Naturalist Award from the museum earned him a trip to New York City last month while Lee’s research earns him a trip to Indianapolis for the national FFA convention in October. To read more, click here.

Seven Schools Earn Music Enrollment Awards

Seven Polk schools won 2007-2008 Florida Department of Education Music Enrollment Awards. Music enrollment awards are given to secondary schools for effective music curriculum and for recruiting and retaining students in music programs. To qualify for a music enrollment award, at least 35 percent of an entire school’s student body must be enrolled in music courses. Schools winning music enrollment awards were: Blake Academy (Lakeland), Boone Middle (Haines City), Davenport School of the Arts, Mulberry Middle, Bartow Middle, Lawton Chiles Middle (Lakeland) and Jewett Academy (Winter Haven). The seven schools winning the award in 2007-2008 are an increase from the 2006-2007 school year. Two schools won the award in 2006-2007.

Fitness Programs Nets $10,000 For Garden Grove

Winter Haven's Garden Grove Elementary received $10,000 as part of the 2007-2008 Governor's Fitness Challenge. The Challenge was a program that encouraged elementary school students to participate in physical activity and focus on activities that could be completed during or after the school day. The $10,000 can be used to purchase athletic and sports equipment. Students received Governor's Fitness Challenge T-shirts, certificates and stickers. Themes for the challenge were posted on a Web site and podcasts from professional athletes and Olympians were broadcast to motivate students throughout the challenge. The school committed to and carried out a fitness regimen and schedule to earn the $10,000.

Winston’s Wizards Of Wall Street

Teams of students from Lakeland’s Winston Elementary won top awards in stock market simulation contests. Winston was second among 80 competing teams in The Stock Market Game, a program of the national Foundation for Investor Education. The foundation, based in New York City, is a nonprofit organization that develops and provides investor learning and resources for all ages. In a similar contest sponsored by the Florida Council on Economic Education, Winston was the first place team in the elementary school division. They topped 28 other elementary schools from across the state. Susiette Dixon was the Winston teacher who involved the students with the stock market learning and helped to teach them to manage stock portfolios.

Florida Students Named U.S. Presidential Scholars

Four Florida high school students were announced as 2008 United States Presidential Scholars. The U. S. Presidential Scholars program honors students for academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship and service at school and in their community. Congratulations to the following high school seniors:

• Anne L. Chen, Suncoast Community High School, Wellington
• Kyla D. Horn, Cocoa Beach Junior/Senior High School, Cocoa Beach
• Mark H. Kavesh, Bartow High School International Baccalaureate Program
• Joseph C. Parra, Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Boynton Beach*
  * Presidential Scholar in the Arts

These students will be honored in Washington, D.C., June 21-24. From nearly 2.8 million graduating high school seniors, approximately 3,000 students are identified as Presidential Scholar candidates. For more information about United States Presidential Scholars, visit www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2008/05-06.asp .

June 5, 2008

During the 2007-2008 school year 31,749 individuals gave a total of 1,676,039 volunteer hours in the Polk County Public Schools!!! Congratulations to all who contributed their time to the students and teachers in our schools in Polk County.

May 30, 2008

Kathleen High Teacher Is State Finalist

Danny Whittenton, Kathleen High teacher and 2008 Polk County Teacher of the Year, was named by Macy’s and the Florida Department of Education as one of five finalists for Florida Teacher of the Year. Danny will be part of The Florida Teacher of the Year event that will be broadcast live statewide on July 10 from Universal Studios in Orlando and hosted by journalist Deborah Norville. Polk teachers have an outstanding streak going in the state Teacher of the Year event. Polk has had finalists in three of the last five years--2004, 2005 and 2008--and five of the last 11 years –1998, 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2008. State Teachers of the Year from Polk were Beth Johnson, Kathleen High (1981) and Samuel Bennett, Garner Elementary (2005).

Bartow High Makes Newsweek’s Best High Schools List

Bartow High has made Newsweek’s list of the best high schools in America every year that the publication has done the list. Bartow ranked 183rd best in the nation in the 2008 list released May 20. That follows Bartow High’s ranking as third best in the country from a U.S. News & Report article in November 2007. Click here to read more.

Mulberry High Drill Team Is 5th In The Nation

The Mulberry High JROTC Drill Team finished fifth nationally in the unarmed platoon regulations event at the National High School Drill Team Championship held in Daytona Beach. Mulberry was one of only 150 schools nationally invited to compete from more than 2,000 schools that applied. Mulberry brought a 20-cadet squad to nationals. Jamie Helmick, currently a Mulberry High sophomore, was rated the 6th-best commander in the country at the nationals. Sgt. Jerry Wooten is the squad’s instructor.

Superintendent’s Scholars, Perfect SAT’s, ACT’s

A total of 150 graduating seniors were named 2008 Superintendent’s Scholars for high grade point averages and high scores on the SAT or ACT college prepatory assessments. To read the requirements to be a Superintendent’s Scholar and to learn the names and schools of the scholars click here. Also, 22 students were honored by the school board for attaining the highest possible scores on subject area components of the SAT and ACT. Click here to read the names and schools of these students.

Music Foundation Honors Polk

The International Music Products Association Foundation, also known as the NAMM Foundation, named Polk County as one of the best 110 school districts nationally for music education. For nine years, the NAMM Foundation has released its list titled “Best Communities for Music Education.” The 2008 list includes school districts from 29 states. Brevard and Hillsborough made the list from Florida along with Polk. Districts were measured according to music program support, curriculum, funding, student enrollment in music programs, student-teacher ratio and other relevant factors in communities’ music education programs. Click here to learn more.

Ridge Community High Wins Student Press Awards

Davenport’s Ridge Community High won numerous awards at the Florida Scholastic Press Association state convention. More than 1,000 student journalists entered work from school newspapers and yearbooks. Ridge Community students won three first place awards, a third place and two honorable mention awards. The awards were for computer design, layout, feature writing and photography. Stacey Creech is the Ridge Community High teacher who advises the student journalists. Stacey has also been selected as a state director for the Florida Scholastic Press Association.

May 28, 2008

Great Florida Teach-In
June 26, 2008
Lakeland

The Great Florida Teach-In is a statewide job fair sponsored annually by the Department of Education. The Teach-In provides a convenient forum that enables educators seeking employment in Florida to obtain interviews with school and district personnel responsible for hiring teachers. The event is free to candidates who may either register in advance or on site.

To be eligible to attend the Teach-In, candidates must either hold at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution or have an expected graduation date of no later than August 2008. Representatives of approximately 30 school districts and 20 charter schools will be in attendance. Additionally, private and public colleges and universities will also be available to promote their education programs.

For more information or to register, visit www.teachinflorida.com.

March 20, 2008

Florida Department of Education funds Florida PROMiSE

Florida PROMiSE, a partnership of universities, school districts, and educational consortia, addresses the need to improve the mathematics and science achievement of Florida’s students through professional development.

Florida recently adopted new mathematics and science standards that represent a substantive change from the standards that were previously in place. Florida PROMiSE will assist teachers and school leaders to implement these new standards. In addition, parents and the community in general will need information to understand the implication of the new standards.

Florida adopts new mathematics and science standards

Florida recently adopted new mathematics and science standards that represent a substantive change from the standards that were previously in place.

These new mathematics and science standards can be viewed at PROMiSE March2008 update

February 20, 2008

This story speaks volumes about child rearing in our country when I was a boy.  Are there any of you out there who long for America to return to this approach to parenting?

January 9, 2008

Center on State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices

As reported in the January/February 2008 edition of The Achiever, the U.S. Department of Education's biweekly bulletin on No Child Left Behind:

This March, the U.S. Department of Education will announce the names of six states chosen to take part in the development of a new national education center aimed at improving student achievement, particularly for students with disabilities. The Department awarded a $5 million grant over the next five years to the University of South Florida to establish the Center on State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices at its Tampa campus, in order to broaden the use of proven, well-researched education strategies. Through a partnership with the universities of Connecticut and Oregon, researchers at South Florida will work initially with the selected states to increase their capacity to provide the technical assistance needed by school districts in such areas as inclusion, assessments and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) to support the achievement of students with special needs. Lessons learned from these states will be disseminated nationwide through a Web site, conferences and publications.

December 23, 2007

Education Funding Approved With Small Cut to Perkins

After months of debate, Congress finally approved a Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill as part of a larger $555 billion omnibus legislative package (H.R.2764). The bill, expected to be signed by President Bush later this month, includes $59.2 billion for education and $1.175 billion for the Perkins Act, an approximate $11 million cut below the FY 2007 Perkins level.

Approved by the House on December 19 by a 272-142 vote, the bill met two requirements from President Bush: (1) it remained under a threshold of overall discretionary funding that the President set early in the year at $933 billion, and (2) it included $70 billion in increases for funding the Iraq War.

Democrat leaders who pushed for large funding increases for domestic programs throughout the year – often joined by some Republicans – were, in the end, unable to attract enough support. While a reallocation of funds did result in approximately $1.7 billion in increases for the Department of Education, all programs in the bill were subject to a 1.75 percent across-the-board cut.

Perkins funding had been increased by $25 million in an earlier Congressionally-passed bill, but that measure was vetoed by the President and Congress was unable to override the veto which requires a 2/3 majority for passage. The Presidential veto required Congress to reopen negotiations that resulted in the reduced allocation and across-the-board cut.

December 12, 2007

Florida School Board Association's Innovative Technology in Education Recognition Program

Purpose: To recognize and share innovative uses of technology in school district operations.

Goals:
* To display best practices in Innovative Technology
* To improve student achievement
* To increase overall efficiency
* To improve safety

Congratulations to Polk's Information Systems and Technology Division and Assessment, Accountability & Evaluation (AAE) division for winning the award for large school district's throughout the state of Florida for our I.D.E.A.S.!

Polk’s
IDEAS (Interactive Data Evaluation & Assessment System)
https://ideas.polk-fl.net/DEFAULT.aspx

The Mission of Polk County Schools is to ensure rigorous, relevant learning experiences that result in high achievement for our students. To meet this goal, the district needed to make solid data-driven instructional decisions for each individual student. Three years ago Polk County developed IDEAS, an interactive data warehouse and reporting tool that is accessible to all school administrators and teachers, twenty-four hours a day. Useful data can be obtained within minutes using a simple point and click navigation. Student demographic and test data on all standardized tests (e.g., FCAT, SAT10, DIBELS, Kaplan, PSAT, SAT, ACT), as well as discipline data, and the number of AYP cells applicable to each student are accessible for analysis in multiple formats (tables, charts, Excel file, custom queries, etc.). Data is uploaded nightly; when a student withdraws from one school and enrolls in another, the data follows the student and is available to the new teacher the following day.

Last year, many schools reported the use of IDEAS as one of the strongest reasons for instructional decisions that resulted in increased student achievement. This was evidenced in the increase from 44 “A” schools in 2006 to 51 in 2007, in spite of the fact that two more cells (science and lowest 25% in Math) were added to the school grade calculation. IDEAS is cost efficient because it was created, developed and is maintained in-house without annual reoccurring costs, saving the district approximately over three-quarter of a million dollars annually for a comparable product!

November 12, 2007

Reading Effortlessly and With Expression = Reading Success
By http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Brenda_Geier]Brenda Geier

Materials: Fun short text with rhythm such as poems at the Independent Level
Parents and teachers: Assist your children/students in becoming fluent readers by:

1. Providing them with models of fluent reading. Find someone who will read to the children if you are not a fluent reader. Allowing the voice to fall and rise (vary pitch) with enthusiasm at appropriate times throughout the reading exercise would be the perfect way to model read. For example, the reader should allow his/her voice to rise at the end if the question is being read. For example, "Is this sufficient?" should be read as if the reader is actually asking the question to someone in person. The voice will rise at the last word because it is after all a question.

2. Ask children/students to repeatedly read passages as you offer guidance. They should practice reading passages until they can read them as the model did, assuming the model is an adequate reader. Do not allow someone to model reading unless that person is an efficient reader. A child's interest in learning to read can be hindered by an inadequate reader.

3. Model fluent reading. Ask the children to reread the text once the text has been modeled. By doing this, the students are engaging in repeated reading. Usually, rereading a text four times is sufficient to improve fluency. Text with rhythm and/or poems is a good choice for this activity. It is the actual time that students are actively engaged in reading that produces reading gains. Use text that is interesting to the child and contains 100-200 words.

By listening to adequate models of fluent reading, students learn how a reader's voice can make written text make sense. I cannot stress enough the importance of reading aloud daily to children/students. By reading effortlessly and with expression, you are modeling and teaching how a fluent reader sounds during reading.

Ask the children to reread the text once the text has been modeled. By doing this, the students are engaging in repeated reading. Usually, rereading a text four times is sufficient to improve fluency. It is the actual time that students are actively engaged in reading that produces reading gains.

Encourage parents or other family members to read aloud to their children at home. As children/students hear several models of fluent readers, they are exposed to many ways a reader can sound. Soon they will see that some sound more interesting than others or that some make the text come alive more than others. A reader that comes alive and keeps children attention is generally what the child would like to sound like when they spend time reading.

In addition, students improve their fluency by combining reading instruction with opportunities to read books that are at their independent level of reading ability. Books that are at a child's independent level will require minimal assistance from a parent/teacher. (see the three levels of text readability below)

Readability Levels

Independent level text - This type of text is easy to read with approximately 1 out of 20 words difficult for the reader (95% success)

Instructional level text - This type of text is challenging to read but manageable with approximately 1 out of 10 words difficult for the reader (90% success)

Frustration level text - This type of text is too hard to read with more than 1 out of 10 words difficult for the reader (less than 90% success)

Copyright (c) 2007 Brenda Geier
Your child's development is important and here at child font, each lesson builds on skills from the previous lesson; home schooling has never looked brighter: http://www.childfont.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_Geier http://EzineArticles.com/?Reading-Effortlessly-and-With-Expression-=-Reading-Success&id=624551

September 16, 2007

Part 1

NCLB – ANOTHER VIEW

If you don't understand why educators resent the federal NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll enjoy this analogy, which was written by John S. Taylor, former Superintendent of Schools for the Lancaster County, SC, School District.

Teachers will enjoy it, parents should be informed and politicians should consider it.

The Best Dentist…"Absolutely" the Best Dentist

(aka. "No Dentist Left Behind")

by John Taylor, 2002
former Superintendent, Lancaster County (SC) Schools

My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget checkups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never hurts me, and I've got all my teeth. When I ran into him the other day, I was eager to see if he'd heard about the new state program. I knew he'd think it was great. "Did you hear about the new state program to measure effectiveness of dentists with their young patients?" I said. "No," he said. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How will they do that?"

"It's quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of cavities each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and average that to determine a dentist's rating. Dentists will be rated as excellent, good, average, below average, and unsatisfactory. That way parents will know which are the best dentists. The plan will also encourage the less effective dentist to get better," I said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses to practice." "That's terrible," he said. "What? That's not a good attitude," I said. "Don't you think we should try to improve children's dental health in this state?" "Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who is practicing good dentistry." "Why not?" I said. "It makes perfect sense to me."

"Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists don't all work with the same clientele, and that much depends on things we can't control? For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage of patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues work in middle-class neighborhoods. Many of the parents I work with don't bring their children to see me until there is some kind of problem, and I don't get to do much preventive work. Also, many of the parents I serve let their kids eat way too much candy from an early age, unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship between sugar and decay. To top it all off, so many of my clients have well water which is untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea how much difference early use of fluoride can make?" "It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. "I can't believe that you, my dentist, would be so defensive. After all, you do a great job, and you needn't fear a little accountability." "I am not being defensive!" he said. "My best patients are as good as anyone's, my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is going to be higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose to work where I am needed most."

"Don't' get touchy," I said. "Touchy?" he said. His face had turned red, and from the way he was clenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage his teeth. "Try furious! In a system like this, I will end up being rated average, below average, or worse. The few educated patients I have who see these ratings may believe this so-called rating is an actual measure of my ability and proficiency as a dentist. They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the neediest patients. And my cavity average score will get even worse. On top of that, how will I attract good dental hygienists and other excellent dentists to my practice if it is labeled below average?" "I think you are overreacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse-making and stonewalling won't improve dental health'... I am quoting from a leading member of the DOC," I noted. "What's the DOC?" he asked. "It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of mostly lay persons to make sure dentistry in this state gets improved". "Spare me," he said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't buy it," he said hopefully. The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would you measure good dentistry?" "Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my processes."

"That's too complicated, expensive and time- consuming," I said.

"Cavities are the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom line.

It's an absolute measure." "That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients will think. This can't be happening," he said despairingly.

"Now, now," I said, "don't despair the state will help you some." "How?" he asked.

If you receive a poor rating, they'll send a dentist who is rated excellent to help straighten you out," I said brightly. "You mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with a wealthy clientele to show me how to work on severe juvenile dental problems with which I have probably had much more experience? BIG HELP!" "There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at all." "You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading schools and teachers on an average score made on a test of children's progress with no regard to influences outside the school, the home, the community served and stuff like that. Why would they do something so unfair to dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools." I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened. "I'm going to write my representatives and senators," he said. "I'll use the school analogy. Surely they will see the point." He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed anger that I, a teacher, see in the mirror so often lately.

History of this essay

John Taylor, retired superintendent of schools in Lancaster, S.C., offers this history of the above essay which he wrote while leading that district:

"The parody was originally titled 'Absolutely the Best Dentists.' It was written and sent to every newspaper and legislator in South Carolina a number of years ago in an attempt to point out the absurdities inherent in South Carolina's then new accountability act which was focused on 'absolute' performance and threatened retention for every child who couldn't meet very challenging grade level standards. (Not to mention severe penalties for 'poorly performing' schools, teachers ands administrators.) Since then it has traveled widely to the point that I have not been able to keep up with the uses; but I know it has appeared in teacher association publications in at least three Canadian Provinces and in Australia, as well as dozens in the USA. The No Child Left Behind Act seems to have given the story a new life."

Part 2

For those who enjoyed the dentist analogy to education, you might enjoy John Taylor's second piece. It's a follow-up to the first part of his..."No Dentist Left Behind"

Forget the Children - My Dentist Now Gets a Top Rating
by John Taylor, former Superintendent, Lancaster County (SC) Schools

My dentist bent over me in his usual no-nonsense manner. "Open wide," he said.

"Hold on a second," I said.

It had been quite a while since I'd seen my dentist (despite his timely reminders).

"I couldn't help but notice the rating posted in your waiting room. I thought you had a bunch of objections to rating dentists on the cavity counts of their young patients, but for someone who was so upset about the new state program for improving children's dental health, you seem to have come out quite well," I said smugly. "I told you that you had nothing to worry about."

"One does what one has to do," he responded somberly. "The cavity average of my young patients is now as good or better than that of dentists of my training and expertise across the state."

"Aren't you embarrassed about how you responded to the State Dental Improvement Program when I first brought it to your attention?" I said. "I knew you were a great dentist! I've noticed you have even improved the look of your office since my last visit. The waiting room is much neater."

"That's probably because fewer children are running around in there," he said.

"Fewer children?" I said. "Why?"

"I've lost some of my patients because they and their parents wouldn't do their part. I now require all my patients to see me every six months as long as they are progressing well. For patients with above the state average of cavities for their age, I require visits every three months. It's working better than I feared," he said. "I've only had to drop about 30-35% of my children for failure to meet my requirements. And the dental health of my remaining young patients is now really quite good," he said.

"But what about the children you dropped?" I asked, horrified. "Where do they go for dental care? There aren't other dentists in this area who serve that clientele."

"I don't know," he said gravely.

"How can you do that?" I gasped. "Think of the children - you can't just drop them. Besides, that's like cheating. Your rating doesn't mean anything."

"Don't go getting 'holier-than-thou' with me," he said. "I'm the one who told you the ratings don't mean anything. There are too many factors dentists can't control. I have simply chosen to control the things I can control to preserve my reputation, and possibly my practice."

"But...the chi-children," I stammered.

"Look," he said sternly. "If I lose my reputation, or, heaven forbid, even my license to practice, I won't be helping any children - or you either."

"But, the children," I murmured again. "What happens to the ones who failed to meet your standards?"

"Look," he said, "I don't feel so great about that either. So, I do what I can - I do some pro-bono work at the emergency room on really severe dental crises - they don't count such work against my average. I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances."

"But," I said, "if this is happening all over the state, think of all the children who aren't getting any dental care. Surely this is not what the law intended."

"Listen, I've become quite an expert on what happens when you beat people up with numbers and ratings," my dentist said. "Do you remember when I said no one would ever think of trying a program like this with schools?

"Well, I found out they have," he continued. "In Texas and South Carolina and many other states around the country, schools are being rated with raw averages of student test scores, just like the Dental Improvement Program with cavity averages. And, in many schools, students who don't meet standards within arbitrary time frames are failed. And many are dropping out."

He glared at me and went on. "I just read an article about the large number of children who drop out of school in Texas. It should be a disgrace, but instead it drives up the averages, and Texas is being touted as a national model for school reform. Need I say more?"

"Wow," was all I could think of to say. I should have said, "Ugh."

He was wound up now, and he did say more.

"W. Edwards Deming, the famous management expert often credited with Japan's great economic turn-around after the war, said that when systems beat people up with numbers, averages, and quotas, the numbers invariably rise but are most often meaningless. Deming often said that the most important factors are not quantifiable - but, obviously, no one is paying attention to him."

"This is a bad system," I said. "I see it now. We need to change it. Average cavities are the wrong measure. We need to observe dentists in practice and account for differences in clientele. We need to assess and help people individually."

"Too complicated and time consuming - to use your own words to me," my dentist smirked. "Besides, cavities are an absolute measure, and you can't argue with an absolute measure."

"Now, open-wide," he said, jerking my jaw down.

"Ughmmph," I said.

September 2, 2007

The Mouse Trap

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning:

There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house  There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.  The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.  The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main Ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.  To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died.

So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.  The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.  We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.
 

August 1, 2007

Dual Language

It was my pleasure to attend the opening day of our recent (July 23-25) Dual Language Conference held on the Winter Haven campus of Polk Community College.  This conference was the brain child of our ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Director, Chane Eplin.

Polk County piloted its dual language two-way immersion program in five elementary schools during the 2006-2007 school year.  This program integrated native English speakers and native Spanish speakers, providing instruction in both languages for all students.  Two-way immersion programs promote bi-lingualism and bi-literacy, grade-level academic achievement, and positive cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors in all students.

This approach to education in Polk County's multi-language environment is designed to help prepare our children for a global economy.  We are preparing them to be bi-lingual and bi-literate in both English and Spanish.  When they graduate from high school and college, or if they choose to directly enter the workforce after high school they will be better prepared to compete in the job market.

As President Teddy Roosevelt describes below, the ideal of many cultures and languages becoming one is still a reality, but to compete in the rapidly expanding global economy American citizens are better prepared to compete with people of other nations when they are able to converse in more than one language.

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an American in 1907.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin.

But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language.. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

June 22, 2007

B-Mail

Polk County Library Cooperative's (PCLC) B-Mail (Books by Mail) is home delivery service of library materials available to all library customers who reside within Polk County (FL).  Books, movies, audiobooks and compact disks are mailed to customers whose library membership is in good standing and fine free.  Some restrictions apply.

Log into www.pclc.lib.fl.us and click on B-Mail for details.  Call 863-679-4441, toll free 1-866-679-4441, or e-mail bmail@pclc.lib.fl.us to request an information packet.

B-Mail delivery is free!  When the title you've requested is available it will be delivered to the address listed on your PCLC library account.  Return to any PCLC library or by mail.

Free delivery and return postage is available to shut-ins or individuals who qualify medically.

Save steps, stops and gas in your busy day.  Order school assignments, movies, audiobooks, and books from home.

Give this service a try, B-Mail is the Polk County library that never closes.  Order materials 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Did You Know?

In a recent Florida teacher survey, to which nearly 13,000 educators responded, teachers cited the following as the top five issues important to them:
   1. Making a difference with students
   2. Receiving good salary increases
   3. Having a supportive administration
   4. Working for a dynamic instructional leader
   5. Having input in running the school

The results of this survey were reported by:

Nicole C. Flesvig
Teacher Liaison
Office of Public Affairs
Florida Department of Education
E-mail: JustforTeachers@fldoe.org
Web site: http://www.fldoe.org/justforteachers

May 14, 2007

Fairness

"You only get one chance to make a first impression" and "Don't butt in line."

These statements we all surely must have been told when we were children.  They are the basis for my position regarding the timing of the funding and construction to implement Master Plan renovations at schools within Polk County.

The development of Master Plans for school renovation leads to the impression (by both internal and external stakeholders) that progress will begin and continue in a timely manner unless interrupted by acts of God, the legislature or Congress.  While other schools may indeed have needs it is patently unfair for those school's projects to interrupt the progress on previously developed Master Plans.  This is a case of "don't butt in line".

When you "put your best foot forward" you do so to make a good impression.  However there are times when you can make too good of an impression and it will be detrimental to your cause.  If you have remodeling needs it will be difficult to make a case for those needs if the public (both internal and external) sees a beautiful facade and not the needs behind that good curb appeal.  When you want to convince the public that you have needs don't try to hide your defects...showcase them instead...and then wait in line to receive your well deserved facility improvements.

Fairness...make the right impression to further your cause AND then wait your turn and don't butt (or ask to butt) in line!  Polk is a very large district with a multitude of needs and a pot of gold that is very limited.  Let's cooperate with each other for the benefit of all.

April 9, 2007

Finding What Works in Education

The current nationwide emphasis on ensuring that all students and schools meet high standards has increased the demand for evidence of what works in education. The What Works Clearinghouse, established in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, provides educators, policymakers, researchers and the public with a central and trusted source of scientific evidence to help them make informed decisions about student achievement.

Available online at http://www.whatworks.ed.gov, the What Works Clearinghouse offers a set of easily accessible databases and user-friendly reports that provide education consumers with high-quality reviews of the effectiveness of education interventions (programs, products, practices and policies) intended to improve student outcomes. The reports, which are developed by a group of leading experts according to standards for reviewing and synthesizing research, point out when an intervention brings about the changes desired in student learning or behavior. Also included under a new rating system is an "improvement index" that quantifies the intervention's impact.

Most recently, the What Works Clearinghouse released reports on early and middle school math, reading, and preschool curricula and practices. Other studies examined include character education programs, dropout prevention strategies, and English language learner interventions. All reports are compiled from a synopsis of the most reliable, valid study findings.

March 30, 2007

Research supporting the importance of family involvement

Henderson and Berla (1997) state that:

"The evidence is now beyond dispute. When schools work together with families to support learning, children tend to succeed not just in school, but also throughout life. In fact, the most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school is not income or social status, but the extent to which that student's family is able to:

1. Create a home environment that encourages learning
2. Express high (but not unrealistic) expectations for their children's achievement and future careers
3. Become involved in their children's education at school and in the community."

The research on family involvement in education spans 30 years. It links increased student achievement with the parent involvement in the child's learning.

The above is an excerpt from the Strengthening Parent Involvement: A toolkit which was produced by the Colorado Department of Education. This 95 page report can be found in its entirety at http://www.cde.state.co.us/fedprograms/nclb/downloads/pi_toolkit.pdf

February 26, 2007

The Core

The Department of Education recently revamped its weekly newsletter, formerly entitled: The Monday Report. It is now called: The Core. The newsletter is bi-weekly and is available by subscription. How is it different from “Just for Teachers?” While the “Just for Teachers” newsletter is exclusively for Florida educators and contains information specifically for educators, it also enables the Department to solicit educator feedback on important issues, provide information on legislative changes impacting education, and let you know about great offers available to teachers. “The Core” is intended to reach a broad audience including parents, community members, and other stakeholders in addition to educators. “The Core” also keeps readers informed about the success stories of individual districts, schools, and teachers! To get a sneak peek at “The Core” visit: www.fldoe.org/justforteachers

January 20, 2007

STAR...Special Teachers are Recognized.  The Florida Department of Education and the Florida Legislature has determined that only 25% of Florida's teachers are worthy of recognition.  As much as I agree with business leaders that measurement and accountability are motivational tools for their employees, one must take into consideration that in the business environment you have control over the raw material you receive.  Educators in the United States take all children who enter their classrooms with no control over the ability of students nor of their interest in learning.  Until this inconsistency can be resolved I find it difficult to understand why anyone would deem it fair to create a system that says only Some Teachers are Recognized OR put another way...Some Teachers aren't Recognized.

Education is a three legged stool consisting of parents, students, and teachers.  All three must work together to educate the employees and business owners of tomorrow.  It is unfair to create a system where the compensation for educators in Florida is based on something not totally within their control, namely the ability and motivation of the students and the support of parents.

Rather than dividing educators by creating some STARs let us instead reward educators for teaching in geographically distant locations, in historically lower performing schools, and for teaching courses in which there is a severe shortage of teachers!  These are things which our educational employees can control.

January 8, 2007

On December 26 the School Board News, a publication of the National School Boards Association, reported that "A major new report by a prestigious commission of policymakers calls for a complete overhaul of American education, including broad changes in the way local public schools are funded and operated.

Tough Choices or Tough Times, released by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce on Dec. 14, recommends that states assume control over local school budgets and schools be operated by independent contractors."

Finally the "hidden agenda" of many who seek to change American education is being placed on top of the table. While I will not argue that it is past time for the United States to look at changing its educational model, the discussion needs to be placed on top of the table. This should not be an agenda of some President, Governor, or political group that is hidden "under the table" from public discussion and debate. Do some business and political leaders fear the ability of the American public to intelligently decide the educational path for our nation's future? Why create obstacles for schools districts that are destined to end in failure, instead we should discuss openly what changes America needs to make for our nation to continue to be competitive in an international economy.

This 28 page report can be found in its entirety on the website of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) at http://skillscommission.org/executive.htm
January 8, 2007
Today I attended my second meeting of the Central Florida Public School Boards Coalition. This coalition consists of nine school districts located along the I-4 corridor. The mission is to address public educational issues impacting Central Florida. The Coalition's website is located at http://www.cfpsbc.com/
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On January 3rd I attended The Board of County Commissioners and the Polk County Legislative Delegation's Work Session to discuss the 2007 Polk County Legislative Policy Priorities. Our school superintendent also highlighted the school district's legislative platform with our Polk County Legislative Delegation.

December 3, 2006

The week after I was sworn into office I attended my initial board development activities. Along with Margaret Lofton and Hazel Sellers, I participated in the 61st Annual Joint Conference of the Florida School Board Association. This was a joint conference of the Florida School Board Association (FSBA), Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS), Florida Educational Negotiators (FEN), Florida Educational Risk Managers Association (FERMA), Florida School Board Attorneys Association (FSBAA), Sunshine State School Public Relations Association (SUNSPRA), Florida Education Legislative Liaisons (FELL), Florida Association of School Administrators (FASA), and the Florida School Labor Relations Service (FSLRS).

At this meeting I attended the following sessions:
• New school board member orientation
• Improving achievement and closing gaps between groups: Key roles for school board members
• Teacher pay - So many issues
• Health insurance
• Update NCLB/AYP - Where is Florida? Where is the nation?
• Learning and the brain: A neuroscience perspective
• Status of implementing school concurrency
• The politics of education - the next 4 years
• Stressed for success
In addition I attended the half-day post-conference Growth Management Workshop.

The Board Development Program of the Florida School Board Association was established in 1990 as a result of legislation passed in 1989 which encouraged the Florida School Board Association and the Florida Department of Education to jointly develop a state plan for board development. The goal of the Board Development Program is to assist and support school boards in providing visionary leadership to meet the future challenge of education in Florida.

The Program is voluntary and is uniquely designed to serve the leadership development needs of the entire school board and to address the specific needs of individual school board members. It provides a broad range of educational opportunities and activities for both new and experienced school board members.

There are currently two members of the School Board of Polk County who have completed the Florida School Board Association's Certified Board Member program, Margaret Lofton and Hazel Sellers. I am committed to becoming the third Polk County board member to complete the FSBA Certified Board Member program. The program focuses on a core curriculum designed for board members to gain knowledge about their important governance roles. This includes mandatory curriculum in the areas of Boardsmanship, School Finance, Policy Governance, and Bargaining and Personnel Issues in addition to training that provides awareness of these key areas: 1) planning overview; 2) curriculum and instruction; 3) state/federal legislative processes; 4) school law; 5) public relations/communications; 6) family/community involvement; 7) current trends and issues; and 8) diversity/multiculturalism. I will be devoting much of my time during this first year on the School Board of Polk County to enhancing my knowledge and skills through participation in the Certified Board Member program.

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