There are days when I get up in the morning and I wonder what happened to the tranquility and stability that I was expecting to experience when I became a teacher back in 1975. I entered the profession expecting to have a career similar to the teachers and principals that had nurtured me. Some of you remember those wonderful days. The stress that I saw on my teacher's faces was a lot less than those of my contemporaries. I was expecting to teach children from families that were intact and produced well behaving children who acquiesced to adult authority. I was expecting parent support similar to the support that my parents gave to school officials. If I misbehaved at school, my parent would ask the teacher, "What did he do?" rather than the current, "What did you do to my child?" I was also expecting to work during a time of prosperity like the 50's, 60's and early 70's. Money would be available to fund schools. Teacher and administrator pay would increase over the course of my career and I would look forward to a secure retirement. With my eyes wide open and filled with hope, I would peer through my rose colored glasses and find well funded programs and new buildings in my future. Along the way, someone came along and kidnapped the future that I envisioned!
In stark contrast to my expected future, I look at the landscape of public education and have apprehension. I too have anxiety about the future. I look at the financing of public education and its reliance on local property tax dollars and the overall financing of education and wonder where we are headed. Families have changed and the parental support for school officials has erroded. School facilities are aging with little new construction going on.
Despite all of these negative circumstances, I believe that there are two ways to react to the future. The first is to become depressed about the present and think nostalgically about the past, with longings for bygone days. This only leads to dread and a reactive posture towards the future. There are many who are fearful about the future. This fear paralyzes them and immobilizes their ability to envision and make plans toward the future. I choose the second response to the future; that is to take courage and figure out how to proactively build the future. When I became Superintendent of Beloit, I knew that there would be challenges. Student achievement and school financing would be among them. However, I also knew that there were strong human resources in this district. The public listed the staff as an asset to the Superintendent Search firm, a fact that didn't escape my notice when I interviewed. For several years, I have felt that the state school financing system was about to fold like a house of cards and that districts would have to change their strategy on how to respond. Overreliance on local property taxes has run its course and is leading to an unwillingness by taxpayers to foot the bill for education. There are communities where the primary strategy is to cut and cut until there is nothing left to commend anyone to chose their school district. When I arrived, I was hoping that this would not be the response of the School District of Beloit.
These are tough times to be sure. I want us to look at what is most important to us as a school system and then figure out how to keep our priorities intact and our goals in front of us. Our goal is to create a model school system that is of the highest quality and competitive with any other district. When we make decisions about the future, we do not look at the finances and then make decisions governed only by dollars and cents. If that is the only factor taken into consideration, it leads to a willingness to cut people and do whatever it takes to make the budget work. Our focus is the children and the future of this community. Long after this present crisis, there will still be a district and a city. The decisions that are made currently will determine the quality of life of the children and citizens going forward. I want us to weather this storm and come out on the other side with a district that is ready to create children who, according to our Mission Statement, can "compete, contribute and thrive as an admirable citizen in a rapidly changing world...". This means that we have to maintain a high quality staff, doing great instruction, as a priority as well. It means that the momentum we are building of increased student achievement at all levels cannot stop. The initiatives that were started the last two years must move forward. This must occur with a certain amount of uncertainty. There are things that we do not know from the state level, as the governor has not released his budget with information on what our anticipated aid is. Until that happens, we are not waiting helplessly, delaying to determine what our plan of action will be. Instead, we have put forth a plan that, though it will cause discomfort to many families and staff, will chart a more desirable course than the one that would result by more staff cuts and reductions. I know that all of us like stability and security and hate change. I hate thinking of continual change, but the truth is that all of us are going to have to learn to move forward during times of instability and insecurity. The future is going to be hard to handle for people who can only sail when the seas are completely calm, void of contrary winds and waves. Though you may not always agree with decisions that have to be made going forward, please know that they are being made with the lives of the children and the staff taken to heart. I hope that we can get through this with our priorities and our future intact.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
Committing To A Long Term Focus
Last week I had the honor of sitting with a room full of teachers and principals going through three days of School Site Strategic Planning. This is the next step in the Strategic Planning Format. It allows schools to align their school site strategic plans with the district plan. It also allows schools some autonomy and uniqueness as they develop their individual site plan. During the training one of the teachers turned to me and asked a really important question. She stated that over the course of time programs and ideas had been introduced and proved to have a short shelf life. She stated that people felt positive about some of the changes that were happening in the district and that they wanted to be open toward where we were heading. She then asked me, What are our priorities? I was ashamed. I felt horrible that I had not done a better job of communicating and painting the big picture for the entire staff as to where the district was going. I don't want anyone to feel out of the loop. In response to the need for more information I want to give you some of the big picture by telling you what my response was to her.
I have been in education for a long time and have a few pet peeves. The number one per peeve that I have is that we never allow things enough time to produce the changes that we want. We put in place a new change initiative after evaluate the issues that trouble us. Next we analyze the problem and implement a plan of action. In a year or two our professional ADD kicks in and we go for another flavor of the month change. If we didn't see immediate results with the last idea for change we are on to a new one. My experience with running schools and bringing about change is that most meaningful change takes several years to have an impact. You can do change that is cosmetic overnight and it has little impact. Changing the culture and beliefs of an organization takes much longer. As Superintendent I am committed to organizational and structural change. I want to change who we are, how we operate and our long term results. We cannot be self-satisfied with where we are. The system that we currently have in place is only capable of producing the results that we currently have. By long term measures such as our average ACT score, percent of students who go to two and four year colleges and the percent of students who score 3 or higher on AP exams, we are not currently a high achieving school district. It is not a pleasant message to digest but unless our data belongs to some other district, it is the truth. Remember that at Convocation my challenge to all of us was to build a model school district, not one that is a little better. To do meaningful, long term change you must focus on a few priorities. You must decide which changes will cause a tipping point in the performance of this district, if these changes are pursued for five or more years.
In working with the Executive Team, School Board and Staff I would like to list the things that we will focus on over the next five years at least. I would like to promise you that we will focus on these things forever, but unfortunately, Superintendents generally do not have the luxury of being in the same place forever. These things are:
1. Strategic Planning - District Level and School Site Level
2. Universal Instruction
3. Professional Learning Communities
4.. Response to Intervention - Ensuring that there is an immediate response to student failure that is systematic and proactive, not reactive or delayed.
5. PBIS - A Universal way of responding to and shaping student behaviors at the elementary and middle school level. A corresponding program at the high school level.
Some of you may be wondering, what about other things like I Can Statements, Leveled Literacy, Technology, Focus on Character, Service Projects, Grading Changes, Common Formative and Summative Assessments? These are all the outworking of the five things listed above. Many of you are already working on these things or about to work on them. These things are also imbedded into the Action Plans and Action Steps of the District Strategic Plan. Think of it this way: It is as if we are all construction workers working on the same building. We are operating from the same blueprint and need to know what the finished product will look like. The Strategic Plan is the blueprint that establishes what the priorities are and ensure that there is a long term focus that does not change from year to year. Builders do not switch to a different blueprint in the middle of a building a house or skyscraper. That is why the life cycle of our Strategic Plan is in five year increments or until all the initial Action Plans and Steps are fulfilled. When this is accomplished we go through the Strategic Planning Format all over again. The things that need to be changed in the Plan, get changed. The things that don't, don't. The life cycle of a School Site Strategic Plan is approximately three years. When it is accomplished the plan is updated and new Action Plans and Steps are written. As you can tell this is a cycle of contiuous improvement. What I have to make sure of is that all of you are constantly aware of where we are going and why. Since School Site Planning is done by the staff at each school and is not a top down thing I know that you will feel complete ownership. Thank you for allowing me to give this initial explanation to help clarify things. If you can respond to this blog and let me know what other clarification any of you need, do not hesitate to contact me.
I have been in education for a long time and have a few pet peeves. The number one per peeve that I have is that we never allow things enough time to produce the changes that we want. We put in place a new change initiative after evaluate the issues that trouble us. Next we analyze the problem and implement a plan of action. In a year or two our professional ADD kicks in and we go for another flavor of the month change. If we didn't see immediate results with the last idea for change we are on to a new one. My experience with running schools and bringing about change is that most meaningful change takes several years to have an impact. You can do change that is cosmetic overnight and it has little impact. Changing the culture and beliefs of an organization takes much longer. As Superintendent I am committed to organizational and structural change. I want to change who we are, how we operate and our long term results. We cannot be self-satisfied with where we are. The system that we currently have in place is only capable of producing the results that we currently have. By long term measures such as our average ACT score, percent of students who go to two and four year colleges and the percent of students who score 3 or higher on AP exams, we are not currently a high achieving school district. It is not a pleasant message to digest but unless our data belongs to some other district, it is the truth. Remember that at Convocation my challenge to all of us was to build a model school district, not one that is a little better. To do meaningful, long term change you must focus on a few priorities. You must decide which changes will cause a tipping point in the performance of this district, if these changes are pursued for five or more years.
In working with the Executive Team, School Board and Staff I would like to list the things that we will focus on over the next five years at least. I would like to promise you that we will focus on these things forever, but unfortunately, Superintendents generally do not have the luxury of being in the same place forever. These things are:
1. Strategic Planning - District Level and School Site Level
2. Universal Instruction
3. Professional Learning Communities
4.. Response to Intervention - Ensuring that there is an immediate response to student failure that is systematic and proactive, not reactive or delayed.
5. PBIS - A Universal way of responding to and shaping student behaviors at the elementary and middle school level. A corresponding program at the high school level.
Some of you may be wondering, what about other things like I Can Statements, Leveled Literacy, Technology, Focus on Character, Service Projects, Grading Changes, Common Formative and Summative Assessments? These are all the outworking of the five things listed above. Many of you are already working on these things or about to work on them. These things are also imbedded into the Action Plans and Action Steps of the District Strategic Plan. Think of it this way: It is as if we are all construction workers working on the same building. We are operating from the same blueprint and need to know what the finished product will look like. The Strategic Plan is the blueprint that establishes what the priorities are and ensure that there is a long term focus that does not change from year to year. Builders do not switch to a different blueprint in the middle of a building a house or skyscraper. That is why the life cycle of our Strategic Plan is in five year increments or until all the initial Action Plans and Steps are fulfilled. When this is accomplished we go through the Strategic Planning Format all over again. The things that need to be changed in the Plan, get changed. The things that don't, don't. The life cycle of a School Site Strategic Plan is approximately three years. When it is accomplished the plan is updated and new Action Plans and Steps are written. As you can tell this is a cycle of contiuous improvement. What I have to make sure of is that all of you are constantly aware of where we are going and why. Since School Site Planning is done by the staff at each school and is not a top down thing I know that you will feel complete ownership. Thank you for allowing me to give this initial explanation to help clarify things. If you can respond to this blog and let me know what other clarification any of you need, do not hesitate to contact me.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Increasing Effective Learning Time
One of the privileges that I have as Superintendent of the School District of Beloit is to visit the schools and classrooms. I visit to watch the wonder of student learning and especially like seeing the moments when 'the light turns on'. It is what attracted me to education in the first place. It still holds fascination for me. I have seen a variety of classes and classrooms and have watched different instructional styles. Though there isn't one style or technique that proves to be radically more effective than another, there is one thing that I have noticed. I would like to focus this blog on that matter.
When you walk into some classrooms you notice that there is student focus and student engagement with very little time off task. In some classrooms that I have visited I watch the effortless transitions from one activity to another. I have watched teachers who expect that all students are ready to participate in discussions and they do not just call on the bright student repeatedly. They pull students names out of a jar or some other procedure that insures that everyone has to be at the ready. They have created the culture and expectation within their rooms in which all students have to be engaged and ready. These same teachers have processes and procedures that eliminate long transitions from one thing to another. In the past in my job as a principal and then as a supervisor of schools I would sit in classrooms in which very little engaged learning time occurred. The teacher would speak to the students trying to get them to settle down so that he could start the lesson. If this took 3 minutes the teacher would wait until they were quiet. They had no procedure to make this happen quickly and so the class dragged on and learning was held hostage. What made it even more painful is that I have only worked in high need, high poverty districts. Most of the students in those classroooms were students of color and of poverty. These students entered Kindergarten with a limited vocabulary and little academic knowledge on which to build. In the big scheme of things they were like a runner who was a mile behind in a five mile race. At the start of the race they were already far behind their more advantaged peers. They needed to catch up! I watched classrooms where it took forever to get kids to focus. Handing out papers took forever. If students needed to sharpen a pencil learning halted for that student. Students got up and down like a jack-in-a-box. I would watch teachers that taught, even if no one was attending or paying attention. Students were in their desks, looking down and exhibiting that they were not tied into what the teacher was doing. I am glad that there were no sharp objects close to me or I would have put myself out of my misery! It was very painful and hard for me not to intervene.
During those past experiences I also noticed that in the some classrooms no enrichment happened. If a teacher was teaching a particular work of literature or science lesson they never mentioned enriching facts or vocabulary. I suspected that they were so tired of trying to corral everyone's focus that they taught to the least common denominator. They were internally frustrated because they knew that there had to be a better way. As a supervisor I must tell you that it was not a shock when I examined the data on student achievement in those classrooms. Students did poorly on state tests. The reason was not hard to figure out. In a low performing classroom for every 60 minutes of Allocated Learning Time about 60% it was wasted. Students were engaged about 40% of the time(24 minutes)! Think about that in terms of a students first four years of school. That would mean that a student in a classroom where students are engaged 80% of the allocated learning time get twice the education of these students in low engagement classrooms. It also means that in four years of seat time less than two years of real education happened. Would there be any wonder on why these students are a year or two behind! As I said that was my experience in my last job. I must confess that I am concerned that this is a phenomenom that occurs in too many classrooms throughout the state and country.
I once had a teacher that had the problem of low Engagement Time. Watching her start and stop a lesson because of disruption was like watching the old steam locomotive get started. She would slowly chug ahead and then stop and then chug forward again. I couldn't take it any more. I knew that she was potentially a really great teacher. I finally intervened and told her that I wanted her to use data to determine how much learning time was being wasted in her classroom. I told her that I wanted her to take baseline data first. Each time that she had to stop teaching for any reason I wanted her to take a marble and put it in a large jar. I wanted her to do this in front of the students for one week but not to give them any explanation. I wanted her to write down the number of marbles each day, record it and graph it. The next week I wanted her to start the class by explaining what the marbles in the jar were about. I wanted her to show the students a chart of the last week and the number of marbles she dropped in the jar and how many times she stopped their learning. More importantly I wanted her to explain the consequences of wasting learning time in terms of whether or not they would get to go to college, have interesting jobs, drive nice cars or live in nice homes. I wanted her to make them understand that their lives were being diminished by the constant waste of Engaged Learning Time. She worked with the students and set a goal for the number of interuptions. They tried it the next day and there were a few less marbles, but it was not significant. She then added a reward component, if they reached the weekly goal. She didn't shoot for the moon with her initial goals. If there were 30 marbles as the baseline the goal was 22 marbles. If they reached 22 she set the goal at 17, and so on. I cannot tell you how excited she was a few weeks later when she came into my office with a few of her students and they proclaimed that they only had 3 marbles in the jar! I was excited as well. I was excited that the amount of time that those students were learning and engaged was increasing. I was excited that they had increased their chances of succeeding and their future opportunities were expanding proportionately.
I leave you with this thought and challenge> Since we cannot increase the amount of Allocated Learning Time, let's see what we can do to increase the amount of Engaged Learning Time in each of our classrooms across this wonderful district. Milt Thompson, Superintendent of Schools
When you walk into some classrooms you notice that there is student focus and student engagement with very little time off task. In some classrooms that I have visited I watch the effortless transitions from one activity to another. I have watched teachers who expect that all students are ready to participate in discussions and they do not just call on the bright student repeatedly. They pull students names out of a jar or some other procedure that insures that everyone has to be at the ready. They have created the culture and expectation within their rooms in which all students have to be engaged and ready. These same teachers have processes and procedures that eliminate long transitions from one thing to another. In the past in my job as a principal and then as a supervisor of schools I would sit in classrooms in which very little engaged learning time occurred. The teacher would speak to the students trying to get them to settle down so that he could start the lesson. If this took 3 minutes the teacher would wait until they were quiet. They had no procedure to make this happen quickly and so the class dragged on and learning was held hostage. What made it even more painful is that I have only worked in high need, high poverty districts. Most of the students in those classroooms were students of color and of poverty. These students entered Kindergarten with a limited vocabulary and little academic knowledge on which to build. In the big scheme of things they were like a runner who was a mile behind in a five mile race. At the start of the race they were already far behind their more advantaged peers. They needed to catch up! I watched classrooms where it took forever to get kids to focus. Handing out papers took forever. If students needed to sharpen a pencil learning halted for that student. Students got up and down like a jack-in-a-box. I would watch teachers that taught, even if no one was attending or paying attention. Students were in their desks, looking down and exhibiting that they were not tied into what the teacher was doing. I am glad that there were no sharp objects close to me or I would have put myself out of my misery! It was very painful and hard for me not to intervene.
During those past experiences I also noticed that in the some classrooms no enrichment happened. If a teacher was teaching a particular work of literature or science lesson they never mentioned enriching facts or vocabulary. I suspected that they were so tired of trying to corral everyone's focus that they taught to the least common denominator. They were internally frustrated because they knew that there had to be a better way. As a supervisor I must tell you that it was not a shock when I examined the data on student achievement in those classrooms. Students did poorly on state tests. The reason was not hard to figure out. In a low performing classroom for every 60 minutes of Allocated Learning Time about 60% it was wasted. Students were engaged about 40% of the time(24 minutes)! Think about that in terms of a students first four years of school. That would mean that a student in a classroom where students are engaged 80% of the allocated learning time get twice the education of these students in low engagement classrooms. It also means that in four years of seat time less than two years of real education happened. Would there be any wonder on why these students are a year or two behind! As I said that was my experience in my last job. I must confess that I am concerned that this is a phenomenom that occurs in too many classrooms throughout the state and country.
I once had a teacher that had the problem of low Engagement Time. Watching her start and stop a lesson because of disruption was like watching the old steam locomotive get started. She would slowly chug ahead and then stop and then chug forward again. I couldn't take it any more. I knew that she was potentially a really great teacher. I finally intervened and told her that I wanted her to use data to determine how much learning time was being wasted in her classroom. I told her that I wanted her to take baseline data first. Each time that she had to stop teaching for any reason I wanted her to take a marble and put it in a large jar. I wanted her to do this in front of the students for one week but not to give them any explanation. I wanted her to write down the number of marbles each day, record it and graph it. The next week I wanted her to start the class by explaining what the marbles in the jar were about. I wanted her to show the students a chart of the last week and the number of marbles she dropped in the jar and how many times she stopped their learning. More importantly I wanted her to explain the consequences of wasting learning time in terms of whether or not they would get to go to college, have interesting jobs, drive nice cars or live in nice homes. I wanted her to make them understand that their lives were being diminished by the constant waste of Engaged Learning Time. She worked with the students and set a goal for the number of interuptions. They tried it the next day and there were a few less marbles, but it was not significant. She then added a reward component, if they reached the weekly goal. She didn't shoot for the moon with her initial goals. If there were 30 marbles as the baseline the goal was 22 marbles. If they reached 22 she set the goal at 17, and so on. I cannot tell you how excited she was a few weeks later when she came into my office with a few of her students and they proclaimed that they only had 3 marbles in the jar! I was excited as well. I was excited that the amount of time that those students were learning and engaged was increasing. I was excited that they had increased their chances of succeeding and their future opportunities were expanding proportionately.
I leave you with this thought and challenge> Since we cannot increase the amount of Allocated Learning Time, let's see what we can do to increase the amount of Engaged Learning Time in each of our classrooms across this wonderful district. Milt Thompson, Superintendent of Schools
Monday, August 30, 2010
Becoming A Model School District
At our Convocation I shared some of the thoughts that I am going to reiterate in this Blog. I think it essential for the School District of Beloit and its staff to make a long term commitment, of at least 10 years, toward attaining the goal of becoming a model school district. First of all let me state that this district is an improving school district. The results of state tests indicate that we are improving, in some areas quite rapidly. Our parent survey indicates a high degree of satisfaction with the education that their children are receiving. Our graduation rate is almost 90%. We have the highest graduation rate of African-American and Hispanic-Students of districts with similar demographic compostition. We have graduates that attend prestigious universities such as Notre Dame and UW-Madison, just to name a few.
Along with all of this I believe that we have in place an excellent administrative team at the building level and district level. Dring the Summer all Administrators read the books Tipping Point and Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. In the summer training of administrators the focus was creativity and finding those strategies within their building that would create a "tipping point" for student achievement. Quite a few administrators and lead teachers attended the national Professional Learning Communities Conference at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinoes. In all of this there was an emphasis on leadership and growing in leadership capacity. Finally, the job of every administrator is in process of being tied to the Strategic Plan. This will assure alignment of every leader with the goals and objectives that drive the district toward excellence. We have challenges as well. At convocation I mentioned two of them. The first was the declining ACT scores of the last five years. The second the overwhelming disproportionality of the expulsion of African-American males. We are a district of problem solvers and we will solve these issues. The positive changes that we are making are just the first steps toward developing leaders who can lead us to becoming a model district. This leads me to what I believe are the characteristics of a model district.
A Model District:
Along with all of this I believe that we have in place an excellent administrative team at the building level and district level. Dring the Summer all Administrators read the books Tipping Point and Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. In the summer training of administrators the focus was creativity and finding those strategies within their building that would create a "tipping point" for student achievement. Quite a few administrators and lead teachers attended the national Professional Learning Communities Conference at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinoes. In all of this there was an emphasis on leadership and growing in leadership capacity. Finally, the job of every administrator is in process of being tied to the Strategic Plan. This will assure alignment of every leader with the goals and objectives that drive the district toward excellence. We have challenges as well. At convocation I mentioned two of them. The first was the declining ACT scores of the last five years. The second the overwhelming disproportionality of the expulsion of African-American males. We are a district of problem solvers and we will solve these issues. The positive changes that we are making are just the first steps toward developing leaders who can lead us to becoming a model district. This leads me to what I believe are the characteristics of a model district.
A Model District:
- Has a goal of MYP (Maximum Yearly Progress) because Adequate Yearly Progress is not good enough!
- Uses the state average on the ACT as the floor and not the ceiling for measuring the excellence at its high school.
- Has administrators, teachers and support staff who work as hard for the success of the children in the classrooms as they do for the success of the children in their own homes.
- Graduates students who have at least a C average (2.0 GPA)!
- Is a place where the color of a student's skin, the income of their families and the language spoken in their homes is not a determiner of school or future success. All Students Succeed!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Recognizing Excellence and High Performance
There are indicators of quality that high achieving districts have. It is the average ACT score, the GPA distribution (the lowest end being about a 2.0) and percent of students scoring 3 or better on the AP exam. They look at the outcomes of their education programs as the proof of excellence. In Beloit we have students who are high achievers. They come to school everyday and give their best. They are bright, articulate and conscious of how important each present day at school is in building their futures.
I had the privilege of meeting with some freshmen in a Spanish class. The topics ranged from grading, open campus and having to earn parking as a privilege. A few of them were able to see the big picture of the reforms that we would like to see at Beloit Memorial. One in particular showed a real grasp of how certain changes at the high school will build momentum toward higher achievement and a business-like environment at the school.
In order to help increase a focus on the highest levels of academic achievement, there will be a special recognition for the high flying students within the district. On Sunday May 30, there will be a special recognition ceremony at the Eclipse Center for all students that have a 3.5 Grade Point Average and higher. There will be a reception for these students and their parents that will go on from 4:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m. There will be a special program from 5:00-6:30 p.m., highlighted by an inspirational speech from Jim Caldwell, the coach of the Indianapolis Colts, a graduate of Beloit Memorial High School. Along with the recognition, the students will receive commemorative medallions that recognize their excellence for the 2010 school year. It is the first of many such annual recognitions.
There are approximately 570 students in grades 6-12 who have a cumulative 3.5 or better GPA. In addition to this there are a number of 5th grade students who will likewise be honored for their high achievement. Fifth grade does not calculate GPA in the same manner as the secondary. Principals and teachers are identifying only those 5th graders who are at the top of their schools. It will be a special night and will allow students, especially some of our students of color, to see that they have a peer group of high performers. My hope is to grow this group each year so that they become a much larger and recognizable group than our students who achieve a GPA of 2.0 or lower. If Beloit is to be a school district of excellence, it is essential that we honor and expand this group of young people. I also want to thank the many fine teachers and administrators who daily challenge, inspire and influence these marvelous young people to expand their intellects and give their best effort.
I had the privilege of meeting with some freshmen in a Spanish class. The topics ranged from grading, open campus and having to earn parking as a privilege. A few of them were able to see the big picture of the reforms that we would like to see at Beloit Memorial. One in particular showed a real grasp of how certain changes at the high school will build momentum toward higher achievement and a business-like environment at the school.
In order to help increase a focus on the highest levels of academic achievement, there will be a special recognition for the high flying students within the district. On Sunday May 30, there will be a special recognition ceremony at the Eclipse Center for all students that have a 3.5 Grade Point Average and higher. There will be a reception for these students and their parents that will go on from 4:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m. There will be a special program from 5:00-6:30 p.m., highlighted by an inspirational speech from Jim Caldwell, the coach of the Indianapolis Colts, a graduate of Beloit Memorial High School. Along with the recognition, the students will receive commemorative medallions that recognize their excellence for the 2010 school year. It is the first of many such annual recognitions.
There are approximately 570 students in grades 6-12 who have a cumulative 3.5 or better GPA. In addition to this there are a number of 5th grade students who will likewise be honored for their high achievement. Fifth grade does not calculate GPA in the same manner as the secondary. Principals and teachers are identifying only those 5th graders who are at the top of their schools. It will be a special night and will allow students, especially some of our students of color, to see that they have a peer group of high performers. My hope is to grow this group each year so that they become a much larger and recognizable group than our students who achieve a GPA of 2.0 or lower. If Beloit is to be a school district of excellence, it is essential that we honor and expand this group of young people. I also want to thank the many fine teachers and administrators who daily challenge, inspire and influence these marvelous young people to expand their intellects and give their best effort.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Conversation on Race
A few days a go I had a conversation with someone on the topic of race. In this person's opinion, there was far too great of an emphasis on race on the part of the superintendent and other administrators. They cited several things that have been done in the last year or so as evidence that race has entered into the conversation of education far too often. I would like to personally address this concern so that my views on the subject can be understood publicly.
First of all, let me say that I am personally tired of race. As a black man who has lived through the 50's, 60's and up to now, I was hoping that it would no longer be my constant companion. As a child I was hoping that some day I could grow up in a society where race truly did not matter, or have an impact on any aspect of my life. I am sure that this was the hope of many black people of my generation. I am sure, given the conversations that I have had with many colleagues of the lighter persuasion, that they have been able to move on and transcend something as mundane and trivial as the impact of race on this society. After all, we have a black President who was elected by a large number of white people, so aren't we now officially past race? I want to share a few experiences and some data that might make you question whether that assumption is true or not.
Earlier this year, I attended the gathering of the Wisconsin School District Administrators, Business Officials and School Board Members. There were well over a thousand people in attendance. At one point during a keynote address, I surveyed the room. It was a large ballroom at the Midwest Center in downtown Milwaukee. Out of all of the people in that room I noticed that there were not more than a handful (less than 10) people of color. The dearth of superintendents of color did not surprise me. Until the hiring of the new superintendent of Kenosha, I was one of only two black superintendents in the state of Wisconsin. I was the only one in attendance. The sparse number that were there represented all of the current board members and business officials of color in the state. I may be a little sensitive about this but tell me, how does this depict a color blind society that has moved beyond race, when the representation of those who impact education in the highest positions is so lacking in diverse presence? I am a lifelong resident of the state of Wisconsin, having grown up in Racine. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that at 56 years old I would be one of only two black people running a school district in the state of Wisconsin. What an absolute disappointment, given all of the assistant principals and principals of color that I have known, who labored before me and aspired to have the chance of being a superintendent. The only conclusion that I can come to is that none of them must of been qualified (sarcasm).
The other issue that screams out against our colorblind society is that of student achievement. As I constantly examine the data of my school district the data is inescapable. Students of color have the lowest graduation rates. Their ACT scores, as a group, are at least 5 points lower in each category. They are the fewest in the AP classes but, among the few of those who take those classes, they represent an inordinate amount of D's and F's. These, by the way, are the best of that sub-population. Among freshmen at the high school they rank first in F's. The state of Wisconsin ranks last in the graduation rate of black males. That distinction used to be the domicile of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. When it comes to placement in special education, rate of expulsion and disciplinary statistics, students of color rank first. Again, I can sympathize with those who are tired of an emphasis on race in discussing these facts, but what is the common factor in all of this. For some reason, race will not relinquish its death grip as a factor on the lives of people of color in the United States. Keep in mind that I am writing this from the perspective of one who is a "success story". I am black and have made it. Not a day goes by when I have the luxury of taking a vacation from race. In some places that I travel I am assessed by it. Even in our colorblind society people talk about someone being 'light skinned' and not talking with the usual 'black dialect', as a qualification to be elected to the highest office of the land (see Harry Reid).
You might think that because I am writing these things that I see racists around every corner. I don't. I don't play upon the guilt of liberal people to try to gain some kind of emotional leverage on my viewpoint either. I try to judge people by the content of their character, rather than by the color of their skin. I have friends of every race and ethnicity. All of that doesn't change either the sad personal experiences that I have due to race or the data that seems to endlessly point to the fact that it is far better to grow up white in the United States, than to be either black or hispanic. It greatly increases your likelihood of success. This is not lost on young people as they scan the landscape looking for a representation of role models in their local sphere that give enough evidence of the possibility of success. They have to believe that it is possible. If I had been a high school student attending the conference at the Midwest Center and saw that there was only one black superintendent in attendance out of the hundreds of superintendents there, what would I have believed that my chances were? I guess that when we have colorblind experiences and data, we can move on to a colorblind society.
First of all, let me say that I am personally tired of race. As a black man who has lived through the 50's, 60's and up to now, I was hoping that it would no longer be my constant companion. As a child I was hoping that some day I could grow up in a society where race truly did not matter, or have an impact on any aspect of my life. I am sure that this was the hope of many black people of my generation. I am sure, given the conversations that I have had with many colleagues of the lighter persuasion, that they have been able to move on and transcend something as mundane and trivial as the impact of race on this society. After all, we have a black President who was elected by a large number of white people, so aren't we now officially past race? I want to share a few experiences and some data that might make you question whether that assumption is true or not.
Earlier this year, I attended the gathering of the Wisconsin School District Administrators, Business Officials and School Board Members. There were well over a thousand people in attendance. At one point during a keynote address, I surveyed the room. It was a large ballroom at the Midwest Center in downtown Milwaukee. Out of all of the people in that room I noticed that there were not more than a handful (less than 10) people of color. The dearth of superintendents of color did not surprise me. Until the hiring of the new superintendent of Kenosha, I was one of only two black superintendents in the state of Wisconsin. I was the only one in attendance. The sparse number that were there represented all of the current board members and business officials of color in the state. I may be a little sensitive about this but tell me, how does this depict a color blind society that has moved beyond race, when the representation of those who impact education in the highest positions is so lacking in diverse presence? I am a lifelong resident of the state of Wisconsin, having grown up in Racine. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that at 56 years old I would be one of only two black people running a school district in the state of Wisconsin. What an absolute disappointment, given all of the assistant principals and principals of color that I have known, who labored before me and aspired to have the chance of being a superintendent. The only conclusion that I can come to is that none of them must of been qualified (sarcasm).
The other issue that screams out against our colorblind society is that of student achievement. As I constantly examine the data of my school district the data is inescapable. Students of color have the lowest graduation rates. Their ACT scores, as a group, are at least 5 points lower in each category. They are the fewest in the AP classes but, among the few of those who take those classes, they represent an inordinate amount of D's and F's. These, by the way, are the best of that sub-population. Among freshmen at the high school they rank first in F's. The state of Wisconsin ranks last in the graduation rate of black males. That distinction used to be the domicile of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. When it comes to placement in special education, rate of expulsion and disciplinary statistics, students of color rank first. Again, I can sympathize with those who are tired of an emphasis on race in discussing these facts, but what is the common factor in all of this. For some reason, race will not relinquish its death grip as a factor on the lives of people of color in the United States. Keep in mind that I am writing this from the perspective of one who is a "success story". I am black and have made it. Not a day goes by when I have the luxury of taking a vacation from race. In some places that I travel I am assessed by it. Even in our colorblind society people talk about someone being 'light skinned' and not talking with the usual 'black dialect', as a qualification to be elected to the highest office of the land (see Harry Reid).
You might think that because I am writing these things that I see racists around every corner. I don't. I don't play upon the guilt of liberal people to try to gain some kind of emotional leverage on my viewpoint either. I try to judge people by the content of their character, rather than by the color of their skin. I have friends of every race and ethnicity. All of that doesn't change either the sad personal experiences that I have due to race or the data that seems to endlessly point to the fact that it is far better to grow up white in the United States, than to be either black or hispanic. It greatly increases your likelihood of success. This is not lost on young people as they scan the landscape looking for a representation of role models in their local sphere that give enough evidence of the possibility of success. They have to believe that it is possible. If I had been a high school student attending the conference at the Midwest Center and saw that there was only one black superintendent in attendance out of the hundreds of superintendents there, what would I have believed that my chances were? I guess that when we have colorblind experiences and data, we can move on to a colorblind society.
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