Articles in the NSBA Opinions and Analysis category

H1N1 tools for schools

BoardBuzz has been watching what our friends at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been up to this week to help schools be ready to deal with H1N1 (aka swine flu) as schools open.  Today, they closed out the week by issuing updated guidelines for schools, plus a communications toolkit that will give school officials a leg up in dealing with a potential outbreak of flu. Earlier in the week, CDC posted an online reporting system for collecting reports of school closures.  You can check out all the latest information at NSBA’s update on H1N1 resources for schools.   And CDC has told BoardBuzz that coming soon are guidelines for holding vaccination clinics in schools. Remember. You heard it here first.

In the meantime, remember that sneezing and coughing “etiquette” are important for stopping the spread of any airborne disease (as BoardBuzz shared with you earlier today). Just ask a kindergartener you know what you should do when you sneeze or cough. If you don’t know a kindergartener, take a look at another video we found on YouTube that shows you how to do it.

Christina Gordon|August 7th, 2009|Categories: NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Security, Wellness|

Swine flu got you feeling blue?

BoardBuzz has found it hard not to get caught up in the, well, buzz about the H1N1 pandemic, especially with the new guidelines released today (more on that to come).  But we were happy to see that there are some stopgap measures that can be employed.  And even happier to see this video on YouTube that shows just how to employ them . . .

Just what the doctor ordered for a summer Friday, no?

Christina Gordon|August 7th, 2009|Categories: NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Security, Wellness|

Why they do it

This is arguably the best and worst time of the year to be a teacher.  The best because for most school systems, August is when teachers are off and the students are away in camps, summer programs, or on vacation.  It’s also the worst because the inevitable reality sets in–and every major retailer will tell you — school is back in session very soon.  BoardBuzz often discusses why teachers teach.  It’s a tough, often thankless job.  But one that is absolutely necessary — maybe the most necessary. 

Urban teachers have an additional set of challenges, and an article in The Oakland Tribune caught our attention because the teacher, Jill Thomas, explains herself so well.  She’s a fifth year teacher and discusses the reality that many teachers in America today don’t last much longer than the five year mark. 

We won’t spoil the article for you–she does a great job explaining her reasons for staying, for now, but here’s a clip to tempt you to read further:

Few teachers quit because they realize they don’t care; they quit to save themselves. If retaining good teachers is at the core of improving urban education, systemic changes that support this goal are the answer.

So the next time you see a “back to school sale” think about Ms. Thomas and how she’s preparing for the coming school year.  For anyone who’s in the world of education, whether you’re a board member, superintendent, or fellow teacher, you can appreciate the internal conflict millions of teachers are facing this August.

Kevin Scott|August 5th, 2009|Categories: Governance, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, Teachers|

No diplomacy for Diane

Diane Ravitch does not mince words about privatizing education: privatization will not help us reach our goals.   BoardBuzz agrees with this and many of her observations about the consequences of NCLB, the promise and potential pitfalls of common standards and the need for discernment with regard charter schools and other reforms.  Further, BoardBuzz supplements Ravitch’s recent interview with Learning Matters with a few observations of its own:

  • Charter schools – Reports on the CREDO National Charter School Study frequently overlook a key finding: that states with multiple charter school authorizers (translation: entities outside the public K-12 system) experience significantly lower growth in learning in their students.  The reasons aren’t completely clear, but the report suggests that multiple entities could permit charter school operators to “shop around” for an authorizer and recommends ratcheting up accountability and transparency.  School districts already are accountable to their communities and remain the logical authorizers for charter schools. 
  •  Common standards – A common set of standards, not mandated by the federal government but supported by it, can lead to raising student achievement.  Funding for research and financial assistance to states in developing and implementing standards are appropriate federal roles, but not federal mandates over content or national assessments.  Read more here.   

What’s the buzz on privatization, charter schools and common standards in your state? 

Lucy Gettman|August 5th, 2009|Categories: Educational Legislation, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Governance, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, Privatization|

All the little birds on jaybird street …

… love to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet. Do you Tweet? Do you know what Twitter is? If the answer is no, don’t worry. You’re in good company—69 percent of adults don’t really know either.

You would think that with an estimated $48 million of free media coverage per month, most people would have a better grasp on Twitter, even if they don’t use it. But according to a new study from Harris Interactive, 69 percent of adults don’t know enough about Twitter “to have an opinion about it.”

Well, let’s put this one to bed. Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are short text blurbs of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author’s subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. Yeah, and it’s all the rage. People love to know what other people are doing or thinking.

What’s the use, you may ask? BoardBuzz came across some interesting coverage from the Glasgow Daily Times that can enlighten us. Two Kentucky school systems, Barren and Metcalfe County, are recent adopters of Twitter.

“The Metcalfe County School District has made a massive attempt over the course of the past few years to improve communication, both within the district as well as from the district to parents and the community. Twitter gives MCS one more opportunity to communicate to those parents and community members,” said Justin Hubbard, Webmaster for the school system.

Communication with your community is one prime example of how Twitter can be leveraged.

“Parents, students, staff and community members who follow Metcalfe County Schools on Twitter get real-time updates on events, and receive important announcements in a timely manner. Using Twitter allows us to send instant information to people who want it,” he said. “Twitter is a fairly new tool for Metcalfe County Schools. The district began tweeting just this summer. As our district calendar fills, however, and as announcements are made, Twitter will become much more vital to the district.”

Metcalfe County Schools Superintendent, Pat Hurt also tweets to keep people informed and engaged.

“I believe if I want our staff and leaders to be users of the latest communication tools, I have to lead that. I want our teachers to integrate technology in the classroom and so, when there is a novel way that may get used by young and old alike, I will try it,” she said. “Communication cannot be over done, nor can the integration of technology in our teaching. We are preparing students for a tomorrow we cannot see, but we know 21st century communication skills will be needed.”

“I think it will help to enlighten people about the role of the superintendent and the level of activity the job entails. It is a form of accountability as well as forum for communication in real time,” she said.

Barren County Schools also began tweeting last school year.

“We don’t necessarily do daily ‘tweets’… we do them when we think it is appropriate. We try and keep them ‘light’ as well as informative,” said Benny Lile, director of technology and instruction. “This is a technology that more and more people are relying on for information. There is no cost to it and takes very little time so we just see it as another avenue to help communicate with the community. I have oft said that I am not sure what the longevity of Twitter will be but if it is a long term tech trend we want to be there taking advantage of it.”

Twitter is easy to start and a great way to communicate with your community. If you’re still looking for more information, BoardBuzz suggests visiting Mashable’s Twitter Guide. They’ll get you up and running with Twitter 101 as well provide you with tips, best practices, and a glossary of the lingo. 

Do you tweet? Let us know.

Andrew Paulson|August 4th, 2009|Categories: Educational Technology, Governance, NSBA Opinions and Analysis|

Way to go G.I. Joe

President Obama announced the “Post 9/11 G.I. Bill”  and held a rally to publicize what will help those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan get a college education when they return home.  Much like the original G.I. Bill following World War II, the bill has the chance to greatly impact American education and society from this point forward.   According to the Associated Press, President Obama said:

“We do this not just to meet our moral obligation to those who sacrificed greatly on our behalf, on behalf of the country,” said Obama, speaking at a celebration rally at George Mason University. “We do it because these men and women must now be prepared to lead our nation in the peaceful pursuit of economic leadership in the 21st century.”

While this may not impact the K-12 education world directly, it does show a great deal of support to our troops and the universities and colleges that will benefit from their experiences.  With more than 500,000 veterans expected to take part in the program in the first year, a college campus may look a little different than it did just a year ago.  Senator Jim Webb (VA), a Vietnam veteran, authored the bill.

Kevin Scott|August 3rd, 2009|Categories: Governance, NSBA Opinions and Analysis|

This week at the CPE

Want a little good news? Our friends at the  Center for Public Education regularly publishes “success stories” – stories of school districts raising achievement, with helpful lessons you can apply to your own district. This week, we’re featuring California‘s San Jose Unified School District. In 2001, only 23 percent of its Hispanic students graduated with the requirements needed to enroll in one of California’s four-year public colleges. This was monumental, considering that the district’s Hispanic student population was a little more than 50 percent of the overall student population. With statistics as dismal as these, what was the district to do? Why, raise expectations, of course! And it’s worked. Read the story, called Helping All Students Graduate, to see what they did to raise student achievement, and graduate all students college-ready.

And BoardBuzz wants to remind you not to forget to look to the Center when education’s in the news. The recent announcement of the “Race to the Top” funds focused on four main reforms: pay-for-performance plans, charter schools, common standards, and collecting longitudinal data (BoardBuzz covered that last week). Guess what?  The Center already has reports on three of these areas.

Christina Gordon|July 31st, 2009|Categories: Center for Public Education, NSBA Opinions and Analysis|

A Facebook faux pas

BoardBuzz was intrigued to come across yet another example of “when poor thinking and social networking collide.” You may remember our coverage of the Bozeman, Montana incident where the city requested that job applicants hand over logins to sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.

Well, as we predicted a similar situation has now emerged in the realm of public education. What happened you ask? Ars Technica reports that a high school cheerleading coach forced students on her squad to give up their Facebook account login information. We’re guessing the coach was looking for evidence of drug use and/or drinking.

Instead the Facebook account revealed a discussion between one student/cheerleader in particular and another member of the squad about its internal politics. This discussion was then allegedly shared with other squad supervisors and the school administration. The student claims to have been “publicly reprimanded, punished, and humiliated” as a result of the dissemination of said discussion.

Now the student is filing a suit alleging violation of her Constitutional rights to privacy, free speech, and association. The suit also makes claims of emotional distress, defamation of character, and civil conspiracy. All this over a little Facebook chit chat.

BoardBuzz would like to point out that both accessing another person’s account and sharing your account login with another person violated the Terms of Service of Facebook. It simply shouldn’t be done. Also, it’s wise to regulate your own speech on social networking sites, and this is something of which both students and teachers should be aware. However, regulating student speech and activity that takes place outside of school hours and off of school grounds is a very slippery slope. Many districts have a student code of conduct that does touch on off-campus behavior and discipline. For example, if those cheerleaders had been caught drinking, they would have been suspended from participation in extracurriculars.

The crux here is whether or not a teacher or administrator should go so far as to actively seek out such information. It certainly seems unwise to get into the habit of policing off-campus social networking behavior. Especially when the means of doing so violates the social networking sites’ terms of service. BoardBuzz is interested to see how this case progresses. Schools definitely need to take a serious look at social networking with regard to student safety and privacy.

Andrew Paulson|July 30th, 2009|Categories: Educational Technology, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, Student Achievement|

The naked news

Warning:  the following blog may contain references to partially-clothed school supporters with strategically placed props to cover personal areas. 

 The Vashon Beachcomber, which covers community happenings in Vashon-Maury Island, Wash., features several school board stories today including high school makeovers, the passage of the $15M school board budget and the new all male nude calendar to raise money for the school district. Yep, you read that right.

According to VBC, it seems 12 islands fathers and residents are wearing their birthday suits in a new 2010 calendar dubbed “the DreamBoats” that will be sold for $20 each to benefit the Vashon Island School District.  But, lest it be accused of pandering smut, the calendar reportedly strategically hides each islander’s “personal area.”  The effort aims at raising $10,000 “for a school system that has struggled mightily to forego layoffs this year and even put out a plea to parents to help keep a few teachers on staff.”  That sure does bring resourcefulness to a new level, doesn’t it?

It seems, too, the participants are motivated by the beneficence of the fund drive, although the chance of stardom may have sparked a glimmer of possibilities in some.  “It’s nice to have this as a fun way to support the schools in an otherwise dreary financial environment for the district,” said Benner, 43, a financial planner and lawyer. “It was a lot of fun, actually… I haven’t done something like that before, and probably won’t again.”  Probably?

Of course, the school district itself is staying far away from the idea, according to organizers who simply wanted to help the districts financials woes with their creative, er, assets.  According to the districts new superintendent, the calendar exhibits, “Island creativity.  If it benefits our schools and our instructional programs, without necessarily an endorsement of a particular funding strategy, I think it’s great.”

But, others, including “School board vice chair Laura Wishik [say] she’s concerned the calendar could send the wrong message to Island children.”  Children, she says, should “make good choices, including not judging others based on appearance, not obsessing about their own bodies and not taking sex lightly.”   Even though one model is described as a “a 6-foot-2, blue-eyed German-Irish-Norweigan DreamBoat,” Wishik’s concerns about appropriateness may strike some of the men on the board as Victorian.

The school board chair, a man and father of three,  disagrees with Wishik, claiming, ‘ “The objectification of middle-aged men is not a problem in our society.” ‘ The chair takes a lighthearted view of it all, saying ‘ “The only message I perceive here is that we have a group of people who care about our schools and don’t take themselves too seriously.” ‘

Another Board member, ‘John “Oz” Osborne,’ agreed with the Board Chair.  ‘ “It’s not a full monty kind of thing,” he said. “I just find the whole thing so funny, and if they want to donate us money based on the proceeds from that, I don’t have a problem with it.” Likewise, ‘ “Board member Dan Chasan… said he’d gladly accept the money.”"

The whole thing will probably come to a head when the calendar people actually try to give the money to the school district.  What?  Someone’s giving away free money?  Say it ain’t so!  Wishik says she may “vote against the school board taking funds raised by the effort.”

In BoardBuzz‘s view it’s all much ado about nothing.  Student achievement, racial isolation, school financing, teacher salaries.  Those are the issues about which parents and communities care.  The real issue isn’t that someone made a beefcake calendar to raise money for public schools.  It’s that somebody had to. As one local photographer who helped with the project said “[I]t’s a sad commentary on our society – that we have to have bake sales and car washes and beefcake calendars to raise money for our children.  We shouldn’t have to do that.”  Hear, hear.

Christina Gordon|July 29th, 2009|Categories: Educational Finance, Governance, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Boards|

Everyone loves lists

The BoardBuzz crew often wonders what it is about lists that gets our attention so often.  Whether it’s the “best places to retire,” or “top songs of 2009,” we find ourselves pausing and perusing the list for a moment.  Much to many a parent’s chagrin, the top college ‘party’ school always gets a lot of media attention (we’ll make you click the link in case you haven’t heard), and this year is no exception.  But what’s more interesting is some of the other categories that made the Princeton Review listing this year. 

Because we cater to K-12 public education, one category that is important to us is affordability of college, or “best value colleges,” especially in the current situation we’re facing as a nation.  The top public school was the University of Virginia, while the top private school is Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.   Another category that caught our eye in light of the recent events in Cambridge, Massachusetts last week is “race/class relations friendliest,” which went to the University of Miami (Florida). 

So, if you’re in the market for colleges, or just want to peruse the results of the college students of America, it may be worth a look.

And if you want to learn more about college readiness and bone up on a little research, check out the Center for Public Education.

Kevin Scott|July 28th, 2009|Categories: Governance, High Schools, NSBA Opinions and Analysis|
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