Looking to close achievement gap, leaders seek research-based answers

Working with the Center for the Future of Arizona and the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL), a team of leaders in Arizona Education sought research based strategies to improve student excellence and close achievement gaps, specifically asking what school leaders need to do in order to promote student excellence.

Marianne Lescher, Principal at Kyrene Traditional Academy, asked the attendees, “can we have equity with excellence or is it trade-off?” To outline, Elaine Jacobs of North Canyon High School gave an overview of the US and its International competitors. Their research in the highest performing countries revealed that students stack up equally in performance, no matter the socio-economic standing, when all systems are in alignment. Lescher pointed to NISL’s “Education Reform Agenda” which gives educators nine building blocks to ensure that all systems (support, development and management of schools) are in alignment, the key to achieving excellence and college or career ready students. “Leadership is part science and part art,” noted Giselle Herrera, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Tolleson Elementary School District. Herrera explained the importance of equity as a design criterion that should be built into school leadership systems. Making sure that there is support for families and teachers and using tools to assess moral and equitable culture are components needed to achieve “Equity in Action.”

Consolidation shows improved efficiencies

Riley Frei

The unofficial consolidation of the Bullhead City Elementary and Colorado River High School districts was explained by Riley Frei, superintendent, and was accomplished over a three-year period. Year one the districts developed shared agreements in the areas of administration, transportation, special education and maintenance and custodial services, but maintained two Governing Boards, which will remain the case. In year two they closed one district office and had one administrative staff and two each of business staff and two websites. Now in year three, all staff is consolidated, and all employee reductions were accomplished through attrition. The districts saw considerable fiscal reductions, but more importantly, there is improved efficiency.

Social media apps can help districts relay their message, brand

“What makes social media social is the fact that you can interact with people. Ask questions. Use hashtags,” said Marlys Weaver, Administrator of Communications with Mesa Unified School District. Attendees gathered to learn more about apps as well as four major social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. The session was led through interactive timed discussions, where each table represented a social platform. Concerns from attendees included how to deal with negative comments or reviews on social media and how to better connect and gather feedback from their audiences.

While Heidi Hurst, Supervisor of District Communications with Mesa USD discussed Facebook set-up tutorials with additional template design resources at her table, Adriana Parsons, Director at MET Professional Academy discussed the relevance and learning curve of the Snapchat interface. Zachery Fountain of Dysart USD described apps as a means to make your work stand out on a budget and the importance of making a connection, “not just to parents and students, but to the wider community.”

Collaboration key to students' social, emotional growth

From Deer Valley Unified School District: Cherryl
Paul, Director of Organizational Improvement,
Melissa Sepuka, Principal, and Ann O'Brien,
governing board member. 

Collaborative efforts from the governing board to the classroom are necessary to help support the social and emotional growth of students. In Deer Valley Unified School District, the district motto, vision, mission, and strategic plan have been used to develop a comprehensive system that focuses on the whole child. Schools use programs such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) to help positive behaviors. Schools have also built programs based on specific needs of students, for example, one school developed a death and dying group when they found that a number of students had lost parents during the school year.

AVID can help close the achievement gap

Dr. Michael Cowan, Superintendent, Mesa Public Schools, Dr. Perry Berry, Superintendent, Queen Creek USD and Kathy Mullery, Connolly Middle School Principal, Tempe ESD, gave an inside look at their respective initiatives to close the gap through AVID - Advancement Through Individual Determination. AVID is in more than 5,600 schools in 44 states. A focus on leadership, instruction, systems and culture brings schoolwide results. And data shows AVID graduates demonstrate greater persistence and success in postsecondary education.

Mesa and Queen Creek are on trajectories to achieve districtwide AVID. The program helps students overcome the traps of poverty and reach their full potential. AVID positively impacts instructional quality through comprehensive professional development and teaches self-management skills that help students be successful. It is an excellent avenue to bring talk into action.

Secret about humans: decision-making isn't logical

Dr. Mike Lee is a self-professed nerd about research on human behavior. The Paradise Valley director of professional development quoted Antonio Damario, saying "decision-making isn't logical, it's emotional," and Madison Avenue knows it. Lee also said if you keep hearing something, you begin to believe it is true. He noted that human beings aren't looking for truth, rather they're looking to persuade others.

An interactive look at preparing STEM teachers

Nancy Perry, Senior Assistant Dean of Arizona State University, began by asking the important question: how do you tame the “wicked problem” of recruiting, inducting and retaining middle school STEM teachers? The answer: human-centered design. In researching for the SEED grant (Supporting Effective Educator Development) for the Mary Lou Fulton Teacher’s College, Nancy explained, “one of the things we’ve learned is that we need to start looking at these problems by empathizing with our end-user – the middle school math or science teacher.” 

Arizona State Assistant Clinical Professor, Pamela Harris and Senior Research Analyst, Carrie Lloyd broke the session into interactive discussion by asking each table to share ideas on which characteristics define a great STEM teacher, and how to recruit and retain these individuals. A popular topic was engagement – the need for teachers to engage in social emotional development. The team of researchers found that STEM teachers lack social emotional training and could be better retained by employers who offer emotional intelligence classes. The group also found that utilizing a “high touch recruitment strategy,” where employers touch base once a week and offer to take new teachers to school visits and social gatherings, has proven successful in retention. While STEM teachers are often thought of as more logical, Perry explains the importance of catering to their creative intelligence as well. Perry notes that somewhere along the way, “we may have forgotten about the human in the 

Millennials are rebooting the way we do business

Gilbert Public Schools shifted the paradigm and launched a talent management model in place of the traditional human resources system. Dr. Robyn Conrad-Hanson, past president, National Association Elementary School Principals and Dr. Suzanne Zentner, Chief Talent Officer, Gilbert Public Schools, shared the key components of the talent management framework - recruitment, engagement and retention - and why it is needed. Focused on the characteristics of millennial generation, which will make up 83 percent of the workforce by 2045, the framework targets work-life balance, wellness, distributed leadership and more.

Schechterle: find your burning shield

What is your burning shield?  What can you do to overcome that?

“We have two needs,” said retired Phoenix Policeman Jason Schechterle as he shared his harrowing experience of surviving a life-changing car accident while on duty that left his body over 40 percent burnt.  

“Human beings need two things.  The inherent need to be inspired.”  Schechterle continued that the one vice humans have is that we take things for granted.  Through sharing his story with the ASBA members, 

"Life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent how you react." Mr. Schechterle talked about the importance of the journey and made the connection that people do have control of their lives.

Beard: 'Our voice is stronger together'

“Our voice is stronger together,” said Miranda Beard, president of the National School Board Association.  “As leaders in public education, let us continue to work together regardless of our background.”

Beard kicked off the Annual Session talking about the state of education nationally and asked members to remember the sole focus of education: students.  “Our focus should always be on educating children.” Closing out her comments, Beard shared the importance of education professionals sticking together. Hoisting up her family quilt, she shared that like a quilt, there is a greater strength when people stick together.

At PV they're trying to avoid the drama

The Karpman Triangle contains a rescuer, a persecutor and a victim, and each person can assume another role during problem solving. Drs. Troy Bales and Kimberly Guerin from Paradise Valley Unified School District led a jam-packed, interactive session to give participants a chance to practice the skills.

They also shared the leadership characteristics to look for when hiring, saying leaders need to be effective communicators, open, precise, attentive, comfortable communicating with all types of people, friendly and relaxed. Characteristics to avoid are argumentative, dominant and dramatic.

Building leadership aim of Buckeye program

Rainbow Valley is a school with four programs to build leadership in grades one through eight. Students run monthly drives for a Buckeye food bank through competitions devised by them. Reward field trips to Disneyland and Astro Camp in California motivate students to achieve goals in attendance, behavior and grades, with good results according to Principal Dr. Theresa Matteson. Trips are funded through tax credit donations and scholarships sponsored by individuals. Teachers collaborate weekly to plan ways to re-teach and enrich students in academics. A wide variety of after-school clubs encourage students to "find your gift." Choices, led by all adults on campus, include art, extra band practice, chorus, dance, food, Kohl's Fit and bicycle repair, among others. Liberty School District provides snacks and a late bus to allow participation by more kids.

Osborn's PRIDE Program gives students responsibility and rewards

“This (PRIDE) program is so important to our school that it has to work. It makes the teachers happy,” said Marty Makar, Osborn Middle School Principal about the PRIDE program. PRIDE stands for Personal Responsibility in Daily Effort, and the program has literally flipped their homework completion percentages from 10 percent to 90 percent, as well as improved the numbers of students getting to class on time and bringing their supplies each day, things the teachers determined affects learning the most.

Students are required to carry their PRIDE cards with them at all times, and each teacher completes a portion of it for each student, to record a "yes" or a "no" if they met certain requirements each day. For completing homework, bringing their materials, being on time and participating in class, they earn PRIDE Bucks, and students can use these bucks to purchase items, pay for events or even a lunch “fastpass” to skip the long line at lunchtime.

Makar emphasized that PRIDE “is a responsibility program, not discipline,” so the discipline room is called a Personal Responsibility Center. Osborn found that after school detention didn’t work, so they adjusted to lunch time detention for students that have any “no” marks on their PRIDE chart. Students must work during their time in this "pin drop silent" time, which for them is in the gym and the library. The PRIDE Program has changed the focus at Osborn Middle School, from consequences to rewards, and as a result, the staff has noticed a huge change in how the students behave.

The Hitchhikers guide to employee benefits

Knowing the basics of insurance and how it works is the key to selecting the best plan for your school district, says Chuck Nelson of the ASBA Insurance Trust.  Nelson gave a detailed primer of how insurance plans work, including choices, deductibles, co-insurance and out of pocket expenses.  Calling it “the hitchhiker’s guide to employee benefits”, he encourages districts to reach their destination economically and safely.

He spent much time discussing fixed costs (10% of insurance expenses) vs. variable costs (90%) and how districts can manage the 90% which can translate into controlling their expenses, or  their insurance company’s profits.  Districts that are self-funded can take any surpluses and impact future costs.    

Nelson also explained Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), Health Management Organizations (HMOs) and Health Savings Account (HAS) plans, which he suggests are becoming more popular.  Also known as High Deductible Health Plans, the employee and often the employer contributes to the HSA account, which covers deductibles.  The employee owns the account and takes responsibility for his health costs.  Funds contributed are pre-taxed for the employee, surpluses roll over each year, and upon retirement or termination, the account stays with the employee. 

Technonogy? Yeah, get used to it

David Pogue gave the keynote address on technology and how it impacts our lives. He has been described as the common voice to explain technology today and he was truly extraordinary, not only in his delivery but also with his content.  Here's what you missed:

You should know that 92% of kids under 18 years old do not actually use their phones for talking (no surprise if you are a parent).

There are now over 2 million apps available to download, and some of them will blow your mind... check out Ocarina, the app that when you blow in the microphone and move your fingers over various spots, it actually creates unbelievable music.

Pogue also talked about the "Internet of Things" where we take ordinary objects and control them through apps....from your house lights, to your doorbell to the thermostat in your house. And this technology is evolving.  After research proved that 50 percent of Americans that buy programmable thermostats never use that feature they figured out ways to make it easier, like using your phone to GPS track you and then adjusting it to your desired preference when you are approaching your house. Advancements will be unifying all these apps into one place, and this is being done by many companies now.

AUGMENTED REALITY
You know about virtual reality, but do you know about augmented reality?  This is about augmenting your current situation to provide more info to the user. There is an app that will allow you to point your phone down and see which subways are beneath you. Or the TAT app they are testing that allows you to point your phone at a person and find out who they are and their entire social media profile!

DID YOU KNOW...the Pokémon Go summer phenomenon was downloaded onto 5 percent of all phones within 24 hours?  Or that it boosted Nintendo's stock by 50 percent?  It generated $2 million a day while it was hot. More than 3,000 McDonalds restaurants actually paid to have Pokémon critters located near their restaurants.

THE SHARING ECONOMY
We are taking advantage of this new world in a brilliant way with the ability to share resources.  You probably use Uber, but do you know about Parking Panda (don't pay to park at the airport, spend much less and store it in someone's garage) or Dog Vacay (don't board your beloved dog in a cage for $60/Day and a chance of ticks, use this app to find a loving family to babysit and send you pics).

WEARABLE TECH
Some good, some bad... the fit bit has taken off and is continuing to thrive with 125 million sold in 2016, to the much less popular smart watches and glasses. Medical advancements are promising, too, including virtual reality bodies to operate on and contacts for diabetics to measure insulin levels.

Recruiting teachers isn't getting easier

Approximately 50 participants from throughout the state came to hear the presentation on how to increase teacher candidates in school districts. With more than 2,000 teacher vacancies across the state, new strategies include looking at the costs of losing a quality teacher, and using liquidated damages (costs that districts are recouping from teachers who leave) at 15percent. Research says there is a 20 percent turnover in teachers and a huge issue. The goal is to reduce it by half in the Colorado River and Bullhead City Schools and they are making progress.

Recruitment efforts include local, in-state, out of state and other countries. People are leveraging funds to raise base salaries. Districts are also looking at a staffing model and rethinking classrooms with a master teacher and para pros that are constantly trained. Retention is one of the biggest issues and grow your own is helping. Many districts are at the beginning stages and hoping for success. Forming a partnership with NAU, an accredited program where they come to the district is a great working strategy. Using a practicum entails  having someone who is employed by the District to have real experiences as soon as possible to see what teaching is really like. There is no silver bullet but partnering with NAU has produced teachers for the schools and a future pipeline.