7 Thoughts on School Improvement Plans #satchat (Steve Guditus @sguditus)

Today's #satchat, as usual, has left me feeling inspired and motivated.  Folks from around Massachusetts, the nation and world chimed into a fantastic conversation about sometimes-dry School Improvement Plans (SIPs).  Co-faciltiated by @bcurrie5, @ScottRRocco and @billsterrett, a few main lessons emerged for me:

1. Create a unified vision.  Provide tight-loose leadership to provide vision and structure, and then allow folks to do their best work.  Encourage all constituencies to revisit a school's vision and SIP - if it is clear and unified enough, it will be easily accessible and relatable to all we do in our school.
2. Administrators cannot just talk the talk - they must be ready, willing and able to walk the walk.  SIPs can easily become an exercise in jargon, acronyms and only philosophy.  For staff, students and parents to be inspired to work outside their comfort zone, try something new, and reach for goals, leaders must be ready to not just say it, but live it themselves.  It is unfair and unrealistic to expect students, staff and parents to work towards something new if leaders are not willing to do the same in their everyday actions and words.  Administrators must model what they hope to see.
3. Actively recruit and engage all constituencies into the conversation - teachers, parents, students, community members.  Engaging folks from various levels of the community is essential, and they may not just show up on your doorstep.  You may need to plant seeds, develop relationships and encourage conversation - but it is worth the authentic engagement.
4. Technology can be key leveraging engagement and participation.  Consider using Google Docs or wikis to carry on conversations without formal meetings.  Edmodo, Twitter, Facebook and other backchannels can encourage input and conversation from folks not normally involved.  Consider flipping the SIP process - plant the seeds of ideas and conversations using You Tube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media, and hold the rich conversation with folks when you have a captive audience at open house nights, concerts, etc.
5. Trust is key.  Without trust, open and honest conversations will not occur, and SIPs will miss the mark or not be an authentic reflection of a school's true needs and a community's true goals.
6. Develop a culture of lifelong learning.  This will not happen overnight.  It takes time to model lifelong learning, develop teacher leaders to encourage others, and develop lifelong learning as a priority in the community.  As schools, we hope to educate our students to be lifelong learners who are always questioning, inquisitive and exploring - and encouraging and supporting this same characteristic in the adults in our school community (teachers, community members, parents) must be a priority.  Doing so will encourage reflection, goal-setting and a culture of constant improvement.
7. Students must be front and center.  Any and all conversation should come back to the question, "Is this what is best for our students and student learning?"  Ultimately, this must be at the forefront of all that we do - in our conversation, our goals, and our reflection on SIPs.

After The Boston Marathon Bombings: Resources for Parents and Teachers to Help Students (Steve Guditus @sguditus)

As adults, we feel helpless after a tragedy such as the Boston Marathon Bombings.  There is so much

pain, grief and anger that we feel even as adults, it is important to stop and remember how these same feelings may be impacting our students.  Two big questions I've been considering are:

1. How should I speak to kids about this?
2. What can I do to help?

Below, you will find some resources and suggestions to help answer both of these questions.

Resources to speak with kids about the Boston Marathon Bombing Tragedy:

• National Association of School Psychologists - Helping Children Cope in Unsettling Times 
• NC Department of HHS: Helping Children Deal with Tragic Events - advice from Mr. Rogers
• Center for Social and Emotional Education: Talking to Children about Violence and Terrorism
• Dr. Gail Saltz - via The Today Show: Talking to Your Kids about the Boston Marathon Bombings
• National Association of School Psychologists: Tips for Parents/Teachers - Talking to Children about Violence 

Ideas of How To Help:

• Many victims and survivors have an incredibly long road ahead - emotionally and physically.  As a result, financial donations seem to be one of the best ways to help at this point.  As a parent or educator, consider helping students organize to help raise money.  A few ideas follow.  (Kids should not go door-to-door asking for donations and should always be supervised by an adult.)
• Hold a car wash
• Get donors for a honk-a-thon
• Hold a garage sale
• Organize a spirit day at school and request donations to participate.  Ideas include:
• Boston Spirit Day
• Marathon Mondays - wear blue and yellow (Boston Marathon colors)  
• Wear jeans for the day
• Dress up day
• Wear a hat day
• Consider having students choose where to donate money.  Boston.com has a very comprehensive list of places to donate.  Consider carefully how much information to share with your child/students.
• Donate to the Boston One Fund, which is the official donation site set up by Governor Patrick and Boston Mayor Menino: http://onefundboston.org/.
• The American Red Cross says that their blood supply is now current.  To schedule an appointment to donate blood in the coming weeks, go to: http://redcrossblood.org.
• Show your support through the 26.2gether campaign.
• Write thank you cards to first responders who helped on the day of the tragedy, as well as during the week: police officers, fire fighters, state police, EMTs, nurses, doctors, and volunteers.  You can send cards to your local police, fire and EMTs, or specifically to the Boston PD, FD or medical personnel (see addresses below).
• Write get well soon/thinking of you cards to survivors of the blasts.  You can send cards to Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital or Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.  See addresses below.

Boston Medical Center

1 Boston Medical Center Place

Boston, MA 02118

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)

55 Fruit Street

Boston, MA 02114

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

330 Brookline Avenue

Boston, MA 02215

Boston Police Department Headquarters

1 Schroeder Plaza

Boston, MA 02120

Boston Fire Department Headquarters

115 Southampton Street

Boston, MA 021185

Image Credit: http://fpcmarathoncharityteam.blogspot.com/2012/09/run-2013-boston-marathon-with-franklin.html

Climbing The Rock Wall (Steve Guditus @sguditus)

This weekend, I attended the Adaptive Open House at the Lynch van Otterloo YMCA in Marblehead, MA.  A fabulous event for many reasons, one of which was meeting some amazing people.  As I witnessed a wheelchair-bound guest be lifted out of her chair and proceed to climb the rock wall in the lobby, I thought about school (to where my mind often wanders).

I had seen many people climb that rock wall in the lobby, but had never seen someone without the use of their legs climb the rock wall.  The accomplishment was the same, and I found myself overwhelmed watching the accomplishment in the lobby.  Holding the expectation the same, the athlete had spotters and climbing rope assist her, which allowed her to make the same accomplishment as all other rock wall climbers.  Truly, the Y had provided the scaffolding required to allow the athlete to accomplish her goal.  

I wondered, Do we always provide the proper scaffolding to all of our students, so they are able to climb the rock wall?  Students come in all shapes and sizes, with all sorts of strengths and weaknesses; some students need more grips on the rock wall, others need spotters, some need additional ropes and supports, but ultimately, schools must do whatever it takes to help students accomplish the same goal: climbing the rock wall.

Do we always ensure high standards for all of our students, including those with a disability, despite an obstacle or a weakness? We must remember, as Rick Wormeli coined, "fair isn't always equal." Is it fair for some students to get extended time, enlarged text or less homework volume? Yes. As educators, we must do whatever it takes to provide scaffolding so all students can climb the rock wall. When some students need something more or something different, what an inspiring visual to remember that all students deserve whatever it takes for them to achieve high standards.

Marvelous Mistakes (Steve Guditus @sguditus)

This week, I had a conversation with a first-year teacher about a student who plagiarized.  The student had pretty closely adapted a cartoon, and handed it in as his/her project.  Unsure of its true author, the teacher did some research and found the cartoon, nearly word-for-word and image-for-image (is that a thing?).  The teacher asked me to discuss the scenario with her, because she had never before encountered a student plagiarizing.  Our conversation was a fruitful one, and she asked great questions:

• Why did the student plagiarize?
• Did the student know that he/she was plagiarizing?
• How will he/she learn from his/her mistakes?
• How do I grade the student?
• What about consequences?  What message gets sent to the student and fellow classmates?
• Do students know what plagiarism is?

Ultimately, when students make a mistake, they should be permitted to learn from their mistakes; a consequence should be separate from the learning and the grade, which should reflect mastery, not poor decision-making.  I am all for teaching responsibility to students, and as John Dewey said, "Failure is instructive.  The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes."  With this in mind, I recommended the teacher have a conversation with the student, confirm if this action was a deliberate bait-and-switch, or something much less sinister, in an age of copy-and-paste with the click of a button - and to take the time to follow up and provide  consequences through reflection and understanding of what had been done (and potentially a detention, too). 

In many instances, students do not realize that a copy-and-paste is considered plagiarism or cheating.  As educators, part of our job is to make sure the experience is instructive.  Students need to understand, in a low-stakes environment, (a) what plagiarism is, (b) how to avoid plagiarism and (c) that the stakes for plagiarizing (and cheating) only increase as one gets older.  In high school, you might fail a test or a final; in college you might be expelled.  

I implored the first-year teacher to think carefully about the purpose of any punishment, and to  separate "the consequence" from "the grade."  As alluring as it might be to say, "deducting points will teach responsibility," the only purpose in doing so is to undermine what a grade truly means: measure of mastery.  Instead of deducting grades to punish and teach life lessons, we should teach responsibility by including parents in the situation, ensure they are aware of what happened, have conversations with the student, and set up opportunities for understanding and reflection, so the same behaviors do not occur again.  If the only punishment is deducing points from the project of a student who cheated, it certainly seems like a convenient, easy consequence - and not one that would be instructive for the student.  It is far more difficult and time consuming to involve many people, discuss, reflect, and set goals for improvement - but doing so can literally change the course of a student's academic future.  As a educators, isn't that what we want?

10 Lessons for Education from Dr. Seuss (Steve Guditus)

A big happy birthday to Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel.  Dr. Seuss was an inspiration to many, and on his birthday, I thought it would be fitting to reflect upon lessons we can learn from Dr. Seuss' books*.  In so many ways, he was insightful and ahead of his time; his simple messages permeate education still today.  Ten lessons for education from Dr. Seuss' books:

1. Schools should help students take ownership and responsibility of their learning process, to help them become lifelong learners and discover their own passions. (You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go... Oh, the Places You'll Go!)
2. Students must find their own voice and their own identity.  Embracing the growth of the whole child is essential to success in our world today.  (Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You. Happy Birthday to You!)
3. Education is the path to open many doors.  (The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!)
4. As educators, we educate all children, no matter what they bring to the table; it is important to meet kids where they are at!  (A person's a person, no matter how small. Horton Hears a Who!)
5. Every student deserves to have at least one adult their school who serves as their advocate and go-to person.  Every student should have a cheerleader - you can be that person.  (Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It's not. The Lorax)
6. Amazing things are all around us; sometimes it is a matter of perspective and taking the time to reflect upon our strengths and weaknesses. (From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere! One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish)
7. As educators, we are charged with one of the most important tasks in the world: to help students realize their potential, meet their potential, and expand their potential. (You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so... get on your way! Oh, the Places You'll Go!)
8. Schools need to encourage students to think outside of the box and to make new meaning. (ASAP. Whatever that means. It must mean, 'Act swiftly awesome pacyderm!' Horton Hears a Who!)
9. Empower students to have a voice and participate actively in their education.  (I know, up on top you are seeing great sights, but down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights. Yertle the Turtle) 
10. Sustain high standards for all students.  (It's not about what it is, it's about what it can become. The Lorax)

*These quotes were collected from Good Reads' list of Dr. Seuss' most popular quotes.

Image Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss

Maslow's Hierarchy of School Needs (Steve Guditus)

The pace of schools today is frantic.  So little time is left in a child's 24 hour-day to play and explore - both in and out of school.  Unintentionally, we may be pushing students to think and learn at high levels when more basic needs are not met.  For a student to be available for learning, basic needs need to be met - in both school and at home.  We need to shift our paradigm from student supports as "extras" and "add-ons" to prerequisites for a student to be available for learning.  I created this Maslow's Hierarchy of School Needs to highlight the need for other pieces to be in place for students to be available to learn (and to learn at high levels, reach their potential, and increase their potential).



Any thoughts, feedback, edits, subtractions or additions?

10 Ways Social Media Makes Me A Better Leader (Steve Guditus)

How can social media help make me be a better leader?  Let me count the ways:

1. Exposure to new educational research.
2. Awareness of educational trends.
3. Sharing (and stealing) of best practices.
4. An increased ability to connect staff members with relevant resources.
5. Pro-active (not reactive) school PR: instead of waiting for a parent/guardian to reach out to inquire, I can share relevant pictures, quotes, ideas and videos of learning occurring - usually in real time!
6. Support on my personal journey to be a lifelong learner and expand my horizons.
7. Empower staff, students and me to be creative with ideas and make new connections.
8. Differentiate staff professional development.
9. Exposure to web 2.0 tools that students and staff can and should be using the classroom.
10. Collaborate with folks by having ideas challenges, expanding my PLN and connecting with educators out there with similar (and different) philosophies.

Daily, I am humbled by how much I don't know, and how endless the possibilities on this journey.  A big thank you and shout-out for the inspiration to get my wheels turning goes to:

•  Eric Sheninger (@NMHS_Principal)'s conversation on social media and the six pillars of leadership 2.0: http://www.schoolbriefing.com/3839/social-media-and-the-six-pillars-of-leadership-2-0/)
•  Scott Rocco (@ScottRRocco )'s 5 reasons for social media in education: http://www.edsocialmedia.com/2013/01/5-reasons-for-social-media-communication-in-education/

17 Ways to Develop 21st Century Skills in Classrooms and Schools (Steve Guditus)

If we want our students to possess, practice and utilize 21st century skills, then we must support the implementation and practice in our administrators, staff, classrooms and school structures.  Not only must classroom teachers keep 21st century skills in their forethought of planning, administrators too must be cognizant of how their words and actions support (or don't support) staff development and how the structures of their schools promote and encourage (or don't) the utilization and practicing of 21st century skills in the classroom with students.
 
After reading the National Academy's study brief of "Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century," I was inspired to think about how administrators must support teachers, so they can support students.  Let's model with staff what we want implemented with students.  According to the National Academy's study, deeper meaning occurs when students can take information learned and transfer it to a new situation.  This makes sense to me - take the the ideas of scientific method from science class, and use the steps to determine how General Cornwallis should address the next attack by George Washington and Continental Army in the Winter of 1777.

Some ideas to promote transference of deeper meaning in the classroom:

1. Infuse simulations; they provide opportunities to practice problem-solving and strategizing.
2. Provide data/charts/graphs to students ask them to make conclusions; share with the class.
3. Require students to explain, followup, elaborate and defend.
4. Build processes into class to reflect upon their thinking.
5. Require students to explain each step in their answer to a question.
6. Have students write about their math answers.
7. Utilize case studies.  Provide students with relevant details, have them make their own conclusions, and compare to what occurred historically.
8. Emphasize skills learned, not just content.
9. Utilize rubrics in class to provide feedback to students on their creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication.  Coach students on ways to develop and improve.
10. Practice assessment for learning (formative); use this to drive your instruction from day to day.  You can learn more information about assessment for learning vs. assessment of learning here.

As an administrator, you can encourage staff to develop 21st century skills and transference of deep meaning by:

1. Ensuring interdisciplinary meetings are occurring, and occurring effectively and authentically.
2. Praising staff for taking risks in the classroom.
3. Protecting time for collaboration and provide structure so teams are functional.
4. Emphasizing skills as well as content in your conversation and language.
5. Working with staff to implement a common rubric on the 4Cs of 21st century skills.
6. Building in regular time for staff to reflect and revise.
7. Collaborating with staff, parents, students and community members to build a robust advisory system that stresses reflection, cultural and global awareness and perspective-taking.

Using Google to Search for Content by Reading Level (Steve Guditus)

This quick and easy Google search function will allow you to search for content by reading level.  What incredible potential to easily provide differentiated reading levels for students.  Go ahead, try it now and provide content to students based on their reading level!  Here's how:

Step 1: Go to http://www.google.com, enter your topic and hit the search button.

Step 2: Just below the search field, click on "Search tools."

Step 3: After clicking "Search tools" in Step 2, a new toolbar will show up.  Click on "All Results," which will open a drop-down menu.
Step 4: Click on "Reading level."

 Step 5: After clicking on "Reading level" in Step 4, a new field will show up with three hyperlinks.  Click on "Basic," "Intermediate" or "Advanced" to sort results by reading level.

Below, you can see the difference in the first three results, organized by reading level:

Basic Reading Level

Intermediate Reading Level

Advanced Reading Level

New Massachusetts DESE Educator Evaluation (Steve Guditus)

January is a busy month.  Cabin fever sets in, the pace of curriculum picks up, and we are at the halfway point of our journey.

As with anything new, there can be some growing pains and some grumbles - but the Massachusetts DESE's new educator evaluation system has provided an outstanding opportunity for me to have deep conversations about learning and teaching.  At first, the anxiety level of staff (both teachers and administrators) was high; as the nuts and bolts have been figured out, we have been able to focus on reflection and best practices.  In the last several months, I have consistently had the best conversations in recent memory about learning and teaching with a high number of staff members.  I cannot help but believe this is, in part if not full, attributed to our new educator evaluation system.  The shift from one lengthy, hour-long observation to several  mini-observations with immediate feedback to staff, has proven to be an outstanding forum for conversation - focused on student learning.  For sure, there will be hurdles along the way and details to be hashed out, but I can honestly say that I am truly excited to get into classrooms, see learning and teaching in action, and have professional, reflective conversations with staff members about student learning.

For sure, schools are hectic places; but unless you deliberately make time to stop, pause and reflect, it is easy to get lost in an administrator's daily to-do list.  This new educator evaluation system provides a framework and goal for me as an instructional leader, provides a forum for conversation with staff members, allows me to better understand the instructional pulse of my school, and have face time with students - all great things.

I recently attended a workshop with trainer Kim Marshall, and it provided a similar chunk of time to stop, pause and reflect about how to best approach mini-observations and walkthroughs.  I have started implementing Kim's feedback and suggestions, and have set some manageable goals to be not only present in classrooms, but work collaboratively with staff to discuss how to best support and instruct our students.  Unless I took the time to do so, I would not have reflected on my mini-observation walkthrough protocols - highlighting the importance of doing so in our craft of educating - such a balance of art and science.

The days are short right now and things continue to be busy.  I am thankful for the opportunity our new educator evaluation has provided: for the conversation to be had with staff and time in classrooms, as well as for the expectation that I reflect upon my own craft.  Although another item to place on my to-do list, assessing my goals and reflecting upon my craft is an important one.