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In an effort to better serve you and other principals, NAESP has relaunched Before the Bell to a new format and new title: Principal Insights. This resource is designed to provide the perfect mix of stories to keep you both informed and equipped to lead your school. We hope you find this new resource useful, and welcome your feedback.
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U.S. New & World Report
On the eve of October's National Principals Month, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos spoke to members of a national school principals organization, telling them that principals should be able to "spend more time focusing on the people, not on the paperwork." DeVos is right to point out how increased expectations for what students should leave school able to know and do have made it critical for principals to focus more on supporting students, in large part by supporting improvements in teaching. But despite mounting expectations for principals to train their attention on these new demands, principals' traditional responsibilities of building management and other administrative tasks have not yielded.
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School Leaders Now
A very popular buzzphrase on the education scene for a while now is growth mindset. We reference it repeatedly. We tweet about it and try to instill the value of failing in the learning process to students. Unfortunately, many of us are talking the talk, but not walking the walk when it comes to growth mindset in the learning process — especially in grading practices.
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District Administration Magazine
Just about every major company uses sophisticated enterprise resource planning software to streamline procedures, automate purchasing and monitor finances. Now, some early adopters in K-12 education have deployed ERP to manage a range of operations more efficiently. The technology has the power to automate many routine events — from payroll to procurement to recruitment — that keep school systems running.
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Forbes (commentary)
Joseph Folkman, a contributor for Forbes, writes: "At a recent event I asked the audience, 'Which is easier, giving positive feedback or negative?' The majority indicated that it was much easier to deliver positive feedback. One participant commented, 'It's not difficult to tell someone they are doing a good job but it's much harder to say, 'You really messed up!''"
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Inc.
Granted, every CEO is ultimately measured by his or her ability to increase compass earnings, profits, and stock values. Everything else — crafting bold visions, building a vibrant corporate culture, striving to make a difference in the community, etc. — is, depending on your point of view, either a driver of those earnings or, more likely, something that can be given attention once financial metrics trend consistently upwards. It's hard to be seen as a great CEO if you don't produce earnings, profits, and a rising stock price.
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Your students don’t all learn in the same way, so why deliver instruction in the same way? Exact Path is focused on understanding where your students are academically and then taking that data a step further. Adaptive tools offer targeted instruction that is aligned to your goals and paced to your students’ needs.
Click here to learn more.
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Inc. (commentary)
Marcel Schwantes, a contributor for Inc., writes: "No matter how you slice it, the most effective form of communication to this day between managers and their employees involves one-on-one meetings done in person. I know what you're thinking: how am I going to find the time for this, that's what email, Slack, and texting is for! I hear you. The good news is that we're not talking about the kind of obligatory meetings in sterile conference rooms that neither party wants to be in (I'm looking at you, dreaded annual performance review). No, as you'll soon see, these meetings don't even require that you schedule one hour blocks two weeks in advance. It may only take 10 minutes, maybe 15, at most."
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Education World
It' October, and your classroom has begun to settle into their routines. It's time for goal-setting. If they haven't already, your administrator will soon be knocking at your door to hear about your plan for strengthening your instruction this year. Student Learning Objectives are carefully-planned goals for what students will learn over the course of a year. The hope here is to spark critical, evidence-based thought to what is impacting student growth.
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EdTech Magazine
While internet connectivity has made its way into more schools than ever, a new digital divide has emerged — this time for teachers. Education Week's Technology Counts 2017 survey found that teachers in high-poverty schools consistently receive less technology-integration training than teachers in wealthier schools. In an effort to combat this divide, Google, Digital Promise and EdTechTeam have partnered to launch the Dynamic Learning Project.
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MiddleWeb (commentary)
Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan and John E. Hannigan, a contributor for MiddleWeb, writes: "As a former public elementary school principal who believes in taking care of students' emotional and social needs as well as their academic needs, I was happy to see this book that can be part of an administrator or teacher’s toolkit to help lower suspension rates."
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School Leaders Now (commentary)
Suzanne Tingley, a contributor for School Leaders Now, writes: "I'm the principal of a large elementary school in our suburban school district. Lately one of thee member of our local school board has been dropping in about once a week 'just to say Hello.' In conversation, He is openly critical of our superintendent and often asks me what I think of various district policies. This puts me in a very uncomfortable situation. How should I handle this?"
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| | EDUCATION POLICY AND THE EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT |
Chicago Tribune
The Education Department has rescinded 72 policy documents that outline the rights of students with disabilities as part of the Trump administration's effort to eliminate regulations it deems superfluous. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services wrote in a newsletter Friday that it had "a total of 72 guidance documents that have been rescinded due to being outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective — 63 from the Office of Special Education Programs and 9 from the Rehabilitation Services Administration."
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Istation
[FREE E-Book] Boost student achievement and inspire educational gains with eight steps schools can take to bridge the gap! This e-book from Istation covers progress monitoring, motivational strategies, strengthening school-to-home connections, and more.
Get your copy.
PBS Newshour
Education reform has been on the national political agenda for decades, but has significant progress ever been made? In his new book, "Addicted to Reform," former NewsHour education correspondent John Merrow chronicles the many attempts. Merrow sits down with Jeffrey Brown to discuss his findings and his prescriptions for rescuing public education.
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THE Journal
While the Every Student Succeeds Act holds the promise of helping states transform their K-12 public education, one reform organization fears that true innovation will get lost in the shuffle. ESSA restructures the grant programs intended to help fund school improvement and innovation. However, the Christensen Institute (motto: "Improving the world through disruptive innovation") has expressed concern that states will tweak school performance goals or the tools they use to drive school improvement and call it job done.
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CNN
When Superintendent Steve Bradshaw first received a threatening text message in mid-September, he didn't know it was coming from a hacker trying to exploit his Montana school district. But soon, students and other schools around Flathead County were receiving threatening messages, too. More than 30 schools in the district shutdown for three days. "The messages weren't pleasant messages," Bradshaw said. "They were 'splatter kids' blood in the hallways,' and things like that." The U.S. Department of Education is now warning teachers, parents, and K-12 education staff of a cyberthreat targeting school districts across the country.
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New America
The early years of child development offer a still-untapped lever for states to address achievement gaps before they start to grow, and to accelerate school improvement efforts with evidence-based interventions. While there are political, fiscal and technical challenges to doing so, there are a variety of steps states can take today, aided by the flexibility and opportunities presented by the Every Student Succeeds Act.
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Edutopia
Teachers often use praise to reward good behavior or correct answers. But there's a potential downside to this common choice: Praising young children for being smart can increase the likelihood that they'll cheat, according to a new study in Psychological Science by an international team of researchers.
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Edutopia
The biggest shift in K-12 education is the transition from elementary school to middle school. So much is different: campus size, the numbers of students in each class, the accessibility of teachers, how lessons are implemented, student expectations and the interaction with families.
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DNAinfo
Kevin Goodman, the principal of Morrisania's P.S. 66, wanted a more positive way to curb unruly behavior and fights during recess. So, this year he brought in a "play coach" from nonprofit Asphalt Green, who is creating a more organized recess with games such as dodge ball, jump rope and relay races. Already Goodman is seeing kids demonstrate greater patience and the ability to take turns, collaborate and share at a school. It's a big shift at a school where only 34 percent of teachers said that order and safety were maintained at the school — which is significantly lower than the citywide average of 82 percent — according to last year's Department of Education school survey.
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The Hill
A bipartisan idea is a rare creature in Washington these days, but there is one issue that brings the parties together: the need to expand computer science education in America's schools. President Barack Obama proposed spending an additional $4 billion, and President Donald Trump released a more modest proposal. But despite these efforts, schools are still waiting for additional funding.
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NAESP
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states must draft plans that prioritize improving education and student outcomes in their communities. After a year and a half of planning, each state has now submitted their plan to the Department of Education. One of the most important provisions in the new law is the unprecedented ability for states to support the role of principals and other school leaders. A Hill Day event will streaming live today at 12 p.m. ET. It will feature representatives from NAESP, as well as the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the American Federation of School Administrators. Those unable to attend are encouraged to watch the livestream.
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NAESP
#NAESPChat is back for 2017. Connect with other colleagues and find practical solutions to the challenges of being a new school leader. Hone your leadership skills and build a new professional learning community that will help you succeed. If you are a veteran principal, join in and share your valuable insight. If you are a new principal, participate in the chat and grow your professional learning support network. This chat will be taking place Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. ET. Use #NAESPChat to participate.
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