K12LEADERS

Blog

  • Doing Educational Equity Right: School Discipline

    Education Next Read More

    ​

    This is the third in a series on doing educational equity right. See the  introductory post and part two on school finance .

    If school funding is the issue around which it’s easiest to find common ground across left and right, school discipline might be the hardest.

    That shouldn’t be surprising, given how divisive our country’s debate has been on the related issue of criminal justice and law enforcement. Whether it’s violent crime on the streets or mayhem in the hallways, conservatives are going to focus first and foremost on law and order, while liberals will be concerned primarily with fairness and equal treatment.

    Nor do folks on right and left view racial disparities in arrests and incarceration—and suspensions and expulsions—the same way. For many on the left, such disparities are clear evidence of racial discrimination and injustice. Conservatives, however, view it as far more complicated, starting with the need to understand whether there are differences in actual behavior. If individuals from certain groups are more likely to commit murder, they will be more likely to be locked up for violent crime. If individuals from certain groups actually get into more school fights, they will more often be suspended or expelled—even if justice is meted out to individuals perfectly fairly and without bias .

    So how can we try to bridge these vast ideological divides? Let’s go back to my three rules:

    When aiming for equity, we should level up instead of leveling down.
    We should focus on closing gaps between affluent students and their disadvantaged peers, not between high-achieving students and their lower-achieving peers.
    We should focus equity initiatives primarily on class, not race.

    The first rule is by far the most important, yet rarely gets discussed as part of the school discipline debate. And that’s because most of our arguments are about how adults should respond to student misbehavior. Should teachers send kids to the principal’s office? Should principals suspend kids, and for which kinds of infractions? Should school-board policy ever include expulsions, and what safeguards should be in place? How to make all of this less racially biased?

    But those decisions are downstream from student behavior itself. And the first goal of any student discipline policy should be to help students behave better —to “level up.” In other words, we should reject the “soft bigotry of low expectations” when it comes to students’ comportment in classrooms, hallways, and the cafeteria, just as we reject it when it comes to our beliefs around what “certain kids” can learn.

    We should avoid at all costs, then, any policies that indicate to kids that they can get away with bad behavior—cussing out their teachers; bullying their peers; interrupting instruction; much less engaging in violence. And we should focus instead on schoolwide approaches to helping students meet high behavioral standards.

    To be clear, I don’t have in mind the old-school “no excuses” fetishes around matching socks, tucked-in shirts, and silent hallways, but standards of behavior that we’d expect to see in any well-run, joyful, learning-focused school.

    That means modeling good behavior for students; holding them accountable for infractions; working proactively with families when there are bigger issues; and supporting teachers when they try to hold the line.

    Now let’s bring in rule number two. In this context, it means paying just as much attention to well-behaving students as to their misbehaving peers. That’s one of the purposes of office referrals and suspensions—to “put out” the misbehaving kids so that their peers can return to learning (or, in the context of hallways and lunchrooms, to feeling safe). And that’s critical! We know from several high-quality studies that misbehaving students can wreak havoc on their peers—both in terms of making their behavior worse, and in driving down student achievement. Given that high-poverty schools struggle the most with disciplinary challenges, keeping disruptive students in classrooms only widens the achievement gap. Such policies also drive teachers crazy—and drive many of them out of the profession, or at least out of high-poverty schools.

    Yet even discipline hawks—I admit to being one—must admit that suspending or expelling students from school is extremely problematic. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that these practices have troubling consequences for the students subjected to them, even after controlling for underlying factors that might have contributed to students’ misbehavior in the first place. And it doesn’t take a Ph.D. to understand why that might be. Many misbehaving kids are coming from broken homes and/or dangerous communities. Making them spend days or months on the streets, away from opportunities to learn, is hardly going to do them any favors.

    What we need, then, are well-designed interventions for misbehaving students—especially chronic and violent offenders—that help them learn to improve their behavior, keep them learning academically, and protect their peers from further disruption along the way. That’s a tall order, but a number of schools and districts are experimenting with various approaches, from much-improved versions of in-school suspensions to “alternative placements”—other schools that kids attend for short to medium periods before returning to their home campuses.

    None of that is easy, and like everything in education, this will only work if we get the details right. That means a lot of trial and error and continuous improvement. But do you know what will make that even harder? Viewing any effort to address student misbehavior as racially tainted.

    Which brings us to rule three: focusing primarily on students’ socioeconomic status instead of race. Now, as I wrote in my introductory post, we can’t ignore race entirely. American education has a long and sordid history of discriminating against kids of color, especially Black children, including the use of suspensions and expulsions in racially biased ways. The Office for Civil Rights has a clear and compelling mandate to step in when schools or districts treat individual kids differently on the basis of their race (or other protected categories). Conservatives need to acknowledge as much.

    But liberals need to be willing to embrace the complexity of this issue. Yes, Black students are suspended or expelled at disproportionate rates. But if we control for class, we see that most of those disparities disappear. That’s because kids growing up in poverty are much more likely to experience all manner of challenges that make it more likely for them to misbehave in school—and that’s true whether we’re talking about White, Black, or Brown students. Kids without a father in the home are more likely to get in trouble at school. Kids from dangerous neighborhoods are more likely to get in trouble at school. Kids dealing with lead poisoning are more likely to get in trouble at school. Kids who are victims of abuse or neglect are more likely to get in trouble at school.

    In every case, these situations are tragic—as is the fact that Black students in America are three times as likely as their White peers to live in poverty, and six times as likely to live in deep poverty. Thus, it’s just a matter of basic math that Black students on average will be more likely to misbehave in school than their peers—not because they are Black, but because they are suffering the ill effects of poverty.

    But guess what: The (few) studies that have been able to control for underlying student behavior find that the racial gaps in punishment shrink to almost nothing. Not zero—indicating that some racial bias remains and must be addressed. But it’s very much on the margins, not the center of the story.

    To conclude, here’s how we might find common ground around this most vexing issue:

    Put real effort and resources into helping students meet high behavioral expectations.
    Develop alternatives to out-of-school suspensions and expulsions that address the needs of chronically or violently misbehaving students, while protecting the sanctity of the classroom for their teachers and peers.
    When working to root out racial bias in exclusionary discipline, control for differences in student misbehavior, or, if that proves impossible, at least control for students’ socioeconomic status.

    The way to “make school discipline more equitable” isn’t by letting kids get away with misbehavior, but by helping all kids, from every group, learn to behave well. We might never fully achieve that lofty objective, but we’ll be a better country if we try.

    Michael J. Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and an executive editor of Education Next .

    This post originally appeared on the Fordham Institute’s Flypaper blog.

    The post Doing Educational Equity Right: School Discipline appeared first on Education Next.

     

    ​

  • Why $2B in New School Funding Is Leaving Minnesota Districts Scrambling for Cash

    The 74 Read More

    ​

    When the Democratic “trifecta” in control of Minnesota’s House, Senate and governor’s office announced last spring’s K-12 education finance bill, there weren’t enough superlatives in the thesaurus to fuel the sound bites. The more than $2.2 billion in “new” spending on public schools was “historic.” The number of initiatives funded was “sweeping,” the predicted outcomes for students and teachers “life-changing.”

    Now, district leaders statewide are scrambling to explain to their communities that, in fact, they are facing massive cuts. In many places, balancing the budget will mean layoffs or school closures. 

    Like their counterparts throughout the country, Minnesota school systems are facing the one-two punch of the end of COVID recovery aid and enrollment losses — in many places, going back years — that means less per-pupil state money. School funding experts call this a fiscal cliff.

    Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter

    “That is No. 1 with a bullet on any superintendent’s whiteboard,” says Kirk Schneidawind, executive director of the Minnesota School Boards Association. 

    The state’s second-largest district, St. Paul Public Schools projects a $150 million deficit for the 2024-25 academic year. Minneapolis Public Schools anticipates a $116 million shortfall. Even the most prosperous Twin Cities suburbs are stuck explaining the disconnect to families who moved there for their well-funded schools.

    Related

    Public Invited to Help Decide What Stays and Goes in St. Paul School Budget

    The confusion among members of the public who think the schools are awash in cash has real consequences, says Schneidawind. Last year, half of school system funding referenda failed at the ballot box, depriving districts of millions more.

    Billions in new state funding and a fiscal cliff: How can both be true? Here are four critical — and much misunderstood — aspects of the looming crisis.

    More Money, More Strings

    With Democrats in control of the Capitol for the first time in more than a decade and a $17 billion surplus in state coffers, most policymakers assumed the question wouldn’t be whether education would see a spending boost in 2023, but how big it would be and how the pie would be divided. 

    “My messages to families, to students, to teachers, to support staff is, ‘This is the budget for many of us who taught for decades, this is the budget we’re waiting for,’ ” Gov. Tim Walz, a former teacher, said at the start of the session, according to the Star Tribune newspaper. “This is the transformational moment.” 

    As he signed the education finance bill into law in June, Walz called it “The Minnesota Miracle 2.0” — a reference to a sweeping school finance reform measure of the 1970s that earned then-Gov. Wendall Anderson a photo on the cover of Time magazine. 

    Yet even before the ink on Walz’s signature was dry, school leaders were bemoaning the fine print. In the end, the change to the basic revenue formula increased per-pupil funding from $6,863 in 2023 to $7,281 in 2025. 

    Eight months, later, they’re still doing the math, but the Minnesota School Boards Association, the Association of Metropolitan School Districts and others estimate that up to half the $2.2 billion had already been earmarked for as many as 65 new mandates, ranging from free meals for all students to menstrual products in school restrooms.

    Lawmakers also extended unemployment insurance to cover bus drivers, some substitute teachers, cafeteria workers, classroom aides and other seasonal workers. This made Minnesota the first state to mandate this benefit for hourly employees, but it was unclear who will pay the premiums in the long term.

    After a grueling fight, the legislature allotted $135 million to pay for the first year of unemployment insurance premiums, promising to revisit funding in the future. District leaders were only partly appeased, noting that even if the state subsidized the premiums going forward, the employees who typically staff summer programs could choose not to.

    Related

    Downsize Schools, or Keep Them Open & Hope Students Come Back?

    Nearly $75 million is allotted to help fund a new law requiring science-backed literacy curriculum and instruction. There is $45 million for new school librarians, $15 million to support “full-service” schools — which provide health and social services to families — and money for new ethnic studies materials, Naloxone and efforts to retain teachers of color. 

    Funding for K-12 education, which makes up nearly a third of the state budget, is $23.2 billion for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

    Welcome though the money and new benefits are, says Schneidawind, districts will still have to scramble to cover some costs. Part of the difficulty of calculating just how much that will be is that school systems keep discovering new ways that the costs are showing up. The private companies that supply substitute teachers, for instance, are passing along their new state benefit costs.

    Most likely, the cavalry is not coming. Like many state legislatures, Minnesota’s meets on a two-year calendar. Last year was the current cycle’s budgeting year; when the 2024 session begins Feb. 12, lawmakers will focus on capital and infrastructure bonding bills. 

    How ‘New Money’ Becomes a Cut

    Every year, after the legislative session gavels to a close, lawmakers of both parties go back home to boast that they boosted K-12 spending by adding to the state’s general fund. They rarely mention that school funding has, by many calculations, not kept up with inflation. 

    One way this has traditionally been accomplished is by cutting or not increasing funding for services paid for out of other parts of the budget, such as special education and English learner instruction. School districts must then divert the “new” money to make up the shortfalls, in what’s referred to as a cross-subsidy. For the current fiscal year, Minnesota schools are spending $750 million just to fill the special education funding gap — by far the largest.

    Districts have long pushed to end the practice, which many say may aid officials’ re-election efforts but has cloaked a steady erosion of state funding. With a budget surplus estimated at $17.5 billion, lawmakers last year said it was time to fully fund the cross-subsidies. 

    Gov. Tim Walz, however, only wanted to reduce the special education gap by half, preferring to spend more on required paid family leave and other new programs. In the end, though, that didn’t happen. The funding set aside to offset special education losses was reduced to cover just 44% of the gap — freeing up almost the exact sum needed to cover seasonal workers’ unemployment benefits for one year.

    The upshot: Historic infusion notwithstanding, Democratic lawmakers say there is still an $800-per-pupil gap between funding levels 20 years ago and today, adjusted for inflation. That does not reflect recent cost increases in transportation, labor and other areas, says Scott Croonquist, executive director of Minnesota’s Association of Metropolitan School Districts. 

    The Democratic head of the House Education Finance Committee, Rep. Cheryl Youakim defended the outcomes, saying the 2023 increases closed the inflationary gap by one-third. “There has been 20 years of underfunding in education and that can’t be turned around overnight,” she says. “Our districts still do have needs.”

    Bad News at the Ballot Box

    In November, the Rochester, Minnesota, public school system lost a technology funding referendum by 318 votes. As tiny as the margin was, the impact was tectonic. 

    The levy would have generated $10 million a year for a decade, freeing up $7 million a year the cash-strapped district currently spends on technology to reduce class sizes and stave off the impact of falling enrollment. In short order, Superintendent Kent Pekel announced that the district had no choice but to close three schools and cut transportation costs by changing attendance boundaries. 

    Three weeks later, the Mayo Clinic stepped forward with a $10 million donation intended to stave off the pain — but only for a year. District leaders will use that time to prep for a do-over, hoping 2024’s presidential election draws more voters than the referendum did and that a majority will agree to the tax.

    When Pekel took over as superintendent in July 2021, he realized that years of eroded state funding was only one factor wreaking havoc on his budget. The district had been adding staff but losing students for a decade, albeit at a slower rate than many school systems. Instead of using federal COVID aid to close the gap, which would have postponed the fiscal reckoning, he cut $7 million in 2022 and $14 million last year.

    In addition to the technology levy that failed at the ballot box last fall, the district depends on revenue from a larger operating levy. If it can’t get that approved, Rochester leaders will have to find another $10 million to cut in 2024 and $17 million in 2025. 

    According to the school boards association, voters rejected half of operating levies on the ballot throughout the state last year. Perhaps anticipating this, lawmakers last year allowed districts to renew levies once without going to the voters. Schneidawind anticipates 50 school systems will take advantage of the new law this fall.

    The Other Postponed Reckoning

    Pekel is one of a few Minnesota superintendents who decided not to use pandemic relief funds to close pre-existing budget gaps. Many districts spent large swaths of their COVID recovery aid staving off tough issues posed by declining enrollment. Faced with a competitive labor market, many boosted educator pay. For example, despite years of shrinking enrollment, Minneapolis Public Schools added 400 jobs.

    In addition to explaining to families and staff about the imminent loss of federal funding, many districts must now grapple with how to communicate why the boost in state aid won’t head off cuts.

    Next door to Minneapolis, the Robbinsdale Area School District is predicting it could end the current fiscal year $2.1 million in the red and may need to cut $17 million to balance the books next year. This can’t be accomplished without layoffs. 

    In January, school board member Kim Holmes acknowledged that decisions by the board and district leadership will make balancing the budget especially painful.
    “We misstepped,” the suburban news site CCX Media quoted Holmes as saying. “This board misstepped, the administration misstepped. If we weren’t tracking historical decreased enrollment — and one of the biggest things they told us not to do with [COVID] dollars was hire positions — and we did it. So we have to come out and take some ownership.”

     

    ​

  • Why John Dewey’s vision for education and democracy still resonates today

    Education – The Conversation Read More

    ​John Dewey was a proponent of active learning. FatCamera via Getty Images

    John Dewey was one of the most important educational philosophers of the 20th century. His work has been cited in scholarly publications over 400,000 times. Dewey’s writings continue to influence discussions on a variety of subjects, including democratic education, which was the focus of Dewey’s famous 1916 book on the subject. In the following Q&A, Nicholas Tampio, a political science professor and editor of a forthcoming 2024 edition of Dewey’s “Democracy and Education,” explains why Dewey’s work remains relevant to this day.

    Why revisit John Dewey’s philosophy on education and democracy now?

    I think it is time to revisit Dewey’s philosophy about the value of field trips, classroom experiments, music instruction and children playing together on playgrounds. This is especially true after the pandemic when children spent significantly more time in front of screens rather than having whole body experiences.

    Dewey’s philosophy of education was that children “learn by doing.” Dewey argued that children learn from using their entire bodies in meaningful experiences. That is why, in his 1916 text, “Democracy and Education,” Dewey called for schools to be “equipped with laboratories, shops, and gardens.”

    Dewey argued that planting seeds, measuring the relationship between Sun, soil, water and plant growth, and then tasting fresh peas made for a seamless transition between childhood curiosity and the scientific way of looking at things. Dewey also encouraged schools to create time for “dramatizations, plays, and games.”

    In his 2014 book, “An Education in Politics: The Origin and Evolution of No Child Left Behind,” the political scientist Jesse H. Rhodes shows how business groups and certain civil rights groups advocated federal laws that required states to administer high-stakes tests. This focus on tested subjects means that public school students in places such as Texas have less time for arts education.

    What role did Dewey see for public schools in preserving democracy?

    For Dewey, modern societies can use schools to impart democratic habits in young people from an early age. He argued that the “intermingling in the school of youth of different races, differing religions, and unlike customs creates for all a new and broader environment.” Dewey was writing as millions of European immigrants were arriving in the United States between 1900 and 1915. Dewey believed that schools could teach immigrants what it means to be a citizen and incorporate their experiences into American culture.

    Dewey’s view of the schools remains relevant today. In the 2020-21 school year, more than a third of the country’s children attended schools where 75% of the student body is the same race or ethnicity – hardly the ideal conditions for Dewey’s vision of democracy.

    Dewey opposed “racial, color, or other class prejudice.” Segregated schools violate Dewey’s ideal of treating all students as possessing intrinsic worth and dignity. Dewey believed that democracy means “that every human being, independent of the quantity or range of his personal endowment, has the right to equal opportunity with every other person for development of whatever gifts he has.” Democratic schools, for Dewey, empower every child to develop their gifts in ways that benefit the community.

    Dewey espoused the idea of learning by doing.
    JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado via Getty Images

    How closely does today’s education system resemble Dewey’s vision for education?

    I would argue that the education system resembles the vision of modern testing pioneers like Edward Thorndike more than Dewey’s.

    Dewey thought that standardized tests serve a small role in education. He believed that “the child’s own instincts and powers furnish the material and give the starting point for all education.” Dewey maintained that teachers need to use student interest as the fuel to propel students to learn math, reading and the scientific method, and standardized tests serve mainly to help the teacher identify where each student “can receive the most help.” In his lifetime, Dewey opposed proponents of intelligence testing, such as Thorndike.

    But the testing proponents seem to be winning. According to a 2023 Education Week survey of teachers, nearly 80% feel moderate or large amounts of pressure to have their students perform well on state-mandated standardized tests. According to one principal, “There’s too much pressure put on these kids for testing, and there’s too much testing.”

    Dewey’s vision of education is teachers nurturing each child’s passions and not using tests to rank children. For many teachers, U.S. public schools are far from realizing that vision.

    How popular are John Dewey’s views today?

    Dewey’s ideas were controversial during his lifetime. They remain so to this day.

    In 2023, Richard Corcoran, the president of New College of Florida, criticized “the Dewey school of thought” for training students to become “widget makers.” According to Corcoran, Dewey thought that “if we can teach (people) just enough skills to get on the assembly line and help us with this Industrial Revolution, everything will be great.” Corcoran is right that Dewey thought that schools should teach children about industry, including with hands-on tasks. But Dewey opposed vocational education that slotted children from a young age into a career path.

    “I am utterly opposed,” Dewey explained, “to giving the power of social predestination, by means of narrow trade-training, to any group of fallible men no matter how well-intentioned they may be.” Dewey thought that children could learn about history and economics from using machinery in schools. However, he opposed a two-tiered education system that denied working-class children a well-rounded education or that equated human flourishing with making widgets.

    Educators and scholars such as Diane Ravitch, Deborah Meier and Yong Zhao cite Dewey and apply his insights to current education debates. Those debates include topics such as the place of standardized testing in schools, the freedom of the classroom teacher and the need for schools to build trust with families and community members.

    Zhao, for instance, argues that Dewey outlined a way to address education inequity that does not rely on closing gaps in test scores. Dewey’s idea, according to Zhao, is that all children should have a chance to express and cultivate individuality, learn through experiences and make “the most of the opportunities of present life.”

    Dewey believed that “democracy is a way of life.” He also believed schools could teach that lesson to young people by allowing people in the school to have a meaningful say in the aims of education. For many people who read Dewey today, his call for democracy in education still resonates.

    Nicholas Tampio does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

     

    ​

  • ‘Schoolyard bully’: Utah school board member Cline slammed for post about student athlete

    k-12 education – Yahoo Search Results Read More

    ​

    Utah State Board of Education member Natalie Cline is once again facing public scrutiny for her…

    (Feed generated with FetchRSS) 

    ​

  • San Diego school math scores rebounding after pandemic

    District Administration Read More

    ​

    Elementary and middle-school students in San Diego made greater gains in math scores than many of their peers in the state, but the area is still behind, according to a recent analysis by The New York Times.

    Students are still recouping essential learning lost from pandemic school closings, which worsened already-wide learning gaps between students from wealthy and low-income communities.

    Read more on Axios.

    The post San Diego school math scores rebounding after pandemic appeared first on District Administration.

     

    ​

  • Building Resilience: Normalize Asking for Help

    Building Resilience: Normalize Asking for Help

    Why is asking for help so hard? Identifying and helping struggling students would be easy if they came directly to teachers or talked freely with friends about their problems. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why that’s the exception rather than the rule.

    One critical problem is the persistence of stigma faced by those with mental, emotional, cognitive, physical, and behavioral health issues—with added burdens faced by minorities, LGBTQ, and other at-risk populations. Another problem in our individualistic culture is the perception that asking for help is “weak” and may lead to even greater problems among peers and teachers. These roadblocks to seeking help negatively affect students, families, and educators.

    Proving the point, recent surveys revealed that:

    • 20% of students  need mental health services, yet only one  out of five  receive them.
    • Almost a third of students  who considered visiting a school mental health professional ended up not doing so because they didn’t think their issues “were big enough to bother someone with” or felt like they would be judged.
    • Nearly half ( 45 percent ) of teens and young adults hesitate to see a therapist because they feel their parents don’t take their concerns seriously, and more than half ( 53 percent ) wouldn’t want their parents to know they were meeting with a school counselor or therapist.
    • Almost half ( 47 percent ) of US adults believe those who pursue therapy are showing weakness.

    Teachers were almost  three times more likely  to report symptoms of depression than other adults, with more than  50 percent  feeling stress at work.

    [the_ad id=”51906″]

    The school community needs to feel safer about reaching out for help. The question is how to get there. Much of the answer lies in creating a nurturing school environment prioritizing wellness and connectedness as universal responsibilities demonstrated at the classroom, school, district, and policy levels.

    Normalizing Asking for Help and Support

    By establishing ground-level support for the larger school community, we can start preventing small problems from becoming larger ones. Think of the positive consequences for the entire school community, understanding that it’s not just okay to ask for help for yourself or others, but it’s the right thing to do. Take it one step further, connecting this proactive attitude with accessing the right supports and interventions easily.

    A scattershot approach to universal support and prevention support won’t cut it. It has to be all hands on deck, with a fully integrated program consistently woven into the everyday fabric of the school community.

    While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, overall approaches and best practices can make it more likely that teachers, families, and students feel comfortable asking for help when needed.

    Here are ten ways to promote a culture that normalizes asking for help:

    1. Build a Whole-School Culture of Connection –  Promote schoolwide activities and programs that build peer-to-peer, student-teacher, and family-school connections. These positive relationships are a critical protective factor for at-risk students and open channels for sharing emotions, experiences, and challenges.
    2. Set Expectations –  Educators must be consistent in their approach to wellness and the importance of asking for help—throughout the school and in each classroom. Schools must communicate clear priorities for student learning, safety, and well-being. When selecting and defining classroom norms and critical social-emotional-behavior (SEB) skills, the baseline should always be building a culture of kindness, caring, and connectedness.
    3. Promote Resilience in the Classroom –  Resilience-building is critical to student wellness programs, helping them increase their ability to cope with stressful experiences while potentially preventing the onset of mental health problems or decreasing their severity. Resilience-building activities can help students develop problem-solving skills, build and maintain interpersonal relationships, promote a positive self-image, and help students achieve better academic outcomes.
    4. Increase Mental Health Literacy –  Sharing information and providing training on mental health issues and resources can empower school staff, families, and students to open up about emotions and issues, understand how to seek help, and then ask for it. On the policy level, mental health literacy is crucial for identifying and eliminating discriminatory practices that harm students.
    5. Create a Multi-Dimensional Solution – Wellness has many facets, including mental, emotional, environmental, behavioral, and physical health. The wellness topic should be as inclusive as possible to build a comprehensive definition of wellness, “cast a wide net” in discussions and activities, and reduce the shame and secrecy that prevents asking for help—no matter the student’s struggle.
    6. Recognize Different Comfort Levels – Even with a supportive school culture, people will have various comfort levels in talking about mental health problems. Different trust levels may require different methods to access help. For example, some families might want to explore available resources independently, others may need to talk anonymously to a helpline counselor, and others may want to reach out directly to an in-school resource.
    7. Provide Support and Resources for Educators –  It’s one thing to say teachers should bring mental health topics and activities to the classroom. It’s quite another to do it, especially in a consistent manner that adheres to a common set of best practices. Professional development and training will help set expectations and better enable educators to address and build them into classroom curricula.
    8. Promote In-School Resources –  A network of professional in-school support can increase a student’s feeling of safety, reduce stigma, and provide expertise beyond a typical educator’s training—such as suicidal ideation. Students and families are more likely to come directly to school resources when the school has succeeded in building a culture of connection and trust. Since students are already in school, there are also fewer barriers to access.
    9. Partner with Community Agencies and Resources –  Schools and districts vary widely in the staff, resources, and expertise they have to address various student issues. Further, school supports are primarily geared toward helping at-risk students with problems observed by teachers or diagnosed. Schools can fill in the gaps by collaborating with local resources to bring additional knowledge, connections, and resources to the school community.
    10. Leverage Technology – Digital and mobile technologies offer various solutions related to mental health services, wellness resources, and crisis help. Some products offer narrow services, others a more comprehensive solution. Services may be delivered via different channels (mobile, web, text, etc.), be more or less customizable, and offer numerous functionalities. Each district or school must determine its unique needs to identify the most appropriate technology solution.

    Normalize Asking for Help Sets the Stage for Wellness and Harm Prevention

    Wellness and prevention of harm must be a systemwide priority instilled into everyone in the school community. One way to build this foundation is by creating a nurturing, connected school and classroom environment that consistently integrates wellness values and topics into everyday school life.

    Posted by: Lisa Allocca

  • Harnessing the Power of Networks: A Three-Tiered Approach for Emerging Education Leaders

    Harnessing the Power of Networks: A Three-Tiered Approach for Emerging Education Leaders

    Let me extend a warm welcome to new education leaders stepping into the pivotal roles of principals or superintendents, or those transitioning into new districts or even different states. As an educational leader with nearly two decades of experience, it is incumbent upon us to equip all new leaders with insights gleaned from our collective decades (and centuries) of leadership experience. One element that often remains underappreciated in the journey to effective leadership is the power and potential of networks. The general perception of a network is often that of a nebulous, ubiquitous entity, commonly taken for granted. This article seeks to redefine and restructure this conception, presenting an innovative three-tiered approach: the Social Network, the Strategic Network, and the Professional/Personal Growth Network.

    Social Networks: The Foundation

    The Social Network forms the first tier and acts as a cornerstone in this triadic structure. Comprising an extensive group of individuals, this network typically includes peers within the field of education but is not strictly limited to them. Many people tend to think of their personal social networks and professional social networks. They are similar in many regards, but with some key differences. All social networks function as a supportive community where you can engage in enjoyable activities, share common interests, and unwind. This broad base provides a critical social outlet, fostering mental well-being amidst the taxing demands of educational leadership. Yet, this network is often characterized by a surface-level familiarity. As comforting as they are, these connections may lack the depth needed to assist you through significant leadership challenges, paving the way for the second tier.

    Strategic Networks: The Pillars of Support

    Strategic Networks, the second tier, consist of a much smaller group of individuals who have evolved from being acquaintances in your social network to individuals you deeply respect and admire. Their proven wisdom and experience can serve as pillars of support when facing dilemmas, acting as strategic thought partners in times of crisis. Whether it’s discussing complex administrative issues or brainstorming creative solutions, these individuals provide the insight and perspective that can prove crucial in decision-making.

    To begin with, your strategic network is typically established from those who have exhibited wisdom and experience you value. These are the individuals to whom you find yourself turning to in times of dilemmas or crisis, functioning as strategic thought partners. But how does a professional acquaintance become a trusted advisor? The key lies in the cultivation of trust and reciprocal learning. As you interact with these individuals more deeply, engaging in dialogue beyond surface-level exchanges, you may find that their viewpoints challenge or complement your own in ways that stimulate growth. This synergy helps cultivate a bond that transcends professional acquaintance and positions them as strategic partners.

    One of the greatest strengths of a strategic network lies in its diversity. Thought partners who originate from very different contexts than your own can offer invaluable perspectives and solutions you might not have considered otherwise. They bring a different set of experiences, challenges, and successes that can broaden your understanding and enhance your problem-solving abilities.

    Take, for example, a situation where you are leading a small district, and one of your strategic network members is from a considerably larger one. Their scale of operations and the complexities they navigate daily may vastly differ from yours. However, their approaches to managing these complexities can provide you with unique insights and innovative solutions that can be adapted to your context. Similarly, an urban education leader can learn much about community engagement and localized learning from a peer in a rural district or, a colleague working in a different state could enlighten you about the unique regulations and policies they work under, which might inspire novel ideas for tackling your own district’s challenges.

    In essence, the strength of your strategic network is fueled by its diversity. The varied backgrounds and experiences of its members foster an enriched dialogue and an expansive thought process, ensuring that your problem-solving approach is not myopic but multifaceted. Through their diverse perspectives, these individuals not only provide insight and wisdom during times of crisis but also contribute to your ongoing professional development. These strategic networks, therefore, form a robust pillar of support in your leadership journey, helping you tackle complex issues and navigate decision-making processes effectively.

    Professional/Personal Growth Networks: The Catalysts

    The final tier, the Professional/Personal Growth Network, is the smallest and yet the most potent. This network comprises individuals genuinely interested in your development as a leader and as a person. They are individuals who offer keen insights into leadership and can be entrusted with the highest levels of confidentiality. Their dedication to your growth, their ability to challenge your assumptions and push your boundaries, sets them apart. They are not merely advisors; they function as catalysts for your professional and personal growth.

    The transition of an individual from your Strategic Network to your Professional/Personal Growth Network can occur organically over time. It usually begins with recognition, not just of their wisdom or experience, but also their sincere interest in your growth. You may notice that certain individuals from your Strategic Network exhibit a keen understanding of your potential, provide thoughtful feedback, and show a consistent commitment to your long-term development. These individuals extend their involvement beyond immediate problem-solving or crisis management, diving deeper into questions about your vision, values, and aspirations. Such depth and dedication make them prime candidates for your Professional/Personal Growth Network.

    However, it’s essential to maintain a clear distinction between the two networks. While the people in your Growth Network can technically serve in your Strategic Network, it is inadvisable to blend these roles without thoughtful consideration. Here’s why: your Growth Network’s role is not to help you navigate immediate challenges but to help you envision who you are becoming, focusing on long-term development and growth. They work with you to shape your future trajectory, exploring and challenging your underlying assumptions and helping you realign your path as necessary. This role requires a degree of impartiality and distance from day-to-day operations, which might be compromised if they are also part of your Strategic Network.

    Keeping the networks separate allows for a clear demarcation of roles. Your Strategic Network members remain the advisors who help you think through immediate problems and dilemmas, while your Growth Network focuses on your development as a leader and as a person. These roles are

    complementary, but different, each crucial in its own way to your success and growth. Recognizing this distinction and maintaining these boundaries allows you to harness the full potential of both networks in your leadership journey.

    In essence, social networks provide necessary mental support, strategic networks act as a pillar when faced with challenges, and professional/personal growth networks are vital catalysts for personal and professional development. Collectively, these networks form the backbone of successful leadership in education.

    Moving from Understanding to Action

    Having understood the three-tiered network structure, the next step is the call to action: all education leaders, irrespective of their tenure, are encouraged to actively participate in their professional organizations, keeping these networks in mind. Strive not only to build these networks but nurture them over time. These are not stagnant constructs but vibrant, evolving ecosystems that hold immense potential for growth and development. One such platform to foster these networks is the District Administration Leadership Institute (DALI). DALI offers an authentic environment for education leaders to build connections at every level. With its vibrant community, DALI allows education leaders to engage with peers, seek guidance from seasoned experts, and partake in enriching discussions that foster personal and professional growth.

    More than just a meeting place, DALI presents opportunities to cultivate relationships that could grow into your strategic and professional/personal growth networks. By interacting with a diverse set of education leaders, you can gain insights into their experiences, learn from their successes and mistakes, and apply these lessons to your leadership journey.

    As you embark on your journey in educational leadership, remember that building these networks is not a singular event but a continuous process. Your networks are living entities that grow, change, and adapt with you. The more effort and time you invest in them, the more rewards they will yield. They are the lifelines that will guide you, support you, and challenge you in your journey.

    As leaders in education, it is our collective responsibility to build and foster these networks. Engage with them, learn from them, and grow with them. Welcome to the beautiful journey of educational leadership. With these three networks at your helm, navigate confidently, knowing that you’re not alone but surrounded by a group of individuals who are eager to support and learn alongside you. Take the leap, get involved, and explore the opportunities that DALI and similar organizations offer. Together, we can lead, learn, and ensure a brighter future for our next generation.

    Posted by: Quintin Shepherd

  • And the Voice of the Educator Rang Through the Halls- Our FETC 2024 Round-up!

    And the Voice of the Educator Rang Through the Halls- Our FETC 2024 Round-up!

    There’s stiff competition among the winter education conferences… TCEA, TASA, and AASA are all within a couple of weeks of each other, and FETC 2024 seemed to anchor this year’s series with the energy we expected pre-COVID ahead of the more regional conferences that pick up in March, like California’s League of Educators.

    While I think everyone who attended last summer’s ISTE would agree that the attendance and energy was back to “pre-COVID” levels, it seemed to me that everyone was still a little surprised to be back among <all> of their colleagues. And there was still plenty of conversation around the future of “the conference” format.

    And it feels like we’re starting to move on from the “will this conference survive” conversation and into conversations that we go to these conferences for… This year my conversations with solution partners seemed to focus more on the “voice of the educator” than in years past. Perhaps that’s a result of our having the chance to talk face-to-face again, but regardless it’s a great step forward!

    We all know the pressures schools and districts are under on a daily basis… serving the immediate needs of the students and community make it very hard to drive innovation or streamline essential processes.  And we’ve long recognized that solution partners are essential components of the K12 ecosystem to help do exactly that.

    Too frequently, though, we are approached by vendors who seem to have come up with ideas in a bubble and with little or no idea of how their solutions might work (or not) in daily practice within a school or classroom.

    Both educators and solution providers this year seemed to be aware of this, and conversations gravitated to that theme quickly.  Here are a few highlights:

    Teaching students’ future selves

    Backed by several National Science Foundation grants, and developed out of Woods Hole Oceanic Institutute , Scoutlier was designed by educators for educators and addresses the core issue of keeping learning relevant and manageable for students.  Their CEO, Brandy Jackson, is herself a teacher as are the majority of Scoutlier’s staff.

    Everyone at Scoutlier has personally had to answer the question “When am I ever going to use this in real life?” as they stare back into the faces of students frozen by not knowing how to start on a problem they don’t really care about.

    A free platform that plugs into Google Classroom, Canvas, and any other LMS, Scoutlier answers both of those questions, and makes learning more manageable for kids, and teaching easier for teachers.

    Scoutlier has 2 components. The first, EngagED makes it easy for teachers breakdown assignments into a manageable processes, helping students see a path of small steps that brings them to their goal.  Based on the experience of every teacher on staff, that is a game changer for many students.

    Second, CareerConnectED leverages AI to find real-world examples that answer the question “When are we actually going to use this in real life?”

    As Jackson says, “You’re in front of your algebra class talking about the exponential decay formula to kids who are going to be going into 20 different fields… how do you give each of them an example of why that formula is relevant to their future selves?”

    Reaching students (and teachers) where they are

    Another example of user-centered design that could only be discovered through the voice of educators comes from Lightspeed, and the release of their new Cascadia system. 

    Cascadia is a networked classroom audio system that has found the intersection of instruction, classroom management, school communications, and student safety. Lightspeed was only able to design Cascadia by listening to all of their district stakeholders and understanding that both teachers and students may need help being heard at any given time.

    Engaging with the “voice of the educator” is a big commitment… To work it must be a 2-way conversation.  Ask your customers all the questions you want, but if you don’t answer them a company might not get another chance.

    Lightspeed’s approach is 2-fold. First is their Lighthouse Customer program which serves as a valuable platform for ongoing feedback, allowing educators to test new features and share insights on the effectiveness of Lightspeed’s solutions. By involving educators directly in the development process, Lightspeed ensures that their products, like Cascadia, are not just tech solutions but practical tools that truly address the concerns of the education community.

    The second is a commitment to salesforce training… While salespeople can certainly cause some anxiety for educators, Shaun Fagan, SVP of Product, says Lightspeed’s product team meets monthly with sales to gather feedback from the field, and that they’ve actually trained salespeople to ask better questions during the sales process to help keep that line of communication open.  The result, says Fagan, is a communication solution that is mobile, simple, and immediately available to a teacher wherever they are in the classroom or building.

    The greening of device management

    Another avenue for communication, that’s particularly effective at conferences like FETC, are informal customer focus groups.  There are so many social options around venues like Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center that with a little coordination, an après-event social can be a relaxed way to discover the real issues on educators’ minds.

    MicroReplay, a leading provider of device repair services and replacement parts, did just that at FETC this year. Through evening conversations Tani Marinovich, MicroReplay’s VP of Sales was able to discuss the whole range of priorities involved in sourcing a repair partner.

    According to Marinovich, the paramount concern has always been ensuring districts have devices ready and available for their communities around the clock, with the elimination of service gaps being a top priority. However, beyond the imperative of service quality, various other factors occupy the minds of IT directors. During a casual dinner and drinks, Marinovich and the team uncovered other considerations.

    Marinovich explained, “Job number 1 is maintaining continuous device availability, but there are additional aspects to address. For instance, assessing what can be serviced in-house rather than being shipped out, determining optimal sources for replacement components, aligning with environmentally sustainable goals, and evaluating the overall financial return on investment (ROI) are all significant concerns.” She added, “Hearing these insights firsthand is encouraging, as they align with the core drivers behind our daily operations.”

    MicroReplay recognizes that while service quality remains a top priority, the nuanced needs and concerns of IT directors encompass a broader spectrum. By understanding these intricacies, the company tailors its services to effectively address the whole range of concerns around device repair and maintenance, emphasizing efficiency, environmental sustainability, and financial return-on-investment.

    How are the kids doing?

    Along with the distance learning band-aids that got applied during the pandemic, we also saw a burgeoning of teletherapy solutions.

    One of the prominent K12 teletherapy solutions that responded to student needs in the pandemic was eLuma.  I had a chance to speak with their CEO Jeremy Glauser.

    As with many education partners, eLuma started based on personal experience… in this case recognizing that the anxiety Glauser wrestled with in high school and college was far more common that he realized at the time.

    But what’s critical for a partner to serve K12 effectively is recognizing that their initial idea is only a starting point.  To ensure that the educator’s voice remains front-and-center, eLuma pairs dedicated customer success partners with each district as well as running periodic focus groups. This has resulted in to significant responses. 

    The first is their recent expansion of remote services to provide Multi-Tierd System of Supports (MTSS). Glauser shared that many teachers just don’t feel equipped to assess and respond to the vast array of student needs they see every day.

    And the second is to help districts find ways to fund those programs… Glauser continued, “Many districts aren’t sure how to access funding and they welcome guidance for how to apply that to programming that benefits all their students’ mental health needs.” To address that, eLuma provides resources and guidance that help districts understand and take advantage of funding opportunities, a welcome support as has been mentioned in another post (Know Your Audience).

    And forward!

    Maybe there’s a parallel between the future of education conferences and partners recognizing the voice of the educator? The K12 leaders that attend conferences, and the customers that partners serve, are the connection between partners and student success. Making sure those voices are heard loud and clear is something we can all work on… Those conversations are certainly seem to be leading in the right direction!

  • K12Leaders and The Learning Accelerator Announce Free Resources to Support Data-Driven Advocacy for All Learners

    K12Leaders and The Learning Accelerator Announce Free Resources to Support Data-Driven Advocacy for All Learners

    K12Leaders and The Learning Accelerator Announce Free Resources to Support Data-Driven and Peer-Reviewed Advocacy for All Learners

    Andover, MA – January 17th, 2024  — K12Leaders introduces a significant free resource for educators today: The Learning Accelerator’s Guide for Data Advocacy, as a featured Professional Pathway on the K12Leaders Platform.

    Professional Pathways are the next generation of professional development for K12 leaders everywhere, combining courseware, community, content, and collaboration in a safe, free, online environment dedicated to serving K12 education.

    The Learning Accelerator’s (TLA) Data Advocacy Guide is a combination of high-quality resources designed to help stakeholders recognize, assess, and advocate for the interventions and policy changes students may need to achieve their full potential based on quantifiable data.

    Together, these resources and the K12Leaders’ platform create a unique opportunity for stakeholders to work with their peers in an active community of educators, building data-driven, peer-reviewed work products designed to improve student outcomes. 

    One distinctive feature of K12Leaders’ Professional Pathways is the formation of professional communities around specific areas of practice, allowing for peer-to-peer review and collaboration as well as guidance from subject experts. The platform provides a secure online environment equipped with social activity feeds, real-time chat, embedded video conferencing, private messaging, and document collaboration, integrating seamlessly with Google Drive.

    A national nonprofit, TLA has been dedicated to helping educators and schools ensure that every child achieves their unique potential for over a decade. Through collaborations across the education sector, TLA encourages improvements from success and innovation, advancing emerging technologies, school models, and support systems.

    K12Leaders CEO, Michael Bronder said “We are very happy to help amplify the great work The Learning Accelerator does by making their Guide for Data Advocacy available in this innovative new format within our Professional Pathways. As we all work to serve K12 education, this guide gives educators, leaders, and stakeholders the tools they need to leverage data effectively, advocating for the best interests of their students.”

    “Data is a powerful tool for conversations about and action towards greater equity for kids”, says Beth Rabbitt, CEO of The Learning Accelerator. “We believe this collaboration with K12Leaders will help amplify the impact of the Data Advocacy Guide, one of our many free resources that help local leaders transform schools. Through the K12Leaders platform, we aim to empower a broader community of education professionals committed to driving positive change.”

    All K12 educators, staff, and administrators are welcome to join this exciting new pathway at https://k12leaders.com/tla-registration

    For media inquiries, please contact:

    Suzy Brooks, Editorial Director 

    suzy.brooks@k12leaders.com

    About K12Leaders:  K12Leaders is the leading free professional network for K12 teachers, staff, and administrators. Built by educators for educators, K12Leaders has become an innovative platform for educational collaboration and driver of positive change in how educators can work together to improve their own practice, enable professional growth, and ultimately improve outcomes for their students.
    About The Learning Accelerator:  The Learning Accelerator (TLA) is a national nonprofit building an education field where practitioners, leaders, and policy-makers learn faster and change systems together to ensure every child reaches their full potential. We do this by accelerating individual, organizational, and sector learning to transform K-12 education. For more information, please visit https://learningaccelerator.org.

  • Using Data to Advocate for Equitable Education

    Using Data to Advocate for Equitable Education

    In the words of the late John Lewis, “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just – you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” At The Learning Accelerator (TLA), we resonate with this call to action, recognizing the manifold challenges students face across their educational journeys. From learning differences to social issues, addressing these challenges necessitates a collective effort from educators, parents, policymakers, and community members. To empower advocates in this crucial mission, TLA  developed the Data Advocacy Guide, and its accompanying workbook and course. This resource aims to equip leaders like yourselves with the knowledge and tools to effectively leverage data in fostering equitable educational experiences.

    Advocacy in Education: Charting a Course for Change

    At TLA, we are committed to advancing a research-informed vision for equitable teaching and learning, leading us to the development of this course to help educators leverage the strategies and resources in our Data Advocacy Guide. In the realm of education, advocacy is a potent force for positive transformation. As we prepared this guide, we sought insights from educators, and their overarching desire was clear: they wanted a guide that elucidated how to tell compelling stories using both numbers (quantitative data) and voices (qualitative data). Educators emphasized the importance of understanding how data can elevate advocacy efforts while exploring the nuances of data collection, analysis, and application in driving meaningful change specific to each stakeholder’s role.

    Why is data crucial for advocacy in education? Data serves as a spotlight, illuminating the truth of students’ academic, mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. It highlights areas that are working for all students and those in need of improvement. Furthermore, data becomes the impetus for dismantling systems that have historically marginalized students, contributing to community, economic, and social barriers and instability.

    What You Will Learn in This Course

    The Data Advocacy Guide serves as a compass for educators, students, families, and community members navigating the complex landscape of data-driven advocacy. It offers activities, strategies, and concrete examples to support advocates in not only speaking up but also taking tangible actions to support students. As you work through this course, you will:

    • Document your level of access: Utilize the guide and its accompanying workbook to create a targeted data collection plan according to your role as an advocate and specific to your level of access to data.
    • Identify your purpose for advocacy: Ground your advocacy efforts in equity, ensuring a focused and purposeful approach.
    • Think deliberately about changing conditions: Get clear about the specific conditions you aim to change and strategize accordingly.
    • Collect, analyze, and communicate findings: Gain practical insights into collecting relevant data, analyzing it effectively, and communicating findings persuasively.

    Shaping the Future Through Data-Driven Advocacy

    The urgency to connect policies and practices with student outcomes is evident. The Data Advocacy Guide acts as a beacon, shining a light on the truth of what is happening, what is working, and what isn’t. Armed with this knowledge, advocates can forge a plan to champion equitable practices. 

    Now, more than ever, we invite stakeholders to actively engage with the guide and course on K12Leaders. By doing so, we can use data as the powerful tool it is to advocate for a brighter, more equitable educational landscape for all students.

    Author: Dr. Violet Ford, The Learning Accelerator

    Author Bio: Violet Ford is a Partner at The Learning Accelerator (TLA). She has held key roles in various research and evaluation projects across sectors such as community health, education, and social services, with a focus on qualitative research. She is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, ensuring that evaluations are conducted with sensitivity to cultural nuances and the wellbeing of the populations studied.

    [the_ad id=”52987″]