3C

The best metaphor I ever heard for teaching “back in the day” came from Marc Prensky, an acclaimed writer and speaker in the field of education who is often credited for coining the terms “digital immigrants” and “digital natives.” At a November Learning conference I attended in July, 2007, Prensky described the old way of teaching as pulling back the curtains and showing students the world. That was a teacher’s job, expose her students to that which was beyond their immediate view and understanding. Then, with the proliferation of internet access, students gained 24/7 access to the world, and the role of the teacher truly shifted from the old cliche of “guide on the side” to “sage on the stage.” Thus began the struggle for relevance that teachers continue to fight for today.

Practically every state in the land including my home state of Illinois and my adopted state of Alaska are now using the Danielson Framework for teacher evaluation. The “heart of the framework,” according to Charlotte and parroted by trainers and administrators is Domain 3, Component C: Engaging Students in Learning. 3c is the lens through which every aspect of evaluation flows, it is the core of effective instruction. Yet as adolescents gain more and more access to the world and knowledge outside the walls of the institution, engaging them becomes more and more challenging. At Highland Tech we offer students greater voice and choice in their learning, and more freedom to explore their individual interests than the majority of secondary schools, I dare say. Yet engagement remains a challenge. Students possess abundant freedom to access learning through technology, yet many remain aloof from content and curriculum.

I wonder if we ought to consider streamlining our course offerings as students move through high school. Once they’ve reached a competent level of literacy, if their interests lie in STEM should we allow them to focus solely in that area? If their bent is humanities do they need chemistry AND biology AND physics? High school graduates ought to be well-rounded and they ought to have exposure to everything we have to offer, but when even the most dynamic teachers sometimes struggle with engagement, I wonder if we’re fighting a losing battle. Perhaps it’s my first exposure to high school students and reconciling the inherent differences between them and middle schoolers. They are very young adults as opposed to pre-pubescents and require a different approach, yet we still must engage them. Further study may be warranted on my part. I’m not ready to draw any conclusions yet.

Cultural observation: They love The Eagles here! No, not the national bird, the 70’s California country rock when-hell-freezes-over Eagles. There are no less than four classic rock/oldies stations and one that plays “whatever we want” here in Anchorage. I’m in my car about twenty minutes a day between work and home and rarely a day goes by without a “Witchy Woman,” a “Long Run,” or a “Hotel California.” Not sure what the obsession is about. Once again, further study may be warranted on my part.

It’s Not Subjectivity, It’s Professional Judgment

Ten teachers. Seven grade levels. Four core content areas. Electives and advisory. Twenty-two and a half credits required for high school graduation. It’s like the math problem that Matt Damon solves near the beginning of “Good Will Hunting.” Ok, it’s not quite that complex, but I don’t like these apples. I was recently quoted giving advice to principals new to a RISC model school, the gist of which is there’s a measurable distance between vision and reality, and I’ve spent the last three months measuring that distance. I have a possible solution. Here goes.

Last year I had the good fortune to hear Tom Guskey speak about standards-based assessment and reporting on two different occasions. Guskey is arguably the foremost expert on standards-based grading in the U.S. I re-read my notes from those talks this weekend looking for answers to my conundrum. Not surprisingly, my notes focused on moving away from traditional grade reporting to standards-based. No problem there. We’re way beyond that at Highland Tech. We have no traditional grades and we report progress as No Basis, Developing, Emerging, Proficient, and Advanced. Granted, we still have parents who struggle to understand these terms, but comprehensive and meaningful reporting is not our problem. Our problem amounts to a Sisyphean checklist of standards (around 150) that students need to master annually to make reasonable progress. I think the solution lies in Guskey.

A measure of subjectivity always exists in assessment. Let me re-phrase, a measure of professional judgment always exist in student assessment. Guskey cites research that boggles the mind when it comes to the exercising of professional judgment. In order to overcome standards checklist fatigue, my teachers must be empowered to exercise professional judgment in evaluating attainment of standards. Instead of recording multiple proficient “hits” in order to determine whether or not a student is ready to move up to the next level, they should examine the big picture. Level completions should be a civil case, a preponderance of evidence, rather than a “beyond a reasonable doubt” criminal case. We ought to identify the most critical standards, those that MUST be mastered before proceeding. Some districts call these “power standards.” So be it. 150 is a very big number. It’s crushing students and teachers. Allow the teachers to exercise professional judgment in order to make the standards more manageable for them and their students. Win-win without sacrificing rigor or expectations.

Cultural observation: For a “red” state, Alaska is fairly progressive. Earlier in the fall, they legalized marriage equality and then last week became the fourth state to legalize marijuana. Of course they also replaced their Democratic senator with a Republican who’s barely lived here longer than me. They fiercely protect some of the environment and decimate others. I’m sure being surrounded by educators skews my perception, but it just doesn’t feel as red as all that. There are a lot of Packers fans here, too, though I’m not sure what that has to do with anything. It just bugs me.

Ham & Eggs, Mulder & Scully, Simon & Garfunkel

I know that I still owe some answers from last week’s post, but this week I’ve been thinking a lot about partnerships and how critical they are in educational leadership. While many of mankind’s great accomplishments were achieved by individuals, so many great partnerships stand out just as much: Adams and Jefferson, Watson and Crick, Lennon and McCartney, Orville and Wilbur. Peanut butter and chocolate.

I was fortunate as an assistant principal earlier in my career to work with principals who believed in shared leadership. While it was always clear that the buck stopped at the big chair, I always felt like a partner in the leadership and decision-making processes of those schools. Consequently, when I became a building principal, I approached leadership in much the same way. I was taken aback when my new staff wan’t prepared for that paradigm. I inherited a fairly top-down system, and a clear hierarchy existed in the school’s governance. It wasn’t until I had been in place for several years and was able to be involved in choosing my assistant principal, that the principles of shared leadership could truly be executed. I was extremely lucky in the partner and friend I found in my second AP (now a principal himself). Not only were we aligned in our philosophies, but we were consistently able to devilishly advocate when we found ourselves with divergent viewpoints. I became a better principal when I had a partner and some time foil. I mean no disrespect to his predecessor, but he was of a different era and leadership style.

I am lucky to have found another great partner in leadership here at Highland Tech. Having worked here longer than anyone else, my assistant principal is both institutional memory and co-visionary. She can get down in the trenches (she actually teaches one class and co-teaches another with me) and she can look at the big picture and envision even greater things for our students and staff. It makes it so much easier to be the new guy when you luck into that kind of support. While I again “inherited” an assistant principal, I couldn’t have chosen a better one. To all new principals or aspiring principals, never ever underestimate the critical necessity of sharing leadership with the right partner.

Personal, not cultural observation: So I think the real reason behind the focus on partnership is that this week will mark the 20th anniversary of the day I met my wife. With all due respect, any partner I have had or will have professionally will never measure up to the partner I have personally. She’s going to abhor this attention, but anything and everything I have accomplished and will accomplish professionally I owe to her support, her belief, her intelligence, her guidance, her keen perception, and her love. This post (if you haven’t guessed already) is dedicated to her.