MICHIGAN: Senate introduces bills to build stronger talent pipeline with expanded tools for K-12 schools

MICHIGAN: Senate introduces bills to build stronger talent pipeline with expanded tools for K-12 schools

Media Contact: Dave Murray
517-243-7530 | murrayd5@michigan.gov

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan students would receive even more tools to explore, receive training and land one of the state’s thousands of good jobs available now and into the future under bills introduced today in the state Senate, said Talent and Economic Development Director Roger Curtis and State Superintendent Brian Whiston.

Senate Bills introduced today, if adopted, would create talent portfolios, allow more frequent and meaningful use of educational development plans and update career development plans in a school’s improvement plan.

“We applaud the leadership shown by Sens. Peter MacGregor and Ken Horn with the introduction of this critical legislation,” Curtis said. “These bills are aimed at providing students with the resources needed to explore careers and understand the training needed to land jobs in our 21st-century economy.”

The two bills were created in the spirit of the Michigan Career Pathways Alliance recommendations announced this past summer.

“Senate Bills 684 and 685 are the culmination of years of work and I’m proud to be a part of yet another step in getting students the resources they need to make sound career choices,” said Sen. Horn, R-Frankenmuth. “We want to give students the chance to explore every opportunity available to them. Talent portfolios will be something that parents and counselors can point to as young people begin to look at their futures.”

Sen. MacGregor agreed.

“When I first took office, one of my principal goals was to get people back to work,” said Sen. MacGregor, R-Rockford. “The Legislature has championed many pieces of legislation aimed at expanding opportunities to students. We’ve come to realize that a four-year college degree is not ideal for every student and we need to improve access to options that help students make career choices. These bills would do just that.”

The alliance was created by Gov. Rick Snyder and is headed by Curtis and Whiston, and includes more than 100 education, business, economic development and labor organizations from across the state.

“Creating the talent of the future starts in our schools,” Whiston said. “These bills build upon our forward-moving progress to ensure students get career connected before graduation and help address our career awareness gap. These bills are good for our students, our economy and the future of Michigan.”

As part of the bills, students’ educational development plans would:

  • Provide them with an opportunity to explore careers specific to their interests and identify career pathways and goals for achieving success in those careers.
  • Offer information on various types of careers and current and projected job openings in the state with projected wages.
  • Create an opportunity to develop a talent portfolio, a record of a student’s experience, proficiencies, certifications or accomplishments that demonstrate talents or marketable skills.

The bills also require schools to involve hands-on learning, combined with classroom instruction that enhances a student’s employability skills and requires schools to provide age-appropriate career informational resources in all grades.

Schools will also need to provide students with the opportunity – in a grade the district deems appropriate – to complete one or more experiences in a field of the student’s interests and have school counselors discuss career interests, options and preparations with students at each grade level.

Schools also would offer programs providing students in grades six to 12 with work-based learning activities that make connections between industry experts in a variety of fields and ensure all students in grade 12 know how to develop and use a resume, reference letter, school record and talent portfolio.

The bills add to the House bill package currently being considered, which include HBs 5139-5142 and 5145 and support a number of the Michigan Career Pathways Alliance recommendations. The legislation also supports current efforts to make Michigan a Top 10 education state in 10 years.

Curtis said the alliance is keeping its foot on the gas and will continue to work with lawmakers and stakeholders to make sure students are prepared post-secondary education, be it a four-year degree, apprenticeship program, certification program or community college.

Prepared Remarks from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to Foundation for Excellence in Education National Summit on Education Reform

Prepared Remarks from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to Foundation for Excellence in Education National Summit on Education Reform

Nashville, Tennessee – Thank you, Denisha for that very kind introduction. I am so glad Denisha has joined our team at the U.S. Department of Education. Even though she’s no longer a child, it’s kids like Denisha who keep me focused. They are who I fight for every day, the driving force behind all we do.

I’m happy to be back with so many friends at Excel in Ed, especially as you celebrate the 10th anniversary of this National Summit on Education Reform. The Summit has welcomed visionary and inspiring leaders from across government, business and academia, and, as those of you who attended the 2011 Summit in San Francisco will remember, even some friends from Sesame Street made an “unscheduled” guest appearance! I hope they’re not joining us again today!

While this certainly is not my first Summit, it is my first as Secretary of Education.

It is truly an honor to serve America’s students and to speak with you today at this important convening of advocates, policymakers and elected officials, all of whom share a common goal: to equip every child in America with the education necessary to achieve his or her God-given potential.

Governor Bush, Patricia and the entire Excel in Ed team: hundreds of thousands of kids – and former kids, like Denisha – have been able to do just that, thanks in no small part to your efforts.

On behalf of them and their parents – and on behalf of the millions more who deserve that same opportunity – a very sincere and heartfelt thank you for your tireless work and for your continued commitment.

Like many of you, I’ve been involved in education reform for some time. For me, it’s been 30 years. Now, some folks would think that means I should be in the twilight of my career – looking back and winding down with an eye toward retirement.

Well, I do have a bit of bad news to share with you today…

Bad news, that is, for the teacher union bosses, the defenders of the status quo, the “education-expert” bloggers and muckrakers and many of our friends on the Democratic side of the aisle in Congress. Allow me to borrow a line from the great American author Mark Twain: The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated!

I’m not going anywhere! In fact I’m just getting started!

And to get started, let’s talk a bit about where I think we as a country need to go. But first, let’s step back.

You would never know it by watching the news or reading the papers today, but this whole notion of “education reform” isn’t exactly new. In fact, you can trace its roots all the way back to ancient times and Plato’s writings in The Republic. That’s right – 380 B.C.

From the ancient Greek debate, through the Roman Empire, across early Europe, on to America’s widespread adoption of the Prussian model, past progressive theories, amid the important advances made during the civil rights era, through today’s continued debate, education reform has commanded the attention of some of history’s greatest and most influential figures.

And while each one of those transition points could generate hours of debate and discussion, I want to go back to 1983.

In April 1983, A Nation At Risk had just been released. Most everyone here has heard of it. Commissioned by then-U.S. Secretary of Education Terrell Bell, it took a hard look at education in America.

The conclusion, as the report’s title hints, was anything but rosy. This is from the summary:

“The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity.”

And further:

“If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war.”

That was nearly 35 years ago. And what has changed?

In 1983, A Nation At Risk found that on international tests, America was, quote, “never first or second.” Today, the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA, shows America stuck in the middle of our international peers. We are being outpaced and outperformed by countries like China, Germany, Vietnam and the U.K.

We are a nation still at risk. We are a nation at greater risk.

This is unacceptable.

This is inexcusable.

And this is truly un-American.

We can – we must – do better.

We all know this. America knows this. A recent Gallup poll showed the majority of all Americans are dissatisfied with the overall education system in our country.

Something else Americans know: our nation’s broken tax system is well overdue for comprehensive reform. And I am so encouraged that, with the President’s leadership, leaders in Congress are poised to finally do something about it! This Administration believes America succeeds when American workers and job providers keep more of their hard-earned money.

Unfortunately, knowing and doing, especially when it comes to really reforming education, prove to be two very different things. Amidst the data, the numbers, the international comparisons, the debate and the vitriolic rancor from sycophants of the system, it’s really easy to lose sight of what – of whom – we’re really talking.

We’re talking about students, like Trevor. Trevor is from California. He has cerebral palsy, though he’s refused to let it define him. He excelled in elementary and middle school, earning all A’s.

But in high school, his condition made it difficult to navigate multiple floors and a large campus. One day, moving between classes, Trevor fell down a flight of stairs, breaking his knee. His accident crushed his bone, and, it nearly crushed his spirit.

Sadly, Trevor’s school was less than accommodating. They didn’t allow leeway for extra time to transfer classes nor any mechanism to catch up on missed instruction time. This 4.0 GPA high schooler saw his grades tumble and his aspirations fade.

“They really weren’t concerned about Trevor going to college,” Trevor’s mother said. “They really just wanted him to graduate high school.”

In other words, pass him along so they wouldn’t have to deal with him: a sad reality for far too many students in far too many schools.

Thankfully, Trevor and his parents discovered a blended learning charter school that allowed students to take classes online or in person.

Trevor began to thrive academically once again, as he was able to learn from his home.

“I felt excited about education again,” Trevor said. Today, he’s back on path, excelling and fulfilled, with his dream to attend college restored.

And we’re talking about kids like Orlando, from the Florida town whose name he shares. Orlando was born with an innate passion for aviation, and from age 6 knew he wanted to be a pilot. However, his life’s circumstances started stacking up against him.

Shortly after he was born, Orlando’s mother suffered a stroke that left her totally disabled, and as a young grade-schooler, Orlando’s father went to prison. In addition to the challenges at home, Orlando eventually struggled at school, too.

He fell in with a group known as “the little hoodlums.” His grades slipped and he nearly failed his junior year. Looking back, he saw himself headed down the same path as his father.

“I never wanted to be that guy,” Orlando said, “but you can see the little things that lead to someone making the wrong decision or getting arrested one day.”

He saw his dream of becoming a pilot, evaporating. “I started looking at the financial requirements and grade requirements, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m not going to make it,'” he said. “My mom is disabled. My father was in prison. So I was like, ‘I don’t have any help. This isn’t going to happen.'”

But Orlando did have help. And it came in the form of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and a devoted and caring teacher, Mr. Nieves, who helped Orlando find it.

Through the scholarship, Orlando was able to attend a school that met his individual needs. And as Orlando tells it, everything was different from Day One. “The teachers cared for me and made sure I stayed on top of my work,” Orlando said.

Hope restored, Orlando doubled down on pursuing his dream.

He studied…hard. His teachers pushed him…hard.

And when Orlando walked across the graduation stage last May, as his recently-released father rejoined his family watching in the audience, tears filled Orlando’s eyes – not just for what he was able to accomplish, but for the opportunities that remained ahead as an accepted aeronautical science freshman at Embry-Riddle University.

“The dream really came true – I’m here. It’s a surreal feeling,” Orlando said.

Orlando’s is an outcome every student in America should be able to share, and it’s one every student in America would be able to share if adults would quit fighting over kids and start fighting for them.

And we’re talking about parents, like Shirley, a mom from Pennsylvania with whom I recently spoke. Shirley lives in a tough part of town, and her daughter was afraid of being bullied by the kids in her neighborhood. Attending her assigned neighborhood school terrified her daughter and it broke Shirley’s heart.

Left with no options, Shirley signed up as a driver for a ride sharing company before and after her fulltime day job so she can afford tuition to send her daughter to a safe, Catholic school.

Exhausted and unsure if she could keep up the pace after a year of working multiple jobs, Shirley asked her daughter if she could try her neighborhood school. Her daughter immediately broke into tears. She begged Shirley not to send her there.

“I don’t ask to be rich,” Shirley told me. “All I ask is for my children to have a better life than me. If that means I have to work three jobs, I’ll find a way. I have to do it for my girls,” she said.

And I know she will.

But no parent – no parent – should be left feeling helpless like Shirley. No parent should have to work three jobs in order to send their child to a school that is safe, to a school that works for them.

And we’re talking about kids like Jason and Mitchell Baker, and their sister Jessica from right here in Tennessee.

Jason was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia, while Mitchell lives with Tourette’s syndrome. They both struggled to focus during the school day and they had a tough time interacting with their peers. Their parents tried many different options: their assigned school, private school, blended learning, homeschool co-ops – none seemed to be the right fit for them.

Then they found a virtual school that gave them the opportunity to learn and interact socially at their own pace, but also afforded them the chance to participate in athletics locally. They found the option that worked for their needs.

Jessica, meanwhile, knew that she wanted more from high school than sitting in a classroom for 7 hours a day. She wanted to learn, but she also wanted to go on global service missions, work a part-time job and train to be a ballet dancer.

She tried the school her brothers attended, and found that it was a great fit for what she and her parents wanted for her education, too.

Jessica graduated from the University of Memphis, and Jason and Mitchell are enrolled there now.

But they haven’t stopped there. Inspired by their own experience, these three siblings co-founded their own group to help educate, encourage and empower parents to find options for their children like they and their parents found for them.

Jason, Mitchell and Jessica are here with us today. Guys, could you stand up? Let’s all give them a round of applause.

These are all wonderful success stories. Individuals whose lives have been touched and who are on a new trajectory, with the potential for generational impact.

But for every Denisha, every Trevor and Orlando, every Shirley, every Jessica and Mitchell and Jason, there are more – millions more – whose stories don’t have the same result. Who aren’t afforded the same opportunity.

Who today… right now…sit at kitchen tables…helpless…tears filling their eyes as they contemplate a real and inexcusable possibility: by virtue of their zip code, their family circumstances or their economic means, an education system has assigned them to a future that very well might mean their dream is out of reach.

This is the very real and very human face of a nation still at risk.

These are, all too often, the “forgotten” in our society. They don’t have lobbyists, they don’t have public relations firms, they don’t have untold millions to buy their way out.

But, they have dreams.

They have potential.

They have hope.

Because they have us.

I have a simple question for everyone in this room: What are you going to do?

Lawmakers: how are you going to carry their voices through the halls of your capitol? Will you take a stand? Will you challenge the status quo? Will you fight for them?

Find ways to give your school leaders and your teachers flexibility to do what they know and what they do best: serve their students.

Find solutions to allow funding to follow students so they can learn in the way and at the pace that works for them. Find ways to breakdown artificial barriers of location or distance by exploring the promising potential of online and blended learning – options that did not exist just a few short years ago.

Policymakers: how are you going to put their needs above the needs of a “system”? Will you have the courage to buck the entrenched special interests and do what you know is right for these “forgotten” among us?

Make a commitment to put people before paperwork. Students before systems. Get beyond the walls of your offices and proactively seek the perspective and input of parents, students, teachers, school leaders. Listen with an open mind, especially to the challenges and struggles parents identify. Then act to implement policies in a way that serves them. Our job is not to make life easier for us, but to serve students.

Advocates, community leaders and faith leaders: how will you help amplify their voices? Will you be a catalyst for change in your community?

Will you leverage your spheres of influence to truly rethink education in your communities, your states? Will you support and praise lawmakers and policy makers who take courageous stands on behalf of students and parents?

We are at a time for choosing. We can choose to turn away, to offer platitudes or promises of action “next year.” Or we can say: no more. No more empty rhetoric, no more folding to political pressure, no more accepting by inaction this fundamental injustice that stains the future of the greatest republic in the history of the world. No more.

Let me not discount, in any way, the important work and advances that have been made, many as a direct result of your efforts. And some of the most recent advances have been the most encouraging.

I look to Illinois. Thanks to the courage and leadership of Governor Bruce Rauner and many champions for kids in the legislature, low-income Illinois parents will now have the option to send their kids to a school of their choice.

If it can be done in the backyard of the Chicago Teachers Association, home of the infamous teacher strike just a few short years ago, it can be done anywhere!

And there’s also New Hampshire. New Hampshire is on the verge of passing similar legislation that would give parents in their state more options. Many thanks to Governor Chris Sununu and legislative leaders there as well. Keep pushing and get this done for your students!

We must turn words into action.

Millions of kids today— right now— are trapped in schools that are failing them. Millions more are stuck in schools that are not meeting their individual needs. And their parents have no options, no choices, no way out.

Nearly 30 kids have dropped out of school while I’ve been talking – that’s nearly 1,500 students a day; 521,000 this year and more than 2 million in my term as Secretary. More than the total number of students in the New York City, Los Angles and Chicago School Districts – combined. Or in the entire State of Tennessee – twice. Gone. Take some time and let that sink in.

These aren’t just numbers. These are precious young lives, full of promise and potential; kids who don’t have time to wait until next year, or until next session or until after the next elections. They don’t even have time to wait until tomorrow.

Now is the time to act.

I fully recognize this is a fight.

I acknowledge more times than not, it requires really thick skin.

And I know many of you in this room take arrows in the back— and in the front! – on a daily basis.

But know this:

I stand with you, and, together, we stand with America’s kids – all of them.

Because Denisha is worth it. Trevor and Orlando are worth it. Shirley is worth it. Jessica and Mitchell and Jason are worth it.

Every student and every parent across our great land— each of them are worth it.

America is far too great a country to deny any parent or any student the chance at their dream – the chance a great education affords them.

We owe it to our children to be fearless.

The rising generation represents 100 percent of our future; let’s give them nothing less than 100 percent of our effort.

Thank you for allowing me to be with you. May God bless you and may He bless our future – America’s students.

MISSISSIPPI: Revamped JPS School Board Gets to Work

MISSISSIPPI: Revamped JPS School Board Gets to Work

If Tuesday night was any indication of how the new Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees will operate, Jacksonians are in good hands. In a three-hour-long meeting, the new board members questioned just about everything on the agenda, as most of the trustees got their first taste of the different powers and responsibilities they hold. The board is one member shy of being full, only missing a Ward 3 member. They elected officers first, unanimously choosing Jeanne Hairston as president, Ed Sivak as vice president and Barbara Hilliard as secretary.

Besides approving or disapproving contracts, the board’s most urgent task will be to approve the district’s new corrective action plan in December. In October, the Commission on School Accreditation voted to keep JPS on probation. JPS is out of compliance with 24 standards, by the Commission on School Accreditation’s count. Interim Superintendent Freddrick Murray told the board that he is confident the district will present a competent CAP in the upcoming months.

The new CAP is due to the Office of Accreditation on Jan. 16, 2018. The Mississippi Board of Education must approve that plan in February, which starts the countdown until July 2018 when JPS must be finished with its CAP.

William Merritt, the JPS executive director of school improvement, told the board that the district has put in processes to address the deficiencies in the investigative audit. It is working with the Bailey Education Group, as well as receiving technical assistance from the Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of Accreditation on a weekly basis.

“Could MDE clear any of the items in advance of that?” Sivak asked district leaders Tuesday.

“Not before the state board approves the corrective action plan. This new CAP—it will serve as the CAP—the old plan will go away,” Murray said. “So on February 15, when the state board approves the plan … at that point we can start requesting that standards be cleared.”

A limited state audit of the district in April 2016 revealed deficiencies, some of which JPS has since overcome. Now, the district is working to meet the standards listed in both that audit and the full investigative audit, which almost prompted a takeover of the school district. Board members had a lot of questions about the Bailey Education Group, which the district has contracted with to help clear the standards. Merritt asked the board to approve another contract with the group for 20 days of work that would ensure the district is prepared for MDE to monitor their progress next spring.

“I am really concerned about spending $1,400 a day for 20 days on a consultant group that I’m not sure if it merits out,” Letitia Johnson said.

Merritt and Murray said they both felt confident in the consultants’ expertise, particularly because both Pat Ross and Ann Moore, who are working with the district, previously worked at MDE.

Board members were concerned about the district’s ability to track the group’s work.

“Understand that since we have used the group, MDE has not come out to monitor a standard since we have contracted with them,” Merritt said. “So until they come out and monitor us for compliance, it’s kind of hard to say whether or not to say their support (has helped).”

Murray said the district needs the support to ensure that standard leaders within the district can understand exactly what they need to do to meet the required standards.

“We were going through this process in the blind,” he said.

After several questions, the board did finally approve the third contract with the Bailey Education Group directly related to the district’s CAP this year. The first contract was for $95,900 back in April. The second contract with Bailey, for $145,000, focused only on Standard 20, which requires districts to have an instructional management system and tiered models. The third contract, worth $29,000, will allow Bailey staff to check the district for compliance after the state board approves JPS’ new CAP in the spring.

Bailey contractors are working with district leaders to review the new CAP plans, and the JPS board will have to approve that plan at its second December meeting.

Email state reporter Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com. Read more at jfp.ms/jpstakeover.

Schools improving nutrition through Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

Schools improving nutrition through Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

Tom McCarthy, DPI Communications Director, (608) 266-3559

MADISON — About 61,000 students across the state are learning more about nutrition and good health while sampling familiar and not so familiar fruits and vegetables through a federal grant program that helps schools bring fresh produce into the classroom.

Wisconsin’s $3.2 million Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grant is supporting 169 schools in offering school day snacks to elementary students. Survey comments reinforce the importance of the program. “Kids really look forward to snack time.” “It’s amazing to see the look on the children’s faces when they realized how good these foods can be.” “Some students did not know the names or the taste of most of the snacks they received, so that was awesome to see their reactions.”

Students had their favorites, including carrots, grapes, strawberries, and sugar snap peas. They also tried less familiar foods such as jicama and beet sticks, broccoli, grapefruit, and starfruit. Because kids are already familiar with a variety of fruits and vegetables through the snack program, more of these items can be incorporated into the regular school breakfast and lunch menus. Another Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program benefit is having children bring their tasting lessons home so families can explore more fruit and vegetable options. The program also complements school garden initiatives across the state, increasing kids’ desire to taste what they grow.

“I always like visiting the food service staff at schools,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers. “These dedicated individuals make it their mission to serve healthy foods that nourish young bodies so kids are ready to learn. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program helps kids understand where their food comes from, why it’s important, and to ‘give it a taste; you might like it.’ ”

The Department of Public Instruction evaluated 240 applications for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, awarding grants to two tribal schools, 20 private schools, and 147 public schools. Schools were awarded funding based on enrollment and will receive approximately $50 to $55 per student to purchase additional fresh fruits and vegetables to serve free to students outside of the National School Lunch (NSLP) and School Breakfast programs (SBP). Participating schools submit monthly claims to the DPI for reimbursement for fruits and vegetables as well as some limited non-food costs related to running the program.

Eligible schools have 50 percent or more of their students receiving subsidized school meals or an equivalent rate for Community Eligibility Program sites. School applications also included a plan for integrating the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program with other efforts to promote sound health and nutrition.

Additional Resources

Websites:
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
Wisconsin Child Nutrition Programs

Video:
How a School Garden Rocks School Meals

COMMENTARY: Changing urban educator’s goals

COMMENTARY: Changing urban educator’s goals

When people think of “urban education” in its most favorable light, they think of dedicated education professionals working hard in difficult conditions to eliminate the achievement gap by raising the academic achievement levels of their low-income, disadvantaged students.

However, a more widely held perception is that we are treading water in a stifled and almost hopeless effort to help kids who probably do not have a chance to succeed.

What an outdated, energy-sapping, and inappropriate mode of thought for this point in the 21st century. If that is our sole focus, then we should turn in our uniforms and get out of the fight.

We need to change the paradigm and broadcast our goal of preparing the next generation of students to fill the known, and the as-of-yet-unimagined, workforce needs of tomorrow.

Let us stop looking back with our heads down and look up to the future with an intentional eye on the unequivocal target of excellent career-life preparedness for all students. Let us embark upon a new frontier of technology, science, and social development that fills a need that has for too long gone unfilled in America.

Our families, students, and the nation’s economy need us to modernize our effort.

Every year, thousands of companies line up to apply for the 85,000 H-1B visas available to bring in foreign professionals to take on largely high-tech jobs awaiting them in the U.S. Those visas were filled in just four days in April, and some 235,000-foreign-born workers applied for them.

Among other things, the importation of foreign talent tells us there are plenty of jobs in our country, but simply not enough young people prepared to take them; that is where we, as urban education leaders, come in. Rather than wringing our hands about whether political types will provide enough funding for closing the achievement gap, we should be pushing the notion our country loses ground to other nations by our fear of tapping into the resources that our urban schools represent.

We should point out, with help from both the private sector and government, that we can generate enough bright and capable young people to fill the critical technology, medicine, education, and science jobs that will energize our economy, raise the standard of living, and create even more jobs.

It is time we shift the paradigm away from either a perspective of urban education as an inevitable failure or a deficit that can only be addressed by benevolent outsiders on a missionary quest of salvation. It is time we lean into urban education as a place to jump-start the revitalization of an old-fashioned plodding system into a model for the 21st century.

We took the first step at the end of September with our 50th Annual CUBE Conference, where hundreds of champions and experts at the forefront of urban education came to share their experiences, lessons, and ideas for the future.

We must see the young people — impacted by historical oppression, contemporary marginalization, and repeated hobbling by current circumstances — as the potential leaders they are. And, we must get them to see their future not as a perennial game of catching up, but as leading the world.

The world, the economy, and our children await our leadership in this area. It is imperative we answer the call.

written by Micah Ali (mali@compton.k12.ca.us), a member of California’s Compton Unified School Board and the 2017-18 chair of the CUBE steering committee.

This article first appeared in the Decembe 2017 issue of American School Board Journal (ASBJ).  Read more from ASBJ here.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The Takeaway | SBOE Education Updates

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The Takeaway | SBOE Education Updates

New Board

SBOE Honors 2018 Teacher of the Year and Blue Ribbon Schools

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At this month’s public meeting, the State Board honored the exceptional efforts of Mr. Paul Howard who was recently named the District’s 2018 Teacher of the Year. Mr. Howard has taught social studies at LaSalle-Backus Education campus for the last five years.

SBOE members applauded the outstanding leadership and commitment to student achievement exhibited by Mr. Howard. He will now go on to proudly represent the District of Columbia in the Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Teacher of the Year competition.

The State Board also honored DCPS’s Banneker High School and Horace Mann Elementary School for being selected as a U.S. Department of Education 2017 National Blue Ribbon School. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

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Ombudsman Releases Annual Report

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The Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education provides conflict resolution services for parents and students across the city. Serving approximately 500 families per year, the dedicated staff of the office, under the leadership of Ombudsman Joyanna Smith, works on issues including: student discipline, special education, truancy, student enrollment, transportation, academic progress and bullying. The 2017 Ombudsman’s report builds upon the equity analysis provided in last year’s report by introducing a proposed equity framework for the city. This framework builds upon more than three years of collaboration with school-based, local, and national education leaders, and intervention with over 1,500 families in all eight wards.

Read the Report


Student Advocate Releases Annual Report

osa report

The Office of the Student Advocate, led by Chief Student Advocate Faith Gibson Hubbard, assists District families in navigating the complex public education system. By supporting and empowering District residents, the Office of the Student Advocate strives to bring equal access to public education. The Student Advocate’s office focused this year on expanding the services our office offers in support of students and families throughout all eight wards of the city. By leveraging connections and partnerships with government agencies, schools, and community-based organizations and increasing strategic outreach efforts, the office has nurtured vital working relationships that are student and family-centric. In doing so, the office tripled the amount of families it was able to serve through its Request for Assistance line (350 families) and direct outreach engagement (2000 individuals).

Read the Report


#DCGradReqs Update

dec grad

Our SBOE #DCGradReqs Task Force held its seventh meeting on November 8, 2017. In case you missed our #FacebookLive broadcast, watch the replay here and read the minutes here.

Key Takeaways

  • Task force members split into four groups to react to a “straw man” set of requirements – proposed changes to high school graduation requirements designed to ensure the District diploma fulfills its intended purpose.
  • Members then suggested further edits to the requirements, indicating which of their peers’ changes they liked, disagreed with, or wanted more information about.
  • In the coming weeks, members will take a new version of the draft straw man out to their constituent groups and provide feedback from those conversations at our December meeting.

Tell us what you think of our progress so far! Please take a look at the updated draft straw man and tell us what you like about it, what you dislike about it, and what you would change. Please submit all comments by emailing sboe@dc.gov or by filling out an online form here. We also encourage you to join our Facebook discussion group here to make your voice heard.

The next #DCGradReqs task force meeting will be held on December 13, 2017.

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#ESSATaskForce Update

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The SBOE ESSA Task Force, led by Ward 4 representative Dr. Lannette Woodruff, held its fourth meeting on November 7, 2017. Representatives from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) provided an update on feedback received from recently held community focus groups on a new school report card. Dr. Lillian Lowery of The Education Trust delivered a presentation to task force members on equity.

Presentation  | Watch the Replay | Updated Overview | Required Report Card Elements

On November 16th, SBOE staff members headed out on a #SBOESelfieTour  to visit schools across Wards 7 and 8 to help spread the word about our #ESSATaskForce and the new DC report card. Check out which schools they visited here. The next ESSATaskForce meeting will be held on December 5th.

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DC STEM Network

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At this month’s public meeting, the State Board heard from two members of the DC Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network’s Backbone: Marlena Jones and Maya Garcia. The State Board supports Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or STEM and recognizes that these subjects are vital components of a 21st century education. The Network updated the Board on their work and provided some opportunities where the Board and public can become more involved.

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What’s the Future of Teacher Evaluation in the ESSA Era?

What’s the Future of Teacher Evaluation in the ESSA Era?

Back during the Obama administration, many states were working to tie teacher evaluation to student test scores, in part to get a piece of the $4 billion Race to the Top fund, or to get flexibility from the No Child Left Behind Act.

Then Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, and the feds were totally barred from monkeying around with teacher evaluation. So have a ton of states dropped these performance reviews? And what has happened in the ones that didn’t?

So far, six states, €”Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, €”have dropped teacher evaluations through student outcomes, according to the National Council of Teacher Quality. And other states have kept performance reviews, but made some modifications. Florida, for instance, has kept the student-growth measures, but allows districts to decide how they are calculated. More in this story from Liana Loewus…

Read the full article here: May require an Education Week subscription.

Why We Need More Black Men in Early Childhood Education

Why We Need More Black Men in Early Childhood Education

By Royston Maxwell Lyttle (Principal, Eagle Academy Public Charter School/Grades 1-3)

As educators, we have an obligation to give our students every opportunity to succeed. Parents rely on us to ensure their children are armed with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive, once they leave our classrooms. Over my more than 15 years in education, I have learned that to fulfill this responsibility, schools must give children the opportunity to learn from men of color. The profound impact Black male educators can have on the trajectory of a child’s life cannot be overstated and it’s time that we acknowledge it.

Promoting Diversity
According to the U.S. Department of Education, less than two percent of our nation’s teachers are Black males. At a time when non-White students outnumber White students in U.S. public schools, the need for a diverse teaching force has never been greater. At Eagle Academy Public Charter School, diversity is something we not only celebrate, but aggressively pursue. We constantly look for ways to expose our students to different experiences, perspectives and methods for coping with challenges. And this starts with diverse educators.

It should come as no surprise that men and women bring different perspectives to the classroom, and the same is true for individuals of varying backgrounds and ethnicities. It is crucial that schools cultivate a diverse and stable environment to facilitate this development, especially in early education, where children develop the foundation for the rest of their lives. I have seen firsthand that when children learn and grow in a diverse community, they begin to challenge stereotypes that have, for far too long, prevented children from reaching their full potential.

Shattering Stereotypes
Today, early childhood education is still widely viewed as a woman’s profession. With men representing only 2.5 percent of preschool and kindergarten teachers and 21.5 percent of elementary and middle school teachers, the chances of having a male educator (let alone a Black male educator) before reaching high school are slim.

The environment children are exposed to in their first years of education has a profound impact on how they view the world. Therefore, there should be a sense of urgency among early educators to combat stereotypes. When children see a diverse teaching staff working together in the same profession, they not only learn the importance of equality, but are also encouraged to ignore gender and racial stereotypes associated with certain careers. As a Black man working in early education, I have seen how these societal constructs negatively affect children and I have dedicated my life to breaking them down.

Offering a Role Model
Role models play a critical role in a child’s development. Young boys who come from disadvantaged backgrounds may not have a strong father figure at home, and often come to school hoping to fill that void. As a leader of a 98 percent African American student body, I feel it is important for students to find someone they can see themselves in, look up to, and aspire to be.

Boys who grow up with only female teachers and role models don’t have this opportunity. Children tend to mimic influential individuals in their lives. They benefit from strong, Black male teachers who lead by example. This is something I learned from a student while working in Washington, D.C.

He was a young boy whose behavioral issues were hindering his ability to learn. Without a father figure in his life, his mother was struggling to get through to him. Upon sitting down with the boy in hopes of identifying the root of these problems, I was surprised to find he had just one request: to spend time together. After our first outing to the movies, his attitude and schoolwork improved dramatically. I didn’t have to employ any complicated learning tactic or psychological theory to help this child—I just had to be there and listen. Over the remainder of the year, I watched him grow into a successful and happy student. That experience left me determined to be someone my students can always rely on and look up to inside and outside of the classroom.

Investing in the future
As we look to the future of early childhood education, I urge parents, teachers, lawmakers and communities to invest in ways to bring diversity to the classroom. I also challenge my fellow Black men who are passionate about education to buck the norm, ignore the stigma, and put the children first.

As a Black male principal, I feel it is my duty to spread this message and be a catalyst for change in order to create a more diversified environment for our children to learn in. I have found there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a student succeed against all odds, due to the lessons you have taught them. I encourage more Black men to join me in this journey.

Royston Maxwell Lyttle is the principal for grades 1-3 of the Eagle Academy Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. He strongly believes that all students should be provided a high-quality education and that all students can reach their full academic potential regardless of their social or economic background. Learn more about Eagle Academy Public Charter School at https://www.eagleacademypcs.org/.

(This op-ed was originally posted at Education Post. Republished with permission by the NNPA Newswire.)

Secretary DeVos Approves Michigan’s State ESSA Plan

Secretary DeVos Approves Michigan’s State ESSA Plan

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced the approval of Michigan’s consolidated state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

“Michigan’s plan meets the statutory requirements. As such, I have approved it,” said Secretary DeVos. “I thank the U.S. Department and Michigan Department of Education for their hard work in ensuring the plan complied with the law.”

“While the plan meets the statutory requirements, Michigan must not view this as a ceiling, but rather as a baseline upon which to build, strengthen and expand. All Michigan students deserve an education that prepares them for success in the 21st century. I urge Michigan’s leaders to continue to find new and innovative ways to help students succeed.”