Leadership: a Culture of Learning

     The role of a school leader in building a culture of learning should have its foundation in mentorship. As an effective school leader you must insure that you exhibit the kind of integrity and talent that comes with being a role model.  Your role in developing working relationships with parents, students, faculty and staff is very important to ensuring that respect and trust are integral parts of the schools program philosophy so that personal and academic growth can take place. The school leader of the 21^st century can no longer sit behind the desk and get to the business of the day. As an effective school leader and one in which represents the school you need to be a diplomat of the educational institution you represent. There is a need to present an educated, transparent, and responsible profile to the school community and its constituencies, with a significant amount of enthusiasm and innovation every day. You have to be humble at times, ready to express humility, willing to go the extra mile, to work the long hours, sleepless nights, and create a culture of learning so that the constituencies become not only your biggest supporters, but your biggest asset to the learning and safety of their child and growth of the teachers. Students will often listen better, learn better, and live better lives when their parents are actively engaged in the process, and teachers will excel in their development as effective instructors when they see the kind of dedication, excitement, and integrity the administrative leadership can bring to the table.

A Crying Shame

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

 

A crying shame, I said to myself. It was the first thing that came to my mind that I thought my mother would say if she was with me. I say my mother because she taught me that reading is a precious gift.

It was early this morning when I went to the doctor's office that I witnessed something that compelled me to write this letter so that maybe all parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers could reflect on how important you are in the lives of the smallest members of your family.

I sat waiting in the front office area for my appointment when I noticed a little girl, perhaps six or seven years old, shuffling through the available children's books to read that the doctor had purchased for his patients. This little girl, with long silky hair and a smile that could send off a thousand ships, found a book that, once opened, was nearly half her size. Her eyes opened wide and just glistened as she took a deep breath and gasped when she turned the first page. As she exhaled, she immediately said out loud with great interest, never taking her eyes off of the pages, and as if almost to herself, “I'm going to need someone to help me with this book.”

Now for me, at that moment, I was quite surprised, first because her voice and words were so articulate for such a small child I knew certainly this child must be gifted, and secondly because she was so excited, so entranced by this book. The little girl was sitting there next to what seemed to be her oldest sister who was about 20 years old and across from what seemed to be another sister about 12 or 13 years old, and finally on the other side sat what may have been grandma.

At this time, holding the book and a big smile, the little girl looked up and could see her older sister was busy playing with not one but two cell phones and didn't want to be bothered. She glanced over to her other sister who also was playing with her own phone. Then she got up and went over to grandma and quietly and politely asked, “Can you help me with this book?” Grandma sat there staring into the daily newspaper discount flyer for specials and never even flinched. The little girl turned slowly away and was surely disappointed as she undoubtedly chose grandma out of everyone, thinking surely grandma would help her, only to be turned away by being ignored.

She then hesitantly approached her next to oldest sister and asked the same, quietly and politely as if not to bother her from playing with her phone. Her sister didn't say anything at all; she just merely pointed her finger toward her older sister as if to say tell her to help you.

I sat there and watched and felt horrible. She wanted so much for someone to help her. I could see the disappointment in her face. I felt like saying to her, “Come here child, I will help you with that book.”

She then went back to sit next to where she started her quest, near her oldest sister, opening the book and not asking her sister but looking at her with eyes that seem to be saying, “Please, I'm sorry, please can you help me.” The older sister never really spoke, she just seemed to quickly look at the page and point out the answer, turn the page and slide the book back into the child's hands. You see, this book was an interactive problem-solving book, you had to find the clue on the page full of pictures. The little girl then took the book and settled back into the seat and resolved to try and do this by herself. She even began to talk herself through it. I could hear her saying, “No, it isn't there, oh look at that, it’s an elephant.” It soon became apparent, though, that she was outmatched without the subtle help of an older family member. The glow slowly faded from her eyes and her smile paled, as she began flipping through the pages to the end of the book, not really trying and then closing its cover. Hence closing the door on a thousand missed opportunities for imagination and learning to read. I was so moved I stepped outside to wipe a tear from my eye, all the time I could see the tears that the little girl had on the inside. It was a crying shame.

So it is with this letter to the editor that I ask all those who read this and who have precious young children in your family, that they need you, they want you to play an interactive part in their lives, each and every day. Reading is truly a most precious way to do this. So sometimes just stop what you're doing and say, “Hey, come here little one, let's read this book.” They will love you more than anything in the whole world for it. And you will feel it, it your heart, and in your head.

Craig H. Garrison
As Lito

Changing the  Game on Class Schedules

Friday, May 13, 2011

 

For many schools, the daily schedule of 8am to 3pm is an age-old practice that is as common as morning coffee. However, an increasing number of schools across the nation are breaking from the traditional school day and calendar to accommodate ever-increasing enrollment and budgetary shortfalls. This includes the practice of lengthening the school day, extending time into summer vacation, split shift schedules, multi-tracks, and a host of alternatives to tradition. And this movement is not fueled just by budgets or enrollment, but by the way we understand how children are learning in a new millennium. The argument against seat time has been made. All the talk about meeting standards and benchmarks, teacher accountability, teacher quality, class size, and numerous other solutions directed at student achievement have arisen out of the realization that schools are not making the progress that they need. Jennifer Davis, president and CEO of the National Center on Time and Learning, states, “We're not closing the achievement gap, and we're not keeping pace internationally with other industrially advanced countries.” She points out that, accustomed as we may be to the traditional 6 ½ hour, 180 day school year, it's an outdated schedule better fitting the needs of farmers (who needed all hands on deck during the summer harvest months) than today's families. “We need to rethink the 'agrarian schedule,'” she says.

This is the school reform movement at its best, educated people taking risks by breaking from tradition and seeking alternative ways in which children can learn by taking a good look at the schedule and making some adjustments such as a longer school day for some students, earlier starts, and later dismissals. Unfortunately, many people are not all that willing to change. It is perhaps a natural inclination for both teachers and parents to resist change when faced with the reality of its eventuality. According to a report by Education Sector, an independent education policy think tank, some parents, especially those in higher income brackets, may be wary of more school hours as it could mean less time for extracurricular or family togetherness. In contrast, single, low-income, and working parents are more likely to support the longer school day, as it means school and work schedules will be more aligned, and children will have access to more educational resources.

I'm sure that for many parents, the thought of their child being offered a safe place to play and learn in a full day from dawn to dusk would be a welcome thought. But we really need to remember that both the parents and the school systems must be in it together to find the solutions, and that means both will need to make sacrifices. In the world of educational design, a school that has all the great aspects to it from the classroom space to the instructional methods is still something of a myth. Indeed there are a few iconic schools that we read about such as having all the things they need: high student achievement, a great school climate, and indeed all schools would likely aspire to be right alongside them. However, the single most contributing factor to the success of a great school is the stakeholders that support it. Everyone from the teachers and the boards of education, to the parents. Teachers will need to be dedicated like they've never been before, school boards will have to take risks and think outside of the box, and parents will have to make serious sacrifices to their daily schedules and lifestyle if a great school is what they want.

Most parents are also dutifully responsible to put food on the table and pay the bills, and that means going to work. In schools where we see success stories, we often see a two-parent family where only one is working, or a single parent who happens to work from home that can allow them significant access to their children and the support for their education. For the schools who have alternative schedules such as a split day where half the school attends in the early AM and the second half in the PM, the problem of students coming home early in the day isn't that concerning as there is always someone home to receive them. In stark contrast, those parents who are not lucky enough to have that schedule are further burdened with knowing that their child may be coming home early from school to an otherwise empty house, and that can be stressful for many families.

The discussion on alternative schedules isn't over. School districts will continue to seek ways in which they can overcome changes in their demographic. Here in the CNMI we are also not immune to these changes. The enrollment of secondary school students has increased each year and will continue to do so. With the economy continuing to stagger, coupled with increased opportunities and student achievement mandates in public school, 2011-2012 is expected to see even more growth. What will the schools in the CNMI do? Aside from waving a magic wand and building new schools over the summer months, they will be forced to make changes that haven't been considered in over a decade.

What is the district plan for such a change? There are few choices. The school leadership teams are tasked to try and come up with solutions and some have already begun the process. However, they will likely need active support from the Board of Education, the education commissioner, and the parents to help find these solutions. We have to realize that we are changing the landscape of education in the CNMI. We must at all costs stand up and embrace the change and take a serious look at how we can meet the needs of our growing educational community. We need leadership at all levels of government and in schools that have the vision to see that the education of its population is the most valuable asset to its future and the successful development of our islands. When we fail to provide for our students, we fail our community. The best school reformers in the nation will tell you that failing schools are not the result of failing neighborhoods, but more so the opposite, that failing neighborhoods are the result of failing schools. You can build all the community centers you want to, fix all the roads, staff the hospitals, and even fix the power grid, but if you don't have and educated population you have achieved little as everything will certainly fall into disrepair.

If we can focus our attention to investing in a educated population we will see our neighborhoods rise from the ashes, our young authors, doctors, engineers, and builders return to be a part of a successful and flourishing community. We have to give the people who “live here and leave” a reason to return, a reason to have their children grow up and be educated in the CNMI instead of seeking a better future off island. This is not a dream; it can be a reality. We need to change what we're doing and step up to the plate and proceed with all God's speed to save our children and our island. Don't give up, stand up and participate, make it happen. Be a part of the change.

Discipline in Public Schools

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

School leaders today are often faced with daily decisions regarding the discipline of students. Violations of local school board policies, school rules, and local or state laws often occur at nearly every public school across America. Whether it is at the elementary or secondary level, and often in the absence of parental guidance, public schools face the daunting challenge of modeling, modifying, and mastering student behavior and performance. The National Center for Education Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov) reports that U.S. public schools suspends over three million students per year. That's a staggering number even on a national scale.

There is a virtual plethora of data regarding discipline in schools and how it relates to performance available online, describing how it affects areas such as student achievement, accountability, behavior, school safety, etc. Effective school leaders often use this data to help develop their school policies. What most school leaders would agree on is that whilst there is a need for discipline policy, many schools are left without the resources needed to effectively manage and create programs in schools that help reduce suspensions, such as those that involve crisis counseling, resources rooms, medical and psychological referrals systems, and even simple health centers and nursing on campus. Thus schools are left to use the tools they are given, which is often simply state board or school level policies.

Although many policies provide for alternatives to out-of-school suspensions, the fact is most schools lack the resources for such programs. School cleanups, in-house suspensions, special projects etc. all require additional supervision and that equals time, personnel and ultimately money, which schools do not have. However, some schools in America have been able to effectively create school discipline policies and practices that are reducing out of school suspensions. These schools are often the same schools that have several common traits, i.e., high rates of parental involvement, increased counseling services, a high score on the school climate index, and external financial resources for funding of alternative programs. Unfortunately most of these schools are found in affluent neighborhoods and thus schools in rural areas continue to face the challenge.

Consistent with many rural school districts, there is limited funding for additional personnel and programs. After-school program funds are spent on academic program reinforcement aimed at meeting the system wide goals for performance. This is often due to that fact that federal funding usually has specific guidelines as to what it can and can't be spent on leaving the schools to offer only programs they can versus what they need.

Data reporting on suspensions provides evidence that can help increase funding opportunities to help reduce suspensions. However, some data can show an unrealistically high number of suspensions. In one recent report from a US high school the data showed 1,784 suspensions during a single school year in a school with 850 students. A simple mathematics rule applied would have revealed that the data either was seriously flawed or there was a serious problem. With a total number of 180 school days, that would mean the school suspended on average 10 students every single day of the school year. That is clearly a serious error in data reporting. For a school to suspend that many students each day, the paperwork alone would require additional staff, not to mention the line at the door for the required parental conferences.

It is this type of erroneous reporting that can often skew the image of public schools and thus inhibit the system from gaining support in the public sector. A further look at the data revealed the numbers reported were taken from actual totals of infractions and not actual suspensions. The example is that a single student could have as many as five infractions in a single event, i.e. use of foul language, disrespect to school staff, destruction of school property, cutting class, and smoking. This is an event where a student is not in class and subsequently found smoking in the bathroom, gets mad, uses foul language at the staff, hits the paper towel rack and leaves the building. Now whilst the student will be suspended, the charges will be listed on a computer to include all offenses that fall under suspension. In the case of the data reported on the one high school, the data was never disaggregated by the author to find out the true numbers, which would show considerably less number of actual suspensions.

Responsible reporting of educational data is imperative if it is to be believable. If public reporting of data is erroneous it may take years to correct or dispel as the Internet will continue to make the information available and may also impede the schools or system's ability to appear compliant with federal policies and regulations regarding continued funding.

A decade ago students were not getting suspended for most of the offenses that were punishable under the law and as a result there were significant disruptions, damage to school property, and school violence that went unabated in schools across the nation. As the educational systems developed a more skilled workforce and school administrators became well versed in public school policy and law, it was just a matter of time before “enforcement” of the rules already in place occurred, and this is why often enough there can “appear” to be an increase in activity in discipline in a given school. It's not so much as things have changed as it is the students are being held more accountable for behavior.

Public schools continue to develop programs that work and build on school climate in order to help reduce the need for out-of-school suspensions and the data shows that this is working.  Public school is a public concern. Parents must be partners in the education of their child and their child's school.

Public School: A Thrift Store for Thieves

 

Theft of government property is a crime, and when it comes to stealing something that was purchased with federal funds, it’s a federal crime. We often see these crimes in the news and many of them are happening in public schools everyday by the very same people who work there.

The public schools today are a virtual thrift store for thieves. Employee’s taking what they want, when they want, even in broad daylight. Using personal vehicles and government vehicles to transport, trade, or turn in for cash their bounty. Recycle centers and pawn shops that otherwise don’t know, or don’t care that these items are stolen, also fuel this problem because they too are part of a system of ignorance, corruption, and concealment for profit. When these people are arrested, we often see their names placed in the news. But hardly a mention is made of the final determination or prosecution of these individuals. And it’s not because of privacy laws, or due process laws. It’s often because of the system, a culture of concealment, transfers, and resignation.

Each year, copper and other metal thefts amount to $1 billion dollars in the U.S. In the state of Florida recently, a school electrical supervisor allegedly stole $271,000 worth of copper wiring from the Broward County School District. In Detroit, prosecutor Kym Worthy stated she was surprised at, “how rampant, how overt and how conspicuous and downright bold-faced the corruption is” Ms. Worthy recently prosecuted five school employee’s including a clerical worker at an elementary school who wrote herself 15 checks and made 17 withdrawals from district accounts that netted her more than $25,000, also charged were a high school teacher’s aide, a food service coordinator at an elementary school, a truck driver and a district controls office worker for various thefts in the public school system.

As a career educator I have witnessed the theft over and over again from schools and offices in the public school systems I have worked for, and in each case I have reported it to my supervisors and the police. We have plenty to read about in the newspaper, our schools being pillaged by employee’s from nearly every branch of government. And for some public school system employees, it’s not the property they want, they go straight for the cash, stealing from student funds, tens of thousands of dollars going out the door and in many cases never being reported or even prosecuted. Every district court would likely have a full calendar and the jails cells would be filled if public school systems actually chose to prosecute every individual no matter who they may be related to. But the public school systems are seemingly designed to conceal their own dirty laundry.

The irony with theft in schools is that when a “student” is found guilty of stealing school property, whether it is from another student or from a classroom, they are immediately suspended out of school for their actions. Following that, the case is immediately forwarded to the police department. But yet, if an employee steals something from public school and even admits to it, they are often afforded the privilege of staying in school, of continuing to work, or to quietly resign or transfer to another school or position to seemingly continue the cycle again in another location.

Why does this happen? Perhaps to insure that they are being provided protection under the cloak of due process, or perhaps more accurately out of fear of bad publicity for the school system, or just a plain unwillingness by the system .

Whatever the reason, it has to stop. Yes, indeed theft is rampant among public school and it’s up to us as professionals, supervisors, and citizens to stop it in its tracks because every dollar lost is a dollar that’s taken away from our children’s education. And in the U.S. that’s $1 billion a year.

If you know someone who is stealing from your school…do the right thing…call the police.

 

 

Public School: Sex, Transfers, and Intimidation

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

 

Do you ever wonder what lies beneath the skin of some of our schools? There have been dozens of books written, articles authored, and even federal investigations conducted into the conduct of public school employees and their superintendents. Every month or so we seem to read allegations of sexual abuse in the news when it comes to the community, a rampant predator out there who takes down children at will.

I have both read and heard countless tales of sexual abuse, by teachers, parents of their own children, uncles, cousins, and even neighbors. Tales of how families make deals to cover it up to save face, of promises of money, support, even trading yard work in an effort to not send the person to jail. Seemingly just to protect the family, or the system, but what about the child? Does anyone even care about the anguish and suffering of the child? It's seemingly not enough to look the other way. They tell the child, “Oh, this is best. You're OK, aren't you?” and “Here's some more money, go buy yourself something.” It's pathetic and also pervasive and in public schools across the nation we seem to practice our own version of ignorance and that is to simply transfer these individuals. Whether it be from island to island or state to state-all in an effort to hide or mask what is really going on. Why?

Perhaps as many legal advisors would report, it's a liability in regards to due process and or costly litigation. Of course another successful practice is to simply move the child off island or out of state and send them to a grandparent or cousin who lives in the mainland or host country, and let them go to school there. Sometimes travel arrangements are even paid for by the system, that network of adults who for no reason but their own want make the problem go away. They don't want their family member or relative going to jail-“Oh he didn't mean it, he didn't really hurt you, did he?” They say how bad this will be for the family, or how so and so may not win the election if this gets out, it'll destroy his/her career but again no mention or attention to the child. The child quietly slips into the darkness to deal with everything themselves and you wonder why they hate you.

According to a draft report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, in compliance with the 2002 “No Child Left Behind” act signed into law by President Bush, between 6 percent and 10 percent of public school children across the country have been sexually abused or harassed by school employees and teachers. For the CNMI that's equates to hundreds of our children potentially at risk.

Over the years I've seen it in the eyes of children, I've seen the difference it makes when a school official takes the stand and sides with the child, I see the child gain strength, courage, and the feeling of perhaps finally being safe from harm and that someone believes in them. And I also see the dark side, when the system transfers someone or lets them just disappear, when they make it go away. I see the defeat in the child's eyes, the anguish, the seemingly endless pain they will endure for what will be a lifetime.

School officials who bring these cases forward are often chastised by their superiors, warned by legal counsels, and even spoken to by board members-all in an effort to put a lid on it. They don't want to answer questions, they don't want to expose the reality that they have a serious problem in not only the way they handle these issues, but in the policies they themselves create which often perpetuate the problem.

In defense of themselves they try and find alternative means to avoid the conflict. They'll deflect the story, lay blame on other people, cast doubt on truth, almost as if they were running for their political lives. They use fear and intimidation tactics-system employees who know what's going on, subordinates, everyone runs for cover because they fear someone's head will roll. They'll lie to protect themselves, cower into corners from the intimidation that comes from the top down.

Like dictators, those in power wield their sword of conviction, all in an effort to somehow absolve themselves of any knowledge of events or admission that there is a problem in public school. When will it stop? When will the children truly be first in our lives? For me, they will eat before I do, they will drink before I do, they will laugh before I do, and I will not sleep until I know I have done all I can to protect them from harm, so do me a favor-get out of my way!

 

They are Who I am
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

 

I continue to read and read and read about the “state of education” in the CNMI. Although the critically acclaimed series on KMCV didn't really focus on the hot topic of teacher turmoil over the PSS Praxis issues and pay cuts, it did shed some light on education as a whole.

I have spoken out on the Praxis before and I still feel pretty much the same way. It was a bother that we had to take it, but I did it, without knowing of any due compensation or accolades, and knowing only that I was still “in the know” and working in my chosen profession.

Therein lies one of the problems we face in education. Not just here, although predominantly so. We face the fact that many, if not most, of the teachers in the CNMI did not early on set out to choose teaching as a profession. They went to college thinking business, finance, doctor, lawyer, athlete, etc. As most students will change their major at least once in their career, and nearly everyone graduates with a degree in some field, everyone begs the question upon graduation: “What do I do now?” In the CNMI, the teaching profession had always welcomed those individuals with a “degree” even if they did not major in education or take any classes on being a teacher. In those days PSS couldn't ask for much as the pay scale was pitiful even then.

But then things changed. The pay scale went up and PSS decided to bring the education requirement up a notch for teachers by developing a minimal set of classes and or coursework that all teachers needed so that PSS could hope to ensure that teachers were equipped with the latest research and practices for today's classrooms. Although largely not enforced, it was the beginning of a solid foundation for a fledgling school system to be on par with schools in the U.S. mainland. The pay scale in those days and those who received pay raises continued to jump around and, although appearing biased at times, PSS was truly working on some form of equity for teachers and their experience.

Now that PSS is faced with the NCLB Act, they placed an even greater requirement for teacher qualification, and hence the equity issue reared its ugly head again. On face value, paying teachers what they are worth is commendable and should be done. I believe, though, that PSS as a whole may have underestimated the structure of the social foundation within our system. In that lay the insurgency we see today with representatives from ACT, the BOE Teacher Rep and other individuals expressing their discontent.

But again, here we are, what are we to do? For me, I am an educator by profession, that's what I went to school for, not because the pay was great. Now I am an administrator, a natural progression for the educational professional. And I can say again, it's not for the money.

To make it clear, for all those teachers who didn't pass the Praxis and got hit with a drastic pay cut, I am saddened indeed. I saw PSS lose many of these great teachers to retirement as a result, and for the many who received your significant increase, please know and maybe take comfort in the fact that, with the governor's austerity cuts, all of you that are making the $41,745.42 scale and above are making more than your vice principals, which will go down to $41,500 and your principal's to $45,000 in December. So, to everyone who falls into that teacher group and at the top of the teacher pay scale who, now it seems, will get even another perk-a 5 percent one-time bonus-and who will only have to work during the school year while your principals and vice principals continue to work day in and day out even during typhoons and weekends to keep your schools in one piece, ask yourself why you're in the profession on this tiny little island in the sun we call home. Is it for the love of the profession? Did you truly want to change the lives of those in your charge, or simply charge those in your lives?

Don't get me wrong, I applaud your efforts to receive just compensation, but if anyone should be shouting and demanding compensation, it should be the school administrators. When mainland schools will pay vice principals upwards of $100,000 and more, and principals even more, you have to ask the question: Why do we stay? I don't have the answer for everyone, but for me, when I came to the CNMI I had a vision; one in which the care and success of my students were at the forefront of my thoughts each day I woke up. I gradually came to see the system as a whole, believing that if I stay I could be part of the system and make it better for all students, giving them the skills and knowledge I gained in college and in life.

I still have that belief today and I am confident that, despite all the trials and tribulations I have experienced working for PSS and the lack of compensation for my efforts, that I do make a difference and I have made a difference, and that for me is priceless, its worth more than anyone could give me. I know there are bills, and kids, and family, and the power, all of it. I know because I live it everyday too, but I also live with what's inside me, my character, my innate sense of how to make it work, and yes, sometimes that means stopping at the roadside to pick weeds so I can make soup, or bananas from a fallen forest to take to work just to save a few more dollars and make it work some more. Why? Because my mission in life is my profession, I am an educator, and the students in my charge come before my personal and financial gains. Because "they are who I am.”