Last week, I had the opportunity to speak on a panel with the Secretary of Education. Watch the video here, and see the full text of the interview:
http://www.nea.org/grants/33697.htm#
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A shout out from LDH!
At the NEA Representative Assembly, Linda Darling-Hammond received the Friend of Education Award. During her speech, she commended our Math and Science Leadership Academy! Here's the exerpt:
These new schools are not only charters, they are more often regular public schools in districts from Gorham, Maine to Seattle, Washington, from Minneapolis to Birmingham. This fall in Denver, in Math Science Leadership Academy supported by the Teachers Association, will open led by teacher leaders and a group of teachers half of whom are national board certified to offer a challenging supported curriculum for in a low-income Latino community, where previous shortages are now ended because teachers are lining up trying to get hired to come into this school. Where teachers have the opportunity to be effective with learners with good leadership, with sound curriculum, with thoughtful learning, that's where teachers will want to teach.
These schools like those in high-achieving nations focus on critical thinking and problem solving, on 21st century skills, not just on bubbling in answers to multiple-choice tests. To support this work, we not only need to create opportunities for teachers to reinvent schools, but we also need to create a new framework for No Child Left Behind. That does not leave the money behind, and that understands that we need multiple measures of student learning.
Click here to read the full text.
These new schools are not only charters, they are more often regular public schools in districts from Gorham, Maine to Seattle, Washington, from Minneapolis to Birmingham. This fall in Denver, in Math Science Leadership Academy supported by the Teachers Association, will open led by teacher leaders and a group of teachers half of whom are national board certified to offer a challenging supported curriculum for in a low-income Latino community, where previous shortages are now ended because teachers are lining up trying to get hired to come into this school. Where teachers have the opportunity to be effective with learners with good leadership, with sound curriculum, with thoughtful learning, that's where teachers will want to teach.
These schools like those in high-achieving nations focus on critical thinking and problem solving, on 21st century skills, not just on bubbling in answers to multiple-choice tests. To support this work, we not only need to create opportunities for teachers to reinvent schools, but we also need to create a new framework for No Child Left Behind. That does not leave the money behind, and that understands that we need multiple measures of student learning.
Click here to read the full text.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Our teacher led school... at the Principals' Institute
You can only imagine how strange it is for me, as the former union president, to be participating in the Principal's Institute (now called the Leadership Institute). Principals were asked to bring at least one teacher from their school. We don't have a principal at MSLA, so we brought teacher leaders. We are a teacher led school. One would assume that means that teachers will lead... Collaboration is not always an acceptable practice in DPS, and encouraging teachers to serve in a leadership role is almost unheard of! Yet, it's the Leadership Institute...
In talking to some administrators (central and building) today, they still don't understand what we're trying to do. One principal said, "Yeah, but who is the administrator?" Another said, "Good luck with your charter school." My favorite is the principals who asked what I'll be doing now, and I tell them about the school. They just stared... and walk away. I didn't know that math and science, to start, was THAT out of the box.
It was amazing to listen to the message from the top repeated in front of everyone. The Superintendent talked about working together- changing the culture- working with DCTA. He talked about changing practice to better meet the needs of kids. I thought that was great. Then we went into our breakout groups... where the telephone game began.
In my first session, a participant asked how to "get specialists on board with RtI". I had an idea that I blurted out... How about talking with them??
In another session, we talked about assessing students... a lot. We didn't talk about actually doing something with the results. I don't think that "weighing the pig" was what they meant.
If I had a penny for every time I heard the word "fidelity", I could've signed my retirement papers with or without the DPSRS/PERA merger.
What is fidelity in school anyway? In some schools, it means having the right posters on the wall, being on the right page on th time right day and at the right time. Some principals think it means never asking a question. Others think it means writing 8 different objectives on your white board every day for every period. In fact, we actually discussed the difference between objectives and activities... I think that should've been mastered in teacher school 101.
Tomorrow... the digital divide! I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that talking with teachers, using assessment results, and differentiating instruction based on student needs is an acceptable practice, and that the message trickles down to those who actually do the work!
p.s. Go Penguins! Maybe we can tie up the series?
In talking to some administrators (central and building) today, they still don't understand what we're trying to do. One principal said, "Yeah, but who is the administrator?" Another said, "Good luck with your charter school." My favorite is the principals who asked what I'll be doing now, and I tell them about the school. They just stared... and walk away. I didn't know that math and science, to start, was THAT out of the box.
It was amazing to listen to the message from the top repeated in front of everyone. The Superintendent talked about working together- changing the culture- working with DCTA. He talked about changing practice to better meet the needs of kids. I thought that was great. Then we went into our breakout groups... where the telephone game began.
In my first session, a participant asked how to "get specialists on board with RtI". I had an idea that I blurted out... How about talking with them??
In another session, we talked about assessing students... a lot. We didn't talk about actually doing something with the results. I don't think that "weighing the pig" was what they meant.
If I had a penny for every time I heard the word "fidelity", I could've signed my retirement papers with or without the DPSRS/PERA merger.
What is fidelity in school anyway? In some schools, it means having the right posters on the wall, being on the right page on th time right day and at the right time. Some principals think it means never asking a question. Others think it means writing 8 different objectives on your white board every day for every period. In fact, we actually discussed the difference between objectives and activities... I think that should've been mastered in teacher school 101.
Tomorrow... the digital divide! I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that talking with teachers, using assessment results, and differentiating instruction based on student needs is an acceptable practice, and that the message trickles down to those who actually do the work!
p.s. Go Penguins! Maybe we can tie up the series?
Sunday, May 31, 2009
I'm not dead- and neither is reform!
June 1st is my last day as DCTA President. I will begin teaching ELA-S Kindergarten at the Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy (MSLA) in the fall. This new chapter in my life will be another challenge, and opportunity to move education reform by putting our money where our mouths are. As Al Shanker said, “Teachers are not going to give up their fight for professional dignity, and they’re not going to give up their fight for good schools.”
The school will start with kindergarten through second grade. It will be a teacher-led (a.k.a. no principal) DPS "Performance School" serving the Rishel community in Southwest Denver. Our school will:
The school will start with kindergarten through second grade. It will be a teacher-led (a.k.a. no principal) DPS "Performance School" serving the Rishel community in Southwest Denver. Our school will:
- focus on math and science,
- infuse technology,
- incorporate service learning,
- have an extended school day and early release on Wednesdays,
- implement peer assistance and review,
- start with 130 students,
- promote leadership amongst students, parents, and teachers,
- share a building with Rishel MS and KIPP HS,
- have SMALL class sizes! (20 max in kinder!!), and
- prepare our students to compete in a global society
I will continue to Co-Chair the DPS/DCTA Professional Practices Work Group that is focusing on creating systems for induction, mentoring, remediation, evaluation and dismissal. Also, I will continue to represent teachers on various state and national committees within DCTA/CEA/NEA, and on the NBPTS Board of Directors.
On a personal note... my twins will also be attending MSLA in second grade (I'm pulling them out of Sandoval). The girls will be in 5th grade at Sandoval, and 8th grade at DCIS next year. We will take our first family vacation to Florida in many years. You know it's bad when your son didn't realize that you can actually swim in the ocean... ouch! Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes over the past few months.
Rest assured, you haven't heard the last of Kim Ursetta! ;)
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