Celebrating Education – #AEW2016 – American Education Week

“I swing big, with everything I’ve got, I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can.”
– Babe Ruth

Celebrating American Education Week!

November 14-18, 2016

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What is American Education Week?

American Education Week—November 14-18, 2016—will present all Americans with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education.

2016’s theme, “Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility,” was reflected in special observances each day of the 2016 weeklong celebration:

  • Monday, November 14, 2016: Kickoff Day
  • Tuesday, November 15, 2016: Parents Day
  • Wednesday, November 16, 2016: Education Support Professionals Day
  • Thursday, November 17, 2016: Educator for a Day
  • Friday, November 18, 2016: Substitute Educators Day

Read more about the history of American Education Week.


 

In the Deerfield Public Schools District 109 we like to honor, celebrate, and encourage all members of the district, teachers, support staff, administrators, board members, students, parents, business partners, etc. It’s nice to have formal days/weeks like the American Education Week because we also get an additional excuse to say Thank you!

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

We are proud to “brand” and “tell our stories” every day through multiple media sources including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN; we are especially proud to share via the district hashtag: #Engage109 The stories of excellence are found in the classrooms, training rooms, boar rooms, and all over our community.

We have been in “business” since 1847 and we have no plans to stop providing world class educational opportunities for all children. Our award winning schools, teachers, administrators, learning spaces, and district continue to inspire us to work harder, lead stronger, and excel in every way possible.

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This week we will give each and every employee a “high five” as a thank you and as our continued gratitude and appreciation for the selfless, innovative, and engaging work they provide for children every day! Horace Mann is credited with stating:

Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery.

In our school system we are focused on meeting the needs of all children and making certain that all children deserve and are capable of an education that is meaningful, engaging, relevant, and purposeful.

Please join us in saying THANK YOU to our educators during

American Education Week.

Engage, Inspire, Empower

Also this week:

From a good friend and co-worker:

“Ironically, while we celebrate another year of life for [my husband], the world prepares to celebrate World Pancreatic Cancer Day, which will take place next week on November 17th. In celebration of [his] inspiring battle with cancer, please consider supporting an organization that funds research for Pancreatic Cancer. Contributions from these organizations played a major role in funding research that led to [his] treatment. Imagine a day when pancreatic cancer is detected early enough that survival rates improve dramatically.” 

Lone Star State History -Reflections on Change- Leadership Lessons #SSSAustin2016

Why change when you have been so successful? Think about Blockbuster and Borders … change or – well – you know! – Mike Lubelfeld (via Tweet on 11/5/2016) – (challenge for most people is justifying change – especially in high performing venues)

img_0273I just attended the 52nd annual national conference of the Suburban School Superintendents. Inspired leadership lessons from experts like George Couros, Carl Hooker, Hall Davidson, and others helped my colleagues and I frame, reframe, affirm, reject, think, and plan on many levels. The conference was held in the state capital of Texas – Austin, Texas. Austin is an amazing venue and it formed a powerful backdrop for our journey into innovative and meaningful leadership.

In this blog post I am (hopefully) drawing connections between the rich and diverse history of Texas with the need (in my opinion) for structural changes to public schooling and for innovative instructional practices to become the norm and not the exception. In addition, I am a strong advocate for meeting the needs of ALL learners through integrated practices and not through segregationistic practices that plague CScRi5IWsAAIIv8our school systems at present. The school system we have was built in 1893; just as I do not think Texas should leave our union and become an independent nation (as it was from 1836-1845) I do not think we should remain stuck in a 19th Century mentality with respect to how we “do” school.

file_004-1Texas has a rich and varied history. The image at the left shows the six flags that have flown over Texas since 1519. The flags of Mexico, France, Spain, The Confederate States of America, the Republic of Texas, and the United States of America.

Texas has undergone many changes and innovations in its long and storied history. As times and circumstances changed, so did Texas. As part/parts of two kingdoms, two republics and as an independent nation, Texas has re-iterated, re-designed, transformed, and remained proud, powerful, and unique.

As times and circumstances changed and as technology and technological progress impacted governance and structure for Texas, I wonder why the governance and structure of our nation’s public schools still remain rooted to what many, including myself, consider to be an outdated factory model.

It’s no longer relevant for Texas to be an independent nation (in my opinion) as its place in the USA is what is now just and right for our time. But in the past it was relevant for the Texans to exist as a separate nation. Just like the fact that we no longer use check imprint machines like the one shown (from the old Texas Treasury office) I wonder why we still “do” education in an outdated 19th Century factory model.

file_005Just like technology, progress, and innovation caused us to print and perforate checks more efficiently with technology, and just like the technology, progress, and innovation caused Texas to iterate through six nations, so too, I believe the time is now for education to progress and innovate into new and better structures of organization and implementation.

I often write about personalized learning (which I acknowledge has many interpretations) and meeting the needs of all learners. I study, read, research, reflect, learn and lead based upon the evidence of others’ experiences and work as well as my own experience and work. One of the most read blog posts based on readership statistics, that I ever wrote was about John Hattie’s research findings and the impact of strategies, structures, and practices in education. Often I ask the question “If we know what works, why aren’t we universally doing what works?”

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Based on these readership stats I can conclude or infer that there is interest in the meta analyses and their implications for change and review of schooling. Just as the Battle of San Jacinto, where Sam Houston and his Texan forces defeated the Mexican general Santa Anna and declared independence from Mexico in 1836, the past few years in education have felt like a revolution of sorts.

With so many school districts “going one to one” and infusing technology and technological tools into instruction. The modern realities of progress and change are becoming normal. In addition, with groups like Education Reimagined, change efforts are about to become as normal in our present as fixed rows and desks in the teacher centered design from the 19th Century have been from our past.

The past few years have seen change and change thinking as the norm, and with a major emphasis across the continent on classroom redesign efforts as well as films like Most Likely to Succeed and Beyond Measure challenging the practices of education, it feels in some ways similar to the 1830s when “change agents” like Sam Houston re-created changeimageTexas in a new frame by declaring independence and starting over anew. The Texans did not like the structures imposed upon them and they revolted. Of course I am NOT suggesting armed revolt as an ideal in the public school change process, I use this as an example of change from my recent visit to one of the most significant state capitols in the USA and the fascinating history of the Texan people. I apologize if this is too much of a stretch!

I welcome comments, challenges, affirmations of my ideas, rejection of my ideas, all thoughts are welcome. My charge is to lead and support leadership as the lead learner in the community where I am privledged to serve. Leadership is not doing what’s popular – it’s doing what’s right!

Thank goodness we have outstanding educators in the Deerfield Public Schools District 109 who challenge the process and model the way and who demonstrate the capacities to unlearn that which worked yesterday so that we can create tomorrow.

 

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

 

 

Below I’m sharing some additional images of the majestic Texas Capitol; if you visit Austin, I encourage you to visit and learn about the unique history of Texas.

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Reflections from a Book Study – Khan Academy – #Engage109

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
– Randy Pausch

 

bookstudyThere are many ways to lead professional learning for staff. Often there is a meeting of the whole staff, a team meeting, a department meeting, an in-service, a conference, online learning, etc. From time to time in our district we engage in book study experiences to learn together, share common experiences, engage and interact with one another, and participate on their own time.

Recently at Kipling School the principal Anthony McConnell invited me and some other central office administrators to participate in a book study with his staff for Sal Khan’s oneworldschoolhousebook The One World Schoolhouse. This is a professional learning activity in which members of team can engage at any time and at any place is an activity that inherently differentiated. I was happy to be invited and I was happy to contribute.

Every few days another staff member writes a post from one part of the book and several other staff members write comments about the postings. It’s really powerful learning to see, read, think about, and begin to understand the multiple perspectives emerging from the shared experiences of reading this book from an EduRock Star! Khan Academy programming is in use in our schools, in other schools where I have served, and quite frankly, all over the world. Khan’s experiences, origins, purposes, and mission motivates educators and educational leaders at all levels in all settings.

This is a link to the blog with the current post listed first; and then all other posts follow. My section was on an early part of the book: No Frills Videos, Focusing on the Content – cornerstones of Khan’s experiences, background, and methods. I’m sharing excerpts of this post below:

Khan started out tutoring his cousin and using basic technology for the purpose of assisting his efforts at tutoring. He did not set out to become a phenomenon, though he did! Khan aimed to bring back fun to learning. The chalkboard (represented virtually by the black background on which he draws) symbolizes perhaps a simpler time when school was fun. My hope is that school is fun everywhere and every day! My hope is that Khan’s influence in bringing fun and joy back to school permeates the walls of our district and districts all over.

Khan’s videos started out as “no-frills” in part because he was simply tutoring a few people and in part because he is a self-Khanphotodescribed austere person (page 27). What flows throughout the book (and not to get too far ahead of my part here …) is a research and evidence base. Khan’s work and the successes he and the Academy enjoy are actually grounded in research, evidence, study, and affirmation. Though he appears to start out whimsically, he shares small nuggets of evidence and research as the base for his decisions. For example, in this chapter, he spends a few pages identifying why the length of his videos rests around 10 minutes.

I encourage readers to check out the public book study (everything on the internet is public of course) as well as consider my endorsement of Khan’s book as a worthy read!

For more on my experiences with the Khan Academy, and our district’s future focus and commitment to innovation and change, please see earlier posts from this blog:

Online Learning Tool-The Khan Academy from 9/3/2013,

More on the Future of Education – What is School For? from 11/2/2015

The overall purposes of all of these blogs, study groups, books, videos, opportunities and learning is to improve educational opportunities for children and teaching opportunities for staff!

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

Let’s continue to push the envelopes of change and create new and better realities where we unlock restrictions on learning and we unleash the power of synergy in our classrooms, board rooms, and communities!

 

Through learning opportunities like this blogging book study, we get to learn with and from one another while gaining new perspectives on current trends. It’s a great experience and I applaud the leadership and staff at the school for letting me tag along on their journey!

Welcome Back Institute Day – 2016 – #Engage109

“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.”
– Dalai Lama

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

Today, August 18, 2016, was the first official day back for DPS109 staff. As we have done for the past four years we gathered as a whole school family at Alan B. Shepard Middle School for the opening institute day. This year our themes are Joy and Innovation.

Earlier in the week I sent out a note to the entire community, I’m sharing excerpts of that letter below:

Dear District 109 Parents, Staff and Community Members,

On Thursday, we welcome our teachers and staff back to work with a full day inservice that includes a keynote speech by Rich Sheridan, author of Joy, Inc., as well as collaborative learning time to prepare all of us to welcome our students back to school on Monday, August 22. …Nearly 50 staff members attended a three-day intensive workshop led by a faculty member of the Buck Institute to bring project-based learning to our classrooms.  In addition, teachers and staff set up classrooms, collaborated on curriculum, researched innovative methods, and mentored new teachers and staff, whom we welcomed to the District 109 family last week.

What’s New?

Click Here for a 360 degree view of a new library learning space

Click Here for a 360 degree view of a new art space

Click on image for a 360 degree view of labs in our district
…Every elementary school has reconstructed their library media space, adding PTO funded SmartLabs fulfilling a long held plan to incorporate more STEAM into the elementary schools. Click for live video of the construction progress – we’re getting close!

Both middle schools also have innovative and redesigned learning spaces; the art and music spaces have been completely transformed into areas that will inspire creativity, innovation, and future focused arts instruction.

Last year, the Department of Teaching & Learning awarded our second phase of innovation grants. Ten teachers across every building in the District won grants to have a classroom set of iPads, and two other teachers earned special grants for their exceptionally innovative projects. In addition, 100 teachers received individual iPads to begin exploring the potential of tablet technology to our already robust 1:1 transformative learning environments…


 

As part of my welcome remarks, I shared the following slide deck (I’ll also be sharing notes for clarity). The notes reflect my thinking and preparation and they are very close to the commentary I delivered in person at the assembly. As always, your comments are encouraged and welcomed!

Notes for slide 3: Our mission, our motto, our statements as to WHY we exist  –  Engage, Inspire, Empower our students, each other, and our community. You continue to do an amazing job of engaging, inspiring, empowering each and every day. I remain quite proud to serve you as the superintendent of schools!

Notes for slide 4: How do we engage, inspire and empower? One major way is through innovation. We innovate to increase student learning … We facilitate learning for our students as well as one another. Innovate means trying new and better ways of doing things. We started with Innovation grants three years ago and we keep on demonstrating new and better ways to inspire learning and to support a culture of excellence.

Notes for slide 5: One very public way we show innovation is through modern learning spaces. We have been designing and creating new and better learning spaces across the district for the past several years. With new lighting, better flooring, award winning classrooms and labs we demonstrate our commitment to excellent public education. We are proud to host visits from leaders all over the state and nation to our award winning middle school science labs. This year we cannot wait to open and unveil new middle school art and music spaces, PTO funded K-5 SMART labs, redesigned library spaces, student friendly furniture, and more. All of these physical changes are designed to support innovative learning and teaching practices. The spaces themselves do not reflect innovation though, it’s what you do with and in these spaces that truly creates new and better learning for ALL students. We provide the conditions for optimal learning and growing, the spaces provide opportunities for new and better experiences.

Notes for slide 6: We also innovate with new and better instructional tools and resources designed to support your work. With collaborative Google Apps for Education we have created opportunities for communication across boundaries of time and space. Other tools like the extensive suite of technology we offer support innovative learning and teaching practices. The tools themselves are not innovative; it’s what you do with these tools that creates new and better learning for our students. This year we’re proud to celebrate Innovation Grant Phase II with new and better ideas about how to leverage the power of technology. A focus area includes the 4Cs of communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. These new tools allow for innovative practices supporting the 4Cs.

Notes for slide 7: We also innovate in DPS109 with professional learning opportunities. I am so proud of the hashtag #engage109 on Twitter where any day or time I can look and see what is happening in the classrooms around the district. #Engage109 is known far and wide as a space where DPS109 staff share and learn and communicate. Often our hashtag is trending due to the activity. Twitter is a space where anyone can learn and access virtually anything at any time. In addition, this year’s early release Wednesday structure is designed to create new and better ways for teacher learning. Through sustained job embedded learning opportunities we will create conditions for innovation. We are also proud of the Deerfield University an often replicated example of innovative professional learning and teacher support. The DU offers a voluntary personalized, learning platform where we can learn and grow any time any place at any speed or any pace, our motto is You can DU it! Finally, the upcoming EdCamp North Shore 16 to be held at Kipling on October 29 reflects yet another way we innovate in the professional learning space. I hope the folks from Kipling will tweet out the link to sign up via the #engage109 hashtag today!

Notes for slide 8: I consider myself to be an innovative superintendent. I learn from you and I learn with you. I truly enjoy learning alongside you and joining in classroom practices like Shark Tank shown in the photo above. I look forward to every visit to the classrooms. I learn new and better ways of doing education from you. Thank you for continuing to invite me and welcome me into your classrooms. In addition, I innovate through partnerships and professional memberships in forward thinking organizations like BrightBytes, Discovery Education, and the American Association for School Administrators, the AASA. This summer a group of 50 superintendents from around the USA came to learn our story – they came to visit our new and better learning spaces. Because of your great work I get to show off and share our stories of innovation. In addition, I learn from them and their expertise and I share that here in Deerfield. You give me great pride and so much to share! Finally I innovate by experimenting with gizmos and gadgets that support new and better learning, I am eager to see the innovative results of the 2nd phase of the Innovation Grant process.

Notes for slide 9: I seek out innovation in my personal life too. For the past 11 years my family has gone to the same resort in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. We love the vacation and the kids look forward to it each year. This summer we innovated – we experienced tubing for the first time. While it may seem simple or even silly for me to share this personal example, I wanted to share how we took an awesome family experience, our annual trip to Wisconsin – perfectly fine for 11 years; and with an innovation, the tubing, our first time as a family doing so, we innovated our vacation! We tried something new and better and created a new learning experience.

Notes for slide 10: I highly value being a connected educator and leader, I learn from others, I share our stories of innovation, and I become a better leader through collaboration. Please continue to reach out to me and welcome me into your learning spaces. You can contact me, and I encourage you to do so, through any number of addresses and social networks. Welcome back to another fantastic school year! Please give a warm welcome to Dr. Jeff Zoul who will continue our program this morning. Thank you.

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Innovation Has Many Forms – #ENGAGE109

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less.”
– C.S. Lewis

IL In our school district we take pride in the words and actions ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER. We aim to do this each and every day with and for each and every student, staff member, and the community! Since July 2013 our Big 5 have been driving our actions and initiatives:

Common Core State Standards (a/k/a Illinois New Learning Standards), Next Generation Science Standards
Teacher Evaluation – Charlotte Danielson Frameworks for Effective Teaching
Technology
Organizational Culture
Superintendent’s Task Force for Middle Level Education

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

We often write about innovation and we often share examples of the teacher’s innovative practices in blogs, Twitter, Facebook, principal newsletters, emails from the district, in person events, etc. Today I’m writing to celebrate an innovative project experience from 7th grade English Language Arts. In the 7th grade ELA class this year the students had to complete a project entitled:  Change the World. One of our students sent a letter to the Illinois Department of Homeland Security. The boy’s letter was so impressive to the staff that the Deputy Director, James Joseph, called principal, Dr. John Filippi, and he shared his delight at the letter. In addition he offered to come visit the student and his classmates!

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Today Mr. James Joseph, the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor came to Alan B. Shepard Middle School and visited with the student, his classmates and teachers.

In addition he made a brief presentation and answered questions from the students. In the pictures shown to the left we also show another special guest, retired Major General Robert G.F. “Bob” Lee. Gen. Lee was visiting the Governor’s office and it fit into his schedule to join Director Joseph. Gen. Lee shared information about his fascinating service to our country as well as to his home state of Hawaii. Security is a national concern and it’s nice to know we have such able, knowledgeable, talented and able leaders helping defend our nation and our state.

The power of a letter, the power of a communication, the power of an inquisitive student can lead to the highest levels of government, society, agencies, companies, etc. Our amazing teachers are taking learning to new levels with engagement, inspiring lessons and empowerment of students to reach out to “real people” in the world who do the work about which we are learning!

Check the podcast for a 5 minute excerpt of today’s visit:

In Deerfield we truly believe, and we teach our students, that, in the words of Margaret Mead:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

Our students, through agency and voice, are learning that they matter not only in school and at home, but as part of the larger world. It’s wonderful, especially as a public school leader, to show the power ofittakesavillage education and the value of our innovative public education in terms of meaning and relevance.

We are grateful to General Lee, Director Joseph, as well as other dignitaries who have visited our schools like Governor Bruce Rauner, U.S. Congressman Hon. Robert Dold, Illinois Senator Hon. Julie Morrison, Illinois Representative Hon. Scott Drury, Lake County Regional Superintendent of Schools Hon. Roycealee Wood, Deerfield Mayor Hon. Harriet Rosenthal, and many others who visit to engage with students, learn from our teachers, interact with our world class facilities, and in one way or another, show support for meaningful, effective public education!