february 2012 leaders of learners

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Leaders Learners of February 2012 Vol. 5, Issue 1 The bi-monthly resource for Texas ASCD members CAN YOU SEE ME? The Power of Structured Visibility 3 9 States to Get Greater Authority in ESEA ... If Congress can Pass Law in 2012 7 Governance Through the Back Door

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Texas ASCD's bi-monthly publication

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Leaders Learners

of February 2012Vol. 5, Issue 1

The bi-monthly resource for Texas ASCD members

CAN YOU SEE ME?The Power of Structured Visibility

3

9 States to Get Greater Authority in ESEA ... If Congress can Pass Law in 2012

7Governance Through the Back Door

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 2

Leaders Learners

of

February 2012Vol. 5, Issue 1

Contents

CAN YOU SEE ME? THE POWER OF STRUCTURED VISIBILITY

GOVERNANCE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR

FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE16 Texas ASCD Membership Application

News and Events2

PresidentJanis Jordan, Ed.D.President-ElectAl Hambrick, Ph.D. Vice PresidentCarl KeySecretaryVirginia CottenPast PresidentEllen V. Bell, Ph.D.

Yolanda M. Rey, Ph.D.Executive Director

Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (Texas ASCD) is a nonprofit educational organization that improves learning through supporting all educators and school children of Texas in their educational endeavors.

Leaders of Learners is an official journal of Texas ASCD. If you have comments concerning Leaders of Learners, please send them to [email protected]. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily the opinions or endorsements of Texas ASCD or our membership.

15 Calendar of Events

3

7

9 STATES TO GET GREATER AUTHORITY IN ESEA ... IF CONGRESS CAN PASS LAW IN 2012

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 3

It is very important for a school leader to have VISIBILITY as a top priority. To be a visible leader means that not only are you being seen, but you are seeing first hand what is happening in your school. Unfortunately, in today’s climate, it is becoming more and more difficult for the school principal and/or assistant principal to free themselves from the demands of an office surrounded by emails, memos, cell phone calls, voice mail, texts, paperwork, conferences, meetings, and drop-in visitors.

As philosopher and poet Goethe said, in the 1800’s, “those things which matter most should never be left at the mercy of those things which matter least.” What matters most in establishing an exemplary school is using visibility as one important method.

Some Points to Consider

• Maintaining an orderly environment where students know the rules and abide by them.• Awareness of the physical plant and its appearance as well as needs for improvement.• Knowing what is actually going on in the classroom. Are the students actively involved or merely bored spectators? Is the teacher up and about guiding students? Are materials available? Is technology being used appropriately? Is the classroom attractive and in good repair?• Are teachers’ needs being met and are support people open to hearing them? What is the general climate of the school?

• How does the office staff relate to visitors and parents? Are parents welcomed and are their voices heard? • Are the administrators and support staff aware of accomplishments of students and is recognition a priority? Does the staff support and occasionally attend student extra curricular activities, sports, and special musical events?

Looking at the above areas of concern and applying a management style of structured visibility can be the difference between a truly successful school and a failing school. Unfortunately, we are reading and hearing daily about the dismal state of the schools in the United States. Could it be

that many of our school leaders have forgotten what is really important in creating a winning environment?

Let’s look into what is meant by structured visibility and how one goes about accomplishing it. Visibility is really a two-way street, meaning that the school leader can be seen regularly and at the same time can see/observe the ebb and flow of daily school life. What a wonderful way for students, or parents dropping off students, to be greeted each morning by an administrator at the front of the school. What a positive feeling for teachers when an administrator looks approvingly into their classrooms. Adding the word “structured” to “visibility” means that being a visible leader is not taken for granted. It means that there is a plan, almost like a lesson plan, whereby the school administrators go through a daily routine

CAN YOU SEE ME? The Power of Structured Visibilityby: Allan Bonilla, Ed. D.

“Those things which matter most should never be left at the

mercy of those things which matter least.”

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 4

of seeing and being seen. Let’s look at what a sample “lesson plan” might look like.• An early-arriving principal or assistant/vice principal might begin the day with a quick tour of the campus and school grounds to make sure everything is in order for the start of the new day. Were rest rooms cleaned properly? Are floors and walls clean? Are the grounds litter free and outside walls acceptable? An extra check of a few classrooms might be well served. No one wants to start a day with an unexpected “surprise.” • An added bonus to these early-morning walk-throughs is that those early-arriving teachers become aware of the deep concern their administrators have for their well-being, and this goes a long way in building school pride and positive school culture.• Being outside, weather permitting, before school starts is a crucial part of the visibility plan and should be practiced by the entire administration team. Naturally there will be times when a team member is at a meeting or involved in a parent conference or on the phone with a board member or superintendent, but that is precisely why you want to use the team model. Depending on the size of a team, there will always be someone out and visible, even when another may

be called away. The positive effects of this visibility have far reaching benefits. Students know they will be greeted when getting off the school bus and parents love to see an administrator in a supervisory mode when they are dropping off their children. This clearly says to them that people care about the safety of their children. This early morning visibility provides an opportunity for parents to stop and ask a quick question of an administrator, thus satisfying the parent and relieving the administrator of returning a phone call. Students become used to being greeted by people who care about them. Schools have different procedures for start of the day arrival, but if it is one in which students are outside until time to enter, the administrator has an excellent opportunity to observe and monitor student behavior. • Most schools begin the day for students with some form of opening exercises perhaps over a public address system or closed circuit TV. This provides a great opportunity for the school principal to be heard and/or seen by all. If a school is working on attendance improvement, the principal might announce those perfect attendance groups from the previous day or even outline the standings in an attendance

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 5

improvement contest. There are also many occasions when a student is at the microphone.• All schools are different in the way they are run, but the central core is the teacher and students in that classroom. So, a major part of structured visibility has to be the daily walk-throughs or drop-ins done by the school administrators. This can be as simple as just entering a classroom without fanfare and observing what is going on. Are all students involved in the lesson and is the teacher actively monitoring and assisting or presenting material? Is the room attractive or in need of maintenance? Not only does the observer have a “snapshot” of teaching and learning, but he or she also has a wonderful opportunity for feedback to the teacher and students which can be informal and natural and impactful. For example, when the principal or assistant principal sees a teacher later in the day, or even the next day, a positive comment about what was seen in the drop-in can make a teacher’s day. The same can be said for a student when the administrator can say, “great work you were doing in science class today.”• Regardless of the size of one’s school, one thing all schools have in common is lunch time, and the cafeteria is usually a hub of activity. Administrators, in some cases, tend to shy away from “lunch duty” and want to leave that area of supervision to perhaps lunch monitors or security personnel. The reality is that time spent in the school cafeteria by administration and support staff can prove to be some of the most valuable use of time in one’s day. All students use the cafeteria or lunch room, thus giving the administrator a wonderful opportunity to see all students on an almost daily basis. • Remembering that structured visibility means seeing and being seen, all students will have an opportunity to see school personnel other than their classroom teachers. The time spent in the school cafeteria can give the principal or assistant principal a wonderful chance to interact on an informal basis and to provide

students with an opportunity to ask a question or to share a thought. So, not only is there quality supervision in the cafeteria, but there is interaction between child and adult. An added bonus to one’s presence in the cafeteria is that teachers always know where to find at least one administrator if they need a quick answer to a pressing question or they merely want to pass a thought by their principal. Just imagine the time saved for a school principal when the faculty can make contact while

the principal is wandering around the cafeteria, as opposed to lining up at the office door or making an appointment. Teachers love knowing where their support people are every day at lunch time and students are proud to say, “I see my principal all the time”.• The end of the day, dismissal time, is a crucial time for proper supervision and should be an important part of one’s Structured Visibility plan. Things should not be left to chance. Are people assigned to the bus pick up area? Is someone at the parent pick up area? How about the bike area, if there is one? Depending on the size of the campus, are people assigned to various strategic locations? Again, all schools are different and have varying needs, but dismissal visibility goes a long way in showing parents and students that this school really cares about them. Remember that most office work can wait and phone calls can be returned later, but student supervision is now.• Another issue at middle schools and high schools is that of class changing and students passing in the halls. There are also some elementary schools and K-8 campuses which see student movement throughout the day. Depending on the size of the student body (Are we talking about a few hundred or more?), this area of needed supervision is most crucial and requires the participation of all personnel. Structured visibility mandates that change of class time is not the time for counselors and administrators to be office bound. This is the time for all staff to be out and about

“All schools are different in the

way they are run, but the central

core is the teacher and students in that classroom.”

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 6

in a supervisory and interactive mode. It might be wise to assign people to certain areas of the building or campus, so all students are seen as they move about on their way to their next class assignment. It is interesting to observe that when students become aware that adults seem to be around at all times, they are much less likely to engage in unacceptable behavior, as well as see that the staff cares about their safety. Teachers become a part of the plan. The classroom teacher is at his or her doorway observing students passing and most important greeting students as they enter class. An occasional personal comment to a student from the teacher as that student enters helps in establishing positive relationships.• Teachers today are often required to participate in team or group meetings. There are general faculty meetings, department meetings, team meetings and professional learning communities. Teachers, at times, may feel that the requirement to attend meetings comes from a mandate outside of their control. The plan for structured visibility must include time for administrative staff to actually “drop in” to teacher meetings and to pay attention to teachers who feel overwhelmed. It is also a time to show interest and involvement in what is going on. Attendance by the principal or assistant principal at a PLC (professional learning community) can give the administrator a “snapshot” of what some current concerns might be. Attendance by an administrator at, say, a science department meeting may highlight the need for additional lab materials. A counselor attending a team meeting of 8th grade teachers may put the counselor in a position to help with some challenging students. Of course, school leaders need to be present at all faculty meetings and, when possible, at workshops and trainings held at the school. Participation, even for as little as five or ten

minutes, in any teacher group activity helps develop a collaborative school culture.

The plan for visibility needs to be focused on students as well as staff. Of course, it’s primarily about students. When possible, school administrators should drop in on clubs which might be meeting in classrooms after school. Teacher sponsors appreciate that their administration is interested in what they are doing and students like seeing their principal interested enough to visit their extracurricular activities. Many schools have band and chorus programs held after school. These activities often include parents who much appreciate the presence of school leaders. Most schools have athletic activities or have competitions with neighboring schools. Naturally, some activities, especially at the high school, require a structured supervision plan for security and crowd control. There are also many opportunities for a less formal visibility and support on the part of the school principal or other administrator.

An exemplary school with true collaboration and high student achievement always has visible leaders. A principal may be a master at data disaggregation and interpretation, but will not be a success without true interaction with faculty and students. Education is a people business and neglecting the team will not do it. A leader may be a whiz at master schedule building, but will miss much by not viewing and assessing the fruits of his labor through actually seeing classes in action. A school leader’s job can be lonely and overwhelming when handled strictly from an office, but can be an exciting and stimulating and rewarding experience when being an active and involved participant in the daily life of teachers, students, and parents too.

About the AuthorDr. Bonilla spent 40 years with the Miami-Dade County school system in Florida where he served as teacher, counselor, assistant principal and principal. Allan’s “claim to fame” was that he was chosen Principal of the Year in 1992 for outstanding leadership in turning around what was a failing middle school. Since retiring in 2003 he has served as mentor, consultant, and leadership speaker and most recently as a Leadership Coach with Region X111 ESC where he began training in 2007.

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 7

Presidents, officers, and board members usually enter formally through the front door. Their arrival has been previously announced. Other members may make up those who are already at “home” in the organization and have often entered through the back door. Regardless of how we enter an organization, we have made a commitment to further the mission and to bring about positive results during our tenure. We have committed to helping the organization make legacy decisions by our voice and actions or by our silence and inactivity.

As educators we are busy people, and much of our time is spent being a member of various groups—organizations, school districts, departments, teams, and clubs to name a few. We may or may not hold a position of formal leadership; however, we have occasions to be leaders within our respective groups and to support those who provide opportunities for us to contribute. Former businessman and author Willard Pollard said “It is the responsibility of a leader to provide opportunity, and the responsibility of those being led to contribute and take advantage of the opportunity.” It is not by chance that this statement mentions “responsibility” and “opportunity” twice. Responsibilities and opportunities belong to both the leaders as well as the members. As educators, we know about responsibility because it

is at the heart of accountability for student success. We meet the responsibilities of our profession to build strong schools and educational communities. We feel the responsibility to provide multiple means for students to have opportunities to learn. Indeed, while we understand that there are front and back doors to solutions, we must also recognize that windows can be opened to many problem-solving possibilities we never expected.

Organizations provide multiple occasions for us to be part of making sound, student-focused decisions if we seize the opportunity to be active participants. While not everyone wants to be an organization’s president, board member, team leader, or committee chair, everyone wants to be heard in the decision-making process. Governance is not just for those who hold prominent or key positions; it is the accountability and responsibility that belongs to all of us who are members of any group.

Corporations and businesses refer to the “duty of care” as their obligation to make informed decisions and adhere to the governance set forth in mission statements, bylaws, and constitutions. Leaders focus on actions, decisions, and management procedures that advance the organization or group’s

Governance Through The Back DoorBy Virginia Cotten

We all know of people whose family, friends, and even guests enter their

homes often through the back door rather than the front. This informal

entry has come to symbolize warmth, trust, and comfort. Invitations are not

often required for those who have back door privileges. Many of us grew up

in an “open back door” home and have memories of security and acceptance.

Like a house, governance has more than one entry point.

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 8

productivity. They support each other and the membership through their alignment to the “duty of loyalty.” Accountability is evident; expectations are high; and duty of care and loyalty responsibilities are taken seriously by officers and boards. However, as members we too should exercise our duty of care and loyalty by offering our best support, fresh ideas, and elbow grease to the organization or group in which we belong. Do we use our memberships to build our resumes and to network, or do we roll up our sleeves and apply our expertise and experience to strengthen the organization? Do we come into the organization through the back door and silently leave the same way? One simple way to strengthen the organization is to be a prepared and an informed participant in meetings so that our voices are heard. The agenda for any meeting is the road map for bringing out the best ideas and solutions to move a group or organization forward. The meeting is the opportunity to follow the road map and participate by putting those good ideas into action. How often have we received an agenda prior to the meeting and not given the items for discussion or action much thought? How often have we voted on an action item without pondering the ramifications to the organization’s mission or purpose? How often have we rubber stamped someone else’s ideas without offering our own. Businessman and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. said “I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every

possession, a duty.” Yes, with the opportunity to offer our voice also comes the responsibility to act and the duty to support our respective organizations and groups. Leaders need to hear from every member at some point so that they can lead with knowledge, make informed decisions and represent the membership well.

An old familiar norm says, “What is said in the room stays in the room.” A new norm might be “What is said in the room is recorded in the minutes.” In other words, do we leave important decision-making

meetings without having offered our thoughts, ideas, or questions? Do we sit silently in meetings hoping that someone else will voice our opinion or ask our question? Do we let the formal leaders take criticism for decisions made when we are were part of the process? Do we take the opportunity to be responsible for making legacy decisions and exercise our duty of care and loyalty as members?

Our position is not as important as our preparation, support, voice and loyalty. Regardless of the front or back door entrance, we all come together in the middle to find common ground in furthering the best interests of an organization or group. As members we must take an active role rather than a passive one to study issues, have candid conversations, and to accept the responsibility of our legacy decisions. Before our next meeting, let’s commit to pondering our back door entrance and the impact our attendance makes. The leaders are leaving the light on for us.

“It is the responsibility of a leader to provide opportunity, and

the responsibility of those being led to

contribute and take advantage of the

opportunity.”

Virginia Cotten is Secretary on the Texas ASCD the Board of Directors. She retired as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at McKinney ISD last spring and now works as an independent Education Management consultant.

About the Author

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 9

Already five years overdue for an overhaul, Congress has a narrow window of opportunity this year to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that would make major changes to the current testing and accountability systems required under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Political observers suggest that Congress has until June to enact the legislation, after which the looming presidential election campaign will take center stage and bring any legislative action to a standstill through November.

A comprehensive reform bill has already been approved by the Senate education committee, and a pair of reauthorization bills is expected to be passed by the House education committee in February. While similar in important ways such as eliminating “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) and the 2013-14 deadline by which 100% of students are to be proficient in both reading and math, the Senate and House bills have several key differences in how much authority to return to states and districts for measuring student

achievement, school quality, teacher effectiveness, and implementing school turnaround efforts.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved a reauthorization bill, known as the Harkin-Enzi bill (for committee chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and ranking Republican Mike Enzi (R-WY)) in October 2011 on a bipartisan basis by a vote of 15-7.

The Harkin-Enzi bill continues NCLB’s requirements for states to annually administer reading and math assessments in grades 3–8 and at least once in grades 10–12. It similarly extends the mandate for statewide tests in science at least once in grade spans 3–5, 6–9, and 10–12. Also like NCLB, the bill calls on states to “make every effort” to develop assessments in all languages spoken by students in the state. The test results are to be publicly reported in disaggregated format for subgroups such as race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, language proficiency, and migrant status.

States to Get Greater Authority in ESEA... If Congress Can Pass Law in 2012by David Griffith and Melissa Mellor

Tom Harkin (l) and Mike Enzi (ri), authors of the Harkin-Enzi Bill. | AP Photo

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 10

The bill requires tests to include multiple measures of student academic achievement and assess higher-order thinking skills and understanding. Indeed, the bill would allow states to administer the assessments once annually or at multiple times over the course of the year if it will result in a single, valid summative test score.

In addition, the Harkin-Enzi bill maintains the requirement for state assessments to be administered to at least 95 percent of students in a district and school. But unlike NCLB, the legislation requires states to provide reasonable adaptations and accommodations for assessing students with disabilities, including alternate assessments for the most significantly cognitively disabled. By 2015–16, according to the bill, all school districts must have in place an annual assessment of English language proficiency for all English learners in their schools.

As previously mentioned, the bill would scrap NCLB’s adequate yearly progress (AYP) accountability system along with the 100 percent proficiency deadline of 2013–14. Instead, states would have to ensure that all students make continuous improvement in academic achievement, and states would be given the flexibility to build their own accountability systems, which could include measures of student growth and incorporate achievement in a range of subject areas.

In the vast majority of cases, states would be able to decide whether and how to intervene in schools, but the bill stipulates specific turnaround strategies for “persistently low-performing schools.” These schools include the lowest-performing 5 percent of elementary and middle schools with the largest achievement gaps among student subgroups, the lowest 5 percent of high schools with the largest achievement gaps and with

graduation rates below 60 percent. Districts with achievement gap schools that can’t close their gaps would lose special consideration in federal funding competitions.

States would be able to choose one of seven intensive interventions for improving performance in these schools, ranging from a strategic staffing strategy that allows principals to staff schools with a turnaround team of their choosing, to a whole-school reform strategy that requires schools to partner with an organization that has a research-based success record. States could even develop their own turnaround strategy, subject to review and approval by the U.S. secretary of education.

Though the bill received bipartisan committee support, a diverse set of education, civil rights, and business groups are opposed to the bill out of concern that the Harkin-Enzi approach replaces the onerous adequate yearly progress goals with a system that measures school quality based on continuous student growth (i.e., a state-developed growth model). The groups, which include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Education Trust, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, were also displeased that the bill targets the bottom 5 percent of schools with the lowest performance and the bottom 5 percent with the widest achievement gaps in lieu of a broader focus, though this is generally consistent with the administration’s ESEA blueprint.

The House Education and the Workforce Committee has opted to reauthorize ESEA through a quintet of small-bore bills. The committee passed three of the bills last year, the content of which is now being consolidated into the final two pending bills. Education reform in the House looks to substantially

“In the vast majority

of cases, states

would be able to

decide whether and

how to intervene in

schools, but the bill

stipulates specific

turnaround strategies

for ‘persistently low-

performing schools.’ ”

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 11

reduce the federal role in education, most notably in accountability and teacher evaluations, moving oversight to states and districts. The House ESEA plan maintains annual student testing in math and language arts in grades 3–8 and once in high school, but it eliminates all maintenance of effort requirements for states and districts. AYP and highly qualified teacher requirements would also be eliminated and responsibility for them shifted to states. The committee is expected to vote on the two bills in February.

The House Education Committee’s Student Success Act, which rewrites NCLB’s testing and accountability provisions, maintains the current testing regimen in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. The bill also continues to require states to disaggregate those test data by student subgroups. But it eliminates NCLB’s requirement for states to test students in science to “reduce the burden of over testing,” instead allowing states to administer assessments in science and other subjects at their own discretion.

The Student Success Act’s most dramatic components center on the bill’s accountability provisions, which allow states to determine how they will judge and improve school performance with minimal interference or direction from the federal government. Similar to the Senate bill and the NCLB waiver plan, the bill scraps adequately yearly progress (AYP) and the

maligned 2013–14 100 percent proficiency deadline. Instead, states would develop and implement their own accountability systems that would annually measure student achievement, evaluate schools based on student achievement, and include a school improvement system with interventions for low-performing Title I schools. And unlike current law and the Harkin-Enzi bill, the House plan doesn’t require states to use high school graduation rates to judge student performance.

It is no surprise that the House Education Committee chose to eliminate NCLB’s highly qualified teacher requirements (bachelor’s degree, full-state licensure, and demonstrated competence in the subject areas they teach). But instead of leaving teacher effectiveness completely up to local educators, its Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act unexpectedly requires states and districts to develop teacher evaluation systems that use multiple measures of evaluation; incorporate student achievement data; include more than two rating categories; are tied to personnel decisions; and are developed with input from parents, teachers, and other staff.

These requirements are far more directive than the Senate bill, which only requires teacher evaluations for districts participating in competitive grant programs. States that have already developed statewide teacher evaluation systems may use the funds provided for this purpose to help their school districts implement the system. Funds may also be used to train school leaders in how to evaluate teachers under the system; provide evidence-based, job-embedded, and continual professional development; and provide additional support to teachers identified as in need of assistance.In addition, the House bill caps the use of funds for class size reduction at 10 percent because such efforts have “little to no effect on student learning.” Current law does not limit the amount of funding school districts can use to reduce class sizes.

The House legislation also merges current teacher quality programs, including the Teacher Quality

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 12

Enhancement Grant program, into a new Teacher and School Leader Flexible Grant that would provide school districts with funding to• support alternative certification;• recruit, hire, and retain effective teachers;• implement performance-based pay systems;• create teacher advancement and multiple career paths;• establish new teacher or school-leader induction programs and teacher residency programs; and• provide additional professional development to increase teacher effectiveness.

The House’s final two ESEA bills incorporate its earlier reauthorization legislation that focused on eliminating duplicative and ineffective education programs, promoting more rigorous charter schools, and increasing funding flexibility for states and districts.

Of those initial efforts, only the charter school measure received bipartisan support.

The House proposes to eliminate more than 70 elementary and secondary education programs to “restore fiscal discipline and promote a more appropriate federal role in education.” Programs facing the chopping block include the aforementioned School Improvement Grants, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and the Obama administration’s favored Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, and Promise Neighborhoods grant competitions.

The House also eliminates the current maintenance of effort requirement for states and districts, which stipulates that states and school districts must maintain their own education funding levels at 90 percent or more of the funding they provided in the preceding year to access federal funds. This rule ensures that

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...continued on page 13

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 13

states don’t dramatically reduce funding for their school districts year to year, but under the new House bill, states would be able to dramatically cut their K–12 education contributions without jeopardizing their federal funds.

In addition, NCLB requires districts to demonstrate that they are comparably funding all of their schools. But a loophole allows districts to exclude from that comparability calculation variations in teacher salaries, which account for much of the spending differences among schools. The House bills make no attempt to close this loophole, although the Senate’s Harkin-Enzi bill includes a strengthened comparability provision that eliminates the loophole and limits comparability calculations to actual expenditures rather than student-teacher ratios.

In summary, both the House and Senate would preserve annual state testing in reading and math in grades 3-8, eliminate AYP and the 2013-14 100% proficiency deadlines, and grant states more authority in measuring student achievement and determining school quality. Where they differ is over mandating states and districts to establish teacher evaluation systems, specific interventions for the lowest-performing schools, and the block granting of federal

funds. Whether and how these differences are resolved will determine if educators and schools continue to operate under NCLB’s dated directives for at least another year or can begin planning based on a new set of federal reforms that give states and districts greater authority for educating students and improving schools.

The House proposes to

eliminate more than 70

elementary and secondary

education programs to

“restore fiscal discipline

and promote a more

appropriate federal role in

education.”

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 14

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Tell them about Region 4’s Online Principal and Counselor Certification Programs.

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February 2012 Leaders of Learners 15

CALENDAROF

Events

FebruaryFeb 15, 2012E= MC2 Science Training (Grades K-5)Victoria, TX

Feb 22 - 23, 2012Understanding by Design and Differentiation: Connecting Content to KidsLeander, TX (Austin area)

Feb 24, 2012Leading the Content Areas (STAAR)Houston, TX

Feb 29 - March 1, 2012Curriculum Leadership Academy VBedford, TX (DFW area)

MarchMarch 7, 2012E= MC2 Science Training (Middle School)Victoria, TX

March 8, 2012E= MC2 Science Training (Biology)Victoria, TX

JuneJune 19 - 22, 20122012 Southwest BLCFrisco, TX

Connect with Texas ASCD!

Have questions or want to share ideas with other

members? Here’s how!

Follow us on Twitter

Become a Friend on Face-book @ www.facebook.com/txascd

Visit the website www.txascd.org for news about upcoming Professional Development offering and upcoming events.

Start a conversation - Read the latest Blog post!

Visit the Texas ASCD Edge page to share ideas and dialogue with other educators.

B

February 2012 Leaders of Learners 16

** COMPLETE AND DELIVER THIS SECTION TO YOUR EMPLOYER’S PAYROLL OFFICE. ARRANGEMENTS FOR PAYROLL DEDUCTION ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE APPLICANT.

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Employer ____________________________________________________ Date _______________________________________________________

Membership Application

Payroll Deduction Authorization

Please Return Completed Application with Payment to: Texas ASCD. Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing.1601 Rio Grande, Ste. #451, Austin, Texas 78701

(800) 717-2723 • (512) 477-8200 • Fax (512) 477-8215 • email: [email protected] • www.txascd.org

Payment Optionsr Payroll Deduction (Complete authorization below and deliver to your employer.) r Check Enclosed (Please make check payable to Texas ASCD)

r Credit Card (complete information below) r Purchase Order # ______________________________________________________________________r Amex r Visa r Master Card r DiscoverCredit Card #: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Expiration Date: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________Signature:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I, _________________________ authorize the ____________________________ (employer) to deduct the total amount of $____________ in order to pay for Texas ASCD membership dues. I further authorize the Association to notify the employer of changes in the annual dues amounts and the number of pay periods over which deductions shall be made. Upon termination of my employment, I authorize any unpaid balance to be deducted from my fi nal check. This authorization, for the deductions referenced above, will continue in effect until I give notice to the employer to revoke.

Enter Amount

r Alamo Area (Region 20) $10.00 $ ______r Capital Area (Region 13) $10.00 $ ______r Central Texas (Region 12) $10.00 $ ______r Coastal Bend (Region 2) $10.00 $ ______r Crossroads Area (Region 3) $10.00 $ ______r Houston Suburban (Region 4) $10.00 $ ______r North Central (Region 10) $10.00 $ ______r Panhandle (Region 16) $10.00 $ ______r Paso Del Norte (Region 19) $10.00 $ ______r Piney Woods (Region 7) $10.00 $ ______r Rio Grande Valley (Region 1) $10.00 $ ______r Sabine-Neches (Region 5) $15.00 $ ______r West Central Texas (Region 14 $20.00 $ ______r West Texas (Region 17) $10.00 $ ______

TOTAL $ ______

Demographics

Genderr Female r Male

How many years have you been in the fi eld of education?r 0-4 r 5-9 r 10-14 r 15-19 r 20-24 r 25-29 r 30 or more years

Ager 20-29 r 30-39 r 40-49 r 50-59 r 60-69 r 70-79 r 80+

Ethnicityr African American r Asian r Caucasian r Hispanic r Native American r Other ________________________

Grade Levelr Elementary r Middle School r High School r College

District Typer Urban r Rural r Suburban

What year did you become a member of Texas ASCD?________________

Contact Information(Please print clearly)

r Mr. r Ms. r Dr. _________________________________________________ (Name)

Position: _____________________ Affi liation: ___________________________

Preferred Address: _________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: _____________________________________________________

Phone: _____________________________ Fax: _________________________

Preferred E-mail address: ____________________________________________ (*Required to receive online benefi ts.)

r Administrative/University $105.00 $ ______ r Full-time Teacher (Pre-K12) $ 80.00 $ ______

r Full-time Student $ 50.00 $ ______

r Retired $ 40.00 $ ______

r Two-Year Membership $189.00 $ ______

r Lifetime Member $750.00 $ ______

Applicant must be (1) enrolled in an accredited university, college, community college; and be considered a full-time student according to the criteria of the attending school.

Retired “Administrative/University” or “Full-time Teacher”.

A 10% discount for “Administrative/University” personnel.

Membership Options

Regional Affi liate Dues