inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment Vol. research education 16 No.engagement 2justice • Winter 2021 •community $9.95social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning strengths poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality lawand-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skinthe color hair disparity geography policyofuniversal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services magazine of the Ohio occupation Association Elementary School Administrators collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient values marginalized imbalance homogenous heterogenous fair unfair police brutality disproportionality law-and-order equity citizenship immigration dreamers refugee person-of-color indigenous native bipoc inclusive exclusionary colonialist colorism binary nonbinary confidence mentors dialogue assumptions barriers ability status perspective empathy nationality microaggression depression privilege inequity health gender race class ethnicity sexuality access environment commitment research engagement education social emotional violence mental health name accent dialect skin color hair disparity geography occupation policy universal age disability physical learning justice strengths community poverty services collaborative practice interdisciplinary intervention gender identity pronouns minority well-being transformation housing promote oppression supremacy classism stability socioeconomic coronavirus choices systemic injustice evaluation income violence quality-of-life developing deprivation planning zipcode developed support exclusion outcomes stress expectations advocacy trauma discriminatory leadership gradient
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INEQUITY
REVEALED How 2020 illuminated crucial inequity issues in our schools
CELEBRATE!
you’re unstoppable! Professional Conference 2021
FEATURING KEYNOTE SPEAKERS HAMISH BREWER
The tattooed, skateboarding principal and author of Relentless
SAYANTANI DASGUPTA
Pediatrician and award-winning author of The Serpent’s Secret
W
hen we chose this conference theme in 2019, little did we know how relevant it would become.
If there has ever been a time to celebrate all we’ve been through and all that we’ve learned, 2021 is that year. You were up to the challenge, and now, it’s time to take a deep breath, reflect on all of your experiences, and celebrate the fact that
we’ve survived,
JIMMY WAYNE
Award-winning country music artist, foster care advocate, and author of A Walk to Beautiful
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CLINICS
plus...
By colleagues and community resources
NETWORKING
Share, learn, play, & grow!
TRADE SHOW 2
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Shop the latest products and services for your school
we’ve thrived, WE’RE UNSTOPPABLE. SAVE THE DATE JUNE 16-18, 2021 REGISTER NOW! Online at OAESA.org or by phone 614-547-8087 MEMBERS/STAFF of MEMBERS: $349 NONMEMBERS: $644 (includes membership) ONE-DAY RATE: $199 RETIREE RATE: $249
Executive Director’s Exchange Shining a light on inequity Dear Colleagues, Over the past year, the pandemic and our nation’s reckoning with systemic racism have presented educators with so many challenges to confront. My family, probably like yours, enthusiastically said goodbye to 2020, hopefully welcoming in the new year. And then, just a week into 2021, I watched in horror, shame, and fear at the riots occurring at our nation’s capital. My mind has been reflecting nonstop: How did we get here? How do we move forward? What is my role in both the past and the future, and what I can do next? I have been remembering my early awakenings about the systemic inequities within our educational systems. I did my early experiences and student teaching in the Chicago Public Schools, serving in projects that are now gentrified neighborhoods. There were 46 kids in the fourth grade class where I student taught with desks bolted to the floor; bars on the windows; multiple languages spoken (way before we had ELL services); and amazing students, staff, and parents. One of the most precious memories of my career is the box of recipe cards the students gave me as a wedding shower gift. It was like an international cookbook! And then, I graduated and was hired in a very affluent Chicago North Shore suburb. Only seventeen students in my class with no desks bolted to the floor; no bars on the windows; no English Language Learners; air-conditioning; ample technology; a large operating budget; and amazing parents, students, and staff. The stark contrasts presented a huge learning curve and an internal conflict was happening within me. Why can’t all kids have this? Why do those who have the least often receive the least? Wow— was I naïve. Talk about inequities revealed! Since those early days, I have had the privilege of serving many different types of communities in four different states throughout my career. And, now I have the privilege and responsibility of supporting all of you who serve communities throughout our diverse state. In my conversations with so many of you, especially in this past year, I sense that you, too, are struggling with these questions: Why can’t all kids have this? Why do those who have the least often receive the least? How did we get here? How do we move forward? What is my role in both the past and the future, and what I can do next? One way would be to join me and the OAESA Board of Directors and Staff in supporting and boldly living out the OAESA Statement on Racism and Equity, adopted in June 2020.
OAESA Statement on Equity and Racism On Behalf of the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators Board of Directors, Executives and Staff
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s an educational leadership organization, we believe and are committed to supporting our members in eradicating systemic racism, bigotry, prejudice, and bias within our institutions.
“
We encourage members to take personal responsibility to improve the lives of all entrusted to our care by reaching out to staff, students and families to seek an understanding of how racism has impacted the people of color in their communities and unite to create lasting solutions to the inequities that have gripped us all for far too long. It is through understanding, intentional connections, advocacy, on-going professional development, and action, that we shall be able to eliminate inequalities and racial bias to fulfill our nation’s true promise of liberty and justice for all.”
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INEQUITY REVEALED
How 2020 illuminated crucial inequity issues in our schools
In this issue Revealing the Inequities Isn’t the Hard Work. Talking About Them Is.
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Creating a Safe Environment for All Students
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Jen Schwanke
Matt Bradley
It’s Really About Relationships 20 Laura Schnebelen
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Exposing the Inequities of Groupthink 22 Paul G. Young, Ph.D.
Building Teacher Emotional Resiliency 25 Keri Leindecker, Esq.
The Ultimate Design Challenge 26 Felecia Evans
Seven Misconceptions About Unconscious Bias 29 Eve Miller, Ph.D.
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What is Learning? 32 Carrie J. Sanchez
Learning From Leaders Who Are Defying Expecations 34 Kenneth Tam and Megan Robinson
Inequities Revealed in Child Care, 36 Out-of-School Time During Pandemic Michele Ritchlin
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In every issue table of contents
ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL NAVIGATOR EDITORIAL SERVICE TEAM & READERS Natalie Buchanan, Franklin Local Schools Tammy Elchert, Ed.D., Carey Exempted Village Schools Julie Kenney, South-Western City Schools Alexandra Nannicola, Champion Local Schools Nick Neiderhouse, Ed.D., Maumee City Schools Katie Nowak, New Albany Plain Local Schools Cathryn Rice, Xenia Community Schools Dan Sebring, Bay Village City Schools Jeromey Sheets, Ed.D., Lancaster City Schools Paul Young, Ph.D., retired Stephen Zinser, retired
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Executive Director’s Exchange
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OAESA Board of Directors
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Highlighting an OAESA Hero
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SAIL for Education
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From the Desk of our Associate Executive Director
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OAESA Event Preview
Shining a light on inequity Julie Davis, Ed.D. Our 2020-2021 Board
Katie Nowak, OAESA Federal Relations Representative
OAESA/SAIL STAFF Julie Davis, Ed.D., Executive Director Mark Jones, Associate Executive Director Nancy Abrams, Business & Office Manager Patty Cooper, Executive Administrative Specialist Melissa Butsko, Graduate Program Specialist Rebecca Hornberger, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Concordia University Chicago Mary Mitton-Sanchez, Director of Communications
Leading with service at your center Kara Jackson, Ed.D. How do we fix this? Mark Jones
Elevate: Women on the Rise, March 3-4
EDITORIAL POLICY Unless otherwise noted, all articles published in the Principal Navigator become the property of OAESA and may not be reprinted without permission from OAESA. The articles published in the Principal Navigator represent the ideas and/or beliefs of the authors and do not necessarily express the views of OAESA.
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The Chalkboard
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Health Matters
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Legal Report
Advertising inquiries should be directed to OAESA by phone at 614.547.8087 or by emailing info@oaesa.org.
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Legislative Update
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We’re Booked
The Principal Navigator (ISSN 1088-078X) is published three times per school year by OAESA, 445 Hutchinson Ave., Suite 700, Columbus, Ohio, 43235. Subscriptions are available only as part of membership. Periodical postage paid at Columbus, Ohio, and additional mailing offices.
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Welcome OAESA’s New Members!
News from the Association
COVID-19 and Flu Ann Connelly and Mary Kate Francis, M.D. Legal tips to help principals stay out of trouble Dennis Pergram Advocacy for students doesn’t always mean lobbying Barbara Shaner Members’ reviews of the latest, greatest books for principals and students
OAESA is affiliated with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).
INTENTIONALLY C
NNECT
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POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Principal Navigator 445 Hutchinson Ave., Suite 700 Columbus, Ohio 43235
DVOCATE
Look for these symbols by each article to denote the aspect of our mission that the article reinforces. winter 2021
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OAESA’s 2020-2021
Board of Directors PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT ELECT
Abbey Bolton
Kesh Boodheshwar
Davey Elementary Kent City Schools abolton@kentschools.net
ZONE 1 DIRECTOR
Ryan McGraw
Huntington Elementary Brunswick City Schools
kboodheshwar@bcsoh.org
ZONE 2 DIRECTOR
Chad Hinton
Gretchen Liggens, Ph.D.
Cathryn Rice
Walton Pre-K–8 School Cleveland Metropolitan Schools gretchen.liggens@clevelandmetroschools.org
Zone Directors ZONE 3 DIRECTOR
Tecumseh Elementary Xenia Community Schools cpettic@gmail.com
ZONE 4 DIRECTOR
Sue Brackenhoff, Ph.D. Nick Neiderhouse, Ed.D.
FEDERAL RELATIONS
Katie Nowak
New Albany Intermediate School New Albany-Plain Local Schools nowak.3@napls.us
ZONE 5 DIRECTOR
Tammy Elchert, Ed.D.
Carey Elementary Carey Exempted Village Schools telchert@careyevs.org
ZONE 7 DIRECTOR
ZONE 8 DIRECTOR
ZONE 9 DIRECTOR
ZONE 10 DIRECTOR
Alexandra Nannicola
Susanne Waltman
Natalie Buchanan
ZONE 6 DIRECTOR
T.J. Ebert
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NAESP REP
Fairborn City Schools sbrackenhoff@fairborn.k12.oh.us
Maude Marshall Elementary Talawanda Schools hintonc@talawanda.org
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PAST PRESIDENT
Wayne Trail Elementary Maumee City Schools nneiderhouse@maumeek12.org
Minford Elementary Minford Local Schools rmcgraw@minfordfalcons.net
Independence Primary School Independence Local Schools tebert@independence.k12.oh.us
Executive Board
Central Elementary Champion Local Schools
alexandra.nannicola@championlocal.org
Office of Curriculum & Instruction
Strausser Elementary Jackson Local Schools sew2jc@jackson.sparcc.org
Little Bolts Preschool Franklin Local Schools
natalie.buchanan@franklinlocalschools.org
Jessica Rardon
Hilliard Tharp Sixth Grade School
Hilliard City Schools jessica_rardon@hboe.org
OAESA needs county representatives and district liaisons. Is your district represented?
Zone Map
Contact your zone director or email info@oaesa.org to find out more information about this opportunity. Sign up to be a district liaison online: oaesa.org. membership/ district-liaison
Board Representatives CENTRAL OFFICE
ASST. PRINCIPAL
MINORITY
Bob Buck
Joy O’Brien
Felecia Evans
Office of Teaching and Learning Forest Hills Schools bobbuck@foresthills.edu
Ayer Elementary Forest Hills Schools joyobrien@foresthills.edu
Lander Elementary Mayfield City Schools fevans@mayfieldschools.org
MIDDLE SCHOOL
CLEVELAND DIST.
COLUMBUS DIST.
Carrie Sanchez
Audrey Staton-Thompson
Andrew Smith
Port Clinton Middle School Port Clinton City Schools csanchez@pccsd-k12.net
Office of Contract Implementation Cleveland Metropolitan Schools audrey.staton-thompson@ clevelandmetroschools.org
Valley Forge Elementary Columbus City Schools ansmith@columbus.k12.oh.us
winter 2021
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principaling in a
PANDEMIC a conversation with OAESA Federal Relations Representative,
KATIE NOWAK Tell us about your background and current position.
What is the culture/climate like in your school?
As a leader, I’m honored to serve our community of students, staff, and families, in supporting the academic, social-emotional, and developmental needs of our students. Now more than ever, in the midst of a global pandemic, I believe our purpose is to love, serve, and care for our students and each other, to meet the needs of the whole child. I believe our calling as educators is to make a positive impact on the lives of others, and to build a positive collaborative school community that puts students first.
I would describe our culture as positive, caring, and collaborative. Our school utilizes the PBIS Framework of Eagles RISE (Respect, Integrity, Safety, and Empathy) as well as The R Factor. The R Factor is a culture and decision-making framework used by staff and students to successfully navigate school and life experiences. One of the premises of the R Factor is E +R=O, Events + Responses= Outcomes. We teach students that they own their responses to events, and this can impact their outcome.
This is my 17th year in education, with my journey starting as an 8th grade science teacher, and shortly after teaching 6th grade. I have served as a Middle School Assistant Principal, and now an Intermediate Principal in two different districts. I spent 12 years in South-Western City schools as a teacher and an administrator working in both urban and suburban settings. For the past five years I have served as the proud principal at New Albany Intermediate School in the New Albany-Plain Local School District, located north-east of Columbus. Our building serves over 1100 students in Grades 4-6. New Albany Intermediate has been recognized by the Ohio Department of Education the past several years with the Momentum Award for Student Growth and Overall A Award for performance on the State Report Card.
We also like to celebrate both staff and students. One way we celebrate is with our Eagles RISE Wall of Fame, where students get a positive phone call home, sign a wall, ring a bell, and get recognized on morning announcements. We like to thank our staff and celebrate them with fun surprises such as a Woot Woot Wagon of treats delivered to their door or handwritten notes of our appreciation.
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What do you view as your most important contribution to the day-to-day operations of your school? Being visible, accessible, and present to love, serve, and care for staff, students and families.
If we interviewed your staff, what are three words they’d use to describe you? Caring, Committed, Positive. I believe they would say these three words, because I believe in being relentless in support for students and staff, and we celebrate our students, staff, and successes along the way. Congratulations on serving on the OAESA Board as our Federal Relations Rep. How long have you been on the board? Why did you join? I joined the OAESA Board in 2017, after being awarded the 2016 Ohio NAESP National Distinguished Principal Middle Level Award. I wanted to give back to an organization that supported me in my Professional Growth, as well as support my colleagues from across the state in the important work we do each and everyday for Ohio’s schoolchildren. I have served as the OAESA Zone 10 Director for Central Ohio from 2017-2019 and in October of 2019 transitioned into the role of Federal Relations Coordinator and OAESA Executive Board Member. This issue focuses on how inequities in education have been revealed as a result of COVID-19 and the racial justice movement of 2020. What inequities have been revealed in your school community? How are you, your staff, and your leadership team working to rectify such issues? We have been working across our campus to address inequities revealed during the Covid-19 school closure through partnering with the New Albany Food Pantry and Neighborhood Bridges, as well as our district resources to meet the needs of students and families. We surveyed our families, reached out through personal phone calls, had on-going conversations, and adjusted and adapted our practices to ensure we are meeting the needs of both our on campus learners and students in our virtual learning program. This year, we formed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committees in each building as well as a district wide committee. The purpose of these committees is to work on continuous improvement for resources, services, curriculum, mentorships, events,
and more to acknowledge and respect the diversity of the culture and history of our families and communities. The DEI Committees also seek to identify intentional opportunities to increase the celebration of diverse and inclusive culture within our schools and community. Finally, the committees are seeking parent and student feedback regarding school climate and culture holistically to ensure that voice is present to drive our continuous improvement planning. In my building, our DEI Committee consists of 10 parents and 9 staff members. We have made a commitment to build more diverse and inclusive classroom libraries so that all students can view themselves in the books they read. Building a more diverse classroom library allows students to see characters and themes that reflect their identities and experiences, as well as have the opportunity to to learn about the lives, customs, and beliefs of others. What are some challenges and some silver linings of the societal changes that we have encountered in 2020, specifically when it comes to education and students? I believe the Covid Closures of schools in the spring showed the resilience of educators to adjust and adapt, quickly learn and implement new technologies, and showed their spirit of perseverance to do whatever it takes to support students. There has also been a renewed focus on the whole child and meeting not only the academic needs, but also the social emotional well being of our students. One of the silver linings has been the ability to think more outside of the box in terms of staffing, instruction, assessment, and technology to best meet student needs. Could you share any advice or words of wisdom for those who might be considering an administrative role? Why should they make this professional leap? Every school deserves a caring educational leader who will be a champion for kids. You have the opportunity to have a greater impact on a school and community in becoming an administrator. Becoming involved in OAESA as an aspiring administrator is a great way to make connections and grow as an education leader through professional development.
“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.” -Simon Sinek
Highlighting an OAESA Hero!
THE BASICS FAMILY MEMBERS? My husband, Brent, is also an educator, and we have two children, Matthew (10), and Mason (6). PETS? Jack, a golden retriever puppy YEARS IN THE CLASSROOM? YEARS AS AN ADMINISTRATOR? Seven years in the classroom. 10 years as an administrator. EMERGENCY DESK FOOD? Diet Dr. Pepper and Peanut M&M’s FAVORITE MEMORY OF BEING IN THE CLASSROOM? Hands-on science excitement PERSONAL MANTRA? Love, serve, care BEST DECISION? Becoming a principal FAVORITE HOBBY? Reading #LeadersAreReaders UP NEXT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? Traveling anywhere after this pandemic! WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A STUDENT? Hardworking, curious, and goal-oriented FAVORITE OAESA EVENT? Professional Conference winter 2021
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Leading with Service at Your Center BY KARA JACKSON, ED.D.
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s I enter in through the school house doors each day, I am overwhelmed by the amazing opportunity I have as a building principal. I get to be the principal, and make an impact with my students, staff, and community members on a daily basis. Although I feel blessed to be a principal, there are challenges that meet me at every turn of the day. Some of these challenges are small and will be solved by the closing school bell. However, sometimes these challenges feel so insurmountable. I wonder if I will ever truly solve the challenges that really matter. How do I lead so that every student, staff member, and community member feels connected to our school community? How do I lead with compassion? With empathy? Furthermore, what matters with leadership? Is it the way that I put together the lunch schedule or is it the way that I make people feel in my building? Is there a preferred leadership style that will build a culture of compassion, empathy, and connection?
It may not come as a surprise to you that there are three main types of leadership styles that a veteran teacher is exposed to in the school environment. Principals can be classified as either servant leaders, transformational leaders, or transactional leaders. Servant leaders serve their school community. Transformational leaders transform their teachers to “live” the vision of the school. Transactional leadership is where the principal offers incentives to teachers when job requirements are met.
“When I think of all of the complex challenges that face a building principal, I realize it isn’t about having the right answers and solving all of the complex challenges by the end of the school day.”
Two years ago, I decided that I was going to try and get some answers to these complex challenges that really matter. I decided to focus my dissertation topic on effective leadership styles with the goal of understanding the complex challenges that face principals each and every day. I wanted to deeply understand the perspective of veteran teachers who have seen, witnessed, and endured many principals over the years. I wanted honest, raw, and real thoughts on principals who were effective and principals who were not so effective, and I wanted to validate these thoughts with research.
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After extensive research, I found that there is a time and place for all types of leadership styles. Both through research and my one-onone interviews, I discovered that there is not a one-size-fits-all leader for the school building. The most effective leaders are adaptable to the situations, and it is the leader’s ability to adapt that makes him or her so effective.
When you are trying to solve challenges that really matter, you must lead from the lens of a servant leader. Servant leaders listen intently, they listen to what is said and unsaid in order to identify the will of people. Servant leaders demonstrate empathy by assuming the best in others, and a servant leader has an uncanny ability to heal relationships for one’s self and one’s relationship to others. A servant leader is one who has great awareness of the complexities of ethics, power, value, and is also persuasive. A servant leader relies on their persuasion skills, not their position of authority (Spears, 2010). Servant leaders have an unwavering vision because they trust their followers and they understand the needs of the organization. Servant leaders have an altruistic passion for service. Servant leaders model that one needs to serve first, then lead. Servant leaders have the
unique ability to empower others and an understanding that service leads to leadership. Moreover, servant leaders have a leadership quality that allows them to lead without judgement of others, and this empowers a servant leader to better serve the organization (Shaw & Newton, 2015). My qualitative research study revealed that veteran teachers viewed effective principals as having a supportive presence. Veteran teachers shared that effective principals listen to their teachers, effective principals know that teacher’s experiences hold value, and effective principals were visible. Furthermore, veteran teachers shared that when hard decisions had to be made it was a collaborative effort between the building principal and the teacher. These are all characteristics of a servant leader. Building principals need to be servants to their school community. Effective building principals model the expectations of the organization by being actively visible in the hallways, in the classrooms, in parent meetings, and in professional development meetings. Effective building principals serve their students and their teachers through their daily interactions. As I reflect back on my dissertation journey, I will hold on tightly to
the lessons that I have learned from the veteran teachers in my study. They helped me to understand the value and the importance of my leadership style on the school community. Now, when I think of all of the complex challenges that face a building principal, I realize it is not about having the right answers and solving all of the complex challenges by the end of the school day. But instead, it is about being willing to listen, willing to learn, and willing to empower others to do what is best for the school community. It is about being a servant leader. References Shaw, J., & Newton, J. (2014). Teacher retention and satisfaction of servant leader as principal. Education, 135(1), 101-106. Spears, L. C. (2010). Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues and Leadership, 1(1), 25-30. Dr. Kara Jackson is the principal at Toll Gate Middle School and has served in this position since the 2011 school year. She previously taught language arts and reading the middle level. Dr. Jackson recently earned her doctoral degree in educational administration through SAIL for Education’s partnership with Concordia University Chicago.
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FROM THE DESK OF OAESA’S
Associate Executive Director How Do We Fix This?
Educators must carry the same unflinching resolve into 2021 BY MARK JONES
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et me be honest. Right now, this past year has left me feeling emotionally exhausted. And heart-broken. And, admittedly, confused about how we might begin to address the multiple, critical issues that have left the fabric of our society so frayed and tattered. Frankly, I’m in absolute awe that you, as school leaders, are still standing strong at your posts, guiding your staffs and students with a steady resolve. Trust me, you are part of the glue holding us all together. The fact that, as a country, we’ve endured four immense crises in a span of just twelve months, any one of which could have paralyzed a weaker nation, is nothing short of miraculous. The reality that we’re still not out of the woods, with any one of them, is quite sobering indeed. A global pandemic that is deadlier than anything we’ve faced in more than a hundred years. A resulting economic crisis that is leaving many millions on the verge of poverty. A disastrously polarized political environment in the midst of an incredibly contentious Presidential election year. And, perhaps most sadly of all, pervasive social unrest driven by a disgusting history of four centuries of blatant bigotry and racism toward our Black and brown brothers and sisters. Just breathtaking, huh? Considering the first three, each has presented us with horrific consequences that cannot be understated. At this writing, COVID has taken more than 360,000 lives in just our country alone, and nearly 2 million across the globe. Americans, who once contributed generously to food banks feeding the poor, now wait in long lines to receive donations themselves from these very same charities. Fortunes have been lost by our middle class. And the political divisiveness, pitting fellow citizens angrily against each other, has clearly threatened our very democracy. Yet, with time, patience, and a little trust in science, each of these beasts will eventually be tamed.
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So, that leaves us with the insidious scourge of racism. In an effort to find some comfort with this national disgrace, many will point to the slow but steady progress we’ve made as a society over the centuries at addressing this inequity. While this is true, the fact remains that systemic racism still haunts our culture. The question remains: How do we fix it? In light of the comments above, you might doubt my claim that I’m an optimist by nature. But I am, and nothing has changed that. Why? Because of you. Over the past many months, you, our school administrators, have demonstrated an unflinching commitment to step up and lead your communities through each of these pressures. You have adjusted schedules repeatedly in response to the ever-changing health crisis. You have delivered meals to home-bound students. You have coaxed nervous teachers through the technological challenges of remote learning, demonstrating resilience and flexibility along the way. You have assessed the many needs of your students, highlighted by the pre-existing inequities, and developed plans to address them. Through your careful guidance, you have shown that the urgent circumstances forced on our schools by the COVID pandemic can be mitigated effectively. To be sure, this was an unforeseen but terribly difficult challenge from out of left field. But together, with a spirit of resolve, you have proven your worth and ability. And soon, we’ll have this health crisis, and hopefully the economic fallout it brought, behind us. So, here is your ultimate challenge. With this same creativity, compassion, and commitment, you can turn your attention to flushing out and addressing the systemic racism and bias that remains to this day. It is in our schools. It is in our businesses. It is in our courts and our government, too. Acknowledging this reality is the first step to correcting it. But, if we are ever to realize that “more perfect union” visualized by our founding fathers, we must act. And the best place to begin is right here in our schools. After all, you’re in charge, so we have our best people working on it!
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editor’s note 2020 shined a bright light on crucial inequity issues in our schools
INEQUITY REVEALED
Inequity in schools, or society for that matter, is no surprise to students, educators, and administrators. For larger society, however, these issues are not at the forefront of their day-to-day routine and might not come to mind until an incident arises. In March, as the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to shutter for the year, everyday citizens were forced to examine the inequities that educators navigate and combat on a daily basis. Students were experiencing food insecurity, mental health issues, learning disparaties, and more as educators scrambled to cobble together a spring term as it happened. As we grappled with our new normal under COVID-19, another horrific normality presented itself. The death of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer ignited an anti-racist social justice movement that rippled through society. As Black citizens and their allies demonstrated and implored that the world take notice of this trend, we were again forced to confront some ugly truths about our societal systems and the patterns that endure through it. As we enter 2021, we are on a path to equity, but of course, this is a long way off. Regardless, the first step to change is admitting you have a problem. Then, take those realizations, seek education, make mistakes, try to be better, and actively work on improving the world for the marginalized students in our schools.
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feature story
Revealing Inequities Isn’t the Hard Work. Talking About Them Is. BY JEN SCHWANKE
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t takes a fair amount of courage for me to write about equity, equality, and inclusion. I fear I might say something wrong, and I don’t like saying things wrong. As a principal, there is an unspoken professional prerequisite to find the precise, exact words to reflect acceptance of all perspectives. On everything. It’s so ingrained that it’s practically unconscious. Principals aspire to offend no one. We speak with care, always seeking the appropriate tone, words, and body language to dissipate conflict. We shy away from taking an official stand on anything. We mediate. We say things like, “You are correct. And you are correct. You are all correct. Everyone is right. No one is wrong. Thank you for sharing your perspective. I understand.” Principals are excellent at finding the middle of the road— and helping others find it, too. But there is no middle ground with racism or inequity. Nor is there middle ground with making assumptions about the experience, background, perspective, or challenges of another human being.
forced muting, the kind of dismissal that has no place in conversations about human experiences, equity, feelings, and perspective. We can’t aspire to understand inequity if we continue to do what we profess to not do—judge, categorize, dismiss, and assume. There’s real danger there, because when we do those things, we are stealing the story from its owner. We aren’t listening. And when we don’t listen, we can’t gather and absorb perspectives beyond our own. Everyone carries a truckload of programming from their familial and childhood experiences. There are parts of us not visible to others, parts that bring pride or shame, parts we don’t speak about, parts that make us who we are and define our place in this world. It could be argued that most experiences don’t compare with experiences of systematic racial injustice, and I don’t disagree. I am not making the point that one yoke is heavier than another. My argument is more broad and more razor-sharp, all at once: We can’t assume to understand the weight or unwieldiness of any yoke being carried by any person. We shouldn’t try to tell a story that belongs to someone else.
“Principals are uniquely qualified to oversee this work at our schools, because we know what so many others are still learning: We can honor the story of one person while not telling or assuming the conclusion of someone else’s story.”
Not long ago, I was part of a conversation about microaggressions and implicit bias. A young woman in the group commented on a feeling she’d had as a child, one of being removed from a majority, of wanting to rage against something while simultaneously wanting to be part of it.
“How could you know about that?” her colleague scoffed, flicking his hand in the air. “You’re a white woman of privilege. You’ve never wanted for anything.” The young woman looked stunned. It was a conversation stopper, a
Our students all have their own story, and the accumulation of those student stories create a bigger story. It’s the story of our school and district as a broader organization. In their excellent leadership book, Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, Bolman and Deal say, “Stories are deeply rooted in the human experience. It is through story that we can see into each other’s souls, and apprehend the soul of the organization” (247). All the combined stories from all the students, teachers, and community come together to create a school’s soul. winter 2021
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In my district and building this year, we are doing significant professional development work around equity and inclusion. We are reading important texts about addressing racism. We’ve developed student, staff, and parent committees to study issues of inequity and exclusion. We are talking and listening and trying to prioritize a sense of belonging for each student and each story. It will require commitment and stretch. After all, we could have easily devoted every moment of our year’s PD to COVID-related instructional challenges, and those things are certainly important. But this year, priorities are as clear as glass. It’s time to talk about inequity. I have recently discovered the work of Menah Pratt-Clark, J.D., Ph.D. She has developed a Transdisciplinary Applied Social Justice (TAJS©) model, which she defines as “Afrocentric, praxis-oriented, theoretical, and methodological approach for addressing the marginalization, exclusion, and disenfranchisement of people of color, and women of color, in particular” (Pratt-Clark, 83). Pratt-Clark developed this model from the roots of her own compelling, heart wrenching, beautiful, painful story. She speaks of the importance of giving voice to those who have been traditionally silenced or marginalized. “Voice… has the potential to heal, to create new life, and to bring justice” (84). Inequity can’t lurk in silence if there are voices ready to be spoken and ready to be heard. Clark-Pratt acknowledges one of the challenges of speaking up are the “unwritten rules that control what can be said; what remains unsaid; and how we can say what we want to say” (85). Can we poise ourselves for this conversation by overcoming those unwritten rules? I think we can. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know what you mean by that.
Can you tell me more?” It’s okay to be flawed, to carry bias, to not know, to not have the right words. Revealing inequities isn’t the hard work. Talking about them is. Disagreement often feels like reprimand, but it shouldn’t; just because someone disagrees with us doesn’t make them wrong. Nor does it make us wrong. It simply means two people disagree. Disagreement isn’t a bad thing when used as a springboard toward mutual understanding. Principals are uniquely qualified to oversee this work at our schools, because we know what so many others are still learning: We can honor the story of one person while not telling or assuming the conclusion of someone else’s story. We know how to listen, and we know how to hear. It’s what we do every single day: Bring people together to listen, learn, grow, and lead change. References Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2013). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Pratt-Clarke, M. (2012). A Black woman’s search for the transdisciplinary applied social justice model: Encounters with Critical Race Feminism, Black Feminism, and Africana Studies. Jen Schwanke has been an educator for more than 22 years, teaching or leading at all levels. She is the author of The Principal Reboot and You’re the Principal! Now What? She is currently the principal at Indian Run Elementary in Dublin City Schools. You can contact Schwanke via email at jenschwanke@gmail.com and via Twitter at @Jenschwanke.
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feature story
Creating a Safe Environment for All Students BY MATT BRADLEY
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tudents deserve a safe and caring learning environment: this is one of the core beliefs that guides our work at Highland Local Schools in Morrow County. We aim to provide structure and expectations for positive adult and student behavior, as well as to model and communicate safety procedures and expectations within the classroom and building settings. The ultimate goal is that students genuinely enjoy coming to school and know it is a safe place to truly be themselves.
Prize winning psychologist/economist Daniel Kahneman and his team: participants place one hand in uncomfortably cold, but not dangerous, water. The first round, the submersion lasts for 60 seconds. The participant then dries off the hand and places the other hand in the same water for the second round. However, this time, the hand submersion lasts for 90 seconds, with the water temperature slowly rising for the final 30 seconds. The participant again dries off the hand, and then is asked a question: for the third round, which would you want to repeat, round one (60 second submersion) or round two (90 second submersion with the slowly rising temperature)? Guess which round the participants chose to repeat? Amazingly, it was the second submersion! Participants willingly chose to place their hand in uncomfortably cold water for an additional 30 seconds because their memory (what Kahneman calls the “remembering self ”) of the end of the second round was less unpleasant.
Not only do students deserve this safe and caring learning environment, we know how crucial it is for their well-being. Dr. Amy Edmondson, professor at Harvard Business School, has coined the term “psychological safety” to describe how a person will not be humiliated or teased for the ideas he or she offers, for asking questions, or for admitting one’s mistakes. In psychologically safe classrooms, students “In psychologically aren’t made to feel dumb or embarrassed, as safe classrooms, the whole class knows that asking questions and making mistakes is crucial to learning. If students aren’t made a student is humiliated for asking a question to feel dumb or or making a mistake, the brain interprets this as a threat, and the student is likely to embarrassed, as the either shut down or retreat into themselves. whole class knows However, when the student feels safe, his or her confidence rises and learning increases. that asking questions
When we design lessons and learning experiences that leave students feeling confident and excited to return to class the next day, their “remembering self ” feels positive. The psychologically safe environment, coupled with the positive end to the lesson, leaves the student feeling safe—even if they struggled during the lesson! These lessons are designed with personal interaction between teacher and student, whether that is with an individual check-in or a small group workshop.
One strategy we use at Highland Middle and making mistakes is School to create a psychologically safe crucial to learning.” environment is to provide every student with an adult mentor. From 7:30-8:00 each day, students meet in mentor At Highland Middle School, we utilize mentoring and lesson design groups of 15-18 classmates. During “mentor time,” students have to create psychological safety and positive experiences. Regardless of 1:1 check-ins with their mentors, set academic and personal goals, school or methods, however, all students deserve a safe and caring build community within their mentor groups, and discuss positive learning environment. Students’ backgrounds, circumstances, or behavior expectations. We utilize the small group setting to build levels of achievement do not and should not change this fundamental these positive relationships. We know that to create a safe and caring belief. learning environment, every student must be KNOWN (another one of our core beliefs). Resources Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The fearless organization: creating psychological Building on psychological safety and creating a safe environment, safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. Wiley & Sons. we can use lesson design as another way to make students feel Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. New York: Farrar, Straus safe. Specifically, how do students feel upon leaving the classroom? and Giroux. Are they excited about the learning that has taken place? Are they confident to work on either that day’s homework or the next concept? Matt Bradley is the principal of Highland Middle School in Morrow County. Or, are they beat-down and frustrated, and lacking confidence? How He has previously served as the assistant principal of Highland Elementary, a lesson concludes can play a large role. as well as spending nine years in the classroom as a middle-level language arts teacher. You can contact him via Twitter at @MrBradleyHMS. Consider this three-round experiment scenario conducted by Nobel winter 2021 19
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It’s Really About
Relationships
Now is a pivotal time for relationship-building with local non-profits and community-based organizations BY LAURA SCHNEBELEN
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elcome to the Neighborhood! Shortly after starting as principal of John Burroughs Elementary (Columbus City Schools), in fall of 2012, a plate of cookies arrived in the school office. A note welcomed me to the neighborhood and reminded me that Faith Community Church, a small building just down the street from my school, was beginning its afterschool tutoring program. As any first-year principal, I appreciated the gesture, shared the treats, and tended to the immediate issues at hand. In December, another plate of cookies arrived. This time I was able to briefly meet the bearer of these fantastic treats. Over the course of two years I met several members from Faith Community Church, and began to understand their vision. Faith Community leadership believes in direct community investment. Pastors Ben Douglass and Jeff Rowe live close to the church. They see themselves as members of the South-Central Hilltop community, and as a result, roughly 75% of their members are neighbors. That belief led them to reach out to me. I was a new member of the community, and they intended to welcome me to the neighborhood. This same process has been extended to others as they have joined South Central Hilltop.
Many schools maintain congenial relationships with local faith-based organizations. Volunteers provide tutoring, members bring holiday gifts for those in need. Some work with schools to support afterschool programs. All of these initiatives benefit the children and extend relationships between schools and nonprofits. John Burroughs and Faith Community lie in what one leader of a local non-profit notes as, “ground zero for the ills on the Hilltop.” A series published in September 2019 noted prostitution and illicit drug exchanges feet from school property and directly outside the church. For students principal navigator
The Site-Based Council Initiative In 2014 Columbus City School buildings were charged with the responsibility of developing site-based councils (SBCs). These committees would serve to bridge the gap between the school and the community. Already having worked with leaders at Faith Community and several other non-profits in the neighborhood, I invited them to join. John Burrough’s SBC provided an ongoing platform to share ideas, updates, and needs specific to the South-Central Hilltop neighborhood. Between 2014 and 2020, school personnel engaged with three churches, the school’s PTA, and our local library branch with the purpose of networking to support families in the neighborhood. Our collective efforts provided updates to quality local park equipment, preschool needs, homework help opportunities, food access, and family engagement.
“Relationships are slow to blossom; but, when they do, they are long-lasting.”
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attending John Burroughs, a strong relationship with leadership at Faith Community also helped to protect children from victimization and food insecurity, and supported children’s well-being outside school hours.
And Then Covid-19 Hit
On February 25, 2020, John Burroughs hosted our Multicultural Night. With grant funds obtained by the PTA, volunteers from supporting churches, school personnel, and a representative from the Hilltop Library welcomed families to the school and hosted activities celebrating the unique contributions of cultural groups represented within the school population. A science night was planned for April, but then COVID-19 hit. All non-profits in the area struggled during the spring. At John Burroughs, we struggled to provide access to education because many families lacked technology and internet. Linworth United Methodist, another partner in our SBC, struggled to distribute fresh produce
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because schools were no longer able to host events. Churches in the neighborhood struggled to support families as they battled food insecurity, illness, and the inability to educate their children. Although I communicated with representing members individually throughout the spring, the SBC did not meet in April or May. In hindsight, this was a mistake. Pastor Ben’s Vision In June, it became apparent that Columbus City Schools would not reopen “like normal.” Pastor Ben hosted a group of Hilltop faithbased and non-profit organizations with the goal of supporting schools. Through weekly Zoom meetings, program organizers shared their vision, discussed challenges, and posed questions. When schools opened in early September, The Faith Community Learning Extension Center (LEC) was ready to support children in South-Central Hilltop. Students were waitlisted and volunteers were ready to assist. With releases of information signed, school staff could easily communicate with LEC personnel to support children. Although attendance has ebbed and flowed at both John Burroughs and Faith Community, we both recognize that without the support of Faith Community, the children supported with the LEC would likely have faltered severely. A Call to Action Why did Faith Community open with a waitlist and maintain active volunteers? When asked this by another program organizer, Douglass noted, “It’s really about the relationships.” And he’s right. Families living in underserved neighborhoods struggle to meet the basic necessities of life, oftentimes in a frustratingly slow and less-thandignified manner. As a result, trust is earned, not given. Relationships are slow to blossom; but, when they do, they are long-lasting. During this difficult time, the relationships built between community leaders in the Hilltop are directly impacting families. Collaboration, even within an organization, can be challenging. Collaboration between organizations has even more hurdles, but intentional collaboration allows those organizations within the neighborhood to leverage services and support, as well as effectively communicate challenges and successes. Throughout winter, our students will face new and difficult challenges. Because of that, now is a pivotal time for relationshipbuilding with local non-profits and faith-based organizations. This year’s unusual school setting offers school personnel a unique opportunity to support families and build trusting relationships. In the spring, I focused my efforts within the school. At the time, it was most needed. Now I recognize just how important those communitybased relationships are, too. Laura Schnebelen has served as principal of Burroughs Elementary in Columbus City Schools for eight years. A school-wide focus on instructional practice has built staff capacity through professional development and professional dialogue focused on continual growth. Collaboration within the South-Central Hilltop neighborhood continues to expand in support of families. You can contact the author via email at lschnebe@columbus.k12.oh.us.
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feature story
Exposing the Inequities of Groupthink BY PAUL G. YOUNG, PH.D.
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wenty years ago, during the process of hiring new teachers, it became a recommended practice for principals to assemble a team of veterans from the staff, conduct group interviews, and work to achieve consensus about recommendations for employment. In my mind, that process usually produced outcomes that identified good candidates, yet it often weeded out the superstars. It seemed that the veterans, responding as part of their group, preferred candidates who would not outshine them or choose a path of action contrary to what the group preferred. They wanted a safe, known quantity, often someone who knew someone who knew someone. Even though there was acknowledgement that we valued independent thinking, understood team building practices, and valued individual differences1, we often fell in line with the thinking of our “groups” and succumbed to the inequities of our less than desirable decisions and outcomes.
Humans possess a strong need to belong. Groups can guide and sustain us but sometimes constrain us. We can benefit from belonging to groups and associations of professional colleagues, yet when differing viewpoints develop and conflicts are left to fester, people can feel ostracized. Increasing levels of stress lead to depression, confused thinking, and even aggression. Now, in 2020, it is evident that the inequities of “groupthink” within the education community are flourishing to an extent more prevalent than since the term was coined by psychologist Irving Janis in 1972.2 Inequities of thought, because of their inadequacy, pose a danger to the future health and welfare of public education.
“If your staff does not have differences of opinion, there is a good chance there is prevalent groupthink. If nobody is speaking up, somebody probably needs to.”
Groupthink and consensus are quite different concepts. Groupthink is easy. Consensus is hard. Consensus requires intentional effort. Groupthink is concealed and often not acknowledged. You may not realize you are operating with groupthink mentality, but when you are struggling to achieve consensus, you know it. Consensus is a byproduct of conflict. If your staff does not have differences of opinion, there is a good chance there is prevalent groupthink. If nobody is speaking up, somebody probably needs to.
The Causes of Groupthink According to experts (social psychologists who study concepts like groupthink), the constructs of peer pressure, lack of diversity, suppressed thought, minimized creativity, and stereotyping of outsiders are among the leading social factors that often drive groupthink.
During the era of COVID-19, it should be evident to observers that decisions to open or close schools have been influenced and heavily driven by the peer pressure of teacher unions. Practices have been uniformly forced upon schools and individuals because of politically influenced decision making. As a result, the inequities of opportunity for students have been exposed. Those unjust issues are numerous, expanding, and include, among others, a lack of
Read Kingdomality, by Sheldon Bowles, Richard Silvano, & Susan Silvano, 2005, New York: Hyperion, for a quick, insightful book with strategies for building a team of staff members with diverse personalities and learning styles. 2 The theory of groupthink was first developed by the social psychologist Irving Janis in a 1972 study, Victims of Groupthink: A Psychological Study of Foreign-Policy Decisions and Fiascoes. He was attempting to determine why groups of highly intelligent individuals often made bad decisions and how group behaviors, biases, and pressures affected group decision making. 1
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access to technologies in under-resourced communities, increased cases of trauma, deficiencies of social-emotional development, and inattentiveness to the tenets of civic wellness. Many other examples exist, but rather than consider solutions to the symptoms, too often people succumb to decisions and directives from outside groups. The independent, free thinking of individual school leaders and their constituents gets overlooked or ignored. Uniform directives from external groups often do not work well because, just like the needs of kids, communities and schools differ greatly. Empowering decision-making at a more localized level can achieve more effective buy-in and ownership of outcomes. Alternative thinking and consensual exchange, if it exists, is ineffectual if individuals, hiding behind the façade of their groups, try to cheat those with whom they disagree to maximize their personal gain. Unfortunately, education has always been subjected to and impacted by politics. The pandemic has exposed the inequities of public reason. To have lasting, positive effect, political decisions should be justifiable, acceptable, and endorsed from each differing viewpoint. This also implies that the leaders shaping policies possess a high level of moral and ethical character. COVID-19 has laid bare the injustices and inadequacies of our nation’s competing political philosophies. Moreover, regardless of whatever external factors may be at play, injustice within a school can become exacerbated if there is weak leadership, blocking of initiatives, groupthink, or a lack of regard for authority. A Reality for Principals How effectively principals build the foundation for authority, display it, and earn respect for its enforcement during challenging times influences success or failure. An example of a weak foundation and breakdown can be highlighted by an inequitable handling of disciplinary incidents involving boys, who often rebel against authority, creating persistent and growing problems in desperate need of solutions. Yet, because of inadequacy of thought and attention to other societal concerns, many groups can only focus on addressing symptoms rather than solutions. Troubled boys will become increasingly bitter if they receive no help in becoming better. Worldwide, boys are 50 percent less likely than girls to meet basic proficiency in reading, math, and science and experience more mental health issues. When they become young men, their suicide rates increase six times that of girls.3 Too many misdirected adult males struggle to find an identity and purpose in life. Their individual, specific needs expose a myriad of differing symptoms for principals to deal with, all in search of unique solutions unlikely to be discovered from groupthink. 3
Perhaps most serious among the more generalized symptoms exhibited by boys is the lack of respect for authority. In recent months, young people have watched public protests (and riots) on all media platforms. Groupthink, and misguided political correctness, has promoted an erosion of societal admiration of police and the promotion of civic wellness that reflects an ethical respect for right and wrong, law and order. When young kids, especially the boys, act out their anger and hurt in dangerous forms in schools, and teachers call upon principals for assistance, how will those watching you (parents, teachers, students, the community) react?
and disciplinary actions?
There should be correlated methods - upstream thinking - between how principals deal with misbehavior of kids and police deal with adult criminals. But if prevailing groupthink that seems to celebrate victimhood is further allowed to erode respect for police, how long will it be until that same focus and thinking is turned upon your decisions
Principals must be respected as the school’s authority figure. Boys (and girls) will display attitudes and behaviors that expose the inequities (symptoms) that society’s traumatic forces have created. Are you willing and prepared to lead changes to the systems and cycles of response that will hopefully eliminate those behavioral symptoms? And will your staff (and community) stand with you and support whatever you do? Or will your actions and leadership be held back by the inadequacy and inequity of groupthink? People will respect authority - yours, or that of others - if they see a positive example being modeled. Principals’ daily actions must show respect for and teach what is expected regarding positive attitude and behavior, self-awareness, self-management, responsibility, and social awareness. Principals have a duty to teach the foundational ideologies of civic wellness, a great antidote for combatting chaos and inequity of opportunity. Ways to Avoid Groupthink Effective principals embrace a common understanding of decisionmaking, one that is rational, self-interested, purposeful, studentfocused, and efficient to address the needs of individual schools. They consider as many alternatives as possible for every decision they must make, evaluate potential consequences of those alternatives, then do what is best for students, staff, community stakeholders, and themselves. The more information gathered and synthesized, the better their decisions will be.
Recommend reading The Boy Crisis by Warren Farrell, Ph.D., and John Gray, Ph.D.
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The following strategies can be used to avoid the entrapments of groupthink: • Plan for it. The contrast between consensus and groupthink should be taught as part of your professional development. Agree on ways to monitor and reduce emerging groupthink. It is preferable to tackle the problem head on rather than ignore it. • Celebrate the role of devil’s advocate. Encourage the open discussion of opposing viewpoints to break up the norms of groupthink agreement. Enable fact-based and well-researched, dissenting opinion, without negative consequences. Reward those who will speak up when it is unpopular to do so. • Break up large groups. Groupthink thrives in large groups. When people are away from the peer-pressure of the large audience, smaller groups tend to tolerate dissenting viewpoints and facilitate more open-ended discussions more effectively. • Foster diversity. Obviously, rational decisions cannot be made by ignoring gender and ethnicity. But principals must consider other obvious factors, such as socioeconomics, intellectual diversity, differing personalities (read Bowles, Silvano & Silvano), and the perspectives of those with an arts, sports, and other extracurricular viewpoint.
During frigid times of the year, we know that the rubbing of hands creates friction which causes heat and comfort from the bitterness of polar-like weather. Similarly, a rub of ideas can be a good thing, creating an energy needed to drive new ways of thinking and seeing the world in unique ways. Living in a world where everyone thought the same way would be dull and cold. Principals must always be the leader of thinking and learning. Consider and evaluate opposing points of view and acknowledge your own biases and susceptibilities of blindness toward brewing problems. Leadership impacts the symptoms of groupthink by enhancing or alleviating them. If you make the choice to deliberately connect and interact with your colleagues, acknowledge differing perspectives, challenge your thinking and that of others by creating a rub, you will better equip yourself to effectively deal with any situation you encounter and lead your schools to success.
there could be a good likelihood of groupthink. A culture where healthy conflict is respected is much better.”
There are no easy answers or scripted plans of action for leading schools during times of crisis. But you can always stay aware and alert to the emergence of groupthink among your staff, and yourself, in times of crisis or not. Those symptoms include complacency, stereotyping, censorship, loss of objectivity, and insistence to hide behind the façade of a unified front. You must encourage and facilitate respectful debate of differing points of view. Whatever you do, you can always expect critics who will resist your leadership. If everyone loves you, there could be a good likelihood of groupthink. A culture where healthy conflict is respected is much better. Always principal navigator
Summary
“If everyone loves you,
• Foster upstream thinking. Read Dan Heath’s new book, Upstream, and learn how to avoid getting stuck within ineffective cycles of response. When principals and their constituents operate within silo mentalities, it is easy to become blinded and oblivious to serious problems and inequities of thought and opportunity. Upstream thinking focuses on fixing the systems that cause the problems.
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stay above the frays that develop, and avoid the trap of allowing your personal opinions or political positions to be known.
About the Author Dr. Paul G. Young’s career has spanned nearly 50 years as a music teacher, Lancaster elementary school principal, afterschool program director, and an adjunct professor at Ohio University-Lancaster. He served as president of the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and as President & CEO of the National AfterSchool Association (NAA). He is the author of numerous books and articles for principals, teachers, aspiring teachers, and afterschool professionals. He is a frequent presenter at OAESA, NAESP, Ohio Music Education Association and Ohio Afterschool Network conferences. He can be reached at paulyoungohio@gmail.com and on Twitter at @paulyoungohio.
Recommended Reading Bowles, S., Silvano, R., & Silvano, S. (2005). Kingdomality: An Ingenious New Way to Triumph in Management. New York: Hyperion. Farrell, W., & Gray, J. (2018). The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, Inc. Heath, D. (2020). Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen. New York: Avid Reader Press, Simon and Schuster.
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Building Teacher Emotional Resiliency BY KERI LEINDECKER, ESQ.
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hio school districts have done a nice job implementing the social and emotional learning standards and working to build valuable competencies in students. This is a great start, but we cannot forget about teachers! The ever-increasing demands on teachers has led to frustration and even burnout. Supporting teachers’ mental health needs is now more important than ever. Here are a few small things that administrators can do to help cultivate emotional resilience in teachers. Reflecting on Success In any school there are always new challenges to overcome and problems to solve, which can feel exhausting. Often, the same teachers are volunteering for committees and giving their own time and energy to move projects forward. One way to build teacher resiliency is taking time to acknowledge and praise the successes of the staff. This practice reinforces the value of those contributions and shows appreciation to those who made it happen. Countless school issues have been overcome and problems creatively solved without any fanfare. Usually this is because we need to quickly move on to the next issue that needs to be addressed. Taking time to reflect on success and share gratitude can motivate staff and boost morale. This can be done by celebrating a past success, big or small, at the start of each meeting. Any of the following forms of praise can increase staff motivation and engagement: a thank you note, a shout out, a piece of candy with a note, or a token for a free lunch. These gestures remind teachers that what they do matters, and that they make our schools better every day. Developing Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is incredibly important in the field of education. Teachers are passionate about their profession and care deeply about their students. Due to this personal investment along with the high levels of stress that teachers experience, it is inevitable that teachers need to effectively cope with many emotions. Developing stronger emotional intelligence will give teachers the tools to manage their emotions and lead to happier and more resilient teachers. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and respond to your own emotions and to recognize and respond to the feelings of the people around you. The first step is to recognize your emotions and make a conscious decision on how to best respond. Once you can identify what you are feeling and name it, you need to use self-control to respond in a socially acceptable manner. To get started, ask staff members to explore their own experiences and discuss a time when they have allowed a negative emotion to drive their behavior. This can be done
as a pair-share conversation, or if staff members would be more comfortable, hypotheticals on notecards work well, too. As a follow up, consider asking teachers to log their emotions over time or provide a self-evaluation to help them continue to build self-awareness. There are plenty of great resources online. The second step in cultivating emotional intelligence is to develop the ability to understand and respond to the feelings that others are experiencing. Empathy, the ability accurately to view experiences from another person’s perspective, is key. As an administrator, modeling empathy every day is essential. This can be done by asking caring questions, being an active listener, and sharing random acts of kindness. Empathy activities for teachers could include practice interpreting body language, sharing a book and discussing the characters’ levels of emotional intelligence, pair-share real life examples, or role play exchanges with and without empathy. There are also plenty of great clips online that can be used from the Pixar movie Inside Out. It is a fun and easy way to start dialogue and increase empathy awareness. This topic would also be quite worthy of a book study. Developing high levels of empathy among teachers will lead to less conflict and greater acceptance and kindness. Reducing Stress Relieving teacher stress seems like an impossible task, but there are many small things administrators can do to reduce stress. Incorporating brief playful and creative activities during meetings or professional development can alleviate stress. Giving teachers time to work together on a scavenger hunt, a unique project or craft, or creating a fun video can reduce stress and improve relationships. Encouraging teachers to use simple strategies to clear their minds may help them develop positive mental health habits. These can include breathing strategies, mindfulness activities, yoga, or walking with a colleague. By utilizing these habits regularly, teachers will feel better and have greater focus. Adding in goal setting and tracking for these healthy habits will invite even greater success. Helping teachers to build their emotional resiliency can increase staff morale and lead to healthier and happier teachers.It is worth it! Keri Leindecker is the pre-K through 2nd grade principal at James A. Garfield Elementary School in Portage County. She has been in education for 23 years and has administrative experience with preschool through eighth grade. Prior to becoming a principal, she spent 6 years teaching middle-level language arts. You can contact the author via email at kerileindecker@gmail.com and via her Twitter account at @JAG_ELEM. winter 2021
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feature story
The Ultimate Design Challenge
Redesigning our schools to meet the needs of students, staff amidst a global pandemic
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BY FELECIA EVANS
hese are all our children, we will either profit by, or pay for whatever they become.” This James Baldwin quote is one of my favorite quotes and speaks to the need to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all of our students. This pandemic has affected us all both personally and professionally, it has challenged our staff, and has impacted our students and their families in profound ways.
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As an elementary school principal, I hold a deep-seated belief that all children deserve a school community that ensures their success, and by investing in our children we can fulfill the promise of our great nation. As school leaders, we are facing the ultimate design challenge: How do we redesign our schools to meet the needs of students and staff in a global pandemic? I have been a school administrator for 13 years, I have faced many challenges in that time, but never have I had to completely redesign a school in a matter of months. In working with the other elementary principals in my district and my Lander school leadership team, we designed our plan for this school year based on several core principles including relationships, flexible instructional design, and eliminating barriers. Relationships Building and maintaining positive relationships with our students and their families is a core value at our school. In order to accomplish this in the midst of this pandemic and bouncing between remote learning and in-person learning, there are several things that we put in place. First, we started the school year with one-on-one meetings with all of our students and their learning guardians. We did this either in-person, using social distancing or via Zoom, depending on the preference of the family. This meeting allowed our teachers to introduce themselves, share our approach to instruction, discuss how we can meet their child’s needs and also gave the guardians a chance to share details about their children and their individual situations. A second way we have prioritized relationships is through the implementation of a morning meeting and a closing circle. Our teachers employ a responsive classroom, trauma-informed approach to their classrooms. The teachers start each morning with a meeting, at this meeting they greet one another, the students share what is
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happening with them, they do an engaging activity and end with a morning message that transitions into the learning goals for the day. We find that this time helps to ease students into the school day, helps us learn more about each other, model and practice social skills, and set up a positive learning routine. We end each day with a closing circle, during this time we reflect on the learning for the day, preview the next day and answer any lingering questions. This time allows a predictable end to the school day and teaches the students how to reflect on their learning. A third way in which we prioritize relationships is by scheduling student lunch and recess with their classroom teacher. In addition to supporting social distancing by not having students in large groups, this has also created a time during the school day, which is low pressure, non-academic, and a chance to model and promote positive social interactions. Previously lunch and recess was a common time in which students had difficulty and struggled with appropriate decision making. This time has now been transformed into a time in which students and their teachers genuinely take time to enjoy each other, play games, and get some physical activity and fresh air, which is important to the wellbeing of everyone. We are able to set up lunch bunches with our remote learners as well, to help keep them feeling connected socially, to their peers. A fourth way in which we prioritize relationships is by using our after school staff meeting as a time for open office hours with teachers. Instead of holding our traditional staff meetings for the first few weeks, we prioritized our teachers’ time to meet with families. This late afternoon time was reserved for staff to have an open Zoom meeting and invite families in to ask questions, get updates, and share challenges. As a school leader, I had to find other ways to accomplish our typical staff meeting business but by freeing up this late afternoon time, our teachers were more available to families outside the traditional school hours. Lastly, we find that prioritizing clear and consistent communication, especially in this day and age of so much misinformation, has helped to strengthen the relationships with our families and community. Starting in July, I began sending weekly letters to our school
community to let them know where we were at with the planning process for opening of school and what things they can begin to expect as we start the school year. Additionally, upon reopening, I created a Family Handbook which has quick access to everything that they may need from bus information to lunch information, in one place for ease of access. I also create daily video announcements that the teachers play each morning as a part of our morning meetings, which help to celebrate all students, share things that are happening and make them feel connected to school. Lastly, I send a weekly digital newsletter at the end of each week with important updates, ongoing items, and updates from our Parent Group. All of these consistent and timely communications allow for transparency and helps to build trust with our community. Flexible Instructional Design Personalized learning is certainly a buzz word in education; however, the Mayfield City Schools has embraced a comprehensive approach, which we call our All-Access model of instruction. All-Access instruction does not happen without the commitment from amazing teachers who go above and beyond for our students. We believe that all students, in every classroom, should have access to deep and authentic learning opportunities that allow them to use both content and foundational knowledge to find and solve problems, create, collaborate, think critically, and communicate thoughtfully. We employ this model through a workshop style approach, in which core content is taught through mini-lessons and multiple exposures, and students are provided customized learning experiences through small group and one-on-one sessions with their teachers.
keeping our Roomies and our Zoomies with the same teacher has also come in allowing students the flexibility to stay home if they are feeling under the weather. Families simply contact the school, let us know that their children aren’t feeling well enough to come to school, but can still learn from home, and the learning continues. Additionally, we have even had occasions where a teacher isn’t feeling well enough to come into school and they were able to Zoom into their classroom and teach from home, this flexibility protects the health of everyone. Relying on digital tools to help supplement instruction and provide personalized interventions is another pillar of our All-Access classrooms. We primarily rely on Lexia Core 5, Dreambox and Zearn as ways to support the different learning needs of our students. These adaptive programs help us target interventions and extensions tailored to the needs of our students. As a school leader, these tools also help me have a 30,000 foot view of how our students are learning and reflect on data with our teachers. Lastly, we have redesigned the role of our Paraprofessionals to be academic coaches for our students that need the most support. We took a look at our data and identified students who needed extra support, especially our Zoomies. Each Paraprofessional now has a caseload of students that they check in with each day, they set goals, provide interventions and work with the teachers and students as additional support to make sure that they are learning at the highest levels.
“As an elementary school principal, I hold a deep-seated belief that all children deserve a school community that ensures their success, and by investing in our children we can fulfill the promise of our great nation.”
We have pivoted between all remote instruction and in-person instruction this school year. When we returned to in-person instruction, 5 days a week, families were given the opportunity to keep their children in remote learning. As a school, we made the difficult decision to keep the students with their same teacher, first and foremost because of our core belief that relationships matter most and secondly, because our All-Access teaching model can support this type of teaching. Our teachers have taken on the challenge of concurrently teaching their remote students (which we call our Zoomies) and our in-person students (which we call our Roomies). We were able to support this model because of our foundation of All-Access teaching and learning. Our recent instructional data is showing that our Zoomies and our Roomies are still learning at high levels. Anecdotally, families and students have, for the most part, been pleased with our flexible learning model. An added benefit of
Eliminating Barriers
Equity is another buzz word that is floated around in education. Throughout this pandemic, we have seen the gaps widen for some of our most vulnerable students. As a Title 1 elementary school, we have seen a disproportionate effect on our students and families. Oftentimes we think of equity with the narrow lens of giving “more” to students that need it. Another important component of equity work is eliminating barriers that are within our reach. At Lander, there are several ways in which we work to eliminate barriers. The first way in which we did this was to give each student AND staff member a device to support their teaching and learning. Additionally, we partnered with a local nonprofit to provide wifi hotspots for families that were in need. By simply eliminating the access barrier, we were able to see a huge increase in the engagement of our students.
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Another way in which we worked to eliminate barriers was to partner with the local daycares that support many of our students. When we learned that we would be starting the school year remotely, we knew that it would not be feasible for every child to be learning at home. I personally reached out to every daycare, shared with them our school schedule, instructional model and instructional resources. I even visited a few local daycares to help them set up their learning spaces and talk through how their staff could support our students. Educators know that access to meals is a huge part of a successful learning day, when children are hungry, they simply cannot learn at the highest levels. The Mayfield City Schools has partnered with the USDA to provide free breakfast and lunch to any student that needs it. We operationalized this at the District level to ensure that both our Roomies and our Zoomies are able to get access to meals regardless of their ability to pay. This commitment to meeting the basic nutritional needs of our students is something that I am hopeful can continue into subsequent school years. The social-emotional needs of our students and families is also a growing area of need that many school leaders are experiencing right now. We have partnered with the Bellefaire Agency which provides our students and families with therapy and other wrap-around services to address these needs. We have a school-based therapist that provides therapy to identified students. This therapist also works with classroom teachers to identify ways to support students in and out of the classroom. We work with our staff to look at student “misbehavior� as a form of communication, allowing us to problem solve to determine the antecedents to various situations, help students repair any harm that they may have caused and support students in learning coping skills and other communication skills to help them be successful in various environments. The role of the principal is multifaceted and can often seem impossible, especially in the middle of a pandemic, I have found myself wearing even more hats than ever before and pre-pandemic I thought I was wearing a lot. By focusing on our fundamental core values and having a clear vision for meeting the needs of each and every student, we know that these early investments will pay dividends in the end. An overdue shift has occurred in our system and we are educating a new generation of children. These children will grow up to be inventors, problem solvers, and resilient citizens, and our society will ultimately profit from this investment and from what they become. Felecia Evans is the principal at Lander Elementary School in Mayfield Heights and serves on the Board of Directors for OAESA as the Minority Representative. Creating and supporting school environments where all kids thrive is her passion. You can contact Evans via email at fevans@mayfieldschools.org and via Twitter at @eduleadinglady.
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feature story
Seven Misconceptions About Unconscious Bias BY EVE MILLER, PH.D.
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nconscious biases are, well, unconscious, which makes them hard to identify, much less know their true impact. It’s a complex and sometimes controversial issue. Is it any wonder that there are so many misconceptions around what to do? Before you can take steps to operate more fairly and effectively as a school leader, you need to get your bearings. Misconception #1: Most unconscious bias is around gender and race There may be visible school or district-wide efforts to counter bias around gender and race to promote equity. However, gender and race are far from the whole landscape. We also have biases based on people’s age/generation (e.g., Millennials), socioeconomic status, family/domestic status (e.g., married, parent), nationality, language, veteran status, culture, sexuality, weight, height, physical ability, attractiveness, political affiliation, level of education, religion, hair color and even seemingly mundane characteristics, like how messy someone’s desk is or how powerful they look in their chair. This doesn’t mean you can or should monitor every thought and action for bias against every kind of person. However, you can revisit the overall fairness of your procedures and decision-making a regular basis (maybe once every quarter or 6 months), helping build a more inclusive culture. Misconception #2: Bias is all about disliking certain groups Bias, it’s just as often- if not more so- about unintentionally favoring certain groups, regardless of whether they’re more deserving. Often these groups are the ones we belong to or are favored by society, or, much less frequently, are disadvantaged groups that some people push a little too hard to favor in attempt to right society’s wrongs. To surface your biases, you need to examine whom you might be biased towards (inclined to favor), not just whom you might be biased against (inclined to overlook, avoid, or harm). Which groups you
might unknowingly be favoring? Even considering this question can help you check your assumptions, as can meeting different types of people who change your expectations of what’s possible. Consider an educator’s day-to-day instructional practice. Even when teachers believe they are dividing their time and attention equitably among genders, research shows that teachers are more likely to call boys up to the front of the class to demonstrate and more likely to direct their gaze toward boys while asking open-ended questions. Misconception #3: I can’t do anything about my unconscious bias If you care about how biases affect you and the people around you, then you’re already on your way. Researchers find one of the best predictors of whether people can reduce their biases is simply whether they have the desire to. Here are additional ways to overcome biases: Learn more about your colleagues, students, and families in your school community. Unconscious biases often result from your brain taking shortcuts based on what you assume to be true. So there is perhaps no better way to challenge biases than by learning more about the individuals you work with and different kinds of people in general. Take time to gauge people’s true interest and ambitions, and intentionally build relationships with students and adults whose backgrounds differ from yours. Create fair-minded processes for things you tend to do off-thecuff. Rather than impromptu delegation, determine who’s really best for the task. Also, ensure you’re giving the right amount and type of feedback to staff and students. Team up to disrupt bias-prone educational practices. For example, you could work with other diversity-minded school leaders to recruit diverse teaching candidates or explore best practices to winter 2021
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cultivate a culture of equitable instruction. Misconception #4: Unconscious bias is so subtle that anyone hurt by it is being too sensitive Instances of unconscious bias can be so subtle—and in some cases hard to discern whether bias was even a play—that when others point it out, we accuse them of being too sensitive, too soft, or too quick to blame bias for everything. The people accused of being too sensitive often aren’t upset about, say, a single instance of being talked over in a meeting, but rather about years of dealing with the litany of similar slights. Acts of bias can add up. A 90-minute commute may only be bothersome at first, but the true cost becomes apparent over time, after missing out on family dinners or learning opportunities. If you are unsure why someone is distressed about bias, try asking for the person’s perspective before passing judgement. Misconception #5: People are talking about unconscious bias because conscious bias isn’t much of an issue anymore Bias, prejudice, and discrimination in all their many forms, are still an ever-present reality in schools. Seventy percent of LGBTQ+ students experience verbal harassment just for identifying as LGBTQ+. The stress and trauma that harassed LGBTQ+ students encounter impacts achievement. They are three times as likely to miss school, have lower grade point averages, are twice as likely to report that they do not plan to pursue any post-secondary education, have lower selfesteem and school belonging, and higher levels of depression.
how the bias makes you feel. For example: “I’m sure you didn’t mean it this way, but when you called my workshop a ‘little presentation’ it made me feel like you don’t value it as much as those by others on the team.” Team up to amplify your voice. That might mean banding together with colleagues to advocate for more diversity and inclusion initiatives in your school or district. When you effectively confront bias, you create a space where we are all valued and able to contribute our best. Misconception #7: Being an ally means my biases are more in check If you care about social justice, you might brand yourself an ally, someone doing their part. If so, there’s a decent chance your biases really are more in check. Still, there are plenty of pitfalls lurking for allies, such as: Using unbiased language as license to avoid questioning yourself. In the U.S., this is known as the “I have black/gay/disabled friends” defense, which can lead to complacency. Researchers find that, ironically, thinking of times when you were biased tends to temporarily lower your guard against bias.
Misconception #6: It’s never worth responding when you’re the target of bias in the workplace
Assuming a level of comfort that’s unprofessional. Maybe outside of work you have a diverse set of close friends who joke about weight, mental health, race, and culture. That doesn’t mean such jokes are, or ever will be, appropriate in a school or professional setting. Overcompensating. This is the ally with a figurative megaphone, taking every opportunity to shout, “I am an ally!” While publicly expressing your support helps sets a tone of inclusion, it can be overdone. One educator, who is gay told us about a colleague who seems intent on talking about LGBTQ issues with him, to the point where “other people have commented on it, asking why she always asks me only about gay things.”
In many cases, reacting to bias carries enough political risk that many feel all they can do is vent to a trusted colleague or significant other or let it go. Those are perfectly OK responses if they’re what’s best for your situation.
Overly attributing behaviors to bias. While bias is everywhere, so is effort, luck, ability, absent-mindedness, and a slew of other factors that affect workplace outcomes. It’s important to remind yourself that there can be multiple things going on at once, versus just one.
In a recent survey, several people expressed regret that they hadn’t done more. One individual, recalling a potentially sexist comment from her supervisor, said, “I decided it was too risky to press further. I wish I had anyway, or come up with a way to do that without putting him on the defensive.”
The lesson: An ally’s work is never done.
To some, by comparison, unconscious bias may not seem as serious. However, to some it may be. Because we aren’t aware they’re happening, unconscious biases can sneak in and lead to systemic biases like hiring disparities and pay gaps. The point is they’re all worth striving to overcome, and a lot of the same tips and tactics can be used for both purposes.
You do have options, and considering them can help you determine your best course of action. If you decide to respond, here are two options that may be effective: Speak up by telling the person how bias impacts you. Since most people don’t intend to be biased, calling out someone as such, even when you’re right, likely won’t be well received - and it can increase the risk you take on. More effective: assume best intent and share
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For additional information about how we can help your school or district identify your unconscious biases and increase diversity, equity, and inclusion, please email Adriana Berger at adriana.berger@ franklincovey.com. Dr. Eve Miller has a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Utah. She is the director of research for FranklinCovey Education and an adjunct instructor at the University of Utah. Her real research passion is in education as she is humbled and inspired by the daily work of teachers and wants to provide them with the best tools and knowledge. She believes that when a teacher is empowered with effective paradigms and practices she/he will be a force for good in the lives of her/his students.
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What is Learning?
Redesigning our schools to meet the needs of students, staff amidst a global pandemic BY CARRIE J. SANCHEZ
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hat an awesome time we live in. What an awesome time we teach in. What an amazing opportunity we have to change the scope of education in remarkable and impactful ways.
comprehension (learning) can be demonstrated at all levels. More importantly, comprehension will look different for all different kinds of learners. The last year has forced educators across the country to wrestle with the question, “What does learning look like now?” Let In our school we spend a great deal of time talking about the us be brave enough to answer that question with, “It will look different, ideas of comprehension versus compliance. That, I believe, is the and that is ok.” future of education. We, as humans, Encourage your teachers to find ways authentically and deeply learn through for students to demonstrate application applicable experience. Knowledge is of learning in new and creative derived from the actual experience ways. Perhaps this is by giving fewer which includes practical contact. We, assignments. Perhaps this is by assigning /’l rniNG/ as educators, are charged with the task fewer points. Encourage your teachers noun of creating meaningful experiences in to reevaluate how they are utilizing their the acquisition of knowledge or skills through virtual and hybrid settings in a world time. Encourage them to find efficient experience, study or being taught that is constantly chirping, “Kids need ways to assess what their students to get off those screens!” know and where they need extra help and support. One of my favorite tools Meaningful learning. Let us focus our is Flipgrid. I love watching students thinking here. explain to their teacher what they /’näl j/ know, what they understand, and what noun We must remember that compliance is facts, information, and skills acquired by a person they comprehend—all in a few short not learning. Compliance is “getting it minutes! through experience or education done.” Compliance is going through the motions. Compliance is meaningless. I love it when my teachers ask students Some of you may be getting ready to create a foldable or a Venn diagram to respond with: “But compliance is and submit a picture of the product important because that is how students from home. What an awesome way to /ik’spirē ns/ learn to follow rules and procedures.” incorporate all of those tactile activities noun Rules and procedures are a ten minute that we know engage young minds. Even practical contact with and lesson with ongoing consistency in better, it is a manageable assessment for observation of facts or events expectations and follow through. Let’s teachers to evaluate. be brave enough to dive much deeper into this thinking and build the future we want for education. That brings me to assessments and feedback. In this very unusual school year, feedback is a full time job. Teachers who are instructing Comprehension represents all of the Depth of Knowledge (DoK) in online or hybrid settings are struggling with feedback in ways they levels of learning. From recall to application to strategy to synthesis, have never experienced before. Connecting with students and parents
learn·ing
knowl·edge
ex·pe·ri·ence
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is significantly more difficult, no matter what devices and connectivity are available. Students do not know how to use email. Students do not know how to talk on telephones. And do not even get me started on the Zooms/Google Meets that are focused on the tops of foreheads and at ceilings! Please work with your teachers to compassionately and intentionally learn to meet students where they are in regards to feedback. Encourage teachers to intentionally learn the value systems of their students. Develop meaningful relationships and practices that make teacher feedback mean something to their students. A three-minute phone call to a student may feel like a waste of time to a teacher when all they hear is “uh-huh,” but the words of the teacher and the sound of their voice may mean the world to a student. As school leaders we must support and encourage our teachers in ways we never have before. We must create safe places for teachers and students to “fail forward.” Encourage your teachers to give themselves grace and not expect every lesson and experience to be perfect. Allow your teachers the freedom to change their minds, scrap a lesson, or start over. Push your teachers to connect with their students in fresh and innovative ways. Since the onset of remote learning I have thought constantly about the simple question: “What is learning?” Through all of the turmoil and uncertainty that has permeated our schools and communities in the last year, I feel that ‘learning’ has begun to evolve in significant ways. As school leaders we must nurture this evolution. We must foster the creativity of our teachers and our students. We must eliminate the old school practices in the new school world. This year we may not refine the process and practice of learning, but if we can stimulate the love of learning in this crazy world, we will have accomplished great things. Carrie Sanchez is the principal of Port Clinton Middle School (grades 6-8) in Port Clinton, OH. Sanchez also serves as an adjunct instructor for Bowling Green State University for the Graduate College of Teaching and Learning. Sanchez is an OAESA Board of Directors Member who serves as the Middle School Representative. Most recently, she was elected as the OAESA President-Elect for 2021-2022. Congratulations! You can contact Sanchez via email at csanchez@pccsd-k12.net or carrie.j.sanchez@gmail.com and via Twitter at @CarrieJSanchez.
“What an awesome time we live in. What an awesome time we teach in. What an amazing opportunity we have to change the scope of education in remarkable and impactful ways.” winter 2021
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feature story
Learning From Leaders Who Are
Defying Expectations Lessons in learning loss during the pandemic BY KENNETH TAM AND MEGAN ROBINSON
I
n spring 2020, schools across the country were forced to close to protect their students, teachers, and communities from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of extended school closure, there was much speculation about the amount and degree of learning loss and wonderings of whether or not achievement gaps have widened as a result of uneven at home learning. In this spirit, Curriculum Associates, developer of curriculum and diagnostic assessments used by nearly 30 percent of K-8 students across the US, conducted an analysis of Diagnostic testing data for students returning to school this fall. Fall 2020 test results were also compared to historical student outcomes over a three-year period dating back to 2017. Read the full study at curriculumassociates. com/fall2020data. According to the findings, while “COVID slide” did occur, it was nowhere near as dire as what was predicted by other prominent studies published this summer. The percentage of students who aren’t ready for grade-level work in Reading (i.e. placed two or more grade levels below their current grade) increased slightly by 1-point from 27% historically to 28% in fall 2020. In Math, the increase was more significant, with the percentage rising 6 points from 23% to 29%. When the results are disaggregated by race/ethnicity and family income levels, the differences are more striking, magnifying the already pervasive inequities in education. While this research indicates there is more to be done to ensure equity for students, staff and school communities, there were some “high- flyers” in Ohio that were defying expectations and achieving performance and growth greater than other schools across the state and nation with a similar level of need. Drawing inspiration from the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University, the Data Science team at Curriculum Associates recreated the Educational Opportunity versus School District Socioeconomic Status (SES) chart found at edopportunity.org. By creating a scatterplot of the average i-Ready diagnostic score on the vertical axis and the school/district’s SES on the horizontal axis, this tool allows our researchers to identify which schools are outperforming their socioeconomic status by looking for dots who are above the national trendline. Stiles Elementary School (ES) in the South-Western City School
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District and Edgewood ES in Marysville Exempted Village School District were a couple of schools whose recent performance showed they were defying expectations and ensuring equity for their students. Recent interviews with their school principals, Naim Sanders (Stiles ES) and Thomas Holdren (Edgewood ES), revealed why these are leaders we should learn from. They highlighted a few reasons for their success. Attended to the digital divide by ensuring all students had access to devices/technology and the ability to connect to the Internet at home. Both schools surveyed families to see what support they needed and arranged for mobile hotspots to be sent home. Edgewood ES setup their own “help desk” and established a goal of responding to family questions within 15 min of any email or phone call. By demonstrating to families they are a priority, it strengthened the home-school connection and showed how the school cares about their children. Promoted and maintained high expectations. At Stiles ES, the faculty worked diligently to stay focused on meeting the needs of learners and not lower the expectations of what they wanted their students to know or what they should do to guarantee students were successful. The school designed challenges/awards to spur healthy competition and motivate students to show up, submit assignments and work independently. The leadership at Stiles ES also attributes high motivation and engagement across the study body to educators’ prioritization of interpersonal connections with students. Empowered teachers to use data. The principals at both schools fostered a data driven culture and provided autonomy to their teachers to use assessments to identify needs and develop strategies to address student learning challenges. At Edgewood ES, teachers use i-Ready Standards Mastery checks as a way to gather formative assessment data, identify student misconceptions and encourage their class to reflect on why they got the question wrong and what they learned. Students record this information in a learning journal. Engaged in a goal setting process. Students at Stiles ES and Edgewood ES participate in regular data chats with their teachers to set goals and measure/track progress. A focus is placed on achieving both typical and stretch growth goals. Prior to school closure this spring, students at both schools were making good progress on their annual growth goals. The schools’ approach to accountability and
transparency via data chats set clear goals and action steps for all stakeholders which maximizes student outcomes. Adopt a continuous learning approach. Common at both schools was the promotion of experimentation through which teachers participate in an inquiry process to share pedagogical and motivational strategies to identify best practices that can be duplicated across the school. By empowering their teachers to try different ideas, it allowed them to come up with new ways to solve challenges that came about as a result of transitioning to distance learning this spring. When reflecting upon their recent school year, the principals shared that they would, Start: • Looking at interventions to accelerate learning for students who may not be in school all 5 days; • Asking students what they like/don’t like about their programs; • Adjusting schedules and transition to a blended/hybrid model as a response to COVID; and • Determine what works/doesn’t work to focus their schools’ efforts. Stop: • Focusing on quantity and not quality. Go beyond tracking just the number of minutes on their online instruction program to looking at the number of lessons passed.
Keep: • Encouraging students to reflect on their learning, how their i-Ready instruction is helping them grow; and conducting morning meetings; • Setting and tracking progress on collective (classroom) and individual goals and celebrating when targets are met; • Partnering with families and letting them know the school is there to help by surveying them monthly to determine who needs assistance; and • Being data driven and creating a culture of excellence. We recognize that Ohio schools face challenges in narrowing the achievement gap and hopefully some of the practices shared by the principals at these “high flying” schools can help educators accelerate their growth and performance and address the learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To read more success stories and to subscribe to our blog, visit: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog. Ken Tam and Megan Robinson are National Directors at Curriculum Associates and support districts in selecting and implementing proven-to-work programs with high fidelity. Tam serves as a thought leader on assessment and personalized learning and works closely with district leaders to build their data literacy. Robinson designs professional development workshops on topics ranging from equity in education to math discourse and learning progressions. If you have any questions about the article, please contact @CurriculumAssoc via Twitter.
With i-Ready, the Learning Never Stops i-Ready’s data-driven instruction helps teachers address unfinished learning, provide access to grade-level content, and motivate all learners—no matter where learning takes place.
Learn How i-Ready Can Support You in 2020–2021 i-Ready.com/ToolsFor2020 For more information, contact your local educational sales consultant:
Melissa Martinsen, North Ohio MMartinsen@cainc.com
Jennifer Denhard, South/East Ohio JDenhard@cainc.com
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fall 2020 Morgan Bennett King, Central Ohio MBennett@cainc.com
feature story
Inequities Revealed in Child Care, Out-of-School Time During Pandemic
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BY MICHELE RITCHLIN
fterschool is more than child care. It is a place kids go to have a healthy snack, get homework help, engage in enrichment activities, and have some free time to play and socialize with peers. For many of the at-risk kids in afterschool programs in Ohio, that extra support and enrichment came to an abrupt halt in March.
professional training required to work in child care and afterschool programs is significant and should be rewarded accordingly. This under-appreciation of the profession leads to burnout and turnover placing more pressure on the administration and consequently on the other staff members.
This support that families relied on to help them feed and educate their children was marginalized due to COVID-19. Families in poverty are already in survival mode, and COVID-19 created one more thing they had to learn to navigate with fewer resources.
According to Ziprecruiter.com, the average annual pay for a child care worker in Ohio was $19,215 a year. That works out to be approximately $9.24 an hour. This is the equivalent of $370/week or $1,601/month.
COVID-19 exacerbated the already prevalent inequalities that existed in education along socioeconomic lines. Access to basic 21st Century needs like the internet and technology are crucial to continue learning. Some districts provided one-to-one technology during the school year, but lacked reliable internet access. Without these necessities, students continued to fall further behind. With many summer activity options closed and no access to technology, summer learning became even more difficult for families with limited resources.
When looking at who these childcare workers are, you learn that 95% are women, and a disproportionate amount (28%) are Black/African American. According to the October 2020 Groundwork Ohio report “The Workforce Behind the Workforce,” early childhood educators make less than half of our state’s hourly wage. Most receive no employer benefits, paid leave, or planning time. Many qualify for public assistance. The lack of structural support makes it difficult to maintain quality staff.
Many afterschool programs, employing mostly part time staff, were forced to lay off several employees. With diminished capacity and less reach, the staff that remained continued to reach out to support families and students with texts, phone calls, emails, Zoom meetings and Facebook groups. Afterschool staff helped students complete school work and delivered meals and supplies to support families and students’ learning. Many summer programs were cancelled or programming was decreased.
COVID-19 has illuminated the need for quality child care and afterschool programs. Afterschool and child care workers are tasked with supporting, nurturing, caring for, and educating our children. It is time this vital work is given its due recognition with appropriate government support to provide workers a livable wage.
Child care and afterschool are vital infrastructures for a thriving, equitable society. Because of the critical support child care provides our economy they were among the last mandated to close. Several centers decided to stay open with a pandemic child care license to serve the children of essential workers. Child care centers have always been all day learning centers for early learners but many had to pivot to provide all day educational support for school age children as well. Centers stayed open to serve communities as long as they had employees willing to work and put themselves and their families in danger. Child care workers are essential. They are necessary to support the workforce and more importantly they command the development, learning and socialization of our children. These child care centers and workers answered the call of their communities so essential services could continue to be provided. Unfortunately, their contribution to society is not matched by society’s contributions to their work. The work, energy, stress, and
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The Ohio Afterschool Network (OAN) has always been a convener that draws together providers, partner organizations and allies to have a space to share and to learn from one another utilizing collaboration to tackle roadblocks encountered by the profession. Since the pandemic, school districts are exercising local control and making decisions unilaterally, thus minimizing the ability to have a cohesive voice for child care and afterschool programs and staff. To help support funding of afterschool programs, contact your Senators to support Senate Bill 4868, the bipartisan Coronavirus Relief Act. The bill will expand access to supervised learning for students through the remainder of the COVID-19 emergency. The legislation would provide $1.2 billion in additional funding and greater flexibility for programs to make it easier for parents to work and help children continue their learning in an academically supportive environment, especially when schools are operating virtually and not offering class in-person. Email Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman and ask them to support Senate Bill 4868. Michele Ritchlin has been working in the afterschool profession since 2008. In October 2020 she was named the executive director of the Ohio Afterschool Network. Contact her via Twitter @ohioafterschool.
C
halkboard news from the association
CAN I GET A
CONNECTION ? In these trying times, OAESA is working to provide opportunities for administrators to stay connected to each other.
Coming Soon: The OAESA Podcast
OAESA works to create professional learning opportunities for members that are relevant, engaging, and flexible. This has led us toward the world of podcasting! The OAESA Podcast will debut in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for communications with more details. Hosted by the OAESA Executive Director, the podcast will feature speakers, experts, and OAESA members who have compelling stories to share. Tune in at your leisure!
Spring Regional Meetings
CALL FOR ARTICLES Submit your article for our spring magazine, which will focus on the topic, Celebrate: You’re Unstoppable! Articles are due March 1. Email navigator@oaesa.org for more information on this opportunity!
M O RA L E BOOSTER Trying to think of ways to boost morale during this unique year? Mark your calendar and be sure to celebrate wherever and whenever possible!
February 1: Black History Month 1-5: National School Counseling Week 14: Valentine’s Day 15: Presidents’ Day
March 1: Women’s History Month 8-1: National School Breakfast Week 14: Daylight Saving Time Spring Forward 17: St. Patrick’s Day
April 5-9: National Assistant Principals Week and National School Library Week 6: National Library Workers Day 21: Administrative Professionals Day winter 2021
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H E A LT H
matters
COVID-19 and Flu BY ANN CONNELLY AND MARY KATE FRANCIS, M.D.
A
s we move into the winter months in Ohio, our thoughts turn again to respiratory illnesses. While there is still much we do not know about COVID-19, we know more than we did at the start of 2020. We are also in the midst of the traditional flu (influenza) season. Let’s take a closer look at these two illnesses. As you know, COVID-19 is a novel (new) coronavirus that originated in China and has swept around the world. There have been millions of cases in the United States, with several hundred thousand deaths from COVID-19. In response to this illness, there have been changes made to our routines in both our personal and work lives, including the ways children and youth are educated. People with COVID-19 may have had a wide range of symptoms that commonly appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Possible symptoms include fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; sore throat; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; and/or diarrhea. Seasonal influenza, also known as the flu, usually occurs in Ohio as early as October and may run as late as March. It is usually spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing. Flu causes fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches. Most people who get flu usually recover in one to two weeks, but flu, like COVID-19, can be deadly. There are an estimated 200,000 people hospitalized with flu and more than 20,000 flu related deaths each year in the U.S. Similarities Flu and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, with some similar symptoms. Testing may be necessary to tell which one
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has caused a person’s illness. Other similarities include: • Spreads from one person to another in close contact; mainly by droplet when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks; or by touching a contaminated surface and eyes, nose and mouth • One or more days pass between infection and onset of symptoms • A person may spread the illness before showing symptoms • High risk individuals include older adults, pregnant people, and people with chronic medical conditions • Complications include pneumonia, respiratory failure, heart injury or inflammation A table comparing the symptoms of COVID-19 to other common illnesses is available online from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Differences While there are some similarities between COVID-19 and flu, there are some significant differences highlighted in the chart on page 39. Prevention For both flu and COVID-19, illness prevention is best. Because they are both respiratory illnesses, prevention measures are similar. For flu, prevention includes: • Avoid close contact with a person who is sick. If you are sick, avoid close contact with others • Cover coughs and sneezes • Wash your hands with soap and water often. Use hand sanitizer
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COVID-19 AND INFLUENZA Cause
COVID-19
FLU
Infection with coronavirus SARS-CoV-2
Infection with influenza viruses
Spread
Spreads more easily, with superspreader events
Illness
Seems to cause more serious illnesses in some people; school aged children at higher risk of complication called MIS-C
May be mild to severe; young children at highest risk
Symptoms
Typically develop 5 days after infection, but ranges from 2-14 days. Some have lingering symptoms that can last months
Develop 1-4 days after infection; last up to 2 weeks
Contagious
Appears to spread 2 days before symptoms and 10 days after symptoms start and after testing positive
1 day before to 7 days after symptoms start
When is it over?
Stay home for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone without the need to use a fever-reducing medicine
Treatment
Still under investigation
Anti-viral medications
Vaccine Available?
Yes - check local health department
Yes
with at least 60% alcohol if you cannot wash your hands • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth • Frequently clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that may be contaminated Additional steps have been recommended to prevent COVID-19. These will also lesson transmission of flu: • Stay 6 feet away from people that do not live in your household • Wear a facemask that covers your nose and mouth whenever you are around others not in your household • Monitor your health daily. Contact your healthcare provider for guidance if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 At the time of this writing (October 2020), vaccine trials are ongoing for COVID-19. [Editor’s note: COVID-19 vaccine phased rollout began in December 2020. Please contact your local health department and/or medical provider about the COVID-19 immunization process.] Recommendations for flu vaccine are for everyone aged six months or older should get the flu vaccine annually. Children receiving the vaccine the first time should have two doses. Flu immunization is particularly important for people in high risk categories, including: • Pregnant women • Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old • People 65 years of age and older • People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions • People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities • People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
o Household contacts and caregivers of children younger than 5 years of age with particular emphasis on vaccinating contacts of children younger than 6 months of age (children younger than 6 months are at highest risk of flurelated complications but are too young to get vaccinated) o Health care workers o Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu School and Public Health Partnership Schools and public health have a long history of working together to support the health of the community and the academic success of students. If you have a school nurse, they can help bridge the school and health worlds. You are encouraged to continue to work closely with your local health district to identify trends in flu and COVID-19 absences, best way to prevent outbreaks in your school and community, and to encourage immunization for both of these serious respiratory illnesses when the vaccines are available. For more information, please visit the Ohio Department of Health website or the Centers for Disease Control website. Dr. Mary Kate Francis is the Interim Medical Director for the Ohio Department of Health. You can contact her via email at MaryKate.Francis@odh.ohio.gov. Ann M. Connelly is the Public Health Nurse Supervisor for the School Nursing and Early Childhood Health Programs at the Ohio Department of Health. You can contact her via email at Ann.connelly@odh.ohio.gov.
winter 2021
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LEGAL
report
LEGAL TIPS TO HELP PRINCIPALS STAY OUT OF TROUBLE
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BY DENNIS PERGRAM
here seem to be several reoccurring issues that seem to place principals at risk of termination and/or result in investigation and possible discipline by the Ohio Department of Education.
Grade Changes: Grade changes are a hot button issue with ODE, especially under certain circumstances. For example, a principal may decide to change a student’s grade because the principal is of the opinion that the grade that the student received from a teacher is based on inaccurate information or some other misunderstanding. Often there is no problem if the student, parent, teacher, and principal all agree that the student’s grade should be changed. The problem that can occur, and has occurred, is if the teacher disagrees with the grade change the principal decides to make. If you are faced with a situation where you expect that the teacher is in disagreement with the grade change, you should first consult with the superintendent and get the superintendent’s input and approval to make the grade change. Otherwise, you may be faced with an investigation by ODE. In those situations where a teacher files a complaint with ODE, it is very important that the principal has documented the basis for the grade change and it is even more helpful if the superintendent has approved the grade change. There are obviously other situations in which the grade change becomes very suspicious, such as a star athlete whose grade is changed, resulting in the athlete becoming eligible to participate. Once again, this is a situation that must be well documented and have the approval from the superintendent in the event there is an ODE inquiry.
to investigate the report of child abuse or neglect before making the report to Children Services or legal authorities. However, it is important to recognize that where there is a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect, the law does not permit a principal to first make an investigation before reporting. The failure to comply with the law can result in the principal’s employment being terminated, license discipline, criminal charges, and civil damages. Professional Behavior: Another issue that I have seen come up involves conversations between principals and co-workers, as well as teachers, during the school day in which the conversation becomes a little too relaxed to where comments may be made that are not intended to be sexual but may be interpreted to be sexual or at least offensive. Many times, the recipient of the communication reciprocates with the same type of language, thereby causing the principal to drop his/ her guard. Months and possibly years later, those conversations end up being resurrected if the board or ODE is looking to discipline a principal. Consequently, discussions in the workplace should always remain professional, even if you are discussing something with a person you perceive to be your friend. Your friend may be put in a position where they are asked about the conversations and being truthful, they will be revealing some things that you may have felt were confidential.
Emails and Text Messages: It is important to remember that the district computer and district cell phones are the property of the district and that emails and text messages thereby become district property. It is not uncommon for a district that is considering disciplining a principal to make a search of all of the emails that the principal has sent and received, as well as text messages. This has on occasion resulted in a principal being disciplined by his/her board and/or being disciplined by ODE. Consequently, it is important to remember that all such messages can result in discipline and, therefore, computers and cell phones should be used for school business only.
Romance Between a Principal and a Subordinate: While individuals may end up meeting their eventual spouse in the workplace, you must be very cautious and careful about having a romantic involvement with a subordinate, especially if the subordinate is a teacher that you have responsibility for evaluating. Under no circumstances should you evaluate anyone with whom you are presently having a romantic relationship or with whom you have had any such relationship in the past. Furthermore, you should make absolutely no recommendation as to the re-employment of any person with whom you are having a romantic relationship or with whom you have had any such relationship in the past. Further, emails and text messages between you and any such person can prove to be problematic, especially if the language used is not appropriate and the communications are occurring during the time that either of you should be on the job.
Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect: The law requires principals and other mandatory reporters to immediately report suspected child abuse and neglect. It may be only natural for a principal to wish
Dennis Pergram, legal counsel to OAESA, is a partner in the law firm of Manos, Martin & Pergram Co., LPA. He is a former chairperson of the Ohio State Bar Association School Law Committee and has practiced school law for over 30 years.
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THIS SCHOOL YEAR HAS ADMINISTRATORS
READY TO PIVOT
Check out how OAESA members have approached the 2020-2021 school year with flexibility and innovation
winter 2021
41
LEGISLATIVE
update
Advocacy for Students Doesn’t Always Mean Lobbying BY BARBARA SHANER
T
he theme for this issue of the Principal Navigator by itself lets the reader know that disparities already present within our state’s education system have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Not only did inequities exist among our schools, other social and economic disadvantages among families also existed and they continue. These factors have a bearing on the success of students and the schools they attend; a reality that has become more apparent to the world outside the schoolhouse as a result of the pandemic. As building principals, we trust that you are doing all within your power to close the gap between those students who have every education tool necessary to succeed and their not-so-fortunate peers. You’ve even helped the outside world understand this gap and you’ve highlighted some of the changes that are needed to help more students engage in learning. For this, Ohio should be thankful; your advocacy is starting to pay off. Now that more light has been shed on the disparate education opportunities that exist among students, what is being done at the state level to solve the problem? RemotEDx The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) introduced RemotEDx to a subcommittee of the State Board of Education during its meeting in September. According to ODE, this newly formed exchange, network and suite of supports is designed to provide more students with high-quality, personalized remote education opportunities and serve more educators with job-embedded professional learning experiences. RemotEDx includes an exchange where high-quality remote education initiatives share information about their models; a Network and Learning Academy enabling members to share best practices and lessons learned; Connectivity and Technology Champions focused on ensuring that schools and students have
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access to the internet and technology; and a Support Squad that is regionally deployed to provide schools with deep technical support and professional learning. Not all components are fully developed. A Coordinating Council made up of a range of stakeholder representatives from across the state have come together to assist with working out the details of what will become part of RemotEDx and how it will operate. The possibilities for what can be done through this effort are open-ended. The following are some components of RemotEDx and related activities that have emerged to date. Connectivity Champions Because of the lack of access to internet connectivity that many students face, the RemotEDx program recognizes that the information parents need to get their students connected may be lacking. Also, there may not be an understanding of where to turn to find that information. A new approach was devised, and new positions created to help schools and parents with connectivity for students. The new positions are called Connectivity Champions. According to a statement released October 17, 2020 a specific new component of the new RemotEDx initiative has been established. “Connectivity Champions provide all Ohio school districts, community schools and nonpublic schools with additional support to get their students connected to the internet from home. They collaborate closely with Information Technology Centers to help support students and their families with household connectivity to enable remote learning. Students or parents who are struggling with their home internet connection can get help from the Connectivity Champions.” Visit ohio-k12.help/remotedx/ for more information. Broadband Connectivity Governor DeWine’s administration requested and received approval from the state Controlling Board for $50 million in BroadbandOhio Connectivity Grants, allocated from the Federally issued Coronavirus
Relief Fund (CRF). The Connectivity funds were aimed at providing hotspots and internet-enabled devices to students. This was seen as a way to help close the gap for students whose families could not afford adequate internet service and/or appropriate devices. However, these Connectivity Grants are not a perfect solution. First, applications for the grant funds far exceeded the $50 million appropriation. The total amount requested from districts was nearly $84 million, which means there is a much greater need than the grants will cover. Second, according to the Federal legislation, the funds need to be spent by December 30th of this year, eliminating the ability for districts to use the funds to help pay for students’ ongoing connectivity costs. Collaborative Fund for Educating Remotely and Transforming Education Philanthropy Ohio and the Ohio Department of Education recently launched this component of RemotEDx, calling it “the Collaborative Fund.” The Collaborative Fund is a publicprivate partnership aimed at providing supports for improved remote education practices and outcomes. A statement released on August 17, 2020 stated, “The Collaborative Fund envisions remote education as a catalyst for re-imagining and re-engineering teaching and learning opportunities for Ohio’s underserved students.” Money to support the fund involves resources raised by Philanthropy Ohio and state matching dollars using a portion of its Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding.
WHILE YOU WORK ON THEIR FUTURE, LET’S START PLANNING FOR YOURS. equitable.com/educators
This new collaborative effort prioritizes supports addressing inequitable circumstances related to delivering quality remote education during the COVID-19 pandemic. A first round of regionally based grants from the fund were awarded in midOctober. A second round of applications are due in MidNovember. As you can see, attempts are being made to address deficiencies in Ohio’s education system made more evident and exacerbated during the Coronavirus pandemic. While these are not perfect solutions, nor are they all that is needed, OAESA members can be proud that these initiatives are underway. Your advocacy for the students in your buildings has played a role in both awareness of the issues and the impetus to make something happen. We often talk about advocacy as a way to push for needed legislation at the Statehouse. That kind of “lobbying” is still needed and will be important in the coming weeks and months. But the efforts brought to bear in the various components of the RemotEDx initiative are a result of school leaders from around the state speaking out, advocating for assistance in helping students. As building administrators, your voice is important and will continue to be heard as we all strive to move into a new era for education; through the remainder of the current health crisis and beyond. Barbara Shaner is OAESA’s Advocacy Specialist. If you need more information, contact the author at barbaracshaner@gmail.com. Equitable is the brand name of the retirement and protection subsidiaries of Equitable Holdings, Inc., including Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company (NY, NY) and Equitable Distributors, LLC. Equitable Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) (Equitable Financial Advisors in MI & TN). GE-3303570 (10/20) (Exp. 10/22)
W
e’re booked this time of heightened national unrest and lack of civil discourse and respond in ways that affirm our students and equip them for global citizenry. Naomi O’Brien and Lanesha Tabb give voice to one content area, social studies, that can provide a natural vehicle for the study of perspectives and stories, as well as a space to address the issues of present day in the context of our individual and collective pasts. They begin with a celebration of cultures present in the classroom and move on to show how sociology, history, economics, geography, and civics can be taught through experiential learning.
D
The book is written in a clear and simple voice which speaks directly to primary teachers and their young scholars. It is impressive to note that the authors, without edu-speak, weave in tenets of multicultural, culturallyrelevant and culturally-responsive pedagogy, global education, inquiry, and experiential learning in the social studies. All the best of what we know to be impactful social studies teaching and learning are captured here with rich examples and visuals. The simple act of getting out a map or globe unlocks students’ inherent curiosity and ensures engagement in their classrooms. As the authors note, every question a student asks and explores increases their knowledge of the world, and “real topics yield real experiences.”
Social Studies has taken a back seat to the high stakes testing areas of reading and math in elementary schools. As educators, we have an opportunity and obligation to embrace
Unpack Your Impact is a quick read packed with a strong underlying pedagogy of inquiry in social studies. Chapters bring to life the classrooms of both authors who are practicing teachers, and include personal reflections that call for meaningful and relevant instruction in the social studies curriculum and all content areas. This book is a must-read for primary teachers and principals who see the opportunity and urgency in educating our students to be global citizens.
UNPACK YOUR IMPACT: How Two Primary Teachers Ditched Problematic
Lessons and Built a Culture-Centered Curriculum BY Naomi O’Brien & LaNesha Tabb REVIEW BY Kristy Leigh, Ph.D., Principal, Cedarwood Alternative Elementary, Columbus City Schools istricts and schools across our nation have been impacted by the events of the past year with increasing calls for racial justice, equity and inclusion. It is felt deeply in my own large urban district community. As a result of the national attention, there is an increasing push for professional development to include discussions of equity and diversity in schools. One curricular area, social studies, is a natural place to begin this critical work.
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SOLVING ACADEMIC AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS: A Strengths-Based Guide for Teachers and Teams
BY Margaret Searle and Marilyn Swartz REVIEW BY Matthew Stanley, Asst. Principal, Louisville Elementary Louisville City Schools
S
ure the title seems to conjure images of teaching in a utopia; however, there is a practical approach to student success found in the pages of this book. Solving Academic and Behavior Problems: A Strengths-Based Guide for Teachers and Teams suggests a more efficient and effective pathway to engage school personnel, families, and students while taking advantage of new academic and social-emotional learning opportunities. Whether you are an administrator or a classroom teacher, this book and the myriad resources it provides will assist you in reaching out to all students while shining most in relation to students who seem to stump even our best and brightest.
BOOK REVIEWS FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR & SCHOOL LIBRARY
Broken into seven different chapters, filled with activities and actual cases of where these concepts are used with real student learning, the book describes a system of support that helps general education teachers partner with specialists and parents. The authors take lessons learned in industry and medicine and apply them to the intricacies of the teacherstudent-family relationship. The practical tools provided work to maximize success while minimizing the amount of time spent during the valuable school day. Much of the focus is spent on teaching educators how to change from a deficit problem-solving model to a strengths-based, appreciative inquiry approach. These paradigm shifts are also shown to be helpful in the interactions between administrators and teachers. Each individual chapter in the book can be helpful in transforming aspects of a school’s climate; however, in its entirety, the book provides a system to fully transform school culture. One of the most impactful portions of this book is how it shifts our thinking and encourages teachers, students, and families to share success stories. This is something we don’t do enough in education, because it seems to fall outside of what can be quantitatively measured. Even better is the way the authors take the theoretical concepts and turn them into practical applications with user-friendly instructions. Additionally, the authors have also included QR Codes throughout the book that you can scan with your phone camera and view example videos to accompany the activities. I can’t get over the way that this book provided vivid examples for different situations where these concepts can be applied. This book challenged me to apply the concepts to my own work, as I dive deeper into the strengthsbased approach to working through the many challenges faced in education, and ultimately, better serve students.
ILLEGAL
BY Francisco X. Stork REVIEW BY Joy Houchen, Principal, Cuyahoga Heights ES Cuyahoga Heights City Schools
addresses several current issues surrounding immigration, border walls, detention camps, and sex trafficking. Administrators could use excerpts from this book to spark discussions and to entice students to read. In Illegal, Stork gives us well-developed, complex characters of Mexican descent. Readers will root for them and hope that the people and laws of the U.S. live up to their expectations.
ALL BECAUSE YOU MATTER
T
his gripping young adult novel is the sequel to Disappeared, a story about a brother and sister who live in Mexico and find themselves in an extremely dangerous situation. Young Mexican girls, including Sara’s best friend, are disappearing in Juarez, and Sara is trying to figure out why. In the sequel, Illegal, Sara and her brother Emiliano continue their quest to help solve the mystery of the missing girls while trying to escape to the U.S. because of the threat of the cartel. The story begins with each of them in the U.S., but they have separated and are taking different journeys to find a new life. Sara is placed into a detention center as she awaits word on her application for asylum. Emiliano enters the country illegally, planning to live with their father while turning over evidence to U.S. authorities. Nothing goes as planned! This is the story of the difficult and often hopeless journey that undocumented immigrants face. Greed, injustice, danger, and fear are the harsh realities that they must face each day. Francisco X. Stork keeps the reader’s heart racing while thinking about the injustices many undocumented immigrants face in our country. All Sara and Emiliano want is to help save the missing girls and to start a new life in the country that gives people the hope of freedom. This book should be in every middle school library! It is a fast-paced read that features young people from Mexico and
WORDS BY Tami Charles; ART BY Bryan Collier REVIEW BY Joy Houchen, Principal, Cuyahoga Heights Elementary, Cuyahoga Heights City Schools
T
his children’s story is brought to us by a celebrated author/poet and an awardwinning illustrator. Together, they provide us with a beautiful story about a young boy of color who is taught that he matters. When he struggles or questions his place in the world, he is reassured that he matters. Even in the midst of the dark moments surrounding the racial climate in our country today, he is surrounded by those who love him and reminded that his future matters. All Because You Matter is a timely book that brings to light some of the tragedies surrounding racial tensions in our country and the feelings of those who question why. The beautiful story has fantastic illustrations and is appropriate for any grade level. Building leaders and principals could use this book to begin very important conversations with staff and students alike about not only topics surrounding race, but also our duty as adults and educators to reinforce the fact that each child matters.
winter 2021
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