INSIGHT—Fall 2004

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

FALL 2004

INSIGHT

Huckabee Ad FPO - spr/summer ’04

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FALL 2004 p. 15

Volume 18

No. 2 FEATURED ARTICLES

p. 12 p. 18 Schlechty Center and TASA Partner to Create Texas Network

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Introduces a new partnership between the Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform and TASA to create a Standard-Bearer School District Network as a resource for superintendents and school districts to develop the capacities needed by today’s leaders The Missing Component: Student Work

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by J. D. Kennedy Provides an overview of Midlothian ISD’s application of a disciplined art and science of teaching, based on concepts from Phillip Schlechty’s book Working on the Work and training received through the Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform

ALSO OF INTEREST…

Why Students Won’t Take Your Course: Using a Model of Attitude Formation to Understand Student Preferences

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by Brandt W. Pryor and Caroline R. Pryor Discusses a model that enables users to understand how student attitudes toward a course are formed, how the beliefs about course qualities and evaluations of these qualities can be measured, and how attitudes can be influenced in the right direction Character Education Is Back in Our Public Schools

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by Michael Josephson Emphasizes the importance of teaching character education in our schools and shares a number of success stories about CHARACTER COUNTS!, the nation’s most widely adopted approach to character education, promoting a nonpartisan, nonsectarian common language of values called the Six Pillars of Character

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DEPARTMENTS

Officers

Upcoming Events at TASA

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President’s Message

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Executive Director’s View

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Michael Hinojosa, President, Spring ISD Alton J. Fields, President-Elect, Pleasanton ISD Kay Waggoner, Vice-President, Red Oak ISD Dawson R. Orr, Past President, Wichita Falls ISD

Executive Committee Highlight on TASA Services:

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Arturo Guajardo, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, 1

Are You Keeping Parents Informed about Your AYP Status?

Karen Rue, Tuloso-Midway ISD, 2 Tom R. Jones, Jr., Tidehaven ISD, 3 Rick Schneider, Pasadena ISD, 4

Book Review: Working on the Work (WOW)

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Gail Krohn, Nederland ISD, 5 Steve R. Johnson, College Station ISD, 6 Dee W. Hartt, Tatum ISD, 7 R. Lynn Marshall, Pittsburg ISD, 8 Randel R. Beaver, Archer City ISD, 9 H. John Fuller, Wylie ISD, 10 Vernon N. Newsom, Mansfield ISD, 11 George Evan Kazanas, China Spring ISD, 12 Elizabeth Gardner, Pflugerville ISD, 13

TASA Headquarters Staff

Rick Howard, Comanche ISD, 14 Alan Richey, Bronte ISD, 15

Executive Director

Johnny L. Veselka

Robin D. Adkins, Perryton ISD, 16

Associate Executive Director, Instructional Support and Leadership Development

Judith de la Garza

Ken McCraw, Lamesa ISD, 17

Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services

Paul Whitton, Jr.

Assistant Executive Director, Governmental Relations

Amy T. Beneski

Assistant Executive Director, Instructional Support and Leadership Development

Betty Burks

Michael Downes, Big Spring ISD, 18 Paul L. Vranish, Tornillo ISD, 19 Craig Stockstill, Floresville ISD, 20

At-Large Members Robert Duron, Socorro ISD Michael G. Killian, Lewisville ISD Thomas Earl Randle, Lamar CISD

Ann M. Halstead

Shelley Schmitz Sweatt, Burkburnett ISD

Pat Johnston

Editorial Advisory Committee

Design/Production

Emmy Starr

Michael Hinojosa, Spring ISD, chair

Editorial Coordinator

Karen Limb

Assistant Executive Director, Communications & Information Systems Director, Special Services

TASA General Counsel, Adams, Lynch, & Loftin—Bedford

Neal W. Adams

Alton J. Fields, Pleasanton ISD Jim Hawkins, DeSoto ISD Daniel Paul King, Hidalgo ISD Ken McCraw, Lamesa ISD Linda G. Mora, Northside ISD

INSIGHT is published triannually (spring/summer, fall, and winter) by the Texas Association of School Administrators, 406 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701-2617. Subscription is included in TASA membership dues. © 2004 by TASA. All rights reserved. TASA members may reprint articles in limited quantities for in-house educational use. Articles in INSIGHT are expressions of the author or interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of TASA. Advertisements do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Texas Association of School Administrators. INSIGHT is printed by Thomas Graphics, Austin, Texas.

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Thomas Earl Randle, Lamar CISD Kip Sullivan, Sul Ross State University

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Upcoming Events at TASA Excerpts from TASA’s Professional Development Calendar For more information about any of these workshops/trainings, please call TASA, 800-725-8272, or go online at www.TASAnet.org

Starting in

September Mentoring the Reflective Principal: Collaborative Approaches to Impact Student Achievement

Leadership for Excellence in Assessment One-Day Seminar with Steve Chappuis

Creating Concept-Based Interdisciplinary Units: Designing for Deep Understanding

Taking the Mystery Out of Tests—Examining Resources for Deeply Aligned Learning to That Assessed

Seminar Series with Carolyn Downey

(Rick Stiggins’ Assessment Training Institute)

Two-Day Institute with Dr. H. Lynn Erickson

Two-day Training-of-Trainer’s Seminar with Carolyn Downey

g Who Should Attend • Superintendents • District-level Curriculum and Instruction Administrators • Principals • Team—Principal Supervisor and 2 or 3 Principals

g Who Should Attend • Superintendents • Deputy and/or Assistant Superintendents • Directors of Research and Evaluation • Principals

g Who Should Attend • Curriculum Directors • Curriculum Development Teams • Teacher Leaders • Principals • Superintendents

g What You Learn • Role of the supervisors and other district-level staff in mentoring principals—monthly supervisors’ school visitation • Feeder school principals’ joint academic goals and interventions • Approach to writing/reviewing school improvement plans • Collaborative examination of classroom practices through observations, calibration, and aggregating the data • Team approach for working with low-performing schools • Listening to the voice of your principals

g What You Learn • A vision of assessment excellence built on quality and balance • How to improve teaching and learning by balancing periodic assessments of learning with continuous classroom assessments for learning • Assessment competencies required of administrators • Status of both the current assessment system and assessment competencies required of administrators

g What You Learn • Clear directions on how to design quality interdisciplinary, K–12 instructional units • A step-by-step model for unit design • How to write performance tasks that assess what students must know, understand, and be able to do

g Who Should Attend • Curriculum and Instruction Administrators • Licensed Curriculum Auditors • Licensed Walk-Through Consultants • Principals • Professional Development Specialists

Protocols 1–4: • September 27–28, 2004 • October 26–27, 2004 • December 15–16, 2004 • February 17–18, 2005 *Would be beneficial for participants to attend all 4 protocols.

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• October 5, 2004 • October 6, 2004 • October 7, 2004

• October 18–19, 2004 • February 14–15, 2005

g What You Learn • How to analyze high-stakes tests to identify essential learnings • How to examine textbook excerpts for alignment to tested TEKS • How to facilitate this seminar in your district • October 28–29, 2004

Creating Strategic Performance Systems Internal Facilitator Institute, The Cambridge Group g • • •

Who Should Attend Superintendents Central Office Personnel District Designee for Internal Facilitator

g What You Learn • Step-by-step process for developing a strategic plan unique to school districts • How to gather vital data, as well as write and critique actual strategic plans • Preparation needed to lead your district in the development and implementation of a strategic plan • Available support from The Cambridge Group, TASA, and AASA; how to use the Internal Facilitator's Manual, with reproducible materials for use in the district; and introduction to an extensive network of facilitators

Improved Questioning: Gateway for Increased Achievement for ALL Students Two-Day Institute with Jackie A. Walsh and Beth D. Sattes g Who Should Attend • Curriculum and Instruction Specialists • Staff Development Providers • Principals • Teacher Leadership Teams g What You Learn • The connections between specific questioning behaviors and increases in student engagement and learning • A professional learning process designed to build campus-based leadership capacity, which supports classroom reculturing required for a more studentcentered approach to teaching and learning • November 8–9, 2004 • February 24–25, 2005

Process Skills for New Leaders: Leadership Development Process Four-Day Institute with Jody Westbrook-Youngblood g • • • •

Who Should Attend Superintendents Central Office Administrators Principals Staff Development Specialists

g What You Learn • Tools and frameworks that create a culture that fosters teamwork and commitment to the school organization • Improved leadership and interpersonal skills • Systemic thought processes to develop and implement effective actions Completion of this institute qualifies participants to enroll in the training-of-trainers seminar.

• November 15–16, 2004 • January 10–11, 2005

Building Vertical Teams Two-day Training-of-Trainers Seminar with Dr. Betty Jo Monk g Who Should Attend • Superintendents • Assistant Superintendents • District-level Administrators • Professional Development Specialists • Principals g What You Learn • Tools for building shared vision and an educational culture focused on enhancing student learning from a vertical perspective • How to build a foundation that assists vertical teams in reaching the "performing" state of development • Skills to assist the team in its growth • Two days—Customized for district

• November 1–5, 2004 • May 2–6, 2005

Changing the Lens of Instructional Leaders with Walk-Throughs and Follow-up Conversations Two-Day Seminar with Palo Verde Associates’ Carolyn Downey g • • • •

Who Should Attend Superintendents District-level Administrators Principals Assistant Principals

g What You Learn • A powerful supervision strategy for observation, focused on determining the curriculum objective being taught and effective teaching practices • How to plan for and engage in highly successful feedback through the use of reflective questions • Dates determined by host district

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Capitalizing on Momentum PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE “. . . we anticipate that the expertise of school superintendents will again be in demand as legislators continue to grapple with this complex issue.”

It’s an exciting time to serve as president of the Texas Association of School Administrators.

School leadership is clearly under the gun, yet our members have never stood together so firmly, united in our insistence that there can be no more delay in doing the right thing for our children. The Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools has brought school management groups together, united by a common purpose, in a way that has confounded the naysayers and afforded Coalition members an energy and purpose that will not waver. Rest assured that the member organizations will work tirelessly throughout the fall in preparation for the 79th Legislative Session in January 2005.

In addition to Coalition efforts, TASA staff and leadership are closely following activities related to the school finance lawsuit. Its outcome will obviously feature prominently in the legislature’s debate on school finance. TASA was a key player during the last legislative and special sessions, and we anticipate that the expertise of school superintendents will again be in demand as legislators continue to grapple with this complex issue. As an association, our strength lies in a united and informed membership. TASA staff, under the expert guidance of Johnny Veselka, Libby Gardner, and Amy Beneski, keep the information flowing and the channels of communication open. It is critical that every TASA member stay up-to-date and informed. Keep a close eye on postings to TASAnet’s Capitol Watch and the Coalition’s Web site. Attend study group meetings as well as TASA’s Midwinter and Spring conferences. Stay informed . . . share your views . . . be involved!

School finance and legislative issues seem to dominate our work and conversations, but many other important initiatives are also underway. TASA’s professional development department, led by Judy de la Garza and Betty Burks, offers a dynamic array of conferences and workshops on leadership development, assessment, curriculum management, instructional improvement, and more. These offerings afford district administrators the opportunity to strengthen their teamwork and leadership capabilities. On the communication front, TASAnet undergoes a complete restructuring this fall to bring you the very best online information and leadership tools. The new site brings special focus to the association’s goals of supporting and strengthening today’s school leaders.

The role that each and every member plays in TASA’s success cannot be emphasized enough.

We have a challenging year ahead, but as the Coalition has shown, working through our differences and uniting behind our commonalities makes us a force to be reckoned with. Let’s continue that important work together—all Texas schoolchildren end up the winners.

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Working Together…Achieving Success and Advancement in 2004–05 VIEW

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S

The beginning of another school year! And, school finance remains on the front burner in Austin. As you adopt budgets and make critical decisions regarding the allocation of limited resources, the debate is ongoing in the 250th District Court. As we monitor developments in the school finance lawsuit and prepare for the next legislative session, we are also implementing several major new initiatives to serve you better in the coming year.

“Our 2004–05 professional

Each department at TASA is committed to promoting, providing, and developing leadership that champions educational excellence. In preparation for the 2004–05 school year, we are busily designing services and support mechanisms for you and your school district. Our 2004–05 professional development calendar offers a comprehensive array of seminars and institutes, providing the best in leadership development, assessment for learning, curriculum, instructional improvement, and more. In partnership with the Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform, we are excited about being able to introduce the Standard-Bearer Network, WOW Network, and related learning opportunities to Texas school leaders.

development calendar offers a comprehensive array of seminars and institutes, providing the best in leadership development…”

TASA’s Administrative Services Resource Center becomes the Administrator’s Resource Center this fall, with new features and a special subscribers-only section on TASAnet.

Subscribers will receive the monthly ARC Bulletin, valuable Educational Research Service publications, the Planning Calendar for Texas Schools, the Superintendent’s Briefing Book, and special savings on TASA’s leadership development institutes.

Enhancing TASAnet as an information delivery system to facilitate the sharing of best practices and information on critical issues will be accomplished over the next several months. We are currently developing a user-friendly content-management system with special emphasis on members-only and subscribers-only (ARC) resources, a new “career center” incorporating the Educator Job Bank, links to specialized resources, and an automated e-mail notification system to inform members and subscribers of state policy decisions, reporting deadlines, and coming events.

Please watch for further details on these initiatives in the coming weeks. We look forward to seeing you in Dallas at the TASB/TASA Convention and look forward to your feedback and support as we develop a proactive legislative agenda for the 79th Session.

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Schlechty Center and TASA Partner to Create Texas Network The Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform and TASA have formalized an agreement to create a

expected for Texas students.

Dr. Schlechty, nationally known for his unique insights into school reform as reflected in a series of books and keynote speeches around the country, founded the Center for Leadership in School Reform in 1988. A private nonprofit corporation with headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, the Schlechty Center, as it is now named, works with public school districts and their leaders to transform the existing system of rules, roles, and relationships that govern the way resources are used in schools to a system that is focused on the quality of work provided to students.

Dr. John Horn, TASA past president and former superintendent of Mesquite ISD, has joined the Schlechty Center as a senior associate to focus on the development of this partnership and to work with network districts and schools. He will continue to assist TASA with its Aspiring Superintendents Academy and advise on other professional development goals. Dr. Phillip Schlechty, founder and chief executive officer of the Center; Dr. George Thompson, Schlechty Center president; and other senior associates will have key roles in building and sustaining partnerships with Texas districts and schools. On behalf of TASA, Betty

At the Schlechty Center, two separate but complementary frameworks provide the foundation for working with school districts and schools. The first offers 10 System Standards for leaders to assess and build system capacity so that the entire district is aligned and focused on the core purpose of schools. The second framework, Working on the Work, calls on everyone to provide high-content, engaging work for students that results in students learning what schools, parents, and the community want them to learn to be considered well-educated.

The school districts within the Schlechty Center Networks—

Standard-Bearer

School

District

Network in Texas. The TASA Executive Committee gave final approval to the terms of the partnership at its July 2004 regular meeting. The purpose of this collaborative endeavor is to establish networks of school districts in Texas whose leaders are committed to building greater capacity to create and sustain the changes necessary to reach the higher levels of learning

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Burks and Judith de la Garza will provide logistical support.

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urban, suburban, and rural— embrace these frameworks, a major shift in doing the business of schools.

Networks are at the heart of the Schlechty Center’s work. Through years of working with districts and schools, the staff of the Schlechty Center has come to understand that significant long-term change in public education is best supported through the efforts of collaborative networks of committed school districts and school leaders. Schlechty Center Networks include the Standard-Bearer School District Network and the Superintendents Leadership Network in partnership with the BellSouth Foundation.

Schlechty Center networks convene several times a year through a series of conferences and use an electronic forum to support each other and share ideas throughout the year.

“School districts across the state of Texas have been at the forefront of leading school reform efforts,” said Schlechty Center President George Thompson. “Through this powerful Texas Network, we look forward to working together to build system capacity so that each district is aligned and focused on the core purpose of schools.”

The goal of the TASA/Schlechty Center partnership for the 2004–2005 school year is to establish a network of at least 10 Texas

school districts to comprise the Texas Standard-Bearer School District Network. Network membership requires certain commitments of the districts and entitles them to essential and elective services as described below. The partnership will also work to expand and support the WOW network in Texas.

Standard-Bearer School District Network Membership Commitments Current partner districts in the SBSD Network have helped the Center to clarify that the Network includes school districts whose leaders have a deep commitment to the following: ❖ Clarity about valued results for the district and about varied ways of measuring results ❖ Pursuit of Working on the Work (WOW) as the core business and major vehicle for achieving results ❖ Enhancement of system capacity to support and sustain emphasis on WOW as the core business ❖ Development of leaders whose roles are fashioned in support of WOW as the core business ❖ Participation in work beyond the boundaries of the district through the Standard-Bearer Electronic Network, conferences, academies, publications, and other means ❖ A minimum of three years of initial Network membership

A set of essential activities is expected of all active Network districts, including: • District Work Plan that addresses the membership commitments, a strategy to measure results, a WOW strategy, a leadership development strategy, a capacity assessment strategy, and planned participation in elective activities and Schlechty Center topical conferences • An Executive Assessment or in-depth assessment to provide the district a thumbnail sketch of its capacity across Schlechty Center System Standards and serves to orient strategic developmental activity in subsequent years • Annual Review of Progress within the district in building capacity and of the quality of the Center’s services with a primary focus on measurable results • Network Participation that includes regular use of the private Standard-Bearer Web site, participation in Network conferences and academies, and regular communication with Center staff

Elective activities include: • Additional On-Site Work with a Center senior associate • Principals Academy, a four-day experience for principals who have a commitment to leading schools in which everyone focuses on designing engaging work for all students and

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develops a deep understanding of fundamental concepts such as the nature of engagement, the core business, and marketing change • Working on the Work Conference, a three-day conference that provides the opportunity to introduce teachers and other district staff to student engagement and the WOW Framework and to deepen their knowledge base through a variety of sessions focused on the core business of schools • Key Leaders Conference, a specially designed three-day session to provide an opportunity for superintendents to work with key district leaders around difficult but critical concepts related to building capacity and leading change • CENTER eLeadership: Principal as Leader of Leaders, a Web-based professional development activity that helps sustain the work introduced during on-site consultation

Origin of Partnership Planning Immediate TASA Past President Dawson Orr began the discussions about the possibilities of the Schlechty Center and TASA teaming up in response to an increasing desire of Texas superintendents to have more in-depth leadership development opportunities. Following the presentations of Phillip Schlechty at the Administrators’ Midwinter Conference on Education in January and TASA’s Spring Conference for School Executives in April, interest grew in exploring the potential for Schlechty Center work in Texas as a resource for superintendents and school districts to develop the capacities needed to meet the multiple challenges facing Texas school leaders.

Interest was also stimulated by several school districts that participated in a series of Schlechty Center workshops hosted by Ann Hoover of ESC Region 11, featuring Phillip Schlechty and George Thompson.

These learning opportunities were supported in part by the Sid Richardson Foundation and the Texas Principals Leadership Initiative work on succession planning led by Bobbie Eddins and funded by the Wallace Foundation. In addition, Midlothian*, Lexington, and Taylor ISDs had other Schlechty Center staff assisting them with Working on the Work developmental activities during the 2003–2004 school year. * See related article, opposite page.

Districts interested in more information about the Schlechty Center should contact John Horn, 972-965-7501 or jhorn@schlechtycenter.org. TASA staff may be contacted at 512-477-6361.

Links are available on both entity Web sites, www.schlechtycenter.org and www.tasanet.org.

UT-DEC 2C half-pg ad PDF with process match color 159

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Students dress up and act out their parts; the judge pictured above.

All photos are of Midlothian Middle School students participating in an entirely student-led trial, Murder in Moon Dance, based on the story “Bargain,” by A. B. Guthrie.

“In practical terms, the staff has exhausted all possibilities in

The Missing Component: Student Work

these two areas. In order to continue progression, the district must explore new approaches to improve student achievement.”

by J. D. Kennedy Like many school districts across the state, Midlothian ISD is diligently working to prepare students to meet the increased achievement demands created by the new TAKS standards. The district has spent countless hours on curriculum alignment to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, and teachers have received extensive training learning new instructional strategies.

In practical terms, the staff has exhausted all possibilities in these two areas. In order to continue progression, the district must explore new approaches to improve student achievement.

Texas schools have focused a lot of time, money, and energy on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS). These efforts by the state have helped raise the level of student achievement for students, therefore better preparing all Texas students for a successful future.

However, this focus on student assessment and the evaluation of the instructional strategies of teaching (PDAS) has prompted many districts to ignore a critical component of learning—engaging student work.

It is my opinion that the best description of what engaging student work is comes from the book Working on the Work

by Phillip Schlechty. This highly practical book focuses on the learning needs of students and answers the question: How do schools best create a successful future for all students? Working on the Work is about the quality of student work. This philosophy of teaching reinforces the concept

that “you get what you expect from students.” It reinforces the concept that students learn best in an environment where they are engaged in challenging, meaningful learning activities. Midlothian ISD administrative staff and key teacher leaders have been deeply engaged in the study of this work.

The concepts from Working on the Work are not from a new program, but rather from a new philosophy or culture.

This culture creates a disciplined view of the art and science of teaching students. Phillip Schlechty points out in his book that Working on the Work provides a framework for giving purpose and direction to much that is occurring in classrooms throughout the state. In order to successfully implement the concepts, teachers and administrators must understand that the concepts are aligned with the cultural belief system.

Schlechty states that “School leaders must be much more intentional than they have ever been before about pursuing

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what I take to be the core business of schools: the business of inventing school work for students that truly engages their hearts and minds and results in all students learning what they need to learn to be entitled to be called well educated.”

The administrative team for Midlothian ISD identified long-standing beliefs that had not been previously recorded.

• Principals lead teachers and are advocates for their campus.

• The superintendent serves as the ethical and moral leader.

• Central office supports learning throughout the organization, including students, teachers, leadership team, parents, and school board.

• Parents are partners and participating members of the learning community.

• The board of trustees provides community leadership and is an advocate for the school district.

It is the obligation of the family and community to guarantee each child the support needed to be successful in school.

Based on these beliefs, the superintendent and the administrative staff conducted a book study of Working on the Work. The concepts discussed were clearly in line with the belief system that existed in Midlothian ISD.

Students having fun while learning

Midlothian ISD believes: • Students are a priority in all decisions.

• Good communication and collaboration builds trust.

• Ethics play a part in every decision.

• Everyone is a learner and can learn.

• A safe caring learning environment is critical to success.

• Students deserve a highly qualified and well-trained staff.

• Engaging lessons focused on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills are essential for student success.

• High expectations for everyone create a quality school district.

The focus of all school activity should be on students and the work provided to them. In order to accomplish this: • Teachers are leaders of learners and creators of engaging lessons.

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After the book study, the district engaged the services of the Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform to provide training for the school district. In October 2003, the school district sent key teacher leaders, principals, and central office administrative staff to three days of training in Austin. At that training, the district staff had the opportunity to hear Schlechty personally and to interact with the staff from Taylor and Lexington ISDs who were also involved in implementation of the WOW concept.

The Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform conducted follow-up sessions with the three network school districts on three different occasions throughout the school year. In addition, Roland Chevalier spent three days training teachers and other support staff in the 10 design qualities for developing engaging lessons. Throughout this process, more than 140 staff members

“Improved student performance is expected as students are provided meaningful engaging lessons.

Engaging lessons provide lessons that ‘last.’”

were trained on the concepts found in Working on the Work. The plan is to continue to expand the training over the next two years so that all staff members will be trained in the concepts.

In order to have lasting change, the district must address the induction of new employees in the culture. Designing lessons that are engaging for students must become a primary focus of all teachers as they plan their daily lessons. In order to sustain this change, new employees must be trained in effective lesson design and understand the importance of focusing on student engagement.

meaningful engaging lessons. Engaging lessons provide lessons that “last.”

Students will retain the complex highlevel concepts needed to demonstrate mastery on the TAKS. Midlothian ISD has a highly dedicated, caring, and well-trained staff. By working on the work that students engage in, the district is “creating a successful future” for all students.

The district benefited from the opportunity to network with other school districts while learning how to create engaging lessons for students. Districts that are interested in joining a network may contact Betty Burks, TASA associate executive director, Instructional Support and Leadership Development (bburks@tasanet.org). Other questions or additional information regarding the Working on the Work Network in Midlothian ISD may be addressed to me (jd_kennedy@midlothian-isd.net); or Dolores McClatchey, assistant superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction (dolores_mcclatchey@midlothian-isd.net).

The Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform also has an excellent site for additional information—www.schlechtycenter.org.

The board of trustees and community must also understand the process in order J. D. Kennedy is superintendent of to provide the needed support; therefore, schools in Midlothian ISD. WOW lessons are presented to the board at each regularly scheduled board meeting. The district will host an annual spring showcase to highlight for parents and community the routine engaging work that students are doing in the classroom on a day-to-day basis.

Staff have reached a critical mass regarding changing practices in the classroom. Improved student at the TASB/TASA Convention performance is expected as students are provided

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Photos © Brendan Byrne/Wonderfile

by Brandt W. Pryor and Caroline R. Pryor Have you ever wished you could look inside the minds of students, parents, or teachers to see why they feel a certain way about an issue, or why they behave as they do? The making of policy decisions and the solving of school problems often requires anticipating how others will feel about an issue, or how they will behave. Sometimes, we want to go further and influence how people feel or

Knowledge of the beliefs underlying attitudes and behavior offers two powerful implications. First, sometimes people hold beliefs that are demonstrably untrue. In such cases, attitudes and behaviors can often be influenced by the provision of accurate information. Second, true beliefs sometimes suggest administrative changes that could influence attitudes and behavior in the desired direction. The example below is limited to students’ attitudes toward courses.

behave. The model discussed below enables users to understand why people feel the way they do about a given issue or how people form attitudes and make decisions about performing—or not performing—a wide variety of future behaviors.

How Are Attitudes toward a Course Formed and Changed?

It is likely that good teachers know how their students feel about issues that are important to them. Until they use the model, however, those leaders will not know how those attitudes are formed. They will not know specifically what they have to do, or what information they have to provide, to influence attitudes or behavior in the desired direction. Teachers can use the model in a variety of ways.

One useful way would be as a form of needs assessment at the beginning of a course. This would be valuable in any course, but especially so in the case of a required course that had a bad reputation among students. You could ask students what they have heard about the course that they like, and what they dislike. This would give you a general idea as to why their attitudes are favorable or unfavorable.

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It would also highlight untrue beliefs held by students, and true beliefs that might suggest ways to make the course more attractive. To get a more thorough understanding of attitudes, you could fully apply the model as described below.

Attitude Defined. Attitude is a favorable, unfavorable, or neutral feeling toward some course, person, or behavior.

Attitudes vary in both strength and direction. They can range from extremely favorable to extremely unfavorable, through a neutral midpoint (neither favorable nor unfavorable). Attitudes are formed by beliefs (thoughts) and evaluations (feelings) of those beliefs. When students are prompted to think about the required course they automatically summon up all the beliefs and feelings they have about the course.

Formation of Beliefs. People can develop beliefs in three ways. The first way is through direct observation.

Students passing by a class made noisy by excited discussions of the subject might form the belief that it is an interesting course. Students spotting the course’s 900-page textbook might believe that the course requires lots of reading.

The second way students acquire beliefs is by acceptance of information from some source such as another person, a school announcement, or a student-run Web site.

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Learning that a course has reached maximum capacity early in the registration process might incline some students to believe that it is attractive to other students. Hearing another student gripe about all the homework assigned in the course might lead students to believe it is too much work. From the same information, others might believe it would be excellent preparation for college work.

TASB/TASA Convention:

The third way students acquire beliefs is by inferring new beliefs from what they already know. For example, a college-bound student who has observed noisy, excited discussion outside a classroom door and has heard from students she admires that the course is hard but that the teacher is fair might infer that the course would be a good addition to her education. Another student who has developed the same beliefs might infer that the course would interfere with his first love, football.

Some students will believe it more likely that the course has some qualities than others. They will believe it extremely likely that the course has some qualities, but only slightly likely that it has others.

Based on differences in the information they have, different students will have somewhat different sets of beliefs about the qualities of a given course, and not all students will agree on the likelihood of any given quality.

Evaluations of Beliefs. Students not only form beliefs about the likely qualities of a course but also automatically make evaluations of each quality based on their own long-term values and their immediate concerns. Their evaluations of a course’s qualities can range from extremely good to extremely bad, through a neutral midpoint (neither good nor bad).

The strength of their belief that the course has a given quality, and their evaluation of that quality, results in the belief-evaluation product.

The five–nine products uppermost in their minds form their attitude toward the course. It stands to reason that if students favorably evaluate most of the qualities they associate with a course, students will have a favorable attitude toward that course. The converse is also true.

Determining the Strength and Direction of Beliefs and Evaluations. How do you find out how students formed their attitudes toward a course? There are two ways. The first, mentioned above, is to simply ask what they like and dislike about the course, and write each statement on the board in either a LIKE column or a DISLIKE column. This gives a rough idea of their beliefs and evaluations, and of their attitudes. If the great majority of the statements are in the DISLIKE column, then attitudes are likely negative.

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Taking this a step further, the second way is to perform a simple content analysis of these beliefs. This means writing each statement on a separate index card, or in a word processing program, and grouping

similar beliefs together. Once this is done, an estimate can be made as to which beliefs are similar (e.g., “too much written homework” and “too many in-class writing assignments”) and which are probably just different ways of saying the same thing (e.g., “tests are too hard” and “difficult exams”).

Once you have a set of beliefs about the course that are salient and common to the class members, you can put a five-point probability scale beneath each belief, as shown below.

Tests in the course are hard strongly agree 5 4 3 2 1 strongly disagree This will give you an understanding of the strength and direction of student beliefs. You will also want to know the strength and direction of their evaluations of each belief. The evaluative scale shown below will measure this.

Tests that are hard are extremely bad 5 4 3 2 1 extremely good By multiplying each student’s probability score by the student’s evaluative score you will have the person’s product for that quality. By adding all the products, you will arrive at a measure of attitude. This is most easily done on computer, and using one enables you to do a variety of interesting analyses. For example, you can look at the beliefs, evaluations, and products of girls compared with boys to see if the different sexes respond differently to the course. You would want to know, for example, how making a given change in the course to suit the preferences of boys would affect girls.

The second thing you could do is to increase the strength of beliefs that are positively evaluated, but that are only weakly believed.

What beliefs have low scores on probability, but high, positive scores on evaluation?

The third thing you could do is to provide information that would add new beliefs about course qualities that students would positively evaluate. Based on their scores on the evaluative scales, and everything else you know about them, what new qualities could reasonably be added to the course that students would like?

Now that you know how student attitudes toward a course are formed, how the beliefs about course qualities and evaluations of these qualities can be measured, and how attitudes can be influenced, what attitudes would you like to investigate?

AUTHOR INFORMATION Brandt W. Pryor is director of The Evaluation Group, and Caroline R. Pryor is assistant professor and Regents Fellow, both in the College of Education, Texas A&M University, College Station. They are co-authors of A School Leader’s Guide to Understanding Attitudes and Influencing Behavior: Working with Teachers, Parents, Students, and the Community, to be published by Corwin Press this December.

Understanding Attitude and Influencing It. Once you know how a group of students think and feel about a course—what their attitudes are and how they are formed (the set of beliefs, evaluations)—you can effectively try to influence those attitudes in the desired direction. This can be done only by providing those students with information that they will believe. There are three ways in which this knowledge of how attitudes are formed can be used to influence attitudes in the desired direction. The examples below illustrate how these three ways can be used.

The first thing you could do to influence students’ attitudes toward the course in a favorable direction is to reduce the strength of beliefs that are negatively evaluated, those that make a negative contribution to attitude. Remember, students can hold untrue beliefs. Which of their beliefs about the course can you demonstrate as being untrue?

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“To educate a person in the mind but not the morals is to educate a menace to society.”

—Theodore Roosevelt

Character Education Is Back in Our Public Schools “An Inclination

by Michael Josephson

join’d with an Ability to serve Mankind, one’s Country, Friends, and Family… should indeed be the great

or saving the life of a leprechaun, a woodsman was granted a single wish. He asked that his daughters find good husbands. “But what does good mean to you?” asked the leprechaun. “You can choose one quality for them: clever, strong, handsome, or rich. You name it.”

F

“Give me men of good character,” the woodsman said.

Aim and End of all Learning.”

—Benjamin Franklin

“But what does that mean?” asked the wily leprechaun.

“Give my girls the kind of men you would want for your children.”

“Ah,” the leprechaun said, “then you shall have honorable men with kind and loving hearts. And I’ll throw in a strong conscience, too.”

The woodsman chose shrewdly, for he knew that the well-being and happiness of his children would depend not only on their character, but on the quality of their relationships, and therefore on the character of other people in their lives.

What do we really want for our children? That they be rich, smart, attractive, and famous—but devoid of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and civic virtue? Or do we first of all wish them to have sterling character, and to be able to associate with others who do too? If so, we must educate for character; we cannot leave it to chance. Cleverness, wealth, and beauty are all very nice, but when it comes to living a happy life of purpose, it’s character that counts.

Character Education: A School Responsibility Teachers and administrators are character educators whether they like it or not, since what schools encourage, permit, and prohibit has a lasting impact on the moral development of youth. Educators can only choose how proactive or

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explicit they want to be in the development of the values, dispositions, and habits that comprise character. The crucial challenge for educational policymakers today is to acknowledge the inevitable role schools play in character development and to do more to help public schools produce the men and women we wish to run society tomorrow.

Schools have educated for character ever since the ancient Greeks, and from the beginning days of our Republic.

That changed in the mid-20th century, as philosophies of morality shifted, litigiousness increased, and people grew wary of teaching ethical values. As student behavior and attitudes worsened, however, schools rediscovered purposeful character education, and today it is advancing across the nation. Texas is a case in point.

Texas: Character Education Pioneer In 1995, Dallas schools faced a crisis. Crime, teen pregnancy, and dropout rates were soaring, as they were across the nation, and little seemed to help. Then school board President Sandy Kress, Mayor Steve Bartlett, and Dallas County Judge Lee Jackson founded the Dallas Coalition on Character and Values and hosted a two-day forum to identify ways to work together to teach values. Later that year, 35 employees of the school system and 36 representatives from such community groups as YMCA and Rotary participated in a three-day seminar to learn how to train teachers, youth workers, and “The whole emotional atmosphere of the business leaders to building changes. It becomes a kinder, build character in students and gentler place.” employees.

Student behavior quickly improved. In one example recorded later, discipline referrals dropped from more than 1,500 to less than 100 in one year at John J. Pershing Elementary School.

“It’s like night and day,” said Linda Jones, administrator of the citywide initiative. “The whole emotional atmosphere of the building changes. It becomes a kinder, gentler place.”

The program Dallas chose, CHARACTER COUNTS!, has become far and away the nation’s most widely adopted approach to character education, promoting a nonpartisan, nonsectarian common language of values called the Six Pillars of Character—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.

With many success stories in schools and youth-service organizations across the country, CHARACTER COUNTS! has become the values-education framework for an array of communities, cities, and counties. Members of the national CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition include the National Association of State Boards of Education, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, YMCA, 4-H, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, American Youth Soccer League and Little League, among many others.

National recognition came to the Dallas CHARACTER COUNTS! initiative in 2000, as Walnut Hill Elementary won the National School of Character Award from the Character Education Partnership. Soon after, the district installed CHARACTER COUNTS! in all its 218 schools. Today, CHARACTER COUNTS! reaches some 166,000 students in the Dallas area every day. They live in 11 different municipalities and

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speak upwards of 70 different languages at home.

“As a school district, we realize that our primary mission is to educate the future leaders of our community and to prepare better citizens for Dallas,” says Mike Moses, then district superintendent.

“That is why CHARACTER COUNTS! is such an important component of our school district’s curriculum.”

At the turn of the 21st century, the Texas Education Agency pioneered the nation’s most ambitious character education initiative with a two-year, statewide rollout of CHARACTER COUNTS! Championed

by Jim Nelson, then Texas commissioner of education, as a key element of then Gov. George W. Bush’s Lone Star Leaders Initiative, the voluntary program introduced CHARACTER COUNTS! to

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“Suspensions fell 63 percent, repeat suspensions fell 53 percent, and the number of students in extracurricular activities rose 58 percent over five years…”

about 5,000 Texas educators, coaches, and other youth-development professionals.

Other Texas municipalities such as Grand Prairie, Amarillo, and Angleton have seen a range of projects and activities, such as student performances, parades, and speeches. The CHARACTER COUNTS! program at El Paso’s Carlos Rivera Elementary School received national attention when a “Profile of Compassion” video—featuring interviews with its students, parents, and administrators—aired during opening night of the 2000 Republican National Convention.

The Lone Star State has plenty of company in its enthusiasm for CHARACTER COUNTS!—because it works. Consider: • Youth offenses from substance abuse to vandalism have plunged 74 percent in St. Johns County, Florida, since CHARACTER COUNTS! began there in 1998–1999. By comparison, in a demographically similar neighboring county without CHARACTER COUNTS! such offenses dropped just 9 percent.

• Discipline referrals fell 75 percent at Easton Elementary (grades 2–5) in

Easton, Maryland, over its CHARACTER COUNTS! •

four-year experience with

Theft dropped by 40 percent, vandalism by 33 percent, and alcohol use by 37 percent in a South Dakota State University study of more than 8,000 middle and high school students who experienced CHARACTER COUNTS! for five years. It also reduced numerous other offenses and improved students’ commitment to school.

• Seventy percent of the youths have remained crime-free while in residence at a modified “boot camp” at the Tulare County (CA) Probation Youth Facility, which uses CHARACTER COUNTS! That’s about twice the national average of 36 percent. In addition, 92 percent stayed crime-free after leaving the residence, compared to a national rate of 28 percent.

• Suspensions fell 63 percent, repeat suspensions fell 53 percent, and the number of students in extracurricular activities rose 58 percent over five years of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Glenn Westlake Middle School in Lombard, Illinois. Moreover, Lombard police report that offenses typical of youth have declined: graffiti by 61 percent, curfew violation by 68 percent, truancy by 63 percent, and alcohol use or possession by 41 percent.

• Incidents of physical violence plummeted 71 percent after the first year of CHARACTER COUNTS! at Garfield Middle School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Keys to Educating for Character It’s easy to see the benefits of helping children develop good character. It’s not as easy to actually do it. There’s a lot more involved than posters and parades. There are cognitive and affective aspects to teaching the values and developing the habits that constitute good character, and many well-intentioned programs fail.

Effective character education requires continuity, pervasiveness, and the creation of a school environment that promotes such virtues as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship.

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The first step is to understand the meaning of character.

Proverbial definitions, such as “character is how one behaves when no one is looking” or “character is ethics in action,” while appealing, are too vague. A better working definition appears in the article “Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education” by Thomas Lickona, Eric Schaps, and Catherine Lewis in Scholastic Early Childhood Today (November/December 1998). It says, “Good character consists of understanding, caring about, and acting upon core ethical values.” This definition encompasses the three components of character: the head (knowing what is right), the heart (desiring what is right), and habits (consistently doing what is right).

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“Character education clearly works, and the programs are becoming bigger, bolder, and more innovative. Yet, despite the tremendous surge of character development activities, a large majority of American schools are still not

Arthur Andersen, WorldCom, and other companies demonstrates the point. We cannot allow the classrooms and playing fields of public schools to be the breeding ground of the next generation of pirates and scoundrels.

engaged in formal, dedicated character education efforts.”

Character education works best when the core ethical values are conscientiously, continually, and competently taught, enforced, advocated, and modeled (the “T.E.A.M.” approach) throughout the school and community environment. School personnel should instill and reinforce character values in the academic curriculum, as well as reading and writing assignments, and in standards of conduct regulating student and adult behavior on playgrounds, during assemblies, and at sports programs. Children should practice these values in school buses and cafeterias. Effective character education cannot be an add-on responsibility. Rather, it is an intrinsic part of the educational program. Finally, administrators should assess character education efforts using rigorous criteria to determine their progress in modifying attitudes and behavior.

Conclusion Public schools cannot stop at teaching academic skills. The havoc wreaked on our country by the highly educated people at Enron,

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Schools have a clear role in character education.

Even the most conscientious parents need the help and support of teachers, coaches, and other adults whose involvement with their children can help to strengthen values.

Character education is back in public schools. It is no longer controversial to introduce these programs, and, in fact, parents typically welcome them. Character education clearly works, and the programs are becoming bigger, bolder, and more innovative. Yet, despite the tremendous surge of character development activities, a large majority of American schools are still not engaged in formal, dedicated character education efforts.

Michael Josephson is the founder and president of the Joseph and Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics and the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition. For more information, please call 800-711-2670 or visit www.charactercounts.org.

©PhotoDisc

Are You Keeping Parents Informed about Your AYP Status?

by Forest J. C. Hertlein Many schools throughout the nation will open the 2004–2005 school year identified for the first time as needing improvement as required by NCLB. Such a designation requires careful attention to planning and communication with parents and the community. However, according to some observers, districts are not doing a good job keeping parents informed about their rights and options for their children. Although schools may not receive notice of their adequate yearly progress (AYP) status until mid-to-late summer, there are several advance steps that a district and school should take to help prepare parents to make informed choices.

“It is possible, therefore, that all available space at a receiving school will be taken by all or a portion of

Create a Parent Communication Plan— Now! Begin now to create a parent communication plan to build understanding and support for school and district efforts to achieve AYP. Parents will be much more receptive of “needs improvement” news if given plenty of time to process complex information about decisions to transfer schools or changing transportation schedules.

For many schools, it will not take a statistician to determine the chances of making AYP for the second or more consecutive year. If you anticipate not making AYP, start now to answer the following questions prior to preparing and sending parent notices regarding their options: • What schools are available to which students can transfer?

• If no schools are available, what alternatives will be offered to parents?

• Has it been determined “practicable” to offer interdistrict transfer for choice?

If so, what districts and what schools are available?

• Will the district allocate more than 5 percent of the required set-aside for choice transportation?

• Who will identify the lowest-performing students from low-income families to receive priority for choice, transportation, and supplemental services? How will this be accomplished?

Districts receiving funds under Title I are required to notify parents of all students in qualifying schools—not just those receiving Title I services—of their eligibility to transfer. Parent notices must be in a “common format” to assure that parents throughout the district are receiving uniform information.

One way to become vulnerable to parent complaints is to allow each building to develop its own parent notices without central office review for consistency and compliance. Subscribers to the TransACT® Compliance & Communication Center™ are assured that each building has online access to a common set of

prioritized students.”

notices that comply with NCLB requirements. In addition, tools available on the new TransACT Web site allow a district administrator to view, track, and evaluate usage of NCLB parent notices.

NCLB requires districts to give priority for transfer and transportation to the lowest achieving students from low-income families. It is possible, therefore, that all available space at a receiving school will be taken by all or a portion of prioritized students.

In this instance, the district may not be able to offer a choice to all students and must seek an alternative. If the opportunity does not exist for parents to transfer their child to another school, NCLB compliance monitoring will require districts to document their efforts to establish interdistrict agreements and reasons why it was not practicable to seek other interdistrict alternatives.

Some district school boards are adopting resolutions or policies that guide or establish determination of what is practicable regarding public school choice.

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What happens if no choice opportunity exists?

When no opportunity for transfer exists, districts must still notify parents of (1) their right to make such a request, (2) the reason(s) why the opportunity to transfer is not available, and (3) alternatives to transfer. Answers to the following questions will help prepare for determining what alternatives should or can be offered: • Will you offer supplemental educational services as an alternative to school choice during the first year of school improvement?

• Are state-approved supplemental service providers located within the district or available via long-distance technology?

• Should or can the district become a state-approved provider of supplemental services?

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• Are there bargaining issues that need to be addressed regarding teachers providing before- and after-school supplemental services?

• Can or should the district offer additional instructional support without being identified as a supplemental educational service provider?

It is prudent to begin planning early and identifying choice options as soon as possible.

Beyond planning for transportation, the district should analyze staffing and programs at receiving schools to determine the ability to accommodate the needs of special education and limited English proficient students.

For example, many districts are struggling with how to offer choice options for lowincidence, severely impaired special education students when the school available for choice does not have an existing program or proper facilities. It is the responsibility of the district to (1) ensure that such students

“National trends and surveys disclose that parents prefer to keep their child at their current school and opt for additional help.” are provided a free appropriate public education (FAPE) consistent with the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) and (2) match the abilities and needs of a student with schools that have the ability to offer FAPE. However, if no schools exist within the district with the ability to offer FAPE, little guidance is provided by the U.S. Department of Education on how to proceed except that choice must be offered and that districts must comply with nondiscrimination provisions of federal and state law.

What about students with disabilities?

How choice works for students with disabilities is not totally clear at this time and the answer will most likely be determined through costly and time-consuming due process hearings. According to the Center

for Law and Education, there are no absolute answers to the following critical questions: • Must a school district allow students with disabilities to transfer to the same school(s) that it has identified as the choice option(s) for students generally, or may a district deny a transfer to a particular school on the grounds that needed services and supports are not available there, or that the school is otherwise incapable of providing a free appropriate public education?

• To what extent must the particular transfer options offered students with disabilities be comparable to those offered all other students?

• What is the role, if any, of the Individualized Education Program and placement team in deciding to which school a student may transfer once NCLB choice requirements have been triggered?

Summary

Recommendations

It is too early to determine the impact of choice and supplemental services on students, schools, and districts. Setting aside 20 percent of a district’s Title I allocation has created challenging situations in which some schools are faced with beginning the year with reductions in budget and corresponding loss of supplies, materials, and staff. However, most districts will probably find that set-aside funds will mostly be required for supplemental services.

National trends and surveys disclose that parents prefer to keep their child at their current school and opt for additional help.

Initial data indicates that when additional help is aligned with the school’s instructional strategies and curriculum, there can be significant growth in student achievement.

The jury is still out as to whether such growth will help every child attain proficiency on state standards by 2013–2014.

It is recommended that a common set of notices be made available throughout the district to meet the NCLB requirement that “information must be in an understandable and uniform format.” One valuable resource for meeting this requirement is the collection of parent notices available at www.transact.com.

The collection is also available in a growing number of languages to assist districts in communicating with parents in a language they understand.

If you have questions or comments regarding keeping parents informed, please e-mail forest@transact.com.

Forest J. C. Hertlein is the federal programs specialist at TransACT Communications, Inc. (www.transact.com).

How TASA Can Help Addressing the NCLB requirement that “information must be in an understandable and uniform format” can best be met by providing a common set of notices to campuses throughout your district. A subscription to TASA’s NCLB Parent Notifications library will help you accomplish that goal. Offered through Washington-based TransACT Communications, Inc., the NCLB Parent Notifications library is a rich collection of more than 44 NCLB parent notices and implementation resources that fully support the parent communication mandates of NCLB. Best of all, these NCLB Parent Notifications are available* in English, Arabic, Hmong, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

The NCLB Parent Notification subscription will help your district meet the following NCLB and federal mandates: • School Adequate Yearly Progress • Highly Qualified Staff • English Language Learners • School Choice • Supplemental Services • Safe Schools • Private Schools • Homeless Students • Parent Participation Meetings

Still not sure whether or not your district needs the NCLB Parent Notifications? Ask yourself the following questions: • Are you or your administrators struggling to understand where to start with NCLB compliance?

• Does your school accept federal Title I funds?

• Did your school fail to meet Adequate Yearly Progress?

• Do you have students in an English Language Development Program?

• Does your certificated and paraprofessional staff meet “highly qualified” requirements?

• Student Record Privacy/FERPA If you have answered YES to any of the questions above, you should subscribe to NCLB Parent Notifications. Your staff will have immediate online access to more than 44 customizable NCLB parent notices. In addition, users can access helpful accountability and implementation resources. Subscriptions to the NCLB Parent Notification library are based on ADA. Subscribe online at TASAnet.org. For more information, contact Mark Pyeatt at the TASA office, 512-477-6361 or MPyeatt@TASAnet.org. * Languages other than English are available for an additional fee.

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Book Review

By Phillip C. Schlechty Published by Jossey-Bass, ISBN: 0787961655 Reviewed by Charle Scott, interim executive director and operations manager, Texas Staff Development Council, www.tsdc.org

WOW!—My sentiments exactly when I read or listen to Phillip Schlechty. With the pressure on educators to improve student academic performance, Schlechty’s book Working on the Work (WOW) provides an approach that will impact the quality of the schoolwork. In his opening phrase Schlechty comments, “Schools cannot be made great by great teacher performance. They will only be made great by great student performance.”

WOW is a practical companion to Schlechty’s earlier publications, Schools for the Twenty-First Century (1991) and Shaking Up the Schoolhouse (2000). Based on the premise that “the key to school success is in identifying or creating engaging schoolwork for students,” Schlechty offers 12 standards that form a framework for a WOW culture: • Patterns of Engagement • Student Achievement • Content and Substance

“This book will change the

that in mind, Schlechty organizes the dialogue around those leaders who can best impact student performance.

way you think about teaching and learning.”

What makes Schlechty’s work even more wow! is his practical classroom language.

“If you want research, read someone else’s book,” says Schlechty, “but if you want real and practical ideas about making engaging work for students, then read this book.”

Yet, nothing in Schlechty’s work violates any of the current research on best practice and only serves as an operating system for improving practice. Some readers will say that Schlechty’s writing style is very elementary and repetitive, but I found it to continually reinforce the major concepts needed for authentic engagement. About the time I needed a reminder or a clarification, one would appear in a more engaging way. Wow!

Chapter 1 is devoted to the idea of engagement—how to engage students in the learning and how to assess if they are really engaged. Chapter 2 includes a set of questions used to create faculty conversations around the WOW framework.

Chapters 3, 4, and 5 are each written specifically for teachers, principals, and superintendents with strategies for creating professional conversation about their respective activities. Chapter 6 speaks to accountability and school reform, and then Schlechty saves the best wow! for last. In the Appendix, he provides questionnaires that provide analysis, dialogue, and action for principals and teachers. The school version is written to heighten the principal’s understanding of what he or she should be looking for in the WOW school, and the classroom version is written to fine-tune the teacher’s instruction.

• Organization of Knowledge • Product Focus • Clear and Compelling Product • A Safe Environment • Affirmation of Performances • Affiliation • Novelty and Variety • Choice • Authenticity

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WOW makes sense. It’s not a program, but a way of life—a system wherein the best way to engage students is to improve the work. According to some of Schlechty’s basic assumptions, teachers are both leaders and inventors, while the students are the volunteers. “The primary function of a leader is to inspire others to do things they might otherwise not do.” So, with

The Texas Staff Development Council is so wow’d by Schlechty’s work that it has designed regional symposia events for the purpose of reading and studying WOW and then dialoguing with Phillip Schlechty himself in a group setting.

WOW!! This book will change the way you think about teaching and learning.

Corporate Partners as of 8/12/2004 For more information, contact: Johnny L. Veselka, Executive Director; or Pat Johnston, Director, Special Services; 800-725-8272

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Self-Esteem Adventures Press 2/3 page ad on CD

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