INSIGHT—Spring/Summer 2005

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

INSIGHT

57th Annual

Summer Conference

on Education

June 26–28, 2005 • Renaissance Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas Sponsor ed by: The University of Texas at Austin–College of Education Texas Association of School Administrators

The Summer Conference on Education is designed to provide you with the most pertinent and current information on legislative activities, state and federal accountability, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, and much more. Keynote speakers include • Doug Reeves, Leadership and Learning International • Commissioner of Education Shirley J. Neeley, Texas Education Agency • Criss Cloudt, Texas Education Agency Concurrent sessions throughout the conference address a wide array of hot topics for administrators, including finance, curriculum and instruction, leadership, assessment, and successful instructional programs from districts across the state. In addition, TEA staff address specific aspects of new legislation, the new accountability system, Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, and the No Child Left Behind Act. Between sessions, unwind at the Past Presidents Golf Tournament, and join old friends and new at the “Meet the Exhibitors” Open House and Reception (Sunday) and the President’s Reception (Monday).

Registration Information All registrations must be entered online at www.tasanet.org > Active Conferences/Seminars. Online registration opened on Monday, April 4, 2005.

Registration Questions?

Contact Brettany Rhodes, TASA, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

SPRING/ SUMMER 2005

p. 12 p. 20

Volume 19

No. 1 FEATURED ARTICLES

p. 15 Moving Instruction to Higher Levels of Cognition

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by Stacey L. Edmonson and Shirley A. Johnson Shares suggestions and implementation techniques for moving instruction to higher levels of cognition as a critical approach to successful student learning Building on the Past to Create a Powerful Future

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by Jan O’Neill Focuses on continuous improvement principles by integrating and connecting professional learning communities, assessment, and leadership capacity Building Capacity for Embedded Professional Learning: A Case Study

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by Paula Mower Gives an overview of how Fort Worth ISD is engaging teachers in embedded professional learning experiences through a process know as QUILT—Questioning and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking

ALSO OF INTEREST…

Snapshot of a Leader: Texas’ 2005 NSOTY Nominee Michael Jay Harris

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Offers a snapshot of Michael Jay Harris through his responses to specific questions on the American Association of School Administrators’ 2005 National Superintendent of the Year Award Program Application Retiring Members: Think Honorary Life

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Encourages retiring administrators to nominate themselves or others who may qualify for 2006 Honorary Life Membership to be honored at the TASA Midwinter Conference in January Corporate Partner Showcase

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Recognizes TASA President’s Circle, Platinum, and Gold level Corporate Partners for their support of the association and its mission

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DEPARTMENTS

Officers

Upcoming Events at TASA

6

President’s Message

9

Executive Director’s View

11

Michael Hinojosa, President, Dallas ISD Alton J. Fields, President-Elect, Pleasanton ISD Kay Waggoner, Vice-President, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Dawson R. Orr, Past President, Wichita Falls ISD

Executive Committee Highlight on TASA Services:

41

TASA Membership

Arturo Guajardo, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, 1 Karen Rue, Tuloso-Midway ISD, 2 Tom R. Jones, Jr., Tidehaven ISD, 3

Book Review: Quality Questioning: Research-Based Practice to Engage Every Learner

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Rick Schneider, Pasadena ISD, 4 Gail Krohn, Nederland ISD, 5 Steve R. Johnson, College Station ISD, 6 Dee W. Hartt, Tatum ISD, 7 Eddie Johnson, Harts Bluff 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 Ryder F. Warren, Marble Falls ISD, 13 Rick Howard, Comanche ISD, 14 Alan Richey, Bronte ISD, 15

TASA Editorial Staff

Robin D. Adkins, Perryton ISD, 16 Mike Motheral, Sundown ISD, 17

Johnny L. Veselka

Michael Downes, Big Spring ISD, 18

Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services

Paul Whitton, Jr.

Paul L. Vranish, Tornillo ISD, 19

Assistant Executive Director, Communications & Information Systems

Ann M. Halstead

Executive Director

John Folks, Northside ISD, 20

At-Large Members

Design/Production

Emmy Starr

Robert Duron, Socorro ISD

Editorial Coordinator

Karen Limb

Michael G. Killian, Lewisville ISD Thomas Earl Randle, Lamar CISD Shelley Schmitz Sweatt, Burkburnett 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. © 2005 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.

Editorial Advisory Committee Michael Hinojosa, Dallas ISD, chair Alton J. Fields, Pleasanton ISD Jim Hawkins, Killeen ISD Daniel Paul King, Hidalgo ISD Linda G. Mora, Northside ISD Dawson R. Orr, Wichita Falls ISD 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

May Raising TAKS Test Scores: A Baker’s Dozen Ways

Examining Student Work for Standards Alignment and Real World Test Item Format

Improved Questioning: Gateway for Increased Achievement for ALL Students

Training-of-Trainer’s Seminar with Carolyn Downey

Training-of-Trainers Opportunity

g Who Should Attend • District-Level Administrators • Curriculum Directors and Content Specialists • Supervisors/Coaches of principals • Principals • Assistant Principals • Teacher Leaders

g Who Should Attend • District-Level Administrators • Curriculum Directors and Content Specialists • Supervisors/Coaches of principals • Principals • Assistant Principals • Teacher Leaders

Three-Day Training-of-Trainers Institute with Jackie A. Walsh and Beth D. Sattes

g What You Learn • 13 powerful strategies that staff can use to increase student achievement scores, • Basic first steps to move staff towards focusing on higher student achievement and low performing students based on curriculum management standards of educational performance

g What You Learn • Calibration of student outcomes to sample standards and tests • Analysis of proposed student work in language arts and mathematics • A teacher protocol for examining student artifacts

• May 16–17, 2005

• May 18 & 19, 2005

g • • • •

Who Should Attend Curriculum and Instruction Specialists Staff Development Providers Principals Teacher Leadership Teams

g What You Learn • A professional learning process designed to build campus-based leadership capacity, which supports classroom reculturing required for a more student-centered approach to teaching and learning • June 6–8, 2005

2005–06 TASA Professional Development Calendar coming soon!

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Curriculum Assessment Design and Delivery (Level 1)

Aspiring Superintendents’ Academy

Curriculum Assessment Design and Delivery (Level 1)

Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center with Superintendent Cole Pugh, San Angelo ISD

Third of Three Academy Sessions led by Experienced Superintendents and Other Practitioners

Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center with Lead Auditor Jan Jacobs

g Who Should Attend • District-Level Curriculum and Instructional Staff • Principals

g Who Should Attend • Aspiring Superintendents

g What You Learn • Deep alignment issues to raise student achievement • Equality and equity issues in curriculum design and delivery • Best thinking in curriculum, assessment, and instructional design and delivery

g What You Learn • Preparation for the superintendent job search • Role of the consultant, the resume, and the interview • What to expect once chosen as a finalist • June 27, 2005

g Who Should Attend • District-Level Curriculum and Instructional Staff • Principals g What You Learn • Deep alignment issues to raise student achievement • Equality and equity issues in curriculum design and delivery • Best thinking in curriculum, assessment, and instructional design and delivery • August 22–25, 2005

• June 13–16, 2005

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Clear Strategies, Positive Directions PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE “The TASA Midwinter Conference in January exceeded our expectations in being viewed as the conference addressing the business of school administration for entire leadership teams.”

The 2004–2005 membership year has been an active one for TASA. It comes as no surprise that the association has devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy on legislative issues over the past 12 months. TASA members—in various capacities—and staff have spent countless hours drafting, promoting, and supporting the association’s legislative agenda. The same time frame, however, has been witness to a wide variety of activities in other areas of the association—all of which are conducted for the benefit of our members and their districts.

We began the year with a clear strategy aimed at increasing the involvement of members in planning and decision-making activities. The role of our major committees (Administrative Services, Central Office Advisory, Communications and Technology, Leadership Development, and Legislative) was expanded, with committee members meeting in Austin in the fall to participate in a daylong needs-assessment and program-planning activity. Suggestions and solutions brought forth by the committees became an integral part of the year’s action plan.

Our communication efforts were strengthened with a redesign of our Web site, TASAnet.

Last fall the site was rebuilt using a content-management system. The move brought many excellent changes to the overall site, including a revamped Career Center, and builds a solid foundation for future enhancement of Web-based communication and resource services for members. Watch for exciting developments on TASAnet in coming months.

Professional development efforts continued throughout the year, with TASA offering a wide variety of workshops, academies, and conferences. Our 2004–2005 calendar offered exciting new workshops that garnered strong attendance and a positive push for the association’s image as a top-notch professional development provider. The TASA Midwinter Conference in January exceeded our expectations in being viewed as the conference addressing the business of school administration for entire leadership teams. In addition, this year saw the development—under the capable leadership of Dr. John Horn and the TASA staff—of the Texas Standard-Bearer School District Network in partnership with the Schlechty Center.

These are just a few of the many ways in which TASA served its members throughout the year, and plans for 2005–2006 call for nothing less. It’s an exciting time to be a leader in our public schools and an important time to be a member of TASA. I encourage you to take full advantage of your membership through participation in association activities and services. As president, I have had a unique opportunity to represent association members in the ongoing development of TASA. Thank you for affording me that opportunity.

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Half-pager UT Distance Education Center FPO last issue

Half-pager

Spectrum Ad FPO last issue, Winter 04

Sine Die! Not Really!

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW “. . . we are mindful of the superintendent’s important leadership role and will continue to advocate a long-term school finance solution . . .”

When the 79th Legislature completes its work on May 30, the debate regarding school finance, reform, accountability, and tax issues will be far from complete. That’s a safe guess, even if the legislature reaches agreement on House Bill 2 and House Bill 3. The Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools has maintained a strong, unified position regarding the need for a long-term solution to address adequacy, equity, and capacity in order to meet ever-increasing academic standards.

Coalition members have consistently maintained that an inadequate basic program will force school districts to use “enrichment” funds to make up for the underfunding of the basic program, leaving little—if any—room for meaningful discretion. HB 2 must retain the phase-in of increased equity in the enrichment tier to the 98 percent level. Further, if the Senate chooses a state property tax, requiring a constitutional amendment, the amendment must include constitutional guarantees to support student growth and inflation, while ensuring that a state tax does not simply free up other money to be spent elsewhere. Meanwhile, we also await the oral arguments before the Supreme Court on school finance litigation this summer.

Numerous provisions of HB 2, if passed, require further action by the commissioner of education.

The bill requires the commissioner to establish a School Leadership Pilot Program for principals, develop an Educator Excellence Incentive Program, implement an electronic student records system, adopt new measures for financial accountability, provide curriculum management support to local districts, and determine a measure for value-added assessment, among other requirements.

All of these “new” initiatives would be implemented over the coming biennium.

In the midst of several legislative initiatives to impose strict financial disclosure requirements on superintendents, the commissioner will soon publish new rules related to School F.I.R.S.T., requiring detailed reporting of reimbursements received by the superintendent and each board member; gifts received by school employees, board members, and their immediate families; and disclosure of the superintendent’s employment contract. State and district compliance with NCLB will continue to be a priority, as will the pending overhaul of teacher retirement benefits.

We will monitor these developments and keep you advised of further action.

As we conclude the current membership year and focus on the work yet to be done, we are mindful of the superintendent’s important leadership role and will continue to advocate a longterm school finance solution and reasonable reforms in both academic and financial accountability to maintain and enhance public confidence in our public schools. The coalition’s efforts throughout this session have shown the value of school leaders working together on behalf of the children we serve. We will continue to fight the difficult battles on your behalf. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

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Moving Instruction to Higher Levels of Cognition

by Stacey L. Edmonson and Shirley A. Johnson

For years the strategy of planning instruction by choosing activities that go with a specific topic has been rather successful, simply because the fine-tuning of numerous activities over time produced some rather good instructional episodes where teachers could ensure that students would learn something about the selected topic. Little attention was paid to cognition.

The administrator’s role in this process was usually negligible, and the curriculum typically driven by a textbook. In an era of No Child Left Behind, educators must find ways to improve student thinking in every socioeconomic environment to meet the aggressive requirements of state standards. Only through effective understanding and use of cognition can improved student thinking be achieved.

One School’s Journey The principal in an elementary school north of Houston concluded that instruction in her building was not where it needed to be. The faculty used best practices and enabled students to achieve exemplary performance on state tests, which would have delighted most principals. However, this principal began to pursue the missing element and implemented strategies to improve student thinking by developing the faculty’s skills and designing organizational changes to support the new training.

This elementary school never worried about scoring low on state testing because its parents’ affluence would guarantee success. The faculty and staff worried more about the quality of teachers and the activities offered to students. Teachers were clear about aligning the content for testing, but their charge was to stimulate students to improve their thinking, questioning, and interacting beyond the state test. Teachers used Bloom’s Taxonomy to carefully select a verb, add it to an objective in the lesson plan, and then select an activity to address the topic for the day. That planning process yielded a 12

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questionable development of the intended thinking and the selected content, resulting in a lesson focused on content. Teachers did not focus on the thinking expectation; they felt obligated by time constraints to match an activity to the intended topic and not the required thinking. This disconnect between topic and thinking is seldom evident to teachers—they are often unaware of the importance of cognition. Administrators must ensure that teachers understand cognition and its effect on the content and effectiveness of each lesson. To improve cognition, consider the following suggestions that resulted from the successes of this principal and her campus. ◆ Emphasize Thinking over Topic The principal must encourage a shift from topical planning to the addition of cognition to every lesson to help teachers understand how to move lessons to higher levels of thinking. It is important to remember that this shift will create a learning curve not only for lesson design but also for instructional delivery. ◆ Assign Value to Learning The administrative team is vital to shaping the school’s culture so that a primary value focuses on learning. The emphasis is not only on imparting knowledge to students but also ensuring that they actually learn. The value of learning is enhanced by the principal’s attendance and participation in all instructional training that supports learning. ◆ Take Purposeful Action To support higher levels of thinking, the principal must advocate effective cognition strategies and support teachers’ use to improve their practice, but they must also model both the process and the strategies. In this scenario, the principal strategically selected a series of protocols to generate dialogue among teachers about increasing students’ thinking and discovering effective ways to encourage higher-level thinking skills. The principal also exposed her own vulnerability while voicing an acute understanding of the risks that this process of change required of teachers. Together the

teachers and principal created a joint learning process in order to assimilate a very complex process into the daily instructional delivery. ◆ Use Leadership to Model Learning Setting direction in the building is one thing, but modeling the behaviors is yet another. This principal clearly set the direction for improving the quality of cognition and knowledge in the building while modeling both learning the material and struggling with its implementation. The principal was clear about the time required but even more clear about the work that had to be done. Her direction was clear, resources were provided, and any identified barriers were removed. ◆ Learn through Observation Thoughtful consideration of planning has modified how lesson plans are examined and what feedback teachers receive regarding those plans. Through regular observation, the principal was able to give feedback about cognition levels through a common language that evolved among both teachers and administrators. This increased the teachers’ comfort level with the principal’s feedback and enabled them to provide thoughtfully planned instruction rather than just perform when the principal appeared in the classroom. ◆ Build Trust in the School’s Climate An immediate benefit of the principal’s demonstration of vulnerability and work alongside the teachers was the faculty’s increased capacity to trust one another’s feedback as well as that of the principal. The principal arranged a systematic process to allow peers as well as administrators to observe and give feedback regarding the instruction, consequently reducing fear and increasing trust.

Putting These Suggestions into Practice ◆ Evaluate the Instruction in Your School Conducting an honest evaluation of your school’s instruction is a critical first step towards moving towards higher levels of cognition. A teacher’s use of the correct “word” in an objective obviously does not ensure that the lesson will actually use the intended cognition level.

Administrators must first check teachers’ understanding of two simple things: (1) the level of faculty’s understanding of cognition and its relationship to required standards, and (2) the relevant design of instruction that clearly develops the intended cognition and knowledge. Principals may not fully understand cognition themselves and may mistakenly assume that teachers are able to add “higher-level thinking skills” without a thorough understanding of the process.

Evaluating the current levels of instruction is a necessary precursor to working smarter rather than working harder. ◆ Know Your Own Abilities Principals are responsible for the quality of educational programs on their campuses, while teachers are equally accountable for the development of thinking processes in the classroom. Unfortunately, both teachers and principals often lack the depth and breadth of training to fully understand or implement higher levels of cognition; consequently, teachers can often verbalize the concepts but are unable to properly put these concepts into practice. As instructional leaders, principals must ask themselves if their teachers are purposefully and thoughtfully planning appropriate cognition for the knowledge in their lessons. Principals must also be able to identify these concepts in teachers’ lessons and should hold themselves accountable for ensuring that students are working at higher levels of thinking. Furthermore, a

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principal must be able to provide effective feedback to teachers in this regard. ◆ Take Time to Review Lesson Plans Lesson plans reveal very clearly whether or not a teacher understands the usage of cognition and knowledge in lesson planning. A lesson plan might include an objective (but more than likely a topic from the content area), the name of an activity, and possible resources to be used. Too often teachers believe that they develop lesson plans because such plans are required by the principal, because a substitute teacher might need them, or because they help keep the classroom content on target. With this logic, lesson planning is often a waste of time and counterproductive to improving cognition. Instead, the principal must be able to review teacher planning and provide authentic constructive feedback. ◆ Be Patient and Expect Frustration This process is not a quick and easy fix. In fact, it requires quite a learning curve for teachers. Principals and/or teacher leaders must hone their coaching skills, and teachers must increase their own understanding of cognition. This understanding is paramount for providing appropriate instruction to students or feedback to peers. This metacognitive processing may be uncomfortable for teachers who are accustomed to implementing new “teaching processes” quickly and easily.

Administrators must learn to relieve this sense of teacher anxiety and vulnerability in order to allow for the development of appropriate learning opportunities for students.

Conclusion Teachers’ abilities to understand cognition and appropriately prepare lessons that enable students to use content at higher levels of thinking have the potential to impact student performance across all disciplines and grade levels. This is a challenging undertaking and cannot be learned in a single staff development session. Once educators understand the importance of effectively using cognition in planning and delivering instruction, however, it changes how they view thinking and how they choose activities to foster students’ thought processes. In fact, the impact of this process will ultimately change how teachers perceive and approach lesson planning and consequently will directly impact student achievement. Thus, administrators and teacher leaders must be equally well-trained and knowledgeable of cognition in order to provide the quality feedback necessary for teachers to provide effective instruction. With the goal of leaving 14

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no child behind, moving instruction to higher levels of cognition is a critical approach to successful student learning.

Stacey Edmonson is an assistant professor of Educational Leadership and coordinator of the Master’s Program in School Administration at Sam Houston State University. Shirley Johnson is an assistant professor of Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University as well as executive director of the Texas Coalition of Essential Schools.

Photos ©GettyImages, Inc

Building on the Past to Create a Powerful Future

by Jan O’Neill

We do not merely have to repeat the past.

We use our past experiences to construct new and better ones in the future.

—John Dewey

Many years ago when I was a student, a group of teachers in my high school, with the support of the principal and school board, decided to offer an alternative program called “the learning community.” Enrollment was by lottery, and 200 of us entered as the first class. The first day set a remarkable standard: all the teachers and students met in their respective “houses” to discuss a vision and set of values for the new school. Students were asked to generate ideas for curriculum that they were interested in pursuing.

Everyone brainstormed ways to build a sense of “community.” Later that fall, I became involved as a student leader when I organized a 40-mile bike trip and in the spring developed a survey to gauge the school satisfaction levels of students, parents, and teachers. Over the next two years I wrote a book and produced an animated film, and with the help of peer-tutors caught up on math skills that had been sorely lagging. The learning community experience was the first time I found my voice as a leader and became serious as a student. I later discovered, however, that for other students the learning community was an experience in failure. They fell behind in their academics, never engaged in leadership activities, and in general simply tuned out. “The learning community” ceased being an option in my high school five years after it began.

What was the difference between my experience and my peers? Why did I suddenly bloom in this environment while others floundered? The variation in experience can

be attributed not to lack of will among the teachers but to lack of knowledge and skill. Although very committed to the vision of a democratic “learning community,” they lacked the knowledge of what went on inside a student’s head much less inside a school to produce learning. They lacked the tools and processes for assessing whether students “…I found my voice as a leader and became serious as a student.

I later discovered, however, that for other students the learning community was an experience in failure.” were learning, and for improving their school. Both students and schools were a relatively unknown “black box.” This wasn’t their fault; it was simply the state of education in the early 1970s.

Today we are much clearer about what’s inside that “black box” both in terms of student and adult learning. We now have valid and reliable research to support the connection between professional learning communities and improved student learning. We know what a learning community should look like and how it should function for optimal performance. In addition, we know much more about how the brain learns and the emotional role that assessment plays in building student motivation for learning.

We also understand the connection between a school’s ability to engage all stakeholders in leading and learning

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and student achievement. Today educators are on the same wavelength with three very important topics of conversation: “professional learning communities,” “assessment,” and “leadership capacity.” These topics have a firm foundation in continuous improvement principles, which my colleagues and I have been helping schools and districts implement for the past eight years (and in the business arena for the previous ten). This article focuses on integrating and connecting these pieces.

Roots in Quality Between the 1970s and today, many thought leaders have had a profound influence on American industry and on our schools. In particular, W. E. Deming and Peter Senge in the 1980s helped us appreciate the power of systems thinking, using data for improvement, and learning organizations.

Deming shook the brains of corporate leaders when he challenged them to focus on quality by improving processes, employing the full brainpower of employees, and removing barriers to quality. Senge challenged these same leaders to stop managing their organizations as mechanistic command and control hierarchies, and instead shape a collective purpose through dialogue, examine problems in the context of systems, and value the power of teamwork to accelerate organizational learning. As corporate leaders began changing their practices and profitability returned, educational leaders began paying attention to these concepts—although their incorporation into educational practices has been slower in coming.

“The most successful schools were those that used restructuring tools to help them function as professional communities.”

In 1983, Rick DuFour at Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, was one of the first educational pioneers to begin applying Deming’s and Senge’s thinking in a school setting.

Using the principles of continuous improvement as a guide, he and the staff spent many hours dialoguing about the kind of school they wanted to be. From these conversations came a commonly shared purpose with a focus on student learning and high expectations for all learners. The staff created a mission and set of values that to this day guide decisions. They established goals and priorities for improvement based on a careful analysis of the current reality of their school. Collaborative time was created for teams of teachers of like-courses to establish clear learning objectives and common assessments to measure whether students were mastering the objectives. Systems were put in place to prevent students from falling behind, with extra time and attention built in for those students who needed it. Students were called upon to serve as student advisors and mentors. Teachers were called upon as leaders and learners.

Today, Adlai Stevenson High School is renowned around the world for its ability to continue to produce extraordinary results; it is the standard of a “professional learning community.”

Professional Learning Communities In 1995, Fred Newmann and his associates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison published groundbreaking research that proved the efficacy of professional learning communities.

Newmann et al studied more than 1,400 schools over five years to determine which, if any, restructuring tool (e.g., site-based management, flexible scheduling, team teaching, school choice, alternative assessments, etc.) had the greatest impact on student achievement. The results were surprising. Newmann (1995) 16

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wrote: “The effectiveness of each education restructuring tool, either alone or in combination with others, depends on how well it organizes or develops the values, beliefs, and technical skills of educators to improve student learning (p. 1).”

Newmann went on to say, “The most successful schools were those that used restructuring tools to help them function as professional communities” (p. 3). Newmann noted that professional communities were schools with “strong organizational capacity,” characterized by: • a clear, commonly shared purpose for student learning • a striving for continuous improvement • opportunities for teachers to collaborate • collective responsibility for student learning • authentic pedagogy In Newmann’s study, “authentic pedagogy” referred to teaching that requires students to think critically, developing in-depth understanding of subject matter. Schools that had both the will and the skill to use “authentic pedagogy” were more successful in improving student achievement than those that did not. In a follow-up publication focusing on 22 districts across the country, Newmann (1996) confirmed that the quality of the work assigned to students, as well as the way that work was assessed, had significant impact on student achievement. Again, however, the school’s ability to deliver on the promise of authentic pedagogy was directly related to whether or not it was a professional learning community. With the help of Newmann and others, the “black box” of what makes a school great was no longer such a mystery.

“… when students were provided with clear targets of learning; received timely, descriptive, non-judgmental feedback; and were engaged in self-assessment and goal setting, they outperformed other students by as much as 1.0 standard deviation…”

Assessment for Learning Research on student assessment and progress monitoring helped provide some answers to the other “black box” mystery of what helps students learn. One significant contribution came from the MidAtlantic Regional Lab. Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of more than 11,000 statistical findings correlating school factors with achievement (Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1994). Second only to teachers’ ability to maintain active student participation, student achievement was improved when students were involved in monitoring their own progress through testing, revising, and evaluating learning strategies. Later, Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam (1998) examined the relationship between formative assessment and student learning. They found that when students were provided with clear targets of learning; received timely, descriptive, non-judgmental feedback; and were engaged in self-assessment and goal setting, they outperformed other students by as much as 1.0 standard deviation, with the effects greatest for low achievers. In addition to the Black and Wiliam study, many others have made the link between student motivation and assessment, debunking the myth that grades, ratings, and rankings “motivate” student achievement (Clarke, 2001; Covington, 1992; Sadler, 1989; Shepard, 2000; Stiggins, 1999).

Rick Stiggins and his associates have been committed to changing assessment practices and policies for over a decade. Basing his work on the past 15 years of assessment research, Stiggins (2002) calls upon educators to involve students “directly and deeply in their own learning, increasing their confidence and motivation to learn by emphasizing progress and achievement rather than failure and defeat” (p. 40). Stiggins distinguishes between formative assessment, which is used to promote learning; and summative assessment, which is used to evaluate whether learning has occurred. Both formative and summative assessments need to be part of a balanced assessment system. The key is to be clear about the users and uses of each type of assessment.

Building Leadership Capacity and the Role of the Leader When Rick DuFour began his principalship at Adlai Stevenson High School, he prided himself on his rigorous attention to individual teachers and his careful process of observing instructional practices and providing detailed, descriptive feedback to teachers on how they might improve. One of DuFour’s (2002) most significant “ahas” as a leader was when he discovered that he had been “focusing on the wrong questions.”

“I had focused on the questions, ‘What are the teachers teaching?’ and ‘How can I help them to teach it more effectively?’ Instead, my efforts should have been driven by the questions, ‘To what extent are the students learning the intended outcomes of each course?’ and ‘What steps can I take to give both students and teachers the additional time and support they need to improve learning?’” (p. 13).

DuFour goes on to say that key to building a professional learning community at Adlai Stevenson was his own transition from “instructional leader” to “lead learner.” Instead of focusing on improving teaching practices, a “lead learner focuses on creating systems, structures, policies, and frameworks to support teams of teachers in their quest to improve student learning.” This includes providing the time for teams to meet, supporting teams with the

As with professional learning communities, the conversation about formative and summative assessment has its roots in quality principles. Deming exhorted leaders to break away from traditional notions of “quality control” where the “good” was sorted from the “bad,” and instead to measure quality earlier in the process and make improvements based on what was learned. The Japanese concept of “kaizen,” which means incremental improvement, embraces the notion of having both “process” (P) and “results” (R) measures—ways of knowing how processes are working both during the process and at the end product stage. Similarly, when teachers and students use assessment as part of the instructional process, they are using “P” measures of feedback for improvement and growth.

When teachers and administrators use assessment to grade, rank, or rate performance, they are using “R” measures to evaluate mastery of learning standards. Both “P” and “R” measures are needed—just as both formative and summative assessments are needed—in order to learn and improve, but one is focused on improvement at the individual level while the other helps us improve at the system level.

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resources and skills they need to be successful, celebrating and recognizing progress toward goals, and always focusing on the questions “Are students learning?” and “What are we doing for those who aren’t?” Even though DuFour left the school over four years ago, Adlai Stevenson continues to receive awards and recognition for its exceptional results and solid processes. The school clearly has strong capacity, which has been sustained well past an individual leader.

The movement away from principal as the instructional leader to instead a “leader of learners” represents a significant shift in thinking.

That a leader’s primary responsibility is to create systems of learning and remove systemic barriers is a concept that again has roots in the works of Deming and Senge. In Deming’s world view, employees worked in the system, while the role of managers was to work on the system, removing barriers to quality and creating an environment where there could be “joy in work.” Senge, who has spent considerable time reflecting on schools as learning organizations, believes principals and superintendents need to shape environments where there is a free flow of information, the focus is on creating what is desired, and teams learn and innovate within a shared vision of continuously improving student learning. As Senge (2001) says, this requires leaders “who are really committed to the continuous learning of everyone associated with the school” (p. 47).

While creating a learning community is a key responsibility of positional leaders, ensuring that the learning community is able to sustain high levels of performance is an even greater issue. This

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issue of sustainability has driven Linda Lambert’s work for more than 30 years. Now retired as a consultant, Lambert (2005) has devoted her entire career to exploring the question “Once you create a great school, how do you maintain a close approximation of that high quality for the long term?” (p. 62). In Lambert’s view, leadership is closely aligned with learning. It is not a position or a set of traits or characteristics. Rather, leadership is an energy flow that occurs when a community (team or school) of people focus on a shared purpose, using dialogue and inquiry to deepen their understanding of the issue at hand. As in Senge’s work, leadership is learning and learning is leadership. The roots of Lambert’s (2003) work can be found in democratic ideals, as demonstrated by her vision of leadership: • Everyone has the right, responsibility, and capability to be a leader.

• The adult learning environment in the school and district is the most critical factor in evoking leadership actions.

• Within that environment, opportunities for skillful participation top the list of priorities.

• How we define leadership frames how people will participate in it.

“Leadership capacity” is a term Lambert uses to describe both the opportunities for leadership and the skillfulness of that leadership.

Similar to Newmann’s “strong organizational capacity” and DuFour’s “professional learning community,” in Lambert’s 4quadrant model, a Quadrant-4 school has broad-based, skillful leadership where everyone is a learner and everyone is a leader, including students, parents, teachers, administrators.

For Lambert, too, the building principal needs to move from being a “strong instructional leader” to being a facilitator of learning, change, and improvement. In her recent research (2005) on high leadership capacity schools, she examined three distinct phases that principals go through as the school gains in leadership capacity: instructive, transitional, and high leadership capacity. In the instructional phase, principals insisted on focusing on results, challenged existing assumptions about student learning, and established structures and processes to engage teams of teachers in improving instructional practices. During the instructional phase, principals were very assertive in their vision and beliefs, but this assertiveness faded in the second phase, as teachers began exercising more leadership. During the transitional phase, principals gradually let go of their authority and control, providing coaching and support for emerging teacher leadership. Lambert writes that this is the most challenging stage for principals; it requires being able to strategically read the culture of the school as teachers grow in their confidence as leaders, often in fits and starts.

In the third phase, the principal takes a lower profile, acting more as a facilitator and co-participant. Lambert and DuFour are clearly in agreement that the principal’s main job is to be a “learning leader” who creates the culture of a sustainable learning community.

Learning from Experience Dewey believed that we build from our experiences, but Deming’s view was that we cannot learn solely from our experiences; we must have theories that we take action on to test and evaluate. In the 1970s, many educators intuitively felt that a hierarchical, mechanistic school culture was not conducive to learning. It has taken more than 30 years of research to prove why this is true and what the new learning organization should look like. Now, with data in hand, we are much better equipped to build the type of schools that are strong learning environments not only for students but also for adults. Thanks to the works of many thought leaders and researchers, we know with great certainty that when both students and adults are actively engaged in the learning process achievement improves. Fortunately as a result, my experience as a student many years ago, which turned out to be such a fluke, is being replicated for many more students in schools throughout the world today.

Jan O’Neill is co-author with Anne Conzemius of several books that help educators implement continuous improvement principles. She studied directly with W. E. Deming and worked with a number of quality movement leaders during the 1980s and early 1990s.

She and Conzemius are co-founders of QLD Learning, a Madison, Wisconsin-based consulting and software organization dedicated to bringing technology and professional development to schools committed to the principles of continuous improvement.

References Black, P., and Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139–148.

Clarke, S. (2001). Unlocking formative assessment. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

Conzemius, A., and O’Neill, J. (2001). Building shared responsibility for student learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Covington, M. (1992). Making the grade: A self-worth perspective on motivation and school reform. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Deming, W. E. (1982, 1986). Out of the crisis. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Dufour, R., and Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.

DuFour, R. (2002, May). The learning-centered principal.

Educational Leadership, 59(8), 12–15.

Imai, M. (1986). Kaizen. New York, NY: Random House.

Lambert, L. (2005, February). Leadership for lasting reform.

Educational Leadership, 62(5), 62–65.

Lambert, L. (2003). Leadership capacity for lasting school improvement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Newmann, F. M. and Associates. (1996). Authentic achievement. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Newmann, F. M., and Wehalage, G. G. (1995). Successful school restructuring. Madison, WI: Center on Organization and Restructuring.

Sadler, R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instructional Science, 18, 119–144.

Sparks, D. (2001, summer). Why change is so challenging for schools. Interview with Peter Senge. Journal of Staff Development, 22(3), 42–47.

Stiggins, R. J. (1999). Assessment, student confidence, and school success. Phi Delta Kappan, 81(3), 191–198.

Stiggins, R. J. (2001). Student-involved classroom assessment (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill-Prentice Hall.

Stiggins, R. J. (2002, September). Classroom assessment for learning. Educational Leadership, 60(1), 40–43.

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Building Capacity for Embedded Professional Learning:

A Case Study

by Paula Mower

Fort Worth ISD, the third largest urban district in Texas, is carrying out an ambitious plan to raise the level of questioning and thinking for all 81,000 of its students. This districtwide effort engages nearly 5,000 teachers in embedded professional learning experiences through a process known as QUILT—Questioning and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking. Developed by research and development specialists Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes, QUILT is showing promise in Fort Worth.

For 10 years, Fort Worth ISD has focused on closing the achievement gap for all student groups. As measured by the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), the district realized success. In 2003, however, the Texas accountability system shifted to a more rigorous assessment, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). TAKS not only assesses content knowledge but also requires students to apply, analyze, and evaluate what they have learned. Students must demonstrate thinking skills and conceptual understanding.

Focusing on Goals This shift in the accountability system caused a major quake throughout the district. The time had come for administrators responsible for curriculum and instruction to “re-invent themselves.”

Instructional delivery methods that had successfully prepared students for a skills-based assessment were no longer going to result in student success.

The district’s 2002–2003 improvement plan clearly outlined a plethora of imperatives for spurring higher levels of performance across all areas of state-tested subject areas and student subgroups.

Patricia Linares, deputy superintendent of School Management and Instruction, provided the leadership, direction, and support for addressing the need for high-quality instructional practice. The 20

INSIGHT

director of teaching and learning was directed to search for a cohesive strategy with the potential to transform the culture of instruction in Fort Worth schools—and coordinate professional learning among major divisions of the organization (management, instruction, and curriculum). In 2001–2002, elementary school management briefly introduced the QUILT process to a small group of elementary schools in response to the need for instructional improvement with a targeted group of classroom reduction teachers.

Without administrative leadership and an implementation plan, including follow-up, the training had positively impacted only a few classrooms. However, after studying research evidence and the professional development process of QUILT, Linares and her administrative team determined that QUILT’s comprehensive professional development approach could succeed in this large district—with leadership and coordination among the curriculum, instruction, and school management divisions.

“When I watch my teachers truly integrate QUILT in their lessons I can see students having more interest and fun in the discussions…”

Developing Alliance Finding a way to fund such a broad-reaching undertaking led to a unique collaboration among central office staff for the support of professional development. Associate superintendents in both the curriculum and instructional divisions realized the need and gave support for addressing the concept of improving questioning strategies and raising the level of thinking in classrooms. Securing a committed source of funding was the challenge. Through delicate and careful negotiation among executive staff, funding was allocated for the project from a variety of sources: Department of Teaching and Learning for Professional Development, Title I, and campus budgets. The next step led the district to commit to the allocation of time for training and implementation.

Professional Learning: Steps to Implementation Step One: Training Leaders During the spring of 2003, awareness training was provided for principals. They were asked to select up to three teacher leaders interested in learning QUILT strategies and presenting them to their campus faculty. In July 2003, Beth Sattes and Jackie Walsh conducted the first of a series of trainings for 300 campus-level trainers. After a three-day induction training, the campus QUILT trainers were ready to “break ground� with their own faculties.

School training teams varied from campus to campus, with many teams consisting of two teachers and an instructional specialist. Several teams included assistant principals and/or the principal, but for the most part, this was truly a teacherto-teacher leadership initiative. All 78 elementary schools selected teams to participate in this process, as did 22 of the 24 middle schools, 7 of the 13 high schools, and 5 of the 10 alternative schools.

Step Two: Sustaining Principal and Teacher Leadership November 2003 was a time for renewal and planning for the 300 campus trainers and the principals. National QUILT trainers Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes returned to Fort Worth to carry this learning process forward. Since August, schools had engaged in approximately 10 hours of induction training.

To complete the 18-hour induction process, trainers prepared to present during the campus-based professional development day in January 2004. Once again, Linares and her team provided the support necessary for this follow-up, which included

released time for training the trainers and collaborative support for allocating campus-based professional development time to ongoing QUILT training.

Step Three: Keeping Principals Informed and Supported On January 30, 2004, Walsh and Sattes returned to work with principals in a districtwide professional development session. A 3-hour training was required of all principals, including those who chose not to participate in QUILT. Principals shared stories of success and stories of challenge, but for the most part the room was filled with conversation that served to energize the process. Principals walked away with a clearer lens for monitoring the implementation process at their campus.

Step Four: Ensuring Support

By May 2004, the 18-hour induction process was complete for most participating schools. Knowing that the district needed to move into the upcoming school year with renewed focus, and to assure the 5,000 teachers that QUILT is a sustained professional learning experience, we determined a need to develop a district-level QUILT cadre. The Department of Teaching and Learning appealed to the principals for recommendations of extraordinary leaders that would agree to support this effort in training outside their school faculties. Twenty-one trainers came forward to help the district sustain this effort.

Walsh and Sattes returned to Fort Worth to prepare this group of committed leaders for their new role. The first responsibility ahead of them was to develop training for the 300 campus trainers who would prepare schools for August 2004 professional development. All 21 cadre members participated in conducting this training.

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District Snapshot Fort Worth ISD is the third largest school district in the state of Texas and is the seventh fastest growing public school district in the nation. In the 2002–2003 school year, the district was comprised of 78 elementary schools, 24 middle schools, 13 high schools, and 10 special or alternative schools for a total of 125 campuses.

Demographically, FWISD is a minority-dominant district with 29 percent African American, 50.2 percent Hispanic, 18.8 percent Anglo, and 1.8 percent Asian or Pacific Islander. In addition, 64.3 percent of students are economically disadvantaged, significantly above the 51.9 percent state average.

Step Five: Year Two Implementation Challenges Campus trainers were uniquely challenged with the delivery of August campus training. Some of the challenges included the following: • Training new teachers • Accommodating changes in training team membership • Providing new campuses with needed materials and trainers • Making training responsive to individual campus needs Step Six: Preparing Teams to Move Beyond the Challenge to Implementation In November 2004, campus trainers began the final steps of classroom implementation by initiating a series of collegiums and practicums. The one- to two-hour collegiums are designed to focus teachers on specific QUILT behaviors.

After reflecting on the skills and knowledge needed to inform classroom practice, teachers partner with a colleague to observe QUILT strategies implemented in the classroom.

This is the first step to evaluation and accountability.

Next Steps: Sharing the Challenge As Fort Worth ISD moves into the final stages of implementation, support from the district administrators, principals, and teacher leaders will be critical. Leaders will be required to address the ongoing challenges of time, money, and individual teacher commitment. Our hope is that students, parents, and teachers will make this professional learning an ongoing part of the culture, conversation, and practice in Forth Worth schools.

Paula Mower is a coordinator in the Teaching and Learning Professional Development Department at Fort Worth ISD.

Quotes from principals/school personnel regarding the QUILT initiative: “I have found QUILT to be one of the most effective questioning strategies I have seen. We were able to train our teachers in QUILT before the opening of school, and we have seen a dramatic impact in the classroom. We are seeing higher-level questions and better classroom discussions; QUILT has had an immediate impact on student learning.”

—David Trimble, Principal, Fort Worth ISD “When I watch my teachers truly integrate QUILT in their lessons I can see students having more interest and fun in the discussions, I know they are internalizing what they are learning."

—Rhonda Fields, Principal, Fort Worth ISD “QUILT, as a professional learning experience and process, has created great potential for changing teacher practice in Fort Worth schools. Teachers gave meaning and insight to questioning practice as they led the content for this districtwide professional learning across our district. From a central office perspective, this learning process has far-reaching potential for creating in-house staff developers for this and other improvement efforts.”

–Paula Mower, Fort Worth ISD “After 24 years of teaching, I am now a willing participant in an educational revolution. I am changing my role for the “dispenser of all knowledge” to “facilitator of learning.” The QUILT (Question and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking) program has been very important to my rebirth as a social studies teacher.”

–High School Teacher and QUILT Trainer

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INSIGHT

As superintendent, one of the most important things I do is provide assurance to teachers and staff that even though new components are being added to the accountability model and, as a district, we may have to “fix” some things, we are still going to put students first, and teaching and learning will be taking place every day in our classrooms. It behooves me to remain calm and attentive to the job at hand while keeping the big picture always in constant focus.

A. Texas educator leaders have had a state accountability system in place since the eighties and were accustomed to accountability measures for our students and staff long before No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was passed.

However, NCLB has caused me, as the “…I have always tried Q. What elements do you think chief education officer of Slaton ISD, to should be included in preparato employ the very examine more closely the specialized tion programs for aspiring student groups of special education best teachers and superintendents? What firstand limited English proficient (LEP) hand experiences and formal which are now added to the student administrators that I learning experiences would you groups of all students, African American could find and then let design into programs for the students, Hispanic students, white stuchief education officer? dents, and economically disadvantaged them do their jobs.” students in the accountability system. I A. In preparation for creating know that teachers and all staff must systems of success, aspiring work more efficiently and effectively superintendents learn quickly that there is no “one during the time they have with students. All students size fits all” formula for success as the leader of any can learn if teachers are trained in effective teaching school district in any state.

There are certain certificastrategies, have high expectations for all students, and tion courses that all aspiring superintendents must take know the data. By data I mean data from state prior to taking their certification test. In Texas the superassessment reports, which provide concrete proof of intendent certification program is 15 college hours what we are doing in our classrooms. In Texas it has beyond mid-management or principal’s certification. been, and continues to be, a matter of meshing the These standard courses include, but are not limited to, state accountability system with the requirements of school finance, personnel issues, and curriculum and adequate yearly progress and other facets of NCLB. instruction standards, including professional development. The courses on personnel include the law, hiring, One of the most important areas that NCLB has firing, and standard personnel practices. brought to the forefront is that of highly qualified teachers. As a superintendent of several districts, I In keeping with the theme of this competition— have always tried to employ the very best teachers Creating Systems of Success—each school district and administrators that I could find and then let superintendent must make the system in place work them do their jobs. NCLB has precipitated superinfor his/her school district. Doing so is not going to be tendents to examine the quality of their staff memlearned in a class or from a book. Aspiring superinbers. The Texas Education Agency has provided a tendents need to be given more simulation situations mechanism for Texas school districts to verify and case studies through which to learn and practice whether or not their teachers meet the requirements collaborative decision making. Texas has had in for being highly qualified in NCLB. My assistant

Snapshot of a Leader

Q: The central place of teaching and learning in school administration is highlighted anew by No Child Left Behind. Provide examples of your leadership for this core mission; what shifts in focus, if any, have occurred in your district; and how teaching and learning have been impacted.

superintendent and personnel director have verified for me that Slaton ISD’s certified staff meets the requirements for highly qualified with one or two exceptions at most. These exceptions are in hard-to-staff areas like mathematics and foreign language. My assistant superintendent serves on the Texas Committee of Practitioners (committee), the state advisory committee for Title I and other federal programs. In its last meeting earlier in September, the committee was given preliminary information from the Texas Education Agency indicating that 95 to 96 percent of teachers in the 1,200 school districts and charter schools meet the requirements for highly qualified. This speaks well of all Texas school districts.

Texas’ 2005 NSOTY Nominee—Michael Jay Harris

M

ichael Jay Harris, superintendent, Royse City ISD, formerly Slaton ISD, was selected as Texas’ nominee for the 2005 National Superintendent of the Year Program sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators. The following offers a snapshot of his responses to specific questions on AASA’s 2005 NSOTY Award Program Application.

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place for several years district and campus decision-making committees. This allows the district leader to facilitate collaborative decision making. Generally, this works well until there is a controversial issue to deal with. Controversy puts a whole new slant on the situation and calls upon the superintendent to use all his/her tact, diplomacy, and common sense to arrive at the best decision.

Experience is a great teacher in school administration, but it can also be very costly. It behooves each superintendent to have some trusted mentors on whom he/she can rely for accurate and thoughtful advice and counsel. Such a network of resources is invaluable to any school administrator, and particularly to novice superintendents. Texas universities have begun to develop superintendent cohorts for groups of individuals that progress through the superintendent certification coursework together.

These individuals who commiserate and share during class and study sessions generally become lifelong friends and support each other through good times and difficult. It is this network of colleagues that most beginning superintendents rely on for support and guidance in new and/or treacherous situations.

Teamwork through collaboration is the epitome of professional networking. All superintendents can benefit greatly from it.

Q. It has been suggested that we are moving from a system designed for “universal access” to a system demanding “universal proficiency.” How have you begun to redesign your system to meet this new expectation?

A. School districts in Texas began moving from “universal access” to “universal proficiency” in the late eighties to early nineties. Not that universal proficiency is in place, but a great deal of progress has been made. Beginning with the Texas Teacher Appraisal System (TTAS) and moving in more recent years to the Professional Development Appraisal System (PDAS), Texas teachers have been held accountable for student achievement. In years past, teachers taught but no one really verified if students learned the information or not. This is not the case at all today!

Accountability is the name of the game in Texas and has been for a number of years before NCLB came to exist. Texas school districts have a state accountability system that holds them to a high standard for student achievement for all students, African American students, Hispanic students, white students, and economically disadvantaged students. With the addition of the requirements of NCLB, the student groups of special education students and limited English proficient students have been added to the student groups by which Texas school districts are measured. In addition, for the special education student group, only 1 percent of students are allowed not to take the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test. This has been, and continues to be, a real issue for Texas as a specific test for students with disabilities was developed three years ago as a result of a state legislative mandate. This test is known as the State Developed Alternative Assessment (SDAA).

All state assessments in Texas are based on the state curriculum framework, which is the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). This curriculum framework has had a major role in the movement of having a written, taught, and tested curriculum that is one and the same. In previous eras, students were not always 24

INSIGHT

tested over what they had been taught. This was grossly unfair to both teachers and students. With TEKS as the curriculum framework (which is generally expanded upon by local districts) and TAKS and SDAA for the assessment piece, Texas educators know the parameters for which they are held accountable.

Teachers and administrators are accountable to see that students learn at an acceptable level of achievement. It is an issue of national importance. In a time of vast technological advancements and new jobs becoming available at a rapid rate, it is impossible to teach our students everything they need to know.

Rather, it is imperative that students are taught how to learn, how to problem-solve, and to appreciate being lifelong learners. That is the greatest gift for today’s young people.

Q. Some have said that the role of superintendent is less one of solving problems than it is of balancing paradox and mediating dilemmas. How do you create “space” for yourself to act as a reflective practitioner capable of balancing and mediating?

A. Life as a school superintendent is never boring. If one ever feels complacent and that everything is going well, that is just about the time a crisis strikes. Learning to be a “reflective practitioner” is another skill that comes with experience and support of trusted colleagues and friends, including family members. It is essential that the district leader take time to think about what is going on in his/her district in the daily operation and also for the multi-year strategic planning aspect. While most district leaders are generally independent and operate well following their own instincts and judgment, a time for reflection is a mechanism for growth as both a school executive and as an individual.

The key to a large extent in this area of my life is to find and employ competent, trusted individuals and place them in key positions in the district. Frequently, these relationships have been forged over time in more than one school district. For example, in my first superintendent assignment in a very small eight-grade school district, I met a couple already employed in the district—she as the business manager and he as the maintenance/custodial director. These two people have become trusted friends and colleagues for me and my family. It is relationships like these, built and nurtured over time, which allow me to have time to spend as a reflective practitioner. Over the years, moving to progressively larger school districts and assuming larger responsibilities for construction and other projects, having key, trusted people with whom one can dialogue and freely interact provide time for reflection.

Another means of creating personal reflection time for me is coming to the office early in the morning before staff members arrive.

This is my time for thinking and planning as well as reading e-mail and paper documents. I am also fortunate to have a family who, for the past 15 years that I have been a superintendent, has allowed “school time” to be “family time.” Our family life revolves around school and community activities. Currently, I am president of the local Chamber of Commerce as well as a member of the local Lions and Kiwanis Clubs. My wife and daughter support my participation in these groups. Additionally, as a family, we are active in our church. This has been our personal choice, but it has served me well in my professional life.

If you will be retiring from education this year, don’t forget to submit your nomination for Honorary Life Membership in TASA. The association's Honorary Life Members are school administrators who have demonstrated extraordinary devotion to education and to the association. The Constitution provides for awarding Honorary Life Memberships to retiring administrators who meet the following criteria: ✔

Retirement from one of the administrative positions listed in Article III, Section 2, of the TASA Constitution

✔

At least 25 years of experience in education

✔

Ten years of membership in TASA

✔

A member of TASA upon retirement

✔

A record of outstanding service to the education profession

✔

Approval by the TASA Executive Committee

Honorary Life Members receive regular news and information from the association, including TASA publications such as the monthly Interchange and our professional journal, INSIGHT. Honorary Life Members also are listed in the TASA Directory. If you are eligible for Honorary Life Membership or want to nominate another individual, please complete the online 2006 Nomination Form at www.tasanet.org > Honors and Awards > Honorary Life Members.

Nomination forms are due in the TASA office no later than Friday, December 2, 2005. TASA's 2006 Honorary Life Memberships will be presented at the TASA Midwinter Conference on Monday, January 30, 2006, at the Austin Convention Center.

If you have any questions or would like to find out if you are eligible for Honorary Life Membership, please contact Barbara T. Schlosser, coordinator, Membership and Data Services, in the TASA office, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

2005 Honorees—Next page

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2005 Honorees Listed by name, position and district at the time of retirement, date of retirement, and years in education.

Daniel C. Allie Associate Superintendent for School Operations Crowley ISD 6/1/2004 31 Marcus Anderson Superintendent Moody ISD 8/31/2004 40 Thomas W. Baca Superintendent McDade ISD 6/30/2004 41

James E. Bowie Superintendent Goldthwaite ISD 12/15/2004 38

Arthur C. “Skip� Casey, Jr. Superintendent Coleman ISD 11/1/2003 34

Larry Dickerson Superintendent Kountze ISD 6/30/2004 30

Billy R. Bowman Superintendent Santa Gertrudis ISD 6/30/2004 36

Ted W. Cotton Assistant Superintendent Crockett County CCSD 5/31/2004 39

James B. Dickson Superintendent Corsicana ISD 6/30/2004 38

James M. Boyle Superintendent Temple ISD 6/17/2004 32

Joe D. Crane Managing Director, Human Resources Services ESC Region IV 1/30/2004 35

Donald T. Egg Superintendent Ganado ISD 7/1/1994 34

Charles R. Bradberry Superintendent Keller ISD 12/31/2003 35

Larry Baer Superintendent Rice ISD 6/30/2004 33 James S. Ball Superintendent Cherokee ISD 11/27/2003 35

James W. Brown Superintendent Oglesby ISD 6/1/2004 35

Roy C. Benavides Superintendent Ector County ISD 11/5/2004 38

Patsy Y. Brown Director of Curriculum and Community Relations Tatum ISD 6/30/2004 33

Richard E. Berry Superintendent Cypress-Fairbanks ISD 6/30/2004 37

Robert L. Carruthers, Jr. Superintendent Waller ISD 6/30/2002 27

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INSIGHT

Stephanie A. Cravens Superintendent Sheldon ISD 6/30/2004 30

Aida C. Escobar Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD 6/24/2004 43

Steve P. Davidson Superintendent Idalou ISD 7/30/2004 37

Joe T. Farmer Executive Director ESC Region X 7/1/2004 44

Jefferson Davis, Jr. Assistant Superintendent for Administration Everman ISD 12/31/2003 42

Richard A. Faulkner Superintendent Nixon-Smiley CISD 5/15/2004 37

James W. DeWitt Superintendent Roscoe ISD 11/30/2003 30

John C. Fling Superintendent Yoakum ISD 6/30/2004 37

Robert E. French Superintendent Giddings ISD 6/30/2004 37

Lacy A. Hogue Superintendent Baird ISD 11/30/2003 31

Darrell L. Garrison Executive Director ESC Region XVI 8/31/2004 36

Johnnie E. Keeling Superintendent Elkhart ISD 6/1/2004 31

Don Gibson Superintendent Wall ISD 10/30/2002 25

John R. Keys Superintendent Van Vleck ISD 6/30/2004 35

Max Gordon Superintendent Brady ISD 5/31/2004 34

John N. King Superintendent Early ISD 7/1/2004 37

Richard E. Gott Superintendent Rice CISD 1/1/2004 25

Richard Kitchens Superintendent Pewitt CISD 6/30/2004 38

Jim G. Gunn Superintendent Georgetown ISD 6/30/2004 31

Jimmie E. Lange Superintendent Rochelle ISD 6/30/2004 32

Roger D. Hailey Superintendent Henderson ISD 6/15/2004 35

Pamela Jane McGill Superintendent Harleton ISD 1/1/2005 34

James C. Hermes, Jr. Superintendent Vysehrad ISD 6/3/2004 35

Kay Walker McMahon Deputy Superintendent for Instructional Services Abilene ISD 4/1/2004 31

David Hicks Superintendent Deer Park ISD 6/1/2004 31

T. R. Mills, Jr. Superintendent West Rusk CISD 12/31/2004 33

Larry W. Moehnke Assistant Superintendent for Education Services, Area 2 Killeen ISD 5/30/2004 36 Michael Owens Executive Director of Human Resources La Porte ISD 12/30/2004 35 Rolando M. Pe単a Superintendent Rio Hondo ISD 6/30/2004 36

Mike Rosenberg Superintendent Gainesville ISD 5/31/2005 34 John R. Sneed Superintendent Wolfe City ISD 6/1/2004 37 Timothy C. Sonnenberg Superintendent Barbers Hill ISD 6/30/2004 31 Billy Royce Sullins Superintendent Hillsboro ISD 6/30/2004 44

Thomas E. Phillips Superintendent Franklin ISD 6/30/2004 34

Dale Max Taylor Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Granbury ISD 1/31/2004 44

Norman E. Plemons Superintendent Rocksprings ISD 6/11/2004 37

Jesse Joseph Thornton Superintendent Sanford ISD 6/30/2004 33

Dan Powell Superintendent Everman ISD 11/30/2004 31

Thomas S. Tocco Superintendent Fort Worth ISD 12/1/2004 37

Luis Ramos Superintendent Valley View ISD (ESC 01) 6/30/2004 31 Victor Rendon Assistant Superintendent for School Administration Victoria ISD 6/30/2004 35

Jane Westbrook Director of Grants Administration Weatherford ISD 6/30/2004 28

Michael H. Roasa Superintendent Holland ISD 6/30/2004 30

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Thank You to TASA Corporate Partners This section of INSIGHT showcases products and services of TASA President’s Circle, Platinum, and Gold level Corporate Partners. Our Corporate Partners support TASA and its mission through sponsorship of major association events throughout the year, including contributions for general session speakers, distinguished lecturers, receptions, meal functions, golf tournaments, and more. Their generosity makes it possible for us to enhance the quality of events we offer our members. Please take any opportunity you can to express your appreciation to these companies.

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

Major Association Events

Apple ETS/ETS Pulliam PowerSchool Scholastic SHW Group, LLP

PLATINUM

Championship Fund Raising

GOLD

ARAMARK LifeTrack Services Princeton Review Riverdeep Scientific Learning

● Annual TASB/TASA Convention (TASA Leadership Luncheon) ● First-time Superintendents’ Academy—Four Sessions (Receptions, Dinners, Continental Breakfasts, Luncheons, Refreshment Breaks) ● Leadership Development Seminars and Institutes (Presenters and Meal Functions) ● TASA Midwinter Conference (General Session Speakers, Distinguished Lecturers, Receptions, Luncheons, Dinners, Continental Breakfasts) ● AASA National Conference on Education (Texas Reception, Texas Breakfast, President’s Dinner) ● Spring Conference for School Executives (TASA Leadership Luncheon, Executive Committee Dinner, Breakfasts, Luncheons) ● Summer Conference on Education (Executive Committee Dinner, Continental Breakfasts, Refreshment Breaks, President’s Reception, Leadership Luncheon, Golf Tournament) ● Executive Planning Retreat (All related events, including golf tournament)

TASA Corporate Partners ➔

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ETS ETS recognizes the need for schools to show continuous academic growth. Backed by the resources of 270 leading education researchers, ETS provides educators with the only suite of educational products and services designed to develop every student’s full academic potential. The result is improved school performance.

ETS products and services help meet the needs of educators at every level, from state education officials and school superintendents to school principals and classroom teachers. ETS provides custom assessments, program improvement, professional development, instructional data management, and online writing evaluation products and services.

Moreover, results from schools where ETS products and services are in use provide a simple testimonial: They work!

• In 2003, 87 percent of the schools using FOCUS ON STANDARDS™ met or exceeded their annual growth targets.

• Students in classes taught by teachers who were highly engaged in an induction program developed by ETS scored higher on assessments.

• Student writing scores on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Improvement (ISTEP) assessment at one Indiana high school were as much as four times better after the school began using Criterion Online Writing Evaluation.

Helping Educators Meet Today’s Requirements In the wake of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, ETS has assembled a suite of products and services designed to help educators meet demands for increased accountability for student achievement and school improvement. These products include custom large-scale assessments, professional development, online writing evaluation, and a suite of state standards-based program improvement and instructional data management products and services. ETS also provides the ETS Formative Assessment Item Bank, more than 12,000 items aligned to state standards.

• Assessment Solutions help state education departments and school district administrators meet the requirements of state and federally mandated testing programs. Building on the unique ETS legacy and our unparalleled experience in high-stakes assessments, ETS supports its clients in every stage of an assessment from concept through final publication and implementation. In addition to a number of state testing programs, ETS provides the PRAXIS Series of Assessments to assist state licensure officials as well as innovative online scoring capabilities.

• Professional Development Solutions are tied to research-based standards to help teachers at all levels (student, beginning, and experienced teachers) improve their teaching practices and aspiring or experienced school leaders to improve their practice or align their leadership with applicable standards. The PATHWISE Series includes professional development geared to improving induction, observation, data-driven decision making, and school leadership as well as teacher assistance packages and mini-courses to help teachers improve their practice in specific subject areas.

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• Online Writing Solutions provides schools with Criterion, an innovative online instructional tool for evaluating and improving writing skills by providing immediate analysis of essay features, a holistic score, and diagnostic feedback. Criterion offers students unlimited opportunities to practice and submit essays, one of the most important elements in improving writing skills, and to receive immediate feedback in the form of an automated score. It enables teachers to create their own topics aligned with curriculum and standards.

Tools to Help Schools Make Sure No Children Are Left Behind The ETS Program Improvement, Focus on Standards, and Instructional Data Management System products are focused on helping school leaders and teachers make certain that no children are left behind by providing a continuous school improvement model.

• School Improvement Solutions help school leaders meet or exceed Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) growth targets. The solutions include Program Improvement (PI), a three-year, comprehensive, state-specific, custom-tailored program improvement. It identifies the essential standards needed to meet AYP requirements, successfully aligns material to pace standards, and provides on-site staff to work with district leaders to create a program improvement plan. PI provides tools to measure and monitor student performance. These include ETS Item Bank and auto generation of standards-based assessments. Educators are instructed on how to use data to guide instruction and improve student achievement.

Also part of School Improvement Solutions is Focus on Standards™ (FOS), an integrated, fully aligned set of educational tools and resources that help schools and students demonstrate improved achievement and performance. FOS provides state-specific, custom-tailored instructional improvement.

• Data Driven Decision Making Solutions helps school leaders and teachers make strategic and instructional decisions based on the results of formative and summative assessment data. It includes Instructional Data Management System (IDMS), an integrated approach to manage and use data to drive instructional practice and optimize learning results. IDMS supports a standards-based instructional approach that delivers user-friendly data directly to an educator’s desktop through a Web-based interface.

Experienced Educators Make The Difference As experienced educators, ETS’s Elementary & Secondary Education Division experts understand the demands of the classroom and the unique challenges school leaders face. We bring that knowledge and experience to the products and services we develop and to the educators with whom we work to improve student achievement and to support school performance.

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SHW Group Architects In the space on this page we could have shown you what we and other architects always show when we want to feature our firms–pretty pictures of school buildings. But instead, we chose to highlight a program that we have helped found and believe will have a significant positive impact on public education in Texas.

Teachers are heroes in every sense of the word. They return to their classrooms every day to fulfill their mission to connect with their students and do their part to prepare them for the world ahead. Yet the stories you read and hear about in the media are overwhelmingly negative in nature…focused on the one thing that went wrong in our public schools rather than any one of the thousands of things that went right at the same time.

“The constant attacks on our public schools and charges that they are failures have got to stop,” says Scott Milder, a vice president with SHW Group Architects, a national school design firm based in Texas; and president and chief executive of Friends of Texas Public Schools. “They are zapping the life and morale out of our educators. What’s the best way to achieve continued improvement? Celebrating successes and working together in areas of weakness, or beating them over the heads with their problems?

In the business world we build on success, not failure.”

When scores were expected to drop in spring 2004 due to the release of a more rigorous TAKS exam, Texas third graders in fact exceeded expectations, scoring 91 percent passing in reading.

Friends is building a public relations campaign on behalf of Texas public schools that will include a statewide outdoor advertising program, followed by radio and then television public service announcements. “If the mainstream media won’t report the stories of success in our schools then we’ll start by going around them and creating our own media. Hopefully, they’ll eventually get the hint that Texans want to hear about the good things going on in our schools.”

Friends has set up a working Board of Directors as well as an Advisory Board. Board members and sponsors signed on to this campaign include SHW Group, Southwest Airlines, Eddie Deen Catering, Texas Tech University, PR Newswire, Texas School Business magazine, Visual Eyes, Charlie Fern Ink, Camelot Communications, Bank of America, TD Industries, Marathon Oil, and EIRG.

The number of Texas teachers being honored with certification from the prestigious National Board of Professional Teaching Standards has increased more than fivefold since 1999.

Milder is quick to concede that public schools are not perfect.

“No organization is perfect. Schools have their pitfalls and challenges like we all do. But the fact remains that they are doing remarkably well in spite of rising standards, complex policy, public scrutiny, and the big one—budget battles.”

Friends of Texas Public Schools is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established to help resurrect the public’s pride in Texas public schools that has been lost over the years amidst political rhetoric and half-truths reported by some in the media. Its purpose is to build mutual respect between Texans and their public schools.

“We’re pleased we could sign on to help support this cause,” said Linda Rutherford, director of public relations for Southwest Airlines.

“Every company in Texas should recognize the importance of our public school systems being held in the highest regard.”

The organization’s success will depend on great partners such as those mentioned, as well as the citizens of Texas. “We have launched a 100,000 Friends campaign that will provide the lion’s share of funding required to meet the budget,” Scott notes.

Texans who believe in their public schools and want to help give teachers and educators a pat on the back for their many successes should consider becoming official Friends for just $25. Visit the Friends of Texas Public Schools website at www.fotps.org to learn more about becoming a Friend. If your company would like to sign on as a partner, contact Scott directly at srmilder@shwgroup.com.

A substantially higher percentage of Texas students take the SAT than do students nationally. While 57 percent of Texas graduating seniors took the SAT, only 48 percent nationally took the exam.

The proportion of Texas public school 8th graders who scored at the highest two levels in reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress increased by 11 percent between 1998 and 2002.

Texas leads the nation in the size and scope of its gifted and talented program. It is one of the top six states in the nation in the percentage of public primary schools with a gifted and talented program.

Texas leads the nation in cutting-edge foreign language immersion programs for elementary school students, taking advantage of the natural capacity of young children to learn languages.

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LifeTrack: From a Need…to a Service

Contact LifeTrack Services Phone: 1-800-738-6466 Web Site: www.lifetrack-services.com E-mail: info@lifetrack-services.com

• Imagine having access to graduates of your high school for information about how the school has done in providing readiness for postgraduate experience.

• Imagine that you have this information with a “rolling” population so you see trends each year from successive graduating classes.

• Imagine that as your school makes adjustments, creates new delivery plans, and changes curriculum and instruction you have an excellent, easy to access, relatively inexpensive set of data to inform decisions and evaluate progress toward your mission.

This set of data is available now from LifeTrack Services, a company that TASA endorses. LifeTrack has experienced people who build simple surveys to provide input directly from graduates. They keep files of contact information and are able to get phenomenal response percentages long after students graduate. The service has turned out to be all schools have wanted and more.

They are effective and responsive to many hundreds of schools around the country.

Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act's accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency. They must produce annual state and school district report cards that inform parents and communities about state and school progress. Schools are always trying to improve student knowledge and performance and are now under great public pressure (mainly from the media and politicians) to report to the public how they are doing.

Schools need ways to get timely, helpful, and important after-graduation information for planning and reporting purposes. They need a service that will connect with graduating seniors before they leave school and continue to follow their progress after they graduate.

Schools can make good use of information gathered through follow-up surveys …and it provides a by-product that helps gain student ongoing support—alumni officers’ access to the contact base for reunion planning five, ten, and more years after graduation.

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From the school perspective, you get help from LifeTrack’s experts and with them you design surveys to your specification. Questions can include any mix about the schooling your graduates had, or about postgraduate pursuits. You may want to know about: • Specific school programs • Student feeling about school atmosphere • Students’ sense before and one or more years after graduation about how high school prepared them for that next post-graduation step • Candid student views on school safety • Foundational programs • In what ways they did or did not feel challenged by school classes With a good student contact base, schools can start with a senior year survey and measure progress in subsequent years as changes and improvements are implemented. Schools can plan to check in regularly with several follow-up surveys after graduation to obtain more detail about the preparation provided by the school.

Think of it as an opportunity for a Senior Exit Survey, an Initial Graduate Survey (six months to a year after graduation), an Advanced Graduate Survey (typically five years out), and multiple opportunities over the years for public relations letters to alumni of the school and district.

In this time of challenge for public schools, as we examine most of what we do—from business practices to curriculum and instructional delivery—accountability has become a leading byword. Many schools have found excellent help in the engagement of a professional survey company that focuses on their student and graduate population. To your design, you get the company to develop the contact database, structure the surveys, and provide clear reports from your students and graduates to help you in planning and reporting for success.

Surveys of students can also be used to inform parents and communities about school progress and help meet some NCLB requirements for reporting.

You will find LifeTrack Services to be all you wanted and more. The company is effective and responsive to many hundreds of schools around the country.

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About the Princeton Review For more than 20 years, the Princeton Review has assisted students in gaining admission to a wide variety of post

The company also provides students with collegeand career-planning resources, guiding them through the process of applying for admission to higher education.

secondary schools. The Princeton Review is the nation’s leading provider of test preparation, offering instruction and counseling in more than 500 course

Princeton Review staff members train secondary teachers in higher-level teaching strategies aimed at increasing student performance on the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and other college entrance exams.

locations, including Austin, College Station, Dallas and Ft. Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Waco. We are also in the planning stages to open a location in South Texas to better serve the demands of the school districts in

“We believe this is the beginning of an organized effort in our district to raise the level of (college entrance) test scores in our district and ultimately increase the percent of kids who go on for higher education,” Tyler ISD Superintendent David Simmons said.

Region 1.

The Princeton Review provides intensive classroom and online test preparation for students in many school districts throughout Texas. Instructors from the Princeton Review work in several high schools, in many cases during the regular school day, to teach students strategies for the math, verbal, and new writing sections of the PSAT, SAT, and ACT exams. The company expects that students will perform nicely

Beaumont ISD and the Princeton Review Beaumont ISD is completing its first year of a three-year contract with the Princeton Review to help district high school juniors and seniors raise their scores on the PSAT and SAT exams, and learn more about getting into college.

The Princeton Review provides certified instructors to teach students in Beaumont ISD strategies that instill confidence in their’ test-taking abilities and ultimately help them to raise their scores on the PSAT and SAT.

on the new versions of these exams.

Tyler ISD and the Princeton Review As part of a push to increase the number of students seeking higher education, Tyler ISD has enlisted the aid of the Princeton Review.

“Our mission at Beaumont ISD is to provide our students with the best available resources to maximize their chances of getting into college and earning scholarships and financial aid based on good test scores and grades,” commented Carrol A. Thomas, superintendent, Beaumont ISD.

Galena Park ISD and the Princeton Review Galena Park ISD, the largest exemplary school district in Texas, is in its second year of a threeyear contract with the Princeton Review to help district high school juniors and seniors raise their scores on the PSAT and SAT exams, and learn more about getting into college.

The Princeton Review is collaborating with Galena Park ISD regarding ongoing research and evaluation of the district’s implementation, and is reporting findings to the district on a yearly basis.

The Princeton Review is also providing certified instructors to teach students in Galena Park ISD strategies to help them perform better on the exams.

“We are providing this prep review to help students improve their scores on college entrance exams, which will help them qualify for scholarships to four year universities.

The Princeton Review has a proven track record. This is a positive collaboration that will benefit our students,” said Randy Burchfield, executive director of secondary schools, GPISD.

Rio Grande City CISD and the Princeton Review Rio Grande City CISD is finishing its first year of a three-year contract with the Princeton Review to train a number of high school and middle school teachers in its test taking strategies.

The Princeton Review uses practice tests, elective courses, online services, tutoring, analysis, counseling, handbooks, and other materials to help prepare students for standardized college entrance exams.

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Highlight on:

Membership— TASA Services TASA It Works for You and Your District!

You joined TASA for the vital benefits that membership brings: Governmental advocacy, legal support, publications and information resources, and leadership development—all are critical to your personal success as a district leader. Did you also know TASA has programs and services designed to enhance your entire district? We’ve created unique programs and services designed to help you lead your district armed with the most up-to-date information, resources, and administrative tools. And we’ve made it all affordable so that no district has to struggle alone! Consider this wide range of subscription services—all designed to empower you and your district to excel: • Administrator’s Resource Center (ARC)—in-depth support and assistance vital to day-to-day school district operations; enhanced by the unique partnership between TASA and the Educational Research Service (ERS) • Legislative/Governmental Consultant Services—legal counsel on legislative issues, legislative consulting, bill analysis, and bill tracking • XPress News—weekly legislative/public policy fax information service • Texas Regional Education Applicant Placement (TX REAP) Program—online, password-protected application management system with customized searches through a national database of applicants • NCLB Parent Notifications—parent notifications and resources that enable you to comply with the mandates of No Child Left Behind; more than 33 notification forms and letters, all reviewed for TASA by school attorneys • GenEd Parent Notifications—extensive collection of often-used legal and policy documents translated into 23 languages for instant communication with parents in your district And, as you prepare to renew your TASA membership for 2005–2006, consider these additional memberships that bring you valuable benefits and strong professional support: • Sustaining Membership—active and associate members who recognize the importance of developing and sustaining the association as a preeminent advocate for public education • AASA Membership—collected experience, knowledge, influence, and drive of school system leaders nationwide Expand your TASA membership so that it benefits your entire district! For more information, go to www.TASAnet.org > Membership & Services, or contact Barbara Schlosser, coordinator, Membership and Data Services; 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272. We look forward to serving you and your district needs in 2005–2006!

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Quality Questioning:

Book Review Reviewed by Betty Burks, TASA assistant executive director, Instructional Support and Leadership Development Educational research indicates that activation of prior knowledge is critical to learning, and through questions students’ prior knowledge is recalled. Research further indicates that questioning might account for 80 percent of what occurs in a given classroom on a given day (see Davis, O. L., & Tinsley, 1967; Fillippone, 1998). In Quality Questioning, Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes, senior researchers with the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL), provide an in-depth look at how questions can transform classrooms into environments structured to support student engagement.

Six key research findings regarding questioning as an instructional practice are identified and serve as the basis upon which the content of the book is written: • Teachers ask many questions.

• Most teacher questions are at the lowest cognitive level-–known as fact, recall, or knowledge.

• Not all students are accountable to respond to all questions. Teachers frequently call on volunteers, and these volunteers constitute a select group of students.

• Teachers typically wait less than one second after asking a question before calling on a student to answer.

• Teachers often accept incorrect answers without probing; they frequently answer their own questions.

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Research-Based Practice to Engage Every Learner

by Jackie Acree Walsh and Beth Dankert Sattes A Joint Publication by Corwin Press and AEL, 2005 ISBN 1-4129-0986 • Students ask very few content-related questions.

In chapters 2–6, Walsh and Sattes focus on questioning as the core of teaching learning.

They indicate that teachers already know how to ask effective questions but sometimes find it difficult to change their questioning behaviors. Time and curriculum are critical issues for teachers, and without a framework for preparing and presenting questions, teachers will have little chance of creating powerful questions for improving teaching and learning.

What criteria can be used in formulating effective, productive, or quality questions? Walsh and Sattes identify these four characteristics of quality questions: • Promote one or more carefully defined instructional purposes.

• Focus on important content.

• Facilitate thinking at a stipulated cognitive level.

• Communicate clearly what is being asked.

Developing questions that stimulate thinking is challenging, at best. Teachers are required to think about curriculum content at a deeper level—to identify the essential learnings of the tested content and alignment with learning goals. Quality questions must be purposeful. Once teachers have specified the purpose for their questions, they must wrestle with the question, “On what specific content do I want to pose a question to students?”

Furthermore, deeply ingrained teacher behaviors are difficult to change without also collaborating with and teaching students new behaviors. Walsh and Sattes acknowledge a set of underlying beliefs that can be translated into a set of norms to help reshape classroom behaviors and engage students in connecting past learnings, experiences, and attitudes to the content in the lesson. “The classic concept of learning is that it occurs when the teacher asks the questions and the students can answer them, but the reality is that learning does not occur until the learner needs to know and can formulate the question for himself ” (Morgan & Saxton, 1994). When a student grapples to create his/her own questions about content, he/she is engaging in the process of meaning making; i.e. thinking.

Walsh and Sattes conclude their book by demonstrating how a focus on effective questioning can enhance the professional learning of teachers and transform schools into professional learning communities. Increased attention to questioning and listening can improve relationships between adults and between and among students. To paraphrase Michael Fullan: All positive change is about improving relationships.

Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes are co-developers of Questioning and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking (QUILT), a nationally validated professional development program on effective questioning.

List current as of 4/25/2005

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