INSIGHT—Winter 2001

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS QUARTERLY PUBLICATION WINTER 2001

INSIGHT New

directions in leadership

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TASA Annual Report 2000–2001 Highlights the association’s activities and services during 2000–2001; provides a breakdown of revenue and expenditures; and lists TASA staff, including a brief description of individual major responsibilities

From ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward

by Mary Cauble, Linda Merrell, Bill Parry, and Billie Ogden Explains how a newly developed state training program offers an opportunity for districts to “retool” their administrators to continue to build instructional leadership capacity by moving from Instructional Leadership Training (ILT) to Instructional Leadership Development (ILD)

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Setting Effective Instructional Direction through SHORT Walk-Throughs

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Texas and North Carolina Receive Accountability Grant

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Superintendent Perspectives on Curriculum Management Audits

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Financial Recovery Process at Stephenville ISD

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The Continuing Campaign for Campus Safety—Heightened Security Means Entering the Digital Age for Some Schools

by Patsy Martin and Susan Cording Smith Defines the SHORT walk-through process and illustrates how it engages professionals in collaborative conversations that promote individual and organizational improvement that leads to greater student performance Outlines the goals of a $99,360 one-year grant received by TASA and the Texas Leadership Center, in cooperation with the North Carolina Association of School Administrators, from the U.S. Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Education

by Michael Hinojosa Examines results from a study to determine the perspectives of superintendents as they relate to conducting curriculum management audits, as well as identifies the factors and processes involved in the implementation of an audit

by Darrell G. Floyd Shares how a newly assigned superintendent and his new assistant superintendent for business and finance discovered a $4 million audit error and the steps they took to reverse the negative financial trend in one year’s time

by Katie Garza Offers the experiences of several school districts in Texas that are using digital surveillance monitoring and recording systems, including a case study in Spring Branch ISD, and the experiences of a school district outside of Texas WINTER 2001 3

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Texas nominee for 2002 AASA National Superintendent of the Year, reminder that January is School Board Recognition Month, candidates for 2002 AASA elections

President’s Message Stand proud

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Executive Director’s View Focus on educational leadership

The Leader Value that technology brings to schools, review on Learning to Change: Teaching Beyond Subjects and Standards, board briefs

INSIGHT Officers

At-Large Members

Leonard E. Merrell, President, Katy ISD Don Gibson, President-Elect, Wall ISD Dawson R. Orr, Vice-President, Pampa ISD James E. Wilcox, Past President, Hooks ISD

Willis Mackey, Navasota ISD Dana S. Marable, Marble Falls ISD Hector Montenegro, Dallas ISD Debra K. Nelson, Frisco ISD

Executive Committee

Editorial Advisory Committee

Eliseo Ruiz, Jr., Los Fresnos CISD, 1 Henry D. Herrera, Alice ISD, 2 Tom R. Jones, Jr., Tidehaven ISD, 3 Rick Berry, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, 4 M. R. “Bob” Tilley, Kirbyville CISD, 5 Dorman C. Jackson, Crockett ISD, 6 Dee W. Hartt, Tatum ISD, 7 Harvey Hohenberger, Chisum ISD, 8 Randel R. Beaver, Archer City ISD, 9 Tony Daugherty, Pottsboro ISD, 10 Vernon N. Newsom, Mansfield ISD, 11 Rex Daniels, Lampasas ISD, 12 Ron Reaves, New Braunfels ISD, 13 Gayle Lomax, Snyder ISD, 14 Billy Jack Rankin, Bangs ISD, 15 Kyle Collier, Claude ISD, 16 Ken McCraw, Lamesa ISD, 17 Bobby D. McCall, Iraan-Sheffield ISD, 18 Lu Anna Stephens, Fabens ISD, 19 Alton Fields, Pleasanton ISD, 20 Michael Hinojosa, Hays CISD, Legislative Chair

Leonard E. Merrell, Katy ISD, Chair Don Gibson, Wall ISD Marla M. Guerra, University of Texas–Pan American Michael Hinojosa, Hays CISD Jan C. Jacob, Victoria ISD Thomas Earl Randle, Lamar CISD Jeff N. Turner, Burleson ISD Mary E. Ward, Dripping Springs ISD

TASA Headquarters Staff Johnny L. Veselka, Executive Director Ellen V. Bell, Associate Executive Director, Professional Development Louann H. Martinez, Associate Executive Director, Governmental Relations Paul Whitton, Jr., Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services David Backus, Assistant Executive Director, Governmental Relations Dian Cooper, Assistant Executive Director, Professional Development Ann M. Halstead, Director, Communications & Technology Pat Johnston, Director, Special Services Gina Friedman, Public Relations Coordinator Emily Starr, Design/Production Karen Limb, Editorial Coordinator Neal W. Adams, TASA General Counsel, Adams, Lynch, & Loftin—Bedford

Advertising For information on advertising in INSIGHT, contact Ann Halstead, TASA, 512-477-6361.

INSIGHT is published quarterly by the Texas Association of School Administrators, 406 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701-2617.

Subscription is included in TASA membership dues. © 2001 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.

WINTER 2001 5

NEWS WIRE

Texas Nominee for 2002 AASA National Superintendent of the Year

AASA Confirms Candidates for 2002 AASA Elections

Thomas Tocco, superintendent, Fort Worth ISD, has been selected as the Texas nominee for the 2002 National Superintendent of the Year Award, cosponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the ServiceMaster Company. In announcing the nomination, TASA Executive Director Johnny Veselka said, “Dr. Tocco is a leader who has focused the efforts of Fort Worth’s public schools on improving student performance in an era of increasing accountability and high-stakes testing. His solid leadership in Fort Worth ISD and his commitment to having every child succeed provide a model for school leaders everywhere.”

The following superintendents are confirmed as candidates for the year 2002 AASA elections:

Tocco has served as superintendent in Fort Worth, a district with an enrollment of 81,000 students, since 1994. Before that time, he served as superintendent of St. Charles Parish Public Schools (Louisiana) and Cobb County Public Schools (Georgia) and assistant superintendent in the Pinellas County Public School System (Florida). In addition, he is currently serving as cochair of the Texas Council of Urban School Districts and is a member of the board of directors of the Council of Great City Schools, Texas School Alliance, and Equity Center.

In his nomination letter, Board President Gary Manny stated, “Tom Tocco believes all children can learn at high levels. When he

took the helm, the achievement gap was widening, with Anglos far outperforming their Hispanic, African American, and economically disadvantaged counterparts. In 2001, Fort Worth ISD had no low-performing schools instead of 74 as projected.”

Six superintendents were nominated to represent Texas in the competition for the National Superintendent of the Year Award. Each Texas superintendent nominated for this award completed and forwarded an application packet to AASA. The application included a letter from the superintendent’s nominator; a summary of the applicant’s education, administrative experience, and professional growth; and school system information. The Texas applications were then forwarded to TASA and reviewed by a statewide committee that selected Tocco to represent Texas at the national level. The selection committee included superintendents, school board members, teacher and parent organization representatives, and other education professionals.

In early December, AASA’s national blue ribbon panel selected four national finalists from among the state nominees to be interviewed in Washington, D.C., in January.

The 2002 National Superintendent of the Year, national finalists, and state finalists will be honored at AASA’s National Conference on Education in San Diego on February 15, 2002.

January Is School Board Recognition Month January 2002 is School Board Recognition Month, with a goal of building awareness of the crucial role an elected board of trustees plays in our communities and schools. Plan now to show your school board members you appreciate their dedication and hard work. They are extraordinary people who voluntarily tackle the enormous job of governing school districts. Their actions and decisions affect the present and future lives of our children.

these important people receive some of the thanks they deserve. Such deserved recognition can encourage veteran trustees to continue to make the commitment board service requires; other citizens might be encouraged to get involved in the schools and make positive change.

A full month of activities allows local districts, PTAs, booster clubs, community leaders, and individual campuses to organize activities convenient and appropriate for them.

Recognizing board members for this commitment and sacrifice takes a combined effort on the part of all those they serve: administrators, school staff, students, and the community. Even though showing appreciation should be a year-round process, taking advantage of the designated School Board Recognition Month in January assures that

For additional information, including the governor’s proclamation; tips for activities; and sample releases, articles, and editorials, check TASB’s Web site, www.tasb.org. Take this opportunity to help acknowledge thousands of public servants who make the time to share their vision and voice about the future of Texas children.

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INSIGHT

President-Elect Mary F. Barter Durango School District 9-R Durango, Colorado John R. Lawrence Troy R-3 Schools Troy, Missouri

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Executive Committee Member Joan P. Kowal Hayward Unified School District Hayward, California Daniel R. Mastrobuono Camden County Blackwood, New Jersey

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Donald B. Trombley Corning City School District Painted Post, New York

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Biographical information on the candidates and their responses to major education issues can be accessed at AASA’s Web site, www.aasa.org. In addition, in January a video discussion will be available on the Web. Ballots for the election will be mailed to all voting members following the National Conference on Education in February.

New officers are installed at the AASA Leadership Conference and officially take office on July 1.

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WINTER 2001 7

President’s

MESSAGE

Stand Proud

Curriculum Advantage FPO (spr 01) pg 8

Ask any middle-aged American today to recall a watershed event in American education. Chances are many of them will mention the launching of Sputnik in 1957 or the publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983. Both of these events served as wake-up calls that catapulted our schools toward the quest for accountability and instructional excellence that characterizes today’s initiatives.

The Texas response to A Nation at Risk led to the eventual passage of HB 72. The leaders of this movement were serious about school improvement and proposed concrete steps toward raising academic standards. We have studied the body of knowledge established by Glasser, Edmonds, Lezotte, Comer, Sizer, Goodlad, and many others that has led to the success stories being told all around the state.

Educators have shown that strong instructional leadership, high expectations for all children, a climate conducive to learning, a strong emphasis on instruction with frequent monitoring, and constant measurement of student progress can positively impact student achievement. Texas educators have become the pacesetters in raising standards and creating an accountability system that currently produces higher levels of performance each year for all students.

Perhaps the most important word of the previous sentence is the word “ALL.” We have seen improved student achievement scores for all students, but even more impressive has been the rise in student achievement of every individual student group. Perhaps the most important aspect of the Texas system is not the accountability itself, but the fact that we now have public schools where every student and every student group counts. Today, achievement is measured by a yardstick that includes not only the traditionally successful student, but, equally important, the child whose educational needs are much more challenging.

We have designed, developed, and delivered a relevant curriculum that has stood the test of TABS, TEAMS, and TAAS, and we are preparing for the even more rigorous TAKS beginning in 2003.

Texas administrators—indeed all educators across the state—can stand proud of accomplishments in improving our schools, in providing academic challenge for all students, and particularly in raising achievement levels among low-income and minority students.

With George W. Bush’s ascendancy to the White House and his appointment of former Houston ISD superintendent Rod Paige as secretary of education, Texas education initiatives have moved to the forefront of national attention. The concepts of student success, high goals, and measurable standards routinely appear in national headlines. The changes that have been implemented in Texas during the past few years have moved rapidly onto the national agenda as educators and lawmakers seek ways to provide high-quality instruction,

meaningful assessment, and continual improvement for every school district and every student in America. As I write this column, Congress is considering education legislation that will introduce state-designed testing for all students in grades three through eight and will tie an unprecedented amount of federal funding for schools to student performance on those tests—initiatives that were clearly born and reared right here in Texas.

Two states—Texas and North Carolina—have emerged as recognized leaders in implementing increased accountability standards during the last decade. TASA has joined with the North Carolina Association of School Administrators to create the North Carolina–Texas Initiative, appropriately titled Leader to Leader: Meeting State and Federal Accountability Requirements. This project, funded through a $99,360 grant from the United States Department of Education, will provide an opportunity for school leaders in our two states to examine the steps we have taken to implement accountability standards and to share what we have learned about best practices. As an added benefit of this unprecedented collaboration, Texans and North Carolinians also will be able to learn from each other as we prepare for increased accountability measures in the future of our own states.

As we look forward to the next wave of accountability measures in Texas, we are taking giant strides on a statewide basis to ensure that our schools are up to the challenge. Through the implementation of Instructional Leadership Development training for administrators, the state has taken the next significant steps toward increasing student achievement through the improvement of instructional leadership.

The state program, ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward, demonstrates Texas’ commitment to a shift from leadership training to the far more dynamic concept of leadership development. As standards increase, superintendents and instructional administrators must deploy resources and expend the energies necessary to meet our ultimate goal. We will be successful only when our efforts yield successful results. As Chester Finn noted, “Education is the result achieved, the learning that takes root when the process has been effective. Absent evidence of such a result, there is no education.”

Outstanding school districts and schools do not just happen; it takes a great deal of effort and work by many, many people to create them.

Here in Texas, we have a solid foundation for success and excellent tools that will help us build on what we have accomplished so far.

The key to this federal initiative rests with the combined efforts of educators at every level, in every school district, in every state. I am reminded of the words of Captain Eddy Rickenbacker, “There is something more powerful than anybody—and that is everybody.”

“Everybody” has worked for the student success we have attained in Texas. It can work in the other 49 states as well.

WINTER 2001 9

Executive Director’s VIEW

Focus on Educational Leadership A recent Public Agenda report, funded by Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds, validates much of what we already know about the evolving role of superintendents. Over the past several years, serious attention has been focused on how to enhance school leadership and, most notably, how to respond to a projected shortage of superintendents that has arisen in some regions. Virtually every aspect of public education—curriculum, testing, teaching, professional development, and funding—has been under the microscope. The role of the superintendent has not escaped this scrutiny.

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For decades, school superintendents have faced challenges and controversy, but in most communities the position of the superintendent has been respected. Attractive salary packages, status, and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children appealed to many aspiring educators.

However, times have changed.

Public Agenda’s research shows that superintendents believe in their work and its importance, but politics and bureaucracy get in the way, and more than half of superintendents say they have to work around the system to get things done. As a result of excessive time demands and diminishing authority and autonomy, the number of superintendents leaving the profession is increasing while the number of young, qualified educators willing to assume the superintendency is decreasing. According to the TASA/TASB report on Salaries and Benefits in Texas Public Schools 2001–2002, 46 percent of Texas superintendents have less than three years experience in their current district with more than 150 districts changing superintendents this year alone.

John R. Hoyle, professor of education at Texas A&M University, College Station, has compiled a report addressing many of these issues. In his study, Superintendents for Texas School Districts: Solving the Crisis in Executive Leadership, Hoyle captures the essence of the impending crisis stating, “This crisis in the superintendency reaches far beyond the schools of Texas. Without the best and the brightest eager to become the CEOs of school districts, our state and its children will suffer. Unless there is an energetic, talented visionary superintendent to light the fire of others, few great school districts and high performing students will emerge. Thus, a collaborative effort to ease the crisis in school leadership is the answer. All stakeholders in the future of Texas and its children must encourage our best and brightest to prepare for the superintendency.”

As educational leaders across the state explore avenues to improve school leadership, TASA continues to provide new and improved programs and services to assist superintendents. TASA’s First-time Superintendents’ Academy, now in its 10th year, prepares new superintendents for successful entry into their position. The response to this program has been tremendous, with this year’s enrollment exceeding prior years.

The U.S. Department of Education’s recent grant to the Texas Leadership Center to fund the Leader to Leader project will support our efforts to share with other states what Texas and North Carolina leaders have learned about implementing increased accountability standards. A publication and Web-based material will be prepared, disseminated, and made available to education leaders in summer–fall 2002. These and other programs and services are only a sample of TASA’s sustained efforts to renew the focus on improving the quality and longevity of the superintendency. I encourage you to take advantage of the many benefits and opportunities for professional growth and development that your TASA membership includes.

WINTER 2001 11

TASA

Annual Report

America’s Leading Test Preparation Resource Re t h sea in at s rc h cr ea core sho ws se s by 30 %!

Assess

TEKS Practice

Teach

2000–2001

TASA is dedicated to promoting, providing, and developing leadership

Mission

that champions educational excellence.

new directions

The year 2000–2001 saw TASA move in new directions while expanding our

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efforts to meet long-standing association objectives.

TASA provides a broad range of member services in the areas of Administrative Services, Governmental Relations, Professional Development, and Communications and Technology. TASA relies on a variety of income sources, including membership support, the Annual TASA/TASB Convention, various subscription services, and seminars and training, to name just a few. The charts on the following pages illustrate TASA’s revenue sources and expenditure categories for 2000–2001, as well as total revenue for the preceding four fiscal years. The association’s services and activities—broken down into individual categories—follow.

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WINTER 2001 13

Membership

Total Expenditures

The association provided benefits and services to 2,052 members in 2000–2001. Membership categories are as follows:

2000-2001

Superintendent

48%

Central Office

33%

Education Service Center

2%

University/College

2%

Association/Agency

1%

Miscellaneous

2%

Paid Life Retired

1%

Associate

8%

Student

3%

Total Revenue: 1996-1997 to 2000-2001

Total Revenue 2000-2001

8% 16% 2% 2%

Membership Dues Convention Royalties 18%

Seminars/Training/ASRC Publications/Advertising Building Operations Miscellaneous

41%

13%

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WINTER 2001 15

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“One measure of leadership is the caliber of people who choose to follow you.”

eet ur Staff

—Dennis A. Peer

Associate Executive

D I R E C T O R S Johnny Veselka, executive director Directs and manages all of the activities of the association.

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Ellen Bell, associate executive director, Professional Development

Louann Martinez, associate executive director, Governmental Relations

Paul Whitton, Jr., associate executive director, Administrative Services

Manages the professional development services of TASA and the Texas Leadership Center, including the Technology Leadership Academy, superintendent mentor program, professional development calendar, Central Office Academy, curriculum audit services, and strategic planning services. Seeks and manages grant funding to underwrite leadership development initiatives.

Represents TASA at professional development and curriculum meetings.

Manages the governmental relations of TASA. Serves as a liaison between TASA and state legislators and state agencies.

Responds to inquiries regarding state legislation and regulations. Performs research, develops legislative positions, represents the association on legislative and state policy issues, and assists in the preparation of TASA’s weekly XPress News fax.

Oversees the day-today operations of the Administrative Services Department. Serves as liaison between members and association attorneys regarding legal issues. Assists in the organization and planning of conventions, conferences, and workshops. Answers questions pertaining to facility and demographic studies.

David Backus, staff counsel and assistant executive director, Governmental Relations Advises executive director on legal matters affecting the association.

Provides legal information to TASA members regarding all aspects of school law. Assists the associate executive director of governmental relations in developing and carrying out the association’s legislative program.

Provides analysis of legislative and regulatory issues to TASA membership.

Pam Cantrell, accounting clerk Assists chief accountant with disbursements and accounts payable.

Answers questions regarding payables and receivables.

Logs and enters receivables and processes credit cards for the association and TASA workshops and conventions.

Dian Cooper, assistant executive director, Professional Development Manages the Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center by scheduling and facilitating professional development training.

Coordinates curriculum management audits.

Assists districts with strategic planning needs and training.

Organizes training and facilitation for the Central Office Academy.

Ginny Endress, manager, Data Services

Gina Friedman, public relations coordinator

Mima Gonzalez, executive assistant for special projects

Manages the association’s annual membership and subscription campaigns, including identifying and recruiting prospective active, student, and associate members.

Maintains accurate superintendent and district information, including address data for TASA publications. Serves as membership liaison between TASA and AASA. Answers questions and assists members in maximizing TASA benefits and selecting subscription services.

Promotes and coordinates TASA programs and services, including the annual School Board Awards, Discover Card Scholarship Program, and AASA National Superintendent of the Year Award.

Provides public relations and marketing support for the association.

Generates press releases and serves as a liaison between TASA and the media.

Provides administrative assistance and technical support to the association’s executive director and associate executive directors. Assists in coordination of presenters and facilitators for TASA-sponsored conferences and conventions.

Provides assistance at TASA professional development workshops, conferences, and conventions.

Provides feedback on the activities of the SBOE and SBEC, as well as other governmental entities.

Evaluates articles for inclusion in the ASRC Bulletin and maintains the Superintendent Evaluation Handbook.

Ann M. Halstead, director, Communications and Technology Directs the development, design, and publication of all TASA printed materials.

Directs the development, design, and maintenance of TASA's Web site, TASAnet, including the Educator Job Bank, Texas REAP, and the TASA EduPortal.

Oversees the operation and maintenance of association hardware, software, and telephone systems.

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“Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.”

—Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery

Brettany Rhodes, administrative secretary, Professional Development

Barbara Hardin, executive secretary, Office of the Executive Director Provides assistance and secretarial support to the executive director.

Coordinates TASA Executive Committee meeting preparation and distribution of agenda materials and minutes.

Maintains other TASA committee records.

Coordinates housing for the AASA National Conference on Education.

Coordinates production of facility studies and other special projects in the office of the executive director.

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Pat Johnston, director, Special Services Serves as TASA liaison to conference facility representatives and contractors for all association workshops, conferences, and meetings. Assists in coordination of the Annual TASA/TASB Convention.

Serves as exhibits coordinator for Education Expo, Summer Conference, and Texas Assessment Conference.

Karen Limb, editorial coordinator Coordinates with authors, reviewers, design/production coordinator, public relations coordinator, and others, as necessary, regarding compilation of copy for association publications and printed materials.

Edits, proofreads, and assists in writing copy for association publications.

Maintains author database and publication index.

Answers questions related to manuscript deadlines and editorial content of monthly and quarterly publications, including Texas School Administrator, INSIGHT, and ASRC Bulletin.

Melissa Martin, registration coordinator Coordinates registration for all association workshops, conferences, and conventions.

Christine E. Palmer, administrative secretary, Administrative Services Provides secretarial assistance on all projects assigned to the associate executive director of administrative services, including the annual convention, conferences, and workshops.

Dottie Peterson, secretary, Professional Development Provides secretarial assistance to the assistant executive director of professional development.

Assists members with questions pertaining to curriculum management audits, strategic planning, and Central Office Academy.

Mark Pyeatt, communications specialist Maintains the TASA EduPortal.

Conducts demonstrations at workshops and conferences and answers questions related to the EduPortal.

Coordinates all TASA Marketplace activities, including ordering supplies and materials, handling purchasing requests, and monitoring inventories.

Provides secretarial assistance to the associate executive director of professional development on all related projects. Answers questions regarding the Texas Leadership Center and the Texas Curriculum Management Audit Center.

Albert Rivas, webmaster

Marita Rogers, receptionist

Designs and maintains Web sites for TASA,TCWSE, and the Technology Leadership Academy.

Maintains close contact with TASA departments to ensure that the latest information is uploaded onto the association’s Web site.

Maintains the Educator Job Bank and handles all calls pertaining to job postings.

Provides technical assistance for the Technology Leadership Academy and distributes information to participants through a listserv.

Troubleshoots computer issues within the building and ensures that all computer systems are operating with the latest software and information.

Welcomes visitors to TASA and guides them to their proper meeting or destination in the building.

Answers phone lines and directs callers to appropriate person or departments.

Distributes mail and packages.

Assists other employees with duties pertaining to workshops, conferences, and the Annual TASA/TASB Convention.

Amy Schoellkopf, administrative secretary, Governmental Relations Provides secretarial assistance on all projects related to governmental relations. Assists the associate executive director of governmental relations in responding to inquiries regarding state legislation and regulatory issues.

Emmy Starr, graphics/production coordinator Designs and provides layouts of association publications. Assists with design aspects of the association’s Web site. Serves as the primary liaison between TASA, service bureaus, and external advertisers.

Maintains mail house and service bureau records and publication and photography library.

Rose Marie Ward, chief accountant, C.P.A. Manages the general ledger, receipts, disbursements, payroll, and cash management accounting functions for TASA and the Texas Leadership Center.

Prepares financial statements and other financial reporting and tax filings, including payroll tax reports.

WINTER 2001 19

Professional Development

Administrative Services Professional education leaders continued to reap the benefits of TASA membership in 2000–2001. TASA’s facility and strategic planning services proved to be popular among association members. Seven facilities studies and one demographic analysis were completed through the association’s Facility Planning Services, a program designed to assist school districts with demographic and enrollment studies, long-range facilities planning, and writing educational programs for facilities.

Through TASA’s Legal Support Program, more than100 active TASA members received legal assistance from TASA’s general counsel, Neal W. Adams, and Jon McCormick, of the Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C. law firm.

TASA continued the Professional Liability Insurance Program for our members, offering an occurrence policy providing for liability and employee-rights coverage; 1,010 TASA members subscribed to this service during 2000–2001, including 68 new subscribers.

TASA offered strategic planning services through affiliation with The Cambridge Group—a comprehensive program designed for districts with fewer than 7,500 students; and the Strategic

Planning Certification Institute, for school districts who want to train members of their own staff to lead the district’s strategic planning efforts.

In 2000–2001, TASA professional development continued to focus on providing members with educational opportunities that address a wide variety of topics administrators face on a regular basis.

Last year, 280 school districts took advantage of TASA's Administrative Services Resource Center (ASRC). Subscribers received the quarterly ASRC Bulletin;Texas School Planning Calendar; UIL Policy Manual; Superintendent's Briefing Book, 2001–2002 edition; and special discounts on most TASA workshops and select publications. In addition, through a unique partnership with Educational Research Service (ERS), these districts had access to a wealth of objective, reliable research and information, including the ERS Bulletin and Informed Educator, the quarterly ERS Spectrum and On the Same Page, and notification of Successful School Practices online.

Supplementing leadership and technology training,TASA offered sessions pertaining to accountability, curriculum, and conflict resolution.

Among some of the most popular offerings were the Walk-throughs and Technology Leadership Academy.

A final note that illustrates association activity in the past year is the mounting number of direct calls and e-mails from members requesting assistance. TASA has actively addressed administrators’ questions regarding school policy issues, personnel problems, governance issues, board/superintendent relations, retirement counseling, and more.

At the 40th Annual TASA/TASB Convention, a record number of participants enjoyed presentations from Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton and motivational speaker and educator M. B. “Flip” Flippen. Other charismatic speakers included Benjamin O. Canada, superintendent, Por tland Public Schools, Por tland, Oregon; Texas Commissioner of Education Jim Nelson; Rick Kauffman, executive director, Public Engagement and Communications, Jefferson County Public Schools, Golden, Colorado; and Cile Chavez, educational consultant.

Other 2000–2001 Professional Development Events • TASA 53rd Annual Summer Conference on Education • Cosponsor of 15th Annual Texas Assessment Conference and 12th Annual Texas Association of Collegiate Testing Personnel Conference • TASA Education Expo, in conjunction with the 2001 Administrators’ Midwinter Conference on Education • TASA/Texas A&M University Administrative Leadership Institute • TASA 9th Annual First-time Superintendents’ Academy • Walk-throughs as an Effective Coaching Strategy for Increasing Student Achievement • Developing User-Friendly Curriculum Guides

9th

The Annual Spring Conference for School Executives continued its success as one of the leading professional growth programs for practicing administrators in Texas.

• Deep Alignment: The Key to Consistent Gains in Student Achievement • Aligning Assessment and Curriculum

12th

In addition, TASA cosponsored the Annual National School Facilities Workshop with AASA in cooperation with CEFPI, Southern Region, which offered a combination of national and state perspectives, as well as identified facility trends that support and respond to educational programs and new teaching.

Governmental Relations The 2000–2001 year was brimming with legislative and political activity. TASA’s Governmental Relations Department worked diligently throughout the session, achieving many of the legislative priorities established by the TASA Legislative Committee, chaired by Dawson Orr, superintendent, Pampa ISD; TASA’s Executive Committee; and the TASA/TASB Joint Special Committee on Revenue and School Funding. With more than 315 subscribers, TASA’s Legislative Consulting Services (LCS)—specifically, our contract with Beamon Floyd, a legal consultant on retirement and health issues, and David Thompson, of Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P.—were instrumental in the success of our efforts.

With the active assistance of its members, TASA played a vital role in the evolution of the $1.2 billion school employee health insurance bill. Other important legislation supported by the association includes increasing the Teacher Retirement System multiplier to 2.3; expanding the return-to-work provisions for retirees; providing new monies to districts through increases to the guaranteed yield, equalized wealth level, and Instructional Facilities Allotment funds, as well as expanding the Existing Debt Allotment to 29 cents; providing additional funding to districts experiencing a sharp decline in ADA; expanding the LEP student 20

INSIGHT

exemption to three years; and allowing districts to use bond proceeds for the purchase of new school buses.

Throughout the 2001 Legislative Session, we continued to voice our opposition to certain legislative initiatives, including bills that would have mandated conversion of all school buses to the use of compressed natural gas; required all districts to comply with federal playground safety standards; obligated school boards to allow site-based committees to address the board if the superintendent or principal made a decision contrary to a committee recommendation; and raised the minimum age at which children would be permitted to begin kindergarten.

Upon conclusion of the 77th Legislative Session, Governmental Relations’ staff presented legislative briefings around the state and completed a final bill summary report. In addition, the staff began working with a new legislative committee chaired by Michael Hinojosa, superintendent, Hays CISD. The staff continues to monitor and actively participate in matters at the state level, including the State Board for Educator Certification, State Board of Education,Teachers’ Retirement System, Senate and House Interim Committees, and the Interim Joint Select Committee on Public School Finance.

Communications and Technology This past year has been very busy for TASA’s Communications and Technology Department—specifically, keeping members informed with the latest educational news through a variety of publications and services. One such publication is INSIGHT, the association’s awardwinning quarterly journal. Last year, topics pertaining to the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), school safety, developing school and university partnerships, and technology were explored in this publication. TASA’s Communications Department won a state award for INSIGHT in the Texas School Public Relations Association’s Annual Star Awards Communications Contest—recognizing the magazine’s overall quality and clarity of information.

The Communications and Technology Department also expanded technology services to assist membership. Online resources and information for administrators were added to TASAnet, the association’s Web site. Visitors to TASAnet found a wealth of pertinent

• Curriculum Management Audit Training • Curriculum Alignment for Math and Science • Curriculum Alignment for Language Arts and Social Studies • D.E.C.I.D.E.: Six Steps in Conflict Resolution (Training of Trainers) • Building Vertical Teams (Training of Trainers) • Leadership Development Process (Two-Day Training of Trainers) • Leadership Development Process (Four-Day Participant-Level Training) • Tools for Task Facilitation (Training of Trainers) • Practical Model for Program Evaluation • Legal Issues: Open Records, Open Meetings, and Documentation for Nonrenewal • TASA Integrated Pest Management Coordinator Training • Strategic Planning Institute • TASA Sports Turf/Pesticide Applicator (CEU) Workshops • TASA Maintenance and Operations Workshops WINTER 2001 21

information, including legislative and legal issues, conference information and online registration, association news, and links to key educational sites.

TASA’s Educator Job Bank continues to grow. During 2000–2001, more than 500 districts participated, posting more than 2,100 positions monthly. The Educator Job Bank site had more than one million hits per month.

Another exciting service that continued to flourish over the past year was TASA’s EduPortal™, a Web-based, document-sharing network that allows school administrators to search, create, manage, and publish documents through a private portal on the Internet or their district’s Intranet. The EduPortal combines sophisticated technologies and powerful full-text search tools with hit-highlighting, enabling precise search strategies and quick document retrieval. In addition, important reports, legislative information, education reform information, fiscal tools, planning tools, and much more were included in the database.

2000–2001 Communications and Technology Publications • INSIGHT, a quarterly journal • Texas School Administrator, a monthly newsletter • Professional Development XPress, a monthly fax of upcoming workshops • TASA Professional Development Calendar, an annual publication • XPress News, a weekly legislative/public policy fax for subscribers • ASRC Bulletin, a quarterly newsletter for Administrative Services Resource Center subscribers • Who’s Who in Texas Public Schools, TASA’s annual directory for members

Awards & Scholarships Honorary Life

Discover Card Tribute Award Scholarships

Honorary life membership is extended to individual members, upon approval of the Executive Committee, who are in good standing at the time of retirement, have 10 or more years of TASA membership, and have completed 25 years of active service in the education profession in positions listed in Article III, Section 2, of the TASA Constitution. Nominations for honorary life membership are accepted and reviewed annually. Sixty-four educators were given honorary life memberships in January 2001.

TASA is proud to be part of the AASA State and National Discover® Card Tribute Award® Scholarships Program. Twelve scholarships are awarded annually to Texas high school junior applicants who maintain at least a 2.75 cumulative grade-point average and who are judged to be the best all-around students based on their outstanding accomplishments in three of four criteria areas: special talents, leadership, community service, and obstacles overcome. TASA coordinates a state-level judging panel composed of representatives from the education, business, and nonprofit sectors.

This year’s scholarships of $2,500 each for a combined total of $30,000 were awarded to students in Arlington ISD, Brazosport ISD, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Connally ISD, Katy ISD, Killeen ISD, Nixon-Smiley CISD, North East ISD, Northside ISD, Splendora ISD (two scholarships), and Throckmorton ISD.

National Superintendent of the Year Established in 1988 and cosponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the ServiceMaster Company, this award is bestowed on a superintendent who has demonstrated all-around outstanding leadership. TASA is proud to have nominated the 2001 National Superintendent of the Year, Roderick Paige, formerly of Houston.

The National Superintendent of the Year has the opportunity to personally present a $10,000 scholarship to a deserving student from his or her high school alma mater.

Texas School Board Awards TASA created the School Board Awards competition in 1971 to recognize those school boards that demonstrate outstanding service to the children of Texas. TASA named the Beaumont ISD Board of Trustees the Outstanding School Board of Texas for 2000–2001. The Honor Boards were Coppell ISD (Region 10), Crowley ISD (Region 11), Hays CISD (Region 13), and Temple ISD (Region 12).

22

INSIGHT

Membership Awards Based on the prior year’s membership, TASA recognizes study group membership chairs whose regions achieve 100 percent membership among superintendents, as well as the state membership chair. The presentation is made at the Annual TASA/TASB Convention. At the 2001 Convention, six membership chairs were recipients of the Top Cat Award: W. Glenn Smith, Region 5; Kay E. Waggoner, Region 10; Robert E. French, Region 13; Michael J. Harris, Region 15; Bobby J. Bain, Region 17; and Jim White, Region 18. The Top-Top Cat Award was given to state membership chair John E. Wilson, Region 4.

From ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward

by Mary Cauble, Linda Merrell, Bill Parry, and Billie Ogden

Quality student performance is the goal for all professional educators and that of our public educational system. Our democratic and capitalistic system depends on schools producing successful students who will become successful workers. The current workplace needs critical thinkers, problem solvers, and good communicators who can work in collaborative settings. A quality school system is imperative for a state that wants to maintain economic viability.

How does a state create an educational system where ALL schools have ALL students performing at high levels? The Texas model for continuous school improvement is being studied and applied across the country because of the state’s impressive track record for improved student performance, particularly with students who are traditionally difficult to educate. The Texas legislators continue to raise educational standards and expectations by mandating changes in the curriculum and the accompanying assessment system. It is evident that the curriculum and assessment systems in the state have been part of a continuous improvement process to address the more sophisticated expectations of the workforce.

At the heart of the continuous improvement of our state system is a state accountability system that holds public schools responsible for the education of ALL students in our schools. Our state curriculum has evolved from no state curriculum to the Essential Elements (EEs) to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The evolution

of the state assessment from the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) to the Texas Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) to the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and now the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reveals expectations for higher levels of achievement by ALL students.

The important questions that each superintendent should be asking are: Has INSTRUCTION evolved and changed in each and every classroom to align with this new curriculum and assessment? Who is responsible for monitoring that instruction?

As with most issues, the instructional buck ultimately stops at the superintendent’s desk where the vision and direction must focus on student success. But the reality is that the superintendents must rely on the campus leadership, principals and assistant principals, to assure that this alignment is in place in each and every classroom.

How does a superintendent help principals juggle running a complex public school organization and also focus on the heart of public schools—teaching and learning? To say the principal's job is an overwhelming one is an understatement. Somewhere in the midst of tending to the day-to-day issues of buses, irate parents, special education ARDs, tardies, drug dogs, problem students, 504, and on and on, the principal MUST be the consummate instructional leader on the campus.

So what can a superintendent do to ensure that principals have the knowledge and skills to handle the growing complex role of instructional leader? The beginning point must be that campus leaders have an understanding and a vision of what instruction needs to “look like and sound like” to assure success on the TEKS/TAKS. Next, they must possess the skills to successfully monitor and support teachers in assuring that vision is realized in each classroom for every student.

One support available to superintendents to continue to build instructional leadership capacity is a newly developed state training, From ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward. In a letter dated August 23, 2001, Commissioner Jim Nelson informed all Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS) appraisers of a recertification requirement for this twelve-hour training program to be offered from spring 2002 through summer 2004 by service center staff and designated school district personnel.

Just as Instructional Leadership Training (ILT) helped establish a common vocabulary and understanding of instructional best practices for administrators in the 1980s, Instructional Leadership Development (ILD) has raised the bar on the leadership role that campus administrators and district support staff must play to assure that quality learning occurs in each and every classroom. This training focuses on the systemic approach to instructional leadership and ties directly to the WINTER 2001 23

From ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward

Figure 1

The second standard that is used to determine the level of cognition is H. Lynn Erickson’s Structure of Knowledge (SoK) that determines the level of complexity of the content about which the students are thinking. This standard helps teachers to understand and focus on key concepts and generalizations that are central to the TEKS and then make connections within and across the disciplines of these “big ideas.”

Figure 2 illustrates the “Analysis Tool” that administrators and teachers may use to determine if the level of difficulty of the thinking (Bloom’s Taxonomy) and the level of complexity of the content (Erickson’s Structure of Knowledge) required on the TEKS/TAKS are aligned with the instruction being delivered in a classroom. With the use of this tool, a common vocabulary can be established related to the meaning of instruction designed to have students “thinking at high levels.”

2.“Addressing the Varied Needs and Characteristics of ALL Learners” is the second element that administrators need to

increased student performance expectations of TEKS/TAKS. Although new administrators are required to take a five-day version of ILD that focuses on many aspects of the role of a principal as an instructional leader, the two-day training for PDAS recertification of appraisers has as its primary focus the process of monitoring instruction in all classrooms to assure alignment with the new curriculum and assessment. Because the TEKS/TAKS expect students to perform at a higher level on more complex content, it is critical that campus administrators understand the expectations not only for students but also for the level of instruction that must be going on in ALL classrooms to assure that ALL students are successful.

Figure 1 depicts a graphic that establishes the vision of what curriculum, instruction, and assessment (CIA) needs to “look like and sound like” in every Texas classroom.

The nonnegotiables are the state curriculum 24

INSIGHT

or TEKS and the state assessment or TAKS. The state is closely monitoring both of these pieces of the CIA vision. Instruction is the most critical component for campus administrators because it is their responsibility to ensure that the instruction in all classrooms is aligned with the expectations established by the TEKS/TAKS. There are four identified critical components that can be used to focus and ensure alignment of the instructional program.

These four critical elements are: • Thinking at High Cognitive Levels and Making Connections • Addressing the Varied Needs and Characteristics of ALL Learners • Assessing Student Progress • Alignment of Teaching Objectives With each of these four critical elements, specific tools have been included in the training that administrators can use to support teachers in establishing these expectations in all classrooms.

1.The first element is “Thinking at High Cognitive Levels and Making Connections.”

This element represents the most dramatic change in the continuous improvement of curriculum and assessment at the state level.

Most educators have encouraged teachers to provide students with opportunities for “higher-level thinking,” but little has been given in way of specific tools to use in clarifying exactly what this means. ILD utilizes two standards in analyzing both the TEKS/TAKS objectives and then clarifying exactly what instruction must be to match the level established by the state for both of these two areas.

be monitoring in all classrooms. Texas has one of the most diversified student populations in the country, and our success with all of these students is dependent upon teachers having the skills to address the many needs of each individual student.

Carol Ann Tomlinson’s work on differentiation is used as a tool to support teachers in understanding that they must first identify the needs and characteristics of each of the learners and then have a variety of instructional strategies designed to help address these unique characteristics.

3.The third element that is key to establishing an aligned CIA vision is “Assessing Student Progress.” Administrators have an opportunity to discuss the importance of teachers selecting the most effective method of assessment based upon the purpose of the assessment. A tool is provided that helps principals encourage teachers to "begin with the end in mind" or determine exactly what the students should know and be able to do and then determine the best way to measure or assess their success of accomplishing those skills.

From ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward

4.The final element utilizes Fenwick English’s model of alignment to determine if the written, taught, and tested objectives are aligned.

In Texas, we know that the written objectives (TEKS) and tested objectives (TAKS) are aligned at the state level. Therefore, the role of campus leadership is to assure that the TAUGHT objectives are aligned with the TEKS/TAKS. Administrators are given opportunities to review not only TEKS/TAKS but also samples of classroom instruction and assessment materials to determine if the taught objectives do align with the written and tested curriculum.

The Texas accountability system is requiring that an increased number of students achieve at higher levels. One of the most critical responsibilities of campus administrators is, therefore, to monitor all classrooms on a regular basis to assure that the instruction being delivered will indeed prepare the students to be successful not only on the TEKS/TAKS but also out in the “real world.” The administrator’s responsibility for supervision then becomes that of having a “SUPER” vision of quality instruction that is shared with all

Figure 2

The first standard is one that is fairly familiar to most educators: Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Administrators are given opportunities to apply their skills in analyzing the TEKS/TAKS, as well as opportunities to observe examples of classroom instructional strategies and materials. Campus leaders must have the knowledge and skills to check for alignment of the day-to-day instruction with the TEKS/TAKS. WINTER 2001 25

stakeholders and of monitoring carefully for implementation of that vision. ILD provides the campus administrators with an opportunity to focus on various “vehicles” that may be used to enable them to monitor and support the professional development of the teachers and staff.

staff and students. From ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward affords the superintendents of our almost 1,100 school districts an opportunity to lead the way to the acquisition of new instructional leadership skills designed to support teachers in achieving this most important goal.

ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward offers an opportunity for districts to “retool” their administrators and help establish a common purpose and goals. Although the current PDAS appraisers have until September 2004 to fulfill the requirement to maintain their certification, superintendents are encouraged to recommend that their campus administrators take advantage of this opportunity as soon as possible. Much of the benefit that can come from training will only be realized when all administrators within a district share the common knowledge and skills this training provides.

Regional service centers will be offering training for all current PDAS appraisers as early as spring 2002. Further information may be obtained by contacting Mindy Sitton, coordinator of administrator development and support, ESC Region 13, 512-919-5491.

Prior to the commissioner’s decision to require training for all PDAS appraisers, Rick Berry, superintendent of Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, asked all of Cy-Fair’s administrators to attend the ILT to ILD training that was offered in the district in June 2001.

Approximately 280 campus and central office administrators and support staff, including the superintendent and his administrative staff, attended one of six sessions.

When asked about the benefit that he saw from the training, Superintendent Berry responded, “The two days of ILD helped focus all of our staff on the same goal—that of quality instruction in each and every classroom in Cypress-Fairbanks. If we are to reach our goal of becoming an “Exemplary” district, it is critical that all our administrative and support staff understand their role in monitoring the instructional program and supporting teachers to assure that all of our students are successful. ILD provided us with that opportunity.”

As a state, it is important that as we continue to move our expectations for ALL children to higher and higher levels that we all embrace the philosophy of continuous improvement for ourselves, as well as for our 26

INSIGHT

Mary Cauble is an associate professor of educational administration, counseling and psychology, at Tarleton State University; Linda Merrell is coordinator of staff development for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD; Bill Parry is a lead specialist for administrative training for ESC Region 1; and Billie Ogden is the director of curriculum and training for ESC Region 7.

The authors are all members of the state development team for Instructional Leadership Development and From ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward.

References English. F. W. (2000). Deciding what to teach and test. Newbury Park, CA: Corwin.

Erickson, H. Lynn. (1998). Concept-based curriculum and instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners.

Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Setting Effective Instructional Direction through SHORT Walk-Throughs

by Patsy Martin and Susan Cording Smith

i

ncreasing demands on campus administrators to facilitate the learning of students at higher and higher levels necessitates their being in classrooms with greater frequency. Furthermore, these continually increasing expectations require that administrators build campus cultures that promote the professional development of teachers through open dialogue and reflective processes. District administrators can help support campus administrators by providing clarity and focus for these continuous improvement efforts.

District administrators can further support campus efforts by providing professional development for administrators in gathering classroom data in manageable periods of time and by aligning the expectations for the data-gathering to the Professional Development and Appraisal System and to the newly developed ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward.

The commissioner’s requirement for practicing administrators to participate in ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward provides a prime avenue for aligning the campus administrator’s work as an instructional leader, particularly if the district also provides training for administrators in the use of the SHORT walk-through.

The use of the SHORT walk-through enables campus administrators to increase student performance by focusing instructional efforts on their campuses, and frees them from the false notion that one must see an entire lesson from start to finish in order to support effective instruction. The process of the short walk-through

provides principals with a tool to gather valid, observable data in short, manageable periods of time.

By conducting walk-throughs, both formal and informal, instructional leaders are following the spirit of the instructional appraisal system, whether it is a locally developed system or the commissioner’s recommended process—the Professional Development and Appraisal System.

Walk-throughs provide multiple samples to validate and supplement the formal observation, and opportunities are provided to intervene early if concerns are identified. Primarily, though, the SHORT walk-through serves as a process to engage professionals in collaborative conversations that promote individual and organizational improvement that leads to greater student performance.

Effective use of the SHORT walk-through begins with the adoption of several foundational premises. First, the purpose of short walkthroughs is to improve student performance, not to “evaluate” teachers.

Second, walk-throughs are a vehicle by which campus administrators can gather valuable and reliable information in a short period of time to promote conversations regarding teacher-made decisions impacting student performance. Third, teachers who are engaged in reflective dialogue continue to improve their practice and their ability to positively impact student performance.

WINTER 2001

27

Although most administrators in Texas have used walk-throughs to gather data about classroom instruction for years, and many administrators have engaged in the use of reflective questioning to promote learning, traditional mental models of the administrator’s role will be challenged through this process of short walk-throughs followed by reflective conversations. In this process, walk-throughs are conducted to reinforce the campus administrator’s role as an instructional coach, not as an evaluator or judge of a teacher’s performance. Many times administrators observe classroom instruction with an expectation of what they should see and how they should respond. If, for example, an administrator enters a classroom and expects to hear the objective stated at the beginning of the lesson or to see it written on the board, the possibility exists that the administrator will allow that preconceived expectation to taint his/her view of the lesson. The teacher may have a clearly defined objective but may have chosen to use an inductive lesson design, wherein the

students’ discovery of the objective may be a critical piece of the learning cycle.

In the walk-through process, it is critical that administrators remain nonjudgmental as they gather data. By focusing on what is seen and heard from both students and teachers, administrators will be able to gather observable data that can then be used to generate questions that will allow teachers to reflect on their work. In order to accomplish this effectively, the skilled administrator should be able to recognize lesson attributes and instructional strategies in a variety of lesson designs. ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward will allow administrators to be “retooled” for these efforts.

In the Instructional Leadership Development framework, the Curriculum-Instruction-Assessment component incorporates filters that promote quality student performance and may be used as a template for the SHORT walk-through process.

Instructional Leadership Development Curriculum-Instruction-Assessment Framework Filters

The SHORT Walk-through Process

Addressing Varied Needs and Characteristics of ALL Learners

S – Student Needs and Characteristics

Thinking at High Cognitive Levels and Making Connections

H – High Cognitive Instruction

Alignment of Learning Objectives

O – Objective Alignment

Assessing Student Progress

R – Reliable Assessment T – Teacher-Made Decisions for Student Engagement and Student Success

28

INSIGHT

Data gathered during an observation might include the following in each component of the SHORT walk-through tool:

•S

Addressing varied student needs and characteristics can be observed through: Differentiated instruction to meet the academic needs of the Struggling learner as well as the gifted Visual learner as well as the auditory, kinesthetic, tactile Global and analytical learners Concrete and abstract learners Sequential or random learners Multiple intelligences Consideration of emotional needs Students’ feeling of belonging Student self-perceptions Safety issues and concerns Consideration of physiological characteristics that relate to students’ physical capabilities or limitations such as Hearing Vision Fine motor and gross motor Attention spans

• H Thinking at high cognitive levels may be observed in lessons

Learning is relevant and connected to other disciplines and to the real world

• O Alignment of the learning objectives may be observed in lessons where Connections to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (the curriculum) and the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (the assessment) are clear Instruction is clearly aligned to the curriculum and the assessment

• R Reliable assessments, both formative and summative, can be observed through the teacher’s broad range of processes for gathering information about student learning and should be Used for continuous improvement Results-driven In multiple forms Ongoing and diagnostic

• T Teacher-made decisions for student engagement and student success may include but certainly are not limited to the following Questioning strategies Instructional strategies, activities Differentiation Displaying student works Formative and summative assessments

where Higher order thinking and learning key concepts and principles are emphasized

Observations in these areas affirm the teacher’s understanding of learner-centered curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Furthermore, when administrators and teachers engage in reflective practice about observable data, gathered during frequent classroom visits, the opportunity for greater student success is enhanced.

management and instructional leadership, has developed a series of trainings for Conducting Walk-Throughs with Reflective Feedback to Maximize Student Achievement. Additionally, one of the best resources for understanding reflective practice is the Cognitive Coaching work of Art Costa and Robert Garmston.

In order for campus administrators to feel comfortable in using a model such as the SHORT walk-through and to feel secure in using reflective questioning as a means for promoting reflective thinking among staff members, professional development must occur in the form of training, support, and follow-up. Numerous models and avenues exist for securing training for professional development in walk-throughs and in promoting reflective thinking. For example, the focus of the October/November 2001 issue of the National Staff Development Council’s Tools for Schools is walk-throughs. The issue includes an article by Joan Richardson, “Seeing through New Eyes: Walk-throughs Offer New Way to View Schools”; a walk-through plan and walk-through feedback forms provided by Perry and Associates; and a list of resources to support the walk-through process.

Furthermore, Carolyn Downey, a recognized leader in curriculum

Clearly, the tools are available should districts make a commitment to “retooling” their administrators. Superintendents and district leaders must decide how to approach the commissioner’s requirement for all administrators to be recertified by attending ILT to ILD: Moving Texas Forward. District leadership can simply comply with the requirement or use this opportunity to focus district efforts around a framework and provide campus administrators with aligned walk-through training to support the increased demands on their time necessitated by increased expectations for student performance.

Patsy Martin is an educational specialist at ESC Region 4. Susan Cording Smith is director of staff development at Katy ISD. WINTER 2001 29

TASA would like to congratulate the 2001 Outstanding Board and Honor Boards!

Texas and North Carolina Receive

Accountability Grant

Crowley ISD

Hays CISD

Temple ISD 30

INSIGHT

Honor Boards

Coppell I S D

Outstanding Board

—

Beaumont ISD

W

hat have Texas and North Carolina, two of the leading

3.

Help educators in Texas and North Carolina to be more prepared for additional state accountability requirements

4.

Provide resources to help states, including Texas and North Carolina, prepare for state and federal accountability standards

5.

Increase the awareness of legislative action needed for support of increased state and federal accountability standards

states in implementing increased accountability standards, learned from more than a decade of achievement,

and what can they continue to learn from examination of their accountability experience? The answers to these questions will be explored this year thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Education, that TASA and the Texas Leadership Center (TLC) have received in cooperation with

These boards represent the highest

the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA).

standards in team work and educational

The one-year grant, titled Leader to Leader: Meeting State and Federal

leadership, and are true models of what

Accountability Requirements, will allow administrators from both states,

can be done when an entire district

particularly superintendents, to share what they have learned through a statewide survey in both states, discussion groups, and three nation-

strives to champion its children. If you

al meetings. A publication and Web-accessed material of what is

would like to nominate your board of

learned in the project will be produced and disseminated in fall 2002.

One objective of the Leader to Leader project, as mentioned earlier, is for administrators in both states to respond to the statewide survey and participate in discussion groups on experiences they have had in implementing accountability standards.

Another

objective is for TASA to share what districts can do to meet the challenge of increased standards. A third objective is for TASA and NCASA to make states aware of legislative action needed to support system alignment and increased accountability.

trustees for TASA’s 2002 School Board Awards Program, please contact Gina

In June 2001, TASA officers met with Susan Sclafani, assistant to Secretary of Education Rod Paige and former deputy superintendent

Friedman at TASA, 512-477-6361 or

of Houston ISD, to discuss a proposal for Texas and North Carolina

800-725-TASA (8272), or visit our Web

to share with other states what they have learned in the accountabil-

site at www.TASAnet.org.

ity movement. In July, a TASA task force on accountability planned with staff a proposal to the U.S. Department of Education for a oneyear grant. The proposal was funded for $99,360 in October 2001.

The goals of the Leader to Leader grant are to: 1. Help school system leaders understand national accountability requirements 2.

Provide the opportunity for school system leaders to learn from the experiences of Texas and North Carolina in implementing increased accountability measures

The results of the survey and discussion groups will be compiled and discussed at a Texas and North Carolina planning meeting in January 2002. The results also will be shared at three national meetings. The first meeting will be at the AASA National Conference in San Diego, February 17, 2002. The second and third meetings will be in each state and open by invitation to state and district leaders. Also, throughout the year, TASA and NCASA will emphasize what districts are doing to prepare for increased accountability measures, such as the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in Texas.

Finally, a publication of what has been learned in the project will be disseminated to all parties involved. For information regarding the project, please call Johnny Veselka, executive director, or Ellen Bell, associate executive director, Professional Development, TASA, 512-477-6361 or 800-725-8272.

WINTER 2001 31

Superintendent Perspectives on Curriculum Management Audits

by Michael Hinojosa

qualitative research study was recently conducted regarding curriculum management audits. The purpose of this study was to determine the perspectives of superintendents as they relate to conducting curriculum management audits. Further, it identified the factors and processes involved in the implementation of a curriculum management audit.

A

Research Design An Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) design was used in conducting this study. The IQA identifies the experiences of the participants in a cause and effect context through their perceived realities. A focus group of eight superintendents whose districts had conducted a curriculum management audit was guided through an IQA activity to determine the extent to which the research questions were answered.

proactive

Three research questions guided the study: 1. What are the critical factors that superintendents identify as emerging from the curriculum management audit?

2. What is the superintendent’s perception of the effect of these factors?

3. Do superintendents who stay in school districts after an audit perceive these factors differently from those who leave the districts?

Superintendents identified numerous factors emerging from curriculum management audits. The focus group of superintendents identified the initial six affinities through an interactive group process.

The six initial factors were subsequently confirmed by each of the groups of superintendents who were interviewed.

Group I and Group II had different perceptions of the meanings of the initial six affinities. In addition, Group I identified an additional four affinities that emerged during its interviews for a total of ten.

Group II confirmed one of the additional factors identified by Group I. In addition, it identified six subsequent affinities for a total of thirteen.

The additional affinities identified by the two groups were considerably different from each other in tone and substance. Thus the perceptions of the two groups were quite different from each other regarding curriculum management audits.

Critical Factors/Affinities in Curriculum Management Audits A curriculum management audit is an intense experience for the superintendent of the district. Numerous factors, also referred to as affinities for this study, affect a curriculum management audit.

32

INSIGHT

• Negativity • Curriculum • Governance and Politics • Leadership (Reactive or Proactive) • Data Focus • Stress • Support (Lack of/Additional) • Preparation • Tenure • Communication

From the forty-three districts that conducted curriculum management audits in Texas from 1994 through the end of 1999, twenty superintendents were identified for interview using a random sampling technique. There were ten interviews with superintendents (Group I) who left the district or were in the process of leaving after the curriculum management audit and ten interviews with superintendents (Group II) who remained as superintendents of the districts that conducted the audits.

Research Questions

reacreactive tive reactive reactive reactive reactive reactive reactive

These factors include: • Change

• Research • Reform • Objectivity • Implementation • Planning While most of the factors may affect a curriculum management audit, their degree and scope of influence vary according to the context and unique individual and organizational characteristics.

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WINTER 2001 33

Superintendent Perceptions of the Effects of the Factors/Affinities

served two years will create significant issues for the leader. Those issues can be overcome, but not without significant effort and skill. In an analysis of the population in the study (43), only nine superintendents conducted an audit after they had been there more than two years. Of those nine, only three remain as superintendent.

The perceived effect of the curriculum management audit factors varied according to the superintendent’s tenure. A negative perception of the audit existed among superintendents who left school districts after a curriculum management audit. A negative perception of the curriculum management audit resulted in a reactive posture of the superintendent and it influenced staff commitment, which became an impediment toward progress in accomplishing the recommendations of the audit. On the contrary, a positive perception of curriculum management audits resulted in a proactive posture of the superintendent and it facilitated progress after the audit directly into the implementation activities necessary to reform the curriculum and thus the school system.

The natural tendency is for leaders to be defensive of programs they have initiated and developed. Harsh criticism of those programs and results will lead to stressful situations. Unfortunately, in today’s high-stakes accountability environment, the leader is responsible for the good, the bad, and the ugly. The audits only point out the bad and the ugly.

Differences in Perceptions of Factors Superintendents who remain in school districts view curriculum management audits from different perspectives than superintendents who leave school districts after curriculum management audits.

Superintendents who have a perspective that the curriculum management audit process is a reform movement recognize its impact on the academic performance of students. On the contrary, superintendents who have a perspective that the curriculum management audit process creates an abbreviated tenure for superintendents leave the district without a reformed school system and without an aligned curriculum.

It is recommended that superintendents not initiate the audit until after six to nine months on the job allows for preparation. The primary reason is that the superintendent needs time to get acquainted with the district and to initiate certain preparatory activities.

2.

Major Implications of the Study There are four major implications of the study. They include implementation of an audit early in the tenure of the superintendent, the approach taken by the leadership of the district, the power of a curriculum management audit, and the role of administrator preparation programs.

1. Curriculum Management Audits Early in the Tenure of Superintendents. The curriculum management audit should be conducted early in the tenure of a superintendent.

Superintendents in the focus group and both Groups I and II identified negativity, change, and governance and politics as significant factors that emerge from conducting a curriculum management audit.

The Approach to Conducting a Curriculum Management Audit from the Superintendent’s Perspective. The approach taken by Group II superintendents in conducting an audit is a preferred approach due to the results of such efforts. As evidenced by the affinities that emerged from the Group II research, there were critical factors that must be in place for an audit to have its intended outcome. Group II superintendents were very active in researching the concept of curriculum audits.

In fact, most of the Group II superintendents mentioned that they valued the objectivity of the audit. The audit’s objectivity was not seen as a problem since nine of the ten superintendents in Group II had been in the district for less than two years at the time of the audit.

The superintendents in Group II were very elaborate in the planning for the audit and for activities immediately after the audit. The most critical factor in this process was the communication efforts of the superintendent regarding all facets of the audit. Superintendents in Group II remained very involved in the audit process. They communicated constantly and consistently with multiple stakeholders. These superintendents were able to take negative data and turn it into opportunities to improve and ultimately reform the systems they guided.

Leadership was key in the wake of all the changes.

All of these affinities, along with others, depending on perspective, can create an uncomfortable situation for superintendents.

The deficit nature of the data collected and analyzed in an audit will cause changes to occur as validated by the data.

The curriculum audit requires a significant investment such as time, finances, and disruption of normal operations. Based upon this study and the suggestions made by developers of the process, it is highly recommended that audits be executed toward the end of the first year of employment of a new superintendent in a district. Conducting an audit after a superintendent has

“. . . the leader is responsible for the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

3.

The Power of a Curriculum Management Audit.

Participation in a curriculum management audit is hard work for the leader of the organization: the superintendent. The negative issues and the personal attacks that some must endure will

The natural tendency is for leaders to be defensive of programs they have initiated and developed.”

34

INSIGHT

have a significant payoff if the leader has the fortitude to ‘stay the course.’ Superintendents in Group II perceived the primary outcomes of conducting a curriculum management audit as a reformed school system with a robust curriculum, which enacted positive change.

The curriculum management audit has been described as a highpowered method for unlocking the potential of a school district in an effort to make a direct and immediate impact on improving pupil achievement under any assessment system. Group II superintendents apparently have validated that bold statement. School reform efforts and the resulting outcomes are dependent on the stability of the leadership. The superintendent must find methods to overcome the problems that are associated with a deficit audit in an effort to accomplish the desired results.

4.

The Role of Administrator Preparation Programs. Administrator preparation programs and entities should consider this study as they prepare future superintendents. With the growing demand and shortening supply of quality superintendent candidates, it is imperative that these organizations assist future superintendents in understanding the scope, potential outcomes, and unintended consequences of conducting curriculum management audits.

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Summary If superintendents research the issues associated with curriculum management audits, plan for changes, and communicate with key stakeholders about the changes in store due to factors that may be peripherally linked to the audit, then the districts will be able to get to the implementation stages of the recommendations and assist in continually improving their school systems.

Curriculum management audits have the power to create significant changes in reforming any school system. Whether or not the changes occur depends on various factors. The superintendent of schools for any system is a key player on the potential effectiveness of a curriculum management audit. But the superintendent must have reasonable opportunity in which to succeed when implementing a curriculum management audit. The approach of the superintendent and the organization conducting the audit is critical in the success of the audit. But even the superintendent with the best knowledge, skills, and attitude will have difficulty in securing the intended outcome of a curriculum management audit if the venture is doomed for failure due to bad timing.

Michael Hinojosa is superintendent at Hays CISD and legislative chair for TASA.

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The Importance of an Accurate Financial Audit

According to the Texas Education Agency, there were 76 school districts in financial difficulty in 1998–1999. That number mushroomed

to

104

school

districts

in

1999–2000, and the number continues to grow. Ed Flathouse, associate commissioner for finance and support systems at the Texas Education Agency, calls these districts

Financial Recovery Process at Stephenville ISD

by Darrell G. Floyd

“CTD” districts (Circling the Drain financially)! Shortly after I took over as the new superintendent at Stephenville ISD (a 4A midsize rural school district) on March 1, 2000, I discovered that Stephenville was a “CTD” district—even though the previous year’s financial audit showed otherwise. In essence, the district was broke a year before I arrived but didn’t realize it.

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INSIGHT

Shortly after I arrived at Stephenville ISD, I brought in a new assistant superintendent for business and finance, Debbe Roesler.

Together, we discovered that the annual financial audit for fiscal year 1998–1999 (that was presented to the board of trustees on November 15, 1999) was incorrect. It reflected a positive dollar figure of $3,835,733 in the Undesignated Fund Balance column of the General Fund. The correct figure at that time should have been a negative $126,837 (a difference of $3,962,570). Apparently, financial journal entries had been made in the Stephenville ISD business office periodically throughout the 1998–1999 school year that inadvertently moved money (on paper) from the Capital Projects (construction/bond) Fund to the General Operating Fund. No money was missing; it was just in the wrong place.

Throughout the 1998–1999 fiscal year, these accumulated journal entries totaled $3,962,570.

In August of 2000, we brought this $4 million audit error (and the bookkeeping errors) to the attention of the audit firm. We then requested that the financial audit for fiscal year 1998–1999 be corrected and presented to the board of trustees for reapproval to accurately reflect the negative financial status of the school district as of August 1999. The auditors did so, and we then began to implement corrective measures in Stephenville ISD to avoid any such errors in the future and to ensure the integrity of the construction/bond fund to be used for its designated purposes as legally required. Since the district’s expenditures had historically exceeded its revenues by $1 million—$1.5 million each year since 1994–1995, and since the district was unaware of the $4 million audit error during 1998–1999, the district was faced with an uphill battle in its financial recovery process.

“The Visit” The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will not allow a school district to maintain a negative fund balance. So, two TEA representatives visited Stephenville ISD on September 12, 2000. They looked to the new administration

to make sure that we had: 1. Accurately assessed the financial problem 2. Attempted to decrease expenditures and cut our budget for 2000–2001 3. Taken measures to attempt to maximize our local tax revenue, thus allowing us to maximize our state revenues 4. Implemented internal control measures in the business office 5. Devised a plan for reducing personnel costs over the next 12-month period as part of our overall financial recovery process We were able to satisfy Ed Flathouse and Tom Canby (senior director of school financial audits for the Texas Education Agency) on the above fronts, so they were gracious enough to allow us some time to fix the problem.

Deficit Reduction Plan There are only two ways to rectify a deficit fund balance—increase income and reduce expenditures. Stephenville ISD did both.

2000–2001 • The Stephenville ISD Board of Trustees approved a 30 cent tax increase on August 31, 2000 (an 18 cent increase to our M&O and a 12 cent increase to our I&S). This put our M&O tax rate at the maximum allowable $1.50.

• The district administration made significant cuts to the 2000–2001 budget.

However, since professional employee contracts were already in place when the financial deficit was discovered, professional staff reductions could not be made without legal ramifications.

Because the 2000–2001 Stephenville ISD budget was comprised of 82 percent payroll, the district administration realized that creating a positive fund balance would not be possible without significant professional personnel cuts in the 2001–2002 school year.

• Goal: To increase tax revenue to realistically cover the expenditure level of the district and set the highest tax rate allowed by law during the very important benchmark year in order to maximize our state funding in future years.

2001–2002 • Beginning in 2001–2002, the increased tax collections are estimated to generate

•

•

approximately $500,000 in additional state and local revenue for the district.

The district cut 16 professional positions. This expenditure reduction is estimated to generate another $500,000 in savings, while putting the Stephenville ISD student/teacher ratio closer in line with statewide averages.

Goal: To create a small, but positive, fund balance no later than August 31, 2002.

Personnel Reduction Phase 1. Reviewed the comments provided by the Texas Education Agency during its September 12, 2000, visit 2. Analyzed Stephenville ISD staffing patterns compared to peer districts as well as state averages 3. Projected district as well as campus enrollments for 2001–2002 4. Declared “Financial Exigency” based on the audited 1999–2000 negative fund balance 5. Set target student/teacher ratios at both the district level and the campus level Goal: To approach personnel reduction in a method that would not only accomplish financial objectives but also comply with state directives 6. Researched the legal issues associated with nonrenewal of probationary teachers and term contract teachers using Stephenville ISD’s Reduction in Force (RIF) Board Policy 7. Solicited campus administrator input on 2001–2002 student/teacher ratios 8. Analyzed the cost savings resulting from the above process 9. Drafted the Stephenville ISD Personnel Reduction Plan for 2001–2002 10. Secured board approval of the Personnel Reduction Plan and implemented it Results • Maintained our maximum $1.50 M&O tax rate • Decreased payroll costs from 82 percent to 78 percent by cutting 16 professional positions NOTE: As a result, we were able to reverse the negative financial trend of the district in one year’s time (instead of two as projected).

Thus, the financial status of the district WINTER 2001 37

How to Fix a Broke District 1. Know the Dimensions There are four dimensions to being broke: • Political (know your constituents and inundate them with communication and information . . . keep them fully informed) • Financial (know your own data so you can properly account for, and provide, accurate information) • Physical (know that fixing the financial problem may take a toll on the physical plant and maintenance operations of the school district) • Emotional (know that the emotional toll on employees may be draining . . . a financial problem of this magnitude cannot be fixed without some gut-wrenching decisions having to be made)

2. Don’t Lose Sight of Your Major Stakeholders

moved from a negative $441,000 fund balance at the end of the 1999–2000 fiscal year to a small, but positive, fund balance of $5,159 at the end of the 2000–2001 fiscal year—a tremendous accomplishment in one year’s time! We anticipate that it will now take Stephenville ISD approximately two–three more years before three months of operating expenses can be accumulated in the fund balance, as suggested by the Texas Education Agency.

Remember, the district didn’t go broke overnight. It can’t be fixed overnight. It takes patience; good leadership; and solid, well-thought-out decision making.

Summary Stephenville ISD was committed to reversing the negative financial trend, and was able to do it in one year’s time (a remarkable feat). We knew we could not change the past; we could only affect the future. We were committed to making the changes necessary, while standing behind the very difficult decisions we were faced with making. We did so while making sure our students had all the necessities. Every employee knew that we would have school, we would educate our students very successfully, and we would not allow the financial problems of the district to affect the students in the classroom. During our financial recovery process, we witnessed that to be the case on a daily basis. The employees and the board of trustees at Stephenville ISD are to be commended for their outstanding efforts toward financial recovery!

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INSIGHT

measure, but an imperative one.

Yet rethinking security isn’t a novel idea for U.S. school administrations, which have been tackling campus safety issues for decades—particularly since the 1998 and 1999 string of deadly school shootings from Oregon to Colorado to Pennsylvania. The ripple of violence was felt in Texas when students in Elgin, Wimberley, and Dripping Springs were arrested and/or charged with designing terrorist threats and plots against their schools.

In 1999, according to the U.S. Department of Education, 55 states reported that a total of 3,523 expulsions took place due to students bringing firearms to school. The report was part of the Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA), passed in 1994, which requires that states receiving federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) implement laws that require all local educational agencies to expel any students for at least one year if they bring firearms to school.

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According to the Texas School Safety Center, many school districts in the Lone Star State have implemented physical security measures to curtail violent attacks on campus, including metal detectors at school entrances, K-9s to detect drugs and weapons, and an on-campus police presence. Other tactics include student and staff identification cards, “locked down” campuses during school hours, and districtwide crisis response plans.

Campus alarm and surveillance systems have become other common safety measures for school districts in Texas. While traditional motion-detection alarm systems and VHS-based surveillance technology are widely used, several school districts in the last few years have entered the digital age with their security measures. Salient Systems Corporation, a digital surveillance recording manufacturer in Austin, has seen this growing interest firsthand. Over the last few years, the digital surveillance company has worked with independent school districts in Austin, Houston, Conroe, Del Valle, Spring Branch, and Galena Park to implement remote digital monitoring and recording systems on school campuses and in school administration buildings.

and how of everyday business is no longer an optional precautionary

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◆ Campus Administrators

under scrutiny. From airports to post offices to shopping

heightened security. Monitoring the who, what, when, where, why,

blows, does your roof get bullied or show ‘em who’s

W

ince September 11, the security of our nation has been

malls, businesses are reorganizing operations with an eye toward

when foul

• Assess the current financial position of the district

by Katie Garza

S

• Board of Trustees

3.Take Basic Survival Steps

Age for Some Schools

Darrell G. Floyd is superintendent at Stephenville ISD.

• Employees • Community Members

The Continuing Campaign for Safety— Heightened Security Means Entering the

• 59 percent of the expulsions reported by type of firearm was for bringing a handgun to school.

• 12 percent of the expulsions involved bringing a rifle or shotgun to school.

• 29 percent of the expulsions was for other types of firearms such as bombs, grenades, and starter pistols.

Texas was one of four states (the others being California, Georgia, and New York) to report more than 200 expulsions that year. Other findings included:

Unlike traditional video recording systems, which require someone on site to handle and review videotapes, remote digital surveillance recording systems enable users to watch and record real-time video of school grounds from an off-site personal computer. The PC-based technology works by transmitting live data from school surveillance cameras to a personal computer via an Internet or Intranet connection.

According to Wayne Berry, life safety system supervisor for Austin ISD, many of the high schools in Austin already use on-site closedcircuit television monitoring systems; however, the district is slowly supplementing these systems with remote digital viewing and recording capabilities. One high school already has a system in place, and installation is underway at another high school and an agricultural forum where students keep FFA livestock. Eventually, Berry would like to see digital surveillance recording systems on all high school campuses within Austin ISD. He says the real-time monitoring capability allows administrators and principals to monitor and record activities remotely and know almost immediately when criminal activity occurs.

“If something does happen, there’s a good chance that it will be recorded and the person committing the offense will be caught,” says WINTER 2001 39

Berry, adding that the digital cameras are being set up to monitor exterior spaces, such as parking lots, building entrances, and outdoor common areas. Berry says that at the high school where remote, real-time monitoring and recording technology has been in place for a few months, school administrators were able to catch and identify a student who “keyed” profanity on a teacher’s car in the staff parking lot.

“We’re very pleased with the technology,” says Clanton. “We’ve been able to get rid of eight pieces of surveillance equipment with just one digital surveillance PC.” According to Clanton, the digital system includes 11 interior cameras and three exterior cameras in the administrative building, a sixstory structure that houses almost 400 employees. The system even includes a rooftop camera that can be manipulated remotely from a personal computer with a desktop mouse control to pan, tilt, and zoom in on the visitor and employee parking lots.

The Technology With digital systems, surveillance video is digitized, stamped with the date and time, compressed, and then stored on a PC’s hard drive for up to 30 days. This is a major departure from traditional VHS systems in which videotapes have to be switched out manually or recorded over every 24 hours. After 30 days, stored digital surveillance files can be backed up onto a CD-ROM or a ZIP disk for future reference. If necessary, individual screen shots of surveillance video can be saved to a floppy disk as evidence.

“Our schools have been equipped with motion-detection alarm systems since 1980,” Clanton explains, noting that since then, each school has been given the option to add online digital surveillance systems. However, these systems only operate during school hours and the video is transmitted to on-site monitors only.

“What we hope to move to in the future, and what Salient Systems makes possible, is to remotely monitor video of the schools 24 hours, seven days a week, from our master control room here [in the administrative building],” Clanton says. “We would use the cameras to supplement our motion detectors. If we received an alarm from a school, we could switch to the cameras at that site and actually see what is happening.”

Some digital systems save files in AVI format, enabling any computer equipped with a Windows 95 version or greater of Windows Media Player to play back the footage. In practice, this means that a school principal can attach a surveillance file to an outgoing email and send it to the police or the school superintendent for immediate review.

“Digital monitoring and recording systems are a good safety net,” says Kuhn at Convergint. “Just the knowledge that the campus is being monitored on a real-time basis is a deterrent to students who are contemplating delinquent activity.” And for those who try to break the rules anyway, chances are slim that their actions will go unnoticed and that the person behind the criminal act will go unpunished.

“We have apprehended more than 1,700 [perpetrators] in our schools since 1980, so we feel like we have a good track record,” says Clanton. “But there is always room for improvement, and we are excited about the new digital recording and monitoring technology and the enhancement it brings to our system.”

Katie Garza is an Austin-based freelance writer and editor. She has worked in the security and crime prevention industries as an editor for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and as a writer for Salient Systems Corporation. She can be contacted at 512-301-9698 or elranchogrande@earthlink.net.

A Case Study in Spring Branch A year ago, the police department of Spring Branch ISD installed digital surveillance monitoring and recording cameras and servers on five school campuses to observe areas such as lunchrooms, hallways, and student and teacher parking lots. The computer servers are connected through a wide-area network to desktop computers in the principals’ offices and at the police department so that these offices can monitor the buildings’ interiors and exteriors continuously on a real-time basis.

“In the event that someone reports a hostage situation on campus, for instance, the police will immediately be able to view the hallways or classrooms of that school to find out who is in there and what is going on,” says Mike Kuhn of Convergint Technologies in Houston, a provider of digital surveillance systems.

Chuck Brawner of the Spring Branch ISD Police Department says the surveillance system has already proved effective. This year, Brawner’s department arrested two students who called in bomb threats from pay phones located on school grounds. The students were caught on camera making the calls.

“Because we were immediately able to determine that the calls were made by the students and were a hoax, we did not have to evacuate the building, which would have been disruptive to the educational environment,” he says.

“Storing and accessing video files on a digital PC-based system is much easier,” Brawner continues. “We can enter the date and the approximate time of the event in question, and the system will immediately pull up the saved video file for our review.” He explains 40

INSIGHT

©Photosdisc

that with a VHS-recorder system, security personnel sometimes has to spend hours forwarding and rewinding through surveillance videos trying to locate a suspected event. “And, of course, digital systems are cost effective because you no longer have to deal with VCR equipment repairs or videotape maintenance and storage.”

According to Brawner, the district now uses digital surveillance in addition to traditional VHS-based surveillance, but the goal is to upgrade all systems to use digital technology over the next several years.

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Outside Texas School districts in other states are seeing the benefits of going digital as well. In Oklahoma, Barbara Clanton, supervisor of electronic security for Tulsa ISD—the largest school district in the state—says that digital surveillance has replaced VHS systems at the district’s administrative building.

WINTER 2001 41

TASA welcomes more new members!

The following is a list of members who joined TASA since the last issue of INSIGHT magazine.

Paul E. Abundez Administrative Assistant for Business Operations Mission CISD (ESC 1) Matthew D. Adams Principal Poolville ISD (ESC 11) Pat Adams Superintendent Central Heights ISD (ESC 7) Masoud B. Ahmadian Executive Director for Secondary Education Mission CISD (ESC 1) Risa Anderson Assistant Principal Marshall ISD (ESC 7) Blake Andrews Assistant Secondary Principal Iraan-Sheffield ISD (ESC 18) Sam Atwood Superintendent Hamlin ISD (ESC 14) Tommy Bailey Director of Operations Clyde CISD (ESC 14) Randall Beaird Assistant Principal Trinity ISD (ESC 6) Ronny Beard Assistant Superintendent for Instruction White Settlement ISD (ESC 11) Mark E. Beaty Director of Instruction Seminole ISD (ESC 17) Vickie L. Benbow Business Manager Big Sandy ISD (ESC 7) James D. Berry Superintendent Megargel ISD (ESC 9) Charles Black Administrator Priddy ISD (ESC 12)

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INSIGHT

Ralph S. Blackman Vice-President REES-AIP (ESC 10) Lori Blaylock Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Canton ISD (ESC 10) Franchette Bledsoe Director of Curriculum and Instruction West Hardin County CISD (ESC 5) Debra Boozer Director of Professional Personnel Grand Prairie ISD (ESC 10) Joe Brown Assistant Principal Springtown ISD (ESC 11) Linda Buffe Superintendent Malone ISD (ESC 12) Robert C. Button Principal Van Vleck ISD (ESC 3) Olivia Campos Assistant Superintendent, Research, Evaluation, Accountability, and Administration Clint ISD (ESC 19) Jackye B. Cannon Coordinator of Testing/Student Services Conroe ISD (ESC 6) Patricia Carnagey Curriculum Director Farmersville ISD (ESC 10) Karen Castle Director of Curriculum & Instruction Castleberry ISD (ESC 11) Mona L. Chadwick Superintendent Hempstead ISD (ESC 4) Donna Chilcoat Director of Curriculum Edna ISD (ESC 3)

Russell T. Chisum Principal, O’Brien School Knox City-O’Brien CISD (ESC 9)

Steve Flores Executive Director for Student Related Services Pflugerville ISD (ESC 13)

Joe Humphrey Deputy Superintendent for Support Services Abilene ISD (ESC 14)

Beth Kratovil Business Manager West Orange-Cove CISD (ESC 5)

Kathy Cikanek Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Ennis ISD (ESC 10)

Ginger Mayrant Fogg Human Resources Specialist Pearland ISD (ESC 4)

Dallas Isom Principal Jonesboro ISD (ESC 12)

Darren Francis Superintendent Perrin-Whitt CISD (ESC 9)

Roy H. Cochran High School Principal Dawson ISD (ESC 12) Phyllis Coleman Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Santa Fe ISD (ESC 4) Kathy Covington Director of Instruction/Federal Programs Kaufman ISD (ESC 10) John A. Crain Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Highland Park ISD (ESC 10) Ricky L. Davidson Superintendent Slidell ISD (ESC 11) Lawrence Davis Director, Administrative Services DeSoto ISD (ESC 10) Dana G. Delgado Principal, Uvalde High School Uvalde CISD (ESC 20) Joe Dennis Assistant Principal, Burbank Elementary Houston ISD (ESC 4) Linda Gayle Earles Assistant Principal Aldine ISD (ESC 4) Steven Ebell Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Hays CISD (ESC 13) Tod Farmer Principal Springtown ISD (ESC 11)

Bobby E. Milliorn, Jr. Principal Iraan-Sheffield ISD (ESC 18)

Lynn Pulliam Superintendent Texline ISD (ESC 16)

Steve Lackey Superintendent George West ISD (ESC 2)

Vicki D. Mims Executive Director of Educational Services Dickinson ISD (ESC 4)

Yolanda M. Rey Executive Director Texas ASCD (ESC 13)

Mike Jackson Superintendent Olton ISD (ESC 17)

Charles R. Langlotz Business Manager Nacogdoches ISD (ESC 7)

Burt Montgomery Superintendent Bryson ISD (ESC 9)

Kevin Gabaree Director of Personnel and Finance Brownwood ISD (ESC 15)

J. Kip Jameson Associate F & S Partners, Incorporated (ESC 10)

Lydia Leal Superintendent Robstown ISD (ESC 2)

Ronald Kirk Murdock Director of Technology Grapevine-Colleyville ISD (ESC 11)

Elizabeth Garza Administrative Assistant for Personnel and Student Services Mission CISD (ESC 1)

Eddie Johnson Superintendent Harts Bluff ISD (ESC 8)

Sonya George Business Manager Huffman ISD (ESC 4) R. Xavier Gonzalez Assistant Superintendent for Business Management Flour Bluff ISD (ESC 2) John A. Grigsby Superintendent Rotan ISD (ESC 14) David G. Guffey Curriculum Coordinator Belton ISD (ESC 12) Sue Guthrie Assistant Superintendent, Secondary Operations Fort Worth ISD (ESC 11) Terry Hamilton Superintendent Poolville ISD (ESC 11) Doug Harriman Superintendent Seminole ISD (ESC 17) Brent E. Hawkins Principal Leggett ISD (ESC 6) Roland Hernandez Deputy Superintendent Belton ISD (ESC 12)

L. D. Johnson Superintendent Byers ISD (ESC 9) P.Wayne Johnson Superintendent Aransas County ISD (ESC 2) Wes Jones Superintendent Chireno ISD (ESC 7) Lisa J. Karr Vice-Principal Irving ISD (ESC 10) Mark Keahey Superintendent Sulphur Bluff ISD (ESC 8)

Adrienne Longenecker Marketing Coordinator Turner Engineers, Inc. (ESC 10) David Mabe Associate Executive Director ESC Region VIII (ESC 8) Connie M. Martin Director of Instruction Breckenridge ISD (ESC 14) Jerry C. May Superintendent New Boston ISD (ESC 8) Peaches McCroskey Director of Personnel Deer Park ISD (ESC 4) Brenda McDaniel Director ESC Region V (ESC 5)

Lara M. Kelley Assistant Principal Leggett ISD (ESC 6)

Larry Mendoza Deputy Superintendent of Business Del Valle ISD (ESC 13)

Trae Kendrick Director of Instructional Services Midway ISD (ESC 12)

Viona Meyer Personnel Manager Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD (ESC 13)

Victoria H. Kennedy Assistant Superintendent Aransas County ISD (ESC 2)

Edward L. Middlebrooks Assistant Superintendent of Pupil and Personnel Services Burnet CISD (ESC 13)

Dane Kerns Superintendent Smyer ISD (ESC 17)

William D. Miller Assistant Principal Port Neches-Groves ISD (ESC 5)

Cynthia Short Director of Special Education Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD (ESC 13)

Mary Tolman Dean of Instruction Brownsville ISD (ESC 1)

Ron Sims Assistant Superintendent Lumberton ISD (ESC 5)

Timothy A.Turner Director of Administrative Services Alvin ISD (ESC 4)

Joanne Rice Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction San Angelo ISD (ESC 15)

Michelle C. Smith Assistant Superintendent Lytle ISD (ESC 20)

Troy J.Vanderburg Chief Financial Officer Perryton ISD (ESC 16)

Jim L. Richardson Superintendent Yantis ISD (ESC 7)

Gene Solis Superintendent Thorndale ISD (ESC 13)

Alan M.Veach Principal, West Lake High School Eanes ISD (ESC 13)

Bud Nauyokas Assistant Superintendent Community ISD (ESC 10)

Beth Ricles Executive Director of Human Resources DeSoto ISD (ESC 10)

Tanya Sorrells Principal Trent ISD (ESC 14)

Bryan Neal Superintendent Como-Pickton CISD (ESC 8)

Pete Riojas Superintendent Edcouch-Elsa ISD (ESC 1)

Kevin Noack Superintendent Groom ISD (ESC 16)

Johnny W. Ross Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Vidor ISD (ESC 5)

Rubén D. Olivárez Superintendent San Antonio ISD (ESC 20) Lydia Romelle Parker Assistant Superintendent Round Rock ISD (ESC 13) Phyllis Parker Assistant Superintendent for Educational Operations Garland ISD (ESC 10) Janet S. Patton Assistant Superintendent, Administrative and Personnel Services New Braunfels ISD (ESC 13) James D. Phillips High School Principal Sabinal ISD (ESC 20) David E. Plymale Principal Prairie Lea ISD (ESC 13) Michael H. Poynor Assistant Superintendent for Administration Yoakum ISD (ESC 3)

Janie B. Rudolph Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Yoakum ISD (ESC 3) H. Lynn Russell Field Service Agent ESC Region XII (ESC 12) Martha Salazar-Zamora Superintendent Kingsville ISD (ESC 2) Fredda Schooler Superintendent Morton ISD (ESC 17) Guy M. Sconzo Superintendent Humble ISD (ESC 4) Alan Seay High School Principal Iowa Park CISD (ESC 9) Karen Sero Principal Alvarado ISD (ESC 11)

Joe P. Spaulding, Jr. Superintendent Melissa ISD (ESC 10) Kevin D. Sprinkles Administrative Assistant Academy ISD (ESC 12) Brett Starkweather Director of Special Services Karnes City ISD (ESC 3) Richard L. Stendel Coordinator of Fine Arts Freeman Heights Academic Resource Center Temple ISD (ESC 12)

Ron Walker Superintendent New Home ISD (ESC 17) Cozzetta Warren Superintendent Karnack ISD (ESC 7) Lela Westbrook Business Manager Morton ISD (ESC 17) Beth Wilbanks Director of Curriculum and Instruction Diboll ISD (ESC 7) Rickey Williams Superintendent Ranger ISD (ESC 14)

Matt J. Stephen Principal Granbury ISD (ESC 11)

Todd Williams Superintendent Martins Mill ISD (ESC 7)

Kaye Stripling Superintendent Houston ISD (ESC 4)

Don A.Wood Assistant Superintendent Muleshoe ISD (ESC 17)

Donna R. Sweaney Assistant Superintendent Forney ISD (ESC 10)

Eric K.Wright Assistant Superintendent Huntington ISD (ESC 7)

William E.Thetford Assistant Superintendent Bridgeport ISD (ESC 11) Douglas Thompson Education Services The Beck Group (ESC 10) Judy Thompson-Bandy Superintendent Alba-Golden ISD (ESC 7)

WINTER 2001 43

theLeader

by Lydia Shipley, Paula Brady, and Marjorie Helsel DeWert Students today have the potential to achieve “off the charts.” Thanks to the understanding today’s educators have about effective teaching and learning and the high-quality tools and resources available to them, the opportunities to help all students learn and achieve to the best of their abilities are right before us.

Applying their knowledge about effective teaching and learning, teachers are modifying their lessons to take full advantage of strategies known to increase student achievement.

Principals are seeing teachers who engage their students in authentic learning activities that look more and more like real-world work. Superintendents are encouraging a collaborative environment and recognizing that, more often than not, the tools and resources needed to realize their vision are technology-based.

The Technology Leadership Academy offered by the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Leadership Center, with support from Texas Tech University and the Texas Business and Education Coalition, is dedicated to technology leadership development for superintendents and principals. Using the enGauge framework, the academy focuses on six conditions necessary for the effective use of technology in learning: vision, practice, proficiency, equity, access, and systems.

In this article, we will discuss how Bryan ISD is using technology to address the second essential condition in the enGauge framework—“Effective Teaching and Learning Practice.” Two of the key indicators of success for this condition are: • Alignment: Are content, instruction, and assessment aligned to take full advantage of technology for learning?

• Relevance: Are students working on substantive projects addressing issues that 44

INSIGHT

have meaning, reaching out beyond the classroom to real-world practice?

Alignment According to the enGauge framework, instructional or curriculum alignment is a matter of ensuring that what is valued is taught, and what is taught is assessed. It is also a matter of ensuring that content, instruction, and assessment are aligned to take full advantage of technology for learning.

Content. When content is aligned to take full advantage of technology, students interact with content rather than being passive recipients of it. They approach learning with the same vigor that a chef approaches a new culinary creation. Students become skilled at evaluating information, and they apply what they learn. For example, in chemistry, students may explore the movement of electrons within an atom. They may then visualize and investigate the effects of energy absorption and energy loss on the atoms of different elements.

Students in this environment are involved in and committed to their learning.

Instruction. Instruction that is aligned to take full advantage of technology results in “faster, deeper” comprehension on the part of students. Technology-based lessons designed for complete and accurate concept development engage students in seeing, doing, inquiring, and connecting.

Abstractions are transformed into concrete examples that students can manipulate.

Periods of history are connected through art and sociology, and math concepts are presented using multiple representations.

Students in this environment develop an excitement for learning.

Assessment. Assessment that is aligned to take full advantage of technology provides a powerful tool for teachers and students. It is a vehicle for the teacher to adapt the content

to the needs of their students. The learning styles of students are honored. Students are assessed utilizing various modes of testing via technology. Students in this environment are aware of expectations and they become responsible for their learning.

Alignment provides clarity of purpose for teachers and students. This clarity of purpose leads to another important indicator of success related to effective teaching and learning practice: relevance. According to the enGauge framework, relevance refers to the perception of value that is assigned to learning.

Relevance Teachers who plan technology-based lessons that are relevant to students must take four factors into account: prior knowledge and skills, learning with understanding, active learning, and transfer of learning. These concepts are clearly making a difference in Bryan ISD. At Bryan ISD, the Instructional Technology Department is committed to helping teachers move along the continuum toward innovative use of technology as it pertains to curriculum and instruction. State curriculum standards and testing are used, for which all teachers hold a responsibility. Technology can be the key that brings it all together in a relevant way for students. Funding has been utilized from several grants to provide staff development to help teachers view technology not just as an “add-on,” but as an integral part of today’s classroom. Teachers have taken on the role of learner in order to see how project-based learning can spark excitement for learning in all students.

Prior Knowledge and Skills. Each student brings his/her own prior knowledge and experience to a learning situation. It is necessary to tap that preexisting knowledge before introducing a topic for which some continued on page 46

Book Review

News from the Texas Leadership Center

Answering the Essential Question: What Value Does Technology Bring to Schools?

Learning to Change: Teaching Beyond Subjects and Standards

by Andy Hargreaves, Lorna Earl, Shawn Moore, and Susan Manning Published by Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company, San Francisco, 2001 ISBN 0-7879-5027-0 Reviewed by Cathy Berlinger-Gustafson, educational consultant, Crystal Lake, IL Standards-based reform has invaded almost every classroom in the United States and Canada. This wonderful, insightful book focuses on a study done by the authors with twenty-nine teachers in grades 7 and 8. The book is told through the eyes, words, and minds of the teachers who are within the context of standards-based curriculum reform. The intent of the study was to examine and understand how the changes happened from the teachers’ own viewpoints—what were the conditions, processes, understandings, and supports needed. The book is very hopeful and shares the realities of people and change.

The insights can inform all educational professionals as we work to bring about complex and demanding changes and to make a difference in the quality of student learning.

The book is organized into eight chapters beginning by setting the framework and sharing the central arguments for the rest of

the book. The first four chapters talk about the “big” reform issues that teachers are in the process of implementing now—standards, assessment and accountability, and curriculum integration. The rest of the book describes what it takes to achieve “deep and abiding changes in schools.” The book ends with some suggestions for others based on the study of the twenty-nine teachers.

Through the teachers’ reflections the reader has a deeper understanding of the difficult emotional and intellectual work that it takes to move from focusing on what teachers teach to what learners learn.

“Meaningful educational change that leads to more powerful teaching and learning is demanding and difficult, even for the best teachers.” Here are some of the recommendations that the authors drew from the findings of their study: • Teachers rarely followed a linear planning process. The standards were considered helpful because they gave teachers a “touchstone for validating their teaching.”

Backwards mapping from the standards seems “to go against the grain of how many good teachers plan in practice.”

The standards need to be described simply but not simplified, shared with all, ambitious but realistic, and connected.

Lessons focusing on the standards must be planned collaboratively. The standards are the “karaoke curriculum” literally defined as an empty box. With the advocacy for high standards, the details must be defined. The curriculum should not be the “hurry-along” kind.

• “Teachers said that assessment, evaluation, and reporting to parents were the hardest parts of their work.” Teachers need to develop a variety of assessments; those assessments must be clear to students and involve them. Parents need to

be involved in the assessment issue. The authors’ last piece of advice in regards to assessment is “Address the schizophrenia of assessment policy so that school assessment practices support rather than interfere with each other.”

• Curriculum integration is one of the changes that the teachers were very willing to look at, since they described integration as making learning more relevant and meaningful for the learner. However, the authors shared, “Do not make integration the enemy of all specialization. Integration works best when it is a judicious, not a promiscuous, feature of the curriculum.”

• Some “learnings” about the change process were that there are no substitutes for time (and lots of it), consistent leadership support, quality professional development, clear thinking, quality planning, and hard work. The change process can happen, but it does not happen easily. “Most teachers today are having to learn to teach in ways in which they have not been taught themselves. This is intellectually and emotionally demanding.”

Board Briefs The following are highlights of the Texas Leadership Center board of directors meeting held September 23, 2001.

UPDATES • Technology Leadership Academy The board received an evaluation report on the first year of the expanded Technology Leadership Academy and a report on initial implementation of the second year of the academy with Gates Foundation support.

Other foundations supporting the project are the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, and Houston Endowment, Inc. Six hundred seventy-one continued on page 47 WINTER 2001 45

Answering the Essential Question:

Board Briefs

continued from page 44

continued from page 45

students may have no frame of reference. Teachers using projectbased learning at Branch Elementary assess and evaluate prior knowledge, and then attempt to level the playing field where there are gaps in some students’ base of knowledge.

Lydia Shipley is a technology specialist at Bryan ISD. Paula Brady is manager of State and Local Partnerships and Marjorie Helsel DeWert is manager of Educator Learning and Support at SAS inSchool (www.sasinschool.com).

Learning with Understanding. Typically curriculum is “an inch deep and a mile wide.” Teachers try to cover everything, but the price paid is that students have no true understanding of anything. One of the reasons for this is that there is no provision for students to construct their own knowledge. During project-based experiences, however, students are asked to make choices about what questions they would like to research within the broad curricular topic. These choices provide opportunity and motivation for students to take responsibility for their own learning which, in turn, increases the depth of their understanding.

Resources enGauge http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/

Active Learning. Knowledge is constructed through active learning.

Active learning is more than just being engaged and focused on a topic or activity. Active learning involves student reflection— metacognition—on their learning. When new information is encountered, it may or may not fit with preexisting knowledge.

Students accept, modify, or reject the new information. Thinking about one’s thinking and talking about one’s thinking is a skill that must be taught and developed. At Bryan ISD, teachers use a variety of formative assessment strategies, including journalizing and student-teacher conferencing, to gain insight into and guide the student’s learning.

“Active Learning with Technology” http://www.southcentralrtec.org/alt/alt.html

Transfer of Learning. Only with the nurturing of the first three building blocks will transfer of learning occur. Transfer occurs when a student has built upon preexisting knowledge, constructed new knowledge by the process of assimilation, and gained the skills to reflect on his/her own learning. Transfer allows students to come to a new situation with the skills to evaluate the options and ultimately find a logical, reasonable solution to that new problem which can be justified based on all the available resources. Many times we hear students react to another student’s learning by saying, “I see how that relates to the information I discovered because . . . ” Project-based learning provides the culture for learning with understanding to thrive and grow. A project generally begins as a problem or question that then sparks further questions from students. Students choose the specific area of interest from the questions that have been generated and begin research on that topic. Myriad skills—analysis, summarization, evaluation, synthesis, comparison/contrast—must be utilized in order to assimilate the new information and forge the new understanding, which culminates in a final project. All those are critical skills in our state assessment. Technology becomes the vehicle for motivation and ease of development. Assessment must be ongoing and formative in order to evaluate the depth of understanding.

Summary and Conclusion Bryan ISD is committed to helping all of its students achieve “off the charts.” Technology is being used to add value to curriculum, instruction, and assessment, with a particular focus on how technology can enable and support two key indicators of effective teaching and learning with technology—alignment and relevance.

46

INSIGHT

“Learning as a Personal Event: A Brief Introduction to Constructivism” http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec26/nonflash/intro2c.html “Constructing Knowledge in the Classroom” http://www.sedl.org/scimath/compass/v01n03/class.html

How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning: John D. Bransford, Ann L. Brown, and Rodney R. Cocking, editors; with additional material from the Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice, M. Suzanne Donovan, John D. Bransford, and James W. Pellegrino, editors; National Research Council

superintendents and principals participated in the 2000–2001 academy. The evaluation report indicates that the project is meeting established goals and the training is needed. Seven hundred thirty-three participants are enrolled in Year Two of the academy, and implementation at ESCs is going smoothly. Additional efforts will be made to market the academy to principals and superintendents.

(Due to special support from Houston Endowment, Inc., associate superintendents, assistant superintendents, and assistant principals working in Harris County school districts also may register.)

Four summer academies will be held in June and July 2002 in Austin, Ft. Worth, and Houston. Participants may register at www.TASAnet.org.

• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) Leadership Development Initiative TASA/TLC staff finalized contracts with the Center for Creative Leadership to provide a three and one-half day leadership

development program. A pilot of the program was conducted at ESC Region 1 in October 2001, and ESC Region 11 will pilot the program in March 2002. The program focuses on expanding the interpersonal skills of educational leaders through a process of personal assessment, feedback, and coaching. TASA/TLC will have their own trainers for the program after this year.

• Texas Recruitment and Retention Campaign The purpose of the Texas Recruitment and Retention Campaign is to recruit new teachers for Texas. Marilyn Kuehlem, TEA, is project director. TLC will be fiscal agent for the project.

Annette Griffin, TLC chair, and Johnny Veselka, TASA executive director, serve on the board.

• Leader to Leader: Meeting State and Federal Accountability Requirements TLC has been funded for $99,360 by the

Fund for the Improvement of Education, U.S. Department of Education, to share with other states what Texas and North Carolina have learned in implementing increased accountability standards. The one-year grant will include three national meetings and a publication in fall 2002.

• Leadership for Changing Schools A focus group meeting was held after the board meeting to discuss the possibility of TLC partnering with Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) to deliver the revised “change” material titled Leadership for Changing Schools (LFCS).

Focus group members were enthusiastic about TLC providing LFCS training and the potential partnership with SEDL. In official business, the board of directors approved the minutes of the January 31, 2001, meeting and approved the financial statement of the center.

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