INSIGHT—Winter 2007

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

winter 2007

INSIGHT

Our children— and our state as a whole— are facing a daunting and costly epidemic: obesity.

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INSIGHT

Winter 2007

Confronting Obesity

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by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs Shares ways our state is confronting obesity and wellness issues head-on Managing Stress and Maximizing Wellness: Tools for Educational Leaders

Volume 22

from the Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration (TCPEA)

No. 4

Health and Education: A Firm Relationship

FEATURED Articles

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Discusses sources of stress and personal and organizational tools for handling stress 23

by Catherine Clark Examines the relationship between personal health and educational attainment Making Lifestyle Changes that Last

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by Christy Willman Identifies environmental factors and policies that influence physical activity and wellness Toward a Performance Analysis System for Colleges of Education—The PACE System

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by William Reaves and Sherri Lowrey Introduces the PACE System, a newly designed information product of the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Advancement of Teacher Education (CREATE) TASA’s e-Knowledge Portal: What Is It and What Can It Do for My District?

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Gives an overview of the portal’s state-of-the-art technology, collaborative partners, and special features

Plus…Success Stories Bryan ISD

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Working on Wellness: WOW! China Spring ISD

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Whatever It Takes, One Step at a Time!

Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD

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Hit a Home Run for Health…and CATCH on to Healthy Behaviors Mansfield ISD

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Fit Club for Students and Staff

Winter 2007

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Officers Departments President’s Message

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Executive Director’s View

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Legislative Update Snapshot of House Interim Charges Related to Public Education

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TASA Headquarters Staff Johnny L. Veselka

Executive Director

Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services

Assistant Executive Director, Communications & Information Systems

Design/Production

Anne Harpe

Editorial Coordinator

Karen Limb

Paul L. Whitton, Jr. Ann M. Halstead

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. © 2007 by TASA. All rights reserved.

TASA members may reprint articles in limited quantities for in-house educational use. Articles in INSIGHT are expressions of the author or interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of TASA. Advertisements do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Texas Association of School Administrators. INSIGHT is printed by Thomas Graphics, Austin, Texas.

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INSIGHT

Thomas E. Randle, President, Lamar CISD Rick Howard, President-Elect, Comanche ISD John Folks, Vice-President, Northside ISD Kay E. Waggoner, Past President, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

Executive Committee Michael Sandroussi, Edcouch-Elsa ISD, 1 Henry D. Herrera, Alice ISD, 2 Larry W. Nichols, Calhoun County ISD, 3 Leland Williams, Dickinson ISD, 4 James McGowan, Silsbee ISD, 5 Mike Cargill, Bryan ISD, 6 Mary Ann Whiteker, Hudson ISD, 7 Eddie Johnson, Harts Bluff ISD, 8 John Baker, Seymour ISD, 9 H. John Fuller, Wylie ISD, 10 Jerry W. Roy, Lewisville ISD, 11 Rod Townsend, Hico ISD, 12 Ryder F. Warren, Marble Falls ISD, 13 Kent LeFevre, Jim Ned CISD, 14 Russ F. Perry, Nueces Canyon CISD, 15 David G. Foote, Dalhart ISD, 16 Mike Motheral, Sundown ISD, 17 Michael Downes, Big Spring ISD, 18 Rudy Barreda, Tornillo ISD, 19 Richard A. Middleton, North East ISD, 20 Robert J. Duron, San Antonio ISD, Legislative Committee Chair

At-Large Members Rose Cameron, Copperas Cove ISD Jesus H. Chavez, Round Rock ISD Alton L. Frailey, Katy ISD Gloria Gallegos, Pasadena ISD

Editorial Advisory Committee Thomas E. Randle, Lamar CISD, chair Alton L. Frailey, Katy ISD H. John Fuller, Wylie ISD Jim Hawkins, Killeen ISD Rick Howard, Comanche ISD Patricia Linares, Fort Worth ISD

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Winter 2007

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INSIGHT

“Failure Is Not an Option!”

President’s Message Let’s make sure that each of us does our personal best to model a healthy lifestyle for our students and staff.

This now-famous line spoken by Gene Kranz, lead flight director for the aborted Apollo 13 mission to the moon in 1970, lead to an amazing exercise in creative problem-solving.

Their task—to return a damaged spacecraft and its crew safely to earth—broke new ground in thinking outside the box to solve a problem that had never before been encountered. Ingenuity and determination saved the crew and America’s space program when the odds were decidedly against success.

Can we equate an imperiled moon mission with the current fight against childhood obesity? Are they really equal in importance? When failure directly impacts the health, longevity, and productivity of Texas schoolchildren, you bet!

The fact that this state—and our nation as a whole—faces an obesity epidemic is certainly not news to the public education community. To a greater or lesser degree we have all been aware of the issue for a number of years now. Senate Bill 530—passed in June 2007 by the 80th Legislature—decidedly brought the issue to the forefront for all school leaders. The newly required physical education enhancements and yearly fitness assessments obviously create some daunting challenges and yet another set of mandates. This is one instance, however, where the imperative for action is clear, and the results of failure are nothing short of catastrophic.

Recognizing the importance of this issue, we have joined the Texas Education Agency, State Board of Education, Comptroller’s Office, and other agencies and associations in taking steps to provide superintendents and other school leaders with the tools and resources we need to be successful in our task. For example, physical fitness guru Dr. Kenneth Cooper was a General Session speaker at the TASB/TASA Convention this past September, and Dr. Tedd Mitchell, president of the Cooper Clinic, is a Distinguished Lecturer at TASA’s Midwinter Conference in January. The Midwinter Conference will also feature a number of breakout sessions dealing with student and staff wellness. TASAnet and TASA’s e-Knowledge Portal will offer useful resources designed to guide our efforts to help nurture healthy young Texans.

It doesn’t take rocket science—forgive the pun—to realize that this is a great opportunity for school superintendents and other administrative leaders to make a real difference in the way districts address the growing epidemic of obesity in our state. Incorporating physical activity in the curriculum and providing healthy-eating alternatives in our cafeterias is an important start, but I believe this effort will best succeed with a top-down approach.

Let’s make sure that each of us does our personal best to model a healthy lifestyle for our students and staff.

I look forward to seeing all of you at Midwinter Conference in Austin!

Winter 2007

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INSIGHT

Meeting the Needs of School Leaders The holiday break and January 1 herald the beginning of a new calendar year with its resolutions and new beginnings. January is also the month of the TASA Midwinter Conference—the flagship of TASA’s professional development offerings and the one that we hope sets the tone for a successful and productive 2008 for you and your entire leadership team.

Executive director’s VIEW TASA Midwinter Conference— the flagship of TASA’s professional development offerings and the one that we hope sets the tone for a successful and productive 2008 for you and your entire leadership team.

The conference is geared toward a wide range of administrative interests, and our 2008 General Session and Distinguished Lecture speakers highlight that diversity. Our General Session speakers include Phil Schlechty, president and CEO, The Schlechty Center; Robert Scott, commissioner of education, and Raymund Paredes, commissioner of higher education; Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned expert on creativity and innovation; and Rick Stiggins, founder and CEO, Assessment Training Institute.

Distinguished Lectures include Fenwick English, R. Wendell Eaves Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership, University of North Carolina; Dan Korem, president, Korem & Associates; Marco Torres, education technology director, San Fernando (CA) High School; Willard R. Daggett, president, International Center for Leadership in Education; Bill Cook, director and founder, The Cambridge Group, Inc.; Tedd Mitchell, president and chief operating officer, Cooper Clinic; and Mary Kusler, assistant director, Governmental Relations, AASA. An outstanding array of Concurrent Sessions should pique the interest of every member of your leadership team. Topics covered include all the hot-button issues facing districts today—RTI, strategic planning, 403b, instructional technology, college-readiness, school safety, and health and fitness—along with the essentials, such as TRS, UIL, school finance, and legal topics. TEA session topics include Educator Excellence Awards, prekindergarten grants, AYP and accountability, fingerprinting, school finance, and NCLB roundtable.

This year we’ve rolled the annual School Facilities Institute into the Midwinter Conference.

The institute covers critical sustainability, efficiency, and high-performance issues, with a strong emphasis on green facilities and building to accommodate and enhance the use of technology throughout the district. We also continue our partnerships with the Texas Association of Partners in Education and the Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration, offering a variety of sessions related to these two organizations. Central office administrators won’t want to miss the Aspiring Superintendents’ Academy. This fullday interactive academy takes on a whole new character this year by creating an ongoing virtual community for those who aspire to become superintendents.

Your Midwinter Conference experience would not be complete without a visit to our Showcase of School Architecture, featuring more than 40 innovative facility designs; and Education Expo, our biggest exhibit ever with more than 400 booths highlighting education products and services for school leaders.

Meeting the needs of school leaders is what it is all about. I look forward to greeting you in Austin later this month.

Winter 2007

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INSIGHT

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INSIGHT

Confronting Obesity

by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs

Our children—and our state as a whole—are facing a daunting and costly epidemic: obesity.

Nearly two-thirds of our state’s adult population is currently overweight or obese, and according to the U.S. Surgeon General, 70 percent of overweight children will become overweight or obese adults. The costs are shocking, and the future could be grim if we do not take action now to reverse the trend.

Obesity’s onset is avoidable—not inevitable.

At the Comptroller’s office, we believe it is of utmost importance to recognize the costs of this epidemic and create programs to prevent it, while supporting wellness and disease management for those who are overweight or obese.

To communicate the severity of the situation and take practical action on the issue, our office released a special report, Counting Costs and Calories: Measuring the Cost of Obesity to Texas Employers, and advocated for the creation of the Texas Fitness Now grant program, which funds expanded physical education and nutrition programs in Texas schools.

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Obesity: An Epidemic in All Age Groups The phrase “Everything’s bigger in Texas” rings true when we consider the current state of Texans’ health. Nearly two-thirds (64.1 percent) of the state’s population is overweight or obese.

With time, the trend has become more prevalent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

From 1990 to 2005, nearly 3 million new cases of adult obesity were reported in Texas.

In 1990, only 12.3 percent of Texas’ adults were obese; by 2005, that share had more than doubled to 27.0 percent, well above the national average of 24.4 percent.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a study of U.S. adults and children conducted by the CDC, has documented a dramatic increase in the prevalence of overweight American children. According to NHANES data, 6.1 percent of U.S. children aged 12 to 19 were overweight during the period of 1971 through 1974; in 2003 and 2004, by contrast, 17.4 percent of children were overweight in this age range.

We can prevent obesity. With sound policy, expanded physical education programs, and an eye on nutrition inside and outside of schools, we will make progress. Industry, Texas state government, and our children— the workforce of tomorrow—cannot afford to let the obesity epidemic continue.

Obesity’s costs are shocking. By 2025, many overweight children will be entering the workforce as overweight or obese adults, at a considerable cost to their employers.

Our office estimates in Counting Costs and Calories that obesity cost Texas businesses $3.3 billion in 2005. This figure includes the cost of healthcare, absenteeism, decreased productivity, and disability. Our estimates indicate that without serious intervention costs could climb to $15.8 billion in 2025.

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Texas Fitness Now Provides Crisis Money for Physical Education In the continued fight against childhood obesity, our state offered the state’s public and charter schools an opportunity to receive $20 million in grants during the next two years to support in-school physical education, nutrition, and fitness programs for children in grades 6, 7, and/or 8.

Legislation passed by the 80th Legislature authorized the Comptroller’s office and the Texas Education Agency to work hand in hand to disseminate the money—$10 million per year of the biennium—among the schools that need it most: those where enrollment is at least 75 percent economically disadvantaged.

Texas Fitness Now grants may be used to support and enhance physical education, including buying equipment for physical education or equipment such as heart monitors and pedometers to track students’ progress; selecting or developing an effective

physical education curriculum and instructional materials; and training teachers and school administrators to help their students become fit and adopt healthy lifestyles.

Texas Fitness Now will help teach kids the importance of physical activity and fitness and lay the foundation for a life of healthy choices and lifestyles as they grow into adulthood. The grant program will provide crisis money to Texas schools, sending dollars where they can be put to work quickly and practically to promote more physical activity and better nutrition.

Participating schools must require students to take part in physical activity for either 30 minutes per day or 225 minutes per twoweek period for the entire school year. At least 25 percent of the grant must be used for nutrition education. To measure the effectiveness of the program, schools must conduct a campus fitness evaluation before the program begins and again at the end of the school year.

Approximately 703 schools qualified for Texas Fitness Now grants, and Texas is sending grants to 594 schools that applied and were authorized to participate. More than 260,000 students could benefit from the grants. For fiscal 2007, participating schools will receive approximately $35 per enrolled student.

An additional $10 million in grants will be distributed next year. Schools that receive Texas Fitness Now grants this year will also receive grant money next year if they continue to meet program requirements. Grant amounts may vary next year, depending on the number of qualifying applicants.

Our office secured funding for the grants in the 2008–09 state budget (General Appropriations Act, Article III, Rider 89) and developed rules for the Texas Fitness Now grant program in conjunction with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and other interested stakeholders. TEA will administer the program, evaluate grant applications, and award the funds to schools.

Ongoing Efforts to Curb Obesity As Counting Costs and Calories and Texas Fitness Now show, Texas state government is taking notice of obesity, physical education, and wellness in general. In addition, the 80th Legislature recently considered a number of bills to improve the health of our children.

Our state is ready to confront obesity and wellness issues head-on. Curbing the onset of obesity in children, getting them more active, and improving their overall wellness will require the participation of all stakeholders: families, businesses, schools, the medical a community, and government.

Susan Combs is Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

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INSIGHT

Success Story

Bryan ISD

Working on Wellness: WOW! Bryan ISD (BISD) has embraced a proactive approach to employee health and wellness. As healthcare costs skyrocket, BISD has found an effective way to bring a program to employees to reduce healthcare claims and provide a wellness model for students. The BISD Board of Trustees believes that employee healthcare is an investment that yields long-term benefits for employees, their families, and the district. The board approved investing in the Working on Wellness (WOW) program this year as an incentive for employees to better manage their healthcare needs.

The WOW program is a voluntary employee-screening program designed to detect early disease and predilections to other problems. All employees who elected to participate in the district’s healthcare program are eligible to receive a free on-site physical assessment by registered nurses from St. Joseph’s Occupational Health Clinic in Bryan. Assessments are also made available for spouses and dependents (over the age of 18) of eligible employees for a nominal fee.

The assessments are offered at all campuses and BISD facilities.

BISD, in partnership with St. Joseph’s Occupational Health Clinic, provides the on-site physical evaluations, lab tests, and follow-up counseling. Height, weight, blood pressure, resting heart rate, percentage body fat, body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio, full blood lipid panel (HDL, LDL, triglycerides, total cholesterol), and glucose levels are measured. Cardiac, diabetes, cancer, and behavioral risk factors are examined.

After the screening, the employee receives a customized confidential Personal Wellness Profile™. The profile outlines the individual’s overall health status and identifies

risk factors. Positive actions taken toward good heath as well as actions that are needed to improve health are identified. Illness prevention, nutrition information, exercise recommendations, stress and substance abuse information, and gender specific health concerns are provided along with healthy lifestyle recommendations.

The WOW program’s recommendations focus primarily on physical activity, nutrition, and stress management. Activities center on practicing desired behaviors and encouraging the continuation of the behaviors for at least 4–8 weeks. Behavior changes such as smoking cessation are emphasized.

The Texas Department of State Health Services estimates that at least 50 percent of an organization’s health-care costs are driven by lifestyle-related behaviors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking.

The power of the program is in the on-site examinations underwritten by Bryan ISD. Research from the Texas Department of State Health Services states that even if districts offer lab tests to employees through existing wellness programs, most employees aren’t motivated enough to participate. Their literature supports overwhelmingly the fact that organizations that participate in on-site programs realize significant savings. Each dollar spent on implementing an on-site wellness program generates an average of $6 in savings to the district.

Based on more than 120 research studies, the National Business Group on Health reports that within five years of a wellness program’s implementation, overall benefit-to-cost ratios of $3.48 in reduced healthcare costs per dollar invested and $5.82 in lower absenteeism per dollar invested were realized. Research by the Texas Department of State Health

Services touted the results of a worksite wellness program by the City of Fort Worth launched in 2002. They reported an 8 percent increase in healthcare costs while other employers in the area saw a 15–16 percent increase. Additionally, the report showed a reduction in high-risk health employees from 56 percent to 22 percent. The National Coalition on Health Care asserts that if all Americans adopted healthy lifestyles, healthcare costs would decrease significantly as people would require less medical care.

St. Joseph’s Occupational Health Clinic has agreed to monitor healthcare dollars spent by participants. The data will be used to compare pre- and post-costs to the BISD healthcare plan. Bryan ISD has also developed a tracking program to log participation and will analyze pre- and post-program employee absenteeism.

Bryan ISD’s WOW program is a comprehensive on-site wellness program consisting of a variety of awareness, lifestyle change, and supportive environmental policies and activities. Fit employees are more productive employees, with fewer sick days, fewer accidents, higher morale, and lower turnover.

BISD also believes that healthy role models have a positive impact on the lives of our a students and their families.

Dr. Ellen A. Blair is director of counseling and guidance at Bryan ISD. The author would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their contributions to the article: Ronnie O’Neal, director, Employee Benefits and Risk Management; Diana Dean, director, St. Joseph’s Occupational Health Clinic; Carol Reynolds, director, Auxiliary Human Resources; Patti Willems, coordinator, Health and Science Curriculum; and members, BISD Wellness Committee.

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INSIGHT

Managing Stress and Maximizing Wellness: Tools for Educational Leaders from the Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration (TCPEA)

Got stress? If you are a school or district administrator, you likely experience stress.

Studies have shown that educational leaders experience common stressors such as unwelcomed change, declining resources, and interpersonal conflicts. Likewise, the Center for Creative Leadership in 2006 found that business executives identified the factors of lack of time and resources as being the most stressful. Most would agree that stress is inherent in leadership and management responsibilities. Leaders who can identify the sources of stress in their positions can then identify the ways that they manage the stress.

Thus, our purpose is to provide you with the opportunity to reflect on the sources of stress in your position and the effectiveness of the strategies you use to manage the stress. When leaders manage their stress in effective ways, they are more likely to perform at higher levels and experience greater satisfaction than those who do not.

Sources of Stress

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Although administrators report similar stressors, such as accountability, unrealistic demands, and conflicts, these stressors will vary by the individual personalities, the context of the district or school, and the written and unwritten job responsibilities. Take a moment to consider the following: Identify personality traits. Which characteristics of your personality help you manage stress? Which characteristics may promote stress? For example, those who expect excellence of themselves and others 100 percent

of the time will likely experience stress.

Individuals who are driven or demanding, as well as those wanting to please others, will have stress. Individuals who accept more work than they can handle will likely feel overwhelmed and perhaps even frantic. Our personalities, our work styles, and our expectations can be sources of stress.

Understand context of district/school.

What are some of the characteristics of your work environment that contribute to stress?

For example, was a bond election recently defeated? Are some school board members divisive? Are special interest groups vying for power? Are tensions high among groups of people who may be divided by ethnicity, economic status, or ideologies? Do you have a level of trust with your boss, your secretary, and your staff? Do you feel respected and supported by others? Do you believe that the performance expectations are reasonable when combined with the perceived barriers?

Some years present more challenges than others do. Fortunately, the context is everchanging. Do you have a sense of hope about the future in your school or district?

Reflect on job responsibilities. What are some of the specific tasks and responsibilities that present particular challenges for you?

What are the tasks that you most enjoy about your job? What are the tasks that you least enjoy? Do your strengths match the position for which you are assigned? When individuals are able to align their strengths with their professions, passion and energy result. Meetings, which most administrators

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lead or attend daily, often lead to additional responsibilities and can be a common source of stress. Likewise, educators experience the challenge of having too much to do and not enough time to accomplish all priorities.

When faced with interpersonal conflicts, do you believe you have skills that help resolve the situation? Do you enjoy a lot of interaction with people? Do you enjoy the challenge of finding creative solutions with limited resources? Do you enjoy the tasks of organization and planning? A reflection about the responsibilities you enjoy and do not enjoy can give you insight into your specific sources of stress.

After you have identified the sources of stress related to your job, the environment, and your personality, you can focus on the strategies that you use to manage stress. Consider the effectiveness of your strategies. Are these strategies helping you begin each day or week refreshed and ready to conquer the next challenge? Would you like ideas about other strategies that can help you manage stress?

Stress for educational leaders tends to fall into two basic categories: personal and organizational. Thus, it is important to reflect on how you manage stress within these same two categories, a personal level and an organizational level. Because stress is situational, strategies are given for dealing with both personal and situational stress.

Personal Tools for Stress Relief In 2006, the Center for Creative Leadership found that work was a primary source of personal stress for 88 percent of leaders.

Likewise, 75 percent of leaders indicated that serving as a leader increased the amount of personal stress in their lives. Thus, the ability to handle personal stress is critical for today’s educational leaders.

Set boundaries. One of the most important ways for leaders to help manage stress is by setting boundaries. Boundaries help you separate what is important to you as an individual from what is causing you stress. In fact, 90 percent of the time leaders manage stress by looking for outside relief, removing themselves from the source of the stress (Center for Creative Leadership, 2006). Part 18

INSIGHT

of setting boundaries includes keeping things in perspective. While work is an important and time-consuming part of our lives, it should not be our life. When faced with a situation that seems overwhelmingly stressful, ask yourself the following question: in five years or even one year, will this situation still matter? Will people even remember it? Will my role in this situation still be important? How many lives are impacted by this situation? These types of questions can help keep stressful situations in perspective.

Cancer, natural disasters, and car accidents are a big deal; life and death situations are a big deal. However, most of the things that cause us stress on a daily basis are actually not a big deal. In fact, they oftentimes are trivial matters that really make little difference in the long run. Before you let these types of situations consume much of your time and concern, put them in the proper perspective first. Then decide how much of your energy these decisions warrant.

someone that you can trust to listen and offer advice when needed (or not). Your support network helps you develop coping skills to deal with stress, particularly the stress associated with leadership, and these people also help you focus on your goals, as well as develop or maintain your boundaries.

Have a life outside of work. As mentioned before, work should not be allowed to completely control our lives. Thus, another important means of stress relief is pursuing hobbies. Outdoor hobbies such as fishing, golf, gardening, or running are all excellent stress relievers; because these activities also involve physical activity, they have the added benefit of increasing wellness and overall physical well-being in addition to offering relief from stress. Not all hobbies have to revolve around exercise. Reading, watching movies, and listening to music are also common stress-relieving hobbies, as is meditation, whether spiritually based or not. Make sure that you identify what sorts of activities bring you pleasure, and give yourself permission to regularly make time for these activities. There will always be work that needs to be done, so try not to use that as an excuse for not enjoying yourself. Your mental and physical health are both improved by spending time on your hobbies.

For some of us, relaxation may mean taking a vacation and literally going somewhere away from home, perhaps to a beach, to an amusement park, or to visit friends or family. Relaxation can also include a focus on your spiritual side, whether it be personal meditation, prayer, or participation in religious or community outreach activities. For some, relaxation may mean staying home but taking a break from work—catching up on home projects, spending time with your family, or even watching favorite television shows. The primary key to relaxation is the distance from work—leaving behind your phone calls, your e-mails, and your concerns of the office. Even a short weekend break can make a big difference.

Develop a support network. Educational leaders should also find a support network.

This network may be as small as one or two people, and it may include family, friends, or colleagues. The support group should be people who will listen to you talk and who are able to understand your situation,

Schedule time for rest and relaxation.

Perhaps the simplest and most important key to handling stress is making time for yourself.

It is critical to schedule (yes, put it on your calendar!) both rest and relaxation. Sufficient sleep at night is important not only to effective performance at work but also to your general health. Most of us can manage to function on less sleep than we need, and we tend to push our limits. Still, failing to get enough rest and working long, strenuous days soon lead to feelings of more frequent and more intense stress. This also leads to lower productivity, more mistakes at work, and even job burnout.

Organizational Tools for Handling Stress Because stress among leaders often stems from organizational sources, it is important to also examine organizational techniques for handling stress. We spend a huge amount of our lives at work, and handling stress while at work can be critical. Hobbies, rest, and relaxation are good personal ways to help manage stress, but they are probably not too useful while you are actually standing in the office.

Furthermore, as leaders we can implement

organizational strategies that not only help with our own stress but also help others deal with their stressors. As mentioned previously, the Center for Creative Leadership found that work was a primary source of personal stress for 88 percent of leaders; however, only 28 percent of these leaders indicated that their organization provided tools to help effectively deal with stress. These tips can help you develop an organization that better equips educators to handle the stress of daily life on the job.

Support a goal-focused organization.

Goals allow people to know what they are working toward and give them something by which to measure their progress and success.

A lack of clear focus and direction can lead to ambiguity and uncertainty, both of which can increase the stress you feel at work. Goals are the road maps that allow us to get where we want and need to go. Like maps, they give us a sense of direction and focus so that we know where we are going and how we are going to get there. Goals that are positive and realistic can actually help us manage, even avoid, unwanted stress.

Support workplace wellness programs.

Because exercise is such an important part of personal health, support for a district or campus wellness project can be an excellent way to introduce stress-management techniques into the workplace. Perhaps your district can offer a flexible schedule that allows more opportunity for wellness activities during the day. Discounted rates to local fitness clubs or exercise classes might also be an opportunity to support wellness. Regular seminars or even friendly competitions related to healthy eating, proper exercise, or other factors related to overall health and wellness can remind people that their physical health is a priority, even at work.

Maintain and support a positive work environment. Trust is key to the mental health of both leaders and other educators.

A positive environment, one that minimizes stress and maximizes the ability to manage stress, allows teachers and leaders to feel safe and comfortable, both of which can increase effectiveness and productivity. Basically, trust is empowering. People who feel they can trust their leaders also feel valued and thus

take more ownership in what happens at work. As a result, these people are happier in their work and feel more loyalty to both their job and their employer. Trust also builds respect, another necessary ingredient to a productive workplace.

Model positive habits. As a district leader, you are one of the most-watched persons in the community. Thus, an important tool for helping manage organizational stress is to model positive habits yourself. You have the power and potential to be a role model or a bad example—either way, people will follow your lead and act (or react) accordingly.

When you engage in planning, reflection, and self-improvement, others will do so as well. Students, teachers, parents, and community members can see how you value the importance of your own health and wellness, and this perception impacts the approach they take towards their own physical and mental well-being. It is important to set a positive tone for the district and to communicate that wellness, including managing stress, is important and doable.

Encourage efficiency. Schools and districts do not run in isolation. As a leader, you can develop and depend on the efficiency of systems within your district to help avoid unnecessary sources of stress. Effective systems allow things to run smoothly and methodically; whether it be transportation issues or personnel evaluation, a well-thought-out system establishes and implements procedures that minimize confusion and stress.

In conclusion, the need is compelling for leaders to gain the knowledge, motivation, and opportunities needed to make informed decisions about wellness and the impact that stress can have on wellness. Regardless of the sources of stress, personal and organizational tools can be used to effectively manage stress, resulting in a healthier lifestyle and a more a productive workplace.

TCPEA is an organization that promotes the development of professional preparation programs for administrators in Texas and provides support for scholarly works and information to its membership about recent research and educational developments.

References Campbell, M., Baites, J. I., Martin, A., & Meddings, K. (2007). The stress of leadership. San Diego, CA: Center for Creative Leadership. Retrieved October 15, 2007 from http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/ research/StressofLeadership.pdf Romas, J. A., & Sharma, M. (2007). Practical stress management (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

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Systems depend heavily on planning and organizing, both of which are fundamental tools to managing stress. When the needs of the district and the demands on your time are overwhelming, planning and organization can help you manage your time, and the time of others, effectively. Just as machines are designed to run as efficiently as possible, people also have to use their limited resources, including time, wisely. This can include making sure you know what to expect from your schedule each day and are adequately prepared for those demands. The time it takes to be organized and prepared is far better spent than the time you will spend improvising and backtracking to compensate for a lack of preparation.

Do you have a student or employee health and wellness program that’s so great you’d like to share it with other TASA members?

Send a short article about your program to TASA and we’ll post it on the TASA e-Knowledge Portal.

(Send copy as a Word document in electronic format only, no more than 750 words, to Ann Halstead, ahalstead@tasanet.org.)

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a Mark Your Calendar!

TASA Legislative Conference March 25-26, 2008

Hyatt Regency Hotel, Austin Forewarned Is Forearmed!

TASA’s Legislative Conference gives you a tactical advantage in preparing for the 81st Texas Legislative Session. Come learn what the insiders know!

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Success Story

China Spring ISD

Whatever It Takes, One Step at a Time!

Keeping in line with the 2007–08 school theme, “Whatever It Takes: One Student…

One School…One District,” China Spring ISD’s Staff and Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) have implemented the district’s new staff wellness program. The goal is to encourage staff to get moving one step at a time and be role models for students.

Therefore, the wellness theme is “Whatever It Takes, One Step at a Time!” Not only are healthful school environments important for children but they are also conducive to highperforming people who make up the staff in a school system. A newly implemented staff wellness program is gaining momentum in China Spring ISD! Our plan includes the following new initiatives: • Additional Healthy Choices for School Breakfasts • Family Fitness Opportunities • Fitness and Nutrition Meetings • Fitness and Nutrition Ideas • After School Exercise Programs • Emphasis on Making Healthier Choices on Wellness Wednesdays • Staff Incentives • Development of Campus Teams for Colleague Support • Perfect Attendance Incentive

positive interaction with other adults and their families.

Fitness and Nutrition Meetings—At the beginning of the school year, local community and Baylor University professionals were invited to share their expertise regarding fitness and nutrition. The meetings were designed to provide staff members with reminders about the importance of physical activity and proper nutrition. Attendees were encouraged to participate in these after school meetings and were rewarded with pedometers and T-shirts announcing the district’s wellness theme.

Fitness and Nutrition Ideas—Ideas for a healthier lifestyle are included each month in the district’s employee newsletter. Some of the ideas are obtained from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

Future plans are to include tips and personal success stories from staff members.

Additional Healthy Choices for School Breakfasts—Breakfast is provided free of charge to all China Spring employees.

Through discussions with the district’s food service director, new menu choices for breakfast include the addition of fruits, yogurt, and whole wheat bread.

After School Exercise Programs—These programs are led by staff members at the elementary campus. Groups are formed by those who attend. The group with the highest attendance is rewarded with a lunch located off campus.

Family Fitness Opportunities—Once each six weeks, the community is invited to join the school staff and students for a night of fun and fitness at the track near the elementary campus. Activities include walking, jogging, football, Frisbees, soccer, etc. Not only is this a healthy activity for adults but also for students who benefit greatly from the

Emphasis on Making Healthier Choices on Wellness Wednesdays—Wellness Wednesdays serve to remind staff about the importance of good health. Whether it is eating better, exercising, or doing something to reduce stress, staff members are encouraged to set personal goals and then stick with a plan. Some of the campuses are getting

together one Wednesday of the month to walk before or after school. The staff members are encouraged to walk with a partner so that exercise can be a shared experience. The Wellness Wednesday entitles participants to wear a windsuit to school.

Staff Incentives—Staff members earn incentives for attending health-related meetings and reaching campus fitness goals, such as pedometers, T-shirts, gift certificates, and free lunches (healthy, of course).

Development of Campus Teams for Colleague Support—Each campus has a Wellness Team. The Wellness Team members meet on a monthly basis to share grade-level or department successes. The team members also help with the monthly or quarterly newsletters. These team members brainstorm ideas that will keep campus staff members involved and excited about wellness.

Perfect Attendance Incentive—In an effort to increase employee attendance, the superintendent announced that anyone who does not miss work during the 2007–08 school year is eligible to share in a $5,000 prize.

We are moving “One Step at a Time” in China Spring ISD in order to create and sustain an environment to reduce stress and improve the overall health, productivity, and attendance of our staff. We look forward to the staff members sharing their personal stories of success as they move one step at a a time toward better health.

For more information about the district’s wellness program, please contact Marsha Thauwald, assistant superintendent, mthauwald@chinaspringisd.net, or Jeanie Johnson, elementary counselor, jjohnson@chinaspringisd.net.

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Clint ISD Named Outstanding School Board

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TASA recognized the Clint ISD Board of Trustees as the 2007 Outstanding School Board of Texas at the TASB/TASA Convention in Dallas on September 30.

The recognition was based on criteria that measured the manner in which the Board functions as a policymaking body. The Board’s provision of financial support for the district was also reviewed.

Clint ISD is financially sound. Five consecutive years of operating surpluses have rebuilt the fund balance to more than $14 million. The district received a bond rating upgrade from B+++ to A- due to its financial improvements and fiscal strength.

“The award is really a dream come true for our school board. The Board is elated by this honor and humbled at the same time.”

Jim Pendell, Clint ISD School Board President

The Board was also reviewed based on educational improvement projects, performance in accordance with state-established standards, and embracement of community awareness. The Board’s commitment to the district’s code of ethics and adherence to Board policies has gained it this much-deserved recognition as well.

technology.

Technology enhances the learning process.

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Our mission is to enhance student achievement through design innovation, and we welcome the exciting changes the future will bring.

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Health and Education: A Firm Relationship

by Catherine Clark

Educators and policymakers typically think of education benefits in terms of income, employment prospects, and citizenship.

Parents and the public support schools and colleges because they prepare young people to lead satisfying and productive lives at the same time that they support American business by preparing young people for work.

But there is another benefit from education that is of importance to the nation: the positive connection between personal health and educational attainment.

Today, health policy is a priority for many politicians and policymakers. Discussions are already underway to explore issues surrounding Medicaid and Medicare services and costs. The problems of uninsured Americans as well as rising incidence of hypertension and diabetes among Americans have raised alarms. In this environment, it is important to understand the relationship between education and health, because improvements to education can be related to better health. To this end, economists have studied the issue and reached several conclusions about the strength of the connection between education and health.

a Background Studies

It is helpful to review some background studies of the effects of education. Economists refer to skills and knowledge that workers bring to their jobs and personal lives as “human capital.� Broadly stated, human capital is the capacity of individuals to exercise skills, mental acuity, and judgment.

Education is the means by which most people gain skills and knowledge. Put in simple terms, increasing human capital requires an investment in education and training.

In our modern world, most young people in developed countries are served in formal education settings such as schools, colleges, and training facilities.

Formal Educational Investments. For 50 years, economists have used large data sets and research models to measure the results of formal educational investments (measured in terms of years or degrees attained) in terms of annual wages and employment stability.

The relationship between employment and years of education is direct and positive.

The more years of education an individual completes, the more likely that individual is to be employed regularly than a person who completes fewer years of education. The same is true for wages and years of education.

Completing more years of education has a direct, positive correlation to higher wages.

The evidence economists have found is conclusive: education contributes significantly to the ability of individuals to produce products and services, develop new ideas, lead and organize endeavors, and improve their own economic circumstances. Economists have also found that educational investment in people enables them to lead more satisfying personal lives. For example, better educated individuals are more likely to remain married and less likely to be unemployed.

Health Outcomes. Research exploring the relationship between education and health

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outcomes shows a positive and direct relationship between education levels and measures of good health. The research findings are consistent over many studies. The number of years of formal schooling completed is the most important correlate of good health, more important than occupation or income.

Better-educated adults have lower incidence of acute and chronic diseases such as heart conditions, hypertension, high cholesterol, emphysema, diabetes, and ulcers (cancer is an exception). Better-educated persons are less likely to report that they are in poor health or have depression or anxiety disorders. They are also less likely to smoke, drink a lot, be overweight, or use illegal drugs.

Work and Productivity. Better-educated people even report spending fewer days lost at work due to illness. They are more likely to exercise and obtain preventive care like flu shots and mammograms. When they have chronic conditions like diabetes, bettereducated individuals are more likely to have the condition under control. Better-educated men and women make investments in their

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own safety and health such as using seat belts more frequently and having homes with smoke detectors. Researchers report that these and other outcomes occur for young adults and persist through middle age. In fact, of those in better health, the fraction that remains in better health in subsequent years rises with education level. And bettereducated persons are likely to recover when their health declines.

Educational Resources. Economists have found that health affects educational attainment and education affects health factors.

Healthy children are more likely to attend school and are more likely to be attentive during class. An investment in health is likely to pay off in more effective use of educational resources such as accessing supplementary services or taking evening courses. Similarly, better-educated consumers can gather and read medical information from their doctors, news articles, and Internet searches more effectively. Investment in education also improves the use of health services, with educated individuals better able to read and

make sense of prescriptions and physician directives.

Decision Making. If knowledge acquired through increased education influences work and productivity, it is also likely to affect decisions, like whether or not to smoke; food choices; and attitudes toward personal health. To explore this issue, studies were conducted in the 1990s. The results of the studies show that more schooling is related to lower probability of smoking behavior and, for those who smoke, a higher probability of quitting smoking. Of course, a positive relationship between schooling and health does not always mean causality. Other factors may be at play as well, such as availability of health services, family preferences, and community expectations. However, there is no question that the positive relationship exists; how it is “caused� continues to be studied.

Parent Education. The role of parent education in child health has also been examined.

An increase in parent education is connected to increased health of children. Home

environment and mother’s education level demonstrate an important relationship to child and adolescent health as well. Children of better-educated mothers have better oral health, are less likely to be overweight or obese, and are less likely to have anemia.

Exactly how maternal education is linked with child health is complicated by many factors (most of which are difficult to measure), but the data consistently associate the two factors. Better-educated parents may work for employers who provide reasonably priced health and dental insurance, and they may live in neighborhoods where health services are readily available. And, of course, there is a positive relationship between the level of parent education and the level of education their children attain, so the cycle continues through more than one generation.

Income. When health is factored into the equation, research shows that good health actually enhances the effects of education on income. For example, two individuals who complete the same number of years of schooling will be likely to have different earnings if one of them has poor health and the other has good health. The “returns” to good health increase the return to educational investment by about 15 percent, according to one report. If, as many experts suspect, health is a long-term benefit of education, and if the relationship is the same across gender and racial groups, the increased return on $1,000 of school aid would be between $2,250 and $7,000 (in present value terms).

over 15 years. This hypothesis would explain increased use of preventive healthcare in more educated persons as well as increased expenditures on exercise, moderate alcohol use, and less abuse of drugs and illegal substances. Smith is quoted, saying that living for the moment is “the worst thing for your health.” Better-educated persons are more apt to delay gratification and that, in turn, is likely to enhance health over the long term.

Summary In summary, a good education foundation is strongly connected with a longer and healthier life. Teaching children and young adults about health and nutrition is likely to enhance the already strong health payoff they receive from their education. a

Catherine Clark is associate executive director of Governance Services at the Texas Association of School Boards.

Sources

Gary S. Becker, Human Capital, 3rd Edition.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994.

David M. Cutler and Adriana Lleras-Muney, “Education and Health: Evaluating Theories and Evidence,” National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper 12352, 2006.

Michael Grossman, “Education and Nonmarket Outcomes,” National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper 11582, 2005.

Robert Haverman and Barbara L. Wolfe, “The Determinants of Children’s Attainments: A Review of Methods and Findings,” Journal of Economic Literature, vol. 33, 1995.

William Sander, “Schooling and Quitting Smoking,” Review of Economics and Statistics,” vol. 77, no. 1, 1995.

Paul J. Taubman and Sherwin Rosen, “Healthiness, Education and Marital Status,” National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper 611, 1980.

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Life Expectancy. Education affects life expectancy too. Longevity increases with education, and the difference in life expectancy between college-educated adults and those who are not college educated is significant. Recently, James Smith of the RAND Corporation reported that education is the primary factor in longer life, more important than income or race in influencing longevity. Smith is quoted in the January 3, 2007, New York Times saying that the biggest factor in extending life and improving health in older age is keeping young people in school. The education effect stays strong throughout adult life. Smith hypothesizes that education may teach people to delay gratification and plan for the future; an idea that other researchers have been exploring for

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Snapshot of House Interim Charges Related to Public Education Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick recently released the 80th House Committee Interim Charges.

Some of the key education-related charges are listed below. A complete list of the interim charges relating to education can be found at www.TASAnet.org. At press time, Senate interim charges were not available.

House Committee on Appropriations Review the Existing Debt Allotment and the Instructional Facilities Allotment to determine whether there is an ongoing need for two distinct programs.

Study the funding needs for Adult Basic Education and the Texas Education Agency’s effectiveness in running this program.

Monitor the implementation of legislation passed by the 79th and 80th Legislatures.

Study innovations in state educational data systems. Develop recommendations for a comprehensive state educational data system that will ensure the best available information for educators and policymakers; include

Explore options for funding other postemployment benefits, and examine strategies employed by other governmental entities in addressing these obligations.

Study the impact of actuaries on public pension plans, and evaluate the need for legislation to ensure appropriate actuarial

Explore the spreading or “smoothing” of state payments to school districts throughout the year to better manage the state’s cash flow.

House Committee on Public Education Study best practices in instructional technology, including online course delivery, professional development, and supplementary instruction and course support. Examine the costs and benefits of these applications versus traditional delivery models.

Review the functions of the agencies and boards under the committee’s jurisdiction.

Evaluate the capacities of these agencies and boards versus their appropriate roles in supporting instruction in public schools.

Evaluate early childhood education programs in public schools and study the impact of different instructional and funding models on students’ school-readiness and schools’ operational efficiency.

Research and evaluate state-supported policies and programs designed to attract, train, and support effective teachers and instructional leaders, including programs designed to recruit and retain teachers in hard-to-staff schools.

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unique student records that may be transferred easily among authorized institutions; minimize duplicative or onerous reporting requirements; and meet federal privacy requirements in a manner consistent with the practices of leading states. Recommend statutory changes as necessary to facilitate the implementation of the new data system and to eliminate unnecessary reporting requirements. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Higher Education)

House Committee on Pensions and Investments Evaluate the possibility of requiring the state and employee contribution rate to meet the annually required contribution for the statewide retirement funds each biennium in order to prevent unfunded liabilities.

assumptions, actuarial audits, or regulation of actuaries contracting with state pension plans.

Assess the representational proportion of each of the stakeholder groups, eligibility requirements, qualifications, and selection and election procedures of the boards of trustees of the retirement systems.

Evaluate and make recommendations, if necessary, regarding state contracts with pharmacy benefit managers. Assess the feasibility of combining prescription drug programs of state health insurance programs.

All recommendations should take into consideration any budgetary impacts. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Government Reform)

Success Story

Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD

Hit a Home Run for Health… and CATCH on to Healthy Behaviors “Healthy students learn better.” “Healthy teachers and staff are more productive.” Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD supports these statements by promoting comprehensive health programs for students and employees.

LCMCISD has been the recipient of the Department of State Health Services Awards for Excellence in Texas School Health for two years. The district’s programs, “Hit a Home Run for Health” and “Minding the Business of Health: CATCH on to Healthy Behaviors,” were awarded plaques and cash awards from the Texas Pediatric Society Foundation and the Texas Health Institute.

Health programs developed each year by the district nurses meet the recommendations for the “Eight-Component Model for Comprehensive School Health.” Areas included are Comprehensive School Health Education, Physical Education, School Health Services, School Nutrition Services, School Counseling/Psychological/Social Services, Healthy School Environment, School-Site Health Promotion for Staff, and Family/ Community Involvement in Schools.

Comprehensive School Health Education—has a basis in the CATCH curriculum and incorporates diverse topics relating to health education and healthy lifestyle behaviors. Classroom lessons are coordinated throughout several academic subjects to emphasize positive life habits.

Physical Education—encourages students at primary and secondary levels to increase activity levels. Through CATCH, we see students becoming more active and enjoying this increase in activity. Elementary PE activities are fun for the students; they like to play; they learn to be active. At the secondary level, aerobics and a diverse selection of games through PE classes allow more students to participate in activities. There is something for everyone! The students learn that exercise can be fun.

School Health Services—involves more than just first aid! LCMCISD nurses serve a very diverse population of students. A school nurse must be skilled to handle a variety of illnesses: asthma, diabetes, seizure disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and more. Nurses are no longer the “school moms” who pass out band-aids and repair glasses. They must be well versed in a variety of illnesses and know where to find answers to questions that may arise. LCMCISD nurses provide vision, hearing, and spinal screening services; coordinate immunization clinics for statemandated immunizations and influenza vaccines; serve as resources to students and staff for various health topics; and assist in networking between the school and community resources. The campus nurse screens for illness and notifies parents, provides basic first aid, distributes medication, provides health counseling, and is always ready to handle campus emergencies.

School Nutrition Services—is supported and encouraged through use of the CATCH curriculum. Primary students have nutrition principles promoted both in the classroom and in the cafeteria. In the past, some elementary campuses have used a “matching game” to reinforce CATCH principles concerning food selection in the cafeteria line. On the district level, the district’s Food Services Department provides nutrition and health information on the back of the monthly menus sent to the home each month. Students bring the information home to family members; by this means, nutritional principles are shared with the entire family. Nutrition is also supported by the LCMCISD School Board’s Nutrition and Wellness Policy.

School Counseling/Psychological/Social Services—can be seen through the various programs sponsored by campus Guidance and Counseling offices. Campus counselors assist in the planning of Red Ribbon Week,

school supply assistance, Christmas Angel Program, and canned food drives for needy families. They serve as a resource for district and community referrals for students needing assistance. Counselors are also available to students and parents for counseling on personal problems.

Healthy School Environment—is demonstrated by drug and violence prevention programs to students, bloodborne pathogen education to faculty/staff, and health and wellness promotion on all campuses. CPR and first aid classes have been conducted for faculty and staff to coincide with the purchase of AEDs for all campuses.

School-Site Health Promotion for Staff— can be seen on ALL campuses! Employees are provided opportunities for disease immunizations, exercise promotion, employee training sessions for diabetic care, health fairs, blood pressure screening, massage therapy for stress relief, and monthly e-mails relating to health topics and healthy recipes.

Family/Community Involvement in Schools—can be seen through formation of our community-based School Health Advisory Council (SHAC); community forums at SHAC meetings (diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer awareness, emergency preparedness, and MRSA). The district sponsors health fairs, chronic disease awareness projects, written literature sent home through students, and Relay for Life teams. LCMCISD also maintains a district Web site with health information easily accessible to the community.

In conclusion, a school is a place to learn not only academics but also life habits.

LCMCISD demonstrates this belief through a its health and wellness program.

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Making Lifestyle Changes that Last

by Christy Willman

Research continually reinforces the fact that Americans are eating more and moving less.

Portion sizes in restaurants and at home are larger and include an abundance of highcalorie, high-fat foods. At the same time, the environments in which we live and work often require little energy expenditure or physical activity. As a result, Americans are getting fatter. Nationwide, about 65 percent of adults are overweight or obese. More than a third of all children and adolescents in the United States—some 25 million young people—also weigh too much. Without health policy initiatives, they could be the first generation to live sicker and die younger than their parents.

Legislative/Policy Initiatives Legislative requirements continue to bring physical fitness and health-related issues into the realm of public school planning and accountability. The TASA 2007 Legislative Session Final Bill Report highlights several issues that must be addressed by administrators during the 2007–08 school year.

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House Bill 3618 requires that diabetes intervention programs be developed for certain school districts located on the Texas-Mexico border and in counties with a population of less than 600,000 to detect and prevent Type 2 diabetes. Senate Bill 415 converts the diabetes screening program for acanthosis nigricans, already in the Health and Safety Code, to the Type 2 Diabetes Education and Risk Assessment Program.

Senate Bill 530 addresses physical activity requirements across all grade levels.

Kindergarten through fifth grade students are required to participate daily in 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity throughout the school year as part of the district’s physical education curriculum or through structured activity during daily recess.

School districts are also required to assess annually the physical fitness of students enrolled in grades 3–12 beginning in the 2007–08 school year, using the FitnessGram assessment instrument adopted by the commissioner of education. Results of the fitness assessments must be compiled with a summary provided to TEA, aggregated by grade level and any other appropriate category identified by the commissioner’s rules.

Beginning in 2008–09, students enrolled in grades 6–8 are required to participate in moderate to rigorous daily physical activity for at least four semesters during those grade levels. As an alternative, a district may require a student enrolled in a grade level for which the district uses block scheduling to participate in at least 225 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity during each period of two school weeks. Exemptions must be provided for a student who is unable to participate due to illness or disability and for a middle school student who participates in a structured activity.

House Bill 2313 establishes the second full week in September as Obesity Awareness

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Week. The purpose of the observance is to raise awareness of the health risks associated with obesity and to encourage Texans to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

He encourages integrating physical activities into daily routines so adults engage in at least 30 minutes of activity and children accumulate 60 minutes just in the course of a normal day.

Importance of Community Design

Sallis’ research has also identified environmental factors and policies that influence physical activity, especially among children and families in low-income communities.

“The idea that we can integrate physical activity into our daily routine by designing the environment to promote it is a 21st century concept. We built big cities and superhighways and found it fantastic that we could drive everywhere. Now we’re finding out that maybe it is not so fantastic—and we are beginning to explore how to re-engineer the environments we live in so they support being active every day.”

The design of our communities—including neighborhoods, cities, transportation systems, parks, trails and other public recreational facilities—affects people’s ability to reach the recommended minutes each day of moderately intense physical activity.

Policymakers, as well as health, planning, recreation, and education professionals, are now beginning to reassess the design of the places we live, work, and play to make it easier and more enjoyable for children and adults to become active.

James F. Sallis, Ph.D., a psychology professor at San Diego State University, directs the Active Living Research program. Sallis has spent his career, since the early 1980s when the obesity epidemic was just beginning, addressing active and healthy living.

“Over one in four Americans get no physical activity during an average day,” says Sallis.

Findings from the Active Living Research program: • People who live in activity-friendly environments are more likely to be physically active for both transportation and leisure activities.

• In activity-friendly environments, there are safe places to walk and bike, parks to play in, and streets that connect easily to one another and to desired destinations such as shops and businesses.

• For children, having parks nearby increases physical activity levels.

• For adolescents, living in walkable neighborhoods increases overall physical activity levels.

Visit the Active Living Research Web site at www.activelivingresearch.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that creating and improving places to be active can result in a 25 percent increase in the percentage of people who exercise at least three times a week.

Interestingly, 43 percent of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met the recommended activity levels while just

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27 percent of those without safe places to walk met the daily requirements.

People who live in neighborhoods with a mix of retail shops and businesses within easy walking distance have a 35 percent lower risk of obesity.

Support for Healthier Lifestyles Many organizations offer assistance to individuals, groups, and communities to make changes that can have a lasting impact on our sedentary way of life. One such organization, America on the Move, Steps to a Healthier Way of Life™ (AOM), is working to inspire groups and individuals to commit to AOM’s six-week challenge. Their promise is, “In just six short weeks, you’ll discover how a few simple steps can make a big difference in the way you look and feel.” Their research shows that small, specific changes in food and physical activity behaviors can have a positive effect on health and effectively stop weight gain. AOM provides free Web-based programs, motivational strategies, tools, and resources. They also offer Balance First™ lesson plans for elementary and middle schools and an AOM Web site for kids.

Visit the AOM Web site at www.aom.americaonthemove.org Other organizations lend support to school districts and communities that have committed to design places where we live, work, and play to make it easier and more enjoyable for children and adults to become more active.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is offering a Safe Route to Schools grant, which provides sidewalks in areas around schools. Sidewalk access to schools provides a healthy alternative for both students and staff while reducing traffic around the schools. The City of Rosenberg collaborated with Lamar CISD to find ways to include additional sidewalks for school access in the city’s successful bond referendum in 2006. Throughout Texas, city ordinances are mandating recreational areas in new residential development and requiring that funding be provided for public parks and recreational areas near new commercial development.

Innovative Programs While researching this article, I began looking at some of the elementary physical education programs that are instilling the importance of daily exercise and making healthy lifestyle choices a natural part of their students’ routines.

The physical education teacher at one Lamar CISD elementary campus has chosen to include a School Walk for Diabetes as a way to teach children the importance of community service and caring for others while exercising. Math becomes a part of the curriculum as pedometers are used to measure how many steps are taken in a day or week and recorded. Many staff members have joined in the project by walking during planning time, lunchtime, or after school.

Another elementary PE teacher has begun a contest for the third, fourth, and fifth graders. She also uses pedometers to keep track of their steps during PE. Students can check out the pedometers during recess or whenever they have extra time to walk or jog. At the end of the year, the student with the most steps in each grade level will

be presented with a trophy. Some of the students are really competitive about getting the most steps and turning those steps into miles.

Both of these programs, like many other innovative elementary physical education initiatives, encourage our younger children to value exercise. However, the fact remains that children spend more time watching TV than participating in physical activities.

And, research finds that after students leave the required physical education in school, many cease to exercise. Changing the environments in which children eat and play is now seen as an essential strategy in fighting the obesity epidemic.

Modeling Healthy Behavior There are many ways that school administrators can make a difference for the future of our children. We will probably all agree that behaviors are learned, at least partly, by observing role models. Examples include watching school leaders in action, parents reading, or someone acting bravely in a fearful situation.

Anyone who knows me would smile at the thought of me as a role model for physical fitness or as a spokesperson for those focusing on leading a healthy lifestyle. Like many of you, I work too many hours, have no sustainable exercise routine, eat too much fast food, sleep too little, and focus on taking good care of everyone’s needs except my own. What kind of a lifestyle am I modeling for my own grown children, grandchildren, or staff members who observe my habits daily?

Our personal commitment to becoming more active can begin with walking to another office or campus rather than sending an e-mail, taking the stairs rather than the elevator, parking our car at the back of the parking lot, or walking to lunch or an adjacent facility rather than jumping into the car. We can get involved in the next walk for a charitable organization. We just never know who may be watching us as a a model for a healthy lifestyle.

Christy Willman is executive director of community relations at Lamar CISD and president of the Texas School Public Relations Association.

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Toward a Performance Analysis System for Colleges of Education—The PACE System

by William Reaves and Sherri Lowrey

The Center for Research, Evaluation, and Advancement of Teacher Education (CREATE), as a consortium of universities, is devoted to ongoing analysis and continuous improvement of university-based teacher preparation programs. We believe Colleges of Education are an integral component of a system of public education and have a professional obligation to contribute to the continuous improvement of public school teaching and student learning. We seek to develop planning and information systems that can assist universities in professional analysis of their teacher preparation initiatives, particularly as these practices relate to long-term teacher influence and effect.

One such system, designed by a team of CREATE researchers, is the PACE System: Performance Analysis System for Colleges of Education.

The PACE System represents a school-centered planning and resource tool to assist teacher education leaders in assessing and responding effectively to public school needs.

This system tracks teacher preparation organizational effects over time. It also provides teacher preparation faculty with important information about the school characteristics of nearby districts.

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Proximal Zone of Professional Impact (PZPI). An important feature of the PACE System is the creation of a geographic area of influence around each university in the CREATE consortium. CREATE named this

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area of influence the Proximal Zone of Professional Impact (PZPI). This geographic impact zone is comprised of all school districts within a 75-mile radius of each university and describes a “P–16” professional community in the university’s immediate vicinity. While the impact zone does not measure the complete impact of the university’s teacher preparation programs, it does offer a consistent and systematic structure in which the university can measure long-term program effects. It also establishes the parameters and basis of a professional community where public school and university personnel can engage in regional networking and professional partnerships. The combined analysis of university data and PACE information not only helps universities identify and focus their resources but also tracks trends and responds when improvements and changes are needed.

PACE Reports. The initial PACE reports were derived from state data sources. The data were compiled and represented in a series of reports that present an overall picture of the educational situation unique to the university’s impact zone. Each university received a document consisting of descriptive reports on the characteristics of schools in their impact zone, public school enrollment trends and school listings, student enrollment and achievement trends, teacher production and impact trends, teacher retention reports, and comparison reports for other universities in the zone.

School-Centered Feedback. If used as part of a continuous quality management system, the PACE System can provide schoolcentered feedback to improve the long-term effects of university-based teacher preparation programs by enabling university leaders to (1) track long-term trends related to public school teaching and learning in their immediate area, (2) track long-term teacher production trends in relation to regional demand, (3) supply a structured planning/ evaluation discussion format to engage in routine systematic analysis of achievement and staffing patterns in their immediate vicinity, and (4) furnish information and data for planning research and development related to instructional interventions.

In summary, as a newly designed information product, the PACE System is a work in progress and will also be subject to continuous quality improvement. It will be significantly enhanced and refined as the system is applied and utilized by consortium members. a

Dr. William Reaves is executive director of the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Advancement of Teacher Education (CREATE).

Sherri Lowrey serves as associate director of research. If you are interested in learning more about CREATE or the PACE System, please visit the CREATE Web site at www.createtx. org or contact the authors of this article at 936-273-7661.

vision.

At SHW Group, we collaborate with school districts to form a vision for the future.

That collaboration with Spring ISD resulted in an extensive visioning process that involved teachers, students, school administrators and board members. Research and input from the whole community yielded a career academy that truly engages students in the learning process.

Carl Wunsche Sr. High just earned two prestigious planning awards from the state and the international community. These awards recognize a visionary planning process that will serve as a model for future school design.

Congratulations, Spring ISD, for receiving the 2007 Caudill Award and the 2007 MacConnell Award.

SHW is proud to be your education design partner.

Dallas-Ft Worth | Austin | Houston | San Antonio | Detroit | Washington DC

shwgroup.com

winter 2007

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Expo ‘08

E D U C A T I O N

One-stop shopping with more than 300 vendors offering the products and services you need!

Click the Education Expo Attendee link on tasanet.org and plan your Expo ‘08 visit online!

CAREER DIRECTION IF THE CHOICES WERE EASY,

WE WOULDN’T NEED

GREAT TEACHERS THE TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD CAN SUPPORT YOUR CLASSROOM WITH AN INFORMATIVE, EDUCATOR-DESIGNED PRESENTATION THAT EXPLORES THE WEALTH OF COLLEGE, SCHOLARSHIP, TRAINING, AND CAREER OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO YOUR STUDENTS. TO FIND OUT MORE, VISIT WWW.CAREERTRAIN.COM/CAREERDIRECTION

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TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD INSIGHT

Success Story

Mansfield ISD

Fit Club for Students and Staff

James Coble Middle School opened in Pilates and some nutrition classes and/or 2006–07 in Mansfield ISD. We’re a suburban speakers next semester.

7th and 8th grade campus of approximately 1,125 students. In September of this school In addition to the Fit Club, the staff at our year, one of our coaches, Marshelle Wilson, campus recently challenged the staff at T.A. approached me with the idea of starting Howard Middle School to a softball game at a “Fit Club” for our students and staff. I gave her the names of a few James Coble Middle School Fit Club Calendar Fall 2007 faculty members who I knew had a background and interest in exercise, October 24: Yoga instruction with Mrs. Melanie Thompson fitness, and health and suggested she October 30: One-mile run/walk with Coach Wilson include them. The concept for Fit Club was to develop optimal mental and physical fitness among staff and students. We read so much in the media regarding how out of shape we are as a nation; Coach Wilson thought this would be an excellent opportunity to make a difference in our Coble community.

November 10:

Summit Jag Jog 5K

November 27:

Two-mile run/walk with Coach Wilson

December 1:

UTA 10K / 2K / 2-mile run/walk

December 6:

Bootcamp class with Coach Turner

The Fit Club meets 2–3 times a month, and the activities vary from week to week.

Initially, about 35 kids and 4 teachers signed up. The club is still in its infancy, but we have seen an increase in participation with each event. For the most part, the classes center on cardio fitness, but Coach Wilson is hoping to include

the Dr Pepper Youth Ballpark in Arlington (a miniature version of where the Texas Rangers play). The purpose of the game was fun and physical activity for the staff members at the two schools; therefore, the game was not publicized. These events too often are used as fundraisers, and the publicity can take away from the enjoyment of participating. We plan to compete again against Howard Middle School and possibly other Mansfield ISD schools in a a variety of sports this year.

Derrell Douglas is principal of Coble Middle School in Mansfield ISD.

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TASA’s e-Knowledge Portal: What Is It and What Can It Do for My District?

The e-Knowledge Portal was designed to be a place where educators can find resources, collaborate, and learn about issues and programs important to providing children with a high-quality education. Three elements are key to creating and maintaining a portal that can effectively and comprehensively address educators’ needs.

State-of-the-art technology platform— especially designed to support effective cataloging and retrieval of materials, development of online communities, and personalized learning opportunities for visitors.

Collaborative effort—by a wide array of organizations willing to make their materials available through a common interface. TASA, working with the Educational Research Service (ERS), is one of the pioneers in this effort. The American Association of School Administrators (AASA), National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), and National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) have also signed on as partners, and other national organizations have agreed to have their materials posted on the portal. Through this collaboration, educators are able to do one-stop searches and shopping for an extensive array of resources focused on K–12 education.

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Participation by K–12 educators—as well as others interested in K–12 education. The ideas and materials these visitors bring to this new, online community add to the resource base available to everyone.

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INSIGHT

TASA e-Knowledge Portal Overview A good way to begin learning about the opportunities and resources made available through the e-Knowledge Portal is to spend a few minutes checking out TASA’s portal home page (http://portal.tasanet.org).

Orange tabs at the top of the page highlight three important portal functions: Search, Contribute, and Collaborate. Although we will begin with the Search function, a short explanation of some special features of the portal will highlight some reasons why the portal’s search and retrieval capacity is more powerful than a simple Web search tool.

What Makes the Portal Unique?

Unique is the word that comes immediately to mind when describing the portal’s ability to identify a visitor’s affiliation with more than one organization—affiliations that qualify the visitor for discounts on a range of downloadable materials.

Discounts. Although you can visit the portal without registering, you need to register to take advantage of discounts. Here are two tips to help you maximize discounts: • When you register on the TASA portal, use the same e-mail address that TASA has for you in its membership database. This will identify you as a TASA member.

• If you are the district superintendent and your district subscribes to TASA’s Administrator’s Resource Center (ARC), your portal “profile” should identify you

as eligible for both TASA and ARC discounts. This means that ARC subscribers can download ERS periodicals (ERS Spectrum, ERS/TASA eBulletin, Focus On, and Informed Educator Series) at no charge. (Basic subscribers have free access to current and past two years of periodicals; Comprehensive subscribers have access to all issues of these periodicals). ERS publications (already discounted 20 percent from their printed price) are available to ARC Basic subscribers for an additional 25 percent discount.

Comprehensive subscribers get a 50 percent discount.

When you do a search, the title, short description, publisher, and number of pages will appear for each item found. But here is how the membership recognition feature can play out in financial benefits for you and your district. In addition to the full price of each item, you will see any discounts for which you are eligible due to membership with the association that published it. Take a look at the search example below. A search for “culture” as a descriptor and Protheroe as the author brought up these two items.

If I decided to download them, I would be charged the NAESP nonmember price for the Principal article but a discounted price for “Teaching in a Multicultural Classroom,” since I have an ERS membership.

If I am interested in either of the publications, I can “buy now”—which gives me immediate access to a downloadable PDF of

the item; or I can click on “Details”—which provides me with the opportunity to preview a few pages before purchasing.

It is also important to note that, while most of the files initially uploaded to the portal will be PDF versions of articles, books, and other printed resources, the portal “catalogue” will not be limited to these. The newly developed technology supporting the portal permits uploading and previewing a variety of media, including podcasts and other audio files, PowerPoint files, and videos.

Other Special Features. Several other features of the portal distinguish it from the search and download capabilities we have all seen using other Web search engines: • Advanced search feature—designed to highlight key characteristics of the types of materials, such as journals or newsletters, that will be available on the portal.

It allows you to specify items from a specific educational publisher (for example, TASA, ERS, or AASA), then provides a dropdown feature to identify a particular journal or product line from that publisher (such as The Informed Educator series from ERS). You can also specify content type (journal article, research paper, etc.) as well as a date range for the publication.

• Preview feature—displays items for which there is a charge (usually the first page for a short journal article, more

Search Example PDF document

Culturally Sensitive Instruction

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Author: Nancy Protheroe

This article draws on several research studies to examine the impact of cultural differences on education, four keys to culturally sensitive instruction, links to effective teaching, and integrating c…

NAESP | Journal | Principal Magazine | 2004 | volume 83 number 3, January/ February 2004 | Buy now: $2.50 | Details

PDF document

Teaching in a Multicultural Classroom

Author: Nancy Protheroe

This Focus On is intended to help teachers reflect on and address issues of culture and learning. A brief discussion of the “classroom as culture” is followed by an overview of relevant research…

pages for longer items). No-cost items can be immediately downloaded.

• “My Content” list—is created for any materials you download. You can revisit these documents any time by clicking on “My Content” on the portal’s home page.

• “Contribute” function—allows you to upload your own content. This feature allows you and other members of a Community of Practice to upload materials you would like to share and either limit their use to members of the group or make them publicly available.

• “Create a Collection” feature (located under the “Contribute” tab)—can include materials you have identified on the portal, items you have uploaded, and even a cover page. A PDF will be created and available for download, with the collection price a sum of the prices of the items included. The “collection” will also be added to your “My Content” list.

Supporting Collaboration through Communities of Practice The Communities of Practice (CoP) feature is envisioned to be one of the most powerful elements of the portal. While TASA is likely to “host” some CoPs, the capacity is also there for educators to create and manage their own. The interface for CoP management functions will be user-friendly, allowing a group leader to easily change highlighted resources, schedule functions, and update discussion topics.

Use of CoPs. TASA envisions CoPs being used in at least two ways. First, a CoP might be created to group people around a purpose or function. An example might be use of a CoP to organize committee work—providing resource documents to members, using the community forum for either scheduled or ongoing discussions, etc. Another example might have educators within one region of Texas—teachers and principals as well as central office personnel—discussing a topic of concern to all of them.

ERS | Research Summary | Focus On… | 2007 | Buy now: $7.00 $3.50 | Details

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A second way in which a CoP could be used is to focus on a specific topic or concern. Topic examples might include school safety, proposed changes to Texas legislation, or reading instruction for young children.

CoP Resources. Several resources are available within the CoP framework to support learning, communication, and sharing of best practices. A “Recommended Content” list highlights materials uploaded by either publishers or by CoP members. The group leader organizes this list, perhaps with input from members. The “Community Task List” is also managed by the group leader. He or she might, for example, schedule times when members can meet for online discussion in real time or encourage members to contribute descriptions of successful practices through the “Add Content” function.

CoP members can communicate in several different ways. First, they can use the “Community Forum” to post ideas and concerns, or simply to talk about an issue. In the Forum, they can add comments to an ongoing thread—or start a new thread. These discussions will be available as an ongoing reference.

Second, members can talk to each other in real time through the “Chat” function. This might be done informally by simply checking to see who else is online, or the group might schedule a time when members interested in a specific topic get together to talk. Finally, members can e-mail a message to either the whole group or selected members.

The Portal as a Districtwide Resource Most of you reading this article are likely to work in a school district’s central office.

However, after you spend a little time on the portal, it will quickly become clear that the portal can be a valuable resource for principals, teachers, and even parents. Consider some ways in which you can help to facilitate its use by such groups: • A superintendent could develop a CoP as a forum for the district’s principals.

Materials on high-importance topics—

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INSIGHT

perhaps a different one every month— could be posted and principals encouraged to discuss the topic through the CoP. Superintendents in smaller districts could use a similar approach, creating a CoP that brings principals in several of these districts together for discussion and sharing.

• A district could hold brief online training sessions to introduce central-office and school-level personnel to the portal and its resources. People attending the training would be encouraged to conduct searches and visit a community of practice.

• An assistant superintendent for instruction could create a community of practice focused on middle grades math instruction and encourage teachers, principals, and math supervisors to share their perspectives. Materials—some already available on the portal and some uploaded by the assistant superintendent—could be listed in the Recommended Content list.

In addition, members of the CoP could be encouraged to upload brief descriptions of successful instructional practices they have implemented.

• An ESL department could develop a brief PowerPoint presentation, along with speaker’s notes, on the topic of supporting development of high school students’ reading skills in content area classes. Posted to a CoP, the presentation and supporting materials found on the portal could provide the basis for school-based teacher discussion groups or inservice training.

In Summary The e-Knowledge Portal has the potential to be a powerful resource for K–12 educators. The uniquely designed technology is already operational and will evolve further as additional “nice-to-have” features are identified. Work has begun on uploading materials from several major national associations, and additional partners have expressed their willingness to collaborate and share documents and multimedia files. The key element to the success of the portal is participation by educators like you. We encourage you to experiment with one-stop shopping for resources. Upload materials to share. Collaborate with other educators. And, especially, encourage others a in your district to do the same.

a Come explore TASA’s e-Knowledge Portal today!  Click the eKP logo on TASAnet’s home page or enter http://portal.tasanet.org/.

 Click the New User button in the login box and complete the brief form.  Be sure to use your e-mail address on file with TASA so that you get the discounts to which you are entitled.

President’s Circle Platinum Gold

TASA Corporate Partners 2007–08

Silver Bronze

TASA is grateful to our corporate partners for their support: President’s Circle Apple Pearson Scholastic SHW Group Platinum CompassLearning ETS LenSec Scientific Learning The Princeton Review

Gold Harcourt Connected Learning Houghton Mifflin LifeTrack PBK Renaissance Learning Silver Horace Mann Indeco Sales Kaplan K12 Learning Services Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP Taylor Balfour TCG Consulting

Bronze Agile Mind AIG Valic Alton Lynch Associates Cambridge Strategic Services DriversEd.com First Southwest Company New Century Education Sodexho SureScore Vantage Learning

Each level of the Corporate Partner Program is designed to offer our partners quality exposure to association members.

Partners at the President’s Circle, Platinum, and Gold levels may customize special events and opportunities.

List current as of 11/15/2007

Plan now to attend

TASA Midwinter Conference ’08 General Sessions

Phil Schlechty, president and CEO, The Schlechty Center

Robert Scott, commissioner of education, Texas Education Agency; and Raymund Paredes, commissioner of higher education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Austin Convention Center Rick Stiggins, founder and CEO, Assessment Training Institute (ATI) Austin, Texas Distinguished Lectures January 27-30, 2008 Fenwick English, Robert Wendell Eaves, Sr. Distinguished Professor of Educational Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned expert on creativity and innovation

Leadership, University of North Carolina Marco Torres, teacher, media coach, and education technology director, San Fernando High School Willard R. Daggett, president, International Center for Leadership in Education Bill Cook, director and founder, The Cambridge Group, Inc. Tedd Mitchell, president and chief operating officer, Cooper Clinic, and member, President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Mary Kusler, assistant director, Governmental Relations, AASA

406 East 11th Street Austin, TX 78701-2617

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