INSIGHT—Winter 2015

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

WINTER 2015

INSIGHT TASA’s 2015 Outstanding School Board Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees

THE RIGHT CHOICE

Step Into the Electronic Future At Creating and Managing Wealth, we serve your busy life by offering multiple ways for you to stay informed of your current financial situation. Meetings can take place face to face at our office in Irving OR over the internet using an easy, uncomplicated program. Whether you are 1 mile or 1,000 miles away, keeping tabs on your finances has never been so easy!

CMW Staff includes highly trained People specializing in: • State Retirement System Options • Retirement Strategies for Superintendents and Executives • Asset Management • Long-Term/Disability/Life Insurance • Contract Negotiation Strategies

5201 N. O’CONNOR BLVD  SUITE 200  IRVING, TEXAS 75039 (972) 831-8866  (800) 488-0020  WWW.CMWFINANCIAL.COM Advisory Services and Securities offered through Lincoln Investment www.lincolninvestment.com, Registered Investment Advisor, Broker Dealer Member FINRA/SIPC. Creating & Managing Wealth, LLC and Lincoln Investment are independent non-affiliated entities. 10/15 Supervising Office: 218 Glenside Avenue, Wyncote, Pennsylvania 19095 | (215) 887-8111

WINTER 2015 Volume 30

No. 4 FEATURED ARTICLES Leadership Focus

Open Carry, Trespassing, and School Premises: Oh My!

By Ramiro Canales

11

New law raises questions and concerns about guns on school district property

Good Governance Initiative

By Greg Gibson

15

10 steps to improving governance in your school district

2015 TASA School Board Awards

20

Learn more about the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees, TASA’s 2015 Outstanding School Board

Educators’ Use of Electronic Media

By Catherine Robert and David P. Thompson

24

Research finds school district policies on social media designed to curtail sexual misconduct

Creating New Visions

By Kathryn A. LeRoy and Fred A. Bentsen

29

A case study on the implementation of personalized learning

Special Section

TASA: The First 20 Years!

Johnny Veselka

35

As TASA turns 90, a look back at the organization’s first two decades

TSPRA Voice

Making College Possible for All

By Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez

36

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD provides students the opportunity to start post-secondary education early

WINTER 2015

3

INSIGHT

OFFICERS Karen G. Rue, President, Northwest ISD Kevin Brown, President-Elect, Alamo Heights ISD

DEPARTMENTS

Buck Gilcrease, Vice-President, Alvin ISD Alton L. Frailey, Past President, Katy ISD

TASA Professional Learning Calendar

5

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President’s Message

7

Daniel Treviño, Jr., Mercedes ISD, 1

Executive Director’s View

9

Troy Mircovich, Ingleside ISD, 2 Jeanette Winn, Karnes City ISD, 3 Trish Hanks, Friendswood ISD, 4 Shannon Holmes, Hardin-Jefferson ISD, 5 Morris Lyon, North Zulch ISD, 6 Fred Hayes, Nacogdoches ISD, 7 Rex Burks, Simms ISD, 8 Dennis Bennett, Jacksboro ISD, 9 Alfred Ray, Duncanville ISD, 10

INSIGHT EDITORIAL STAFF

Gayle Stinson, Lake Dallas ISD, 11 John Craft, Killeen ISD, 12

Executive Director

Johnny L. Veselka

Assistant Executive Director, Services and Systems Administration

Ann M. Halstead

Amy Francisco

Director, Communications and Media Relations

Design/Production Anne Harpe

Editorial Director

Katie Ford

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. © 2015 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 360 Press Solutions, Cedar Park, Texas.

Douglas Killian, Hutto ISD, 13 Joey Light, Wylie ISD, 14 Aaron Hood, Robert Lee ISD, 15 Robert McLain, Channing ISD, 16 Kevin Spiller, Seagraves ISD, 17 Andrew Peters, Marfa ISD, 18 Jose G. Franco, Fort Hancock ISD, 19 Brian T. Woods, Northside ISD, 20

AT-LARGE MEMBERS Elizabeth Clark, Birdville ISD Clark Ealy, College Station ISD LaTonya Goffney, Lufkin ISD Gonzalo Salazar, Los Fresnos CISD

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Karen Rue, Northwest ISD, Chair Vicki Adams, Hillsboro ISD Kevin Brown, Alamo Heights ISD Fred Hayes, Nacogdoches ISD Robert McLain, Channing ISD Martha Salazar-Zamora, Tomball ISD Greg Smith, Clear Creek ISD Daniel Treviño, Jr., Mercedes ISD

4

INSIGHT

TASA Professional Learning Calendar, January–March 2016 Creating, guiding, and maintaining true learning organizations that nurture and enhance the overall school transformation effort is a critical aspect of today’s school leader. We strive to offer a variety of conferences and academies that will help superintendents and their staff meet their goal of truly transforming education. Upcoming conferences and workshops are listed below; for details on our complete 2015–16 calendar, please visit us online at www.tasanet.org or call the TASA office at 512.477.6361 or 800.725.TASA (8272).

Date

Event

Presenter

Location

20 Budget Boot Camp

Doug Karr and Omar Garcia

White Settlement, TX Region 11 ESC

24 Budget Boot Camp

Doug Karr and Omar Garcia

Austin, TX Midwinter Conference

January

24-27 TASA Midwinter Conference Various

Austin, TX Convention Center

25 Digital Content Development Workshop

TASA on iTunes U Content Lead

Austin, TX Midwinter Conference

26-27 Aspiring Superintendents’ Academy

John Horn and Jenny Preston

Austin, TX Midwinter Conference

27

Betty Burks and Linda Mora

Austin, TX Midwinter Conference

Central Office Academy Session 3

27 Accountability Forum Seminar Various

Austin, TX Midwinter Conference

28 Digital Content Development Workshop

Lubbock, TX Lubbock ISD East Bldg.

TASA on iTunes U Content Lead

February 1-2

Academy for Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session 3

9 Digital Content Development Workshop

10

Digital Learning Design: Assignment Alan November Makeover Design Studio

11 Digital Content Development Workshop

18-19

TASA on iTunes U Content Lead

Austin, TX DoubleTree North by Hilton Van, TX Van High School Round Rock, TX Austin Marriott North

TASA on iTunes U Content Lead

Fort Worth, TX Location TBA

Academy for Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session 3

Richardson, TX Region 10 ESC

22-23 Digital Learning Forum and Site Visit Apple

Mansfield, TX Mansfield ISD

24-25

Klein, TX Klein Multipurpose Center

Academy for Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session 3

24-25 Digital Learning Forum and Site Visit Apple

Belton, TX Belton ISD

29 Digital Content Development Workshop

Sugar Land, TX Fort Bend ISD Admin. Bldg.

TASA on iTunes U Content Lead

March 1-2 Digital Learning Forum and Site Visit Apple

New Braunfels, TX New Braunfels ISD

2-3 First-time Superintendents Academy Various

Round Rock, TX Austin Marriott North

Standards-based solutions to support rigorous math instruction.

To learn more, visit www.renaissance.com or call (800) 338-4204.

Renaissance Learning™ PO Box 8036 Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8036 (800) 338-4204 www.renaissance.com

32899.1115

LET’S COUNT OUR GAINS AND GATHER STRENGTH FROM OUR SUPPORTERS

A

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Be heartened by the genuine support and encouragement that exists for public education and nurture that support. Be strong and confident — not defensive — in wielding the power of influence, so that when we speak, others listen.

t times, it seems like public education is being set up to look bad … that others are questioning our values, our accomplishments, and our purpose.We know we live in a fish bowl. Someone taps on our glass, and it sends us scattering.While we live in a world that criticizes what we do, we must realize that there are real measures of hope and support.

As we gather support for the rest of the school year, there are true opportunities before us.While we may sometimes feel discouraged by the lack of state support, increased standards, decreased funding, and lack of understanding, we are making great strides in public education.

The following shows evidence of support for public education: We are at the table to discuss accountability. The work of the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium has expanded. Charged to inform state leaders concerning methods for transforming public schools by improving learning through innovative, nextgeneration learning standards and assessment and accountability systems, the number of districts in the Consortium was increased from 20 to 30 (HB 18).

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appointed Kim Alexander, superintendent of Roscoe Collegiate ISD, a Consortium district, to be part of the Texas Commission on Next-Generation Assessments and Accountability. This committee is charged with developing and making recommendations for student assessment and accountability and will consider the Consortium’s recommendations (HB 2804).

The TEKS are to be reviewed. The State Board of Education will review the essential knowledge and skills of each subject, with the exclusion of math, with the intent of narrowing the content and scope of standards and skills (SB 313).

State assessments are to be reviewed. Each assessment adopted or developed by the state must be determined to be valid and reliable by an independent entity (HB 743).

There are strong pro-education groups. Many groups support our work and interest in transforming public education: RaiseYour Hand Texas,Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment, Friends of Texas Public Schools, and many more.

As members of TASA, we can’t lose sight of the control and influence we have. Be heartened by the genuine support and encouragement that exists for public education and nurture that support. Be strong and confident — not defensive — in wielding the power of influence, so that when we speak, others listen.We have the responsibility to share our story, strengthen our support systems, and uphold our cause.We must recognize the gains n in turning the tide, because what we do matters for the future of Texans.

WINTER 2015

7

Designs that improve building and student performance As K12 architects, engineers, planners and designers, we create learning environments that motivate student intellect and enhance the learning process.

Design with community in mind

facebook.com/StantecDesignforEducation

ESSA: NEW DIRECTIONS, NEW OPPORTUNITIES

W EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW ESSA allows school administrators and teachers to use a variety of assessments to gauge student achievement, moving beyond the NCLB’s one-size-fits-all method of using standardized assessment results as the sole measure of student academic mastery.

ith congressional passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), we have witnessed a significant milestone in redirecting the course of American education. This action has significant implications for Texas, including bringing an end to the continuing battle with the U.S. Department of Education over the state’s waiver — which was recently put on “high-risk” status — from certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), including those related to teacher and principal evaluations.

The reauthorization bill returns more authority over education decisions to state and local governments. ESSA allows school administrators and teachers to use a variety of assessments to gauge student achievement, moving beyond the NCLB’s one-sizefits-all method of using standardized assessment results as the sole measure of student academic mastery. It removes the punitive federal mandate of “adequate yearly progress,” which inappropriately labeled schools as failures and required states to implement school improvement models that have not worked to improve student achievement.

And, it explicitly removes the federal government’s role in teacher evaluations.

Now,Texas and other states can move forward with creative local solutions to improving student achievement, operating within the context of state policies. Our school transformation efforts, embodied in Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas and carried out through the work of the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium, can now continue in a more flexible environment. This action creates new opportunities for the Texas Commission on Next-Generation Assessments and Accountability as it shapes state policy in anticipation of the next legislative session.

The 2016 TASA Midwinter Conference presents a special opportunity for TASA members and your leadership teams to catch up on the latest federal actions, as well as our work in Texas. The conference will feature an outstanding lineup of thought leaders on topics ranging from community engagement to digital integration, student assessment, and leadership. Also, you will find more than 150 concurrent sessions featuring successful programs and practices in school districts throughout the state.

Special attention has been devoted to planning a program that addresses the unique n interests of school districts of all sizes.

Join us January 24-27 at the Austin Convention Center.

WINTER 2015

9

Achieve STAAR Success with the Achieve3000 Texas Edition ®

Designed to power school-wide learning, Achieve3000’s Texas Edition includes: • The world’s only universal screener for reading comprehension

2X the expected reading gains for Texas students, with regular program use

of nonfiction text in both English and Spanish to quickly identify

180L

at-risk students accelerates learning for all students – all in the same classroom • Ongoing assessment embedded in every lesson, so it’s easier than ever to monitor student progress on the TEKS • Forecasting reports to ensure students are building the college

Lexile® Gains

• Differentiated instruction combined with robust scaffolds that

60L

and career readiness skills needed for STAAR success • Anytime, anywhere, any-device access – even without Internet

0

M

“Mary Ann Whiteker is not just a superintendent, she is an encourager, a motivator, and a community leader for the Hudson community and a model superintendent for the state of Texas.”

—Donny Webb, Hudson ISD Assistant Superintendent

TASA 10

INSIGHT

Achieve3000 students’ actual gains

In a sampling of 86,335 TX students, those using the program with suggested frequency (i.e., an average of two or more times per week) exceeded their expected Lexile growth by an average of 78points.

Congratulations to Mary Ann Whiteker, Texas Nominee, AASA 2016 National Superintendent of the Year, and TASB 2015 Superintendent of the Year ary Ann Whiteker, superintendent of Hudson ISD, received double honors this year for her outstanding educational leadership when TASA selected her as Texas’ nominee for the 2016 American Association of School Administrators’ (AASA) National Superintendent of the Year award, and the Texas Association of School Boards named her their 2015 Superintendent of theYear.

69 Expected gains

access – for students, educators, and families!

For more information, or to request a demo, please visit www.achieve3000.com or contact 800-838-8771

147

120L

OPEN CARRY, TRESPASSING, AND SCHOOL PREMISES: OH MY! HB 910 raises questions about guns on school district property Ramiro Canales

UPDATE On December 21, 2015, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued Opinion No. KP0050, which addresses the questions asked by Senator Whitmire in his opinion request. The summary of the opinion is as follows: “Subsection 46.03(a)(1) of the Penal Code prohibits handguns from places on which a school-sponsored activity is occurring, which places can include grounds otherwise excluded from the definition of ‘premises’ such as public or private driveways, streets, sidewalks or walkways, parking lots, parking garages, or other parking areas.”

D

uring the 84th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, the new open carry law was a contentious issue. HB 910, which goes into effect on January 1, 2016, allows persons who are licensed to carry a handgun to openly carry a holstered handgun.

Prior to the enactment of HB 910, lawmakers and school officials generally understood that firearms were prohibited on the premises of a school, at school-sponsored activities, and on school vehicles. At least one state senator contends that it was not the intent of the Texas Legislature to allow the open carry of handguns on premises, property, or grounds of school districts. However, a new section that was added to the Texas Penal Code — Section 30.07 — has raised questions and concerns about whether a license holder with an openly carried handgun trespasses on certain school district property.

Penal Code Provisions

Section 46.03(a)(1) of the Texas Penal Code provides as follows: “(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly possesses or goes with a firearm, illegal knife, club, or prohibited weapon listed in Section 46.05(a): (1) on the physical premises of a school or educational institution, any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being conducted, or a passenger vehicle of a school or educational institution, whether the school or educational institution is public or private, unless pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the institution.”

HB 910 amended Section 46.035(b) of the Texas Penal Code to make it unlawful for a license holder to openly carry a handgun “on the premises where a high school, collegiate, or professional sporting event or interscholastic event is taking place, unless the license holder is a participant in the event and a handgun is used in the event.” Significantly, Section 46.035(f)(3) defines “premises” as “a building or a portion of a building.The term does not include any public or private driveway, street, sidewalk or walkway, parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area. HB 910 did not amend the definition of the term “premises” in Section 46.035(f)(3) or define the term “grounds” in Section 46.03(a)(1).

What has generated concern is the addition of Section 30.07(e) to the Texas Penal Code. Section 30.07 specifically deals with the offense of trespassing by a license holder with an openly carried handgun.

Section 30.07(e) provides as follows: “(e) It is an exception to the application of this section that the property on which the license holder openly carries the handgun is owned or leased by a governmental entity and is not a premises or other place on which the license holder is prohibited from carrying the handgun under Section 46.03 or 46.035.”

WINTER 2015

11

Section 30.07(e) prohibits the filing of a trespassing charge if the requirements of the subsection apply. Under this subsection, the ownership of property by a governmental entity does not automatically trigger a trespassing charge if a person openly carries a handgun. It must be “a premises or other place on which the license holder is prohibited from carrying a handgun under Section 46.03 or 46.035.” The “premises or other place” language in Section 30.07(e) is what has caused confusion regarding the applicability of the trespassing offense to a person on the premises, grounds, or property of a school district.The phrase “or other place” was not defined in HB 910.

Request for Attorney General Opinion

To seek clarification about the intent of HB 910 before it goes into effect on January 1, 2016, Sen. John Whitmire, chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, requested a legal opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In his request, he asks two questions: 1) Does the trespass provision of the new “Open Carry” law under Section 30.07 of the Texas Penal Code (TPC) apply to school district property, including parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, and walkways?

2) Does Texas Penal Code Section 46.03(a)(1) prohibit the carrying of firearms on the grounds of a school district where educational activity is being conducted to include parking lots, driveways, sidewalks or walkways of the school property?

With regard to the first question, Whitmire explained to Paxton that “[t]he purpose of this section [30.07(e)] is to disallow filing a trespassing charge against a person openly carrying on governmental property as long as the governmental

12

INSIGHT

entity that owns the property on which the license holder openly carries is not one of those entities for which the TPC already prohibits weapons.”

Whitmire reasons that because Texas Penal Code 46.03(a)(1) prohibits weapons “on the physical premises of a school or educational institution, any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being conducted” a school district “could post the appropriate no trespass signs at all entrances, including parking lots, driveways, sidewalks and walkways, and then pursue trespassing charges for those who refuse to conceal their firearms anywhere on the school property.”

Alternatively, Whitmire recognizes that another interpretation of Section 30.07(e) exists. It revolves around the term “premises.” As noted earlier, the term “premises” is defined in Section 46.035(f)(3) of the Texas Penal Code as “a building or a portion of a building. The term does not include any public or private driveway, street, sidewalk or walkway, parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area.”

Notably, the term “premises” in not defined in Section 30.07(e) nor is there any language specifically stating that the definition of “premises” in Section 46.035(f)(3) applies to the term “premises” in Section 30.07(e).

In his request, the senator states that the restrictive definition of “premises” in Section 46.035(f)(3) does not apply because 1) the Texas Legislature did not state in Section 30.07(e) that the same definition in Section 46.035(f)(3) applies, 2) applying the definition of “premises” would change the meaning of the term “property” in Section 30.07(e), and 3) the phrase “or other place” reflects legislative intent to include “on any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored

by a school or educational institution is being conducted” as provided in 46.03(a) (1).

The second question relates to the meaning of the term “grounds” as found in Section 46.03(a)(1). Currently, firearms are prohibited “on any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being conducted.” The term “grounds” is not defined. At issue is whether the term “grounds” includes parking lots, driveways, sidewalks or walkways of the school property.

According to the opinion request, one interpretation is that a strict reading of the term “premises,” as defined in Section 46.035(f)(3) of the Texas Penal Code, does not prohibit firearms on school parking lots, sidewalks, or walkways because the definition is restricted to “a building or a portion of a building.” In fact, the definition of “premises” includes the following language:“The term does not include any public or private driveway, street, sidewalk or walkway, parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area.” However, as Whitmire notes, Section 46.03(a)(1) prohibits firearms on “physical premises” and “on any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being conducted.” The term “grounds,” he maintains, includes sidewalks, walkways, driveways and parking lots because they are needed to conduct the school-sponsored activity.

Legislative Intent

Ultimately, legislative intent of the language in Section 30.07(e) may be decided by applying the Code Construction Act found in Chapter 311 in the Government Code and the rules of statutory construction developed through case law and attorney general opinions. The Code Construction Act provides guidance on

Significantly, statutory language will not intent of HB 910 and Section 30.07(e). be applied literally if it will lead to absurd As noted in 1946 in Attorney General Opinion No. 0-7234-A:“The opinions of consequences. the Attorney General have not the force Importantly, the attorney general has of law and are legally binding on no one. ruled before that letters from lawmakers They may be highly persuasive to the regarding the intent of a statute after it has courts but apparently only in those cases In several opinions, the Texas Supreme been signed into law are not persuasive where they coincide with the court’s view Court has said that the first step in deter- authority. Finally, it is presumed that the of the law.” mining legislative intent is to look at the Legislature intended a just and reasonable School districts that have questions regardplain language of the statute because the result when it enacted HB 910. ing the interpretation of the new Section words used by the Texas Legislature pro30.07(e) in the Texas Penal Code and their vide a clear guide to the statute’s intent. Effect of Attorney General reliance on any attorney general opinion If statutory language is unambiguous, the Opinion statute is interpreted according to its plain An opinion by the attorney general may should consult with their legal counsel.n meaning.Words or phrases are to be con- be issued before January 1, 2016. However, strued according to their common usage. his opinion may not end the debate on the how to interpret statutes and undefined terms and phrases in legislation passed by the Texas Legislature. Additionally, the attorney general has relied on cases decided by the Texas Supreme Court and other courts to interpret legislative intent.

Ramiro Canales is an attorney and the assistant executive director of governmental relations at TASA.

WINTER 2015

13

Texas Reads One Book Once again, we are proud to offer this unique opportunity in Texas...

Jason Garrett

Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys

wants to lead the charge with a huge Texas style kick-off this coming spring as

Texas Reads One Book!

Coach Garrett will read the first chapter by exclusive videocast and your district is invited to read along together.

Jason Garrett

Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys

*

KICKOFF : April 11, 2016 Sign up today!

*

Deadline for sign up is March 15, 2016

Coach Garrett will kick things off and each of the families in your schools will read a chapter from the book each night. Tens of thousands of families across the state will be reading together in this celebration of literacy!

This year’s book is

Charlotte’s Web (available in English and Spanish)

The registration fee is $5.95 per student so that every child will have their own copy of Charlotte’s Web to follow along with Coach Garrett.

Along with the books, you will receive in-school activities, assembly ideas, teacher resources, and family and community engagement tools.

Send an email to texasreads@readtothem.org and sign up your district.

It’s all done. All you have to do is lead the way.

TASA Don’t forget to invite all the dads!

TASA Texas Association of School Administrators Texas Association of School Administrators

*

® Creating a Culture of Literacy in Every Home

TM

GOOD GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE 10 steps to improving governance in your school district Greg Gibson The purpose of this article is not (necessarily) to boast about what we’ve accomplished.

The purpose is to outline an approach that others could replicate. I hope that

I

see headlines every day with “Boards Gone Bad” and am so saddened by underperforming school districts and micromanaging school boards that do not understand the difference between governance and day-to-day management.

Our “Team of Eight” in Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD (SCUCISD) is concluding a 36-month cycle of refinement that has resulted in a much clearer definition of governance. Simply put, governance is the “oversight of management,” which is clearly not the same as management.

This transformation was not easy. It took hard work, but the view was and is definitely worth the climb. I’m also not so naïve as to believe that “I” have done this or that “the board” has done this.The truth is that we did this as a team through months of collaboration and taking time to build honest relationships.

our experience can demonstrate that good governance is

The purpose of this article is not (necessarily) to boast about what we’ve accomplished.The purpose is to outline an approach that others could replicate. I hope that our experience can demonstrate that good governance is still possible.

still possible.

There is nothing extraordinary about our team.We are average people who are committed to excellence and believe that a clear definition of governance is critical to success. It has been said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. I believe there are 10 steps to improving governance in your organization.

1. Start With a Clean Slate.

We literally wiped the slate clean and started over with our board master calendar. This step may be difficult, but it is a powerful way to demonstrate the commitment to a new approach. Essentially, we started with a new master calendar that only included items that trustees must consider or approve according to statute. We dropped all other items that had been added to the calendar for any nonstatutory reason (i.e., board member preference).

Initially, our monthly meetings went from four or five hours down to one to two hours as a result.The bottom line is that there were many items on the monthly meeting agenda that were included because “that was the way we’ve always done it.”This action allowed for our board master calendar to better reflect our new “Good Governance” model.

2. Clearly Define Governance and Keep It Separate From Management.

We created the following definition of governance: The term “governance” refers to the system of management and controls exercised in the stewardship of an organization and includes the responsibilities of the governing body.A high-performing governance team works to ensure (1) accountability to stakeholders, (2) transparency of operations, and (3) fair treatment of all stakeholders.

WINTER 2015

15

Governance processes may include the approval of strategic direction, policy creation and enforcement, the monitoring and evaluation of senior leaders’ performance, the establishment of senior leaders’ compensation and benefits, succession planning, financial auditing, and risk management. Ensuring effective governance is important to stakeholders, the larger society’s trust, and to organizational effectiveness. We developed a “good governance” model based on this definition .

3. Get Clarity on What Is Required

by Law. Texas state law includes “The Board shall” and “The Board may” statements. As part of the clean slate, we initially utilized only “The Board shall” statements from state law. In the future, new items will be added to the board master calendar, but only if all members of our team of eight reach consensus that it should be added. “The Board shall” statements from Texas statute are as follows: The Board shall…

1. Seek to establish working relationships with other public entities to make effective use of community resources and to serve the needs of public school students in the community.

2. Adopt a vision statement and comprehensive goals for the District and the Superintendent, and monitor progress toward those goals.

3. Establish performance goals for the District concerning the academic and fiscal performance indicators under Education Code Chapter 39, Subchapters C, D, and J, and any performance indicators adopted by the District.

4. Ensure that the Superintendent is accountable for achieving performance results, recognizes performance accomplishments, and takes action as necessary to meet performance goals.

16

INSIGHT

5. Collaborate with the Superintendent as set forth under Education Code 11.1512(b).

6. Adopt a policy to establish a district- and campus-level planning and decision-making process as required under Education Code 11.251.

7. Publish an annual educational performance report as required under Education Code 39.306.

8. Adopt an annual budget for the District as required under Education Code 44.004.

9. Adopt a tax rate each fiscal year as required by Tax Code 26.05.

10. Monitor District finances to ensure that the Superintendent is properly maintaining the District’s financial procedures and records.

11. Ensure that District fiscal accounts are audited annually as required by Education Code 44.008.

12. Publish an end-of-year financial report for distribution to the community.

13. Conduct elections as required by law.

14. By rule, adopt a process through which District personnel, students or the parents/guardians of students and members of the public may obtain a hearing from the District administrators and the Board regarding a complaint.

15. Make decisions relating to terminating or non-renewing the employment of District employees employed under a contract to which Education Code Chapter 21 applies, including terminating or not renewing an employment contract to which that chapter applies.

16. Select the internal auditor if the District employs an internal auditor.The internal auditor shall report directly to the Board. Education Code 11.170 17. Adopt a policy providing for the employment and duties of District personnel. Education Code 11.1513

18. Limit redundant requests for information and the number and length of written reports that a classroom teacher is required to prepare.

The Board shall review paperwork requirements imposed on classroom teachers and transfer to existing noninstructional staff a reporting task that can reasonably be accomplished by that staff. Education Code 11.164 19. Carry out other powers and duties as provided by the Education Code or other law. Education Code 11.1511(b), except as noted The bottom line is that these and only these form the basis to the new board master calendar, once the previous calendar is abandoned (step one).

4. Be Clear About Board Processes Versus Staff Processes.

Everything we do in any organization is a process. In schools, however, we rarely take time to list (much less analyze) our processes. In SCUCISD, we have outlined approximately 75 key processes for district staff.Additionally, we have clearly outlined the key processes that trustees are the “primary owners.” We define “primary ownership” of processes as being responsible for 50 percent (or more) of the key steps in a particular process.

One of the biggest moments in our transition to good governance was when one of our trustees declared (in a public meeting), “Just because we (the board) own the first and last step does not mean we own the whole process.” He was absolutely correct, and this statement was a tangible way for staff members to see the board’s commitment to good governance. Following this model, our trustees are primary owners of 10 (of approximately 75) district key processes.The 10 board processes are: 1.1 Adopt board policy.

1.2 Develop and deploy board committee structure.

1.3 Develop, adopt and monitor board code of ethics and individual trustee authority.

1.4 Develop mission and goals for board of trustees.

1.5 Monitor management’s progress toward state and federal academic and fiscal accountability.

1.6 Evaluate performance of superintendent and board of trustees and establish senior leader appraisal instruments.

1.7 Develop and maintain board operating procedures that include transparency in operations and independence in external audits.

1.8 Develop and maintain board master calendar.

1.9 Ensure board of trustees exceeds annual continuing education training hours as outlined in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC).

1.10 Conduct trustee elections.

Our working definition of “key” processes is as follows: Key processes are the most important elements or factors that are critical to achieving the intended outcomes and are most important to organizational success. Key processes are the essential elements for pursuing or monitoring desired outcomes.

5. Develop a Clear, Transparent, and Viable Board Master Calendar.

We define the components as follows: Clear = easily understood by a “noneducator” stakeholder.

Transparent = posted on the district website in multiple locations.

Viable = under constant review and updated regularly. We house the board master calendar on the SCUCISD website (see it at http://goo.gl/jfXWyT) and constantly accept feedback. This level of

transparency and agility has proven critical to success.

strain on existing procedures. We worked through several cycles of refinement before settling on the following process for 6. Develop Board Operating complaint management (copied directly Guidelines. from the current SCUCISD Board OperWe are committed to clear, transparent, ating Guidelines): viable board operating guidelines (same definitions as above). Similar to our board Addressing Public Concerns master calendar, SCUCISD used a clean- Outside of the Board Room slate philosophy with this document as “Board Members are sometimes conwell, in that we scrapped the previous fronted with individuals who wish to board operating guidelines and started voice their concerns or complaints outover.We benchmarked against other high- side of the board room. Trustees should performing school districts in creation of listen to the individual’s concerns but our new operating guidelines. The major politely explain the chain of command categories are as follows: for addressing complaints and direct the A. Duties of the Board: individual to communicate concerns to Govern the District the superintendent. The superintendent B. Evaluation of the Board and will then redirect the individual to the Superintendent appropriate district employee. Most often C. Duties of the Superintendent: when the individual understands who to Manage the District request information from, he or she is able D. Board Meetings to resolve the issue without entering into E. Board Officers the formal process. A Trustee should not F. Board Training get overly involved in a matter that may G. Board Policies come before the Board as a complaint in H. Addressing Public Concerns Outside order to preserve the Trustees unbiased of the Board Room judgment. An overly biased Trustee may I. Board Member Requests for need to recuse himself or herself from Information or Report hearing the Level III grievance.”

J. Board MemberVisits to Campuses As simple as it sounds, it is not necessarily and District Facilities easy to truly follow this process. I suspect K. Reviewing Board Operating that many trustees (and other elected offiProcedures cials) around the country struggle with There is no silver bullet for board operat- following such a procedure; however, ing guidelines other than the notion that without it, the (trained) staffed members they should be under constant review, cannot do the job they are trained to do. amended as necessary, and posted on the 8. Perform an Annual Self-Audit. district website.

We are fortunate to live in a state that 7. Be Clear About Complaint has an excellent board of trustee team Management Procedures. self-evaluation instrument, the Texas AssoFor some reason, all of the best systems ciation of School Boards (TASB) Good in the world are susceptible to breaking Governance Inventory. (Download it from down once a complaint is introduced. https://goo.gl/JOwyPS.) Considering the My guess is that the emotion of the com- quality of the evaluation instrument, I was plaint trumps all of the planning and puts shocked to find out that less than 2 percent

WINTER 2015

17

of Texas schools actually use this process. B. A comprehensive statement of goals for (This might explain the aforementioned the district is in place. headlines of “Boards Gone Bad.”) C. Board action reinforces the central importance of the goals to the work of This inventory is an excellent tool. SCUthe district.

CISD’s process for implementation and D. The board monitors plan implementaannual review is outlined in Board Process tion and district success in a formal, 1.6 (see step 4). Our trustees are dedicated scheduled manner. to this annual review, including the follow- E. Goals, standards and/or benchmarks up/goal setting.This process changes very have been established for major aspects little unless there is an annual meeting of district operations. (systematic) review of the results and goal F. The board is familiar with the broad setting. In this case, these are goals writoutlines of the systems the superintenten BY the board FOR the board. For dent has put in place to manage district example, this past year, after completion operations. of the inventory, the SCUCISD Board G. The board and superintendent team of Trustees set the following goals for the regularly assesses board-superintendent coming year: operations and monitors district-wide results. n The Board of Trustees will be more H. Written operating procedures for the deliberate and systematic in community Board and Superintendent are in place. outreach. (1.11 and 1.12) n The Board of Trustees will split com- 9. Establish a Clear Communication Process. munity outreach into two (2) strands: “Elected Officials” and “Community/ Every Friday, the Superintendent’s Office Non-Elected Officials.” prepares a written update for trustees.The n The Board of Trustees will develop update includes timely items relating to a master list of board-member com- instruction, extracurricular, community munity outreach involvement awareness, and calendar updates. opportunities, and trustees will volunteer for attendance at events three If a trustee has a question, he or she may months in advance. A discussion item email the superintendent and ask for for review from the previous quar- an item to be discussed at future board ter and volunteer attendance for the meeting or to be addressed in a weekly upcoming quarter will be added to update. Oftentimes, at a monthly meeting, the Board of Trustees Master Calen- trustees will ask for a follow-up report dar in June, September, December, and to be included in the Friday update. This provides an excellent avenue for trustees March. n The Board of Trustees will work with to get the information they need without the superintendent and senior leaders necessarily waiting until the next month’s to prepare for the three-year update to meeting. On the occasion where trustees do pose a question to the superintendent, the district strategic plan. (EPM 2.1) there is an understanding that the question There are 24 inventory questions aligning and response will go to all trustees in the with the following major categories: following week’s update.

A. A vision statement is in place for the district.

18

INSIGHT

This action truly helps the team of eight to truly function as a team. Nothing increases trust more than communication. Additionally, the superintendent and board president meet weekly to ensure

that trustees and stakeholder concerns and questions are being appropriately addressed and to work on board meeting agendas.

10. Hold the superintendent accountable for results.

One of the best ways for a board to avoid micromanagement is to understand the concept of “loose-tight” management.

Trustees must be “tight” on what they expect and by when they expect it, but “loose” on the “how.”

It is understood that the superintendent is the expert and the CEO and that he or she knows how (the strategies) to get things done. The team of eight must be clear about mission, vision, goals, and priorities, and these must be board-approved.

The strategies, however, should be up to the superintendent, and the board should not get overly involved in these processes.

The expectation is that the superintendent should deliver results.The tool we in SCUCISD created to capture results was a scorecard.This way, trustees could see how we were progressing in “real time.” Furthermore, they could ask questions about any particular item on the scorecard. This scorecard truly helps the board stay in the “oversight” of management rather than micromanagement. The district scorecard can be found at https://goo.gl/8SRWko. Conclusion These 10 steps are not necessarily easy, but they are essential to begin a systematic approach to good governance.This work, of course, is ongoing. It is a process, not a destination, and will take a commitment of not only the team of eight, but also other senior leaders in the district.

The work really boils down to ensuring trust through systematic approaches and a systematic expectation for excellence.

To that end, I will conclude with the following quote from Stephen M.R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust:

“There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world — one thing which, if removed, will destroy the most powerful government, the most successful business, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love. On the other hand, if developed and leveraged, that one thing

has the potential to create unparalleled success and prosperity in every direction of life.Yet it is the least understood, most neglected and most underestimated possibility of our time.That one thing is trust.

Contrary to what most people believe, trust is not some soft, illusive quality that you either have or you don’t; rather, trust is a pragmatic, tangible, actionable asset that

you can create much faster than you think possible.”

The CEO and governance team have a moral obligation to each community to ensure that political and personal agendas do not get in the way of effective and efficient operations and do not poison organizational culture. This is not easy n work, but it is critical.

Dr. Greg Gibson is the superintendent of Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD. He has served SCUCISD since 2010.

Join Us at TASA’s 2016 Midwinter Conference!

January 24–27, 2016

Keynote Speakers:

Creativity Expert Sir Ken Robinson

UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven

I

n addition to 150 concurrent sessions that touch on every aspect of school leadership, including finance, human resource management, digital learning, instructional leadership, facility planning, operations, and assessment and accountability, 2016 TASA Midwinter Conference attendees will hear keynotes by creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson, former head of LEGO Education North America Stephan Turnipseed, and UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven. In addition, the conference offers a full lineup of Thought Leaders. Follow or post about the Midwinter Conference on Twitter using #TASA16!

2 0 1 6

Former Head of LEGO Education North America Stephan Turnipseed

WWW.TASANET.ORG/MIDWINTER

WINTER 2015

19

2015

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD TASA’s 2015 Outstanding School Board The Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees received the TASA School Board Awards program’s top honor when it was named the 2015 Outstanding School Board at the TASA/TASB Convention in Austin in October. Each year, the awards program recognizes outstanding Texas school boards for commitment and service that has made a positive impact on Texas public school students.

A committee of Texas school superintendents interviewed the CFISD school board as well as four other “Honor Board” finalists to determine the winner (see page 22). Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, superintendent of Arlington ISD, which received the Outstanding School Board honor in 2014, chaired the selection committee.

“The members of the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees demonstrate their commitment to the district’s slogan,‘Every Student, Every Day.’They continue to undergo tremendous change and growth while focusing on closing the achievement gap and meeting the needs of every student, every day,” said Cavazos.“They have earned strong support from their community, as demonstrated by their recent $1.2 billion bond package.Their success is not surprising given that board members adhere to a standard of common sense and common courtesy.”

The board was nominated by CFISD Superintendent Mark Henry and includes President Don Ryan, Vice President Tom Jackson, Secretary Christine Hartley, and Trustees Bob R. Covey, Kevin H. Hoffman, Darcy Mingoia, and Dr. John Ogletree Jr. “Winning the TASA Outstanding School Board is an incredible honor that our board will cherish forever,” said Ryan.“This achievement would not have been possible without the support and encouragement we have received from our school district, community, and Region 4, and is truly a validation of our unified commitment to serve ‘Every Student, Every Day’ in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.”

20

INSIGHT

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees

Front:

Christine Hartley, secretary; Don Ryan, president; Tom Jackson, vice president.

Back:

Darcy Mingoia; Dr. John Ogletree Jr.; Dr. Mark Henry, superintendent; Kevin H. Hoffman; Bob R. Covey.

WINTER 2015

21

2015

2015 Honor School Boards Each year, a committee of Texas school superintendents selects five school boards from among the Regional Honor Boards to be Honor School Boards, or finalists for the TASA School Board Awards program’s highest honor, Outstanding School Board.

The 2015 Honor Boards — the Cypress-Fairbanks (see page 20), Gunter, La Joya, North East, and Socorro ISD Boards of Trustees — were chosen in August based on several criteria, including board support for educational performance, educational improvement projects and school transformation initiatives, commitment to a code of ethics, and placement of the welfare of children served by the school system above other motives.

2015 Regional Honor Boards Since 1971, the TASA School Board Awards program has honored Texas school district boards of trustees that have demonstrated dedication to student achievement and that put students first. Committees of TASA members organized by Texas’ regional education service centers review the nominations submitted by superintendents and select up to two school boards for consideration for the state-level awards: one with fewer than 1,000 students and one with 1,000 or more students.

The Regional Honor Boards selected in 2015 included:Albany ISD, Region 14; Colorado ISD, Region 14; Elgin ISD, Region 13; Floydada ISD, Region 17; Fort Hancock ISD, Region 19; Midland ISD, Region 18; Paint Rock ISD, Region 15; San Angelo ISD, Region 15;Texarkana ISD, Region 8;Wink-Loving ISD, Region 18; and Wylie ISD, Region 10.

2016 TASA School Board Award Nominations Texas school superintendents who are TASA members and who have served in their current positions since at least July 1, 2014, may nominate their boards of trustees for the TASA School Board Awards. Only boards serving during the 2015-16 school year are eligible to be nominated for 2016. Nominations will be due to the district’s regional education service center in June 2016. Learn more at tasanet.org.

Gunter ISD Left to Right: L. D. Byrd; Dr. Gary Harris; Jeff Banks, vice president; Dr. Jill Siler, superintendent; Candy Leonard, secretary; Ron Box; John Jonas; Steve Smith, president.

22

INSIGHT

La Joya ISD Left to Right: Juan José “JJ” Peña; Oscar “Coach” Salinas; Joel García, vice president; Johnn Valente Alaniz, president; Juan José “JJ” Garza, secretary; Esperanza “Espie” Ochoa; Jesús “Chuy” Avendaño.

North East ISD Front:

Shannon Grona, vice president; Letti Bresnahan, president; Sandy Hughey, secretary.

Back:

Jim Wheat; Brigitte Perkins; Dr. Brian G. Gottardy, superintendent; Sandi Wolff; Edd White.

Socorro ISD Front:

Antonio “Tony” Ayub, vice president; José Espinoza, Ed.D., superintendent; Gary Gandara, secretary.

Middle:

Cynthia Ann Najera; Angelica Rodriguez, president; Michael Anthony Najera.

Back:

Paul Guerra; Hector F. Gonzalez.

WINTER 2015

23

EDUCATORS’ USE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA A study of school district policies Catherine Robert and David P. Thompson

T

he number of educator inappropriate relationships/sexual misconduct (IRSM) cases opened for investigation by the Texas Education Agency has increased for the last seven years, from 123 in 2008-09 to 188 in 2014-15 (Chang, 2015). Unfortunately, social media is a growing factor in cases of educator sexual misconduct. To help prevent inappropriate contact from occurring, school districts must continually review and update social media policies to define and clarify standards of appropriate conduct for employees.

Have Texas school districts updated employee social media policy as often as a teenager’s Facebook status? We reviewed both DH (Local) policies (Employee Standards of Conduct) and districts’ employee handbooks to find out.

Methods

Phase 1: We randomly selected 300 Texas school districts out of the 1,032 listed in TEA’s 2014-15 Texas School Directory. Next, we secured policy DH (Local) from each district by using the Google search engine and then going directly to the district’s website if the Google search was unsuccessful. This method located 288 out of the 300 districts’ policies, or a 96 percent return rate. Next, we employed a document analysis method to analyze the content and to recognize emerging themes in the policies (Bowen, 2009).

Phase 2: After reviewing districts’ policies, we determined that DH (Local) only represented a portion of the complete policy response regarding employee use of social media. In fact, DH (Local) specifically refers to additional items that district regulations must address. So, using the same list of 300 districts, we searched for the 2014-15 employee handbook on each district website.This search located only 144 of 300 handbooks, or a 48 percent return rate.

Framework

In both phases of research, we considered the data in light of students’ best interests and against recommendations from the research regarding critical components of a social media policy.The first concern of policy design in education should be students, thus we utilized the “Best Interests of the Student” model espoused by Stefkovich (2006, 2013) and Shapiro and Stefkovich (2010).This model of ethical decision making for educational leaders is comprised of five interrelated facets: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

24

INSIGHT

Professional codes of ethics Personal codes of ethics Standards of the profession Individual professional codes (of ethics) Ethic of the community

Stefkovich (2006) further explains while no clear definition of students’ best interests has emerged, court cases in child custody and compulsory education refer to “best interests” as “the legal standard” (p. 39). Stefkovich defines a triad of concepts through which to view students’ best interests: student rights; student responsibilities; and respect by, for, and among students.

In addition to theoretical framework considering students’ interests, we considered the guidance of Bon, Bathon, and Balzano (2013) which utilizes court decisions to construct recommended components of school district social media policy.

Bon et al. identify the following critical components: 1. Entities impacted. Specify to which employees the policy applies.

2. Coverage. Specify both on- and off-campus expression and activities of employees, with special emphasis on employee expression that is made pursuant to the employee’s duties (see also Garcetti v. Ceballos, 2006).

3. Best practices. Include “commonsense recommendations” (Bon et al., 2013, p. 211).

4. Protection of confidential information.

5. Adherence to copyright.

6. Respect for privacy of students, colleagues, and community members.

7. Compliance with terms of service.

Require employees to read and agree to comply with social media site “terms of service” agreements prior to clicking through to the site.

8. Teacher ethics standards. Refer to state ethics codes in the local policy.

9. Potential disciplinary actions should be referenced into the policy.

10. Incorporation by reference. Incorporate other applicable local policy provisions by reference.

Phase 1 Findings

n

Exceptions for family and social relationships; The circumstances under which an employee may use text messaging to communicate with students; and Other matters deemed appropriate by the superintendent or designee.

The research was conducted in fall 2014 (Phase 1) and spring/summer 2015 (Phase n 2). As a result, 89 percent of the DH (Local) policies in this study were adopted between October and December 2013. n Combined with employee handbooks from 2014-15, this represents a picture of districts’ policy responses to rapidly chang- The Personal Use section in the model policy advises that employees will “be held ing social media practices. to the same professional standards in his or Two hundred and eighty eight of the 300 her public use of electronic media as for districts had links to board policies avail- any other public conduct” (e.g., Northside able on their website.The vast majority of ISD, 2013, p. 1). Employees are further the selected school districts utilize the Pol- cautioned to not violate laws or policies icy On Line® software and presentation in their personal use of electronic media service provided by the Texas Association nor allow it to interfere with the “ability of School Boards. In addition to utiliz- to effectively perform job duties” (see, e.g., ing the publishing software provided by Morrison v. State Bd. of Educ., 1969).VioTASB, a majority of districts (more than lations are subject to disciplinary action, 90 percent) also utilize the model policy including termination of employment. provided to subscribing districts of TASB Policy Services. As a result, our analysis The Outliers considered primarily the model policy The 16 school districts that do not fully utilize the model policy differ in the foland unique outliers to the model. lowing ways: omissions of portions of the model; variations in who can communiThe Model Policy The DH (Local) model policy provides a cate with students; and uniquely written definition of electronic media and defines policies. both use with students and personal use of electronic media. The definition of electronic media “includes all forms of social media” in addition to “all forms of telecommunications … and Web-based applications” (e.g., Northside ISD, 2013, p. 1).

Use with students in the model policy is limited to “a certified or licensed employee” (p. 1), with the ability of the superintendent or principal to designate additional persons who may communicate with students via electronic media.All communication is required to be “within the scope of the employee’s professional responsibilities” (p. 1).

The policy allows for exceptions and additional details for use with students to be listed in district regulations. These exceptions must include:

Missing Components to Seek in Phase 2

The policy review found that several of Bon et al.’s (2013) critical components were not present in the model policy.The components of best practices, protection of confidential information, adherence to copyright, and compliance with terms of service were not found in DH (Local). In addition, the model calls for additional regulations to specify exceptions for both family/social relationships and for circumstances an employee can communicate with students through text messaging.

With these considerations in mind, we continued to Phase 2.

Phase 2 Findings

Of the 300 districts in first phase, only 144 provided a link to their 2014-15 employee handbook on each school district website.

WINTER 2015

25

As in Phase 1, TASB (in this case, the Human Resources Services department) provides an indispensable service with the annually updated Model Employee Handbook (MEH).We primarily reviewed two sections of the handbook, Personal Use of Electronic Media and Use of Electronic Media with Students. One hundred and sixteen of the 144 districts (more than 80 percent) utilized the MEH with only small modifications. An additional 11 districts (7.64 percent) utilized the MEH with more significant modification and 17 districts (11.8 percent) did not use the MEH.

Personal Use of Electronic Media

The MEH provides a definition of electronic media and reminds employees that their personal use of electronic media is subject to professional standards, and violation of such could affect their employment. Employees are prohibited from setting up or updating a personal account at work (or on a district computer), must follow all copyright laws, and may not use the district logo on a personal page. In addition, employees are subject to the same standards as in their professional use of media to not disclose confidential student or employee information and are expressly prohibited from “making false statements about a colleague or the school system” (e.g., Callisburg ISD, 2014, p. 33).

Use of Electronic Media With Students

Use with students in the MEH is limited to a “certified or licensed employee” (TASB, 2014, p. 1). All communication is required to be “within the scope of the employee’s professional responsibilities” (p.

2). Exceptions to prohibited communication include social and family relationships and are further clarified with examples such as, “niece or nephew,” “child of an adult friend,” or “member or participant in the same … religious organization” (p. 1).

26

INSIGHT

Additional definitions in the use with students section include a repeated definition of electronic media, the term communicate (which excludes unsolicited one-way contact from a student), and clarification of what constitutes a licensed or certified employee.

The final section in the MEH regarding electronic media use contains several pertinent details regarding how employees can communicate with students using social media.Text messaging is expressly prohibited except for “a teacher, trainer, or other employee who has extracurricular duty” who is communicating with a student in the extracurricular activity over whom the certified employee has supervisory responsibility (TASB, 2014, p. 2). All social media communication must fall within the scope of the employees’ professional responsibility and must be through a page or site specifically designated as a professional page. The employee may not use a personal Facebook page to communicate with students. Direct communication is prohibited within a span of hours. TASB leaves these hours blank for school districts to determine their local practices.

are not consistent throughout all districts as well. Finally, there are several unique, stand-alone bullets added to the handbooks that speak to priorities of individual districts.

The MEH encourages districts to select prohibited hours of direct contact with students. Sixty three percent of the handbooks designate specific hours with the most common times starting at 10 p.m. and ending at 7 a.m. Teachers may post on a blog or public site at any time of the night or day. Thirty seven percent of districts do not restrict times of contact and instead deleted the entire bullet from the model handbook.

Departure from the MEH

Eleven districts completely omit all mention of electronic media in their handbooks. Several of the smaller districts in this case had handbooks similar to a faculty campus handbook rather than a district employee handbook, despite their title of “Employee Handbook.”The largest district to not mention electronic media in its 2014-15 employee handbook is a district with nearly 70,000 students in enrollment. Four of the districts melded Employees do not have a right to privacy the Acceptable Use Policy with Personal with parent and student communications, Use of Electronic Media. and they are again reminded they are subject to relevant laws such as FERPA Discussion and copyright law. In addition, there is a After review of findings from both phases, specific reminder prohibiting “soliciting or we found that the intent of Policy DH engaging in sexual conduct or a romantic (Local) and the two related sections of relationship with a student” (TASB, 2014, the employee handbook is to serve stup. 2). dents’ best interests. Because so much of educator sexual misconduct with students Small Modifications is accompanied by inappropriate use of to the Model electronic media (Chang, 2015), it seems While more than 80 percent of districts that local school districts’ policy responses utilize the TASB model, many make small are designed out of respect for the rights additions or modifications that do not of students to not be subjected to inapradically alter the intent of the suggested propriate communication from educators. regulations. Hours of student contact are Further, as social media policy responses to be determined by districts, so these are substantially designed to curtail sexual vary widely. Text messaging prohibitions misconduct, these responses are certainly

informed by each component of the ethic Phase 1 identified references to regulaof the profession as conceptualized by Ste- tions that districts must address, specifically fkovich (2006, 2013). family/social relationships and for circumstances in which an employee can Second, the provision of DH (Local) and communicate with students through text the handbook that limits electronic com- messaging. Districts not using the MEH munication with students to certified do not all include these recommendations. and licensed employees only for “matters In fact, some districts utilizing the MEH within employees’ scope of professional deleted the text messaging bullet in its responsibilities” (see, e.g., Gonzalez v. entirety, resulting in a total of 23 districts Ison-Newsome, 1999) sends a message to (16 percent) missing the required adminthe community that school boards are istrative regulation. concerned for students’ best interests.

Further, this provision places certified or Recommendations licensed employees on notice that they may be subject to personal liability if their Research electronic communication with students Additional research is needed to analyze steps out from under the “scope of duties” remaining policies and regulations govumbrella of protection (Tex. Educ. Code erning employees’ use of social media that fall outside of DH (Local) policy and § 22.0511). employee handbooks.

Third, the provision in the “Personal Use” of media provision in DH (Local) Policy that requires educators to comply with Technology and electronic media are all applicable state, federal, and local legal linked as they both entail the use of disprovisions and incorporates the “adverse trict equipment; however, many outlier effect” standard reflects a policy decision districts combined acceptable use policies that places students and their best inter- with the personal use and use with stuests above educators in the hierarchy of dents sections, which confuse the subjects of professional behaviors and responsible importance in school districts. use of district equipment and resources.

Still missing in the recommended social We recommend additional guidance media policy components of Bon et al. for districts to help distinguish between (2013) are references to best practices and employee use of social media and the tracompliance with terms of service. Colum- ditional acceptable use policy. bia-Brazoria ISD’s employee handbook provides an example worthy of review with specific best practice guidelines.

Practice Human resource directors should review existing policies, regulations, handbooks, and guidelines that exist within the school district. Is the model handbook in use or is it unique? If unique, it is critical to consider any differences from the model and confirm that the decisions are purposeful and carefully considered before deviating from recommended elements. The DH (Local) policy specifically recommended that additional regulations address both family and social relationships and specific text messaging guidelines. If the model handbook is not in use, does the handbook include these two topics?

Second, it is concerning that less than one-half (i.e., 48 percent, or 144) of 300 randomly selected Texas school districts published their 2014-15 employee handbooks on their district websites. Unless employee expectations for electronic media are published in student handbooks or other media that are readily available to parents and students, neither students nor parents are aware of these expectations.

Third, only three of the employee handbooks (1 percent) published suggested best practices for employee social media use.

Thus, the authors recommend that school districts, perhaps with guidance from TASB or from district legal counsel, publish a non-inclusive list of best practices to guide school district employees in their n use of electronic media.

Catherine Robert is a doctoral fellow studying Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio. She has more than eight years of administrative experience at both the district and regional levels.

Dr. David Thompson has nearly three decades of academic preparation and professional experience in education, education law, educational administration, special education, and education research. He is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio.

WINTER 2015

27

References Bon, S.C., Bathon, J., & Balzano,A. (2013).

Social Media (Mis)Use by Teachers: Looking to the Courts for Human Resource Policy Guidance. Journal of School Public Relations, 34, 193-217.

Bowen, G.A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9 (2), 27-40.

Callisburg ISD (2014). 2014-2015 Employee Handbook. Retrieved from http://www.cisdtx.net/ Chang, J. (2015, Sept. 3). Texas sees rising number of improper teacher-student relationships. Austin-American Statesman. Retrieved from http://www. my s t a t e s m a n . c o m / n e w s / n e w s / local-education/texas-sees-r isingnumber-of-improper-teacher-stude/ nnXxS/ Garcetti v. Ceballos, 547 U.S. 410 (2006).

Gonzalez v. Ison-Newsome, 68 S.W.3d 2 do board policies & employee handbooks say?

(Tex.App.—Dallas 1999) Paper session presented at the Education Law Association Conference, Cleveland, Morrison v. State Bd. of Educ., 461 P.2d OH. 375 (Cal. 1969).

Stefkovich, J. (2013). Best interests of the stuN o r t h s i d e I S D - B e x a r C o u n t y dent:Applying ethical constructs to legal cases in (2013). Employee Standards of Con- education (2nd ed.). NewYork: Routledge. duct-DH (Local). Retr ieved from h t t p : / / p o l . t a s b . o r g / P o l i c y / Stefkovich, J., and Shapiro, J. (2010). Ethical Download/184?filename=DH(LOCAL). leadership and decision making in education: pdf.

Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas (3rd ed.). NewYork: Routledge.

Robert, C., Thompson, D. P. (January, 2015). The current state of Texas school TASB HR Services, Texas Association of district employee social media policies. Paper School Boards (2014). Model Employee session presented at the Texas Council of Handbook 2014-2015.

Professors of Educational Administration Conference within a Conference, Austin, Texas Education Agency (2015). Texas Public School Districts Categorized by Type, TX. 2012-2013. Retrieved from http://tea.

Robert, C., Krimbill, E., & Thompson, texas.gov/acctres/analyze/1213/disD.P. (November, 2015). Texas school district trict1213.html. employee social media policy responses: What Tex. Educ. Code § 22.0511

TASA congratulates these 12 Texas school districts, honored in the 9th annual Bragging Rights issue of Texas School Business magazine

Alamo Heights ISD n Alief ISD n Calhoun County ISD n Chapel Hill ISD n College Station ISD n Denton ISD El Campo ISD n Hereford ISD n Huffman ISD n Jayton-Girard ISD n Pine Tree ISD n Uvalde CISD

28

INSIGHT

CREATING NEW VISIONS Capturing the power of personalized learning Kathryn A. LeRoy and Fred A. Bentsen

“W

e envision schools where all children succeed, feel safe and their curiosity is cultivated.We see schools that foster a sense of belonging and community and that inspire collaboration.We see learning standards that challenge, and intentionally design experiences that delight students, develop their confidence and competence, and cause every child to value tasks that result in learning. Ultimately, we see schools and related venues that prepare all children for many choices and that give them the tools and attitudes to contribute to our democratic way of life and live successfully in a rapidly changing world.”

—Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas, Public EducationVisioning Institute,Texas Association of School Administrators

In May 2008, the Texas Association of School Administrators carved a vision for the future of education in Texas with superintendents participating in the Public Education Visioning Institute. This vision comprises many threads, but one of the primary components of the future involves engaging the digital generation and finding multiple pathways for students to learn.

Personalized learning has the power to be an important part of this future vision, but taking personalized learning from pilot phase to full-scale implementation has proven to be challenging.We at American Productivity and Quality Center humbly submit that a Best Practice Study from our colleagues in Orange County Public Schools (OCPS), Florida, can be an important learning opportunity from which all Texas districts can benefit.

OCPS began the development of a two-year digital curriculum pilot program (DCPP) in response to changing student, workforce, community, and legislative requirements.The DCPP was a teachingand learning-driven initiative, which included seven schools selected to represent the district’s diverse geographic community.

“Everything we do is focused on nurturing the success of our students. And we understand that success can be defined in many ways.That is why we have created different academic paths that lead to the same end result — high student achievement.”

—Dr. Barbara Jenkins, superintendent, Orange County Public Schools, Florida During the course of the DCPP implementation, the state of Florida made significant changes, recognizing the critical importance of moving forward with digital learning for all students and enacting a series of statutory requirements targeting progress in this area.These changes included requiring that 50 percent of instructional materials funding be spent on digital curriculum, the implementation of elementary and middle school digital tool certificates, and the expansion of computer science.

The long-term goal of the DCPP was to have devices for all students in the district and a digital curriculum to support personalized learning. The original pilot included seven schools and 8,000

WINTER 2015

29

students. The next phase (2015-16) will add all seven high schools and 36,000 students. As the rollout increases the number of students and devices, the strain on the district will require well-defined processes, policies, and a governance system for managing processes and performance.

Begin with the End in Mind

OCPS knows that success is driven by knowing where you are going and a having a strategy to get you there. Like all major initiatives, the district’s mission and vision answers,“Why are we doing this?”

through a strong governance system. Dr. Jesus Jara, deputy superintendent, organized functional groups that determined what processes were in place and those that needed to be designed or revised to meet customer and stakeholder requirements for digital content. A driving question was, “What do we need to do differently?”

As a key component of the OCPS Strategic Planning Priority, “Accelerate student OCPS recognized the challenge of scaling achievement,” OCPS identified personaland sustaining transformative change as ized learning as a model to achieve student Changes in infrastructure, both organizational and technological, have and important as personalized learning and success. continue to provide the foundation and reached out to the Bill & Melinda Gates support for implementing and sustaining Foundation for support.Through an innoOCPS Personalized Learning the OCPS personalized learning model. vative grant focused on Master Planning Environment

Protecting the Flame

for Innovation and Process and Performance Management, OCPS received support from the Center for Educational Leadership in Technology (CELT) and American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC).The spirit of this grant can be summarized in the following quote: “In K12 Education in America we are often successful at sparking innovative ‘flames’ — pilot programs that create exciting change. Too often, though, these flames are then doused by the policies, processes, and procedures that define our school districts. We must understand the methodologies and tools necessary to redesign these processes, policies, and procedures to enable change. We must diligently protect these small flames of innovation so they can spread and become wildfires.”

—Henry Hipps, senior program manager, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation As a recipient of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant, OCPS acquired the support of CELT and APQC to identify and document the processes to “curate digital content.” The grant focused on developing district understanding of Master Planning for Innovation and Process and Performance Management, systemsoriented approaches to help organizations define their customers, products and services, structure, objectives, and work processes.

30

INSIGHT

The comprehensive reform outcome for OCPS is to create and implement a scalable personalized learning environment (PLE) through a program that engages students, schools, families, and the community in a continuously improving cycle of growth and collaborative support for student success.

System Design and Core Work Systems

The goal for OCPS is to implement a model that supports student learning and academic success. Personalized learning includes competency-based progressions, learner profiles, flexible learning environments, and personal learning paths. These elements of personalized learning require OCPS Personalized Learning Journey OCPS has taken a conservative but people, assets, and clear processes if the purposeful and researched approach to goal is to be realized. personalized learning that, to date, has While the OCPS grant project focused included three phases: on the processes for “curating digital conPhase 1: Traditional Learning: using tradi- tent” and was within the teaching and tional pedagogy to close achievement gaps. learning work system, those processes had cross-functional implications within Phase 2: Electronic and Digital Learn- the organizational system. Major reform ing: using traditional pedagogy to close initiatives, such as personalized learnachievement gaps facilitated by electronic ing models, require collaboration across tools, data systems, 1:1 devices, enter- the school system, the community, and prise digital tools, and a learning object suppliers. repository.

Phase 3: Personalized Learning: using a personalized content aggregator to enable personalized learning and technology transformation using a blended learning model to enable competency-based instruction.

Governance

OCPS has made a commitment to aligning vision, mission, goals, and outcomes to their personalized learning initiative

“The use of MPI (Master Planning for Innovation) and PPM (Process and Performance Management) allowed our team to take a deep dive into our processes, find common language on what we do, and work toward finding efficiencies in our practices.”

— Rob Bixler, executive area director, Department of Digital Learning, OCPS

2012-­‐Digital • Development of Strategic Data Systems and Technology Innova+on Dept.

• Learning Object Repository • Learning Management System Business Case • Launchpad SSO Portal • 1:1 Student and Teacher Devices • Enterprise Digital Tools • Standard Digital Learning Processes

2008-­‐ Tradi+onal • Strategic Planning • Execu+ve Steering Commi;ee • Capability Modeling • Planning for Digital Learning Policy

2010-­‐Electronic

2015-­‐ Personalized

• Bandwidth • Wireless • Local Instruc+onal Improvement System • Comprehensive Online Assessment Delivery • UNIFY • Instruc+onal Management System • Teacher Evalua+on/ VAM

• Strategic Planning • Personalized Learning Pilot • Implement change management strategies

Process Design

suppliers, inputs, outputs, and customers of OCPS has a strong culture of teamwork, “If you can’t define what you’re doing each area brought clarity to the hand-offs and in the personalized learning initia- as a process, you don’t know what you’re across the organization and specific voice of the customer requirements. tive there was a desire to create solutions doing.”

— Dr. Edwards Deming, WITH teachers and campus leaders. the Deming Institute Synthesizing this work into a clear process Understanding the importance of the allows for the system to be successfully voice of the customer prompted the scaled. Representing the work in an OCPS project team to include teach- The project team developed the high-level easy-to-understand graphic allows for ers, curriculum specialists, and other block diagram (SIPOC) with input from the process to be sustained over time and stakeholders into the design and imple- teachers and through refinement during improved through continued focus on mentation of the new processes. Focus the project. The SIPOC tool contributes the voice of the customer as new minds groups and surveys clarified the specific to a deeper understanding of the suppliers, engage with the work. needs and requirements of teachers and inputs, outputs, and key customer requirestudents relative to curated content. Pro- ments and sets the framework from which Technology Implications cesses that are not based on the voice of to ensure alignment of the process to the The OCPS team addressed several issues the customer may be well-intentioned voice of the customer. during the early planning phase. The disbut not effective and efficient in providing trict identified the need for centralized a solution to key customers and stake- The level of complexity of the process technology functions to control cost, creholders — in the case of curated content, for curating digital content led to the development of a SIPOC for each of the ate consistency, and minimize unplanned teachers and students. three major process steps. Identifying the variation.

Voice of the Customer

WINTER 2015

31

What capabili=es are in place?

What capabili=es are missing from an organiza=onal system perspec=ve?

Cura=ng digital content

Strategic Long-­‐range Plan for PL Student Support

Teaching & Learning Competency-­‐ Based Progressions

Human Capital

Rela=onships Learner Profiles

Personalized Learning Model

Learning Environments

From the beginning, the district made the decision to not allow a device to drive the path to personalized learning. Instead, OCPS identified the features required on devices, which were defined by teaching and learning. The main requirement was to provide value for students and teachers.

The project included the development of processes to mitigate risk to the district 32

INSIGHT

Financial Resources

Personal Learning Paths

Risk, Compliance, Opera=ons

OCPS addressed this challenge by creating a partnership with pilot campuses to understand the need for centralization where little existed before and to manage change resulting from the implementation. They also sought clear definition of what constituted “digital” content. The team believed it must be more than PDF documents.

Flexible Learning Environments

Informa=on Technology

and students including loss or misuse of The rostering of students using Learndevices, privacy of student information, ing Information Services (LIS) standards and security for students and teachers. within the learning object repository facilitates the presentation of digital resources In order to achieve a personalized pupil in a targeted manner to students. progression pathway for students, OCPS sought to apply the investment of the Bill Curating resources within the learning & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to object repository first targets students achieve the following key results: who have not mastered core curriculum.

Based on their unique and pressing needs, Bidirectional Learning Tools Interoper- the process identifies struggling learners ability (LTI) integration to allow content within the range of learner profiles that the procured from publishers and vendors to system will eventually address. By focusing be integrated within the learning object on the needs of struggling learners, OCPS repository and available for district, teacher, will be able to apply personalized learning and student use. LTI integration also allows in a pragmatic way to increase student the assignment of content, based on meta- achievement. data surrounding that object, to address a specific student need.

Curating digital content

Process Owner/Lead: Chief Academic Officer

Enablers: Technology, Leadership/Governance

Suppliers • Adop=on commiNees • Content Curators Curriculum developers (Mul=lingual, CTE, PDS, ESE, ELL, C&I, Title I) • C&I staff • Instructors • Learners • District IMS team • ARA • ICTS Infrastructure • Technology Service Vendor • Cura=on teams • LOR vendor • Content vendors/ providers • IMS global • Publishers • FDOE • Community • Business

Inputs • Measurement Topic Plans • Course Standards • Digital objects (learning teaching, PD, assessment) • Interoperability cartridges • Purchased content • Needs assessment data • Content checklist • LOR Servers • Content servers • Feedback from end users • Object library • VeNed and approved content • Teacher object assignments • Roster data • Role defini=ons • Item data

Process

Outputs

• Digital objects (learning teaching, PD, assessment) • Object Library • Object type report • Object metadata • Completed content checklists • Needs analysis • Adopted content • VeNed and approved content • Collec=ons by object • Reports • Content for parent • Content ra=ngs • Data analysis • Usage by student data • Interac=on by student • Likability ra=ngs • Item alloca=on rates

Start

Aggregate

content

Disperse content Deliver content Review content

Customers • • • • • • • • • •

Instructors Learners Parents Content curators PDS Curriculum Admin ICTS Safari SDS/TP staff Execu=ve leadership

End

Guides: Federal/State law, district policy, core curriculum standards

The district will implement systemic connections between the learning object repository and the testing system through the use of Question and Test Interoperability (QTI). The connection of the assignments completed in the learning object repository to the district’s testing system will facilitate the overall capturing of key metrics around student mastery of content. This process will, in turn, allow teachers to further refine content curation based on a student’s overall progress.

The implementation of a blended learning software system that can meet students at their level and progress them toward mastery will be another key approach. A blended learning software system allows

students and teachers to house and access content in a consistent manner and to submit and view a variety of content within the same system.This supports the growth model outlined in this plan overall by providing the platform needed for implementation.

Lessons Learned

OCPS realized the criticality of not jumping to change classroom practice without a solid foundation upon which to build. Building a governance system that included cross-functional teams was both challenging and imperative.The consistency and decision-making capabilities within strong process governance guides the organization to:

n

Move from silos n Address the lack of closed-loop communication n Identify the multiple handoffs to cross functional roles n Develop a culture of collaboration that supports high-performing teams n Remain results-oriented

Results

The success of OCPS during the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation project can be credited to the commitment and collaboration of the project team and senior leaders. The team completed the project with a clear understanding of the work processes required to implement curation of digital content and the importance of

WINTER 2015

33

the voice of the customer in obtaining key Next Steps for OCPS requirements to meet expectations.

OCPS concluded the project by developing a clear vision for personalized learning, Through a strong governance structure, specifically through their strategic planOCPS has established the organizational ning process. The district has organized systems to move the district forward to a personalized learning working group accomplish the long-term roadmap for and is developing a detailed project plan personalized learning. Senior leaders to identify the processes and resources served as champions for the project and to support and sustain implementation provided the support for designing cross- of classrooms that truly personalize each functional processes that other districts child’s learning journey in OCPS. The can use as they embark on laying the plan will also include exploring a smallfoundation that will support personalized scale personalized learning pilot to identify learning for their students. and validate the processes that must be in

Dr. Kathryn A. LeRoy is a senior advisor with APQC Education. Her broad experience in facilitation, quality tools, instructional design, change management, and process and operations management allows her to build the capacity of individuals and organizations for purposeful and intentional continuous improvement. As a strategic thinker and visionary leader, Kathryn brings diverse groups together to focus and remain committed to organizational performance excellence.

Fred A. Bentsen, is a senior vice president with APQC Education. He is committed to transformation in K-12 education by focusing on the fact that you cannot improve outcomes without changing processes. By changing “that’s the way we’ve always done it here” processes, school systems can save money and improve student outcomes in a systematic manner. Bentsen works closely with superintendents, central office leaders and principals to help districts work more efficiently and effectively.

place to scale personalized learning in a large urban district.

Changing the educational landscape from a traditional model to one designed to prepare students for a global and technological world we do not yet know means everyone must embrace and understand the need for a new vision. OCPS is implementing organizational change strategies to educate staff, parents, students, and community on the benefits of personaln ized learning.

APQC Education, a Houston-based nonprofit, helps K-12 leaders create, scale, and sustain transformation by teaching them to redesign old, broken inefficient processes. In doing so the organization helps school systems save time, save money, and improve student outcomes. In the timeless words of its founder, Dr. Jack Grayson, APQC Education is all about “Process, Process, Process!” Learn more at www. apqceducation.org

Download the TASA Midwinter Conference APP today!

34

n

Manage your Midwinter session and events schedules

n

Network with other attendees

n

Receive important alerts and updates

n

Access up-to-date exhibit hall information

n

Take notes and download event handouts and presentations

n

Efficiently visit your bookmarked exhibitors with the Quick Route

INSIGHT

First in a Series

TASA: THE FIRST 20 YEARS! 1925–1945

Johnny Veselka

I

n the fall 2015 issue of INSIGHT, I described the founding of our association in 1925 as the Section of Superintendence of the Texas State Teachers Association and highlighted other milestones in the association’s history as a statewide leadership organization.

In this issue, we look back at some of the highlights of the first 20 years, when the organization devoted its meetings to research on common school problems. Leaders focused on such topics as developing and piloting a “Texas Diagnostic Arithmetic Test,” the importance of good public relations for public schools, a seven-year versus an eight-year elementary school, and the development of a state plan for financing education.

In 1938, 13 years after the organization’s founding, leaders changed the its name to the Texas Association of School Administrators to more closely “parallel the name of our national organization.” In that year, under the leadership of President W.B. Irvin, then superintendent at Lubbock, the association initiated a study of public school methods in Texas. (Irvin had previously served as superintendent in Perryton and, following service in World War II, became superintendent at Highland Park, Dallas.)

In the late ’30s and early 1940s, in their annual meetings, TASA leaders focused their research on such topics as teaching methods, individualized instruction, the need for a state tax commission to develop a system of adequate funding for schools, the challenges of standardizing a 12-grade school system, and “measurement and guidance.”

Given the ongoing debate about the validity of high-stakes standardized testing and current efforts to transform the learning environment, it is, perhaps, worth noting that N.S. Holland, author of Texas Association of School Administrators: A Brief History, First Quarter Century, 1925-1950, wrote that, by 1940, school leaders had received many reports on “what to measure, how to measure and what to do, having measured.”While there was no discussion at the time about state-level standardized testing, he noted that much conjecture and guesswork had disappeared due to the work of Dr. H.T. Manuel at the University of Texas and concluded that sufficient progress would continue to be made “so that when Johnnie goes marching home with period reports on his school work his parents will have a more nearly intelligent appreciation of the direction the winds blow.”

By the mid-1940s, during the presidencies of J.W. Edgar (Orange) and Irby Carruth (Waco), various committees were formed to address School Laws, Education and War, Measurements and Guidance, Improvement of Classroom Instruction, and School Exhibit. One such committee, chaired by Edgar, led to the formation of the Gilmer-Aikin Committee and the subsequent legislation to reorganize the public schools and establish a state system of public education.

In a letter to the TASA membership in advance of the annual meeting in November 1944, President Carruth called for a reorganization of the objectives and program of the association “in order that we may present before the teachers of Texas, the public and the legislature, a strong, vigorous, and united front that will become a power in shaping the policies and future program for public education in our state.” n

Johnny Veselka is executive director of TASA.

WINTER 2015

35

MAKING COLLEGE POSSIBLE FOR ALL

TSPRA VOICE

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD helps students start postsecondary education early Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez

“S

tart College Now! Complete Early! Go Far!” is Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD’s motto.The district’s number-one goal is to provide all students with the opportunity to start their college education early by graduating from high school with college hours or even an associate degree.

This ambitious goal is possible thanks to the support and partnership of PSJA ISD’s higher education partner South Texas College.To date, hundreds of students have received associate degrees or college certificates two weeks prior to their high school graduation. This accomplishment is ensuring that the majority of the district’s graduates, mostly first generation college-goers, have a better chance to complete postsecondary studies.

“If a student has the opportunity to get some college classes or even up to two years of college before they leave us, the likelihood of them completing a bachelor’s degree or continuing to post-graduate education increases,” said Dr. Daniel King, PSJA ISD’s superintendent of schools. By having more youth complete college, the education attainment level and quality of life of the region prospers.

Seven years ago, PSJA ISD started this mission by opening the district’s first early college high school, PSJA Thomas Jefferson T-STEM. This school was set up as an incubator for all other district high schools to replicate.

After successfully implementing the early college approach at the STEM school, district comprehensive high schools followed suit. Currently, all of PSJA’s high schools, including special purpose campuses, are now official early college high schools, making this initiative easier to pursue systemically.

“We are already starting to see the fruits of our labor even as employers in our community,” King said.

“Just this year, several of our new teacher recruits happened to be part of the first cohort of students going through our district’s early college program. It was an amazing feeling to see these alums back only three years later to help continue these efforts.”

For ninth-grade English teacher Alyssa Medrano, going back to her alma mater after graduating from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in psychology has been very rewarding.The 21-year-old was part of the first class to graduate from PSJA T. Jefferson T-STEM. She received an associate degree in biology from South Texas College her senior year.

“It gave me a jump-start. I knew what to expect at Texas A&M, and I also knew how to approach n professors,” Medrano said.“I’m blessed to give back to the school that gave me so much.”

Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez is the director of communications/public information at PSJA ISD. The district has eight early college high schools and approximately 3,000 high school students enrolled in college courses each semester through dual and concurrent enrollment programs. Register for a learning tour at: www.psjaisd.us/learningtours 36

INSIGHT

Thank You for Your Partnership!

McGraw-Hill Education thanks you for all you do to serve the teachers and students of Texas.

Education has never been so important, and we look forward to your continued partnership as we all work together to unlock brighter futures for all students.

MK15M06551

Here’s to another GREAT year!

New Tools for TASA School Transformation Network Subscribers!

Districts that subscribe to TASA’s School Transformation Network now have access to two new tools at no charge: n

Framework for Vision-Driven Instruction and Leadership – designed to provide districts with a road map to drive transformation internally

n

A Process and Framework for Community-Based Accountability – created to help school districts jump-start implementation of a local system of community-based accountability

Whether your district is just beginning to consider the benefits school transformation efforts could have on your schools and students, or you have already taken the first steps, TASA can help you move to the next level. Learn more about our school transformation services and resources at http://www.tasanet.org/domain/309.

Learn more about and join the School Transformation Network at http://www.tasanet.org/domain/46.

WINTER 2015

37

Join Your Community.

Igniting a Practice Revolution

Is Education Policy Stifling Digital Innovation?

Barbara Jenkins

Bob Wise

Damon Williams

Dallas Dance

David Coleman

Heath Morrison

Sal Khan

Caitlin Emma

Superintendent, Orange County Public Schools

Senior Vice President and Chief Education Officer, Boys and Girls Clubs of America

President and CEO, The College Board

Founder and CEO, Khan Academy

Former Governor of West Virginia, President, Alliance for Excellent Education

Superintendent, Baltimore County Public Schools

Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, McGraw Hill Education

Education Reporter, Politico

Opening Keynote: Helping Different Kinds of Minds Solve Problems

Temple Grandin Professor of Livestock Behavior & Welfare, Colorado State University

Explore the rest of the program and register at sxswedu.com/tasa

TASA Corporate Partners

Learn more about TASA’s Corporate Partner Program

TASA is grateful to our 2015–16 corporate partners for their support.

2014–15

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.

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Apple Chevron Dell Edgenuity Forecast5 Analytics K12 Insight Northwest Evaluation Association–NWEA Scholastic Stantec PLATINUM Blackboard CollegeBoard CompassLearning Discovery Education Google for Education Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Huckabee Indeco Sales, Inc. Naviance by Hobsons Page Pearson Schoology Scientific Learning VLK GOLD Achieve3000 Cisco High STEPS Milliken Organizational Health PBK SMART TCG Consulting

http://www.tasanet.org/Page/233

SILVER Common Sense Education Creating & Managing Wealth, LLC JASON Learning Schneider Electric BRONZE 1 GPA ABM BloomBoard Cenergistic ETS FirstSouthwest, A division of Hilltop Securities GCA Services Group IDIS Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP Lone Star Furnishings McGraw-Hill Education Mind Research Institute NextEra Energy Solutions Odysseyware Renaissance Learning Silverback Learning Solutions Steelcase Education Teachscape Truenorthlogic

WINTER 2015

39

TASA Texas Association of School Administrators

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Austin, TX Permit No. 1941

406 East 11th Street Austin, TX 78701-2617

Your cooperative might win a race or two.

But can it consistently go the distance?

BuyBoard® offers a wide range of commodities, contracts, and vendors, and we respond to members’ needs.

BuyBoard—a trusted, transparent, and experienced source of cooperative purchasing.

buyboard.com • 800.695.2919

Ad_TASB_Insight_Fall_15.indd 1

10/14/15 10:02 AM