Educators, legislators aren’t on same page on Ohio school reforms

May 17, 2013 by

By  Catherine Candisky

The Columbus Dispatch Friday May 17, 2013 6:49 AM

A survey of more than half of Ohio school superintendents revealed, with few exceptions, a wide gap between themselves and legislators regarding what policies will have the most impact.

Fewer than 10 percent of superintendents say new state-issued A-F report cards for districts and individual schools will boost student learning.

And only 1 in 5 believes Ohio’s new third-grade reading guarantee will improve schools. It requires schools to provide assistance to struggling readers and hold back students not reading at grade level by the end of third grade.

More than 80 percent agreed that the new law “imposes unnecessary burdens on most districts that were already doing all they could.”

The superintendents also questioned politicians’ motives.

Nine in 10 said they believe that, “Too often, Ohio’s elected officials make education policy to score political points.”

Terry Ryan, vice president of Ohio policy and programs for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, said the survey, released today, underscores the need for more dialogue between lawmakers who enact the polices and educators who must implement them.

“Reformers have not done a good job of explaining why they’ve done these reforms,” he said.

Fordham conducted the survey with the New York-based FDR Group.

Steve Farkas, of the FDR Group, said superintendents raised several “yellow flags” for lawmakers about potential hazards down the road.

For example, 93 percent of superintendents warned of widespread legal challenges to the use of student progress in the state’s new teacher-evaluation system.

The most highly rated initiative was Common Core standards for math and English-language arts, which have been adopted by Ohio and 44 other states.

More than two-thirds of superintendents said the rigorous curriculum guidelines will improve the education system. Common Core has come under fire recently by conservatives who fear federal intrusion.

However, superintendents cautioned that they face many hurdles preparing for Common Core. They overwhelmingly agreed that with corresponding assessments still not available and not enough computers to administer the online tests, implementation could be delayed.

Farkas said districts seem most supportive of initiatives they have the most say and control over but superintendents also seem a bit overwhelmed.

“Ohio is trying a lot of things, and a lot of things at the same time,” Farkas said.

“There is a little reform fatigue.”

Superintendents of 344 of Ohio’s 614 school districts participated in the survey.

 

Original post: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/05/17/educators-legislators-arent-on-same-page.html

 

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: , ,

3 Rules for That Quick Interview

May 13, 2013 by

Recently, a client called me with a panicked question: “I am headed on camera soon to talk about our district – just a general conversation about our schools. What do I say?”

It is a great interview topic and I am happy that my client reached out when they needed guidance.  Why?  What we say matters.  All too often, organizational leaders want to talk about operations: new hires, changes to curriculum and value added schools on report cards.  Frankly, this leads to a nuanced conversation that does not play well on camera. A far more effective strategy is to think and speak broadly. What do the schools in your district means to their communities?

Here is what you need to think of when you about for the quick interview:

  1. What is your district about?
    • This is your anchor point, a concise sound bite that focuses every conversation, every interview.  This is not your mission statement; it is a pithy, well-researched point that exemplifies the meaning of your work and the way that is reflected in your communities.
  2. Pick a few subthemes on which to focus.
    • Again, we are looking for broader themes to resonate with a TV audience. These subthemes could, for example, talk about how well you manage finances, or what you have done to run the district through these lean financial times.  The important thing to remember is that you must be able to pivot from your subthemes back to your first point. If you get too far off track and too nuanced in educational-speak then you risk alienating the listener. Don’t do that.  Have a plan and stick with it.
  3. Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.
    • Just when you think that you have said it all…say it again! TV is a tough medium. Remember that the art of effective communications is about repeating your message.  Maybe all but 30 seconds of your interview will wind up “on the cutting room floor.”  Maybe they will use all of it and run it on cable in a repeating one-hour spot.  Regardless, your best strategy is to repeat and keep coming back to your main points.

Your success will be measured in whether people who watched it can quickly summarize your interview.

Filed Under: Communication

My latest post to Smartblog: The imperative for a communications audit and plan for schools

May 13, 2013 by
commplanBy Joel Gagne on April 29th, 2013 | Comments (1)

The 21st century has already brought enormous changes to the ways in which we gather, process and exchange information. Social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, are capable of organizing the limitless data of the information age, while we all now use “smart” devices to interact with each other and the world around us every minute of the day.

Social media’s role in our lives has become so widespread that it has grown into a tool of politicians and corporations to directly communicate with the public at-large. Many observers have given credit to social media for reforming the dialogue between Americans and their elected representatives and community organizations.

While these changes are taking root in world around us, some school districts have been slow to embrace the trends. For some educators, the new technology brings challenges. Some think of social media as a tool for the “younger generation” and more work than it’s worth. Others are familiar with social media as a distraction from the classroom. Still early-adopters of modern technology view social media as a welcome advance in their interactions with the government or with businesses, but are skeptical of its application to the education system.

The reality, however, is no 21st century industry — especially one as fundamental as education — can ignore the advantages of social media. For one, social media may have gained its initial popularity among youths, but its acceptance and usage has become widespread by Americans of all ages. According to the latest Pew polling data, 83% of 18- to 29-year-olds, 77% of 30- to 49-year-olds, 52% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and an nearly 1 in 3 (32%) of Americans over 65 years old regularly use social media. This represents a major opportunity to communicate within a diverse range of school districts.

There are numerous examples of grass-roots organizations and movements that have used social media for messaging and action. These should show what schools and school districts are capable of. The potential for direct contact and engagement between community members to bring about social change has been proved and can be used for campaigns in school districts.

The communications revolution brings a glaring need for school districts to audit their communications and build a communications plan to make sure they fit the times. Luckily, some school districts have already begun this important process before they are pushed into the 21st century, kicking-and-screaming by parents, students and community members of younger generations. As school districts and education professionals embrace these new tools, they will need to be proactive about developing a comprehensive communications plan, combining the traditional methods with modern channels like social media.

This was originally published on SmartBlog on Education.

http://smartblogs.com/education/2013/04/29/the-imperative-for-a-communications-audit-and-plan/

 

Filed Under: Communication Tagged With:
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