E Squared~ Effective Educators

If they don't understand how to educate their staff, should we question when they fail to educate some of their students?

Reconceptualizing Professional Development for the Coming School Year Moving Away from Fly-by, “Spray and Pray,” and Awareness-Only Training [CLICK HERE to read this Blog on the Project ACHIEVE Webpage] Introduction: An SEL Needs Assessment During the past week, I was on the West Coast completing a Social-Emotional Learning/Positive Behavioral Support (SEL/PBS) Ne...

Every voice must be heard if we are to change education. I look forward to hearing yours.

STUDENT LOANS? HERE’S A THOUGHT In the US at the six year mark only 61% of those who entered as freshmen with graduate with a four year degree. Then there are those who got virtually worthless “certificates”. Of course, there are those who were sucked in by the favorite of former Secretary of Education Betsy “Amway” DeVos, for profit schools. In the world of K-12 education with salaries where they are and a lack of advancement without additional degrees, repayment of said “loan” becomes a long, long-term commitment. All of this made me wonder what if these schools only got the monies from these loans after the student got a degree and gainful employment that would allow the repayment of the loan to be paid in a timely manner? Like I said, just a thought.

In a time when both education and history are being attacked let us never forget

IT’S NOT ABOUT MONEY, IT’S ABOUT LEADERSHIP A wise superintendent uttered those words to me recently. So right he is. Every time I see a school board fire a superintendent which almost without fail results in a large buyout, I understand it’s about leadership not setting clear expectations with realistic timelines. Every time I see a principal replaced, I understand that leadership failed to understand who would be right for that school and that community. Every time I see huge teacher turnover in a school, I know that leadership thought that they were the boss not the coach. Schools nationwide are flush with cash but when the next school year starts there will be vast numbers of classrooms with either a substitute or no teacher at all because leadership fails to understand that when the market changes the method must change.

HOW LONG WOULD YOU LAST? Allendale, South Carolina is the home of Jasper Johns the American painter, sculptor, and printmaker. His work is associated with abstract expressionism. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it speaks to me. In this tiny community where Subway is the restaurant of choice primarily because it’s your only choice is their long suffering, low performing, breathtaking turnover school district. In that Mississippi raised teachers’ salaries 18% the other day I wanted to see where districts in South Carolina compared. In Allendale a new teacher with a Bachelor’s degree will start at $39K and for the next 5 years will not see any kind of increase in pay. More than likely, they will see a change in what is required from them as politicians can not seem to keep their noses out of public education. In that the state Department of Education has taken over leadership, not addressing this issue first and foremost dooms these students and their community to the failure that they have long known.

THEY WON’T BE SCREAMING AT ME There is no way around it there will be lots and lots of classrooms who lack a teacher next school year. Currently there are lots of classrooms where that substitute teacher has been that classroom teacher for this entire year. While there is a cost benefit to schools you must wonder how long parents will tolerate this. As we have seen learning loss due to the pandemic while I applaud these well-meaning people who substitute expecting anything less than more learning loss is unrealistic. In this season of parents who have felt left out of the loop in terms of their children’s education, if you thought that they were furious before just wait. There will be classes taught by those with no training on how or what to teacher their students. There will be classes that are either eliminated or taught virtually. There will be classes where the number of students in the classroom has expanded. While they have been misled about CRT or masking, this time they will have proof and I doubt that they are going to buy your excuses.

Well so much for "We can't afford to pay them more".

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signs largest teacher pay raise in years Starting July 1, teachers will receive an average increase of about $5,100. That's a jump of more than 10 percent over their current pay.

YOUR PEOPLE ARE YOUR BRAND Recently I spoke with a school district who bragged about how they had a company that worked with them on “their brand”. If you looked at their website, “their brand” eluded me. This is a district whose enrollment has dropped by 50% in 5 years. There teacher turnover rate is running at about 40%. At the central office there in this small district there currently are 5 openings. Regardless of that this company might do in defining their brand until they make it a place where people want to work, to attend school, to make a difference and a future their brand is a revolving door.

THE WAR ON BOOKS BEGAN LONG BEFORE BANNING MAUS In a recent conversation with the executive director of the Michigan Library Association. She shared with me that while Michigan has roughly 3,000 schools only 800 of those have a library in them. In the last decade 20% of librarian jobs have been eliminated. While it will come as a surprise to few districts with large numbers of vulnerable students being the most greatly impacted. In an age awash with questionable news being able to do your own research, to form your own opinion must become a priority. For myself books took me to places I might never have gone both past and present. They were my fiend and my guide. When we are in an uproar over a few books and miss the greater problem the absence of libraries we all lose. BTW, this picture is of the Indianapolis Central Public Library. It will take your breath away…it did mine.