Dr Z's Blog

Schools of the Future

2012-02-22T21:03:00.000-06:00

This post originally appeared as my February education column in the Ripon Commonwealth Press newspaper.

What did 54 high school students in Ripon have in common last semester? The same thing that 95 students have in common this semester. That’s 149 students this year, up from 93 students last year. And next year it will be many more.

These high school students are all taking an online course as part of their regular daily schedule. And these figures don’t even count the dozens of Lumen Charter High students who are learning math each day through their online course.

A national report issued six months ago indicated the number of high school students enrolled in online courses has tripled in the past three years while the number of middle school students enrolled in online courses has doubled.

Education experts have predicted that half of all high school courses will involve online learning by the end of this decade. While seemingly outrageous when that claim was made in 2008, based on Ripon’s own experience the prediction now appears to be a no-brainer.

The goal of anywhere, anytime learning has been an illusive dream for as long as I’ve been an educator. I remember my undergraduate courses in the 1970’s proposing the ideal school as being open “like a laundromat.” That was minimally from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and preferably open 24 hours, because of the varying ways and times that people learn. We all know early-risers as well as night owls in addition to nine-to-fivers. Staffing the laundromat model was always the major obstacle in making it operational.

Fast forward to 2012. The entire curriculum is now available online from numerous sources. And anyone who has a computer and a high speed Internet connection—or just a smart phone—is now able to learn anywhere, anytime. The dream of a 24/7 high school talked about in my undergraduate courses is now a reality. There should be some pleasure in Speed Queen’s hometown that the coin-op model is now changing the face of education.

What does this mean for schools, and particularly high schools, of the future?

Even if all of today’s teenagers were able to function well as independent, online learners—which we know is not the case—our public schools serve many functions in addition to teaching the factual content of the curriculum. Besides teaching socially appropriate interaction and democratic citizenship practices, American public schools also have a custodial function of supervising our children during the day while parents are working or away from the home.

This custodial function is so important that no experts envision a day when online learning will result in high school students lying around the house all day or cruising around town or hanging out at the mall because schools won’t exist. In fact, schools will become even more important places for students to be during the day. That’s so they can learn vital face-to-face behaviors and the critical thinking skills that go beyond the factual content which is now just a click away.

The “flipped classroom” made famous by the Khan Academy and now used in high schools across the nation provides a glimpse of the future. Students watch online lectures as homework to learn the facts. Then, they come to school where teachers focus on helping them learn how to use the facts.

Now that knowledge is readily accessible compared to the days when it was contained only in library books and the minds of teachers, the role of schools and teachers is changing from dispensing knowledge to utilizing knowledge. From memorization to problem-solving. From spitting out facts as the goal to assuming access to the facts and using them to think critically and creatively.

Schools and teachers will be needed more than ever in the future—but for different reasons than in the past. Schools of the past focused on transferring factual knowledge from the teacher to the student. That’s all there was time for before the dismissal bell rang.

The future, however, will belong not to those who know the facts but to those who know how to use the facts and engage in creative thinking. And training students to think takes more skill than just memorizing facts. The advent of online learning will actually free up classroom time so teachers have time to help students become problem solvers instead of memorizers.

That means the design of schools on the inside will look much different in the future. With students using computers to learn information and conduct research on their own, schools will focus on clustering students in work groups with teachers guiding, monitoring, and nudging as needed. Students will actually come to school to socialize…in person. That will be a key function of schools since so much of the existence of students outside of school will be in the virtual world.

What we’re seeing now is the beginning of the Information Age or Virtual Age. Schools will continue to play a key role in preparing our children for success. But our schools will be vastly different because they will be responsible for preparing students for a vastly different world.

Learning and teaching, more than ever, will be vitally important in a world where China has more honor students than the total number of U.S. students. How well we adapt our schools and teaching to the new realities of anywhere, anytime learning could very well determine our nation’s future role in the world’s economy.

In Ripon, we’ve seen the future so we’re using online learning to open new areas of study for students and new ways of teaching for adults. For many who are accustomed to the 20^th century this trend is difficult to imagine, and it will take some time to absorb, but the last thing we want is for our students and our community to be left behind at the dawn of a new era. After all, our kids are counting on us.

What will disappear in our lifetime?

2012-02-14T21:45:00.000-06:00

Blogger Plinio Granado posted an entry in the Digital Journal blog (http://digitaljournal.com/blog/12633), entitled, “9 things that will disappear in our lifetime.” While it was posted last summer, it just came to my attention through the Committed Sardine blog (http://www.fluency21.com/index.cfm) distributed by educational technology expert Ian Jukes. That’s the background to what is quite a provocative posting.

Think about it for a moment. We know, for sure, that change is happening. And happening at a faster rate than ever before. We know, for sure, that some things we’ve taken for granted for our entire lives will become obsolete in the coming decade(s). We know this from our own experience—think of 8-track tapes, camera film, full-service gas stations, television network sign-off test patterns, dial telephones, AMC Gremlin (heck, AMC), to name a few—as well as just good old fashioned logical thinking. Yet, probably because it tugs at our hearts, we resist to actually go down this path and identify what will be gone from our lives.

But aren’t you curious?

That’s where Granado comes in. He made a list for us. Obviously we won’t know if he is the Great Carnac or not for many years when we can look back and check his predictions. But, he certainly gets us thinking…and questioning his list. And thinking about what we would add to—or subtract from—his list.

Curious what Granado thinks will be gone in our lifetime? Here’s his list in short form and without the explanation that really needs to be read for the reasoning behind each entry. Here goes:

The 9 things that will be gone in our lifetime—according to someone else:

Post Office

Checks

Newspapers

Books

Land Line Telephones

Music

Television

Things You Own

Privacy

So, what’s on your list? Personally, I’m predicting that videotapes will a thing of the past…especially Betamax. Just call me Carnac!

Bravo!

2012-02-12T21:56:00.000-06:00

For its annual musical Ripon’s high school students presented a wonderful production of “25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” this weekend. Kudos to the student actors, technical crew, and staff for an outstanding performance. Kudos also to the guest spellers who helped bring down the house.

We know that the arts are an important component of a well-rounded education, and productions like this musical demonstrate the passion that some students have for these activities. The American public has shown that people cannot imagine high schools without sports—and extravagant funding is a common hallmark. Yet, it seems easy for many to cast aside the arts and cut funding. But not so in Ripon where we continue to understand the value of the arts and believe in the students who participate in music, art, and theater.

While other communities feel compelled to pick either athletics or the arts, Ripon has committed itself to both with state championship sports teams and recognition for its exceptional arts programs. Sitting in the audience this weekend, it felt good to be in the company of proud students, parents, grandparents, and community members who provide the support needed by our students to venture where their hearts lead them.

One of the best parts of being a superintendent is helping continue this tradition. So, next month you’ll find me in the auditorium once again as an audience member for the middle school’s annual musical. And once again I’ll be able to yell, “Bravo!”

Stats Show the Power of Education

2012-02-07T21:28:00.000-06:00

Today’s op-ed column by Rolf Wegenke, president of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, reminded us of the high cost of lower education expectations. He cites the call of Competitive Wisconsin, Inc. for our state to add 170,000 baccalaureate degree-holders in order to bring us up to speed with Minnesota. Why? It’s a matter of basic statistics.

Wisconsin is 26^th in the nation in the percentage of its population with a college degree…and 26^th in per-capita income. Meanwhile, Minnesota ranks 11^th in the nation in the percentage of its population with a college degree…and 11^th in per-capita income.

Coincidence? I think not.

Henry Levin and Cecilia Rouse, both esteemed economists, recently authored an op-ed column in The New York Times regarding the high cost of dropouts. Nationally, approximately 1.3 million (that’s 1,300,000) students drop out of high school before obtaining a high school diploma. In the past 40 years the U.S. has fallen from having the highest graduation rate in the world to twenty-first place. A fall from #1 to #21 would seem to catch someone’s attention.

Why does it matter that only 7 of 10 of today’s ninth graders will receive a high school diploma? Because education is the foundation for success in the 21^st century. And a dropout typically has a one-way ticket to poverty, involvement in the criminal justice system, and reliance on tax-funded social programs for a wide variety of basic needs.

A 2009 study of Wisconsin’s dropout situation by the Friedman Foundation reported the following:

· On average, working-age dropouts in Wisconsin earn $10,000 less each year than those who graduate from high school, reducing overall state income by almost $5 billion each year.

· At 14.1 percent, the unemployment rate of high school dropouts is almost three times higher than those who have graduated from high school or college.

· Approximately $121 million in tax revenues is lost each year due to the decreased earnings of high school dropouts.

· Wisconsin’s dropouts are almost 2.5 times more likely to require Medicaid assistance than high school graduates. Approximately 40 percent of high school dropouts receive Medicaid beneﬁts. High school dropouts cost the state $209,385,000 in Medicaid costs in 2007.

· High school dropouts are twice as likely to be incarcerated as high school graduates. African American male dropouts are four times more likely to be incarcerated than African Americans who have graduated from high school. This gap in incarceration rates leads to over 5,000 additional inmates than there would be if Wisconsin’s graduation rate was 100 percent. Approximately $154 million each year is spent to incarcerate these additional criminals.

One key aspect of Minnesota’s program to increase its percentage of college graduates is financial aid to college students so they can afford to complete their education, which leads to higher paying jobs, which results in more tax collections for a healthier state economy. While Wisconsin ranks 30^th of all 50 states in per-capita grant aid to college students, Minnesota is considerably higher in 13^th place.

Yes, education matters. And not necessarily a baccalaureate degree as Wegenke advocates. Statistics indicating more Wisconsin jobs will require “middle skills” acquired from an associate degree from a technical college than a baccalaureate degree in the future still demonstrate the need for more education, more high school completion, and more assistance to lower income college students—particularly students of color—if we are going to reverse the downward trend of our state.

Everyone is talking about jobs, jobs, jobs. Unfortunately, more emphasis has been placed on trying to lure factories with lower-paying jobs that may be sent abroad as the next step instead of emphasizing the need for more education for our workforce and turning off the spigot that constantly drips high school dropouts into our state’s economy.

Forty years of decline. And we’re still trying to steal smokestack industries from Illinois. Or from Waukesha County into Milwaukee County. As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that working for us?”

Entrepreneurs understand that sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Investing in raising the high school graduation rate has been shown to provide a significant, positive return for every dollar spent—from a low of $1.45 to a high of $3.55 according to Levin and Rouse. That calculates to a lifetime net benefit of $127,000 into the taxpayers’ pockets for each additional graduate. Now, multiply that by the thousands of Wisconsin dropouts over the next ten years. Not only does the state’s budget situation improve, but the quality of life for tens of thousands of families would also increase by leaps and bounds.

More education pays…it’s an investment—not an expense. Our country and our state need to get the message, and soon. Other countries around the world, and states in the U.S., already got the memo, read it, and made changes accordingly, and they’ve climbed ahead of us. Wisconsin’s future depends on our willingness to embrace the basic facts and do something about it.

What a Palooza!

2012-01-29T21:54:00.000-06:00

This past week the Quest Elementary Charter School held its mid-winter Project Showcase Night at which students demonstrate/display their project-based learning artifacts. Unlike the previous showcases, this one had a theme that showed how math is integrated with everyday fun and our own actions. The Probability Palooza was held in the school gymnasium which was turned into a combination carnival and midway with dozens and dozens of fun games created by the students--from skeeball to mini golf to knocking over milk bottles to so many other creative games. Each game was accompanied by an explanation of the probability of winning or achieving at various levels. What's more, prizes were awarded 100% of the time, although they were often differentiated based on the outcome achieved by the player.

The result was an energetic and thrilling evening attended by hundreds of parents, kids, and interested community members. Everyone was engaged. Everyone was smiling. Everyone was learning. What a treat!

Thanks to the Quest team for presenting this creative showcase. Check out the photos on the District's Facebook page to see the Palooza in action. How cool! Learning can be fun...for everyone!

Jobs of the Future

2012-01-22T09:58:00.000-06:00

Today’s edition of the New York Times has a front-page article entitled, “How the United States Lost Out on iPhone Work.” It details the reasons why Apple shifted its manufacturing from the United States to China and other Asian countries. Oddly enough, the main reason was not cheaper labor. The main reason, Apple executives said, was finding enough skilled workers—those assembly “engineers” with more than a high school education but less than a 4-year degree.

When it came time to manufacture the iPhone, Apple’s analysts predicted that it would take nine months to find as many assembly engineers as it needed to build the phones. In China it took just 15 days.

No less an authority than Martin Schmidt, associate provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), explained, “The challenge in setting up U.S. plants is finding a technical work force.” Companies need middle-skilled workers, but the U.S. has a shortage. The result, Schmidt said, is, “They’re good jobs, but the country doesn’t have enough to feed the demand.”

The story of how the iPhone became manufactured in China is illustrative. Not only the availability of the workforce, but also the flexibility and adaptability of the factories stand out as the key factors. The lower rate of worker pay is a minor issue that improves the company’s bottom line but was not a deciding factor in transferring nearly all assembly jobs to Asian countries.

A chart accompanying the New York Times article put it all in perspective. The chart lists the top 15 U.S. employers in 1960 and 50 years later in 2010.

Here’s the list of the top U.S. employers in 1960:

General Motors (595,200 employees)
Bell System (later AT&T)
Ford
General Electric
U.S. Steel
Sears
A&P Supermarkets
ESSO (later Exxon)
Bethlehem Steel
International Telephone & Telegraph
Westinghouse Electric
General Dynamics (military contractor)
Chrysler
Sperry Rand
International Harvester (104,300 employees)

Now look at the list of top U.S. employers in 2010:

Walmart (2,100,000 employees)
Kelly Services
IBM
UPS
McDonald’s
Yum (Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut)
Target
Kroger Supermarkets
Hewlett-Packard
Home Depot
Sears
PepiCo
Bank of America
General Electric
CVS Pharmacy (280,000 employees)

Notice that 12 of the 15 top employers in 1960 were manufacturers while only three were service providers. Now, 12 of the 15 top employers in 2010 were service providers while only three were manufacturers. Only two companies appeared on both lists—Sears and General Electric. Sears, Roebuck has changed to Sears Holdings because much of its current business is in services while its retail division continues to decline. And General Electric’s main business has shifted from manufacturing in 1960 to financial services (GE Capital) in 2010. That means none of the top manufacturing companies from 1960 have maintained their position as top employers in 2010.

The challenge with our nation transforming from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy is the ripple effect. The ripple effect means for every 1,000 jobs created in steel product manufacturing there are 11,890 additional jobs created elsewhere. For every 1,000 jobs created in motor vehicle manufacturing there are 4,710 jobs created elsewhere. Manufacturing jobs have enormous ripple effects.

But service jobs have a much smaller ripple effect. For example, everyone is talking about jobs in the health care industry these days, but only 670 jobs are created elsewhere for 1,000 hospital jobs. Meanwhile, for every 1,000 jobs created in retailing, only 240 additional jobs are created elsewhere.

Building a stable economy of good-paying jobs that are based on service industries is, as the above statistics show, very difficult. With a larger percentage of Wisconsin’s economy coming from manufacturing than any other state—and with Ripon being in the number one congressional district in the nation for manufacturing as a percentage of its economy—our future is more dependent than anyone’s for producing well-qualified workers with middle-skill credentials.

Wisconsin already has 30,000 open positions for people with middle-skills, even in the midst of significant unemployment, because we don’t have enough workers with these skills. Welding is just one example of an area that has many jobs available but few applicants. CNC machine operators is another example. And the list goes on and on. The challenge is that we have very little need for low-skilled workers in our modern manufacturing economy—that that’s a huge shift from the heyday of the 1950’s – 1970’s when a high school diploma wasn’t even necessary to get a good paying job.

We already know that we’re facing a shortage of middle-skilled workers in the coming years. If we don’t start rerouting high school students into the middle-skilled career path, then our state and local future will simply be another statistic about what happened to American jobs. And, as the experiences of many communities can attest to, it can happen in the blink of an eye…so now is the time, before it’s too late.

We’ve already lost a decade of trying to convince people that the old days, and the old jobs, aren’t coming back. If we lose another decade with similar resistance to moving to the new economy, then my fear is that it really will be too late and Wisconsin and Ripon will be lost in a downward spiral. This is a matter of urgency when the battle for the future will be fought now in schools throughout our state and nation.

Disturbing Statistics

2012-01-15T21:58:00.000-06:00

This past week I ran across some interesting statistics that still have me reassessing future steps. Kind of like reacting to an unexpected move in a chess game that causes you to rethink your entire game plan.

First, some background information. In 1970 there were 4 million more school-aged children in the U.S. than adults. Given that fact, where was the focus of the adults and the nation? And where were society’s resources being directed to? In Ripon it meant building a beautiful new high school and greatly expanding our educational program. And for those of us Boomers who remember those days (like they were yesterday, unfortunately), they became our default view of the world and have become enveloped in a soft, nostalgic gloss that is fuzzier and more enticing with each passing year.

Just 30 years later, in the year 2000, there were 136 million more adults in the U.S. than school-aged children. Whoa! Talk about a dramatic shift in demographics! And where were society’s resources being directed to at that time of our history? Even though the economy had been booming in the 1990’s, money seemed to be flowing everywhere except to education. While it’s true that we replaced a handful of aging elementary schools with two new elementary schools in Ripon, it was (according to news reports at the time) a very tough battle that required multiple referendums and close votes—even though the existing schools at the time were incredibly inefficient facilities that also caused wasteful organizational operations. Face it, the demographic shift was focusing our attention on the Boomer bulge in our population and all things that Americans crave in mid-life.

Now, here’s the new statistic that completes the foregoing two-step trend. This year, for the first time ever, there are more people in the U.S. who are over that age of 55 than under the age of 18. Yes, the Boomers are now retiring and taking over the senior citizen sector of our society. Quick question: What will we be building more of in the next decade—public schools or senior living facilities? Where will our resources be going based upon past expenditures? I’m putting my money on Boomers forcing American society to continue focusing on them as they (we) now head into senior citizen status.

To me it looks like we are headed towards a monumental crash at an important intersection that will shape our country for generations to come. Americans like to say that children are our future, but we seldom put our money where our mouths or platitudes are. Instead, for the past 60 years we’ve been putting our money wherever the Boomers are. The crash that’s coming will force us to decide whether we want to put our resources into building our future by investing in our children—who, after all, will be the economic machine that keeps us Boomers living the high life in our retirement years—or whether we will choose to continue funneling society’s resources to maintain the comfortable lifestyle of Boomers by putting it all on the nation’s credit card to be paid for the next few generations who will inherit the task of digging out from a self-indulgent spending spree.

Invest for the future or live for the moment? Will we sacrifice our present creature comforts so our kids have a chance at a future? China and India, not to mention many more countries, are putting everything they have into education because they know the Information Age will be driven by the Knowledge Society. Those societies which have the creative infrastructure developed through extensive educational investment will flourish compared to those whose economies will be left with the menial and low-paying tasks in the global economy.

Don’t believe that we’ll be left behind in the coming knowledge-based economy? Just one more statistic that I’ve heard repeatedly in the past few months should make the point. Not too long ago, the U.S. led the world in the number of 25-34 year-olds with college degrees. Now we rank 12^th in the list of 36 developed nations—and we’re dropping,rapidly.

Perhaps what is most disturbing is that these statistics are well known to our public officials, but seldom do we hear about them or see any proposals that are forward-thinking policies intended to stop the trend that is beginning to look like a runaway freight train. As much as I don’t want to see it, it certainly seems like we are headed for a crash that will only exacerbate the slide we are already seeing. When it comes to protecting our nation’s future by investing in education and our children, what will we choose to do?

At this point our country seems to be nearing a declaration of, “Check.” Let’s hope we wake up before we hear, “Check mate.”

Scanning the Horizon

2012-01-12T23:22:00.000-06:00

It was a wintry, snowy day (finally) today as we taped the January edition of SupeTalk, my monthly podcast posted on the school district’s website (www.ripon.k12.wi.us). It being the first month of a new year, the topic was looking back and looking ahead.

Looking back from the perspective of a senior who will graduating this spring is truly a lesson in understanding the pace of change that we are now living through. And the importance of having a vision of the future and preparing students for the time in which they will be living—not the present, and certainly not the past.

These 12^th graders were in Kindergarten in the year 2000. Thinking back to the year 2000 (beyond all the hype of Y2K) we remember all the time and energy spent wiring every classroom for the Internet. We thought that was the future. Now, before these students have graduated, everything is wireless.

All the school’s computers used to be lined up in rows in the computer lab. And the monitors were the size of a small animal. Today the computer labs are being dismantled and our students are walking around with sleek, wireless netbooks.

Or smart phones that can do more things than a computer could do back in 2000. And when students aren’t texting on them—something that hadn’t yet been invented in 2000—they are busy on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube…also things that hadn’t yet been invented when they were in elementary school.

Encyclopedias in the library have been replaced by Google searches on their wireless netbooks or smart phones. Curriculum based on state standards is being replaced with curriculum based on national Common Core standards. And now we’re mandated to teach about cyber-bullying, online predators, and obesity, among other new responsibilities of schools.

There are many, many more examples but the point is the same. Our world is constantly changing and any time that we stop looking at the horizon we fall behind. Imagine if we had prepared our students to live in the present during their K-12 careers instead of the future. They would be graduating this spring perfectly trained to do well in the year 2000. But fulfilling your potential in yesterday’s world just doesn’t cut it for tomorrow. And we’re responsible for preparing students for their tomorrow, not our today (or worse yet, our yesterday).

I think Wayne Gretzky, the great ice hockey player, said it best, “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” Or, as Packer fans know only too well, Rodgers throws the ball to where his receiver will be rather than where the receiver is now.

Although two sports analogies may be a bit much, they both illustrate the concept. The times keep changing, and we must always be scanning the horizon and adjusting to it. Aiming for the present will not unlock the doors of the future.

The old saying is that wet babies are the only people who like change, but educators are in the change business. Kids come to school not knowing how to read, and we’re supposed to change that. They don’t know their math facts, and we’re supposed to change that. They can’t write a coherent paragraph, and we’re supposed to change that. They don’t know the difference between igneous and sedimentary rocks, and (heaven only knows why) we’re supposed to change that. Change is what we do. We’re in the change business.

But sometimes we forget and get so focused on the present that we forget to watch the horizon. The graduating class of 2012 should be a reminder to all of us that we can never stop preparing kids for their future. This year’s Kindergarten students will be graduating (assuming the K-12 structure even stays the same) in 2024. So, the question is, “For what year are we now preparing them?”

I’m not sure what the year 2024 will look like after thinking about all the changes in the past 12 years, but I do feel confident that it will look very, very, very different from 2012 and our job is to always be looking ahead to the future and what these students will need to be successful in their world. After all, they will be living in their world—not in ours.

Happy New Year--Wisconsin's Future Path

2011-12-29T22:35:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! Time to reflect on the year that has passed and prepare for the year we are beginning.

The past year? This has been one for the history books in Wisconsin. The last chapter has not yet been written, so the coming year will begin as a continuation of the upheaval of the past year. How will it all turn out? Not as definitive as you may think (or hope). That’s because whichever path the Wisconsin’s leaders take from here on, they will collide with a little discussed fact…but one that may have much more to do with what happens in the coming years than lots of the hot issues of the day.

In the November 2011 edition of The Wisconsin Taxpayer, the monthly newsletter of WisTax (a non-partisan, non-profit, private, independent research organization started in 1932 to provide factual information about Wisconsin government), it was summarized thusly: “State political leaders devote considerable time and energy to discussing jobs, schools, state finances, and health care…Ironically, Wisconsin faces another problem that is probably more serious and difficult to solve. Even though it can only exacerbate our other challenges, it goes largely unnoticed by both public officials and the press. Researchers call it demography. We know it on a more personal level: aging parents, greater need for public services, shrinking school populations, and eventually, fewer workers, less economic activity, and stagnating tax revenues.” Here are some 2010 U.S. Census highlights cited in the newsletter that should stop us in our tracks and force us to wake up and take notice.

Wisconsin’s population is stagnating and aging. Not only was our 2000-2010 population growth below the national average, but our growth ranked 35^th out of 50 states. Meanwhile, due to low birth rates and rising life expectancy, our population is aging…and aging faster than the national average. Wisconsin is now the 16^th oldest state (percentage of population in retirement). And it will quickly move higher in those rankings because we have a larger cohort approaching retirement than the national average…and fewer newborns to replenish the other end of the population curve.

That means the percentage of the state’s population consisting of school-aged children is already declining. A quick look at what will happen in the coming decades: a significant increase in the percentage of retirees, a decrease in the percentage of the population that is working, and a decreasing percentage of the population attending 4K-12 (public and private) school. Whatever you think about taxes, budgets, or resources for schools and the state’s operations, these population trends will require us to take steps not even being discussed at the moment by those leaders looking at the present instead of using the present to prepare us for the future based on trends that are already locked in (sorry, but it’s too late to get any more 2-year-olds or change the ages of people already here).

A few other quirks about our population. Wisconsin is significantly less diverse than the national average. We are 86% white versus a national average of 72%. Less diversity affects our population rate (white parents have fewer children) and our labor pool (fewer people, fewer talents, fewer interests). We also have a lower percentage of college graduates even though we boast 13 four-year public university campuses and 13 two-year UW colleges that feed into the universities, plus quite a few prestigious private, four-year colleges. Since college graduates typically have higher incomes than workers with only a high school diploma, this has vast implications for our state’s economy. And the state's economy is key when it comes to future budgets, taxes, and resources for schools and other state operations.

Wisconsin has an above-average household income level, but it’s not because people make more per capita here. Rather, it’s because we rank near the very top in the U.S. in two-earner households. In many households in the state there are even dependents whose income is used to sustain the household. In other words, because our wages are 13% below the national average, we’ve put our famous work ethic to good use by putting everyone to work. The major issue with that is we’ve nowhere else to go in the race for keeping household income above average while other states can still increase the number of their two-earner households when times get tough.

This is related to the fact that Wisconsin’s poverty rate continues to be lower than the national average even though both are rising. Single-parent households accounted for more than two-thirds of all the state’s families living in poverty. And approximately ten times as many Wisconsin residents (34%) with a high school diploma or less were living in poverty compared to those Wisconsin residents with baccalaureate degrees (3.5%). And with a lower percentage of the population receiving a four-year college degree and an increasing percentage of single-parent households, it appears things will only get worse. As it is now, Medicaid is gobbling up the state budget at an unsustainable level that is crowding out other expenditures—like school aid—and the household income and poverty stats don’t hold much hope that things will turn around anytime soon.

Finally, there is migration. Basically, more people move out of Wisconsin than move into our state. As a parent with two children with baccalaureate degrees who have moved out of state in order to pursue their careers, I can relate to this. We have a tendency to educate our youth with our tax-supported university system and then wave good-bye as they depart for the Twin Cities, Chicago, or even further away where job opportunities exist. This is not a winning strategy. We hear a lot about luring businesses from other states to come to Wisconsin, but those are usually larger manufacturing plants that don’t do much to reduce the brain drain which carries away our educated talent and our high wage-earners.

Related to migration is the fact that Wisconsin is a closed culture compared to other states. We rank 5^th out of 50 states in the percentage of residents born in the state who still live here. While the national average is 59%, Wisconsin boasts 72% of its residents being life-long cheeseheads. Mix this with the lack of diversity, the lower percentage of the population with baccalaureate degrees, and the out-migration of our young, educated residents…and you get a stagnant society wedded to the status quo and unable to adapt to changing times while sinking lower and lower on the economic ladder. All this is happening while the state is being called on to provide more assistance—to people, businesses, social service organizations—but has fewer resources to provide because taxes are dwindling due to lower incomes, aging populations, and less openness to new ideas.

One of the characteristics of people who live in a single place their entire life is that they think everywhere is just like their own backyard. Folks who move around realize that conditions and attitudes vary widely from place to place. So, it isn’t unusual for Wisconsin residents to quietly accept what they see around them as just the way things are. But we don’t have to look very far to see what another approach would garner. The census results in many categories over the past few decades show an entirely different story in neighboring Minnesota. We used to be very similar in our demographics, but no anymore. In fact, while Wisconsin is stagnating in so many areas and facing a future full of crisis points, Minnesota is growing stronger in all the right areas with each passing decade. It’s like the story of twins, separated at birth, who pursue totally different lifestyles and wind up in very different places…one very happy and successful and one rather glum and downtrodden.

I’ve heard several demographers speak on these issues during the past decade. (Ironically, UW-Madison actually has quite a good reputation for training such demographers even if it seems nobody in our state government listens to them.) The WisTax newsletter is simply the latest analysis to cross my desk and grab my attention. Frankly, it’s frightening to see the trends of the past few decades and then see what will happen in the next few decades if we stay on our current path. And nobody, it seems, it discussing policy changes that would get us off the current path and on to one more like Minnesota. That’s the really frightening part of this.

So, as we begin a new year which promises to be full of political discussion and action about what our state’s residents can get now for themselves, I can only wonder what will be left for the next generation who will reap the results of demographic trends that are currently being ignored. By then our children (well, not mine because they moved out of state…but yours!) will be faced with a situation that is of crisis proportions with few options—and none of them palatable—available to them to get out of the mess we’ve left for them. That’s why in my position as superintendent of a forward-thinking community, I am working diligently with others to do whatever we can to prepare our schools and our community for the future we can see coming. True to form, many folks don’t see it or won’t believe it, but our job is to continue to teach and nudge so our kids and community members move in a direction that takes these trends into account rather than ignoring them. We not only want our kids to have the experiences and skills that will prepare them to thrive in their world, but we also want them to pursue higher education degrees and feel confident that they can have successful careers in our community and in our state which will help change our situation for the better.

That means this new year will continue seeing us doing things differently in Ripon (where our current household income is approximately $10,000 lower than the Wisconsin average). Not different because we like to be contrary or think that any change is good, but different because we’re scanning the horizon and looking ahead at the ever-changing landscape in which our children and their parents will have to live. From our standpoint, we’ll have prepared them for success by following a path that diverges from most others, but is linked collaboratively to those who are committed to being pro-active in light of our state's demographics.

That's where we'll be and why in the coming year. May all of you have a successful 2012 and many more years to come.

Spirit of the Season

2011-12-24T19:38:00.000-06:00

The last day of school before winter break included two gift-giving celebrations that are wonderful examples of what happens in Ripon’s schools and in the Ripon community.

Our K-2 students at Barlow Park Elementary School heard that the Green Lake Area Animal Shelter was having financial difficulty and the well-being of needy cats and dogs in our area would be jeopardized without this resource. Our young students jumped at the chance to begin a financial rescue of the Shelter. So, instead of spending money on classroom gift exchanges this year, the students decided to collect the money they usually spend on gifts and donate it to the Shelter. Their efforts gathered approximately $1,000 for the Shelter to help cats and dogs who lack good homes.

Meanwhile, across town at Murray Park & Quest Elementary Schools, the students in grades 3-5 have been collecting change for the Ripon Thrift Shop & Food Pantry which provides a lifeline to over 600 area families each month. These students also collected approximately $1,000 and had that matched by Candi Baker of Ripon Pick ‘n Save in actual food products. Add in some extreme couponing to apply towards the food purchases, and nearly $3,000 in food was donated to the Pantry.

These two acts of awareness and generosity followed on the heels of the 724 coats collected this year by Ms. Byng’s 4^th grade classroom in the Salvation Army’s Coats For Kids drive. This dedicated effort was rewarded with first place in the WVBO school competition in the Fox River Valley even though MPES/QES is smaller than most (if not all) of the other schools.

Our middle school students were also busy collecting for those in need. They gathered 453 food items to donate to the Ripon Thrift Shop & Food Pantry. And these students have been busy collecting pajamas as part of the Great Bedtime Story program sponsored by Scholastic that has a goal of collecting 125,000 pajamas to give to children in group homes, shelters, foster care, and orphanages along with a Scholastic book. RMS students have so far collected dozens of PJ’s for this nationwide program.

High school students were also busy with their Coats For Kids drive that collected 75 coats for the Salvation Army. Meanwhile, clubs embarked on their own projects. For example, the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) club organized a food and supply drive for the Ripon Thrift Shop & Food Pantry that collected 40 jars of peanut butter, 72 rolls of toilet paper, 11 rolls of paper towels, 834 paper bags, and 900 plastic bags.

And that’s just the beginning of the many collection and donation activities that abound in Ripon’s schools. What happened in Ms. Ermatinger’s 4^th grade classroom is one more example of the quiet acts of kindness that flourish in our school district. Her students filled 8 shoe boxes with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items for the international Operation Christmas Child that brings gift boxes to children living in poverty around the world. Each of the gift boxes from Ms. Ermatinger’s classroom contained a special note from her students to whoever the recipient of the box would be. Our students want to make sure other kids around the world know that in the midst of their unfortunate circumstances Ripon kids are still thinking about those who need our assistance…and doing something about it.

We are all so fortunate to be living in a community that doesn’t forget the spirit of the season. Happy Holidays at this time of giving.

TIES 2011 Technology Conference

2011-12-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

Just spent two exciting days in Minneapolis at the annual TIES educational technology conference with approximately 3,000 attendees. Most of the folks at the conference were Minnesota teachers. That’s because TIES is a technology consortium of 46 Minneapolis area school districts that started way back in 1967. Its member school districts now account for one-third of all Minnesota K-12 students.

Just in case you skimmed over it, TIES was formed in 1967 to provide technology innovation and services to school districts. Imagine that…1967. As the RASD high school principal likes to remind us at times like this…he wasn’t even born yet!

Anyway, I was one of two Wisconsin interloping superintendents at the conference thanks to a colleague who had tipped me off to the best kept secret in Wisconsin. We had a team consisting of 9 teachers and 4 administrators at the conference. And we all walked away quite impressed.

So, what impressed me among the 250 sectionals, the internationally renowned keynote speakers, the governor’s address, the 21^st Century Classroom, the numerous demonstrations, etc., etc. etc.?

First, nearly half of Minnesota’s superintendents were attending even though there were very few sectionals for administrators. The focus was on instructional technology for classroom teachers and student learning. It’s rare in Wisconsin to get that kind of turnout of superintendents for any conference, let alone a conference aimed at classroom teaching and learning.

Second, Jennie Magiera, the Apple Distinguished Teacher from Chicago, presented on what she is doing with her 4^th and 5^th graders using iPads and her boundless energy and creativity. Despite the fact that her students are low income children of color, they are miles ahead of many of Wisconsin’s best and brightest when it comes to understanding how to use technology for learning and problem solving. Everyone who sat in her two presentations was simply awed, including some of our teachers who now want to go to Chicago to see Jennie in action in her own classroom.

Third, Leslie Fisher, an independent consultant who once was one of Apple’s first employees to be assigned to study Internet growth and implementation, mixed irreverent humor with so many tips on websites, software, iPad use, and other aspects of technology that it was darn near impossible to keep up with her rapid-fire dissemination of so much knowledge. How anybody can know that much and be so engaging is beyond me.

Fourth, the math teachers from Byron High School, a small high school in a small community in Minnesota, were inspirational. Informed nearly two years ago that there was no money to replace their aging textbooks, they simply decided to forego textbooks and put their courses online for students to have 24/7 access. With a little summer curriculum writing stipend and a tiny budget for some basic equipment, they scoured the Internet for resources and embarked on videotaping lessons for their “reverse classroom” approach. Of course, this meant changing the way they teach, the way class time is spent, testing, and extra help. They are all working together to help each other and each other’s students so they now have a substantial library of different approaches to every lesson on YouTube. This fall they were given an Intel Award for what they had done, which helped pull math scores from the lower echelons in Minnesota to the top 15 in the state. Wow! And they were just down-to-earth math teachers without much technology know-how who were just trying to solve the problem of not having money for new textbooks. Oddly enough, their students are so much better off that their school district was having such difficult financial times.

Fifth, I must mention Chris Dede, a Harvard professor who spoke on the transformation of education. What really struck me was the story he told about his own daughter who was preparing to enter college around five years ago. She asked her internationally-renowned father what he thought she should major in. As Chris tells it, after he got over the shock of actually being asked for advice by his 18-year-old daughter about anything, he told her, “It doesn’t matter what you major in as long as you emerge with two critical skills—expert decision making skills and complex communication skills.” He explained that those skills are the currency of today’s global economy in the Information Age and anyone with those skills will surpass those who focused on acquiring knowledge. He was happy to report that even though his daughter graduated into this awful economy in which recent college graduates are having difficulty finding jobs, his daughter is doing just fine because she took his advice and focused on decision making (problem solving) and communication skills. And that’s from a Harvard professor whose university is renowned for dispensing knowledge.

Finally, the overarching feeling that I left the conference with is that Minnesota is light years ahead of Wisconsin. While we are busy bragging about how we’re number one in ACT scores—oops, tied for number one with Minnesota…oops, that was a few years ago but then we slipped to number two…oops, now we’re number three behind Minnesota and Iowa among states where more than half of the graduates take the ACT—Minnesota is just quietly exploring new strategies for teaching and ways of improving student achievement and just letting the scores speak for themselves. We are talking about the past and they are doing for the future. What a contrast!

It was, in a word, humbling. Our preoccupation in this state—even before the events of the past year—with maintaining the status quo and feeling proud that we’re better than Florida or Texas is so frustrating…and this conference clearly showed the result of being on the downward trend line while others are on the upward trend line. Hopefully, we’ll wake up to what’s happening and kick it into gear before we can’t even brag about much other than what we used to be.

Concert Season

2011-12-08T22:23:00.000-06:00

December is the month that I kiss my wife good-bye on the first day and promise to be home for supper by Christmas Eve. That’s because there is something going on every night, and some nights two or three events. Seriously, that’s not an exaggeration. We were trying to find time to get together with some friends this month and ended up looking at dates in January. As we looked at the kitchen calendar trying to arrange a social engagement we discovered that there are just 4 nights during December when I’m not already booked with at least one school event…and those 4 nights could easily be filled with attendance at school athletic events, parent conferences, or other school meetings. But it’s not as bad as it sounds.

In fact, for those who love listening to student musicians, December is a beautiful thing. That’s because it’s the concert season, and the school auditorium is bustling with activity. As soon as the fall one-act plays were presented (and they were great this year!) the stage is transformed into a concert hall setting. First, the risers and shell go up for the vocal music concerts while the grand piano is rolled into place. Then, add a few decorations depending on the concert theme, and the curtain is ready to rise.

The middle school and high school choir concerts are now completed. The sheer jubilance of the middle school students was infectious as they put on their one-hour choreographed show. It was impossible not to smile while sitting in the midst of this boundless energy. And the high school concert showcased a variety of large and small choirs all dressed in gowns and looking poised and professional. The voices which a few years earlier were developing were now smooth and controlled. The songs were challenging, some even in other languages. The two concerts were totally different but each so enjoyable to see and hear.

Next come the band concerts. Next week the stage will be transformed from choir risers to chairs and music stands and percussion sections that seem to engulf every square inch afforded to them. From the 6^th graders playing their new instruments to the high school bands tackling complex scores or foot-tapping jazz, the band concerts are another sign of the season.

Finally, the elementary concerts/sing-alongs turn the streets surrounding their schools into “game day” parking lots. Fun songs, recorder songs, staff skits, and laughter galore are the order of the day. It’s such a good time that it’s actually a little sad when the clock strikes 3:00 p.m. signaling that it’s time to go home and start vacation. Of course, it’s a lot more happy than sad for me because it’s time again to see my wife…even if I am humming a few catchy tunes as I walk in the door.

Art Presenter

2011-11-29T22:06:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I took an enjoyable trip to 16^th century Italy with a group of 4^th graders. We met Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael along the way, not to mention Pope Julius II and Pope Leo X. We were having so much fun that afternoon recess was pushed back until our “trip” was finished.

What kind of trip was this? Eight years ago, in September of my first year in Ripon, I received a call from Jack Frank. He had a problem that only I could fix…or so he said. He told me that he needed me to help him by adopting a 4^th grade classroom to be their Art Presenter or the students would be without anyone for the year. Being new to the district, I didn’t know what he was talking about, so he explained.

Seems that 40-something years ago the local chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) developed an art appreciation curriculum for elementary students. Each grade level, K-5, has six famous artists assigned and at least one famous painting that is featured for each artist. Volunteers from the community—parents, grandparents, retirees, retired teachers—adopt a classroom and present monthly lessons. A large, framed print of the featured artist’s work of art is used to showcase the artist and left in the classroom for the month so the children and examine it more closely in the weeks following the presentation. In addition, there is a vast collection of books, articles, prints, and even lesson plans and notes from previous presenters so that the Art Presenter has ample resources from which to create a lesson. Before the Age of Google, these resource materials were even more impressive.

Anyway, I pleaded to Jack that I didn’t know much about art. “Doesn’t matter; you’ll do fine.” I pleaded that I didn’t have the time. “Doesn’t matter—takes less than an hour a month; you’ll do fine.” I pleaded that I never took an art class after my 8^th grade course. “Doesn’t matter—then it’s about time you learned; you’ll do fine.” This went on for some time until I realized that Jack would not let me out of this. I didn’t know at the time that he was a retired art teacher and that he had all the time in the world to stay on my case until I agreed to do it. I figured that one year—just six lessons—was a small price to pay for getting Jack off my back. And that was eight years ago…eight 4^th grade classrooms ago. What a blast!

In the meantime, the local chapter of the AAUW disbanded, but the ever-popular Art Presenter program was picked up by the Ripon Education Foundation which provides oversight and the funds needed to keep the collection in good shape. Once you experience the thrill of opening the eyes of children to these artists and their paintings with fun lessons, it’s easy to see why this program has lasted so long. It’s also difficult to imagine why this program isn’t in every school in the country.

So there we were in 16^th century Italy. Raphael was this month’s artist for my classroom. And the featured painting was “School of Athens.” We learned about geography, history, math, rivalries, the medieval Church, and even societal norms like apprenticing children instead of sending them to 4^th grade classrooms. The eager students had questions that kept me whirling as they wondered about everything. When Raphael was orphaned, what did his father die of? Why do they call it fresco? Wouldn’t it have been easier to paint the walls and ceilings when they were pieces on the ground rather than work from scaffolds? And on and on and on. They gasped at the huge size of the painting. They laughed at the way Michelangelo was portrayed. They giggled at the “rock star” reputation of Raphael. They appreciated the way in which Raphael used color and perspective. It was magical. For them and for me.

One of the pitfalls of being an administrator—especially a district administrator who doesn’t work in a school—is that you tend to lose touch with students, teachers, and classrooms. Visiting classrooms is a typical way of trying to stay in touch. But that’s like saying that being a passenger in a car fulfills the goal of maintaining the perspective of the driver. Nope, you have to drive…and on a regular basis. So, the Art Presenter program, as Jack had tried to explain to me, forces me to create lesson plans each month and then, no matter how crazy or busy my day is, be a teacher for an hour in a way that captures the attention of the students so they learn and remember the joy of art. And I remember the perspective of a teacher.

Although I jump into other classrooms at various levels from time to time to teach lessons when invited by teachers, that’s a bit different because it’s random and just a one-time lesson. On the other hand, each year my 4^th grade classroom is my adopted class for the long haul and we learn throughout the year. They get to know me and I get to know them in the course of the year. And, like teachers everywhere, I’m always a bit sad when the school year ends and it’s time to say good-bye.

Students from my first adopted classroom are now in 11^th grade. Another year and I’ll get to see them on stage when they graduate. And when they do, they may not remember much about Raphael or the other artists we studied so many years ago, but they will know that regular people—parents, grandparents, retirees, retired teachers…and even administrators—value art and the joy it can bring to all of us. And that, from my viewpoint, is a lesson worth learning.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T22:57:00.000-06:00

This week we’re celebrating Thanksgiving, a holiday that has always been special to me as a result of being raised in Massachusetts where the Pilgrims began it all. And where the holiday is still a major deal in its own right rather than merely signaling the start of the Christmas shopping season. It’s a time for reflecting on all the blessings in our lives—even the little things that we take for granted every other day of the year. And all of this is done in the midst of an environment of excess that is filled with symbols everywhere of bountiful harvest and cornucopias. A holiday focused on a food laden table. And the expectation of eating in excess.

This week’s Noon Kiwanis Club featured an outreach speaker from the Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee to remind us the other side of the coin during this Thanksgiving week. Of the things we take for granted every other day of the year. It was sobering. Very sobering.

One of three people who live in the City of Milwaukee live in poverty. That’s 179,000 people—just in Milwaukee—trying to make it with income below the poverty line. That line is set by the federal government and is currently an annual household income of just $22,350 for a family of four. That translates to an hourly wage of $11.64 which is considerably above the minimum wage. Within those 179,000 people struggling every day are 64,000 children which means that half of the children in Milwaukee are existing in a life of poverty.

The speaker asked us to imagine 10 Lambeau Fields filled to capacity because that’s what it would take to hold all the people in Wisconsin living in poverty—and 3.5 of those stadiums are simply filled with the 254,000 children scattered around Wisconsin living in poverty.

In fact 20% of Wisconsin families with children are struggling to put food on the table. And 40% of Wisconsin students are eligible for the federal free or reduced school lunch program because their household income is considered low enough that assistance is needed. In Ripon we have 30% of our students receiving free/reduced lunch. That’s double what it was just ten years ago. By comparison, Fond du Lac has doubled from 21% to 42% in the past decade, Oshkosh has nearly doubled from 21% to 39%, and Appleton has more than tripled from 11% to 38%. Yes, even “happy valley” has the state average percentage of children living in poverty.

One of the biggest challenges of living in poverty is trying to find enough food to survive. After air to breath, food to eat is most essential to our existence. The major reason that people call the social services hotline in Milwaukee County is to ask about where the caller can go to find food to eat. This is as basic as it gets.

And this is where the Hunger Task Force steps in. This organization currently works with 60 food pantries, 14 soup kitchens, and 8 homeless shelters, mostly in the Milwaukee area. What type of people are accessing those services? Surprisingly, 15% are employed but at low wage jobs that cannot sustain a person or a family. Only 8% are receiving unemployment benefits. The largest category, with 39%, are the disabled. The disabled, as classified by the federal government through enrollment in SSI, are stuck in a cycle of poverty for themselves and their families. As the speaker said, we are all just a serious accident away from joining their ranks. And, unlike situations where people enter temporary poverty at crisis points in their lives—such as losing a job, having a health crisis, or having a catastrophe—many permanently disabled people have no exit strategy from poverty. And poverty affects everything in a person’s life. Even as a child.

By coincidence, this week’s school board meeting contained a short discussion of the claim that a teacher is the most significant factor in a child’s education. A board member disputed that frequently cited claim with the point that poverty and other factors outside of a school district’s control outweigh the impact of the teacher. That’s not to say that kids living in poverty can’t rise above their situation with effective teachers, but just a reminder that powerful forces outside of school are at work unevenly throughout our student body. And this was the night before the Kiwanis meeting presentation.

So, as we celebrate Thanksgiving and see numerous news stories about special meals and outreach efforts to provide holiday meals for those people in need, I’m reminded of the sheer magnitude of the number of kids who are depending on school meals and charitable handouts just to keep their stomachs full. And even with full stomachs there are so many other daily issues resulting from poverty that they have to deal with that middle-class families and kids simply can’t imagine. And then, there’s school and learning expected to happen on top of everything else that these kids are dealing with on a typical day.

Many people have risen from poverty to a better life as a result of dedicated, effective teachers who guided children on the path to more education. As a path, education has a much better track record than anything else for improving the economic conditions of people. And that’s why on this Thanksgiving I will be saying thanks not only for the blessings that my family and myself enjoy but also for spending my career in a way that helps other people build a better life for themselves and their families.

Thanksgiving is more than the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. It’s time to reflect, give thanks, and rededicate ourselves to helping kids and their families just as others have done for us countless people everywhere.

The Torch

2011-11-16T22:00:00.000-06:00

There are times when I just sit back and marvel at the positive commitment and passion of teachers. The past 24 hours has been one of those times.

Last evening I was involved with mock interviews of Ripon College seniors who are now in the midst of their student teaching experience and preparing to embark on a career of teaching. It’s hard to believe that I was once as green and energized as these college students are. Their whole life and career is ahead of them. They are sponges, soaking up every piece of advice and asking for more. They want to be the best. They are so committed to helping kids. And what they lack in experience they make up with intellectual curiosity and wonder. At the end of the evening I walked away feeling good about the future of our profession. I also walked away knowing that these young teachers-to-be will need the ongoing mentoring and support of teachers and administrators who are positive in their outlooks and committed to constant improvement (which means change) so that these novices will grow into master teachers that any of us would want for our own children.

As if last night wasn’t uplifting enough, today brought with it two more events. Today’s lunch was with our retirees group—with entertainment provided by our high school jazz band. Some of these retirees ended their teaching careers twenty-five years ago, but they are still as dedicated as ever to our school district, our children, and the profession. They are still learning and trying new things, and I’m amazed to hear of their new interests and adventures. Yet, even with all the news they have of their own activities (and health issues they’ve overcome), they are still more excited about the students who are entertaining us than anything else. That’s because students are still the center of their worlds. These retirees are a joy to be around because of their ongoing commitment to kids and learning which makes them such positive and interesting people.

Meanwhile, our high school musicians were phenomenal. They entered the luncheon while I was presenting some information to the retirees, so they tiptoed around in their set-up, careful to not disrupt what was going on. So polite and thoughtful of others. And when the music began I was amazed that such young students with so many other things going on in their lives (if you want to see what crazy busy looks like, just examine the schedule of a music student) could produce such beautifully played complex compositions that obviously took many hours of practice alone as well as with their band. The dedication of the band director was evident. And her students were learning what it means to be dedicated from her. It was a sight to hear…and see.

Students training to be teaching last night and retirees at noon. And they had so much in common that it was like a time-lapse photo looking back or ahead 50 years. And what of the in-between years? This evening’s supper was with our active employees at our annual Employee Recognition Reception held during American Education Week to honor our hard-working staff. It was a time to greet colleagues from other schools, be supportive for colleagues who were receiving special milestone recognition, and gather as a group of people who spend their lives trying to improve the lives of others. We honored 575 years of service to Ripon kids tonight with employees who had given 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years to our community’s children. As always, it makes me stop to think how lucky I am to be in such a warm and supportive organization that strives for excellence individually and collectively.

From aspiring teachers last night to retired teachers at noon and active teachers tonight, the common thread was jarring through all the surface trappings of age. On display was a passion for learning, a determination for excellence, and a commitment to kids. The flame for education was burning brightly in the heart of each individual at each event, and it was something to behold the intergenerational connection of these teachers without these groups communicating or even being in the same room. I watched a “virtual” torch being passed during the past 24 hours. And I smiled. As long as our profession continues to draw people like this, our children will be in good hands. Thank you to all our teachers—past, present, and future.

David & Lynne

2011-11-10T22:26:00.000-06:00

Last night was bittersweet. And not because it was our first snowstorm of the season…because in my mind there’s nothing sweet about shoveling or driving in four inches of slushy, wind-driven snow.

Last night was bittersweet because I had to say good-bye to two very good friends who are moving to North Carolina for a new job. President David Joyce of Ripon College is returning to his home state to assume the presidency of Brevard College. Lynne, his lovely wife, is relocating her consulting business to their new location. Not only is it much closer to family, but, as I like to kid them, they won’t stick out for having strange accents down there.

It’s always nice to see fellow administrators move along in their careers towards goals that they are pursuing. We cheer for them in their journey, and cry when they cross the finish line. Tears of happiness for them mixed with tears of sadness for yet another departure that is the reality of being an educational leader.

I love to garden, and there’s an old saying that perennials spend half their life in a wheelbarrow. They are always being uprooted and replanted in a new location. Yet, they keep blooming and keep doing their job of making our world a better place to live. Educational administrators, too, spend a lot of time packing and unpacking their offices and homes as they move from place to place in their careers. And, it seems, they usually bounce back and find a way to make their new world a little bit better.

This was all going through my mind as I attended last night’s farewell reception with a few hundred others from the college and the community. The toughest moment was giving a farewell speech as the community member selected for this honor. There was so much I wanted to say, so many memories of our 7-plus years together as friends and colleagues that I wanted to recount, and so many thanks that I wanted to give for countless collaborative projects we worked on. David and Lynne added so much to our community and our school district even though they were supposedly here to lead the college. Their impact was strong and will be lasting.

In his parting words, David reminded me that I’m the last one. The last one left in town, that is, of the breakfast group we’ve been part of for 7 years. In one of the many professional magazines that I read each month (and I honestly don’t know which one it was), soon after I arrived in town I had read about a superintendent in another state reaching out to others in community who were in similar leadership positions which were answerable to boards. These leaders formed a lunch group, and the author had written about the many benefits of having such a group for friendship, support, and advice.

Upon reading the article I approached David, who answered to his college’s board of trustees, and asked him to join me. We decided a monthly breakfast would best meet our schedules. Next was Steve Barg, our city administrator who answered to the city council. And finally was Tommy Hobbs who was the administrator of our local hospital which is overseen by a community hospital board.

We met monthly for breakfast all these years. We got to know each other personally, provided feedback on work issues of the day, and planned quite a few joint ventures for serving the community. All done with a fair amount of banter and fun through good times and rough times. Several hospital administrators came and went through the years. Steve left nearly a year ago. David and I had our last breakfast about a week ago. I’m the last one left—and I don’t like eating alone.

And so, it is time to look forward and plan for what is next. The future. The next phase in life’s journey. There are moments that stand out—even while in the midst of the moment—as significant pivot points. The cog wheel turns, and things are different. Whether that different becomes better or worse is up to us. As I said at the outset, it was one of those memorable bittersweet moments. Best wishes in your new home, David and Lynne. Now you can finally order some grits with breakfast.

NCLB Testing

2011-11-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

If it’s the beginning of November, then we’re knee-deep in the state’s WKCE standardized testing required by the federal government's No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 have been busy with their number 2 pencils and bubble sheets. Supposedly, these tests tell us—and the public—how well we’re doing. How well, that is, if you buy into the supposition that bubble tests are accurate indicators of how well students can think, problem solve, and lead productive lives.

How fitting it was, then, that today also gave us the results of a real world challenge that lets us see how our students perform and their true character. For the past month a classroom of 4^th graders has been busy—when not getting ready for the WKCE tests—planning, strategizing, and canvassing the community for coats in the annual Coats For Kids campaign. Having won the Fox Valley Area’s competition last year with 378 winter coats collected by her class of 5^th graders, Ms. Byng redoubled her efforts with her 4^th graders this year. Publicizing their cause with a community-wide campaign, these students just heard that they won this year’s competition with 717 winter coats for children in need.

So there they were today, sitting in their classroom and working on their bubble sheets from which their learning—and the value of the education they are receiving from their school—will be measured. Meanwhile, their real world demonstration of how they can think, problem solve, and be productive members of our community won’t count in the official NCLB results and other official indicators used by the government to rate and rank our effectiveness.

And this testing system is supposed to make sense? And make learning fun? And school relevant? How sad…for us.

Craft Club

2011-10-26T22:36:00.000-05:00

The other day I had one of those unexpected moments that made you break into a broad smile and feel that all was right with the world. But several minutes earlier it certainly didn’t bode so well. That's because from my perspective it doesn’t get much worse than receiving a shot. I’m not a fan of sharp needles being jabbed into me, but it was time for my annual flu shot. So there I was in the high school lobby waiting my turn—yes, I actually stood in line for the privilege—for a jolt of pain. The afternoon was not looking so good. Soon, it wasn’t feeling so good either as I exited the nurse’s office.

That’s when I remembered that earlier in the day I had received an email from a teacher inviting me to the first meeting of the new high school craft club. Having spent too many summers at camp making trinket baskets out of tongue depressors (the younger kids got to use pipe cleaners) and ashtrays out of pieces of broken plates (much better for the camp budget than real mosaic), the thought of “crafts” brings back a flood of memories that are reminders of what I can’t do. Long before scrappin’ and stampin’ I was well aware that crafts ranked right up there with singing and drawing as talents that were handed out when I was out of the room.

Anyway, I think it’s great for youth to have opportunities to engage in activities that they like, and by the looks of all the craft shops around it is apparent that many, many people are really into crafting. So, to be supportive for what I imagined would be a half dozen high school kids hanging with a teacher to make cute headbands (that was today’s activity according to the email), I started walking down the hallway towards the classroom where the meeting was being held. Besides, hair products are always a bit intriguing to me…just kidding.

As I approached the classroom I was aware that it was really quiet. My heart sank as I surmised that so few students had come for this first meeting of a new club that it was already over. Such a shame, I thought, that these kids interested in crafts wouldn't have a club. Then, I turned and walked into the classroom…and could barely get inside since it was so crowded. There were about 30 high school girls absolutely quiet and paying rapt attention to the instructions the teacher was giving while two other teachers were running around in the background getting things set up. Then, it was time to get started on those headbands and the room exploded into a beehive of activity. Scissors were cutting, irons were steaming, glue guns were dripping, and everyone was busy with their own project, helping a friend, or admiring the handiwork of a classmate. And focused…oh my gosh, they were so focused on what they were doing—no texting, giggling, or eye rolling. It was a sheer delight to see all these students having such a good time together, and three teachers showing them the tricks of cutting, ironing, and gluing--something quite different from the English and Social Studies lessons that usually was their trade.

Too many people think of school as a dull and boring place where teachers stand aloof from students, and both are watching the clock so they can run out the door at dismissal and begin having fun. They should have been in that room with me. That classroom was the most vibrant place that I’ve been in weeks, the students were gleefully staying after school, and the teachers were in their element like craft rock stars. Maybe if my camp’s arts & crafts cabin had been more like this I would have had better results—well, that’s a stretch, but I probably wouldn’t feel like every time the doctor checks my throat that he has just disassembled some unfortunate kid’s project (or did I mean some kid's unfortunate project?).

Anyway, I ended up staying much longer than I had anticipated. I even learned how to use the video feature on my phone to capture some footage (check out the District’s Facebook page). And I was invited back for the next meeting when they will be making home-made lip gloss...and I had never even imagined those words linked together previously. What an eye-opener! In fact, every time I've thought about the experience has brought a smile to my face for the past several days. Crafts are cool. Who knew???

Kodak's Mistake

2011-10-18T22:08:00.000-05:00

This week’s news reported that Kodak, once the undisputed king of the world’s photography business, is a mere shadow of its former self and fighting for its continued existence. I wrote about Kodak’s decline 15 months ago in my monthly column in the Ripon Commonwealth Press and compared its legacy practices and legacy thinking to what we see in the field of education. And things have gotten worse since then—for both Kodak and public schools.

Just over 20 years ago Kodak employed more than 145,000 workers. Now there are less than 18,000 workers left. And the future is uncertain in a digital world for the former giant of film. Even though Kodak invented the world’s first digital camera in 1975, it decided to stick with the status quo because of its highly profitable film business. Kodak then let its Japanese rivals, Canon and Sony, develop digital photography unhindered by the technology’s creator. By deciding to stick with the status quo, Kodak condemned itself to a slow but certain decline over the next 20 years.

Whether Kodak’s decline ultimately becomes terminal is yet to be determined. But the message is clear: Clinging to the past in a changing world may be comforting in the short term, but will result in obsolescence in the long term.

One of the interesting trends in education is the role of computer technology. Some experts have predicted that education in the future—particularly secondary school education—will consist of transmitting knowledge through virtual technology to students at home. The days of teachers spending their time lecturing or explaining information to students is coming to a swift end. Now that students have the world’s information at their fingertips with a netbook, laptop, tablet, or smart phone, the teacher’s lecture has serious competition for being the primary source of a student’s knowledge. And since learning from a computer is not a social activity, experts are predicting that students will do their computing work while alone—at home.

If that’s the case, then what will be the best use of a teacher? And what purpose will school serve? Teachers, no longer the dispensers of information, will play the essential role of teaching students how to apply their newfound knowledge. And schools will be the places where students come to socialize and work in collaboration while they apply their knowledge and skills just like work teams in their future career fields.

In other words, everything will be flipped. Instead of coming to school to learn from teacher lectures and leaving school to socialize and apply their knowledge in homework done in isolation, students will learn from computers at home while on their own and come to school during the day to socialize with classmates and learn from their teacher how to apply their new knowledge in classroom activities.

Sound bizarre? Don’t believe it? Think about Kodak. It invented the digital camera at the company’s zenith and decided to stick with film. Its competitors saw the future and left Kodak, clinging to the status quo, in the dust.

A young man, Salman Khan, had earned three degrees from MIT and was pursuing his MBA when his cousin asked for help with her math. He used virtual technology to help her, and word spread to other relatives and friends. Soon he was making YouTube videos on a variety of mathematical concepts as tutoring assistance. Word of the tutorials quickly spread on YouTube and Khan officially launched the Khan Academy in 2006. Now there are over 2,600 micro-lectures on his website, and some schools are using them to “flip” education.

In Khan Academy classrooms students are watching the videos at night and doing accompanying written exercises. During the day they are going to class and working with their classmates and teachers to apply and better understand the concepts. The teacher, now freed from the necessity of spending most of class time to explain concepts to the entire class, now rotates around the classroom to work with small groups of students to review, apply, or move to the next level.

Time will tell if this “flipped” classroom approach is the face of the future of public education in this virtual age. But we know for sure that public schools will not look the same in 2021 as they do in 2011. The status quo is simply not an option. Kodak taught us that lesson.

Wishing for Being Average and Some Common Sense

2011-10-11T22:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I taped this month’s edition of my video blog, SupeTalk, for the school district’s website. This came on the heels of taping the annual State of the District address late last week for our community cable channel. That’s a lot of face time in front of the camera—especially for someone who has a face perfectly suited for, as they say, radio. Unfortunately, my monthly previews and recaps of school board meetings on our local radio station have confirmed that I have a voice perfectly suited for, as they say, silent movies. However, never at a loss for words, that leaves me with a keyboard. How convenient.

Other than the camera focusing on me, both tapings had something else in common. And that was a discussion of the way in which our teachers are doing more with less. Every day. For every student.

Ripon spends less per student than the state average. In fact, we spend about 94% of the state average cost per student according to the most recent figures from the state. That means we would have an additional $1,400,000 more in our annual budget if we were at the state average. Never have I wanted to be average so badly.

Maybe you think a comparison to the entire state is a bit much. In that case let’s look at our comparables in the Eastern Valley Conference. These schools are similar in size, makeup, and region. If Ripon spent the average amount per student as EVC schools, then we would have an additional $500,000 in this year’s budget. Again, average is something to aspire to in this case!

Yet, our average ACT composite score is tops in our area among small, medium, and large schools. Furthermore, our 10-year ACT average is in the top 8% of all public high schools in the state. In other words, we’re not boasting about a particularly high achieving class one year and ducking the next year. We are consistently among the highest achievers in the entire state. And that’s with a higher percentage of students taking the ACT than the state average, and an average household income about 20% lower than the state average! Even though we have fewer resources than most others, we have such talented staff that they achieve more with our students.

But that’s not the end of the story. Our budget continues to be buffeted by the ill winds of well-meaning laws that simply defy common sense. First, the state levied a surcharge on school districts to contribute to the state’s unemployment compensation fund—for private sector unemployed workers. And that’s even though school districts already pay 100% of the unemployment compensation costs for their own former employees. Private sector businesses don’t pay 100% for their unemployed workers, so their fund ran out of money. Now money that is in each school district’s budget for classroom instruction and supplies is being siphoned off to cover unemployment checks for private businesses. In other words, school districts are paying twice. Does that seem right?

Ripon is also being penalized this year for being fiscally responsible last year. School districts have strict limits on their budgets, and we spent very carefully to make sure we didn’t overspend our budget. By spending the taxpayers’ money like it was our own, we came in under budget last year. The result is a reduction in state aid this year—and that translates into local property taxes being raised to cover a greater share of the budget. The state’s message is clear: Spend like there’s no tomorrow and be rewarded with more state aid and lower taxes, or spend responsibly and be penalized with less state aid and higher taxes. Like I said, good old common sense seems to be missing.

Just to add icing to the budget cake, the federal government requires us to spend the same amount on special education this year as last year with something called “maintenance of effort.” This is true even though our special education costs have decreased significantly because state law now requires teachers to pay half of their pension contributions and more for their health insurance premiums. A well-intentioned federal law that was meant to protect special education programs from being depleted by budget cuts has actually resulted in our regular education budget being decreased by its own cuts as well as the reduction in special education staffing costs. What would people say if roles were reversed and the special education program had to sustain both its own cuts as well as budget reductions for the regular education program?

The list could go on, but I’ll stop here. The point is that we have major budget challenges coming at us from every direction. School budgeting has become an intricate maze that is as frustrating as it is confounding. Still, our teachers, staff, and administrators keep on plugging away and get amazing results with the limited resources they have to work with on a daily basis. It is wondrous.

Education Matters

2011-10-08T23:10:00.000-05:00

We have left the Industrial Age and are now living in the Information Age. That’s why everyone agrees knowledge is the currency of the future. Manufacturing is a bigger component of Wisconsin’s economy than most, if not all, other states. But the glory days of hundreds of thousands of low-skilled jobs at high wages/benefits are gone. And in their place are opportunities for the future, on a global scale, dependent on high skills that come from education. In other words, education matters more now than ever before.

That’s why some data cited by Fareed Zakaria in his recent Time magazine column are so distressing.

The U.S. had the highest percent of college graduates a generation ago, but now we are in 9^th place and falling lower. That’s not a trend for a successful future.

Meanwhile, only 6% of degrees in the U.S. were awarded in engineering in 2004. That’s half the average for rich countries of the world. By comparison, Japan awards 20% of its degrees in engineering and in Germany it’s 16%. If engineering will result in new patents and products that drive the economy, we’re headed in the wrong direction.

Need more proof? Look at the 2008-09 year. There were more psychology majors in America than engineering majors. And there were more physical education majors than physical sciences majors.

Speaking of the physical sciences, federal funding has fallen 54% from 1970 to 1995, and has continued to fall ever since. If the Information Age will reward those societies which are building skills and knowledge for the future through engineering and science, then the U.S. is needs to ramp up its priority on education.

As for funding of colleges for all those majors, it is instructive to look at what has happened in California. In 1980, California was spending 10% of its general revenue budget on higher education, and the outstanding University of California system was the envy of the world. Since then, spending on California prisons has increased from 3% to 11% of the budget. At the same time, funding for higher education has fallen to 8% and is continuing to slip further. Putting money into prisons instead of education is the opposite of what has proven to be a successful formula for building a strong economy.

A strong economy? Household debt was 34% of disposable income in the 1950s…and today it has grown to 115%. You read that right…household debt is now 115% of disposable income. Not by any measure is that a sign of a strong economy.

Lastly, the federal government is now spending $4 on every adult over 65 while spending just $1 on every child under 18. I don’t begrudge spending on senior citizens—to be sure, I will be one soon enough. But spending more on immediate consumption rather than allocating our funds for investing in the future is symptomatic of what is happening to our schools and our society.

As I said at the outset, this is all very distressing. Education matters—more than ever before—and we need to start acting like it.

Job Readiness

2011-09-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC) hosted its annual public school administrator meeting today. During part of the meeting various staff from the college updated superintendents and principals on new programs, important trends, and plans for the future. Three items really resonated with me.

First, during last school year MPTC provided transcripted credit to more than 4,000 high school students. This represents a $1.2 million savings in tuition for those students if they choose to attend a Wisconsin technical college. Not only are high school students receiving rigorous college-level courses, but they are, in a sense, making money in the process. Very cool.

Second, MPTC students who are training in healthcare facilities for career programs in that field now need to pass drug screen tests required of healthcare workers. The MPTC administrator wanted us to let our students know that it is important to stay away from drug use if they want to enter healthcare occupations.

The warning about drug screens reminded me of an article that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel a month or so ago. The article contained an analysis of the job situation in Wisconsin and featured interviews with some experts. Two important points caught my attention in that newspaper article. Number one, despite an unemployment rate of over 9% in the state, there are 30,000 vacancies for good paying jobs which employers can’t seem to fill. That brings me to the second point.

An expert explained there are three very basic criteria that applicants must pass, but few can do so. The open jobs require skills. For example, there are many welding jobs open, but there aren’t enough people with welding skills. For those who do have the necessary skill, the applicant must have a good work history. For example, many applicants have lost jobs due to excessive absenteeism, insubordination, and an inability to work well with others. Finally, and this is what sparked a memory of this newspaper article, applicants must be able to pass a drug screen. The expert said it is rare to find an applicant who can pass all three. And that’s why we have 30,000 open jobs in a time of high unemployment. We have thousands of unemployable because they don’t have the necessary skills, a solid work ethic, and a drug-free lifestyle. It’s rather sad if you ask me.

The third resonating point made by MPTC staff was an explanation that Wisconsin businesses and manufacturers are looking for workers with more math and science knowledge and skills. We keep hearing, from multiple sources, that there are fewer and fewer jobs for people who don’t have good math and science skills. What was sufficient in 1970 just doesn’t cut it anymore.

And that reminded me of a recent interview with the UW-Milwaukee chancellor. He explained that students taking algebra in 8^th grade have an 80% chance of obtaining a college degree. Conversely, UW-M students who need remedial math have only a 14% likelihood of graduating college in 5 years. In other words, math really does matter—not only in obtaining a job, but also as an indicator of success in school which paves the way for a better career. Math is an indicator of critical thinking, problem-solving ability, and persistence…all of which are ingredients of achievement.

Wherever we turn these days the message is loud and clear. The expectations for tomorrow’s workers are being raised. And MPTC is trying to get the word out to school administrators and counselors in hopes that today’s students won’t sabotage their own futures with poor preparation and lifestyle choices. Let’s hope that our students heed this excellent advice so they will be job ready whenever and wherever they enter the workforce.

Book Fair

2011-09-23T21:08:00.000-05:00

A strange thing happened to me this week. I was listening to the car radio when I heard something that was simply unbelievable. It wasn’t just what I heard, but what else was going on at the time. As they say, it’s all about timing. Confused? Let me explain.

I left the house early because I was on my way to Barlow Park Elementary School to arrive before the students. That’s because I had read in the school bulletin that the annual PTO-sponsored Scholastic book fair was beginning and I wanted to check it out as I try to do with as many school activities as time permits. Of course, I had my camera with me in case there were some nice photos of parents and kids.

As I got dressed and ate breakfast I couldn’t help but think of how much I looked forward to the annual Scholastic book fairs when I was in elementary school. It was the most exciting activity of the school year as far as I was concerned. To this day I get lost in book stores. Once I step inside a book store time seems to stand still as I weave through the aisles, pull a variety of titles that interest me, and inevitably decide on a stack of books that is far too tall. Odd as it seems, my eyes are not bigger than my stomach when I go through a buffet line in an all-you-can-eat restaurant, but my eyes are definitely bigger than my available reading time when shopping at a book store. The result is a constant pile of books (actually several piles) around the house, waiting to be read.

My own children thought they could help me with this a few months ago by presenting me with a Kindle for my birthday. I must admit that I am surprised how much I like reading books on a Kindle. Except now I have a new problem—I still have stacks of books waiting to read, but now I also have downloaded books on my Kindle waiting to be read. All of that, of course, is in addition to almost nightly professional reading, the daily newspaper, and a variety of magazines.

Speaking of my own children, one of our evening traditions was to read a book. Not just any book, however, but a Scholastic book…from my collection as an elementary student. For example, I remember reading The Shy Stegosaurus both as a child and as a parent. It’s just that the 40-cent price on the book cover was a considerable expense from my newspaper route profit as a child but was laughable as a parent. And it was the same with Encyclopedia Brown and Homer Price stories as well as lots of others.

Anyway all these cherished moments with books were swirling through my head as I was driving through town that morning on my way to the Barlow Park book fair. That’s when the radio announcer shocked me. As part of a call-in contest he revealed that 70% of adults haven’t been inside a book store in the past five years. What? I couldn’t believe my ears. I turned up the volume to listen more intently, getting a bit more saddened with each sentence on the subject.

Fortunately, I soon arrived at the school and entered the book fair. Order in the universe was restored. Well, at least my universe. And I felt good knowing that all the books surrounding me would soon be in the hands of excited children. Now, if only we could keep our students excited about reading throughout their lives—either on paper or on an electronic device. New worlds would then be at their fingertips. They would have the knowledge to do most anything. Come to think of it, that almost sounds like a science fiction book that I once read…

Transformation vs. Improvement

2011-09-15T23:03:00.001-05:00

Uh-oh. Word has it the superintendent (like most in the state at the moment) has gone to a conference. That's a frightening thought for many school district employees because that means the superintendent will undoubtedly return with new ideas and initiatives. More bandwagons to jump on. Quick, pull up the drawbridge...

Actually, I’m currently attending the annual fall conference for Wisconsin superintendents, sponsored by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the state superintendents association (WASDA), where today’s keynote was a three-hour presentation by Ray McNulty. His topic was the changing landscape of education leadership. And it contained many powerful messages. But none of them are anything new to us in Ripon. We've been talking about these same concepts for quite some time, and they have formed the foundation of our restructuring efforts for eight years. So, I'm not returning with any new initiatives, but more reinforcement of what we've already been talking about and doing. Here's what I heard today.

First, everyone wants things to be better. That’s something we all agree on. The only problem is that very few people want things to be different. But making things better requires things to be different, because improvement requires change. The challenge is that people want contradictory things--things to be better but no change--and there’s no way to satisfy both of these. Either things get better or things stay the same. Both is not an option.

And just to make the choice more difficult, a change usually makes things different first, but things don't get better until later. We call that an implementation dip, but people often run scared when things don’t get better immediately. Then they either back-track or scapegoat someone. Neither of these actions actually make things better, but they do make some people feel better. However, kids end up worse off since the old system is still in place and any hope of future change has just been extinguished for years to come.

We, myself included, often talk about the need to follow best practices. However, McNulty challenged the conventional wisdom by postulating that best practices allow you to do what you are currently doing a little better. Although you are incrementally improving, you are basically maintaining the status quo by following a strategy of focusing on best practices.

McNulty prefers educators to use what he terms “next practices.” Next practices increase the organization’s capacity to do things it has never done before. The result of using next practices, he contends, is transformation of schools into a 21^st century model as opposed to improvement of our current 20^th century model. Our 100-year old school model is like an old house. And as any person in an old house knows, no matter how much renovation you do, it’s still an old house relying on an outdated infrastructure.

One of the key issues is that transformation, as Clayton Christensen reminds us in his book Disrupting Class, is quite disruptive since it is revolutionary as compared to sustained improvement which is evolutionary. But, you can only get so far with improving the current system. Sometimes you need a good jolt to set you off in a new direction. Think about the iPhone and how it totally changed the cell phone industry. The iPhone was transformational. It was revolutionary. While some manufacturers were focused on improving the flip phones to do more, Apple created a totally new model that has totally changed not only the product but also how we use cell phones in our daily lives.

In looking back, Henry Ford said, “If I had asked the public what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.” He saw the future while others only saw an extension of the past.

We could point to Sears which insisted on continuing its catalog model rather than transform its business to the Internet…and look what happened to Sears which extended the past and what happened to Amazon which saw the future.

We could point to IBM which insisted on continuing its focus on mainframe computers rather than transform to personal computers until it was too late.

We could point to Xerox which insisted on continuing its focus on large photocopiers rather than what has become the much larger market of home printers.

On the other hand, we could point to consumer banking which moved from a stagnant industry of a few decades ago with limited hours and paper checks to 24-hour ATMs, and then direct deposit, and then online banking. Each of these changes was transformational--a totally different model for financial transactions with the bank's customers. Today’s consumer banking industry made the giant leaps, even though they were disruptive, in order to prosper in the 21^st century while leaders of other industries stayed with incremental improvement rather than disruptive transformation. And those companies that stayed behind have crumbled.

Finally, McNulty reminded us, to be wary that our best customers are our biggest advocates. Why? Because they are doing well with the current system. Why would they want it to change? We need to listen more to people for whom the current system isn’t working if we truly want to make things better by transforming the status quo to the next evolutionary stage of our organization.

We’ve been talking about improvement versus transformation for many years in Ripon. I think it was seven years ago that I began the school year by giving a presentation to all employees on the difference between evolutionary improvement (1^st order change) compared to revolutionary transformation (2^nd order change). You can only get so far with improvement strategies, and today's great companies and organizations have become great by having a transformation focus. Just look around to see the evidence everywhere of the difference between the successful companies and organizations which have embraced transformation and the declining companies and organizations that haven't.

The question is whether public schools will make the leap before other factors intervene and take away many of the good options. While this question is national in scope, it will also be played out in states and even in local communities. Ready or not, transformation to a 21st century model is on its way. Will schools transform themselves or be transformed by others who take control of education? That is the question. And, as a believer in the importance of strong public schools to our American society, I know what I’d like the answer to be. And I think we're making great progress in Ripon thanks to tremendous efforts by our faculty, staff, and administrators. Ultimately, though, time will tell…but too long of a time.

Hyper-Connectivity

2011-09-09T22:35:00.000-05:00

Today was time for the monthly taping of the video blog, SupeTalk, that I started about a year and a half ago. These 5-minute tapes are posted to the school district's website and provide information about a wide variety of topics that are currently being discussed in our schools. Last month it was student health services. Before that I commented on courageous teachers, and the month before that it was all about the common core. Budget and finance are, as one might expect in these times of scarcity, recurring topics.

The taping is a very informal and unrehearsed affair. Our tech director brings a camera to my office or whatever location is being used for that month. I scribble some notes, and he begins taping as I speak into the camera. Within a few takes I get through my comments without any major tongue twisting mishaps or other goofs. It's meant to be off the cuff--and it is.

As I was preparing today's notes, it was a little more difficult to concentrate on the topic. That's because I kept thinking about what Thomas Friedman had said on this week's Meet the Press program. Friedman, the author of the 2005 national bestseller, "The World Is Flat," was describing what has transpired since he wrote that book in 2004 and this year when he wrote a new book, "That Used to Be Us." Here's what's been rumbling around my head all week and really hit me today as I prepared to tape SupeTalk.

I wrote a book in 2004 called "The World is Flat," which is about this connecting of the world. We've gone from connected to hyperconnected in terms of the people who are now competing with us and connecting with us. When we sat down to write this book, I actually went back to "The World is Flat." I looked in the index, and I realized that Facebook wasn't in it. When I said the world was flat, Facebook didn't exist--or for most people it didn't exist, Twitter was a sound, the Cloud was in the sky, 4G was a parking place, LinkedIn was a prison, applications were what you sent to college and for most people, Skype was a typo. OK. That all happened in just the last seven years, David. And what it's done is taken the world from connected to hyperconnected. And that's been a huge opportunity and a huge challenge.

Today's world is indeed remarkably different than it was just seven years ago when I was beginning the second year of my current position as superintendent of the Ripon Area School District. And think of today's high school seniors who were just beginning middle school at that time and the changes they've experienced. Today's middle schoolers love Facebook, use apps on their smartphones, store their personal and school documents in the cloud, and know all about Twitter. None of that even existed for their older siblings who are now high school seniors. That is unbelievable to think of how the world has changed so rapidly when it comes to connectivity...and, ironically, I just wrote that sentence in a blog.

And, what's even more difficult to fathom than the change we've just experienced is how much more it will change by the time today's middle schoolers are beginning their own senior year in high school. The opportunity of the technological changes is seemingly unlimited. So, too, are the challenges of using these new tools in a way that makes all of us better. We've often heard the lament that "more communication is needed." ("What we have here is a failure to communicate.") Yet, here we are more connected than ever before. Just stop and count how many people on cell phones you see in a 5 minute time period wherever you are--even, frighteningly enough, in a car looking only at other drivers. Everyone, it seems, is communicating...all the time.

So, are we better off with all this communication? Oddly enough, I still routinely read and hear the old refrain that we need more communication. More communication? Really? Or do we need better communication? That also means better listening. Are we too busy talking, texting, watching--and even blogging--to be processing what we are hearing, reading, and seeing? Where is our hyper-connectivity taking us? What can our schools do to take advantage of the opportunities of hyper-connectivity? Perhaps that should be the next topic of my SupeTalk...or maybe just an old-fashioned, face-to-face conversation would suffice.

Double Dipping

2011-09-08T22:13:00.001-05:00

Last week my 90 year-old father bumped into a high school classmate that he hadn't seen in about 50 years...or more. The classmate, who was known for maneuvering things his way as a teenager, boasted, "Life is great as a triple-dipper." He had remained in the military after WWII and retired with a pension. After his career in the military, he went to work for a manufacturing plant which had its own pension plan. Finally, he worked some nights and weekends at a second job that qualified him for a social security check. The result was that he was collecting three pension checks. Or, as he described it, he was a triple-dipper.

I had to laugh at my father's unsolicited story because it seems that all the news media in the past two weeks have been running stories of outrage regarding recently retired teachers and other public employees who have been characterized as double dippers. I've even received a few phone calls from Ripon residents who wanted to know if we had hired any double dippers.

What's all the fuss about? Public employees in each state are bound by that state's laws and rules. Wisconsin's public employees are mandatory participants in the state's retirement system as well as being part of the federal social security system. Retired teachers, for example, are eligible to receive both a state pension based on their wages and a social security pension based on the same criteria that apply to all other Americans. However, Wisconsin law--unlike Illinois, Iowa, and some other states--allows public employees to return to a public employment job after a 30-day break in service. So, while Wisconsin is a destination for retired educators from Illinois and Iowa who are looking for work after an early retirement, Wisconsin educators don't have to leave the state to return to public employment. In fact, Wisconsin educators don't even have to leave their city, school district, or state agency to find a job after a 30-day retirement. The major key to all of this is that there cannot be any prior agreement--or even a wink--that the retiree will be able to receive a job. This is to avoid a fraudulent retirement that uses public funds.

News reports coming in are telling about recent retirees who have returned to their same classroom, UW position, or corrections job as if they had never left. They are collecting their state pension (which has no income restriction like social security) and a regular paycheck from their current employers who was also their previous employer. This has been termed "double dipping" and has some people calling foul.

First, let me explain as I have to the callers I've spoken to that Ripon has not rehired any of its retired teachers back to their position. However, we have, in full transparency, just hired a teacher who retired two years ago from another school district and returned to Wisconsin after spending the past year in another state. We did not even know of this outstanding educator until the application screening occurred this summer. The result is that we have a wonderful teacher for our students at a lower cost than a regular new hire. Nobody has called foul at us for this. Likewise, we've also used retirees as substitutes, coaches, and advisers without anybody objecting.

So, when is double dipping just good business sense by the school district at a time when money is scarce and taxpayers are demanding lower spending? And when is it objectionable? Unless there is a "deal" to rehire a public employee who officially retires and draws a pension, it's perfectly legal in Wisconsin.

The fuss seems to be that teachers and other public employees who return to work for their same employer are automatically judged guilty of being involved in an illegal deal because it looks suspicious. That look of impropriety is a major reason why we haven't even considered rehiring our own retirees. We don't want to do anything to lose the trust of our residents. We've worked hard to earn that trust, and mere appearances can be damaging. And that's how we're handling the issue of double dipping.

Labor Day

2011-09-05T21:01:00.001-05:00

Today is Labor Day. While this holiday signals the end of summer for many, it always evokes in me the memories of growing up when this day was such a big deal. That's because the Labor Day parade route went directly past my grandparents house, and their front porch was a prime viewing spot. The parade lasted about an hour and marched past crowds of four to five deep all along the route as it wove its way through the city of 100,000 where my grandparents lived. Whereas the Memorial Day parade was rather somber and featured veterans and military units to mark the reason for the holiday, the Labor Day parade was a celebration full of clowns, floats, marching bands, horses, and lots of candy. Although I really didn't understand the purpose of the holiday, I knew that it was fun and a sign that school would be starting in two days. And, did I mention, there was lots of candy.

It seems that Labor Day observance, like so many other things in the ensuing decades, has changed. Parades are now so sparse and small that they seldom attract attention. The only thing I heard about a Labor Day parade this year was about the Wausau parade in which the organizers got entangled in state politics that threatened to disrupt the entire celebration. As for school, it already started. Whereas Labor Day once marked the end of the summer season, parents of school-aged children said farewell to summer last week when school started on September 1 in accordance with a state law that makes that date the earliest start for public schools in Wisconsin. Many private/parochial schools already began in August. And other states, as noted in the news coverage of tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri, started their schools in early to mid August. Meanwhile, parents of students involved in fall sports saw their family summer vacations end many weeks ago when the athletic seasons began.

So the two things--the huge parades and the subsequent start of school--that made Labor Day such a memorable event in my childhood are no longer part of the holiday. However, the third thing that I didn't understand as a child--the purpose and meaning of the holiday--now make Labor Day even more special for me than all the hoopla ever did as a child. Stopping for a day, just one day, to honor the contributions of all the people who go to work everyday to make the U.S. what it is today is enough to make me thankful to live in this country and in this community. To bring it closer, all the employees of the Ripon Area School District are contributors to our District's mission and success. Sure, teachers and administrators are in the frontline positions of educating our youth. But their effectiveness depends on so many other employees who also head off to school each day. The student services staff--from psychological testing to assisting students with medical issues. The custodians and maintenance staff--from cleaning to band concert set-ups. The instructional aides--from supervising recess to helping a child with his/her reading. The office and clerical staff--from answering the phones to keeping track of...everything. The food service staff--ever try to learn when your stomach is growling? Our substitutes--the show must go on, and with quality. The bus drivers--kids can't learn if they're not in school, and driving a bus in the snow is no picnic.

All of these dedicated employees are responsible for the District's excellence. It is for them that we stop today, just one day, to honor their contribution to our families, community, and country. Although parades are fun and a later date for starting schools would be nice (until June when we'd have to run later), these holiday activities aren't what Labor Day is all about. It is a day for saying, "Thanks, RASD employees and educators everywhere, you are doing important work for us and we appreciate what you are doing. We honor you today." Happy Labor Day.

Reflection on the First Day of School

2011-09-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

Every year I spend the first day of school visiting our 7 school sites and entering most classrooms to see and join in the lessons. My reflections are then put into a free verse poem (or as close to a poem as I'll ever get). This year's reflection is entitled, "Life Is Good in Ripon." With apologies to William Shakespeare and all other real poets, here goes...

The predicted fog failed to show up for the first day of school,

So bus drivers were happy.

And smiling students filled classrooms of enthusiastic teachers,

So parents were happy.

Our preschoolers were practicing their colors at RCLC

In an exciting music and dance activity.

Meanwhile, for my visit to Pickett it was all about slides, merry-go-rounds, and swings

As children enjoyed their first preschool recess.

Barlow students were learning their daily lunch card routines,

And busy organizing desks, learning rules, and practicing line formations.

Kindergarteners and their parents gasped at their voluminous lockers

As they kept snapping those heirloom first-day photos.

Quest students were easily recognized

By the white paint on their hands and clothes from their fence picket-painting project.

Murray Park students enjoyed art classes and setting up their own netbooks

While third graders learned about lunchroom procedures—including composting.

It was drill baby drill at RMS—

Safety drills, that is.

And people bingo, personal posters,

And the joy of receiving brand new math textbooks.

RHS was safely locked with a new photo and buzzer entry system

That protected a constant blur of rules, regs, and foreign language immersion.

And Lumen team-building activities (complete with ice cream sandwiches)

While over at Crossroads students had plunged right into their projects.

Everywhere in the district

The scene was the same.

Kids getting back into the groove

Of attending engaging classes delivered by skilled teachers.

I even heard that students and teachers are coming back tomorrow…

Which is another sign that life is good in Ripon.

Perseverance

2011-08-30T21:21:00.000-05:00

Education is all about learning something new--and perseverance during the process of learning. By both the teacher and the student. Very seldom does teaching or learning come easily. More often it requires multiple attempts and a bit of frustration. It is not for the faint of heart. Yet, people are constantly learning from others who are teaching them, much of it taking place outside of a school or classroom.

Take me and this blog, for example. Through informal communication a colleague suggested that I install a gadget that lets me know if anyone is reading this blog. A link to Feedjit was provided. Thankful to be learning about this cool technological tool, I dutifully visited the Feedjit site and followed the steps for installation. But, alas, the result was disappointing because the gadget didn't show up on my blog. I tried messing around with it, but to no avail. Human error, no doubt. And a bit of frustration to this novice blogger, for sure.

This is where the rubber hits the road in education. Today my colleague, in the course of informal conversation, asked me about the Feedjit tip. I explained that I was unable to get the darn thing installed. My colleague--being a persistent teacher--encouraged me to uninstall and repeat the installation. Bolstered by my colleague's words of encouragement, I tried again. And, lo and behold, it worked. Hello Feedjit. Good-bye frustration.

Perseverance--by the teacher and by the learner--paid off. Whether it is a child learner or an adult learner. Whether it is in the classroom or outside the classroom. Whether it is a formal subject or just one of life's activities. Wherever learning is taking place, perseverance is a crucial ingredient for success in those 99% of situations where teaching and/or learning just don't come easily. And success is what makes learning satisfying and fun.

Now, all we have to do is teach our kids that perseverance will result in satisfaction and fun. Thanks to my colleague for helping me recapture that wonderful feeling.

Back from Summer

2011-08-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

Faculty and staff reported this morning after a fleeting summer break. Anyone who has any doubts about the focus and commitment of our teachers and aides should have been present at any of Ripon's schools this morning. I stopped by faculty meetings at each of the schools and felt tremendously proud as I watched our educators jump right into the business at hand of making this year a successful one for all of our students. Many had attended workshops, read books, or taken courses this summer in search of new and more effective strategies for themselves and their schools. By the looks of what I saw and heard this morning, we're in for a great school year in Ripon!

Staff Report Tomorrow

2011-08-28T22:54:00.000-05:00

Summer is now officially over for our teachers and school-year support staff. That's because all faculty and staff report tomorrow for the 2011-12 school year. New teachers and their mentors have been back all week as part of the new teacher orientation program. (Administrators, of course, have been working all summer. As have our hard-working custodians and full-year clerical staff.)

But tomorrow everyone else comes back. Summer is an important time for teachers and students to get refreshed and rejuvenated. To clear their heads, so to speak, so they can then refocus on their learning. Besides, lots of learning takes place outside of the classroom during summer vacation. From summer school to camps to jobs to family trips, students learn lots about life during their time away from school.

Our job begins on September 1 when we add more learning experiences to the lives of our students so they continue to grow into the successful people we want them to be. This is what we educators live for. September 1 is the first day of a great school year.

Health Services

2011-08-27T23:21:00.000-05:00

The latest SupeTalk video blog was recently posted to the District website as part of our continuing effort to provide many communication formats to fit a variety of preferences. The topic of this month's SupeTalk is the District's Health Office services coordinated by Mary Lyke, our school nurse. I hope you take a few minutes to watch it.

The truth of the matter is that the increasing number of students from lower income households who lack necessary health services combined with the greater awareness that we have of many previously unknown health issues have made the health offices in our schools much busier places than they were just a few years ago. Since student safety is our number one priority, and health issues are intertwined with safety issues, schools are now much more involved in student health than ever before. This is neither a matter of right or wrong, or what we should or shouldn't be doing. Rather, it is a matter of what needs to be done if we are serious about helping every child reach his/her potential as a learner.

Nearly 70 years ago Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, first wrote about what has become known as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. In a nutshell, Maslow said that humans require their basic needs--such as food and shelter-- to be met before they are open to becoming involved in higher level activities--such as friendship, achievement, or problem solving. In other words, students who have an earache will not be able to focus on learning. Schools intent on having students learn must first deal with the earache. The same is true of any other health issue that would keep a student from concentrating on lessons in the classroom. (Hunger is another example.)

Maslow would approve of our busy health offices. That's because our health offices help students with basic needs so that learning can proceed without distractions. Besides, healthier children are what we all want. Healthier, safer, and smarter. They go hand in hand. While some folks might look at school health offices as an optional extra, we realize that health offices are a critical component of Ripon's high student achievement record. Thanks to our health and office staff who care for all the students needing attention for health issues. These unsung school employees are playing a key role in the education of our children although few realize it.

Quest Garden Raising

2011-08-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

We've all heard the stories about old-fashioned barn raisings when all the friends, neighbors, and relatives of a farmer would join together to build a new barn in a remarkably short period of time because everyone was pitching in. The ABC television show, "Extreme Home Makeover," is based on this concept to have houses built in a week or two. I've never been involved in either of these types of activities, but it is obvious from that results that amazing things happen when people come together to build something they believe in.

This evening about a hundred adults and children joined together in a "garden raising" project for Quest Elementary School. It was an awe-inspiring event to see everyone working together to build the raised beds next to the greenhouse, fill them with dirt, and encircle the area with the rails and posts for a picket fence. All in an evening!

Quest students spent the time shoveling a huge pile of dirt into a variety of containers--from wheelbarrows to ice cream buckets--that were then emptied into raised beds being built by a group of fathers, spouses of teachers, and interested individuals. Moms and siblings were working side-by-side with the Quest students. Teachers were busy directing the many helping hands, often while hoeing the dirt or spreading peat moss. Even preschoolers were busy helping older siblings with their small shovels and buckets. It was a remarkable sight.

Even though Quest has been in existence for only a year, it already has a rich tradition of bringing people together--families, teachers, community members--to engage in exciting learning activities that are the basis of its project-based learning (PBL) curriculum. This evening's "garden raising" added another touchstone activity that is building the culture of this charter school. It was fun to be part of the experience. And I can't wait to see what the Quest students will be growing in this garden built by a community for its children.

New Website

2011-08-24T22:39:00.000-05:00

Have you seen it? Isn't it cool? After more than a year of planning, the District's new website was unveiled at the August 22 school board meeting by Tony Spence, District Director of Technology. He and our webmaster, Sandy Wisneski (also a 6th grade teacher), have been devoting many hours and days to this project with our web developers. The result is a totally redesigned website that navigates easier for the user and contains more information in fewer clicks. Kudos to both of them for this outstanding new website!

The District received an award for outstanding website just four years ago, but we were already planning to develop a new website more than a year ago because the Information Age just moves that fast. Due to all the other technology projects last summer--such as a new email system, the high school's 1-to-1 project, new VOIP phones, and new wiring and switches to support those initiatives--the website redesign was halted until the dust settled. A year later, with dust still swirling because that's how it is with technology these days, we leaped into the development of a new website because it simply couldn't be delayed any longer.

The independent communications audit told us that you--and lots of people like you--depend on our website as a primary source of information about your public schools. It is our responsibility, then, to provide you with a website that is current and capable of doing what you expect from a website. Simply put, teaching our students to use technology and telling our parents to use our Internet resources requires us to stay current. So that's what we're doing.

I hope you like the new design. It will be populated by more photos and information in the coming weeks and months as part of the transition process. Speaking of photos, we've designed the website to feature more faces and activities of our students and teachers in action because all the words in the world can't convey the excitement and delight of learning that is shared many times each day in our schools. While you can't be in the classroom yourself, we hope to include you on these magical experiences by using more photos so you can see for yourself the wonderful work being done each day by our dedicated teachers.

Do you have any comments about our new website? We welcome your suggestions because our website is here to serve you. While our resources are limited, we will do what we can to make improvements for you. So, don't be bashful--let us know of any ideas you may have for improvements. After all, education is all about improvement.

A New School Year

2011-08-23T23:05:00.000-05:00

The 2011-12 school year began today. The last summer school board meeting was last night, and our new teachers reported and began their orientation activities this morning. We have a few days to get our new teachers settled before all staff return next week. And what a wonderful group of new teachers we have. They are bringing such a varied wealth of experiences to our schools and our students.

This is the first job for some of our new teachers. We also have a 36-year veteran from another school district who is coming out of retirement to teach in Ripon. And another is making a mid-year career change after being a paralegal for many years. One teacher has taught in India. Another has just finished teaching for nine years in Colorado, while another served on a World Health Organization delegation to China for a mission on traumatic brain injury. And don't forget that one of our new teachers was not only an Academic All-American and captain of the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball team, but he has also been selected to the USA Pan-American Wheelchair Basketball Team that will compete in Mexico in a few months as part of the preparation for the 2012 Para-Olympics.

Each one of these new teachers has an interesting and inspiring personal story that he/she will bring into his/her classroom. How exciting for our students. What a special opportunity for Ripon kids to learn from teachers who have been engaged in interesting pursuits around the world. How can anyone not be smiling and excited about a new school year with a fresh crop of new hires like this?