As I look out the window of my office right now, I see nine buses rolling in from the elementary and parking in front of the MS/HS building. After watching the video on last night's news of the SE Polk bus that caught on fire with students on board the first day of school, I recognize once again what an important role our transportation department and drivers play in the safety of our children.
Because of the geographical nature of our district, we transport three-fourths of our students--almost 600--every day. We take that responsibility very seriously. Every fall, our students are involved in drills on exiting the bus in case of an emergency. This past spring, the board of education supported the recommendation to require all drivers to pass a physical fitness test. Our buses and vehicles are well maintained and pass rigorous safety tests each year, and a rotation of bus/vehicle replacement is part of the district's long-term financial planning. Furthermore, Jimmy and Kelly Hummel attend training provided by the Department of Education each summer to ensure that they are up to date on the most recent regulations and safety standards.
It was gratifying to hear students of SE Polk talk on the news about the training they had received each year and the confidence they had in both their driver and in knowing exactly what to do in such an emergency.
I am confident our students would respond the same way, knowing what I do about the professionalism, capabilities, and dedication to safety of all those responsible for transporting our students to and from school each day.
If given the opportunity, please consider thanking your bus driver or Jimmy and Kelly for all they do to keep our students safe.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
One Perspective of Iowa's Education Summit
I was fortunate to attend the Education Summit on July 25 and 26, along with Bryice Wilke, board president. I was impressed with both the diversity and quality of presenters at the summit. Educational experts from as far away as Finland, New Zealand, and Canada were speakers for keynote addresses and several breakout sessions. Researchers, politicians, teachers, administrators, and business leaders added their voices to the conversation. While differing on a few areas, their messages had much in common.
Here are a few common themes that emerged from the summit:
1) We must develop a culture of continuous improvement rather than rest on our standing as the nation's education leader from the past. Simply put, Iowa has lost its standing as #1 in education--we are now in the middle of the pack. Other states have caught up by focusing on clear achievement targets at the state level.
2) We must give up the illusion of "local control" when it comes to what we expect students to know, understand, and be able to do. States that have made the greatest gains have established rigorous standards and criteria at the state level to provide clear guidance on what should be taught and assessed.
3) We must shift from mostly teaching facts and content, to ensuring that students can think critically and truly understand the concepts. There simply is too much content to teach in school--we need to teach students how to access, evaluate, and use information from a wide variety of sources. Students need to understand the concepts that hook the facts together, and see the relevance to the world and to themselves.
4) Students must become more active participants in their own learning, using a hands-on, minds-on approach to learning. Too often students are passive participants in the classroom, with teachers doing the "heavy lifting". If teachers are working and thinking harder in the classroom than students, something must change. The role of the teacher must shift from "sage on stage" to "guide on the side".
5) Teachers must be given much more time each week collaborate as they develop a rigorous and aligned curriculum. Teachers working in isolation in their classrooms has not and will not lead to significant improvements in student achievement.
6) We must find richer, more meaningful assessments that measure students' abilities to think, reason, and demonstrate their understanding of the concepts being taught. The current multiple choice state tests Iowa uses are not aligned with the National Assessments of Educational Progress (NAEP) used to measure students' learning at the national level. They have outlived their usefulness. Most states have developed these types of assessments--Iowa must do the same.
7) Iowa must provide adequate resources for early childhood learning. The research is very clear--funding spent in quality educational opportunies prior to Kindergarten pays off throughout a student's entire life.
8) We must create a pre-service education system and compensation approach for teachers and administrators that attracts, develops, and retains the most highly effective educators in classrooms and school buildings.
In the next couple of months, the Department of Education and the governor's office will be using information from the summit and from conversations with Iowa's citizens to establish a plan for next steps for Iowa.
While I often question the motives and final outcome once politicians get involved in telling educators how to do their jobs, nevertheless I am hopeful that Iowa can muster the courage and commitment to create a strong vision and clear plan for education, using the research and insights of those involved in the Education Summit this summer.
Our students deserve the best education system in the nation, and I truly believe Iowa's educators are capable of providing it. Stay tuned!
From an eternal optimist,
Kathy Elliott
Here are a few common themes that emerged from the summit:
1) We must develop a culture of continuous improvement rather than rest on our standing as the nation's education leader from the past. Simply put, Iowa has lost its standing as #1 in education--we are now in the middle of the pack. Other states have caught up by focusing on clear achievement targets at the state level.
2) We must give up the illusion of "local control" when it comes to what we expect students to know, understand, and be able to do. States that have made the greatest gains have established rigorous standards and criteria at the state level to provide clear guidance on what should be taught and assessed.
3) We must shift from mostly teaching facts and content, to ensuring that students can think critically and truly understand the concepts. There simply is too much content to teach in school--we need to teach students how to access, evaluate, and use information from a wide variety of sources. Students need to understand the concepts that hook the facts together, and see the relevance to the world and to themselves.
4) Students must become more active participants in their own learning, using a hands-on, minds-on approach to learning. Too often students are passive participants in the classroom, with teachers doing the "heavy lifting". If teachers are working and thinking harder in the classroom than students, something must change. The role of the teacher must shift from "sage on stage" to "guide on the side".
5) Teachers must be given much more time each week collaborate as they develop a rigorous and aligned curriculum. Teachers working in isolation in their classrooms has not and will not lead to significant improvements in student achievement.
6) We must find richer, more meaningful assessments that measure students' abilities to think, reason, and demonstrate their understanding of the concepts being taught. The current multiple choice state tests Iowa uses are not aligned with the National Assessments of Educational Progress (NAEP) used to measure students' learning at the national level. They have outlived their usefulness. Most states have developed these types of assessments--Iowa must do the same.
7) Iowa must provide adequate resources for early childhood learning. The research is very clear--funding spent in quality educational opportunies prior to Kindergarten pays off throughout a student's entire life.
8) We must create a pre-service education system and compensation approach for teachers and administrators that attracts, develops, and retains the most highly effective educators in classrooms and school buildings.
In the next couple of months, the Department of Education and the governor's office will be using information from the summit and from conversations with Iowa's citizens to establish a plan for next steps for Iowa.
While I often question the motives and final outcome once politicians get involved in telling educators how to do their jobs, nevertheless I am hopeful that Iowa can muster the courage and commitment to create a strong vision and clear plan for education, using the research and insights of those involved in the Education Summit this summer.
Our students deserve the best education system in the nation, and I truly believe Iowa's educators are capable of providing it. Stay tuned!
From an eternal optimist,
Kathy Elliott
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