Lessons Learned in the Middle

Why Gold?

2012-01-31T11:23:00.000-05:00

Dam...Amazing!

2012-01-30T16:00:00.000-05:00

South Korean Science Teachers Visit WLMS and other Maryland Schools

2012-01-29T10:50:00.000-05:00

Wilde Lake Middle is very excited to be hosting two visiting science teachers from South Korea this coming week. Mrs. Rathmann and Ms. Drakes will be hosting two science teachers and sharing American "best practices" used in middle school science classrooms as well as their additional professional responsibilities that they perform that go beyond their daily teaching assignments. It promises to be a most exciting and informative interaction for all of us.

The two South Korean teachers, who will be at WLMS on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, are part of a delegation of 86 science teachers who arrived here in the Baltimore area from South Korea at the beginning of January. The South Korean educators have been receiving professional development coordinated by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) at the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus (UMBC) and sponsored by the South Korean government. As a part of this new program. the teachers will have the opportunity to visit select public schools to see how the research they have been studying at UMBC is put into practice.

In South Korea, the month of January is a time when students have a break from school and teachers are encouraged to participate in professional development. As many of you know, I had the privilege of going to South Korea two years ago and learn more about the way they educate their children. I was impressed with how committed their leaders are to help their teachers continue to learn from each other and from educators from around the world. This is just one example of how the South Korean government invests in their teachers to ensure their students are receiving the best education possible.

As a celebration of this program, Mrs. Rathmann, Ms. Drakes and I have been invited to attend a reception sponsored by the NSTA at the Maryland Science Center on Monday evening. Each delegation participant and their hosts at each school have been invited to attend this event. We are looking forward to meeting our visitors and sharing our school with them. We believe this exchange will be very beneficial for all involved.

Words of Wisdom from Mark Cuban

2012-01-29T09:45:00.000-05:00

“I thought this was appropriate to start the new year.

We all have the tendency to believe that we are living in a very advanced technological period. We get all excited about the new tech we got at Xmas and what we read about that will soon be available to us. In reality, everything we are excited about today is going to be incredibly old and boring much faster than we ever expect.

No matter what year you were born, by the time you finish(ed) high school, its (was) a completely different world. Today’s high school seniors were born prior to the World Wide Web, wireless internet, smartphones,tablets, HDTVs and changes in world politics that were never imagined. Without question each of us can remember the things that were new and exciting to us when we were kids, that were unimaginable to our parents, but are now nothing more than old memories.

The rate of technological change is not slowing down. In fact, the argument could be made that it is speeding up. In our lifetimes, we will reach a point when we reflect back on the good old days of the internet, Facebook, Twitter and other tech that is ubiquitous today. We might even look back at digital the way we currently look at analog. Things change.

Of course, this isn’t a problem. It’s a huge opportunity. There is that 12 year old that is imagining what we can’t. Another that is combining elements into something new we should have seen, but did not. It reminds me of one of my favorite sayings. “If you are looking where everyone else is for the next big thing, you are looking in the wrong place”

The reality is, None of us are born in to the world we live in.”

Source: Mark Cuban's Blog

Principals Support the Middle School Program of Study

2012-01-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday evening at the Howard County Board of Education meeting, I had the privilege of speaking on behalf of my 18 middle school principal colleagues to share our commitment to implement the changes that are being recommended to the Middle School Program of Study here in our school system. To see video from this meeting, click here http://hcpsstv.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=782

Below is the statement that I read at the meeting. I want to thank Ms. McKinley (MVMS), Ms. Dillon (PMS) and Mr. Dickey (MHMS) for helping me on Thursday. I would also like to thank Ms. Wise and Mr. Ryan for providing the opportunity for the principals' voices to be heard.

A unified statement from the Middle School Principals of Howard County

Dr. Cousin and distinguished Board Members,

It is my distinct honor andprivilege to speak on behalf of my talented, middle school principal colleaguestonight. …

We come tonight united in supportof the proposed Middle School Program of Study. With literally hundreds of years of combined experience ineducation, we are committed to the recommendations and ….

We believe that we are at a Turning Point for Middle LevelEducation in Howard County…

In the next few minutes, you havean opportunity to take a bold, proactive step to ensure that both students andstaff will be prepared for the third wave of educational reform here inMaryland. As you know, two shortyears from now, middle level educators will be charged with the responsibilityof implementing new curriculum, preparing students for the rigorous PARCC assessments,and engaging in a new evaluation system for teachers and administrators. The clock is already ticking and wecannot emphasize enough the degree to which these new imperatives, born from thewide-sweeping reforms we are facing, will impact our students and our schools.

We believe the proposal before you willenhance the educational experience for thousands of middle school students inHoward County next year and in the decade to come. Your decision represents anopportunity to:

Increase instructional time;
Make the critical shift from teaching readingskills in isolation to incorporating literacy into every content area;
Provide the opportunity for World Language tobegin in the 6^th grade;
Provide year long physical education for allstudents; and,
Implement the Common Core in a way that is both alignedwith the looming assessments and supports student achievement and college andcareer readiness.
Continue to provide direct reading instruction to students who are below grade-level.

We believe it is critical that allHoward County Middle Schools begin implementing the new Middle School Programof Study for the 2012/13 school year in order to ensure that all students andstaff are prepared by the 2014 demands.

We acknowledge that change is difficultand established practices are hard to release. In order to evolve to meet these challenges, it is necessaryto take bold actions. We are keenly aware that we will need to continue to workcollaboratively with staff, parents, and students to ensure successfulimplementation. We look forward to providing leadership as we begin thisimportant transition.

Tonight, you can put into motion thenecessary change that will enable the educational professionals at the middlelevel to continue to provide excellence in teaching and learning for thestudents of the Howard County Public School System.

I leave you with the followingquote from Isaac Asimov:

“It is change, continuing change,inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensibledecision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the worldas it is, but the world as it will be.”

As middle level leaders, as youmake this decision, we ask you to consider the future challenges our staff andstudents are already in the midst of navigating. We respectfully ask that you consider the world as it willbe from this point forward.

I ask that my middle schoolprincipal colleagues stand and be recognized.

Respectfully submitted by:

Tom Saunders

So true...

2012-01-25T22:56:00.000-05:00

Source: Mike Smith's Principal Blog.

Maryland schools ranked number one — again

2012-01-24T22:50:00.000-05:00

By Michael Alison Chandler

Baltimore Sun

Maryland’s public school system achieved top-in-the-nation status for the fourth consecutive year, according to an analysis of state-by-state education policies and student achievement being released Thursday.

The state was given an overall grade of B-plus by Education Week, which publishes the annual report. The average grade for the nation was a C. Virginia came in fourth with a B. And the District came in 49th, just ahead of Nebraska and South Dakota, with an overall grade of C-minus.

The evaluation includes dozens of indicators of student achievement, academic standards and accountability, teacher quality and school finance.

“Maryland is an example of an all-around strong performer,” said Chris Swanson, a vice president at Editorial Projects in Education, which publishes Education Week. The state has improving test scores, state policies that support school improvement, and comparatively high graduation rates and participation on Advanced Placement tests.

Bernard J. Sadusky, Maryland’s interim state superintendent of schools, said the accolade is a compliment to the state’s teachers and local superintendents and says much about the governor’s and legislature’s commitment to education. Still, he said, Maryland has a lot of work to do to eliminate racial and socioeconomic disparities in school performance.

A closer look at how Maryland fared in various parts of the evaluation showed strong performance overall. For example, Maryland was among the top 10 states in improving its overall scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, otherwise known as the Nation’s Report Card, between 2003 and 2011.

On the reading test, 40 percent of eighth-grade students scored proficient or advanced on the 2011 test, giving the state a seventh place ranking. (Maryland and the nation still have a lot of room to improve).

But the so-called “poverty gap,” or the difference in scores between those eligible for free lunches and those not eligible, was much less favorable.

The 27-point difference in scores was about the national average. Thirty-seven states had a narrower gap.
Forty percent of eighth-grade students in Maryland also scored proficient or advanced on the math test, putting the state in 13th place.

But the 32-point “poverty gap” in scores was significantly higher than the 26-point national average. Maryland came in second-to-last.

WLMS's Emerging Young Leaders Program Honored

2012-01-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks to our partnership with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, several WLMS young women are participating in an after school leadership development program called Emerging Young Leaders.
This signature program of the AKA Sorority is designed to provide connections between accomplished AKA sisters and middle school girls in their local communities. The goal of the program is to impact the lives of 10,000 girls here in the U.S. by providing leadership development, civic engagement, enhanced academic preparation and character building. According to the program's charter,

"The increasing demands of the twenty-first century mandate

our youth to be better leaders at a younger age making smart choices with positive consequences."

This past month, our Emerging Young Leaders had an opportunity to meet with State Delegate Bobo and County Council Members Dr. Ball and Mrs. Sigaty. Also, they presented to our Board of Education about how they are providing workshops to prevent bullying. Congratulations to these talented young women for helping to make our school and community a better place to learn and thrive. I also want to thank the AKA Sorority, and in particular, Mrs. Jean Lewis for doing such a great job mentoring and supporting our students!

For more information about this program, please contact jeanwlewis@verizon.net

Online Universities Follow on Twitter About Blog FAQs Articles Home Blog Jan 18, 2012 11 Surprising Factors That Determine Your Success in School

2012-01-23T17:58:00.000-05:00

You might think that success in school is directly related to IQ, but you’d only be partially right. While high intelligence can help make coursework, from kindergarten to college, easier to understand, it isn’t the only factor that goes into determining how well you’ll perform in school. There are a lot of other things, both intrinsic and extrinsic, that can affect your grades, ability to learn, and ultimately your success in high school and college alike. While you might expect that factors like socioeconomic status and home life would play a role, other factors that contribute to your success are much more surprising. Read on to learn about some of the less obvious influences that shape your success in school.

Social Relationships: From kindergarten on, your social relationships play a big part in how well and how much you learn, perhaps even more than you realize. One study found that strong kindergarten friendships reduced the amount of behavioral problems students have and improved their social skills through third grade, especially in boys. Other studies have discovered that changes in friendships during the often tumultuous adolescent years can signal whether a student will be successful academically or not down the road. Those who develop strong friendships with others who have behavior problems, even if they have good grades, are more likely to see a drop in their own performance. Your friendships may play a bigger role than you realize in your academic performance, even early on, so make sure you’re choosing your friends wisely!
Stress level: While stress can be a motivator to get things done, it can often also be an impediment to high academic performance. Studies on college students have found that stresses like finances, test pressure, depression, low-self esteem, and the dissolution of relationships (among others) can cause changes in eating habits, sleep, and difficulties adapting to new responsibilities. All of these changes, along with the stressors that caused them in the first place, were found to lower academic performance in many students. However, those with strong support systems were better able to cope and were more successful in their academics. In many cases courses on stress management helped students to stay on track with their educational goals, despite any outside stresses.
Curiosity: Curiosity might be dangerous for cats, but it’s essential for students who want to succeed in school. A study published in Perspectives in Psychological Science demonstrated that curiosity is actually a big part of academic performance and that it, and personality traits like it, may actually be more important than intelligence when it comes to achievement in school. Curiosity, when studied in about 50,000 students, was found to have as big of an impact on performance as more expected traits like hard work and conscientiousness. A great reminder to always embrace learning and trying new things.
EQ: While IQ does play a role in predicting academic success, a far more telling clue is EQ, or Emotional Intelligence. Researchers found that being successful in school takes more than smarts; it also takes strong competencies in social and emotional understanding. When K-12 students were put through a course that educated them on social and emotional learning, they were found to be much more successful in school and exhibited many more positive social behaviors than their peers who did not participate in the program. While social and emotional education isn’t a panacea for poor academic performance, it could help many students, young and old, to develop skills that will help them be better prepared to interact with others, work under stress, and complete course work.
Your family: It probably isn’t all that surprising, but your family plays a big role in shaping your attitudes towards school and your academic performance. Researchers studied over 800 students in Chicago and Beijing, discovering that youths who feel more responsible to their parents were more likely to stay engaged in school and perform better. Of course, it’s not just a matter of pleasing parents or fulfilling expectations. Family attitudes towards education, stability, and strong communication between parents and children can also have a deep and lasting impact on an individual’s success in school.
Confidence: Sometimes thinking you can do something is all you need to be able to actually do something, or that’s what some studies suggest. Researchers studying minority students found that many felt that they didn’t belong in college or had feelings of alienation, often leading to lower grades and even dropping out. The solution? A simple 60-minute exercise that helped them to build their confidence, gave them relatable experiences, and made them feel more at home on campus. The results were staggering, with 22% of the students in the program ending up in the top 25% of their class (as opposed to just 5% of students who didn’t participate). While the study focused on minorities, it could potentially be applied to any students who are struggling with school, proving that sometimes putting mind over matter is all it takes to succeed.
Class times: College students should beware when making their class schedules: class time may impact their success in a course. It sounds strange, but researchers have found that students who take classes that start later are more likely to stay up later and drink more, resulting in an accordant drop in grades. Delayed sleep also led to poorer sleep and more sleepiness throughout the day, which, as we’ll discuss, can also take a pretty big toll on grades. Oddly, the opposite is true of students in middle and high school, who were more likely to attend class and be in a better state of mind when classes were held later.
Fitness: If you think heading off to college is an excuse to stop working out or staying fit, then you might want to think again. Studies have shown that there is a relationship between physical activity and academic performance. Those who stay active are more likely to do better in school, perhaps because the activity increases oxygen flow to the brain and helps release endorphins which improve mood. Though physical activity itself has a positive effect, surprisingly students who play sports in high school may not see the same jump, as little correlation was found between playing organized sports and getting better grades. That said, any kind of athletic activity that gets students moving, relieves stress, and gets students in shape is probably a good thing.
Sleep: Few things are as closely correlated with success in school as sleep. Study after study demonstrates the need to get a solid night’s sleep if you want to improve or maintain your grades. Planning to pull an all-nighter to study? It’s not recommended. Those who pull all-nighters are more likely to have a lower GPA. Even more importantly, bad sleep habits have been shown to strongly correlate with lower grades in high school through college. Still not convinced? Yet another study demonstrated that elementary school children who don’t get enough sleep don’t perform as well academically as their peers. So regardless of age, getting enough sleep is an essential, though often overlooked, aspect of academic performance.
Successful college athletics: Is your college football team doing terribly this year? It may be for the best, when it comes to your grades, anyway. A study at the University of Oregon found that male students (and females, too, to a lesser extent) who don’t participate in sports are more likely to get caught up in the excitement of a winning team, increasing alcohol consumption and partying more. This was found to lead to a drop in GPA, which may have many students looking for schools that favor academics over athletics.
Health: If you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re probably not taking care of your grades either, studies suggest. Researchers have found that lack of sleep, excessive screen time, gambling, alcohol and tobacco use, and other health issues have a direct effect on academic performance. Those who engaged in these behaviors were more likely to be stressed, have mental health issues, and record lower GPAs. Researchers hope that the study will spur students to change some of their most unhealthy behaviors, perhaps raising their grades in the process.

A Tsunami of Reform! The Impact of Common Core on the Middle School Program of Study

2012-01-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday evening, I had the opportunity to help make the case for a change to the current Howard County Middle School Program of Study. This change is needed in large part to prepare for the new Common Core curricular demands.

Along with several central office administrators and school principals, we shared the need for changes to be made to the current Middle School Program of Study. We are advocating for the following:

Infuse literacyinstruction into all courses as appropriate.
Require readinginstruction only for students who need it.
Provide systemicinterventions/seminars for below level students.
Provide opportunitiesfor students to participate in Inquiry andInnovation Modules which promote both STEM and disciplinary literacy.
Offer world languages to 6th graders.
Offer seven 50-minute instructional periods.
Increaseinstructional time for math, English, science, and social studies
Provide physical education all year.

Not surprisingly, there are critics to this plan. Most of the criticism is around the curricular decision to remove the long-standing requirement that all students take a stand-alone reading class each year. In fact, based on Maryland School Assessment data, Howard County's reading program has been a huge success in large part to the dedication and commitment of the reading staff at each school and central office personnel! So, the obvious question is, "Why change something that has been so successful?" Simply stated, when Maryland agreed to adopt the new Common Core and accept Race to the Top federal grant monies, they put in motion the "Third Wave of Maryland School Reform." Or what I like to say,

Maryland's Tsunami of school reform!

The new curricular demands of the Common Core will expect proficient and advanced readers to come to middle school equipped with the fundamental reading skills and the ability to begin the process of "reading to learn" through the vehicle of disciplinary literacy. This process is best accomplished by a content specialist using authentic content and not in a class where reading skills are taught in isolation. However, it is recognized that students who are below grade level or have significant reading weaknesses will continue to receive customized reading support through their participation in a daily reading intervention class.

Another concern that critics have raised about this proposal is whether all teachers should have a Program Implementation Period in addition to their 50 minute personal planning period. Currently, all middle school staff have a 50 minute personal planning period and a 50 minute administrative duty period (in the new proposal this would be called a Program Implementation Period). During the Program Implementation Period, teachers will continue to be assigned to do instructional collaboration, analysis ofdata, development of assessments, enhancement of parent communication, oradministrative tasks such as lunch duty. Under the new proposal, Related Arts teachers (Art, Music, PE, Health Education, Family and Consumer Science and Technology Education) would not have a Program Implementation Period and instead teach their specialty area six out of the seven periods daily. As a trade off, Related Arts teachers would not be required to do the duties that are required for those teachers who have a PIP. While I truly understand how this may seem to be unfair at first glance, there are two considerations that made up this decision. First, the plan was supposed to be cost neutral due to current budgetary realities. Second, we believe that Related Arts teachers are the best people to teach their content to students. In order for students to be exposed to the content specialists' expertise in the arts or technical subjects, these teachers would be needed to teach the same load that they currently have.

While these concerns are legitimate, as principals and curriculum specialists we have to prepare to move our students up the hill of higher expectations and achievement in order to be prepared for the Common Core tsunami that is imminent. It is irresponsible for us not to act now when we know a major wave of change is approaching. It is critical that we prepare our teachers, students and communities for this new reality. We must align with the new expectations and evaluation tools that will be used for both staff and students.

Consider this - Over the next two years, Maryland teachers and principals will be evaluated using a new evaluation system. Approximately 50% of that evaluation will be based on how well students perform on annual Core Curriculum tests. Further, a new curriculum will need to be learned and implemented. Can we afford to wait and do all of these changes in the same year? I don't think it is responsible to think we can.

I look forward to seeing what our Board of Education decides to do on January 26th when they are scheduled to vote. I believe they are still taking public comment at boe@hcpss.org. This is not an easy decision to make. However, it will be one of the most important decisions this Board makes about middle level education here in Howard County. This vote will set the direction middle schools will take over the next decade. This past Thursday evening, I truly appreciated and was impressed by each Board Member's questions and sincere interest in learning about the complexities of this issue. I am confident that they will come to the right decision for our students and staff.

To see the work session, click here http://hcpsstv.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=6

What do you think?

Look what happens in just one minute!

2012-01-10T20:23:00.002-05:00

Happy Moo Year!

2012-01-05T22:09:00.007-05:00

Oops...Happy New Year!

As I shared with my staff,

There's just no substitute for the real thing!

Please stay healthy and avoid missing work as we prepare our students

to take the Maryland School Assessments this year.

We need some STEAM!

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

As states and local school districts "race" to reorganize to address the latest reform efforts outlined in the Race to the Top legislation, it is critical that we maintain the opportunity for all students to discover the arts, develop individual talents and gain an appreciation for the talents of others each and every year they are in school.

Thus, STEAM! What is STEAM?

STEAM = Science & Technology interpreted through

Engineering & the Arts, all based in Mathematical elements.

(Georgette Yakman)

This framework is engaging, hands-on and reality-based with many extensions to draw education, industry, government and the community together for the common good of bettering public education for all while meeting national educational and STEM related goals.

As President Obama reminded us in last year's State of the Union Address,

“We need to teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to

be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair.”

I would like to add to his powerful statement...we also need to celebrate those students who show promise in the areas of music, art, physical fitness, creativity and innovation. After all, we want our students to be energized and motivated to pursue careers that will advance our society, while at the same time, developing healthy and creative pursuits that provide pleasure, happiness and satisfaction for a lifetime of learning.

STEAM helps to focus educators on the importance of developing in each child the imaginative, creative and critical thinking skills essential for a lifetime of learning and growing as students mature. We can't just teach short-term, basic skills that don't promote problem-solving and the process for creating original ideas and/or products.

After all, Sam Parker highlights in his 212 Degrees...The Extra Degree that:

"At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes STEAM.

And with STEAM, you can power a train."

Just imagine what STEAM could do for our students!

Proposed World Calendar

2012-01-02T09:48:00.000-05:00

Proposed calendar would make it same exact day,next year

By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

Each year,January 1 falls on a different day of the week, and the entire following yearshifts accordingly. Schools, sports teams, businesses and banks spend manyhours and millions of dollars calculating on what day of the week certain dateswill fall, to schedule holidays and set interest rates.

It doesn'tneed to be that complicated, say an astrophysicist and an applied economist at Johns HopkinsUniversity in Baltimore. They have a proposal to make schedules simpler: apermanent calendar in which each 12-month period is exactly as the year before,on into perpetuity.

The extra dayscreated by the Earth's inconvenient 365.242-day orbit around the sun would bedealt with not by adding February 29 for leap years, but by a leap week tackedonto the calendar at the end of December every five to six years.

"It wouldsimplify things enormously," says Richard Conn Henry, the professor ofapplied physics at Johns Hopkins who first proposed the idea in 2004. This pastyear he began to discuss the idea further with a colleague, Steve Hanke,a Johns Hopkins economics professor.

The result isthe Hanke-Henry Permanent Calendar, which they proposed in December. In it,March, June, September and December would have 31 days, all the rest 30.Christmas would always fall on a Sunday. Halloween would become October 30 andalways fall on a Monday.

Hanke, who hashelped seven countries introduce new currencies, estimates the change couldsave "roughly $130 billion" merely by decreasing the chance ofinterest-calculation errors resulting from incorrectly counting the number ofdays in a given month.

There havebeen multiple proposals to change the calendar since the world began to shiftfrom the Julian to the Gregorian calendar starting in 1582.

Most sufferfrom what Henry calls "the Sabbath problem." Many religions requirepeople to labor for six days but keep the seventh holy. Proposed calendars thatbreak up the seven-day cycle destroy the count, meaning people could end upworking on a day they should devote to spiritual matters. "That'sunacceptable to millions of believers," Henry says. "You can't skip aday because then you're off kilter."

But there arethose who disagree with this idea. Most people actually like having birthdays,holidays and sporting events move around, says David Finkleman, anastro-dynamicist at the Center for Space Standards and Innovation in ColoradoSprings. Aside from that, creating a permanent calendar is"impossible," he says.

The problem isthat the period it takes the Earth to rotate on its axis (a day) and around thesun (a year) changes all the time and the change isn't predictable.

Even moreconfounding, none of the periods divides evenly into another, he says.

"The Lorddidn't put things together synchronously," Finkleman says.

As long as SNOW days are still included...

I think it would be an interesting idea to try...what do you think?

My Favorite Middle Schooler's New Year's Resolution

2012-01-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

http://img.webmd.com

This morning, my daughter asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I thought for awhile and then I asked her to write something for my blog. Here is my gift... wow...I am so impressed by her intelligence and wit (She takes after her mother!)...I hope you are, too. Love you Cassie!

A Middle Schooler's New Year's Resolution

My dad asked me to write a blog for him as abirthday gift… this week he turns even older! Here it is…my New Year’s Resolution and my gift to my dad… from a Middle Schooler’sPerspective. He actually asked me to write 10 resolutions. 10! Really Dad?

I am a pretty great kid. I get good grades, do allof my homework without being asked, dance for a competitive team and help takecare of my little brother, plus I deal with all of my dad’s bad jokes. I mean,can you imagine being the kid of a middle school principal and a middle schoolcounselor? Ok, so my room isn’t always straight, but who’s perfect? So, since Ispread myself thin already, I came up with one resolution I think most middleschoolers would respect.

At my school, each “group” sits at certain tables –table 14 is the Nerds, table 6 is the Jocks, table 2 is the Goths, table 21 arethe class clowns, table 23, which is really the detention table, are the “BadBoys” or the “Gangsta’s” as they call themselves, although they have never beennear a city nor gang activity. And then there is my table, table 7, the “GoodieTwo-Shoes.” Tables come about bynatural evolution and political power. The presidential elections have nothingon middle school cliques, i.e. read table seating, and popularity. We have morepolls in middle school than the Iowa Caucus, polls that are conducted daily by gossip(for example texts, passed notes, emails, and of course face to faceconversation). Rumors are the fuel that keeps all students alert. And it isn’tjust important to know the most information about the events going on in theschool, but to know it first or have the most juicy details about the mostrecent tragedy. Really, at lunch, it is amazing that people eat given how muchgossip is spilling from their mouths!

I know teachers and parents are always telling us,“Don’t gossip,” “Don’t spread rumors,” etc, etc, etc. Urgh. I know it isn’tnice but you need to know your place in the 7^th grade world. Don’tyou want us to understand political boundaries for when we grow up? And isn’tthat somewhat the focus of political disagreements? Gossip and spread rumors about eachother? Misunderstandings that can turn friends into enemies?

Ok, back to my resolution! I resolve to try to notengage in gossip in any way for one whole school week. I will not text, email,discuss nor listen any information that would sounds remotely like a soapopera. But I want a resolution in return. I want the adults to stop talkingabout the kids, to stop listening to InsideEdition, shows like The RealHousewives of anywhere or even turn off the Nightly News when it evenstarts to hint at names like the Kardashians! I shouldn’t stop there, though,what about the political commercials that say such nasty things about theiropponents? Well, you get the idea.

I will do what the principals, counselors andteachers ask – stop gossiping and stop rumors for one whole week. But I wantyou to stop, too!

Happy Birthday! Love you Dad!

School Posters That Should Exist...

2011-12-29T10:35:00.000-05:00

Source: Michael Smith's Principal Blog

2011-12-25T08:25:00.000-05:00

A Letter From Santa

Written by Mike Gorman (http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/)

Dear Teachers,

I have been meaning to write this letter for a long time! It is a letter that I feel is long overdue and with the elves getting all ready for my long ride, I finally found the time! I have been watching teachers for many years and I am amazed at the work they do. I have come to a conclusion that the teaching profession, like my own, must be filled with bits of magic! Please let me provide ten statements of evidence for my belief.

1. I travel the world one night of the year visiting all the boys and girls of the world. The teaching profession works with every boy and girl all year long. This equates to each teacher fulfilling educational needs for 30 – 200 children each and every school day. Seems like magic to me!

2. I deliver presents to all the boys and girls. From my Toy Repair Shop statistics I find many of these gifts are broken or no longer garner a child’s interest within months! Yet teachers find inner gifts in every child. Teachers nurture these inner gifts until they develop into true presents that will last a lifetime. These kinds of gifts sure seem like magic to me!

3. I keep my naughty and nice list for every child. Some people believe this job is pretty amazing! Yet when I look at the teaching profession, teachers provide a constant evaluation of all their students! Their list covers all the aspects of developing and learning which they report to children’s parents and to the children themselves! This evaluation is based on a wide variety of observations, data, and student performance. Teachers will then use this list to help improve each and every student! Wow, keeping track of every student’s ability and prescribing ways to be successful must really be magic!

4. I leave presents to students who are on the nice list and who believe in me. Teachers work with all children because they believe in every student. Teachers continue to do so, even when students stop believing in the educational system’s ability to help them achieve. That type of persistence has got to be magic!

5. I have operated my workshop using the same technology for hundreds of years and it has worked for me. Then again, I work with children when they are asleep, delivering presents in my own way. Teachers work with children when they are awake and they have spent time learning how to engage children using googles, blogs, phlogs, glogs, prezis, and all these other words I really don’t know! Being able to teach, transform, and accommodate for this new digital generation must really be magic!

6. I have made it a practice to leave coal behind for children who do not make my good list! It seems every year the same children always get the coal. Teachers refuse to leave coal, in fact, they are working hard at leaving no child behind. To work towards a goal of leaving no child behind is a true act of magic!

7. I read the news and I am always so thankful to read all the nice articles about my work. It really does provide me with motivation to keep up my vocation. I read news articles about the education profession and it seems that most articles are unsupportive. Yet, teachers keep working hard at providing success for their students! These teachers must be operating on a little bit of magic!

8. I have thousands of elves, of course the reindeer, and the community of the entire North Pole to assist me. Teachers work every day, many times by themselves, as they provide new opportunities for their students! Carrying that load alone must be much heavier than my bag of toys. It must really be magic!

9. I receive many a thank you and millions of pictures of happy faces as children open their presents each year. Teachers don’t always get the thank yous, or may never see the present get eventually opened. When they do, appreciation may come from decades later! A thank you that appears after many years must be the result of pure magic!

10. I discovered a light in Rudolph brightens up a dark, foggy, or snowy night so that I can deliver joy to all the children across the world. Teachers provide the light that brightens our world in both the darkest night and brightest day! It is the light of learning and knowledge! The ability to keep that light burning bright must take a quite a bit of magic!

You see, I have found that magic does not come easily! It is made possible only by those who work hard and keep believing, and seek what they know is possible! As you can see, there must be a great deal of magic in the education profession! Please continue to keep this magic alive and know that you are all on my good list! After all, I had to learn all that I do from somewhere! So from across the years I know I have many teachers to thank! Last, to all teachers across the world… I really do believe in you!

Thanks for all the magic,

Santa

I hope you enjoyed this very special message from Santa. Please take a moment to share this letter with other educators across the world. It will truly help bring out the magic in our profession! Please accept my present to you, which is another year of postings by subscribing at 21centuryedtech. Feel free to follow me on Twitter (mjgormans).

Some Important Holiday Sites

2011-12-23T20:35:00.004-05:00

Also, you can see the reindeer before their big night...

Click Here:
http://reindeercam.com/

WLMS Pride! Former Graduates Make a Mark!

2011-12-18T13:58:00.000-05:00

Brothers create computer data sifter

By Carolyn Y. Johnson

Globe Staff

December 15, 2011

Photo Credit: Chie Yu Lin, courtesy of Pardis Sabeti

Brothers David, right, and Yakir, left, Reshef developed the new statistical tools under the guidance of professors from Harvard University and the Broad Institute.

It is an unusual starting point for a high-profile paper in a leading science journal: Two brothers, students a year apart at universities down the Charles River from one another, decide to work together on a summer project. The research unfolds through ideas scribbled on the walls of a laboratory, insights gained during downtime working as an emergency medical technician, and brainstorms shared at a fraternity house in Boston.

Yesterday, the influential journal Science published the fruits of that labor: the creation of a powerful computer program that rapidly flags patterns and identifies correlations in huge databases, from sports statistics to online social networks to the genomes being churned out by science laboratories.

While it is rare for two brothers in their mid-20s to share credit as the lead authors of a paper, the achievement demonstrates how creativity often arises from the back-and-forth of a team, in this case, David and Yakir Reshef, who have been collaborating since childhood.

“I think, in some sense, David and I have been roping each other into things for our entire lives,’’ said Yakir, 24 and a Fulbright scholar at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

The summer after his senior year at MIT, David began working with Pardis Sabeti, a biologist at the Broad Institute who had an interest in global health. David was developing an approach to sift through large, international health data sets, highlighting potential relationships between demographic information and the incidence of infectious diseases, such as cholera or HIV.

“We just wanted a simple way to figure out what was in the data sets,’’ said David, 25, who is pursuing a dual degree in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. “At first we thought we would go find some methods that existed. It turned out to be a much more complicated question to answer.’’

To read the entire article, click here: Boston Globe Article

As the amount of data that comes out of the lab increases, so does the time it takes to analyze it. Yakir Reshef and his brother David and have developed an algorithm that will allow researchers to comb through vast amounts of data to find results they may not have otherwise noticed.

WLMS Pride!

WLMS Students Train as Triathletes

2011-12-13T08:54:00.000-05:00

TriColumbia, the Mid-Atlantic’s premier endurance event production company, partnered with WLMS to provide triathlon instruction during physical education classes in an effort to educate students on the experience and lifestyle benefits of triathlon. The partnership was formalized with an official signing on September 28 at Wilde Lake Middle School in Columbia, Md. Above are pictures of our students beginning the training process.

Because of this partnership, 15 triathlon bikes have been donated to the school and our students have gained access to use the Columbia Aquatic Center to enhance their swimming skills. Thanks to TriColumbia for their support and to our amazing PE teachers Ms. Middleton and Mr. Tiffany!

Happy Holidays! Go Terps!

2011-12-12T21:12:00.000-05:00

Holiday Greetings from the University of Maryland! from University of Maryland on Vimeo.

The History of the Book

2011-12-12T08:48:00.000-05:00

WLMS Pride: Council Honors WLMS's Karen Stiller

2011-12-11T16:32:00.001-05:00

The Howard County Council honored WLMS math teacher, Karen Stiller this past Monday evening for being selected Maryland's Outstanding Mathematics Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics! I want to thank Council Member Mary Kay Sigaty and the entire Council for helping to make this special recognition possible for our amazing math teacher. Way to go Karen!

Project Based Learning Explained

2011-12-11T08:29:00.001-05:00

Restructuring Middle Schools in Howard County

2011-12-10T19:49:00.001-05:00

In 2010, Maryland was one of the first states to adopt the Common Core Standards in Mathematics and English Language Arts. As a result of this decision, major changes to the state's curricula and assessments are beginning to take shape. One of the biggest changes is the emphasis on disciplinary literacy.

What is Disciplinary Literacy?

Disciplinary Literacy is defined by
Shanahan and Shanahan (2008)
as advanced literacy instruction
embedded within content-areas.
Disciplinary Literacy instruction
engages learners with content in
ways that mirror what scientists
and mathematicians do to inquire
and gain understanding in their
disciplines.

Consequently, it has become important to review how Howard County middle schools are currently structured and determine whether changes are needed to to deliver the new state curricula for all of our students. This past week, a proposal was presented to the Board of Education that opens an important dialog about middle level education here in our community.

We know the Common Core Standards require students to be fluent thinkers, readers, and writers within the context of a variety of disciplines. Students will need to be able to read, analyze, and respond in writing to complex texts in a variety of subjects. This will require them to be familiar with the vocabulary, compositional style, and particularstructure of texts from all content subjects, as well as the larger perspectives, modes of thinking, and forms of evidence embodied in such texts. The demands of the standards will also be reflected on the new assessments, which will replace the MSA's during the 2014-2015 school year.

Currently, Howard County middle schools provide a stand alone reading class for all students. This practice has served our students very well for more than a decade. In fact, Howard County middle school students have ranked at the top or near the top in reading as assessed by the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) each and every year this state testing program has existed. However, the Common Core makes it necessary
to move away from teaching reading skills in isolation from content andtowards infusing literacy into all disciplines. In doing so, the program will move closer to providing students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they will need to be successful in highschool and in a variety of educational and career contexts.

While basic reading skills were a foundation of the MSA, the Common Core raises the bar and requires students to use higher level reading skills outlined in disciplinary literacy. Therefore, to help our students meet the rigorous demands of the new curriculum as well as the PARCC assessments which align to the standards, it is important that we restructure the middle school program of study here in Howard County. This includes the elimination of reading as a stand alone course and providing time for content teachers to begin to address the concepts found in disciplinary literacy.

As part of the restructuring, we hope to include world language classes for 6th graders, extending access to physical education, and providing additional assistance for students who need more instruction in mathematics and/or literacy. We will continue to provide direct reading supports for those students who are reading below grade level.

The time for change is now!

Source: Howard County Public Schools Middle School Report, 2011

An Amazing Kid!

2011-12-09T18:46:00.001-05:00

Inspiring-Bringing Light to the World: Isang Litrong Liwanag

2011-12-09T18:23:00.001-05:00

The New Technology of Story Telling

2011-11-27T08:40:00.001-05:00

US Secretary of Education Duncan Visits Wilde Lake High

2011-11-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity on Tuesday to meet Secretary Duncan and Alexa Posny, assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services, on a visit to Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md. During the visit, Duncan and Posny observed classrooms and joined in a discussion with students, parents and community members about the importance of inclusion and closing the achievement gap for students with disabilities. The discussion was facilitated by Patty Daley, director of special education from the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) and James LeMon, principal at Wilde Lake.

During the discussion, Duncan and Posny probed students with a variety of questions aimed at drilling down to the reasons why students at the high school have been so successful, with a particular focus on the tremendous gains that Wilde Lake has made in the achievement measures of its special education students. Secretary Duncan observed that the faculty here is “absolutely committed to making sure that every student fulfills their academic and social potential.” When Alexa asked the students on the panel what makes special education students so successful at Wilde Lake, one student shared that the cultural stigma of being a special ed student had been eliminated and declared that it had been taken over by the notion that, “I am a student!” We know that Wilde Lake takes this belief very seriously, as more than 90 percent of their students spend more than 80 percent of the school day in a general education setting.

Through the discussion, we learned that the staff at Wilde Lake, led by Principal LeMon and supported by Patty Daley, has taken extraordinary measures to establish and promote a culture of acceptance and individualized instruction within their school programming. They have taken purposeful steps to engage families in a meaningful way, even including them as stakeholders in professional development activities. The school community has a strong belief that each individual is a stakeholder. They routinely analyze student data, make instructional decisions based upon this data, and identify targeted interventions aimed both at supporting students who are falling behind and enriching those who need an extra push. They use research-based instructional practices to maximize the learning for all of their students, citing the use of Classroom Focused Improvement Process (http://www.blogger.com) as one example. This targeted, “laser” focus of both Wilde Lake and HCPSS, led by the district’s superintendent, Dr. Sydney Cousin, has enabled an effective mainstreaming environment for all students with disabilities, recognizing that they can and should succeed. They have developed an expectation that all students are self-advocates.

Assistant Secretary Posny noted in her opening remarks that, “There is a greater tragedy than being labeled as a slow learner, and that is being treated like one.” Students with disabilities at Wilde Lake are not treated like slow learners, but are treated as equal partners in education with the same expectations for success as their peers. Truly, the mantra “I am a student!” is a pervasive part of the culture, and in that regard Wilde Lake should be a model for all schools across the country. (Source: Greg Mullenholz, a Teaching Ambassador Fellow with the U.S. Department of Education.)

I am Thankful: A Principal's Top 10 List!

2011-11-24T07:44:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! I love its simple premise that we gather with the ones we love to give thanks for our many blessings. There’s no need to exchange gifts and few expectations beyond a properly cooked turkey, stuffing and a large enough TV to watch the football games. It is a day where we can focus on the people we love as we sit across from them and enjoy good conversation, laughter and a deliciously cooked meal. It is a wonderful opportunity for each of us to express how thankful we are for family, friends, and those we work with.

With this in mind, I wanted to thank the staff of Wilde Lake Middle School, the central office staff of the HCPSS, my McDaniel friends, my amazing wife, my incredible kids, my mom and dad and all of the wonderful people who read this blog whom I don't know. I am thankful for each of you and I am wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Here is my Principal TOP 10 List of what I am thankful for as

I head into the 2011 Thanksgiving Break.

I am thankful for:

11. High fives and pounds from students, the daily laughs in the front office, working out solutions to problems, and seeing growth in faculty while initiatives move forward.

10. WLMS parents who are overwhelmingly positive about what we do here and when they are critical, they do it kindly.

9. A staff full of professionals who not only work hard but are still hungry to learn more.

8. Our custodial crew for keeping our school looking so beautiful!

7. The new teachers who have entered our WLMS community and have brought new ideas and fresh energy.

6. The students who are generally responsible, respectful, ready, safe and eager to learn.

5. The WLMS Leadership Team who are able to give me advice and counsel with a perspective unlike any one else’s.

4. The front office staff here at WLMS. Need I say more?

3. The talented content team leaders (Lindsay, Brett, Emily, Laura and Lauren!)

2. The hard working and amazing grade level team leaders (Joanna, Jeanette and Damisha!)

1. Lisa, Ann and Michele for helping me each and everyday!

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, and, it is more than 10!

What would be on your top 10 list this year?

2011-11-22T20:56:00.000-05:00

Another Great Project: The Life of Leaf

2011-11-21T20:54:00.000-05:00

How About Better Parents

2011-11-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

NY Times OpEd
By Thomas L. Friedman

IN recent years, we’ve been treated to reams of op-ed articles about how we need better teachers in our public schools and, if only the teachers’ unions would go away, our kids would score like Singapore’s on the big international tests. There’s no question that a great teacher can make a huge difference in a student’s achievement, and we need to recruit, train and reward more such teachers. But here’s what some new studies are also showing: We need better parents. Parents more focused on their children’s education can also make a huge difference in a student’s achievement.

How do we know? Every three years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or O.E.C.D., conducts exams as part of the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, which tests 15-year-olds in the world’s leading industrialized nations on their reading comprehension and ability to use what they’ve learned in math and science to solve real problems — the most important skills for succeeding in college and life. America’s 15-year-olds have not been distinguishing themselves in the PISA exams compared with students in Singapore, Finland and Shanghai.

To better understand why some students thrive taking the PISA tests and others do not, Andreas Schleicher, who oversees the exams for the O.E.C.D., was encouraged by the O.E.C.D. countries to look beyond the classrooms. So starting with four countries in 2006, and then adding 14 more in 2009, the PISA team went to the parents of 5,000 students and interviewed them “about how they raised their kids and then compared that with the test results” for each of those years, Schleicher explained to me. Two weeks ago, the PISA team published the three main findings of its study: “Fifteen-year-old students whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents read with them infrequently or not at all. The performance advantage among students whose parents read to them in their early school years is evident regardless of the family’s socioeconomic background. Parents’ engagement with their 15-year-olds is strongly associated with better performance in PISA.”
Schleicher explained to me that “just asking your child how was their school day and showing genuine interest in the learning that they are doing can have the same impact as hours of private tutoring. It is something every parent can do, no matter what their education level or social background.”

For instance, the PISA study revealed that “students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child ‘every day or almost every day’ or ‘once or twice a week’ during the first year of primary school have markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents reported that they had read a book with their child ‘never or almost never’ or only ‘once or twice a month.’ On average, the score difference is 25 points, the equivalent of well over half a school year.”

Yes, students from more well-to-do households are more likely to have more involved parents. “However,” the PISA team found, “even when comparing students of similar socioeconomic backgrounds, those students whose parents regularly read books to them when they were in the first year of primary school score 14 points higher, on average, than students whose parents did not.”
The kind of parental involvement matters, as well. “For example,” the PISA study noted, “on average, the score point difference in reading that is associated with parental involvement is largest when parents read a book with their child, when they talk about things they have done during the day, and when they tell stories to their children.” The score point difference is smallest when parental involvement takes the form of simply playing with their children.

These PISA findings were echoed in a recent study by the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education, and written up by the center’s director, Patte Barth, in the latest issue of The American School Board Journal.

The study, called “Back to School: How parent involvement affects student achievement,” found something “somewhat surprising,” wrote Barth: “Parent involvement can take many forms, but only a few of them relate to higher student performance. Of those that work, parental actions that support children’s learning at home are most likely to have an impact on academic achievement at school.
“Monitoring homework; making sure children get to school; rewarding their efforts and talking up the idea of going to college. These parent actions are linked to better attendance, grades, test scores, and preparation for college,” Barth wrote. “The study found that getting parents involved with their children’s learning at home is a more powerful driver of achievement than parents attending P.T.A. and school board meetings, volunteering in classrooms, participating in fund-raising, and showing up at back-to-school nights.”

To be sure, there is no substitute for a good teacher. There is nothing more valuable than great classroom instruction. But let’s stop putting the whole burden on teachers. We also need better parents. Better parents can make every teacher more effective.

What are your thoughts?

Howard officials propose changes in middle school schedule

2011-11-20T22:04:00.000-05:00

The Howard County school system is considering major changes to its middle school class schedule that include discontinuing reading as a stand-alone subject for most students, school officials said.
In addition, the school day might be reduced from eight instruction periods to seven 50-minute periods, with physical education classes held every other day.

The proposed changes are part of the system's efforts to implement the common core curriculum, adopted by the Maryland State Board of Education last year for math and English language arts. The common core is a nationwide set of shared goals and expectations for students at each grade level.

To read more of this article, click here:
Howard officials propose changes in middle school schedule

A Great Project!

2011-11-20T20:52:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to our newest NJHS Inductees!

2011-11-19T09:07:00.001-05:00

This past Wednesday evening, we conducted our annual National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony. It was really a wonderful event. It is great to have an opportunity to celebrate the many talented young scholars we have here at WLMS. In addition, attendees had the opportunity to hear about all the great acts of service each inductee is doing to improve our community.

I want to thanks Ms. Baldwin and Mr. Merrills for organizing this event for our school and serving as the advisers for this amazing group of students.

Amazing Art Work at the Lake!

2011-11-19T08:36:00.001-05:00

What amazing artists we have here at WLMS!

A special thanks to Ms. Simpson for being such a great teacher and inspiring such wonderful artistic expressions from our students!

Teacher Pay Study Asks the Wrong Question, Ignores Facts, Insults Teachers

2011-11-19T08:19:00.001-05:00

As millions of Americans search for work, and millions more scrape by to make ends meet, researchers affiliated with two Washington think tanks -- the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation -- have recently announced a "finding" that defies common-sense: America's teachers are overpaid by more than 50 percent.

The new paper from Jason Richwine and Andrew Biggs fails on several levels. First, it asks the wrong question. Second, it ignores facts that conflict with its conclusions. Lastly, it insults teachers and demeans the profession.

Instead of asking whether teachers are overpaid, Richwine and Biggs should have asked what it would take to recruit and retain highly effective teachers for all students. Surveys show that many talented and committed young people are reluctant to enter teaching for the long haul because they think the profession is low-paying and not prestigious enough.

McKinsey & Co. did a study (PDF) last year comparing the U.S. to other countries and found that America's average current teacher salaries -- starting around $35,000 and topping out at an average of $65,000 -- were set far too low to attract and retain top talent.

The McKinsey report found that starting teacher salaries have not kept pace with other fields. In 1970, beginning New York City lawyers earned $2,000 more than first-year teachers. Today, a starting lawyer there can earn three or four times as much as a beginning teacher.

Money is not the reason that people enter teaching. But it is a reason why some talented people avoid teaching--or quit the profession when starting a family or buying a home. Other high-performing nations recruit teachers from the top third of college graduates. That must be our goal as well, and compensation is one critical factor. To encourage more top-caliber students to choose teaching, teachers should be paid a lot more, with starting salaries more in the range of $60,000 and potential earnings of as much as $150,000.

Great teachers stand at the summit of one of the hardest, most challenging, and most consequential professions for our children and the country's future economic prosperity. They deserve our respect and should be well-remunerated. Nevertheless, through tortured analysis, and in some instances a disregard of their own data, the authors of this new study reach a predictably contrary conclusion.

Traditionally, economists have analyzed teacher pay the same way they analyze pay in other professions--they have compared the pay of teachers to workers with similar education and work experience. Like many before them, Richwine and Biggs found that teachers did indeed receive lower pay than similarly educated workers -- almost 20 percent lower.

I agree that educational credentials are not the best measures of teacher effectiveness -- but the researchers go on to assert that teachers should not be compared to workers with similar educational credentials because teachers do not score as well on the Armed Forces Qualifications Test. Setting aside the fact that the AFQT does not measure teacher effectiveness, it is insulting and demeaning to argue that teachers are not smart enough to receive market compensation comparable to their peers based on the results of a test that most of them took as teenagers.

The researchers also ignored a chart in their own paper showing that teachers have similar overall benefit packages to private employees. Unhappy with those findings, they then exaggerated the value of teacher compensation by comparing the retirement benefits of the small minority of teachers who stay in the classroom for 30 years, rather than comparing the pension benefits for the typical teacher to their peers in other professions.

Finally, they appeared to create out of thin air an 8.6 percent "job security" salary premium for teachers -- despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of education jobs were lost in the recession and teachers continue to face layoffs.

By the end of this decade, more than half of America's 3.2 million teachers are expected to retire. That demographic shift presents a stiff challenge and a special opportunity. States, districts, and schools have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to modernize the teaching profession and expand the talent pool. But doing so will require dramatic change in the way we recruit, train, support, evaluate, and compensate teachers.

I agree with Richwine and Biggs on one point. If teachers are to be recognized and compensated as professionals, states and school districts must shift away from a blue-collar assembly line model of compensation--and do more to reward effectiveness and performance in the classroom. A performance-based compensation model will enable great teachers to earn more, justify higher salaries, and raise the stature of the profession.

Americans need and deserve an honest, open debate about the teaching profession, framed by evidence, not ideologically-tilted studies like this one. The debate in Washington today should be about how to judiciously invest in education. How can we best modernize schools with crumbling infrastructure so they can teach 21st century skills? How can we keep teachers in classrooms, instead of on unemployment lines? And yes--even when budgets are tight--how can we make teaching a more attractive career and elevate the profession?

The answer to these questions cannot be to cut teacher pay and put tens of thousands of teachers out of work. Even in a time of fiscal austerity, education is more than just an expense. It's an investment in the future.

Arne Duncan is the U.S. Secretary of Education

This post was updated on November 10, to more accurately reflect the authors of the study.

Secretary Duncan will be coming to Wilde Lake High School this week. I have been invited to attend a briefing that he will conduct this coming week. I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet him and hear the message he will deliver.

My Teacher Is an App!

2011-11-13T19:43:00.001-05:00

For more information about this subject, read the article by the Wall Street Journal reporters STEPHANIE BANCHERO and STEPHANIE SIMON. Click here: http://online.wsj.com/article

What do you think about this approach?

Respect Your Parents!

2011-11-09T08:35:00.000-05:00