As I mentioned in my previous post, I had the opportunity to meet with Brady Johnson. We met for about 2 hours on Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Johnson had contacted me a number of days ago and asked me to meet with him on his first official day as interim superintendent. I must say that it felt good to go from being shunned at the Central Office to being invited back. One of the first things Mr. Johnson did during the meeting was to give me a heartfelt apology for the incident when Dr. Holliday told me to leave the Central Office. Mr. Johnson said that, although he was not at the Central Office that day, the office staff told him that I had been cooperative and polite. He said that things could have been handled in a much better way. Mr. Johnson said that in the future I will have the full cooperation of the I-SS staff and that there will be a greater focus on customer service. He also told me that I no longer have to go through the attorney in Raleigh if I want to request access to school records. He said that, other than confidential information, all records will be available for inspection and that anyone wanting access to school records should make that request to Dawn Creason, I-SS Director of Public Relations.
I asked Mr. Johnson if there would be significant changes under his leadership. He made the analogy that the school system is like a sailing ship with the captain stepping away from the helm and he has been asked to take the helm for a while. Mr. Johnson said that he is not going to change the course of the ship but he is going to trim the sails a bit to make sure things go properly. For example, he said that he sees the principals as the CEOs of the schools and that he is not going to micromanage them but he does want to give them the tools they need to do their jobs. He said that he had met with the principals, assistant principals, the Instructional Facilitators and some of the Central Office staff in the morning and that one of things he talked about was the situation with the Ifs. Mr. Johnson said that at some schools the Ifs are doing a great job but at other schools they are not. He said that the situation needed to be fixed. He also said that the principals were meeting Wednesday afternoon and that they were given a list of initiatives that were currently being used in the school system and they were to take each one and tag it as something to keep, fix, or abandon. Classroom walk-throughs and Baldrige wallpapering were on the list.
Speaking of the Baldrige initiative, I did ask him if that was going to continue. Mr. Johnson said that it would continue but not in such a heavy handed way. He said that since I-SS did win the Baldrige Award they could now take different approach. Mr. Johnson said he wanted to reduce the stress levels and that he wanted I-SS employees enjoy showing up for work each morning. He also said that he agrees with the philosophy that you should work smarter and not harder. He said that much would depend on the results of the afternoon principal’s meeting. Mr. Johnson also spoke more of the role of the Ifs. He said that the IF should be a master teacher and not a dictator. He said that IFs should be working with teachers rather than talking down to them. In addition, Mr. Johnson also said that the IFs should be reporting to the principals and that the principals will be evaluating the Ifs instead of the Ifs evaluating the principals. He reiterated that he wants the principals to be in charge.
Mr. Johnson did emphasize that all of this was to ensure student achievement. He said that he wants every classroom to be high functioning. One, where any parent would want his or her child. We talked a little bit about the ranking of the school system and he said that everyone is comparing schools these days and that the ranking based on various tests will continue. I then asked Mr. Johnson about Dr. Holliday’s formula and he said that Dr. Holliday may have devised his own formula but again said that some ranking will continue. (Mr. Johnson later sent me an e-mail saying that he spoke to Pam Schiffman and explained to her that I was interested in the I-SS process for ranking in the top ten. He went on to say that Ms. Schiffman designed this process and that she is more than willing to sit down with us and explain the formulas.) As part of all of this, I asked Mr. Johnson about all of the testing and especially about the testing during the first week of school. He said that he felt that it was important in order to determine the abilities and knowledge of each student since the teacher is expected to tailor the lessons to each student.
We talked about the search for the new superintendent and Mr. Johnson said that it could possibly take as little as three months and that it did need to be completed within a year. He said that he plans to retire June 30th and that he is not interested in the superintendent’s position. He said that it was his understanding that the Board would consider candidates both from within the system and from outside the system and that there would input from teachers, other employees, and citizens. Mr. John Rogers, who joined the meeting about an hour after it started, confirmed this.
I asked Mr. Johnson about employee morale and he said that he knew that it was not what it should be. He said that he wanted students and teachers to go home knowing it was a good day. Mr. Johnson also said that he wanted to restore the trust factor and that he wanted all employees to be treated professionally. He said that he wanted teachers and all employees to know that they could speak out without fear of retribution. He did say that he does believe in the chain of command and that parents should talk with their child’s teacher before going to the principal and that teachers should go to their principal before going to him, but that in the end the buck stops with him.
Mr. Johnson did ask me to let all of the readers of this blog that he is very willing to meet with anyone who has a concern about the school system. He said he may not have the answer to each question and that if needed he would work hard to find someone who does have the answer. I asked Mr. Johnson if he would be willing to meet with the citizen’s group and he not only said yes, he said we could meet at a school facility. As I mentioned before, Mr. Rogers was also at the meeting and he said that he felt that the Board would also be willing to meet with the citizen’s group. In addition, Mr. Rogers said that the Board has to do a better job of answering citizen’s questions.
Here are a few odds and ends. Mr. Johnson also told me the following. As a winner of the Baldrige Award, I-SS does have some obligations to fulfill such as going to receive the award and making some presentations at conferences, but the expenses for those will be paid with money the system received because they won the award. I-SS should not have to order any more materials or services from Jim Shipley and Associates. Mrs. Holliday is continuing to work for the system in the same capacity but that when the house is sold and all matters here are finalized she will be moving to Kentucky.
In conclusion, this was a very good meeting. I do think that Mr. Johnson intends to make sure that the true focus is on the students and that he is very willing to listen to all sides and factions. And I did get the impression that, although there might not be as many changes within the school system as some were hoping, there will be a number of positive changes.
Now let me add this. It is very late as I write this and I majored in Physics not English so please excuse my writing style and any grammatical mistakes.
Brady is a good guy. It is a shame he isn't interested in the superintendent position. It will be difficult at best to find someone as sincere and people oriented.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like there may be some positve adjustments in the future as a result of the workings of Brady & John.
Very encouraging. I do feel for the two of them though. Everyone will be running at them trying to get things their way.
This has been a very encouraging post and a wonderful way to start the day. Thank you Mr. Johnson and Mr. Klaene. And I hope the collective board will take the theme and spirit of the words I have just read in their search for a new superintendent. This post does seem to validate some of the complaints that have been mentioned on this site. Again, thank you so much. Maybe the sky is now beginning to clear.
ReplyDeleteThis is great news! I am surprised that Denise Holliday would be so brave to stay when it has become apparent most want change and will receive some change.
ReplyDeleteI have been very hesistant about making any type of public comment, but after yesterday's meeting with Brady Johnson and Paul Klaene, I would like to make several observations. Brady had invited me to attend the meeting, but I was in Charlotte and did not get back to Statesville as I had hoped, but I got back in time to join them for about half the meeting. It was very cordial and Brady answered Paul's questions with both clarity and complete honesty.
ReplyDeleteWhen Brady was interviewed by the board, he told us that he, "read all of us very loud and clear and he understood exactly what we wanted him to do." Over the last several days, he has hit the ground running determining just exactly what needs to be done for the school system over maybe the next year. The meeting with the principals and other staff on Wednesday was just the beginning of what he along with the board feels very strongly needs to be changed so that principals, teachers, Ifs, and all staff can continue to be effective in helping every child be successful each and every day. I believe things will change in a very positive way. We will keep what works, fix where there is a problem,and do away with things that are ineffective or unnecessary.
The process for a permanent superintendent will begin this fall and the board will seek imput from everyone in the community including all school personnel, parents, and others. We need your advice and suggestions.
I would like to make a personal observation. When I was elected to the board three years ago, I did not fully realize the complexity and how difficult it can be. This came after teaching in the Rowan/Salisbury System for 35 years. Every board member holds the future of some 23,000 students in their hands every time we make a decision. Although I represent District 3 which is everything north of Board Street in Statesville and surrounding areas, I MUST BE CONCERNED about the children at Union Grove and the students surrounding Lake Noman. Contrary to what some may think or believe, we hava a great group of people on the school board who work constantly to see that ISS is as strong as it can be. If you really look at all we have been able to accomplish, we have done our best to serve this community. Sometimes, it is not always obvious that we are working to solve problems but we are there often away from the public eye attempting to make things better and more efffective. We have been told by many that we are probably the best board they have ever seen and of course I would totally agree. That does not mean that we agree all the time with the superintendent or with each other, but it is not productive to fight openly and be disruptive to the process. I can guarantee you that debate is often times lively and long before a decision is finally made.
The situation is simple in that we need to move forward. School will open soon and thousands of children are looking to all of us to provide them with the best educational opportunities possible. We have much to be proud of and often times some of the greatest decisions ever made were the result of debate and disagreement. This blog has proven that already. We have set a new course and I hope that our best days are ahead of us.
I have already been critized on this blog for being "unethical and unprofessional" for having a conversation with Mr. Klaene at Wal-Mart. Let me be clear---I was elected to serve the citizens of Iredell County and If someone wants to speak with me or ask me a question, they will get an honest answer unless it is top secret. Everybody have a great day and contact us if we can be of service to you in any way.
Finally, something on the blog I agree with. I really like how Mr. Roger's, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Klaene can seem to pull together and get good results. I am glad to see that the role of the IF is going to change from dictator to master teacher and I am very happy to see that principals will get their school back. Everyone has been waiting a long time to see this day. I for one feel very liberated. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAnyone want to by the Holliday's house? It's would make thins change a lot sooner!
Master teachers should have at least 15 years in a classroom or more. I hope the IFS do.
ReplyDeleteI would love to buy his house but I'm a classroom teacher, and can't afford it.
ReplyDeleteMr. Rogers - Have you ever spoken to an IF, seen them in action, attended an IF meeting? Why are you so swayed by the few? There are so many more employees in this county than you are hearing from!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that Mr. Johnson and Mr. Rogers are going to start taking a look at the system more closely. It would be a major morale boost if they begin to take majority input and weed out unnecessary procedures.
ReplyDelete2:38
ReplyDeleteYou should not be afraid of the lumping generalization of the IF's. It is understood that many do their job well. But it is also recognized there have been problems over the years? Since we like to look at data, I have a question. Does anyone know how many different people have held the positon of an IF since it's implementation? I have worked under four. And one of those resigned and was working their notice. They were told by central office (generalization) that they would not be allowed on their campus for the remaining two weeks. Central Office considered them to be a trouble maker on their campus. They finished the remainder of their employment at ADR. Again, how many people in this role since it has been implemented?
Good Question!!!!! Perhaps the data on the number of lead teachers/IFs could be requested. It would be interesting to see how many are still in the system.
ReplyDeleteThe IF at my school tutors students and does not operate in a manner of a "dictator". She gives us a voice and helps to ensure that every student is successful. We can't make our current reality in our district that the loudest voice will prevail. It makes me sad to read blogs such as this. Our IF is an asset to our school. Instead of spending time being negative and reactive get out into schools and become proactive in the lives of our students. We cannot accomplish anything with negativety and such spite for IF's or others. Would you accept your children speaking of people with such negative conotations without ever actually meeting them or seeing them work?
ReplyDeleteI was asked by Brady Johnson to attend a meeting with he and Paul Klaene to resolve what had become a very bad situation and required an apology to Mr. Klaene because of the treatment he received at the Race Street office some weeks ago. Brady promised that he would be welcome at the office, and we would provide him with any documents he requested ASAP. Also, I spoke with Mr. Klaene at the last Committee of the Whole meeting and provided him with an e-mail address where persons could reach me regarding any questions or concerns. I have been reading the blog for some time, and told him to let people know that I DID read the blog simply as a source of information. I did respond to the blog which you can read above.
ReplyDeleteFrom the post above, where did you get the idea that I am against the IFs? I taught for 35 years in the Rowan/Salisbury School System and were doing many of the things in regard to data,
giving assessments,designing curriculum, and writing instructional strategies long before the days of Terry Holiday. I have written more curriculum guides than I would like to think about.
May I be very clear. I am not against the IFs in the ISS schools. I am in schools across the district, have talked to the IF, and actually know several personally. In many places, the model works almost perfectly, and the individual works well with the principal and the faculty with great results. However, that is not always the case. Many individuals confuse the position with that of an assistant principal, have a tendency to dictate to teachers, want to evaluate the principal, and simply control the entire instructional process. The model is suppose to support teachers, aid them in curriculum design, and act as a resource to support the teacher/learning process. Just because Brady Johnson and the board sees this as a problem does not make us against IFs, and we agree that most persons in the position have done a great job and contributed largely to the success that we enjoy as a school district in terms of high performance. All persons need to have an understanding of the role of the IF in any school.
Also, there is also the view that just because I met with Mr. Klaene, read this blog, and have written a response, I only listen to those who "whine." I have discussions with principals, teachers, and many others who support most of what the district is attempting to do in serving our students. However, I must also provide support to those who view the system and have a different take on how to get the job done. At this point in time, I truly believe that we need to take a very strong look at how we do things: Do we accept differing opinions, attempt to bridge those who see things differently, value each and every employee regardless of station or roll, respect each and every effort, provide an atmosphere where people want to come to work each and every day, agree to disagree, empower people to help make decisions but yet, hold everyone accountable toward the end result, and stop believing that there is only one way to achieve the end result of educating all our children. In short, we need to put back the joy and fun of teaching and learning, and stop this pressure cooker atmosphere of stress and frustration.
In regard to board members visiting schools, listening to all employees, or just listening to a chosen few, I visit schools often across the system, eat lunch in many cafeterias,and have been known to call a principal or teacher late at night to talk, offer support,or solve a problem. In fact, I spend most of the morning today talking to a number of employees. I am at Statesville High School for every football game and see just about every basketball game during the year. It I am out and about, I might just drop in at a school just to say hello.
Serving on the ISS Board of Education is a priviledge. I am reminded that the teaching profession is never ending for there will always be children who need the love and guidance of a teacher.
What a wonderful post, Mr. Rogers. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr. Johnson and Mr. Rogers and Mr. Kleane!!! Thank you for the blog, and thank you for paying attention to it Mr. Rogers.
ReplyDeleteMaybe things will turn around, but I do have some concerns. Letting the principals have control can be good or bad. I wouldn't want to be stuck doing PDSAs or CFAs when another school doesn't have to waste their time.
Also very disappointed Mr. Johnson feels it's neccesary to test students the first day of school. Yes, it's important to know where children stand, but the only thing the test tells us is that they don't know current grade level curriculum. We have tests from the end of the year to indicate how they did in the previous grade level. If you want to see stress, be the one to tell a child they have a test when they have had no oppurtunity to prepare for it.
He seems to mean well, but we've heard a lot of talk before. I'll be very excited to have a vote in the new superintendent! Although it was rumored that the internet vote for the make up snow days last year was ignored. Mr. Brady and the school board have an uphill battle as far as trust goes.
Can teachers have the same list the principals were given? I also like the idea of a locked box survey.
Alot of dissatisfaction with the IFs is not personal. I've never met an IF I didn't personally like. It has to do with the fact that they are not in the classroom, do not interact with students, work 11 months, and get to go to professional development while teachers got criticized for it.
Mr. Rogers, Thank you very much for your comments on this blog. I can not relay to you how much respect I have for you for speaking out on this blog. I would like to ask you, without taking away from the importance of issues on this blog, about the QPI issue. Is Qualifying Profiles Inc. owned by Mrs. Brater? Is Mr. Brater the secretary of the company? Also, is this the company that ISS has been using to perform background checks on volunteers wanting to accompany a student on overnight fieldtrips? There has been some comments on this blog regarding this information and I think all would like some clarification on this matter. Thank you
ReplyDeleteTo the above post. We have discussed this, but I don't remember the specifics (Honestly)!!! I don't believe this is the case but I will check.
ReplyDeleteGet in touch with me by phone.
To Mr. Rogers, I am a concerned citizen also and I think this should be addressed in public so that there is complete transparency. Can you please report your findings via a comment to let everyone know.
ReplyDeleteMr. Rogers,
ReplyDeleteThank you for trying being open with the public that you represent. I don't know where the other BOE members are after you praised them all for working hard and diligently serving the public (in a previous post). I believe none of what I hear and half of what I see and I don't see them at work. They sure don't mind being seen and heard at election time. As far as I'm concerned, the rest of them and their secret squirrel society need to be removed.
You have the right idea in wanting to listen to all sides and “attempt to bridge the things that we see differently”. I notice you left the parents out of that statement because you were addressing school employees. However I do feel comfortable that you also want to hear from parents and students. You have got your work cut out for you. Everyone’s opinion and input has been stifled for years and is bottled up in the form of major frustration. The past head administrator ran a dictatorship and twisted the truth to suit his purpose. There are also some principals, assistant principals and teachers who run a dictatorship and twist things to suit their purpose. Unfortunately every dictator has a few supporters who will fight to keep the old way because without it they are just a part of a working system.
I hope to see things improve and all of us working towards a common goal; making ISS a productive and pleasant place for our children to receive their education. Hopefully people will be willing to clear their minds and allow progress to begin. Being realistic I do have my doubts. For one, you are the only board member that has come forward and offered open interaction. Secondly, when the new superintendant is chosen it will probably be someone with the title of Doctor. Maybe that is a requirement of the position, I don’t know. At any rate most of the educational “doctors” I have met are pompous blowhards on power trips, overloaded with facts and seriously lacking any common sense.
The FIRST priority in choosing a new superintendant has got to be common sense. Someone with degrees from ninety two different universities is worthless if they don’t have common sense. They also need to be a people person since the whole system is about people. The argument has come up about hiring from within the system… one advantage to doing so is that you are hiring someone who is already known by reputation and character. As we have found out in the past, any outsider can come in here with degrees, awards and speak with a slick tongue long enough to get a contract.
All of your posts have been well thought out and sincere. I wish you the best of luck in drawing all the different opinions together. Prepare to be attacked for trying to do what is right. No good deed goes unpunished, but stick it out anyway.
August 7, 2009 7:27 PM
ReplyDelete"The IF at my school tutors students and does not operate in a manner of a "dictator". She gives us a voice and helps to ensure that every student is successful. We can't make our current reality in our district that the loudest voice will prevail. It makes me sad to read blogs such as this. Our IF is an asset to our school. Instead of spending time being negative and reactive get out into schools and become proactive in the lives of our students. We cannot accomplish anything with negativety and such spite for IF's or others. Would you accept your children speaking of people with such negative conotations without ever actually meeting them or seeing them work?"
Herein lies the problem. Several IF's have stated that they were told by their superiors at CO that they were NOT allowed to directly work with students.
This whole thing has been one huge smelly mess. The Lead Teacher/IF (or whatever new name position they give the position tomorrow in the effort to eliminate negative connotations) position must be done away with.
The CO needs to be restructured with efficiency and economy in mind -- there are too MANY assistant superintendents! --- the time has come to lose the nepotism and cronyism that has infected in OUR public school system. Put our tax dollars where they can benefit children the most -- in the classroom, you know......where the students are.
It is amazing how this Blog gets hung up on issues. It started out with a financial infatutation, then Baldrige, now IF's and on another post about Klaene running for school board.
ReplyDeleteAs I said before, there is no focus, no direction, no compromise on issues. maybe after everyone blows off the steam pent up from the last 7 years we can start fixing things.
Larry, most people haven't had a place to blow off any steam over the past seven years. So, you need to get off your high horse for just a little bit. Furthermore, it's a blog. This is not a meeting, so how can there possibly be compromise without face to face interaction. I'm still interested in the finances, Baldrige, and IFs, as they are all intertwined. The unraveling process has begun: outrage of expenditures because of Baldrige with IFs being a major part of Baldrige. So, please, stop with the moral superiority.
ReplyDeleteWell Mr. Coover, I am glad that you are able to list your name and that you have a vested interest. However, many at this time are not comfortable with reavealing their name. That should be a tremendous cause of concern. I think there are quite a few problems as evidenced by the posts.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be helpful for you to state your focus, your direction, and your issues so that compromises can be considered and we can start making suggestions.
August 8, 2009 5:26 PM... Vent on me if it helps you calm down. I have no high horse. I am just dissapointed to see so much energy being wasted on venting. Sometimes after people vent they are too tired out to fix what is wrong. That is my concern.
ReplyDeleteAs for this being a BLOG where people aren't face to face, I will be glad to lead a meeting for people to be face to face. We need a place to meet with two rooms so that after the two sides are identified they can be separated to list their concerns and priorities. Then compromise can begin.
I feel no moral superiority. I do have an advantage over some in that I am not an ISS employee who cares about the children I teach. That helps me to be more focused on the end result.
I do understand your frustration as well as the frustration of many. My purpose for being here is to help back those who care about our children. When you get done venting (again, I understand!) let me know and I will be glad to help set up whatever meeting we need to get this thing going.
I have noticed something consistent over the years. People love to bitch, put each other down, be angry and raise Cain about issues; until someone asks them to roll up their sleeves and help fix what is wrong.
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure what the reason is. Maybe they are angry enough to complain but don’t really care enough to work hard for resolve. Maybe they get so hung up on “us against them” that they don’t want to meet with the other side and give in. If it is something other than this let me know. I have been trying to figure it out for years.
I used to have a bi-weekly column in the R&L until the R&L edited me so much it wasn’t even my article anymore. I quit when they refused to print an article they were concerned “would be too divisive”. (The title of my article was healing, not division. It was directed at those who continue to stir up racial divide.)
It didn’t matter to me at that point anyway. I wrote those articles for a long time. It wasn’t so I could be heard; it was to bring about change. People asked me to write about what upset them, mostly the condition of society and the government. People I had never met stopped me, thanked me for saying what I did and asked me to keep doing what I was doing. I still have people tell me they miss my column. Yet, I was never able to form a group of people to address the issues that supposedly meant so much to them. Without results, those columns were pointless.
I’m seeing that here again. Every time I made a post suggesting a starting point of resolve, that series of posts died. Look back over here and see. It seems there is plenty of hate and anger for the other side, but not much so much at the issues themselves.
I’ll tell you this; if we do form meetings such as I have offered to lead, everybody is going to be right and everybody is going to be wrong. The truthful answer to a problem is always somewhere in the middle. We need to get off each other and focus on those problems. That is why I said that there is no direction here. We aren’t moving forward.
It’s easy to be angry and attack others or rant about any subject. However it takes sincerity and dedication to change what is wrong. We have a given amount of energy every day when we wake up. How do you use yours, causing more division or searching for resolve? The sooner we find that middle ground starting point and shake hands, the sooner ISS can begin to heal.
My email address is: ISSresolve@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteAs I sit and read interviews as well as opinions, I would be ashamed to send my kids to this district now. The plan Dr. holliday followed with the baldridge program brought you're district from around 55th in the state to 7th in seven years... although people might not like change, added work, as well as feeling threatened by IF's that were helping steer the ship. You people can't be so ignorant as to believe that by just saying the principal has the control of there school, and the IF's will just have to do what the principal feels best instead of sticking to a laid out agenda is going to be successfull, the district ratings are gonna drop worse than the stock market did.
ReplyDeleteDistricts need an agenda and a course of action, not good old boy mentality that "thats the way it was" it isn't going to do any student any good by having an interem that is going so sit back, put the responsibility on the principals (scapegoat when things go wrong) all the while collecting a fat paycheck for creating the demise of a system that has worked for seven years. But don't worry he is going to retire in June.
And as Far as slandering the Holliday's, you people should be ashamed, the Baldridge award is a proud thing to have accomplished as a district, and should not be ridiculed and flushed down the toilet as rhetoric.
Mr. Johnson said that it would continue but not in such a heavy handed way. He said that since I-SS did win the Baldrige Award they could now take different approach. Do you win the superbowl than throw you're playbook in the garbage can.
This confuses me also:
Here are a few odds and ends. Mr. Johnson also told me the following. As a winner of the Baldrige Award, I-SS does have some obligations to fulfill such as going to receive the award and making some presentations at conferences, but the expenses for those will be paid with money the system received because they won the award. I-SS should not have to order any more materials or services from Jim Shipley and Associates.
So I guess the distict is obligated to go get the damn award and to give seminars about how they were chosen for such a prestigeous award and there policies about implementing them.
I'm pretty sure he won't tell them all that Dr Holliday was a quack and as soon as he left we drop the model like a hot potato...what a hipocrit.
Mr. Johnson also spoke more of the role of the Ifs. He said that the IF should be a master teacher and not a dictator. He said that IFs should be working with teachers rather than talking down to them. In addition, Mr. Johnson also said that the IFs should be reporting to the principals and that the principals will be evaluating the Ifs instead of the Ifs evaluating the principals. He reiterated that he wants the principals to be in charge.
Dictators? IFs evaluating pricipals? I can't even dignify that with a response.
I just hope the School board, Parents, and concerned people of the county take a good hard look at the unraveling of a proven system that was obviously working although not approved of by some teachers as well as some principals.
Like a said before not many people like change, but when the change benefits the education of the children it is not about the teachers opinions is it? I guess I am wrong to assume all people just want higher education and standards for the children.
You have the right to state your opinion 10:53. I read it and I disagree with it. We won an award (Baldrige). So therefore, everyone is to believe that everything is grand in I-SS. I don't think it is.
ReplyDeleteIn response to: "The plan Dr. holliday followed with the baldridge program brought you're district from around 55th in the state to 7th in seven years..."
First, there was no original formula created by the state to rank schools.
Second, it should be considered that the ranking that has been published by I-SS officials is one that includes criteria established by I-SS officials and not endorsed by the Dept. of Public Instruction or used by any other system.
Third, while numbers on paper may in the short term appear impressive they can be deceiving and there are questions that should be considered. What is beneath the surface of this data? Are these numbers really that impressive? Would you allow a statistics professor to check this data and uncover the flaws in the data? What areas have not been charted and analyzed?
Fourth, and this applies to the questions in the third. What is actually being measured through the tests that are administered and mandated by the state? Should we be concerned that only a very narrow focus of objectives are being measured? I am concerned. My reasoning is that it simply becomes a game of teaching to a test. These tests are simply not a true measure of student improvement. It is simply an accountability model for schools to be and stay focused. And that is a dangerous game (this narrow focus of objectives) when it involves the education of our children and the future. Simply change the test and see what happens. The process to teach to the test begins again.
Fifth, you compare the winning of the Baldrige award as winning the superbowl. It was Holliday's superbowl. And what was the actual cost in accomplishing this? Where is that data? While it may have been a huge boost to his ego and a nice addition to his resume, most are simply not impressed.
Sixth, why did Holliday hire all the outside personnel? Why did Holliday hire a lawyer in Raleigh for the sole intent of slowing the public's effort and right to see the public data base index of information?
Seventh, there are many ways to manage employees. And the Baldrige management concept is really not conducive to a school setting. It may help in the financial planning sector but it is not a perfect and natural fit for teaching. Teaching requires flexibilty and creativity. It is not a pure science as much as it is an art.
Eight, the question seems to be whether
Baldrige is truly a proven system in education. For example: from above "take a good hard look at the unraveling of a proven system that was obviously working although not approved of by some teachers as well as some principals". Where is the data that compares it to systems across the U.S.? What has happened in other places such as New Mexico (once home to Jed Stus). Have you read the news stories about him? At least their newspaper covered the news and listended to people and questioned the system. At least their paper printed real stories about education in their community. And what happened to South Iredell? I don't belive they were listed as a school of any type of achievement.
And finally, I want the best for my children and others. I simply do not believe this was the best just because a superintendent and newspaper said so.
August 14, 10:53AM: Surely that post was a joke!
ReplyDeleteIssues have not been dealt with in the past last 7 years, not only with teachers , but parents and students. Ask high school students for their opinions about PDSAs. They are stakeholders. So were parents, students and teachers. Their issues were not valued but spun round and round.
ReplyDeleteNever a true answer was given to anyone who disagreed with the agendas of the administration. So please do something , Mr. Rogers. Thanks.