I received a hard copy of Paul Hultberg’s summary report of the Area Advisory Meetings in the mail Friday. In addition there was a short note from Mr. Johnson stating that the notes would be posted on the I-SS web site. However, they have not yet been posted, so I am going to include a copy at the end of this post.
I hope that the School Board takes a good look at this summary report as well as the notes from the individual Area Advisory meetings. Mr. Johnson has already stated that he will use the common themes from each of the reports to direct his work. The Board needs to assist Mr. Johnson in this endeavor.
The summary report includes four observations as well as a listing of what seems to be the highest-ranking suggestions from the various meetings. The first of the four observations deals with Baldrige/Continuous improvement. It states that there were diverse opinions on this issue. This is verified in the listing of the various suggestions with many participants indicating that the Baldrige model should be eliminated and others saying it should be continued. It will be interesting to see the results of the Teacher’s survey in this area.
The second observation is titled: Light turnout for parents. However if you look at the total number of participants, you can see that there was a light turnout across the spectrum of all stakeholders. The School Board and administration must do a much better job of connecting with parents and other citizens. Citizens needed to be invited and encouraged to participate in all school activities and they need to know that their suggestions will be taken seriously.
The third observation deals with Technology and states that the participants indicated that technology issues were presented as an important means of accomplishing goals. I know that I-SS has increased the use of computers, smart boards, and other technologies but there is a lack of significant technologies in many of the schools. I-SS seems more interested in having Baldrige ‘wallpaper’ on classroom walls than they are of having technology in the hands of students. Perhaps I-SS should look at what Mooresville Graded School District is doing right in this area such as providing students with laptop computers and integrating the use of these computers in the classroom. Check out the information and video at the link below.
The fourth observation is simply the sentence: These sessions document a desire for a more collaborative as opposed to authoritative approach to leadership. There has certainly been a change in this direction with the change in superintendents, but there is still a lot a baggage left over from the past administration that needs to thrown out the window. The emphasis must be on what is best for the students and not on winning some award.
The last two pages of the report list the characteristics and strengths desired in the new superintendent. I do think that Mr. Johnson possesses many of these characteristics and that he is capable of leading the school system. That does not mean we can let our guard down. There is still a lot of work to be done to change the course of the system away from the mistakes of the previous administration.
Update (Monday, Nov. 23): The summary report is now available via the I-SS web site. Click on the link below to access the report.
Update (Monday, Nov. 23): The summary report is now available via the I-SS web site. Click on the link below to access the report.
Advisory Summary Report Pages 3 and 4. Click on an image to enlarge it.
This is the worst data report I've ever seen. We paid people to do this? The notes are much more through. I can't tell what the numbers mean after each intiaive, this isn't scientific at all. If anyone has seen Susan Allred's reports from an environmental scan, they would know she could do a MUCH better job than this nonsense.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many problems with this, I can't even begin to compare and contrast the information from the notes to this bogus report. Right from the beginning, it says individual schools express unanimity. How in the world would an independent group of people know that? The staff wasn't asked and noone at the meetings were asked to identify which school they attended or taught at. What a joke! At least they didnt use ISS letterhead to create it!
Sorry, Paul, this was created at Race Street to appease you! Get a copy of any of Susan Allred's environmental scans and you will see, scientifically, how comments should be compiled in a report. She obviously wasn't involved in this! They cut and pasted some of the things, left many other things out, changed the numbers from the votes, added attendance and their own thoughts. I hope you are appeased because that's all this report tells me! I'll be laughing about this for awhile..thanks!
"While there was strong feelings" are these people professionals? WAS stong feelings?
ReplyDeleteYou're right November 21, 2009 6:02 this is a mess.
As far as appeasement...at least the shoddy haphazardness of this so-called 'process' has been exposed.
correction...should be strong
ReplyDeleteNon-traditional student programs-19 staff needs-3, personal qualities-14, a harmonious relationship-10, funding-10, student achievement-40, superintendent and administration value teacher experience and do what is best for students-3, maintain or increase high performance-6, increase technology and technology resources-4, reducing class size-3, more support for EC-1, well rounded curriculum-1, continue model-7, continue IF coaching and modeling-3, eliminate baldridge-6, tweak baldridge-2, and EOG based on growth-2.
ReplyDeleteWhat does it all mean???? It's not the number of votes because technology had a lot more than 4 votes. It's not a ranking, or it would be listed in order of importance, based on votes. The things listed under the subtitles don't add up to the number beside each title or issue addressed. I've been analyzing data for more years than I care to admit - this has me completly stumped. Anybody else make sense of this? This looks like it's copied and pasted from different topics listed in the notes, but not compiled altogether??? Is that it?
There is only 1 delta about parents getting 2 day notice in the notes, yet there's an observation that the parents that did turn out felt that the word did not get out and what did get out was not enough time? Meanwhile, almost all the notes comment on teachers being part, or not being part of the process, and that's not part of the report. Who made this observation that is not in the plus/deltas?
You're right 6:02! Susan Allred should take all the data and do a report! In fact, any teacher could do a better job than this! It begs the question, who made this up, and how much did they get paid to do it?
We have been living with made-up data. Why would we change?
ReplyDeletePaul, No matter what surveys are given you will never be satisfied. You consider yourself to be the smartest person in Iredell County. You are so blinded by the pursuit of self glory that you can't see when the administration is appeasing you publically and laughing at you behind your back. I would be willing to wager that every closed session of the BOE starts out with a joke about how a priest, a parrot and Paul Klaene walked into a bar.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I must say that if I was in Pam's shoes I would be personally and professionally ashamed. The supporting posts on this Blog have swelled your head to the point where I would like to suggest that you enter the Macy's Day parade. Possibly some of your loyal supporters could hold the guideropes.
Please quit trying to build your self esteem by bashing the system and the individuals who are trying to run it. You obviously had a mother whom you were unable to please and are trying to rectify your past by declaring yourself to be of importance as a public figure.
Nov. 24 7:36am First,if you are a teacher, why would you be posting at 7:36am on a school day? Second, you are the one who should be ashamed for the above post. It's a shame that you perceive a search for the truth as bashing. With comments like that, I question your motives as they relate to the well being of students.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the mysterious reason is that some schools don't start until after 8am and so they were posting before leaving home for work...wow.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, picking away at the trivial because they have no answers for obvious.
ReplyDeleteHow much did ISS pay for this report? It's a simple question! How much did they pay for a report that they never intended to use? Someone is reading all of these blogs and hopefully can come up with an answer.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is what matters...all the amateurish diversionary tactics to distract will not work...what is the cost of the this shoddily constructed "report"?
ReplyDeleteI am so glad some teacher has time to get on here in the morning. The rest of us must be more concerned with our classrooms. Hogwash is hogwash. Go get a life and quit picking on Mr. Klaene and his wife. You need to retire, get your own blog, and write your BS, so that the others can laugh at you behind your back.
ReplyDeleteYou are exactly like the ones on the Fox Network who keep trying to discredit everyone . The problem is they are laughing all the way to the bank at eggheads like you who think that anyone really cares about what you think. They just like to be disagreeable. Go get a life and get over it. Everyone is not perfect like you.
If we can just get one question answered without any spin.....how much did that bogus report cost the taxpayers?
ReplyDeleteIf we can get just one question answered without any spin...how much did that bogus report cost the taxpayers?
ReplyDeleteAlso still waiting on the answer of whether the interim raises for CO will end now that a super has been named.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to all who are posting on here!
ReplyDeleteWithout dissent there would be no one to disagree with.
ReplyDeleteOne piece of data that would be interesting is the average age of teachers in ISS. It has been said over and over on this blog that ISS has lost many experienced teachers to other districts. Let's see the data on average age or years experience in teaching for ISS.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to teachers with 10 or more years experience here are the statistics. Elementary 39% compared to 47% for the state. Middle is 45% compared to 47% for the state. High school is 55% compared to 52% for the state. So other than at the elementary level the district is right near the average for the state of NC
ReplyDeleteWhere did the above data come from? Is it posted somewhere?
ReplyDeletewww.ncreportcards.com
ReplyDelete