Video of the Day: Halloween Lesson Plan

LCPS Technology Vision Statement

I just ran across this in my inbox. It's a new Technology Vision Statement from LCPS, developed by its Technology Steering Committee. I hope this community, so steeped in leveraging technology on the job every day, will push and cajole our children's teachers and principals to put it into action.

LCPS fosters an environment which leverages technology to provide a superior education system and prepare its members to succeed in a global society.

2009 State School Board convention

The Virginia School Boards association holds its annual convention next month. Several of Loudoun's members generally attend, this will be my third. I thought you'd like to see the seminars I plan to attend, the seminars I won't be able to attend, and the seminar presented by LCPS.

Those I'll attend:

Central Office Staffing and Organizational Effectiveness Related to Student Achievement

This session by Chuck Swaim of Eperitus, presents a 2008 study of Virginia school districts investigat-ing the relationship between central office staffing levels with student achievement as measured by NCLB’s Adequate Yearly Progress measurements. The results provide data that may be relevant to appropriate staffing levels, central office effective-ness, and links with school reform discussions.

Disproportionality of Minority Students in Special Education

In 2005 Chesterfield County Public Schools formed a multidisciplinary committee comprised of general and special education division leaders to address the disproportionate representation of minority students in special education. This committee developed a division-wide action plan to address disproportionality consistent with VDOE guidelines.

Sexting, Cyberbullying and Employees misusing Social Networking sites

The “trouble causing teen” and the “inappropriate teacher” are not new problems for school districts. But the technologies available are new and ever changing. An NSBA Senior Staff Attorney will discuss the practical and legal aspects of dealing with school employees and students who misuse technology.

School Law Update

Pat Lacy and Kathy Mehford, attorneys with Reed Smith, return again to conduct their popular session on what has occurred as a result of court cases and the state and federal legislators in the last year in the area of school law. They will also take questions on school law issues and discuss Reduction in Force (RIF) and Bullying policies.

Low Hanging Fruit

Portsmouth Public Schools has implemented an innovative pay-for-performance program that rewards employees and reduces operating costs at the same time. The home-grown economic stimulus program is like picking low hanging fruit with savings in workman’s compensation costs, bus accidents, and employee safety.

Loudoun Presentations

Budgeting 101 for New School Board members

The session is perfect for new or seasoned School Board members as it traces the complete budget process including development of revenue projections, calculation of staffing using enrollment and ratios and review by staff and School board. Other topics to be discussed include lapse and turnover, carryover, and financial reporting.

Healthy & Environmentally Friendly Practices

Loudoun County Public Schools has a long history of participating in healthy and environmentally friendly practices. It has earned awards and recognitions for being an early leader in going green. Learn “Go Green” practices and how to engage the entire community in your efforts.

Those I'll regret missing

2-way teleconferencing

Albemarle County Public Schools use two-way teleconferencing to reach its constituents. Registered voters in Albemarle County, school division parents and employees are called and invited to participate in a “town hall” being conducted over the telephone with members of the school board and division leadership. Participants can listen to the conversation, opt to ask a question of the panel,and answer poll questions so community opinions on various issues can be obtained. This presentation explains how the school division implemented this technology and how it has improved school/community relations.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for the 21st Century

Jim Batterson will define the four components of “STEM” describing their differences and how they play together for innovation. In that context he will present findings and recommendations from three panels of practicing scientists and engineers regarding a gap analysis of Virginia’s physics and chemistry SOL and program in engineering in preparing our graduates for the political, economic, social, and technological world of the 21st century. Specific examples will be provided.

Technical Schools

I came across these thoughts recently from another blogging elected School Board member:

One of the things I had to “unlearn” when first elected four years ago is that today’s vocational education is not a second-best option for students compared to going to a four-year liberal arts school, is not less rigorous, etc. I learned that today’s tech schools are not the tech schools from my college days, nor are they the tech schools I had preconceived notions about. Just look at some of the progaming — Diesel Tech, Energy Tech, Energy Operations, Welding Tech, and so on. Do those look like mushy programs to you? They don’t to me! And they aren’t. The students that attend today’s tech schools are bright and dedicated students — every bit the same as those going to four year schools.

I couldn't have said it better myself about Loudoun's own Monroe Technology Center.

Focus.

As you may have read here, here here, or here:

Loudoun County budget officers dipped into public school reserves to help fill a $28 million revenue shortfall this week, surprising the School Board, which was saving money for the lean years expected ahead.

I'll let the newspapers explain the facts of the situation to you. As you can see from some of the quotes, there have been some hard feelings. In my opinion, the current financial crisis is too important for public officials to engage in public name-calling.

While last year's budget process was no fun, it was organized and sane in a way that it has never been before. The fiscal guidance and tiered budget options gave elected officials and engaged citizens the opportunity to know the impact of various scenarios. The process gave voters an opportunity to see what their representatives think is most important. Regular joint meetings of the two Boards led to better communications and less acrimony. The outcome of decisions was predictable and that improved trust.

This year's budget squeeze will be much worse than last year. Accordingly, we need that sane process and good communication even more this year, when the choices will be even more painful. Good communication and trust is hard to come by when one-upsmanship is valued more than good boardsmanship. I learned that in years past, when I fought hard to point out on this blog where I was right and Supervisors were wrong.

I don't mind telling people exactly what I think, and I have expressed my opinion on this week's transfer privately and emphatically to quite a number of people. But folks in our community (students, constituents, teachers, taxpayers, voters & citizens) don't care about the turf wars or the personality conflicts. They don't care in which ledger their tax dollar was logged or who gets credit. They just want it well taken care of, spent efficiently to deliver quality schools to their kids and services to us all. They deserve that.

Here's hoping that in the months ahead we can focus on what's most important.

Graduation Rates

Yesterday the Virginia Department of Education released data regarding graduation rates for the class of 2009. This is a critical measurement, because kids who don't graduate don't stand a chance in this century's economy. I did a little poking around to see how Loudoun stacks up:

• Of 3661 kids in the cohort (who started high school four years earlier), 3429 graduated this year (93.7%).That is the sixth largest graduating class in the state.
  
• The state average graduation rate for this cohort is 83.2%.
• Of the 131 rated districts, LCPS is fifth overall in the state but first among districts with more than one high school.
• We are also 3rd among our neighbors, behind Falls Church City's 151 graduates (96.3%) and Clarke County's 177 grads (95.3%).
• African American students had a 92.5% graduation rate in Loudoun, again first among districts with more than one high school and second only to Falls Church City in the region.
• 95.5% of Female students graduated on time (1,714 of them), 5th in the state and behind York County (95.8%) for large districts.
• 94.5% of Loudoun's disabled students graduated on time, 9th in the state and behind only Roanoke for large districts.
  

Among all of those great numbers, LCPS is having a hard time with its Hispanic students. Of the 28 districts who had enough Hispanic students to count, Loudoun ranked 20th. That said, most of those districts are much smaller. Among districts with more than 90 Hispanic students in the cohort, Loudoun (79.4% of 481) ranked behind only Virginia Beach City (85.6% of 299). Fairfax, Prince William and Alexandria are all behind Loudoun in this regard.

Additionally, Economically Disadvantaged students are behind the curve. 86.5% graduated on time (still higher than the state's average for all kids), 14th in the state and third among sizable districts. Locally, Clarke County, Falls Church City and Manassas Park City did very well for their economically disadvantaged kids.

LCPS & H1N1

As a Board member, I am receiving a number of emails about the administering of H1N1 vaccinations in schools this month. My colleague Bob Ohneiser spoke from the dais this past week telling parents to read everything about these vaccines before signing the consent form. Parents I know whose children suffer from autism or severe food allergies are especially skeptical about the potential side effects of immunizations generally. My wife shares their skepticism.

So I just thought I'd point out that LCPS didn't develop the vaccine, conduct clinical trials or create the administration protocol. LCPS is following the recommendations of the Loudoun County Department of Health, which is in turn following the recommendations of state and national health organizations.

Which is to say LCPS didn't make this stuff up, and really isn't qualified to override community health decisions made by professionals. I understand that if you don't like the US immunization system, you don't like this decision and would be happy to reverse it here in Loudoun even if every surrounding community kept on the recommended path. But does anyone out there want a patchwork system where individual counties throughout the country decide individually what to do with a major international health crisis?

Update: FactCheck.org has posted this: Innoculation Misniformation

Sec. of Education Arne Duncan w/Colbert

Enjoy Steven Colbert's interview with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, especially towards the end where he talks about the need to move away from the agrarian school calendar.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Arne Duncan
www.colbertnation.com

Thanks to School-of-Thought for leading me to it.

Education Week looks at School Boards

An Overlooked Institution Struggles to Remain Relevant

The article leads with this assertion: "local school boards remain mostly overlooked in national discussions of K-12 policy," and as a result, School Boards are "a governance system that is too often ineffective, if not dysfunctional, some scholars and other experts contend." Some even argue that local School Boards need to be done away with entirely.

Others argue that district school boards are a vital piece of the democratic process and help ensure a community voice in important decisions about educating children. The focus, they argue, should be on changing the way boards behave.

I recognize from my own experience the "micromanaging tendencies that today plague so many boards:"

“A lot of these boards are doing the wrong thing,” she says. “They spend time on whether Johnny should be suspended or not. So what looks like micromanagement to a superintendent or to those of us outside a district looks to school board members like constituent service or representation.”

Here's what it's supposed to look like:

“In highly functioning districts, the board and the superintendent figure out who needs to do what to meet their goals; they look at the budget together to make sure it’s aligned with the goals."

Sound familiar?

Cell phone use in schools

LEAP held a meeting last night discussing cell phone use in schools, and posted an NYT article on the subject.

At the November Legislative & Policy committee meeting, we will discuss Tom Reed's proposal for a new policy governing cell phone use in schools.

LCPS Enrollment History & Projections

Year	Enrollment	Enrollment Increase
FY98	23,782	N/A
FY99	26,091	9.71%
FY00	28,787	10.33%
FY01	31,804	10.48%
FY02	34,589	8.76%
FY03	37,532	8.51%
FY04	40,751	8.58%
FY05	44,014	8.01%
FY06	47,361	7.60%
FY07	50,478	6.58%
FY08	54,047	7.07%
FY09	57,317	6.05%
FY10	60,096	4.85%
FY11*	63,353	5.42%

*Projections

LCPS Cost per pupil

School Year	County Share	Total Share
1999-00	$5,499	$7,209
2000-01	$5,754	$8,117
2001-02	$6,933	$9,281
2002-03	$7,404	$9,699
2003-04	$7,527	$10,117
2004-05	$8,245	$10,905
2005-06	$8,908	$11,759
2006-07	$9,047	$12,388
2007-08	$10,072	$13,520
2008-09	$9,855	$13,473

Source

Interpreters for discipline cases

Discipline cases involving suspensions and expulsions are very difficult for parents. Apart from the obvious parental challenges, it can be confusing and intimidating for any of us to sit before review panels of authoritative figures who we don't know. Those who are likely to have the most difficult time are those who don't fully understand the many letters and policies provided to them and the implications of their response to all that paperwork.

As a result, I have made a proposla to provide interpreter services to parents whose children face long term suspensions (greater than 10 days) and expulsion. The specific language is below:

Upon request by the parent(s) or guardian(s), for whom English is not the primary language, LCPS will provide a reasonable amount of interpreter services to assist with each of the elements in this policy including but not limited to understanding notices, submitting requests and participating in hearings, provided that such interpreter shall not serve as an advocate at any hearing. LCPS will notify parents of the availability of these services as part of all notices provided under this policy.

The Board will vote on this proposal tonight.

Parking Fees & Facebook activism

I read an WP article this morning about the dramatically increased parking fees:

Schools' Parking Fee Dents Loudoun Teens' Lifestyles

Parents are protesting:

"Maybe next year there will be a fee to sit in a chair at lunch, because that's a privilege, too," said Russ Borman, father of a Briar Woods High School senior. "It just goes against what we would think is a normal and fair practice."

Students are protesting:

Daniel Hopkins, a student at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, and his friend Kelly Griffith, a student at Park View High School in Sterling, started a protest group on Facebook months ago that attracted 265 sympathizers

LCPS is responding:

"The big yellow school buses are always available," said Heritage High principal Margaret Huckaby.

And yet nothing much has changed:

...they caved the first week of class. They said they weren't willing to give up the thrill of driving to school, even if it ate up an entire paycheck from Target, where both work part time at the Starbucks counter.

Borman bought his daughter, Kerry, a permit before classes started so she can drive herself to work two days a week.

Despite months of protests on Facebook, no Loudoun high schools has reported significantly fewer parkers, although several carpool groups share passes. There also hasn't been a surge in upperclassmen riding the bus, schools spokesman Wayde B. Byard said.

You know, I'll bet I'm the only School Board member with a Facebook account? And I had no idea there were facebook protest groups. Facebook isn't even accessible through the LCPS website.

This leads me to two points:

1. If I didn't know there were Facebook protests, and I'm the only person among Board members and in senior administration with a Facebook account, it is clear that in this case anyway (and I suspect in many others) Facebook protest groups are meaningless. I ignore invitations to join them as a rule, and I suspect that many times they make people feel as if they have contributed their voice to an important issue, when in fact they have not.
   
2. LCPS employees need to have access to Facebook and other social media sites online. It's part of encouraging communication with students and constituents, and finding out what is going on in the community.
   

2009 Special Education Annual Report

The Special Education Advisory Committee makes its annual report to the School Board tomorrow night. The report is available in advance online: SEAC 2009 Report. Excerpts from the report:

• 80% of survey respondents are satisfied with SpEd services.
• 74% agree that their children's needs are understood by general education teachers
• 82% agree that their child feels a part of the school community
• General & Special education staff should participate in more training on topics related to students with disabilities
• Long-term planning is needed for retention and recruitment of SpEd staff
  

You too can sue!

A parent recently pointed out to the Board that state law includes § 22.1-87, reading:

Any parent, custodian, or legal guardian of a pupil attending the public schools in a school division who is aggrieved by an action of the school board may, within thirty days after such action, petition the circuit court having jurisdiction in the school division to review the action of the school board. Such review shall proceed upon the petition, the minutes of the meeting at which the school board's action was taken, the orders, if any, of the school board, an attested copy of the transcript, if any, of any hearing before the school board, and any other evidence found relevant to the issues on appeal by the court. The action of the school board shall be sustained unless the school board exceeded its authority, acted arbitrarily or capriciously, or abused its discretion.

State Code also specifies, in section 22.1-253.13:7:

C. Each local school board shall ensure that policies are developed giving consideration to the views of teachers, parents, and other concerned citizens and addressing the following:
6. Information about procedures for addressing concerns with the school division and recourse available to parents pursuant to § 22.1-87;

LCPS doesn't currently have a policy pointing out that parents have recourse to the courts regarding School Board actions. A new policy was proposed at the October 6th Legislative & Policy committee meeting and will be presented to the full Board as Information Item 17.02 on October 13th. proposed new policy is 2-34, Petition for Court Review (PDF).

Any parent, custodian, or legal guardian of a pupil attending Loudoun County Public Schools who is aggrieved by an action of the school board may, within thirty days after such action, petition the circuit court to review the action of the school board. The action of the school board shall be sustained unless the school board exceeded its authority, acted arbitrarily or capriciously, or abused its discretion.

Notice of this provision shall be included in the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities handbook (PDF).

It also shall be included in any letter notification to a student or parent of a decision by the School Board, or a committee thereof, made in accordance with the provisions of Policy §2-20 or §2-27.

Social Media Revolution

TWIMC~

If you think social media is just about "LOL, idk y my BFF sed ur sooo cute! OMG!!!" you're just wrong. If you think we can't use it to educate our students, that we can't trust our teachers and principals and administrators to have blogs and post videos and set up facebook communities to strengthen their role as educators... you're just wrong.

This video is focused on the business implications of social media, such as branding, but branding applies to the government too. LCPS needs to dive into the pool and join the online conversation about education in Loudoun County.

Kids Learning English

I found this great story from a kindergarten teacher this morning.

“Hey, WHERE are 约翰, 乔治, 죤, Джон and 弗兰克 going? (I changed the names to protect the innocent.)

“Aw, they’re just going to figure out what language they're speakin'.” Then Frank turned to me, “Mrs. Smith, exactly how long will that take?”

Well Frank, because they're in kindergarten, it will only take about a year.

Public Input for FY11 Budget Next Week

While public input on the school budget is encouraged every day and all year, there are key times at which that input can be most effective. Next week is one of those times, and almost nobody ever takes advantage of it. The Superintendent and his staff are currently formulating a budget proposal for the School Board, to be presented on January 12th.

Next Tuesday, October 13th, come to the School Board meeting to give your input on the FY11 budget while it is still being formulated and while the Board is still setting its priorities. Remember that the schools belong to every Loudoun citizen, not just those with students in schools.