Discovering Professional Resources - Essay Example

1 Discovering Professional Resources What kind of information is provided in the most recent issues? A. American Association of School Administrators—February 19,2007 a. An assessment of the No Child Left Behind Act, the article presents an analysis of the Aspen Commission on NCLB. The report goes on to make correlations on teacher and Principal effectiveness, accountability, choice, and supplemental Educational services, national standards and the pitfalls of increased federal involvement in schools. b. also in this edition is a report on a Virginia District defying U. S. Department of Education over testing English. The article goes on to point out that several other districts across the country are also at odds with the DOE mandate. At the heart of the matter is DOE officials claim that, “students need to be tested to determine whether they are making adequate yearly progress as required by NCLB” (AASA). The school districts challenge is based on the Department of Education Organization Act which states,”that the federal government shall not exercise any direction, supervision, or control over curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school or school system” (DEOA) c. Also, a piece titled “Putting Children Ahead of ‘No Child’, asserts that allegations by the feds that school districts are doing a mediocre job is countered with the assertion that, Bureaucrats and educational novices should not be permitted to assess the status in the trenches from their ivory towers. 2 B. Association for Supervision on Curriculum Development a. In a piece titled “Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching”, It identifies those aspects of teacher’s responsibilities that have been documented Through empirical studies and theoretical research, in an effort to promote improved student learning. b. Another piece which this writer aptly describes as the most pertinent piece reviewed is titled, “Improving relationships within the schoolhouse”. The primary premise is that the nature of the relationships among adults within a school has a greater influence on the character and quality of a school and a student’s accomplishment than anything else. The article presents a reality check, and a parallel challenge in asserting that the topic or issue is one which is almost never dealt with due to its volatility. c. The edition includes an open forum, which invites ‘ideas’ from the readership and also encourages readers to communicate in forums with fellow administrators. d. Professional Development for Teachers, inviting a broad base of theories and concepts on ways and means to develop teachers, and assisting them in enhancing their skills. C. Council for Exceptional Children a. Absolute denouncement of President Bush’s 2008 budget proposal to cut or eliminate funding for Individuals with disabilities Education Act and the Javits Program for gifted education. b. CEC asserts there are serious shortcomings in the NCLB legislation and urges Congress to retrofit. 3 c. CEC focused on student non-compliance, and presented steps on how-to-help students get organized. How Scholarly is it? A. I will assign a scale of 1 -10, with one being the lowest and ten being the highest. a. American Association of School Administrators---6 b. Association for Supervision on Curriculum Development---8 c.Council for Exceptional Children—8 How accessible is the Information? A. All of the journals can be accessed on the respective websites, and those who desire can subscribe. Is this a resource you would return to frequently? A. Yes, in all three instances Is this one you would recommend to other administrators? A. Yes, I would recommend all three to others. Team Building American Association of School Administrators, calls for resolutions from school districts across the country who take a parallel position on testing techniques and policies. “AASA encourages Congress to envision a new, more appropriate federal role in education with more accurate and instructionally sensitive accountability focused on individual students that allows state and district innovation to flourish, not wither, under increased federal mandates” (Vogt 2007). Amy Vogt maintains that in education there is no status quo, she bases her assessment on the past and present state of educational flux, she says, “There is no status quo. Education has been in a state of change for decades. We jeopardize our competitiveness not by failing to ‘accelerate’ or to ‘take bold steps’, but 4 by forgetting what we are actually good at: creativity, collaboration, entrepreneurship, innovation and creating global citizens. What we should be doing as we approach the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary School Act is focusing on children in poverty and how best to help them” (Vogt 2007) Association of Supervisors for Curriculum Development, has an IDEAS section in this publication which stresses the importance of everyone being on the same page. If not on the same page, then (figuratively) in the same building, which makes it easier to communicate ideas and gather consensus on matters which are either pressing on a local front, and can ultimately have regional or national implications. Roland S. Barth in his article “Improving Relationships Within the Schoolhouse”, offers the number one concept on team building, when he speaks to Adult interaction he offers, “In parallel play, educators work in isolation from one another. Adversarial relationships can involve open combat, the more subtle withholding of information, and competition for scarce resources and recognition... congenial relationships are personal and friendly, and lay the groundwork for the most exclusive and desirable relationships---collegiality. To create a culture of collegiality, educators must talk about their practice, share craft knowledge, observe one another in their classrooms, and root for one another’s success” (Barth) Council for Exceptional children Presents ways in which Teachers and administrators may deal with incorrigible students, and presents tips on ways to assist students in developing organizational techniques. Stress Management American Association of School Administrators 5 The following letter to the editor from AASA Executive Director Paul D. Houston was first published in the Washington Post and then reprinted in the February edition of the AASA journal, in part it states, “The No Child Left Behind Act, is illustrative of what happens when those who know little about a topic create rules and regulations for those who do most of the work. .. Educators have faced waves of immigrant children, from many countries and circumstances, and they have created programs to help assimilate those children into American culture. Forcing such students to take tests that do not measure what they know or that over – looked the English – language development is illogical and impairs the progress that everyone wants” (Houston 2007) Association of Supervisors for Curriculum Development In this issue a reprinted article from the American School Board Journal (4/2005) which states, “teacher quality has taken center stage in the U. S., now that the federal government is requiring schools to ensure all teachers are highly qualified. Ramping up the intensity of teacher-education programs may improve the overall preparedness of the teaching work force, but in-school support from principals and positive leadership from school boards also are crucial” (ASBT 2005). Council for Exceptional Children Conducted an assessment of NCLB, as it relates to other programs within the school setting, and one of their conclusions was, “school improvement plans must be allowed sufficient time to make a difference in student achievement before sanctions are applied. Further, sanctions should not be applied if they undermine the existing effective reform efforts” (CEC). Conflict Resolution American Association of School Administrators 6 “AASA believes that accountability in the United States needs to move away from coercion, sanctions and punishments, and toward collaboration, authenticity and trust. School’s need to be accountable first and foremost to parents and to their communities. AASA does agree with the commission that better quality assessments and more comprehensive data systems are needed” (AASA) Association of Supervisors for Curriculum Development Published a study which was conducted by the Education Commission of the States, which explores the impact of teacher induction programs, the review of 150 studies by the education Commission of the States concludes that such programs can be helpful, although researchers note there may also be other factors at work. Among the topics addressed are the kinds of teachers most helped by the induction efforts, which aspects of induction and mentoring are most helpful, and the link between student gains and teacher mentoring” (Education Commission of the States 2004) Council for Exceptional Children “NCLB states a noble ambition to ensure that all children—including those with disabilities and those from diverse cultures—meet high academic standards” (Ziegler). “However, through our work with special educators across the nation, as well as parents of children with exceptionalities. CEC recognizes that as the law is currently written, its goals are difficult to achieve. CEC will work with Congress and the administration to make the necessary changes and ensure NCLB retains its overarching aim while rectifying its problems” (Ziegler 2007) American Association of School Administrators Takes the position that the federal government has over stepped its bounds, and as a consequence the feds are meddling in matters which they are not particularly well 7 versed. None the less, they feel that there are some areas where the feds can be of (limited) assistance. However, curriculum development and the like are not areas where the government should, and as a matter of fact, as per federal legislation, they are restricted from doing so. These issues become of particular interest to the principal, because it is upon his shoulders where the running matter of accountability rests. I agree that the feds should not use coercion, punishment, and sanctions as mechanisms to have their policies implemented. Additionally, that programs should be provided ample time for immersion and testing, and sufficient evaluation, before one develops a knee-jerk assessment that it is ineffective. This is important for the administrator, if he/she knows that new programs will be allowed to run their proposed course, and they will receive objective analysis, in the assessment on effectiveness of the program they are more prone to be forthcoming, with ideas or innovations.. Association of Supervisors for Curriculum Development It is only through continuous observation and structured evaluation might we ever be able to devise a process which will enable us to systematically screen and evaluate teachers. Communication which is oriented towards learning and the transfer of information and ideas, is a cornerstone of education. These communication channels must exist between all actors within the school setting. Fostering positive professional relationships between colleagues is critical to the efficient operation of an institution. People must be made comfortable enough to feed off of each other. That is, the communication must be free flowing enough that people are neither reluctant nor afraid of positive innovative exchange. This area points directly at the school administrator, because the administrator has the responsibility of setting the tone to create the 8 environment and time for these exchanges to take place. Council for Exceptional Children The Council draws from a broad base in assessing the relative success of the NCLB Act, and they are convinced that the legislation needs to be rewritten, so that it takes into account, variables which were not initially included. I agree with the idea of working with Congress to educate them on exactly what goes on in the classroom, and to assist them in understanding the diversity at the school level. The goals are now set at an unrealistic level and it proves to be frustrating for teachers and administrators. There is no down side to improving the system, so that it provides a better quality education for the future workers and leaders of this country. Principals are most inclined to appreciate this because, there will be less room for conflict, confusion and unattainable objectives. Works Cited American Association of School Administrators Association of Supervisors for Curriculum Development Barth, Roland, Improving Relations within the Schoolhouse: Improving Professional Practice, volume 63 no.6 March 2006 Council for Exceptional Children Houston, Paul, Letter to the Editor Washington Post February, 2007 Vogt, Amy, Aspen Commission on No Child Left Behind Ziegler, Deb, Associate Executive Director of Policy Council for Exceptional Children Read More