According to the U. S. Department of Education an estimated 2.9% or 1.5 million children in the United States are home-schooled. This number is up from 1.7% about a decade ago in 1999. The ratio of home-schooled boys to girls has changed from 49% boys and 51% girls in 1999 to 42% boys and 58% girls. Home-schooling is predominantly selected by higher-income families with 60% earning more than $50,000 per year. In Virginia, the number of home-schooled children jumped 9% statewide in one year. Notably the number of white families choosing to home school nationwide has doubled in the past decade and the number of college-educated parents home-schooling is up from 4.9% to 6.8%.
The reasons parents choose this course of action are varied: 36% say their decision was to provide “religious or moral” instruction; 21% cited school environment and culture; and only 17% cited “dissatisfaction with academic instruction.” Let’s explore these in more detail.
First, the religious basis for home-schooled choice: The religious foundation of our country that served as a basis for public instruction a century ago is well documented. The religious limits concerning contemporary public school education are also well documented. This basis has been clearly redefined by the judicial branch of the federal government. The Supreme Court of the United States established a “wall” of separation concerning church vs. state teachings in public schools dating back to the 1950’s and this guidance has served as the basis for the past sixty years of litigation and hence public school curricular development. Therefore, Parents who want their children to benefit from an education that favors a particular religious perspective have two choices: send their children to parochial/private schools or teach them at home. We cannot fulfill a religious function in the public arena to the extent that many parents would like for their children. Our ever-increasing diverse and forward-thinking society is required to tolerate extremes in lifestyles, freedom of expression and personal choices never thought imaginable just a few decades ago. These values often run contrary to specific religious beliefs.
Second: School environment and the culture of our schools is a direct reflection of societal attitudes in the community and strongly correlated to the norms of that community. The total investment in school facilities and the resources utilized in public schools is directly related to the the conditions in the locality supporting the schools. Two decades of litigation in a dozen states concerning school funding formulas involving “adequacy and equity” formulas have failed to change this over time. Therefore, the ability and willingness of a community to invest in its public schools connects to how the community values its core mission to provide a free and appropriate education for all. According to Fuller’s “Savage Inequalities” the disparities in capital investments in public education are extreme and much in need of attention nationwide. In resource-starved communities where schools are less than desirable places for children to be all day long, the home-schooled option seems obvious. This also may explain why so many charter schools have blossomed across the country. Finally, the heterogeneous clientele present in American schools is problematic for some families who prefer a much more homogeneous environment for their children, so the 21% who said environment was a factor in their decision is understandable.
Third: Academic instruction is the area that 17% of parents cited as reasons for home-schooling. While I can accept this rationale on the surface due to the fact that many parents want their child to be challenged and pushed to higher limits, many feel they can do it better and more effectively at home rather than the institutional model for schools and current standards established state-to-state. However, research does not support the fact that home-schooling produces any better results than public schools. While home-schooled children hold their own on standardized tests for intelligence, they are not socialized to the extent that children exposed to diverse learning styles are in public schools. The need for American children to compete internationally in many different arenas over the next century speaks volumes for the need to teach our young tolerance and respect for individual and cultural differences. The shelter of a home-schooled environment protects certain children from exposure to other children who may contribute varied perspectives in the learning environment and this may be detrimental in the long run to the home-schooled child.
Perhaps most compelling reason why public schools contribute to the well-rounded development of young people is the learning that is offered by specialists in public schools. By the time a child graduates from a public high school he/she will have had as many as sixty to seventy different teachers. These professionals will present children with positive models of effective teaching and learning that can only benefit children and young adults as they formulate opinions about their own education. How many parents are prepared to teach advanced subject matter such as Chemistry, Biology, AP Calculus or have the advanced equipment at their disposal to conduct scientific or mathematical research? Let us not also discount the variety of subjects and experiences that occur outside of the four walls of the classroom such as activities, athletics, and the arts, and the rich experiences children learn through collaborating with others in public schools.
We who serve in public education respect the choice that parents make regarding their preferences for home-schooling here in Virginia and nationwide. Parents who choose this path feel that they can provide a targeted and specific education for their children and have total control over the content and form of teaching and learning. If the resources are in place to deliver rigorous educational exposure and the parent is prepared to accept the full responsibility for a comprehensive curricular experience then we are compelled to approve of this approach.
In conclusion, I said this to Jay Scarborough of the Petersburg Progress-Index in May of 2009, “We are preparing children today for a global experience tomorrow. Children have to be flexible and adaptable and they’ve got to be ready to modulate and function in a world without borders. What public education does well is bring disparate, socio-economically deprived children into the same classroom as privileged children and educate them and prepare them for a role in the world.” Let us not forget the role America’s public schools played in creating the great democracy we live in today. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. The challenge will be to adjust and change to meet the technological challenges that the new century presents for us in order to produce the creative, intelligent, and thoughtful future citizens America deserves.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Role of Educational Influence and AASA in American Policy
As chair of the Region I Superintendents in Richmond, Virginia, I am privileged to serve with several of my colleagues on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of School Superintendents(VASS). As a member of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) my fellow superintendents and I have become increasingly more active in political advocacy for education and for all of the American children we serve in our great country. AASA has clearly led the effort to step up this level of advocacy at the national level of government.
The Executive Director of AASA, Dan Domenech, met with the VASS executive board and membership in Roanoke, Virginia this morning May 6, 2009. Dan is a well-rounded educator (formerly superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia) who clearly sees the “big picture” and is an outspoken leader committed to promoting the influence of AASA in educational decision making at the highest federal levels of government. I applaud Dan’s efforts to collaborate with the United States Department of Education and with the Obama administration in Washington, D.C., for embracing AASA.
For far too many years educators have been excluded in policy decisions at the highest levels of our government. The period of the past eight years have been very difficult for public education as critics of American schools appeared to have the upper hand in Washington, D.C., and the voices of the professional organizations representing education purposefully excluded from any substantive discussion (AASA, ASCD, NASSP, NAESP, NSBA, NEA, to name just a few). That day has past.
Dan Domenech reaffirmed this concept today in his remarks to the leadership of the Virginia Superintendents. Dan announced that AASA has a prominent place “at the table” since President Obama took office, and shared with us how this began to take shape during Obama’s transition to the presidency. Dan suggested that the shift in political power in Washington has opened a new era for educational policy in this nation. Most encouragingly, Dan confirmed that the Obama administration was actively listening and engaged with AASA as future educational policy decisions are being formulated in our capitol.
This is very god news for professional educators across America and a huge shift from the former administration. The federal government is increasingly moving forward to be a key player in educational decision making, an area that is relatively new in the history of this country. Absent any federal role as defined by our federal constitution, the power to establish and regulate educational policy has been left to the states. With a renewed interest in globalization and international standards, we can expect the federal government to step up its role in the formulation of standards for American education.
It is imperative that AASA and parallel organizations representing the educational community be present for these important policy discussions. Dan Domenech affirmed that President Obama’s administration is committed to pursuing the broad educational objectives defined during the political campaign in 2008 and is now in the process of engaging our professional organizations in conceptualizing a new direction for American education.
The challenges are formidable for all of us in education. While critics at the national level like to place blame on the educational system for a perceived failure to perform, what they lack is a thorough understanding of the dynamics of American education and all we are attempting to accomplish. International comparisons are valuable, as they continue to remind us that expectations must be raised and the stakes are extremely high in a global age of collaboration and cooperation. But international comparisons are not quite what they appear to be as many countries are clearly not as diverse as America nor committed to educating 100% of their children. This is particularly true in India and China, two countries we are constantly compared to.
In fact, many countries have homogeneous populations or implement tiered and exclusionary approach to moving students along an educational continuum, rendering statistical comparisons less than valid or reliable. So what does this mean? What is important for us to do in America is to strive for the best system of public education and promote what is in the best interest of all our children. Dan Domenech said it best today when he reminded us that we did not become the world power America is today with less than adequate public education. The real challenge for us is to articulate what works in American education and what we still need to do to improve the system for the enormous diversity that exists in the American school population.
Finally, the measures of success for educating a populace must not be limited to a snapshot or single standardized test (my own thoughts) but a true “motion picture” of how we are teaching young people to think, assess, analyze and act about the world they will occupy in future years. The correlation between poverty and academic achievement is so powerful that this is the single most important challenge for us in American culture at this moment. It will take strong educational leaders to mitigate the effects of socio-economic depravation on the children we serve, but we are up to this task. This is why educational “influence” is so important at the highest levels of American government now and in future years.
We as educators are capable of solving any of the challenges we embrace now and in the future, and these solutions will require an unprecedented amount of stakeholder input and discussion at every level of government. Reforms begin at home in local communities and are realized at the state and federal levels once we all speak from the same page and establish common understandings about what America’s schools are accomplishing and want to accomplish in future years. This is exactly what professional educators are trying to do at this moment to effect the necessary changes in policy and influence at all levels of government. I am proud of the unified voice AASA brings to state superintendents and proud of the work the Virginia superintendents have accomplished to articulate the need for progress and reforms in a new era of internationalization. Let’s be glad that President Obama is listening and committed to our efforts for the good of all our children.
The Executive Director of AASA, Dan Domenech, met with the VASS executive board and membership in Roanoke, Virginia this morning May 6, 2009. Dan is a well-rounded educator (formerly superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia) who clearly sees the “big picture” and is an outspoken leader committed to promoting the influence of AASA in educational decision making at the highest federal levels of government. I applaud Dan’s efforts to collaborate with the United States Department of Education and with the Obama administration in Washington, D.C., for embracing AASA.
For far too many years educators have been excluded in policy decisions at the highest levels of our government. The period of the past eight years have been very difficult for public education as critics of American schools appeared to have the upper hand in Washington, D.C., and the voices of the professional organizations representing education purposefully excluded from any substantive discussion (AASA, ASCD, NASSP, NAESP, NSBA, NEA, to name just a few). That day has past.
Dan Domenech reaffirmed this concept today in his remarks to the leadership of the Virginia Superintendents. Dan announced that AASA has a prominent place “at the table” since President Obama took office, and shared with us how this began to take shape during Obama’s transition to the presidency. Dan suggested that the shift in political power in Washington has opened a new era for educational policy in this nation. Most encouragingly, Dan confirmed that the Obama administration was actively listening and engaged with AASA as future educational policy decisions are being formulated in our capitol.
This is very god news for professional educators across America and a huge shift from the former administration. The federal government is increasingly moving forward to be a key player in educational decision making, an area that is relatively new in the history of this country. Absent any federal role as defined by our federal constitution, the power to establish and regulate educational policy has been left to the states. With a renewed interest in globalization and international standards, we can expect the federal government to step up its role in the formulation of standards for American education.
It is imperative that AASA and parallel organizations representing the educational community be present for these important policy discussions. Dan Domenech affirmed that President Obama’s administration is committed to pursuing the broad educational objectives defined during the political campaign in 2008 and is now in the process of engaging our professional organizations in conceptualizing a new direction for American education.
The challenges are formidable for all of us in education. While critics at the national level like to place blame on the educational system for a perceived failure to perform, what they lack is a thorough understanding of the dynamics of American education and all we are attempting to accomplish. International comparisons are valuable, as they continue to remind us that expectations must be raised and the stakes are extremely high in a global age of collaboration and cooperation. But international comparisons are not quite what they appear to be as many countries are clearly not as diverse as America nor committed to educating 100% of their children. This is particularly true in India and China, two countries we are constantly compared to.
In fact, many countries have homogeneous populations or implement tiered and exclusionary approach to moving students along an educational continuum, rendering statistical comparisons less than valid or reliable. So what does this mean? What is important for us to do in America is to strive for the best system of public education and promote what is in the best interest of all our children. Dan Domenech said it best today when he reminded us that we did not become the world power America is today with less than adequate public education. The real challenge for us is to articulate what works in American education and what we still need to do to improve the system for the enormous diversity that exists in the American school population.
Finally, the measures of success for educating a populace must not be limited to a snapshot or single standardized test (my own thoughts) but a true “motion picture” of how we are teaching young people to think, assess, analyze and act about the world they will occupy in future years. The correlation between poverty and academic achievement is so powerful that this is the single most important challenge for us in American culture at this moment. It will take strong educational leaders to mitigate the effects of socio-economic depravation on the children we serve, but we are up to this task. This is why educational “influence” is so important at the highest levels of American government now and in future years.
We as educators are capable of solving any of the challenges we embrace now and in the future, and these solutions will require an unprecedented amount of stakeholder input and discussion at every level of government. Reforms begin at home in local communities and are realized at the state and federal levels once we all speak from the same page and establish common understandings about what America’s schools are accomplishing and want to accomplish in future years. This is exactly what professional educators are trying to do at this moment to effect the necessary changes in policy and influence at all levels of government. I am proud of the unified voice AASA brings to state superintendents and proud of the work the Virginia superintendents have accomplished to articulate the need for progress and reforms in a new era of internationalization. Let’s be glad that President Obama is listening and committed to our efforts for the good of all our children.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Pay-for-Performance in Public Schools
A valued friend, Bob Holdsworth, publishes a blog called Virginia Tomorrow. Recently, I responded to one of Bob’s posts concerning pay-for-performance for public school teachers. My reaction to Bob’s post was clear and direct. I do not subscribe to nor agree to the concept that pay-for -performance is an effective strategy for public school educators. Bob published my remarks (with permission) and I would like to take the opportunity to address my comments in more detail.
A recent publication (Education Week, March 11, 2009) by Donald B. Gratz summarized the issue this way. “To believe that teachers will try harder if offered a financial incentive is to assume that they aren’t trying hard now, that they know what to do but simply aren’t doing it, and that they are motivated more by money than by their students’ needs. These are unlikely and unsupported conclusions, which teachers find insulting rather than motivating” (p.40). I couldn’t agree with Donald Gratz more. As I interact with and collaborate with the fine teachers we employ in the Dinwiddie County, VA, School Division, it is apparent that they are not here for the money. Rather, a profound dedication to children and young adults motivates each and every one of our teachers to do the best they possibly can, even in an era of increased accountability and shrinking resources.
The fact that a child in any school in America is required to take standardized tests does not give rise to the validity or reliability that such tests are predictors of student needs later in life. Nor are such tests indicative of the multi-faceted and profound influence of teaching on the social, emotional, physical and intellectual development of our youth. The purpose for schooling as it relates to our nation’s history according to Jefferson, Emerson, Dewey and other leaders is not limited to measurable cognitive knowledge. In fact, the broader purpose for school is to provide children with the skills, knowledge, and disposition to succeed as citizens, workers, and members of our democratic society. In 21st century terms we may need to reconsider what outcomes are valued. The four areas of skill most sought according to Grantz are: professionalism and work ethic; oral and written communications; teamwork and collaborating; and critical-thinking and problem solving. Do standardized test account for these qualities?
Return now to the concept of pay-for-performance for teachers. Since children at any point in their educational continuum have multiple teachers, to which specific teacher do we attribute any measurable gain the cognitive, social, developmental, emotional, artistic, or intellectual development of a child? What measurement will best determine when the child gained the skills or knowledge? Will this decision be based upon a single source test? What skill sets or specific knowledge do we value most? How about student growth? What about the role of good parenting in the development of the child?
I had a neighbor who was the CFO of a respected corporation and earned a very comfortable income. He could not wait to retire so he could fulfill his lifelong desire to teach math. When he did retire, he accepted a job at a middle school in Virginia. After two years he reported back to me that he never worked so hard, under such pressure, and with such limited support as he did in the teaching profession. Undoubtedly, he finally did retire with a profound respect for those who choose a career in teaching. Do teachers deserve higher pay? Absolutely! If we value teachers and the contribution they make to American society then we need to provide more value in their paychecks. But so many variables exist in the development of a child’s intellect, social and emotional growth that it will be impossible to attribute these to any one moment in time or to any one specific person. Let’s decide to invest in public schools as a whole, and not attempt to demoralize the teaching profession any further by instituting pay-for-performance until we understand what it is we are trying to measure and value in the first place.
A recent publication (Education Week, March 11, 2009) by Donald B. Gratz summarized the issue this way. “To believe that teachers will try harder if offered a financial incentive is to assume that they aren’t trying hard now, that they know what to do but simply aren’t doing it, and that they are motivated more by money than by their students’ needs. These are unlikely and unsupported conclusions, which teachers find insulting rather than motivating” (p.40). I couldn’t agree with Donald Gratz more. As I interact with and collaborate with the fine teachers we employ in the Dinwiddie County, VA, School Division, it is apparent that they are not here for the money. Rather, a profound dedication to children and young adults motivates each and every one of our teachers to do the best they possibly can, even in an era of increased accountability and shrinking resources.
The fact that a child in any school in America is required to take standardized tests does not give rise to the validity or reliability that such tests are predictors of student needs later in life. Nor are such tests indicative of the multi-faceted and profound influence of teaching on the social, emotional, physical and intellectual development of our youth. The purpose for schooling as it relates to our nation’s history according to Jefferson, Emerson, Dewey and other leaders is not limited to measurable cognitive knowledge. In fact, the broader purpose for school is to provide children with the skills, knowledge, and disposition to succeed as citizens, workers, and members of our democratic society. In 21st century terms we may need to reconsider what outcomes are valued. The four areas of skill most sought according to Grantz are: professionalism and work ethic; oral and written communications; teamwork and collaborating; and critical-thinking and problem solving. Do standardized test account for these qualities?
Return now to the concept of pay-for-performance for teachers. Since children at any point in their educational continuum have multiple teachers, to which specific teacher do we attribute any measurable gain the cognitive, social, developmental, emotional, artistic, or intellectual development of a child? What measurement will best determine when the child gained the skills or knowledge? Will this decision be based upon a single source test? What skill sets or specific knowledge do we value most? How about student growth? What about the role of good parenting in the development of the child?
I had a neighbor who was the CFO of a respected corporation and earned a very comfortable income. He could not wait to retire so he could fulfill his lifelong desire to teach math. When he did retire, he accepted a job at a middle school in Virginia. After two years he reported back to me that he never worked so hard, under such pressure, and with such limited support as he did in the teaching profession. Undoubtedly, he finally did retire with a profound respect for those who choose a career in teaching. Do teachers deserve higher pay? Absolutely! If we value teachers and the contribution they make to American society then we need to provide more value in their paychecks. But so many variables exist in the development of a child’s intellect, social and emotional growth that it will be impossible to attribute these to any one moment in time or to any one specific person. Let’s decide to invest in public schools as a whole, and not attempt to demoralize the teaching profession any further by instituting pay-for-performance until we understand what it is we are trying to measure and value in the first place.
Friday, April 3, 2009
AASA Study Confirms Impact of the Economic Downturn on Public Schools
When it became apparent in 2008 that an economic downturn was upon us the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) took the lead in studying and analyzing the impact that changes in economic conditions would have upon school divisions nationwide. A study was conducted on the economic downturn that revealed measures were underway in most school divisions in response to shrinking budgets. The study also suggested that the economic downturn could threaten gains in student achievement and progress in narrowing the achievement gap and the capacity of schools to deliver essential services.
Two additional studies were conducted by AASA in December and in January 2009. These new surveys analyzed the potential impact of the continued economic downturn on schools nationwide. One of the revealing areas of interest was the fact that almost three-quarters of school leaders planned to eliminate jobs in the 2009-2010 school year. The reality that many schools would have to operate with fewer academic instructors, support staff and student services staff was a major concern.
The latest surveys indicate that the adjustments administrators made prior to the 2008-2009 school year were moderate when compared to the cuts schools are being forced to consider for the 2009-2010 school year. Some summary results are listed below:
• In the recent studies, 75 per cent of respondents described their districts as “inadequately funded”.
• A quarter indicated they were facing short-term borrowing to meet payroll and accounts payable, with two percent facing non-performance on bond repayment schedules and one percent facing insolvency.
• The top five “high priority” items were: classroom technology, school modernization, safety and security measures, connectivity, and professional development.
• The top five “priority” uses were: classroom equipment/supplies, software, supportive technology for students with needs, professional development, and textbooks.
• The top five “low priority” items were: health equipment, new career/technical programs, art education equipment, physical education equipment, and music education equipment.
Education represents a large share of the states’ general fund budgets. With state deficits expected to total more than $350 billion over the next two years, it will be very difficult for states to avoid damaging cuts to education as the recession continues. While the $100 billion included for education in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act should help backfill some of the identified budget cuts, it is unlikely that the federal money will be enough to allow states and schools to completely reverse the proposed cuts in educational spending. The temptation for state governments and even local funding agencies to further reduce educational funding by using ARRA funds to bolster funding categories for other services (roads, building projects, social services, tax relief, etc.) presents a daunting challenge for school districts depending upon additional funding to survive the economic downturn.
All local school divisions must continue to articulate their needs to the local and state funding authorities in order to survive the immediate impact of reduced funding for the next fiscal year or two. The real challenge may be to plan for the 2010-2011 budget cycle that may be absent any additional federal stimulus funding and necessitate even deeper cuts to local school budgets. The immediate future for public educational funding will be at best difficult times for public education. Let’s hope we can avoid a catastrophic event for the sake of the children we serve.
Two additional studies were conducted by AASA in December and in January 2009. These new surveys analyzed the potential impact of the continued economic downturn on schools nationwide. One of the revealing areas of interest was the fact that almost three-quarters of school leaders planned to eliminate jobs in the 2009-2010 school year. The reality that many schools would have to operate with fewer academic instructors, support staff and student services staff was a major concern.
The latest surveys indicate that the adjustments administrators made prior to the 2008-2009 school year were moderate when compared to the cuts schools are being forced to consider for the 2009-2010 school year. Some summary results are listed below:
• In the recent studies, 75 per cent of respondents described their districts as “inadequately funded”.
• A quarter indicated they were facing short-term borrowing to meet payroll and accounts payable, with two percent facing non-performance on bond repayment schedules and one percent facing insolvency.
• The top five “high priority” items were: classroom technology, school modernization, safety and security measures, connectivity, and professional development.
• The top five “priority” uses were: classroom equipment/supplies, software, supportive technology for students with needs, professional development, and textbooks.
• The top five “low priority” items were: health equipment, new career/technical programs, art education equipment, physical education equipment, and music education equipment.
Education represents a large share of the states’ general fund budgets. With state deficits expected to total more than $350 billion over the next two years, it will be very difficult for states to avoid damaging cuts to education as the recession continues. While the $100 billion included for education in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act should help backfill some of the identified budget cuts, it is unlikely that the federal money will be enough to allow states and schools to completely reverse the proposed cuts in educational spending. The temptation for state governments and even local funding agencies to further reduce educational funding by using ARRA funds to bolster funding categories for other services (roads, building projects, social services, tax relief, etc.) presents a daunting challenge for school districts depending upon additional funding to survive the economic downturn.
All local school divisions must continue to articulate their needs to the local and state funding authorities in order to survive the immediate impact of reduced funding for the next fiscal year or two. The real challenge may be to plan for the 2010-2011 budget cycle that may be absent any additional federal stimulus funding and necessitate even deeper cuts to local school budgets. The immediate future for public educational funding will be at best difficult times for public education. Let’s hope we can avoid a catastrophic event for the sake of the children we serve.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Arts Position Statement
Excerpts from a speech to regional school board members in Virginia, March 25, 2009
I would like to address the fine and performing arts in public schools from two perspectives: one is the threat of tough budget times that the arts must endure, and the other is the hope that the arts will soon realize an elevated sense of purpose in future years. This is a topic very dear to me and I am glad to share it with you.
As expected in these difficult budget times, there is good news and there is bad news. The good news is that a significant portion of the economic stimulus package is heading to public schools. The bad news for many school districts is that any funds they receive are likely to provide only a portion of what is needed to avoid budget cuts. These are challenging times when difficult decisions must be made about how to best allocate resources.
As educators, parents, community leaders, and policymakers, we must look through the eyes of our children as we weigh each decision before us. The temptation to cut entire programs as an expedient way to realize savings within our budgets and must be avoided at all costs. This is no easy task as many valuable programs like the arts considered extensions of the core academic focus are at risk, especially programs like the visual arts, instrumental and choral music, drama, and even physical education.
The wonderful art display all of us had the opportunity to view is representative of thousands of pieces of student work created and submitted by your school districts. During the month of March hundreds of individual pieces of art are on display throughout Virginia including Dinwiddie County in banks, business, schools, and our government center in honor of Arts Education. The quality of student work is indicative of the creative streak that each of us as human beings inherently possesses. All that was required for this creativity to flow is the opportunity and encouragement from our teachers and mentors. Public schools nationwide play a vital role in the promotion of arts and aesthetic education and the arts are an important part of the human growth and development of our youth.
In Daniel Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind, the author describes a seismic shift under way in much of the advanced world we live in. Pink suggests that we are moving from an economy built on the logical, linear, computer-like capabilities of the Information Age to an economy and society built on the inventive, empathetic, big-picture capabilities of what is rising in its place, what Pink calls the Conceptual Age.
He describes the six new senses of the Conceptual Age in this way: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. Pink says survival in the Conceptual Age will be contingent on our ability to detect patterns and opportunities, to create artistic and emotional beauty, to craft a meaningful narrative, and to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into something new. The “Right-Brain” qualities of inventiveness, empathy, joyfulness, and meaning, increasingly will determine who flourishes and who flounders. The book offers hope to the power of the human mind in an age of conceptualization. But remember, this is nothing new.
The fine and performing arts have always played an integral part in the growth and development of the human intellect: across cultures, across continents, and across time itself. Art and music have been part of mankind from the very beginning. Since nomadic peoples first sang and danced in early rituals, since hunters first painted their quarry on the walls of caves, since parents first acted out the stories of heroes for their children, the arts have described, defined, and deepened human experience.
Across the bridge of time, all people of the world have demonstrated an abiding need for meaning in order to connect time, space, body and spirit, intellect and emotion. People have created art to make connections and construct personal meaning from life experiences, to explain the seemingly unexplainable phenomena in life, to express joy, wonder, gratitude, or sorrow. The arts are one of humanity's deepest rivers of continuity, serving as a link that connects each new generation with those that have gone before.
The arts are everywhere in our present day lives, adding depth and dimension to our environment. Music and art are a powerful economic force in the global economy of the 21st century, from the visual creativity of fashion, to the designs that comprise every manufactured product, to the richness of traditional and contemporary architecture, to the performance and entertainment art form that has grown into multi-billion dollar industries.
At another level, the arts are society's gift to itself, linking hope to memory, inspiring courage, enriching our celebrations, and making our tragedies bearable. The arts have touched every generation that ever lived upon this planet because they bring us face to face with ourselves, and with what we sense lies beyond ourselves.
Music and art are deeply embedded in our daily lives and are an inseparable part of the human journey. If civilization is to continue to be both dynamic and nurturing, its success will ultimately depend on how well we develop the intellectual capacities of our children and our children's children. All of our students deserve access to the rich education and understanding that only the arts can provide, regardless of their background, talents, or limitations.
In an increasingly technological environment, the ability to perceive, interpret, understand, reflect, and evaluate artistic and aesthetic forms of expression is critical. Perhaps most important, the arts have deep intrinsic value. They are worth learning for their own sake, providing benefits not available through any other means. Because the arts transcend the multi-dimensional aspects of reality, there can be no substitute for an education in the arts, which provides bridges to things we can scarcely describe but respond to on the deepest levels. In elemental terms, no educational experience is complete without them.
Please continue to value the arts by demonstrating the leadership to maintain and support arts education in each of your schools. This is a decision that has long-lasting implications for the quality of life in future generations, and a decision you will not regret now or in the coming years.
I would like to address the fine and performing arts in public schools from two perspectives: one is the threat of tough budget times that the arts must endure, and the other is the hope that the arts will soon realize an elevated sense of purpose in future years. This is a topic very dear to me and I am glad to share it with you.
As expected in these difficult budget times, there is good news and there is bad news. The good news is that a significant portion of the economic stimulus package is heading to public schools. The bad news for many school districts is that any funds they receive are likely to provide only a portion of what is needed to avoid budget cuts. These are challenging times when difficult decisions must be made about how to best allocate resources.
As educators, parents, community leaders, and policymakers, we must look through the eyes of our children as we weigh each decision before us. The temptation to cut entire programs as an expedient way to realize savings within our budgets and must be avoided at all costs. This is no easy task as many valuable programs like the arts considered extensions of the core academic focus are at risk, especially programs like the visual arts, instrumental and choral music, drama, and even physical education.
The wonderful art display all of us had the opportunity to view is representative of thousands of pieces of student work created and submitted by your school districts. During the month of March hundreds of individual pieces of art are on display throughout Virginia including Dinwiddie County in banks, business, schools, and our government center in honor of Arts Education. The quality of student work is indicative of the creative streak that each of us as human beings inherently possesses. All that was required for this creativity to flow is the opportunity and encouragement from our teachers and mentors. Public schools nationwide play a vital role in the promotion of arts and aesthetic education and the arts are an important part of the human growth and development of our youth.
In Daniel Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind, the author describes a seismic shift under way in much of the advanced world we live in. Pink suggests that we are moving from an economy built on the logical, linear, computer-like capabilities of the Information Age to an economy and society built on the inventive, empathetic, big-picture capabilities of what is rising in its place, what Pink calls the Conceptual Age.
He describes the six new senses of the Conceptual Age in this way: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. Pink says survival in the Conceptual Age will be contingent on our ability to detect patterns and opportunities, to create artistic and emotional beauty, to craft a meaningful narrative, and to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into something new. The “Right-Brain” qualities of inventiveness, empathy, joyfulness, and meaning, increasingly will determine who flourishes and who flounders. The book offers hope to the power of the human mind in an age of conceptualization. But remember, this is nothing new.
The fine and performing arts have always played an integral part in the growth and development of the human intellect: across cultures, across continents, and across time itself. Art and music have been part of mankind from the very beginning. Since nomadic peoples first sang and danced in early rituals, since hunters first painted their quarry on the walls of caves, since parents first acted out the stories of heroes for their children, the arts have described, defined, and deepened human experience.
Across the bridge of time, all people of the world have demonstrated an abiding need for meaning in order to connect time, space, body and spirit, intellect and emotion. People have created art to make connections and construct personal meaning from life experiences, to explain the seemingly unexplainable phenomena in life, to express joy, wonder, gratitude, or sorrow. The arts are one of humanity's deepest rivers of continuity, serving as a link that connects each new generation with those that have gone before.
The arts are everywhere in our present day lives, adding depth and dimension to our environment. Music and art are a powerful economic force in the global economy of the 21st century, from the visual creativity of fashion, to the designs that comprise every manufactured product, to the richness of traditional and contemporary architecture, to the performance and entertainment art form that has grown into multi-billion dollar industries.
At another level, the arts are society's gift to itself, linking hope to memory, inspiring courage, enriching our celebrations, and making our tragedies bearable. The arts have touched every generation that ever lived upon this planet because they bring us face to face with ourselves, and with what we sense lies beyond ourselves.
Music and art are deeply embedded in our daily lives and are an inseparable part of the human journey. If civilization is to continue to be both dynamic and nurturing, its success will ultimately depend on how well we develop the intellectual capacities of our children and our children's children. All of our students deserve access to the rich education and understanding that only the arts can provide, regardless of their background, talents, or limitations.
In an increasingly technological environment, the ability to perceive, interpret, understand, reflect, and evaluate artistic and aesthetic forms of expression is critical. Perhaps most important, the arts have deep intrinsic value. They are worth learning for their own sake, providing benefits not available through any other means. Because the arts transcend the multi-dimensional aspects of reality, there can be no substitute for an education in the arts, which provides bridges to things we can scarcely describe but respond to on the deepest levels. In elemental terms, no educational experience is complete without them.
Please continue to value the arts by demonstrating the leadership to maintain and support arts education in each of your schools. This is a decision that has long-lasting implications for the quality of life in future generations, and a decision you will not regret now or in the coming years.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Need for Fine and Performing Arts in Schools
The fine and performing arts have always played an integral part in the growth and development of the human intellect: across cultures, across continents, and across time itself. Art and music have been part of mankind from the very beginning. Since nomadic peoples first sang and danced in early rituals, since hunters first painted their quarry on the walls of caves, since parents first acted out the stories of heroes for their children, the arts have described, defined, and deepened human experience.
Across the bridge of time, all people of the world have demonstrated an abiding need for meaning in order to connect time, space, body and spirit, intellect and emotion. People have created art to make connections and construct personal meaning from life experiences, to explain the seemingly unexplainable phenomena in life, to express joy, wonder, gratitude, or sorrow. The arts are one of humanity's deepest rivers of coninuity, serving as a link that connects each new generation with those that have gone before (National Standards for Arts Education, 1994).
The arts are everywhere in our present day lives, adding depth and dimension to our environment. Music and art are a powerful economic force in the global economy of the 21st century, from the visual creativity of fashion, to the designs that comprise every manufactured product, to the richness of traditional and contemporary architecture, to the performance and entertainment art form that has grown into multi-billion dollar industries.
At another level, the arts are society's gift to itself, linking hope to memory, inspiring courage, enriching our celebrations, and making our tragedies bearable. The arts have touched every generation that ever lived upon this planet because they bring us face to face with ourselves, and with what we sense lies beyond ourselves.
Music and art are deeply embedded in our daily lives and are an inseparable part of the human journey. If civilization is to continue to be both dynamic and nuturing, its success will ultimately depend on how well we develop the intellectual capacities of our children and our children's children. All of our students deserve access to the rich education and understanding that only the arts can provide, regardless of their background, talents, or limitations.
In an increasingly technological environment, the abililty to perceive, interpret, understand, reflect, and evaluate artistic and aesthetic forms of expression is critical. Perhaps most important, the arts have deep intrinsic value. They are worth learning for their own sake, providing benefits not available through any other means. Because the arts transcend the multi-dimensional aspects of reality, there can be no substitue for an education in the arts, which provides bridges to things we can scarcely describe but respond to on the deepest levels. In elemental terms, no educational experience is complete without them.
Please join me in every effort to support the fine and performing arts in America's public schools. Let's celbrate and acknowledge the talents and gifts that every child brings to our schools and give them a means to grow and develop intellectually. They will be better for it, and our society will be as well.
Across the bridge of time, all people of the world have demonstrated an abiding need for meaning in order to connect time, space, body and spirit, intellect and emotion. People have created art to make connections and construct personal meaning from life experiences, to explain the seemingly unexplainable phenomena in life, to express joy, wonder, gratitude, or sorrow. The arts are one of humanity's deepest rivers of coninuity, serving as a link that connects each new generation with those that have gone before (National Standards for Arts Education, 1994).
The arts are everywhere in our present day lives, adding depth and dimension to our environment. Music and art are a powerful economic force in the global economy of the 21st century, from the visual creativity of fashion, to the designs that comprise every manufactured product, to the richness of traditional and contemporary architecture, to the performance and entertainment art form that has grown into multi-billion dollar industries.
At another level, the arts are society's gift to itself, linking hope to memory, inspiring courage, enriching our celebrations, and making our tragedies bearable. The arts have touched every generation that ever lived upon this planet because they bring us face to face with ourselves, and with what we sense lies beyond ourselves.
Music and art are deeply embedded in our daily lives and are an inseparable part of the human journey. If civilization is to continue to be both dynamic and nuturing, its success will ultimately depend on how well we develop the intellectual capacities of our children and our children's children. All of our students deserve access to the rich education and understanding that only the arts can provide, regardless of their background, talents, or limitations.
In an increasingly technological environment, the abililty to perceive, interpret, understand, reflect, and evaluate artistic and aesthetic forms of expression is critical. Perhaps most important, the arts have deep intrinsic value. They are worth learning for their own sake, providing benefits not available through any other means. Because the arts transcend the multi-dimensional aspects of reality, there can be no substitue for an education in the arts, which provides bridges to things we can scarcely describe but respond to on the deepest levels. In elemental terms, no educational experience is complete without them.
Please join me in every effort to support the fine and performing arts in America's public schools. Let's celbrate and acknowledge the talents and gifts that every child brings to our schools and give them a means to grow and develop intellectually. They will be better for it, and our society will be as well.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Technology Enhances Education in Dinwiddie County
Dinwiddie County Public Schools has been recognized by the Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium as a state model for educational technology. In the fall of 2008 our School Division won the state SVRTC Technology Award. This credit belongs to the leadership of our technology team, led by Timothy Ampy and our educational technology staff for supporting technology on many different levels and for utilizing E-Rate funding to place Dinwiddie County Public Schools in an elite group of school divisions (Top 4% in Virginia). The most recent effort approved by the Board of Education is to advance Dinwiddie County's technology capability light years ahead by upgrading Dinwiddie Schools to fiber-optic cable to deliver our telecommunications needs (underwritten by state and federal financial resources). The shift to fiber-optic will enable us to run our internet and telecommunication systems with a Gigabit WAN system, or to put this in more simplistic terms our internet will not only increase capacity but will run over 600 times faster than the present T-1 lines that serve us can.
This is great news for our schools with over 2,200 computers and an aggressive on-line testing and instructional program. Computer speed has increased dramatically since the advent of the networks most school divisions have employed, and with web-based software accounting for most of the major functions of schools nationwide, the upgrade to fiber optic will enable schools to meet the demands of the new digital age. Our student information system is currently being upgraded to Infinite Campus, a product that is anticipated to be heavily used by both staff and parents on a daily basis. Faster internet connections will not only unclog some of the typical traffic jams encountered by all faculty and staff at peak usage times, but also provide teachers with more web-based teaching opportunities for students overall.
"This upgrade will allow for new and expanded curriculum technologies to be introduced and will enhance all of our programs K-12," said Christie Clarke, Coordinator of Instructional Technology. Every teacher in Dinwiddie County operates a laptop computer and a multitude of instructional needs are addressed through advanced technologies in our school division. There are a variety of new initiatives underway at Dinwiddie County Public Schools: Digital Conversion of paper student records; Upgrade of the current student information system to Infinite Campus; Upgrade of the Library system to Desitiny; Addition of Trip Tracker to the online transportation system; Upgrade of KeyStone for Human Resources and Finance Departments; Software upgrade Division-Wide to Office 2007; addition of new Digital Reader to help imporve student reading skills; E-Office Point-of-Sale food service system; Replacement of all school-based file servers; Replacement of all elementary school computer labs; Addition of at least two wireless carts to each school; Replacement of all routers and PIX Firewall; Addition of IEP Online development for the Special Education staff; Addition of web filter proxies at each school; and Network Digital copiers added division-wide.
As Superintendent of Schools I could not be more pleased with the advancement of technology to enhance and enable student learning. We are entering a period of time when schools nationwide must rethink the delivery system of educational services to students and community members, and the new technologies available to us at this time will require a solid infrastructure and technology backbone to advance our capabilities. We envision schools that soon will look considerably different than our 20th century counterparts and technology is the promise of a vastly different future for citizens of the 21st century. Those citizens are occupying seats in today's classrooms across America, and will be the driving force for the changes that will propel us into the 22nd century. It should be a fun ride.
This is great news for our schools with over 2,200 computers and an aggressive on-line testing and instructional program. Computer speed has increased dramatically since the advent of the networks most school divisions have employed, and with web-based software accounting for most of the major functions of schools nationwide, the upgrade to fiber optic will enable schools to meet the demands of the new digital age. Our student information system is currently being upgraded to Infinite Campus, a product that is anticipated to be heavily used by both staff and parents on a daily basis. Faster internet connections will not only unclog some of the typical traffic jams encountered by all faculty and staff at peak usage times, but also provide teachers with more web-based teaching opportunities for students overall.
"This upgrade will allow for new and expanded curriculum technologies to be introduced and will enhance all of our programs K-12," said Christie Clarke, Coordinator of Instructional Technology. Every teacher in Dinwiddie County operates a laptop computer and a multitude of instructional needs are addressed through advanced technologies in our school division. There are a variety of new initiatives underway at Dinwiddie County Public Schools: Digital Conversion of paper student records; Upgrade of the current student information system to Infinite Campus; Upgrade of the Library system to Desitiny; Addition of Trip Tracker to the online transportation system; Upgrade of KeyStone for Human Resources and Finance Departments; Software upgrade Division-Wide to Office 2007; addition of new Digital Reader to help imporve student reading skills; E-Office Point-of-Sale food service system; Replacement of all school-based file servers; Replacement of all elementary school computer labs; Addition of at least two wireless carts to each school; Replacement of all routers and PIX Firewall; Addition of IEP Online development for the Special Education staff; Addition of web filter proxies at each school; and Network Digital copiers added division-wide.
As Superintendent of Schools I could not be more pleased with the advancement of technology to enhance and enable student learning. We are entering a period of time when schools nationwide must rethink the delivery system of educational services to students and community members, and the new technologies available to us at this time will require a solid infrastructure and technology backbone to advance our capabilities. We envision schools that soon will look considerably different than our 20th century counterparts and technology is the promise of a vastly different future for citizens of the 21st century. Those citizens are occupying seats in today's classrooms across America, and will be the driving force for the changes that will propel us into the 22nd century. It should be a fun ride.
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