It's the Steinbrenner High Warriors

LUTZ -- Make way for the Steinbrenner High School Warriors. You will know them by their navy and gold uniforms.

The potential mascots first suggested for the new school -- named for legendary New York Yankees owner, business tycoon and Tampa Bay area philanthropist George Steinbrenner -- included the Stallions, the Chargers, the Yankees and the Clippers.

The Warriors "wasn't something that came up early on," principal Brenda Grasso said today, but it emerged as she went from school to school talking with prospective students.

Administrators want to steer away from a Native American warrior, but remain open to most anything else, Grasso said. The school, which opens in August on Lutz Lake Fern Road, is soliciting students' ideas and artwork to flesh out the mascot's image.

The gold in the school colors is what's known as an athletic gold, more yellow, like the gold in the West Virginia Mountaineers' uniforms, and less of what's sometimes known as a "Vegas gold," similar to Notre Dame's colors.

The school also has a Web site up -- http://steinbrenner.mysdhc.org/ -- though much work remains to be done getting ready for the fall. Grasso said the school will post more information about curriculum and athletics as it hires teachers and coaches.

Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer

School Board Retreat

The School Board will meet to discuss a number of topics on January 16, 2007. The Board has at least during the time that I have been here held this type of discussion in a retreat-like setting. We have usually met away from the Board offices and have committed a full day to talking about what mattered most to the School Board. The first session was held shortly after I arrived and was facilitated by an outside consultant who also conducted the search process that lead me to the district. The primary focus of that session was to align the Board's expectations and set direction for the following year. The second session was mostly focused on strengthening the relationships between members of the leadership team- which when it gets right down to it is a matter of establishing expectations and the collective will of the Board.

I believe this session will follow a similar pattern after reading the tentative agenda. The Board will discuss core values, get a state of the schools overview, hear how the administrative team has operationalized the Board's strategic directions and then spend the balance of the day talking about changes in the metrics used to measure the system's improvement or discuss changes in direction that will guide the administrative team and subsequently the actions of the school district.

As we approach the workshop I hope that some of you will offer your thoughts on the direction the system is taking or that you would like to see it take. As those of you who read this blog know we are focused on several key areas this year including, but not limited to: the Choice Plan, our magnet programs, our fundamental schools, alternative education, the use of technology in the district, special education, middle and high school programs, career and technical education and a host of other topics.

This is your chance to add to the discussion- I will take each post to the meeting with me to let our members see what you think is important as we set direction for the upcoming year. I have attached the news story that appeared on Baynews 9 as a reference point for you as you contemplate your comments.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2006/12/31/211356.html

Thanks in advance for your continued participation. I look forward to a great year. Happy New Year.

What I learned this year in high school

If you haven't read Ron Matus' piece today - I hope you will read it. Later today I will add some comments to the discussion ... for what its worth ... I agree with him in his conclusion ... "As a system, schools can do better. And they have to."

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/24/Opinion/What_I_learned_this_y.shtml

To those who have finished celebrating Christmas today ... I hope that your day was filled with peace, joy and happiness. To those who do not celebrate Christmas ... I wish you the same ... peace, joy and happiness.

Ron's article rang true for me and has haunted me since I read it. In the end it really does come down to a couple of key themes: first, if the schools don't teach and reach more kids - all of the kids - then who will and what does the future hold for those who can't or unwilling to be reached? What does the future hold for us as a community if we don't reach them? Second, is there any other entity other then the schools that are positioned to meet the challenge of teaching and reaching young people? It seems to boil down to this - if the schools don't or can't do it, who will?

If you accept the premise that the schools are positioned to meet the challenge and that there are not currently any viable alternatives - then you can't escape the notion that we have to do better. Consider this fact alone and suspend the fact that there is a graduation gap between sub-groups- at best 72% of our kids graduate from high school in four years. How could anyone say that an education entity that allows three out every ten entrants to miss the capstone experience was operating at peak performance.

I know that some might say that charters, private schools and parochial schools can do the job better ... and perhaps some might ... but certainly not all of them do. And you cannot dismiss the fact that currently they do not have the capacity to address the challenges we face as a nation. Even the most liberal estimates of capacity at currently operating charters, private and parochial schools  estimate that not more then 10% of America's students could attend these schools.

Others will say that the challenges of poverty, racism, and culture make it impossible for schools to reach the kids of today. There are those who say that some kids are to "damaged" to learn and still others will find fault with the parents or communities who offer us their children. Others will find and offer a myriad of excuses not listed here to escape responsibility for reaching each and every child.

I can't accept that. I believe we can do a better job, both personally and as a system. I think that in many ways we have come to realize that. We have begun a journey to fix systems that were broken, to update the tools that our teachers and administators need and to better align our curriculum, instruction and assessment systems. We have given a great deal of thought to better managing student behavior and expectations and we have begun the work to make both our middle and high schools more relevant and engaging. I hope we have sent messages that assure our teachers that we support their efforts and expertise.

Almost a year ago now - when I was approached about letting a reporter into Northeast High School to talk with students, teachers and administators I hoped that what they saw would create a compelling story about what high school was really like. I think that it did. It has created a buzz within the system. There are conversations taking place now that would not have taken place without the article. There is a renewed interest in the place called high school and there is an urgency to address the challenges outlined through the lives of the kids in the story. The story has created some anxiety and frustration. The sense of urgency is necessary - because this is the year that matters to our students. They don't have next year for the adults to get it right ... I think that most of us within the system understand that ... though it doesn't make it any easier. We see Ronnie, John and Quetta everyday ... anyone who is paying attention understands that we have to do it better.

The Challenges of High School

Recently, some of you may have read about our efforts at Gibbs High School. For those who didn't see the story I would want to provide some context to guide our conversation. I should note that I have been on the Gibbs campus three times this year, which, while it is not a lot of time - but relatively speaking it is considerably more visits and time spent on any one campus then I have spent or made in a year during my tenure here. 

First, two or three observations. First, the great majority of the kids at Gibbs are great kids, they are respectful and pursuing their education as our thousands of other kids across Pinellas County. Second, I fully support the current Principal at Gibbs High School, Mrs. Cambell is a bright and articulate leader. She has served the district well in a variety of leadership positions and while she is a young leader - she impresses me as having an "old" soul, seasoned with wisdom, passion, care and understanding. Third, the great majority of the administrative team, and the faculty and staff at Gibbs are a group who care deeply and work hard to provide the kind of education that you and I want for our kids.

Some additional context for my comments. I have not visited with or even met every teacher on the Gibbs campus and I have not been in each classroom this year, nor have I spoken with more than a handful of students - I believe that Gibbs High is a school that requires some assistance.

I have personally seen dozens of students using MP3 and CD players both on the campus and in classrooms, I have seen students using cell phones on campus and in classrooms, all of which viololate district usage policy. I witnessed large numbers of students wondering the campus after the tardy bell had rung. I saw students who clearly should have been in class completely ignor adults who attempted to redirect them. I saw restrooms that had fixtures knocked off the walls, stainless steel cover plates torn away from the walls and I saw graffitti that would make a sailor blush.

In order to curb this kind of behavior I have asked several key staff members to spend time at Gibbs helping the leadership team, faculty and staff to reassess their efforts and processes. I expect the campus to be better supervised before, during and after school. I expect that the campus be well maintained, free of litter and graffetti. I expect that those coming to our campus will be attended to with courtsey and a can-do attitude by our support staff. I have asked that my leadership team members and the Gibbs administrative team carefully review student discipline records and provide more appropriate school sites for some who have habitually violated our code of conduct. I have asked our physical plant services team to clean, paint and repair the restrooms and other common spaces that have been vandalized. I have spoken to the Mayor Baker and St. Petersberg Chief of Police, Mr. Harmon about assistance with students who physical threaten others on our campus and I have asked our own school police to increase their presence on our campus. We will also add at least two Campus Monitors after the first of the year to assist with our effort. During the week after Christmas I will be asking members of the various faith communities around Gibbs High school to provide a visible sign of their support on the campus for an extended period of time. The Times called on members of one very visible community group to step forward and be a part of the solution by rolling up their sleeves and walking their talk and when they do ... we will welcome them with open arms.

In the end however, I believe that as a community we have to address the underlying cause of problems at Gibbs if we are serious about not having to simply replay this effort again and again. Adding a police presence helps in the short term, repainting and repairing restrooms is cosmetic, relocating students simply moves the "problem." Each while important today- treat symptoms, they do not address the cause. Of the tools listed in the preceeding paragraph, only the on-going involvement of the community groups with Gibbs High holds significant promise in my eyes.

Our community must find a way to reach a significant fraction of our kids who lack a sense of self control, who appear not to care and who demonstrate their disrespect and anger with absolutely no regard for the consequences traditionally available to the schools and folks within them. We must address the underlying issues of race and expectation. 

The fundamental question here seems to be this - and I acknowledge that we have work to do at the school both in terms of both systems and instruction - but we absolutely have to find a long term strategy to engage and sustain our community in the lives of these students. Beginning first with the parents of our students and then of others who will support students whose parents can't or simply won't shoulder their parental responsibilities. If these students don't learn and accept the norms that the majority of our society holds at home or in the community- I have grave concerns for our ability to provide them with the education they will need to be contributing members of our community. So then ... the fundamental question- what will it take to get the parents or grandparents, families or friends, ministers or congregation members, advocates or community leaders to say to those young people who swear and curse at their teachers, who tear apart our communities investment and threaten those who want to teach and learn - to say enough is enough, we will have no more of it.

The Achievement Gap Revisited

A recent study presented at Columbia University by Michael T. Nettles, a senior vice president at ETS (Education Testing Service)  stated, "the gaps betweeen African Americans and whites are showing very few signs of closing." At Columbia other reports reportedly agreed that "the achievement gaps remain, perplexing and persistent."

It is clear that there is no "silver bullet" to close and eliminate the achievement gaps between African-American students and their white counterparts. There may however be "silver BBs" ... elements that when present begin the work of closing and eliminating the gaps.

In Pinellas County we have a number of those elements in place. In fact I would say that we have most of them in place, some to greater a greater degree then others, but directionally I believe we are on the right track. Some of the elements are state or federally mandated- others locally initiated. Class size, curriculum standards , learning strategies and specialized programs can only take you so far. We have scholarship programs, mentors and tutors and yet the gaps remain. Promoting civil behavior is only as effective as those consistently promoting it. Supplemental educational services, community partnerships, and choice options help but in the end we can't seem to escape one simple fact. In schools across this county where there is tremendous parental support and engagement ... student achievement is generally higher then schools where parents are not engaged . And while this is true for schools as a whole, it also tends to manifest itself in any school where we see gaps between learners. More directly, where there are large numbers of young people stuggling with school - we don't have engaged parents or guardians. Certainly there are exceptions to every rule- and in some schools individual parents or guardians of struggling students have moved and are moving heaven and earth to change the course of events. However, this is larger system and hope for a discussion of big ideas to change the dynamic across the county.

In this thread I would like to ask for your thoughts and suggestions as to how do we as a system promote greater involvement from parents and guardians who for whatever reason are not supportive of or engaged in our efforts. I hope those both in and out of the system will weigh in on this topic. This spring I hope to make parent engagement a topic of my community conversations and having your perspective on the front end of that conversation should help us get to solutions more efficiently.

The "Business" of Education

At a recent school board meeting there was some discussion of the role of business and business leaders in education. Personally, I believe that given the issues we face - we need all the help we can get. We need business leaders, faith based leaders and community leaders all to offer suggestions, hands and financial resources.

Recently our Foundation and many of this communities business leaders have taken an active voice in promoting career, vocational and technical education. Mayor Baker has promoted a differentiated compensation plan for administrators and members of Faith and Action Standing Together (F.A.S.T) have promoted Pre-K and school discipline plans. All initiatives and activities that I have supported.

What do you think about the role of those outside the traditional "tent" of education getting inside the "tent"? Do you see opportunity or peril?

Let's see what those who are following this discussion think.  Clayton

Bullying- The Perceptions of High School Students

We recently surveyed nearly twenty-two thousand high school students to get their perspective of the services we provide. This effort was initiated by high school principals who are interested in and working hard to improve student learning within each of their schools. The survey instrument, My Voice, has been given around the country. Our data now informs a larger data base and we have gained the perspective of a nationally administered survey that looks at high school through the eyes of students.

One of the first questions that comes to mind is how honest are students in filling out a survy like this? Interestingly, those within the industry more often then not say that students are honest in completing such instruments. Though many of those same researchers caution us to use multiple data sources before making major decisons affecting survey respondents. Right now ... we are simply reviewing the data ... looking for interesting questions and seemingly confounding or conflicting student responses ... we are looking at the results between schools, between grade levels, across gender and several other aspects but one thing jumped out at me and that was related to bullying.

While I have suspected ... no ... known that bullying was a problem in schools today- I guess I had hoped that the students would report that it was not the problem that many have said it was. However, fully thirty percent of our kids said it was a problem within our high schools. I would like to spend some time with you discussing bullying and what we can do as a system to reduce and ultimately eliminate those behaviors that our kids find offensive.

I don't intend for this thread to become a story telling session and I certainly wouldn't find it appropriate to "out" someone who either was a bully or was being picked on- there are other more appropriate channels for that. Rather I want us to talk about bullying in all its forms - so we can educate those in a position to stop it - to stop it. I hope we can discuss some ideas for raising awareness of the problem and I hope we can inspire some of our students to help us send the message that bullying should not and will not be tolerated on our campuses.

FCAT and Accountability

I would like to know what you think of this comment that I offered to the St. Petersburg Times this week. You should know that I was asked to comment on the FCAT exams because the candidates for govenor have widely different positions on the issue and the Times, thoughtfully, wanted to know how Tampa Bay area Superintendents felt about the issue.

I would like to know if my take or thoughts about the value of FCAT are similar.

As the debate on the value and appropriateness of FCAT rages on, we should not lose our perspective. FCAT is simply one tool that allows students, parents, teachers, schools and school districts to have a deeper understanding of their effectiveness. It is one measure, not a magic bullet. It is not an end; rather, it is a means to an end. It is, however, an undeniably important element in the demonstration of a school system’s accountability to its community.

FCAT testing should not dominate a teacher’s or system’s “way of work” nor should it be allowed to drain the life out of great classroom instruction that is purposeful, engaging and fun. We should remember that FCAT serves as only one measure of what our schools do, and arguably it is not the most important measure. FCAT does not measure much of what is important to our community; consider that it does not measure creativity, resilience, curiosity, enthusiasm, leadership, courage or one’s sense of awe or humility. It does not measure politeness, compassion or honesty, all virtues that most of us value and are taught each and every day in our schools.

Perhaps most alarmingly, FCAT’s potential as a tool to demonstrate the academic achievement of a school or system’s effectiveness is being compromised as “some” seek to pervert its potential to hold students, teachers, schools and school districts accountable. They want to alter it to be a tool that punishes those who are fighting the greatest fight and whose struggle is now and historically has been the greatest.

There are reasonable fixes to the current situation. First, make FCAT a true diagnostic tool so it serves to “inform” instruction, helping to make good teachers and good schools even better. The current scenario is not much more than autopsy – data that comes too late to help with instruction and only serves to label. Second, expand the picture of what constitutes a “good” school, using FCAT as one element in a larger accountability system, supplementing the tests with other measures to give a complete picture of the efforts and successes of children, teachers, schools and districts. We must also rethink the allocation of resources around the new matrix of accountability and approach school funding from an equity basis rather than the current model that seems to favor those who already achieve at the expense of those who struggle to achieve.

Dr. Clayton M. Wilcox

Superintendent

Pinellas County Schools

Does Homework Increase Student Achievement or Does Homework Increase Student (and parent) Apathy Towards Schoolwork?

     Several books have been published recently that continue to fuel the debate about the value of homework.  The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn, The Case Against Homework by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, and The Overachievers, by Alexandra Robbins all challenge the presumed benefits of homework especially for young children.  The homework question has also been the topic lately for talk shows and news magazines.  The cover story for Newsweek’s September 11^th edition read, “The New First Grade: Are Kids Getting Pushed Too Fast, Too Soon?”  The St. Petersburg Times ran a story on September 17^th titled:  “It’s Not Just Kids Who Question Homework.”

     On the other hand, Education Week reported last month the results of an August 24^th poll from the Pew Research Center that showed most Americans thought parents didn’t put enough pressure on students to do well in school.  Proponents for that position point to the tendency of American students scoring below many of their counterparts in Asia and Europe on mathematics and science examinations.  In addition, American students aren’t pursuing advanced degrees in mathematics and science at the same rate as other international students.  Is there a case whether or not homework played a role in those discrepancies?

     Ultimately the question remains, “Does homework improve student achievement?”  We also need to agree with the purpose of homework: Is it to review or to learn new concepts?  Is homework really necessary?  If so, should there be limits to how much a second-grade student or a tenth-grade student has nightly?  I hope that students, teachers, parents, and everyone who’s done a homework assignment at some time feels welcome to respond!

The School Calendar

This morning, Saturday, September 23, the St. Pete Times ran an article on the proposed school calendar for next school year. The development of the calendar is a long and sometimes difficult process which involves many people. The proposed calendar has several key changes, first the start date has been moved back to comply with state law. We will now start much later in August.

Last year you may remember that we started the move to a later start by moving from the first week in August to the second week in August in anticipation of this years still later start date. While many believe the early start date was directly related to FCAT testing - at least in Pinellas a key motivation was to end the semester prior to the winter holiday break. We certainly acknowledge that having more days in front of the testing period is an advantage for our kids - however I am told that it was not the driving factor here.

We have looked at moving days from the Thanksgiving holiday- we have looked at eliminating early dismissal days and several other possible changes including creating unbalanced semesters. None of the options provide enough time to end the semester before the winter holiday.

The calendar change makes it virtually impossible to end the semester before the winter break and it reduces the number of days in front of FCAT. Today several people indicated that they understood the reduced days of instruction issue - given that the state sets the testing window but they didn't get why we cared about ending the semester before the winter break. The primary reason for that is related to final exams for many of our semester courses. It simply works better for students to be able to take their final exams in greater proximity to the actual instruction they are being tested on. I think one side value to ending at the winter break is that our students and their families have a natural break point in the year for holiday celebrations and trips without the stress of exams or projects do - after a prolonged absence from school.

I would like to hear from you - before we make our final recommendation to the school board. Would your family mind a shortened Thanksgiving holiday? Do you find the early dismissal days a challenge? If we can't end before the winter holiday anyway ... would an even later start date be better for your family? Say starting after Labor Day in early September?

If you are a teacher or staff member, how do you feel about the calendar? Would you like to see some options presented to our school teams for discussion with the results forwarded to us to be used in our recommendation to the School Board? I would also like to know what you think of early dismissal days and where would you like to see provisions made for trade days?

Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions. Clayt