My views...in a nutshell

I've written several brief treatments on important issues before the Tacoma schools.  This list is a quick reference guide to those positions.

• The newly adopted common core can be a good and useful thing, if done right.  But we need to be realistic about its benefits and wary of its pitfalls.

• It's time we start thinking about new routines, new patterns of how we run school.  Not every student learns the same way, and not all students have the same needs as other students.  The challenge of meeting these varying needs requires creative thinking.  One place to start that thinking is with the school schedule.

• Let's clear out the schools' organizational elements that don't really contribute much to instruction, engagement, or enrichment...or to cost-savings

• Let's at least consider our own history when hiring a new superintendent.  And let's look for someone who knows that building relationships in community engagement creates a climate conducive to improving schools.

• We need to get to work crafting effective teacher evaluation measures.

Let's commit--in common--to the Common Core

Washington has joined over 40 other states in adopting the so-called common core.  This common core can be a good and useful thing, if done right.  But we need to be realistic about its benefits and wary of its pitfalls.  Let me explain.

Reasoning and evidence argue for the common core�s enhancement of student achievement.  If nothing else, it would help mitigate the difficulties of a student uprooted mid-term from one school and transplanted in another where the lessons may not even be minimally related to what the student had been doing.  Such students, of course, often experience corollary causes and consequences of struggling in school, so minimizing the educational impact on them would be useful.  

The common core curriculum would also strengthen equality of education opportunity for students.  We already do some of this in Tacoma, of course.  The Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs have a common core type of element in them, and we have made these higher level programs the cornerstone of our emphasis on college readiness in our high schools.

On the negative side, common core does look and sound like another top-down mandate that interferes with the local control of schools.  Thoughtful implementation of the core will minimize this, but it will take commitment and energy for administrative leaders to make sure that  implementation allows for specific situations at different schools, and in different class rooms.  

Again, this requires a degree of trust of the professional staff in each of the schools.  The common core does NOT have to interfere with instructional freedom and independence, but it could do so, if we�re not careful.

Another potential concern to guard against is the politicization of the content of the core.  At this point, the core addresses Language Arts and Mathematics, and focuses primarily on skill targets.  (In Language Arts for instance, a student in a particular grade level should be able to do this or that task to a certain degree of depth.  The specific topics and the directions they go are not part of the expectation.)  

We need to stay attentive, however, to keep mandates about content from creeping in, especially if social studies gets added to the program.

Finally, we need to be sure that this common core is a good one, that we can commit to it for the long haul.  If it simply becomes another in a long line of shifting and changing guidelines, it will be ignored--out of necessity, for lack of time and resources--and discounted.

We have a chance to actually make education services more effective and efficient by streamlining and reducing the bureaucratic bloat (after the initial start up time) by committing to the common core.  Let�s get to work on making sure that happens.

TV Tacoma Forum

TV Tacoma taped several panel discussions for the election season.
If you click this link, you get to the page at which you can watch all the panels.  If you'd like to see the School Board Director #3 discussion, click the second "Watch Now" button, and go about 27 minutes in.

The Arts

I was walking while my 3-year-old was riding his bike, and we went right past the performance hall at my 16-year-old's high school (which would be Woodrow Wilson).  I got to thinking that a substantial portion of his school 'experience' is bound up with that building.  He's performed in several plays, danced in several Scintillation show choir events, played percussion with the school band, and performed with his garage band on that stage...and he still has two more years of the same.

Got me to thinking that I surely appreciate the arts programs that have been available to him.  And though these programs are not part of the 'core curriculum,' their benefits are not merely ancillary.  The self-discipline required to manage one's time so as to participate in these activities and maintain good performance with the rest of the school demands is an essential life skill.  And that's just the beginning.

2011 Scholarships for Medical and Nursing Students

Medical careers offer you lucrative career options! Following are some scholarships that are available for students who wish to pursue medical education and training. The purpose of the scholarship provider is to encourage more and more students to opt for this career

Available Scholarships:

2012 Queensland Health Rural Scholarship Scheme, Australia:
Study Subject(s): Dentistry, Dietetics/Nutrition, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Oral Health, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Radiography, Social Work, Speech Pathology
Course Level: Undergraduate
Scholarship Provider: Queensland Health
Scholarship can be taken at: Australia
Eligibility:You are eligible to apply for a Queensland Health Rural Scholarship if you:
- Are an undergraduate studying at University full time, AND
Scholarship Application Deadline: September 9, 2011
For more information: http://www.health.qld.gov.au/orh/scholarships/qhrss/docs/info_kit.pdf

2011-2012 Scholarship for Nursing Students at The Spalding University, USA
Study Subject(s): Nursing
Course Level: Bachelor, Master�s
Scholarship Provider: The Spalding University
Scholarship can be taken at: USA
Eligibility: Scholarship applicant must be officially accepted into the BSN or MSN program, enrolled fulltime (12 credit hours per semester for undergraduate and 9 credit hours per semester for graduate) by the start of the Fall semester 2011-2012 academic year and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Scholarship Application Deadline: September 9, 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/r2CES9

Endeavour Vocational Education and Training Award for Diploma Students, Tropical North Queensland TAFE, Australia, 2011
Study Subject(s):Various
Course Level: Diploma
Scholarship Provider: Australian Government
Scholarship can be taken at: Australia
Eligibility:- Be citizens or permanent resident of a participating country and reside in a participating country.
Scholarship Application Deadline: 31 July in any year
For more information: http://www.tnqit.tafe.qld.gov.au/resources/pdfs/international_students/endeavour_vet_award.pdf

Merit Scholarship: School of Nursing and Midwifery at Robert Gordon University, UK Study Subject(s): Nursing, Advance Clinical Practice
Course Level: Postgraduate, Postgraduate Diploma
Scholarship Provider: The School of Nursing & Midwifery
Scholarship can be taken at: UK
Eligibility: Applicant must:
-Have an offer of a place to study on a taught postgraduate degree within the School of Nursing & Midwifery.
-Be an international student paying fees at the international rate,
Scholarship Application Deadline: 7th October 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/nDoV0B

Dr. Vera Elizabeth Dewar Graduate Nursing Scholarship at UPEI, Canada
Study Subject(s): Nursing
Course Level: Master�s, Doctoral
Scholarship Provider: Dr. Vera Elizabeth Dewar
Scholarship can be taken at: Canada
Eligibility: Awarded to a graduate of UPEI School of Nursing pursuing a Master�s or Doctoral degree in Nursing.
Scholarship Application Deadline: 31 July 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/pJncTv

Oxley Scholarship for Undergraduate at Australian Catholic University, Australia 2012
Study Subject(s): Nursing
Course Level: Undergraduate
Scholarship Provider: Oxley
Scholarship can be taken at: Australia (Brisbane campus)
Eligibility: The Scholarship will be open to commencing students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing course at the Brisbane campus of the University.
Scholarship Application Deadline: 1 August 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/pfZxNY

Consort Education Scholarship at Queen Margaret University, UK 2011
Study Subject(s): Nursing
Course Level: Master
Scholarship Provider: NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary, Queen Margaret University
Scholarship can be taken at: UK
Eligibility: All applicants will be assessed and selected by a panel from NHS Lothian and Queen Margaret University. -Candidates applying for short course programmes will be selected based on their written submission
Scholarship Application Deadline: 31 August 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/p3CxCH

Calvary John James Hospital Nursing Scholarship at Australian Catholic University, Australia 2012
Study Subject(s): Nursing
Course Level: Undergraduate (second year)
Scholarship Provider: Calvary John James Hospital
Scholarship can be taken at: Australia
Eligibility: The Scholarship will be open to any Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia enrolled as a full-time student and commencing the second year of the Bachelor of Nursing at the Canberra (Signadou) campus of the University, with priority given to students who can demonstrate educational disadvantage arising from geographic location, disability or chronic medical condition or financial, social or cultural factors.
Scholarship Application Deadline: 1 August 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/pCyLyU

Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship and Support Scheme, Australia
Study Subject(s): Nursing/Midwifery
Course Level: Undergraduate
Scholarship Provider: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Scholarship can be taken at: Australia
Eligibility:
-Applications will be considered from applicants who are:
�Australian citizens or permanent residents
Scholarship Application Deadline: 25 July 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/oJjl7z

Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship Scheme at RCNA, Australia
Study Subject(s):Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker, Allied health (all specialities except pharmacy), Dentistry/oral health, Direct entry midwifery, Medicine (including postgraduate entry-level courses), Nursing
Course Level: Undergraduate
Scholarship Provider: Australian Government
Scholarship can be taken at: Australia
Eligibility: Funding under this scheme is available for applicants who meet the following criteria:
�Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
�intending to enroll or are already enrolled in an entry level health qualification
Scholarship Application Deadline: 16 September 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/p6fAJi

Aged Care Nursing Scholarships for Undergraduate at Royal College of Nursing, 2011, Australia
Study Subject(s): Nursing
Course Level: Undergraduate
Scholarship Provider: Australian Government
Scholarship can be taken at: Australia
Eligibility: -To be eligible to apply for an undergraduate scholarship applicants must:
�be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia
�demonstrate a commitment to pursuing a nursing career with a focus on aged care
Scholarship Application Deadline: 1 September 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/oXU8Jv

Pre-Doctoral Research Training Fellowship for Scientists and Healthcare Professionals, USA
Study Subject(s):all fields of research pertinent to epilepsy
Course Level: Pre-Doctoral Research
Scholarship Provider: Epilepsy Foundation
Scholarship can be taken at: America
Eligibility:1.Be matriculating in a full-time doctoral (Ph.D.) program with an academic career focus. Areas of interest considered include, but are not limited to neuroscience, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, biochemistry, genetics, nursing, or pharmacy;
Scholarship Application Deadline: August 31, 2011
For more information: http://bit.ly/pUJurz

Call for Application in Cancer Research Bursaries for Clinicians by NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship, UK 2011
Study Subject(s): Nursing
Course Level: Research
Scholarship Provider: NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship
Scholarship can be taken at: UK
Eligibility: We are currently welcoming applications for Research Bursaries from clinicians, nurses and those working in allied health professions.
Scholarship Application Deadline: 1 August 2011
For more information: Further Scholarship Information and Application/

Convention Travel Scholarship funded by The Society for Vascular Nursing, USA 2012
Study Subject(s): Nursing
Course Level: Travel Expenses
Scholarship Provider: The Society for Vascular Nursing
Scholarship can be taken at: USA
Eligibility: This award may be used for registration fees or for lodging or travel costs. Individuals who have been members of SVN for at least one year are eligible for the Scholarship.
Scholarship Application Deadline: January 6, 2011
For more information: http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_201440_en.pdf

Dame Te Atairangikaahu Nursing Scholarship at Waikato Institute of Technology, New Zealand 2012
Study Subject(s): Nursing, Midwifery
Course Level: Diploma, Bachelor, Masters, Postgraduate Diploma
Scholarship Provider: Waikato Institute of Technology
Scholarship can be taken at: New Zealand
Eligibility:
1.Candidates for the Scholarship must be registered on the Tainui roll.
Scholarship Application Deadline: 16th February 2012
For more information: http://www.wintec.ac.nz/scholarships/details/files/Dame-Te-Atairangikaahu-Nursing-Regulations.pdf

2011-2012 Scholarships for International Students from Istanbul Sehir University, Turkey

Istanbul Sehir University will admit 60 international students for undergraduate programs on full and partial scholarships.

Study Subject(s): Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering, Natural Sciences, Management, Communications and Law

Course Level: Undergraduate
Scholarship Provider: Istanbul Sehir University
Scholarship can be taken at: Turkey

Eligibility:
The applications of:
-students who are either high school graduates or are studying their last year in high school,
-students with dual nationality who abandoned their Turkish or Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) citizenship and who complete their entire high school education abroad
- citizens of TRNC who have completed their entire high school in TRNC and have GCE A/L result will be accepted.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Yes

Scholarship Description: Istanbul Sehir University is a recently founded, non-profit, private higher education institution established by the Foundation for Sciences and Arts in 2008. Its founder BSV is a renowned NGO functioning for more than 25 years in the field of social sciences, organizing many international and national academic activities and free seminars in related areas. With its young and qualified teaching staff, dynamic interdisciplinary curricula and eclectic programs, a wide range of elective courses, rich library and research-focused agenda, University aims to become a distinguished institution in Turkey and its neighboring regions in higher education and research. University invites international applicants to come study in Istanbul, Turkey.

How to Apply: Online

Scholarship Application Deadline: 1 August 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application: http://bit.ly/o4mwQJ

There�s a role for our college as WSU plans take off in Everett

(cross posted from my dean's blog)

I didn�t expect to spend the Thursday before the Independence Day holiday traveling to Western Washington. Especially not in a four-seater charter plane out of Pullman-Moscow International in the company of President Elson S. Floyd and Murrow College Dean Larry Pintak. But when the university president invites you to a meeting and offers you a ride �

When we landed at Paine Field, our plane was dwarfed by Boeing jets stacked up, awaiting insignia painting for many countries around the world. From there, we drove to three meetings with stakeholders in WSU�s initiative to operate the present University Center in Everett, starting in 2014.

We met in the lovely new convention center in Everett�s harbor area, joined by several other WSU deans and partner institution officials. Also present was WSU Spokane Chancellor Brian Pitcher, whose Riverpoint campus is seen as a model for what WSU�s effort in Everett could become.

WSU�s first order of business in Everett will be to establish mechanical and electrical engineering programs, modeled on what we already offer in Bremerton. The programs will involve a clinical faculty member, distance education via video, and summer study in Pullman. But the stakeholders in Everett � including the mayor, Chamber of Commerce representatives, and state legislators � also want programs in nursing, media arts and, importantly, education. At the meeting, I shared my eagerness for the College of Education to provide educational opportunities to local school administrators, and to teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Western Washington University has traditionally provided education course work in Everett, and I look forward to working with them.

President Floyd said it is premature to think of Everett as being the fifth WSU campus. For now, we are exploring the opportunity and learning how we can collaborate. An advisory board and planning committee are already at work.

I am proud that the College of Education is so well represented in the leadership of this initiative. Paul Pitre of our Vancouver faculty will oversee WSU�s developments at Everett in the coming year. Joan Kingrey, our academic director in Spokane, led the discussions at the Everett meeting. And President Floyd has his faculty appointment in our college.

Our plane took off from Paine Field just before 5 p.m. I rode shotgun. Heading east, we flew above a blanket of clouds over the Cascades, with Mount Rainier peeking above that, off the right wing. A half hour later, I could see in the distance lush green fields, and Kamiak and Steptoe buttes. It was thrilling to see Pullman edge closer as we sped home. It was a fun and inspiring day.

Where Voters/Taxpayers and Teachers Meet

In these tough economic times, we all know schools must learn to do more with less.  This makes budget writing difficult, but it also forces all of us to evaluate our priorities, and that's a good thing.  Taxpayers and teachers share a significant priority�they want the schools to be effective. For voters/taxpayers, this means schools that deliver quality instruction, engage students, and enrich the life of the community...preferably at the lowest cost possible.    

For teachers, schools that work well have effective curricula, useful administrative support, and adequate preparation and planning opportunities so that staffs can deliver high quality instruction to students.

Where taxpaying voters and teachers meet--or, more to the point, where they share common ground--is in the desire to clear out the schools' organizational elements that don't really contribute much to instruction, engagement, or enrichment...or to cost-savings.

According to documents on the school district web site, Tacoma's spending on central administration, as a percentage of the budget, grew from 2006-7 to 2008-9.  Tacoma was the only district (in that report) to experience administrative growth in this period.  (All others either dropped or remained flat.)

While Tacoma did not return to its all-time high percentage, it did climb back into the #2 position behind Seattle.

If this portends a return of more bureaucracy, it's the wrong direction.  Take, for example, the bureaucracy and culture of 'assessment.'  Assessment is necessary and helpful, but only to the point to which it sharpens instruction.  There is now, however, so much assessment that it can crowd out instruction time and therefore actually cut into learning time.  Obviously, there comes a point at which more assessment doesn't add much value--informationally or instructionally, so to do more beyond this point of diminishing marginal returns is to actually undermine education.  It's hard to say where this threshold lies, as it differs for different students, but that threshold is out there somewhere!

Unfortunately, the culture of assessment imbibes the idea that more assessment--because it generates more information about a student--is better.  That's why the list of possible assessments a student could undergo is as long as it is.

As a Tacoma School Board Director, I would work to refine and reduce the number of assessments students must undergo each year.  In so doing, we can save some money and increase available instructional time...and education would get a little bit better.

Stimulating Conversations

I met with another group of Tacomans last night....Good conversation.

Like everybody, these folks want good schools for all the students of Tacoma, in all the neighborhoods of the city.  They also understand that teachers and school staffs are essential to the delivery of quality education.  Education bureaucracy does not teach.  Forums and panels do not teach.  People teach, and they do better at teaching when they have effective and trusting relationships to those they're teaching.

That's why one of my primary goals as a board member will be to create opportunities for school staffs to have some more contact--outside of school time--with the families of their schools' neighborhoods.  When people work together, that is, undertake tasks together, things get done and relationships get stronger.  And better relationships allow for the undertaking of even more work together.

I'm not saying that one Saturday morning work party at the school is going to raise this year's MSP scores at a school.  But a consistent commitment to working together--expressed in actual work undertaken--will stimulate involvement and engagement, and these will help academic performance for more kids.

Hiring a School Superintendent

Last night, I had a very good conversation with several parents and teachers, and it set me to thinking more specifically about the next superintendent.  My conversation partners all agreed that we ought to undertake the search for the new superintendent with a real mind to considering a local candidate...someone of the community, who knows the community.

It makes good sense, to at least look seriously--even intentionally--for a 'local.'  The last several candidates from outside the local community have not always made the necessary connections to the people and issues here.

Moreover, in the current climate the stakes are high for a new superintendent, but all too often in the wrong way.  Say we do an extensive and expensive search--through a search firm, no doubt--and get a high-flying education visionary.  Upon arrival, this new superintendent will likely feel the need to show results, and fast.  The impulse to change will be strong, and will push down from the top.  Test scores and other standardized and objective measures will tend to get elevated above other less quantifiable goals.  The ability to patiently determine what already works might be overridden by the desire to show 'improvement' quickly.  Community engagement could become more difficult through all this.

This is not to say that a local candidate would necessarily overcome or transcend all these problems.  This is to say that I think these problems are more likely with an outsider coming in.   Recent superintendents seem to have to arrived partly with the purpose of proving their visionary status as much or more than serving the needs of Tacoma students.

Let's at least consider our own history when hiring a new superintendent.  And let's look for someone who knows that building relationships in community engagement creates a climate conducive to improving schools.  Community engagement is not a parallel or adjunct process in the drive to improve schools.

My Principles on Principals

Students and teachers alike know how important a school principal is.  The principal sets the tone of the school by establishing the climate and culture of the community that �lives� in the building.  

A good principal will shape school goals for student performance by setting good--high but reasonable, useful and challenging--academic and social expectations.  A good principal then knows when and how to challenge, guide, encourage, coach and mentor staff members to support students in meeting these goals.

A good principal establishes a culture of rigor and success, and sets an example of hard work.  This creates a climate conducive to the work--by both staff and students-- necessary for students to thrive.

In short, a good principal is a servant leader to the staff, supporting them to be servant leaders to students and their families.

Tacoma schools need great principals.  

As a board member, I would support a thorough and rigorous process to find the best principals possible.  I would also support the success of current principals by maintaining the highest level of on-going training, evaluation and support. 

Principals, school staff, the community, students and families working together will make Tacoma schools great.

For more, visit me on Facebook.

Teacher Accountability

Teachers, by and large, are not opposed to creating measures of accountability for teacher performance.  Teachers do tend to be anxious about just how the measurements will be taken.  The new law requiring that teacher evaluation include some aspect of student performance will be taking effect within a couple years.  

That's why we need to get to work crafting effective teacher evaluation measures.

Teacher evaluation instruments need to be clear and useful.  Year on year comparison of state standardized test scores do not show teacher effectiveness with a specific student or set of students, and do not account for differences in student performance that arise across different groups of students from one year to the next.  Such year on year comparisons don't really tell all that much about how a specific teacher is doing.

We need, therefore, to develop inexpensive measurements of teacher performance that specifically determine students' growth from September to June.

Teacher evaluations need to be created with some understanding that individual teachers can be in very different stages of professional development.  I am a substantially different teacher today--5 years after starting--than I was during my first year in the class room.  

We need, therefore, evaluation processes that support the development of really effective teachers through consistent work on the part of the individual teachers and the supporting school leadership.

Teacher evaluation processes need to be supple.  We need measurement instruments that take account of factors beyond the schools' control.  Student absenteeism, health or itinerancy, for instance, can adversely affect a student's performance, irrespective of what the school or teacher does to address the situation.

We need, therefore, to develop measurements of student performance that account for important unusual circumstances in some students' school year.

Teacher evaluations need to have a human element.  There are a wide variety of styles, dispositions and personalities that can all be effective in the class room.  It takes discernment by school leaders to understand these nuances.

We need, therefore, to create a reliable teacher evaluation process that enables the students, parents, staff and leadership to talk productively about each child's education and how teachers can best maximize that student's performance.

Teacher accountability can stimulate better, more effective teaching...as long as the measurements of accountability are clear, thorough and useful for parents, teachers and school leaders.