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Focus on the Future
News, information and insights to issues related to the HMS School District and education.

Mr. Evans can also be found on twitter at KLynnEvans

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This is not your father's education.....
The title is a play on the old car commercial "this is not your father's Oldsmobile" but the same can be said for education today. Even though most schools look pretty much the same on the outside as they have for many years, the teaching and learning are quickly changing....and it should.

The world we need to prepare students for is vastly different than the one I stepped into as a young man. The need to know "The Three R's" is still important, but today's students need much more than rote learning. In a 21st century world, we need to know how to access information, analyze and apply information, collaborate with others, communicate through a variety of mediums and create.

I invite you to view a YouTube video produced in June of 2007 by Dr. Scott McLeod on our students changing needs and the world they need to be prepared to enter. Dr. McLeod is currently a professor at Iowa State University. You can view the video by clicking the link below. Enjoy

Dr. Scott McLeod, Did You Know 2.0

posted 11/24/2009 10:09 AM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

State Budget Crisis Impact on Schools
Well, Santa was good to me this year in many ways, but the one thing I really wanted him to bring was missing under the tree this year, the state re-establishing the $326,000 H-M-S lost from this year's budget due to the statewide 10% across-the-board cuts.

$326,000 is a lot to make up, and schools just don't have the kind of reserves needed to simply absorb a cut of this magnitude. I've been asked many times, "how are you going to address the cuts?" We have few options. We can reduce expenditures by the full amount. We can raise the cash reserve levy to generate more revenue, or we can use some combination of reductions and levy increase.

"We hear you're closing a building." That is one of the options that has been proposed, but it is not a popular topic of discussion. In 1997, the H-M-S school district had a budget enrollment of 974 students. This current year, we have a budget enrollment of 680 students. That is a loss of approximately 300 students over that period of time. Not only do we have the same number of buildings today as in 1997, but an addition was added to the high school in 2000, so we actually have more space than in 1997. Looking at our over head costs and operational expenses only makes good sense and is acting in a fiscally responsible manner. Will we close a building for next year? Most likely not, but it can't be ruled out for this coming fall, or for long range planning. It is a tough discussion to hold, because people become emotionally attached to physical structures. They bring back memories of their youth and their time in school. Yet, we can't justify empty classrooms at at a time when resources are being taken away from the students. Keeping three buildings open is difficult to justify to taxpayers. Even so, all areas of the budget are being examined for reductions.

"Where would you cut?" That's the biggest question. Most of the so called 'easy' reductions we've made over the past few years due to attrition. Any cuts from this point forward are going have a negative impact on programs and take resources away from the classroom. We are currently sharing three teaching positions with Clay Central/Everly and superintendent services with Aurelia. This saves our district approximately $100,000 and generates $70,000 in additional state aid. Expanding sharing positions, in addition to cutting staff and other expenditures, is being explored extensively.

Whenever school budgets are looked at for reductions, one thing to keep in mind is that 80% of the General Fund budget is employee costs (salaries and benefits) so the logical approach is to craft the reduction in a manner that 80% of the reductions are in personnel costs with the remain 20% coming from materials, supplies, and operational expenses. We have reduced staff in all areas each of the past 7 years, so this is becoming increasingly more difficult without harming opportunities for students.

"What would raising the cash reserve levy cost the taxpayers?" Approximately 40-50 cents/$1000 of valuation for every $100,000 generated. The HMS Board has been very conscious of keeping property taxes low. At $12.39, the local school taxes are over $2 below the state average and the Northwest Iowa average.

The remaining piece of this picture is held by the legislature. In the Governor's recent "Condition of the State Address" he stated that he was in favor of supporting the legislated 2% allowable growth for schools. He also state that he want to see $100 million in State reserves used to pay back to schools some of what was lost in the 10% across-the-board cuts. This is about 1/3 of the total reduction to schools. The word from the House and Senate is less positive. There is talk coming from the capitol that school funding could be reduced to 0% growth or that growth figure could be set at a negative number for the first time in history. Inflationary cost increase at a rate of over 4% annually, so just maintaining status quo in expenditures actually becomes a 4% increase. To maintain zero budget growth actually requires a 4% reduction in expenditures. Any negative growth in state aid means additional cuts over that 4%. This doesn't factor in the $326,000 we already assume we need to reduce for next year. So we will be keeping a close eye on what the legislature will be doing this Winter and Spring. Unfortunately we may not know for sure until after the budget deadline of April 15th.

It will be an interesting Spring!

posted 1/14/2010 2:45 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

What Really Makes a Difference
Strategic planning. This is a process that has been used widely in schools and other places. It is a process that identifies areas that need improvement, based on some form of data. Plans are made to address the areas of need, goals are set, people responsible are recorded and time lines are established. At the end of the time lines, improvement is measured. Seems like a great process. The problem lies in that no plan in itself will improve anything unless properly implemented, maintained and people responsible are held accountable.

The problem with strategic planning comes from a lack of clear focus. Often times too many goals are established. People can really only effectively focus on one or two goals at a time, but the pressures to improve all areas leads people to establish to many goals. Inevitably, and not surprisingly, no goal is meet adequately. Long range planning is good, and putting goals and action steps in writing is good as well, but we can do better.

Rather than drafting a plan with numerous goals, what we need to be doing (especially in schools) is continually looking at how are students are performing base on established benchmarks, standards and the written curriculum. Consistent and frequent formative assessment needs to be implemented. Teachers need to work in teams to review the formative assessment data and make changes in the pace of lessons, how lessons are delivered, reteach, enrich, all as needed based on the most recent data. Summative assessments and standardized test such as ITBS have their place, but one test on one day is not a true measure of any student's performance as professional educators we should not be make value judgments based on solely summative and standardized assessments. We know better than that.

I recently came across an article that you may in enjoy reading that addresses this very topic.

To read this article yourself click HERE!

posted 2/12/2010 10:23 AM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

School Funding, Finance and Budgets
Each year in the Spring, I get some very good questions regarding school funding, finance, and budgets. While the area of school finance is a complex one, there are some basic principles that make it understandable to the average taxpayer, including:
1.   The number of children in each district determines district revenues.
2.   The General Assembly “equalizes” funding statewide to make the “cost per student” roughly equal in every school, so that every student has access to the quality education.
3.   The General Assembly controls the annual increase in the “cost per student,” called allowable growth, to determine how much each district receives from the state.
4.   Property taxes matter. They determine how much money each district receives in state aid.
5.   Funds are restricted: we can only use funds on what the legislature tells us we can.
6.   Schools are budget limited - most other entities are property tax rate limited, and this difference is monumental.
First, Iowa’s school funding formula is a child-based formula, meaning that the allowable spending for a school district is based upon the number of children in that district on October 1 of each year. The number of students counted on that day is used to establish the district’s budget for the following year. That means our revenues are always a year behind the actual number of children we are serving in our classrooms. Because the formula is based on the number of children in the district, as the number of students decreases, we also lose revenue from each of those students.

Because the enrollment for our district has been declining over the past several years, this has created significant budget pressures for our district. As each child is “worth” slightly over $5,600 per year in General Fund revenue, losing 20 children from one year to the next reduces a district’s revenue by $112,000. However, this won’t reduce our costs unless we make cuts in salary, materials or other costs. This affects the General Fund portion of our budget. This is the fund directly impacted by the recent state wide across-the-board cuts. In our district, $325,000 of General Fund revenue was lost due to this mid-year reduction.

General Fund is reserved for salaries, benefits, utilities, materials, textbooks and the like. The majority of a school district’s revenue and expenditures are in the General Fund.

Activity Fund is reserved for extracurricular and co-curricular activities only. Revenues in this account come from gate receipts, fundraisers, and donations. No revenue from tax levies or state appropriations go into Activity Funds. All expenditures go for extra-curricular or co-curricular activities only.

Physical Plant and Equipment (PPEL) Fund revenue comes from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy only and can only be spend on equipment, building repairs, technology, bricks and mortar types of expenditures, in excess of $500. Capitol Projects Fund revenue comes from the Local Option Sales Tax and also can only be spend on facilities, technology or equipment.

Funds are restricted in that you can only spend from a fund what the law allows, and you cannot move money from one fund to another. Schools cannot use Activity Fund money on teacher salaries and benefits. Physical Plant and Equipment funds or Capitol Project funds cannot be used for salaries either. In most school districts it is the General Fund that has become very tight, as this is one of the major funds directly linked to student enrollment. This is also the fund from which a majority of operating expenditures come. It is not uncommon for schools with a declining enrollment to have a healthy balance in the Activity Fund or the PPEL fund and a marginal balance in General Fund. This, along with the state wide across-the-board cuts, also explains why schools with declining enrollments need to make staff reductions according to student enrollment and state appropriation trends.

posted 2/19/2010 11:53 AM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Governor's Budget and Its Impact on HMS
On March 15, Governor Culver issued a press release claiming to increase school funding for next year by $347.6 million. When all funds, including property taxes and federal stimulus funds are considered, and comparing funding between this current school year and the FY 2010-11 school year, the total numbers look very different than reported in the press release.

On a statewide basis, the governor’s recommended budget caps state foundation aid at $2.346 billion. His budget uses $100 million in state cash reserves and the remaining $47.9 million from ARRA fiscal stabilization federal funds (stimulus money) in addition to state dollars. The net result in the governor’s recommendation is a funding shortfall of $167.1 million.

Two percent allowable growth, which is an increase on the cost per student compared to last year, provides the ceiling up to which districts are authorized to spend. This ceiling is termed “spending authority.” Although the 2 percent allowable growth increases spending authority by $115 per student, the cap on state aid in the governor’s budget short funds education by $290 per student (applied to weighted enrollment.) The decision on whether to fund the $290 per student shortfall is then placed in the hands of the local school board. After having to use cash balances to fund the shortfall of $55 per student due to capped state aid for FY 2009-10, and the 10 percent across-the-board cut ($410 per student) that was ordered in October, most schools don't have sufficient cash reserves to absorb the FY 2011 short fall of $290 per student. If there are not sufficient cash reserves, the district then has to either raise property taxes, cut expenditures or both.

For the H-M-S Community School District, the shortfall due to the cap on state foundation aid is a total of approximately $200,000. The school board members at H-M-S are striving to balance the budget in the best interests of the children and taxpayers living here. Even without any state aid cap, school districts around the state cut expenditures in order to meet the increased costs of staff salaries and benefits resulting from negotiations and collective bargaining. It’s important for citizens to know the whole picture and consider all funds before jumping to conclusions that the economy has recovered and our schools are adequately funded by the state with the passage of the governor’s budget recommendation. At the same time, we are grateful to Governor Culver for doing everything in his power to assure his budget recommendation is approved, because it is the best case scenario given the state’s budget situation.

posted 3/26/2010 12:26 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Two Questions That Could Change Your Life.
Two questions that can change your life. Short video from Daniel Pink on motivation. - http://bit.ly/7e5YFV

posted 4/8/2010 11:19 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

The Education We Need
At the end of the Second World War the average American needed only a fourth grade education to be in the 50th percentile in salary. In the 1990’s, a twelfth grade education was necessary to reach the same level. Today, a college graduate earns more than twice as much as someone with less than 12 years of education.

As our graduates prepare to take that step into the next phase of their lives they are entering an exciting world. A world where society is being recreated. Knowledge will be its key resource, and knowledge workers will be the dominant group in its workforce. Peter Drucker, a writer, teacher and consultant, identifies three main characteristics of the knowledge-based society:

•Borderlessness, because knowledge travels even more effortlessly than money.

•Upward mobility, available to everyone through easily acquired formal education.

•The potential for failure as well as success. Anyone can acquire the “means of production”, i.e., the knowledge required for the job, but not everyone can win.

Together, those three characteristics will make the knowledge society a highly competitive one, for organizations and individuals alike. Information technology, although only one of many new features of the next society, is already having one hugely important effect: it is allowing knowledge to spread near-instantly, and making it accessible to everyone. Given the ease and speed at which information travels, every institution in the knowledge society—not only businesses, but also schools, universities, hospitals and increasingly government agencies too—has to be globally competitive, even though most organizations will continue to be local in their activities and in their markets. This is because the Internet will keep customers everywhere informed on what is available anywhere in the world, and at what price.

It will not be “how much you know” that will be the key to success in this society, but “can you access the knowledge needed?” Do you know where to find the information and do you know how to apply that information? We often speak about the life-long learner. In a knowledge-based economy, continuous learning will be essential to success.
If our graduates could take from our schools only one learned trait, I would want that one trait to be the ability to be a continuous, life-long learner.

In our school systems, children begin the job of being formal learners when they enter kindergarten. For our graduates it seems like a long time ago when they enter that phase of their lives. For us parents it seems only yesterday that we sent them off for the first day of school. It was a time of joy, apprehension, excitement and fear for both the parents and the child. Graduation brings back some of those same feelings for both.

As I think about our graduates and what they will need to be successful in an ever-changing world, I am reminded of a story a number of years ago about what we learn in kindergarten and how important those lessons are to leading a successful, rewarding life. I don’t know the author, but the words remain true.

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.
These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life.
Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation; Ecology and politics and sane living.
Think of what a better world it would be if we all, had cookies and milk about 3 o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

posted 5/10/2010 11:22 AM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

The Start to a New School Year

It's school time again! Children are probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these "new" worries only stick around for a little while. Let's find out more about going back to school.

The First Day

Most teachers kick off the school year by introducing themselves and talking about all the stuff your child will be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class.

When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules so children know what's allowed and what's not.

Your child might already know a lot of people in his or her classes on the first day. But it's a great day to make a new friend, so encourage your child to try to say hello to kids they know and new ones that they don't.

Moving to Middle School?

Fifth grade signals a move to middle school, where students find new lockers and a homeroom. This is just what it sounds like - a classroom they will go to each day, kind of like their home in the school. In middle school, your child might move from classroom to classroom for some or all subjects. Their teachers know that this is a big change from elementary school and will help them adjust.

Get Oriented

The first day of school is your child's first chance to find their way around a new school, or learn the pathways to new classes in an old school. It's a lot to learn in one day, so don't be surprised if tehy need a reminder or two.

Here are a few final tips for your child to have a fantastic start to the school year:

Get enough sleep.
Eat a healthy breakfas.
Try your best.
Develop good work habits, like writing down your assignments and turning in your homework on time.
Take your time with school work. If you don't understand something, ask the teacher.
Keep a sense of humor. School is fun!

posted 8/4/2010 2:54 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Bus Safety
The new school year has begun and school buses are back on our roadways. As a motorist, do you know what to do when you approach a school bus?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), illegal passing of school buses is a national problem. Surveys by NHTSA show a widespread disregard for the law.

Riding a school bus is one of the safest transportation methods for our kids. We as motorists can make these trips even safer by paying attention and obeying the law.

When a school bus stops to pick up or drop off children the driver switches on red flashing lights and makes a stop sign extend out from the side of the bus on a folding arm.

If a school bus has its stop sign extended and/or its red lights flashing then traffic IN BOTH DIRECTIONS must stop, so as to allow children to cross the road safely.

Ensuring the safety of students as they enter and exit school buses is essential.
It is imperative for everyone to be aware of school bus safety rules and to follow those rules.

Passing a stopped school bus with its stop sign extended and/or its red lights flashing is a very serious offense, which will result in a fine and in some cases may result in the suspension of a driver's license.

According to Iowa law, if a bus driver gets a description of the vehicle and license plate number, it becomes the responsibility of the owner of that vehicle to identify the driver. If the owner cannot or will not identify the driver, the owner will pay the fine.

Current law requires the driver of a motor vehicle, when meeting a school bus with flashing amber warning lamps, to reduce speed to not more than 20 miles per hour and stop no closer than 15 feet from the bus when the bus stops and has its stop signal arm extended. In addition, a driver may not pass a school bus while red or amber warning lights are flashing. Failure to obey school bus warning devices is punishable as a scheduled violation subject to a fine.

School bus safety begins before students board the bus. Every parent or guardian should sit down with his or her children to review the importance of school bus safety.

Some safety points for parents to review with their children:
•   Be ready at the stop at least five minutes before the bus arrives.
•   Stay out of the street and avoid “horseplay.”
•   Cross the street at least 10 feet (or 5 giant steps) in front of the bus.
•   Never cross behind the bus.
•   When preparing to board the bus, walk in a single file line.
•   Use the handrail to avoid falls.
•   Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before entering or exiting.
•   Remove loose drawstrings or ties on jackets and sweatshirts. Loose drawstrings or book bags can snag on bus handrails.
•   Always ask the driver for help if anything is dropped while entering or exiting the bus.

Motorists should remember to:
   •    Drive slowly in school zones. When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch for children traveling to school. They are unpredictable in their actions, and it is your responsibility to anticipate and prepare to react to what they may do.
   •    Be alert. Watch for children playing and standing near school bus stops. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
•    Learn and obey school bus warning lights and/or stop arm. Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop, red flashing lights or extended stop arm mean the bus is stopped and children are boarding or exiting the bus. It is unsafe and illegal to pass (from either direction) a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing or its stop arm extended.

Statistically, school buses are still the safest vehicles on the road. But, it's also important for drivers who share the road with buses to share in the responsibility of protecting our precious children.

posted 8/18/2010 12:06 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Home Work Hints
It's that time again: from book reports to math problems, from vocabulary sheets to group projects, homework is back in full swing. And students aren't the only ones concerned with homework - parents are also eager to help their children master assignments. It's important to make homework time a productive time. Parents need to learn how to support their children in doing homework without feeling like they are doing it for them. Doing so isn't as hard as it sounds, with the help of a few tips:

Set up the right environment. Parents can provide children with a place to get homework done. This should be a quiet, clean, organized and not cluttered spot. While many kids may thrive under complete silence, some experts recommend quietly playing classical music in the background, citing surveys that tout increased productivity in homework while listening.

Help your child stay focused and motivated. A lot of parents have trouble
during homework time because they feel like they're the wardens in a prison.
The key is to balance supervision with encouragement, allowing your
child the freedom to complete his or her assignments while making sure that
homework gets done. If your child seems continuously distracted during
homework time, consult with the school to see if there's a larger underlying
issue.

Encourage plenty of breaks. There's a good body of research that says that if
children take frequent breaks, they're more productive than if they do homework for a long period of time. One idea is to set a timer for 20 minutes, when the time is up, parents should quickly review homework, offer encouragement and allot for a short break. Also, students need water; it's energizing and refreshing. Steer children away from sugary sweets during homework time. A nutritious snack, a quick walk around the house or even listening to a favorite song during breaks is advisable.

Keep track of shorter and longer projects alike. Get a big calendar and know
your child. If your child procrastinates, break longer projects into mini-steps,
and check in frequently. It takes the pressure off the child and puts it on the
calendar. When possible, include work "assignments" for parents and other
members of the family as well; this may set a positive example and motivate
your child to keep track of his or her own projects better.

Talk to the school. Don't skip the step of talking to your child's teacher. Teachers can fill parents in on homework expectations, give advice about study skills and techniques, and even recommend outside help if needed. Both our Middle School and Elementary School offer school-sponsored homework help programs allowing students to stay late and receive help from teachers or tutors.

Don't be afraid not to know all the answers. Even the best parent may be
stumped by long division or the meaning of "Moby Dick" at times. It's OK not to know, because what school is all about is instilling the desire to learn. Be
willing to look up the answers along with your child to help foster his or her love for learning.

posted 9/27/2010 4:35 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Why Integrate Technology into the Classrooms?
Technology is ubiquitous, touching almost every part of our lives, our communities, our homes. Yet most schools lag far behind when it comes to integrating technology into classroom learning. Many are just beginning to explore the true potential tech offers for teaching and learning. Properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy.

Integrating technology into classroom instruction means more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals.

Many people believe that technology-enabled project learning is the ultimate in classroom instruction. Learning through projects while equipped with technology tools allows students to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what the modern office looks like. Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information they've found online.

The myriad resources of the online world also provide each classroom with more interesting, diverse, and current learning materials. The Web connects students to experts in the real world and provides numerous opportunities for expressing understanding through images, sound, and text.

New tech tools for visualizing and modeling, especially in the sciences, offer students ways to experiment and observe phenomenon and to view results in graphic ways that aid in understanding. And, as an added benefit, with technology tools and a project-learning approach, students are more likely to stay engaged and on task, reducing behavioral problems in the classroom.

At H-M-S we have made a commitment to increasing access for students to many forms of technology. We also are committed to training staff in the current best practices for using technology in the classroom for teaching and learning.

Technology changes the way teachers teach, offering educators effective ways to reach different types of learners and assess student understanding through multiple means. It also enhances the relationship between teacher and student. When technology is effectively integrated into subject areas, teachers grow into roles of adviser, content expert, and coach. Technology helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun.

posted 10/20/2010 5:34 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

How Can We Use Social Media as a Tool
Twitter is what is known as a micro-blogging site and social media tool. The idea is that each person that signs up has the ability to post short messages of no more than 140 characters to the service, either through a web browser, a special program, or directly by sending text messages to the service. Some people have used the service to publish inane updates about their breakfasts and other uninteresting things, but increasingly it is being used by professionals who want to connect with other people in their field.

Twitter has become a real-time human-driven search engine. The results that are posted are primarily the result of real people deciding what information is relevant and what information is irrelevant. Unlike Google, the information posted is not ranked by popularity, but instead it is all carefully chronologically arranged. As well, many mobile phones today can receive updates from Twitter directly, turning it into a mobile search tool.

If you want to know more about the Twitter service and how it works, check out this video by Common Craft called “Twitter in Plain English”: http://www.commoncraft.com/twitter

I’ve been using Twitter for a little over three months now and it has transformed the way I gather information and resources. I use it as a filter on the Internet that helps deliver the most relevant and most useful resources to my fingertips. I’ve learned that I can make Twitter useful by being selective about what I share.

There are a number of people I am “following” on Twitter and people who are “following” me. This is my personal network on Twitter. How the system works is that I only view updates from the people that I am following, and updates I post get sent to the people that are following me. I follow educators from around the world, and most of the people who are following me are, themselves, educators.

When I post updates to Twitter, I talk about useful things I’ve found. I don’t talk about what’s going on in my life, I talk about issues that are relevant to my career. As a result, people consider me a reliable source of information on areas in which I have expertise.

Think of the people I’m following as my personal team of research assistants, who filter through the Internet and post relevant information for me to find. On the other hand, when I post a question, I generally get multiple responses. Think of the people that are following me as an army of educators, who collectively can answer any question I pose to them.

I also use Twitter as a direct communication tool with other Twitter educators. There are a large number of Twitter users that I connect with on a regular basis, and every week we have a discussion about issues in education using the #edchat hashtag. You can check out what #edchat is by checking out this website: http://edchat.pbworks.com/

Teachers all over the world have started using Twitter as a major source of information about their profession. I very rarely have to do my own Google searches anymore, I rely on the fact that the educators in my personal network are willing to share. This tool can be incredibly powerful and can transform your own search habits, provided it is leveraged effectively.

posted 11/23/2010 7:40 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Preparing for When the Game Ends
"A baseball life is short. You're out of the game much longer than you are in it and you have to prepare yourself for that time." Bob Feller

           Whether you're a baseball fan or not, chances are you have heard the name Bob Feller. "Rapid Robert." "The Heater from Van Meter." Bob Feller was a Major League pitcher from Van Meter, Iowa. He played in the Majors from 1936 through 1956, all with the Cleveland Indians. During his playing days, he was one of the most recognizable sports figures in America, ranking beside Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams.
           His actual playing years were from 1936-41 and 1945-56. 44 months between 1941 and 1944 were spent serving in the Navy during World War II, like many athletes and celebrities of that era. What many people may not know is that he was the first professional athlete to volunteer for active duty after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Bob Feller left professional baseball during the prime of his career to serve his country, and it wasn't just a ceremonial enlistment. Feller earned eight battle stars while serving on the USS Alabama.
           In his later years, he was known to make some "politically incorrect" statements that some would say are out right bigoted, so as with most of our celebrity heroes, the star is a bit tarnished. But it's the quote above; I would like to focus on. What do we do when we are "out of the game?" How do we prepare for that time when it comes?
           The "game" in this article is metaphorical. It could be baseball, but I'm referring to it as that next phase in life. Post-secondary plans for high school students, post-college plans for college students, career changes for adults, retirement plans. The end of the "game" looks a bit different for all of us depending upon our vantage point and life phase we are in at the time.
           So what do we know about the "game" of life that schools are trying to prepare students for? We used to read that the average American would have seven career changes in their lifetime. That number seems somewhat implausible to me, but the estimate has had extraordinary staying power. The. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Labor Department's data arm, doesn't track lifetime careers. What researchers do know is that job changes are common early in a person's working career. Most workers between the ages of 16 and 24 have been in their current employment less than a year.
           What we know about career changes is that there is a great deal of time, energy and expense in training or re-training workers. In this current economy, job reduction and elimination or relocation is a reality. This requires our work force to be mobile and trainable. There was a time when people went to school, took a job, and stayed in that job many years. The reality today is that jobs are created, eliminated and changed with greater frequency than in the past. We all need to be life-long learners to be prepared for these changes.
           Critical to any educational program today is instilling that trait in our children, become life-long learners. What we know, can recall, memorize is becoming less and less of a necessary commodity. The ability to create, learn, research, and apply knowledge is what is needed to be successful in an international economy that is constantly changing.
           Daniel Pink, author, speaker, business leader and a former vice-presidential speechwriter, points out this shift as well. In his book, A Whole New Mind, he points to the fact that many skills, such as data entry, accounting, bookkeeping, computer programming, light industrial jobs, linear number crunching are being outsourced or automated. Basically, those jobs aren't readily available in our country any more.
           Our country is entering a new era, moving fast away from the past industrial age, through the information age and into the conceptual age during which skills such as design, storytelling, empathy and creativity are far more crucial than the skills previously mentioned. You can't outsource creativity. Detecting patterns and opportunities, problem solving, creating creative and emotional experiences, and developing compelling narratives are keys to success in the conceptual economic age. The visual arts, music, mathematics, problem-solving skills, creative writing, synthesis, strategic thinking are skills that our students are going to have to be able refer back to and apply to a much greater extent than anytime in the past.
           So, how do we prepare students for their time after this game ends? By focusing our curriculum, our instructional practice, the tasks we give the students, and the work the students actually do, on those skills critical for the current and coming economic age. Many of the jobs they will hold have yet to be created, but those conceptual skills will be key for success in the 21st century as they move from one "game" to the next.

posted 1/17/2011 4:43 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

The Importance of Early Childhood Education
Recently, in the news, we have been hearing that the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program is in jeopardy of loosing it's funding. Before this program was put into effect, I was not a vocal advocate for preschool funding from the state. I felt the timing was wrong economically and I also felt that money could go towards replaces funding other programs that had taken cuts in the recent past. Now that we have preschool funding and the statewide program is solidly in place, it is my belief that taking it away is the wrong way for this state to go at this time.

Early childhood generally encompasses the first eight years in the life of a child. The education given during these years of a child's life plays a very important role and helps in proper development of children. Recent research has shown that the early eight years in any child's life are a crucial time because during this phase their brain develops and much of its 'wiring' is laid down. The educational experiences and relationships a child has (along with nutrition) can actually affect a child's mental growth enormously. While good early childhood education helps the brain to develop in healthy ways, improper education or study without play on other hand may affect brain development in different manner. So the experiences and the learning of a child in early years can support them in their entire life.

The argument for removing the funding currently is that the gap between those that have a quality preschool experience and those that do not, closes by the third or fourth grade. I don't doubt their research, but I have found nothing to support this claim. Recent studies of early childhood education have even shown some remarkable success. It's resulting effects on a child's motivation and learning power last for a long time. Today where education has become a very important role to play in a society, it's not right to postpone investing in a child's education until they become adults, nor wait till they reach school age. In fact early childhood is a vital phase of life in terms of a child's intellectual, emotional and social development. Besides this, the most important point to know is that the growth of mental abilities is at an astounding rate and high proportion of learning takes place during this period.

Certainly, today it won't be wrong to say that early childhood education is the key element that helps in building a good foundation for a child's educational success. Every child learns habits and form patterns that are not easily changed in later years. If parents and educators can develop productive, early education patterns, those children will be on their way to achieving great educational success. Funding these programs is critical so that families have equal access to quality preschool, not only in our local district, but throughout our state.

posted 1/21/2011 2:41 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Superintendent Search Under Way!
There has been some interest in the community concerning the upcoming superintendent search for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Schools. At a special school board meeting held on February 11th, D and M Consulting was approved to assist in the search. Les Douma, former Northwest AEA Chief Administrator and long-time Northwest Iowa superintendent, will lead the search for H-M-S. As a major part of the process, focus groups are being formed to determine the characteristics and qualities desired in the new superintendent. Focus groups will consist of students, parents, patrons, faculty, and support staff. The input from these groups is critical in hiring someone who will be a good fit for the schools and communities that make up H-M-S.

During the February 11th special board meeting, tentative timelines for advertising, consulting with focus groups, interviewing and hiring were discussed. Advertising has already begun with a tentative closing date of March 18th. Shortly after the closing date, applications will be screened, reference checks made and phone interviews will be conducted. Currently, March 28th is the date for D and M Consulting to meet with the board, review the applicants, and share information from the phone interviews and reference checks. This will be conducted in a closed meeting, not in order to maintain any secrecy, but to meet the legal requirements concerning employment information that by law is to remain confidential. Once the finalist have been contacted and they have accepted interviews, that list will be made public.

Interviews will most likely take place on April 11 and 12. A total of four finalist will be invited in, with two candidates interiviewed on each respective date. As with the focus groups, representative students, parents, patrons, faculty, and support staff will all have and opportunity to be an active part of the interview process. At this time, the goal is to have an offer extended and accepted by April 13th.

For the past eight years, I and my family have called Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn home. It has been a great place for us to live and work. We have appreciated the tremendous support we have received both professionally and personally. The communities of Hartley, Melvin and Sanborn have a long history of outstanding school administrators leading their respective and collective school districts. I am honored and humbled that my name is on that list. These are great communities in which to live and raise a family and H-M-S is one of Northwest Iowa's finest school districts. It has a reputation beyond its borders for the way this school district serves its children's educational needs. This will be an attractive and exciting position to many potential candidates. The culture of high expectations for student achievement and excellence was in place at H-M-S long before I arrived and it will no doubt continue long after I have moved on. Many exciting opportunities await just around the corner for the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District!

posted 2/23/2011 9:33 AM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

What is Allowable Growth?
What is Allowable Growth? How Does It Impact School Funding and Taxpayers?

The General Assembly controls the annual increase in the “cost per student,” called allowable growth, to determine how much each district receives from the state each year.

Iowa law guarantees that every child in the state receives an equal amount of money to fund their education. A district’s budget is the number of children in the state times that cost per child. However, economic factors change from year to year, and it is up to state lawmakers to decide just how much to increase the cost per child to reflect that change, called “allowable growth.”

We can use, as an example, a credit card to explain the principle. The state gives each child the equivalent of a credit card, setting the credit limit each year. Under the basic finance formula, each child’s “limit” is roughly $5,900 for the current fiscal year. The total amount the district gets to spend is that limit times the number of children. A district can spend less than the maximum, but cannot spend more.

Allowable growth is intended to further provide equity in school districts throughout the state, because the legislature sets a principle that each child is worth the same amount, no matter where they live. The district's credit card "balance" is then paid off by a combination of state aid and locally raised property taxes. For the entire state, the general fund provides $2 billion annually and local property taxes $1.1 billion, or about two-thirds state to one-third local property taxes. However, it is important to note that each district's mix of state and local property taxes is different.

Local property taxes account for one-third of total funds going into schools and represent over half of the overall state property tax funds levied. As discussed in prior articles, the state school funding formula largely determines school property tax rates and therefore, the amount each district receives in state aid.

People often ask, "Why don't we just remove property taxes from the formula entirely?" There are several reasons why this isn’t a wise move.
·   It would take away over $1 billion dollars statewide, leaving lawmakers to decide whether to raise the state sales tax or income taxes to make up that difference.

·   Property taxes also add stability to the funding of schools. For example, if we operated solely under the sales tax, the amount available for school funding would surely fluctuate depending on consumer spending.

·   Just as many people found out during the 1990s, too much reliance on a single funding source invites large swings in funding, which isn’t good for an entity unable to layoff teaching staff during the year. Diversification is a prudent investing strategy that applies to schools as well.

Considering the aforementioned reasons and the present political climate, removing property taxes from the school finance formula seems unlikely.

No public official, whether our local school board and administration, or the city and county officials, takes the impact of raising property taxes lightly. In fact, in most cases, public officials exhaust all other options before asking property taxpayers for more funds. However, when the General Assembly cuts short our state aid (as they have done multiple times in the last eight years) and we experience additional, unforeseen expenses like increased fuel and energy prices, we really have no alternative except to raise local property taxes. Plus, we are prohibited from terminating teachers mid-year to cut costs. Cutting field trips and similar expenditure reductions could help, but frankly the scale of dollars is so high there's not enough money in these kinds of activities to make a huge difference. No one likes property taxes, but for the time being at least, they are an essential part of efficiently funding our schools.

posted 3/24/2011 9:56 AM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Being the Parent of a Student-Athlete
From my 25 years in education, most of it spent as a teacher/coach, I have come to understand an unspoken language with coaches when they uttered one word: "Parents."

It speaks volumes. I know what the coach was thinking. We share an identical image from my years on the high school coaching scene: wackos in the stands screaming at officials or stalking outside locker-room doors ready to confront the coach.

Then I became one.

A parent that is. The guy in the stands with a child in uniform. It didn't happen overnight, of course. There were countless youth games played, thousands of miles driven and untold drive-thrus visited from the time my children were 5 years old through my son's senior year. T-Ball, baseball, softball, volleyball, football, track, golf, wrestling, cheerleading, at some point in their growing up years, they did it all.

They learned a lot, and of course, so did I.

Here are the 10 biggest lessons I learned from being the parent of a student-athlete

No. 1. Have no expectations, for your child or the coach. If you go into the season thinking "This kid is going to be a star," you have just set your child, the coaches and yourself up for failure.

Trophies won from ages 5 to 15 don't mean a thing. What he or she did in middle school or on the freshman and junior varsity teams is almost as unimportant. So many kids who are young all-stars will fade away. Even among the seemingly "sure bets", some will lose interest, quit, peak early, become ineligible, the list goes on.

Conversely, for the little ones, puberty is like a magic bean. It takes them to unexpected places. I'm 6' 1'. My wife is 5'9". My son grew to be 6'2" and my daughter 5 foot nothing. Both found their niche. They found what they liked, what they excelled at, and they worked hard at those activities. Interestingly, neither picked what I probably would have predicted for them when they were first starting out. It was astonishing to watch the transformation, and you will be amazed at the kids who weren't stars at early ages who stick with it and become valuable varsity performers.

No. 2. Give your child some space. Let her enjoy her successful moments and figure out how to deal with defeat, failure and disappointment. Don't get too wrapped up in the wins and losses. Your job is to make sure your child does not get too high after a win or too low after a loss.

No. 3. Try to have an objective view of your child's ability and build on his or her strengths. Don't tear him down by telling him what he did wrong unless the child comes looking for constructive criticism. Most of the time, the kid knows it better than you.

No. 4. Let your child make decisions that matter, with one caveat. When he or she considers quitting -- and most athletes have that moment -- make the child understand quitting is not the first option, especially once the season has begun. Dealing with adversity and persevering are important lessons.

No. 5. Grades really are the most important thing. The chances that he or she will get a college sports scholarship are almost nil, and even if the stars align and that happens, the kid still has to have good grades.

No. 6. Don't ignore injuries or signs of extreme mental and physical fatigue. If he or she is hurting, find out what it is. Playing injured can hurt the team and your child's long-term health.

No. 7. Let your child fight his or her own battles with the coach, especially with regard to the No. 1 complaint: playing time. Your kid has to learn how to deal with adults. It's part of growing up. He or she will have to confront professors and bosses, and this is a good place to learn. If it's another issue and you find it necessary to get involved, always wait a day to talk to the coach. Let your emotions subside and think clearly about the point you want to make. If you suspect there is hazing or abuse taking place, report it to the athletic director or principal immediately.

No. 8. Support the team and be a good fan. Volunteer, and don't wait to be asked. Attend booster club meetings. Get to know the other parents. Make your own positive experience in the stands, no matter what is going on below.

When you're at the game or event, cheer for everyone on your kid's team, not just your own. Don't be the jerk in the stands, the one yelling at the coach, your team, the other team, and mostly the officials. You are embarrassing your school, your child and yourself. If you don't have anything good to say, sit down and shut up. If you're not enjoying yourself, stay home. You won't be missed.

No. 9. Understand these are competitive sports. Once they are in high school, it's no longer Little League where every kid gets to play. There's going to be disappointment, heartache, unfairness and injuries. Unless it ends in a state championship, it will end in defeat. Your child is going to make mistakes. The coach will yell at him or her. That's what they do. Let it happen. He or she is not a baby anymore.

No. 10. Enjoy the ride. It will go by fast. Hug your child when it's over.

posted 3/30/2011 2:41 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Equity in School Lunch Pricing Impact at H-M-S
Section 205 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296) requires school food authorities participating in the National School Lunch Program to ensure that schools are providing the same level of support for lunches served to students who are not eligible for free or reduced price lunches (i.e. paid lunches) as they are for lunches served to students eligible for free lunches. This provision is effective July 1, 2011.

So, what does this mean for H-M-S and our lunch and breakfast programs? It means that the prices we charge for meals need to increase.

Currently, schools receive $2.46, as a reimbursement from state and federal sources, for each eligible free lunch served. According to this new Public Law, schools are required to charge meal prices equal to that reimbursement. According to this law, we should be charging $2.46 for every lunch served. Right now, we aren’t even close!

The good news is that we don’t have to raise prices all at once! Any school food authority in the U.S. currently charging, on average, less than $2.46 for a paid lunch can gradually increase prices.

At H-M-S, we are going to raise prices for all meals 10 cents for the 2011-12 school year. This increase will ensure that we are in compliance with Public Law 11-296 Section 205.

              Current 2010-11 Prices:       New 2011-12 Prices:
Breakfast                 $1.00                   $1.10
Lunch (K-4)      $1.75                   $1.85
Lunch (5-12)            $1.85                   $1.95
Lunch Adult              $2.05                   $2.15
Ala Carte                  $1.25                   $1.25 (no change required)
Extra Entree             $1.25                   $1.25 (no change required)
Milk                         $0.35                   $0.35 (no change required)
After School Snack   $0.55                   $0.65
Snack Milk                $10/quarter           $10/quarter (no change)

posted 4/19/2011 9:54 AM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Classroom Technology Through The Ages
Integrating new technology into the classroom is the focus for many schools today. As technology, in the forms of internet ready devices, become more a part of our daily lives, it makes good educational sense to find ways to use those same devices in schools as teaching and learning tools. This is not a new new or particularly unique idea. Since the first schools started educating students, modern technologies of the day have been utilized as teaching tools. The following website walks us through technologies that have had an impact on teaching and learning throughout the history of education in the United States (and beyond). Enjoy!

http://edudemic.com/2011/04/classroom-technology/

posted 4/25/2011 3:55 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Why Laptops?
Most of us went through school and, by and large, succeeded. We experienced what I call the "just in case model" of education. We learned things just in case they might be useful. Just in case they might be on the test. Just in case we might look for a job in that area. Just in case you might study physics later on.

And a key reason that education developed this model was that the predominant mode of teaching, and learning, relied on the predominant technology of the day: paper. . . .

The system kind of worked for a couple of reasons:

Not much had changed in the information landscape over the 20th century in terms of what was written down and accessible to students. It was too expensive and lengthy to rewrite textbooks all the time. Right up until 1986, of all of the information that had been recorded since the dawn of time , only about 1% of it could be accessed digitally. Over 99% of the information we had to work with was on paper.

What we have witnessed in the past 10 years is unprecedented growth in information - all of it digital. We now have well over 400 billion gigabytes of collective human information - and growing at a rate of 5 billion gigabytes every 3 days according to Google. The big difference now is that the digital format accounts for well in excess of 95% of all information.

Our model needs to change from “just in case” to “just in time.”

With such dramatic changes in information, we can no longer rely on outmoded means of working. We've seen what happens to organizations that don't adapt to the digital world - CD stores and bookstore chains are recent examples.

The same holds true for education. No longer does it make sense to focus on content just in case it might be useful. . . .

What has become important is the “just in time” model. A model less focused on remembering facts, dates, formulas (although still needed) and more focused on applying information and knowledge, creating, and problem-solving using information. And from this shift, expect to see traditionally-held beliefs about teaching and learning challenged.

Placing an individual digital device (i.e. laptop computer) in the hands of each individual, opens up the world of information, data and knowledge for them. This facilitates the shift from the "just in case" educational model to the "just in time" model. The opportunity would now exist for teaching and learning to be available 24/7.

Schools that have implemented similar initiatives have seen an increase in writing and reading skills, documented improvement on critical thinking skills and problem-solving and an increase in students' time on-task (less down time in classrooms, and more active learning). Textbooks, library books, magazine articles, encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesaurus, maps, atlas, can all be available for student and teacher use, in digital formats for far less cost (sometimes free). And, they are updated continually. You don't have to wait for the new copywrites to come out and purchase them anymore!

Some say that businesses and schools will soon go paperless. I'm convinced that there will always be a need for some hardcopy documents, but I am also convinced that paper consumption will go down dramatically.

At HMS over the past two years, we have been training teachers and students in the use of technology in the classrooms, the use of "cloud computing" using Google Docs, Moodle and other digital modes. We have also started completing assignments, and turning them in to the teachers, paperless. This will become the norm once our students each have a laptop. No longer will the lack of a computer or software be a hindrance.

In Iowa, there are currently 40 schools participating in a 1 to 1 laptop initiative. In our Northwest corner of the state, Spirit Lake, Okoboji, Sibley-Ocheyedan, and CC/E are examples of schools that have distributed laptops for each student to use. Statewide, another approximately 40 schools are expected to start 1 to 1 initiatives for the 2011-12 school year. Boyden-Hull, West Sioux, and MOC-FV are schools in our area that will be implementing a laptop program in 2011-12.

Does this make financial sense? In a word, "yes." We have two funds that legally can only be used for equipment and bricks and mortar type projects. They are the Physical Plant and Equipment Fund (PPEL) and the Capital Projects Fund (one-cent sales tax). Those two funds generate a combined revenue of over $650,000. This allows us to buy buses, repair roofs and buildings, parking lots, athletic facility improvements, etc… It also allows us to purchase technology for schools. Up to this point, that meant new servers on a rotating basis, upgrading computer labs, install interactive whiteboards, and the like. Although good things, they really didn’t drastically or radically change education.

Putting the technology in the hands of each student and teacher will radically change how our high school educates students! And many of the costs associated with classroom instruction will be shifted from the General Fund to PPEL and Capital Projects. We will be able to use funding sources for educating children that previously were going into facilities only or left on account for unnamed "future projects." Shifting costs from the General Fund, which is under constant pressures and cuts, to other funding sources only makes good, financial, sense.

Maine has had a statewide laptop initiative since 2002. What have we learned from Maine? Teachers are using the laptop computers in a variety of methods, such as developing instructional materials, conducting research for instructional purposes, and communicating with colleagues. Students have reported using the laptops most frequently for finding information, organizing information, and taking class notes.
The majority of teachers surveyed reported that the laptops assisted them to more effectively meet their curriculum goals, and individualize their curriculum to meet particular student needs. The majority of teachers reported that the utilization of the laptop computers has assisted them to better meet Maine's statewide learning standards.
4 out of 5 teachers surveyed reported that students are more engaged in their learning, more actively involved in their own learning, and produce better quality work.

Other states with some form of laptop initiates in at least some schools include Florida, New Hampshire, California, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, as well as British Columbia in Canada

Peru, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Paraguay are just some of the countries involved in the One Laptop Per Child campaign aimed at trying to bring kids in developing countries on some kind of level playing field with kids in other countries.

posted 4/29/2011 2:17 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)

Others Notice When You Do Something Right
Recently, Linda Fandel, the Governor's Special Assistant for Education, wrote a blog entitled "Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn is Doing Something Right." It's always nice when someone else recognizes your work. Below is the blog she wrote about HMS and our students' outstanding achievement. Enjoy!

Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn is doing something right

May 20, 2011

On average, just 30 percent of Iowa’s Class of 2010 who took the ACT met college readiness benchmarks in all four areas – reading, math, English and science – according to ACT. But in 25 Iowa school districts, between 40 and 55.4 percent of students met college ready benchmarks in all four areas, based on information from the Iowa Department of Education. How did they have so much success?

I will look into that more closely in coming weeks, but can tell you already it is not just a matter of higher income schools landing in the top 25. In Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, where about 37 percent of all students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 40 percent of Class of 2010 ACT test takers met all four benchmarks. And it’s not because only a few kids took the ACT: Forty did out of about 55 graduates in the Class of 2010.

High School Principal Mark Petersen said students are encouraged to take a lot of core subject classes.

Another factor in high achievement is the quality of instruction, Petersen said. He credits “my teachers. I would be hard-pressed to find a better teaching staff than the one I have in this building…They go above and beyond in making sure kids achieve at high levels. And making sure they don’t walk out the door not understanding…the things they need to be successful.”

One more thing worth noting: About three years ago, the high school began requiring freshmen through seniors whose grade in a class slipped to a C- or lower to attend a study hall at the end of the day. That has made a big difference in the number of students failing a class, Petersen said. He counted just 12 in a recent progress report compared to 40 or 50 a few years ago.

Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn is a district that lives up to its motto, “Excellence in education.”

posted 5/20/2011 5:29 PM EST | Add Comment | View Comments (0)