Dear Friends,
My blog is moving as of today to be found on my new WordPress website at http://www.teachersintransition.com. Please look there for my most recent thoughts and ruminations on public education, the teaching profession, and other related topics.
Thank you.
Kitty J. Boitnott, Ph.D., NBCT
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Dear Friends,
My dear friend and fellow colleague, Tracey Mercer, a teacher and a leader in the Bristol, VA public schools shared this article with me last night and wondered if I might like to post it in my blog. After reading it, I couldn't help but post it immediately. You can read the article which was published in the Washington Post yesterday here.
The purpose of the article is to point out the flaws (and there are many) with the new policy passed by the General Assembly this past session which will require the Department of Education to give individual schools a grade from A through F for the purpose of communicating to parents how well their child's school is doing.
The scheme came from Florida and has been used in Louisiana. Unfortunately, Governor McDonnell has consistently used comparisons with these two states as though they were models that we should emulate in spite of the fact that all evidence points to the failures of both systems. The decision to attach a grade to a school has more to do with the Governor's determination to push a system of choice on parents than to do anything truly helpful for schools that may be struggling.
The article which has been thoroughly researched and uses documented evidence to support its thesis points out that the grading system will unfairly label high poverty schools in high poverty areas as failing and that that designation is inherently unfair.
The article specifically states:
"...the grading scale needs to be either repealed or adjusted to prevent schools from being punished just because they have a large percentage of students that are economically-disadvantaged. In essence, labeling a school with a C or below marks them as inadequate and delivers a false perception to the community and to anyone considering relocating and enrolling their children in such school divisions. Moreover, Governor McDonnell and the majority of our state senators and delegates have praised this measure for its simplicity. They have indicated that parents should be able to better understand one grade instead of a multi-page school evaluation document. While this may be true, a single grade based solely on overall student achievement will inevitably favor affluent school divisions and denigrate those with high poverty rates. This applies even when poorer divisions are out-performing wealthy school divisions in the low socio-economic subgroup, and thus are doing a better job of closing achievement gaps."
I support the assertion that this grading system needs to be re-visited. Lawmakers who continually try to create simplistic answers to complex issues are doing nothing to further the education of our children or to provide the structure that our schools need in order to be successful.
It is time for the people who have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to take a stand to start taking a stand of their own. I applaud the authors of this article and urge my readers to spread it among their friends and colleagues to the widest extent possible.
Until next time.
Kitty
My dear friend and fellow colleague, Tracey Mercer, a teacher and a leader in the Bristol, VA public schools shared this article with me last night and wondered if I might like to post it in my blog. After reading it, I couldn't help but post it immediately. You can read the article which was published in the Washington Post yesterday here.
The purpose of the article is to point out the flaws (and there are many) with the new policy passed by the General Assembly this past session which will require the Department of Education to give individual schools a grade from A through F for the purpose of communicating to parents how well their child's school is doing.
The scheme came from Florida and has been used in Louisiana. Unfortunately, Governor McDonnell has consistently used comparisons with these two states as though they were models that we should emulate in spite of the fact that all evidence points to the failures of both systems. The decision to attach a grade to a school has more to do with the Governor's determination to push a system of choice on parents than to do anything truly helpful for schools that may be struggling.
The article which has been thoroughly researched and uses documented evidence to support its thesis points out that the grading system will unfairly label high poverty schools in high poverty areas as failing and that that designation is inherently unfair.
The article specifically states:
"...the grading scale needs to be either repealed or adjusted to prevent schools from being punished just because they have a large percentage of students that are economically-disadvantaged. In essence, labeling a school with a C or below marks them as inadequate and delivers a false perception to the community and to anyone considering relocating and enrolling their children in such school divisions. Moreover, Governor McDonnell and the majority of our state senators and delegates have praised this measure for its simplicity. They have indicated that parents should be able to better understand one grade instead of a multi-page school evaluation document. While this may be true, a single grade based solely on overall student achievement will inevitably favor affluent school divisions and denigrate those with high poverty rates. This applies even when poorer divisions are out-performing wealthy school divisions in the low socio-economic subgroup, and thus are doing a better job of closing achievement gaps."
I support the assertion that this grading system needs to be re-visited. Lawmakers who continually try to create simplistic answers to complex issues are doing nothing to further the education of our children or to provide the structure that our schools need in order to be successful.
It is time for the people who have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to take a stand to start taking a stand of their own. I applaud the authors of this article and urge my readers to spread it among their friends and colleagues to the widest extent possible.
Until next time.
Kitty
Friday, May 24, 2013
Dear Friends,
It has been a few weeks since I last posted. I have been very busy getting my new business up and running and I have been learning as much as I can about being an entrepreneur at this late stage in my life. Things are moving along well, and I am increasingly excited about the possibilities ahead. My website is up and running (http://www.boitnottcoaching.com) and I am finding tons of resources both locally and on the Internet that are aiding me in my mission of providing high quality personal and professional coaching services to my yet-to-be clients in the coming months and years.
But that isn't really what I wanted to post about today. Instead, today I want to acknowledge that as we celebrate another Memorial Day weekend, many of my teacher friends are looking at winding up yet another school year. I have been keeping my ear to the ground, and I know that for many of you it has been another difficult year. They just don't seem to get any easier. Each year, the Governor and the General Assembly and/or your school division leaders think of new responsibilities for you to take on, and never do they ever remove anything from your already overflowing plates.
Your children are either in the midst of their SOL's for this year or they are about ready to tackle them, and either way, they are pretty much done. They know that the year is over even though the last day may not have yet arrived.
So, I wanted to take a few moments this morning to say a simple "Thank You" to those who are preparing for work this Friday morning. Thank you for all you do everyday for the benefit of your children whether they be eight or eighteen or anywhere else on the spectrum. Thank you for sticking it out in spite of all of the ridiculous demands that are put upon you every day. Thank you for being willing to set aside your own personal lives in some cases in order to be the teacher your kids need and deserve you to be. That is a sacrifice you should not be asked to make, but I know that many of you make it and make it gladly every single day because you love what you do in spite of the challenges you are forced to endure by those who don't get who you are or what you do.
Thank you to the Newtown teachers and the teachers in Oklahoma and all of the other teachers we don't even hear about who willingly put their lives on the line in order to protect their students. It's too bad that it is only when a crazy gunman shows up or a Level 5 tornado rips through town that teachers are recognized for being the heroes that they are because they are heroes everyday, whether the news is there to cover it or not.
So, from one who knows very well the sacrifices you make and the love you pour into what you do everyday, thank you. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. You deserve it.
Until next time,
Kitty
It has been a few weeks since I last posted. I have been very busy getting my new business up and running and I have been learning as much as I can about being an entrepreneur at this late stage in my life. Things are moving along well, and I am increasingly excited about the possibilities ahead. My website is up and running (http://www.boitnottcoaching.com) and I am finding tons of resources both locally and on the Internet that are aiding me in my mission of providing high quality personal and professional coaching services to my yet-to-be clients in the coming months and years.
But that isn't really what I wanted to post about today. Instead, today I want to acknowledge that as we celebrate another Memorial Day weekend, many of my teacher friends are looking at winding up yet another school year. I have been keeping my ear to the ground, and I know that for many of you it has been another difficult year. They just don't seem to get any easier. Each year, the Governor and the General Assembly and/or your school division leaders think of new responsibilities for you to take on, and never do they ever remove anything from your already overflowing plates.
Your children are either in the midst of their SOL's for this year or they are about ready to tackle them, and either way, they are pretty much done. They know that the year is over even though the last day may not have yet arrived.
So, I wanted to take a few moments this morning to say a simple "Thank You" to those who are preparing for work this Friday morning. Thank you for all you do everyday for the benefit of your children whether they be eight or eighteen or anywhere else on the spectrum. Thank you for sticking it out in spite of all of the ridiculous demands that are put upon you every day. Thank you for being willing to set aside your own personal lives in some cases in order to be the teacher your kids need and deserve you to be. That is a sacrifice you should not be asked to make, but I know that many of you make it and make it gladly every single day because you love what you do in spite of the challenges you are forced to endure by those who don't get who you are or what you do.
Thank you to the Newtown teachers and the teachers in Oklahoma and all of the other teachers we don't even hear about who willingly put their lives on the line in order to protect their students. It's too bad that it is only when a crazy gunman shows up or a Level 5 tornado rips through town that teachers are recognized for being the heroes that they are because they are heroes everyday, whether the news is there to cover it or not.
So, from one who knows very well the sacrifices you make and the love you pour into what you do everyday, thank you. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. You deserve it.
Until next time,
Kitty
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Dear Friends,
I was just told today that I had been approved to become a member of the University of Richmond
Adjunct Faculty and I could not be more excited. I was allowed to design my own course, and I think it is not only going to be informative and helpful to those who take it but it will be FUN.
For those who might be interested, please take a look at the course description below:
Course Title: How Virginia’s Legislative Process Impacts K-12 Education:
I was just told today that I had been approved to become a member of the University of Richmond
Adjunct Faculty and I could not be more excited. I was allowed to design my own course, and I think it is not only going to be informative and helpful to those who take it but it will be FUN.
For those who might be interested, please take a look at the course description below:
Course Title: How Virginia’s Legislative Process Impacts K-12 Education:
A Course for K-12
Administrators and Teachers on How to Understand and Influence Education Policy
Course Outline: Many
K-12 educators, both administrators and teachers, have a tendency to want to
ignore the realities of state and federal politics because they [mistakenly]
believe that politics don’t really affect them. This course is designed to help
those K-12 educators learn to understand how the state legislature works in
order to better serve themselves, their profession, and their students.
Suggested Catalog
Description: This course probes K-12 education policy
and how it is currently impacted by state and federal politics and policies
often driven by partisan- driven
policy makers. It explores the politics of public education in today’s
world. Students discuss and debate
contemporary issues facing public educators. Administrators and classroom
teachers alike will find the discussions enlightening and helpful in understanding
the changes that are occurring at a more and more rapid pace.
Course
Objective/Purpose & Rationale:
By the end of the course,
students will understand how the legislative process impacts them at their
district and school levels. Additionally, they will have developed strategies
for how to participate in the overall process in a meaningful way in order to
better serve their profession, their colleagues, and the students they serve.
Course Format: Two face-to-face meetings are needed for the course
to be optimal with the rest of the class being done through online interaction
using the University’s online format. The first class will be face-to-face and
will serve as an orientation and question-answer session with students meeting
one another and learning a little about the instructor. The second face-to-face
meeting will be the night of a panel discussion with guests invited by the
instructor. The panelists will be experts in the legislative process and will
offer perspectives on how educators can be better informed and more involved in
the legislative process as it impacts K-12 legislation and policy.
Targeted Course
Participants: K-12 teachers and administrators in need of continuing
education credits for license renewal or any interested K-12 professional who
has a genuine interest in learning more about the political process and how it
is currently impacting K-12 education policy.
Recommended number for
student enrollment: I would like
to limit enrollment to no more than 25 students.
Readings:
Students will read current events using newspapers, articles in trade
journals, Blogs written by educators and commentators, and other appropriate
and approved sources that will be discussed each week through on-line
discussions.
Suggested Text: Diane Ravitch’s latest book, which is scheduled
for publication late this summer. The title is Reign of Error: The Hoax of
the Privatization Movement and the Danger for America's Public Schools.
Other course
requirements and assessment of success:
1) Students will interview
at least one local elected leader
(could be a state delegate, state Senator, Congressman or Senator) or an
alternative would be to interview a current member of the Virginia Board of
Education about his or her position and his or her approach to legislation
impacting public education. A written report of the interview will be submitted
to the instructor for review and assessment purposes.
2) In lieu of an exam, as
the final project, students will be required to write a 7-10 page paper
outlining a course of action for changing or strengthening some aspect of the
current education landscape. Choices of topic could include school funding,
teacher evaluation, testing, the pros and cons of the Common Core Curriculum,
the argument for or against privatization and choice programs, high-stakes
testing for students, or others pending approval of the instructor.
The course grade will be
based upon completion of the final paper, the interview, and class attendance
and participation including providing thoughtful and provocative discussion of
articles, readings from the text, and current events of the week.
If you think you might be interested, stay tuned. I will be posting later how to register for the course online.
Thanks in advance for any interest your might have and please spread the word to your colleagues.
Until next time.
Kitty
Monday, March 25, 2013
Dear Friends,
If you are a Facebook Friend or a regular reader of this blog, you already know that I am an avid fan of Dr. Diane Ravitch's, and I read her blog posts religiously every day. When I think she has offered some insight or information that is worth sharing, I do so either here or on Facebook or both.
Today is no exception. Diane just posted another entry for the day saying, "If you read nothing else today, read this post by the blogger who calls himself Crazy Crawfish."
That was all I needed, so I went straight to Crazy Crawfish's blog, and I am glad I did. I think you will enjoy reading it as well, so that is my offering for today.
Until next time.
Kitty
If you are a Facebook Friend or a regular reader of this blog, you already know that I am an avid fan of Dr. Diane Ravitch's, and I read her blog posts religiously every day. When I think she has offered some insight or information that is worth sharing, I do so either here or on Facebook or both.
Today is no exception. Diane just posted another entry for the day saying, "If you read nothing else today, read this post by the blogger who calls himself Crazy Crawfish."
That was all I needed, so I went straight to Crazy Crawfish's blog, and I am glad I did. I think you will enjoy reading it as well, so that is my offering for today.
Until next time.
Kitty
Monday, March 18, 2013
Dear Friends,
I get a lot of email and some days I don't have time to look at it, but some days, like this morning, I took the time and viewed this video Sir Ken Robinson speaking of the need to change our current education paradigm.
In case you are not familiar with Sir Ken Robinson, he is a respected author, speaker, and international advisor on education. I have had the pleasure of hearing him speak twice, and there are several videos available online so that if you like this video, you can take a look at his other commentary. Additionally, he has written several books.
I urge you to take a look. It will be worth the time it takes and it will make you think.
Until next time.
Kitty
I get a lot of email and some days I don't have time to look at it, but some days, like this morning, I took the time and viewed this video Sir Ken Robinson speaking of the need to change our current education paradigm.
In case you are not familiar with Sir Ken Robinson, he is a respected author, speaker, and international advisor on education. I have had the pleasure of hearing him speak twice, and there are several videos available online so that if you like this video, you can take a look at his other commentary. Additionally, he has written several books.
I urge you to take a look. It will be worth the time it takes and it will make you think.
Until next time.
Kitty
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Dear Friends,
The time has once again flown by, and so it has been several days since I offered a post. Part of the delay is the result of my being extremely busy these days. I have decided that my time for rest and rejuvenation is up. I am now rested and feeling ready to do something new and different. I am in the midst of deciding exactly what that is and how that is going to look, and when I am ready to roll it out, I will be sure to let everyone know. But for today, I want to write a bit about a Facebook posting that I offered a couple of days ago. I did it hurriedly as I was reading my e-mail, and it just occurred to me today that I should take a little bit of time to highlight this new development.
The development to which I am referring is the creation of a new network of educators and supporters of public education. The announcement came to me first through a blog posting from Diane Ravitch. The title was "Breaking News: New Group to Oppose Corporate Reforms," and in that post, Dr. Ravitch offered that there was a group of education leaders from across the country who were building a movement for improving and strengthening our schools with "researched-based reforms, not fads and sanctions."
The name of the group is the Network for Public Education. For a mere $20, you can join as an individual, but there are other levels of membership including membership for groups and organizations. I signed up as an individual member and am eager to see the work that this group is going to master mind. Dr. Ravitch herself is the President of the newly formed group.
As I did on Facebook, I urge you to sign up as an individual member to help this group out. I believe in public education, and I truly believe it is in danger. This group and others like it are beginning to spring up in reaction to the corporate take-overs and the mindless testing regimen with which some have become so enamored. If you care about preserving public education, I urge you to take action now and join this group. Become involved...before it is too late.
The press release about the formation of the new group is provided below:
The time has once again flown by, and so it has been several days since I offered a post. Part of the delay is the result of my being extremely busy these days. I have decided that my time for rest and rejuvenation is up. I am now rested and feeling ready to do something new and different. I am in the midst of deciding exactly what that is and how that is going to look, and when I am ready to roll it out, I will be sure to let everyone know. But for today, I want to write a bit about a Facebook posting that I offered a couple of days ago. I did it hurriedly as I was reading my e-mail, and it just occurred to me today that I should take a little bit of time to highlight this new development.
The development to which I am referring is the creation of a new network of educators and supporters of public education. The announcement came to me first through a blog posting from Diane Ravitch. The title was "Breaking News: New Group to Oppose Corporate Reforms," and in that post, Dr. Ravitch offered that there was a group of education leaders from across the country who were building a movement for improving and strengthening our schools with "researched-based reforms, not fads and sanctions."
The name of the group is the Network for Public Education. For a mere $20, you can join as an individual, but there are other levels of membership including membership for groups and organizations. I signed up as an individual member and am eager to see the work that this group is going to master mind. Dr. Ravitch herself is the President of the newly formed group.
As I did on Facebook, I urge you to sign up as an individual member to help this group out. I believe in public education, and I truly believe it is in danger. This group and others like it are beginning to spring up in reaction to the corporate take-overs and the mindless testing regimen with which some have become so enamored. If you care about preserving public education, I urge you to take action now and join this group. Become involved...before it is too late.
The press release about the formation of the new group is provided below:
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