Conference call with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

On Wednesday evening, I took part in a conference call with the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. Sec. Duncan wanted to discuss the administration's plan for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind.

Many educators are very vocal about their opposition to NCLB, so it good to see that the Obama administration recognizes this and wants input on how to change it. Sec. Duncan focused on some of the main points of what he and the administration want to see in the reauthorization of ESEA, including:

-focus on teacher-leader programs, including collaboration amongst teachers and more effective professional development
-focus on "educating diverse learners," like special education students and ELL students
-revamping accountability, including incentives to raise state standards, and incentives to teachers who show growth with their students

The part about "growth" was great to hear, and Sec. Duncan talked about this many times. Instead of having a specific number or score, the administration is "focusing on growth and gain, with a focus on improvement." Stressing "growth models" as a better way of accountability of teachers and schools is much better than the current way of assessing education. Part of this is to have districts develop better assessments, what Sec. Duncan called "the next generation of tests," which will hopefully include more critical-thinking questions rather than bubble sheets. Sec. Duncan feels that these new tests will be able to tell us the growth of schools and students.

I was able to ask Sec. Duncan about states likes Vermont's ability to compete with others over competitive state and school grants. Sec. Duncan said they are looking for a focus less on a "fancy approach" and more on vision. He also said he has plans for a focus on a "rural competitive advantage" so rural schools have an opportunity for these funds. It was good to hear that he recognizes the need for small and rural schools to have access to these grants.

There was also a great question about including Social Studies in the Common Core standards, which will initially just include Math and English. Sec. Duncan said that they are starting with these two, but definitely want to include Social Studies in the future. As a Social Studies teacher, I would like this to be in the initial standards, but it is great to hear that Sec. Duncan sees its importance and plans to include it in the future.

It was great to get to hear and speak with Sec. Duncan for about an hour about where the administration's plans for education are. Just the fact that the Secretary was willing to take questions about their policies is definitely a step in the right direction. He recognizes, and said, that any type of change in education is not going to come from a Washington policy, but from educators.

Now lets see if the reality of the policy meets the vision.

UVM Presentations

On Thursday, I had the honor to speak with students in the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont. It was great to speak with students on both ends of the spectrum, from first-year students who are just getting an idea of what teaching and the education field are, to Juniors and Seniors who are currently Interns in the classroom. I could easily look out and see myself in both groups from when I was an Education major at Miami University.

With both groups, I spoke about "Effective and Successful Teaching." My goal was really to excite students about the journey that they are embarking on, give some advice about what works in any classroom, how to better reach today's students, and prepare them for the hard, hard work that the teaching profession brings.

There were some excellent questions from the students, with curious students wanting to know about using technology in the classroom to how do you balance reform and innovation with assessment and standardized tests.

I hope the students learned as much from what I said as I learned from them. It was a great experience to see what Teacher Education classes are like and what the students are learning. This is such an essential part of teaching, and I firmly believe that successful teachers need a Teacher Education program. There are skills learned in these courses that better prepare you for the classroom. From being able to develop better lessons to effectively using technology in the classroom, this is where quality educators are born.

When I was teaching at an off-site, urban alternative program in Ohio during my first year of teaching, I desperately could have used a course that helped me to understand the role that poverty and race play in a student. To see UVM has a course like this -- Schools and Society -- was refreshing, knowing that these students will be that much more prepared for the students they encounter in the classroom.

These are the students who will have the courage and innovation to bring new and fresh ideas as to how to better our teaching to students in an effort to better prepare them for their future. I hope to see one of these students being recognized at the Teacher of the Year in the next few years!

Upcoming speaking engagement at UVM

I will be speaking at the University of Vermont on Thurs., Feb. 11th to the College of Education and Social Services at 11:30am to a group of first-year Education students and then at 1pm to a group of Interns and Juniors. I will be speaking on leadership, the importance of the teaching profession, and the need for a globalized educational experience for all students.

2010 State Teachers of the Year introductions video

Check out this video made by Kevin Glover, the 2010 Maine Teacher of the Year, which introduces each of the 2010 Teachers of the Year:

2010 State Teachers of the Year introductions video

Cheers.

National Teacher of the Year Program conference

The first major conference as a 2010 state Teacher of the Year was the National Teacher of the Year Program Conference in Dallas, TX from Jan. 26-31st. It was an amazing experience to get to meet the other 55 Teachers of the Year from every state and territory in the United States. The National Teachers of the Year from 1996, 2006, 2008, and 2009 were also there as mentors and speakers to us. Being with such positive, passionate, dedicated, and innovative individuals makes me proud to be an educator. It was clear from this that education in the United States has powerful leaders and advocates and that it is heading in the right direction with this amazing group of leaders. I felt very lucky to be amongst such leadership.

With teachers from every state and territory, I clearly saw that the same challenges are facing educators around the country, regardless of whether your school is urban or rural, wealthy or poor, public or charter, or the population of your school. Not only similar challenges, but I also saw that what works well in one school works well in most schools. Successful teaching is successful teaching, whether you are in Guam, Florida, or Alaska.

From numerous speakers, policy makers, and experts, we learned about a number of specific topics:

-educational reforms
-educational legislation up for reauthorization
-working with the media and policy makers
-leadership
-effectively using technology in the classroom

The highlights of the conference, in terms of speakers, was Gary Marx (President, Center for Public Outreach), Scott Palmer (Managing Partner, Education Counsel LLC), and Gene Wilhoit (Executive Director, CCSSO).

Gary Marx focused on where the world is currently at in terms of demographics and technology, and why our education needs to prepare our students for this ever-changing world. As Gary said, "change is inevitable, progress is optional."

Scott Palmer discussed educational legislation at the federal level. The Obama administration is supporting and funding educational reform at record levels, and it is great to see that the federal support is there for schools and educators, but it has to go to the reforms that will have the most impact on student learning. Scott talked about the Recovery Act (aka. the stimulus), especially the Race to the Top funds that are available to states if they agree to implement specific educational reforms. Teacher assessment and evaluation are a major part of this. The Teacher Incentive Fund is also part of these reforms, which includes paying more for teachers in hard-to-fill subjects and merit pay. No Child Left Behind and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act are also both up for reauthorization over the next couple of months, so change is possible.

Gene Wilhoit discussed the three biggest changes around the world that are affecting education: demographics, globalization, and technology. Gene talked about the need for educators to shift the focus from the teacher to the student, that we need to teach thinkers and innovators, and that we need to be transformational leaders. Teachers need to be facilitators of learning. These are not new ideas, but it was refreshing to hear and discuss.

The closing address on the last night was a speech by current National Teacher of the Year, Tony Mullen. What a passionate and powerful leader and spokesperson for education in the United States! Tony makes me proud to be a teacher, and knowing that he is representing teachers around the country, I know that education will be reformed to improve our schools and better prepare our students for the future.

Cheers.