Tuesday, November 22, 2011

School Board Elections/Pre-school Debacle

As the end of the year approaches it becomes more imperative that individuals considering running for the school board begin the groundwork of collecting petitions and talking up their candidacy. This year is an important one since city council members are also up for election. From sources it appears that several interesting potential candidates are considering both boards. A widely respected businessman with critical views of the school board is considering a run. His intent is to get the board back on the “right track”. Specifically he wants a careful audit of all school board expenditures. He already has uncovered some questionable uses of funds. He has stated he will not be “a board yes man” but intends to ask questions that many people want to know the answers to but that school board members have been negligent in asking. This person is just one in a growing list of people who want to see real change and fiscal responsibility in regards to the city schools.
A common theme among all new candidates is the fact that the district needs to consolidate operations and close some underused facilities. There is simply no reason for some facilities to continue to operate with such low numbers. It is time the school district got off its high calorie diet and trimmed a little fat.
The district unwisely already has committed funds to an ill conceived pre-school program at Johnson. At one time pre-school programs were thought to give disadvantaged children a “leg up” on the learning process. Head Start was based on a few pilot programs, such as the Perry Preschool program, that were believed to be effective. Advocates asserted that a national preschool program for disadvantaged children would yield the same positive results. However, the 2010 Head Start Impact Study, a scientifically rigorous evaluation of multiple Head Start sites throughout the nation, found that the program is clearly ineffective. The program has had little to no positive effects for children granted access to Head Start. More recently, the General Accounting Office reported that there is simply no evidence that Head Start provides lasting benefits. Essentially, children end up back where they started. Those findings are consistent with 40 years of research on early intervention that shows that short-term benefits are possible but lasting gains are elusive.
So why is DPS investing so heavily in this program that has statistical evidence that it does not work? That’s a question for the new candidates to ask. And also ask why $600,000 has been thrown away while other students at Johnson are still learning in 20 plus year old trailers..........

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Castaways

Ahhh back from hiatus. What has been happening while I was out of the country? Lets see. Same old thing? Hope not! Let’s look at the highlights:
Langston Focus School (is it still a focus school? Focus on what?) gains accreditation. Sounds good doesn’t it? But let’s look into it a little deeper. Danville hired a company to help them get accredited. So who did they hire? Pearson Educational Measurement. Now who designs and writes the SOL tests? Surprise! Pearson Educational Measurements. Despite the fact they were the high bidder Pearson was awarded a $139 million contract by the Commonwealth of Virginia to produce the SOL tests even though they were $35 million more than Harcourt Assessment. Well discussions of the wisdom of the DOE are for another day. The point here is simple, the same company that is helping Langston pass the SOL’s is the same company that is testing them. Conflict of interest? Perhaps but let’s look a little further.
Part of the Langston “plan” was that the state gives a little leeway to “special schools”. A part of that is that they do not have to meet the same requirements as other schools. So the fact that Langston is “accredited” takes on a new meaning. Let’s look at what accreditation means for Langston. Here are the “accredited” scores: English-59, Math-48,History-31, Science-39. Compare that to GWHS “accredited” scores: English-90, Math-82, History-75, Science-76.
So as you can see accredited rates don’t really mean much in Virginia’s watered down standards. How about NCLB (No Child Left Behind)? Ooops, they failed in every category. Another interesting statistic: Of the five teachers in the district provisionally licensed all five are at Langston! Way to go!
Again the cause of this problem is poor leadership from the top. The emperor has no clothes. THAT my friends, is the naked truth.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Odds and Ends

I have been negligent keeping up with the blog but things have been happening so fast. First, getting to the results of the worst ideas by DPS or the biggest waste of money, here they are in order of the most votes:
1) By far the most votes went to Chalk Talk. If there ever was a complete waste of money and time this is it. One person wrote “…..like watching a train wreck…” to describe the show. One described it as the Diane Locker Comedy Hour. How can you ask so many questions and then proceed to answer them also? Most one sided show on TV. Seriously, it is a ridiculous waste of money.
2) Langston School. Once a proud part of the DPS system it is now a holding pen for the alternative school disaster. The campus needs to be shut down to save money or until they find a reasonable use for the campus.
3) Surprise, surprise, The Galileo School came in Number 3. As one person stated “It is the golden child at the expense of everything else. The worst part is that it isn’t very good either…..”
4) The quality and experience of administrators. Many felt that principals around the city are the bottom of the barrel. Some noted the tendency to only hire people retiring from somewhere else. Waste of time and effort.
The rest of the votes were scattered among different issues, some very personal. But the votes show that many employees are very unhappy about the way things are being run. Please note school board: Your time is coming. A lot of interesting names surfacing about people who may run. More on that later.

Without a doubt the “mysterious raise” was the talk of the town. The explanation given defies all logic. The facts are simple. Anyone who has ever been on a board knows that you discuss the terms of a contract with a candidate prior to any vote. Therefore the superintendents knew she was getting a raise—first lie. Two weeks later she announces she knows nothing about it---second lie. Board vice chair tries to cover and just muddies the water. Teachers get no raise but super does? Credibility is at an all time low. Fail-superintendent. Kudos to Adam Tomer for calling the board’s hand. Hope he remembers it next year at budget time.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Integrity in Leadership

"Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence." British Field Marshall Montgomery Integrity and leadership go hand in hand. Integrity is one of the positive traits for an effective and good leader. Personal integrity represents an honest, reliable and trustworthy person. If you are a leader; then you will bring along that good trait into your leadership style. It is a blessing for an organization to have such a leader in their organization. Having many integrity leaders will indirectly shape up the organization to be an integrity organization; be respected by employees and public. Why integrity is very important to leadership? Since integrity is a trait that exists from inner self; as a leader, you only can prove your integrity by the actions that you took and the decision that you choose. Integrity speaks by itself and it reflects on all your actions and decision. A leadership that built with integrity normally is part from an integrity organization; they can be confident that an individual with flawed character will not last long in their organizations ; as it goes to the good people, will not stay for long in bad organizations. As the result; only integrity people will be working in the integrity organization. DPS lacks this integrity combined with leadership. The most recent events concerning the superintendent accepting a pay raise in light of the current economic conditions makes this issue even more important. Employees have gone three years without a pay raise, several employees have lost their job, teachers lack adequate materials for their classrooms, yet the board offers the superintendent a raise for mediocre performance? Being paid over $50,000 more then the county superintendent with a district almost 25% smaller shows just how far out of touch the board is to the realities of the time. At least the county superintendent had the integrity to turn down any raise. That is one word that we will never hear describing the leadership in DPS—integrity. This lack of integrity carries over to the board. Have they been living under a rock for the past three years? Have they not observed the recent economic conditions in Danville? How totally out of touch can one board become? The proverbial handwriting is on the wall. This is not Wall Street. We should not reward bad, unethical behavior. The board needs to show some integrity themselves and resign and apologize to Danville on their way out.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

April Fools and other School Board Employees

Well it appears the inmates are running the asylum. Word is out that the school board offered a new contract through 2014 to the worst leader DPS ever had. I can see Mr, Christopher turning over in his grave. What a shame that the board is so clueless as to what is happening to the district. I think it’s interesting that the salary for the new year was not revealed. Do you think the employees might just be a little perturbed that their concrete queen is getting a raise while they have been without one for three years? Is anyone really surprised at the lack of leadership on the part of the school board? Well readers it is time again for the DPS Darwin Awards! This award goes to the dumbest, most wasteful decision, project, or program in DPS. Yes I know there are so many to choose from but each year I try to narrow it down to one. This year, due to the tight budget, the award has more meaning then in other years. Send your nominations to savetheschools2@aol.com. Remember to include as much information as possible. As always, your identity will be protected. So write up those nominations and get them in by April 20. How much is that wall in front of Galileo? The wall along the street is being replaced with really nice landscape block. After several calls it was confirmed that the city is paying for the work and not the school board. I guess so since the city still owns the Galileo site even though the school board has invested almost $1 million in the building. I bet a lot of landlords would love to get a tenant invest that much money in their building!!!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Fiscal Irresponsibility

Well now is the time for the school board to circle the wagons, open up the coffers, and wait for the city to fill them with gold. Soon you will read about the “fiscal crisis”, the “money worries”, and oh yes “possible layoffs”. All these phrases are intended to scare the council and the public into giving them money. Hopefully these are some council members with kahunas that will not fall for this dog and pony show.
Since 2004 the fiscal irresponsibility of the district under the present leadership has skyrocketed. Even though the population of the district hovers around 6,000 (from the 2000 level of 8,200) yet the budget and number of employees continues to climb. The cost per pupil is at an all time high.
Recently it was pointed out in another blog that the IB program at Galileo is a farce. In 2009, there were two eligible students, and neither one received the diploma. In 2010, there were three eligible but only one received the diploma and he was a transfer from Martinsville after their program shut down. This is a $10,000 yearly cost for the program not counting the cost of the testing. DPS was never an organization that could evaluate itself. Perhaps it is time to cut their losses and get out of the program. But of course the powers to be would never admit they were wrong.
The district board needs to take a long hard look at their finances and get back to the core values of the system. The truly hard decisions will be closing schools, eliminating programs, and letting pet projects die. These are the type of decisions that a school board needs to make. If they can’t step up to the plate perhaps the council will do it for them.

“Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”
Benjamin Franklin

Sunday, January 16, 2011

New Year Resolutions

At the beginning of a new year people usually sit down and evaluate the actions of the previous year and see what can be changed for the better. Whether its losing weight, exercising more, concentrating on business, or connecting with old friends a resolution is developed and decided upon. Unfortunately in a majority of the cases the resolution vanishes into thin air within a matter of months or even weeks.

The DPS board should consider the same routine. Sit down and look upon the last year (or in their case years) and see what could be changed or improved. However based on past experience this could be a hard task for them. Honesty has never been a strong point with the board. In light of this I had some associates “suggest” some resolutions for the board to embrace.

Board Members should submit to a “test” in order to remain on the board. This would consist of a simple cognitive ability evaluation. Can you stay awake for a whole meeting? Do you understand what is going on? A simple ink blot test would do. We just need something to assure the citizens that rubber stamping zombies have not replaced the board members but that they can still think and reason.

Board members should make a pact to ask questions about proposals and really review financial data. So often they pass resolutions without knowing the financial impact or at worst don’t know how to read financial reports. They simply allow the staff to present overviews without specifics. The result of this is an out of control spending splurge. Where are the tea party people when you need them?

Board Members Need to get a handle on the actions of the administrative services division. Of all the divisions this is the life blood area. Instruction cannot function without the funds to drive the programs. Over the last few years this business area has been allowed to fester into a quagmire of conflicting reports and unanswered questions. Lifes Little Lesson: Its About The Money Stupid! Check the increases in all aspects of the school operations. The areas that previously were under control are now spinning up like the national debt. Check it out.

For God’s sake stop reading the handbook at meetings! Self explanatory.

Make the superintendent speak for the district. Never before have we ever seen a superintendent throw so many people into the fire rather then take the heat for a decision. Time to errrrrr “man up”? Be a leader. Leaders don’t hind behind walls, they stand out front.

Just a few suggestions. Perhaps they may consider them, perhaps not. Either way I would imagine they would be forgotten within a few weeks anyway.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

On The Mark

This letter was published in the county newspaper but never made it into the Register/Bee (wonder why). It was sent to me by a frustrated teacher. It really says it all.

Daily I am struck by the changing nature of education. Perhaps this is too lenient a description, however.Lest I be too bold, the mutation of our educational system from Jekyll to Hyde has created a marked dissonance between administrators and teachers and - to quote Herbert George Wells - our history and now our future become "more a race between education and catastrophe."
My reflections are not intended to create a comparative and contrastive framework between the educational methodologies of yesteryear and modern instructional approaches.Rather, they are intended to provide simple truths based upon basic human interaction and the apparent lack of quality leadership within the Danville city school system.To be fair, such a bleak outlook is not applicable to all schools and administrations.Indeed, many schools are forward thinking and relatively free of the moral and mental lassitude which now slowly envelops many others.

Thus, my comments are directed at those who would stunt the natural progress of academia through soul-crushing micromanagement, needless bureaucracy, and a lack of imagination.

Simple Truth Number 1: Micromanagement creates an environment devoid of trust and enthusiasm.Pointless policies, arbitrary preconditions, inane interpretations of existing protocol, and the mandatory approval of illogical rules and regulations are the trimmings and trappings of a magic show designed to deceive and manipulate, not foster an atmosphere of mutual respect.It is chicanery at its best, and smacks of insecurity.To borrow a phrase from Ross Perot, "the giant sucking sound" heard throughout the local streets is the power of the teacher being slowly extracted from the classroom.

Simple Truth Number 2: Administrators should support teachers and listen to the voices of experience.Unable to fathom the concepts of flexibility and compromise, many so-called leaders would adopt the E.B. White "It's broccoli, dear," "I say it's spinach, and I say the hell with it" approach.Any leader worth her or his salt will surely understand that teachers enable learning and facilitate growth, and thus the most humble opinion of the teacher should account for some iota of importance.Yes, the sarcasm is palpable and intentional.Most of the changes instituted within schools, however, are one-sided and neither broccoli nor spinach. Rather, they are lacking in nutrition and fortified with high fructose corn syrup.

Simple Truth Number 3: Erratic, unreliable, and unpredictable administrators create chaos.Faced with difficult disciplinary decisions, the fickle administrator will say one thing and do another.Announcements and emails have become the new standards, as administrators raise high the preferred anonymity of the intercom and the protective screen of the computer.Far away from the maddening crowd, our fearless leaders search for loopholes within their own regulations, changing them to suit the needs of the student, parent, and themselves.Instead of resolutely meting out punishment, the procedure-obsessed pencil pushers refer the offender to the teacher yet shy away from the responsibility of supporting the corrective measures taken.Indeed, teachers are held accountable for behavioral problems, informed that poor classroom management is to blame for disruptive deeds, and ultimately bear the burden of proof.More disturbing, however, is the frequency with which administrators have adopted bullying tactics to strong-arm teachers and students into compliance with new systems of governance.Abhorrent as this may sound, it should come as no surprise that timidity, a lack of self-confidence, and a woeful absence of courage breed such contemptuous practices.Simple

Truth Number 4: Classrooms have become parental theaters.Whereas parents should be involved and provide guidance for their child, doing so at the expense of the child's education is unacceptable.Administrators all too often kowtow to parents for fear of repercussions from immediate supervisors and, at the end of the day, divest teachers of any vestiges of authority.Some parents understand that their voices often carry more (financial?) weight than the teacher, and are able to coerce and manipulate to ensure that educational advancement depends more on identity rather than ability.Imagine, if you will, a place where men and women hide behind curtains, employing smoke and mirrors to deter those children seeking courage, hearts, and brains, yet welcome the voices of the parents who demand social promotion and hurl threats and insults at teachers who are left defenseless in the wake of administrative desertion.Fascinating.

Simple Truth Number 5: Students ultimately suffer more than anyone.Timothy Leary's words are possibly more poignant now than during the 1960s and 1970s, as his chilling message seductively encourages students to "Turn on, tune in, drop out."Children are being left behind, and standardized testing has become the crutch of the inept or unwilling.Critical thinking and conceptual analysis have been replaced by memorization and intellectual apathy, and students superficially tune in and profoundly drop out, instead plugging in to a vapid electronic world.The stark truth is that students learn at different rates, and have varied intellectual capabilities.Administrators and overzealous bureaucrats understand only quotas and statistics, however, and erroneously assume that if one closely adheres to prescribed agendas, then prescribed results will materialize.In a word: failure.Such a gross underestimation of both teacher and student performance underscores the uncertainty surrounding the future of education within our community.And so the question is posed, "What happens next?"Often, simple answers are found within simple truths.My observations are certainly not applicable to everyone, but those who most vociferously deny their validity might do well to revisit his or her beliefs and leadership skills.The final analysis reveals an educational apparatus occasionally offering glimpses of hope, but ultimately beset by an over-extension of authority, a paucity of academic freedom, and mind-numbing parochialism.An atmosphere of low morale, fear, and bitterness hangs over Danville city schools, and the self-centered, egotistical, and cowardly manner in which administrators govern is deplorable.Perchance the assertion of educational philosopher Robert Maynard Hutchins is correct, that "we do not know what education could do for us, because we have never tried it."

Tom Efersun
Danville