Director’s Message

In lieu of my own words this month, I’ve included a current Press Release for your information.

TeachFirst will help BCPS pilot PLCs in ten selected schools. Like many large school districts across the country and in Florida, our district is focusing on sustainable and systemic approaches to improving student learning. The sixth largest district in the country, Broward County has invited TeachFirst to help implement key elements of their Effective Schools program through TeachFirst’s Professional Learning Community (PLC) framework in six secondary and four elementary schools.

PLCs are a major initiative across the entire State of Florida, where they are a key component of the Florida Professional Development System Evaluation Protocol. Broward County has been preparing to implement PLCs, but moving from theory to practice can be challenging, and fraught with a range of instructional, institutional, and logistical obstacles.

Dr. Leontine Butler, former Assistant Superintendent for Human Resource Development and current Area Superintendent for the North Central Area of BCPS, is committed to the implementation of effective PLCs in BCPS, but believed the district central office needed support to effectively implement PLCs on a large scale. TeachFirst has been engaged to leverage the district’s resources to efficiently implement the model simultaneously across multiple schools.

TeachFirst will help Broward County’s PLCs focus on their own Effective Schools framework which includes three key sets of research-based strategies: Lawrence Lezotte’s “7 Correlates of Highly Effective Schools” Patricia Davenport and Gerald Andersons “8-Step Instructional Process” Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock’s “9 High Yield Strategies”

PLCs will utilize TeachFirst’s video models of instruction and Instructional Conversations, which align with each of the Effective Schools strategies. The video models help teachers "see" what effective instruction looks like in real classrooms with real students, and the Instructional Conversations are discussion guides for Teacher-Leaders to use in facilitating PLC meetings.

TeachFirst will work closely with BCPS school and district leadership teams to plan, deliver, follow-up, and evaluate how effectively the PLCs increase teacher learning and transfer instructional strategies into the classroom. Once the program is up and running effectively in the 10 designated pilot schools, BCPS will consider a roll-out strategy for additional schools in the district. The TeachFirst initiative receives support from the Broward Education Foundation.

TeachFirst is the leading provider of “whole-school” based collaborative professional development to improve teaching and learning in K12 schools and districts across the country. The TeachFirst model drives sustainable results by integrating research-based instructional strategies with professional learning communities, and is supported by video models, online tools, and full time consultants.

Linda S. Whitehead
Director, Teacher Development/HRD

Six Steps to Induction (Continued)

Step 3: Writing The Plan

Once you have identified your team, and used the Induction Rubric to self-assess, you are almost ready to begin writing your Induction Plan. However, it is important not to begin prematurely. One question to consider after completing the self-assess is, “What did we learn about our school’s priorities and beliefs regarding staff development and induction?” After your team has had time to reflect on that question, the key to developing the Induction Plan is not in the writing, but in generating reflective conversations about the Desired State of each induction component.

The Induction Systems Planning Tool is designed to provide structure for these conversations with your team. Decide together which component to address first. You may want to make this choice based on step 2 and the discussions above. Use the guiding questions/statements within each induction component to continue the dialogue, taking the time necessary to develop a clear understanding of each expectation.

The timeline for completing your plan is your own and the Planning Tool simplifies revisions and updates. An Induction Plan is meant to be a living, changing record of a school’s continuous improvement process.

Resources available to begin planning: Your NESS School Liaison, HRD Program Facilitators, and The Induction Systems Planning Tool
Induction Planning podcast: http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/hrd/podcasts/video/2006/mp4/InductionT24.mp4

Source: Joy Rabin and Randall Deich, Program Facilitators, HRD

Teacher Retention

Teacher retention is critical to the long term health and success of your school. The start of the year is the best time to discuss retention strategies with your Induction Team. Here are a few retention tips to discuss:

A satisfied Educator knows clearly what is expected from him/her every day at work. Changing expectations keep Educators on edge and create unhealthy stress. There is a need for a specific framework within which teachers clearly know what is expected from them.

The quality of the supervision an Educator receives is critical to retention. It is not enough that the Instructional Coach is well-liked or a nice person. He/she has a critical role to play in retention. Anything the Instructional Coach does to make an Educator feel unvalued will contribute to turnover. Frequent complaints center on these areas: lack of clarity about expectations, lack of feedback about performance, failure to hold scheduled meetings, and failure to provide a framework within which the Educator perceives he/she can succeed.

The ability of the Educator to speak his or her mind freely within the school is another key factor in teacher retention. Does your school solicit ideas and provide an environment in which staff members are comfortable providing feedback?

The easiest issues to solve, and the ones most affecting employee retention, are tools, time and training. Educators must have the tools, time and training necessary to do his/her job well – or he/she will move to a school that provides them. Ask the W. Edwards Deming question, “What about the New Educator Support System is causing the New Educator to fail?”

Your best teachers, those you want to retain, seek frequent opportunities to learn and grow in their careers, knowledge and skill. Stagnation will occur without the opportunity to try new opportunities, attend professional development and read and discuss books. A career-oriented, valued teacher must experience growth opportunities within your organization.

Your Educators must feel rewarded, recognized and appreciated. Frequently saying thank you goes a long way. Brainstorm with your Induction Team strategies on how make thank yous even more effective.

Source: Randall Deich, Program Facilitator, HRD

Instructional Leadership

Strong instructional leadership has a positive impact on student learning. Instructional leaders provide focus and direction to curriculum and teaching, establish conditions that support teachers, and inspire others to reach their goals. Effective instructional leaders understand the difference between leadership and management and find time for both.

Source: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/leadership/instructional.html
This website contains podcasts on various subjects including Instructional Leadership representing the views of teachers, principals, school board members, and mentor principals.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, Program Facilitator, HRD

The Role of the Liaison

Experience has shown that the NESS School Liaison (NSL) is, next to Administration, the most influential leadership position in the school. Although not listed on the organizational chart in reality the NSL has an enormous influence on the culture of his/her school. The NSL for better or worse influences every new teacher hired at a site.

Luann Comes, a truly outstanding NSL, shared that since she has been the liaison she has inducted 67% of the present instructional staff at Sheridan Park Elementary. Think of it in another way Luann‘s influence will have a residual impact on Sheridan Park Elementary culture for the next three decades and beyond as those she has inducted, induct others.

As you think about the influence you have on your school’s culture, ask yourself, “How can I add value to our schools support? How can I prepare my replacement to continue the work I have already started?” If you would like additional information or clarification of your role as a NESS School Liaison, please contact your HRD, NESS Program Facilitator.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, Program Facilitator, HRD

Induction and Retention

The single most influential school-based factor to contribute to school improvement and student achievement is the teacher (Stronge & Tucker, 2000).

Keeping good teachers should be one of the most important agenda items for any school leader. Substantial research evidence suggests that well-prepared, capable teachers have the largest impact on student learning (Darling-Hammond, 2000b; Wilson, Floden, & Ferrini-Mundy, 2001).

The hard part is keeping the teachers we prepare. Steep attrition in the first few years of teaching is a long standing problem. Unless we develop policies to stem such attrition through better preparation, assignment, working conditions, and mentor support, we cannot meet the goal of ensuring that all students have qualified teachers (Linda Darling-Hammond).

Teachers stay where they feel successful, supported, and part of a team working toward the achievement of common goals. An induction process is the best way to send a message to your teachers that you value them and want them to succeed and stay (Harry Wong, 2002).

Source: Kathleen Chapman, Program Facilitator, HRD

Induction Tips

Below are some induction ideas pulled from our Induction wiki. For more details on these tips as well as other ideas related to building induction systems, go to http://hrdinduction.pbwiki.com/

The Induction Team at Cooper City High, led by NESS Liaison, Michelle Harding, has developed a self-assessment tool to be used as a starting point for creating Continuous Improvement Plans (CIPs). The tool asks the NE to rate herself in four areas of content knowledge and professional leadership. With this data in hand, the coach and NE can identify areas of potential growth and collaboratively develop appropriate CIPs.

Alexis Lindholm, NESS Liaison at Stephen Foster Elementary, involved the entire staff in identifying the needs of the school’s NESS program, using the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) process. The Induction Team then met to discuss the data and begin writing an Induction Plan. Although there is only one new educator at the school this year, Alexis helped the entire faculty understand the importance of the induction process as a proactive way to support the growth of all teachers on the staff.

At Sheridan Technical Center, Wendy Bromberg has several processes in place to monitor the needs of her New Educators and the effectiveness of their Instructional Coaches. Be sure to access the HRD Induction wiki to learn more about these accountability/assessment practices.

Source: Joy Rabin, Program Facilitator, HRD

KASAB (Continued)

Aspiration is a hope or desire to achieve some vision or goal. The effective Instructional Coach aspires to achieve goals on both a personal and professional level.

The personal aspirations of an effective coach are:
1. Networking with colleagues
2. Sharing experience
3. Helping a person new to the profession
4. Improving one’s own practice
5. Feeling good about making a difference.

The professional aspirations of an effective coach are:
1. Communicating effective teacher behaviors
2. Assuming a leadership role in the school
3. Increasing opportunities for students to learn
4. Enabling the client to stand on his/her own
5. Adding value to the school and district
What are your aspirations as an Instructional Coach?

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, Program Facilitator, HRD

The Instructional Coach as Teacher Leader

Teachers typically define career satisfaction in terms of their ability to be of service to peers and make a difference in the lives of their students (McLaughlin & Lee, 1988). Similarly, the Instructional Coach’s beliefs are grounded in their desire to improve the quality of teaching and learning for all students.

The New Educator Support System (NESS) sees the effective Instructional Coaches as collaborative leaders "banding together" other teachers to promote the professional development and growth of their client, the New Educator.

It is the middle of October and the Effective Coach has identified his/her client’s current reality, has suggested interventions, and has measured the impact of those interventions. If your client is still struggling in the classroom it may be time to reflect and identify additional resources at your site that can help support the client’s growth. If you are not sure what resources you have available at your site that may be a topic for discussion at your next Instructional Coach meeting.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, Program Facilitator, HRD

Progress in Stages

Coaches understand that many beginning teachers progress in stages. The first stage focuses on practical skills and information -- where to order supplies, how to organize a classroom, where to find instructional resources, what kind of assistance the teacher association can provide, etc. During the second stage, coaches and protégés can concentrate more intently on the art and science of teaching and on polishing classroom management skills. In stage three, the focus shifts to a deeper understanding of instructional strategies and ongoing professional development that is based on the assessed needs of students. Where a new teacher enters this matrix and how long each stage lasts varies according to the knowledge, experience, and skills that a protégé brings to the job. A skillful mentor works with a protégé to determine what level of assistance to provide and when to provide it.

Source: http://www.nfie.org

Interactive Lecture

The reason lectures have survived so long is they are a quick and cheap way of introducing large numbers of students to a particular body of information. The down side is that students only retain about 10% of the information in a lecture, even from the best of lectures. The following are some ideas to break up a lecture in smaller parts and provide students opportunities to learn the information. After a short mini-lecture, 10 to 15 minutes, “Ask the student to:

1. Share their notes with a neighbor and identify the three most important facts in the lecture.
2. Ask you questions for three minutes.
3. Brainstorm ideas as a class.
4. Pick a “point of view” and defend the position.
5. Explain or demonstrate a process.

Contact your site-based support staff for additional ideas on making lectures more effective.

Podcasting 101

Podcasting offers a new “digital era” tool for capturing the minds and imaginations of teachers and learners alike.

Why are learners more likely to want to use a podcast, or any other form of technology, rather than wanting to listen to a teacher live?

Podcasting, or any other technology for that matter, is no substitute for a focused one-to-one or one-to-many learning session with a motivated and qualified teacher or coach.

Podcasting does offer an opportunity for learners with diverse learning needs and different learning styles to learn or review content using their strongest modalities. If the podcast is a video podcast, it offers the visual learner an option for review and reflection. The auditory learner can play and replay content indefinitely. The kinesthetic learner can play the time-shifted content outside of school where movement is less-restricted. Podcasts can be a boon to those working with students who have special learning or attention needs. They offer an alternative to engage the “digital learner.” HRD has a current library of Podcasts available for teachers, coaches, and professional developers at http://www.hrdpods.blogspot.com.

Grading the Final Exams

Department of Statistics:
All grades are plotted along the normal bell curve.

Department of History:
All students get the same grade they got last year.

Department of Philosophy:
What is a grade?

Source: Internet - Profession Jokes

Directors Message

Dr. Leontine Butler and I were invited and planned to attend a professional conference last January in San Francisco on the topic of New Teacher Induction. I was honored to be personally contacted by a participant. She was hoping to plan a trip to Broward during the summer for a first-hand look at our work. Five administrators, Melani Mouse, Cory Boggs, Melanie Pealor, and Paula Dyer, from Putnam City Schools in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma visited the NTA at Stranahan High School and Instructional Coach Professional Development at Northeast High School during the week of July 23 - 27, 2007. The word is getting out that our NESS Liaisons are building some of the most successful New Educator Induction programs in the country. Celebrate this sign of success. If we build a High Quality Induction Program they will come....

Linda S. Whitehead
Director, Teacher Development/HRD

Collaboration is Key

According to Rick DuFour, “A principal’s most significant contribution to developing others is creating an appropriate context for adult learning.” The structures, procedures, beliefs, expectations, and habits that exist in a school, rather than the quality of the training, determine the impact of professional development. Emphasis needs to shift from finding programs and trainers to building a collaborative culture in which colleagues challenge and learn from one another.

DuFour offers the following suggestions for developing professional learning communities.
1. Provide time for collaboration in the school day and school year.
2. Identify critical questions to guide the work of collaborative teams.
3. Ask teams to create products as a result of their collaboration.
4. Insist that teams identify and pursue specific achievement goals.
5. Provide teams with relevant data and information.

Teachers need to know that they have colleagues they can turn to as they address the ever-changing needs of their students. They flourish in cultures that support collaborative efforts and continuous professional growth.

Source: Rick DuFour, “Collaboration is the key to unlocking potential,” The Learning Principal, November 2006.

Six Steps to Induction – Steps 1 & 2

Phillip Schlecty defines Induction as All social processes associated with ensuring that members are aware of and embrace the norms and values of the group or organization and that they possess the skills, attitudes and habits of mind necessary to fulfill the roles they are assigned in the group or organization.

Over the course of the year, this column will delineate six steps to move a school toward systems-based Induction. Steps 1 & 2 will help you get started.

Step 1: Identify your Induction Team. Membership may include anyone on your staff interested in his/her own professional growth and the professional growth of colleagues, particularly new educators. Consider including your NESS School Liaison, interested Instructional Coaches, and National Board Certified Teachers and candidates, as well as any other teachers and administrators who want to “see the possibilities”.

Step 2: Self-Assess. Arrange a block of time for your Induction Team to meet and critically analyze the current state of Induction at your site. Provide the team with HRD’s Induction Rubric to determine strengths and gaps related to each of the three Induction components, Orientation, Collaboration and Support, and Accountability and Assessment.

Available Resources:
➢ Your NESS School Liaison
➢ HRD Program Facilitators, Mary Beckwith, Kathleen Chapman, Randee Deich, Dr. Sheila Lewis, Dr. Doug Miller, Joy Rabin, Dr. Amy Tsukuda
➢ What is Induction enhanced podcast
➢ Induction Rubric
➢ Induction Guiding Questions

Source: Randall Deich and Joy Rabin, HRD Program Facilitator

Resources recommended by Liaisons

MaryBeth Strautz, NESS Liaison for Dillard High, recommends Your First Year As a High School Teacher, by Rominger & Laughrea to all of her New Educators. She explains that it is the one book that specifically addresses the reality and needs of new high school teachers.

Letitia Ingram-Phillips, Liaison at Rock Island Elementary, provides each of her New Educators with a set of You Can Handle Them All: Quick Action Card Deck by Robert DeBruyn. Each card in the deck describes strategies for dealing with a specific set of classroom behaviors – what works and what doesn’t.

Jeanne Kraus, Margate Elementary’s NESS Liaison, enthusiastically recommends Ten Traits of Highly Effective Teachers by Elaine McKewan to all the potential Instructional Coaches she trained in the summer. There is no doubt that in time their copies will be as dog-eared and worn as her own.

Source: Joy Rabin, HRD Program Facilitator

Question of the Month

Does an educator new to Broward County but who taught in Florida need a NESS coach?
Response: There is no district policy/mandate that requires a New Educator to receive support. This decision is "owned" by the school. If the New Educator is a Level Three (more than 2 years of public/private school teaching experience in the USA), he/she is eligible to receive Instructional Coach support if requested by your Principal.

The “Level of Support” document details the support to all educators new to the district.

Source: Randall Deich, HRD Program Facilitator

Support Group Meeting

Prior to the next NESS Support Group Meeting, download two or three grade level appropriate lesson plans from BEEP and a brief description of the top three Nine High Yield Strategies (HYS): Similarities and Differences, Summarizing and Note Taking, and Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition. Make copies of the lesson plans and the top 3 HYS and bring them to the meeting.

Procedures for activity:
1. With the whole group, brainstorm a list of the components of an effective standard-based lesson plan. Record on chart paper.
2. Next, if you have a large-group divide the group into teams of four to five ICs and NEs.
3. Next distribute the lesson plans and a copy of the 3 HYS.
4. Using the BEEP Lesson plans, direct the teams to identify the components of an effective lesson they listed earlier and identify any of the top 3 HYS that were incorporated in the lesson plan.
5. If there is no evidence of the 3 HYS, add one in the appropriate part to increase the effectiveness of the lesson plan?
6. Share out team discussion.
7. Debrief with this question: How do discussions like this add value to a teacher’s practice?

This support group activity is only a suggestion always use activities that meet your clients needs.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, HRD Program Facilitator

The Administrator’s Observation

During the first semester administrators will be conducting Classroom Walk-Throughs and Formative FPMS Screening observations on the New Educators. The beginning of the school year is an excellent time to share these instruments with your New Educator. One reason for sharing these instruments is to let your New Educator know what is expected when an administrator observes his/her classroom. The other is that the items contained in the observation instruments are research-based descriptions of the behaviors exhibited by effective teachers. Our goal as coaches is to support the New Educator and help them successfully transition into the profession. Taking a few minutes reviewing these instruments will reduce the New Educators anxiety and help them focus on developing effective teacher behaviors.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, HRD Program Facilitator

Planning with the New Educator

Planning with the New Educator provides the ultimate “teachable Moment,” says Paula Rutherford. Planning with the New Educator can be held when there is no intention of following up with an observation. The sole purpose, in this instance, can be simply to plan a lesson, unit, or map out a semester or course.

When planning with a New Educator prior to an observation it is important to ask the following questions.
• What are the students suppose to know and be able to do?
• How are the objectives related to the State Standards.
• How will student progress be measured?
• What will the New Educator do?
• What will the students do?
• How will the data be used to adjust the lesson or re-teach the lesson?

Contributed by: Dr. Doug Miller, source The 21st Century Mentor’s Handbook by Paula Rutherford

KASAB

KASAB is an acronym for Knowledge, Aspirations, Skills, Attitudes and Behaviors. Over the next five issues we will identify descriptors for each of these concepts related to coaching and mentoring a New Educator.

Knowledge is facts and information acquired by a person through experience or training. What knowledge does a coach need to effectively mentor a new educator? The following list is not all-inclusive but provides a general idea of the knowledge that effective coaches need to mentor their clients.
1. Schools policies and procedures
2. Lesson design, delivery, follow-up and assessment
3. Who’s who for getting help or resources
4. Tenets of the Effective Schools Program
5. Traits of an effective coach
6. Collecting and disaggregating data
7. Classroom Management Strategies
8. Conferencing with Parents
9. Using the Continuous Improvement Process
10. Using technology and technology resources.

What would you add to the list? Next month coaches will share descriptors for the concept Aspirations.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, HRD Program Facilitator

What are Student Objectives?

Student Objectives deal with detailed statements that specify various actions that students will be able to do successfully after they have completed the learning process of a particular lesson/course.

Key aspects in writing good Student Objectives

Student Objectives need to be:
• Observable
• Measureable

Student Objectives contain four parts:
1. A for audience – Who? Who are your learners? The students will be able to…

2. B for behaviors – What? What do you expect your students to be able to do? This must be observable or measurable behavior. If you can’t measure it with one of the five senses - seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, or smelling how can you be sure your audience really learned it.

3. C for condition – How? Under what circumstances or context will the learning occur? What will the student be given to accomplish the learning?

4. D for degree – How much? How is mastery measured? How well will the behavior need to be performed? What is the student suppose to accomplish at the end of the lesson? What knowledge, skills, or behaviors should the student be able to demonstrate? The objective always contains an active verb (e.g., list, describe, report, compare, analyze, evaluate, judge…).
Student Objectives serve as guidelines for assessment and selection of content and instructional strategies.

The following are examples of effective student centered objectives.
Comprehension Level
(C) Given the Declaration of Independence,
(A) the students will be able to
(B) identify 5 reasons why the American Colonies separated from England
(D) by the end of the period

Application Level
(C) Given a foreign language sentence written in the past tense,
(A) the students will be able to
(B) rewrite sentences in future tense
(D) with no grammatical errors

Synthesis Level
(C) Given a current events topic and a scoring rubric
(A) the students will be able to
(B) write an opinion essay
(D) at the proficient level on the essay rubric

Generally when teachers write student objectives on the board they put the behavior (B) and the degree of mastery (D). The audience (A) is always all the students and the condition (C) is usually addressed in the lesson.

Example:
• Add two digit numbers with no errors.
• Lay out a foundation of a 600 square foot house with less than a .1% error in the last corner.

Source: http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/research/Write_Objectives.shtml from Dr. Doug Miller

Planning

There is no one right way for planning lessons. However, the goal should be to provide opportunities for students to learn in ways that meet their needs. This is an important part of No Child Left Behind. Here are some questions to consider when planning a lesson.
• What are the objectives of the lesson?
• How will I measure student mastery of the objectives?
• What instructional strategies will I use?
• How will I remediate students who do not master the objectives?
• What enrichment activities will I provide for students who do master the objectives?
• How will I maintain student mastery of the objectives?

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, HRD Program Facilitator

Bingo

“I always start at the beginning of the year with First Day Bingo. I create general knowledge cards for my grade level. I also include current events from the summer. Another fun Bingo idea is to hand students a blank bingo card and have them travel the room to get the signature of every student in the class. Then I pull the names of the students from the bingo hat. I usually use homework passes as prizes. Students really enjoy this activity."

Source: Heidi Riche: Grade 6 Teacher

Lighter Side- Robo Teacher

A schoolteacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school.

Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with deskwork. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest. He had no trouble with discipline that term.

Director’s Message

Welcome Back! I trust everyone enjoyed their summer with time to relax and enjoy sunny and very warm South Florida, or a favorite vacation spot. Our work continued throughout the summer. The Instructional Coach Professional Development events in June and July included 185 participants. I enjoyed visiting all of the sites and was very impressed with the level of engagement in each of the sessions. Our New Teacher Academy welcomed about 600 new teachers to a week-long event. In addition, Induction Systems and a new School Liaison session were offered and attended by many. The New Teacher Orientation hosted over 900 new teachers to our district.

Many of you had the opportunity to conduct your school-site orientation. All surveys indicate that each of our professional development events was a success! Many thanks to all who planned, facilitated and attended the events! Here’s to a new year of teaching and learning. “We must view young people not as empty bottles to be filled, but as candles to be lit.” R.H. Shaffer

Linda S. Whitehead
Director, Teacher Development/HRD

Have a Few Bad Apples?

How do you confront underperforming teachers without stirring up controversy? Start with clear objectives, professional support, and honest communication.

Except for those educators who make headlines for outrageous behavior, when was the last time a teacher was terminated in your district? It’s a tough question to ask and a tough topic to talk about. Administrators looking for greater flexibility in dealing with underperforming teachers don’t want to be seen as anti-teacher or pro-firing. But let’s face it, with 70 percent of U.S. teachers covered by some sort of collective bargaining agreement and most gaining tenure in two to three years, educators from principals on up often feel their hands are tied when it comes to weeding out the mediocre teacher. While we are waiting for permission to revolutionize our district’s hiring and firing practices, try these tips that will focus your schools on finding and nurturing the best talent out there, starting right now.

Hire Smart in the First Place: It’s difficult to hire well in shortage situations. But it’s important not to get caught up in a desperation mentality and lower your standards. All you’re doing by compromising to solve the immediate problem is possibly create a greater problem in the future. While waiting for candidates who are a good fit, hire full-time temporary teachers who have no immediate prospect for tenure and relying on retired educators and talented student teachers.

Offer Strong Support: At least some teacher performance issues can be traced to inadequate preparation and training. These teachers often have full credentials in their specialty areas but have never learned to communicate that wealth of information to students in a way that encourages true learning or follows district guidelines.

Challenge Your Most Promising Prospects: Promoting research-based practices are just one way to support teachers in their quest to improve student performance. Schools need to work with the people they have and build their skills.

Have a Clear Vision: Firing anybody is awful and a last resort. Getting somebody out of your school does not have to mean firing them, instead principals need to provide clear direction for their schools, offering strong leadership and a building-wide culture that is clear and understood by all staff members. Tenured teachers who don’t fit into that culture can then be encouraged to transfer to a school that might be a better fit.

Make Tenure a Goal, Not a Default: Once that hire is made, the tenure clock starts ticking. Even non-union teachers in many districts get some sort of tenure in two to three years, an insufficient period of time to determine whether someone should get what can turn out to be lifetime employment. Studies have found that a teacher’s performance during his first two years is a strong indicator of future performance, but that’s not the point. Whatever your feelings about tenure, no one should be pressured into giving it to a teacher they’re unsure about. If there are doubts about performance, lay them out clearly and communicate them with the teacher. Hiring and firing is far from an exact science in education, or anywhere else for that matter.


Source: http: Matt Bolch, based in Atlanta, specializes in business and technology.

Major Software Study

On whole, school software products yield no net academic gains. A federal study of reading and math software was released in 2007 found no significant differences in standardized-test scores between students who used the technology in their classrooms and those who used non-technology methods. Representatives of the educational software industry immediately took issue with aspects of the study of 15 commercial software products, arguing that its findings did not mean that classroom technology had no academic payoff.

Ms. Cottingham, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance said, “We took very leading products and put them through a very careful study. It’s a little disappointing we didn’t find what people were hoping we would find.” Although the software companies complained, what this study suggests is that technology cannot replace a competent, effective teacher, and it takes a competent teacher to use instructional software effectively.


FOR MORE INFO
"Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Finding From the First Student Cohort" is available from the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, HRD Program Facilitator

Learning Communities- The Florida Department of Education Definition

Learning communities are small groups of faculty who meet regularly to study more effective learning and teaching practices. Schools may have grade level or subject-area planning groups that meet regularly through joint planning time. If the content of these meetings is primarily the logistics of planning for instruction and discussing student needs, they do not constitute a learning community.

These groups are considered learning communities only if they:
• identify new programs or topics to investigate,
• gather research and studies on new approaches,
• share their findings,
• implement and study the effectiveness of new practices,
• share these results with other faculty in the school.

Liaisons, now is the time to initiate your NESS Learning Communities with your on-site Inservice Facilitator.

Maslow’s Hierarchy

As we know from Maslow’s Hierarchy it is all but impossible to concentrate on the needs of others when we are struggling with our own personal needs. Both novice teachers and experienced teachers new to a district or school have to find their place in the social structure of the school and the community. Their need to find appropriate housing and establishing a social support system can occupy much of their time and emotional energy. In the interest of having fully satisfied teachers who feel supported as human beings, mentors need to be appropriately helpful with both information and introductions. This sets the new educators up to concentrate on the work they were hired to do.

Source: Paula Rutherford, The 21st Century Mentor Newsletter

Instructional Coach Professional Development (ICPD) Summer 2007

HRD Program Facilitators Joy Rabin and Amy Tsukuda designed the 2007 Summer Training for Instructional Coaches. These are some of the participants’ Tickets-out responses from the training and its activities.

• I am an experienced coach, however, I feel like I will be better able to meet the needs of my future New Educators.
• I feel much better prepared to coach a New Educator. This training helped clarify my role as an Instructional Coach.
• I learned a lot about the Continuous Improvement Plan.
• I got lots of resources. Last year the lack of resources was the biggest problem.
• I have sufficient tools and resources to support my New Educator using the CIP.
• I am concerned that Clinical Educator has changed significantly since I took it eight years ago.
• I will encourage other members of my school to take this workshop, not just to support the New Educator, but because as a teacher they will become more aware and effective in the school environment.
• Whether I’m selected to be an Instructional Coach or not I will help the New Educators at our school.
• Good job HRD and particularly Amy and Joy for developing a training that coaches can immediately apply to their work with New Educators.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, HRD Program Facilitator

Top 9 Common Teaching Mistakes For Teachers To Avoid

People enter the teaching profession because they want to make a positive difference in society. Even teachers with the purest intentions can inadvertently complicate their mission. New teachers have to work hard to conscientiously avoid common pitfalls that can make their job even harder than it inherently is.

Do yourself a favor and avoid these common teaching traps.

1) You are their teacher not their buddy.
Focus on earning your students' respect, admiration, and appreciation by being consistent and fair. You are not the students friend, they have lots of friends, what they really need is a caring teacher.

2) Organize your classroom.
This mistake is a corollary to the first one. New teachers often start out the year with a lax classroom management (structure procedures for doing things in class) and discipline plan or, even worse, no plan at all! Students want and need boundaries and they deserve a safe and orderly environment.

3) Organize your paperwork.
Paperwork in schools can be overwhelming and all these papers must be dealt with... by YOU!
Organize your paperwork from day one toss or sort all papers immediately.

4) Encourage Parental Communication and Involvement.
At first, it can feel intimidating to deal with your students' parents. You might be tempted to "fly under the radar" with them. However, it is best to communicate clearly with parents from the start and you'll have a band of allies to make your entire school year flow more smoothly.

5) Get involved with your team, school, and community.
Attend social events, eat lunch in the staff room, say hello in the halls, help colleagues when you can, and reach out to the teachers around you. You never know when you will need their support.

6) Work smart.
It's understandable why teaching has the highest turnover rate of any profession. Most people can't hack it for long. Work smart, be effective, take care of your responsibilities, but go home at a decent hour. Enjoy time with your family and set aside time to relax and rejuvenate.

7) Ask for help.
Teachers can be a proud bunch. Our job requires superhuman skills, so we often strive to appear as superheroes, but that simply isn’t the case. Don't be afraid to ask your colleagues for assistance. The best veteran teachers on the staff always seek better ways to do things from their colleagues.

8) Be persistent.
New teachers often join the profession because they are idealistic, optimistic, and ready to change the world! This is great because your students (and veteran teachers) need your fresh energy and innovative ideas. Recognize that there will be tough days where you want to throw in the towel. There will be times when your best efforts aren't enough. Know that the tough times will pass, and they are a small price to pay for growing professionally and being more effective with your students.

9) Give yourself a break.
Teaching is hard enough without the additional challenge of mental anguish over slip-ups, mistakes, and imperfections. Don't be your own worst enemy. Practice the same compassion that you show your students by turning that understanding on yourself.

Source: Beth Lewis, Elementary Educator

Lighter Side

A high-school student came home one night rather depressed.
"What's the matter, son?" asked his mother.
"Aw, gee," said the boy, "It's my grades. They're all wet."
"What do you mean all wet?'"
"You know," he replied, "...below C-level."

Director’s Message

Each month, I have the distinct pleasure of creating a Director’s Message. Time to reflect on the theme for the newsletter and make connections to our work has been rewarding. However, it is thanks to the outstanding efforts of Dr. Doug Miller, a NESS Program Facilitator, that this high quality monthly e-Newsletter is published. He has dedicated the time necessary to ensure that communication with all schools is maintained. We read and learn about current trends, research-based strategies, share best practices and enjoy a few laughs. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year. Have a wonderful summer!


Linda S. Whitehead
Director, Teacher Development/HRD

Liaison by Day, Author by Night

Jeanne Kraus, Reading Specialist and NESS Liaison at Margate Elementary, knows what to do with her spare time. She writes books for children. Her second book, Annie’s Plan, is the story of an elementary-age girl with problems in focusing her attention and organizing herself at school and at home. Jeanne’s special interest is Attention Deficit Disorder. Her first book, Cory Stories, was inspired by her younger son and published in 2005. The use of literature to help children work through their problems is a problem-solving technique Jeanne has used for years. Children identify with the major characters in her books. As a reading specialist, she enjoys reading her books aloud to classes and discussing the challenges that her characters face.

Source: Focus Magazine

Relief on a Teachers Face

My most rewarding experience this year as school liaison is the look of relief on a teacher's face who may or may not be a first year teacher, but new to the school, when they see that someone is there to help them, to answer any questions, and to guide them where guidance may be needed. It is a lot of work, but it is also rewarding to see these individuals stop relying on me so much and be successful on their own, finding supportive people around them. That makes me feel like I've done my job in guiding them to the right places, but not doing the work for them!

Jodi Washington, Bair Middle

Collegiality and Sharing

My most rewarding experience as a NESS Liaison has been the ability to provide a monthly special time of collegiality and sharing of knowledge with our NESS ICs and NEs. I believe that making these "learning communities" a priority has provided support and inspiration to, our NEs, our ICs and me as well.

Lorilee Pearl, Stirling Elementary

Recognition from the Staff

I have always enjoyed learning new ideas by working with NE's and Coaches. Being a part of developing teachers is also rewarding. This year I was delighted to have an NE from last year nominated as Teacher of the Year. I thought this individual was outstanding and I was delighted to see that the rest of our staff agreed.

Kathy Flautt, Chapel Trail Elementary

Unjaded

As a NESS liaison, I have been afforded opportunities to interact with the most enthusiastic members of our profession. The New Educators bring to the school a fresh, unjaded perspective and I have found my colleagues to be especially open-minded. When I consider the Instructional Coaches with whom I have worked this past year, I take comfort in knowing that the most energetic and seasoned professionals have volunteered to share what they have come to know as "trade secrets." Furthermore, I have become better acquainted with the special talents of some of our school's veteran teachers since they willingly give of their time to assist the newest members of our faculty. Finally, I have come to see the investment that our district has made in the success of all teachers--new and veteran--through this rigorous program. To serve as liaison has truly been a privilege and I hope that in time I will obtain more knowledge and more skill in working with some of the most important people on campus--the teachers.

Celeste F. Saulle, Rickards Middle School

I Can Make a Difference

There were many rewarding experiences throughout this year. However, my most rewarding would be seeing the new educators’ progress. Starting from scratch and watching them attain the skills, strategies, and management necessary for survival as an educator. Being there for them to answer any questions, model for them and guide them has been unbelievable. In addition, knowing that I can make a difference in their first year is an amazing feeling.

Vanessa Schnur, Lake Forest Elementary

Unleash the Power of Your Colleagues

As a liaison, my most rewarding experience this year was delegating each learning community to an IC/NE team. Prior to this year, I ran all the learning communities. This year, each team signed up to facilitate the rest of the group on a predetermined topic. The meetings have been outstanding, and much more meaningful than before.

Harriet S. Zaret, Glades Middle School

A Comment Overheard

The most rewarding experience so far this year was overhearing one of our coaches mention to another staff member how much our support group meetings have been helpful to her and how much she was learning about her own job performance through the coaching process.

Les Baker, South Area Student Services

Listening and Observing

My most rewarding experience as an Instructional Coach has been learning how to be a silent observer. For example, I have learned to observe silently the educational setting and coming out with valuable information that helps both the first year teacher and the students. This experience has enabled me to become a better teacher. In brief, the experience this year as an Instructional Coach has taught me that listening and observing are the tools that have the potential to facilitate understanding in order to better communicate to a first year teachers - what they are doing well or what they need to improve.

Guerino Terracciano, Lake Forest Elementary

Enrichment from a New Educator

The most rewarding aspect of my NESS experience has been the enrichment I received from my New Educator, Mr. Jayamon Jacob. He has an amazing way of showing the students graphically how algebraic formulas can be practiced. As a math-a-phobic, I am especially impressed by the logical mini-steps he uses to teach a process. Every time I observe him in action, I learn a new math concept!

Charisse E. Mosley, Whiddon-Rogers Education Center

Listening Ears

I have really enjoyed working with a new educator. I had eleven years in an MH cluster before moving to the ESE Specialist position. I had an extensive 'bag of tricks' and it has been a pleasure to share them with my new educator and watch her adapt them to her particular classroom needs. It has also been my pleasure to listen to the joys, fears and frustrations of being a new educator in a very challenging time in education. Sometimes just providing 'listening ears' and not saying anything is the best thing that I can do for her. I wonder how much more effective I would have been with the same kind of support when I was a new teacher. Thank you for a very rewarding experience!

Jan Twomey, Stirling Elementary

NESS Learning Communities

One of things I enjoy the most about being a NESS coach is our monthly meeting. It's a great opportunity to get together with colleagues and share ideas. After nine years of teaching there are still skills I'm developing. Listening to the strategies and discussing the theories and recent research behind it is quite refreshing.

Cindhia Velez, Manatee Bay

Collaborating with the New Educator

The most rewarding experience this year as an instructional coach was watching Ms. Nunez implement a behavioral plan with a student as if she were a veteran teacher! She and I discussed one particular student's behavior and how she wanted this child to behave in her classroom. We brainstormed ideas as she took notes and we came up with a plan that would work for both the teacher and the student. The next time I saw her interacting with that student, things had changed for the better. She didn't miss a beat! I'm proud of her and it was rewarding.

Kathryn Golden, Pasadena Lakes Elementary

Modeling

This year and every year that I have worked with new educators, I have found that modeling effective teaching techniques is the most rewarding experience for me. I use the research from FPMS to model every chance I get. From our first orientation session through each Support Meeting I find that the new educators are so eager to learn and are continually looking for tips to use in the classroom. That’s when I get to do my thing I try to point out that what I do with them can be used in the classroom. I demonstrate things like lining a class up, maintaining academic focus, and using high impact instructional techniques. I really love to see a new teacher use what I have modeled and of course I love to see each new teacher find success in his/her new career.

Jim Lindemann, Park Lakes Elementary

Self-Reflection

The most rewarding part was being able to mentor a new teacher and help her feel supported in what is a normally hectic first school year. I also like the personal growth I am making as I support a new teacher and it helps me to reflect on my own teaching and re-evaluate the choices I make in the classroom and why I make them.

Lisa Leider, Manatee Bay Elementary

I Learned as Much as I Taught

Being that I am a fairly new teacher I felt I connected with several new educators at our school. I was able to share my knowledge with all the new educators not just my mentee. My greatest success was that I learned as much as I taught. Working with the new educators gave me new and refreshed ideas.

Lisa Besancon, New River Middle

Organization is the Key

It is very rewarding being an Instructional Coach. It really challenges me to be the best example. It makes me reach into my bag of tricks to offer solutions to the numerous problems that face a new educator. The absolute best was seeing the new educator use the suggestions and see how happy it made her when the suggestions simplified her life and solved so many of her problems. I find that organization is a main problem that new educators face. There are so many things that build up and seem insurmountable. If a new educator is taught basic systems of organization from the beginning, many of the dilemmas are easily overcome.

B. Collins, Stirling Elementary School

Called in by the AP

Aubrey Campbell, my new educator, had an observation scheduled with an Assistant Principal at Piper High School for the day. I was apprehensive, when I got called in by the AP, to discuss the new educator's performance. Audrey and I had discussed all of the necessary components that needed to be in the classroom such as class objectives and rules, displaying student work, and all of the necessary classroom management procedures such as circulating the classroom and making sure all of the students are participating in the lesson. So I was wondering what the AP wanted to discuss. When I got to the meeting I was relieved to find out that the AP was very excited with the dynamic lesson plan that Aubrey had developed. He taught a math lesson using a website which showed students how to do equations and made the mathematics problems very visually appealing to the students. As I have seen him progress throughout the year his comfort level with teaching has grown dramatically. He actually teaches four classes now with no planning period! It really is rewarding to be a NESS Coach when you can give back to someone. I still remember my first year of teaching and how I was in my survival stage and Julie Arnold went way out of her way to help me with anything I needed and it is great to feel that I can give back to the new teachers.

Walter Weidler, Piper High School

I Am Still Here

As a new educator I find myself facing new experiences - new challenges - every day. My greatest success is that I'm still here - I'd thought I'd make a good teacher ever since high school. People always have told me I explain math in a way they can understand it, so I thought that was all I'd need - a good personality and mathematical ability. I was wrong. Education courses I took prepared me only slightly for the reality of being in the classroom with 25 eleven-year-olds at a time each of them carrying their own personalities and emotional baggage. I am only beginning to understand how to work with all of those personalities and how to have them work effectively with each other. Every day is a new adventure for me in the classroom, and I love every minute of it. To paraphrase an old country music movie - "Look out teacher city - 'cause I'm here now and I ain’t ever leaving!" I've found my niche and I look forward to continuing this adventure for many years to come.

Brian McMorris, James S. Rickards Middle School

Modeling is Worth a Thousands Words

As a new educator at Oakland Park I had the privilege to have a coach like Michelle Hemminger. If I had ever needed help she followed thru and made sure it happened. I was able to visit several classrooms to watch how other teachers did various tasks. Watching someone modeling is worth a thousand words. This should become a regular NESS practice. My other school I had taught at, I requested many times and it had never materialized. I came from the Business World and this was so valuable to me. Thanks to all.

Michael Ott, Oakland Park Elementary

A School Culture of Support

My greatest success this year as a new educator to the Broward County School system has been the change process I've encountered this school year. I had to adapt to many different regulations many of which applied in Dade County but are different here. This has been a learning process all over again. I also had to adapt to a team teaching setting and then redo a classroom from scratch after being completely set up and establishing a routine for my students. Despite all of these challenges I’ve had to face, it’s been a positive adjustment with plenty support not only from my Instructional Coach but also, from the entire school. Every person that I have asked for help has been very eager to do so and has treated me with respect, and friendliness. This has been an extraordinary change and I am very pleased to be part of this wonderful team.

Grimaldi Rivera, Stirling Elementary

A Great Comfort

My greatest success for this year as a new educator is feeling more comfortable in my teaching abilities and understanding all that goes into being an effective teacher. As side from the fact that this year has been quite challenging, as a first year teacher, it has also shown me many things that I did not know before and has prepared me for the upcoming years. Another great comfort is knowing that I have support, like my NESS mentor (who is the best ever), and my colleagues, to back me up and help me whenever possible.

Adriana A. Rivera, Manatee Bay Elementary

Never Give Up on a Child

It's early yet, but I have one student who spent most of the class with his head down or once I got his head raised, he was doodling or staring into space. This continued for 3/4 of the first quarter. Then, one day, I thanked him for volunteering to be a team leader on a project. Of course, this got laughs--including from him--and he passed on the leadership role, but he started to participate in class. The more he participated, naturally, the better his grades and the more positive attention he got from his peers. By the time BAT 2 testing came around, he was earning a B for the 2nd quarter and his score increased we over 40 points! While still shy, he continues to participate in class, smiles a lot now and gets more A's than B's lately. I expect a really great improvement on his FCAT!

Candace McKinniss, Bair Middle

Supportive Staff Members

I have been able to implement some new strategies, centers and interventions that have seemed to be successful with things such as fluency, math and language arts concepts and also with behavior challenges. Hollywood Central staff members have been very willing and available to share and help put things in place when they are asked.

Elaine Steehler, Hollywood Central Elementary

Improving your Improvements

My greatest success in my first year would probably be not getting discouraged. In the first year of teaching it is easy to become discouraged by many different aspects of the job itself. I think as a teacher you must keep positive and look down the road for improvements you can do in the classroom to better the situation. Teaching is all about improving your improvements.

Todd Braid, Oakland Park Elementary

Communicating with Parents

My greatest success as a new educator is that I was able to make six sets of parents feel confident that their child will succeed in school and in life.

Amy Edelman, Whispering Pines School

Flexible Educator

My greatest success as a new educator is becoming what I feel is a flexible educator. Lesson plans and schedules do keep us organized, but I have learned to adapt according to my students' needs.

Helen A. Clift, Embassy Creek Elementary

Director’s Message

I remember an Area Director telling me that “if it’s planned well, it will go well”. She is right! Regardless if the situation is in your professional or personal life, planning is the key to success. My world maintains several planning modes. I use a palm pilot for my calendar which accounts for every appointment and task to keep me on track. Creating “to do” lists is a favorite activity and I seem to get much pleasure in checking an item as complete. When watching TV, I seem to view those shows that involve some sort of planning – either for a wedding, house project, or cooking a meal in 30 minutes. I recognize that I perform as a concrete sequential worker. Planning is a part of my life, and find it ironic that the following saying is posted next to my desk: “Nothing makes a person more productive than the last minute.” Either way, “if it’s planned well, it will go well.”

Source: Linda S. Whitehead
Director, Teacher Development/HRD

What Keeps New Teachers in the Swim?

Problem: Critical teacher shortage due to cost of living in Broward, high turnover and the waves of retirement.
Fact: New teachers commit to teaching when they feel supported and valued.

What can leaders and educators do to retain new teachers?
1. Grant new teachers novice status in order to provide extra support during their first years in the classroom and encouragement for continuous improvement.
2. Create a supportive professional culture (e.g. provide time for structured and expected interaction among new and veteran teachers).
3. Provide curricular guidance and resources (e.g. comprehensive curriculum materials as well as suggestions and guidelines for several different approaches).
4. Create school-wide conditions that support student learning (e.g. principals, teachers, and parents share responsibility for student learning and communicate their vision consistently to students).

More examples of teacher benefits are located at CAB > Instructional Resources >Induction > Admin

Source: What Keeps Teachers in the Swim,
Sarah Birkeland and Susan Moore Johnson (JSD Fall 2002). Submitted by Amy Tsukuda, NESS Program Facilitator

Planning your 2007-2008 Site-Based Induction System

Phil Schlecty (2005) defines Induction System as all social processes associated with ensuring that members are aware of and embrace the norms and values of the group or organization and that they possess the skills, attitudes and habits of mind necessary to fulfill the roles they are assigned to in the group or organization. Many districts provide mentors, however; mentors and induction are not synonymous; the terms are often misused (Wong 2002). According to the Southern Regional Board, teachers are twice as likely to remain in the classroom after the first year if they receive formal mentoring support, professional development, assessments, and interaction with veteran teachers.

As School Liaisons begin to plan their site-based Induction Programs for new teachers, the Goals of an Induction System should be taken into consideration.

Submitted by: Dr. Sheila Lewis, NESS Program Facilitator

The Components of an Effective Induction System

An effective school Induction System incorporates five components:

Orientation: Procedures to ensure district and school expectations are communicated to all stakeholders. The process should familiarize new members to the personnel, facilities, procedures and policies, instructional practices, and student demographics.

Site Support Selection: The process of selecting Support Staff who have effectively demonstrated skills in leadership, instructional delivery, curriculum, assessment, communication, organization, mentoring, and are committed to the schools vision. The pairing of a beginning teacher with a veteran teacher (instructional coach) is a hallmark of most teacher induction programs. Clarification of veteran teachers’ responsibilities is important.

Collaboration/Support: A system that provides appropriate time, expertise and resources to address the needs of all stakeholders. Administrators can provide release time for the new educators to work with instructional coaches (mentors) to analyze student work, attend staff development or to observe other teachers for a specific purpose.

Assessment/Accountability: A collaborative process that requires stakeholders to continually improve by collecting and analyzing data, implementing changes, and re-evaluating changes to ensure effectiveness.

Realistic Expectations for Novice Teachers: Can Induction programs really make a difference? You bet! And, although it takes time for practitioners to learn their craft, effective Induction programs can accelerate beginning teacher growth when the focus is on improving practice.

Submitted by: Dr. Sheila Lewis, NESS Program Facilitator

Reflections of a First-Year teacher on Collaboration

At the K-12 online conference, in their presentation titled “Toward a System of Online Curriculum-Sharing”, Rob Lucas and Kevin Driscoll discuss and show many examples of websites that allow teachers to share lesson plans and curriculum. As a young teacher, I have explored these websites on my own and these resources are important. However, it is much more important to me to have live collaboration, meaning my colleagues. I take time during my lunch or my conference period to talk to others about my teaching and curriculum. Here are my thoughts about what even 30 extra minutes could mean with my colleagues…

1. A stronger sense of self within the identity of the school. I would be able to feel out where I stand as far as discipline, curriculum, and presentation.
2. ALL students would more likely have a strong grasp of each department and their policies. For instance, maybe if the mathematics department used the same homework policy in each class, it would benefit the entire school because all students would know what to expect.
3. I would get to know my colleagues even more, including their positives and negatives. I would be able to bounce ideas off all of them to get feedback from people with different opinions.

Source: http://mrhiggins.net Submitted by Randall Deich, NESS Program Facilitator

Voice of the New Educators

Thirty New Educators were interviewed. The questions and the New Educators’ unedited responses are listed below.

How would you change the NESS program?
• More information about subject area.
• More frequency in visits.
• More observation and even classroom demonstration of instruction from Instructional Coach (IC).
• Support from others throughout the entire program
• I would not include after-school meetings. I would have more people who are familiar with our student population.
• Change meeting time to before school. Be consistent.

What advice would you give to a new teacher?
• Stay prayed up!
• Be organized.
• Be extremely organized and well prepared. Never procrastinate about anything.
• Trust yourself and be consistent!
• To ask questions and reflect on information needed. Think through situation first. Follow advice of other educators.
• Use all available resources.
• Get an experienced teacher (not your NESS Coach) to be your guide and lean on her.
• Be yourself! Be confident! Be a teacher!
• Hang in there!
• One Day at a time.
• Teachers are not superheroes – don’t go on overload.
• Always believe in your students.
• Get classroom management in order & take CHAMPs I and II.
• Be patient, observant, flexible, real and just enjoy the ride.
• You must have good classroom management skills.

Reflection: Did our site meet the needs of all our New Educators? What can our site do to improve the support we already provide our New Educators? Are there other questions we could ask our New Educators that would help us determine the effectiveness of our program?

Source: Randall Deich, NESS Program Facilitator

Planning for Next Year

Now is the time to get your ideas, written plan, files, notes, etc., to plan for your site’s Induction plan for the 2007-2008 school year. Think about what worked, what did not work this year, and what will we do next year? After Spring break plan a meeting with your Induction Team or who you wish were on your Induction Team. Determine how many new educators will be needed next year, what areas, who will be their instructional coach, where will they be scheduled, (subject, grade level, team, room, etc) and determine the interview questions.

Source: Kathleen Chapman, NESS Program Facilitator

Bringing in the New Educators Early is a Valuable Asset

Allowing the New Educators an early start is very beneficial in easing the transition into the school as well as learning the "culture of the school". This process of one-on-one eases the stress level as well. At this time, as the NESS Liaison, I have the unique responsibility of getting the "New Educators" acclimated to their roles as new teachers, informing them about classroom rules, procedures, lesson plans, etc.

Bringing the new teachers in early (before pre-planning) has been a big plus. Prior to Pre-planning, the new educators take a tour of the school, get keys to their classroom, receive laptops and have an opportunity to prepare their classrooms. During the 2-Day workshop, the APs share information about a teacher’s roles and responsibilities, support staff, shares their roles and responsibilities with the new teachers and the principal share his/her vision of success for the school year. This really helps to ease and minimize the stress level on the new educators in preparation for their school year.

Email your NESS Program Facilitator for assistance in developing an effective pre-preplanning orientation for new hires.

Source: Ms. Charlie M. Eruchalu, NESS Liaison/New Teacher Support, Lauderhill Middle School

Peer Observations: The Fabric of School Cultures

Peer observation is coming into its own. One of the primary reasons is the increase in the number of induction and mentoring programs that require, or at least recommend, peer observations as a format for mentoring interactions. Another reason for the wide spread use of this professional development approach is that many colleges and universities include classroom visitations in their teacher preparation programs and require pre-service teachers to both observe and be observed with more focus and frequency. A third reason is that we are re-defining peer observation to better match the realities of the work life of teachers. Finally, the Gen Xers and Millenials, who have grown up receiving information and instant feedback through technology, want and expect instant feedback at work. Two or three observations a year culminating in a formal appraisal in the spring is not their idea of instant feedback. In fact, most young teachers are more than eager to not only be observed but to be given the opportunity to observe other teachers in their practice.

Source: Paula Rutherford, Contributed by Kathleen Chapman, NESS Program Facilitator

Google Docs & Collaboration

Collaboration is now available without meeting!
With transition of support members each year and teacher turnover, site-based support has the potential to always start at “Ground Zero”- always reinventing the work. Google Docs & Spreadsheets has the capacity to assist support teams to move from reactive to proactive by providing a way to collaborate with peers on written documents without the barriers of scheduling meeting times for every stage in the collaborative process.

A school that collaborates on being plan-centered can have:
*written criteria for the selection of the support staff
*specific responsibilities of each support team member
*developed a written list of expectations for every staff member
*scheduled time, opportunity, and resources to support staff members
*developed written induction protocols

Google Docs can be used to collaborate on a document online in real time without the need to download additional software or pay for a license fee. The Google Docs interface is similar to Word and supports tables, images, and the ability to revert to older versions.
If you have a Google Account, you are ready to begin. At Google.com select MORE (found above the search window) and then select EVEN MORE. In the Communicate, Show, and Share section click on the Docs & Spreadsheets.

By utilizing Google Docs & Spreadsheets as a collaboration tool, what possibilities exist with your support team that was not available before?

A tour of the service is available at the following address: http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour1.html
User information can be found at the following address:
http://docs.google.com/support/?hl=en_US

Source: Randall Deich, NESS Program Facilitator

Designing Lessons based on the Sunshine State Standards

The goal of the standards movement is to improve the learning opportunities for all students. In today’s standards-driven system, student learning is the measure of success. The following is a three-step process for designing standards-based lessons.

Step 1. Identify the Standard – Standards are developed by the state of Florida and are intended to identify what all students need to know and be able to do. When designing a lesson write specific, measurable objectives that focus on the standard. Construct the lesson around verbs that describe the actions students must perform to demonstrate mastery of the standard.

An example of a Florida Sunshine State Standard is
SS.D.2.4.1 understand how wages and prices are determined in market, command traditional-based, an mixed economic systems and how economic systems can be evaluated by their ability to achieve broad social goals such as freedom, efficiency, equity, security, and growth.

The following are two student objectives related to the standard: Students will:
a. List five factors that influence an individual’s income
b. Write an essay comparing any two of the three economic systems
Note: Although these objectives were designed to focus on standard SS.D.2.4.1, the objectives also address other standards, for example LA.A.2.4.4/LA.A.2.4.6 synthesis, inference and conclusion/gathering, analyzing, and evaluation information.

Step 2. Select or create an assessment – Students need to know up front how their performance will be measured. It is recommended that only two or three questions be asked for each objective. This will avoid the creation of trick questions, and it will help students develop confidence in their study and test taking skills because the assessment addresses the objectives.

Step 3. Select or create instructional strategies – Selected learning activities should directly address the objectives identified in step one. The following are some of the issues that should be considered when developing leaning activities:
a. Learning styles and readiness levels of your students
b. Logical sequencing
c. Depth vs. Breath
d. Learning vs. Teaching
e. Student as worker vs. Teacher as worker

Important note: When creating a lesson plan always complete the steps in sequence. This creates continuity, consistency, and a strong connection between the Standards, objectives, the assessment, and the learning activities.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator

Director’s Message

New Teacher Development: A Continuum of Support for the First Three Years

Current research evidences the need for a site-based, systemic, standardized New Teacher development program consisting of a continuum of support for the first three years. Included are comprehensive professional development opportunities and on-site coaching and mentoring support in content and pedagogical practices. This will insure growth, success and currency in the profession for the new teachers resulting in a high new teacher satisfaction level thus increasing retention rates. Broward County Public Schools currently has a site-based, systemic, standardized New Teacher Induction Program that promotes a successful initial classroom experience.

This continuum is an interdepartmental approach to support teachers, consisting of participation by the HRD Department, the Division of Curriculum and Instruction, schools and their administrators and teachers. The three year continuum delineates roles and responsibilities, identifies clear cut expectations for outcomes and includes measures to determine effectiveness. Results are also determined by positively impacting student achievement. Ongoing support and high quality professional development in a new teacher's first three years will enhance and strengthen one's professional teaching practice.

The continuums are currently in draft form following new teacher focus groups, administrator feedback, and district department reviews. A final continuum will be available very soon.

Source: Linda S. Whitehead, Director, Teacher Development/HRD

Who’s on Your Team

(This was written prior to Nick's departure)
Nick Saban defined the types of players currently on the Dolphin roster, "We have three kinds of guys on our team," Saban said after conducting a practice.

1. "We have guys that get it; they play good; they understand how to play winning football.
2. "We have some guys that are trying to get it, and they are working hard every day. ... We are supporting them, and we want the guys that have it to support them.
3. "Then we have some guys that don't get it and don't know that they don't get it. We are trying to replace them. We only have a couple of them [left]."

Many schools have started to recruit teachers for next school year. The question is, “Who do you want on your team and how will you support them until they get it, they work to expectations, and they understand what it takes to win?”

Source: Randall Deich, NESS Program Facilitator

The Dirty Dozen, A Recipe for Disaster

The following factors can drive new teachers out of secondary schools and out of the teaching profession.

1. Teaching more than two preps.
2. Teaching mainly 9th grade courses in schools in which these are the most challenging courses to teach.
3. Teaching mainly entry-level courses (such as Spanish I, Introduction to Biology, and Algebra I).
4. Teaching in more than one classroom.
5. Teaching new courses with little or no developed curriculum.
6. Getting hired late (end of summer or after the school year starts).
7. Holding substandard credentials and/or not having majored in the subject that they are teaching.
8. Being provided with an inadequate supply of books for their students.
9. Having their classroom located away from the classrooms of other members of their department.
10. Being evaluated late in the school year.
11. Being asked to coach or run time-consuming clubs.
12. Not being represented on decision-making committees.

Source: Hazed, Educational Leadership, May 2005

How Is Instructional Leadership Distributed?

Instructional leadership of the 1980s was principal-centered, often accompanied by images of heroic leaders single-handedly keeping the school on track. Many recent policy documents continue to put principals front and center; for example, Gene Bottoms and Kathy O’Neill (2001) characterize the principal as the "chief learning officer" who bears "ultimate responsibility for success or failure of the enterprise."

However, a growing number of researchers say that instructional leadership is distributed across the school community, with principals, superintendents, teachers, and policymakers having complementary responsibilities (King; Richard Elmore 2000; Spillane and colleagues).
Elmore identifies five key players in reform: (1) policymakers, whose responsibility is synthesizing diverse political interests into a viable system; (2) researchers and program developers, whose responsibility is identifying and creating successful strategies and structures; (3) superintendents and central office staff, whose responsibility is framing coherent district-wide goals and support systems; (4) principals, whose responsibility is designing and implementing a well-focused school improvement plan; and (5) teachers, whose responsibility is translating curriculum into meaningful learning experiences for students. Elmore says that each role leads to a different kind of expertise that leaders must both respect and cultivate.

Distributed leadership does not imply a simple division of labor, with participants playing their designated roles in isolation from the others. Instead, their efforts are interdependent, frequently spanning boundaries (Spillane and colleagues). For example, principals can arrange professional development opportunities, but teachers must actually apply the new ideas in the classroom.

Source: http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest160.html

Liaisons as Teacher Leaders

Communicating Effectively: The Liaison will find this especially important when working with building level administrators, Instructional Coaches, veteran educators, New Educators and district leaders.

Documenting Induction Processes: The Liaison in collaboration with administrators, Instructional Coaches, and support staff, develops a written plan for orienting and supporting Instructional Coaches, New Educators, and assessing the impact of those support systems.

Coaching of Coaches: The Liaison’s main responsibility is to coach the Instructional Coaches. This responsibility is accomplished by training and mentoring Instructional Coaches as they support the New Educator.

Being Informed on the Latest Educational Issues: The Liaison encourages Instructional Coaches to support new educators as they apply instructional strategies that have proven effective in increasing student achievement.

Maintaining Good Records: The Liaison models and encourages Instructional Coaches to keep detailed records on the support provided to their clients. The data from these records can be used in developing the site’s induction plan and identifying possible areas for Instructional Coaches’ and New Educators’ professional development.

Using High Yield Instructional Strategies: The Liaison encourages Instructional Coaches and the support staff to model and assist their New Educators in using instructional strategies that are research based and have a proven impact on student learning.

Expecting High Levels of Achievements: 
The Liaison sets a high standard for herself/himself and the Instructional Coaches. Coaches communicate these expectations to the New Educators.

Being Enthusiastic about the Teaching Profession: The Liaison is both realistic and idealistic about the teaching profession. S/he is an advocate and supporter of educational careers.

Striving to be a Positive Role Model: The Liaison provides all Instructional Coaches with an example of good character and outstanding professional qualities.

Encouraging the Best and Brightest Teachers to Become Instructional Coaches: The Liaison is constantly being on the look out for teachers who demonstrate high energy and are successful in the classroom to support future New Educators.

Source: Dr. Doug Miller, NESS Program Facilitator

Work-Based Learning Leadership

Research shows that organizations that encourage and facilitate a culture of learning among employees outperform those that do not. Designing and maintaining a successful talent development program is the responsibility of the learning leader.

Developing talent is one of the most important initiatives for an organization to undertake. According to the National Center on Education Statistics, most adults learn from their experience on the job rather than in a formal educational setting.

Because many employees never return to school, workplace education often represents the only opportunity for employees to develop new skills and gain new knowledge that can have an impact on their careers. Both in the number of students and in the amount of money spent, workplace learning now dwarfs higher education.

If this is true, “What are we doing at our sites to provide quality staff development for all employees?” “How are we developing our coaches to support our New Teachers?”

Source: http://executiveeducation