PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

The goal is to encourage and facilitate positive parental involvement in the classroom. Educational research identifies four reasons for encouraging parental support:

• Students perform better
• Teacher morale improves
• Parents become empowered
• Communities grow stronger.

Since there is no one reason for parental non-participation, the following are several approaches that seek to involve parents in their child's education.

Start Up Calls
Spend the week before school starts calling each parent to introduce yourself, emphasize their importance from the start and open lines of communication. Invite them to a parent meeting and take this time to discuss scheduling a meeting when the most parents can attend.

Calling Web
Establish a phone tree in which each parent is responsible for calling two or three other parents to notify of special events or news. Arrange the tree so bilingual parents call those that don't speak English well. Designate a neighbor to inform those without phones.

Beginning of the Year Questionnaire
Send a questionnaire home to parents on the first day of school. Ask them these kind of questions:

• Tell me about your child. What are his or her interests?
• What do you think is important for your child learn this year?
• Is there anything you especially want me to know about your child?
• How would you like to be involved in your child's education this year?

Suggestion Box
Have box mounted outside of the classroom door for student or parent suggestions. Let it be known it is perfectly fine to make anonymous suggestions or to send them in envelopes with students.
Thursday Folder Notes
Send home a folder on Thursdays with student work on one side, school communication on the other side. Staple a sheet that is permanently included for handwritten comments and communication between parent and teacher.

Weekly News Letters
Send home a newsletter in Thursday folders. Try to incorporate the help of a bilingual parent or coworker if necessary. Use the newsletter to thank parents and acknowledge their contributions and inform them of any new developments.

Source: Debora McDonnell, Elementary School Teacher

The Good Mentor

In the past few weeks, new and inexperienced teachers across Broward County will look to their Instructional Coach for the advice and support they need to survive and prosper in one of the world's most challenging professions. Will they find the mentor they need? In this 1999 article from Educational Leadership, James Rowley described six "basic but essential" qualities of good mentors. Rowley bases his analysis on his decade of work helping school districts design mentor-based, entry-year programs.

1. The good mentor is committed to the role of mentoring.
2. The good mentor is accepting of the beginning teacher.
3. The good mentor is skilled at providing instructional support.
4. The good mentor is effective in different interpersonal contexts.
5. The good mentor is a model of a continuous learner.
6. The good mentor communicates hope and optimism.

Source: James Rowley (1999) Educational Leadership

The Role of a Coach

AREAS OF FOCUS IN SUPPORTING YOUR NEW EDUCATOR
The Principal determines the role of the New Educator Support System (NESS) and with the NESS School Liaison identifies the Instructional Coach’s role and responsibilities in supporting the New Educator. The following list contains some suggestions for prioritizing New Educator support:
1. Classroom performance

• Student/Classroom management
• Lesson planning incorporating Sunshine State Standards
• Lesson presentation
• Assessing student work
• Student Expectations

2. Site expectations

• Parent, community relationships
• Site policies and procedures
• Site culture

3. State and District requirements for retaining employment.

• Completion of Child Abuse
• ESOL Requirements
• State Competencies
• Professional Exams
• Special Circumstances: ACE, additional State or District Requirements
• Other items listed on the New Educators Statement of Eligibility.

This list is not meant to be a checklist but to offer suggestions that may help support the New Educator more effectively.
Source: Dr. Doug Miller

PDSA

Purpose:
To enhance an educator's diagnostic procedure in supporting a colleague or change in practice

Opportunities for use
When an educator is intending to change/improve a work activity or practice.

Benefits
Helps us to 'really' learn from experience. We get closer to the improvements we intended. Moves us out of the fire fighting cycle. Adds focus on continual improvement.

How to use this tool
PLAN- "If we do this, then ..." - something will be improved. Then DO something to try it out - preferably on a smaller scale - to see what can be learned. STUDY the results to see what we have learned. Work hard at this step; seek and value different opinions. ACT adopt the change, or abandon it, or run through the cycle again, changing the plan in some way.
Original Source: Deming, W.E., adapted for challenges in education.

The Effective Teacher: A Study Group Protocol

One of the first priorities in working with new teachers at your site is developing a common language and vision concerning effective teaching behaviors. One way to begin the process is during orientation, a study group, or learning community ask the group to brainstorm the traits of an effective teacher, while they brainstorm record their ideas and thoughts on chart paper.

After the group completes the brainstorming process distribute the list of effective teaching behaviors listed in the Florida Performance Measurement System, the Domains, and/or the Classroom walk Through. Next, ask the group to compare the ideas in their brainstorming list with the lists provided by the State or District.Finally, ask each person to share one item that was on both lists and one item that was on one list but not the other that they believe has a significant impact on teacher effectiveness.

Here are some questions that may help the new teachers articulate the traits of an effective teacher.

• What knowledge do effective teachers possess?
• What skills do effective teachers possess?
• What attributes do effective teachers demonstrate?
• What attitudes do effective teachers display?
• What behaviors do effective teachers show?
• What do effective teachers look like and sound like?
Reflective/Follow-up question: How can this activity add value to my practice?
This is not the only way to identify effective teaching behaviors. Please use the comments section to share other activities that will help new teacher build a common vocabulary.
Source: Doug Miller

NESS REQUIREMENTS

The following is a list of District requirements that a New Educator must complete to exit the New Educator Support System (NESS):

NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

NESS is a site-based support program for teachers new to Broward County Public Schools. If you are interested in discussing this question or any others, please contact your HRD Program Facilitator.

That Blank Look

Sometimes when I ask my eight-year-old students for their ideas or opinions often they are too shy to put up their hands or offer their thoughts. In this situation I now say, "O.K. tell the person next to you what you think.” I allow the students thirty seconds to a minute, and then call their attention back to me. There will be a noisy buzz while they exchange views, but the result when you ask for their opinions again is worth it. As they have already told one person and not been laughed at, they will be more inclined to tell the whole class. If I want answers particularly from very shy students I may say, tell me what your partner said. This way each class member must get an idea from their partner, and this makes them more likely to agree to swap in case I ask them for their partners thoughts.

Source: Sue Beddall, Fourth Year Teacher: http://www.teach-nology.com

Old Enough to Teach

My favorite teacher was my high school English teacher. It was fun just being in her classroom. I began my first full-time teaching job two months shy of my 23rd birthday. On a college campus, being over 21 is considered old and wise. While my elementary students appreciate my age, my colleagues don’t. My pigtails and flip-flops don’t fit into this new world. I began coming in early and staying late to prove that I, too, could join the ranks of “Super Teachers.” I worked extra hard on my lessons and tried my best to be at every parent function so that my commitment could never be questioned. However, some teachers seemed annoyed by my ever-present enthusiasm.

Generation Y is growing up. We want to influence the world like the generations before us did. We are transitioning into the “adult world” and we need to be heard. We are full of knowledge and desperately trying to make an impact. We should not be discouraged.

Summary from Teacher Magazine July 16, 2007 by Erin Reed

Orange Brook Elementary's Instructional Coaches

The following are stories provided by six of Orange Brook Elementary's Instructional Coaches. The stories focus on the rewards the coaches received helping new educators transition into the teaching profession.
Story One
I like to help people. As an Instructional Coach, I have an opportunity to help another teacher get things organized in her classroom and I can offer suggestions to help make her day a little smoother and easier. I have also enjoyed watching her teach her class. Once she had a great project that she did with her students and I was able to modify it to use with my class.
Story Two
Being able to reduce the pressure on a New Educator's by assisting in various aspects especially the overwhelming paperwork and procedures so she could focus on teaching, was one of the most rewarding experiences. Maintaining an open, two way communication being there for my NE to express her concerns and needs on a regular basis and seeing how my assistance and advice give her more confidence was a great feeling also!
Story Three
It was so nice to see a new teacher have support and actually know what to do each day. I know that I felt so unsupported when I was a new teacher. It was also nice to know that my new educator felt comfortable coming to me with issues and that I could work with her to come up with answers.
Story Four
My most rewarding experience as an Instructional coach was having a NE that is truly enthusiastic and vibrant about being and educator! Also, sharing the many new and exciting teaching skills, strategies, and ideas at the NESS meetings has made me a more reflective teacher.
Story Five
My most rewarding experience as an instructional coach was seeing my mentee grow and learn. She started off very timid and self-conscious and now she is a confident teacher. She does not question herself anymore. She knows that she has the skills to teach her students and she does it without hesitation. I am proud to see how much my mentee has learned and how much her students have learned because of it.
Story Six
My most rewarding experience this year as an Instructional Coach, was helping a new educator be successful. I was able to help my new educator have a great first year . That in it self was rewarding to me. Although, my NESS person is teaching in intermediate, and I am primary, we found experiences that related to each other.

Ms Bryan's Story

My greatest success as a New Educator are as follows:

1. Learning time management - earlier in the school year I was running out of time, now I believe my time management skills are more controlled.
2. Being able to attend to each student individual needs and realize that every child has a different way of learning.
3. Improving my teaching skills by way of repetition which allows most students to grasp the concept of whats being taught.

I enjoy my students they all have different personalities which make my day even more fun.
Source: Ms. Bryan, Rickards Middle School

Never Give Up

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 an improvement on his FCAT! The point is never give up on your students you never know when you will inspire them.

Submitted by Candace McKinniss, Bair Middle

Chunking Your Way to Productivity

The following is adapted from Lisa Haneberg’s (2006) Help Employees Improve Productivity by Teaching Them to Chunk! Focus Like a Laser Beam: 10 Ways to Do What Matters Most.

In most public schools, the pace of work is hectic and spasmodic. Teachers try to juggle a myriad of projects and tasks at once. Multitasking, or trying to do to many things at once, has become the norm. Unfortunately, multitasking is not the solution for coping with numerous priorities and it wrecks focus and productivity.

Studies confirm the downsides of multitasking. Teachers want to do more with less, but when they multitask, they end up doing less with less. When attention is jolted from one task to the next, teachers lose time during the interruption and they need time to get back up to speed with the next task.

Chunking helps teachers focus while allowing them to be responsive. Chunking means carving out segments of time that you will use to focus on one thing. Teachers should strive to schedule and enjoy several focused chunks per week. To enjoy the benefits of chunking, you will need to schedule time chunks ahead of time and exercise resolve to ensure these precious time blocks do not get consumed by interruptions or diversions.

INDUCTION MATTERS: The Difference between Mentoring and Induction

A growing body of research demonstrates that implementing a comprehensive induction program is one of the most effective methods for retaining quality teachers, and can cut teacher attrition rates by 50 percent. In addition, designing well-crafted induction programs can improve teaching quality and increase teacher retention. (www.teacherquality.org)

Mentoring is considered a formal coaching relationship in which an experienced teacher gives guidance, support and feedback to a new educator. High quality mentor programs fully train mentors/coaches, pair first and second year teachers with mentors in similar grades and content areas, and release time and common planning time is provided for mentors and mentored.

Induction goes beyond mentoring to provide an extensive framework to support the continual professional development for everyone in the organization. Comprehensive induction programs may vary in their design, but essential components include a high quality mentor program, ongoing professional development, access to a supportive network in the school, and a criteria-based evaluation of job performance and the process itself.

Mentoring: Focuses on survival and support
Induction: Promotes career learning and professional development

Mentoring:Fosters a mentor apprentice relationship
Induction: Fosters interdependent collegial support of everyone on the staff

Mentoring: Treats mentoring as an isolated event
Induction: Induction is comprehensive and is a part of a career long professional development design

Mentoring: Reacts to whatever arises
Induction: Acculturates a vision that proactively adapts to changes in expectations and in the organization

Mentoring: Short term
Induction: Long term, recurrent, and sustained

Source: Dr. Sheila Lewis, HRD Program facilitator