The school board is in the process of re-writing our district policies. First we have had to match existing policies to state and federal laws and create policies that coincide with new laws. Next we want to write them in a way that is easy for people outside of lawyers and academia types to read and understand. We also want to make the policies easier to access via the school district web site with links to the laws and other helpful sites as necessary.
I would like your input on policies you feel that I need to look more closely at as we continue this process. Please share your knowledge with me in the comments section of this post. If we need to have a more detailed conversation email or call me.
At your service, April Griffin
13 comments:
April, as you rethink the policies, please rethink the interpretation of the wording. Way too many times administrators act like teenagers in interpreting stated policies and procedures. They will get an idea in their head and pull up a "policy" that really has nothing to do with the procedure they want to happen. This goes for all administrators from "downtown" people to school site administrators.
While we are on the subject, I would like to propose a change in the way administrators work. I would like to see administrators have a little more experience with the application of policies in the classroom, before they become administrators. Too many times administrators become stale and rule-bound without being aware of changes that occur in society.
A potential administrator should have minimum of 6 years teaching experience before becoming an administrator. Once the administrator accepts an administrative position they need to have a 6 year contract. After being an administrator for 4 years, the person then must go back to the classroom as a classroom teacher in their area of certification for an entire year, from August to June. This would have to be done during year 5 or 6 of the contract. The idea behind this 6 year contract is to remind administrators what it is like to carry out all of the mandates they, and others, come up with. It would give them the opportunity to see how curriculum, application of curriculum, children and parents change over time. If anything it would give the administrators the ability to say, "last year (or at least during recent history) the kids were...). At the end of the 6 years: 1) if the administrator has not been back in the classroom for an entire year he/she must resign or retire, and 2) if the administrator has become comfortable with the responsibities they can re-up for another 6 year contract.
After all, the administrators are not the "front line troops" who face children in the same classroom every day. They are just another cog in the machine and need to be cognizant of curricular and societal changes that occur.
The District should get off the "reform" bandwagon. The only ones truly interested in reform are those corporate interests that stand to profit from it (textbook publishers, College Board, charter schools). Get back to our core mission, without all the bells and whistles. Plus, don't worry about graduation rates. There is an important lesson to be learned from failure. Trust your teachers, who are on the front lines. Question, the administration and their professional ambition instead.
I completely agree with 6/3 10:17 when Anonymous draws attention to how administrators interpret wording.
I draw attention to the extreme difference between the words "individual" and "individualized" in the term "Individualized Education Program" (IEP).
The current HCPS online policy manual states:
Chapter 4.00 Curriculum and Instruction: Summary of Procedures: "Student Placement:
1. An Individual Educational Plan (IEP) shall be developed for eligible students. A continuum of program placements and services are available to the extent necessary to implement the student's Individual Educational Plan."
I submit that this is incorrect.
The correct words are "individualized" and "program", as found here:
IDEA - Building The Legacy of IDEA 2004: "Statute: TITLE I / B / 614 / d
(d) Individualized Education Programs.--"
---------------
Each IEP should be uniquely designed to address the individual needs of each student, not simply based on their label of disability. This is why it is inappropriate to hear someone say “ all of the students in this program receive (pick any) related services” simply because the students have been placed in a particular room or school site.
For example, classroom, or school-wide, behavior plans should not substitute for an individualized positive behavioral support plan based on a professionally administered functional behavioral assessment.
Imagine, if you will, a classroom of students in their individual clothes. Then, imagine if you will, a classroom of students in their individualized clothing.
Thank you for your service.
Sincerely,
Richard L. Hancock
The school district needs to provide at least one simple way for students to report incidents of serious bullying anonymously.
A form that can be filled out on the website would be great.
21st century skills require communication and collaboration in a, YES, digital world. I am already teaching and mentoring in such a space, waiting for my real job to catch up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kra_z9vMnHo
Here's a non-You Tube connection.
http://netgened.grownupdigital.com/video/no-future-left-behind-1
April--
I teach at a large high school. We're dealing with the on-the-job training of our new principal. NOT a good situation. So far the parents are running the place
(and they should be involved yet allow the pros do our job), teachers are furious because he is disrespectful (he still hasn't finished evaluations and blows off appointments), the APs have no guidance and are heading their own directions,he makes really unsound decisions and has to change them, he doesn't ask for help or advice--and we have a great faculty who can help. Teachers are leaving. Where is the oversight? Who is supposed to be supervising the boy principal? Isn't there a class for this????
Thanks, as always for the hard work you do.
What policy changes have been made to avoid another Alafia debacle since December? There was all kinds of talk about how evaluations would be different for administrators and how complaints would be handled when received downtown. What changes have been made? So many people downtown dropped the ball when it came to Ellyn Smith and her poor management of a school yet all of those people are still in place making way too much money and not doing their job. If I had to guess, I don't think anything has changed.
During the upcoming discussions on bullying behavior, please consider this:
PRO on HCPS: Hillsborough County Public Schools and Special Ed Teachers Misusing Funds to "Adjust (students) Attitude" ?
Bart—
Your characterization is right on. The notion that even one other person could call a halt to it is equally accurate. It is interesting you use the word "bullies" in your characterization. It is telling at a time when bullying has gone front and center, and those called upon to create an anti-bullying policy are the bullies in this case. It is a clear case of Bullying From the Top Down.
It would be real progress if administrators were publicly accountable regarding their "cafeteria-style" enforcement of existing School Board rules and regulations- and predicate their continuance in their appointed positions by measuring the degree of enforcement they maintain.
I work at a school where the dress code and the cell phone(and other electronics)rules are not even minimally enforced. In addition, instances of repetitive student offenders are dealt with minimally-that is they are not truly sanctioned and keep disrupting classes, whith no support to teacher class management efforts.
New rules are nice, but let's have these highly paid do-nothings start doing something for a change-the somethings that the public has ordered them to do thru the School Board's rule-making authority!!!!!!
Ms. Griffin
With all due respect, policies are the public face of an organization and have little effect on how things are really done. I know you read the blogs. Can you really write a policy that can prevent vindictive people from mistreating teachers?
I think the problems go far deeper than any "policy" can address. I think you mean well but I don't think re-vamped policies will made any difference.
From my perspective, many teachers have lost any hope that things are going to change. You may think I am a smart a$$ and that's fine but I am a 16 year veteran teacher cares deeply about education and its value to society and I have become cynical. Thank God for teachers like Steve Kemp who, in the midst of all of his problems, still wants to talk honestly and enthusiastically about how we can all help to end the problem of bullying.
We have a "policy" about bullying. Lets start there. How can you write a policy that can effectively deal with this problem?
April,
In addition to bringing our schools into the 21st century, I have these suggestions:
1) Every school board employee who holds a teaching certificate and not assigned at a school, should spend 5 days a year as a substitute, and not at the “best of the best” schools. They will have "experience" to know what it is like in our schools today. So much has changed even in the past 5-6 years. This saves money for the district. Teachers would leave good lesson plans, not a DVD or tape to put on. Win, win, win......
2) Stop categorizing ESE teachers and classrooms. It’s really not in federal law, and makes pools and job statuses for ESE teachers really get the short end of the stick. You’ve heard me on best practices… so I will not elaborate, that is not on the district’s agenda, and I am done beating that dead horse. But, please be fair to ESE teachers.
3) which brings me to…… Where is their planning time for IEPs? You know where it’s taken from….the classroom.
- Leo
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