Local Education Is The True Epicenter

If you really want to know education, look to your local schools and districts.  The epicenter of an earthquake isn’t always where the strongest shaking occurs, so it pays to investigate what’s really happening closer to the action. So, while we ponder and make education predictions, local education administrators and educators are dealing with making the right choices for today and the future of learners—always keeping mindful of what the communities needs are—and well-scrutinized budgetary restrictions. Paying attention to local school updates can be a lesson.

Creative Expansion:

School districts have had to be creative with how to address overcrowding issues, figuring out ways to continue existing, popular programs for the Arts, and getting those full day kindergartens established. This is something that doesn’t happen over night, but can be accomplished.  Following some requirements to take advantage of state funds should be looked into as well. The idea is to create smaller buildings, along the academy plan. These cluster or group schools would draw students from various district schools. It’s not a new plan, but it just might be a way to get and keep more full day kindergarten, art, music, and resource rooms that would normally be on the budget chopping block.

Branded Administrators

Today’s administrators are certainly more business than what most of us remember, but they still need to be teachers at heart, but hiring those who have knowledge of branding and media adds a new notch to the resume. At the principal and assistant principal levels, we’re beginning to see this branding of leaders once only noted in some superintendents, and to lesser degree assistant superintendents. Some of the best, leading school districts have discovered that good media coverage brings notice and positive consequences. At one time, a superintendent would be the only spokesperson for a district, but today, principals, using social media, blogs, and leading personal learning networks are more than teachers and administrators—they have become a school or district’s public relations force. In conjunction with the goals of a board of education and the leadership of a superintendent, a new breed of branded principals is an asset that needs to be district-mined. Extending this to faculty leaders isn’t a bad idea either. That sort of media team can’t be duplicated, even in the PR world. Districts can do it. We all need to hear more positive education stories from those actually on the cutting education edge.

Portfolios Finally!

The idea of student portfolios isn’t new. We were talking about them when folders were manila, and really ramped up the conversation when folders could first be created on a computer. It really is a two-century theme. Some teachers and districts began to do electronic folders on their own, but many schools and districts needed a push. In some states, there will be a requirement under the law to have them. These portfolios will include digital academic and personal records, social emotional and physical development records, as well as career goals. These portfolios will be more student success plans than envelopes with report card records. The idea is to get students thinking about what they want to do in life by really anchoring themselves in their own education. The goal is to get students to answer the essential question, “What do you want to get out of school?”