The proposed "Excellent Public Schools Act" is an intensive education reform contained in Senate Bill 795. After reading the 12 parts of the Act in great deal, I tweeted:
"I hope every teacher is aware of how Senate Bill 795 & the proposed "Excellent Public Schools Act" will change education in #NC."
The North Carolina Association of School Administrators did a great job of seeking input from its members on the components of Senate Bill 795. The NCASA used the responses to "guide a focus group of superintendents, personnel directors and principals who participated in a full-day discussion on each component (NCASA, 2012). The NCASA created a Review and Recommendations for each component of Senate Bill 795.
I have listed some of the potential changes resulting from the Excellent Public Schools Act. I have attempted to not include my own opinions, but rather share some of the potential changes. Keep in mind, this is a 12-part Act, so not every component is listed:
THE BIG ONE (in my opinion): "Pay for Excellence" would allow each local school board to establish performance pay for all licensed school employees. (Note: The NCASA is recommending a timeline, involving piloted districts, which wouldn't be concluded until 2014-2015.)
THE REALLY BIG ONE: Tenure (or Career Status) would be eliminated. In addition, the following would be eliminated: RIF provisions, the requirement of providing reasons for contract non-renewal, hearings before hearing officers, among others. There is some discussion of having teachers be placed on similar contracts to principals and assistant principals, which are two-year initial contracts, followed by four-year contracts. This component would greatly impact every teacher in North Carolina.
There is a focus to improve literacy in K-3 education, but does not specify if each Local Education Agency (LEA) will have the flexibility to determine how it will enhance literacy through appropriate policy.
The "grading system" used by the state of North Carolina would assign A-F to each school, based predominately on EOG/EOC test performance. (Note: The NCASA is strongly opposing this.)
The school calendar, specifically start/end dates, would be adjusted. Right now, schools cannot start sooner than August 25. This Bill would all the start date to "the next to the last Monday in August". This potentially could only move the start of school up a few days, with August 20 as the earliest possible. (Note: The NCASA wants to restore LEA flexibility in setting start/end dates, especially with the start of school.)
Elementary Education Teachers (K-6) would need to demonstrate proficiency in teaching Reading, Language Arts, and Mathematics.
I strongly recommend every teacher and school leader become familiar with the aspects of this proposed Act. If it is passed, it will drastically reform the entire public educational system in North Carolina. Discussion will resume on May 16 by the Senate.
Thanks for reading and follow me via Twitter @CSmithGoBlue.
CS
The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
#thankateacher = awesome
National Teacher Appreciation Week is concluding Friday. Elementary, Middle, and High Schools across the country have been recognizing and praising their teachers in various ways. School leaders, students, and PTSA's have provided meals and gifts as tokens of appreciation. Most have simply sent personal messages to the teachers that have made a difference in their lives.
I have utilized Twitter throughout the week to provide simple thank you's to our teachers in various instances, sometimes with specific teachers in mind. These have all taken the form of "________ = awesome. #thankateacher".
My online PLN has shared my acknowledgement through numerous Retweet's and Favorite's. The best part is the diversity of WHO has been responding, ranging from principals and teachers to former students of mine now in college. This has motivated me to do the following:
I am asking my Twitter folks to reply to my post with their own "When a teacher _______ = awesome. #thankateacher", filling in the blanks with their own characteristics of great teachers. I will be doing my best to retweet every response that I receive tomorrow (Friday, May 11).
Please feel free to to post message comments at the bottom instead of taking your post to Twitter.
I will be adding all of the responses here throughout the day and weekend:
Make sure to respond to one of my tweets and include the hashtag #thankateacher
(blue indicates my own)
When a teacher advocates for respect and equality = awesome.
When a teacher comes early and stays late = awesome.
Teachers that provide remediation to students during their planning period = awesome.
Teachers writing letters of recommendation for students, even when it was requested at the last minute = awesome.
Teachers providing a safe environment to a student, when they won't have one anywhere else = awesome.
Great coaches who are also great teachers, since both involve teaching, just a different environment = awesome.
Teachers who send a quick email or place a call to inform parents of something positive = awesome.
Teachers looking out for each other and truly working as a TEAM = awesome.
Teachers who aren't afraid of failure when implementing new instructional strategies = awesome.
Teachers arriving early (really early) or staying late (sometimes really late) for tutoring or test re-takes = awesome.
Teachers taking ownership of their students' learning and growth = awesome.
The teacher/teachers alumni want to see when they visit the school = awesome.
When a college student realizes why their teacher pushed them so hard in high school = awesome.
Teachers giving their students options for projects/assessments = awesome.
Genuine enthusiasm displayed while teaching = awesome.
When staff members (non-teachers) still find ways to teach students in other capacities = awesome.
Teachers who teach every day like they will be formally observed = awesome.
Teachers that consistently maximize instructional time = awesome.
When a teacher makes accountability a way of life rather than just for a student's instructional year = awesome.
When a teacher teaches a student who later becomes a celebrity and gets on VH1 for an interview = awesome.
When a teacher allows students to learn by searching for their own answers (and they like it!) = awesome.
When a teacher takes the time to also take the role of counselor/parent = awesome.
When a teacher teaches WITH former students = awesome.
When a teacher goes the extra mile to communicate with a parent = awesome.
When a teacher buys shoes for a kid = awesome.
When a student wishes a former teacher Happy Mother's Day = awesome.
________________________________________________________________
Please at least take a moment to thank someone who dedicated their career to teaching. Thank you to every educator, everywhere.
Thanks for reading and follow me via Twitter @CSmithGoBlue. Also, a big thank you to Ann Doss Helms (@anndosshelms) of the Charlotte Observer for including this post in her blog.
CS
The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.
(I always put this disclaimer in my posts, but this time, I hope the opinions are shared by ALL employers!)
I have utilized Twitter throughout the week to provide simple thank you's to our teachers in various instances, sometimes with specific teachers in mind. These have all taken the form of "________ = awesome. #thankateacher".
My online PLN has shared my acknowledgement through numerous Retweet's and Favorite's. The best part is the diversity of WHO has been responding, ranging from principals and teachers to former students of mine now in college. This has motivated me to do the following:
I am asking my Twitter folks to reply to my post with their own "When a teacher _______ = awesome. #thankateacher", filling in the blanks with their own characteristics of great teachers. I will be doing my best to retweet every response that I receive tomorrow (Friday, May 11).
Please feel free to to post message comments at the bottom instead of taking your post to Twitter.
I will be adding all of the responses here throughout the day and weekend:
Make sure to respond to one of my tweets and include the hashtag #thankateacher
(blue indicates my own)
When a teacher advocates for respect and equality = awesome.
When a teacher comes early and stays late = awesome.
Teachers that provide remediation to students during their planning period = awesome.
Teachers writing letters of recommendation for students, even when it was requested at the last minute = awesome.
Teachers providing a safe environment to a student, when they won't have one anywhere else = awesome.
Great coaches who are also great teachers, since both involve teaching, just a different environment = awesome.
Teachers who send a quick email or place a call to inform parents of something positive = awesome.
Teachers looking out for each other and truly working as a TEAM = awesome.
Teachers who aren't afraid of failure when implementing new instructional strategies = awesome.
Teachers arriving early (really early) or staying late (sometimes really late) for tutoring or test re-takes = awesome.
Teachers taking ownership of their students' learning and growth = awesome.
The teacher/teachers alumni want to see when they visit the school = awesome.
When a college student realizes why their teacher pushed them so hard in high school = awesome.
Teachers giving their students options for projects/assessments = awesome.
Genuine enthusiasm displayed while teaching = awesome.
When staff members (non-teachers) still find ways to teach students in other capacities = awesome.
Teachers who teach every day like they will be formally observed = awesome.
Teachers that consistently maximize instructional time = awesome.
When a teacher makes accountability a way of life rather than just for a student's instructional year = awesome.
When a teacher teaches a student who later becomes a celebrity and gets on VH1 for an interview = awesome.
When a teacher allows students to learn by searching for their own answers (and they like it!) = awesome.
When a teacher takes the time to also take the role of counselor/parent = awesome.
When a teacher teaches WITH former students = awesome.
When a teacher goes the extra mile to communicate with a parent = awesome.
When a teacher buys shoes for a kid = awesome.
When a student wishes a former teacher Happy Mother's Day = awesome.
________________________________________________________________
Please at least take a moment to thank someone who dedicated their career to teaching. Thank you to every educator, everywhere.
Thanks for reading and follow me via Twitter @CSmithGoBlue. Also, a big thank you to Ann Doss Helms (@anndosshelms) of the Charlotte Observer for including this post in her blog.
CS
The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.
(I always put this disclaimer in my posts, but this time, I hope the opinions are shared by ALL employers!)
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
"What is your favorite aspect of the school?"
During a recent phone interview, I was asked the following question:
"What is your favorite aspect of the school?"
I thought this was a fantastic question and provoked some immediate "on your feet" reflection. There is so much to be proud of at my high school, but I had to respond with the very first aspect that popped into my head.
My favorite aspect of our school is the strong sense of community that is prominent throughout our staff and students. Many of our staff members have strong ties to Ashbrook High School, ranging from their own children attending the school and even attending Ashbrook themselves. We even have a few parent-sibling pairings of teachers on staff!
There exists a shared ownership of "our school" throughout Ashbrook, which is shared by students, parents, and people in the community. This is carried forth by our teachers and the pride they take in our school. Whether it's the Ashbrook Relay for Life campaign, our fantastic Air Force JROTC program, the Invisible Children's Club, the "Zoo Crew" student section, or the enthusiasm shown by our staff and students at last Thursday's Freshman Orientation and Curriculum Night (just to name a few), our students and staff demonstrate their pride in our school whenever possible.
Some of our staff may not believe it, but this sense of community and pride does not occur at every school, especially large high schools (we have a student enrollment of a little over 1300). Therefore, our sense of community and the pride our staff has in Ashbrook High School is my "favorite aspect of the school."
Since this is National Teacher Appreciation Week, I wanted to take the opportunity to extend my appreciation to all of our teachers for their sense of community and school pride our staff demonstrates on a daily basis. Thank you for making Ashbrook High School a fantastic community to be a part of.
Thanks for reading and follow me via Twitter @CSmithGoBlue
CS
The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.
"What is your favorite aspect of the school?"
I thought this was a fantastic question and provoked some immediate "on your feet" reflection. There is so much to be proud of at my high school, but I had to respond with the very first aspect that popped into my head.
My favorite aspect of our school is the strong sense of community that is prominent throughout our staff and students. Many of our staff members have strong ties to Ashbrook High School, ranging from their own children attending the school and even attending Ashbrook themselves. We even have a few parent-sibling pairings of teachers on staff!
There exists a shared ownership of "our school" throughout Ashbrook, which is shared by students, parents, and people in the community. This is carried forth by our teachers and the pride they take in our school. Whether it's the Ashbrook Relay for Life campaign, our fantastic Air Force JROTC program, the Invisible Children's Club, the "Zoo Crew" student section, or the enthusiasm shown by our staff and students at last Thursday's Freshman Orientation and Curriculum Night (just to name a few), our students and staff demonstrate their pride in our school whenever possible.
Some of our staff may not believe it, but this sense of community and pride does not occur at every school, especially large high schools (we have a student enrollment of a little over 1300). Therefore, our sense of community and the pride our staff has in Ashbrook High School is my "favorite aspect of the school."
Since this is National Teacher Appreciation Week, I wanted to take the opportunity to extend my appreciation to all of our teachers for their sense of community and school pride our staff demonstrates on a daily basis. Thank you for making Ashbrook High School a fantastic community to be a part of.
Thanks for reading and follow me via Twitter @CSmithGoBlue
CS
The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.
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