Indianagram_May2023

Social Media

Social Media

This month’s Indianagram theme is regarding social media. Admittedly, I am not much of a social media expert and have kept my footprint intentionally small. I have never had a Facebook account and recently deleted my Instagram account. LinkedIn and Twitter are all I have at my professional disposal, and I am content with that. Personally, it was a decision to reduce distractions, prioritize human interaction, and maintain a positive mindset. Yet, I have found social media beneficial to my leadership after reflecting on my purpose for having and using it effectively. My primary goals focus on communication and professional learning.

The default for media outlets seems to be about accentuating the negative, especially when it comes to education. Social media empowers building leaders to share their school’s narrative every day and highlight the hard work and creativity of our teachers and their students through pictures and videos. Parents and community members are given a transparent look into our classrooms and the life of our schools. When doing this, I attempt to connect posts to our school’s mission, values, and goals. I also enjoy celebrating the work of our students and staff beyond the classroom when attending school events and award ceremonies. The videos and pictures posted over the school year have become wonderful highlights to use at end of year celebrations and to introduce and welcome new students and families to the climate and culture of our building.

An unexpected outcome of using social media has been my own professional growth. We have likely experienced professional development being “done to us.” Social media allows me to drive my own learning in areas I am passionate about or research solutions to issues I am struggling to solve. I am able to tap into the expertise of educators and thought leaders from around the world at any time and from anywhere. I have participated in chats, read articles and blogs, listened to podcasts, and discovered new ideas by simply browsing social media. On Twitter, some handles I have found most helpful are @PrincipalKafele, @TeachLikeAChamp, @edutopia, @PeterMDeWitt, and @casas_jimmy.

Whether your digital footprint is large or small, let’s use the mediums at our disposal to change today’s narrative about education. We don’t want to miss an opportunity to celebrate and honor the work of our students and staff. Also, by sharing the successes and challenges in our schools, we will be helping each other grow professionally as learning leaders.

The end of April brought to a close another eventful legislative session. Advocacy is a key pillar in the mission of IASP, and I am proud of how our professional organization leads in conducting advocacy in the right way. Over several years, Todd Bess and Tim McRoberts have forged positive working relationships with the DOE, State Board of Education, and legislators. Their solutions-based approach has opened “seats at the table” for IASP to have a voice and active stake in crafting legislation that impacts principals and their schools. In a recent podcast, Tim stated that there are numerous unanswered questions as to how some new laws will be enacted. As a member, be assured that IASP will actively seek answers and give you accurate information and recommendations on how to lead your schools given new legislation. In fact, be looking for upcoming regional meetings hosted by IASP that will do just that. I want to express my gratitude to Todd, Tim, and our legislative cadre members for their advocacy efforts during the General Assembly session.

Matt Shockley IASP President

I think a lot about our members and what they take on each day, and what they do for others, often at a sacrifice of their own needs. I start this Indianagram note in this way as our topic of Social Media can be a particular challenge for school leaders, whether it is a student, parent, or community issue. And these challenges impact you, your health, and the health of your building. Putting out fires caused by social media pulls you away from your focus on student achievement and development, yet the reality is that social media is here, it is staying, and so using it to our advantage has to be our mentality. Steve Sherohman and Dan Peo provide this insight, too, with the question, “How do we best leverage social media’s usefulness on behalf of our schools?” And, to me, this answers the question they also pose, “How do we respond to information shared on social media about us or our schools?”

Tackling social media in a proactive manner builds good will within your school community and allows your advocates to build your brand for you. These advocates are then the ones who can respond to the negative post or comment, thus keeping you from engaging in a social media battle you cannot win. These advocates don’t just appear, however, your conscious and systematic approach to this is necessary until it is established and grows of its own accord. I’m reminded of Steve Baker, Bluffton HS Principal, having to respond to a negative social media account that popped up in his community. His own students took action to establish the pro-version of this account, and soon, the negative was drowned out and those individuals lost steam as people failed to join in their anti-school rhetoric. We might attribute this to Steve’s long tenure in Bluffton, I tend to give credit to Steve for the way he builds relationships every day with his students, and they know Steve is one of their best advocates.

IASP President Matt Shockley’s social media approach for his school embodies how the School Leader Paradigm guides us with regard to an individual’s Social Intelligence. Three of the competencies are Community Building, Capacity Building, and Influence, and as he links their social media to the school mission and vision, those are emphasized to the benefit of the school. I’d also offer that it benefits Matt, though he doesn’t approach this with a personal perspective, yet he is constantly building up his “bank” so that as an issue arises, he can be in a “credit” vs a “deficit” state with his stakeholders.

Even as I’ve emphasized your use of social media, let me also end with the advice that as you close the year, turn off the notifications and maybe delete the phone app for a time, and see how your own mental state rests and resets as June approaches. You can always turn them back on, and login on your computer, but having to take an extra step or two over the next two months will be good for your health, and for the health of your school. Thanks for all that you do for our students and communities.

Dr. Todd D. Bess

IASP

Executive Director

Future Indianagram themes

June: The BEST of 2022-2023

August: What’s New

September: Supporting College and Career Readiness

October: Behavior

November: Be Thankful!

January: Technology in Schools

February: Be Kind!

March: March Madness

April: Safety

May: End of Year Reflection, Growth, & Celebration!

June: The BEST of 2023-2024

Share your thoughts on the Indianagram: https://forms.gle/sCmLHwnh4aYcTJdr8

IASP Executive Committee

Matt Shockley President

Dr. Crystal Murff Thorpe President-Elect

Dr. Holly Arnold

Vice President

Aimee Lunsford Past President

Amy Niemeier NAESP State Representative

Dave Strouse NASSP State Coordinator

Steve Baker Liaison to the DOE

Daniel Peo Assistant Principal Liaison

Dr.

UPCOMING EVENTS

IASP hosts events throughout the year to support the growth and development of Indiana school administrators and students. Each event is intentionally designed to encourage and engage all participants in the pursuit of learning!

Find A Full List Of Events at www.iasp.org/Events

Special thanks to our Platinum Corporate Sponsor

Session Wrap-Up

Dr. Katie Jenner Indiana Secretary of Education

Now that four months of an intense and sometimes unpredictable legislative session are behind us, we can reflect on all the ways you, our school building leaders, helped advance education policy for Indiana’s students. While the school year is coming to a close, I want you to know just how much of an impact you, our educators, and so many others made on every single victory we had… which we know will ultimately improve outcomes and move the needle for our students.

Now, let’s look at some of the highlights!

Increasing tuition support by $1.47 billion over the biennium

This historic investment – totaling over $9 billion in FY 2025 – will allow increased tuition support for all schools with the focus on providing the highest quality education for students, as well as empowering local schools to reach the goal of achieving a statewide average teacher salary of $60,000. This additional investment in tuition support includes increases to foundational allocations in both FY 24 and FY 25, an expansion of the School Choice program, an increase in each of the next two fiscal years in the special education grant as well as for English learners, new Academic Performance grant funding, and credential completion grants in CTE funding. From FY 2019 compared to FY 2025, there has been an approximate $1.8 billion increase in K-12 education funding.

Elevating the science of reading

By securing an additional $10 million in state funding, we were able to leverage an additional $10 million in matching funds from the Lilly Endowment… bringing the state’s historic literacy investment to over $170 MILLION (see additional monetary breakdown below). This increased support for schools is essential to achieving our statewide goal of 95% of third grade students passing IREAD-3 by 2027 and includes:

■ A new $20 million program that rewards schools and teachers for

improving students’ foundational reading skills, as evidenced by IREAD-3 data;

■ An evidence-based, science of reading literacy support plan for Indiana elementary schools with less than 70% of students passing IREAD-3;

■ A new $40 million grant program extending the reach of the ongoing science of reading work alongside the Lilly Endowment;

■ Requiring higher education educator preparation programs to embed the science of reading into their curriculum and prepare future educators to receive a literacy endorsement, ensuring Indiana’s future educators are prepared to teach foundational literacy instruction using research-based methods; and

■ Providing for current Indiana teachers to receive a pay differentiation if they obtain a literacy endorsement.

Funding textbooks for students and families

As part of Governor Holcomb’s 2023 Next Level Agenda, the General Assembly allocated $160 million to remove a hidden tax on Hoosier parents by eliminating textbook and curriculum fees for more than one million students in traditional public and charter schools. (Note: here’s a link to our preliminary guidance on this topic. Additional guidance will be forthcoming.)

Prioritizing STEM education

As the economy continues to change and technology rapidly advances, IDOE will work with schools to ensure every Hoosier student has access to high-quality STEM curriculum needed for success in life and in their career. Additional investments were also made to encourage greater participation in robotics competitions!

Launching Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library statewide

By partnering with this esteemed philanthropic organization, Indiana is investing $6 million over the next two years to provide every participating child from birth to five-years-old with access to one free book per monthfurther encouraging early literacy!

Supporting school safety

HEA 1492 increases the matching funds available to local schools through the Secured School Safety Grant to nearly $25 million per year (approximately $6 million increase each year).

Expanding early learning and childcare opportunities

Given the importance of early learning to a child’s lifelong development, HEA 1591 charged Indiana’s Early Learning Advisory Committee (ELAC) to provide recommendations on a modernized Paths to QUALITY system. Legislation also expanded the income eligibility for those participating in On My Way Pre-K from 127% of the federal poverty rate to 150%...AND created a child care expenditure tax credit to further encourage employer-sponsored early learning and childcare options.

Increasing college affordability and access

By auto-enrolling eligible students in the state’s 21st Century Scholars Program, we will not only increase college affordability but also going rates for our state’s most at-risk students. Our team will work with the Commission for Higher Education to support this implementation.

Removing barriers to educational attainment

High school seniors will now also be required to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 15 each year, further removing barriers to increasing educational attainment and ensuring Indiana students qualify for maximum financial aid. Our team

will work with the Commission to support this implementation as well.

Redesigning school accountability

In alignment with Indiana’s new Graduates Prepared to Succeed (Indiana GPS) dashboard, IDOE will develop a proposal revising our current accountability system no later than December 1, 2024. To further ensure transparency in school performance, schools will also post certain metrics on their website…providing key data points for parents, families, and communities to better understand the work happening in our schools.

Rethinking high school

Over the coming months, IDOE will work with various stakeholders to:

■ ensure high school diploma requirements are flexible and relevant to students, employers, and communities,

■ improve access to and the number of students participating in high-quality work-based learning opportunities, and

■ increase access to and the number of students earning high-value postsecondary credentials before high school graduation.

Accelerating student learning

After community partners and schools reported impressive returns on the state’s initial investment, an additional $35 million was allocated to the Student Learning Recovery Grant Program to accelerate student learning.

Supporting Non-English Speaking Program

As part of the budget, funding for our state’s non-English speaking students was increased by $20.4 million over the biennium to account for the increase in population growth and provide additional support.

Supporting special education students

The budget also increased funding for Indiana’s special education students by over $85 million across the biennium, plus an additional $10 million to support our students through the SEEC fund.

Thank you for making your voice heard during the session, and for the work you will continue to lead to make the most out of these opportunities for our students. Over the coming weeks, our team at IDOE will continue to provide preliminary guidance on a number of new laws, in partnership with IASP.

As always, thank you for all that you do… and let’s finish the school year strong!

From the AP Lens: Positive Outcomes for Social Media

Dr. Dan Peo Assistant Principal Avon High School IASP Assistant Principal Liaison

Mr. Steve Sherohman Assistant Principal South Spencer High School IASP District 11 High School Board Member

Social media’s influence has become widespread in education as most schools have a social media presence on one or more platforms. While a social media presence can provide a great opportunity to share one’s story and promote great things happening in our schools, social media can also present challenges that detract from that positive messaging. Our brains are wired for negativity, and sadly, negative statements appear regularly in people’s personal social media, and those statements often find their way onto our school platforms. As leaders, we are charged with navigating the pitfalls of social media while allowing the potential good will to shine.

This month, I’ve asked my colleague Mr. Steve Sherohman, Assistant Principal at South Spencer High School, to share about his social media experiences.

Social Media and Schools

Educators and administrators, both, are no stranger to social media’s usefulness and pitfalls. A growing number of school leaders have grown up with this technology, and it would be difficult to separate its use from everyday life both personally and professionally. Other leaders are apprehensive about social media’s use as a normalized tool of communication and promotion within the world of education. No matter where you stand on the issue, the fact remains that social media is a part of modernized society, and no matter where we find ourselves on the social media spectrum, most of our parents, communities, and students use social media on a regular basis. Social media is simply here to stay.

For school leaders, then, our discussion may best be served through intentional focus on the following two questions:

■ How do we best leverage social media’s usefulness on behalf of our schools?

■ How do we respond to information shared on social media about us or our schools?

Leveraging Social Media’s Usefulness

By now, many of us may consider our corporations to be social media master users. However, I think it is always a good idea to visit these questions regularly. Technology is always evolving, and it is important we are able to keep up with change.

What is the purpose of your presence on social media

platforms?

Social media can be a powerful tool for schools. Meaningful use requires the identification of a meaningful purpose. While this may seem obvious, you’d be surprised how quickly social media tools can run awry. Be intentional with the purpose of your social media accounts.

Successful schools have an identified purpose for their social media presence. Is your aim to communicate with stakeholders in the spirit of the school newsletter or email but with a more modern feel? Do you want to use social media to gather feedback? Is your goal to create an open forum for dialogue with stakeholders? Is your intention to share your school story and highlight student accomplishments? Do you seek to use social media for all the aforementioned possibilities?

No matter what purpose you elect to guide the use of social media within your schools, it is important to clearly identify one. The clearly identified purpose will shape every related consideration to your social media presence online.

What are the “go-to” social media platforms in your area?

In our area, Facebook seems to be the desired platform for communication with parents. However, in order to reach as many stakeholders as possible, it’s worth considering broadening our social media presence. For example, several of our athletic team members prefer to communicate via Twitter. Of course, we all realize TikTok has entered the social media world in a big way. While several staff members have created projects that use this platform for learning purposes, we have not elected to dive into this world from a corporation perspective.

It is important to identify your audience. If your target audience is parents and community, you may best be served by falling into line with their preferred social media preferences. A simple community and parent survey should provide you with the data needed to reach such a decision. However, if your goal is to broaden your audience, you may best be served by looking to newer social media platforms. Either way, gathering input from as many audience groups as possible will benefit you as you seek to effectively communicate with all stakeholders.

Can you adequately manage multiple social media platforms?

The effective management of social media platforms is no small task. While on the outside this task may seem simple, there are several pieces to consider if we aim to manage a professional and purposeful social media presence online.

Questions to consider may include: Who is in charge of the accounts? Who has access to the accounts? With what

frequency are posts made? Do you allow commenting on posts, and if so, who is charged with replies? Is each building in your corporation responsible for their own social media accounts? Do you utilize a social media committee to provide oversight?

For us, a small team manages our social media presence. While that helps to keep posts consistent, there are occasionally complications related to that structure. For example, timesensitive posts may take a bit longer to make it to publication as they filter through the chain.

Consistency is a key component of navigating through the management piece of social media. In order to adequately manage multiple social media platforms, it is imperative you follow a well thought out system of use. I encourage you to be intentional about this component. Be willing to meet regularly and discuss the ongoing challenges that accompany a successful social media presence.

What policies exist for social media use in your school corporation and individual buildings?

Policy consideration is a critical piece of leveraging social media on behalf of our schools. While most school corporations have carefully crafted policies on the personal use of social media, you would be surprised at the number of schools who haven’t yet crafted policy or operate with vague corporate social media policies. Well crafted policy ensures a hedge of protection for those charged with the maintenance of corporation and building level social media accounts.

When developing or refining policy, remember to discuss items such as copyright law, student privacy policies, content policies, professional use policies, and be willing to ask questions and seek input from outside your corporation or building.

Social Media Response

No matter how well thought out your policies and procedures are with regard to the use of social media, you will undoubtedly be faced with the negativity that can sometimes be associated with social media. More and more, it seems the negative comment on social media has replaced what used to be a phone call to the office. If you have a personal social media presence, you have seen this compound over the years as social media becomes more ingrained as a complaint forum rather than a communication or celebration tool. It seems there are no limits, at times, with what some folks will post about you, your school, a decision, or a situation.

How do you handle these

negative moments?

As an assistant principal charged with student accountability, I was taken aback my first year with how a negative social media post could impact me. After all, didn’t these people realize I’d do anything for their child within legal limits to ensure their success both in our school and beyond? How could they attack me? A negative comment felt that personal.

What I realized over the next number of years was that their negativity or hurtful comment was not personal. They expressed a concern very similarly to how someone would have before social media except they offered no opportunity

for discussion over the phone or through an in-person meeting. DIalogue had been removed through social media.

Now, when I notice a negative comment on social media, I have a decision to make: Do I respond, and if so, how, or do I elect to not respond? Most times, I choose to not respond. People will vent. However, when I notice something online that is blatantly inaccurate, destructive, or simply hateful about our students or our school or its leaders and teachers, I will, on occasion, directly respond. However, I never respond online. I always make phone calls.

While this may seem unorthodox or even slightly intimidating, I can assure you, I have thoroughly appreciated the outcome of these phone calls more times than not. For me, they have been a catalyst of relationship building which has led to a greater understanding and partnership going forward. When I elect to call, I always call from the perspective of seeking to understand. I begin the conversation very honestly and openly. I let the person know I stumbled across their post or that it had been brought to my attention. I listen, and then we dialogue. In most cases, believe it or not, the person will remove their post and admit they were just frustrated or had misinformation. No matter the outcome, our working relationship is strengthened. I always offer an open invitation to call or stop by next time something concerns them, and by and large, they do.

I cannot suggest this approach be yours. You must make the determination on how you will respond to negative social media posts on your own and in partnership with your leadership. However, I will share that this response has been super helpful for me as I build relationships with all stakeholders.

At a minimum, have a trusted colleague you can go to when you see negativity. Simply talking out loud with a trusted person helps. Oftentimes, we feel so deeply about negativity because our hearts are so passionately committed to helping students. Remember, when you entered education, you believed you could change the world by impacting one student’s world at a time. You would have given your last dollar if you knew a student was hungry. When you see negativity on social media, you feel your commitment is challenged in a way. That is a very normal human response. Be encouraged, though; most times, nothing is personal.

Social media certainly has its benefits. At times, though, there is a drawback. Be intentional with social media to best leverage its use for positive student and school outcomes. Be intentional with your responses to outside posts as well. Whether leveraging social media’s usefulness or responding to something you’ve scrolled across, remember, you make a meaningful difference in the lives of so many young people. Thank you for your service.

Mr. Sherohman can be reached via email at steve.sherohman@ sspencer.k12.in.us.

Building a Personal Learning Network

Brian Behrman Principal Fishers Elementary School

In December 2009, I decided to sign up for a Twitter account. Some of my friends were talking about it, and at that time I was noticing more places would share their Twitter handle on advertisements. Like most people, after signing up, I started following people or accounts I was interested in. On that list, I added friends, some favorite athletes, a few news sources, and people from pop culture. In the beginning, I was mostly a “lurker.” I followed conversations, but never posted or replied. I would log in from time to time, but it wasn’t something that I utilized on a regular basis.

About three years later, I was driving to school when I heard an interview that gave me a fresh perspective on the potential uses of social media as an educator. On Morning Edition on NPR, I heard Scott Rocco talking about this weekly Twitter chat called #satchat. Scott and Brad Currie, another superintendent in New Jersey, co-founded #satchat as a chance to have a discussion on important topics in education through social media channels so that more people could be involved. At the time of the interview, there were about 200 people that participated in this weekly chat.

It was the fall of 2012. I was a classroom teacher at the time. In addition to my teaching responsibilities, I was coaching junior high football and basketball and had 2 young children at home. I was busy! I knew that I wanted to continue to grow as an educator, but I didn’t necessarily have the time for book studies and conferences. I needed something that could be a little more on my own schedule. Hearing about #satchat let me know that maybe there was another way for me to learn that could be on my own time. That radio program taught me that an app on my phone could connect me with educators and emerging leaders in education from all over the world.

Soon after, I participated in my first ever #satchat. I don’t recall the specific topic, but I did start following several of the other educators that were active in the chat. Since then, I have looked at Twitter as my own Personal Learning Network. While I still use social media for a variety of purposes (I still follow athletes and pop culture icons, and it’s often the first place I look for news on just about any topic), it is also my go-to resource for growing as an educator and leader.

This belief about social media was only reaffirmed as I listened to Matt Miller at Ditch that Convention in 2017. I don’t want to steal his story, and some of you may be aware of who Matt is. During the keynote, he said:

happening in my own school and world, although others prefer to use Instagram, Facebook, or even TikTok. If you follow me, you’ll see posts about things happening in my school and district, but I also share pieces of my personal life as well. I like to be able to be my full self.

If you are new to using social media as an educator, seek out people in positions like you. When I moved into my current role, I began following as many elementary principals as I could. Next, learn to use hashtags! Some of the ones I check in on regularly still include #satchat on Saturday mornings, but I also like to look at #echat, #edleadership, #PLCatWork, and #TLAP. As you check out those hashtags, start following anyone that is posting things you are interested in, or would like to learn more from.

Matt was the lone Spanish teacher at a small rural school in western Indiana. As the only teacher of his subject in his school, he felt that he struggled to create meaningful learning opportunities for his students. Eventually, he found a Professional Learning Network through Twitter and realized there were many more possibilities for his students. His learning through Twitter led him to begin presenting to countless educators, writing multiple books, hosting podcasts, and more. Without those connections created through Twitter, he felt he might have burnt out, and eventually left education.

So, here’s my suggestion to all of you reading this – If you aren’t on social media to learn as an educator, start making use. Twitter is still my goto source for learning from others and sharing about amazing things

As an educator, I believe strongly in the importance of lifelong learning. While there are lots of different ways that we can learn, one of the greatest sources for me in the past 10 years has been through social media. The portability of my phone allows me access to the world no matter where I am or what I’m doing. If you’re new to the world or social media in education, feel free to seek me out. I’m @brian_behrman on both Twitter and Instagram.

Now, go on and build your own Personal Learning Network!

Learning Lab Model Transforms Your PD

Dr. Laurie Ferry - Sales Ferry Consulting

Providing professional development to our teachers that is specific to their practice, collaborative, results oriented, focused on student learning, and content based can feel insurmountable. Over the course of the last five years, I have designed, tested, and revised a spin-off of the Japanese Lesson Study Model aligned to the Standards for Professional Learning (2022) that can transform your professional learning into an engaging, collaborative, and meaningful learning experience for your teachers.

Learning Lab Protocol

Prework:

The Learning Lab achieves the best results when the teachers are all from the same grade level or content area (i.e. 2nd grade teachers, middle school math teachers). The number of teachers participating in each Learning Lab day should be between 4-8 teachers. Too many or too few teachers can significantly minimize the impact of the model. One facilitator is needed to run the protocol and, in some cases, teach the co-planned lesson. The protocol requires a full day of release time for the teachers, but the investment is well worth it.

Co-planning the Lesson:

At the start of the school day the Learning Lab Cadre will meet together to collaborate in the co-planning of one lesson that will be delivered that day. The co-planning of the lesson is based on the content area under study (i.e. a reading block, a 50 minute math classroom) and the grade level focus of the group. Once the content/standard is determined, the Cadre will develop a Learning Goal. It is key that the Learning Goal be written as an ‘understanding’ goal not a ‘doing’ goal. This goal is not an I Can statement. For example, here is a Learning Goal for 2nd grade math.

Learning Goal: I will understand how different strategies can be used to compute the difference between three digit numbers.

Doing Goal/I Can: I can solve three digit subtraction problems.

Research based instructional practices are intentionally embedded in the lesson as the Cadre collaboratively plans the lesson. Lastly, an exit ticket is essential for the Cadre to be able to determine if the Learning Goal was achieved after the lesson is delivered.

Teaching the Lesson:

The person to deliver the lesson can be the facilitator, which is most appropriate if this is the group’s first Learning Lab, or it can be one of the teachers in the Cadre. During the lesson, the designated teacher delivers the lesson as close to the designed plan as possible. The delivery teacher is encouraged

to make ‘just in time’ adjustments to the lesson plan, when appropriate, to meet the needs of students. While the delivery teacher is teaching the lesson, the rest of the Cadre members are collecting specific data that will be used to analyze and develop revised lessons in the afternoon.

Data Collection during the Lesson

■ Teacher talk vs. student talk

■ Teacher interactions with all students

■ Lesson cadence

■ Student group engagement

■ Teacher questions - scripting

■ Student interactions - scripting

After the Lesson:

We begin the debrief session by asking the observing teachers to prepare their collected data on a chart paper they will present to the whole group. As the data is presented, it is important that it is just the facts, no judgements. The protocol for the debrief conversation is very critical. It is important that how and when the data is shared and teachers’ feedback about the lesson is structured in a way to honor the delivery teacher’s efforts and expertise. Refer to the Learning Lab Protocol linked below for a detailed description of how the debrief should be executed. It is also important to give each teacher an opportunity to share their reflections individually, to the whole group. The delivery teacher must have the opportunity to respond in each round of feedback. Respecting the expertise of each teacher is critical to the success of the debrief portion of the Learning Lab.

Just in time PD:

Feedback and reflection in the debrief portion of the Learning Lab will naturally lead to evidence of gaps in teacher understanding, misconceptions, or new instructional strategies the facilitator will want to address. During the last 60-90 minutes of the day, the facilitator will lead a PD session that addresses the unique needs of the Cadre. This PD session may not be the same with each Learning Lab Cadre as different teacher groups will have varying needs.

The Learning Lab model serves as an opportunity for teachers to thoroughly and collaboratively discuss and plan a lesson using the group’s expertise. Additionally, teachers collect, analyze and present data related to grade level content and instructional strategies that support their development of data skills. Lastly, teachers have the opportunity for just-in-time PD that immediately addresses gaps in their understanding of pedagogy or content. The day spent in a Learning Lab model has been reported by participants as being the most meaningful PD in which they have ever engaged. High praise indeed!

Please reach out with any questions or support you may need related to the Learning Lab model or your professional learning needs.

Resources:

Slide deck of the Learning Lab Protocol Learning Lab Facilitator and Participant’s Guide

Research Basis

Foster, E. (2022). Standards for Professional Learning: The Research. Learning Forward.

Cerbin, W., & Kopp, B. (2006). Lesson study as a model for building pedagogical knowledge and improving teaching. International journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 18(3), 250-257.

Hiebert, J. H., & Stigler, J. W. (2017). Teaching versus teachers as a lever for change: Comparing a Japanese and a U.S. perspective on improving instruction. Educational Researcher, 46(4), 169-176. https://doi. org/10.3102/0013189X17711899

Stepanek, J., Appel, G., Leong, M., Mangan, M. T., & Mitchell, M. (2007). Leading lesson study: A practical guide for teachers and facilitators. Corwin Press.

Infinite Capacity Community Partnership Series: Highlight STEM Education with Social Media

Krista M. Stith Infinite Capacity, LLC

Rachel L. Geesa Infinite Capacity, LLC

Sharing integrative STEM activities and accomplishments on social media is a great way to showcase your school’s commitment to promoting STEM education and to engage with your community. By sharing your school’s achievements and activities in STEM, you can inspire students, parents/ families/caretakers, and the wider community to get involved and support STEM education efforts.

Creating Social Media Buzz around your STEM Program

To get started, consider creating a social media strategy for your school’s STEM program. A variety of organizations offer free social media marketing training, such as Coursera, Hubspot Academy, LinkedIN Learning, edX, and Udemy Determine which social media platforms you will use and set goals for the type of content you want to share, such as pictures and videos of STEM projects, articles about STEMrelated news, or updates on STEM-related events.

To engage your audience, make sure to use a variety of formats and content styles, such as photos, videos, infographics, and written posts. Encourage your students and teachers to contribute to your social media channels by sharing their own experiences and perspectives on STEM education.

Here are some tips on how to effectively share your school’s STEM activities and accomplishments on social media:

■ Use hashtags: Include relevant hashtags in your posts to make it easier for others to find and share your content. Examples of popular STEM-related hashtags include #STEMeducation, #womeninSTEM, #STEMcareers, and #STEMlearning.

■ Highlight student work: Showcase the innovative and creative projects that your students are working on in STEM classes or extracurricular activities. Include photos and descriptions of the projects, as well as any awards or recognition they have received.

■ Feature guest speakers and events: If your school hosts STEM-related events or invites guest speakers to talk about STEM careers, make sure to share photos and highlights from these events.

■ Engage with your audience: Encourage the school’s followers to ask questions and share their own experiences with STEM education. Respond to comments and messages promptly to build a relationship with the

audience.

Another benefit to using social media to promote STEM education in school is that you can raise awareness of the importance of STEM education and inspire others to get involved. With a thoughtful and consistent social media strategy, you can make a positive impact on your community and help prepare students for success in STEM fields. In this next section, we highlight a variety of STEM education social media accounts that are worth a follow!

Twitter and Instagram:

@IndianaAfterschoolNetwork: The Indiana Afterschool Network is a non-profit organization that supports out-ofschool time programs for K-12 students in Indiana. They share resources for STEM education activities and programs that can be implemented in afterschool programs.

@IndianaLearningLab: a personalized microlearning platform full of easily accessible resources for Indiana educators & families.

@INeLearn: Working across the state to improve student outcomes through the intentional use of technology

@INSciFest: The Indiana Science Festival is an annual event that celebrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Their social media accounts share updates on the festival as well as other STEM events and opportunities in Indiana.

@INSTEM_Ecosystem: The Indiana STEM Ecosystem is a network of organizations and individuals working to support STEM education in Indiana. They share updates on STEM events and opportunities for K-12 students and educators, as well as resources for parents and caretakers.

@KeepINLearning: Keep Indiana Learning provides a network of STEM education resources and equitable learning opportunities.

@littlelabcoats: This Instagram account provides STEM-based activities and experiments for young children.

@NGSS_tweeps: This Twitter account provides information and resources for educators implementing the Next Generation Science Standards.

@STEMEdCoalition: The STEM Education Coalition

advocates for STEM education policies and initiatives at the national level.

@stemhubindy: The STEM Hub is an Indianapolis-based organization that provides STEM education resources and programs for K-12 students.

@stemworlds: STEMworlds is an Instagram account dedicated to promoting STEM education through interactive experiments and activities.

@TechPointYouth: TechPoint Foundation for Youth is a nonprofit organization that provides STEM education programs for K-12 students in Indiana. Their social media accounts, including Twitter and Instagram, share updates on their programs and resources for educators and families.

@TheSTEMAcademy: The STEM Academy is a non-profit organization that provides professional development opportunities and resources for K-12 STEM educators.

@TheSTEMConnection: The STEM Connection is an Indianabased non-profit organization that provides STEM education programs and resources for K-12 students. They share updates on their programs, events, and resources on their social media accounts.

Facebook: National Science Teachers Association: The NSTA is a professional organization for science educators, and their Facebook page provides resources and information on STEM education.

STEM Education Coalition: The STEM Education Coalition shares information on STEM education policy and initiatives at the national level.

STEM Teachers’ Lounge: This is a group for K-12 STEM educators to share resources, ideas, and experiences related to teaching STEM.

STEM Toys & Activities: With over 23,000 members, this group shares STEM-based toys, games, and activities that can be used to teach STEM concepts to kids.

TeachEngineering: TeachEngineering is a digital library of K-12 engineering lessons and activities, and their Facebook page provides updates on new resources and activities.

Conclusion

These are just a few examples of social media accounts dedicated to STEM education. You can also search for specific hashtags such as #STEMeducation, #STEMlearning, or #STEMIndiana to find more accounts and resources related to STEM education on social media platforms!

Infinite Capacity LLC is dedicated to inclusively fostering personal and professional growth for educators, leaders, and community partners through innovative educational practices. Consulting services to assist with IDOE STEM Certification are available for school and district-level support. Please e-mail us at contact@infinitecapacity.com for more information. Our book, Leadership in Integrative STEM: Strategies for Facilitating an Experiential and Student-Centered Culture, is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Rowman & Littlefield.

Leveraging School Health Data to Improve Academic Outcomes for Children

We make your existing student health data usable in the MTSS process

Provide schools their Academic Health Score

Provide schools their Academic Health Cliff Score

Provide schools support with IDOE Health Reporting

Transcribe and code existing student health data from the school nurse or school based health center

Provide schools professional development on use of health data and health professionals in their existing MTSS processes

Support schools in leveraging Title funds to pay for school nurses

Fundable by Title, ESSER, SIG, and Part B

IDOE approved as an evidence based best practice

Learn more at www.healthdataproject.org or email us info@healthdataproject.org

Special thanks to our Bronze Corporate Sponsors:

Social Media and School Principals: Telling your school’s story

Dr. Tracy Caddell Assistant Clinical Professor of Ed. Leadership Director of the Internship Program Ball State University

Daily headlines scream the dangers of principals using social media. “Vermont Principal Fired for Critical Post on BLM Movement!” “Washington State Principal Resigns after Social Media Post.” “Social Media Livestream by Alaska Principal Prompts Community Concerns.”

As one of my favorite country singers, Brad Paisley crooned in 2017, “the internet is forever.” FOREVER. In today’s highly partisan, politicized environment how can school principals effectively use multiple social media platforms to build their school’s brand, engage their community, and actively promote their students and staff?

There are multiple factors to consider when using social media, and substantial risks involved, but a school principal who does not have a social media presence invites harm to their school, their reputation, and even the community they serve. Why? Because if we don’t tell our story, we can be sure someone else will. Principals today don’t have a choice. School principals must have a social media presence to be an effective communicator for their school and community.

First, in order to avoid controversy, school principals should develop clear social media policies and guidelines for their school’s social media presence. School principals should also check corporation policies and administrative guidelines. As principals develop their social media presence it is important for principals to be transparent with the community regarding how the school approaches content and the different ways school leaders will engage followers. School principals should use their school’s mission and vision statements to drive content, market the school, and build the school’s brand. School leaders begin this process by asking four important questions.

■ Why does my school post on social media?

■ What platforms should our school use?

■ What information should the school post? and

■ Why is it important for the school principal to establish social media guidelines?

Once the school principal has answered these four questions, they should inform the school community on the expectations for engaging with the school’s social media platforms. School principals have to set the expectations, including how the school will deal with negative commentary, how often the school principal will respond, and if comments are addressed publicly or privately by school leaders.

One strategy in using social media effectively is creating a social media content calendar. A content calendar acts as a planner for a school’s posts, the timing of the posts, and the

platforms the school will use to publish information on any given day. For example, Mondays might be used for a teacher feature; while Wednesdays are used for a principal Q and A, and Fridays are used as a weekend calendar of events.

School principals also need a consistent on-line presence in order to build the school’s brand, positively communicate with stakeholders, and actively promote their school. Recommended strategies include a principal Linkedin profile, active participation in Twitter chats, or for those principals feeling really comfortable in an on-line environment, engaging the community in a Facebook Live event. User generated content is also a great way to save time, if the school corporation will allow patrons to send photos taken of school events, which may be used on the school’s social media platforms. Disclaimer: School leaders should get legal advice, and approval from the school superintendent before posting any user generated content.

School principals may also use social media to highlight their authentic selves. Principals become less threatening to students, community, and staff through their own story telling. Use those stories to introduce yourself, provide updates on school events, ask for feedback, and address community concerns with the “facts.””.

An effective social media strategy takes time, thought, and commitment. As a school leader principals have to determine how much time is needed, within reasonable limits. School leaders have to find their authentic on-line voice, while creating connections between the administration and the school community. By taking a lead on social media platforms, with effective communication, school principals can inspire teachers to use their own social media platforms, while also teaching students the collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and community connectiveness skills necessary in engaging others in an on-line environment. These communication modalities are all essential skills lacking in today’s highly partisan and politicized environment.

In closing, building effective communication strategies using social media can enhance the school’s and the principal’s reputation, while actively promoting the school’s marketing and branding strategies in a school choice environment. Principals can, and must tell a school’s story or someone else less informed on school activities will tell the story for them.

Note: A gentle but essential reminder to principals is to avoid political commentary on the school’s social media platforms and remain focused on school information and community engagement. Principals should respond to patrons engaged with the school’s social media platforms within 24 hours, or within 48 hours on the weekend. Remember, absent a principal’s transparent and honest communication, bad news travels at light speed, while good news is delivered via snail mail.

IPLI Updates

Dr. Kelly Andrews Director Indiana Principal Leadership Institute

IPLI is a premier professional development opportunity for the practicing principals of Indiana. We are here to support you, encourage you, and provide growth in your leadership as we learn together, lead together, and connect.

IPLI’s year with Cohorts 9, 10, and Extended Learning Opportunity #4 was a fantastic experience. Cohort 9, which began in July 2021, was our first post-pandemic cohort that experienced IPLI fully. They spent the first year with the Process Communication Model, which assisted them in learning more about and growing their leadership capacity. In addition, they worked on leadership skills and behaviors as well as learning about school culture. In Year 2, they met by collaborating and researching with teacher leaders through the High-Reliability Framework to increase their school learning capacity culminating with the Showcase of Schools and celebrating their learning journey in April 2023.

IPLI Extended Learning Opportunity #4, a one-year program for IPLI graduates focused on Leadership in Times of Change. Their work looked at ways to delve into the post-pandemic issues of academics and behavior.

Over the last twelve months, having a statewide principal professional learning community to support Indiana’s school leaders as they have met the academic challenges has been invaluable. IPLI met the needs of Indiana principals by increasing mentor contacts, developing and sharing resources, and intensifying regional networks of support.

Focusing more specifically on Cohort 10’s first year building leadership capacity, their work looked deeply into their communication skill sets. Evidence of their leadership growth was shared during the Action Research Showcase as it leveraged their strengths to build up themselves and their school communities. IPLI is growing Learning Leaders that are Leading Learners!

As Director of IPLI, I am excited for the future of schools in Indiana as the aligned system for principal professional development has never been more significant. INALI, IPLI, and IPLI Extended Learning Opportunity meet the need. IPLI is grateful for your ongoing support, trust, and dedication to education and educators during these challenging times showing Indiana’s commitment to growing our schools and students.

Cohort 11 Applications Still Open

We know this time of year can be daunting, and thinking about what is next for your leadership may seem selfish. However, this is the time to consider that we have all been through another challenging year. Leadership changes are happening all over the state, and IPLI can support you as you work to increase your capacity during these changing times. IPLI Cohort 11 still has a few spots open, and we would be glad to include you in this next class. There are so many benefits to this type of self-care and growth. Visit www.indianapli.org and submit your application today. This two-year journey will be something you won’t want to miss!

IPLI Extended Learning Opportunity #5

IPLI Extended Learning Opportunity is a formal yet intensive professional development program for IPLI graduates beginning their 5th year. ELO allows IPLI Elite Graduates to dig deeper into topics covered during the IPLI experience. Three-day-long seminars will let you dig deeper into leadership topics that will support you throughout the year. Choose one or attend all three seminars…. whatever works in your busy schedule. However, you deserve a day of learning and connecting.

Themes vary yearly so that graduates can enroll in ELO multiple times. IPLI ELO participants are encouraged to bring teacherleaders to the seminars when appropriate. This year’s theme will be “Leaders in Action,” featuring the following speakers: Dr. Rhonda Roos and Dave Weber.

The Fall Seminar in September will be on the ISU campus, and we are planning a cohort reunion. You will not want to miss this opportunity to reconnect. We are calling all mentors, past and present, to participate with special pricing just for you! We hope to see you there.

Registration for IPLI Extended Learning Opportunity #5 is Open: http//indianapli.org/ipli-extended

Riley Kids Caring & Sharing Update

Susan Miles Officer, Kids Caring & Sharing TM Riley Children’s Foundation

Social Media Impacts on Behavioral Health

The science is in and for all of the wonderful world-opening benefits social media may provide, the dopamine generated through its habitual use is associated with anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments.

While social media may be only part of the issue, Riley Children’s Health has sobering statistics to share during May’s Mental Health Awareness Month. In truth, we are looking at a generation of kids and teens in crisis with depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions at an all-time high. Suicide rates are soaring. Families are waiting for months for children to see a therapist, if they can get an appointment at all.

■ Suicide is the #2 cause of death among Hoosier teens

■ 1 in 5 kids in the US live with a mental health disorder

■ 82 Indiana counties have a mental health care shortage

Your support helps Riley Children’s Health provide an expert team of child and adolescent psychiatrists and clinical child psychologists who partner with children and families to address every child’s mental health needs. These specialists work together with families in a variety of settings to evaluate and develop individualized treatment plans.

Evaluation and treatment can include diagnostic evaluation, psychological testing, individual psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and family therapy and behavior modification to address a wide range of pediatric and adolescent behavioral health needs including autism, ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders, mood disorders, OCD, tics, and other anxiety disorders.

Riley Children’s offers specialized programs in:

■ Outpatient psychiatric care – providing comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy across all diagnostic domains, including mood and anxiety disorders, autism, tics and compulsive disorders, traumarelated disorders, self-injurious behaviors, and disruptive behavior disorders.

■ Hospital-based psychiatric care – Indiana’s only Emergency Department Behavioral Health Access Center staffed by in-person child psychiatrists; a multidisciplinary Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison Service that provides mental health assessments and unique treatment services for medically hospitalized patients. Additionally, the Simon Skjodt Pediatric and Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit is Indiana’s

only dialectical behavior therapy-informed child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit.

■ Substance use disorder treatment – one of only a few adolescent substance use disorder treatment programs in the Midwest that uses medication-assisted treatment.

Riley Innovation

Riley is at the forefront of leading-edge technologies and procedures to address pediatric and adolescent behavioral health.

■ ReSET – FDA-approved prescription, app-based digital therapeutic that delivers cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and contingency management content for individuals with substance use disorders.

■ Computer adaptive testing – This testing, based on multidimensional item response theory for mental health and substance use disorders, allows for measurement-based care in our programs.

Riley developed and operates Indiana’s only child psychiatry access program—Behavioral Health Access Program for Youth (Be Happy) and Adolescent Addiction Access—which supports pediatric physicians and advanced practice providers in caring for youth with mental health and substance use disorders.

ENCOMPASS is a treatment model that uses CBT, motivational interviewing, pharmacotherapy and contingency management to treat co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders in adolescents. Riley is the only entity in the U.S. certified to train others on this evidence-based model.

An Urgent Call to Action

The mental health emergency threatens to upend a generation of children. Addressing this crisis requires a bold plan that brings together the entire state: government, healthcare systems, schools, businesses – our entire community. As a national leader in children’s health and Indiana’s only comprehensive children’s hospital, Riley Children’s Health is stepping forward, with your help, to lead this work. Riley is building a plan to:

■ Expand the number of mental health care providers throughout Indiana

■ Develop school and community-based prevention strategies

■ Increase access to in-patient programs for the most acute cases

■ Deploy technology to reach kids in every part of the state

■ Lead cutting-edge research to discover new treatments and ways to deliver care

Your school’s gift through the Kids Caring & SharingTM program will help support Behavioral Health initiatives as one of Riley Children’s Health’s top priorities.

Submitting your school’s 2022-2023 KCS gift

Be sure to submit your gift in a check(s) payable to the Riley Children’s Foundation to our secure lock box before the end of June for 2022-2023 recognition. Please note and share with your school treasurer our current gift submission address:

Riley Children’s Foundation

Attn: KCS/Susan Miles

P.O. Box 3356

Indianapolis, IN 46204-3356

2024 Riley Champion Nominations due June 15, 2023

Riley Champions are current or past Riley Children’s Health patients, age 8 to 18, who demonstrate courage and commitment to helping others while navigating medical obstacles. Does that sound like a student you or your school nurse may know? Please consider nominating a Riley patient from your community who would welcome an opportunity to serve as an ambassador for Riley Hospital in 2024. https:// rileykids.org/get-involved/nominate-a-riley-champion

Indiana Online, a trusted resource and choice educational partner, o ers a wide variety of online courses developed and taught by Indiana licensed teachers. Partnering with us will allow your school the ability to provide your students flexibility with their education.

Tutoring

KGR Law Briefing: Social Media, Schools & a Few Recent Cases

Séamus Boyce Attorney Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP

Social media use is prevalent in connecting with others and used in a variety of ways to communicate in modern society. Top platforms have billions of users relying on these sites for communication purposes. It should be of no surprise that many legal issues in schools have a social media dynamic. This KGR Law Briefing breaks down a few recent examples of how social media use involved schools and, eventually, the courts. These cases are not from the federal court of appeals that apply to Indiana (the Seventh Circuit), but they provide insights into how judges look at the issues.

Riley’s American Heritage Farms v. Elsasser:

This first case concerns a school district that contracted with the plaintiff as a vendor for field trips. The vendor posted to his private Twitter account political comments that were found by parents whose children attended the district. The parents contacted school officials about the posts they found offensive. The parents also informed the school they would not allow their children to attend field trips to the vendor’s business. The school rescinded the contract with the vendor after parental complaints. The vendor sued alleging a violation of his First Amendment rights because the posts were on his private social media account.

Upon review, the court decided the vendor exercised speech protected by the First Amendment since it was political. The court also used the precedent under Pickering v. Board of Ed. to determine the school retaliated against the vendor because the school revoked the contract only after the vendor exercised his speech. The court

also used Pickering in finding that the vendor’s speech was not so disruptive to the school since the comments were posted on a personal account and did not discuss students or the school itself. Therefore, the court granted an injunction in favor of the vendor, so his contract cannot be terminated solely for his political speech.

The court ultimately decided the district’s reaction to the speech was not clearly unconstitutional, since the right at issue was not established enough to put it “beyond debate.” Therefore, the district retained its qualified immunity and did not need to pay monetary damages to the vendor.

Garnier v. O’Connor-Ratcliff: This next case is about two school board members who blocked parents following their official Twitter and Facebook accounts. The member’s social media accounts were used for school-related matters such as bulletins and alerts. The board members blocked two parents from the account because they were making repetitive comments on posts made by the members. Once the parents discovered their accounts blocked, they filed a lawsuit arguing First Amendment violation.

Upon review, the court determined blocking the parents on the social media accounts was a violation of the First Amendment. The court specified the board members used their accounts in their official roles as school board members. Thus, the decision to block parents on the official board member accounts constituted state action.

The court also decided that since the board members used their social

media accounts to communicate with the public at large, the accounts were public forums. In blocking the repetitive posts of the parents, the board members did not further a significant governmental interest of reducing disruption in a public forum. This was because the posts were not disruptive or detracting from the original messages and the trustees had alternate modes of regulating speech without resorting to blocking the parents.

The court granted an injunction ordering the board members to unblock the parents. The court, however, again granted qualified immunity since the rights were not clearly established. Thus, the parents could not obtain monetary damages.

Chen v Albany Unified School District: The third case involves students. A high school student created a private Instagram account with the intention of allowing a small group of friends to follow. During its existence, the student who owned the account made various racist posts about their fellow students. And an account follower would also get into arguments with fellow students that would escalate to the point of using racial slurs.

After knowledge of the account spread among the student body, some students were too upset to attend class and regularly wanted updates about the situation instead of doing classwork. After school officials viewed the targeted harassment on the Instagram account they suspended and eventually expelled both students. The students sued the school and argued First Amendment protections.

The court first acknowledged that if the language used online occurred on campus the school administrators would have the authority to punish the behavior. The court, applying Mahanoy Area Sch. Dist. v. B.L., stated the harm caused by the speech was significant even though it occurred off campus. Here, the students were so upset they refused to attend class, which the court considers to be sufficient harm to the school and students.

The court also decided it was reasonably foreseeable the electronic communications could easily spread. Therefore, the expelled students should have known their classmates could

discover the derogatory statements made towards them. The court ultimately decided the suspension of the students was not a violation of the First Amendment.

Lessons Learned: Courts often weigh the rights and interests of opposing stakeholders. Schools can keep these considerations in mind when deciding what action to take involving content posted on social media platforms. Specific to the examples in this article, we have several takeaways: (1) before reacting to any posts on social media think about whether you are penalizing the author of the content and what the impact is

at school; (2) if social media platforms represent schools or school officials in their official capacity you should resist the urge to block or otherwise regulate the feedback posted by third parties; and (3) the Mahanoy standard for offcampus student speech is high yet not insurmountable. The biggest takeaway for you is to think twice (or thrice!) before reacting and bring in opinions from your advisors.

We at the KGR Legal Help Desk are here to address legal issues for IASP members. Until the next KGR Law Briefing, stay legal!

11025 East 25th Street

Indianapolis, IN 46229

1-800-285-2188 or 317-891-9900

www.iasp.org | iasp-info@iasp.org

HOW FINANCIAL STRESS AND HEAVIER WORKLOADS ARE ACCELERATING THE TEACHER SHORTAGE

Click or scan the QR code to read, Insights from the Horace Mann Educator Advisory Panel Study.

Horace Mann Service Corporation and certain of its affiliates (Horace Mann) enter into agreements with educational associations where Horace Mann pays the association to provide services aimed at familiarizing association members with the Horace Mann brand, products or services. For more information, email your inquiry to association.relations@horacemann.com.

AM-C04723 (4-23)