principal
Vol.12, 11, No. Vol. No.32
Navigator The magazine of the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators
WINTER 2017 RECRUITING
HIRING &RETAINING
OHIO’S TEACHERS
INSIDE: Grow Your Own Teachers by Kathy Sabo • Educators of a Different Class by Carrie Sanchez • Hiring Teachers: It’s Like Peanut Butter and Jelly by Justin Syroka • Hiring Quality Teachers by Jen Schwanke • Keep Them Coming Back by Rebecca Hornberger
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Executive Director’s Exchange
Your students have guidance counselors. Your educators deserve their own as well.
Dear Colleagues, Welcome to the winter issue of the Principal Navigator! I was recently listening to a podcast by Ruby Sales, the founder and director of the Spirit House Project. She is one of 50 African Americans spotlighted in the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. During the podcast, Ruby laughed and said that one good thing about aging is that you develop hindsight, foresight, and insight. I liked that quote and applied it to my experience with educator recruitment, hiring, and retention. Below are some lessons I have learned during my rich and meaningful professional journey.
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Advice | Retirement | Insurance *LIMRA, Not-for-Profit Survey, based on total participants for four consecutive years (2012-2015) and contributions for three consecutive years (2013-2015). “AXA” is the brand name of AXA Equitable Financial Services, LLC and its family of companies, including AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (NY, NY), AXA Advisors, LLC, and AXA Distributors, LLC. AXA S.A. is a French holding company for a group of international insurance and financial services companies, including AXA Equitable Financial Services, LLC. The obligations of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company are backed solely by their claims-paying ability. AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (New York, NY). Distributors: AXA Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) and AXA Distributors, LLC. AXA Equitable, AXA Advisors, and AXA Distributors are affiliated companies. GE-114754 (5/16) (Exp. 5/18) G38357
Erase Student Loan Debt Help your employees create a successful financial future. Are student loan payments keeping your employees from participating in your school’s retirement plan? Or worse, are those payments forcing your teachers to leave the profession they love? Do your employees wish their student loans would magically disappear? Learn about student loan forgiveness programs that are available to help reduce or eliminate student loan debt for qualifying education employees.
Looking in the rearview mirror at my career, I can honestly say that finding the best candidate for the job was one of the most important—and time consuming—things I did (and still do). For my first principal job, I was hired to open a new school—merging students and families from three existing elementary schools. A leadership team and I had the privilege of hiring the entire staff. We began our interviewing in the spring when I was still a teacher in a neighboring district, and we spent hours finding just the right people to comprise our staff of over 60. Our interview team—a central office administrator, four teachers, a custodian, and a parent—taught me many great strategies that I still use today. I learned to take the necessary time to be thorough, to be consistent, to be respectful of candidates, and to listen to my team. Additionally, I am sure I frustrated our human resources director sometimes because I learned to never “settle” for someone who was just not the right fit. In hindsight, I now see that I learned to look and listen for those individuals who were “called” to the profession. I learned to go with my gut and to listen to my team and that small voice in my head. Articles from our colleagues Justin Syroka, Joy Edgell, Kristi Barker, Jen Schwanke, Mark Jones, Jeffrey Williams, Carrie Sanchez, Bob Buck, and Brian Lyons all contain terrific strategies to assist you as you identify, hire, and support new employees. Ruby also said we develop foresight as we age. I like to think of foresight as neither prophecy nor prediction. It does not aim to predict the future—to unveil it as if it were predetermined—but it helps us build it. It invites us to consider the future as something that we can create or shape, rather than as something already decided. I am applying the concept of foresight to the increasing educator shortage throughout our nation. I believe we need to prioritize the identification, attraction, and recruitment of those individuals who show promise as a teacher or administrator. One of the most important things we can do is encourage them to think about a career in education. Kathy Sabo shares how one district is “growing its own.” Our colleagues from Ohio University-Lancaster write about shaping preservice students’ “soft skills” through collaborative forms of communication between Educator Preparation Programs and school districts. Becky Hornberger and I share how the OLAC resources assist us and Concordia University Chicago in our work with educational leaders. Lastly, Ruby mentioned insight, which the dictionary defines as “a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a complicated problem or situation.” I believe the educator shortage is a direct reflection of the loss of support for public education and those who work in the system. Americans are often quoted as saying they believe that our country’s educational system is broken—but not their own schools. Usually, they say they love their schools, teachers, and principals. My insight is that we can turn this belief around and that we need to be purposeful in doing so. Justin Baeder, Becky Hornberger, and our colleagues at Battelle for Kids give us several action steps and practices that can do just that. As a new year begins and you look through this issue, I hope take a minute to reflect on your career, whether you are just starting out and getting ready to hire that first teacher, working on a retention plan of your own, or preparing to retire and leave behind your legacy. I wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2017. As always, thank you for all you do! Happy Recruiting, Hiring, Supporting, and Retaining!
Contact your local agent or go to horacemann.com Julie Davis, EdD OAESA Executive Director
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FEATURE STORIES
Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining Ohio’s Teachers
14 WHO WOULD YOUR STUDENTS HIRE?
Bob Buck and Brian Lyons Administrators from the Forest Hills School District share their best hiring practices about not settling for just any educator to fill an empty position but choosing the one who cares most about children.
About the Navigator Editorial Service Team
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17 GROW YOUR OWN TEACHERS Kathy Sabo Looking for the best educators to teach your schools? How about your former students? The author is currently an administrator in the district she attended.
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KEEPING MEN TEACHERS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Matthew Luginbill A kindergarten teacher from the Cuyahoga County School District explains why it's important to have men teach the early elementary grades in this well-researched and informative article.
OAESA/SAIL Staff
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FINDING THE RIGHT 24 PIECE 26 HIRING OF THE PUZZLE: Hiring and Coaching the Next Generation of Ohio’s Teachers Joy Edgell Finding a new staff member is a lot like looking for the last puzzle piece—the one that is always missing. The author shares her ideas about how to make that puzzle whole again.
ASPIRING 32 PREPARING EDUCATORS WITH
QUALITY TEACHERS
PERSEVERANCE & PASSION:
Jen Schwanke
The Power of Grit & Growth Mindset
Whether you are preparing to hire your first teacher or you are an experienced administrator, Jen Schwanke, author and educator in the Dublin City School District, offers useful advice for hiring top-notch staff.
12 The Making of a Leader Ohio Leadership Advisory Council (OLAC) 18 Staying in the Game: Preventing Principal Burnout Justin Baeder 30 Educators of a Different Class Carrie Sanchez 38 The Pyramid of Student Performance: Giving Our Staff a Tool for Success Matt Dillon 44 Hiring Teachers: It's Like Peanut Butter and Jelly Justin Syroka 46 Building the Talent Pipeline: An Excerpt Battelle for Kids 53 Character Is a Top Priority for Hiring Staff Jeffrey Williams
Julie Davis, EdD, Executive Director Mark Jones, Associate Executive Director Nancy Abrams, Business Manager Donna Ball, Special Projects Coordinator Melissa Butsko, Director of Operations Rebecca Hornberger, PhD, Department Chair, SAIL for Education KT Hughes Crandall, Communications Specialist Kimberly McNeal, Office Assistant Kacie Sampson, SAIL/University Partnerships Advisor Abigail Smith, Editor, Principal Navigator Zana Vincent, Ohio Ready Schools Project Manager
Paul Young, PhD, Terri Green, and Debra Dunning, PhD In the next decade, the United States will need more than 1.6 million new teachers. The authors explain how to recognize and foster characteristics that make good teachers in this article.
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
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Luna Alsharaiha, Columbus Diocese Julie Kenney, South-Western City Schools Brynn Morgan, Cleveland Metropolitan Schools Nick Niederhouse, EdD, Maumee City Schools Kirk Pavelich, North Royalton City Schools Jen Schwanke, Dublin City Schools Dan Sebring, Bay Village City Schools Jeromey Sheets, EdD, Lancaster City Schools Paul Young, PhD, retired Stephen Zinser, retired
HAVE a BRIGHT
IDEA?
We are now accepting articles for the Spring 2017 edition of the magazine. This issue will preview OAESA's 60th Annual Professional Conference and Trade Show with this theme: ENGAGE. EMPOWER. EDUCATE. #Innovation: Turn It Up! Articles are due March 15, 2017. Contact our editor, Abigail, at navigator@oaesa.org with questions and to get details about how to submit.
Unless otherwise noted, all articles published in the Principal Navigator become the property of OAESA and may not be reprinted without permission from OAESA. The articles published in the Principal Navigator represent the ideas and/ or beliefs of the authors and do not necessarily express the views of OAESA unless so stated. Advertising inquiries should be directed to OAESA by phone at 614.547.8087 or by e-mailing info@oaesa.org. The Principal Navigator (ISSN 1088-078X) is published three times per school year by OAESA, 445 Hutchinson Ave., Suite 700, Columbus, Ohio, 43235. Subscriptions are available only as part of membership. Periodical postage paid at Columbus, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Principal Navigator 445 Hutchinson Ave., Suite 700 Columbus, Ohio 43235 OAESA is affiliated with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).
Vol. 12, No. 2
IN EVERY ISSUE 3 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S EXCHANGE Julie Davis, EdD 6 Highlighting a Board Member Gretchen Liggens, Cleveland District Representative 8 OAESA Board of Directors 2016–17 10 SAIL for Education Keep Them Coming Back: Six Principal Practices That Promote Teacher Retention Rebecca Hornberger, PhD 23 Elementary Essentials Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining: What Worked for Us Mike Medure 28 From OAESA’s Associate Executive Director Crucial Decisions: Hiring the Best Mark Jones 37 OAESA Chalkboard The latest news from your association 40 Health Issues Hand Hygiene: It’s That Time of Year Again Ann Connelly and Joan Keith 42 Legal Report Do Your Education Aides, Paraprofessionals, and Coaches Possess the Appropriate Permits? Dennis Pergram 49 Central Office Connections Ideas for Hiring Kristi Barker 50 Tell Us Your Story... We polled the OAESA Board of Directors and Networking and Outreach Service Team members for their best recruiting, hiring, and retaining tips. 52 Sorry...We’re Booked! This issue’s member-reviewed books: LAUNCH and Hacking Leadership 54 Welcome to OAESA’s Newest Members! 5
Highlighting a Board Member Gretchen Liggens
OAESA Cleveland District Rep Walton Pre-K–8 School
I grew up in our nation’s capital—Washington, DC—and attended the public schools. I graduated from the University of Dayton—a Flyer for life. I have completed graduate studies at Ashland University and Cleveland State University. I am presently a doctoral candidate in urban education: policy studies. I am an Institute for Educational Leadership Policy Fellow alum. I am currently serving as the principal of Walton School, which is a diverse, urban school serving Pre-K–8 scholars. It is a wraparound school that seeks to engage scholars with an embedded, globally focused curriculum that includes community partners, such as the United Way, the Cleveland Browns Foundation, MetroHealth Medical Center, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cleveland, the Confucius Institute of Cleveland State University, and our new partner, the Cleveland Playhouse. Our community partners help support the needs of the whole child and families. We also offer English language acquisition support.
What are your biggest concerns in education today?
The continual fractured system, the misalignment of resources to the needs of children, and the politicization of basic human rights. My biggest concern is equity in education.
What is your position on the board? Tell us what that entails. I am presently the Cleveland District Representative. Prior to [OAESA’s] rezoning, Cuyahoga County was a singular county, and I was the zone director. Subsequent to the rezoning, one of the urban areas having substantial membership is Cleveland. Cleveland also has House Bill 525— known as the Cleveland Plan. Cleveland has certain operational and legislative nuances that are unique to Cleveland and different from the rest of the state. I bring an urban perspective to the issues for the board.
The Cleveland Plan allows for a singular and organic structure. Our district tends to have more rapid change and unique positions that are communicated to OAESA. As a service organization, we assist other members, whether from Cleveland or outside of Cleveland.
What OAESA service team do you belong to, and what is your team up to?
As our world has become more complex and more fractured, the needs have become even greater for our children. I am inspired by the work of Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund and Katie Haycock of EdTrust as well as so many researchers that spark my intellect. My parents who persevered and worked hard to earn college degrees in the face of poverty and rampant racial discrimination have inspired me. The work is not about us. It is about the children. Our work is urgent as the gaps between groups persist. In the wealthiest nation, our children remain underserved and in poverty. Education is a civil rights issue, it is a human rights issue, and it is a moral imperative. Our schools are clustered into networks. Each network has a talent partner. The talent partner works between the school administrator and the talent acquisition partners to seek out candidates that meet the needs of the school design plan to improve scholar achievement. Part of that hiring process can include actually viewing a teacher lesson. Teachers are hired at the school site in collaborative fashion with the Personnel Selection Committee that is made up of teachers and administration.
How about retaining your staff members? What best practices for encouraging your staff to stick with you do you employ? We have mentoring support for new teachers—partnering new teachers with others. We also have instructional coaches at our schools. I have been working with phenomenal instructional coaches this year. We offer a lot of professional development in our district as well as professional development at the school sites. People have to feel valued and supported in the work they do. However, we are all on a journey of continuous improvement doing the urgent work of educating our children for a global society.
And finally, when you’re not running a school, serving Ohio’s principals on OAESA’s board, or representing Ohio at the national level, what do you do to relax? I am still working on that work-life balance. I enjoy walking, listening to music, watching sports (mostly football), and, of course, reading.
A Few of Gretchen’s Favorite Things: TV SHOW: HGTV—The Property Brothers and Fixer-Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines—and football. I’m waiting for the next season of When Calls the Heart, and I love The Big Bang Theory. SEASON: Summers in Northeast Ohio are great. WAYS TO BEAT STRESS: I play tennis and golf. Long walks in the MetroParks help reduce the stress as well.
I work with the Advocacy Service Team. Currently our work has been focused upon the ESSA legislation and the details of its implementation in Ohio. We work on building positive relationships with legislators and policymakers to help them understand our work.
REASON TO BE AN EDUCATOR: I believe that being an educator is a calling like ministry. I became an educator to positively impact the lives of children of all ages. I wanted to be that teacher that pushed learning to new levels and made it interesting.
What is your favorite part of being on the OAESA board?
QUOTE: I have many quotes that I enjoy. I will share just a few (it’s difficult to share just one).
My favorite part of serving on the board is the cross talking, networking, and the camaraderie that exists with colleagues from across the state. I enjoy the creative processes to solve problems and share ideas to best serve the administrators and central office personnel across the state. Of course [I also enjoy] influencing policy and legislation. I am also Ohio’s Zone 3 Representative on the Resolutions (Policy and Platform) Committee of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
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What initially inspired me to go into education was having a physically challenged older brother who had limited options for being educated outside of the home. I spent my summers working with special needs and deaf children in Washington, DC.
Could you share with us a tip or two about your hiring process?
Tell us a little about your background and current job.
The work is not about us. It is about the children... Education is a civil rights issue, it is a human rights issue, and it is a moral imperative.
This issue of the magazine focuses on recruiting, hiring, and retaining teachers. Who or what inspired you to go into education? And what keeps you going back, day after day?
“Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.” ~ Maya Angelou “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” ~ Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Why fit in when you were made to stand out?” ~ Dr. Seuss
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Board Representatives
Board of Directors
CENTRAL OFFICE
ASST. PRINCIPAL
Daniel Graves
Stephanie Morton
MINORITY
2016–17
Executive Board PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT- ELECT
PAST PRESIDENT
NAESP REP
Columbus City Schools 270 E. State St. Columbus, OH 43215 614.365.8951 dgraves@columbus.k12.oh.us
FEDERAL RELATIONS
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Stephanie Klingshirn
Mississinawa Valley Elementary 10480 Staudt Rd. Union City, OH 45390 937.968.4464
stephanie_klingshirn@mississinawa.org
Melanie Pearn
Fairfax Elementary 6465 Curtiss Ct. Mentor, OH 44060 440.255.7223 pearn@mentorschools.org
Heidi Kegley
Frank B. Willis Intermediate 74 W. William St. Delaware, OH 43015 740.833.1700
kegleyhe@delawarecityschools.net
Jeromey Sheets, EdD
Lancaster City Schools 345 E. Mulberry Street Lancaster, OH 43130 740.681.7676 j_sheets@lancaster.k12.oh.us
ZONE 3 DIRECTOR
Westfall Middle School 19545 Pherson Pike Williamsport, OH 43164 740.986.2941 jfife@westfallschools.org
ZONE 4 DIRECTOR
CLEVELAND DISTRICT
COLUMBUS DISTRICT
The Arts Academy at Summit 1100 10th St. NW Canton, OH 44703 330.452.6537 paydock_a@ccsdistrict.org
Zone Directors ZONE 2 DIRECTOR
stephanie.morton@clevelandmetroschools.org
Asia Armstrong
Worthington Park Elementary 500 Park Rd. Westerville, OH 43081 614.450.5500 aarmstrong@wscloud.org
Aretha Dixon-Paydock
Jason Fife
ZONE 1 DIRECTOR
Joseph M. Gallagher 6601 Franklin Blvd. Cleveland, OH 44102 216.961.0057
ZONE 5 DIRECTOR
WANT
to get
Gretchen Liggens
Walton Pre-K–8 School 3409 Walton Ave. Cleveland, OH 44113 216.838.7500
gretchen.liggens@clevelandmetroschools.org
April Knight
Avondale Elementary 141 Hawkes Columbus, OH 43222 614.365.6511 aknight@columbus.k12.oh.us
Zone Map
INVOLVED? Scott Martin
Northwest Elementary 4738 Henley Deemer Rd. McDermott, OH 45652 740.259.2250 Scott.Martin@nwmohawks.net
ZONE 6 DIRECTOR
Erin Simpson
Overlook Elementary 650 Broad St. Wadsworth, OH 44281 330.335.1420
esimpson@wadsworthschools.org
David Winebrenner
South Lebanon Elementary 50 Ridgeview Lane Maineville, OH 45039 513.459.2916 dwinebrenner@kingslocal.net
ZONE 7 DIRECTOR
Abbey Bolton
Davey Elementary 196 N. Prospect St. Kent, OH 44240 330.676.7400 ke_abolton@kentschools.net
Cathryn Petticrew
Tecumseh Elementary 1058 Old Springfield Pike Xenia, OH 45385 937.372.3321 cpettic@gmail.com
ZONE 8 DIRECTOR
Susanne Waltman
Strausser Elementary 8646 Strausser St. Massillon, OH 44646 330.830.8056 sew2jc@jackson.sparcc.org
Jane Myers
Defiance Elementary 400 Carter Rd. Defiance, OH 43512 419.785.2260 jmyers@defcity.org
ZONE 9 DIRECTOR
Steven Foreman
Zanesville City Schools 956 Moxahala Ave. Zanesville, OH 43701 740.588.5539 foreman@zanesville.k12.oh.us
Jonathan Muro
Madison Middle School 1419 Grace St. Mansfield, OH 44905 419.522.0471 jmuro@mlsd.net
ZONE 10 DIRECTOR
Timothy Barton
Galloway Ridge Intermediate 122 Galloway Rd. Galloway, OH 43119 614.801.8850 timothy.barton@swcsd.us
OAESA is seeking district liaisons all across the state. We have 159 right now. Is your district represented? Contact your zone director directly or call the office at 614.547.8087 for more info. Sign up online at
oaesa.org/membership.asp. 8
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KEEP THEM COMING BACK: Six Principal Practices that Promote Teacher Retention by Rebecca Hornberger, PhD
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hroughout my nearly twenty years as a middle school teacher and elementary principal, I have worked within school environments that have inspired greatness, others that have promoted mediocrity, or worse, those that have contributed to teacher attrition. How do we, as building leaders, nurture, protect, and sustain a culture that keeps our teachers coming back every day? How do we stem the tide against the onslaught of educational stressors such as curriculum shifts and ever-changing state and national mandates? In my experience, there are key principal practices that can provide teachers with the sustenance they need to maintain their passion for educating students on a daily basis. Affirm Each Staff Member’s Intrinsic Value We all want to exist in spaces where we are both seen and valued. This is especially true in the workplace, and, I would argue, even more so for educators who do not receive frequent feedback and affirmation from the adults in our schools. It is a function of typical school structures that teachers are often isolated in their own classrooms and have little time for interaction with colleagues and administrators. Because of these less frequent patterns of communication, principals must step up their efforts to individually form relationships—with each and every staff member—that are highly personalized and supportive. Likewise, each of our teachers possesses strengths that he or she exhibits throughout the school environment on a daily basis. These individual talents should be recognized and affirmed by the building leader on a consistent and frequent basis. When you see teachers interacting with students in exemplary ways, take the time to write a note, send an e-mail, or have a quick conversation about the positive impact they are making within the school and how much you appreciate their contributions. These affirmations are deposits in the relationship between the teacher and principal, and these deposits strengthen the bond and connection with staff members. Families Come First Reflect on a work environment in which you felt supported and empowered, a place in which you felt as though you were truly understood. I would venture to guess that one reason why this environment felt so affirming was that your values aligned with the values of the leader. In the same way, our teachers want to feel as if what is important to them is also important to you, their building leader. One easy way to demonstrate this alignment and support of values is to express to educators that their family lives and commitments are of primary importance to you. As a teacher, I will never forget the experience of working for a principal who affirmed the importance of teachers’ families and our commitment to them through both his deeds and his actions. If one of our children had a preschool program in the middle of the day, he would cover our classes for us so that we could quickly attend and then return for afternoon classes. If we had an ill family member, he would express concern in a genuine and truly empathetic manner. As a result of this support, we worked harder for him. We felt understood and truly cared for, and this inspired within us a shared commitment to propel our school to greatness. Model the Way Kouzes and Posner (2012) noted, “Titles are granted, but it’s your behavior that earns you respect” (p. 26). In their book, entitled The Leadership Challenge, they call this important leadership practice modeling the way, and this is essentially the idea that, as a leader, it is not enough for you to talk the talk, you must walk the walk (Kouzes and Posner, 2012). In other words, you can’t simply verbalize what is important within the educational environment, your actions must exemplify what is valued within your school every single day. This alignment of your values and your actions is important to demonstrate for all stakeholders, including students, parents, and educators. If you want your students to respect the school environment, they should see you wiping down lunch tables and sweeping the entryway when needed. If you want parents to value and trust the decisions that you and your teachers make for their children, your actions and decision-making must reflect that the well-being and growth of your students is always your primary focus.
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If you want teachers to value and unconditionally accept each child in their classrooms, they must see you doing the same with the entire student body. This is especially important when students aren’t around, and it becomes tempting to complain and commiserate about struggles with individual students. Instead, demonstrate compassion, empathy, and an attitude of appreciation for each child’s inherent worth. Your teachers will begin to follow your example.
most overwhelmed with my role as a principal that a teacher would peek her head in to my office and ask if I had a minute. For a split second, I would wish that I had just shut my door. However, it never failed that those were the times when it was most important that my door remained open. Those were the conversations that always ended up being transformational for my students, for my teachers, and for me. So, leave your door open and invite the school community in. Affirm the worth of every student and staff member in your building and let teachers know that they are valued as people. Take every opportunity Accept Responsibility to model the way and accept responsibility when you make mistakes. As principals, we must make so many split-second decisions Passionately and humbly lead your staff with an open door, an open in a day that it can become difficult to think before acting. mind, and an open heart. Throughout this hustle and bustle, it is inevitable that we will make mistakes, but we can actually use these mistakes as opportunities to demonstrate an acceptance of our own fallibility. I remember that I once had a staff meeting during which it was important that all staff members felt that they were able to share Rebecca Hornberger, PhD, is the department chair of SAIL for their thoughts about a new program we were implementing in Education and an adjunct professor at Concordia University an open and judgement-free environment. I was exhausted that Chicago. If you would like to contact Rebecca, e-mail her at day, having spent many hours the prior evening preparing ma- rebecca.hornberger@cuchicago.edu or call her at 888.964.SAIL. terials for the group. When a staff member said something I didn’t agree with, I became unduly harsh and negative in my response. I felt so guilty for this behavior, as it certainly wasn’t an example of modeling the way! What I didn’t realize at the time was that this was the perfect opportunity for me to accept responsibility for my mistake, to apologize, and to demonstrate humility in front of my staff. The next day, I had a personal conversation with the staff member and expressed how sorry I was for my response. I then did the same when our group met again, and it drew us all closer as a group, making each person feel as if we could all make mistakes, accept responsibility for them, and move forward. Lighten the Load When I first transitioned from the classroom to a principal role, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of requests, requirements, and expectations that came from all directions to our building. I often felt as if I were barely staying afloat amid it all. During this time, a very experienced principal colleague shared with me that I needed to view myself as a gatekeeper for my staff. In other words, just because I knew what would be required of us six months from now, it didn’t necessarily mean that I had to pass this information on to the staff right away. I came to learn and understand that this was an essential part of my role as the building leader. I had to determine what information was pertinent to our work at the present and what information needed to be shared at a later date. This practice is key to assuring that educators do not become overburdened. Building leaders can also lighten the load for teachers in other very simple ways on a daily basis. Sometimes, just making a few copies for a staff member, lending a hand during an intervention period, or delivering a cup of coffee to each classroom can really make a difference in how teachers perceive their work and can extend to their overall job satisfaction. It truly is often the little things that mean so much. Open Your Doors, Your Mind, Your Heart It always seemed that it was at the very moment when I was
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HOW WE’RE USING OLAC TOOLS OLAC tools are embedded throughout the principal preparation program OAESA offers in partnership with Concordia University Chicago. Part of this program involves an internship, where participants are using OLAC modules and OIP resources to plan a year-long building improvement project. The goal is to help aspiring principals be immersed in the improvement process before getting their first job, and to know how OLAC tools and resources can be practical supports for school improvement.
THE MAKING OF A LEADER
HERE’S WHAT PARTICIPANTS IN OAESA PROGRAMS HAVE TO SAY: “OLAC’s list of effective process skills helped me analyze our school’s PLC efforts. I am glad I had the chance to become familiar with how I might use the OLAC resources before getting my first job as a principal.” —OAESA Principal Preparation Program participant “Our team was able to use the OLAC tools to effectively assess the quantity and quality of the various activities we are currently using to address the needs we identified in our school improvement plan.“
MY FAVORITE OLAC TOOLS Rebecca Hornberger | OAESA Department Chair, SAIL/CUC Partnerships When I was a principal, I appreciated anything that reviewed the 5-step process at the teacher-based team (TBT) and building-level team (BLT) levels. I relied on the OLAC tools to assist staff who needed extra supports to implement the 5-step process with fidelity. The team- and self-assessments, modules, evaluation crosswalk tools, and handouts were go-to resources to use with my teams.
SPOTLIGHT
—OAESA Ohio Instructional Leadership Academy participant “This was our school’s first year using Ohio’s Improvement Process and learning about the OLAC tools and practices during our online courses was so helpful.” —OAESA Ohio Instructional Leadership Academy participant
OLAC’S IMPACT Julie Davis | Executive Director, OAESA
DR. JULIE DAVIS Executive Director, Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators
DR. REBECCA HORNBERGER Department Chair, SAIL/CUC Partnerships
Rebecca Hornberger | OAESA Department Chair, SAIL/CUC Partnerships
CONNECTING PRINCIPLES (AND PRINCIPALS) TO PRACTICE The Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA) is using OLAC tools and resources through trainings to help educators make practical connections between the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP) and effective collaboration.
OhioLeadership.org |
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We have been using OLAC tools with our Ohio Instructional Leadership Academy. One of the biggest outcomes we have seen from an external evaluation is the shift in support for building-level teams and teacher-level teams. Before embedding OLAC tools in this program, most people didn’t even have an OLAC account. Now, we are seeing participants use OLAC resources to support their work with the OIP. Also, the fact that OLAC resources are free and based on Ohio’s standards, the Ohio Improvement Process, and developed by Ohio educators makes them unique. While there are a variety of free national professional development resources, users still have to Ohio-ize them. OLAC resources are already built from the Ohio context, and as things are updated from the Ohio Department of Education, the tools reflect those updates.
@OHEdLeadership
As a building leader, it was important to have these resources to support real improvement. At my building, we were already in the OIP, but I found that many times educators were using old data in their TBT meetings. As a result, they were not getting the most out of their TBT time to improve student outcomes. Through the use of OLAC tools that support the 5-step process, my teams were able to have a TBT meeting right after an assessment, use steps 1–2 to talk about how all groups of students performed, and then use steps 3–4 to talk about action steps to address any issues. Then, we could take it to step 5, which helped us to look at our data over time to see if there was improvement. Prior to being exposed to OLAC tools, I had been working toward the OIP and starting TBTs as a principal, but wasn’t making the connection. Using the OLAC modules, website, and handouts to support the work in my building to create effective TBTs and BLTs helped me see the big picture. OhioLeadership.org |
@OHEdLeadership
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speaking, we interview potential candidates in two rounds. The first round is with us (and sometimes students) whereas the second round is with the respective teacher/grade level team. As we interview candidates, we’re looking for people who share our educational philosophy, are authentic, and share our passion for making learning fun.
PERFORMANCE TASKS
While candidates are in the waiting area, we give them homework.
Task 1—Give the candidate a set of student data, and ask him or
What does it mean for students to be empowered by their own learning?
Technology
How do you integrate technology to make learning personalized for children? Standards—curriculum or technology—which takes precedence?
Classroom Management
How do you incorporate PBIS into your classroom?
her to answer the following questions: What are three things you Teacher-Student Relationships notice? What are two questions you have? What is one thing you Do students need to like you? could do tomorrow given this data? Rita Pierson said, “Kids can’t learn from teachers they don’t like.” Explain why you agree or disagree with this quote. Task 2—Give the candidate a parent’s e-mail, and ask him or her to respond. Collaboration Say you disagree with a teammate—how do you handle disagreement? Below is a series of questions we have used to help get to know our What must effective PLCs include? candidates as well as we can.
Parents
Introduction, Breaking the Ice
What role does a parent play in your classroom?
Given no constraints and all the money you need, describe your ideal classroom. What are three adjectives that students would use to describe you? What would a parent, colleague, and administrator say? Tell us about a recent tweet you made dealing with your classroom or education. What is something educational you have been reading/exploring lately?
WHO WOULD YOUR STUDENTS HIRE?
W
e have had many conversations about the importance of hiring staff who fit the culture and vision of the school. Finding the right candidate for a vacancy within the building is arguably one of the most critical elements in leading a successful organization as one poor hiring decision can take years to remedy. To this end, we have worked to refine our interview process to ensure that we not only have the most qualified candidate but also have a candidate who fits well into our beliefs and shared vision.
The first step in the hiring process requires some introspection. A leader’s vision for the future—and continuous work to reach that vision—is the cornerstone from which choosing candidates emanates. It is imperative to seek candidates who share similar philosophies in a manner that complements the leader’s vision. Furthermore, it’s important to think about the soft skills and/or leadership capabilities necessary for a candidate to be successful in the open position. Education is too much of a “team sport” to hire a candidate who will not work well with others. Once a leader has given consideration to the kind of person he or she is looking for, the next step is to actually begin looking for that person.
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by Bob Buck and Brian Lyons
We are fortunate to work in a district that is inundated with qualified applicants for nearly every position that becomes available. While it’s wonderful to be able to draw from such a vast pool, it also takes a lot of work to sort through the resumes and find the people we would like to interview. Typically, we begin pulling resumes as early as we can in hopes of procuring the best candidates. We maintain the position that the “best” candidates are going to be hired very early in the process, and we want to get a jump on competing districts. Once we get through the requisite skills, uniqueness and creativity with a resume nearly always gets a candidate to the top of the stack and an interview. The more we can tell about someone’s personality from a resume, the more confident we feel about bringing him or her in for an interview. We dedicate a tremendous amount of time to interviewing candidates. It is not atypical for us to conduct interviews throughout an entire day on multiple days for just one position. Even at that, if we don’t feel like we’ve found the best candidate, we’ll keep pulling resumes and scheduling interviews. We will not “settle” on a candidate or ever think a candidate is “good enough.” Generally
Personality
Would you want to be a student in your classroom? Why or why not? Answer one of the two following questions: If you had a soundtrack for your life, what three songs would be on your soundtrack? At Cincinnati Reds games, players have a walk-up song. What would your walk-up song be? If you could have dinner with any famous person—dead or alive— who would you have dinner with?
Grading
In asking the aforementioned questions, it is our hope to fit togethWhat is the purpose for taking grades? er the nuanced pieces of a complex puzzle. While a candidate’s skill Can a student redo work to achieve a higher grade? set is an important component, there are also other considerations. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Giving a It is certainly plausible that a candidate is an outstanding teacher, student a zero teaches responsibility. Why or why not? but would not be a good fit for a particular team or school. For this reason it is critical to have a focused vision for the direction Feedback one wants to lead a school. For us, the core principles of a wholeHow do you provide feedback to students during a lesson? child philosophy are that vision’s primary puzzle pieces. From those How do you engage students in their own feedback? principles, the entire puzzle is constructed. How do you use this feedback in a PLC to improve student learning? In the end, choosing the best candidate comes down to how much the candidate cares about children. We can teach a candidate the How do you differentiate/personalize learning for students? Explain latest intervention or instructional strategy. We can even coach how you have planned, prepared, and executed a personalized lesson. them on classroom management and handling difficult parents. We How have you accepted multiple versions of a learning outcome? cannot, however, teach a candidate how to be passionate for kids. So while a candidate may be able to eloquently explain each detail of their oversized binder with painstaking precision, what truly Instructional How do you know if the intended learning of a lesson is effective matters to us is how much they care about children. for a child?
Differentiation/Personalize Learning
About the Authors Bob Buck is the principal and Brian Lyons is the assistant principal of Wilson Elementary in the Forest Hills School District in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wilson was named a Hall of Fame School in 2016. Bob has been an administrator for 12 years. He earned his degrees from Urbana University and the University of Dayton. Brian has been in administration for three years and earned his degrees from the University of Dayton and Xavier University. You can connect with both of them via Twitter—Bob @RWBedu and Brian @mrlyonsWE or Wilson Elementary @WilsonElem.
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ENGAGE. EMPOWER. EDUCATE. June 14-16, 2017
•
Columbus, Ohio
E3=Innovation! Join OAESA and educators from across Ohio to look at innovations in learning—not just technology—but harnessing data, creativity, STEM, culture, and every available tool to boost each student to his or her highest potential. ENGAGE. EMPOWER. EDUCATE. is the highlight of your summer! - FEATURING -
KEYNOTE
SPEAKERS
Katie Christie Google Certified Innovator/Trainer and EdTechTeam Lead Learner
ENGAGE
Pernille Ripp author of Passionate Learners: How to Engage and Empower your Students
EMPOWER Matt Miller Superintendent of Mentor Public Schools
EDUCATE Learn, stay, and play at the
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PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: With 40+ peer-led clinics, there’s a topic for every interest.
GROW
Want to present a clinic? Submit your proposal by Jan. 15, 2017! Get details at www.oaesa.org.
NETWORK: Connect with colleagues from across Ohio as you grow your professional network--and make a few new friends!
YOUR OWN TEACHERS by Kathy Sabo
TRADE SHOW: Get the skinny on the latest products, services, and innovations.
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very August and September, school districts across America proudly announce their new teachers to the community. In many communities, the newly hired teachers are former students who will now sit behind the desk as a teacher. In fact, in the past thirty years there have been increased efforts around the country for school districts to hire their own graduates, or as it is commonly called, “Grow Your Own Teachers.” Grow-your-own programs are used across America to formally foster a culturally diverse teacher faculty by providing avenues to a teaching degree; however, in many other school districts, graduates return to teach in the community without a formal program. The desire—or calling—to become a teacher is different for everyone. I knew in the third grade that I wanted to be a teacher. Miss James was my third grade teacher, and she was amazing. She was determined that all the students in her class learned. She kept me in from recess when I didn’t complete work or when she wanted to work with me individually. Miss James gave everyone her personal attention. She had a way of using every moment to teach, and when she talked to you, she made you feel very important. Miss James loved me, and I loved her right back. I would emulate her when I played school at home. It was during the third grade that I decided I wanted to teach. Many times over the years, my decision to become a teacher was confirmed that this was definitely the right path. As a student, I had no idea how many alumni returned to be
teachers. When I graduated from college, the natural thing to do was to return home and apply at school districts in the area. While I interviewed at many places, the chance to “come home” struck me as a grand opportunity to be part of great work, impacting my very own community. For me the journey back to the school district where I was a student seemed a natural occurrence. Presently, I serve as the middle school principal in the district where I attended. It is such an honor and joy to work with students that live in the same community where I grew up and to have my school be named an OAESA Hall of Fame School. It’s the most beautiful blend of doing business that is personal and professional. Community is just who we are. So, when you think about the people you are going to hire, think about the students sitting in your classrooms. Who will decide to carry the torch and love for the community and the place you call home? Who will become a teacher, principal, aide, custodian, board member, parent, or community member? Who we hire may start with who we serve.
About the Author Kathy Sabo is the principal of Norwood Middle School in the Norwood City School District. Her school was selected as an OAESA 2015–16 Hall of Fame School.
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More importantly, it matters for student achievement if principals stay for the long haul.
Student Achievement and Principal Longevity
STAYING IN THE GAME:
PREVENTING PRINCIPAL BURNOUT by Justin Baeder
A couple of months ago, I interviewed Berkeley professor David Kirp about his book Improbable Scholars. Kirp studied a high-poverty district in New Jersey that has remarkably high student achievement, considering the challenges its students face in life. Despite poverty, limited English proficiency, and other challenges, the students in Union City, New Jersey, do as well as their middle-class peers across the state.
What Makes the Difference in This District?
What struck me most was Union City’s leadership stability—extremely low turnover among principals and senior leaders.
School Culture and Momentum
A strong school culture can withstand a bit of leadership turnover. The more instructional leadership is “distributed” across multiple staff, the more resilient the school will be during times of stress and transition. But to become a resilient school with strong, distributed leadership…you need leadership stability in the first place. To build the kind of culture that can endure, you need a principal who stays long enough to build momentum.
Why Don’t We Invest in Turnover Prevention?
A lot of districts don’t invest in reducing principal turnover because
it’s not a single direct cost. No invoice marked “principal turnover expenses” ever arrives in the mail. But that doesn’t make the costs of losing principals any less real. It matters for the financial bottom line. It matters for students. And it matters for school culture.
Are You Preventing Turnover for Yourself?
But let’s go a step further. Rather than wait for your employer to invest in keeping you around, let me ask a more personal question: What are you doing to keep yourself in your current position? If you’re looking for a new challenge, or if life’s changes move you somewhere new, that’s another matter. But if you’re burning out— if your job is weighing too heavily on your body, your mind, and your heart—take action. We’ve all seen what happens when leaders fail to see the warning signs and are forced by their health to step down. And we’ve seen what happens when people pull back and disengage to preserve their sanity. It’s pretty obvious when leaders are phoning it in. It might feel like a necessary adjustment, but it’s not fair to students.
If you’re in the game, stay in it 100 percent by taking care of yourself. If you want to reduce your stress level and make your work more manageable—while increasing your effectiveness—check out our program High Performance Habits [available at principalcenter. com/habits].
References
According to [CHURN: The High Cost of Principal Turnover], a report from School Leaders Network, replacing a single principal can cost a total of $75,000—or more.
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Baeder, Justin. “David Kirp—Improbable Scholars: The Rebirth of a Great American School System and a Strategy for America’s Schools.” The Principal Center. September 2014, https://www.principalcenter.com/david-kirp-improbable-scholars-the-rebirth-of-a-great-american-school-system-and-a-strategy-for-americas-schools. School Leaders Network. CHURN: The High Cost of Principal Turnover. Retrieved from https://connectleadsucceed.org/sites/default/files/principal_turnover_cost.pdf
Isn’t that a staggering figure? Keep in mind that the $75,000 figure doesn’t include salary…those are just the costs of replacing a principal who doesn’t stay. If you consider the cost of:
About the Author
• Recruitment • Training • Hiring • Mentoring • Onboarding • New Principal Professional Development and more, it’s easy to see how the total could reach $75,000 or more (the report, which offers its own breakdown, places the high end of the range at $303,000).
Justin Baeder is the director of the Principal Center and host of Principal Center Radio. He helps school administrators transform their productivity and multiply their impact and speaks regularly at conferences and professional development events. His Instructional Leadership Challenge has helped more than 9,000 school leaders develop the habit of getting into classrooms every day. You can follow Justin on Twitter @eduleadership. Check out his blog and radio show at principalcenter.com.
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moving men teachers to positions considered masculine. Some examples include shifting men to older grades; moving them to math, science, or technology positions; or hiring them to fill coaching vacancies. Keeping men in the youngest grades is an opportunity for administrators to remove the gender barriers embedded in the culture of early childhood education.
GIVE THE GREEN LIGHT FOR HUGS
Some men teachers in early childhood education never become comfortable with physical contact because they describe being under a microscope (Decorse and Vogtle, 1997; Jones, 2003; Sargent, 2000). Prolonged experience in the classroom, school context, and having children of their own can lead to men feeling confident modifying their physical contact policies in early childhood education; unfortunately not all men are around to reach these milestones (Sumsion, 2000a). When men teachers are negotiating identity and constructing masculinities in early childhood education, they could benefit from conversations with administrators about physical contact with students. Clearly understanding the possibilities for interacting with young students gives men an opportunity to develop their own strategies (hands off or hands on), and having this discussion might just be a way to unlock nurturing masculinities from men with reservations about it.
AUDIT CLASS LISTS PROCEDURES
KEEPING MEN TEACHERS
in Early Childhood Education by Matthew Luginbill INTRODUCTION
A great deal of focus, energy, and attention has been spent researching the possible need for recruiting more men to teach young children (Farquhar, 1997; Cunningham and Watson, 2002; Cushman, 2006). This recruitment movement has gained momentum among policymakers, administrators, and even men teachers in early childhood education (Brody, 2014). Despite these efforts, the public teaching force in the United States continues to be predominately female. The declining number of men teaching in the United States public teaching force, from 40.9 percent in 1870 to 21.9 percent in 1990, demonstrates that many men do not see teaching as a legitimate profession and fewer men are choosing the path less taken of working in primary schools (Johnson, 2008; Willey, 2011). The heavily skewed gender balance offers children very little diversity in the beginning moments of their educational journey. Early childhood education continues to be taught by mostly white, female teachers, due to the feminized nature of the profession. During my fifteen years in third grade, first grade, and kindergarten, gender has influenced my experiences instructing young children. I have worked in gender-skewed elementary buildings as a token male and also in a building where gender proportions were approaching balanced. My gender has been central to how I have
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constructed masculinities and negotiated my identity and has influenced my decision to remain in early childhood education. Throughout the course of my experiences teaching at the primary level, gender has made me question my policy regarding physical contact with students and has resulted in my masculinity being questioned by friends and colleagues. Repeatedly, administrators have placed students with behavior issues in my classroom because I was considered a male role model. I have also benefitted from my minority status when applying for new teaching positions. Based on my own personal experiences and research, here are some recommendations to improve the experiences of men teachers in early childhood education, redefine how they are viewed, and aid in their future retention.
MOVE MEN DOWN, NOT UP
The history of public schools in the United States reveals cumulative historical, economic, and social processes involved with transforming early childhood education into a highly feminized profession (Drudy, Martin, and O’Flynn, 2005; Rury, 1989). Dating back to the early 1900s, men who remained in place teaching young children began taking on masculine responsibilities and moving to male niches (Blount, 2000). It is important for early childhood administrators to understand the implications involved with
Assigning students with behavior issues in men teachers’ classrooms can negatively impact the climate of their class and take away from nurturing moments by locking them into a disciplinarian role (Sargent, 2000; Sargent, 2004). Administrators have a responsibility to audit and evaluate school policies regarding unbiased placement of students into both men and women teachers’ classrooms. Deciding to place students with discipline problems in men teachers’ classrooms has the potential to lead them out of early childhood education and up to administration.
RECRUIT MORE DADS
The literature has been focused on why more men teachers are needed and how to recruit more men to early childhood education (Farquhar, 1997). If we truly see the lack of men in early childhood education as a crisis, all the men who have made the choice to teach young children have untapped potential for getting men involved in the lives of young children. Rather than attempting to solve the daunting problem of recruiting more men teachers to early childhood education, simply using men teachers to recruit more dads, uncles, and grandpas to volunteer at school offers a way to get men involved in these young grades. Men consistently volunteering in early childhood grades would not only get them involved in the lives of their own children but expose all girls and boys to men and various masculinities. An influx of men helpers also provides token men teachers, who are often lonely and vulnerable in their early childhood environments (Allan, 1993; Parr, Gosse, and Allison, 2008), time to interact with fathers and their unique masculinities. Men create their masculinity through relationships with other men and in response to how other men view them (Connell, 2005). More men have the potential to influence how men teachers in early childhood periodically assess their own beliefs and attitudes and look critically at the messages they are sending through their classroom environment and behaviors education (Uttley and Roberts, 2011). From the books read aloud in class to the learning centers that are arranged in their classrooms, men teachers facilitate a space where
young children develop ideas about gender. Including more men as parent volunteers during these early educational moments is a way to disrupt gender barriers and expose all teachers and students to multiple masculinities.
REMOVING MALE FROM ROLE MODEL
One of the big arguments for recruiting more men to teach in early childhood education is the need for boys to have male role models, especially for the children coming to school from single-parent homes (Cameron, 2001; Sargent, 2001; Sumsion, 2000b). This malerole-model belief continues to be split among men teachers in early childhood education, with the majority still feeling men are needed as role models in schools (Burn and Pratt-Adams, 2015; Carrington, 2002; Johnston, McKeown and McEwen, 1999). Martino (2008) argues this line of thinking leads to men teachers being considered better equipped at meeting the social and academic needs of boys, essentially diminishing the ability of women teachers. Bricheno and Thornton (2007) found students did not view male teachers as role models, but this label continues to influence the identities and masculinities of men teachers in early childhood. When teachers follow the career path of early childhood education they understand being a positive role model is part of the job. Rarely is the term female role model used in early childhood education. The problem with linking male with role model is the traits associated with being a male early childhood teacher (strong, firm, demanding) work in contradiction to their role of nurturing and caring for young children. Both women and men teachers in early childhood education are role models, and removing the term male is just the first step in addressing the hegemonic masculinities enhancing the value of men teachers in early childhood education.
CONCLUSION
Throughout this article, similar to Sargent (2001), I consistently use the term men teachers rather than male because it has less of a biological connotation, and the majority of the literature surrounding women in traditional male occupations uses the word women rather than female. Men teachers are used to emphasize how gender is central to the debates about men and teaching, while male teacher is utilized for the biological sex of the teacher (Davidson and Nelson, 2011). Administrators have the same expectations from men and women teachers in early childhood education, and moving away from using “male role model” is a step toward breaking down the stereotypes associated with gender roles in the classroom. For me, research illuminates how schools are under construction in terms of unpacking the normativity that permeates the gender roles within. Schools are structured according to outdated cultural, gender, and sexuality understandings. We need to be committed to changing these understandings in early childhood education— changing not only how people view men teachers in early childhood education but also how men teachers view themselves. We must expect different from men, not more. Reading the narratives of other men teachers in early childhood education has left me empathizing with them and understanding their situations. It has also made me critical of the social and cultural forces leading to the unequal gender power dynamics sometimes working against men teaching in early childhood education, but often tilted in their favor. It is time to rethink what masculine means for men teaching in early childhood education and administrators have an important role in this process. references and author information on the next page...
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...continued from previous page
REFERENCES
Elementary Essentials
Allan, Jim. “Male Elementary Teachers: Experiences and Perspectives.” In Doing Women’s Work: Men in Nontraditional Occupations, edited by C. L. Williams, 113–127. London: Sage, 1993. Blount, Jackie. “Spinsters, Bachelors, and Other Gender Transgressors in School Employment, 1850–1990.” Review of Educational Research 70.1 (2000): 83–101. Bricheno, Patricia and Mary Thornton. “Role model, Hero, or Champion? Children’s Views Concerning Role Models.” Educational Research 49.4 (2007): 383–396.
RECRUITING, HIRING, & RETAINING:
Brody, David. Men Who Teach Young Children: An International Perspective. London: Trentham Books, 2014.
WHAT WORKED FOR US
Burn, Elizabeth and Simon Pratt-Adams. Men Teaching Children 3–11: Dismantling Gender Barriers. London: Bloomsbury, 2015. Cameron, Claire. “Promise or Problem? A Review of the Literature on Men Working in Early Childhood Services.” Gender, Work, and Organization 8.4 (2001): 430–453.
by Mike Medure
Carrington, Bruce. “A Quintessentially Feminine Domain? Student Teachers’ Constructions of Primary Teaching as a Career.” Educational Studies 28.3 (2002): 287–303. Connell, Raewyn. Masculinities. 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005. Cunningham, Bruce, PhD. and Lemuel Watson, EdD. “Recruiting Male Teachers.” Young Children 57.6 (2002): 10–15. Cushman, Penni. “Gender Balance Desirability and the Favouring of Male Applicants for Primary School Teaching Positions.” Pacific Asian Education 18.2 (2006): 37–50. Davidson, Kevin and Bryan Nelson. “Men and Teaching: Good Intentions and Productive Tensions.” Journal of Men’s Studies 19.2 (2011): 91–96. Decorse, Cynthia and Stephen Vogtle. “In a Complex Voice: The Contradictions of Male Elementary Teachers’ Career Choice and Professional Identity.” Journal of Teacher Education 48.1 (1997): 37–46. Drudy, Sheelagh, M. Martin, M. Woods, and J. O’Flynn. Men and the Classroom: Gender Imbalances in Teaching. London: Routledge, 2005. Farquhar, Sarah. “Are Male Teachers Really Necessary?” ERIC Clearinghouse. http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED17821. Johnson, Shaun. “The Status of Male Teachers in Public Education Today.” Education Policy Brief 6.4 (2008): 1–11. Johnston, John, E. McKeown, and A. McEwen. (1999). “Choosing Primary Teaching as a Career: The Perspectives of Males and Females in Training.” Journal of Education for Teaching 25.1 (1999): 55–64. Jones, Alison. “Primary Teacher Trainees: Identity Formation in an Age of Anxiety.” Asia–Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 31.3 (2003): 181–193. Martino, Wayne. “Male Teachers as Role Models: Addressing Issues of Masculinity, Pedagogy, and the Remasculinization of Schooling.” Curriculum Inquiry 38.2 (2008): 189–223. Parr, Michael, D. Gosse, and J. Allison. “The Professional Journey of Male Primary Teachers:Experiences and Perceptions of Entering a ‘Sacred Female Space.’” International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities, and Nations 7.6 (2008): 257–265. Rury, John. “Who Became Teachers? The Social Characteristics of Teachers in American History.” In American Teachers: Histories of a Profession at Work, edited by Donald Warren, 9–48. New York: Macmillan, 1989. Sargent, Paul. “Real Men or Real Teachers: Contradictions in the Lives of Men Elementary Teachers.” Men and Masculinities 2.4 (2000): 410–433. Sargent, Paul. Real Men or Real Teachers: Contradictions in the Lives of Men Elementary Teachers. Harriman, TN: Men’s Studies Press, 2001. Sargent, Paul. “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Men Caught in the Gender Bind of Early Childhood Education.” Journal of Men’s Studies 12.3 (2004): 172–192. Sumsion, Jennifer. “Negotiating Otherness: A Male Early Childhood Educator’s Gender Positioning.” International Journal of Early Years Education 8.2 (2000): 129–140. Sumsion, Jennifer. “Rewards, Risks, and Tensions: Perceptions of Males Enrolled in an Early Childhood Teacher Education Program.” Asia–Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 28.1 (2000): 87–100. Uttley, Clarissa, PhD, and Cynthia Roberts, PhD. “Gender Portrayal in Early Childhood Children’s Books.” In Perspectives on Gender in Early Childhood, edited by Tamar Jacobson, 111–126. St. Paul: Redleaf Press, 2011.
O
ver the past couple of years, we have made a conscious effort, when provided the opportunity, to successfully find or retain candidates that are not only knowledgeable and driven but also possess a personality or leadership style that will merge well with others. We establish our school climate/ culture by centering on togetherness and family, which is the foundation for our collaboration and support. This serves as our primary motivation in retaining quality individuals. In addition, knowing and understanding the immense importance of collaboration at the teacher-basedteam (TBT) level, greatly influences the selection of most admissible candidates. Our leadership and grade-level teams work together by openly sharing ideas, creating lessons, analyzing data, and continuously discussing ways of improving our school. Therefore, when recruiting and hiring teachers, we need to find team players and dedicated professionals who are willing to share and work together as a team. In turn, we will support and value them as members. To assist in the establishment of staff relationships, our school has staff luncheons and outings to build relationships and get to know one another. We create fun spirit days to motivate the staff and students and to build our school spirit. We recognize staff members for their accomplishments and wonderful work. We also rotate TBT roles and on other committees so that all responsibilities are shared and understood. We keep communication open and share ideas, problems, and solutions. We foster the school-wide concept that all teachers are responsible for all students—at every grade level, not just your classroom. We need all children to be successful for the building to succeed. Steve Jobs stated (and believed), “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Together with administration, teachers, and support staff, we all help create the best, safest, and most supportive environment to foster learning for all our children—and for each other.
Willey, Josiah. “Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Men Who Teach in Elementary Special Education Programs: A Path Less Taken.” (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). George Washington University, Washington, DC, 2011.
About the Author About the Author Matthew Luginbill is currently a kindergarten teacher at Cuyahoga Heights Elementary School. He earned his master’s degree in educational administration from Ashland University and his PhD in urban education from Cleveland State University. His research interests include the recruitment and retention of men teachers in early childhood education. You can reach Matt by e-mail at mluginbill@cuyhts.org.
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Mike Medure is currently the principal of two buildings in the Massillon City School District, with most of his time spent at Franklin Elementary, a K–3 building with 640+ fantastic students. He is also the administrator of the district’s preschool program. Mr. Medure is in his eighth year as principal but in his eighteenth year at Franklin. He received his BS from Malone College and his master’s through Ashland University. He is very proud of his staff, who work tirelessly—individually and collaboratively—to provide a safe, enriching learning environment that focuses heavily on academic success but also on creating relationships that produce receptive, lifelong learners. He enjoys outdoor activities with his family, including camping, fishing, and hunting.
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Finding the Right Piece of the Puzzle: Hiring and Coaching the Next Generation of Ohio’s Teachers by Joy Edgell
Finding a new staff member can often be like looking for the last puzzle piece—the one that is always missing. It doesn’t matter how the open position happened, it is your job to find another “piece” that will fit and work cooperatively to make that puzzle whole again.
As an administrator is thinking and planning to fill the position, staff ownership and acceptance of the new teacher is vital. Personally, I believe that the teaching team should be involved in almost every area of the hiring process. They should have the opportunity to review resumes, ask interview questions, and discuss potential candidates—with each other and the administration. This helps support the candidates’ validity and gives the staff a feeling of security with their new teammate. The administration-staff relationship should be secure in the fact that staff members feel confident that they can recommend a candidate choice and their leader will listen. The staff should also know that the administration has the final say which candidate will be recommended to the board of education. The principal-staff relationship through this process is a key ingredient of finding, recommending, and keeping effective teachers. The team in our building interviews and sorts out candidates together! We make it as fun as possible, with everyone participating. As the leader, I make sure the interview room is clean and welcoming, and we always have chocolate on hand! We also order take-out food to thank the interview team for their time and to share together as we discuss how the candidates performed. The team makes a recommendation at the end of the process and the administration moves the process forward. Now that the the final piece has been chosen, we work as a team to welcome that individual into the culture. First, a mentor is assigned, based on grade level and personal growth areas that have been iden-
tified for the new employee. Next, the mentor meets with their mentee, during school hours and outside of the school day if possible. They help them understand everything from the culture of the community, to family dynamics, to the staff handbook and expectations. Finally, the new hire meets with me, the principal, at least two times before they begin teaching. The first time is to get to know more about them as a person. We have a “Welcome Binder” that includes all the important information they will need to start teaching in our building, such as our school improvement plan, staff handbook, and important phone numbers. I also give them a T-shirt with our school logo and mission statement. We encourage them to begin wearing their shirt on Fridays for school spirit! The second meeting is simply to offer any support they may need before they begin teaching. They have the opportunity to ask questions about items in the Welcome Binder, clarify any information, and share any needs. Finally, it is crucial to support these new staff members throughout their first year and beyond. Make them a part of the team by discovering their interests and talents and help them to use those talents to benefit the students. As you help them utilize their talents, also challenge their areas for growth, by offering professional development opportunities both in district and out of district. Last of all, as an administrator, have an open door and open mind as you guide, train, and coach these new teachers. They will become the next leaders and your biggest asset.
About the Author When looking for a new teacher, there are many aspects for an administrator to think about: What grade level am I focused on, and what do those students need in a teacher? Example: A first grade group of students may need someone extremely structured with training in positive behavior reinforcements. A sixth grade math block may need a very flexible instructor with training in small group intervention. What are the strengths and personalities of the team members this teacher will be working with? Example: A team consisting of five teachers may already have three teachers who are strongwilled, type-A personalities. A good fit for their team may be a calm, confident “negotiator.” What do I need this new teacher to bring to the table to help further our goals as a school? Example: Our school improvement plan specifically describes goals and focus areas that we continuously address as a staff. What does this individual have in his or her toolkit that will help others learn or advance the goals of that plan?
Joy Edgell is an elementary administrator in southeast Ohio. She taught in the kindergarten world for 10 years, before starting her administration career four year ago. She enjoys her family (husband and three girls) and working with teachers of all experience levels. Her goal is to serve and lead all of them to individual success.
Let’s face it. The principalship can lonely. Do you ever... Question if you’re doing a good job? Wonder what your supervisor and staff think of your work? Want guidance on how to be the best leader you can be? Need help moving forward?
The OAESA 360 Feedback Tools can help! Our online assessments assist you in identifying your strengths and weaknesses by gathering anonymous and critical feedback from stakeholders about your job performance. After you process your results, we offer guidance for professional growth. Visit oaesa.org/resources_360.asp to learn more.
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Use the interview as just one piece of the puzzle. If you make hiring decisions based solely on answers to interview questions, that’s like purchasing a house after seeing a picture in a brochure. Listen for strong answers, certainly, but also look for other things: a thorough yet concise communication style; the ability to articulate knowledge about best instructional practices; a poised and polished demeanor. Another quick note: Don’t assume that a quiet or reserved candidate is not a good one. I have seen more than a few excellent candidates turned away for being “reserved.” Don’t always assume that a bubbly teacher is the best teacher.
HIRING
TEACHERS by Jen Schwanke
I
’m embarrassed to admit this: Years ago, when I was first hired as an assistant middle school principal, I hadn’t given any thought to the process of hiring teachers. I guess I thought it just happened: a job opening occurred, there were some interviews, the best person was offered the job, and everything went along swimmingly. My principal—who remains one of my best mentors ever—begged to differ. All through that first year, I had noticed that she took any resume that was handed to her; she filed each in a meticulously labeled folder, organized by certification area. By the time spring came and our list of official openings solidified, she had accumulated a thick stack of resumes. She read each one carefully and created a list of potential interview candidates. Then another entire process began: setting a timeline, establishing committees to talk with candidates, setting up interviews, conducting reference checks, and sometimes even inviting candidates to visit or teach a lesson. It was
an exhaustive process, with many steps and lots of conversation. It seemed like a lot to take care of before anyone was actually hired.
the following components: • Establish a reasonable timeline.
I asked her about it some vague and confused way. “You really put a lot of time and effort into hiring, don’t you?”
• Search for candidates (via your district’s applicant pool, gathering resumes, or networking).
She stopped what she was doing and looked at me, hard. “Hiring is the single most important thing you will do as a principal.”
• Determine four or five candidates who may be a good fit.
At the time, I was feeling like everything was important, so I didn’t fully process the truth in her words. But she was correct. It really is the most important thing you’ll do as a principal. Why? Because once a teacher is hired, for better or worse, you will “live” with them for a very, very long time. And even if you, as the principal, move on to a different position, the teacher you have hired will still have a daily impact on children—hundreds and thousands, potentially—over the course of three or four decades. Things have changed quite a bit since I first watched my principal work through her hiring process. For one thing, resumes and candidate binders have given way to online applications and online portfolios. However, the basic components in an effective hiring process have not changed. Here are several things to keep in mind. Outline a process. Organizing your hiring into steps will help you stay focused and organized. Your process may include
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• Set up interview procedures and develop interview questions. • Interview. • Check references. • Make a decision; inform everyone involved, including candidates not chosen. • Complete required paperwork. • Recommend a candidate to your board of education for approval. Remember that resumes don’t tell the whole story. While a resume is great for gathering facts—graduate information, certification area, and specific experiences—it is a mistake to put too much weight on the format, style, or complexity of a resume. Anyone can hire an expert to develop and refine a resume. For hiring purposes, resumes are best used to gather information, not to create an accurate picture of your candidate as a teacher.
Involve a team. So much of a candidate’s success is determined by how he or she interacts with others. If you invite grade-level teammates, department members, support staff, and even parents to be part of an interview team, you will gather a sense for how well each candidate will work with others and how easily they will make connections. Candidates weak in this area will quickly reveal themselves as someone who will not fit well with the team; similarly, candidates strong in this area will foster excitement with your staff about the energy and enthusiasm that will come with having a new colleague. Check references extensively. Call all the folks on the reference sheet, and then—this is important—call anyone who is not on the reference sheet and should be. As an example, we recently interviewed a candidate who was truly lovely and seemed as though she’d be a great fit on our team. Her education and training was in line with what we needed. I noticed, however, that her previous principal wasn’t listed on the references that she provided to us. I hunted down the principal’s number and made the call. It was only then that I discovered our candidate had been non-renewed—she had been so disorganized and flighty that she’d been an immense liability for her previous school. Had I not made that call, I would have hired a long-term problem to solve. Call all candidates as soon as possible, regardless of whether you are delivering good news or bad news. When you have decided who won't be considered for a position, call them immediately. You owe them the respect to allow them to move on to other opportunities as soon as possible. And if you’re delivering good news, your candidate can stop interviewing elsewhere. Remember that candidates tend to be anxious and eager for any call from you—it’s the right thing to do to communicate with them as soon as you can. Don’t actually offer the job. It’s usually best to tell your selected candidate that you are “recommending them” for hire. That way, if for any reason your district leaders or board of education does not approve the hire, you won’t have to revoke a promise. Set your candidate up for success. Once you have determined who you will hire for your positions, your work is not done.
The first few weeks and months of a new teacher’s job are the most vulnerable, and a positive experience will launch into a positive year—and career. These are a few things to keep in mind: • Set your candidate up with a strong mentor. • Take the time to show the candidate all around the building. • Introduce the candidate to important support staff— front office personnel, custodians, kitchen workers, guidance counselors, and anyone else who can be a friend and mentor to the new hire. • Provide the financial and material resources necessary for a good start. Check in often. Once the school year has begun and the classrooms are full of children, it’s easy to shift our focus away from our teaching staff. Yet, checking in with our most anxious, unseasoned teachers should still be a priority. Scheduling formal check-ins is a great idea, but informal pop-ins are also helpful. A simple smile and a supportive comment will help your new teacher feel you are truly invested in their success. As I learned so many years ago, your hiring decisions will impact your staff and students for many years to come. In that sense, hiring teachers is an enormous responsibility, and one that cannot be taken lightly. It’s worth the extensive time and energy that it will take to get it just right.
About the Author Jen Schwanke began her career as a language arts educator eighteen years ago. She has worked at both the elementary and secondary levels as a teacher and administrator. She is currently a principal for the Dublin City School District in Dublin, Ohio. A graduate instructor in educational leadership, she has written frequently for literacy and educational leadership publications. She is the author of You’re the Principal: Now What? Strategies and Solutions for New School Leaders, which we will be a feature book review in the spring issue of the Navigator.
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from OAESA’s Associate Executive Director
CRUCIAL DECISIONS:
Hiring the Best by Mark Jones
O
f all the important tasks performed by school administrators, none is more crucial to the long-term success of their schools than hiring the right individuals to staff their classrooms. While some decisions facing a school principal can be made based on gut instinct, the critical function of identifying and hiring the best possible teachers, and then retaining them over time, cannot be left to chance. Indeed, a well-coordinated plan, developed in conjunction with the district’s human resources personnel and followed purposefully, is absolutely essential. There are several characteristics that describe the ideal process for recruitment and hiring to ensure a district places the best available candidates in its schools. Unfortunately, far too many systems are either unable or unwilling to invest the time and resources into creating and following a robust approach to securing those bluechip new teachers. More often than not, the problem stems from a dearth of fiscal and human capital rather than a lack of will. Still, a smart district will look at this whole process as a critical “hunting expedition,” with its very survival dependent on how skilled they are at tracking and bagging the elusive prey. How many of these boxes does your district check in the effort to bring in the best?
The Early Bird Gets the Worm
Since your district is certainly not alone in the search for high-quality teaching candidates, it only makes sense to have your line in the water before the other fishermen even wake up. To be most effective, you simply can’t wait until the end of one school year to begin looking for next year’s new teachers. Generally, by March or April, the best candidates have already secured jobs, so your district should start the process as early as humanly possible. To accomplish this, the district must first accurately identify their staffing needs for the coming school year. This is rarely an exact science, as last-minute retirement or resignation decisions among your current staff will always be a possibility, but every effort should be made to minimize this possibility. In an effort to flesh out their anticipated staffing needs, many districts have implemented policies that include paying teachers a sizeable “retirement stipend” if an employee offers notification of their resignation for the next school year prior to a specific date, usually in January or February. This provides the district with a more complete picture of its future staffing needs as early as possible and gives the existing employees a little perk for their service.
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Another complicating factor to determining next year’s needs occurs when existing staff makes use of transfer policies, shifting the anticipated openings to other grades or departments. Principals might know that they will have an opening to fill, but not be sure just where the vacancy will exist. And, since part of smart staffing involves matching the right candidate to the specific job, the problem of late-season internal transfers can be frustrating. Ideally, your district will have clear language in the master agreement that not only provides the existing teaching staff with opportunities for transfers but also that doesn’t unduly complicate the task of identifying your openings in a timely manner. The bottom line for any district, however, is that the sooner you can create a clear picture of your staffing needs, the quicker you can get at the process of recruiting and hiring. It shouldn’t be unreasonable for your district to aim for having its staffing needs for the coming school year fairly well identified by the beginning of February. Hopefully, you are able to start your search before the big ones get away.
Leave No Stone Unturned
Finding that perfect new hire requires a constant vigil, and you should be prepared to cast a wide net. If you limit your search to only those individuals whom you have already met, say through student teachers working in your school or those subs that you have seen on a regular basis, you will likely be short-changing your students. While it can be an advantage to have seen these potential teachers actually instruct kids and interact with your other teachers, you should never “settle” just because they are handy. Walking that fine line between expressing your appreciation for a sub’s willingness to work in your school, without giving them a sense of entitlement or an inside track for a future position can sometimes be awkward. Just remember, your first and most important obligation is to the students, and they deserve the absolute best teacher you can find for them.
creative districts will try to establish some key relationships with various university faculty members in charge of teacher-preparation programs and gain insights about who their best students are in each licensure area. And, of course, there is no substitute for good old-fashioned legwork. This means taking the time to cull through what might be hundreds of online applications submitted by hopeful candidates, trying to find that needle in a haystack. Although it can often be quite tedious, the effort will be well worth it if you uncover that hidden gem that might otherwise have gone unfound!
Strike While the Iron Is Hot
Another critical balancing act that district personnel must perform involves taking the appropriate amount of time necessary to interview candidates, check references, and match the right candidates to the available openings—but doing so in the most expeditious way possible. Indeed, if those involved are slow to act, or if any part of the process gets bogged down unnecessarily, the good candidates will be snapped up by other hungry districts. Ideally, you won’t need more than a few days after interviewing that blue-chip candidate to check references. So, unless you are unsure of where your openings are, or still have several other candidates to inter-
view, waiting to extend an offer only increases the likelihood that someone else will beat you to the punch. For building principals, it can be a highly rewarding experience to call that wonderful candidate with whom you have made a great connection during the interview stage and offer him or her the chance to work in your building. Indeed, such a conversation can lay the cornerstone of what will become a terrific working relationship for years to come. It is critical, however, that you follow your district’s protocols when going through the hiring process, including the all-important stage of extending the offer. A mistake here can send you back to square one, searching for another option and wasting precious time.
Debriefing for Improvement
And finally, at the end of each hiring season, all the administrators involved, from the building principals to the human resource staff to the superintendent, should hold an annual debriefing session focused solely on analyzing how well they met the goal of finding and securing the best available candidates. If, along the way, you failed to land the big one, the group should examine why this happened and discuss ways to fix your process for the next year. After all, your students deserve nothing less than the very best!
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Your district should be taking advantage of the college recruitment opportunities offered across the state. These job fairs are an ideal way to meet potential candidates, as well as to hone your own message as you try to pitch your school and district. Understand that, very likely, you are in competition with dozens of other districts who are also looking for those rock-star entry-year teachers, so you will probably need to polish your sales pitch too! In fact, truly
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ing opportunity also came an amazing responsibility. That responsibility is summed up simply as: the future.
EDUCATORS of a Different Class by Carrie Sanchez
I remember that opening day staff meeting as if it were yesterday. I had my agenda. The staff was gathered all together. I called the meeting to order. Then it happened. I made eye contact with that new teacher that we had hired. She was looking at me wide eyed, brimming with enthusiasm and eagerness. At that very moment, my whole world changed. Those people sitting before me…they were not my staff…they were my class. Those individuals had a common goal. They needed me to lead them. But more importantly, they needed me to nurture them. Teach them. Give them feedback. Hold them accountable. And if warranted, they needed me to discipline them. Since that first hire, nearly 80 percent of our staff has been replenished with new faces over the past eight years. Let me be the first to tell you: working with new teachers is hard work! They need your attention every day. However, more than your attention, they need your wisdom and your leadership. Here are a few points to consider when you are bringing in new teachers to your building and district: Get to know your teachers as people first. Every new hire to our building has to endure a one-on-one lunch with me the summer before their school year starts. I want to get to know them. I want them to get to know me. I also want to answer all of their “rookie” questions early so they start on the right track.
W
hen I began the chapter of my career as a school principal, I thought my role in the school was similar to that of an orchestra conductor. I needed to orchestrate the operations of the school. I needed to cue the right players at the right times to make sure things happened as they should. As it turns out, that was not how it should be at all. Let me begin by first going back… My teaching career was the joy of my life. Straight out of college, I eagerly accepted a position that would occupy every waking moment of my existence—and at least 80 percent of my sleeping moments as well! I planned and organized and taught and assessed. I met with students before school and after school and during lunchtime and planning times. I celebrated the successes, and I anguished over the failures. Each and every day, I started my day knowing that everything I did was for those faces that would be waiting for me at school each day.
As all of us in education know, the only constant there is, is change. Through a myriad of experiences that are a tale for another time, I found myself climbing an unintentional ladder of leadership—first within my building and then within my district. While my heart was breaking over the thought of stepping away from my students, I was experiencing a new and unfamiliar motivation: leadership. The pull was strong—strong enough that I took the risk and gave up the one thing that I loved more deeply than anything I had ever known.
That brings us to the beginning of my administrative career. I was dumbfounded. By the end of the first day of this new career path, I knew that I had made the right choice. I loved it! But on the other hand—did I really need to talk about snow removal? Or bus pickups? What do you mean I had to fix the lunch line issues? That is where the orchestra conductor analogy comes in. If someone said it was my responsibility, it was mine! You better believe I’d take care of the snow—shoot, I was climbing down grated stairs into the depths of the basement to check out boilers! That baby was mine— Fast-forward a few years and I found myself becoming interested and if it was my responsibility, you had better believe I would adin the function of my new school as a whole. I was interested in the dress it, no matter what the issue was! programs and the opportunities for students. I was interested in the pride that was associated with the school and the impact it had on Then it happened. My first experience with my most awesome and the community. However, I never lost sight of my students. I gave intense responsibility: I needed to hire a new teacher. Up until this them everything I had—every ounce of my energy and every fiber point, all of the teachers had been there longer than I had! They were the constant, and I was the variable. But now, with this amazof my being.
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Set your expectations early. Professional dress? Dialogue with parents? Homework policies? Timeliness? How do you make copies? Where do you park? Clearly define your expectations before they become emotional events. Do not wait for teachers to make a mistake to correct them. Keep a running list of “must knows” and share them with every new hire. Review them several times before the school year amps up. Where did they come from? It is critical for every principal to clearly understand the point of reference of every teacher working in his or her building. Think about how disorienting it would be for a new teacher to find himself in the middle of a two thousand-student high school if he graduated from a K–12 building that graduated 80 students per year. Schedule support meetings before the school year starts. At our school, these meetings are called Teacher Academy Meetings. In other years, I have simply given dates and times to each teacher prior to the start of the school year with the explanation that these are simply opportunities to
touch base. Having meetings scheduled in advance keeps the teacher from worrying that they have done something wrong if they are “called to the principal’s office.” Be honest. If new teachers are doing a great job, tell them. If they are struggling, tell them. What you allow will continue, so it is critical that you address small concerns or issues when they are still small. Go over the evaluation tool before it is put into action. In one of your early meetings with your new teacher, go over the entire evaluation tool with him or her, point by point. Again, do this before it becomes an emotional event. Clearly define your expectations. Talk about what each item looks like from both of your perspectives. This will make the evaluation process so much more positive for both of you! Teach them. This sounds a lot like #2, but it deserves more attention: Teach your staff how to be quality professionals. Teach them how to read their contracts. Teach them about their insurance policy and coverage and the difference between a deductible and a copay. Teach them how to professionally disagree (whether it be with you or a colleague). Teach them how to talk with parents. Teach them how to invest their earnings. Teach them how to discipline students. At the end of each day, we are all educators—it just turns out that our learners come in many more shapes and sizes than we had originally anticipated. New teachers need us. They need us to mold them and nurture them and support them and guide them. New teachers need us to save them from themselves and teach them how to balance life and school. The future of next generation of educators lies in the hands of our nation’s current building principals. It is up to us to fill our schools with the best and the brightest, the most creative and engaging, the most dynamic and innovative teachers we can find. After we find them, it is up to us to mold them into the professionals that our districts and schools and profession needs. It turns out that our teachers do not need us to be orchestra directors. Our teachers need us to be more like snow plows. Our schools need us to clear the way so that teachers can be experts in their fields. Our teachers need us to push out of the way whatever it is that is slowing them down or blocking their path. If ever you feel that little tug and you find yourself missing the classroom you left to becoming principal—simply remind yourself: You are a teacher in everything you say and do. Take time to take care of your class, and your school will be a better place because of it.
About the Author Carrie Sanchez is the principal of Port Clinton Middle School in the Port Clinton City School District. You can reach Carrie by e-mail at csanchez@pccsd-k12.net. She has presented at OAESA's professional conference.
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PREPARING ASPIRING EDUCATORS WITH PERSEVERANCE AND PASSION:
The Power of Grit and Growth Mindset
by Paul Young, PhD, Terri Green, and Debra Dunning, PhD
A
ccording to the US Department of Education, more than 1.6 million new teachers will be needed within the next decade.1 These prospective educators, many of whom are still in high school or younger, will study in traditional teacher preparation programs like ours. The challenge for Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) and aspiring educators will be how to stand out and be outstanding in a field of similar training and academic content. We think the answer centers around shaping students’ “soft skills” through collaborative forms of communication between EPPs and school districts. As professors, our work influences and forms the most essential talent that principals need—great teachers. Each day in our college classrooms, we interact with that talent, as do our colleagues in other academic settings. Just like surgeons who operate with precision, knowing that all humans are different, we approach our role as educators of teachers with methodical care. Educating others is both a science and an art. Because of that, we realize that we cannot—and should not—work alone. Better talent preparation requires circular communication between EPPs and receiving schools. To better recruit the most promising future teachers and prepare them for the classroom, principal and professor communication is essential. continued on the next page... 1
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US Department of Education, Our Future, Our Teachers: The Obama Administration’s Plan for Teacher Education Reform and Improvement, Washington, DC, 2011.
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...continued from previous page Students entering college today face many challenges, present many diverse needs, and require differentiated methods of preparation. Many struggle with time management and procrastination. Complaints about the rigor of academic workload are commonplace. Learning to accept personal responsibility for success and failure is one of the most challenging issues many have faced in their lives. Perseverance, or what we call a stick-with-it, gritty attitude, is a deficit mindset trait of many incoming college freshmen. As a result, semester-to-semester retention rates across all preparation programs is a growing concern. Many students can’t handle minimal collegiate requirements and pressures. When work becomes challenging, they quit. They expect instant gratification and recognition. Too many choose to minimally get by. Those students have, as described by Stanford professor Carol Dweck, fixed rather than growth mindsets.2
Collaboratively Defining the Characteristics of “Good” New Teachers To better reflect and improve our practice, we partnered with the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA) in November 2015 and surveyed elementary and middle-level principals to determine what they looked for most when interviewing and selecting new teachers. We obtained qualitative and quantitative responses from 142 respondents. Seventeen questions had been structured to quantify choices with allowance for qualitative comments about what respondents thought were the most preferable new teacher career readiness skills. The questions probed a variety of factors determining what influenced principals’ perceptions about attitude, mindset, initiative, perseverance, social-emotional well-being, communication skills, and attendance in comparison to GPA, test scores, portfolio, and traditional references. The goal was to identify which indicators most influenced principals’ hiring decisions. Responses revealed two approaches utilized by principals when interviewing:
1. Credentialists—those influenced by credentials, including GPA, Despite the challenges, many succeed, and their talent meets standards. resume, references, field placement, and technology experience Those completing preparation programs will acquire the skills to write 2. Potentialists—those who predicted future success by evaluating grit, detailed lesson plans. They’ll learn theory and pedagogy and improve attitude, emotional intelligence, and other character descriptors their practice through clinical experiences. They’ll absorb content and pass the requirements for licensure. However, we are concerned A few conclusions from the survey’s data are summarized in Table 1. that the number of students entering college to become teachers is dropping. Of those Reference letters were considOAESA Survey Summary (November 2015) identifying as educaered by some to be an antiquattion majors, many face What Principals Look for in Hiring New Teachers ed formality. Instead, many challenges—for us and principals reported utilizing Skill or Character Trait Percentage of General Implications from Survey Results for you! Supply and de- of Candidate their professional networks for Respondents mand is a concern, but informal referencing, includAttitude is most influential in the hiring decision and relationship more troubling is that Attitude 90% ing direct contacts in EPPs. building. increasing numbers of aspiring teachers lack When asked to describe Grit Positive social and emotional learning (SEL) was viewed as a the soft skills needed 75% one characteristic that necessity. to get and keep a teachmade candidates stand out, ing job and survive and GPA the most frequent response GPA was a relatively unimportant consideration. 37% was passion. Simply put, thrive in the profession. principals preferred to hire Extracurricular Respondents found this to be influential in hiring decisions. The Need for Circular 52% attitudes and teach skills. Communication be- Involvement Comments suggested that tween Principals and professional learning comCollege Class Eighty percent of respondents did not take attendance in college Professors 80% munities (PLCs) could furclasses into consideration for hiring decisions. To better prepare tal- Attendance ther develop academic conent for opening classtent and pedagogy once a Table 1 rooms, professors need new teacher was on the job. feedback from the customer—principals who hire and work with new teachers. Effective cir- The Benefits of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) cular communication is dynamic and ongoing, with multiple reflec- As professors, we are interested in developing initiatives and strategies tive opinions from stakeholders as a central feature. Enhanced forms that increase teacher success, retention, and job satisfaction. Currently, of circular communication will support the clarification of what new we meet weekly with local educators who hire and shape the ongoing teachers should know and be able to do in relation to grit and mindset. professional development of new teachers. We also invite former graduates to return to campus to share experiences and suggestions about how To initiate reflective feedback, stakeholders should review the Inter- we can help better prepare our future teachers. Our collaboration with state New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) local principals and teachers through a weekly lunch and learn semistandards, a set of dispositions that influence many preparatory pro- nar series has helped us identify common areas of interest in preparing grams’ licensing, preparation, and professional development of teach- teacher candidates with the grit and the mindset to stay once they are ers.3 Discussions will help schools and colleges focus on supporting hired. Leaders from many area school districts provide our students candidates’ mastery of these standards. with real-world perspectives of common expectations. Working with our students, the leaders indicate that they look for candidates who: Dweck, Carol. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House, 2006. http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Programs/Interstate_Teacher_Assessment_ Consortium_(InTASC).html
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• convey a can-do, positive attitude • willingly make mistakes, look foolish, try again, and keep learning
• trust their intuition and keep going with what looks and feels right • fight back when deflated or defeated • make decisions others are afraid to make • keep emotions (especially their mouths) in check • meet deadlines • exceed expectations by showing initiative • complete details while focusing on broader outcomes • demonstrate responsibility and accountability for actions • give more than receive • treat others with kindness It may not be a common perception, but extracurricular activities are a form of professional communities. More than team competition, extracurricular activities foster collaborative learning among participants within a specified work environment or field. The benefits of extracurricular participation in high school and college have been cited in research (Duckworth, 2016, Putnam, 2015, et. al.) and results indicate those with multiyear involvement are better able to: • • • • • •
embrace challenges persist through obstacles view effort as a necessity learn from criticism become inspired by others’ success utilize the tenets of deliberate practice for skill improvement
PLCs, in both college and in schools, reduce isolation. They support collaboration, continuous learning, deliberate practice, and strategies for change and improvement. For many teachers, the PLC becomes the extension of the high school or college extracurricular activity, where teamwork, coaching, and belongingness support the development of a strong commitment to a shared mission. Recruiting and Nurturing Future Teachers in High School Most college students can name an impressionable and inspirational teacher from middle or high school. But few can reflect on any organized recruitment effort in their former schools, other than career readiness programs, that encouraged them to become teachers. A Web search reveals initiatives in various parts of the country, but they are not uniform or commonplace. We suggest the development of organized clubs that provide exploratory opportunities, self-reflective activities, and demonstrations and testimonies that accentuate the important virtues of the profession. Nothing can be more important than awakening young minds to the possibilities that teaching provides. Recruiting, supporting, and preparing talented high school students to pursue careers in education must be a shared responsibility for it to be successful. Enhancing circular communication strategies between schools and preparation programs will support shared success. Improving Interview and Selection Processes It is commonly understood that hiring the best teachers makes all the rest easier. Mistakes can saddle principals and their school communities with problem employees. Therefore, it makes sense to develop a highly productive selection process. That process should include a thorough review of a candidate’s performance, engagement, attitude, involvement, and work ethic in college. Professors have fairly reliable evidence that students who are successful in their classrooms are more likely to stay in the profession.
1 2 3
Leaders must identify, model, and teach character skills to aspiring educators that reinforce essential qualities of grit, growth mindset, and social-emotional learning skills. “If I could wave a magic wand, I’d have all the children in the world engage in at least one extracurricular activity of their choice, and as for those in high school, I’d require that they stick with at least one activity for more than a year.” ~Angela Duckworth
Effective teachers are best developed by connecting to the heart before teaching to the mind.
Regardless of a school district’s size or the number of vacancies, there must be rigor and carefulness throughout the interview and hiring process. Musicians are used to demonstrating their performance skills when auditioning for jobs. In authentic ways, principals should develop opportunities that model auditions during interviews so candidates can showcase their skills in several environments, such as teaching a sample lesson or responding to work-related issues, parent e-mails, and student management scenarios. Developing the Mindset to Stay Katy Farber, in her book Why Great Teachers Quit: And How We Might Stop the Exodus, explains why teachers leave the profession within five years—tight budgets, student management issues, difficult parents, high-stakes testing, safety concerns, inadequate pay, and lack of respect. But a further analysis often indicates those who leave lack the mindset that equips them to deal with challenges, learn from mistakes, network, build relationships, put forth effort, and make a commitment despite the usual ups and downs that is inherent when working with people. Teaching mindset and perseverance skills must start early. Students will persist in environments with high standards and expectations for students’ success. These can be conveyed explicitly or implicitly in settings that engage and simultaneously develop cognitive and noncognitive skills. Summary Thoughts The recruitment and preparation of educators with growth mindsets should be a high priority for principals. To prevent shortages and ensure that talent preparation is of the highest quality, we recommend the following: 1. Enhanced circular communication between principals and geographically based preparation programs. Principals’ needs must be heard and addressed. 2. Teacher recruitment must begin early. Secondary school principals must facilitate the development of future teaching clubs, parent information workshops, and multifaceted recruitment activities. 3. Students of all ages must learn concepts related to mindset and grit. 4. Teacher preparation is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders. 5. To retain new teachers, principals must make sure that their school’s culture and environment supports the onboarding of new talent with quality mentoring support and adequate forms of professional development. 6. Collectively, it behooves us all to ensure that negative talk about the profession does not become a turnoff to those we desire most to recruit. references and author information on the next page...
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...continued from previous page References/Recommended Reading Duckworth, Angela. Grit: Passion, Perseverance, and the Science of Success. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2016. Dweck, Carol. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House, 2006. Education World. Education World: Connecting Educators to What Works. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin071.shtml. Farber, Katy. Why Great Teachers Quit: And How We Might Stop the Exodus. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2010. Greenberg, Julie, K. Walsh, and A. McKee. “2014 Teacher Prep Review, 2nd ed.” National Council on Teacher Quality. Putnam, Robert. Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. New York: Simon & Shuster, 2015. Young, Paul, PhD, T. Green, and D. Dunning, PhD. Grit to Teach and the Mindset to Stay. Do You Have What It Takes? Austin, TX: Sentia Publishing, 2016. Web Resources Battelle for Kids. (2016). Building the Talent Pipeline: Three Steps to Attract and Retain Educators. Retrieved from http://battelleforkids.org/docs/ default source/publications/bfkbuildingtalentpipeline_final.pdf?sfvrsn=2. Council of Chief State School Officers (2013). InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0: A Resource for Ongoing Teacher Development. Retrieved from http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2013/2013_INTASC_Learning_Progressions_for_Teachers.pdf.
About the Authors
Left to Right: Terri, Paul, and Debra
The authors are education collaborators at Ohio University Lancaster Campus. Debra Dunning (PhD, Ohio State, dunning@ohio.edu) is a lecturer specializing in early childhood education. Terri Green (MA, Ohio State, greent@ohio.edu) is a lecturer specializing in literacy. Paul Young (PhD, Ohio University, youngp1@ohio.edu) is an assistant lecturer specializing in middle-level education and music. He is also a past president of OAESA and NAESP. Together, they have created a weekly lunch and learn seminar series called “So You Think You Can Teach” to harden the soft-skill traits of their aspiring educators.
Congratulations to all of the OAESA award nominees! We received a record number of nominations this year with over ninety total nominations in the following categories: National Distinguished Principal, Outstanding Assistant Principal, OAESA Hall of Fame School, and Secretary of the Year. Thank you to all who nominated your favorite educator or school! If you received a nomination, please be sure to return your completed application by Monday, January 30, 2017. This past November, the OAESA Board of Directors and OAESA staff members met at the Sheraton in Columbus to define and refine the goals and action steps for the 2016-17 year. The group broke into service teams centered on the main pillars of OAESA: advocacy, membership, networking and outreach, professional conference, professional learning, and recognition. To find out more about OAESA service teams, read the latest minutes on your account page at oaesa.org.
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Creating Successful Readers in Ohio Build Foundational Reading Skills for Students of All Abilities, Grades pre-K–5
Don't forget you can use the Scholastic Dollars you earn from hosting a book fair to pay for your 2017 OAESA professional conference registration! Visit bookfairs.scholastic.com to schedule your book fair and to find out more about Scholastic Dollars.
• Personalized data-driven learning • Explicit, systematic instruction • Research-proven methodology
Do you follow OAESA on Twitter? If not, give it a try! Those 140 characters pack a powerful punch for professional development, especially during our #ohprinchat Twitter chats on the first Tuesday of every month from 8-9 p.m. It’s a great way to connect with colleagues across the state, without even leaving your couch!
For additional information, contact: Kimberley Smith ksmith@lexialearning.com 216-217-1361 36
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THE PYRAMID of STUDENT PERFORMANCE: GIVING OUR STAFF A TOOL for SUCCESS
I provided my staff a homework assignment this school
by Matt Dillon
year. I wanted us to have a conversation about why we entered the field of education. I wanted to establish a shared vision for how we interact with our students and identify what we could collaboratively focus on so that our students would have positive experiences during their time in our building.
A
braham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has great relevance when applied to the modern-day teacher’s classroom. It is easy for the public to be confused about the purpose of school due to the many reform initiatives taking place. The overemphasis of assessments, test scores, and rigorous standards have caused many of us to forget why we entered this career in the first place. I often feel that one of the most important roles of my job as building principal is that of reality filter. The department of education and news media do their fair share of distortion; they frequently proclaim to have the answers and quick fixes. The fact is that they are far from the reality of our students’ everyday educational experiences. Policymakers are not dealing with students who are residing in hotels and struggling to have enough food for dinner. They do not get to wait with students who are left behind at the end of the day with no parent available to pick them up. It is easy [for them] to sit in an office and type ideas, many of which have sincere intent, about how the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and its programs will transform teaching and learning. At our back-to-school staff meeting, I provided a brief refresher of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how the overall concept could be applied to a teacher’s classroom or school building. I explained my belief that every classroom has a set of foundational practices that must be in place for students to be successful. I provided every staff member a copy of a blank pyramid, titled “Pyramid of Student Performance,” and three guiding questions: 1. What is the pinnacle? What is the overall goal for your time with students? 2. What foundational practices must exist for you to reach your goal with students? 3. Are the items listed in your pyramid fluid? Can they change in their order of importance?
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Staff members were given three weeks to complete their pyramids, and they were told that they could collaborate with colleagues if desired. Not only did I conduct this activity with folks because I wanted to have a conversation about our shared purpose, but I wanted to grow professionally. I wanted to learn from my colleagues—many who have been in the classroom longer than I have—about their pictures and perceived purposes of education. I thought that this activity would also be of benefit with potential hires. The pyramid of student performance is an easy way to gain insight about candidates and how they would fit within the pyramid of your organization. We met as a staff, and I paired teachers up with a different grade-level colleague to compare and contrast the pyramids they had created. As expected, no staff members listed standards, state assessments, or educational policy as the pinnacle of their pyramids. The overwhelming majority wrote that their desire for students was that they would grow and develop as individuals who could persevere in life and contribute to society. Other student traits emerged, such as to foster independence, academic and personal growth, critical thinking, and the ability to set and reach goals. I compiled the answers that were shared at the top of everyone’s pyramids and provided a copy to staff members as a reminder of our shared purpose. This activity proved to be useful with my staff to refocus and remind us of our shared vision. It was beneficial for me as the leader, to remind me of what is truly important. We aren’t educators because of a Third Grade Reading Guarantee or value-added data. We are educators because we enjoy working with children; we like helping others prepare for their bright futures.
What is at the top of your pyramid?
About the Author Matt Dillon is the principal of Kyle Elementary in Troy, Ohio. He has been a school administrator for six years and previously worked as a school counselor and teacher. Matt is passionate about building relationships and integrating technology into learning.
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Health Issues
HAND HYGIENE: It’s That Time of Year Again by Ann Connelly and Joan Keith
I
t is that time of year when it seems that everyone in the school—both students and staff—suffer from illnesses they have “caught” from each other. What are the best ways to keep everyone healthy and present in school? Here are a few suggestions:
FIRST:
The most effective public health intervention in history has been the development of immunizations. Encourage all of your students and staff to be fully immunized, including the annual influenza vaccine. More information about these lifesaving vaccines may be found at the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) website at http:// www.odh.ohio.gov/en/odhprograms/bid/immunization/extlinks. More information about prevention and treatment of influenza may be found at http://www.odh.ohio.gov/features/odhfeatures/ seasflu/seasonalinfluenza.aspx.
SECOND:
The second most effective prevention technique is hand hygiene. Germs are everywhere, and you can spread these germs to others by touching surfaces such as doorknobs; your eyes, nose, or mouth; and other people. Hence, cleaning hands at key times with soap and water or hand sanitizer is one of the most important steps to take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to those around you. Serious illnesses commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact include the common cold, the flu, and infectious diarrhea. Inadequate hand hygiene contributes to food-related illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli infection. Effective, timely hand hygiene helps prevent transmission of these illnesses.
WHEN?
Hand hygiene should be done: • • • • • • • • • •
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Before, during, and after preparing and eating food Before and after caring for someone who is sick or treating a cut or wound After touching blood, body fluids, or soiled objects After using the bathroom, changing diapers, or cleaning up a child who has used the bathroom After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing After touching an animal, animal food or treats, animal cages, or animal waste After touching garbage or trash If your hands are visibly dirty or greasy Before reinserting contact lenses After playing outside
HOW?
Hand hygiene can be done either by washing hands with soap and water or by the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. If using soap and water: 1. Wet hands with warm water. 2. Apply soap and wash hands thoroughly, including the wrists, between fingers, and under nails. 3. Rinse under water, running from wrist to fingertips. 4. Dry hands with paper towel or hand dryer. 5. Turn off water using a paper towel on the faucet. If using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer: 1. Make sure the hand sanitizer is at least 60 percent alcohol in order for it to be effective. 2. Squirt hand sanitizer the size of a nickel into the palm. 3. Vigorously rub the hand sanitizer over all skin surfaces, including wrists and between fingers, until the hand sanitizer is dry.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on hands in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are convenient and take little time to use, which can encourage more frequent hand hygiene. However, there are certain situations where only soap and water are recommended: • •
•
If hands are visibly dirty or greasy, use soap and water. Use soap and water if your school is experiencing an outbreak of certain diarrheal diseases, such as C. difficile. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not effective against these pathogens. For removal of allergens, such as peanuts from the surfaces of tables, etc., use soap and water. Studies show that even with proper use, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are ineffective at removing food allergens.
School administrators must keep in mind that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are flammable and pose a poisoning risk if ingested. Chil-
dren may be particularly likely to swallow hand sanitizers that are scented, brightly colored, or attractively packaged. Hand sanitizers should be stored out of the reach of young children and should be used with adult supervision. The use of hand sanitizer stations with drip guards can prevent slips and falls from the liquid dripping on the floor. Guidelines for the use of alcohol based hand sanitizers in the school setting may be found on the ODH school nursing program website at http://www.odh.ohio.gov/-/media/ODH/ASSETS/ Files/eh/school-environmental-health/handsanitizerfs.pdf?la=en.
THIRD:
If students and staff become ill, they should stay out of school until they are well. Everyone should stay home from school for 24 hours after the start of an antibiotic (if prescribed—not all illnesses require an antibiotic), if they have a fever or are having nausea, vomiting, or frequent diarrhea. Staff and students should stay out of school if they are experiencing symptoms such as fatigue or excessive coughing that would limit their ability to participate in and benefit from school activities. Finally, “fever free” means that they do not have a fever without fever-reducing medication, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If sick people stay away from school, they are less likely to transmit illnesses to other staff and students. If, despite your best efforts, you feel there is a disease outbreak in
your school, please contact your local health department for consultation regarding the best way to manage the situation. Your school nurse can work with the experts at the local health department to determine if information needs to be sent home to families, if certain students need to be excluded, if a potential outbreak needs to be reported to ODH and how best to decrease disease transmission in your school. In fact, encourage your school nurse to contact the local health department now—before there is an outbreak—so you are prepared if one happens. To find your local health department, go to http://www.odh.ohio.gov/localhealthdistricts/lhdmain.aspx. In summary, hand hygiene reduces the amounts of all types of germs, food allergens, and other substances on hands. Teaching students and staff when to clean their hands and which method to use will give everyone the best chance of preventing sickness. As administrators, making sure that the hand-hygiene supplies are available and staff and students have time to use them are imperative. Effective illness prevention also includes being up to date on immunizations and staying home from school when ill. Employing these techniques should help reduce illnesses and improve attendance for everyone in your building. And as we all know, healthier students are better learners!
REFERENCES
Kampf, Günter and Axel Kramer. “Epidemiologic Background of Hand Hygiene and Reevaluation of the Most Important Agents for Scrubs and Rubs.” Clinical Microbiology Review 17.4: 863–93. Perry, Tamara T., et al. “Distribution of Peanut Allergen in the Environment.” Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 113.5. (Press release can be accessed at http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2004/05_08b_04.html). Todd, Ewen, B. Michaels, J. Holah, D. Smith, J. Greig, and C. Bartleson. “Outbreaks Where Food Workers Have Been Implicated in the Spread of Foodborne Disease. Part 10: Alcohol-Based Antiseptics for Hand Disinfection and a Comparison of Their Effectiveness with Soaps.” Journal of Food Protection 73.11: 2128–40.
About the Authors Ann Connelly is the public health nurse supervisor, and Joan Keith is a school nurse consultant, both at the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). You can reach Ann at ann.connelly@odh.ohio.gov and Joan at joan.keith@odh.ohio.gov. You can find more information about hand hygiene and other topics concerning health in education by visiting ODH’s website at www.odh.ohio.gov.
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Legal Report Do Your
EDUCATION AIDES, PARAPROFESSIONALS, & COACHES
Possess the Appropriate Permits? by Dennis Pergram
T
he Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has shown a recent interest in investigating school districts using educational aides (and substitute educational aides), paraprofessionals, and coaches who do not possess current licenses or permits.
Ohio Revised Code (ORC) §3319.088 provides for the State Board of Education (SBOE) to issue educational aide permits and educational paraprofessional licenses for educational assistants as follows: (A) The state board of education shall issue educational aide permits and educational paraprofessional licenses for educational assistants and shall adopt rules for the issuance and renewal of such permits and licenses which shall be consistent with the provisions of this section. Educational aide permits and educational paraprofessional licenses may be of several types, and the rules shall prescribe the minimum qualifications of education, health, and character for the service to be authorized under each type. The prescribed minimum qualifications may require special training or educational courses designed to qualify a person to perform effectively the duties authorized under an educational aide permit or educational paraprofessional license. ORC §3319.088(D) provides, in part: Except as provided in this section, nonteaching employees shall not serve as educational assistants without first obtaining an appropriate educational aide permit or educational paraprofessional license from the SBOE. A nonteaching employee who is the holder of a valid educational aide permit or educational paraprofessional license shall neither render nor be required to render services inconsistent with the type of services authorized by the permit or license held. No person shall receive compensation from a board of education for services rendered as an educational assistant in violation of this provision. Ohio Administrative Code 3301–25–01 provides for one-year educational permits; 3301–25–02 provides for the renewal of a one-year educational aide permit; 3301–25–05 provides for a four-year educational aide permit; and 3301–25–07 provides for the renewal of a four-year educational aide permit. It is important to recognize that educational aides and educational paraprofessionals are considered educational assistants. At all times, they must be under the supervision and direction of a teacher; may assist the teacher in the supervision of students; and may perform instructional tasks and other duties that, in the judgment of the teacher to whom the assistant is assigned, may be performed by a person who is not required to be licensed as a teacher. An educational assistant may not assign grades to students, and while the educational assistant need not perform his or her duties in the physical presence of the teacher to whom he or she is assigned, the educational assistant must at all times be under the direction of the teacher to whom he or she is assigned. The educational assistants must also be reminded that, except when required to testify in court or other legal proceedings, he or she shall not divulge, except to the teacher assigned or to the
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administrator in the absence of a teacher, any personal information learned about any student in the school district that was obtained—or obtainable—by the educational assistant while so employed. A particularly troublesome issue that has arisen is the use of substitute educational aides. While the ORC specifically provides for a license for a teacher, a license for a substitute teacher, and a permit for an educational aide, there is no specific language for a permit for a substitute educational aide. While it is debatable as to whether this gap is intentional or merely an oversight, the safest and most prudent approach is to require a substitute educational aide to possess an educational aide permit and you make sure this is done by the district. With respect to coaches, it must be remembered that although the coach may have passed the background check, the coach must also meet other requirements, especially the possession of a Pupil Activity Permit. Principals must also be on the alert when a classroom teacher, who is under a teacher’s contract, moves to another position that may require additional licensure. For example, if a classroom teacher is presently employed under a continuing contract or is in the middle of a limited contract and moves to a guidance counselor position, that teacher needs to also have a guidance counselor license. Finally, an unusual situation can develop when a principal or a teacher applies to renew his or her license but the renewal is on hold because of an investigation being conducted by the Office of Professional Conduct of ODE. It is fair to say that some boards of education, superintendents, principals, teachers, and attorneys are not aware of the special provision set forth in ORC §119.06, which allows a board of education to continue to employ a licensee such as a principal or a teacher where they have made a timely application to renew their license but the renewal is held up because of the investigation by the Office of Professional Conduct. In order to be timely, the application to renew must be made before the license expires, and it must be submitted in the manner provided for under the law. This special provision applies only to timely applications to renew a license and not to initial applications for a license.
About the Author
Dennis Pergram, legal counsel to OAESA, is a partner in the law firm Manos, Martin, and Pergram, LPA. He is a former chairperson of the Ohio State Bar Association Committee and has practiced school law for over thirty years.
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HIRING TEACHERS: IT’s Like Peanut BUtter & Jelly
T by Justin Syroka
I go through a very extensive hiring process when we have available openings in my school building. First, I evaluate the team that the new teacher will be joining. Next, I look at each applicant’s resume through our online system. Interest can range from 25 to 500+ applicants, depending upon the designated opening. Along with each resume, I look at the candidate’s Teacher Insight score, which determines if a candidate is highly recommended, recommended or not recommended, which is part of our online application. Based on what I find, I schedule preliminary interviews with my top 15 to 25 candidates, again depending on the position. I conduct a formal interview that typically includes my guidance counselor and me. Through the interview process, I attempt to find out about each candidate by asking open-ended questions that lead candidates down one path or another. I create questions that build on important topics and get more specific as the interview progresses to delve deeply into the candidate’s core beliefs. Throughout the interview, my guidance counselor and I work to gauge the candidate’s pas-
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POSITIVE ATTITUDE—Smiles and laughter are contagious. In-
filtrating our school with Tiggers as opposed to Eeyores is a high priority.
COLLABORATIVE PRESENCE—Candidates need to be collab-
orative. I look to hire teachers that have had both positive and negative collaborative experiences. Collaboration needs to go beyond the surface of sharing basic thoughts and ideas. Collaboration should be focused on discussions based on students, curriculum, assessment, instruction, and college and career readiness.
Like peanut butter and jelly pumpkins and autumn cookies and milk pens and paper hot cocoa and winter squirrels and nuts tulips and spring flip flops and summer, it is our job as principals to find the best teachers! eachers play a vital role in education. They are the single most important factor in the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral growth of our students. Hiring high-quality teachers is one of the most crucial jobs of an elementary school principal. Many candidates offer a variety of experiences, but the key is to find the perfect match for your students, staff, and community.
were put on this earth to teach and make a difference in the lives of students, colleagues, and our entire school community.
COMMUNICATION—Candidates need to be well versed in oral and written communication. Teachers need to be able to accurately communicate specific student strengths and areas of concern in a manner that is detailed, informational, and easy to understand for parents.
REFLECTIVE IN NATURE—Candidates need to be open to sion, attitude, collaborative presence, communication style, core philosophical beliefs in education, and how much he or she truly focuses on kids during the interview. After narrowing the candidate pool down to three or four candidates, I look to get grade level teams or the building leadership team involved with the final interview, which lasts approximately 90 to 110 minutes. I break the interview into three different parts: 1. Candidates need to answer additional questions they have not been presented with before. 2. Candidates need to present a lesson to the team focused on a standard I’ve chosen and based on the open position. 3. Candidates have 30 minutes to respond to two sample parent e-mails—one focused on student growth and one focused on student behavior. The process is grueling but worthwhile. I have been able to add many talented staff members to our school that have made a tremendously positive impact on our students, their colleagues, and our community. It is worth the time to find the perfect match! On a side note, if you feel that none of the original candidates fit, don’t be afraid to start over. Settling will only take up more time in the long run and create more issues that principals honestly don’t have time to deal with in today’s realm of education. While interviewing teaching candidates, there are seven key components or nonnegotiables I look for when hiring the perfect match:
PASSION—I’m looking for a candidate that feels as if he or she
constructive feedback and strive to always get better. Our students and the world of education are constantly evolving. Candidates need to reflect from within, with colleagues and with their administrator(s) to be the best they can be. Every day is different. A question at the forefront should always be: What will I do to make tomorrow even better?
SOLID PHILOSOPHICAL BELIEFS—Candidates need to have a strong foundation in what they believe and think about how their classroom will look and operate. A vision is necessary. If you can’t lead an interview team down that path, it is unlikely the candidate can lead a classroom of students and parents down that path. KIDS-FIRST MENTALITY—I’m focused on looking for teaching candidates that are dedicated to helping every student in their class succeed. This comes with putting kids first, even when it is difficult. Our mission is to facilitate maximum learning for every student. When all things come together, it is like peanut butter and jelly—a perfect match.
About the Author Justin Syroka serves as the building principal at Cheshire Elementary in the Olentangy School District. He was chosen to open Cheshire in 2010, Olentangy's fourteenth elementary. Justin is in his seventeenth year of education, including teaching for nine years, an assistant principal for two years, and a principal for six years. Justin enjoys sharing what he has learned from his experience with others and has presented for ASCD, OAESA, and Battelle for Kids. He lives with his wife and two children in Delaware, Ohio.
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There is no profession more important to the success of our country than teaching. Behind every great entrepreneur, scientist, or civic leader is a teacher who engages, motivates, and instills a belief in students that they can reach their goals. However, at a time when talented educators are needed more than ever, fewer young people are pursuing a career in education, and many school districts are struggling to attract and retain teachers. How can districts address educator shortages? To ensure a high-quality teacher in every classroom, the time is ripe for more districts to develop human capital management systems (HCMS) that are equipped not only to navigate current staffing challenges—including providing equitable access to excellent educators for all students—but also to ensure workforce stability well into the future. While human resources (HR) has traditionally been viewed in many fields as a transactional body responsible for recordkeeping, compliance, and payroll, a number of innovative districts are establishing a HCMS in which school and district leaders employ strategic HR practices proven to help build strong talent pipelines in the education sector and beyond.
The following is an excerpt from Battelle for Kids’s new whitepaper, Building the Talent Pipeline: Three Steps to Attract and Retain Educators. Download the full paper at http://bit.ly/2dMpRap to explore more examples, critical questions, and promising strategies that you can personalize to build the talent pipeline in your district. 46
dents and staff. Through focus groups and interviews, SCLS collected testimonials from individuals at each school, and then used them to create posters and other recruitment materials featuring local students and staff. Following the launch of its new branding and recruitment effort, SCLS received numerous applications that met preferred qualifications for speech and language pathologist positions. Additionally, SCLS began to receive applications from individuals living in towns from which the district had never before received interest.
Select
Based on studies showing links between employee-organization fit and retention (Baharom, Memon, and Salleh, 2014), hiring can be viewed as an opportunity to reduce turnover by ensuring the right people are selected to fill vacant positions. At the same time, hiring processes that take too long to identify the best candidates can put districts at risk for missing out on many highly qualified teachers (Levin and Quinn, 2003).
Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS), with support from Battelle for Kids, has developed a multiple-data-point approach to identify candidates who have the highest potential for success within the district. “We Based on research and lessons learned through Battelle for Kids’s part- have changed the way we recruit, interview, and hire teachers. We are nerships with districts over the past 15 years, we outline three essential far more focused on the skills, abilities, and knowledge potential teachsteps for building the educator talent pipeline. ers possess that align with what our data and demographics are telling us we need to serve our students,” explained Dr. Anne Sullivan, Chief Step 1: Use data to assess strengths, needs, and challenges. Human Resources Officer at DMPS. Districts must have systems in place to identify shortage areas, uncover potential causes of these shortages, and determine how to leverage or- Engage ganizational strengths and navigate identified challenges to strengthen One of the most promising opportunities for attracting, motivating, and its talent pipeline. Essential to the effectiveness of these systems is ac- retaining educators is centered on the principles of positive psychology. cess to timely and high-quality HR data. These include helping employees do what they do best through understanding and utilizing their strengths (Rath, 2007), improving employFaced with challenges of a growing student population, a shortage of ee engagement (Gallup, 2013), fostering passion and perseverance, or teachers across Oklahoma, and a limited budget and resources, Tulsa “grit” (Duckworth, 2016), and creating a happier and more positive Public Schools (TPS) uses data to uncover staffing needs, the sources of mind-set (Achor, 2010). Organizations with strong cultures spark more the district’s highest-performing teachers, and the effectiveness of var- creativity, productivity, better work-life balance, and higher employee ious recruitment efforts. In particular, data revealed that social media satisfaction. School leaders who promote a positive culture are likely to was one of the district’s most effective recruitment channels, so it now have an edge in addressing issues related to teacher shortages. prioritizes online recruiting. These efforts helped TPS hire nearly 500 individuals in certified teaching positions and fill every teacher vacan- California’s Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) uses profescy in preparation for the 2015-2016 school year—despite a statewide sional development, support, and leadership opportunities to engage teacher shortage—ensuring that every classroom is led by a certified teachers at each stage of their career. The district works closely with teacher. nearby institutions of higher education to build a locally based pipeline of teachers who have had extensive exposure to Long Beach schools Step 2: Develop a plan to attract and retain educators. before becoming new employees (Battelle for Kids, 2012). New LBUSD Data serve as the common thread between well-structured human cap- teachers also complete a two-year induction program, in which they ital management systems, but the strategies districts employ based on develop individualized growth plans, receive formative evaluations and their data vary greatly. This diversity is reflected in the following locally guidance from experienced support providers, engage in ongoing diadeveloped practices districts across the country are using to attract and logue with other teachers in their cohort, and participate in a variety retain teachers. of professional development opportunities. LBUSD’s annual attrition rate of seven percent is nearly two-thirds lower than the national average for urban districts (Aldeman, Chuong, Mead, and Obbard, 2015), Attract Given districts’ limited budgets, it is essential that recruitment practices an accomplishment that has been attributed in large part to its strong are grounded in a clear understanding of local shortage areas to ensure teacher pipeline and professional development system. resources are allocated strategically. South Central Local Schools in northeast Ohio partnered with Battelle for Kids to redesign its organizational brand and help increase the size of its applicant pool, particularly for positions facing shortages, such as speech and language pathology. A major priority for the rebranding campaign was to tell the district’s story from the perspective of its stu-
Recognize
A number of school districts across the country are looking at ways to recognize teachers. Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) prioritizes teacher recognition by regularly involving teachers in the development of programs and policies. For instance, the district—in collaboration with the continued on next page...
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...continued from previous page Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT), more than 400 educators and community stakeholders, and Battelle for Kids—spent five years developing its professional learning and growth system. The district continues to work with teachers to make adjustments to the system based on new research and input from stakeholders (Pittsburgh Public Schools, 2016). PPS also engages the Pittsburgh community in celebrating and supporting teachers through its Teachers Matter campaign (Battelle for Kids, 2014).
making an organizational commitment to “recruit, retain, and develop the best employees in public education.” The district identified human capital management as one of five priorities in its strategic plan, with a focus on increasing the diversity of its teacher workforce and working with MCPS employee associations to foster continuous improvement and provide pathways for the growth and advancement of all staff. The district regularly tracks progress toward each goal outlined in its strategic plan. (Montgomery County Public Schools, 2016).
Step 3: Implement and continuously improve.
In Summary
Upon developing a plan for attracting and retaining teachers, districts should consider their readiness to implement those plans, including: • alignment of HCMS functions with organizational priorities and practices; • high levels of knowledge, skills, and training for individuals involved in managing the HCMS; and • the ability to monitor progress and drive ongoing improvement and sustainability. Even the best ideas for improving human capital practices can fail if they are carried out in isolation. As such, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland emphasized strategic alignment when
The astronaut and teacher, Christa McAuliffe, said, “I touch the future. I teach.” The impact of a teacher starts with a student and reverberates through the classroom, the school, and the community. While teacher shortages continue to be a challenge across the country, many districts are making promising strides in employing strategic HR practices to build strong talent pipelines. Doing so is crucial not only to fill needed positions in the short term, but also to elevate the profession in ways that recognize how important teachers are to the success of our students, communities, and the nation. Read Building the Talent Pipeline: Three Steps to Attract and Retain Educators to explore more examples, critical questions, and promising strategies that you can personalize to build the talent pipeline in your district. Download the whitepaper at http://bit.ly/2dMpRap.
References Achor, Shawn. The Happiness Advantage. New York: Crown Business, 2010. Aldeman, Chad, Carolyn Chuong, Sara Mead, and Julie Obbard. “Rethinking Teacher Preparation,” Bellwether Education Partners, 2015, http:// bellwethereducation.org/sites/default/files/Bellwether_TFA-CA.pdf. Baharom, Mohammed Noor Rosli, Mumtaz Memon, and Rohani Salleh. “Linking Person-Job Fit, Person-Organization Fit, Employee Engagement, and Turnover Intention: A Three-Step Conceptual Model.” Asian Social Science, 11.2, 313–320. Battelle for Kids. “Pittsburgh Public Schools: Where Teachers Matter,” 2014, http://battelleforkids.org/learning-hub/learning-hub-item/pittsburgh-public-schools-where-teachers-matter.
Central Office Connections
IDEAS for Hiring by Kristi Barker
S
taring at a stack of applications and trying to decide who “deserves” an interview is daunting. We all know that paper value is not equivalent to people value. The reality is we cannot take the time to meet and get a relationship feel for everyone in “the stack” that appears to have potential. One thing that I do to bridge this divide is to e-mail four to five questions to all of the candidates who appear to fit what the position calls for. Intentionally choosing the questions is a crucial step and designs opportunities for individuals to set themselves apart with their responses. Many people simply do not interview well—I happen to be one of those people, so maybe that is why this is part of my process! These applicants may have amazing potential to add to the building chemistry, but their nerves might get in the way of their attributes. It has also been my experience that some candidates do not take the questions seriously. This lack of thoughtful response negatively impacts my impression of their professionalism. E-mailing a few questions with a deadline for response maximizes connections with viable candidates. That gives applicants an avenue to research their responses and provide thoughtful insight, which can sometimes be difficult during an interview (especially true for young teachers). Answers for the questions can be used for more in-depth conversation for the candidates you choose to meet in person. Using question stems helps you get through surface-level knowledge while allowing them the time to dig allows for interview dialogue depth.
Battelle for Kids. “Six Drivers of Student Success: A Look Inside Five of the World’s Highest-Performing School Systems,” 2012, https://www.battelleforkids.org/learning-hub/learning-hub-item/six-drivers-of-student-success-a-look-inside-five-of-the-world’s-highest-performing-school-systems.
My suggestion is to look at questions directed at their content understandings, assessment usage, or data knowledge and what qualities they bring to the staff and school. These questions can be “researched,” and by doing this through e-mail, my expectation is that they have the time to be intentional and well versed with their responses. By including this step in the process, both parties have common ground coming into the interview, allowing the opportunity for that “right fit” to be seen readily.
Duckworth, Angela. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016.
Here are a few question stems:
Gallup, Inc. “State of the American Workplace: Employee Engagement Insights from US Business Leaders, 2013, http://www.gallup.com/services/176708/state-american-workplace.aspx.
• What type of data do you use to drive instruction?
Levin, Jonathan and Meredith Quinn. “Missed Opportunities: How We Keep High-Quality Teachers out of Urban Classrooms.” The New Teacher Project, 2003, http://tntp.org/assets/documents/MissedOpportunities.pdf?files/MissedOpportunities.pdf.
• Give an example of a time in the classroom that taught you the lesson of “what not to do.”
Montgomery County Public Schools. (2016). “District Implementation Plan: Core Strategy III,” 2016, http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/ implementation-plan/strategy-three.aspx.
• When designing a lesson, give specific examples of how you differentiate to meet the needs of all learners. • What assets do you bring to complement our current staff? • Describe a few strategies you use to make a connection with your students and their families.
Pittsburgh Public Schools. (2016). “Teachers Matter: Empowering Effective Teachers,” 2016, http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/domain/1196. Rath, Tom. (2007). StrengthsFinder 2.0. Gallup Press: 2007.
About Battelle for Kids Battelle for Kids is national not-for-profit organization dedicated to moving education forward for students by supporting the educators who work with them every day. Learn more at bfk.org.
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About the Author Kristi Barker has been employed with the Crestview Local School District in Richland County for 18 years. Her teaching experience was primarily in math at the middle school but also included some language arts classes. As an administrator, she has served the district as the curriculum coordinator and as elementary principal. She is currently the director of student services. She enjoys learning with her teachers and is excited for how this newest role is stretching her! In her spare time, she and her husband enjoy watching their three children in all of their activities and is thankful for all of the opportunities that life continues to provide.
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y r o t s r u o y s u l l Te
What are your best recruting, hiring, or retaining practices? “To retain minority teachers:
“RELATIONSHIPS! Have breakfast and dinner chats Invest in people with ALL new minority teachers and help them to address concerns, and offer assistance in a small group setting.” reach their ~ Aretha Dixon-Paydock, specialist, The Arts Academy at Summit potential. “[Conduct] oneAllow them on-one meetings IDEAS FOR to complete over ice cream or RETAINING TEACHERS: collegial coffee to try to “1) Assign teachers observations.” retain teachers.” to strength areas. 2) Provide opportunities “Use the HR database of to lead or coordinate. applications to do a thorough 3) Have established mentoring and search of possibilities. Search programs. beyond the most recent applica- coaching 4) [Be] available for tions that have been submitted!” nonevaluation ~ Rebecca Hornberger, PhD, department chair of SAIL for Education
feedback chats.”
“As a K–2 principal, I have found that I have many excellent candidates for open classroom teacher positions. To assist with working through the candidate pool, I schedule ten-minute phone screener interviews, where I only ask three questions, and I rate their responses. I can quickly screen 20 candidates. I have found I am able to significantly reduce my face-to-face interviews simply based on how [candidates] interact with me on the phone and how the content of their answers matches what we are looking for.” ~ Dan Sebring, K–2 principal, Normandy Elementary
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“Hire the person, not the skill. You can teach and grow skills, [but] you can’t make someone love the profession.”
~ Erin Simpson, principal, Wadsworth Elementary
“Host job fairs and hire education assistants who have degrees, so they have a year-long internship on the job.”
~ Jeromey Sheets, EdD, coordinator of gifted services, Lancaster City Schools
“Make that trustful, accountable relationship with your teachers. Provide leadership opportunities and support.”
~ Jason Fife, principal, Westfall Middle
“Speak to college prep classes about interviewing and getting student names. Then make sure [to] pull up their venture scores.” “Hiring teachers is a team process in our district. We have four elementary buildings in our district. Each building principal and our elementary curriculum director sit through every elementary interview. We determine as a team who is going to be the best fit for our district as a whole and each particular elementary building team. A united and supportive elementary team is our districtwide goal.”
~ Susanne Waltman, principal, Strausser Elementary
“After teachers are hired through HR, a team at the building level [that] consists of principal, grade-level or subject-level teacher, union person, and parent or paraprofessional interviews each candidate. They are scored 1 to 5 on questions pertaining to their job descriptions. Finally, a candidate is selected by score and discussion. The only way teachers leave is because of a necessary transfer.” ~ Stephanie Morton, assistant principal, Joseph M. Gallagher
“Support a healthy work-life balance.” 51
CHARACTER
Sorry...We’re Booked HACKING LEADERSHIP:
10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love
by Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis
Reviewed by TERESA D'AMICO Principal, Pinewood Intermediate North Olmsted City Schools When I saw the invitation to review a book on the hacking of leadership, I wondered what such a concept could be. Reading on to see the words “great, inspiring, teachers, students, parents, and love” included in the title, prompted curiosity. Glancing at this first sentence in the foreword—“Would you want to work for you?”—made me pause for a moment and then settle in. Best. Idea. Ever. The authors of the book explain ten “hacks” that great leaders excel at when successfully transforming a school, including being present and engaged, creating CULTURE, building relationships, flattening the walls of school, broadcasting student voice, centering school around children, hiring superstars, creating passion projects for adults, collaborating and learning, and changing the mindset. Within each of these chapters, the problem associated with the hack is presented, followed by the hack, and then ideas for what can be immediately implemented. I stopped midway through the book with a happy headache caused by so many ideas jumping on to each other, trying to be first with making their way out! After a week, having implemented two right away, I picked the book back up and finished it, ready to implement two more. Starting slowly, making small changes in even one area, makes this book practical. I especially appreciated the authors providing reasons why there may be pushback. Each was aligned with a positive suggestion of “Yes, this will work, and here’s how and why.” I will be exploring the ideas further with principals and district leaders. We will come together once a month to reflect, share, support, and then commit to another idea to apply. Indeed, this is a real-time book of inspiration, one that is currently marked up with notes, highlighted text, and dog-eared pages. It
IS A TOP PRIORITY
for Hiring Staff
reignites the reason we went into education and provides a mirror that will reflect what a lead learner looks like. After reading this book, your face will be the one smiling back.
LAUNCH:
Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student
by John Spencer Reviewed by LORI STOVALL Assistant Principal, Columbia Intermediate Kings Local Schools LAUNCH is a wonderfully realistic approach to guide teachers and administrators to the understanding that the most creative and innovative work comes from opportunities we present to our students that force them to think of solutions inside their box. While most educators would agree that students need spaces where they can explore and create, it’s easy to get caught up in the everyday minutae of school. LAUNCH provides a clear framework for seeing creativity through a lens that empowers teachers and school leaders to “build creative capacity, set structures that increase opportunities for innovation, and sets students up to launch their work to an authentic audience.” I see incredible potential in using this book as a staff book study for those who are interested and ready to take their classroom to the next level. It takes some freedom and support on behalf of the administrator, but the end result far outweighs the risks of working through the LAUNCH cycle. The book provides step by step ways to improve the innovative opportunities in your classroom while also giving well laid plans for questions to ask students, sentence stems, and relevant classroom examples. LAUNCH is a must read for teachers and administrators. Schools should reflect the world we are preparing our students to enter and this book gives careful guidance to lead us closer to the creative, innovative and wondrous spaces that schools have the potential to be. Do you love to read? We are always in need of book reviewers. Contact Abigail, our editor, at navigator@oaesa.org to let her know you’re interested. Thanks!
H
director of student services last school year, believes that the best teachers are student centered in their mindset.“I look for teachers to contain a student-first perspective and an understanding that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach loses every time,” Taggart said.
In education, there are so many variables. Much of the job is based on relationships, and at Garaway Local Schools, it is paramount that we find a person who is going to cultivate and maintain relationships on many levels. There are the teacher-student relationships and the teacher-teacher relationships. There is the relationship fostered between an administrator and his or her teachers. Teacher-family relationships are key as well.
Taggart also emphasized keeping good teachers in our district through the simplicity of support. “Pairing our newer teachers with a veteran certainly is a step in the right direction but most importantly supporting these teachers through their shortcomings is best practice. Keeping good teachers is all about culture. We want our teachers to know their value. Making intentional contact with them each day as well as praising and supporting their efforts will keep them refreshed and encouraged.”
iring the right person for the job in any profession is a challenge. You have to figure out from an interview—or a series of interviews—who fits the bill of someone who will work hard, fulfill the duties of their job, and mesh with the staff that is already in place.
Of course, once they are hired, getting teachers to stay also relies on showing them the importance of what they are doing. “We can attract and retain more quality people in education by revealing the importance and impact of education,” James Millet, Garaway superintendent, said. “We need to develop a positive culture and promote our story. Additionally, we need to create an environment that values collaboration, provides innovative growth opportunities, creates humanity in schools and encourages a healthy work/life balance.” There are so many ways that a teacher needs to connect interpersonally that during an interview process, it is essential to find that person who can not only form a relationship but keep it positive and grow it during their time in school. And that begins with character. “Our first priority in hiring anybody for the Garaway Local School District is character,” Millet said. “Our employees must have integrity, honesty, loyalty, self-sacrifice, accountability, flexibility, and self-control. We try to ensure that new employees are a good match for the core values of the district. Then, we look for the requisite skills and experience. Our highest priority is attracting and retaining great people.” And in attracting those types of people, Garaway feels that it has the best people leading our schools. “A good educator must have a servant’s mindset,” Millet said. “Education is a human service business, and the best educators have an innate ability to put others first and recognize the varying needs of individuals. It is important to note that these characteristics don’t necessarily include pedagogy, content knowledge, and presentation skills.” Ryan Taggart, Garaway High School’s principal, who served as the
5252
by Jeffrey Williams
As the principal of Ragersville and Baltic Elementary Schools, I believe that support can also come in the form of levity and understanding. I want my new teachers to know that I am there for them while also maintaining a balance between helping them and being too involved. In any job I believe it’s important to make mistakes. New teachers are going to make mistakes. They’re going to wish they had done one thing when they have already done another. But that is how individual growth happens. It happens through life simply happening. I will be there to help them with resources, a listening ear and advice, but ultimately, I want all of my teachers to take ownership over their careers and their learning environment. Millet summed up the driving force behind what Garaway looks for in an educator with a fantastic quote from Martin Luther King: “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” “With those characteristics, an educator will find a way to inspire a lifelong love of learning,” Millet added.
About the Author Jeffrey Williams is principal at Ragersville and Baltic Elementary Schools, K–6 grade buildings in the Garaway Local School District. Jeff graduated from Ohio University with a degree in journalism in 1998 and was a newspaper reporter for 10 years prior to teaching. He enjoys coaching, writing, and spending time with his wife, Tennille, and his daughter, Grace.
53
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