INSIGHT — Fall 2017

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

FALL 2017

INSIGHT

Cover Story Page 8 TASA checks in with the 2017 Johnny L. Veselka scholarship recipients

VOLUME 32

NO. 3

FALL 2017

What do Coppell, Lubbock and Grand Prairie Independent School Districts have in common? They are transforming learning experiences through personalization with IBM® Watson™ technology.

Register to view the on-demand webinar at ibm.biz/BdjxFG.

You teach, Watson learns. ibm.com/watson/education

Lubbock ISD

Coppell ISD Grand Prairie ISD

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2017. IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com and IBM Watson are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the web at ibm.com/legal/ copytrade.shtml

FALL 2017 Volume 32 No. 3

INSIGHT FEATURE ARTICLES

Cover Story ➤

SCHOLAR PROFILES

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TASA checks in with the 2017 Johnny L. Veselka scholarship recipients

The H-E-B FOCUS ON EXCELLENCE: THE ENGAGED CLASSROOM OF ALAMO HEIGHTS ISD 11 Lee Holcombe A VIEW FROM A RURAL SUPERINTENDENT’S CORNER OF THE WORLD: Small town, big dreams Kim D. Alexander, Gary E. Briers and Glen C. Shinn

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LEGAL INSIGHT

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Cyberbullying in Texas: what you need to know

Ramiro Canales TEACHER PERSPECTIVE

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Using parent-teacher teams to foster family engagement

Allison Friedlander TCEA TECH TAKE

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Implementing technology through a bond

Thomas Brawley

TSPRA Voice ➤

MARKETING AND FUNDRAISING ARE IMPORTANT IN YOUR DISTRICT, NO MATTER HOW YOU CHOP IT UP Karen Anderson and Adi Bryant

Higher Education ➤

UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTING SB7: Greater consequences for inappropriate relationships with students Pam Winn and Stacey Edmonson

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INSIGHT

OFFICERS Buck Gilcrease, President, Alvin ISD Gayle Stinson, President-Elect, Lake Dallas ISD

DEPARTMENTS

Greg Smith, Vice-President, Clear Creek ISD Kevin Brown, Past President, Alamo Heights ISD

TASA Professional Learning Calendar

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President’s Message

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Daniel Treviño, Jr., Region 1, Mercedes ISD

Executive Director’s View

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Troy Mircovich, Region 2, Ingleside ISD Jeanette Winn, Region 3, Karnes City ISD Charles E. Dupre, Region 4, Fort Bend ISD Richard Bain, Region 5, Silsbee ISD Clark C. Ealy, Region 6, College Station ISD Stan Surratt, Region 7, Lindale ISD Rex Burks, Region 8, Simms ISD Kevin Dyes, Region 9, Holliday ISD Kevin Worthy, Region 10, Royse City ISD

INSIGHT EDITORIAL STAFF

Executive Director

David Belding, Region 11, Aubrey ISD Johnny L. Veselka

Assistant Executive Director, Services and Systems Administration

Ann M. Halstead

Amy Francisco

Director, Communications and Media Relations

Design/Production Marco A. De La Cueva

Editorial Director

Dacia Rivers

INSIGHT is published quarterly by the Texas Association of School Administrators, 406 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701-2617. Subscription is included in TASA membership dues. © 2017 by TASA. All rights reserved.TASA members may reprint articles in limited quantities for in-house educational use.

Articles in INSIGHT are expressions of the author or interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of TASA. Advertisements do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Texas Association of School Administrators.

INSIGHT is printed by 360 Press Solutions, Cedar Park, Texas.

George Kazanas, Region 12, Midway ISD Jodi Duron, Region 13, Elgin ISD Shaun Barnett, Region 14, Stamford ISD Aaron Hood, Region 15, Robert Lee ISD Steve Post, Region 16, Tulia ISD Keith Bryant, Region 17, Lubbock-Cooper ISD Ariel Elliott, Region 18, Greenwood ISD Jeannie Meza-Chavez, Region 19, San Elizario ISD Brian T. Woods, Region 20, Northside ISD

AT-LARGE MEMBERS Pauline Dow, San Antonio ISD Gonzalo Salazar, Los Fresnos CISD Roland Toscano, East Cental ISD Doug Williams, Sunnyvale ISD

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Greg Smith, Clear Creek ISD, Chair Kelli A. Moulton, Galveston ISD Dawson R. Orr, Southern Methodist University Jill M. Siler, Gunter ISD Doug Williams, Sunnyvale ISD Kevin Worthy, Royse City ISD

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INSIGHT

TASA Professional Learning Calendar: September–November 2017 For details on our professional development events, please visit us at www.tasanet.org or call the TASA office at 512.477.6361 or 800.725.TASA (8272)

Date

Event

Presenter Location

September Sept. 12-14

Curriculum Management Audit Training Susan Townsend Level I

TASA Headquarters Austin, TX

Sept. 20-21

First-Time Superintendents Academy Various (FTSA) – Session II

Austin Marriott North

Sept. 27-28

Academy for Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session I

San Angelo ISD San Angelo

October Oct. 6-8 TASA/TASB Convention Various

Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, TX

Oct. 11-12

Academy for Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session I

TASA Headquarters Austin, TX

Oct. 17-19

Curriculum Management Audit Training Susan Townsend Level I

TASA Headquarters Austin, TX

November Nov. 5-8 Texas Assessment Conference Various

Hilton Austin Hotel & Austin Convention Center Austin, TX

Nov. 8-9

First-Time Superintendents Academy Various (FTSA) Session III

Austin Marriott North Austin, TX

Nov. 14-16

Curriculum Management Audit Training Susan Townsend Level II

TASA Headquarters Austin, TX

Nov. 28-29

Academy of Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session II

San Angelo ISD San Angelo, TX

Nov. 30 – Dec. 1

Dr. John R. Hoyle Memorial Administrative Various Leadership Institute (ALI)

Texas A&M College Station, TX

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PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATORS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

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his is not the message I planned to write for this issue of INSIGHT. Like so many things around Alvin ISD and our community, it has changed, all thanks to Harvey (He Who Must Not Be Named). But the rain has finally stopped (thanks, Doug Williams!), and as I sit here writing this on September 6, our kids have finally returned to school. But we are still in significant recovery mode.

Buck Gilcrease

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The storm has wreaked havoc on our entire area. Our communities are in disarray. Many districts have school buildings that are uninhabitable. Our staff and our students are scattered around the area and around the state. If you drive down the streets of our neighborhoods it looks like a “Fixer Upper” episode gone terribly wrong. Some businesses are still not open, and some of them may never open again. All in all, it is a terrible situation, and that is an understatement.

But in the midst of the storm, there is always hope! In my school community, like in so many around the state, hope has come by way of public school employees and their families.The best of humankind emerged in the midst of this disaster, and I could not be prouder of how our teachers, staff, administrators, and even our students have responded to take care of their community.

Even while the rain was still coming down (it rained 42 inches at my house in about 46 hours), our teachers and staff were already mobilizing to meet immediate needs and answering the calls to help set up shelters and find food, cots, clothes and more. Before the water had fully receded, they were out among the community assessing needs and beginning the recovery process. Hauling furniture out of houses, cutting and stripping sheetrock, pulling carpet and scraping floors became the norm.The only question was where to go to help that day.

In essence, doing for others as they would have done for themselves was the unwritten creed of educators in the time of so much need.

An overwhelming sense of community was felt not just in the areas that experienced the wind, the rain and the historic flooding that ensued. Our great state of Texas unified, and this sense of community made the expansive distance between Lubbock and Houston and El Paso and Beaumont just a mere detail to be overcome. Districts and campuses that averted damage adopted their counterparts and sent trucks filled with supplies to those in need.

Even before the recent weather events,Texas public school educators were taking a proverbial beating. In the regular session, and even during the special session, we were targeted for no reason other than that we work for those “terrible” public schools.We have sneeringly been called “educrats.”We have also been called “godless.”We have been accused of having our own lobby that protects us.We have been accused of being against accountability.We have been told that we must have an accountability system to hold us in check, unlike our private school counterparts who, apparently, can do no wrong. I guess you could say we have been bullied. Yet there we were in the mud and the muck, saving what could be salvaged of our schools and communities.And you know what? I didn’t see — in my district, anyway — any of those people who have called us names working alongside us with crowbars and shovels.

As I reflect on the massive and heroic efforts of many, the kindness and care I’ve witnessed from teachers and other educators is something that again affirms the true character of public education. I’ve seen teachers and principals who were impacted personally by floodwaters take time to call each of their students to be a caring voice amongst the chaos. As the storm raged, I saw teachers and administrators volunteer to open shelters and offer meals, both from the comfort of a campus cafeteria and also from the backs of their cars. I’ve seen crews of campus teams clean out flood-ravaged homes, and I’ve seen teachers desperate for school to resume so that they can take care of their students.

I will take my fellow public school educators to be on my team any day, in any crisis, in any situation. Public education in Texas is about communities and not about soundbites. It is about loving your neighbor as yourself, and it is about doing good on a daily basis, especially for those who need it the most. Public education is the foundation of our state and nation.

Public school educators, thank you for your service!

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INSIGHT

SUPPORTING TASA MEMBERS IN THEIR LEADERSHIP EFFORTS

W Johnny L. Veselka

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW

ith this issue of INSIGHT, we launch another school year for Texas’ nearly 5.3 million students, but with a beginning like none other for a significant part of our student population. Hurricane Harvey brought severe flooding and destruction to more than 43 Texas counties along the Gulf Coast.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all TASA members, your families and school district staff, as well as the students and communities affected by the damage and flooding resulting from Hurricane Harvey.

The development of our long-range plan began in earnest last summer, with participants in TASA’s annual executive planning meeting identifying key priority areas and short-term action items, followed by further work from our key advisory committees last October.

We continue to be inspired by the tremendous leadership many of you have shown in this difficult time. At a time when school districts, school officials and other local government leaders have come under great scrutiny and criticism by some of our statewide elected officials and legislators, it was these We Look for local leaders, superintendents and countless other public school educators, and city and county officials, who stepped up and assumed responsibility for addressing local community needs and working 24/7 to address needed school repairs, the relocation of displaced students and opening the school doors.

While it will likely be weeks and months before some communities return to a state of normalcy, we know that your efforts have not gone unnoticed.The outpouring of support that your communities have received from your colleagues and others across the state and nation has been phenomenal. For the foreseeable future, we will continue to maintain our Hurricane Harvey Resources page on our website to assist you in your recovery efforts.

In July, the TASA Executive Committee approved a strategic framework developed by our TASA 2025 Task Force to facilitate the association’s vision and mission as we approach our centennial celebration in 2025. Later this fall, the TASA Advocacy, Member Engagement, and Professional Learning committees will focus on our annual priorities and long-term strategies as we continue to formulate the details surrounding our goals and aspirations.

We look forward to supporting your work through your participation in the TASA/TASB Convention and the TASA Midwinter Conference and our entire series of professional learning opportunities and support services throughout the year.

New in 2017-18 for districts that subscribe to TASA’s School Transformation Network (STN) is mySTN, our custom virtual learning platform designed exclusively for administrators in STN districts. mySTN delivers courses designed to build capacity for transformational leadership at all levels through self-paced, job-embedded online learning. Recognizing the value of collaboration and networking that face-to-face learning delivers, mySTN also includes a forum that is seamlessly integrated into each course, giving participants the chance to interact with learners across the state. In addition, it provides a secure venue for digital collaboration and discussion outside the coursework with colleagues from across the state.We’re excited about bringing STN districts this new platform.

Thank you for your continuing support of TASA.As you address the challenges and opportunities of the new school year, let us know how we can be helpful.

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Dr. John R. Hoyle Memorial Administrative Leadership Institute November 30-December 1, 2017 Texas A&M University Campus Co-hosted by TASA and the Texas A&M University Department of Educational Administration & Human Resource

For more than 50 years, TASA has partnered with Texas A&M to present the Administrative Leadership Institute (ALI), which has been called “the best 24-hour conference in Texas” by leaders in Texas public education and higher education. Each November, the conference focuses on a critical issue to help school leaders transform schools to better ensure all children can become successful students and people.

The focus of the 2017 ALI is “Building a Culture of Confidence in the Face of Anti-Public Education Sentiment.”

Explore all that Texas public schools truly offer their communities. Gain insight into ways to build confidence in your district leaders, educators, and stakeholders. Network with other districts to share ways to offer real choice to all students. Explore examples to build instructional leadership capacity. Hear from district leaders who partnered to construct compelling, pro-public education messages that reveal the truth behind all that anti-public ed talk.

Book housing and register by November 9!

Keynote Presentation Crucial Conversations About America’s Public Schools Dr. John Draper, a national consultant with the National School Public Relations Association, will step back from the rhetoric of “declining schools” and look at the reality of what is really happening on America’s campuses. He will identify some of the Talk, the Truth, and the Crucial Conversations that school leaders need to lead.

tasanet.org/ALI

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Scholar profiles TASA checks in with the 2017 Johnny L. Veselka scholarship recipients

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ASA created the Johnny L.Veselka Scholarship in 2013 to offer financial assistance and give recognition to outstanding Texas doctoral students seeking careers in educational leadership, especially those looking to serve in superintendent roles in the future.

The scholarship is named for Johnny L.Veselka, who began working at TASA more than 40 years ago, serving as executive director of the organization since 1986.

TASA awarded four $2,500 scholarships this year at Midwinter, to Jharrett Bryantt, Anitra Makoni, Christi Morgan and Ramiro Nava.

Jharrett Bryantt Bryantt is in the process of writing and defending his dissertation and hopes to receive his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin this December or next May at the latest. He currently serves as the assistant superintendent for college readiness in Houston ISD, where he has worked for four years, overseeing major initiatives related to postsecondary success in the large district.

“I decided I really wanted to learn more about what it takes to be a large school system — that’s something I’m very passionate about,” Bryantt says.“When I learned about the Cooperative Superintendency Program at UT, which would allow me to sit alongside great colleagues, I really wanted to be part of the program and take my own leadership to the next level.”

Juggling his job in Houston and school in Austin has been a challenge for Bryantt, who has spent hours commuting between the cities every week, sometimes driving to Austin for an 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. full day of classes before driving back to Houston to be at work the next morning.

“It was tough, but I had a good support group and a lot of the folks in my cohort are from Houston ISD as well,” Bryantt says.

His advice to other educators considering doctoral programs is to follow their passion.

“If you’re really passionate about pursuing a doctoral program, it’s important,” Bryantt says.“Not only because of the things you learn about school systems, finance, resources and the academic standards of the state, but you also get to meet people who are going to be the future change agents of education.”

Bryantt sees himself pursuing a superintendency in the future, but for now he’s looking for the right leadership team and the right opportunity that will take his career to the next level. His hope is to inspire other teachers and administrators the way others have done for him.

“The superintendent of Houston ISD when I came on was really bold and innovative, and she took a chance bringing on a lot of people who didn’t have a lot of experience and had a different kind of view on how to shake things up and move forward,” he says.“This motivated me to be that change — to give somebody else the chance to really try something different.”

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INSIGHT

Anitra Makoni Makoni just finished her doctoral coursework at Dallas Baptist University and plans to graduate in August of 2018. Going back to school presented a challenge for Makoni initially.When she began her doctorate, she lived in Fort Worth and commuted to Dallas ISD, where she dedicated her time to the district’s Teacher Excellence Initiative, serving as the program’s operations coordinator. At the same time, Makoni was fostering two very young children, a 3 month old and a 13 month old, both of whom she and her husband adopted within a year.

“With all of that on my plate, something had to go away,” Makoni says.

She toyed with the decision to put her doctorate on the backburner or take a job closer to home, eventually choosing the latter.

“I have two friends who completed their doctoral degrees, and the advice I got from them was,‘Don’t pull back on school, because if you lose the momentum, it becomes even harder,’” Makoni says.

Sticking with her doctoral work, Makoni returned to her previous position as a data analyst in Fort Worth ISD to give her more time and space to absorb her roles as a doctoral student and a mother of young children.

Makoni says she’s interested in serving as an administrator in the future. She has experience recruiting and training new teachers, thanks to her time in Dallas ISD, and she feels supporting new teachers in their first year of work is a crucial role she’d be happy to fill again.

When asked for her advice to other educators considering going back to school, she quotes Nike’s famous slogan:“Just do it.”

“It’s so rewarding and so worth it,” she says.“The calling is great.”

Makoni says that when she wraps up her degree, she knows she’ll be a better leader for having stuck with the program, despite challenges.

“As leaders, we have to model lifelong learning,” Makoni says.“I’ve learned so many different things not only about myself personally, but I think [the doctoral program] has made me a better professional.”

Christi Morgan Morgan will finish her doctoral coursework at the University of North Texas in December after beginning the program in 2014. Morgan has a varied professional education background, having worked as a teacher, diagnostician, assistant principal, federal programs administrator and curriculum director in Texas public schools.

While attending school, she has served as assistant superintendent of Sunnyvale ISD, east of Dallas.

“It has definitely been a lesson in balance,” Morgan says of working toward her doctorate while holding down the assistant superintendent’s post. “My husband and three children have been very supportive, and that’s helped a lot.”

Morgan cites two primary reasons for dedicating her time to receiving her doctorate. Firstly, she feels drawn to working with and mentoring teachers and administrators, therefore helping them reach children in the best way possible and expanding her own impact on education in her district.

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“Going into administration for me was a chance to help build systems and foster conditions so that good instruction can take place,” Morgan says.“That’s what I’m passionate about — equipping our adult learners in the system so that our students get the best education they can.”

Gathering research and building her own confidence throughout the doctoral program has enabled Morgan to work to make a difference in public education in general, and she now feels she has the knowledge and the faith in herself to engage with legislators and speak out in defense of Texas public schools.

“To work with legislators, analysts,TEA and ETS to try to transform the state assessment system armed with research and good practices from the research I’ve done helps facilitate that process,” Morgan says.

Morgan says she would like to serve as superintendent one day, and can also see herself working in higher education further along in her career. Her advice to potential school administrators considering going for their own doctoral degrees is to look at the payoff, which she feels is worthwhile.

“When you get to an administrative position, I think you have to continue to challenge yourself to be a learner,” she says.“Right now, I’m a sponge, and I am learning a lot from the leaders in our state, my superintendent and others.”

Ramiro Nava Nava completed his doctorate this May at the University of Texas at San Antonio, while working in his current position as executive director of support services in Somerset ISD, south of the Alamo City. Completing his doctorate while working was challenging for Nava, who in addition is raising 2-year-old twins with his wife. It required schedule-juggling that he feels was worth it.

“I took care of work while I was at work, and when I got home I played the daddy role until the babies were asleep,” Nava says.“And then I burned the midnight oil for several weeks to get things done.”

Nava considers receiving his doctorate a personal victory. He’s the youngest of 11 and says his mother always hoped one of her children would become a doctor.

“I think she meant more of a medical type doctor, but I gave her the next best thing,” Nava says.

His top piece of advice to other educational professionals considering going back to school for a doctorate? There’s no time like the present.

“Whether it takes three, four or five years, that time is going to pass whether they’re enrolled in school or not,” Nava says.“You have to reach for your goals, and be committed to persevere.”

Nava eventually has his sights set on serving as a superintendent — he says he feels drawn to lead.

“Having a leadership role provides you with the opportunity to widen your influence,” Nava says.“It allows you to network with more people, learn from people and really build strong relationships.”

Public education is a field about which Nava is passionate. He believes it’s important to advocate for students and their right to an education as much as Texans advocate for other rights and wishes more people would take an active role in fighting for Texas public schools.

“Education is one of those attainments — once you have it, no one can ever take it away from you.” n

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THE H-E-B FOCUS ON EXCELLENCE: THE ENGAGED CLASSROOM OF ALAMO HEIGHTS ISD

by Lee Holcombe

H-E-B launched the Excellence in Education (EIE) awards program in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators in 2002 as a positive way to support public education in Texas. Last year, H-E-B celebrated the 16th anniversary of the program with cash incentives for teachers, principals, schools and districts ranging from $5,000 to $100,000. Since its inception, more than $8.5 million has been given to educators, schools, districts and early childhood facilities across the state.This is the largest monetary awards program for educators in Texas and one of the largest in the nation.

A major goal of the Excellence in Education awards program is to make a statement about the great things going on in Texas schools by spotlighting best practices and celebrating the work of Texas educators.Toward this end, this issue includes a vignette of excellence in Alamo Heights ISD — winner of the 2017 Small District Award and recipient of $50,000 — that may be of interest to other educators in the state. Contact Kevin Brown,Alamo Heights ISD superintendent, at (210) 832-5953 or esanchez@ahisd. net should there be an interest in learning more about the excellence described in this vignette.

H-E-B encourages districts to participate in the upcoming 2017-18 award program.Applications are due by Dec. 8, 2017.To start your application and for additional information, visit www.heb.com/static-page/excellence-in-education-awards.

The engaged classroom For generations, Alamo Heights ISD earned and enjoyed its reputation as a traditional district whose students excelled according to conventional measures such as standardized exams and college-going rates. In 2008, the district embarked upon a strategic planning process that stipulated that teaching and learning should consist of “engaging, personally challenging, and relevant experiences.” As the strategic planning process matured, the district and the community arrived at a pivotal and liberating consensus: the traditional model may serve the students well in terms of performance on conventional measures, but did little to spark a genuine passion for learning. This was the beginning of a journey that would lead them to the Engaged Classroom, a bold and stark departure from the traditional model of teaching and learning in Alamo Heights.

The Engaged Classroom is a teacher-driven transformation of every aspect of the learning environment, an incubator in which teacher professionalism can engender a passion for profound learning.Teachers are empowered to change everything in the classroom except for the district’s scope and sequence.Artifacts of the modernday workforce such as one-to-one computers, dual projector screens, couches, carpet,“soft” hard flooring and flexible seating arrangements are in individual desks and asbestos tiling are out. See https://goo.gl/YSfPGg for a teacher’s tour of her Engaged Classroom and the activity-centered learning that it supports.

New environs and tech toys alone, however, do not necessarily deepen learning.Training and support within a culture of trust are key.

Participating teachers receive intensive training prior to the start of the school year and ongoing support from on-site instructional 13

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coaches. Teachers know that risk-taking is not only tolerated, but encouraged by the district with the full knowledge that not all risk-taking pays off.

The Engaged Classroom is a consequence of years of focused efforts to establish a culture of intentional design — in contrast to planning — throughout the district in partnership with the Schlechty Center, an organization that works with districts to achieve profound learning. The district models the culture it expects of teachers in the classroom. Design is done in collaboration spaces at every level in the district via coaching circles where trust is earned over time through trial and error. Teachers don’t plan lessons, they design active experiences collaboratively.As an overlay to the typical focus on higher-order thinking skills of the more traditional lesson planning model, lesson design also considers the likes and dislikes, and strengths and weaknesses of individual students. The same process applies to designing professional development for teachers and staff.

A critical ingredient for success of the Engaged Classroom was the collaborative development of the learner profile for both staff and students during the 2015-16 year.

The learner profile includes components that are not unfamiliar: employ skills for life, develop a healthy sense of self, seek knowledge and understanding, communicate and collaborate, think critically and creatively, and engage socially and globally. The distinction at Alamo Heights is that they are core-drivers of the design of the learning experiences for teachers and students.

Teachers use them to build lessons and assessments, the results of which are used for strategic planning purposes in place of the state accountability test results.Teachers, therefore, have the strategic support to fully

A bright and cheerful engaged classroom in Alamo Heights ISD.

leverage profound-learning design tools in order to transmit and infuse a profoundlearning culture into the innovation-space of the Engaged Classrooms.

The district was intent upon implementing this initiative as a teacher-driven process from its beginning. During the 2016-17 pilot year, 17 teachers volunteered to transform their classrooms.

Approximately 60 elected to do so during the 2017-18 year and the district hopes to add 60 each year thereafter until all teachers who are willing to adopt the Engaged Classroom model have done so.

The long-term goal is that every classroom will eventually be an Engaged Classroom.

other teachers is outpacing its planned rollout.The vast majority of student feedback has been positive, with students requesting the Engaged Classroom model in other classes and in subsequent years. A small percentage of the older students expressed preference for the traditional classroom in which they didn’t have to be interactive or work collaboratively on projects, yet nonetheless understood the benefits of the new model. In terms of student achievement, the impact on the learner profiles of participating students is almost entirely positive. The district tweaked the model to address the few aspects of the learner profile that did not experience gains.

Feedback from the pilot teachers has been encouraging. They report that, although they worked harder, they are excited about how much they have learned and honed their craft.They are energized about building upon their successes and being a resource for teachers of subsequent cohorts.

Perhaps most significantly, the demand to adopt the Engaged Classroom among

The Engaged Classroom was possible because of the commitment to keeping the community as an integral partner throughout. For example, the district design team developed the Ambassadors for Engagement program, an engaged learning experience for community members interested in sharing the potential of the new classroom model to the general public.

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The size of the pilot cohort was critical.

Seventeen classrooms is small enough to provide focused support, yet sufficiently large to include all grade levels, a key goal of the pilot year. The small size made the learning curve more manageable. Successes and failures were more readily identifiable and their implications for going to scale more easily understood. The wake of the challenges was easier to manage.The small pilot cohort was also a result of the available budget leftover from the previous bond.

Funding for future cohorts was part of a

recent bond initiative, the overwhelming success of which (81 percent) was in large part due to the demonstrated success of the pilot cohort and how they relate to the community developed learner profiles.

The Engaged Classroom is the culmination of years of patient and unwavering pursuit of profound learning and a culture of intentional design. Neither of these are easy or immediate, but when joined with strong community relations, they lead to bold deviations, from tradition like the

Engaged Classroom, that are necessary if students are to develop a genuine passion for learning.

If you would like to learn more about the Engaged Classroom story, please contact Kevin Brown, Alamo Heights superintendent, at (210) 832-5953 or esanchez@ahisd.net. n

Lee Holcombe has been conducting research and evaluation in education since 1998 and is founder of WLH Analytics. He has had the honor and privilege to volunteer as a judge for the H-E-B EIE district award since its inception in 2005. You may contact him at holcombe@wlhanalytics.com.

Engaged classrooms in Alamo Heights ISD are set up for collaboration.

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A VIEW FROM A RURAL SUPERINTENDENT’S CORNER OF THE WORLD: SMALL TOWN, BIG DREAMS

by Kim D. Alexander, Gary E. Briers and Glen C. Shinn

Rural schools, like many Texas highways, are “Caution – Road Work Ahead.”

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uturists describe a rapidly changing society in the 21st Century. Communicated as grand challenges with immediate implications for Texas are education, energy, environment, food, water and disease (Smalley, 2003). Although the landscapes in which they live are different, rural parents — like their urban counterparts — hold aspirations for their children and want a safe, healthy environment with the instruction that meets their children’s educational needs.

Competence is expected in individualizing the learning environment for their children and encouraging aspiration, curiosity and grit. Even in rural settings, schools are a part of an interdependent, interconnected, global society, and it is our responsibility to prepare students to be contributing citizens in tomorrow’s world.

Cooley and Floyd (2013) concluded,“There is substantial evidence … that the public education system has reached the point where continued improvement will not be possible absent significant changes, whether that change takes the form of increased funding, improved efficiencies, or better methods of education,” (p. 46). Change is coming, but people often don’t like change, especially when they think they will lose from it.

In response, Roscoe Collegiate ISD (RCISD) has invested nine years in the evolution of a P-20 systemic model for 21st Century School Transformation in Texas.The P-20 model spans prekindergarten through associate degrees or industry certifications. Expectations are that a large portion of grade 14 (associate degrees) completers will flow seamlessly in higher education through grade 16 (baccalaureate degrees), and many of those will complete master’s, doctoral, and/or professional degrees (grade 20) — thus the moniker “P-20.”

This approach enables RCISD to better provide students with integrated resources that include two integrated STEM-based themes — biomedical sciences and engineering — that fit our community and are necessary for students to engage in a more globally competitive educational and workforce environment. RCISD has achieved the goal to sustain 90 percent or greater of each class to complete the blended model associate degree through Roscoe Collegiate and Western Texas College. A longrange goal is for RCISD to become a model that can be replicated by other small and rural schools.

Why education is crucial for small schools and rural Texas Education is big business. Texas is increasingly engaged in a global economy that depends on skilled knowledge-workers. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) oversees approximately 1,250 public and charter school districts enrolling more than 5 million students. Twenty-nine percent of the state’s

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students are enrolled in 18 of the largest school districts. On the other hand, small and rural districts.Additionally, almost half of the rural student population is considered low income and often lack role models (Rosser, 2014;TEA, 2017). Currently, only 20 percent of Texas eighth graders will earn a college degree or an advanced certificate within six years after high school.The THECB 60x30TX strategic plan is to have 60 percent of Texans between the ages of 25-34 hold a postsecondary credential or degree by 2030.The current number is 38 percent; that’s a 22 percent change-gap that reduces Texas’ global competitiveness.

Rural schools face similar infrastructural shifts as do urban schools — population change, intergenerational poverty, violence, limited access to advancing technologies, disruptive policies and school migration.Add yet another major rural challenge — attracting qualified administrators and teachers who are willing to embrace new methods and practices. Innovative solutions need risk-reduction, handson approaches and continuous integration. Inequality of access to powerful knowledge is compounded by a lack of engagement and reflection.

By 2030, two-thirds of the world will live in cities — intensifying demands on energy, environment, food, water and other renewable resources. Clearly, there is a need to continue to improve.The difficult questions become how and when?

What appears to be happening has already happened Recognizing that a good educational start is crucial, the P-20 model begins with developmentally appropriate activities from among a prescribed range of options.The pre-k learning environment encourages curiosity, exploration, discovery, social behavior and uninterrupted blocks of “work time.”Activities morph into interests in language, math and music supporting “reading, writing and arithmetic.”

Beginning with fourth graders, the project method serves as a basis for learning-teaching, but the model continues to use a variety of developmentally-appropriate methods incorporated into a student-centered curriculum.

Partners — including community colleges, universities, businesses, consultants and foundations — work directly with P-20 schools and school districts in educating/mentoring students. Education and training strategies include shifting toward analyzing and synthesizing knowledge from remembering and memorizing for the test.

A long journey begins with the first steps — essential school-based elements and partners — that include a focus on: •

specialized staffing–getting and rewarding the right people on the bus;

•

AVID–AdvancementVia Individual Determination;

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aspirations and expectations of individual students and their parents/guardians;

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personal/individual learning pathways;

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extended learning time, creative problem-solving and lifelong learning;

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STEM disciplines, industry certifications and transferable skills;

•

partnering with colleges and universities to access distributed degrees and certificates The design principles are:

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fostering family and community engagement;

•

leading with a clear vision and shared decision-making;

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building effective partnerships;

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designing a rigorous, relevant and focused curriculum;

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creating an integrated college experience;

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creating an integrated workplace experience; and

•

building a strong, collaborative teaching faculty.

The five-year RCISD Collegiate Edu-Vet plan (2016) recognized four constraints:

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he diseconomies of scale between large urban schools and small rural schools;

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short-range economic changes that impact long-range strategies compelling schools to do more with less. Poverty makes it difficult for families to provide the resources children need.

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politics often change the focus of the curriculum and student achievement measures without sufficient attention to academic aspiration, performance, and development; and,

•

societal and cultural constraints include safety, nutrition, health, crime, drugs and limited public-private partnerships.

To drive real change, schools must partner with the community to create social innovations that benefit individual students, local businesses and the public good.

Gibbs (2000) warned that rural schools face impediments of small size, lack of specialization and generational poverty. Lacking role models, rural youth are less likely to be academically prepared for and attend college. Cooley and Floyd (2013) offered consolidation of small and rural schools as a solution by absorbing or joining districts. However, physical distance, expenditures per pupil and loss of rural communities may be offset by leveraging connectivity, convergence and emerging technologies coupled with distributed course/ degree delivery.

At the onset, RCISD was partially supported by Educate Texas, a public/private partnership established by the governor’s office to support Early Colleges,T-STEM, and STEM Academies.As a result of the developmental process, the district moved from an independent school district into a system model approach. It was the goal of Educate Texas for the Roscoe Collegiate Model to be replicated by other small and rural schools.

Early on, members of the Roscoe Collegiate System included the original two-year higher education partners, Western Texas College in Snyder and Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater. Over time, the district added a four-year university partnership with Angelo State University, as well as system partnerships with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas 4H and the Texas Tech T-STEM Center.

Over a nine-year period of development, the P-20 model has strengthened educational differentiation. Six interventions supported RCISD’s ability to outperform its competitors: Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID, 2017), Common Instructional Framework, Instructional Coaches

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and Common Planning, Harvard Instructional Rounds, the Third-90 (poverty issues), and project-based learning in relevant STEM areas of biomedical science, including One Health and engineering, including robotics and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s).

Agriculture industries and engineering technologies are the contexts of the living, working and learning environments of Nolan County, Texas. RCISD provides learning pathways through biomedical sciences and engineering. Featured in the 2016 business plan, the biomedical pathway includes clinical, One relevant the STEM area of biomedical science, including One-Health — with laboratory and business certificates through the Collegiate EduVet Teaching Hospital and certifications through Texas Veterinary Medicine Association (TVMA). Similarly, engineering pathways include airborne innovations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) through the EduDrone curriculum.

The Education Design Lab (2016) recommended, “If (Texas) higher ed wants to stay ahead of this curve, it should grow its access and opportunities specifically to help at-risk jobholders (students) retool early and often. Even for those in safer fields, the rate of change has created very complex environments in most fields, so teaching … creative problem solving has been cited in IBM’s global CEO survey as the biggest capacity need going forward.” Carr (2010) reported “about 60 percent of CEOs polled cited creativity as the most important leadership quality, compared with 52 percent for integrity and 35 percent for global thinking. Creative leaders are also more prepared to break with the status quo of industry, enterprise and revenue models, and they are 81 percent more likely to rate innovation as a ‘crucial capability.’”

Is it working?

Aspirations and expectations — creating a new reality for learners of all ages — are crucial for school transformation and community sustainability. In an exit poll of the 29 recently graduating seniors, we learned that 19 were optimistic for an improving quality of life in 2022 while six forecasted a constant lifestyle and three were pessimistic. Nineteen seniors planned to earn a Bachelor of Science degree within six semesters (2019). Sixteen estimated their first semester grades to be A’s and B’s. After college graduation, eight students indicated a preference to live within 50 miles of Roscoe while 11 preferred within 250 miles. Recalling “yesterday,” 17 seniors remember smiling or laughing a lot, and 27 thought they have family or friends they could count on to help whenever they needed them.Another benefit is the absence of educational debt while earning the associate degree. Parents are also smiling a lot.

The P-20 model focuses on developing resilience and reducing dependency. Generational poverty is diminished with relevant, rigorous education and positive role-model relationships.

There are no silver bullets — one size does not fit all — but innovation at the community level and core elements of education and training provide rural triage to combat illiteracy, unemployment and poverty.n

References Carr,Austin. (2010).The most important leadership quality for CEOs? Creativity. Fast Company. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/1648943/most-important-leadership-quality-ceos-creativity Cooley, Dwight A. and Floyd, Koy A. (2013) “Small rural school district consolidation in Texas: An analysis of its impact on cost and student achievement,”Administrative Issues Journal:Vol. 3 : Iss. 1 ,Article 7.Available at: http://dc.swosu.edu/aij/vol3/iss1/7

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Education Design Lab. (2016). 3 graphs that explain how higher ed needs to design for the future of work.Available at http://eddesignlab. org/2016/12/3-graphs-that-explain-how-higher-ed-needs-to-design-for-the-future-of-work/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhrzLBRC3ARIsAP mhsnUv4NlF7-bUseTNJhmeoHusbmvMgCZmXkze3xtMLr_LktXxK08ZBsUaAvaTEALw_wcB Gibbs, Robert. (2000).The Challenge Ahead for Rural Schools.Available at http://forum.ra.utk.edu/2000spring/challenge.html Roscoe Collegiate ISD. (2017). Roscoe Collegiate Early College/STEM Academy.Available at: http://www.roscoe.esc14.net/ Roscoe Collegiate ISD. (2016). Five-Year Education Plan 2016-2021 Collegiate Edu-Vet – A Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Available at http://www.roscoe.esc14.net/users/0001/Collegiate%20Edu-Vet%20docs/Brochure%20CEVVTHP%20Education%20Plan%20 Booklet%2020May-5.pdf Rosser, Wynn, et.al. (2014). Postsecondary completion in rural Texas: A statewide overview. Available at: http://bush.tamu.edu/psaa/ capstones/projects/2014/Postsecondary%20Completion%20in%20Rural%20Texas.pdf Smalley, R.E. (2003).Top ten problems of humanity for next 50 years. Energy & NanoTechnology Conference, Rice University.

Texas Education Agency. (2017). Enrollment in Texas public schools. 2016-2017. Available at: http://tea.texas.gov/acctres/enroll_index. html Texas Education Agency. (2017). Elevating support for Texas rural and small schools: Texas rural schools task force report. Available at: http://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Educator_Initiatives_and_Performance/Rural_Schools_Task_Force/ Texas Education Agency. (2017). Rural schools task force. Available at: http://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/ Educator_Initiatives_and_Performance/Rural_Schools_Task_Force/ THECB. (2017). 60x30TX.Available at: http://www.60x30tx.com/

Kim D. Alexander is superintendent at RCISD. Gary E. Briers is professor at Texas A&M University.

Glen C. Shinn is senior partner at GCS-Global Consulting Solutions.

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Now Available Online!

85th Legislative Sessions

Final Bill Report—2017 TASA Governmental Relations has compiled a report featuring summaries of the education-related bills passed during both the regular and special sessions of 2017.

Access it at tasanet.org!

TASA Texas Association of School Administrators FALL 2017

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LEGAL INSIGHT Cyberbullying in Texas: what you need to know

by Ramiro Canales

B Two key changes that SB 179 made to current law are modifying the existing definition of “bullying” and adding a new definition of

eginning Sept. 1, a new law in Texas will change how harassment, bullying and cyberbullying are addressed in Texas public schools. SB 179 by Sen. Jose Menendez of San Antonio was passed during the regular session of the 85th Texas Legislature to address a growing epidemic in public schools that has been largely caused by the increased use of social media. Passed in honor of David Molak, a former student at Alamo Heights High School, “David’s Law” defines the terms “bullying” and “cyberbullying” and provides school districts with specific guidance on how to address the problem.

Bullying and cyberbullying defined Two key changes that SB 179 made to current law are modifying the existing definition of “bullying” and adding a new definition of “cyberbullying.”

“cyberbullying.”

Under the bill, “bullying” is now defined as a “single significant act or a pattern of acts by one or more students directed at another student that exploits an imbalance of power and involves engaging in written or verbal expression, through electronic means, or physical conduct that.....(i) has the effect or will have the effect of physically harming a student, damaging a student’s property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or of damage to the student’s property; (ii) is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive enough that the action or threat creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for a student; (iii) materially and substantially disrupts the educational process or the orderly operation of a classroom or school; or infringes on the rights of the victim at school; and includes cyberbullying.”

“Cyberbullying” is defined as “bullying that is done through the use of any electronic communication device, including through the use of a cellular or other type of telephone, a computer, a camera, electronic mail, instant messaging, text messaging, a social media application, an internet website, or any other Internet-based communication tool.”

The provisions regarding “bullying” and “cyberbullying” apply to “bullying that occurs on or is delivered to school property or to the site of a school-sponsored or school-related activity on or off school property; bullying that occurs on a publicly or privately owned school bus or vehicle being used for transportation of students to or from school or a school-sponsored or school-related activity; and cyberbullying that occurs off school property or outside of a school-sponsored or school-related activity if the cyberbullying interferes with a student’s educational opportunities or substantially disrupts the orderly operation of a classroom, school, or school-sponsored or school-related activity.”

SB 179 Highlights: In addition to providing new definitions for “bullying” and “cyberbullying,” SB 179 does the following:

➤ requires a school district to establish a procedure for providing notice of an incident of bullying, as defined in the statute, to a parent or guardian of an alleged victim “on or before the third business day after the date the incident is reported.”

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➤ maintains the current requirement that a school district notify the parent or guardian of an alleged bully “within a reasonable amount of time after the incident.” ➤ requires a school district to establish a procedure to allow a student to anonymously report an incident of bullying. ➤ allows a school district to establish a district-wide policy to assist in the prevention and mediation of bullying incidents between students. ➤ allows a school district to place a student in a disciplinary alternative education program if the student engages in bullying that encourages a student to commit or attempt to commit suicide, incites violence against a student through group bullying, or without a student’s consent, releases or threatens to release intimate visual material of a minor or a student who is 18 years of age or older. ➤ allows the principal of a public primary or secondary school, or another designated school employee, to make a report to a school district police department, a municipal police department, or the sheriff of a county if he has reasonable grounds to believe that a student engaged in conduct that constitutes an assault or harassment via repeated electronic communications under the Penal Code. Allows the name and address of each student who may have participated in the conduct to be included in the report. ➤ provides immunity from civil or criminal liability to a person who voluntarily makes a police report.

Provides immunity from civil or criminal liability or disciplinary action to a person who takes any

action regarding the report to law enforcement. ➤ provides immunity from suit to a school district, school personnel and school volunteers for an act relating to the report to law enforcement, including acts under related policies and procedures. ➤ defines a “mental health condition” as an “illness, disease, or disorder, other than epilepsy, dementia, substance abuse, or intellectual disability, that … substantially impairs a person’s thought, perception of reality, emotional process, or judgment; or … grossly impairs behavior as demonstrated by recent disturbed behavior.” ➤ subjects open-enrollment charter schools to the bullying prevention policies and procedures, the right of a school to place a student in a disciplinary alternative education program, the right to report local law enforcement certain conduct constituting assault or harassment. ➤ allows instruction regarding how grief and trauma affect student learning and how trauma-informed strateg ies support academic success to be included in the continuing education requirements for a classroom education teacher and a principal.

and discord involving two or more students, students accused of bullying and cyberbullying. ➤ allows the recipient of cyberbullying behavior or the parent or another person standing in parental relation to the recipient to seek injunctive relief against the person who was cyberbullying or against the parent or another person standing in parental relation to the individual who was cyberbullying. ➤ requires the Texas Supreme Court to promulgate forms for use by individuals representing themselves seeking injunctive relief in suits involving cyberbullying.

Bullying and cyberbullying have detrimental effects on the lives of many public school students. SB 179 makes positive changes to ensure that all children learn in a positive and safe environment.The Texas Legislature will be monitoring the effects of SB 179 and will make necessary changes during the 86th Texas Legislative Session. n

Ramiro Canales is an attorney and the assistant executive director of governmental relations at TASA. Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice.

➤ requires TEA, in coordination with the Health and Human Services Commission, to establish and maintain a website to promote resources regarding working with students with mental health conditions.

Specifies four different types of information that must be included on the website. ➤ requires a school district counselor to serves an impartial, nonreporting resource for interpersonal conflicts

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TEACHER PERSPECTIVE Using parent-teacher teams to foster family engagement

By Allison Friedlander

S

chools play an important, though not singular, role in a child’s development. For students to reach their full potential, teachers must work alongside families. While good schools use state standards to set goals and align their curriculum, great schools also engage families in the goalsetting process. The best teachers with whom I have worked are those who see parents as true partners; ones who listen to parents’ hopes and dreams and incorporate them into their class vision.

My understanding of meaningful family engagement has evolved over the past decade working in public schools.As a novice teacher, I was unaware of how parent-teacher partnerships could have a transformative effect on a child’s development. Doing the best I could in the legendary first two years as a teacher, I reached out for standard parent-teacher conferences, went to a few birthday parties, and touched base with parents when I could throughout the year, often in response to something that occurred in the classroom.

A few years into teaching, I strengthened parent relationships thanks to an incredible administrative team. They opened the school doors to caregivers, created a welcoming parent room, capitalized on every opportunity to interact with families, and utilized resources strategically to strengthen school-home ties. The school leadership set a strong foundation for parent involvement and modeled ways to build relationships with families. Among other things, I saw my school leaders proactively build relationships with parents, make home visits and ask parents for feedback. The expectations administrators set were clear — we should engage and work with parents as partners, given the invaluable role they play in the education of our students.

Another few years had passed and, through some work I was doing with an educational nonprofit, I learned about schools that were building parent-teacher teams that, among other things, would meet on a regular basis to share academic goals and progress of students. The idea, though simple, seemed revolutionary — through these group parent meetings, I could build a stronger community among family members, collaborate with them on goals for the year, facilitate discussions in which parents could share their expertise for working with children at home, and get feedback on my teaching. Individual parent-teacher conferences could then be more targeted to individual students and build off what we did in our group meetings. Given our school already welcomed parents to participate in school-wide events, this was a fitting next step.

In my seventh year teaching, I implemented regular parent-teacher team meetings with the vision of building a strong community among families, collaboratively setting goals for the class, reviewing progress on a periodic basis with families, and sharing strategies to foster student growth at home and in school. In these meetings, it was critical to acknowledge and leverage the varied areas of expertise — everyone, teacher and caregivers alike, had unique experiences and perspectives they were bringing to the group. Everyone had the ability to learn from one another.

These meetings shifted over time from being focused primarily on academic achievement to including other areas such as health and social-emotional development. Instead of just providing my academic goals for parents, we collaborated on and set joint goals as a community. For instance, some parents who did not speak Spanish mentioned they were hoping to see students’ Spanish skills increase in our dual language classroom. In that discussion, two Spanish-speaking parents offered to lead Spanish book 24

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clubs with students. Another parent’s goal was for her daughter to make healthier food choices and to be more physically active. We then brought health discussions into our morning meetings and every day at the lunch line, I reminded students about healthy choices. Eventually, students started reminding one another and, as a whole, they began eating healthier foods.

At the end of that year, another parent gave me a picnic basket full of fruits and vegetables mentioning that because of our efforts, her son now loves eating healthy food. This shows the power of partnering with parents to achieve meaningful goals.

We also set academic achievement goals for the year and discussed strategies for both home and school that would help students succeed in those areas. Through conversations, parent surveys and student achievement data, it was clear that increased parent engagement was translating into more learning for students.

As part of community-building, I aspire for parents to not only connect to one another as members of our internal campus community, but gain exposure to the assets and opportunities beyond the limits of our school.Thus, over the years I have also partnered with community organizations to foster these connections. For example, I’ve hosted some of our meetings at the public library (followed by a library tour and opportunity for parents and students to check out books), invited a dietician to share ideas on healthy eating habits and recipes with my students, and partnered with a parent liaison to share opportunities for summer camp scholarships with families. Schools obviously play an important role in the education and development of a child. However, the more communities, schools and families work together, the stronger outcomes we will achieve with our youth.n

We believe a well-crafted learning environment produces more confident, engaged and accomplished students.

That’s been our commitment for 50 years, and it’s a foundation from which we’ll never waver.

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TCEA TECH TAKE Implementing technology through a bond

By Thomas Brawley

S An inventory ensures accurate information is presented to the subcommittee on the current state of technology in your district and that a full review by the subcommittee can be accomplished to determine what needs to be replaced or added to improve the infrastructure and instructonal needs of the district.

o, your district has decided to begin a bond study to determine the district’s future needs, and one of the areas is technology.You were asked to determine how much technology the district needs and to prepare a presentation for the Bond Study Committee. Before tackling what could be a daunting task, there are several things you should consider.

Creating a subcommittee Since the Bond Study Committee will determine the needs of the district as a whole, it would be beneficial to develop a technology subcommittee to focus directly on the technological needs of your district to ensure nothing is missed and all needs are covered. I recommend that you never try to tackle creating a vision for the future of technology in your district alone. As the old adage goes: It takes a village to raise a child. So too should you look to your local district, departments, campuses, students and community to help you develop the vision for technology.

When developing this technology subcommittee, make sure to select people who represent a broad range of departments, such as curriculum, ancillary, special services, teachers, community members and someone from the infrastructure side of technology. Now the question becomes: How large of a subcommittee should this be? There are no simple answers to this question; the number of subcommittee members should be a number that best represents your needs and that you feel it will take to do the job. Just remember that the more people you have on the subcommittee, the more difficult it may be to get anything accomplished.

Keeping an inventory Now that you have your technology subcommittee selected, it’s time to pull them together and review the current state of technology within your district. An accurate and up-to-date inventory is critical, so you can present accurate data to the subcommittee to ensure that decisions are being made based on facts.

How does an inventory help? An inventory ensures accurate information is presented to the subcommittee on the current state of technology in your district and that a full review by the subcommittee can be accomplished to determine what needs to be replaced or added to improve the infrastructure and instructional needs of the district. Once the inventory is completed, present the information to the subcommittee in a factual and non-leading way.Your role is to serve as a guide in this process and to answer important questions they may have to help make the right decisions. Even though we would like to think we know exactly what our district needs, it’s important to get complete buy-in from the subcommittee. They need to be part of the process of determining what the district’s needs are and that they are based not only on the information you provide, but also what they have seen, heard or experienced in their own work with the school district.

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The importance of a clear plan With your technology subcommittee created and your completed inventory in hand, it’s time to put together all the information needed to present to the technology subcommittee. For the subcommittee to know what the future of technology is for the district, they need to know what is envisioned in the strategic plan, as well as the vision that was developed for technology in your district’s technology plan. Even though technology plans are no longer required by school districts for certain federal filings, they are still critical to ensuring that a plan for technology is being followed.Also, technology plans are still required for some types of grants. The district’s technology plan must make sure it follows the district’s strategic plan and is not a completely separate entity.While working at the Region 4 ESC as a technology education specialist, I had the opportunity to review technology plans. From that experience, I’m certain it’s imperative that technology plans follow the district’s vision to ensure the district has a direction.

bond period is over, when the projectors start dying and/or no longer work? Do you have a plan to replace them? As you start implementing whatever technology is decided upon, the technology will need to be replaced at some point, so make sure the committee is aware of these considerations.

school districts may only include 2 percent toward technology, and then five years later they have more than 13 percent of the bond dedicated to technology. So remember to base your presentation on your needs, not on what other districts in your area are spending.

Considering budgetary concerns

Conclusion

As the subcommittee is working on their list of technology needs, they may ask: How much money should we request, or are we limited to how much money we can request? Remind the subcommittee that money should never be a hindrance; they should base their list on the needs of the district, and not limit themselves to what the district can afford. The Bond Study committee that this information will be presented to will ultimately have the decision on whether or not they want to include all of the needs or narrow them down based on the parameters they were given by the school board. Your job is to develop a list of needs to present to the main committee, and by creating a subcommittee and having them help you develop your presentation, it will hopefully Developing a list of needs create buy-in from the main committee Once you’ve presented the information, and school board. let your technology subcommittee start working to develop their list of technology When I say money should not be the needs. Remember to be a guide and to main factor, I’m basing this on research answer questions, but to give the subcom- I’ve completed over the last several years. mittee autonomy to come up with their I have been tracking bonds from various needs on their own. When the subcom- school districts and how much of each mittee is working on their list of needs, bond is technology-focused, based on dolmake sure the decisions they’re considering lar amounts and percentage of the bond. I go beyond the years of the bond. Often, have researched 79 different bonds dating committees don’t consider what happens back to 2004 from various sized school disto the technology after the bond. Let’s say tricts, and the amounts for technology vary your subcommittee has considered pur- ranging from 1-28 percent of the bond. chasing short-throw projectors for every Of the 79 school district bonds reviewed, classroom to enhance the teaching experi- the average percentage of the bonds that ence over the next five years.The question were dedicated to technology was roughly now becomes, have you planned for how 9 percent. However, that should not be the projectors will be replaced after the the deciding factor. I’ve found that several

The overall deciding factor on what is requested should be based on your district’s needs and vision for the future.Your school district’s technology needs may be different from a district right next door, so do not focus on what others are doing or base it on a certain amount. Do not worry about whether or not you should be including certain technology items based on the cost, because whether to ultimately include the technology or not should be the main committee and school board’s decision.Your job should be to make sure you are including the community in the decision and that the decision is based on factual current data, considers future needs and supports the needs of your students. n

Thomas Brawley currently serves as Director of Technology Services for Tomball ISD. Brawley has recently served as TCEA’s Area 4 Director for six years and currently serves on the board as TCEA’s 2018 Convention Chair.

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TSPRA VOICE Marketing and fundraising are important in your district, no matter how you chop it up

By Karen Anderson and Adi Bryant

Spoiler alert … the organization of your communications and foundation efforts is inconsequential, as long as someone in your district is telling your story to the public.

There is no doubt that competition for public schools has never been greater. Whether it be virtual schools or private and charter options, families have more choice now than ever on where to go for quality education. In response, many school districts are focusing on intentionally engaging their communities through communications, marketing and fundraising (Education Foundation) efforts. This article takes two looks at how Red Oak and Royse City ISDs approach these tasks.

Red Oak ISD: 5,800 students, 25 miles south of Dallas Like many Education Foundations, Red Oak ISD’s (ROISD) program began (2002) as a way to support the district and provide funding above and beyond budgetary limitations.The ROISD Education Foundation operates separately from the communications team, but regularly partners on promotion and as a pipeline of positive public relations for the district.

The ROISD communications staff includes a videographer, staff writer and assistant, all led by an assistant superintendent of communications and human resources.The ROISD Education Foundation consists of a full-time executive director (who also holds the position of volunteer coordinator for the district) and a part-time administrative coordinator.

The separate communications staff routinely produces videos, graphics and collateral material for the foundation allowing the executive director to focus on impactful grant opportunities for the district as well as continue to develop and grow community partners. Because the district provides office space for the foundation, the two departments have the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively and efficiently.Although the communications department and the foundation are two separate entities, they are able to work together because they share and support a common focus — the students and staff of ROISD. “My directors and I have great relationships with the business community and serve as a bridge between those key individuals and the district. For example, our relationship with the DART Foundation led to a $35,000 Engineering Grant for Red Oak High School,” said ROISD Foundation Executive Director Karen Anderson. “Our ability to solely focus on relationships in the community helps us truly support the mission of the district and impact classrooms through fundraising.”

The ROISD Education Foundation granted more than $67,000 to classrooms across the district in 2017 and recently assisted in securing a $263,000 grant to launch a nursing program for students in the district. This nursing program grant award was dependent on the existence of solid community partnerships with local medical entities.

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Student and staff recognition programs, community golf tournaments, and fun run/color dash events ensure that parents and community members know about the work of the ROISD Education Foundation and where the funds are being applied each year. In addition, an annual donor appreciation parade makes its way to all the top partners in the community to say “thank you” personally. The parade consists of ROISD Education Foundation directors and ROISD administrators, along with Red Oak High School cheerleaders and drumline.

“It’s a great day of celebration and recognizing our major contributors.This special visit allows us the opportunity to personally show our appreciation while providing a fun and memorable experience for them and their staff,” said Anderson.“The impact of these personal visits and recognitions have helped to strengthen the connections with our valued partners.

Developing these personal relationships is important and helps us share the good work of our district and foundation.”

Royse City ISD: 5,500 students, 30 miles east of Dallas

projects. The assistant supports both the foundation and district communications though purchasing, photography and event planning.

Royse City ISD (RCISD) has seen tremendous growth, adding about 1,000 additional students in the past six years. In 2007, the public relations director brought back the idea of launching an Education Foundation from a Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) Conference. The idea, again, was to enrich what the district can provide for students and teachers.

“Having a combined office makes promotion for Education Foundation events and opportunities seamless.When speaking to staff and the community, we represent the best interests of both the district and foundation brands,” said RCISD Chief Communications Officer Adi Bryant.“Our structure succeeds due to our amazing foundation directors who have long-standing relationships in the community.”

The roles of communications, marketing and fundraising are combined in RCISD in a single department. A chief communications officer, multimedia specialist and assistant make up this dual-purpose team. The group is housed in the central administration building and the chief communications officer serves on the superintendent’s cabinet. The multimedia specialist routinely produces grant spotlight videos along with district promotional

The 2016 RCISD Education Foundation annual drive resulted in $104,000 raised.

They granted $20,000 to the district for its 1:1 initiative and $27,000 to teachers for innovative classroom projects in 2016.

Every grant awarded must be long lasting and sustainable.The remainder of the funds raised are allocated for student and staff appreciation events, marketing costs and endowment fund contributions.

Students get colorful at the Red Oak ISD Dash & Dine.

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Red Oak High School staff and students prepare for a donor appreciation parade.

The vast majority of funds raised each year by the foundation are solicited by the volunteer board of directors. They include business owners, staff members, community members, parents, the superintendent, a school board member and the residing teachers of the year for the district. The annual drive is from August to December each year.

One of the more popular donor appreciation gestures in 2016-17 was handwritten thank-you notes from students at Ruth Cherry Intermediate School. Several of

their classrooms were transformed into flexible learning spaces with adjustable furniture as part of a $2,484 grant.

The notes were mailed to every donor of at least $100 along with a copy of the 2016-17 foundation annual report.

This simple gesture helps remind donors how their dollars positively and directly impact students.

“For districts looking to expand either their education foundation or communications efforts, the best piece of advice I can offer is to connect with TSPRA,” said Bryant.

“The annual conference offers growth opportunities for districts of every size on every budget. State and regional level leaders in TSPRA have been incredibly helpful to me on ways to maximize the impact we can have on our community and telling the stories of Royse City ISD.” n

Karen Anderson has worked for ROISD for nine years as executive director of the foundation, and more recently launched the district’s first formal volunteer program. Adi Bryant has 10 years in school public relations and has served in RCISD as chief communications officer since 2016. The two worked together in ROISD from 2012-16.

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Elementary students in Royse City ISD practice archery as part of the Bullseye for Bulldogs program.

The Royse City ISD Education Foundation awards a donation to the Bullseye for Bulldogs program.

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HIGHER EDUCATION Understanding and implementing SB7: greater consequences for inappropriate relationships with students

By Pam Winn and Stacey Edmonson

I

n the 2015-16 fiscal year, the Texas Education Agency reported 222 investigations into cases of inappropriate relationships between students and teachers (Chang, 2017: Light & Grisssom, 2017).

The increase in cases might be attributed in part to the availability of social media and/or electronic devices, which allow 24-hour contact between teachers and students.As concern for these inappropriate relationships continues to rise, Senate Bill 7 (SB7) was passed on May 26, 2017, by the 85th Texas Legislature, with a significant increase in accountability and consequences for this type of behavior.

Under SB7, which goes into effect Sept. 1, 2017, school and district leaders are responsible for reporting all misconduct, including suspected misconduct that must be reported for further investigation. The expansion of administrative responsibilities and the penalties for not executing these responsibilities is a key component of this new legislation.

A recent survey of superintendents in Texas (Jones, 2012) found that although district leaders recognize the importance of getting off to a good start, less than 30 percent had developed a written plan or strategy for their first few months on the job.

What is SB7?

In May 2017 the Texas Legislature passed SB7 in an effort to provide clear guidelines and consequences for educators who engage in inappropriate conduct with students, regardless of the level of physical contact involved. The bill expands the definition of improper relationship to include any romantic relationship, not just sexual relations. Furthermore, the bill increases consequences for improper relationships to include the loss of certification and possible retirement benefits. Accountability increases not just for educators who engage in inappropriate behavior, but for those who are responsible for reporting, investigating and taking action in such situations as well.

Powerful components of the bill extend to both certified and noncertified personnel and include all K-12 students in public or private schools, including public school districts of innovation. The bill further specifies: 1. It is a criminal offense for any educator (certified or noncertified) to have sexual contact with K-12 student enrolled in any public or private school, whereas the previous law applied this standard to the students within the school district in which the employee worked.

2. Districts must adopt a policy requiring parental notification to parents of any student with whom a district employee is suspected to have been involved in misconduct.The notification must be done as quickly as possible after the school district is made aware that a suspected incident of educator misconduct has taken place. The notice must include: the alleged misconduct that occurred; whether the educator was terminated or resigned prior to termination; and whether a report was made to SBEC. 3. Job applicants will be required to sign a TEA-developed affidavit stating they have never been “charged with, adjudicated for, or convicted of having an inappropriate relationship with a minor,�

(SB7, 2017, p.8).

4. Schools must adopt policies related to electronic communications with students.The policy must be designed to prevent inappropriate interaction between employees and students and include processes for employees to report to school administration inappropriate electronic communications that are initiated by students.

5. Schools must adopt policies related to electronic communications with students.The policy must be designed to prevent inappropriate interaction between employees and students and include processes for employees to report to school administration inappropriate electronic communications that are initiated by students.

6. If an educator is convicted of a qualifying felony related to sexual misconduct with a student they will lose their TRS benefits (meaning health insurance).A qualifying felony is defined to include continuous sexual abuse of a young child; improper relationship between an educator and student; or sexual or aggravated sexual assault, as described in Sections 21.02, 21.12, and 22.011 or 22.021 of the Texas Government Code.

7. A school employee who helps someone that he or she knows has been involved in an incident of sexual misconduct with a student is subject to revocation or suspension of his or her certificate. (SB7, 2017)

What are the reporting requirements?

Within SB7 are some very specific reporting requirements. For example, principals must notify the superintendent within seven business days if an educator is terminated or resigns when provided evidence of misconduct or if the principal gains knowledge of a criminal record which

includes both arrests and/or convictions.

It’s recommended that this notification be made in writing.Then, the superintendent must promptly report this information to SBEC. Immunity from liability associated with an educator’s criminal record or “alleged incident of misconduct” (SB7, 2017, p.5) is provided for administrators who act in good faith and within the official scope of employment. Other noted incidents that must be reported include (a) any fraudulent attempt by an educator to obtain or alter a certificate or license in order to gain employment or compensation; (b) any commission by an educator of a criminal offense on school property or at a school event; (c) any violation by an educator of the security procedures of an assessment instrument.

Professional development is one key need.

In his testimony to the Texas House Public Education Committee, legal scholar and expert on educator ethics David Thompson (2016) noted that cooperation between school leaders and law enforcement officials is critically lacking in many situations; training for school personnel on proper procedures for investigating alleged misconduct as well as understanding the appropriate role and interplay of school officials and law enforcement in these investigations is needed. Professional development that specifically engages school leaders, as well as all school employees, in understanding the nature and definition of appropriate boundaries with students, appropriate social media and technology use for both personal and professional purposes (Zarra, 2016), and the expectaThe consequences for failing to report tions related to behavior with students as can result in an “administrative penalty” outlined in school and district policies, (SB7, 2017, p.8) imposed by SBEC for any state and federal statutes, and the Texas administrator who fails to report viola- Educator Code of Ethics.Written accounttions of the above items, with penalties ability processes that include procedures for that range from $500 to $10,000. Failure reporting, timelines and examples of what to report under the guidelines outlined constitutes inappropriate behavior with by the law is a state jail felony if intent a student should also be part of standard to conceal is present. It should be noted operating procedure for districts as well the administrative penalty does not require as consistent and ongoing professional proof of wrongful intent. Can you hire an development for ensuring that employees applicant charged with an offense? Yes, if understand these processes. These same the offense is disclosed and the district is responsibilities should likewise be expected convinced it’s false. However, SBEC can of educator preparation programs, both revoke the certificate of an administrator traditional and alternative, for prospective who hires such a person when there is teachers, principals and superintendents. reason to believe the administrator knew Ignorance of the law, and its consequences, the applicant had been adjudicated for or is unacceptable. convicted of an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

The responsibilities for school and district leaders laid out in SB7 give new context to the phrase “high stakes” in education.With What are the next steps? felony jail time now a consequence for Now that school- and district-level lead- failing to report inappropriate, or suspected ers share even greater responsibility for inappropriate, relationships between school reporting and preventing inappropriate employees and students, gone are the days relationships between teachers and stu- when educators who violate the sacred dents, what action can administrators take trust by engaging in inappropriate relationtoward decreasing and preventing these ships with students can quietly resign and types of disturbing, and criminal, behaviors? move on to the next school or district.

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Administrators must assume responsibility for recognizing, reporting and acting upon alleged and confirmed inappropriate conduct, both physical and virtual, and must ensure that the employees of their district understand this responsibility as well. The safety and security of students in Texas’ schools is paramount for all administrators, and addressing the new requirements of SB7 help ensure that administrators remain vigilant and accountable for this duty. n

References

Chang, J. (2017, February 4). Why so many Texas teachers accused of improprieties are never charged. Austin AmericanStatesman. Retrieved from: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/why-many-texas-teachersaccused-improprieties-are-never-charged/Jm3m2hzcZoWRD1TXjwGC5N/

Light, N. & Grissom, B. (2017, May 24). Abbott signs bill cracking down on Texas’‘statewide plague’ of improper studentteacher relationships. Dallas Morning News. Retrieved from: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2017/05/25/ abbott-signs-bill-cracking-sexual-improper-student-teacher-relationships

Senate Bill 7 (2017, May 26). 85th Texas Legislature. Retrieved from: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/85R/billtext/pdf/ SB00007F.pdf#navpanes=0

Thompson, D.P. (2016, May 11).Testimony to the Texas House of Representatives Public Education Committee. Retrieved from: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/84R/handouts/C4002016051109301/17583cd9-d21a-413b-bd2a-6a7a41064b0a.PDF

Zarra III, E. J. (2016).Addressing appropriate and inappropriate teacher-student relationships:A secondary education professional development model. CLEARvoz Journal, 2(3). Retrieved from: http://journals.sfu.ca/cvj/index.php/cvj/article/viewFile/26/29

Dr. Pam Winn is professor of Educational Leadership at Tarleton State University. Stacey Edmonson is dean of the College of Education at Sam Houston State University.

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