INSIGHT—Summer 2015

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

SUMMER 2015

INSIGHT TASA Proudly Announces 2015–16 Officers

Karen G. Rue, President Superintendent, Northwest ISD

Kevin Brown, President-Elect Superintendent, Alamo Heights ISD

Buck Gilcrease, Vice-President Superintendent, Alvin ISD

Alton Frailey, Past President Superintendent, Katy ISD

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SUMMER 2015 Volume 30

No. 2 FEATURED ARTICLES Leadership Focus

Texas’ Shanna Peeples Named 2015 National Teacher of the Year

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Amarillo ISD English teacher Shanna Peeples, Texas Teacher of the Year, has been honored as the 2015 National Teacher of the Year.

The 84th Legislative Session: An Insider’s Look at What Passed and What Didn’t

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TASA Governmental Relations staff provide the “Capitol insider” perspective.

The Impact of Impact Aid

by Susan Buckley and Randy Hendricks

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School districts serving military bases face unique challenges. The Impact Aid law provides them with financial assistance.

2015 Dr. John R. Hoyle Memorial Administrative Leadership Institute

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“Leadership for Today and Tomorrow” is the theme of this year’s 24-hour conference.

The New Normal

by Dr. Marvin Fairman and Tim Jackson

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School leaders are constantly navigating the gap between the old status quo and the new normal. It’s never been more crucial that leaders master the art and skill of adaptation.

Superintendent Ricardo López Leads Mission CISD on a Mission to Promote Reading

by John Micklos, Jr.

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Participating in Read to Them’s Texas Reads One Book program kicked off Mission CISD’s efforts to transform its community through literacy.

Proactively Addressing Social Media Use by Texas Educators

by Elisabeth M. Krimbill, David P. Thompson, and Stacey L. Edmonson

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In this fast-paced world, it is critical that school leaders clearly address with staff their expectations regarding social media and online communication.

TSPRA Voice

Using Your Unique Communication Tools

by Tommy Brown

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Educators have access to tools others don’t, and they must use them to spread the word about the good things happening in their schools.

SUMMER 2015

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INSIGHT

OFFICERS Karen G. Rue, President, Northwest ISD Kevin Brown, President-Elect, Alamo Heights ISD

DEPARTMENTS

Buck Gilcrease, Vice-President, Alvin ISD Alton L. Frailey, Past President, Katy ISD

TASA Professional Learning Calendar

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President’s Message

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Daniel Treviño, Jr., Mercedes ISD, 1

Executive Director’s View

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Troy Mircovich, Ingleside ISD, 2 Jeanette Winn, Karnes City ISD, 3 Trish Hanks, Friendswood ISD, 4 Shannon Holmes, Hardin-Jefferson ISD, 5 Morris Lyon, North Zulch ISD, 6 Fred Hayes, Nacogdoches ISD, 7 Rex Burks, Simms ISD, 8 Dennis Bennett, Jacksboro ISD, 9 Alfred Ray, Duncanville ISD, 10

TASA HEADQUARTERS STAFF

Gayle Stinson, Lake Dallas ISD, 11 John Craft, Killeen ISD, 12

Executive Director

Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services

Johnny L. Veselka Paul L. Whitton, Jr.

Assistant Executive Director, Services and Systems Administration

Ann M. Halstead

Amy Francisco

Director, Communications and Media Relations

Douglas Killian, Hutto ISD, 13 Joey Light, Wylie ISD, 14 Aaron Hood, Robert Lee ISD, 15 Robert McLain, Channing ISD, 16 Kevin Spiller, Seagraves ISD, 17 Andrew Peters, Marfa ISD, 18

Design/Production Anne Harpe

Jose G. Franco, Fort Hancock ISD, 19

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. © 2015 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.

Brian T. Woods, Northside ISD, 20

AT-LARGE MEMBERS Elizabeth Clark, Birdville ISD Clark Ealy, College Station ISD LaTonya Goffney, Lufkin ISD Al Hambrick, Sherman ISD

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Karen Rue, Northwest ISD, Chair Vicki Adams, Hillsboro ISD Kevin Brown, Alamo Heights ISD Fred Hayes, Nacogdoches ISD Robert McLain, Channing ISD Martha Salazar-Zamora, Tomball ISD Greg Smith, Clear Creek ISD Daniel Treviño, Jr., Mercedes ISD

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INSIGHT

TASA Professional Learning Calendar, July–October 2015 Creating, guiding, and maintaining true learning organizations that nurture and enhance the overall school transformation effort is a critical aspect of today’s school leader.TASA’s 2015 calendar of professional learning opportunities is designed with that responsibility in mind.We strive to offer a variety of conferences and academies that will help superintendents and their staff meet their goal of truly transforming education. Upcoming conferences and workshops are listed below; for details on our complete 2015 calendar, please visit us online at www.tasanet. org or call the TASA office at 512.477.6361 or 800.725.TASA (8272).

Date

Event

Presenter

Location

July 28–30 Rural Schools Initiative Syfr/TASA

Richardson, TX Region 10 ESC

August 5–6 First Time Superintendents Academy

Round Rock, TX Austin Marriott North

September 30

Academy for Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session 1

Klein, TX Klein Multipurpose Center

October 2–4 TASA/TASB Convention

Austin, TX Austin Convention Center

12–13

Austin, TX Double Tree North by Hilton

Academy for Transformational Leadership Schlechty Center Session 1

28–30 Curriculum Management Audit Training Roger Anton

Austin, TX TASA Headquarters

The academy for superintendents and other school leaders who are passionate about school transformation The year-long, four-part academy is offered in three locations across the state.

Session 1 dates: ➤ Klein ISD (Region 4): September 30–October 1 ➤ Austin (Region 13): October 12–13 ➤ Richardson (Region 10): November 9–10

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WE ARE MORE THAN ARCHITECTS. WE ARE A TEAM

OF EXPERTS, EACH FOCUSED ON A UNIQUE ASPECT OF EDUCATION, STANDING BESIDE YOU AS WE WORK TOWARD

A COMMON GOAL: THE SUCCESS OF ALL STUDENTS.

Huckabee is committed to the success of all students and the profound impact it has on all of us.

Read more of our story at www.huckabee-inc.com.

Transforming Texas Schools PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Vision We envision innovative, future-focused leaders for every public school student.

Mission The mission of the Texas Association of School Administrators is to promote, provide and develop leaders who create and sustain student-centered schools and develop futureready students.

Beliefs We believe that: n A quality public education is critical to a healthy democratic society and vital to our state and nation. n The development of leadership capacity is critical to the success of Texas public schools. n Dynamic partnerships are necessary to carry out our work. n We must cultivate a broad network of allies committed to strengthening public education in our state and nation. n The participatory nature of the organization is vital to the success of our mission. n The ideals described in Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas are the compelling principles that guide our pursuit of these enduring aspirations.

T

hank you for allowing me to serve and represent you as TASA president this year. It is an honor to serve our association, a wonderful community of educators who are dedicated to students and their futures.We have an awesome job before us.

Two years ago, a committee worked to refine the vision, mission, and beliefs of TASA. Our goal was to help ensure that there are innovative leaders — assistant principals, principals, central office administrators, superintendents — for every public school student.Texas students and their leaders in education need strong leadership to champion the effort to transform public schools and prepare future-ready students.TASA is designed to provide us this network of support.

Today’s educators are called to lead and direct school transformation.We know that the education of the past will not prepare children for this rapidly changing world.

Being open to new ideas and allowing students opportunities to gain critical 21st century skills and values such as innovation, self-motivation, creativity, and communication are essential to preparing our students for their future.

It’s inspiring to know that TASA members represent this forward-thinking movement across the state.The leaders who are guiding our schools are passionate in their belief that education must be our first priority, uncompromising in their commitment to excellence, ready to topple the status quo, and resolved to transform public education.

Regardless of the district in which you work, we are striving together to achieve this mission for our students and our future. With humility and anticipation of the opportunities that await, I look forward to the coming school year and the great task before us.Thank you for being a leader in public education as we embark on this great journey. Our work — your work — is purposeful and meaningful and will impact generations of future Texans.

This is the journey we are on … this is the work we do.Together, we are transforming Texas public schools.

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A Decade of Progress Toward Our Vision

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y the time the Texas Legislature convenes in January 2017, 10 years will have passed since the 35 superintendents in TASA’s Public EducationVisioning Institute came together as a community of learners to create a new vision for public education in Texas.

They began with a conversation about the need for superintendents and other school leaders to be more engaged in the development of state policy affecting the future direction for Texas public education. They lamented the fact that legislators and other external decision makers knew what school superintendents were against, but had not articulated — collectively, at least — what they were for.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S VIEW

The most recent indicators of the Institute’s influence are legislative initiatives focused on high-priority learning standards, a pilot initiative to develop an alternative writing assessment, and community-focused accountability.

Following 21 months of learning and intense dialogue, these superintendents published Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas, a document that still serves as the framework for our school transformation initiatives at TASA.This document, though still a work in progress, has inspired many.

In 2012, more than 880 school boards adopted a resolution expressing opposition to the over-reliance on high-stakes, standardized testing. School board members, local school leaders, parents, and community members became actively engaged in the debate surrounding the current accountability system.

The superintendents who participated in theVisioning Institute who wanted more school leaders to be engaged in public policy development have now seen that happen with the creation of the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium (Senate Bill 1557, 82nd Legislature). Other successes include legislation to reduce the focus on high-stakes, standardized testing (83rd and 84th Legislatures) and the recent formation of the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability (House Bill 2804, 84th Legislature).

The most recent indicators of the Institute’s influence are legislative initiatives focused on high-priority learning standards, a pilot initiative to develop an alternative writing assessment, and community-focused accountability. Likewise, the State Board of Education’s interest in developing high-priority learning standards and its initiative to update the Long-Range Plan for Public Education can be linked to our school transformation efforts.Among school districts, the growing interest in TASA’s School Transformation Network, our Academy for Transformational Leadership, and other initiatives is further evidence of progress toward fulfilling the vision.

As we embark on another school year and prepare for the 85th legislative session, we encourage TASA members to provide input on our legislative positions.We also invite our members to participate in TASA’s professional learning opportunities — all directed toward creating and sustaining student-centered schools and developing future-ready students.

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T

hank you, Mr. President.Your support of and belief in public education is one of the many things I admire about you.Your charge to create world-class learners is our mission, and we answer it in our classrooms every day.

Thank you, Secretary Duncan, for your advocacy of authentic learning and service for our students, and your support of teacher leadership. Thank you to my wonderful family; I am nothing without you.Thank you to Kayla, my former student, to the Texas delegation, and my administrators.

Finally, thank you to the talented, passionate, and remarkably good-looking group of state teachers of the year with whom I am privileged to join today.

Each of them is a study in excellence, and each of them is a representation of what a great teacher is. I am honored to stand here today.

As a teacher of refugee students, I’ve been privileged to see public education through the eyes of students from countries as diverse as Burma, Somalia, Iraq, and Cuba.

“School is the place where so many of us learned to dream.”

Texas Association of School Administrators Executive Director Johnny Veselka, 2015 National Teacher of the Year Shanna Peeples, and Amarillo ISD Superintendent Rod Schroder attend the National Teacher of the Year Reception in Washington, D.C., April 29, 2015.

Being here today makes me think of my student Lar Bway.

She was a shy teenage girl who had little formal schooling and much suffering in her native Burma. One day, a snowstorm shut down the entire city. But Lar Bway set off, trudging toward her school in blizzard conditions, clutching a backpack full of homework.

Her friends had to find her and convince her that the school was indeed closed. “But how is that possible?” she asked them. School was always open, like the hospital.

We are, in schools all over America, in a sense, never closed. So many teachers, like these behind me, stay after school to listen to students, go to their games or concerts, or just create a safe space where they can draw because we are stable, dependable adults.

For Lar Bway, school was special.We were her beacon, her stability, her source of inspiration, dreaming, and hope.This is the commitment that America and its schools offer all of our students:We will be here and we will help you. This is no easy promise, and that is why so many families send us their most valuable resource: their children. They trust us to teach them no matter their abilities, behaviors, or financial situations.

TASA administers the Texas Teacher of the Year program and serves as Texas’ state coordinator for the National Teacher of the Year program. This program identifies exceptional teachers throughout the country, recognizes their effective work in the classroom, amplifies their voices, and empowers them to participate in policy discussions at the state and national levels.

School is the place where so many of us learned to dream.Where we began the groundwork of our futures. Schools and their teachers are a stabilizing force in society and a fierce promoter and protector of our democracy. Public schools help us to find the most treasured thing any of us have: personal meaning and our contribution to the common good. Public schools must always stay open because teachers’ doors stay open, saying: Come in, let’s learn, let’s hope, let’s begin dreaming.

—Shanna Peeples

Shanna Peeples

Shanna Peeples, recognized as Texas Teacher of the Year last October, has been named 2015 National Teacher of the Year. An English teacher at Palo Duro High School in Amarillo ISD, Peeples is the first educator from Texas to earn the national honor since 1957.

On April 29, in a White House Rose Garden ceremony, Peeples accepted President Obama’s congratulations and delivered these inspiring remarks (opposite page) about the extraordinary impact public schools can have on their students’ lives and futures.

Photos courtesy AASA,The School Superintendents Association

National Teacher of the Year

The 84th Legislative Session: An Insider’s Look at What Passed and What Didn’t The Biggest Wins: What Didn’t Pass One of the many negative efforts that public education advocates successfully fought this session, according to Amy Beneski, associate executive director, Governmental Relations, was school choice via private school vouchers. But she added this warning:“We will see this issue again next session with a vengeance, though it won’t likely be a straight voucher program. It will be introduced in some other form such as a tax credit.”

Other failed efforts would have eliminated locally elected school boards and handed schools over to some other form of alternative management system, i.e., charter operators.These efforts included bills to establish the Texas Opportunity School District and “local control” districts, and those related to parent trigger, or allowing parents to call for a school’s reconstitution or closure after just two years of low ratings.

TASA Governmental Relations staff gave TASA members and other attendees of the UT/TASA Summer Conference on Education in June a rundown of what resulted — and what didn’t — from the 84th legislative session, along with some “Capitol insider” perspective.

Related to school funding, Beneski said that the Legislature “left a lot of money on the table” including more than $11 billion in the state’s Rainy Day Fund.“One of the biggest misses of the session is that we didn’t get to use any of that funding,” she said,“but some legislators may be thinking that the state will need some of that money depending on the outcome of the school finance lawsuit.”

What Passed: Modest Gains Public schools did receive an increase of $1.5 billion in addition to $2.3 billion for enrollment growth, as well as $118 million earmarked for quality pre-K programs via House Bill (HB) 4, the governor’s pre-K bill.

“House Bill 4 is not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction, especially considering the opposition and politics involved,” Beneski said.“That they’re even talking about pre-K is phenomenal.”

School transformation also made some gains.The Texas High Performance Schools Consortium was expanded to 30 districts and

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INSIGHT

Superintendent-Turned-Legislator Shares Perspective on First Session, Calls for Candidates Last year, Gary VanDeaver was winding down a 33-year career in education, retiring from the superintendency of New Boston ISD, a district about 25 miles west of Texarkana. This year, he’s winding down his first session in the Texas Legislature, a place he says will soon have openings for more public education advocates. given a seat on a new commission charged with developing and making recommendations for new systems of student assessment and public school accountability.

Although the governor vetoed Senate Bill (SB) 313, which would have required a review of the foundation TEKS, HB 743 requires TEA to study the number and scope of the TEKS. It also says that an independent entity must determine all standardized tests valid and reliable based on empirical evidence, and it limits the time students must spend taking those tests.

HB 1164 by Rep. Gary VanDeaver, who also addressed UT/ TASA Summer Conference attendees (see sidebar), passed, but as a pilot program that will allow select districts to use an alternate writing assessment method.

HB 2804 makes major changes to the public school accountability system, lessening its reliance on standardized tests. Casey McCreary, assistant executive director, Education Policy and Leadership Development, reported that while the bill also requires that campuses be rated on an A-F scale, it delays implementation of district and campus A-F ratings until 2017-18 (after the next legislative session), so legislators will have more time to look at the implications of an A-F system.

Another major bill decriminalizes truancy and requires districts to put into place truancy prevention methods.TEA must adopt rules that specify the standards districts must meet. “We haven’t seen anything from TEA yet on the rules for this bill, but they will be crucial,” said Ramiro Canales, assistant executive director, Governmental Relations.“We’ll closely monitor this rule-making process.”

Visit tasanet.org/2015bills to download a PDF of the legislative update presentation from the UT/TASA Summer Conference and to access TASA’s Final Bill Report for the 84th legislative session. n

“When the Legislature convenes in 2017, some very key people will be missing,” he told attendees of the UT/TASA Summer Conference on Education in June, listing about 10 educationfriendly legislators who announced they won’t return to the Capitol for another session. Chief among them is House Public Education Committee Chair Jimmie Don Aycock, whom VanDeaver said he will miss for his “willingness to stand in the gate” to guard against bills that would hurt public schools.

With hundreds of educationrelated bills filed each session, education knowledge and expertise are needed in the Legislature. Even as a freshman, VanDeaver said fellow lawmakers often looked to him for his education experience, and he was thankful to be on the House floor during debates on education issues. He encouraged school leaders to become more involved.

Gary VanDeaver

“Yes, there are limits to what you can do within your official capacity as superintendent,” he said. “You cannot officially endorse candidates, but that doesn’t prevent you from educating people in your district or even your employees about the issues and the candidates.”

VanDeaver says the open seats are an opportunity to have a positive impact on the next legislative session; school leaders can help elect people who are friendly to public education.And, he said in closing, “It’s strange how you can go from not being involved to having your name on a ballot. … If you want to get your name on a ballot, I encourage you to do that.”

SUMMER 2015

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Dream it. Do it.

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The Impact of Impact Aid Susan Buckley and Randy Hendricks Many public schools in the United States contain military bases within their geographic boundaries. Military bases, as property of the federal government, are exempt from all property taxes including school district taxes (Utah State Tax Commission, 2014). School districts serving military bases face unique challenges; they must meet the same No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements as other school districts while educating military-connected students who are subject to frequent relocation and family separation. In addition, because the federal government is exempt from all property taxes, school districts serving military bases often generate less per-student local revenue than school districts not impacted by a federal presence (U.S. Department of Education, 2008).

In 1950, President Harry Truman signed Impact Aid legislation, establishing one of the first federal education programs (New America Foundation, 2014).Title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, also known as the Impact Aid Law,“was designed to assist local school districts that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of tax-exempt federal property, or that have experienced increased expenditures due to the enrollment of federally connected children.” (U.S. Department of Education, 2008, para. 2).

Since 1950, the Impact Aid Law has been amended numerous times. However, the program continues to provide financial assistance to local school districts, which the law refers to as local educational agencies (LEAs). Financial support is provided to LEAs with concentrations of military children, children residing in federal low-rent housing projects, children who reside on Indian trust or treaty land, and children of civilian parents who work or live on federal property.

LEAs that have lost a portion of their tax base due to the purchase of land by the federal government after 1938 are also supported with Impact Aid (National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, n.d.a.).Title VIII of NCLB, the current reauthorization of ESEA, includes the following Impact Aid categories: basic support payments for students who meet “federal connection” qualifications, payments for property to reimburse LEAs for lost local property tax revenue, payments for federally connected students who also qualify for special education services, and school construction payments to assist federally impacted LEAs with capital needs (New American Foundation, 2014).

Appropriations Each year, LEAs provide parents with an Impact Aid survey to record and document the total number of federally connected students. Information collected from the surveys is submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, which determines if eligibility requirements are satisfied (American Association of School Administrators, n.d.). In order for LEAs to be eligible for basic support payments, federally connected students must represent at least 3 percent of the district’s total enrollment or generate a minimum average daily attendance (ADA) count of 400 (New America Foundation, 2014).

The Impact Aid program is a key source of funding for approximately 1,400 school districts serving 15 million students, including nearly 1.2 million students with a federal connection (NAFISDC, 2014). Of the 1.2 million students with a federal connection, approximately 376,500 have a military connection (“Budget cuts,” 2013). For some LEAs, Impact Aid accounts for as much as 75 percent of the district’s annual operating budget (New America Foundation, 2014).

For fiscal year 2014, more than $1.28 billion was appropriated in the federal budget for Impact Aid funding (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.).

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Every state receives a portion of the total Impact Aid appropriation, but the top five Impact Aid states account for almost half of all basic support payments. Arizona was the largest recipient of basic support, receiving $160 million in fiscal year 2013. The remaining top five recipients in fiscal year 2013 included Alaska ($133 million), Texas ($93 million), New Mexico ($86 million), and California ($57 million) (New America Foundation, 2014).

Impact Aid funds are deposited into LEAs’ general fund and typically account for a variety of expenditures (American Association of School Administrators, n.d.). LEAs have the flexibility to use basic support payments and payments for property in whatever manner they choose, without federal restrictions, as long as their use is in accordance with local and state requirements. These non-restricted funds are not designated for any specific campus or program and do not follow the child.

“Impact Aid is the federal government’s ‘tax payment’ to the LEA for property taken off the local tax rolls; therefore, Impact Aid funds are intended by law to be treated as other local tax revenue” (American Association of School Administrators, n.d., para. 5).

Impact Aid payments for basic support and property are typically used for a wide variety of expenses including salaries of teachers and other personnel, reading materials and textbooks, technology, remediation programs, tutoring, advanced academic classes, and enrichment programs such as summer school (American Association of School Administrators, n.d.).

Impact Aid provides two additional funds that are designated for specific expenditures.

The first includes additional payments to districts that serve federally connected students with disabilities. Districts must abide by the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when expensing these funds. The second

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categorical funding source is for school construction, which is intended to assist federally impacted LEAs with capital improvement needs (New America Foundation, 2014).

The Impact Aid program has not been fully funded since 1969, resulting in negative financial consequences for eligible school districts (NAFISDC, 2014). For fiscal year 2014, basic support was funded at only 56 percent; fully funding Impact Aid for fiscal year 2014 would have required an appropriation of approximately $2 billion, or an additional $720 million (National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, n.d.b.).

Department of Defense Supplemental Impact Aid Since the early 1990s, the Department of Defense (DoD) has supported LEAs serving large numbers of military-connected children with an additional funding source to supplement Impact Aid funding distributed through the Department of Education (American Association of School Administrators, n.d.). This financial supplement is offered due to the unique financial stresses a large military student population places on school districts including “lack of adequate funding for over a decade, challenges associated with base closures and realignments, deteriorating facilities, and safety issues since 9/11” (Military Impacted School Association Foundation, n.d.a., para. 5).

DoD Impact Aid addresses three areas: education supplement, children with severe disabilities, and large-scale rebasing (Amer ican Association of School Administrators, n.d.). Approximately 100 federally impacted LEAs receive DoD Impact Aid annually (American Association of School Administrators, n.d.). Payments in fiscal year 2013 totaled $37 million (New America Foundation, 2014).

Education supplement funding is distributed among heavily impacted LEAs where military children account for at least 20 percent of the enrollment. An application process is used to reimburse LEAs for money previously spent on educating military-connected students with severe disabilities (American Association of School Administrators, n.d.). The rebasing program provides monetary assistance to school districts that are severely affected by a reduction or increase in enrollment of military-connected students due to rebasing.As with basic support and property allotments, DoD Impact Aid funding supports the entire school district and does not follow the individual child (American Association of School Administrators, n.d.).

Partnerships With more than 1,400 Impact Aid school districts educating 15 million children (NAFISDC, 2014), it is important for eligible LEAs to support national organizations that advocate for school districts affected by a federal presence. The two dominant organizations that serve this purpose are the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS) and the Military Impacted Schools Association (MISA).

NAFIS, founded in 1973 and located in Washington, D.C., is a “non-profit, nonpartisan corporation of school districts from throughout the United States, organized primarily to educate Congress on the importance of Impact Aid” (National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, n.d.a., para. 11). Its mission is to ensure that federally connected school districts continue to receive adequate Impact Aid funds.

NAFIS actively fights for proper funding, reauthorization, and the rights of the federally connected child (National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, n.d.c.).

NAFIS also helped establish the House and Senate Impact Aid Coalitions.Their missions are to “strengthen the Impact Aid program

and educate Members of Congress on the program’s merits” (National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, n.d.a., para.

1). The coalitions serve as clearinghouses for information concerning the Impact Aid program and to mobilize House and Senate members when issues affecting the program are pending before Congress (National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, n.d.b.). The Impact Aid Coalitions work closely with the executive branch and Congressional leadership to ensure that concerns are heard and considered as policy decisions are made. Currently the House Impact Aid Coalition has 101 members and the Senate Impact Aid Coalition has 37 members (National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, n.d.d.).

MISA is a “national organization of school superintendents … [whose] mission is to serve school districts with a high concentration of military children” (Military Impacted Schools Association, n.d.b., para. 1).

MISA partners with NAFIS, the National Military Family Association, DoD, and military leaders to improve the educational opportunities available to all military children.

MISA works with LEAs to involve military representation on school boards, improve communication between schools and base representatives, and disseminate information regarding Impact Aid funding (Military Impacted Schools Association, n.d.b.).

Summary Public school districts rely on local property taxes as a major source of funding. However, the federal government does not pay local property taxes, so when a district’s tax base includes federal property, such as military installations, local tax revenue potential is reduced (NAFISDC, 2014). Impact Aid is how the federal government “provides funding for a portion of the educational costs of federally connected students” (Military Impacted School Association, n.d.c., p. 1). In essence, Impact Aid is how the federal government pays its “property

taxes” to local school districts and represents a critical source of funding for schools across the nation that serve our military families.n

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz66BvHr_ M0&feature=youtube_gdata_player National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (n.d.a.). What is Impact Aid. Retrieved from http://media.wix.com/ugd/423d5a_ df9e43bbbea84e2e80fb7834699618f9.pdf

Susan Buckley is the principal of Killeen High School, where 50 percent of the military-affiliated students from Fort Hood attend. She is a graduate student in the doctoral program at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Randy Hendricks is an National Association of Federally Impacted assistant professor of education at the University of Schools. (n.d.b.). History of Impact Aid Mary Hardin-Baylor. He teaches educational leadappropriations - total program. Retrieved from ership courses in the doctoral and master’s programs. http://media.wix.com/ugd/423d5a_93179 96d0c4540e3a83c20751f602b91.pdf

References Amer ican Association of School Administrators. (n.d.). Fact sheet on Impact Aid. Retrieved from http://www.aasa.org/ content.aspx?id=9000 Budget cuts to hit military school districts first (2013, March 2). USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/ news/nation/2013/03/02/budget-cutsmilitary-schools/1958479/

National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (n.d.c.). About us. Retrieved from http://www.nafisdc.org/#!about/c14ro National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (n.d.d.). NAFIS House and Senate Coalitions. Retrieved from http://www. nafisdc.org/#!impact-aid-coalitions/cigk

New America Foundation. (2014). Federal Impact Aid program. Retrieved from http:// Military Impacted Schools Association. febp.newamerica.net/background-analysis/ (n.d.a.) What is MISA? Retrieved federal-impact-aid-program M a rc h 5 , 2 0 1 5 , f ro m h t t p : / / militaryimpactedschoolsassociation.org/88/ U.S. Department of Education. (2008). what-is-misa About Impact Aid. Retrieved from http:// Military Impacted Schools Association (n.d.b.). Military impacted schools association. Retrieved from http:// militaryimpactedschoolsassociation.org Military Impacted Schools Association (n.d.c.) Impact Aid: Providing for the needs of military families. Retrieved from http:// militaryimpactedschoolsassociation.org/ Content/Media/File/MISA/MISA_ Impact_Aid_booklet_2015.pdf

www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/ impactaid/whatisia.html U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.).

Department of Education Impact Aid fiscal year 2015 budget request. Retrieved from http:// www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/ budget15/justifications/d-impactaid.pdf Utah State Tax Commission. (2014). Property tax exemption. Retrieved March 5, 2015, from http://propertytax.utah.gov/library/ pdf/standards/standard02.pdf

NAFISDC. (2014, July 24). Impact Aid. [Video file]. Retrieved from https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz66BvHr_ M0&feature=youtube_gdata_playerhttp://

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2015 Dr. John R. Hoyle Memorial Administrative Leadership Institute November 11-12 • Texas A&M University • College Station

“The best 24-hour conference in Texas.”

That’s how leaders in public education, higher education, and education service centers describe the Administrative Leadership Institute (ALI), held each November on the Texas A&M University campus. The annual conference is designed to focus on a critical issue that will help school leaders create or transform schools to help all children become successful students and adults.

ALI began in 1908, and at that time it was called the “June Conference.” The annual week-long conference was held in the Memorial Student Center and brought together county superintendents, supervisors, and city superintendents to discuss a variety of topics related to education. In 1983, Harold Hawkins named John R. Hoyle chairman of the ALI planning committee. It was Hoyle who moved ALI to its current “24-hour” format. Hoyle became director of the institute a year later and named Virginia Collier co-director in 2000. When Hoyle and Collier retired from Texas A&M University in 2009, the leadership of ALI was turned over to Mario Torres. In 2013, the name of the institute was changed to the Dr. John R. Hoyle Memorial Administrative Leadership Institute in memory of Hoyle, who passed away in March of that year. The current ALI director is Robert Muller, with co-directors Beverly Irby and Mario Torres.

The conference has traditionally been more than a think tank — it is a think tank with arms and legs that moves on and out to address and solve perplexing and complex problems facing school leaders today. It is an engaging opportunity for informal interaction and sharing among participants. It is a meeting place for friends and a venue for nationally recognized speakers and experts to re-energize those on the front lines educating Texas youth. Past conferences have covered issues such as closing the achievement gap in public high schools and ethical leadership.

The theme for this year’s conference is Leadership for Today and Tomorrow.We are pleased to schedule Google on the afternoon of November 11 to lead a highly interactive and thought-provoking session on the elements of design thinking. Education is at the core of Google’s mission to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”With devices and tools built for the classroom, students and teachers can spend more time exploring, connecting, and creating — together. Attendees will increase their understanding of technology and how it plays a vital role in equipping this generation of students with the skills they’ll need to thrive today and tomorrow.We believe this will be an event that practicing school administrators will most certainly want to attend.

On the second day of the conference, Cypress Fairbanks ISD will present their internal leadership development efforts that in many ways resemble what in business and industry is termed a “Corporate University.” This Corporate University concept is supported through a coaching model that is engaging and making a difference to the district in terms of improved effectiveness.

Following the Cypress Fairbanks presentation,TASA staff will facilitate a panel discussion around the opportunities and challenges associated with legislation from the 84th legislative session.

ALI 2015, in partnership with TASA, invites schools districts from across Texas to join us November 11–12 for meaningful discussions and strategies about leading public schools today and tomorrow.We hope you can join us for these highly engaging and thought provoking sessions. Gig ’em!

ALI is sponsored by the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development and the Texas Association of School Administrators.

Registration and additional information link: ali.tamu.edu 18

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The New Normal Dr. Marvin Fairman and Tim Jackson When was the last time you bought a roll of film to put into a camera? I’ll make it easier for you — when was the last time you took a picture with a camera that used film? It’s very likely the most recent picture you took was with your phone. If I’m right about that, I’d be willing to wager you weren’t struck with wonder over the revolutionary nature of using a phone as a camera.

Why? Because taking high-resolution pictures with our phones and saving them as pixels onto a hard drive is hardly revolutionary anymore. It’s the new normal.

If someone had told you 20 or 30 years ago that most Americans would one day be walking around with high-resolution, film-less cameras in their possession at all times, you might have thought that a strange and fanciful prediction. If someone told you the same thing today, you might say he or she has a firm grasp of the obvious.That’s how the new normal works — things that just years before seemed like the stuff of science fiction now go unnoticed and unquestioned all day long.

The process of getting from the old status quo to the new normal is called adaptation.The gap between the old status quo and the new normal is fraught with challenges and filled with opportunities.We’re not talking about phones and cameras now.We’re talking now about your school district and the new normal.

The Art of Adaptation In recent years the new normal for many superintendents and central office staff across the nation is to do more with less as a result of state legislatures creating unfunded mandates, eroding state and local financial support, and eroding support for public officials in general. During this same time frame, class size has been increasing, performance standards have been on the rise, and the populations being served are becoming more diverse with more economically disadvantaged students.

Superintendents and other key central office leaders are constantly navigating the gap between the old status quo and the new normal. It’s never been more crucial that leaders master the art and skill of adaptation.

Adaptation is one of the 10 (essential) Dimensions of Organizational Health. In the context of organizational health, we define adaptation as that ability to tolerate stress and maintain stability while coping with the demands of the environment. Healthy organizations adapt. Period.The unwillingness or inability to adapt is a key indicator of an unhealthy organization.

Doing more with less doesn’t always translate into adaptation. Sometimes it translates into extinction.When organisms in the biological world fail to adapt, they cease to exist.When organizations in the institutional world fail to adapt, they cease to be effective. In the most extreme cases, organizations also become extinct.

Leading up to that there is a long, sustained run of resisting change.

Here’s the bottom line:You don’t get to choose whether or not there will be change. However, you do get to choose how you handle it.

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Choosing the path of Adaptation is about managing change that is thrust upon the organization, whether from economic, political, social, or other external sources.

The healthiest expression of adaptation is when the organization transitions from a coping organization to a changing one and ultimately into a growing organization.

In the figure below, we have recorded the number of schools in a Texas school district that are functioning at each of the six levels of adaptation. Seven of these schools are in the “red zone” and are functioning below

the 33rd percentile, 13 are in the “white zone” and are able to function independently within their teams, and 13 schools are in the “blue zone” and are able to function interdependently.

Here is a snapshot of what each level tells us about the schools in that group: Making that transition is often the difference between a district that thrives or struggles to survive. If we do not adapt and change effectively and take care of our “customers,” someone else will. Throughout Texas and the rest of the U.S., parents have more options ranging from charter and private schools to coordinating efforts of homeschooling parents.

The Levels of Adaptation Adaptation is one of three dimensions of organizational health that consistently demonstrates a statistically significant relationship with student performance. (The other two dimensions that correlate directly with student performance are goal focus and cohesiveness.)

Experience and hard data tell us that the school’s ability to adapt in times of needed change has a direct impact on learning.That is reason enough for leaders to be proactive in sharpening their adaptation skills. It is also important that principals model healthy habits of adaptation for faculty and school populations — because teachers, students, and parents are coping with change as much as anyone in the district office.

Here’s the big challenge: Not all adaptation is created equal. If measured correctly, a school’s overall willingness and capacity to adapt and change can be accurately placed along a continuum from lack of clarity on the low end to advocacy on the high end.

Because adaptation is so crucial to student performance and the overall health of a school, it is one of the first scores we examine closely when we get the data back from an annual assessment.

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n

UNCLEAR – A majority of teachers are getting mixed messages from principals and central office personnel regarding these change efforts and are unclear about the expected changes so they are in a holding pattern.

n

CLARITY – This typically means that principals are viewed as the message carriers. Principals are making it clear that these changes are coming from the district office and there’s no choice but to comply.

n

ACCEPTANCE – These data clearly show that the principals have been able to convince a majority of the faculty to accept needed changes.They have a “want to” but may not know “how to” make the needed changes. Therefore, one can anticipate they will respond well to training and support.

n

SUPPORT – These data clearly show principals have been able to work collaboratively with team leaders and have helped the faculty gain understanding and support for these change efforts.

These faculty leaders will work with their team members to accomplish these efforts because they have ownership of these needed changes.

n

INTERNALIZATION – At this level, the majority of teachers have internalized the need for these change efforts and will work with both horizontal and vertical teams to make them.

n

ADVOCACY – At this level, team leaders and faculty members are willing to hold themselves and others accountable for results. Systems are in place so these teams can work interdependently.

We know that the commitment levels of teachers in these 33 schools are being greatly impacted by their principals’ leadership and specifically the principals’ skills for helping teachers adapt and change to meet the new normal. Highly effective principals are proactive adapters and build a culture that supports proactive change. Some of their less productive counterparts are status quo, reluctant, or reactive adapters.

This kind of reliable feedback is invaluable to district leaders who want to capitalize on the skills of their most effective principals and help less effective principals step up their game. Having evidence where they are on the adaptation continuum is an important first step in increasing the leadership capacity of all principals.

With more than three decades of research data, we know that the quality of leadership provided by principals is the single most important factor in improving student performance. The degree to which principals understand and support district-wide change efforts will be transmitted to their faculties verbally and nonverbally. How principals transmit their messages will have a direct impact on their faculties’ attitudes and receptivity to these changes and it will also impact the teaching and learning environment and student success.

We needn’t be fearful or resistant to change, but we must not be careless about it either. By becoming better at adapting to new normals we find ways to make change productive rather than unnecessarily disruptive. Knowing where we stand in the midst of change is crucial — and it’s why we champion the benefits of annual district-wide assessments.

The Climate of Change Let’s go back to the conversation about film in cameras for a moment to see what we can learn about the importance of assessing where things are and where they’re headed. In 1992, Bill Gates slipped into the back of the room during Warren Buffet’s annual gathering of elite investors and captains of industry. Buffet had invited Gates to join the group that weekend, but since he’d arrived late and slipped in the back, Gates’ presence was unnoticed by everyone except Buffet, who stood at the front of the room facilitating the meeting.

At one point, Buffet suggested they go around the room and have each participant name a stock they were bullish on. Shortly someone asked,“What about Kodak?”Without hesitation, Gates said,“Kodak is dead.”

Heads turned, eyebrows raised — some were amused, some were intrigued, some scoffed. Gates was still in his wunderkind years, and many of the older heads in the room were not conversant in the world of personal computers. Buffet enjoyed this kind of disruptive exchange so he asked Gates to elaborate. Gates went on to explain that the then-embryonic digital revolution guaranteed film’s extinction. He went on to explain how changes in the very devices we use would disrupt traditional camera sales as well. Gates was emphatic in 1992 that Kodak was dominating a dying category — and they didn’t even know it.

Gates was absolutely right that day about what would happen to Kodak as a company. But here’s the thing: If you’d gone out that day in 1992 and dumped all your Kodak stock based on Gates’ prediction,

you would have lost a lot of money. Kodak over performed for a few years before the bottom fell out and the company filed for bankruptcy.

The point is this: It’s important to know where things are trending, but it is equally important to know where things stand currently. Sometimes we need to move quickly and sometimes we need to just need to monitor a situation so we’ll know the right time to make a change. Assessments and feedback are crucial first steps in nurturing a habit of adaptation within a district.

Someday the current new normal you’re dealing with will become the status quo — and then you might spot a “new” new normal on the horizon. That’s the nature of our business. There will never be a time when it is not advantageous to strategically invest in the leadership development of principals, because they are in the pivotal position of inhibiting or facilitating change. In the current new normal it is not only advantageous to invest in leadership development, it is critical. Investing in your current leaders is the first and best way to do more with less. n

Dr. Marvin Fairman is the president of Organizational Health: Diagnostic and Development Corp., and Tim Jackson is the executive director of Fried Green Media.

NOTE: The Bill Gates/Warren Buffet story is based on an account of the event found in “The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life” by Alice Schroeder.

tasa.tasb.org

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Superintendent Ricardo López Leads Mission CISD on a Mission to Promote Reading John Micklos, Jr. “What we are trying to do is transform the community through literacy,” says Ricardo López, superintendent of Mission Consolidated Independent School District in Mission, Texas. The district is working toward that goal through a number of initiatives, all of which revolve around the theme “Mission: Read to Lead.” The One District, One Book program has become a cornerstone for these activities.

Mission CISD kicked off its summer reading program on May 19 with a celebration involving 7,000 students.

López first heard about the ODOB program at the TASA Midwinter Conference in January 2015. He immediately moved to participate in the statewide Texas Reads One Book program, which kicked off in April with a videotaped reading by Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett.Through this initiative, tens of thousands of elementary students and their families throughout Texas read the same book at the same time during late April and May. López took advantage of a special “Cowboys connection” to extend the celebration even further. Legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry came from Mission, and López used that connection to emphasize the critical role that reading plays in the lives of successful people. Garrett’s participation in kicking off Texas Reads One Book “exemplified that people in the spotlight — heroes — are readers,” says López.“This is a person we want to emulate.”

The area surrounding Mission has some of the lowest literacy rates in the state, and López is using a variety of strategies to support reading. He says it took him “half a second” to see how the ODOB program could be a foundational piece for all of the district’s literacy initiatives. ODOB engages elementary students and their parents throughout a district in reading the same children’s book at the same time. Activities at the schools further build the excitement about reading.

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“The home connection is the most critical piece,” López says. “We are extending the learning directly into the home. The book engagement is happening at a district-wide level and is involving everyone—not just students and teachers.”

Making Literacy a Priority To build on the momentum created by Texas Reads One Book, Mission CISD launched a summer reading initiative on May 19. Seven thousand students gathered at Tom Landry Stadium in Mission, cheering as López and other community leaders kicked off the celebration. School leaders dressed as book characters, and appearances

by Clifford, Alice in Wonderland, and the Tin Woodman from The Wizard of Oz added to the festive nature of the event.

book’s first chapter. They also plan to again participate in the Texas Reads One Book program next spring.

One of the key components of ODOB is making reading a shared activity across the community. “Reading is often a private act,” says López. “This gives us an opportunity to start a dialog and discuss what we are reading. It’s an opportunity to get excited about reading.”

In terms of funding, Mission CISD has made a priority of literacy-related initiatives such as ODOB. “We start with the premise that

kids are learning to read in the early grades,” López says. “Then they move to reading to learn. Finally, they move to reading to lead.”

He notes that developing deep literacy skills will help children develop critical thinking skills, become leaders, and gain success in their later careers.

“We have already seen a significant impact,” López says.“I implore other superintendents to take the torch and lead literacy initiatives in their districts. We are here to create the highest literacy rates in the world, and that makes it easy to make our choices about what projects to support.” n

The celebration built excitement for the summer reading program, López says. Each student received two books to take home and read during the summer — one nonfiction and one fiction — according to grade level.The goal is to promote reading during summer vacation to prevent students from experiencing “summer slide” and losing skills while out of school.

López sees the ODOB program as an integral part of the district’s literacy initiatives moving forward. He and assistant superintendent Criselda Valdez will kick off the district-wide reading of another book this fall by doing a videotaped reading of the

Photos courtesy Mission CISD

Mission CISD Board of Trustees member Patricia O’Cana-Olivarez reads with her daughter during the kickoff of the district’s summer reading program May 19.

The ODOB program is used in districts and schools across the United States and Canada. Read to Them, the program’s creator, has been designated a School Solutions Center partner by AASA, The School Superintendents Association. In Texas, TASA serves as a partner for Texas Reads One Book.

To learn how your district can get involved, visit www.readtothem.org.

For first-hand information, attend Read to Them’s session about Texas Reads One Book during the TASA/TASB Convention October 2-4 in Austin. López and Valdez will discuss Mission CISD’s participation, and Read to Them Founder Gary Anderson will describe how superintendents can set the tone for literacy instruction in their districts. Also plan to visit the ODOB booth at the convention.

LOOK FOR READ TO THEM AT THE TASA/TASB CONVENTION IN AUSTIN, OCTOBER 2–4!

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By providing rigorous instruction, meaningful assessment, and access to opportunity—both inside and outside the classroom—the College Board is committed to ensuring that students are ready for college and careers.

With the help of our membership, we nurture and propel students to make the most of the opportunities they’ve earned. From K–12 to higher education, we partner with members and other mission-based nonprofit organizations that share our passion and dedication.

This is the College Board.

Opportunity. Delivered.

© 2015 The College Board.

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Proactively Addressing Social Media Use

by Texas Educators Elisabeth M. Krimbill, David P. Thompson, and Stacey L. Edmonson Background As the 21st century marches through its second decade, electronic media and all of its applications have become a daily fixture in our lives. Equally ubiquitous in education, electronic media plays an instrumental role in effective instructional delivery; simultaneously, it has created an entire new set of legal, ethical, and practical issues through which PK-12 school leaders and their staffs must navigate.

A recent Google search of the term “teacher social media scandals” revealed more than 14 million “hits,” and the documents quickly moved from improper use of social media to educator sexual misconduct with students. As might be expected, the news media is far more likely to cover the scandals than the less-sensational effective instructional use of technology.

Further, improper educator misconduct is not merely limited to teachers.Very recently, Robertson (2014) reported on a Missouri high school principal placed on administrative leave for, among other reasons,“sending inappropriate text messages” to students.

In this fast-paced world, it is critical that school leaders clearly address with certified and non-certified staff their expectations regarding social media and online communication. Questions that might be pondered when addressing such expectations include:

➤ How well do you know your district policy regarding social media? ➤ Have you tried to “keep up with the times” regarding social media? ➤ Do you take time at the beginning of the year to discuss social media expectations with your faculty and staff? ➤ Do you take time to reflect on your own social media footprint?

Against this backdrop, the purpose of this article is to provide relevant and practical information to school leaders on the issues surrounding educator use of social media.

Perspective and Policy As an increasing number of educators enter the profession as “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001, p. 1), i.e., those who have grown up with this technology and who integrate electronic media into their daily lives and work, it is reasonable to assume they will be inclined to communicate with their students in the way they have grown up communicating (perhaps analogous to the argument that novice teachers are inclined to initially teach the way they were taught).

Next, digital natives, by definition, leave a larger “digital footprint,” i.e.: … the trail, traces or ‘footprints’ that people leave online. This is information transmitted online, such as forum registration, emails and attachments, uploading videos or digital images and any other form of transmission of information — all of which leaves traces of personal information about yourself available to others online. (Beal, n.d.)

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These two phenomena, by themselves, arguably leave educators more vulnerable to using social media improperly, and pose significant challenges even when it comes to recruiting and hiring educators. Once hired, school districts and their leaders must navigate the myriad of legal, ethical, policy, and practical issues that come with increased use of social media among educators.

While an increasing number of states and school districts have enacted social media use policies for educators, in many respects these policies have been in reaction to social media misuse; further, many educators are not aware of social media or electronic communication regulations or policies in their states or school districts.

Thus, while sound policy enactment is clearly a prerequisite to educators’ proper use of social media, professional development is also necessary to proactively prepare 21st century educators on the advantages and hazards of electronic communication, particularly with students, and to head off the unpleasant situations when educators are accused of improper use of social media.

Ultimately, as those in leadership positions within the school organization, school administrators bear the responsibility to provide the professional development necessary to serve these two purposes.

Many states and local school districts have adopted standards of conduct for educators’ use of social media. Revised in 2010 to address, among other things, electronic communication, the Texas Educators’ Code of Ethics states that “The educator shall refrain from inappropriate communication with a student or minor, including, but not limited to, electronic communication such as cellphone, text messaging, email, instant messaging, blogging, or other social network communication” (19 Tex. Admin. Code § 247.2 [3] [I]).

Clarified further in the enforceable standards are six factors that the State Board

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for Educator Certification (SBEC) will use in certificate disciplinary cases to evaluate communication between educators and students:

➤ the nature, purpose, timing, and amount of the communication; ➤ the subject matter of the communication; ➤ whether the communication was made openly or the educator attempted to conceal the communication; ➤ whether the communication could be reasonably interpreted as soliciting sexual contact or a romantic relationship; ➤ whether the communication was sexually explicit; and ➤ whether the communication involved discussion(s) of the physical or sexual attractiveness or the sexual history, activities, preferences, or fantasies of either the educator or the student.

Ongoing research by Robert and Thompson (2015) reveals that more than 90 percent of Texas school districts have adopted the TASB DH (Local) model policy, which addresses electronic communication with students and personal use of electronic media. Policy DH (Local) stipulates the following with regard to employees’ personal use of electronic media, regardless of whether the use involves students: An employee shall be held to the same professional standards in his or her public use of electronic media as for any other public conduct. If an employee’s use of electronic media violates state or federal law or district policy, or interferes with the employee’s ability to effectively perform his or her job duties, the employee is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Blackmon [2007]; Texas Educ. Agency v.Young [2014]), policymakers and school leaders strive to reasonably balance the rights of educators to partake of electronic communication against the rights of students not to be harmed by inappropriate electronic communication.

This balance is made more difficult when laid against the backdrop of conduct standards that differ from community to community.

“The newest generation of teachers has never known a life without instant communication.They are adept, accepting, and even expectant of posting their every thought and action” (Wood & Brack, 2011, p. 243).Thus, state and local policies must navigate carefully when balancing these interests described above. Further, school leaders and their staffs should be familiar with their local school district policies and employee handbooks regarding proper use of electronic or social media with students.

When developing local policies and school practices it is important to consider some basic ideas, including the “what, when, where, and how” of the intended communication. According to Bon, Bathan, and Balzano (2013, p. 211), the social media “policy should be as explicit as possible, providing a solid legal foundation, definition of relevant terms, a summary of district authority, guidelines for communication and technology use, and an outline for disciplinary action.”

There may not be a general agreement as to what the balance should be between educators’ rights of expression and student well-being, but it is relevant to local standards and expectations of school professionals.The newest generation of educators is composed of digital natives who have grown up with personal technology in their hands. Some refer to this population as “Share-a-holics” As litigation continues to address unethical who are used to posting “selfies” and picand unlawful behavior regarding educator/ tures of themselves in the most mundane student electronic communication (see, of situations. These “millennials” have even e.g., State Board for Educator Certification v. stated themselves that they have concerns

regarding “social media addiction” as though professional development for the district and campus faculty, staff, and administrait is an illness out of their control. tion. There are several ways to present this information to faculty and staff; most imporPractical Implications The following Social Media Risk Self- tantly, some type of engaging presentation Assessment (Krimbill and Thompson, 2014) is vital. Social media and educators’ rights provides an analytic by which teachers and and responsibilities are sure to spark a high school leaders can examine their personal degree of interest. The challenge for school social media practices to assess their level of leaders is to address the delicate balance risk. Still in its developmental infancy, this between individual freedom and the public analytic tool allows individuals to examine interest of the school community. Any pretheir personal choices and the impact these sentation or discussion will probably yield a choices may have on their digital footprint. wide variety of opinions, thus resulting in The earlier a professional addresses these greater awareness of the issues. issues in their career, the less likely they are to make irreparable decisions that will perma- Professional development must directly address the issues surrounding the impact nently impact their online reputation. of out-of-school conduct (see, e.g., MorThis tool sets the summary scores to be: low rison v. State Bd. of Educ., [1969]). Perhaps risk = less than 10; moderate risk = 10-18; Strike, Haller, and Soltis (2005, p. 36) put and high risk = 19 or higher. Individuals it best when they argue that “[i]f teachers may choose to change their online behavior are required to be good influences on their or seek to actively repair their reputation students, almost any conduct might be conbased on the summary scores provided in sidered to be job related if students knew about it.” School leaders must be prepared to the individual’s analysis of risk. discuss where the tipping point is between District and campus leaders are ulti- educators’ rights weighed against the potenmately responsible for providing necessary tial impact on the school community.These

conversations may be legally and ethically charged, but necessary for the long-term health of the school community.

The goal of any professional development is to impact practices in a positive manner. A school leader who sets aside time to address social media is taking a proactive approach to express district and campus expectations and possible negative outcomes of poor choices. It is important that the faculty, staff, and administration recognize that, like it or not, they are considered to be role models (Ambach v. Norwick, [1979]) for the children of the community and the community will hold them to very high standards.To be sure, too many educators have ended their career based on a momentary lapse in judgment that may have been prevented with relevant and engaging professional development. n Elisabeth M. Krimbill is the principal of Stone Oak Elementary in North East ISD. David P. Thompson is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies atThe University of Texas at San Antonio. Stacey L. Edmonson is the dean of the College of Education at Sam Houston State University.

Social Media Risk Self-­‐Assessment

High RIsk

Moderate Risk

Low Risk

Number of Sites Privacy Settings

Time on Sites

Number of Followers

Trust

Postings

Tagging Settings

Passwords

Hacking

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I use only one All of my privacy I use social media Fewer than 100 I personally know I do not post I must approve all I am certain that I None of my for less than 30 people follow me every follower on my friends' social media site. settings are photos or have never shared accounts have on my social my social media statements that requests to tag my password to ever been hacked. minutes per day. private and media site. site. me in photos or my phone or any protected. could be misconstrued. posts before they social media site. can be posted.

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 I use between 2 Some of my social I use social media Fewer than 500 I know most of I rarely post A few close and 5 social media media sites are approximately 1 people follow me the people who photos or friends have the sites on a regular on my various follow me on my statements that private or hour per day. ability to post photos or remarks basis. social media sites. social media sites. protected. could be misconstrued. about me without my prior approval.

2 2 I am unsure None of my social whether or not I media accounts have shared my have been hacked password to my more than once. phone or social media sites with anyone.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 I use more than None of my social I use social media More than 500 I have many I have posted I have no I know I have five social media media sites are for more than 1 people follow me followers I don't several photos or protections or shared my on my social statements private or hour per day. sites on a regular really know. controls over the password to my media sites. showing acts of protected. basis. postings or phone and/or questionable photos that I am social media sites judgment. tagged in by my with friends. friends.

3 Some of my accounts have been hacked several times.

© All Rights Reserved, Krimbill-­‐Thompson 2014 Do not use without the written consent of the authors.

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References Ambach v. Norwick, 441 U.S. 68 (1979).

Beal, V. (n.d.). Digital footprint. Retrieved from http://www.webopedia.com/ TERM/D/digital_footprint.html.

Bon, S.C., Bathon, J. J., & Balzano, A. Social media (mis)use by teachers: Looking to the courts for human resource policy guidance.

Journal of School Public Relations, 34, 193-217.

Morrison v. State Bd. of Educ., 461 P.2d 375 (Cal. 1969).

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retrieved from http://www. marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20 -%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20 Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf.

Robert, C., & Thompson, D.P. (2015). The current state ofTexas school district employee social media policies. Paper presented at the 2015 Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration Conference-within-a-Conference,Austin,Texas.

State Bd. for Educ. Cert. v. Blackmon, No. 701-07-0858.EC (Tex. State Office of Admin. Hearings, 2007).

Strike, K.A., Haller, E.J., & Soltis, J.F. (2005).

The ethics of school administration (3rd ed.).

NewYork:Teachers College Press.

Texas Educ. Agency, Educator Leadership & Quality Division v.Young, No. 701-13-5421.

EC (Tex. State Office of Admin. Hearings 2014).

Robertson, J. (2014, September 28). Smith- Wood, J.N., & Brack, K. (2011). Guidelines ville district places high school principal on for a changing world. Journal of School Public leave during investigation. Kansas City Star. Relations, 32(3), 237-254.

Retrieved from http://www.kansascity. com/news/local/article2230024.html.

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TSPRA VOICE TASA joins TSPRA in supporting the critical role of public information and communications professionals in Texas public schools.

Using Your Unique Communication Tools Tommy Brown Everyone — or at least I hope it isn’t just me — has a childhood story about how their mother embarrassed them in public, whether it was in a department store, a Little League dugout, or maybe even a Braum’s in South Dallas.

While other witnesses may disagree with the way my 8-year-old mind filed it into memory, my “uniquely” made burger had to be sent back for the cook to correct it a couple of times. For some reason, which combination of yellow, red, and white condiments were to be used was a hard concept to understand.

Once the burger came back wrong a third time, my mom channeled her inner Bruce Banner and began making her opinion known to everyone within a three-block radius. There was no discussion, no time for questions, just a 90-second rant by a mom who was trying to feed her hungry children.

It may be a while before I can visit my parents’ house after telling that story, but it’s an excellent analogy for the perception problem that public education is up against.The other 25 people in Braum’s that day appeared to be happy with their food and service. If there was a problem, it was taken care of in such a manner that no one else knew about it.

My mom, on that particular day, fell into the category I like to refer to as the “vocal minority.”

I assert that, despite how it often appears, most people in Texas actually support our public schools.The perception of public schools takes a hit, though, when too many of those customers whose food was cooked correctly sit and watch the ensuing train wreck.

Texas schools do a great job of telling their stories through their websites, social media channels, and through broadcast media.The problem is that those who would like to see public schools dissolve also have access to websites, social media tools, and broadcast media.

The encouraging news is that we, as educators, have access to tools others don’t, and it’s up to us to use them to our advantage.

Meetings Most school administrators are members of groups like the Lions Club, Rotary Club, and Kiwanis, among others. For the first three years I was a member of the Alvarado Lions Club, our meetings would move from restaurant to restaurant every six to nine months. Our superintendent at the time invited the club to have its biweekly lunch meetings at our

SUMMER 2015

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administration building. While it is a little outside the box, inviting groups to meet in your buildings is a fantastic way to communicate with stakeholders without ever having to talk about how wonderful your school district is.

hands with all the veterans and thanked them for their service. Had this been planned, we probably would have had more hand sanitizer on hand, but the line resulted in a memorable picture of a former Army nurse shaking hands with a kindergarten student.

Twice a month, 20 to 25 local business owners and community leaders walk through our administration building — right past the trophy case that gets updated monthly, and right past the student work that covers the walls. In the meeting room where the club has its lunch, poster-sized photos of students adorn the wall, and old yearbooks and photos line the bookshelves.

What a great way to show that the students were learning to respect the veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedoms. A group picture of the veterans is nice, and it does get more faces in the newspaper or your website, but a photo of a veteran and a student shaking hands creates discussions — meaningful discussions.

Storytelling Inviting groups into your buildings is an example of nonverbal communication and leads to more opportunities to brag about your district when new members start looking at the trophies or photographs hanging on the walls.

Pictures I’ve looked and, as of yet, I have never seen a picture of a failing school. I’ve seen pictures of old buildings that need repair, and I’ve seen stock photos taken in a studio of what is supposed to be a teacher at her desk with her face in her hands, but I’ve never seen an actual photo of a failing school. I have, however, seen untold amounts of photos of students learning and being successful.

Anyone else notice how many “scary” education stories that come from our local media outlets are actually from nowhere near Texas? This week alone I’ve seen links on Facebook and Twitter from local media about schools in California, Massachusetts, and Iowa. It’s beneficial for the media outlet, because it has 150 comments from people who are experts on the situation thousands of miles away.

Four main stories are thrown around when it comes to trying to make public schools look bad: teacher arrest, bullying, wasted spending, and low test scores.

What we need to do is find a way to tell our millions of unique stories. I’m not talking To be honest, group pictures of kids stand- about the track team or FFA or academic ing in a line drive me crazy. I understand UIL team stories. Tell your students’ and they have their place and I use them all the teachers’ individual stories. Every school has time, but if you want to really communicate them. Maybe a teacher recently became an through pictures, be in the classroom with a American citizen, or a teacher battled cancer camera. Rather than a group photo of first, yet missed as few days as possible because second, and third place science fair winners, he wanted to be there for his students, or take your camera into the classroom when an administrator grew up working in the they’re working on their projects or present- fields of South Texas, or a student came to the United States from the Philippines and ing them to the class. within two years won a school reading bee.

One of my favorite pictures is of a Veterans Day program at one of our elementary I challenge you to find two unique stories schools. I took the group picture of all the that involve students or teachers in your veterans who attended, but as the students district and pitch them to your local news were leaving, they formed a line and shook station before Christmas. If every district in 30

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our state did that, media outlets could not help but help us promote public education.

Momfia The greatest tool(s) you have at your disposal are those 20 to 25 other people in Braum’s who had a pleasant experience.

There were a lot of reasons Alvarado ISD’s bond for a new junior high failed in 2010.

One was a lack of organized parental support. Almost three years later, a similar bond proposal passed with 75 percent voting for it the second time. A group of moms is one of the main reasons it had overwhelming support. The moms did such an effective job that they are now referred to as the “Momfia.”

Whether we know it or not, every school has a Momfia just waiting for an opportunity to help. Their kids play basketball together, attend dance class together, or maybe go to church together. The important point is that they are there. They may be waiting to be asked, but they just need to know how they can help make their child’s education better. Find that group of parents in your school and put them to work telling stories, dispelling rumors, or passing bonds.

We have to take advantage of what we have in our favor as we work against those who want to see public education go away. If we do, eventually that negative perception being built by the vocal minority will be seen for what it really is — a perception. n

Tommy Brown has been the public information officer for Alvarado ISD and a member of the Texas School Public Relations Association for seven years. He has served on several TSPRA committees and currently serves as zone coordinator for the North Texas region. Brown has presented at several state conferences, including the TASA/TASB Convention, TASA Midwinter Conference, and theTSPRA Annual Conference.

Before jumping into education, Brown was an award-winning sports journalist in Weatherford and Waxahachie.

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