Labor Day: Poem and Dedication

Happy Labor Day!

This post is dedicated to the teachers and other staff of the new Ypsilanti Community Schools. I hope they have union contracts soon!

This post is also dedicated to the memory of the wonderful Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who understood the many ways that people work. He passed away earlier this week. Here are two obituaries, the first from BBC News, the second from the New York Times. (Want to read more about the "Troubles" in Ireland? Start with the BBC News obituary.)

So for your reading pleasure today, I've got a poem, Digging by Seamus Heaney. [It is from his first book, Death of a Naturalist (1966)]. I've got a few lines of the poem below, but to read the entire poem, and for the pleasure of listening to the poem, please click on the link.

Digging
Seamus Heaney

Between my finger and my thumb   

The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

Under my window, a clean rasping sound   

When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:   

My father, digging. I look down

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds   

Bends low, comes up twenty years away   

Stooping in rhythm through potato drills   

Where he was digging.

Read the rest--and listen--here.

Alternatively, watch Seamus Heaney read the poem here (this is a montage the BBC News put together):

The Hikone Exchange & My Blog Post Exchange: They're About Developing Relationships

Back in June, when I was doing the post-a-day blog-a-thon, I arranged to exchange blog posts with a former Ann Arborite, Joan Lambert Bailey, currently living in Japan. Joan wrote about language learning as an adult--specifically, her efforts to learn Japanese! You can read that post here. (I asked her to write about this because I am personally very interested in language learning.) Joan's blog is Japan Farmer Markets.

Meanwhile, I offered to write about Ann Arbor's educational exchange with Hikone, Japan. Hikone is in Shiga Prefecture and it turns out there are several other exchanges with Shiga Prefecture that are still going on.

In any case, my guest post on Joan's blog is titled

44 Years as Sister Cities: Ann Arbor, Michigan and Hikone, Shiga Prefecture

I start the blog post like this: 

In November 1968, the State of Michigan and Shiga Prefecture in Japan became sister provinces.

A few months after that, in February 1969, Ann Arbor Michigan invited Hikone Japan to be a “Sister City.” At the time, Ann Arbor already had sister city relationships with Tuebingen, Germany and Belize City in Belize. Ann Arbor has the University of Michigan, and Tuebingen and Hikone both have universities.

In fact, the first article about Hikone in the Ann Arbor News from February 9, 1969, starts out:

“Watch out for the monkeys,” signs warn drivers near Hikone, Ann Arbor’s new sister city in Japan. Michiganians traveling in their sister state, Shiga Prefecture, may be reminded of the “watch out for deer” signs back home.

Read the rest of my blog post on Joan's blog here.

And I didn't mention this on Joan's blog, but I got a lot of the information for this post from the Ann Arbor District Library's Old News feature, which you can find here. There are lots of great articles there!

The Ann Arbor Public Schools exchange program is coordinated by AAPS Rec & Ed.

Oh, and one more thing: Next time you drive down Packard Road and you see the street labeled Hikone, recognize that that street is named after Hikone, Japan--even though in Ann Arbor we pronounce the street Hi-Kone, and in Japan, they pronounce the city Hee-Koh-Nee! 

Welcome Dr. Jeanice Swift! Here is Some Advice

Dear Dr. Jeanice Swift,

Welcome to Ann Arbor! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I hope that you will sit down with Steve Norton of Michigan Parents for Schools, and John Austin, of the State Board of Education, to learn about Michigan politics around education, and what the legislature has done and is planning on doing.

But other people have some other advice for your orientation. Here it is (and I will also send it to you when I know your email address...)

I am a. . .	Dear Jeanice Swift,
Parent, Community Member	Don't read AnnArbor.com comments, they don't represent the community or its opinions. It's like a car wreck that you can't look away from. That goes for anyone moving to our community, but especially for a public figure like a superintendent - the comments will be nasty and stupid and hurtful and occupy space in your head that they don't merit.
Parent	From the students they are her main stakeholders
Teacher	From a teacher's perspective, I want to know that you know what it means to be a teacher in AAPS. I'd love for you to come to some buildings and drop-in to classrooms (unannounced). You'd get an authentic sense of what's happening in schools and classrooms. While you are going to be very, very busy, taking the time to be visible, personable, and present is going to have a big impact on this community. Our perception of you plays an important role. I also think that it's critical that you understand where AAPS and The State of Michigan are at financially. With Proposal A and the continued cuts to per-pupil spending, I hope that you will join in the political battle as other Michigan superintendents have. If Ann Arbor intends to pass any more millages (which we will need to do to even maintain some of the funding we already have), the community and public must fully understand why we (as a former hold-harmless district) need their financial support. The for profits have moved in (billboards for k12.com are everywhere in Michigan now) and AAPS needs to inform the public as to why we are still a great district and how much better we could be if properly funded.
Parent	Talk to teachers and parents, but not just the ones that are angry about things and come pounding down your door. Go talk to the parents that are running different activities for kids, like Science Olympiad or other PTO things. Just because we aren't screaming mad about something doesn't mean we don't have ideas or suggestions.
Parent	Avoid the polite "welcome reception" circuit, and instead devote time to: 1- attend 3 back-to-school (or "curriculum") nights (one elem, one middle, one high school)--not to be a speaker, but to hang out in the cafeteria or commons & hear what parents have to say about the school. 2 - select 3 different schools (one elementary, one middle, one high) and spend a half-day with the principal, including morning arrival and lunch. 3-attend 2+ after-school or evening games/events at the other high schools & middle schools, talking with parents and kidsJust hear what people are saying.
Parent	Go to the schools and talk with teachers, parents, and staff to get their thoughts on what is going right and what is not going so well in the school. Not everyone will agree but there is often consensus on the big issues.
Parent	I know Ruth already said this, but I want to second the recommendation that you speak to Steve Norton. He is an AMAZING parent advocate with a fantastic lobbying presence and website -- Michigan Parents for Schools. I encourage you to get to know the character of all the individual schools in the district. It would be great if we parents had some way to tell you what we love, and what we don't love or wish for, in our schools. You would learn so much from this! Maybe it could be done with a straight-forward form like this one. And we welcome you in your visits to all the buildings. You will get a good feeling for the schools when you visit each of them.
Parent	Welcome! To learn about Ann Arbor and AAPS, I recommend: 1) Be present in the community and in the schools 2) Sit down with Steve Norton and John Austin 3) Sit down with Ruth 4) Have some sort of mechanism for community involvement. Ann Arbor is full of talented people, yet we have trouble matching the talent with the need in the schools. 5) Enjoy - Ann Arbor is a great city. We have great students and incredible teachers! 6) talk to the teachers
Parent	I'd advise her to read through annarbor.com and Ann Arbor News coverage of local education issues (BOE elections and meetings, community budget forums, the millage votes, etc.) for the past 5 years (at least). It would be great if someone would volunteer to pull a comprehensive set of articles for her so that she doesn't have to use her time searching for them and figuring out which ones she can skip as insufficiently significant. I do think she should skim the annarbor.com comments, but take them with a grain of salt - i.e., I don't think they are usually representative of the community at large, but they do provide a good sense of what part of the community thinks. And there are at least a few commenters who express thoughtful views from across the ideological spectrum in a polite way.
Parent	Visiting the schools, talking to the principals, teachers and parents. Getting input from all members of the Community.
Parent	Visit the schools and tour the classrooms - seethe special education teachers in process; witness the Autism classrooms flowing with structure and compassion, meet the families that rely on transportation and free education; stroll the halls of all the middle schools to get a feel of the diversity of needs within each school; schedule meet and greets with parents (as a special ed mama with an autistic son in the AAPS preschool, and speaking on behalf of many other parents - we LOVE to meet with administrators and chat, just to cycle information both ways. Currently our principal Michelle Pogliano has not held up her agreement to meet with us regularly and it has hit morale HARD within the parent sector. Please visit our schools and meet your parents!).
Parent, Community Member, parent of kids in special ed	Please visit lots of classrooms to see classes in action -- including regular classrooms of all ages, but also special ed, the preschool, Pioneer's theater program -- really seek out a variety of what's unusual to get a clear idea of the variety of what's out there, and what's working and what's not. Also, please talk to lots of people, especially teachers and principals, to find out from them what they need, what's working, and what's not. Thanks for reading this comment. I love that you started with an interview with annarbor.com and hope that you will continue to foster a culture of openness.
Parent, Community Member, Maria E. Huffman	I would advise her to meet people face to face. Maria Huffman
Parent	Welcome to Ann Arbor. As a parent, I recommend that the new superintendent take two kinds of tours of the district. First, she should try to walk through every building and jot down her impressions. I advise that she visit the elementary schools and then the middle and then the high schools to compare just the facilities at each level. Second, she should try to "virtually" enroll. Again, taking the perspective of an elementary parent, then a middle school parent and finally a high school parent. Enrollment options are numerous - especially if you don't want to only use the neighborhood school. Best of luck Marcia
Parent, Community Member	How about community meetings - visiting local school PTOs or holding a couple of "town hall" type events where she can hear directly from parents and teachers? Obviously Dr. Swift will need a few good history lessons from those who are knowledgeable about education politics and legislation, as well as information from trusted sources within AAPS...but the best way to establish a real relationship with the community is to MEET with the community. She could present her vision for AAPS, establish her priorities, and get direct feedback from her real "customers".
Parent	Attend a different PTO meeting every month to learn about what issues different schools are facing. Hold a meet & greet at the downtown library; run it like a comprehensive planning visioning session where stakeholders can come and talk about their priorities, and where those priorities get synthesized into some actionable items.

Our Job: Teaching the New Superintendent

Still looking for a few more responses here!

At one of the "what should we look for in a new superintendent?" meetings, Susan Baskett (AAPS school board member) asked me if--after we hired a new superintendent--I could do some crowdsourcing of information from my readers.

Susan asked me to ask this question:

How would you recommend teaching the new superintendent about Ann Arbor?

It appears that we are in the process of hiring Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift.

I like that she started out by immediately granting an interview with annarbor.com and I hope she will carry forward a culture of openness.

Let's welcome her with open arms, start out by giving her the benefit of the doubt (if you have any), and share information with her.

Below, I am providing a google form. Think of this as writing a letter to Jeanice Swift or to the school board about orienting Jeanice Swift. What is most important? How can she learn what she needs to know?

I, for instance, would recommend that she sit down with Steve Norton of Michigan Parents for Schools and John Austin of the state Board of Education for a crash course in Michigan education politics, and legislation past, present, and future.

I will a) publish your responses (presuming they are polite) and b) share them with Jeanice Swift and the school board.

Occasionally Writing for the Ann Arbor Chronicle

I am going to occasionally write a column for the Ann Arbor Chronicle. By occasional, I mean something approximately bimonthly.

Today I have an article in the Chronicle about the ACLU's lawsuit against the Ann Arbor schools, which is an effort to keep the schools from charging tuition for students taking seven hours in a semester.

Can you believe that the district was sued over charging students illegal fees over 40 years ago?! As I think  Yogi Berra said, "It's deja vu all over again!"

Read the whole article here.

*What is funny/interesting from my point of view is that my first article in the Chronicle (which you can read here) became an exhibit in the brief that the ACLU filed!

Tuesday Primary: Whitmore Lake Votes

It's Tuesday, and it's primary day. 

I always believe that you should vote if there is a reason to be out there.

In the Whitmore Lake Public School district, there is a $12.3 million bond proposal on the ballot.

This is a facilities and technology bond, and will support facilities, transportation, athletic fields, and technology. If you live in the district, I encourage you to vote yes. Given the fact that per-pupil funding for districts is where it was over ten years ago, and that districts cannot vote to increase their per-pupil funding, using bonds to support the things that *can* be covered is, in my view, essential.

Here is part of what the Whitmore Lake Board of Education has to say:

The Board of Education conducted a
comprehensive facilities analysis over the course of several years to examine the
condition of our facilities and equipment and forecasted emerging trends in
facility and technology use. That research and analysis led to several conclusions,
including: 

While our facilities are of varying ages, all are in need of upgrades 

Our security systems are not where they need to be given recent events at
other schools in the country 

New testing requirements of the State, such as mandatory on-line testing,
will require additional capital investment, and at the same time the State
has reduced funding to schools 

Our district needs to continue to provide a high-quality educational
environment and learning tools for students – including upgrades to
technology 

ALL of these bond dollars are kept locally and for the benefit of WLPS
students

Read more here.

Teacher Evaluation Report Out: You May Be Disappointed

The Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness has put out their report, recommending how teachers should be evaluated in Michigan. Remember, they were asked to do this by Governor Snyder, and the committee that came up with these recommendations was chaired by Dr. Deborah Ball, Dean of the University of Michigan School of Education.

I have not read it yet, but based on the comments of people who have, I think that a lot of people--maybe you, maybe not--will be disappointed in the recommendations.

On the MCEE website you will find the Executive Summary and the entire report, available for download. The Detroit Free Press has posted it here. I encourage you to read it!

As I said, I haven't read it, but some other people have. This is Steve Norton, from Michigan Parents for Schools, summary:

The full copy of the report, plus an executive summary and more, is available here.

Good news: strong recommendation that evaluation of teacher practice be a major piece of teacher "ratings."
Bad news: complies with existing law in that "objective measures of student growth" (i.e. test scores of some kind) form 50% of the evaluation, with a large portion of that based on value added models.
Issues: Contrary to the report, existing examples of VAM suffer from severe problems of statistical validity (is it measuring what you think it is?) and reliability (do you get the same results consistently?). Biggest problem: statistical correction for out-of-school factors is nearly impossible given the data legally available to schools. For example: the report says that VAM models can control for "socio-economic status." However, schools do not have access to information like family income or parental education; they only have a yes/no flag for students eligible or not eligible for free or reduced price lunch. Academic investigation into VAM has relied on much more detailed and rich data to control for home factors than is available to any school district. Without adequately controlling for these outside factors, which we already know are the largest influences on academic performance, VAM models are producing unreliable estimates.

In fairness to the committee, I think that 50% based on assessments is part of the new state law. BUT--it's a bad state law, and I think the committee could have decided to ignore it. They didn't.

Steve Norton also sent me this information:

Yes, the 50% based on student growth using VAM is currently in law for what the "governor's council" must report. Since this was a required feature of the recommended state evaluation system, one must conclude that the Legislature intended to make this a feature of whatever evaluation system they approve. 

This section of the Revised School Code was passed in July 2011. From MCL 380.1249: 

"(2) Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, the board of a school district or intermediate school district or board of directors of a public school academy shall ensure that the performance evaluation system for teachers meets all of the following:
(a) The performance evaluation system shall include at least an annual year-end evaluation for all teachers. An annual year-end evaluation shall meet all of the following:
(i) For the annual year-end evaluation for the 2013-2014 school year, at least 25% of the annual year-end evaluation shall be based on student growth and assessment data. For the annual year-end evaluation for the 2014-2015 school year, at least 40% of the annual year-end evaluation shall be based on student growth and assessment data. Beginning with the annual year-end evaluation for the 2015-2016 school year, at least 50% of the annual year-end evaluation shall be based on student growth and assessment data. All student growth and assessment data shall be measured using the student growth assessment tool that is required under legislation enacted by the legislature under subsection (6) after review of the recommendations contained in the report of the governor's council on educator effectiveness submitted under subsection (5)...."
"(5) Not later than April 30, 2012, the governor's council on educator effectiveness shall submit to the state board, the governor, and the legislature a report that identifies and recommends all of the following for the purposes of this section and that includes recommendations on evaluation processes and other matters related to the purposes of this section:
(a) A student growth and assessment tool. The student growth and assessment tool shall meet all of the following:
(i) Is a value-added model that takes into account student achievement and assessment data, and is based on an assessment tool that has been determined to be reliable and valid for the purposes of measuring value-added data...."

And this, folks, is what we're up against.

Pertussis Warning Hits Home, or My Brush With Fame

Once upon a time, at the end of June, we got a friendly email from the parent of a child my son has spent quite a bit of time with this summer, and it said, in essence:

Andrew (fake name alert!) has pertussis (a.k.a. whooping cough), and your child may have been exposed. Andrew was fully vaccinated, but the vaccine is only about 60% effective. If your child develops a cough, go to the doctor and get tested. 

About ten days later, my son said, "Did you see this email from Andrew? Do you know that I've been coughing since Thursday?" At this point, my son's cough was so mild that we hadn't even really noticed it, but since he was set to go to sleepaway camp later that week, we thought we'd better get it checked out. . . especially since a) we didn't want to expose all those kids at camp and b) if we found out after he was at camp, we'd also have to remove him from camp for five days while he took the antibiotics!

So, off to the doctor we went--and although the doctor was skeptical that this was pertussis (especially since my son was vaccinated), he agreed that we should be cautious and he tested him for it (it's a simple nose swab test). Two days later. . . the test came back positive.  The good news is that because we found out early, his cough was gone in short order, and never entered the "whooping" phase or became very violent. 

And this is completely different from my experience 14 years ago, when my husband's coworker had "the cough that wouldn't end." And then my husband got that cough. And then my daughter got that cough. And eventually, we suspected they had pertussis. But I tried several times (and multiple doctors) to get my daughter tested. At that time, the test was not the one they have today, and it was difficult to get accurate results.  The doctors were reluctant. In any case, we never were counted as a positive case (but I was sure--my daughter had the classic whoop and my husband had the "cough until you're blue" cough.) Both my husband and my daughter were ill for quite a long time, and I am so glad that this time we caught it early.

Lessons Learned

1. Vaccinate. Even though the vaccine is only 60% protective, that's a lot better than nothing!

2. Especially if you have a known exposure (a contact who was diagnosed), or if you--or a child of yours--has a persistent cough, don't be afraid to ask the doctor whether pertussis should be considered. (Yes, adults are often the transmitters of pertussis--and frequently are not diagnosed.)

3. If someone in your family gets pertussis, don't forget to notify all the people you've spent time with, so they can be on the lookout...pertussis spreads in the air.

It turns out that our experience is not unique, because the public health department put out an alert when the number of cases this year went over 100.

And so, it came to pass, that I was asked to be on television this afternoon, to speak as a parent about my family's experiences--and as a service to public health, how could I not? 

So here, you have it--my 15 seconds (more or less) of fame! Thanks ABC News!

Fun Summer Library Games--And Help Me!

Have you checked out the Ann Arbor District Library summer game? Go to play.aadl.org and explore!

And if you want to help me get some points, and you have not registered yet, you can help me get points by putting in my referral code when you sign up:

Earn 500 points by having a Library Card carrying friend sign up as a new player for the game with code: 3G9A9F7T

Thanks!

By the way, if you are part of the Ypsilanti District Library, find out about their summer reading program here. 

Recap: Superintendent Candidate Brian Osborne

The superintendent candidates have come and gone, and I find myself being slightly reluctant to post anything, because, after all--does it matter? The board will decide. But yes, it does matter--because I promised to share my research and thoughts--and because I think inasmuch as we know a person's strengths and weaknesses going forward, that is helpful. So, I'm sharing this in four parts: what I learned about the candidate from research; key links; what I experienced/noticed when I met the candidate in person; and if the candidate is hired, what we should make sure to communicate to them.

Research on Brian Osborne

I was able to collect lots and lots of information about Brian Osborne. I was able to find more information online about him (he does advocate for what he believes in), and I also have more contacts in South Orange/Maplewood (who helped me develop even more contacts). People wrote to me with their comments, because I asked them to.

To try and summarize, there's good and bad in there--I would say more good than bad.

Statewide in New Jersey, he has done advocacy both on school funding and on teacher tenure laws. Generally, I think teacher tenure is a good thing but I'm not an expert on either New Jersey or Michigan teacher tenure laws. I don't know how to compare them or what the replacements mean, but if you do, you can read about the teacher tenure law (and get a sense of how he advocates) at these links: 

Email #1: 

"I am attaching links to the interim report of the teacher evaluation committee that Osborne was part of [ed. note: I think he chaired the committee] and also the state dept. link to the work of the committee.
http://www.state.nj.us/education/educators/effectiveness.pdf
http://www.state.nj.us/education/archive/EE4NJ/ac/ 

Email #2:  

He has repeatedly advocated for tenure reform, going down to Trenton several times to testify. Here's just one example: http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/10/1209/2230/And another: http://www.gscschools.org/gsc/Announcements/Pre%202012%20Announcement%20Archives/3-6-12Tenure%20Reform%20News%20-%20%20Discussion%20at%20Senate%20Education%20Committee.html/_top "

He has been a strong advocate for reducing the achievement gap and "de-leveling" the middle schools (eliminating tracking--their middle schools had a "four track" system). They actually only have eliminated tracking to the extent that we did in Ann Arbor years ago--they still track for math. Also complicating the factor is that in New Jersey you are required to have gifted and talented programs. We don't have that requirement in Michigan. Although many people think he did a great job with pushing through de-leveling, and that it was important work, others felt that: a) he had a good idea but the follow through wasn't good; and that b) the response to no longer having a gifted and talented program has been to bring in the middle school International Baccalaureate program, which they thought of as poorly thought out, and which also ran over budget.

He also got kudos for bringing in full-day kindergarten since, as one commenter told me, "It's not 1953 anymore." In order to do this he had to convince voters to pass a tax levy (millage), so he has experience advocating for taxes. 

New Jersey did an audit of South Orange-Maplewood's Title I funding, and told the district to return over $226,000. 

Here is the Patch article about it: http://maplewood.patch.com/groups/andrew-lees-blog/p/bp--op-ed-state-says-som-schools-misspent-226467-in-tb50309a45a

Here is the full report.

Other strengths that were mentioned to me:

--He is smart.

--He "is good with numbers," "has strong budgeting skills."

--He "has charisma, is articulate, and has great instincts."

Other weaknesses that were mentioned to me:

--good communicator on things like inclement weather, but not a good communicator on other things

--can be unresponsive to parents

--two separate comments about needing to use the Open Public Records Act (New Jersey's equivalent of Michigan's Freedom of Information Act) to get information that should have been accessible without that. An example of that would be the Title I Audit.

I'll close with a summary from a friend of a friend that I think encapsulates the feedback I got fairly well. My friend (who is in the district and likes Osborne, especially because of his work on the achievement gap, but is not very involved in school politics), asked for feedback from his friend. This is a person who has been very involved in school issues, and said that in the beginning Osborne was very responsive to positive or negative issues, but over time became less responsive about tricky/problematic issues. Rather than being test-score obsessed, she described him as "data driven," but noted that was true for the whole state. [Ed. Note: We are not alone--what is happening in Michigan is happening everywhere.] She also said he likes numbers, and studying trends--and may sometimes push through change too quickly. She gave as an example implementing IB in the middle schools. 

Key Links

Live blog: semifinalist interview

Audeo: semifinalist interview

Live blog: finalist interview 

Live blog: 90 day plan

My previous research on Brian Osborne

Impressions

Much of what I saw in the interview I went to matched up very well with what people from his current district said. He is obviously very smart, articulate, and has well-thought out ideas. He discussed his thoughts about tenure reform saying something like, "not everyone might agree with me," but he was still willing to share his ideas, which I appreciate. I was impressed by how much research he had done about our district (he knew a lot of details); and by his focus on the achievement gap. 

At a different interview (one my friend was at), he waded right into the education reform debate and gave me a better sense of where he stands. My friend wrote me that, at the interview she was at, 

Interestingly, he offered up early on that he wanted to dispel any notion that he was Broad affiliated.  He said he wasn't sure how it got out there because he didn't go through their academy and in fact doesn't agree with them.  He did offer that he twice taught a session at SUPES about governance but said that isn't Broad (we said yes it is). He said "they have had no influence on my learning." 

He further went on to describe his central approach to education as improving teaching and learning in the classroom.  He said he does not agree with any of the reform strategies that include privatization and corporatization of public schools, culling out 10% lowest performing teachers, teacher evaluation solely on test scores, etc.  He said his life work is to keep public education strong and not allow it to be dismantled.  He said he's attracted to AA/fits because AA because values diversity and is progressive (his term)."

Kudos to Osborne for taking this on in an interview, and giving us a sense of where he fits on the education reform spectrum. I really appreciate that!

I was able to ask Brian Osborne about the Title I audit in the session I went to, and I asked him what he learned and what he would have done differently. He said he believed the state had overreached, that they were fighting the audit, and that he probably wouldn't do things differently--there was one out of state trip they took kids on (to historically black colleges) that he would have confirmed would be legal. So I appreciated his support of what they had done. On the other hand, our district has gotten into trouble before doing things that "we" thought were okay and that turned out not to be--remember the substitute teacher lawsuit? Perhaps more concerning to me was that he got rather defensive in answering the question, and said he wouldn't do things differently. I was looking for a "lessons learned" answer.

Summary

I was convinced that he would be comfortable, in a fairly short time, advocating for school funding in Michigan--even though he is not from Michigan. I was also very convinced that he has the budget/finance/evaluation skills to work in our district. 

Although I won't always agree with Brian Osborne, I would feel very comfortable with the board offering him the position of Superintendent.

Some of the weaknesses that were enumerated above (particularly around communication with parents, teachers, citizens) and needing to get things through the Open Records Act are things that very much frustrated me with Pat Green. However, I am hoping that the school board can emphasize to him that these are essential elements of being a successful superintendent in Ann Arbor. 

Recap: Superintendent Candidate Jeanice Kerr Swift

The superintendent candidates have come and gone, and I find myself being slightly reluctant to post anything, because, after all--does it matter? The board will decide. But yes, it does matter--because I promised to share my research and thoughts--and because I think inasmuch as we know a person's strengths and weaknesses going forward, that is helpful. So, I'm sharing this in four parts: what I learned about the candidate from research; key links; what I experienced/noticed when I met the candidate in person; and if the candidate is hired, what we should make sure to communicate to them.

Research on Jeanice Kerr Swift

If I was looking for an exercise in frustration, then I found it! I was unable to uncover very much information about Jeanice Kerr Swift. I completely "struck out" in reaching people who knew her from her work in Colorado Springs District 11. There was a little bit on the web about two curriculum-related activities, which I linked to in a previous blog post, and not much else. 


At first I took this as a reflection on my research skills (which I generally think are pretty good), but then I realized something else. If you search my name on the web (skipping the blog-related stuff), or the name of one of our assistant superintendents (say, Alesia Flye, or the now-retired Lee Ann Dickinson-Kelley), you get information about work they have done. Try it, by searching yourself, and see what you find.

I also struck out in developing contacts in Colorado Springs. I did have several friends try for me, and the one person who found a person in D-11 was told that his contact didn't know Jeanice Kerr Swift.

My conclusion--in part, relates to her role as assistant superintendent, but the other piece is that I think she is a person who has probably done an efficient job staying in the background. 

Key Links

Here are the annarbor.com live blogs: 
Semifinalist interview
Finalist interview
90-Day Plan presentation

My original writeup about Jeanice Kerr Swift

My impressions

Jeanice obviously is very comfortable and knowledgeable in the curriculum/instruction realm and I feel comfortable that she really thinks about special education kids and at risk kids. I might disagree with her about outcomes and results. For instance, she did say “a rising tide lifts all boats” and in my experience with vulnerable kids that is not always true—the tide that lifts the majority of boats often leaves vulnerable kids behind.

She also just seemed to accept that teacher evaluation laws (that use tests of students to evaluate teachers) are coming and didn’t express any opposition to them, but I have big problems with them. She "said" she would be a big advocate in Michigan as superintendent around school funding issues, but I don't see experience in her background that makes me think she would be good at that. This is in part because I couldn't find any examples of her advocating for anything to the public or government. Maybe she has done it and I couldn't find it. (She gave an example of working with the legislature to cost out a proposal, but that was really operating in the background--I want someone who will be out front on school funding and in opposition to bad "educational reform" ideas.)

Also importantly, there were times in the interview where I thought she should know something (detailed, but not super detailed) about the Ann Arbor schools, and it made me wonder how much research she had done on the district. 

I didn’t get a sense of her administrative skills (budgeting, etc.), the 90-day plan was a puff piece (we should “DREAM!!”) and almost all of her answers had a curricular focus. If this were a curriculum job that would be great, but I don't think she demonstrated her skills in budgeting, union negotiations, etc. She relied on the word "we" far too much, as in "We did X," and it's unclear to me (in, for example, redistricting) what part was her role and what part were other people's roles.

Summary

I think there would be a very steep learning curve for her if the job were to be offered to her, and that would probably not be a good thing for the district. If the job were to be offered to her, she would need a very strong support team (more than a few parents, teachers, principals, and the board) to orient her to the district, to the media, to Michigan politics, etc. I would rather see the board reopen the search. 

Blueberries and Kids

I will post about the superintendent search after both candidates have come for their final visits.

From Wikimedia Commons

In the meantime, I saw this piece--(I have read this story before)--and decided I would share it.

I may have been influenced by the fact that I just tasted the first blueberries from my yard. Without being judgmental... they may have been a little bit too tart.


In a Washington Post blog, "The Answer Sheet," Valerie Strauss recaps
Why Schools Aren't Businesses: The Blueberry Story.

Larry Cuban’s 2004 book “The Blackboard and the Bottom Line: Why Schools Can’t be Businesses,” is nearly a decade old but still highly relevant to the education reform debate.
In the introduction, Cuban introduces readers to Jamie Vollmer, a former ice cream company executive who became an education advocate and author of the book ” Schools Cannot Do It Alone.” He quotes Vollmer about “an epiphany” he had in the 1980s:

“If I ran my business the way you people operate your schools, I wouldn’t be in business very long! I stood before an auditorium filled with outraged teachers who were becoming angrier by the minute. My speech had entirely consumed their precious 90 minutes of inservice. Their initial icy glares had turned to restless agitation. You could cut the hostility with a knife. I represented a group of business people dedicated to improving public schools. I was an executive at an ice cream company that had become famous in the middle 1980s when People magazine chose our blueberry as the “Best Ice Cream in America.” I was convinced of two things. First, public schools needed to change; they were archaic selecting and sorting mechanisms designed for the industrial age and out of step with the needs of our emerging “knowledge society.” Second, educators were a major part of the problem: they resisted change, hunkered down in their feathered nests, protected by tenure, and shielded by a bureaucratic monopoly. They needed to look to business. We knew how to produce quality. Zero defects! TQM! Continuous improvement! In retrospect, the speech was perfectly balanced — equal parts ignorance and arrogance. As soon as I finished, a woman’s hand shot up. She appeared polite, pleasant. She was, in fact, a razor-edged, veteran, high school English teacher who had been waiting to unload. She began quietly, “We are told, sir, that you manage a company that makes good ice cream.” I smugly replied, “Best ice cream in America, Ma’am.” “How nice,” she said. “Is it rich and smooth?” “Sixteen percent butterfat,” I crowed.
 “Premium ingredients?” she inquired. “Super-premium! Nothing but triple A.” I was on a roll. I never saw the next line coming. “Mr. Vollmer,” she said, leaning forward with a wicked eyebrow raised to the sky, “when you are standing on your receiving dock and you see an inferior shipment of blueberries arrive, what do you do?” In the silence of that room, I could hear the trap snap…. I was dead meat, but I wasn’t going to lie. “I send them back.” She jumped to her feet. “That’s right!” she barked, “and we can never send back our blueberries. We take them big, small, rich, poor, gifted, exceptional, abused, frightened, confident, homeless, rude, and brilliant. We take them with ADHD, junior rheumatoid arthritis, and English as their second language. We take them all! Every one! And that, Mr. Vollmer, is why it’s not a business. It’s school!”

Read the rest here.

The Search for Todd Roberts 2.0

On an email I saw recently, someone referred to the search for a new Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent as "the search for Todd Roberts 2.0."

Todd Roberts, you might remember, was the well-liked superintendent of Ann Arbor schools before Pat Green. He left for greener pastures in North Carolina.

Todd Roberts. Picture taken from the
University of North Carolina School of Education

Before Todd came to Ann Arbor, he was a deputy superintendent in Oakland County's Birmingham school district--but he lived in Ann Arbor. He was named 2009 Superintendent of the Year for Michigan Region 8.

I think this Ann Arbor Chronicle article offers some insight into what people liked about Todd Roberts.

Roberts Will Be MissedThe fact that Roberts’ contract was just extended was a sign of the board’s confidence in his leadership, according to Mexicotte. “He’s the whole package,” she continued, “You can’t replace somebody like Todd Roberts – you just hope you can find someone as good.”
Satchwell echoed that sentiment, crediting Roberts with stabilizing a district fraught with conflict when he was hired, and establishing a strategic plan to carry AAPS forward. “He is a realist and a troubleshooter,” Satchwell said. “He is good at bridging, and has worked well with every corner of the district. He’s one of the most approachable guys in the world.”
In a phone call earlier today, long-time board member Glenn Nelson praised Roberts’ humility in creating a team atmosphere where people could truly work together productively. He also acknowledged Roberts’ role in getting the Comprehensive School Improvement Program (commonly known as “the Bond”) improvements back on track when he was hired in 2006, and by leading the district’s strategic planning process in a way that made it more useful than it had been previously. While allowing that he expects a smooth transition, Nelson admitted, “I very much regret his resignation. I think he’s been an excellent superintendent, and I’m sorry to see him leave.”

This time round, will we get Todd Roberts 2.0? I don't think so.
Todd Roberts had experience as an assistant superintendent; he had excellent people skills; and he had experience working in education in Michigan.

Whatever you think of Jeanice Kerr Swift and Brian Osborne, neither of them has the experience in Michigan that I think is critical. Thus--without assessing their superintending or people skills--in my opinion they are missing a key piece that would make them capable of being "the next Todd Roberts."

Would the "local" candidates have been able to be "the next Todd Roberts?"
I don't think so. Henry Hastings was an "outside, different" candidate who had not worked at a high administrative level in a school district. Ben Edmondson was missing the classic "middle step." Most candidates for a school district the size of Ann Arbor's would have first been a deputy superintendent or a superintendent elsewhere. Although Sandra Harris, on paper, looked like she did have that experience, she hadn't even bothered to update her letters of recommendation--from 2009! That is not a mistake Todd Roberts would have made.

[I did not go to the interviews, but I think Kellie Woodhouse did a nice job with her live blog. Day 1 here; Day 2 here.]

Of course I was left wondering--did the school board overlook another "Todd Roberts?" An assistant superintendent or a superintendent in a southern Michigan school district?  There were 61 applicants, and we only know about the six semifinalists.

After the last two years, I really hope that if the two finalist candidates do not suffice, that the board feels that they can reopen the process, and does not feel that they have to hire someone immediately.

What's Next With Those Superintendent Candidates?

From the Ann Arbor Public Schools: 

The Ann Arbor Public School Board of Education is pleased to welcome the two Superintendent finalists, Dr. Jeanice Swift and Dr. Brian Osborne, to Ann Arbor.
The community is invited to attend a forum with each candidate. The candidates will each start their forum with a brief introduction and there will be a Q & A for the attendees.
Dr. Jeanice Swift

• Tuesday, July 16 at 7 p.m at Skyline High School

Dr. Brian Osborne

• Wednesday, July 17 at 7 p.m. at Skyline High School

This is the opportunity for the community to meet the two candidates and ask questions as the Board of Education finalizes the selection of the next Ann Arbor Public School Superintendent of Schools. 

The public may also attend a presentation and meeting with the Board from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. at Skyline on July 16 and July 17.  

The Board will hold a meeting on Friday, July 19, 5:30 at the Balas Administration Building, 2555 S. State Street, for the purpose of making a final selection for the Superintendent position.

According to Christine Stead, school board member,

Let us know which candidate resonated the most with you and why.  We will have feedback forms for attendees at the end of each session.  We will have time to review your feedback prior to making a decision on Friday, so please come, meet our candidates, see how they engage with you and which one is a good fit for Ann Arbor and the AAPS. 

If you don't like either of them and feel the board should reopen the search, that is something you can share with the board as well.(By the way, I haven't come to that conclusion--yet--but I have had other people tell me that they have.) Email the board with feedback: boe@aaps.k12.mi.us.

How's My Research Coming?

In a nutshell--

I have plenty of information coming in from Maplewood/South Orange about their experiences with Brian Osborne. I'd say it's a mixed bag, some really good things and some not-so-good things, and I will be able to write up a post about Brian Osborne by Sunday.

From Colorado Springs, on the other hand, it's a completely different story. I have very little information. In Maplewood/South Orange I a) knew a few people who lived there already and b) there is a a robust online discussion board which facilitated me getting even more information. In Colorado Springs, I don't know anybody. And Jeanice Kerr Swift, as an assistant superintendent, has less published information about her.

So I ask you: Do you know anybody in Colorado Springs? Please put me in touch by emailing me at rlk234@gmail.com.