Random thoughts of an ed admin lifer

On April 25th, a group of educators from Parairie South SD #210 got together to discuss the topic of High School Change. The conversation centered around several articles found in the April 2007 edition of Educational Leadership - The Prepared Graduate. We did a jigsaw type activity and shared the poignant parts of the article we had each read. I could identify the following themes from the dialogue: 1.) Education needs to be engaging and relevant; 2.) Assessment needs to be authentic and varied; 3.) We need to prepare students to be “Global Citizens”; 4.) Emotional and social components are as important as academics; & 5.) Learning opportunities need to be flexible ie. programs need to fit students’ requirements, not vice-versa. Toward the end of the afternoon, we were asked to break into groups and develop 10 guiding principles for High Schools in our division - a High School Manifesto so to speak. We had a great discussion within our groups, however there was little consensus as to what needed to go on the list - not so much due to disagreement, but rather the wide variety of what could go on the list. My question for the blogoshpere is this: If you were charged with the responsibility of developing a High School Manifesto, what would you include? I invite any nuggets of wisdom you can contribute!

The impact of a zero on a student’s mark can be huge! In some cases a single zero can prevent a student from successfully completing a class. What does a zero tell us? Most obviously, it indicates that a student neglected to hand in an assignment, but little else. Is there a way we can minimize the disproportionate impact that awarding a grade of 0 has on student success and still foster accountability?!! This topic is discussed in depth in the following article: 0 Alternatives. What are your thoughts about incorporating these ideas into your practice?

Hey, check it out - Random Thoughts got a mention in District Administration Magazine!  The article by Will Richardson is called Administrators Who Blog.  I hope my arm doesn’t break from patting myself on the back!

Thanks again to Dean for feeding me these little gems. . .  I encourage you to take the time to watch the following video called Pay Attention:  . . . And pick out and post a gem that really strikes a chord with you.  For example . . . today’s average college graduate has spent 10 000 hrs playing video games.  This stood out for me because it is nearly as much time as they would have spent in school, from K - 12!

In order to try and stir up some e-dialogue, I offered up this conversation starter to our staff in the Monday Memo:  Are final exams necessary?  Why? & Are recommends (being excused from writing a final exam due to attaining a high enough mark in the coursework) necessary?  Why?

I invite any and all input from the blogosphere!