Archive for the ‘
CLASS Project ’ Category
The spring of 1978 proved to be a pivotal time shaping my career. These were the ten weeks I completed my student teaching at a small rural high school in Colton, Washington.
Fortunately, I was taught and mentored by a marvelous master language arts teacher, Diana Carlson. Our first meeting was memorable. “Mr. Jamison, I have good news for you. In the coming weeks you will become the Language Arts Department at Colton High School.”
With thirty-five years of distance and perspective since that spring, and wonderful experiences along the way, I am deeply grateful for the high expectations and rigorous regime framed by this fine educator. Diana required me to teach four different grade levels of high school English, business communication, a social studies class, and to assist in directing the high school play after hours. Working fifty to sixty hours a week, I planned, created, delivered, evaluated…breathed, ate, laughed, fretted and lived… with these students and classrooms consuming my life.
We all know the importance of strong induction and mentorship supports for our newest professionals. While I benefitted the following year from an equally strong teacher who mentored me in my first full-time teaching job in Independence, lately I have looked back on that experience in Colton for an entirely different reason. Increasingly, I am concerned we are not adequately serving and supporting Oregon’s rural schools. (more…)
Category:
Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project |
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Tags: Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project, Colton, Dan Jamison, education policy, education reform, Oregon Education, planning and development in rural areas, rural districts, rural leadership, teaching and learning, Washington
I know I have been in the teaching profession for a while because the pendulum is swinging back to where I started: the ‘90s. Just like a greatest hit, overplayed, buried and then resurrected, project-based learning (PBL) is seeing its resurrection. Project-based learning has been around for a while with a bulk of research done on its powers of motivation and higher level thinking done in the ‘80s. With the testing craze and research-based programs of the recent past, PBL was mostly shelved.
Unfortunately for today’s young people, PBL is what American kids needed all along. Recent technological innovations have made rote knowledge and the specific skill tasks demanded by our recent curricula almost obsolete. Now we can ask our phone what the capital of Delaware is or how many ounces are in a pound. What we can’t get from our phones are skills dished up in PBL.
PBL involves working with others to solve a relevant problem. There are skills to learn along the way, but the objective is a polished and presented product. Rolled into the project is the ability to work with others, discern what information is valid, and the critical thinking needed to solve a complex problem. (more…)
Category:
CLASS Project, Teacher Effectiveness |
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Tags: Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project, Elephant Lilly, measuring assessments, mentoring, mentorship, Oregon Zoo, PBL, Project-based learning, Ruth Wallin, specific targets
Nicholas Sowa is a fifth grade teacher at St. Mary’s Public School within the Mount Angel School District. He is the project manager for the Mount Angel School District CLASS Project grant and has been a teacher in the district for the past 6 years. He is currently enrolled at George Fox University in pursuit of administrative credentials. He also obtained his BS degree from Eastern Oregon University and MA in teaching degree from George Fox University. Nicholas plans to continue to offer his knowledge of teaching to students who speak English as a second language and ultimately obtain an administrative position in an elementary setting. Nicholas is supported by his wife of 12 years and three young children. He has a passion for creative instruction, empowering his students, and implementing technology in his classroom.
Through our work with the CLASS Project here in Mt. Angel we have had some interesting discussions focused on career pathways. In particular, our discussion continually touches on the fact that there is no “new money” within the foreseeable future. The task we are then charged with is how can we create creative career pathways for educators without adding to our already tight budget? Furthermore, how can we ask teachers to continually do more with less? (more…)
Category:
CLASS Project |
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Tags: Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project, do more with less, education, Mt. Angel school district, Nicholas Sowa, Oregon Education, St. Mary's public school
Creating a New Paradigm for Oregon Teachers
Education in Oregon is emerging into an era of challenging growth. The push to improve student learning and achievement resulted in the creation of local education compacts, state-level departments such as the Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB), and new education grant opportunities. These changes in the traditional educational practices opened doors for new teacher leadership opportunities. These opportunities are reflected in the changing role of teachers in schools. Teachers hold tremendous influence, and through increasing professional opportunities such as the CLASS Project, they possess capabilities and knowledge to transform education. It is a paradigm shift.
The Past
Schools operated in the past largely under Frederick Taylor’s 1916 scientific management system which was vertical. A few people were selected to rise to the “top” and become the leaders. In school terms this translated into administrative positions such as superintendents, principals, and directors. Under this hierarchal system, managers (administrators) made decisions without input from workers (teachers). Teachers taught in contained closed classrooms with limited ability to share their knowledge and build the capacity of other teachers. (more…)
Category:
career paths for teachers, Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project |
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Tags: career paths for teachers, Distinguished Educators Council, education policy, Mary McGinnis, Oregon Education, Oregon teachers, paradigm, phi delta kappan, Roland Barth, Teacher leadership
Below is a news release from last week sharing hopeful news about the graduation rates in CLASS districts.
Portland – November 29, 2012 – In light of the news this week of Oregon’s sub-par graduation rate, the Chalkboard Project is sharing hopeful news about the graduation rates in CLASS districts. Oregon has begun investing in CLASS-like work through Senate Bill 252, the School District Collaboration Fund.
Between 2008-09 and 2010-11, the first group of CLASS districts improved its cohort graduation rate by 5 percentage points and the second group improved its rate by 3.8 percentage points. During the same time, the rest of the state only improved by 0.9 percentage point.¹
CLASS provides teachers the opportunity to collaborate on plans for teacher professional growth and success tailored to local needs. Teachers create for themselves what every professional deserves: a clear career path, opportunities for feedback, relevant and individualized training, and recognition for leadership and results. (more…)
Category:
CLASS Project |
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Tags: Arne Duncan, CLASS Project, graduation rates, Oregon Education
Kathleen Sundell is President of the Salem-Keizer Education Association. She has been a special educator for 38 years. Kathleen received her bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and two master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She has been an advocate through her career and has worked to foster collaborative relationships. Kathleen has been at the forefront of the education reform effort in Salem-Keizer, chairing its Performance Evaluation Committee, which, through collaboration among teachers, administrators and central office personnel, redesigned the evaluation system for 2200 Salem Keizer educators.
As I sit next to my companion on our way to a conference, I think about how far I’ve come. You see, I am the President of the one of the largest Teacher’s Association/Union local in the state, my companion is our District Superintendent, Dr. Sandra Husk, and the conference is a joint labor-management conference. We will join our school board chair and share with districts from all over the nation how we collaborate around District and Association issues big and small. Little did I know, fifteen years ago, that this special education teacher from small town Iowa would be leading her colleagues in education reform.
How did we get here? Dr. Husk introduced us to the CLASS (Creative Leadership Achieves Student Success) Project. We were skeptical at first, and unsure about what it was and why we would sign on. But as we talked, we realized that our educators wanted different career opportunities without leaving the classroom; our professional development system, while improved, still needed work; and, we needed a new evaluation system since ours hadn’t been updated since 1983. What CLASS funding brought us most was time and expertise. The grant gave us time for collaboration, and guidance from our CLASS coach, Chalkboard staff, and experts that they brought in from all over the country. Also, time to talk about issues important to educators. (more…)
Category:
CLASS Project |
9 Comments »
Tags: CLASS Project, Kathleen Sundell, labor-management conference, performance based compensation, Salem-Keizer, Teacher Incentive Fund, TIF, value-added model, VAM
Kim has worked in the Lebanon Community School District since 1995. She is the Spanish – College Now Teacher at Lebanon High School and wears several hats in the administrative realm as well. She lives in Lebanon with her two youngest children. Her oldest daughters and their families (including two grand babies) live nearby as well. Kim was Vice President of the local Association for four years followed by eight years in the presidency. At the end of her tenure in the Association she helped to write the initial CLASS grant with the Chalkboard Project that has shaped the work of the school district ever since.
Education in the 21st Century requires a new set of skills, but not just for students. Teachers, education support professionals and administrators face daily a myriad of hurdles that slow or deter students from achieving at the highest levels. Mobility, socio-economic status, historically ineffective instructional strategies, the disintegration of family and solid home life, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence and apathy can destroy the academic chances of children from as early as one year of age. So how do we cope? What can we do to combat these invisible enemies? (more…)
Category:
Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project |
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Tags: Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project, design team, Kim Fandino, Lebanon Community Schools, TIF grant
Dr. Krista Parent is the Superintendent of South Lane School District. It is her 28th year in the district as a teacher, principal, curriculum director, assistant superintendent and superintendent for the past 12 years. Heather Bridgens is in her 13th year in the district as a high school Language Arts teacher, department head, coach and CLASS Executive Team member. Jan Jacobs is in her 26th year in the district as a middle school Language Arts and Social Studies teacher, coach and CLASS Executive Team member.
South Lane School District Pursues TIF 4
South Lane School District’s decision to pursue a Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant from the U.S. Department of Education was really a “no brainer.” The district has anchored their key improvement efforts around the CLASS Project and the four blueprint areas. These four areas focus on performance evaluation for teachers and administrators, alternative models of compensation, career pathways for teachers to play significant leadership roles in the district’s work, and professional development that is relevant and differentiated for the needs of staff. The TIF grant was simply a way to seek more resources to accomplish this important work.
South Lane School District has a long history of collaborating with their teachers. A culture has been created over the years where everyone – teachers, administrators, custodians, secretaries and other staff – are truly invested in doing whatever it takes to ensure student success. South Lane’s core beliefs include:
Kids Come First!
Decision Making is Student Centered
Kids Learn Best When They Want To Be At School (more…)
Category:
CLASS Project |
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Tags: administrators, CLASS Project, coaching, collaboration, contract maintenance committee, leadership, South Lane School District, Teacher Incentive Fund 4, teachers, TIF 4, tosa
In June I traveled to New York City to attend the 2012 Social Impact Exchange conference, “Taking Successful Innovation to Scale.” Over 400 foundations, philanthropists and philanthropy advisors convened to discuss innovative methods to support scaling and the replication of high-impact nonprofit initiatives. It was a great opportunity for Chalkboard to learn about potentially scaling CLASS further, especially after presenting at the Labor Management Conference where there was significant interest around how to replicate CLASS in other states.
A blog post by Sarika Bansal at Dowser.org highlights key takeaways from the conference, “Scaling Social Impact in Six Steps.”
Read more about the conference on SIE’s blog.
Category:
CLASS Project |
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Tags: Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project, Sarika Bansal, Scaling Social Impact in Six Steps, SIE, Social Impact Exchange, Sue Hildick, Taking Successful Innovation to Scale
Check out our Facebook album, “2012 Labor Management Conference,” to see photos from the event.
Chalkboard is honored to have been invited by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to present at the second Labor Management Conference this week in Cincinnati. Teachers, administrators and a school board member are part of our team showcasing the CLASS Project.
The conference kicked-off with seven people signing a document, including top leaders of the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association of School Administrators, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National School Boards Association, the Council of the Great City Schools, and the U.S. Department of Education. In other words, all the major players in public education. (more…)
Category:
Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project |
11 Comments »
Tags: 2012 Labor Management Conference, Chalkboard Project, CLASS Project, Transforming the teaching Profession
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