Annual Conference

The Big Benefits of Books

Book study has helped Brookhaven Middle School transform its culture, principal Larry Collier and assistant principal Danna Jones told their ASCD Annual Conference audience. The Alabama school, whose 720 students are mostly from families in poverty, has seen student achievement climb as teachers have read and discussed books such as these:

• No Excuses, by Samuel Casey Carter

• What Really Matters for Struggling Readers, by Richard L. Allington

• A Framework for Understanding Poverty, by Ruby K. Payne

• Whatever It Takes, by Richard DuFour and others

• Bringing Words to Life, by Isabel Beck and others

• Dream Keepers, by Gloria Ladson-Billings

• When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do, by Kylene Beers.

Educators at the school have implemented ideas they discovered through these books, such as “Data Meetings” where they pinpoint students’ strengths and weaknesses. They have also bolstered math and reading instruction by integrating science and math, and social studies and reading. This curriculum integration has fostered peer coaching, the presenters noted.

Some teachers initially resisted some of the changes, Jones said. But once they began to see the improvement in their students’ achievement, they embraced the new approaches.

Reporting by Scott Willis, ASCD's director of book acquisitions and development.

Curriculum Mapping on the Edge

When author and consultant Heidi Hayes Jacobs, an expert on curriculum mapping, asked her audience whether they used mapping software, more than one-third of them raised their hands.

Jacobs expressed no surprise at this widespread use of computer software to support curriculum mapping. “This isn’t going away -- any more than e-mail and the Internet are going away,” she said.

Curriculum mapping is the practice of charting -- in detail -- what topics are taught by each teacher during the course of a given school year.  When the maps are combined, it's possible to identify gaps and duplications in what students are being taught.  It's also possible to ensure that the curriculum "builds" appropriately from year to year.  Besides curriculum topics, some maps include assessments, samples of student work, or teachers' professional development plans.

Curriculum mapping makes teachers’ work transparent, Jacobs noted. Each teacher should enter his or her work into a curriculum map, she said, and each teacher should also have access to the map of every other teacher. “Mapping is overt work, not covert activity,” Jacobs said.

Because it reveals so much, mapping is intimate, and it can seem threatening, Jacobs acknowledged. But it also leads to more collegiality among teachers. “Not only do we share each other’s work, we appreciate each other’s work.”

Curriculum mapping also becomes a key tool for sustaining professional learning communities. “Mapping becomes an electronic town square,” Jacobs said.

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ASCD offers several resources to help teacher learn about curriculum mapping. Getting Results with Curriculum Mapping, by Heidi Hayes Jacobs guides the practical implementation of a mapping process. You can read the book’s first chapter here.

Jacobs' Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment K-12 provides a good introduction to the topic.

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Reporting by Scott Willis, ASCD's director of book acquisitions and development.

ASCD’s Whole Child Commitment: Reframing Education

ASCD is starting to shift the dialogue from schooling to learning—and in doing so, reframing the definition of education, observed ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter during Sunday’s ASCD Annual Meeting. Carter and ASCD President Mary Ellen Freeley reported on the state of the Association during the annual convening of leaders and members.

Freeley opened the meeting by highlighting the work of the ASCD Board of Directors during 2005-2006, activities that included strengthening the Leadership Council and its influence, participating in ASCD’s first Leadership for Effective Advocacy and Practice Institute, and refining the nominations process.

“It has been a wonderful year, a productive year, and a year of growth and positive exploration,” said Freeley.

Carter outlined how ASCD is accelerating its work to promote the needs of the whole child—which recasts the definition of a successful learner from one whose achievement is measured solely by academic tests to one who is knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically engaged, prepared for economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond formal schooling.

As part of the multi-year, whole child initiative, ASCD convened the first meeting of the Commission on the Whole Child in January 2006. “This Commission of leading thinkers, researchers, and practitioners, from a wide variety of sectors, is looking at the competencies and habits of mind that young people need for healthy, productive lives,” said Carter. “We have challenged the Commission to make actionable recommendations that will take the report into the media, boardrooms, and legislatures for continued inquiry and, ultimately, transformative change.” He noted that the Commission will reconvene in July to set benchmarks for moving its work forward.

“The impact of our work will only be felt on a massive scale—and make a significant difference in the lives of learners—if, and only if, we make our voices heard,” said Carter. Accordingly, ASCD has been successfully mobilizing for advocacy and expanding opportunities for member influence. ASCD’s advocacy staff, Legislative Committee, and state/local teams have been working on pushing the issues with important implications for public education. Carter observed that affiliates have undertaken increasingly complex influence and advocacy roles both at the state/provincial and national/federal levels.

“The positions adopted by ASCD’s Leadership Council continue to guide our influence and advocacy work in four areas—the achievement gap, high-stakes testing, whole child, and health and learning,” said Carter.

The ASCD executive director called the past year a “record-breaker” for ASCD—with 175,000 members in 135 countries worldwide, 60 affiliates, and three new connected communities. He also reported that ASCD experienced the best financial year in Association history—continuing a trend seen four out of the past five fiscal years.

“The time is right for the ASCD Community to find the passion to go beyond where anyone before us has traveled,” Carter concluded. “Can we reach significance both in today’s world and in the legacy we leave for tomorrow’s children? I think we can.”

Reversing Urban Students' Underachievement: Seeing the Potential, Not the Lack

As soon as all of the attendees had arrived and were seated in the "Reversing Urban Underachievement: Nurturing High Intellectual Performance" session, presenter Evangeline Wise, a director at the National Urban Alliance (NUA), had them all stand up and introduce themselves to as many other attendees as possible in two minutes. When everyone was reseated, she asked how many people remembered the names of even two of the people they met. Only one person raised his hand.

Wise observed that it's important to cultivate meaningful relationships; it's not important how many people you meet or know, but how well you know them. "You need to develop a good relationship with your students because if they know that you care, learning will come more easily," Wise noted.

As you get to know your students, it's important to start by asking them about their strengths and interests, said Yvette Jackson, Wise's copresenter and the executive director of the NUA. Starting with a focus on your students' strengths helps you address misperceptions that you may have and cultivate relationships with them, two of the first steps in Jackson's "Agenda of Transformations." The next step is to focus on learning.

"If you start your teaching with learning in mind, you'll lift all students," said Jackson. To emphasize the importance of this, the NUA uses Teaching with the Brain in Mind as a primer in their professional development sessions, to get educators to start with a focus on learning.

"If you're really interested in changing underachievement, we need to change what our focus is," according to Jackson. The difficulty is that most educators associate the term "urban" with underachieving students of color. To change the focus, Jackson's agenda calls for a "pedagogy of confidence," which means that you "don't start with 'Where are they weak?' but with 'How are they strong?'"

Key to this is eliminating terms that marginalize students such as

• minority vs. students of color
• disadvantaged vs. school dependent/students put at a disadvantage
• low achievers vs. underachievers
• disabilities vs. variable learners

Making this change will help educators correct their misperceptions of their students, allowing them to create relationships based on respect, recognition, success, and sharing. Those relationships will help bridge one of the key education gaps--the divide between student culture and teacher culture.

With these relationships in place, educators can then turn their attention to the key gap in education, according to Jackson: the divide between students' potential and their achievement. The first step toward this for educators is to use their genuine relationships with their students to break down their misperceptions and see the potential, not the lack in each student.

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• Yvette Jackson further discusses the "pedagogy of confidence" as one of the contributors to Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking.
  
• ASCD's Infobrief, a quarterly policy brief, is running a series on the achievement gap. Read the Overview.
• Read a sample chapter from Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices by Belinda Williams.

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What kinds of challenges do you face in getting to know your students and establishing deeper relationships? Talk to us using the "Comments" link below.

Canadian Principal Named Outstanding Young Educator

Charles Coleman, principal of Khowhemun Elementary School in Duncan, British Columbia, has been named the winner of ASCD’s 2005 Outstanding Young Educator Award (OYEA). Coleman was honored at Saturday’s Opening General Session.

Coleman is the first non-U.S. educator to win the prestigious award. “I am gratified, humbled, and surprised that ASCD selected me as Outstanding Young Educator. I didn’t think you would pick a Canadian,” he joked.

He was selected for the leadership and team building he displayed in increasing student achievement in reading and mathematics at a school with a large “First Nations” student population of native people. Coleman said he and his team of faculty and staff at Khowhemun regularly apply the principles of differentiated instruction, individualized learning, multiple intelligences, and action research to serve the needs of their students.

“Working as a collaborative team in a learning community, I believe we can make a difference,” he said. “It is with the kids of Khowhemun mind that I gratefully accept this award.”

"The key strategies that Mr. Coleman initiated were  focused goals, parent involvement, targeted intervention, and First Nations support," said Tom Hierck, president of the British Columbia Principals' & Vice-Principals' Association, who nominated Coleman for the award. "His colleagues look to him for leadership, his peers have recognized his contributions, his staff feel empowered and supported, his parent community feels valued, and his students feel cared about."

Read more about Charles Coleman in the April issue of Educational Leadership magazine.

Spring nominations for the 2006 OYEA close on April 15. To nominate a deserving colleague, please click here. Two nominees for the 2006 award will be selected from the spring cadre of nominees. Two others will be selected in a fall round of nominations.

Photo Credit: Mark Regan

School Leadership Teams “the Engine of Change”

Jan Keating believes that well-managed leadership teams are key to ensuring that schools remain flexible enough to serve student needs. In her Conference session, “Transforming Your School through Shared Leadership,” she maintained that essential change cannot happen without a collaborative team of educators guiding the process.

A purposeful approach to building the team and guiding its work makes it effective.

“The leadership team is the engine of change in your school. Schools have to change all the time. A leadership team gives a school the capacity to adapt,” said the former biology teacher and principal who has worked in both Illinois and California. “Schools are like living organisms. If an organism cannot adapt to the changing environment, it will cease to exist. If allowed to change and adapt to fit its environment, the organism will evolve and flourish.”

Keating said the composition of leadership teams may vary from school to school. Generally the team members are teachers, although that’s not essential. She urged educators to avoid the easy route of simply appointing department heads. “The leadership team cannot be a political place,” she said.

Team members must share a commitment to ensuring that the best curricula are in place and that the best instruction is taking place in every classroom.

Keating said strong leadership teams can effectively tackle several critical tasks.

• Driving instructional improvement. Teams are a forum for sharing best instructional practices and determining how to make them available to the entire faculty. Teams are also well suited for addressing grading issues and interpreting data that can be used to improve instruction.
• Hiring and developing good teachers. Developing teacher recruitment strategies, establishing interview processes, setting up induction and mentoring programs, and directing professional development are all appropriate team tasks.
• Setting and communicating policy. Keating views leadership teams as the prime mechanism for researching, debating, and deciding school policy matters. Team members are charged with gathering relevant information and viewpoints from their colleagues, and building buy-in among other teachers.

Keating urged educators to use rigorous processes for conducting team business and considers team participation a formal part of members’ job descriptions.

The results can be dramatic. At Pacific Collegiate School, a Santa Cruz, Calif., public charter secondary school where Keating served as principal until recently, a strong focus on team leadership led to significantly better AP exam participation and passage rates, higher SAT scores, lower student attrition, and greater enrollment. Collaboration works, she said.

“By setting up a shared leadership team, you are setting up a professional learning community,” Keating said. “Everyone is working toward the important goal of improving curriculum and instruction in the classroom.”

What's your experience with collaborative or team leadership? Does it work--or is it a lot of work with few results? Tell us about the team leadership barriers and benefits you have encountered -- just click on "Comments" below.

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ASCD offers several important resources addressing teacher leadership, which is essential to effective shared leadership teams. Of particular note is Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional Practice, a new book by Charlotte Danielson that delivers practical strategies for helping teachers become effective leaders in their schools.

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How to Increase Reading Comprehension of English Language Learners

Imagine you are an ELL high school student who has mastered English well enough to talk on the phone and interact with friends on the school bus. Imagine, though, that academic classes are a whole other story. There you are confronted with reading textbooks and attaining what Yvonne Pratt-Johnson calls CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency).

Pratt-Johnson, speaking at ASCD’s Annual Conference on "Increasing Reading Comprehension of English Language Learners in Content Courses," defined CALP as the language required for formal academic learning. It differs from BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills), a level of skill that ELLs attain much more quickly.

For example, a student with little CALPS who receives the social studies assignment to read the Declaration of Independence most likely will be thrown by the unfamiliar vocabulary; the archaic idioms; and the complex, long sentences that the text contains. Almost every reading assignment presents such problems to students—from the science text in which the student encounters the new use of the word table in the expression periodic table or the newspaper article that uses such idiomatic expressions as "to live from hand to mouth" or "to tick someone off."

Pratt-Johnson recommended a number of strategies to help students increase reading comprehension. Among them are

• Familiarize ELLs with textbook features. Take them on a textbook walk and show them how to use the glossary, the table of contents, and the answer key in the math book. These steps may seem trivial, but they are important ways to elucidate texts.


• As a teacher, model how you think when you read a text. For example, tell students how the study questions at the end of the chapter can help them know what information is significant. Don't just assign The Declaration of Independence without prepping students for the kind of difficulties they will encounter.


• Build background knowledge. Connect with students' experience before introducing your lesson. For example, the science teacher might first talk about how corn is used in various countries and cultures before talking about a lesson that involves corn.

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• Check out the October 2005 issue of Educational Leadership on Reading Comprehension and the December 2004/January 2005 issue on Educating Language Learners.

• Read a sample chapter from Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement.
  

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How have you worked with English Language Learners in your classrooms? Have you explored building background knowledge? Use the "Comments" link below to tell us about your experiences.

Reporting by Marge Scherer, Editor in Chief of Educational Leadership magazine.

Sroka Says, Safe & Healthy Students Learn More

A letter to ASCD Annual Conference participants from Dr. Stephen Sroka:

No Child Left Behind stresses teaching to the academic child often at the expense of dealing with the real life issues for students, schools, and communities. Issues such as poverty, discrimination, diversity, sex, drugs, and violence can prevent effective education.

That's why I'll be in Chicago copresenting session #2142, "Connecting the Dots: Linking School Health, Literacy and Student Achievement," Sunday, April 2, 8:00 to 9:30 A.M. This session will explore how the educator can address the needs of the whole child--socially, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually--and deal with the barriers that hamper effective education. Come to my session, and see how and why safe and healthy students learn more.

Session #2142 is a high energy, motivational, prevention-education presentation. We'll integrate cutting-edge research (on brain-based learning, media literacy, character education, resiliency, and youth asset development programs), humor, and inspiring real-life stories to facilitate learning about sex, drugs, violence prevention, diversity, and discrimination. Participants will learn about the life skills that increase academic achievement and leave the session with an unforgettable message:

Through education, helping one another, and believing in yourself; you can make a difference in schools, communities, and students' lives. You have the "Power of One" to make a difference.

I know my session is early, but I guarantee it will wake you up and motivate you for the rest of the day! Hope to see you in Chicago,

Steve

Get Ready for the ASCD Annual Conference

The ASCD Annual Conference is a big event that’s packed with great learning opportunities. It can also be a little overwhelming, whether it’s your first Conference or your 10th. This short tutorial will help prepare you for the experience. When you've finished, you'll be ready to enjoy every minute of your stay in Chicago.

In the tutorial, you'll learn:

• About the organization of the Annual Conference and Exhibit Show.
• How to navigate the Annual Conference program book.
• How to plan a schedule of sessions you would like to attend.

Take the tutorial now.

Some attendees get more out of the Conference than others. You can improve your learning experience by being an active participant; this handy guide will show you how.

If you’re an experienced Conference goer, you no doubt have your own secrets for getting the most out your participation. Please click "Comments" below to share them with your fellow blog readers.

Here’s our hot tip: Do not, under any circumstances, wear new shoes to the Conference. Your feet will fail you by noon on April Fools Day if you do. No one will mind if fashion takes a back seat to comfort for three days.

Oops, did we get ahead of ourselves? If you haven’t yet registered for the Conference, there’s still time. Here’s all the information you need to sign up.

Welcome!

We’re glad you’ve found ASCD’s 2006 Annual Conference Blog.

In the days leading up to the Conference in Chicago, while it’s all going on April 1 – 3, and for an as-yet undetermined time afterward, we hope you will find this blog a place you’ll want to visit often.

You’ll find lots of different kinds of content here. For educators who are coming to Chicago, we’ll offer practical information to help you make the most of your Conference experience, as well as advice on extracurricular activities to enrich your trip to the Windy City. For all who care about education, learning, and teaching (whether you’re a Conference participant or not), we’ll cover the issues and trends that emerge from the Conference—the topics, controversies, best practices, people, and viewpoints that shape schools and schooling worldwide.

There are two ways you can participate in this blog. If you’re happy having tons of information sent your way, rest assured that we are, as we speak, assembling large mounds of interesting content and we’ve got big shovels to keep it coming in your direction.

If, on the other hand, you think your views on whatever we happen to cover here might matter just as much as ours, we invite you become an active participant. At the end of every blog entry, you’ll find a link you can click to add your two cents.

Please do join in the conversation!

• React. Let us know what you think about a session, speaker, or topic we write about.
• Amplify. Tell how it really works in your school or school system.
• Extend. Add a perspective that hasn’t shown up yet.
• Share. Provide relevant Web sites and other resources.
• Opine. Sound off. Criticize. Praise.

Within the bounds of collegiality and good taste, you can pretty much say whatever’s on your mind.

So please bookmark this page and return often. With your help, we can make the ASCD Annual Conference Blog a great addition to the education profession’s best learning event.

Let's get the ball rolling!

What issues, trends, and practices do think we ought to cover in the Annual Conference Blog? Why? Click on "Comments" below to weigh in.