November 10, 2015

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

In the last Update I informed you of the conflict in the new law requiring school districts

to have fitness physical education programs conflicting with the new performance-based

teacher evaluation requirements. Schools are required to have fitness programs and track

student fitness measures but this data cannot be used for teacher or principal evaluation

purposes. These two laws seem to be in direct conflict with each other.

A principal who was participating in one of my Advanced Danielson academies asked me

on a break if I had read the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and

the Brain by Dr. John J. Ratey (Spark). This principal knew I was a runner and thought I

might be interested in the book. I am always looking for books to read (I do not really

read most of these books, I listen to the book on my iPod while I am running). I

recommend this book for all school administrators, all physical education teachers and

really all teachers.

Author Dr. John Ratey gives detailed scientific evidence about how exercise improves

learning in students; Dr. Ratey outlines 7 specific conditions including anxiety,

depression, and ADHD among others; which can benefit tremendously with appropriate

and adequate physical activity. I believe if you read this book you will transform your

schools and make fitness a critical component of your district’s curriculum.

This works!

For the past two years I have been working with a variety of school districts around my

new training program that I have titled “Shadow Principals To Transform Teaching and

Learning.” In several school districts I conduct either one or two sessions for the teacher

evaluators (I also encourage districts to include teacher leaders in this work) on an ISBE

approved administrator academy on Advanced Danielson skill development. I then

follow up this training with my shadowing the teacher evaluators in their buildings while

they are conducting informal and formal evaluations and subsequent reflective

conversations with the teachers.

This is the actual application of the knowledge gained in the administrative academy. I

collect evidence along with the evaluator and then the evaluator and I reflect on this

information immediately following the activity. Often I also shadow the evaluator while

they are conducting the actual reflection conference with the teacher. In almost every

case when I do this work the teacher evaluator wants more shadowing. They reflect with

me and tell me this was the most powerful learning experience they have had as a school

administrator. Contact me at rvoltz@iasaedu.org or 217-741-0466 if you want additional

information on this topic or you would like to schedule this professional development for

your teacher evaluators.

Who says reforms do not work?

Through the years I have heard many educators say that this reform or new idea “shall

pass without any sanctions so ignore it and it will go away.” Probably most organizations

are hesitant to change but education seems to be rooted in the same old structures it had

at the beginning of the 1900’s. The one institution most would recognize from the early

part of the 20th

century is the traditional classroom.

Now that Illinois educators are in the middle of transforming principal and teacher

evaluation into a performance-based system with research proven standards (Danielson

Frameworks for Teaching) and student growth as a component of the final evaluation

rating many are again saying “this too shall go away.”

It is worth the reflection to think about the recent reform changes that have occurred in

public education. Let’s start with No Child Left Behind (NCLB). When NCLB was first

proposed many educators ridiculed the requirement that 100% of students needed to meet

a “career and college ready” standard. After all, had any of these proposed reformers

actually worked in schools? My personal response was that 100% was certainly a very

high standard but on a personal note I thought about whose students would be “left

behind.” Certainly it was not going to be my children, maybe it was your children, but it

was not mine.

Another way of defining the words in NCLB might be “No Child Left Behind in my

Basement.” This is certainly how I feel about education now that our three children are

grown, working in professional fields and more importantly not living in our basement.

Money actually stays in my saving and checking accounts not that we are not supporting

and educating our children. My bet is that this is the goal of all parents, whether wealthy

or poor; whether urban, suburban or rural; whether black, white or brown; or whether the

parents are college graduates, high school graduates, or non graduates. NCLB’s goal is to

attain academic success for all students and schools are doing a better job accounting for

all sub groups as a result of this reform.

What about Response to Intervention (RTI)? I heard many complaints when this reform

was introduced. Which educator would now say that this has not improved education?

We now look much closer at data, provide alternative strategies for students to learn and

grow and make better decisions about what student’s receive special education services.

How about Common Core? What educators think this new state of educational standards

will result in students learning less? Common Core will centralize curriculum across

states and school districts to the advantage of the many mobile students in today’s

society. These standards are more rigorous than the old state or local standards and will

require educators and students to step up their game to be successful.

Now comes principal and teacher evaluation reform. In the past most educator

evaluations have been “compliant” not “intellectual engaging experiences.” Principal and

teacher evaluators now have a systemic approach to evaluation partially based on student

growth scores. Who would argue that student growth shouldn’t be at least part of the final

educator’s formal summative rating? The new evaluation process requires reflective

conversations between the educator being evaluated and the evaluator, an actual

conversation about the professional work that is being done.

In closing, it is my opinion while all these reforms have been challenging, educators are

getting better at their trade as a result.

Tip of the Week

Take my suggestion above and have your administrators and teacher leaders read the

book Spark and then conduct a study session on how you could incorporate the concepts

in this book into your schools.