This blog is a letter to my colleagues at West Wind Education Policy, written as I end my tenure at West Wind and as I phase into retirement from the education profession.

Dear West Wind Friends and Colleagues,

This month marks both the anniversary of four years of employment at West Wind and my retirement.  These years of service with each of you has been a wonderful capstone to my life’s work as a teacher and in support of teachers.  I hope that in my time at West Wind, I have cultivated relationships and a way of working together that brought dignity and grace to our shared workplace.  I have been thinking a lot about grace.  The word “grace” comes from the Latin root word “grat” which has many meanings — pleasing, agreeable; giving something not asked for, out of kindness; and to be thankful, appreciative.[1] It is my ongoing aspiration to give something not asked for, to demonstrate kindness, to act with grace – not just at work, but all the time. Of course, this goal demands constant reflection, self-discipline, and relentless effort. Colleagues, I ask you to forgive those occasions when I didn’t quite meet this challenge and accept my thanks for the countless times your grace-filled actions and gestures contributed to our collective work, cemented friendships, and made working at West Wind such a pleasure. Continue reading “On Grace and Gratitude”

Five years ago, TNTP (formerly known as The New Teacher Project) released The Widget Effect, a report that influenced the debate about educAre Teachers Still Widgets? Five yearsator workforce policy-making and generated advocacy for policies such as improved teacher performance evaluations, administrator training, and performance-based pay.

According to TNTP, the report identified a widespread problem in schools across the country – “near total failure to acknowledge differences in teacher effectiveness”. The study examined twelve school districts in four states and found that almost all teachers were rated “good” or “great” on their formal performance evaluations, and that very few teachers were given “poor” ratings. These researchers reported that teacher performance played an insignificant role in hiring decisions, compensation, and professional development. In the twelve districts studied, a teacher’s performance only became an issue when it was so problematic that dismissal was considered, yet findings revealed that dismissals rarely occurred.[1]  Continue reading “Are Teachers Still Widgets? Five years after the Widget Report”

How often do you think to yourself as you are learning something new, “That was interesting.”?  Do you ever wonder how often students reflect on a completed lesson, “Hmm, that concept just introduced was interesting.”  Or “My homework was pretty interesting today.”

Now consider this statement.   “Interesting is good.  But Wonderful is better.” Continue reading “Interesting is Good, but Wonderful is Better”

As an educational leader, it is likely that you have searched for research to support the development of professional learningexperiences for educators and to inform policy design work. Professional developers will immediately recognize the name Bruce Joyce.  Publications by Drs. Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers, particularly their findings on the effects of peer coaching, are considered to be seminal work in our field (e.g., Student Achievement through Staff Development (Joyce & Showers, 2002). Many preservice educators have designed teacher preparation courses around Models of Teaching. Dr. Joyce and fellow authors, Drs. Marsha Weil and Emily Calhoun recently released the Ninth Edition of Models of Teaching.  It has been my good fortune to include both Bruce Joyce and Emily Calhoun among the colleagues that have shaped my career. Last week, I had the privilege of visiting  Bruce and interviewing him about the Models of Teaching and his current thinking on professional learning. Continue reading “Bruce Joyce Shares Insights about the New Edition of Models of Teaching”

This blog by Deb Hansen, Senior Policy Analyst, West Wind Education Policy, was written for the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) State Consortium on Educator Effectiveness (SCEE). This two-part blog series provides information about Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Personnel, a new Hanover Research report, that explores state and national demographic trends that contribute to minority teacher shortages and shares practices and recommendations for recruiting and retaining teachers of color. SCEE leaders who are responsible for maintaining a qualified and diverse workforce will be interested in this review of recent literature and analysis of data that describe the diversity context in K-12 education systems and policy strategies for addressing shortages of minority educators in the United States. Examples of key findings about the minority teacher deficit, as stated in the report are: Continue reading “New Hanover Report: Minority Teacher Deficit Continues To Widen”

I just tweeted my thanks to teachers for this years’ Teacher Appreciation Week. Reflecting on the various blogs, tweets, and articles in the news that comment on the importance of teachers and praised teachers for their professionalism and dedication, I found them to be a bit de rigueur. I agree that teachers are essential to improved student learning. No doubt, there are many dedicated and passionate teachers in the workplace. Teachers should be recognized for their professionalism and the work they do. I suggest that acknowledging the work of teachers should be more explicit and action oriented. Volunteer in a classroom! Help a teacher with the tasks that allow them to spend more time with students. Continue reading “How to Thank a Teacher”

What is Edcamp?  Here is the promotional web site’s “definition”: “EdCamp sessions are NOT ‘sit and get’ presentations. EdCamps are about discussion and thinking and problem-solving. We build the agenda first thing in the morning and then spend the rest of the day talking, sharing, and learning. Come prepared to participate!” Continue reading “Edcamp”

The internet is replete with blogs that list tips for every possible need.  

“Top 10 ways to clean (___everything you ever owned or wanted to own___).”
“Fifty ways to make your (__any relationship you can think of____) happy. ”
“Suggestions for being a better (___whatever____).”

I find much of this advice to be incredibly useful, while other offerings are pretty silly. I recently wanted to learn how to paint a couch (Don’t ask!) and found a variety of how-to-pointers. One blog caught my attention: — Tip 1: Make sure you want the couch, before painting. Tip 2:  Make sure others in the house want the couch. Tip 3:  Rule out that someone loves the sofa and might be touchy about changing the color, particularly if it is new.  This advice seemed ridiculously obvious, particularly since I am the only person in my household with any interest in furniture. After some searching, I found some lists that offered very practical suggestions about painting chairs and couches. Continue reading “Thirteen Tips”

I just read a recent Hartford Courant article about an op-ed piece written by middle school English teacher, Elizabeth Natale, of West Hartford Connecticut.  Elizabeth stated in her article that she was considering quitting her job because of government education reforms that are “stripping the joy out of teaching and doing nothing to help the children.” [i][1]  A week after publishing Elisabeth’s editorial, The Courant discovered her comments had gone viral and were receiving supportive responses from teachers all over the country. The Courant quoted education author, Jonathan Kozol, “There’s no question that Elizabeth Natale has captured the mood among classroom teachers who are caught in the straitjacket of the Common Core and the entire regimen that evaluates teachers on the basis of their students’ scores on virtually meaningless standardized exams.” [2] Continue reading “Worry about Working Conditions”

The last of the ponds where I live froze over this week.  The bitter cold weather has made it a struggle for the geese to find food, and the few remaining flocks of geese can be seen overhead, heading for warmer regions. The sight of the birds streaming across the sky, in V-formation reminds me of the often quoted parable, “The Wisdom of Geese”.  The way the geese fly in a pattern to conserve energy and use the uplift from the birds in the front of the V suggests lessons to be learned by people who work together in teams.  The “wisdom” to be gained from the flight patterns of geese is that teams who share a common goal and a sense of community will arrive at their intended destination more efficiently, because (like the geese) they accept help of another, and simultaneously offer benefit to their peers. As a goose falls out of the V-formation, it suddenly feels drag and resistance and quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the aerodynamic properties of the V-pattern. What are the big lessons here?  If you have as much sense as a goose, you will stay in formation with those headed where the team wants to go. And, just like geese, a well-functioning team will stand by each other when the going gets tough. Continue reading “Geese in the Winter Sky”