This month the team at West Wind Education Policy is proudly celebrating the career of our own Deb Hansen. It has been an honor for all of us to share the capstone years of her career. During the past four years, Deb has lent her wisdom and experience to West Wind: she has been an expert adviser on an array of education policy issues; a guide to new employees entering the field; and a knowledgeable, passionate, and considerate colleague to all of us.

Her dedication and quest to understand new developments, grow her own knowledge, and challenge her own ideas have changed the way we work at West Wind. Deb understands and appreciates how hard deep inquiry can be and she approaches projects carefully and with consideration. Yet, even in the face of difficult change, she never lowers her standards. Her poise, determination, and empathy make her an invaluable colleague and a great friend to have in your corner. Continue reading “Senior Policy Analyst, Deb Hansen, Retires”

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”

Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown, emphatically questioned if we understand the amount of effort required just to see Michael graduate. Unfortunately, the answer to her question would become buried underneath a wealth of information that followed her son’s death and a charged debated about Michael’s character.

At the center of this discussion is whether Michael contributed to his death. The conversation is hard to comprehend because it not only questions if Michael Brown could have prevented the manner in which he was gunned down, but it primes another misguided question: Can behavior modifications in general stop oppressive practices? This line of thinking is problematic because the agents of change are those who experience discrimination, not powerful systems and key players that have a genuine ability to decrease and even stop discrimination. Continue reading “Do We Understand How Hard It Was to Get Michael Brown to Graduate?”

The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Coldest Winter Ever grew into personal favorites because each uses irony to deliver a memorable life lesson.

Oscar Wilde writes about the dangers of coveting physical beauty, while Sister Souljah illustrates how the intersection of poverty, incarceration, and drugs surfaces throughout inner city neighborhoods. The books share striking differences. Most noticeable are the categorizations. The Picture of Dorian Gray is part of the American literary canon while The Coldest Winter Ever is considered a classic from the urban literature genre. Continue reading “Keep Mirrors in Learning Environments and Media”