Views and Voice: Above the Noise

The COVID pandemic has given us the opportunity to examine what is the real purpose of public education and what is necessary for us to teach students to know and do. I add racism as a 4th Accelerant to T. Friedman's previous three of globalization, climate change, and technology. How do we shape the future of public education and eliminate those pieces that are no longer viable.

This podcast is like an audiobook production by reading the article "How Real is Race? Using Anthropology to Make Sense of Human Diversity" by Carol Mukhopadhyay and Rosemary C. Henze. The article addresses race as a social construct, not a scientifically proven biological fact. They offer ideas to help change our thinking and practices for education. It's read by Jane Sigford

Race, The Achievement Gap and Schools is the first of two podcasts about education and racism. This podcast consisting of 4 parts of a discussion about what has happened currently because of the killing of George Floyd, how the idea of race is not biologically sound but is a social construct, how our thinking patterns reinforce our beliefs, and how education can move to eradicate our racist ideas and practices in structure, measurement, and curriculum. The second podcast is an audiobook-like airing of an article called “How Real is Race? using Anthropology to make sense of Human Diversity.”

“COVID-19 Through the eyes of an 18-yr-old” by Audrey Thibert looks at how this pandemic affects one of our students on a very personal level. High School graduation, prom, etc are cultural and emotional markers of a transition from relative dependence to the next part of a young person’s life. This virus has changed this drastically as we hear from Audrey.

COVID-19 Through the eyes of an 18-year-old audrey thibert by Jane L. Sigford

Audrey Thibert, an 18 yr old senior, reflects on the meaning of her life at this time. Educational milestones such as prom, graduation, saying goodbye to friends has changed. It's a reminder to all of us of the power of education and human connection.

Dr. Joe Gothard is superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools, the most diverse district in the state. Throughout our conversation one can hear his emphasis on achievement, relationships, communication, and trust. Under his leadership the district adopted a strategic plan entitled SPPS Achieves which carries the message that the work is about learning. One of my favorite quotes of his says it all, “This is not solo work.”

Dr. Joe Gothard is superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools, the most diverse district in the state. Throughout our conversation one can hear his emphasis on achievement, relationships, communication, and trust. Under his leadership the district adopted a strategic plan entitled SPPS Achieves which carries the message that the work is about learning. One of my favorite quotes of his says it all, “This is not solo work.”

Gary Amoroso, Executive Director of MASA, MN Association of School Administrators, is retiring at the end of June. I asked him to reflect upon what he has learned during his tenure, and to suggest what he sees in the future for education and the role of superintendent. He talked about the political nature of his role and that of education. The importance of relationships at all levels was a current that flowed through our conversation. He talks about the issues facing public education and the positive nature of the work we do.

Amy Ernst, special education director for the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose School District, demonstrates the value of relational skills in being a positive school leader. Relationships are key to listening, building trust, and collaborating as professionals work together to design and implement learning experiences for students. As she would say, if you have a big belief in people you will have big outcomes.

To change the conversation from an accountability mindset, we must focus on other fundamental aspects of education. First of all, education is about deeper learning for all which was the subject of the first podcast in this Changing the Conversation series. To have deeper learning, one must have deeper teaching which is the subject of this podcast. The third in the series will be about Learning Leaders. This particular podcast describes a deeper teacher and what they do differently. Reinstating deeper teaching gives us permission to once again marry the art and skill of effective teaching which means that all students have deeper learning.

CariJo Drewitz is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the West St. Paul Public Schools. In her role she wears many hats. You will hear how her job is partly defined by the accountability mentality as described by Michael Fullan. You will also hear of the efforts to increase deeper learning for students by reinforcing pedagogical strategies. The curriculum role varies among districts both in job responsibilities and in placement on district organizational charts but it is a role that is at the heart of what we do in education—creating effective learning practices and environments for students.

To redesign schools we must change the conversation. It isn't about accountability; it's about learning. We must refocus on effective pedagogy and deeper teaching. Deeper learning--deeper teaching--deeper leadership.

Dr. Bernadeia Johnson, retired superintendent from Mpls and currently a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, has had a rich and varied career. She completed her dissertation on resiliency strategies of African-American women superintendents. As an African-American educator, she has a unique perspective on cultural bias, gender concerns, and leadership strategies, in addition to sharing her personal wisdom.

Valerie Dosland is a lobbyist who works for MASA, and other educational organizations to continue to make our state a leader in education. The work of a lobbyist is built upon relationships, dialogue, gathering data, and being in tune with where we are and where we should go. Her work illustrates the quote from Robert Kennedy Jr. “Democracy is messy and it’s hard.”

Patty Phillips is a retired superintendent who currently is a consultant for a search firm. She uses the wisdom she gained in 30 years of experience to talk about the superintendency, to look at male and female leaders, and to give advice to those who aspire to become superintendents.

There is a cluster of women superintendents in the northeastern part of Minnesota. Including the superintendent of ARCC, Arrowhead Region Computing Consortium, there are 8 women who serve over 8000 public school students over a large geographic region. In addition, ARCC serves over 30,000 students. Six of these women met to share their enthusiasm for their job. They also talked about some of the challenges.

Where are the women—superintendents that is? Over 70% of teachers are female, but in Minnesota only 16% of our superintendents are women. This number has stayed the same for a number of years. Why aren’t there more women? Contained in MASA’s Strategic Directions is an action step in to examine this issue and look at ways to support diverse leadership. This podcast poses questions, sometimes difficult ones, for us to explore around this issue.

Steve Jones, Superintendent of Little Falls Community Schools, talks about their work toward personalized learning, standards-based grading, redesigning professional development, and offering different career pathways for students. In addition, Steve has a working relationship with community businesses that profits both businesses and the schools. His educational philosophy has led him to concentrate on relationships with students, families, and the community. It seems that there is a climate in Little Falls that encourages innovation and yet keeps what has worked in the past to create a new future.

Renee Corneille is a first-year superintendent a St. Anthony Public Schools. She had had several positions in the district, including middle and high school principal, before being hired as superintendent. She shares her experience of what it was like to be an internal candidate. In Minnesota only 16% of the superintendents are women; Renee is one of the few. Her excitement and passion for the work she gets to do is contagious. Plus, she has a great sense of humor.

Bill Adams, Superintendent of Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton or JWP, is spearheading the creation of a district which has incorporated personalized learning to meet the needs of all students. His work in a rural district is different from that of a large system. His leadership style of using “failures” to improve a system is demonstrated throughout his conversation.

Senator Steve Cwodzinski, former Government teacher, is currently a Minnesota state senator, serving on the education committee. He shares thoughts about current and future issues with possible ideas as to what administrators and teachers can do to help legislators make informed decisions

Shaping the learning of the 21st century high school student requires a change in the physical setting. Sartell-St Stephen high school has been in a several year process to design and build their new high school using some ideas from The Third Teacher. The school will open this fall. Kay Nelson, Assistant Superintendent of Learning Services, and Brenda Steve, high school principal, talk about the design process and the involvement of all the constituents.

Jen Hegna is the Director of Information and Learning Technology for Byron Public schools. As she says, she "loves technology" particularly if it can facilitate learning. She brought a Design Thinking process to her district after attending and Innovation Conference. The work with students and staff is just beginning. Listening to her process gives a lot ideas of how this could be implemented in many ways and places.

Danielle Theis is a trainer in Life Space Crisis Intervention which is a method to disrupt the usual punitive pattern in dealing with students whose acting out behavior keeps them from being successful. The intervention is utilized when the crisis happens, not in retrospect so students learn about the impact of their behavior and lets them experience an alternative strategy. She is principal of New Dominion School in Austin,MN. Her website is DanielleTheisConsulting.com.

Dr. Neal Nickerson has been a professor at the University of Minnesota since 1964. He is a "founding father" of the Educational Administration Program which has been replicated in surrounding states and provinces. In addition, he is known for his concerted effort to bring and support under-represented groups, such as women and people of color, into the programs. His influence has contributed greatly to the high quality of administrators in the state of Minnesota. Plus, he lets all of us share his wisdom, dedication, and, most of all, his sense of humor. His focus on creating high quality principals has led to the creation of high quality superintendents.

John Thein has had an interesting career as a superintendent. He was superintendent of Roseville Area Schools for the longest time, for a length of 17 years. However, he has had short term positions and interim positions in a variety of districts from rural, to suburban to integration districts, to urban. John Thein could have published his quotes, from which we can all learn, as an almanac similar to Ben Franklin, but you can listen to them here instead. Enjoy!

Chris Mills, Superintendent of Stephen-Argyle Public Schools in the northwestern corner of Minnesota, will tell you that being the superintendent of a small district has many advantages—getting hugs from kindergartners in the hallway, being a community leader, advocating at the legislature for equity in funding and treatment of small schools, and in creating a school community where all are welcome. Are there disadvantages? Some but the community works hard to utilize area resources in every way possible. He believes in being involved, networking, and building community to meet the needs of his students, staff, and community.

Denise Pontrelli, Superintendent of Stillwater Area Public Schools, talked about the community collaboration process by which that area has designed a multi-faceted, multi-prong approach to providing mental health services to students and families.

Jason Berg, Executive Director of Education Services for the Farmington Area Public Schools, shared thoughts about change in the schools and the dynamic use of their strategic plan. Teachers and students are given more flexibility, responsibility, and ownership of their learning and time.

John Langaard is Superintendent of Worthington Public Schools in southwestern Minnesota , one of the 27 districts in the state where white students are the minority. He sees this increasing diversity as a real asset to his community and to the rest of the state. In fact, he is establishing a “Grow Your Own” program for teachers who emulate the student body and solve some of the teacher shortages. Plus, he has ideas about what we need to stop doing and how we can change our high schools.

Superintendent Janey Blanchard has a unique perspective and experience set because she has worked had positions where she was working in a culture not her own. She has experience in working with Indian education and also as an outsider coming to the Iron Range of Minnesota. She talks about how to honor a culture, respecting the needs of the community, yet bringing forward strong educational goals.

Dr. Brenda Cassellius is the Commissioner of Education in Minnesota. She talks about the accomplishments of the past 8 years and shares a wish for the future. She is the second longest serving state officer in the United States which has provided some continuity and stability in educational leadership in Minnesota. Her closing words were a wish for our superintendents.

Deb Henton is superintendent of North Branch Public Schools. In addition, she was named as Superintendent of the Year and is currently president of the MASA Board. She shares her experience in dealing with a district with declining enrollment. In addition, she discusses the political nature of education. As she says, "She is a common leader devoted to service."

Views and Voice: Above the Noise #8: Rob Reetz , Principal, Project-based learning by Jane L. Sigford

Superintendent Sandy Lewandowski of Intermediate District 287 discusses the rise in mental health issues among children and discusses the increasing violence we see in schools. She talks about innovative practices that 287 is using to address these issues.

Interview with Superintendent Matt Grose of Deer River Public Schools in MASA Region 7.

Views and Voice: Above the Noise #5: School Shootings by Jane L. Sigford

Views and Voice: Above the Noise #4: High School Proposal by Jane L. Sigford

Views and Voice: Above the Noise #3: Possible Vision of a High School by Jane L. Sigford

Views and Voice: Above the Noise #2: Education's Public Message by Jane L. Sigford

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