By Dana Bockman, Facilitator of Instruction and Assessment I have always loved the phrase "knowledge is power". As we become more knowledgeable, we develop our beliefs, opinions, awareness, and understanding. And this provides us with power to act in ways that reflect our growing understanding of ourselves and others. As I write this blog post and think back over our time on April 23, as well as consider the two blog posts that followed (Equity in Education: What it Is and Why it Matters; A Snapshot of Educational Inequities in America), I feel like that is the path we are on as a district. We want to increase knowledge so our staff has a deeper understanding and awareness. We are not about forcing beliefs and opinions, but rather we want to present the facts. We want to increase the collective knowledge of our staff. Often times, reviewing data sets the stage for a deeper understanding and for further analysis and discussion. It certainly increases awareness! My intention today is to again share data and to increase our awareness as a district. The Trevor Project has just released the 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health. According to The Trevor Project, "This survey sheds light on the many unique challenges faced by LGBTQ young people by capturing the experiences of nearly 35,000 LGBTQ youth from across the country. We are proud that this sample is our most diverse yet, with 45% being LGBTQ youth of color and 38% being transgender or nonbinary." I hope you will take a moment to review the results of this survey.
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Does this Ring a Bell? A Professional Growth Model & Danielson Instructional Framework Refresher5/13/2021 By Dana Bockman, Facilitator of Instruction and Assessment On two late start Wednesdays in May of 2019, staff was introduced to the Professional Growth Model (PGM) which the District would be implementing over the coming years. Around this same time, the Iowa Department of Education was beginning to encourage districts to utilize an instructional framework, introducing the Iowa Instructional Framework as an option for districts. Lucky for us, a PGM revolves around the use of an instructional framework and we were already beginning to implement components of the Danielson Framework to support our shift to a growth model. We were ahead of the game! If you are interested in learning more about the steps Decorah Schools has already taken in the implementation of a Professional Growth Model you can read more here.
Due to the school closure last year, we have not been able to implement the PGM fully nor have we been able to increase understanding of the Danielson Framework and how it is utilized for self-reflection, goal setting, and teacher/administrator conversations. We are now ready to begin moving forward with the next steps in the implementation of the Framework and the PGM. Next week, we will have a chance to take a look at the Danielson Framework to gain an understanding of the four Domains and their Components. Next fall, we will examine the four Levels of Proficiency (LOP) utilized within the instructional framework rubrics before teachers complete their first self-assessment. Want to get a headstart? You can read more about the Danielson Framework in this article from ASCD and review the Danielson Framework rubrics by selecting the links below.
The Power of Hello by Tyler Wedemeier, K-12 Instructional Coach At a garage sale recently, my wife found the perfect shirt for Eve, our almost two year old. The front of the shirt was adorned with a heart and the word "hi" in big, bold letters. Eve loves to say hi to every person, animal, and object we meet. As the adult companion of this two year old, I have not always enjoyed the small talk that follows with our new found friends. However, as I reflected on these many occurrences, I realized these passing moments almost always end with a smile from both parties. When passing students and colleagues in the hall, I usually offer a polite smile as we meet. With a mask on, this smile often goes unnoticed. I have found this covered smile exchange to be even more awkward as neither party knows if the other even notices the smile that is offered. I decided to start intentionally saying "hello" to those I meet in the hallway. While at first it felt awkward, especially when passing people I do not know as well as others, it allowed smiles to be visible (even under the mask). In a quick Google search on saying "hi", I found the article, The Power of Hello, in Psychology Today. It is a quick three minute read. While it is written from the viewpoint of a university, the principle message is applicable at all levels of the education system, and really it applies for all humans. The subtitle of the article left the most impact on me, "The simplest way to make the world a better place." On Wednesday, Sam informed me that Eve had to say" hi" to each person that they came across while at the park followed by "bye" before she left. This simple exchange, no doubt, put a smile on the faces of those she met. She also wanted to offer kisses. I would caution all of you on that. By Dana Bockman, Facilitator of Instruction & Assessment The inequities in the United States are quite extensive, many with a history of oppressive laws and policies which still influence marginalization today. Others are more recent, due to societal changes, such as family structure. A Snapshot of Educational Inequities in America (Copyright 2017) is a collection of slides and data displaying a large variety of inequities across our country. The organization of the presentation is shown below. Slides 18-46 speak to the range of issues involved with and surrounding equity in education and are worth spending some time reviewing.
What take-aways, surprises, thoughts, or ideas did you have from reviewing these slides?
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