Opening Assembly

Principal's National conference Opening assembly Friday 4 pm

Disclosure. These are noted from my IPAD so pardon slight errors. I will edit later...

Lots of people standing. As as administrator this reminds me to remind you to over prepare. They also did not have any power points for anyone due to a computer issue. They said they will send them. So far the Esther has been yucky and the conference has one direction to go. Hmmmm. You know what I mean. But remember we have to showcase the positives- celebrate small victories. I did pick up some good stuff and meet some great people. Dagget is tomorrow morning. Yippie!

Anyway here we go...Dr Gerry Tirozzi

We need to take back our profession

Breaking Ranks new book is out. All about change models k-12

It must be comprehensive k-12. No longer divided like previous books

Hey we have a new logo NASSP leading schools

school leadership is a collaborative effort www.nassp.org

Wow. Talked about how NCLB has screwed up the principal's position. When a school does not perform he or she is replaced and the new person gets funds the oldnone never got,

Also was not an advocate of charter schools. We can't hold lotteries for our kidsnto go. We educate all of them

Reauthorization of ESEA....we need to be part of that

Critics. Address the effects of poverty on our students and the funding disparities. To the education guros, policy makers, legislators! Education is not going to be saved Waiting for superman. The movie was terrible by the way. (Crazy but they played it on the flight from Chicago to San Francisco)

Finally....keynote is going on at 4:57

Dr. Diane Ravitch

Where school reform goes wrong!

How about Rhode Island school yesterday. Fired everyone but they can reapply for their jobs...

Will our nation's schools survive the efforts to reform them?

Considering eliminating tenure, thinking kidsnare better off sitting in front of a computer or in a charter school

The Corporate Reform Movement. But it is not really a business model

They know nothing about what goes on in the classroom. They do nottalk about out of core subjects and the arts

Gates foundation has bought education but are they doing everything right. Now they are spending billions in search for the bad teachers

They care about test scores, not children

They force us to spend weeks upon weeks ontest prep prior to tests

They don't care about the arts

They think you can tell who the weak teachers are based on the tests (have to say in some cases that is true)

But she is right that it destroys trust in the school culture.

NCLB. Measure and Punish, they set an impossible goal and it's not a goal it's a mandate...

One third of our schools currently failing but that will increase as we get closer to 2014

NAPE achievement proficiency levels are very high. Very hard exams

We are nowhere close to our targets of NCLB after nine years. Countless dollars spent on tests andtest prep

Corporate reform will say you support the status quo if you say you don't agree with NCLB

Were schools closing all over before NCLB

and......the lights are going out in Detroit

Corporate thinks public schools are like chain antlers and if they do not make a profit close em

If there are still fires you don,t close down the fire department

Finland has invested in teachers and support is strong. They do not have standardized tests and have a full boat of civics, arts, health etc. And Finland is kicking!

TEACHERS AND PARENTS hate NCLB

Narrowed curriculum focusing on reading and math skills, not really even science

Creativity, imagination dying...

Love of learning is dying due to NCLB

PISA results mentioned by Obama and he said we have to raise those test scores. What Obama did not realize is that the scores are higher now than they were in the 70s 80s and 90s

No one seems to realize that poverty is the root of the problem

When children come to school hungry and bearing the burdens of poverty they are doomed for positive learning

Poverty rate is 20 percent and rising

Stanford study. Results 83 percent the same or worse than public schools

On NAPE in 2003 there was no difference in charter and public school scores

Now Vallue added assessment is being pushed by Gates Foundation to be used or funds will not be available

Value added assessment has inaccuracies, students change and teachers change

Parents across America- check that out

WOW SHE IS 15 MINUTES OVER AND PEOPLE ARE LEAVING

I am gonna stay.....she is picking on the voucher program

Scores of voucher kiddos are doing poorly so is choice working

Schools don't improve by closing them they die....arnie Duncan closes opens warns. No results in Chicago!

NY City is actually closing schools that opened five years ago and the kids just keep getting pushed around

We can't continue to demoralize teachers we need to encourage them

Race to the top changesnthe promise made in 1965 to the students who need it most. RTTP rewards grant writers. We are trying ton educate all students not just the ones in the race. Lol okay now she is way over time. As principals we know about being concise- right?

I'm outta here. Pa state meeting at the Marriot next.