Preparing Every Student for a Global Future What Can Leaders Do

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Preparing Every Student for a Global FutureWhat
Can Leaders Do?

• Cathy Seeley
• cseeley_at_mail.utexas.edu
• October 24, 2006

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Things we say

• Some kids just cant do math beyond Algebra II
  (2006)
• 2000 Some kids just cant do math beyond
• 1980 Some kids just cant do math beyond

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Things we say

• Our school/district has a lot of low
  socio-economic kids we need to prepare them for
  a career/tech path.
• Its going to be hard, they arent going to like
  it, they arent going to get it, and do they
  really need it?

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The world is flattening
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The world is flattening
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The world is flattening
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How does a nation survive?

• Two critical investments
• Scientific endeavors, research, innovation
• Education anchored in math and science
• One critical commitment
• Closing the achievement gap

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How does a nation survive?

• Two critical investments
• Scientific endeavors, research, innovation
• Education anchored in math and science
• One critical commitment
• Tapping untapped potential

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Untapped Potential

• Schools that serve low-income students
• Students whose first language is not English
• Students who move
• Students who dont see their future
• Students in good schools
• Two sides of untapped potential

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What does this mean for schools?

• Can we level the playing field?
• Can we close the achievement gapCan we tap the
  untapped potential?
• Can we do it without holding back the most
  successful, most able students?

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• What keeps some students from reaching high
  levels of math achievementfrom fulfilling their
  potential?

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Challenges facing schools

• Attendance
• Graduation/dropping out
• Segregation, tracking, disparities in
  resources/access (Untapped potential)
• Losing sight of the goal for the sake of the test
• Irrelevance (curriculum)
• Obsolescence (school structure/teaching)
• BORING! (lack of engagement)

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Dropout studies

• Deyhle, D. (1989). Pushouts and Pullouts Navajo
  and Ute School Leavers. Journal of Navajo
  Education, 6 (2), 36-51.
• Students "spoke of the boredom of remedial
  classes, the repetition of the same exercises and
  uninteresting subjects" (1989, p. 44)

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Dropout studies

• 47 Classes were not interesting 43 Missed too
  many days and could not catch up 35 Failing
  in school
• Source Civic Enterprises, The Silent Epidemic

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So how much math do they need, and what math is
it?
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
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The Toolbox RevisitedPaths to Degree Completion
from High School Through College
U.S. Department of Education, 2006
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The core question is not about basic access to
higher education. ... It is about completion
ofacademic credentialsthe culmination of
opportunity, guidance, choice, effort, and
commitment.
Toolbox Revisited, US Dept. of Ed., 2006
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• In the US, Mexico and New Zealand,just over half
  of those enrolled for degree-level programmes
  complete them.
• In Ireland, Japan and Korea, more than 80
  complete.
• Education at a Glance 2006
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
  Development (OECD)

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Preparing students for
College
Work
Citizenship
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Ready for College and Ready for Work Same or
Different?
ACT, May 2006
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Whether planningto enter college or workforce
training programs, students need to be educated
to a comparable level of readiness in reading and
mathematicsif they are to succeed
incollege-level courses without remediation and
to enter workforce training programs ready to
learn job-specific skills.
ACT, 2006
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Learning from other countries

• Singapore (AIR report)
• High expectations
• Aligned system
• Japan
• Lesson study
• Polishing the stone
• Engaging students
• Netherlands
• National curriculum
• Integrated elementary/secondary
• Problem solving

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Structure vs. Lecture
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Teaching well

• Choose engaging tasks
• Talk less listen more
• Ask questions

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• Whats the role of the student if someone else is
  doing the talking?

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• What does the role of the teacher become if
  someone else is doing the talking?

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• How can teachers learnto engage students?

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Teacher Professional Learning

• Mathematics, curriculum and learning
• Knowledge of programs
• Expansion of repertoire of teaching strategies
• Opportunities to examine and change beliefs and
  attitudes about who can do what kinds of
  mathematics
• A career-long investment in learning and growth.

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• What vehicles are available to you tosupport
  these kinds ofteacher learning?

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Looking to the future

• Write one sentence that describes what you want a
  math student to know and/or be able to do when
  they graduate from high school.
• What math experiences, knowledge, abilities do
  students need to get there?

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What about the test?
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
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Standardized testing has swelled and mutated,
like a creature in one of those old horror
movies, to the point that it now threatens
toswallow our schools whole. Of course, on the
late, late show no one ever insists that the
monster is really doing us a favor by making its
victims more accountable.
Alfie Kohn, The Case Against Standardized Testing
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Testing Sanely

• Focus on teaching a good mathematics program
• Be skeptical consumers of test-prep materials
  (quantity/quality)
• Recognize the limitations of test data
• Balance cost/benefit

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Math Action in the Nation
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Curriculum Focal Points PK-8A Quest for
Coherence
Released September 12, 2006
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• Content Standards
• Number/Operations
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Measurement
• Data/Probability

• Principles
• Equity
• Curriculum
• Teaching
• Learning
• Assessment
• Technology

• Process Standards
• Problem Solving
• Reasoning
• Communication
• Connections
• Representation

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Curriculum Focal PointsWhats New?

• Priorities
• Grade-by-grade descriptions
• Descriptive clusters of content
• More clarification
• Connections

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Curriculum Focal PointsWhats Not New?

• Alignment with Principles and Standards for
  School Mathematics
• Well-balanced curriculum
• Strong attention to numbers and operations
• Commitment to problem solving, processes and
  content
• Understanding math, doing math, using math

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Other National Action

• National Math Panel
• Achieve
• American Diploma Project Benchmarks
• Courses A-E (7-12)
• Algebra II End-of-Course test
• College Board Standards (6-12)
• STEM legislation (RAGS)
• National Science Board
• Plenty of reports

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Whats Going on in NYC?

• Advisory panel to the chancellor
• ELL grants
• Alternative certification
• Math A etc. to Alg I etc.
• Frequent changes
• Empowerment schools (benchmarks)
• State assessments
• Textbooks
• Examples of hi quality teaching
• Princeton Review testing
• Technology push
• Coachs professional learning
• Afternnons/Sat
• Timing of test data

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Focusing teaching

• How can teachers teach for connections and big
  ideas in courses like Algebra I, Geometry,
  Algebra II?
• How can school leaders use focal points at the
  middle school to teach for connections and big
  ideas?
• What else do you need to help teachers teach for
  connections and big ideas?

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Your role as a leader
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The Change Agent
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The Change Agent

• YOU!

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Improving Instruction

• Improving what we do means changing it.
• Leaders must be change facilitators.

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Agent

• a person or thing that performs an action or
  brings about a certain result, or that is able
  to do so
• an active force or substance producing an effect
  
• a person, firm, etc. empowered toact for another
  
• a representative of a government agency
• a traveling salesperson

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Change Facilitator

• Facilitate to make easy or easier

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Change Facilitator

• NOT someone who changes people

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Change Facilitator

• Someone who helps an organization improve itself
• Someone who makes change easier for people

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How does change happen?
Theodore Sizer
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How does change happen?Slowly, carefully, and
all at once.
Theodore Sizer
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You as part of a team

• Do you see yourself as part of a team?
• Whos on it?
• Whats your role on the team?
• Are you part of other teams?

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You as a personPersonal Mastery

• Telling the truth
• Personal Vision

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You as a personPersonal Mastery

• Telling the truth
• Personal Vision
• Whats important to you?
• What do you care about?
• What drives you, motivates you?
• What are you passionate about?
• Why do you put up with all that stuff?

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People

• Its not about blaming people, but about
  understanding processes and patterns.
• Change only happens to people, not to an
  organization.
• Its all about understanding the people and
  building relationships.

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Concerns-Based Adoption Model(CBAM)

• Stages of Concern

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Stages of Concern

• Awareness
• Informational
• Personal
• Management
• Consequence
• Collaboration
• Refocusing

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Teaching for Results

• Teaching Effectively
• Teaching Efficiently

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Teaching Effectively

• Teaching for learning that
• makes sense
• lasts
• works

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Teaching Efficiently

• Teaching without
• wasting time (yours or students)
• wasting energy (yours or students)
• wasting resources (yours or students)

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Teaching Efficiently

• Investments vs. Expenses

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Leading for Results

• Effective Leadership
• Efficient Leadership
• Getting Results

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Effective Leadership

• Actions/Interventions that
• are appropriatewhat they need when they need it
• are personal
• take the long view
• are strategic

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Efficient Leadership

• Actions/Interventions that dont
• waste time (yours or teachers)
• waste energy (yours or teachers)
• waste resources (yours or teachers)

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Efficient Leadership

• Doing a good intervention at the wrong time or
  with the wrong people is inefficient.

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Efficient Leadership

• Investments vs. Expenses

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Investments

• Building relationships is always an investment.
• We need to spend the time to let things happen.

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Your turn

• What are the biggest drivers in your school (or
  situation) that influence what and how teachers
  teach and what students learn?
• What can be done to influence those drivers
• by you?
• by teachers, administrators and other educators
  in your school?
• by those outside of education in your community?

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Cathys thoughts on being a leader

• Be at least a moderate revolutionary and be ready
  to accept the consequences.
• Surround yourself with positive energy.
• Invest in a relationships.
• Identify leverage points.
• Spend your energy on whats most important.
• Justice, equity, and access are worth fighting
  for.
• Provide continuous support.
• Celebrate the small victories.

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Your Leadership

• Helping teachers develop their personal leadership

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Your Leadership

• Helping teachers develop their personal
  leadership
• Being an effective change agent/facilitator

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Your Leadership

• Helping teachers develop their personal
  leadership
• Being an effective change agent/facilitator
• Being sensitive, perceptive, persistent,
  politically savvy, inspirational, visionary,
  hard-working, invisible, smart, trustworthy,
  selfless, respected, courageous, enthusiastic,
  committed, provocative, compassionate, patient,
  accepting, challenging, creative, tactful,
  versatile, professional, provoking, enabling,
  encouraging, resourceful, goal-focused,
  insightful, assertive, organized, pleasant,
  truthful, strategic, effective, efficient

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Do Leadership.
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Do Leadership.And you can help things happen.
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Preparing Every Student for a Global FutureWhat
Can Leaders Do?

• Cathy Seeley
• cseeley_at_mail.utexas.edu
• October 24, 2006

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