Powerschool Update

Recently, I have become aware of concerns about the features provided by the PowerSchool program. More specifically, there has been the concern about the loss of the ability to view student assignments and grades. The good news is that this is a temporary situation. After participating in a sales presentation and discussing satisfaction with other school districts, we made a decision as an administrative team to switch our student information system from Administrator's Plus to PowerSchool. Factored into this decision making were the following:

1) It is currently the system used by the high school. Having the same system would allow for increased sharing of data between us.
2) The price for PowerSchool was higher in the first year, but would result in savings every year after the first one.
3) PowerSchool had an integrated system that included features not available in Administrator's Plus. For example, eventually we will be able to have lunch balances tracked and paid for through this system. Another example is the increased precision that the gradebook feature has for teachers.

At the time the decision was made, we were aware of the fact that we would encounter difficulties with this transition. Much to their credit, Denise Fichner, Dave Pawlowski and our twelve month secretarial staff, Pat Aversa and Doreen Penge managed to get the system operational for all internal school functions by the established deadline. In addition, they were also able to train teachers in the most essential functions prior to the start of the school year.

We are at the point now where we are moving forward with other features of the program. We have an early October deadline to have Google team sites up and running, as well as the features in PowerSchool that will allow a parent to monitor their child's work.

We are confident that the short term "pain" associated with this transition will result in a long term gain that will benefit our school district. I ask for your patience as we move as fast as we can to provide you with the desired features.

In the interim, I would like to stress the importance of parent-teacher communication. Our electronic means of communication were never intended to replace the personal connection established when a school staff member and a parent discuss the progress of a child. Our staff knows the expectation that they should be contacting you by phone or through a meeting if they have concerns about your child completing assignments, classroom behavior or academic progress. As a staff, we also expect to respond to all parent communication within a 24 hour time period. Communication with the parents of our students is important to us. Our parents are our partners, sharing our mission to provide the best possible education to our students.

High Expectations

Schools that establish high expectations for all students--and provide the support necessary to achieve these expectations--have high rates of academic success. Conveying positive and high expectations to students occurs in several ways. One of the most obvious and powerful is through personal relationships in which teachers and other school staff communicate to students, "This work is important; I know you can do it; I won't give up on you." I believe that one of the characteristics that separates marginal teachers from good teachers is their ability to look for childrens' strengths and interests, and then use those as the starting points for learning.

Schools also communicate expectations in the way they structure and organize learning. A rich and varied curriculum gives students the opportunity to be successful in more than just academics. Similarly, teachers who teach to a broad range of learning styles and multiple intelligences communicate that the school values the unique strengths and intelligences of each individual. All students can learn, just not in the same way or at the same rate!

How we group children in our classrooms and schools indicates the expectations we have for them. No matter how well meaning, labels that identify children may be doing more harm than good. It has been my experience that once we label a child, they frequently begin to act in a manner that fulfills the behaviors expected by these labels. Without a doubt, students will require additional assistance to meet the expectations in school. Why can't we just provide the services based on these individual needs without having to label the child?

A final area in which expectations play a role is in motivating students and instilling within them a responsibility for learning. I believe that extrinsic rewards can actually undermine a true love and appreciation for learning. I see this when well meaning parents and teachers reward students when they accomplish something academic. Unfortunately, many of these students develop the attitude that learning is something to tolerate in order to achieve some other gain. It is true that learning can be a means to an end, but if it is to be a life-long endeavor then it must become intrinsically valued.

As an organization, we must hold high expectations for ourselves and our students. I believe that we have made significant progress in establishing new procedures and programs in our school district. However, implementing these programs and procedures is not enough. We must expect these changes to produce the desired results. Accountability for producing significant academic achievement gains is our responsibility as educators. If we are to hold high expectations for our students, then we must begin by holding high expectations for ourselves.

The Start of School

As a school administrator, you normally wake-up in a cold sweat during the night before the students are due back to school. Concerns of forgetting something or potential glitches due to changes usually produce an inability to get much needed rest.
Even though I had my typical concerns about the start of school, I am glad to report that this was the smoothest opening I have experienced in my four years as the Superintendent of Alexandria Township. The quality of start to the year can be directly attributed to the efforts of every employee in our school district. Thanks to them, our students appear to be off to a great start!
I am hopeful that this momentum will build, leading us into a year that will be unforgettable. Many changes and challenges are on the horizon. Some of them initiated by the school district, others imposed by outside entities. These changes and challenges will likely lead to conflict. In and of itself, this fact is not problematic.
I tend to view any conflict as having the potential to be either productive or destructive. When individuals engage in passionate discussion focused on important issues, the potential exists to gain increased understanding. On the other hand, when the conflict focuses on the people and personalities involved it usually leads to frustration, hostility, blaming and little to no progress.
It is my hope that this year all of us involved in any way with the education of our students will focus our energy and attention on the issues and not the people involved. Imagine what we could do as a school system and a community if we all placed all of our energy into understanding and solving the problems and challenges we encounter. I am certain that going beyond identifying problems to working together to solve them would be beneficial to our students. I hope you will join with me in helping to see this vision become reality.