News-Record.com

Be sure to check out a story coming out on Friday about the new roles of Sharon Ozment and Eric Becoats.

Find here the interim superintendency contracts for Ozment and Becoats, courtesy of school board attorney Jill Wilson.

Also, resumes for the two.
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A bit of everything, based on the online comments that were submitted in response to the school board's lengthy list of desired superintendent traits.

I took a look at the more than 200 comments submitted since Feb. 21 and the suggestions ranged from leader who would pursue more release time for religious activities to a someone who would staff schools with teachers and administrators from a wide variety of ethnic groups. Some even mentioned names of desired candidates, such as former Page High Principal Terry Worrell and Superintendent Sharon Patterson of Bibb County, Ga. (she was a runner up in 2006 for the national superintendent of schools award).

There were a few general themes. Many commenters said they wanted:

1. A superintendent who would improve discipline in the schools, particularly by kicking out disruptive students or at least placing them in an alternative learning environment.

One comment: "We should have zero tolerance in our schools for poor behavior and foul language. As adults we owe it to all kids to set a better example by enforcing consequences."

2. A superintendent who was not obsessed with numbers are career-building.

One comment: "Our leader needs to be concerned about learning and not numbers. A 2.9% drop-out rate does not indicate highly motivated students. It merely indicates that students over 16 are opting to stay in school where they are free to loiter, attend class at will, create constant disruption, and conduct their social and other business; and ultimately deny other students their right to an education."

3. A superintendent who better supports the arts.

One comment: "It is imperative that we continue to educate our children in differing art disciplines and thought processes; we must help children tap into their creativity so that our nation can survive in the global market."

4. A superintendent who will be more supportive of teachers, particularly by increasing the number of teaching assistants in elementary schools.

One comment: "I understand the decision to scale back or eliminate teaching assistants and try to limit class size based on findings that test scores rise with lower class sizes. While I think the goals is a worthwhile one, its implementation is flawed because it fails to consider the psychological effect on a teachernot to have another adult in the room for instructional differentiation, as well as temporary relief for a teacher or student who is losing it."

I rarely have time to flip through the educational publications that pile up on my desk, but an article in the current The School Administrator caught my eye. The article, "It's the system (not the staff) that needs a tuneup" by Lee Jenkins, states the case that school systems must deal with the underlying systematic flaws that hold back student progress, rather than loading up on program after program.

Current system flaws, according to Jenkins, include:
* Teachers spend more time than they should reviewing material from the previous academic year;
* Schools hold students accountable for their short-term memory, but schools are held accountable for students' long-term memory;
* Schools use ranking, the bell curve and other statistical tools suitable for competive sports, but unacceptable for nonathletic endeavors;
* Schools rarely collect baseline data prior to a change, so opinions abound but facts are minimal.

Reading this article got me thinking about Guilford County Schools and the complaints I often get from teachers and students that the district tries program after program to improve student achievement and behavior and other areas. Without systems thinking, administrators (whether they be inside a school system or other government entity) work in silos and make changes without realizing their impacts on other seemingly non-related areas.

In what areas do you think GCS is doing well when it comes to thinking systematically and in what areas does the district need transformation?